- recommend: sashimi appetizer, cream udon, fried rice - attentive pleasant staff - casual hole in the wall, happened upon it by chance and happy we did - everything was great, 1 small shared plate, 2 apps and 2 entrees was more than enough for 2 hungry adults - warm comforting meal without being overly heavy read more

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I give my people a lot of flack for being uncreative with their restaurant names, but this redundantly named East Village izakaya called....well....Izakaya might just take the cake (Japanese people always gotta be surpassing other Asians, SMH). Anywho, redundancy aside, I get the appeal. Food is cheap and tasty. The Clam Sake was a comforting bowl of chewy molluskss mixed with butter. The Mushroom Garlic Fried Ricewas starchy, crunchy and garlicky. Even my Calpico-Hi was like a throwback to my childhood, except with ethanol added. And those lemon tower drinks....mmm, so refreshing on a humid night. Decor is bare bones, with chairs and furniture as uncomfortable as the real izakayas in Piss Alley, but with more English spoken. In these tariff-filled shrinkflation times, it's nice to have one spot in the city that manages to be authentic, delicious and affordable. read more

I came here on a Friday night after having a craving for Japanese food from watching some shows based in Japan on Netflix that centered around food. Izakaya did not disappoint. The food was delicious . The atmosphere was cozy and home like. The service was attentive. As it was a tapas place, we ordered a variety of different dishes from tofu to sukiyaki to mush room fried rice. All were very tasty. I was also a big fan of the tea pudding. One minor thing to note is that there are actually two other places with the same address as Izakaya, which made it slightly confusing at first. read more

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Really small, "cozy" restaurant. They can't really accommodate groups larger than 4, so keep that in mind when booking a reservation. We ordered the 2 person set and 3 additional dishes for our party of 4, and that was just right. Addictive cucumber - not super memorable but refreshing dish to start with. Salmon sashimi - pretty thick cut of salmon but again not super memorable. Addictive cabbage - I liked this the most of our 3 appetizer dishes, well seasoned and crunchy. Shishito peppers - some were super spicy and some were not at all... super inconsistent and made us scared to eat more. Agedashi tofu - just average, not the best frying I've had for tofu. Beef sukiyaki - really amazing broth, couldn't stop eating it! Yakiniku - very tender beef and perfectly seasoned Chicken Karaage - probably what they're best known for, super juicy and deliciously seasoned. Wish I could eat this for the first time again Clams Vongole Spaghetti - not my favorite broth... and the clams were not properly cleaned so every bite of clam had some sandiness to it. Sad because it had potential. Overall really good food, fast service, just wish they were a bit more consistent and cleaned the clams better. read more

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This compact bar is very reminiscent of Tokyo, with tasty little dishes (loved the eggplant, sukiyaki, coleslaw). Would be perfect if they served whisky, too. read more

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My friend, a local NYer, brought me here for dinner and our meal was perfect. I love that Izakaya offers a variety of Japanese dishes from sashimi to sukiyaki to mentai ramen! It's hard to choose a favorite but if I had to it would be between the sukiyaki and mentai ramen. The desserts were also so good! They're not overly sweet, which is perfect. Come check out Izakaya! read more

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Some of the best food we had on our NY trip! The service was top notch and everyone was so friendly! The food came out quick and was perfect. A must eat place!! read more

I just found this place by accident and wanted to try. Made a reservation and this place was much nicer than expected. Such a cute hidden gem. This restaurant is tiny and bit a tight table setting, however the decorated simply and zen with a modern touch. The food we ordered, addictive cucumber which is really addictive and we finished in a second, then yellowtail sashimi which is very fresh, chicken nanban, Grilled mackerel and mushroom & garlic fried rice. They are all flavorful and tasty. Only thing we have complaints is that we wished the each dish was bigger! If you are planning to go there, make sure to reserve table! read more

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Nothing fancy, just amazingly flavorful food. This simple East Village spot delivers excellent Japanese izakaya dishes. The service is friendly and good. The wine, beer and sake selections are basic. All and all it worthwhile going out of your way to eat there. read more

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A cute small modern izakaya with just a few tables. I got lucky and got in quite quickly on a Friday night for a table for 2, but recommend reservation otherwise. Most of the things in the menu are small plates that go well with sake or beer. Well prepared agedashi tofu, the mentaiko omelette is full of mentaiko fillings and the egg is fluffy and flavorful. The nanban chicken is extremely juicy with just the right amount of sauce. The vongole is made using ramen noodles, which I think have a slightly strange alkali-ish flavor. Overall most of the dishes are really delicious and the atmosphere is very cozy and comfy. Relatively pricey (with the food mentioned and a carafe of sake it was around $60 each) but a nice place to treat yourself a chill Japanese evening. read more

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Very pleasant location! Excellent meal at affordable costs when compared to other similar NYC restaurants. The best were the pork belly skewers! read more

Came here on a whim but actually had it bookmarked in Yelp for quite some time. This hole in the wall spot is easily missed and shares the same street address as a neighboring restaurant. That said, once you find it, our waitress/hostess was super friendly and engaging. The mapo tofu was definitely one of the better ones I've had. Which says a lot considering I've had a lot of mapo tofu in my life. Both the cucumber and cabbage was exactly what I expected, flavorful and refreshing. The fried rice complemented the mapo tofu. The fried chicken was cooked to perfection. Crunchy on the outside, juicy and tender in the inside. And the agedashi tofu was exactly the soul warming dish that you would want on a snowy wintery night. I wanted a dry but fruit forward sake and that was exactly what was served to me. Everything about this place was great, even the price at the end of the night. I'll definitely be back. read more

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Every bite here was really yummy no misses. I particularly liked the braised pork belly and the chicken nanban. My only caveat is the price to portion ratio. Its an Izakaya so it's meant to be shared but I left this meal still kind of hungry. The drinks were also really yummy but not the strongest. The store was small but cozy and the service was nice so it was overall a hidden gem! read more

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My friend and I had a reservation at 6:15 on a Wednesday night, and we were very glad to have made a reservation beforehand. While it was a weekday dinner, the restaurant was full and walking-in customers unfortunately were told to come back at a future time. We each got a cocktail. I got Yuzu-tini, which tasted exactly how I imagined it to be and finished in a blink of an eye. For food, we got More Addictive Cabbage, Yellowtail Sashimi, and Sake Clams Vongole "Ramen" Spaghetti to start, and later added Seaweed Tempura. My personal favorite is More Addictive Cabbage. It was so so so good! I would order again for sure. I feel Yellowtail Sashimi was overpriced, and Sake Clams Vongole "Ramen" Spaghetti was good but would want to try the other one in the future. Seaweed tempura was also good. I liked their small tapas more than the main ones. Overall experience was great, but even considering the neighborhood average, it is a bit on the expensive end. read more

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The Izakaya NYC was a disappointing experience overall. We sought some clarification on the portion sizes of appetizers and tapas, but they just recommended that we order 9 dishes to be "full" for a table of 2. This seemed a little bit too much food, so we ordered 4 dishes: the more addictive cabbage, signature chicken nanban, beef sukiyaki, mushroom garlic butter fried rice along with a sake flight (pre-fixed, we don't have a choice) and a beer. This was more than enough food for 2. The food was okay with most dishes being average and some being very bad. The Beef Sukiyaki was the most disappointing as it was wayyyyyy too sweet, had 3 pieces of cabbage, and the meat they used was mostly fat. Chicken Nanban was okay but it was oily and not crispy. The Mushroom garlic butter fried rice was the best dish. The addictive cabbage was good, but definitely not worth the price tag. The most frustrating thing about our dining experience was the service. We arrived here at 7PM and received our last dish around 8:20PM. There were very long gaps between each dish when we were the only table in the store. The server was not knowledgeable about the menu and had to inquire with the manager each time we had a question. We were not checked on once for the near 2 hours we were there. We had to flag them down each time we needed anything. We left unimpressed and with no reason to be back! read more

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A small hole in the wall izakaya in the east village. Wide selection of japanese home cooked food, which is pretty unique to find in nyc. Lots of selections from tapas to sashimi to rice/noodles. We started off with the addictive cabbage and fried eggplant for tapas, got the yellowtail for sashimi, the singature nanban for our entree, and the mentai cream ramen spaghetti to finish. The addictive cabbage was truly addictive, and quite possible the dish I was most surprised by! The eggplant was a bit too sweet, but otherwise o-kay. The yellowtail was good but not mindblowing, and really thick-cut and filling. The nanban came with a creamy sauce that we really liked. The mentai cream ramen was also good, but a lot bigger than we expected. Overall good service and great atmosphere. read more

Food is amazing, music is good. Perfect place for the late night omakese!! Very authentic and beautiful presentations. Service is amazing, Roka the manger was so nice and we are going to visit them again!!! OMG read more

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This is a super small/tiny/cozy restaurant, with maybe 5 or so tables inside? But they also have an outdoor area. I'd recommend making reservations just in case. It looks like they have some rotating items on their menu, with a few popular ones that have stayed consistent. We ended up ordering a little too much for the two of us, so we left very stuffed and could've done without one dish - addictive cabbage: a must try!! fresh and crunchy with an amazing savory sauce. I think sesame oil based? but also had a bit of a tang to it.. maybe wasabi? - yakiniku: super flavorful. meat isnt that tender, but the pieces are small enough that you can eat one piece whole - mushroom fried rice: bombbb! you can definitely taste the butter and garlic. it seems like a simple dish, but delicious flavors - grilled mackerel: I'm always a fan of a mackerel, and there wasn't anything special about it but you can't go wrong with a simple grilled mack - chicken nanban: this is one of their most popular dishes, but I think one of my least fave of the night. the tartar sauce threw me off, but that's their special take on it. the fried chicken is REALLY juicy. but it's not really like karaage chicken, which is what I was expecting. good to try but it comes with 4 really big pieces and it was too much for the two of us. Overall, a great place to try! I'd recommend if you can snag a table. read more

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This is a long overdue review. We discovered this place 3 years ago and haven't been back until yesterday. They changed the whole staffs and they are very accommodating. The thing we learned from this Izakaya is GET THE CABBAGE! Yes it is addictive and yes you will want to order more than one!! The point of this tiny tiny hole in a wall restaurant is to drink. They offer a variety of sakes and beers. Their food is supposed to be tapas like and small dishes. It's more like they serve snacks to go with your huge bottle of sakes. This place is definitely a fun place to visit. We ordered the cabbage, agedashi tofu, croquettes, and fried chicken nanban to start. The cabbage is marinated in salt, sesame oil, seaweed, and sesame seeds. It was just so delicious that you're willing to pay 6 dollars for some pieces of cabbage! The croquettes are made of potatoes and corn served with spicy mayo. The agedashi tofu was perfectly made. The chicken omg the chicken!!! It's probably one of the best fried chicken very juicy and delicious! For the main course we had the clams ramen, the curry and the sukiyaki. The curry used to be way better with rice served separately but now they put the curry on top of rice in a clay pot and added cheese to it. We didn't like it as much. The clams ramen is amazing. It reminded me of spaghetti vongole but with a twist of saffron and chili peppers in it. It was delicious! The sukiyaki was also amazing. We really enjoyed the food here!! read more

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Wow!! One of the best sandwiches I have ever had, very tender; juicy, and flavorful. Highly recommended read more

Izakaya - Izakaya Near Me - New York, New York

I got here knowing I had to wait and they were so busy on Sunday night about 45 to 1 hour wait. The host was friendly and extremely welcoming :) the staff in general was super friendly and I bet they were busting their butts working. And they're on resy.. As we're still in a pandemic, dining out has been such a different experience, tables are separated with barriers and the menu is via scanning a QR code. I can't say the food was 5/5 that day, but if I'm scoring it based on past experiences too it's for sure a 5/5. They have so much on their menu and constantly adding and taking things off their menu. I thought I would try some new things; the scallops had a sweet dressing on top that completely took away from the natural sweetness of the scallops. If you want to try the goma ae - just know the sesame dressing is strong! I would ask for a little less dressing. The grilled tako - delicious. Their sushi and rolls are good but nothing special. I think they're most known for their kimchi udon, for a cream based udon it's not heavy at all. Kimchi flavor isn't as pronounced but we enjoyed this dish the most! This does come with shrimp! Super bouncy udon. For my light drinkers out there.... their cocktails are great. Super tasty and you won't taste the alcohol. This could be a bad thing for some people. They also have Kirin frozen beer, it's just so pretty. I've definitely enjoyed my other experiences more in terms of things I ordered (omu soba, garlic rice, croquettes, chicken nanban, beef tongue, kalbi, salmon tacos), but I was exploring new dishes on the menu this time around and will continue to try. Please go as a party of 3 or 4, these small dishes are definitely meant to share and it'll be great to have more bodies to feed so you can try even more dishes. read more

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Pretty yummy! Good service. Loved the fried rice and the chicken was good. Didn't love the udon noodles

My friend made a reservation at Izakaya for dinner. As a disclaimer, she mentioned that Izakaya is slightly hidden and hard to find. It was true, I walked past it and had to circle back around. The restaurant is quite small with limited seating. Everyone who walked in had a reservation. Since it was my first time, my friend ordered food for us to share. We got the original addictive cabbage, agedashi tofu, chicken nanban, and beef sukiyaki. Appetizers were both small portioned, flavorful, and somewhat healthy. I thoroughly enjoyed them. Chicken nanban was absolutely delicious! I usually don't like mayo-based tartar sauce, but wow, it went so well with the crispy and juicy fried chicken. Sukiyaki, I didn't like as much. The beef was overcooked and hard to chew, while the concentrated soy sauce simmered and made everything extra salty. Don't get me wrong, the sukiyaki was still good, but not something I would order again. Overall, I was glad I got to share multiple small plates with my friend. Everything we ordered was solid in terms of taste and reasonably priced (no tips needed either). My only complaint would be the fact that my friend and I literally could not hear one another due to the loudness in the restaurant. Not a place for first date or catchup session. read more

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A friend of mine and I stopped for a drink here on our NYC food tour. I loved the food and the people that worked here were mostly Japanese which was awesome! Our waitress was very knowledgeable about Sake and you can tell she was on top of everything. The Shishito's were very lightly seasoned and the fried smelt was perfectly fried. read more

Izakaya - shishito pepper - Izakaya Near Me - New York, New York

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My friend and I were food hopping around NYC and we stopped by Izakaya. We ordered two small dishes and they were quite tasty. The Shishito Peppers had a good fry and lightly seasoned with salt. The Smelt Fish had good amount of roe inside and a nice crispness. Izakaya also has Orion beer (Okinawa) on draft. Izakaya is Japanese owned, so they know what they're doing. I'd come back again for their dinner course set. read more

Izakaya - Smelt Fish - Izakaya Near Me - New York, New York

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Worse place for a first date! But good for friends, coworker, & casual hangouts. Cons: The restaurant is cramped and super loud. Pros: The food were so delicious and prices are fair. We ordered: More Addictive Cabbage $7 - Just a little spicy. It's crunchy. Dont worry, it's not that addictive. Agedashi Tofu $9 - Four big pieces of soft tofu. The skin is a little bit fried. Soaked in dashi sauce/soup and covered with my favorite Katsuobushi (bonito flakes). Chicken Nanban $12 - Four pieces of tender and very juicy fried chicken Sake Steamed Clams $16 - Steamed clam cooked with sake. The sauce actually tastes very alcoholy. Sashimi Trio $38 - 4 pcs salmon, 4 pcs fluke, 4 pieces of scallop. They offer soy sauce and yuzu with the fish. Ume Soda Cocktail $10 - It's plum cocktail. It's sweet and tastes just like Japanese sodas. I'm planning to revisit soon and better the experience. read more

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Really solid japanese tapas spot with delicious small plates and a cool intimate vibe. Loved the agedashi tofu, chicken nanban, salmon sashimi, and addictive cabbage! Will definitely be back since there was more on the menu I would try. read more

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Recently came here for a date night and was very impressed! Their tasting menu is very well priced for the quality and service was very attentive. The place is tiny and cozy. Awesome location within the East Village. read more

Fantastic Japanese restaurant. This was my last restaurant outing with friends pre-Covid. Crazy to think how much time it's been. The dishes are thoroughly well prepared and everything was excellent. Washed down with good quality sake and it's a fantastic meal! read more

Izakaya - Izakaya Near Me - New York, New York

We thought it would be too trendy and overrated, but we were pleasantly surprised! Izakaya's food was quite good and it didn't break the bank--would recommend for a quick weekday lunch with friends. Ordered 3" tapas" and 3 "appetizers" for two people and it was perfect. The addictive cabbage was indeed addictive. Great to start out the meal. Something about the seasoning just made the cabbage really transcend its humble origins. It was sweet and salty and slightly sour and a bit spicy. The agedashi tofu was alright. Definitely have had better elsewhere--it was just a little too soggy (wished the batter was a bit lighter). The eggplant was good but fairly standard. It was grilled well and the sauce and toppings went well, but not super memorable. We were huge fans of the mentaiko omelette. Surprisingly so delicious. It was very light but flavorful. The omelette was soft and curd-y on the inside, a perfect french omelette. The filling was awesome--we weren't totally sure what it was (it involved roe and dashi), but it was deliciously umami, fishy and sweet all at the same time and paired so well with the egg. The chicken nanban was also pretty good. The chicken was perfectly tender, since they left it in large pieces. It wasn't as crispy anymore, sadly, because of the tartar sauce, but the tartar sauce was tasty and did seem to be homemade. The grilled mackerel was not our favorite. It was a bit overcooked (not as tender anymore) and had a really fishy flavor that made it taste not fresh. read more

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Recently got back into outdoor dining and The Izakaya did not disappoint. There is ample seating outside as they have a tent area goes into the street. Still a bit less than compared to other neighborhoods, but it's East Village so that's expected. We started off with the Relax Sake as I was looking for a Junmai Gingo type Sake. As for food, my boyfriend and I got the addictive cabbage, chicken nanban, agedashi tofu, fried smelt, and clam vongole ramen spaghetti. The addictive cabbage and chicken nanban were the absolute favorites. The cabbage had a spicier kick than anticipated, but that's what made it so good. The chicken nanban was so juicy and had an amazing sauce that paired with it! Clam vongole ramen spaghetti was a very interesting dish. Was good and happy we tried it, but wouldn't go out of my way to get again. Overall, the food hit the spot for all our izakaya cravings! read more

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*takes reservations* *no tipping restaurant* Small hole in the walls rarely ever disappoint, and Izakaya is just another great example of that. Chicken Nanban - very juicy Addictive Cabbage - indeed addictive, and refreshing Addictive Cucumber - refreshing and yummy Thick Salmon Sashimi - good sized pieces and fresh Yakitori skewer - yummy Izakaya Pudding - kind of like flan Matcha Brulee - personally I wish this was a bit more bitter read more

This is an excellent tapas place. If you're looking for small plates, come here vs Boqueria (yes, different cuisines but this one is much more flavorful). My favs/would order again: cucumber, cabbage, sake steamed clams, cream ramen, signature chicken, omelette. Would not order again: salmon and mushroom with miso in foil, eggplant, garlic butter fried rice, the regular fried chicken. Love the small portion size - can try lots of different dishes. Inside is ok, a bit small. Would recommend. read more

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Solid place. Somehow, I've never thought to come here because of the plethora of places available in EV. My friends and I had put our names down at another restaurants that had a 2.5 hour wait. We called Izakaya and while they had initially told us there was a wait, they called us back about 10-15 minutes later to tell us that they had a table for us. Ambiance: cozy, small interior. Would not recommend this for big groups. Food: chicken nanban was delicious. Piping hot, juicy, and came with a good sauce. Would definitely order this again. Mentaiko spaghetti: I'm always a fan of mentaiko noodle dishes. They sprinkled a generous serving of Parmesan cheese on top. Had we not planned to hop to another restaurant after this, we could have easily done another plate of this. Salmon sashimi: it was alright. Not the worst that I've ever had, but it's not a sushi restaurant and definitely wasn't the freshest cut of salmon sashimi. I could pass on this next time, but wouldn't be opposed to getting it if someone else wanted it. Service was good; they were quick and friendly, and filled our water glasses consistently. I don't think I would come all the way to EV from the west side just to eat here, but it's a good option. read more

BAD BAD BUSINESS!!! We were supposed to go to Sushi Izakaya on June 7th, the day that there was a health hazard due to the wildfires coming from Canada. The wording from all media outlets as well as the governor of NY said that people should not go out of their homes. So we proceeded to call Izakaya to cancel our reservation. They proceeded to charge us a cancellation fee of $150 per person. We tried to explain the situation and say that we felt this was very unfair. To make a long story short, they charged us the fee and Amex had to pick up the cost.. My thoughts, short sighted and very bad business. We will not be going to Izakaya, there are many options of sushi restaurants especially in NYC and we will go where people are empathetic to situations such as a health hazard. Just some food for thought. read more

Very interesting name, simply Izakaya. Make sure you book at least a day ahead for a weekend night. The place a good variety of a-la-carte and appetizer with reasonable pricing. For the two of us, we had the grilled mackerel, beef tongue, mushroom fried rice, cabbage appetizer, and sake steamed clams. The two obvious goods were mushroom fried rice and beef tongue. The fried rice was very flavorful with butter and cheese, highly recommend it. The beef tongue was thick and tender, well grilled. Tasted a little like pork, also highly recommended it. Steamed clam was good but on the salty end. Went really well with the garlic and butter flavor, but don't drink the very salty soup. On the other hand, addictive cabbage was not very addictive. The appetizer was on the salty side with way too much sesame oil, I wouldn't recommend it. Wouldn't recommend the mackerel, would rather get something else like the fried scallops instead, The yuzu beer is a signature at the place, but it tasted very flat, not a lot of flavours (but try it if you haven't.) Our waitresses were three nice Japanese ladies, treated us well. Suggested tips included tax in the calculation, something I opposed a long time. ambience 3.5/5 service 3.5/5 food 4/5 value 4/5 read more

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Tiny place, but authentic Japanese food. Staff is friendly and helpful with the menu however everything is a bit on the pricier side in correlation with the amount of food you'll be getting with each dish. Super nice ambience though; good to come for the experience. Also no tipping is needed at this restaurant! read more

Izakaya - Oden - Izakaya Near Me - New York, New York

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Overall okay here. Small cozy place. No tipping policy. I had high expectation for the "addicted cabbage", we thought it was just okay, just cabbage with sesame oil and sesame.. Sukiyaki was out for the night :( much needed for a winter night. Japanese fries was disappointing, 8 slice of potato with a butter cube on top..... Miso beef tongue was pretty good. Mentaiko omelette was way tiny than expected, and it could be made better in a Japanese restaurant... Nanban chicken was a bit heavy on the sauce side. Oolong something drink was too sweet. Yuzutini was good. read more

I visited Izakaya on a Friday night with my boyfriend. We made reservations ahead of time because this place is super busy, especially on weekends. We started off our meal with the Addictive cabbage, the addictive cucumbers, and the corn fritters. We LOVED the cabbage and cucumbers. They are a must try. The corn fritters were a bit of a miss for us, but the rest of the meal made up for their mediocrity. My boyfriend really enjoyed his salmon onigiri and salmon sashimi. The absolute star of the show, however, was the chicken and cheese curry dish we shared. It was honestly one of the best things I've ever eaten. I finished the meal with the chicken nanban which was super yummy too. I highly recommend it. For drinks throughout the evening, I had the lemon fizz (soju, lemon, and seltzer) and the boyf had their ube plum wine cocktail. We both loved our drinks. This is some of the best Japanese in all of NYC! Five stars are well deserved. read more

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It's so hard to find good Japanese food in the US. Mediocre sushi and ramen are usually the best you can get, everything else is either completely unavailable or if immensely low quality. Luckily for anyone in New York City, Izakaya offers a menu with plenty of Japanese dishes such as nanban chicken or Tonkatsu that are hard to find well made in the US. They do these dishes justice, barely deviating from the Japanese origins of their menu even as they offer tapas style appetizers. Their sake list is expansive, and their mixed drinks are a steal for the location. As a side note, we had ordered their sashimi trio, and while the fish served was definitely Edomae-style (yellowtail was fatty and melted in your mouth), the quality control was low. The scallops tasted as if they had not been freshly shucked and all the fish were served warmer than I'd expect. Also, one of the pieces of yellowtail was served with some amount of skin/connective tissue still attached that could not be bitten through. I will not order the sashimi here again. read more