Took a 30 minute uber ride for this place and it didn't impress me. I was craving uni and their uni bowl looks amazing in pictures. I decided to take a leap of faith and went out of my way for it. I also added the salmon row ikura on top. My lunch total was $45 which includes one uni bowl and the complementary miso soup. It was good to try one time but I'm not rushing to go back. read more

Where is the uni? I went here based on the review and the pictures with delicious looking uni. Upon arriving, I was rushed to order. What the? The waitress was uneased when I asked for an extra minute to find alternative since uni is not in season. Yeah right! I got the bowl with salmon roe, salmon and tuna. I have to give them credit for freshness, but minus for small portion, too much rice and in oversized bowl. I tried it, not impressed and moving on. read more

The bowls here are very generous serving wise. I got the unagi don and the eel came out very fresh. I was able to mix in the eel with the rice very seamlessly, which I enjoyed. Maybe some of the best eel I've had during my existence on earth! The waiters are very nice and accommodating. I was able to get seated immediately at the bar when I came on a Tuesday night, so it's not too packed when you come on a weekday I guess! Overall, great place! read more

Food was great. Fresh. Cool playlist happening over the speakers. Last but certainly not least my 2 favorites. 1) ICE cold mugs and beer. 2) Japanese spot that has yamagobo. Food to price I found to be a good value especially considering the great quality. I'd definitely hit it again. Cheers! read more

Kaoru - Fresh and plenty. - Japanese Near Me - New York, New York

So glad I found this place! I was craving a Chirashi don and this place definitely hit the spot. The fish was delicious and the vinegar rice made it the perfect combination. I ordered the Tres Amigos and was not disappointed. Every bite was great and I would definitely come back again for another round. Sitting at the bar was a great experience because it's nice and open, making it a comfortable vibe to eat alone or with friends. The staff is friendly and easy to talk to! read more

Kaoru - Tres Amigos Don - Japanese Near Me - New York, New York

Disappointing experience. A Japanese restaurant specializing in sushi that was somehow sold out of all sushi rolls for our dinner. The sushi bowl was ok, but not a good value at all. Mediocre service and underwhelming atmosphere with a strong mildew smell on the way to the bathroom. read more

Kaoru - Japanese Near Me - New York, New York

Kaoru's fish is always consistently fresh. I've visiting during lunch and dinner hours and the food is amazing. The menu allows you to choose your own seafood toppings as well if you are not a fan or the suggested bowls they have. Remember to check what the special of the day is (written on a piece of paper and taped on the wall of the bar). read more

Kaoru - Salmon, tuna and Ikura don - Japanese Near Me - New York, New York

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This place is amazing! It a hidden gem in the city. The fish is so fresh and delicious, and it is so reasonably priced compared to everything else in the city. I've been here twice so far, and I'm planning my third trip soon. It's that good. First time I got the special of the day which was medium fatty tuna. You also get to pick two other fishes so I went with salmon and hamachi. AMAZING! the fish was so fresh and tasty, the price was a perfect temperature, and I respect the fact that they use REAL WASABI. I also got the soup of the day which was a pork soup ($3). The soup was nice, but next time I'll skip the soup and get another fish for $3. The special was $22. Second time I got the uni with salmon, tuna, and I added on hamachi for an extra $3. The bowl came out to $25, which sounds like a lot, but the portions are enormous and you will be so full afterwards. They offer beer and sake but I'm not a fan of those drinks so I just stuck with water. They have tea also. The service is great and super efficient, the food comes out very fast too. I'm secretly hoping this place doesn't become too popular because I want it to be my secret spot but it's too good to ignore. read more

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Always be a good choice for nice sashimi, for Don (over rice menu) you can choose 3 types of fish. I ordered otoro Don with salmon and hamachi. All fish are fresh and nice. $35 bucks came with big portion, it's always a good choice. Personally, the rice is too sour for me. read more

Kaoru - Otoro don - Japanese Near Me - New York, New York

Nice small restaurant in midtown east. First time visiting tonight. $20 for a bowl of Ikura Don (salmon roe with rice). You can add two types of sashimi from a list, I chose tuna and salmon. The salmon was delicious, perfect! Tuna was average, with a little sinew. Came with miso soup. Very quick service, nice staff. Definitely stop in for a solid experience. read more

Kaoru - Japanese Near Me - New York, New York

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I sort of gave up on searching for good lunch spots around my work place until my friend suggested me this small Japanese place, where only Chirashi bowl, or don was served. Another thing I really liked was that you could always add various toppings (soft-boiled egg) or even swap rice with vegetable, with only a small markup in price. The small restaurant will turn into a piano bar at night, where you could enjoy some live music while enjoying the tasty fish bowls. Go for their daily-special (as for today, they served marinated squid with yuzu sauce, on top of the regular tuna/salmon/roe), or the regular uni bowl! read more

Kaoru - Daily special Chirashi bowl. - Japanese Near Me - New York, New York

Simple menu, but really good sushi (large rolls with plentiful cuts of fresh-tasting fish and well prepared rice) and tonkatsu. I'll be back. read more

Yelp reviews simply do not lie. Excellent food and service. Great value. Everything was super fresh and yummy. I would certainly return.

Definitely a hidden gem in midtown! It is a small cute little restaurant that turns into a piano bar after 9/10pm (forgot LOL) Went on a monday night at 7 pm and the place was relatively empty. The chirashi bowl ranges from $20-25 depending what you get in it. I ordered the Three Amigos regular size ($20) which came with Tuna, Salmon, Hamachi, Spicy Tuna, and Yaki Salmon and an extra order of Uni which was +$3 (i think). SUCHHH AN AMAZING DEAL. They are so generous with their sashimi as I was struggling to finish the bowl. Definitely opt for the small size $15 as that is plenty of food. The addition of uni for $3 is also soo worth. Never been to any restaurant that gave so much uni for such a small price. Chirashi bowl also comes with miso soup. The staff was also very welcoming and friendly which makes the experience even better. **There is a minimum charge of $20 for credit cards! read more

Kaoru - Japanese Near Me - New York, New York

Ridiculously fresh fish at beyond reasonable prices, with a staff so lovely and attentive you'll forget your on the Upper East Side and think you've been transported to Tokyo! Beautifully seasoned homemade soy and ginger, and spicy salty hot amuse buche just the icing on the cake. Fatty tuna, red snapper and fluke runeth abound. The owner works in the fish market, and boy does he know how to spot the perfect fish. My husbands Uni was so fresh it had a spine in it! Wow. Thanks for being here guys. read more

Amazing sushi place with good sashimi bowls as recommended by my friend Martin! Came here before they raised their prices. Overall it was a good experience and they have jazz nights too. The service and the appetizers were all perfect too read more

Ordered the uni don and really wanted to like it but the pieces were chewy and not fresh. Salmon was good but this order was a huge waste. I just hope no one comes here for their first uni experience because they will become an uni hater. Hopefully my stomach won't be ruined like another reviewer before me read more

Kaoru - uni don - Japanese Near Me - New York, New York

Really good sashimi and sake. One of my friend recommend this place to try since I came out of town. This had to be the best dinner I had. I was never a big sashimi fan but everything was so good. The rice was nicely season too and taste good by itself. Great atmosphere and pretty quiet to enjoy your night out with friends read more

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The best deal around!! Tempted to keep this hidden hole-in-the-wall a secret. Don't be alarmed by the entrance. Yes it looks shady. Yes the restaurant is also a piano bar (after 9:30PM). Yes they have karaoke rooms. Yes the fish is fresh. You will not be disappointed. Their amazing deal is served until 8:30PM, be sure to arrive 15 minutes beforehand. Came here at 7pm for dinner and the place was packed. Luckily we were able to snag two seats at the bar. Their menu is short and simple, just rice bowls and no appetizers. A big bowl of chirashi sushi ranges from $20-25! Each chirashi bowl comes with a miso soup and a side of daikon. My bf got the three amigos (tuna, salmon & hamachi) and I went with the uni bowl which comes with a choice of 2 additional fish, I went with salmon and tuna. I think they used an entire tray of uni in my bowl, not even kidding (see picture below). It's $3 to add extra fish. They have a variety of sake and some random hard liquor, we went with the $4 draft Kiran's. We both left satisfied with the amount of food, quality of the fish and especially the price! Will definitely be back! read more

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ordered uni don + selection of madai (red snapper) and squid, about 30 bucks (+tax +tips) uni was impressively fresh, sweet, so happy with the portion. madai was sliced quite thin, fresh though. squid was also fresh, chewy. a tiny bit disappointing about the rice, due to its slightly over acidity. read more

Kaoru - uni don + madai (red snapper) + squid - Japanese Near Me - New York, New York

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This place is providing good quality of sushi in very reasonable price. I have been to the restaurant for twice , it's actually less crowded in the weekend. If you plan to come here during the lunch time at weekday, I strongly encourage you are coming in earlier or you might have to wait in line for a while. They will have daily special don ( around $22) and it is really a bargain ! I am a bit fan of sea urchin so I always opt for Uni Don( sea urchin& choose additional 2 items from the list ). If you like sea food as much as I do, you will be really really happy eating here. read more

Kaoru - Uni Don, sea urchin , Ikara & spicy tuna , yum ! - Japanese Near Me - New York, New York

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This little hidden gem is the perfect spot if you want to fulfill your sushi craving. They offer a nice variety of fish and you can mix and match however you please. I decided to get the uni bowl with madai and ikura. The uni was from Maine and it was a very good value. They gave a very very generous amount of it. I would come back just for this. The meal also came with a soup as well. read more

Kaoru - Japanese Near Me - New York, New York

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Psa: I might be a harsh critic on this place because I've had some of the best quality fish in Nyc before. Atmosphere/staff: (10/10) everyone is very friendly and the restaurant is a cute little spot. Very attentive and they always talk to you with a smile. Order: uní bowl with chutoro and salmon Fish quality: the salmon was totally fine! The chutoro texture was slightly off making me believe maybe the freshness wasn't at 100% but it was definitely good enough. The uni however had a mix between good and poor quality. The not-so-good uní has sort of a "fart" taste.. (yeah doesn't sound appetizing does it?) Sushi rice: sub par quality sushi rice. Way too sticky too. The flavor and texture just weren't completely there. Price: ($30) this part is what sketches me out. Look up any nice Japanese sushi restaurant menu that you know only imports top quality fish. A piece of uní sushi will be about $8-12 dollars depending on where you go. This bowl at Kaoru has at least 7 pieces. Do the math. (I know each one isn't worth $8 when you buy a whole bowl but it is still an expensive ingredient) And then on top of that the bowl has 4 pieces of chutoro which usually is priced above $5 a piece AND 4 pieces of salmon. How are they making any good amount of money if they are charging $30 for this bowl without sacrificing some of their fish quality? I'd go back if I was in the area and have another bowl without uni but wouldn't go out of my way to come back. read more

Kaoru - Uni bowl with chutoro and salmon - Japanese Near Me - New York, New York

I went to the place with my friend. I ordered eel don. It was served pretty fast. The rice of the eel don was pretty good, the rice was in a good quality and it was well cooked. The eel was fatty and tender. The service was also quite responsive. It was overall a good experience. read more

Kaoru - Japanese Near Me - New York, New York

Overall I like this restaurant. Menu is simple, and restaurant is small and cosy, music is light and pleasant. Menu is limited to chirashi (raw fish) with rice or veg options. No vegetarian option. Portion is big so opt for the small portion. You must also be a fan of raw fish esp tuna. It is rather warm in the small space, prefer a cooler space. There is a piano, not for lunch crowd but for the evening customers. read more

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Ordered the 3 amigos don regular size for dinner. Generous portions and fresh fish! Would be back again read more

Kaoru - Three 3 Amigos Don - Japanese Near Me - New York, New York

BEST sashimi don in NYC!!! I'm craving for Kaoru everyday. The food is always fresh and fragrant. Go for Uni don--it's the best bargain in the sushi game. read more

Food was delicious and great value. They even wrote personalized notes and included free miso soup :') Ordered for delivery to UES and it came within a half hour. We got the Ikura Don with spicy tuna and salmon and the Three Amigos Don. Can't go wrong. read more

Kaoru - Japanese Near Me - New York, New York

Really delicious assortment of chirashi bowls! Huge slices or raw fish over a bed of seasoned sushi rice. Perfect! Came here for dinner on a Tuesday night. The place was not crowded and at 6 pm we just missed the dinner rush and got seated right away. The ambience is nice and it feels like you're in someones living room. The staff is friendly and knowledgeable about the food that is served so feel free to ask questions. I ordered the Three amigos: large slices of salmon, grilled tuna, raw tuna, and spicy salmon. Sooo good. The fish is very fresh they give you a large amount for $13 (beats any poke joint around the area). It was a perfect amount of fish to rice ratio. The cold fish and warm sushi rice makes this a really great meal. The bowl comes with miso soup, fresh ginger, and wasabi/soy to dip. A must try spot! read more

Kaoru - Three amigos - Japanese Near Me - New York, New York

I saved this place as a nice birthday lunch/ dinner treat for myself. Came here on Sunday right when they opened at 4pm. One other person already there eating. So I go and order to go... I am excited cause I love ikura, and had been perusing the menu for weeks now. I had originally decided on the uni don (25$) with an ikura add on (3$) based on pictures of the menu from Yelp, but it appears that the menu has changed just a little bit. They now offer additional uni on the side for 7$ and instead of extra ikura for 3$, it is now 7$. Being that I am not the biggest fan of uni, I mean... I just haven't eaten it enough to say I am an uni lover, so I decide to do the ikura Don with an additional side of uni. It comes with two other fish choices, so I got the himachi and salmon. Like some of the other reviews, I also wished that they would have given more slices of the salmon and the himachi. The uni also wasn't like a massive quantity like some of the other reviewers mentioned, but I'm not sure if that was because I ordered uni on the side instead of an uni don. The salmon and himachi were fine, with the himachi being on the slightly blander side. Some of the uni tasted a little stinky, and some of them had a nice mellow creamy sea taste to it. The star was the rice and the ikura. I normally don't care for the rice, but this rice was nice and vinegary and sweet, and paired so nicely with all the fish and the ikura. In fact, because the rice was so flavorful, I barely had to use any soy sauce! Speaking of soy sauce, I also enjoyed that they included the light soy sauce packets. I think they are less strong and pairs better with sushi than the full sodium counterparts. Now the ikura... there was so much ikura! I felt like I went to ikura heaven. The ikura was so fresh, not sticky like some cheaper sushi joints. Each orange pearl popped in my mouth so crisply, needing some effort to pop them. They complimented so nicely with the rice, and despite how full I was, I still kept eating and eating until everything was gone. Still drooling about that ikura. Now I would have given 5 stars if I had only gotten ikura Don and been rating based on only the ikura, but the small quantity of salmon and himachi and urchin made me feel a little gipped, since I had been expecting more. But I guess the key to happiness is low expectations. Would 10/10 go back for more ikura Don though. read more

Kaoru - Japanese Near Me - New York, New York

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Very nice staff and atmosphere but food is mediocre. The cucumber salad was flavorless and as if it say around for a couple of days. Sushi was ok. The miso soup was best. read more

Out of uni bowls when I went but the blue fin fatty tuna kaoru bowl caught my eye for $28. Topped with regular tuna, fish roe, squid, and hamachi, the bowl was fine for the price point but I wouldn't say the fish is any fresh than the sushi joint down the street. The otoro wasn't melt in your mouth, the squid was sliced thin so it wasn't overly chewy, the regular tuna tasted like regular tuna, and the hamachi fine. Pretty empty for a Tuesday night. Prompt service. Simple decorations. read more

Kaoru - Japanese Near Me - New York, New York

Delicious food, kind servers. This meal was tucked away in a fun little space in midtown. Highly recommend!

It was okay. Portion was decent size but the fish quality was average. The uni taste a little off. My friend got a the bara chirashi and the Tamago wasn't very good. It was just overall alright and I will likely not return read more

Kaoru - Japanese Near Me - New York, New York

Great place for sushi. Huge portion and fresh sashimi,the sushi rice was tasty,small place but the atmosphere is nice. Simple menu but you could find the most popular things,will be back and recommend to friends. read more

Kaoru - Japanese Near Me - New York, New York

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Unassuming, easily accessible spot. Not sure why it says not wheelchair accessible as it definitely is. Nice big bar and decent dining room. Great service, although at the bar they do wait for your signal so you have to speak up. Very fast, very fresh. I got the salmon roe bowl with spicy tuna and salmon. Quite lovely. read more

Kaoru - Spicy tuna and salmon - Japanese Near Me - New York, New York

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Wow... just wow. Such an amazing price for the amount of fish. Fish was fresh. Very comfortable restaurant but nothing fancy. I will be back frequently because the food is THAT good. read more

Kaoru - Three Amigos and Uni Bowl w/ double salmon - Japanese Near Me - New York, New York

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Uni in the Uni don did not taste fresh. Tuna with Yamakake was fine. The portions were big for a Japanese restaurant. Other than the uni it was ok read more

Kaoru - Uni don - Japanese Near Me - New York, New York

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This place is really cute and has amazing sashimi. The atmosphere is perfect for a date. It's relaxed and cozy. I'm really happy yelp led me here. I got the three amigos sushi bowl and my mom got the tuna tar tar sushi bowl. The fish is so fresh and the staff was very friendly. I will be coming back here. If you're looking for a cute and fun place to have fresh sashimi, this is the place for you :) read more

Kaoru - Japanese Near Me - New York, New York

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This is probably one of the oldest surviving piano bar in NYC. The owner has changed years ago but kept name and actually improved in many ways. So what the heck is "piano bar"? If you ever watch Steven Seagal's B-movies, you see a shady dark bar filled with Asian hostess and drunk Japanese businessmen. Now you get an idea. The only difference is, Kaoru is "healty" environment. It's all converation, no touch, no foreplay. You get to sing in front of people while mama-san plays piano. This type of entertainment scene is very common in Japan, and became popular in places like S. Korea and Taiwan. Many Americans get wrong idea, but you won't get any action here, and you pay hundereds of $s a night...just for a conversation. Years ago this place was all Japanese, but now more Americans frequent, and I actually found good place to network after 5. They even welcome women to join, how cool is that!? read more

Kaoru - Japanese Near Me - New York, New York