NYC’s Best Casual Neighborhood Sushi Spots – New York – The Infatuation
In this city, there are a lot of different kinds of sushi. There’s the type you eat at JFK while you stare at a rainy tarmac, and there are sushi meals that cost as much as a two-night stay in the hotel of your choice (breakfast included). This guide is for all the places in between. When you’re looking for some casual sushi on a weeknight, these are the spots you want. They’re reasonably priced, and they all serve quality fish.
NYC Guide
The Best Sushi In NYC
THE SPOTS
There are always new omakase options in NYC, but it’s hard to find spots that focus on high-quality, relatively affordable stuff. This place in The Market Line on the LES has a $35 seven-piece-and-half-roll special that’s just that: special (and not only because of the price point). All the fish here is buttery, and the rice is seasoned with just a kiss of vinegar. There are also more expensive sushi plates if you want premium pieces like sea urchin and fatty tuna.
Located on Smith and Dean, Ki Sushi is a useful spot for a casual meal in the Cobble Hill/Boerum Hill area. Expect a large selection of nigiri and sashimi, in addition to special rolls like one with uni, eel, avocado, and tuna. This restaurant has a low-key, pleasant environment, and you can grab a seat at the sushi bar if you want to see the chefs construct all your pieces.
Tomoe Sushi, which closed in 2021 after almost 40 years in business, has been resurrected as Tomo21 Sushi. The menu hasn’t changed, the fish is still high quality, and you’ll walk out feeling like you somehow underpaid for the amount of sushi you got. (Tomoe’s signature long-and-thick portions of fish have remained, so each piece feels like a two-for-one deal.) This Greenwich Village spot is perfect for when you’re in the mood for sushi that’s better than your go-to Seamless option.
Pink Nori serves relatively affordable sushi and Japanese small plates just off Steinway Street, a couple blocks from the Broadway N/W stop. The all-white space has tables along one wall, a bar up front, and a chef’s counter towards the back, and there are plenty of combos in the $20 range, including a 15-piece sashimi platter for $24.
This spot isn’t trying to be “inventive” or creative, and we find that kind of refreshing. The focus at Daigo is on quality fish, good rice, and crispy nori. Unlike some other handroll spots, you order à la carte here rather than commit to a full omakase situation. You can also order everything on the menu as a rice cup—but rolls are really the move here. Eat them quickly, so the nori stays super crispy.
This casual offshoot of a fancy omakase spot called Kosaka opened in the summer of 2020 near The Container Store in Flatiron. And just like America’s foremost Organization Consortium, Maki Kosaka’s perfectly-plated makimono sushi sets will remind you that an orderly, minimalist aesthetic is extremely pleasing to your brain. You can get handroll sets with things like seared scallop and bluefin toro, or you can create your own combo.
This neighborhood Japanese spot has been around since the ’80s, and it seems like not much has changed since then. One of the walls is covered in decades worth of scribbles and paint, and the sushi chefs look like they’ve been bobbing their heads to R&B slow jams while compiling spicy tuna rolls since the dawn of time. There’s never much of a wait, and it’s always packed, so take a seat at the triangular sushi bar, and enjoy the D’Angelo.
photo credit: Sugarfish by Sushi Nozawa
Sugarfish
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Much like driving and complaining about driving, Sugarfish is big in Los Angeles. That’s where this relatively affordable sushi chain started. New York’s first location opened on 20th Street, and it tends to get busy, but at least there are other outposts in Soho and Midtown now. Once you get seated, you want one of the “Trust Me” sets (starting at $37 at lunch, including tip), which come with an assortment of sushi, sashimi, and handrolls.
Roy’s looks like it’s just another old-school, neighborhood fishmonger, but this place actually has a small sushi bar in the corner. The quality of the rolls, nigiri, and sashimi is impressive—especially considering the majority of the combo platters cost under $20. Seating options are limited to a small bench with no table, but you can always just take your fluke and salmon to go.
For an unassuming (yet charming) spot on Myrtle Ave that you can pretty much always get into, U-Gu has no business being as good as it is. Eight pieces of nigiri plus a roll will cost you roughly $30 here, and you can be confident that your sushi will be both high-quality and substantial. The menu also has a bunch of à la carte rolls as well as donburi and ramen.
We saw you at Gen last week. At least we think that was you. Everyone in the neighborhood seems to go to Gen, so it can be tough to remember who we ran into there. If you haven’t been, stop by this casual sushi spot in Prospect Heights and grab yourself some nigiri. A seven-piece set will cost you $28.
Yuzu isn’t cheap—but, then again, most of these other places aren’t either. (We’re talking about sushi, after all.) Still, you can get a sushi set for $33 or some donburi for around $20. This place is casual and relaxed, and the bar works well if you want to stop by this Harlem spot for a solo meal.
Kanoyama is an East Village classic with very fresh fish, and it’s your best option for casual sushi in the neighborhood. They serve a bunch of different combos for $25-$40, and—in addition to whatever sushi you’re eating—you should get any of the chef’s specials. Just be aware that this place gets extremely busy. Either call ahead for a reservation, or grab a seat at the bar.
Hasaki has been open since the early ’80s, and it’s a little more upscale than Takahachi and Kanoyama—but you can still get a “sushi regular” here with eight pieces and a roll for $35. The sushi at Hasaki is pretty traditional (no rainbow rolls or anything with mayo), and you can get a good nine-piece omakase for $70. Or you can get two tuna rolls and call it a day. Bring a date or a friend you want to catch up with, and sit at the long bar.
In a neighborhood full of high-end restaurants, Takahachi stands out as a place where you can show up in sweats and have relatively affordable and good quality sushi. Start your meal with the beer-battered shrimp and broccoli tempura, then get the $28 sushi deluxe, which comes with eight pieces of nigiri and a tuna roll. The regular menu has a limited selection of raw fish (tuna, yellowtail, salmon, and not much else), but they always offer a rotating choice of special pieces like trout from Iceland or buri from Japan. This place has another location in the East Village.
Believe it or not, Japonica has been around since the ’70s, and it’s still a quality neighborhood spot that’s always full of Greenwich Village/West Village people. It technically isn’t cheap, but there are ways to get out of here without spending too much cash. (They have a well-priced bento box, for example.) The whole place is pretty small but extremely efficient.
Momoya is the sushi headquarters for all residents of Chelsea high rises. What do those residents come for? Spicy tuna on crispy rice. The goma-ae spinach with sesame sauce is incredible, too. And, while the space isn’t anything fancy, it works well for a date or even a work lunch if your office is nearby. This place also has locations on the Upper West Side and Soho.
Depending on how you order, your meal at Shinsen could range from fancy (an uni tasting and wagyu beef handrolls) to typical neighborhood sushi fare (sushi sets with eight pieces and a hand roll). But the space and experience of eating here are both pretty casual. If you need a place near Bowery with a wide selection of fish, this spot is a good choice.
Yama is home of the massive piece of nigiri. You either love Yama’s huge pieces of sushi or find them slightly intimidating, but it’s hard to argue with the fact that this is the go-to spot for sushi on any given weeknight in Gramercy.
Kazunori specializes in handrolls and attracting crowds of people who like to eat those handrolls. The blue crab and toro versions are our favorites, and for $23 you can get a four-roll set that includes both of those. On a weeknight, there’s a good chance you’ll be able to get a seat at the counter (there aren’t any tables here), but we wouldn’t recommend bringing more than one other person with you. You can always take your food to go if it’s slammed.
Midtown restaurants tend to be either excessively fancy or not-great and overpriced, but Wokuni is different. It’s a big place a few blocks south of Grand Central, and they serve very fresh fish at reasonable prices. There are a few different sushi and sashimi platters, but you can also order à la carte (and/or get some yakitori). Grab a table or a big booth for lunch or dinner with your boss, your aunt, or whomever else made you come to Midtown.
Go to Tsushima at lunch, and you’ll find it full of other people who like decent sushi but don’t have a corporate-card situation that allows them to spend $80 on a random Friday. The space and food are simple, and prices are very reasonable.
Do you work near Times Square? If so, you’ll be happy to know about Natsumi. It’s the kind of place where you can get a solid spicy tuna roll and probably something topped with avocado and various sauces. The dining room is somewhat upscale in a fancy-restaurant-from-the-’90s kind of way, and prices aren’t obscene—especially for the neighborhood.
Upper West Siders swear by Yasaka. The specials are great, and you should go for either the mini omakase (six pieces of sushi topped with interesting sauces and a roll) or the Miyabi (six pieces of traditional sushi, eight pieces of sashimi, and a roll).
Ah, the Upper East Side: land of 1,000 so-so sushi places and a few really excellent ones. Matsu is the rare middle ground, where you won’t spend $100 per person, but you also won’t eat anything that’ll make you wonder why you bothered to leave your home. It’s a casual little space decorated with Polaroids of previous diners, and there are a bunch of different combos to choose from.
The sushi at Hibino won’t send you into a daydream full of images from Wicked Tuna, but if you live in Long Island City, the location and prices make it worth your time. It’s a block from the 7 and G trains, so it’s a convenient option for a quick dinner or a takeout meal on your way home, and there’s a 15-piece sashimi platter for $36.
Momo Sushi Shack is definitely casual, but it gives you more of a “night out” feel than a lot of nondescript neighborhood sushi spots. It’s right next to the Montrose L stop, and once you step inside, you’ll feel like you’re in a little sushi hut in the middle of Bushwick. This place is known for its sushi “bombs” (spheres of fish, rice, and sauces/toppings), and they also serve cooked meats, fish, and vegetables. Momo makes for a good early-in-the-game date spot in the neighborhood.
Other than the fact that there’s a pot pie on the menu, Bushniwa is a pretty straightforward Japanese restaurant in Bushwick. You’ll find things like dumplings and pork buns, as well as some quality, reasonably priced sushi and sashimi. You can get a sushi combo for $35, and there’s also a full bar with cocktails, wine, and sake. So stop by on a weeknight, or bring a friend on a Saturday and split a bottle of wine.
Sushi Katsuei has some of the best sushi in Brooklyn, and their excellent $57 omakase is a great deal. But they also have an extensive à la carte menu as well as a $35 “sushi deluxe,” which means you can get in and out with a quality meal for much less. If you aren’t in Brooklyn, there’s a second location in the West Village.
photo credit: undefined
Yashin Sushi
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We like Yashin Sushi because of how relaxed it is. Technically this place is in Park Slope, but you could wave to someone in Gowanus from the dining room. It’s calm enough for a very casual date or a dinner with some kids. Bring whomever and debate the official neighborhood borders of Park Slope and Gowanus. Combos start at $28.
Park Slope has some of the best sushi in Brooklyn (at Katsuei), and it also has a lot of places you can Seamless $3.50 California rolls from when your kids start eating them like Skittles. But when you want to go out for a casual meal that’s in between, JPan is your best bet. Order the sushi and sashimi for one, two, or however many people you have. For $30 per person, you’ll get 10 pieces of high-quality sashimi, five different types of nigiri, and an eight-piece chef’s choice roll.
If you just want to pick up some sushi and eat it on your couch while you watch whatever show your coworkers are currently arguing about, go to Silver Rice. It’s a counter-service place that serves a bunch of different rolls, as well as some sushi bowls and snack-sized cups of rice and raw fish. Each of this place’s two locations (one’s in Crown Heights and the other’s in Prospect Lefferts Gardens) has some seating, but they’re both better for takeout.