This place is a hidden gem in Forest Hills. The place is small, probably can only sit no more than 30 people and there's no sushi bar. Reservation is highly recommended as all the table had 'reserved' on it so if you just walk in you will most likely not get seated. Food was absolutely delicious and fish was really fresh. Fried chicken: ok, but nothing special, 3/5 Magritte duck: this was really good, 5/5 Beef tataki: this was really good, 5/5 Maguro nuta: this was really good, 5/5 Fluke yuzu ponzu sauce: this was really good, 5/5 Salmon carpaccio: I think they forgot to put this in but I'm glad I remembered because this was so darn good, 5/5 Salmon and urchin salad: excellent, 5/5 Battera: I wasn't impressed, 3/5 Toro: this was good but I had better, 4/5 Pork belly: melt in your mouth and great flavor, 5/5 Sashimi assortment: consisted of salmon, fluke, yellowtail, scallop, tuna, Spanish mackerel, and kanpachi. We asked if they can put kanpachi in there and they did so we didn't have to order it separately, 4/5 There were only 2 waitresses. They were both very nice and accommodating. read more

Hidden gem... as authentic Japanese as you can get without going to Japan..no sign.. just look for the traditional Japanese decor. Fresh sashimi great traditional appetizers at a leisure pace. Open for only 2 months it will soon be jammed packed with high end Japanese food seekers who don't want to trek into the city. Its not for the budget conscious though... Had the chef omakase appetizers, the miso cod, uni salmon salad and a bunch of sashimi a la carte( 4 uni, 4 snapper, 4 amber jack, 4 toro,) all were all great and super fresh. Bill came out to about $170 with tip. Will return soon to try other dishes on the menu... the chef is the only one in the kitchen now..so it may be a little on the slow side if it gets crowded, so get there early! The waitress/wife said they have a sister store in the city on 49th and 1st? also. read more

Not impressed. There are way better sushi places in Forest Hills and I'm the city. This place is small and service is slow.

This local spot owned and run by Japanese people serves a healthy assortment of authentic Japanese cuisine. You won't find any exquisitely named rolls, 2 or 3 roll combinations nor sushi boats here. There are no photos to guide you, descriptions are very brief, so you should have a basic understanding of Japanese food and what it entails. Otherwise, you may find yourself like a deer blinded by headlights. Of course, if you have any questions, the waitresses are more than helpful in describing any of the dishes. For an appetizer, my friend and I each started with the Chawanmushi ($9.50) which is a steamed egg custard with bonito broth. Inside the egg custard you'll find a large shrimp cut in two, 1-2 pieces of chicken and a few pieces of shiitake mushrooms. This dish is very light yet very delicious. Also worth noting is that they have bottled Yebisu Premium beer ($7.00), definitely something different from the usual Sapporo, Kirin, or Asahi. For our party of 3, we split a few dishes: - Octopus carpaccio ($14.00) - Thinly sliced cooked octopus served cold drizzled with oil, and garnished with red onions, capers, baby tomato, and sliced pickled cucumbers which was very light in sourness. The octopus was very fresh, firm yet far from the chewy and tough kind that I'm usually accustomed to. The octopus combined perfectly with the saltiness from the capers and the red onions. This dish reminded me of a Jewish lox variation, replacing salmon with the octopus. - Sashimi set ($30.00) - 15 pieces of very fresh fish including salmon, tuna, octopus, mackerel, and scallop. The wasabi was homemade, slightly chunky, but very fresh and potent, clearing my sinuses. I was also surprised to see an uncooked okra cut in half, yum! - Grilled lightly salted mackerel ($12.00) - Yum! I couldn't get enough of this simply prepared mackerel, lightly salted to give this small fish lots of flavor. Squeeze the lemon on top and this dish rocks!! This fish can have little bones, so watch out, but definitely worth the effort. Also included was a cone-shaped daikon, which I didn't care for much since it was fairly bland and tasteless. - King crab California Roll ($10.00) - King crab meat? Artificial crab meat? You could barely tell the difference besides the small subleties from the more firm texture of king crab meat. Other than that, I didn't really care much for this roll as it was boring and didn't really scream "King crabmeat" but just "crabmeat". - Shrimp Tempura Roll ($9.00) - Another roll that was fairly average. The shrimp was cooked perfectly, but it just really didn't do any justice for me. Shrimp tempura in a roll, that's all it really was. - Eel Avocado Roll ($10.00) - This was probably my favorite of the three rolls. This freshly broiled eel made a world of difference along with fresh avocado. I was glad to know that there was at least one Japanese restaurant who doesn't try to cheat customers and use the frozen eel that you find at many Asian supermarkets. Service was superb. The waitress and I believe the manager/owner (a bigger set lady) would come over with very big smiles and check up on us quite frequently but not obtrusively. They'd clean dishes from the table just as delicately as they placed them down on the table. The seafood was fairly fresh but I'm still contemplating if the higher prices justify the quality of their food. The food was good, especially the Chawanmushi, but it didn't blow me out of the water. I've spent a lot less and have had better Japanese food. For a party of 3, we wound up spending about $160 on the food and 4 beers, so you can be the judge of that. Worth checking out? I think so, but just prepared to spend some money here. Oh, and they have the Chopsticks magazine publication here. Grab a free copy on your way out!!! read more

See all

Hidden but cute Japanese restaurant located in Forest Hills neighbor. There were not many people when we went there on Memorial Day weekend. We had steamed eggs, sushi, and grilled black cod. Overall the food was okay, but a bit too salty. My bf and I kept drinking water after the dinner. Sorry, I don't think I will come back again. read more

See all

I love good sushi but getting it in FH is not easy. Picked this place on Yelp, and decided to test drive it. On Friday night it was fairly empty but then again its summer so many places are not that crowded. We were met with smiles from the staff and quickly offered drinks. Ordered Chirashi and two rolls, both items were great and the plum wine that I was served was the wine that I have not had in years at other places. I bet other places buy cheap knock off wines because I been looking for this taste forever. They also offered a specialty beer which was bit pricey for beer but never the less really enjoyed the flavor. Great find in my area read more

Although uncomfortably pricey, Katsuno is probably the best restaurant in Queens. This was my second visit in three years. I went here by myself, but will definitely ask my family to join me next time. I had: 1. Ohitashi - nice, but forgettable 2. 3 pieces of sashimi; a) yellowtail - out of this world , b) uni - average, c) ikura - heavenly 3. Beef Tataki - incredible appetizer 4. Berkshire pork belly - fantastic (and an unexpectedly large portion , given the price) read more

Walked in on a cold Wednesday night after finding the listing on Yelp. Pricey but my husband insisted we stay because we were celebrating. Chirashi was unbelievably good. My husband had the sushi platter and he was also impressed with the quality. The fish just melts in your mouth. I even managed to impress my Japanese foodie friend when I said I had visited this restaurant. She said it was authentic Japanese. Definitely worth it. I look forward to another celebration to visit Katsuno again. :0) read more

Tucked away discreetly on Metropolitan is this excellent little Japanese restaurant. With a surprisingly wide variety of both raw fish and well prepared cooked selections. The chef clearly takes great pride in his work and creates some stunning and delectable treats. The ambiance is simple with great jazz often playing and the attentive and warm service of the owner. We enjoy every visit and definitely recommend for those looking for Japanese of quality versus only quantity. read more

8/13/22: Called and made a reservation for 7:20 P.M. Arrived on time, only to find, (to my amazement) . . . the location look totally CLOSED! City gates up over the windows/door! Looked pretty closed to me. Closed, as in OUT OF BUSINESS, closed. So, I call the number listed on Google, and there is NO ANSWER! Then, a few moments later, my cell phone rings from a name unknown to me. I answer it and the female voice on the other end identifies herself as "Katsuno". Explains she noticed that I called. I ask to confirm the street address, and the one I had was the correct address, so I say . . .I dropped by and you looked closed. She replies, "oh yes, we do look closed. There is no sign, but we are open. Come back, and I can open the door for you." WHAT....you'll "open the door for me". NOPE, no thanks, I don't think so! We were (then) fortunate enough, to find a parking spot near "D's", and had a most enjoyable meal - THERE ! As an OLD New Yorker, I have not, in all my years, come across a restaurant situation this WEIRD! In my opinion, this is a solid "NO GO"! You can take your chances, but you've been warned! GOOD LUCK. read more

Katsuno is a hidden gem in so many ways that I don't even know where to begin. Whenever we want authentic Japanese in a friendly intimate environment, this is our number one choice. It all starts out when you enter and are greeted by one of the nicest people you will ever meet in the restaurant industry. Yuka gives a warm welcome to all her customers and makes you feel at home. Her husband who works the sushi bar is equally inviting. The menu contains an extensive selection of authentic Japanese delicacies more likely to be found in Tokyo than in New York. That is what in our opinion sets Katsuno apart from the "Americanized" Japanese restaurants that are all over the city. There are many items on the menu that we have never even heard of and that is something we love about Katsuno. Yuka is always happy to give detailed descriptions of anything you ask about and it's fun to try new and different things. Some of our favorites on the menu are: Crudo: Various selections always light fresh and delicious Tuna & Avocado salad or the Snow Crab & Avocado salad: I am normally not a big salad eater but these are sumptuous with the snow crab being our favorite. Sushi rolls: Everything is so fresh and prepared at the small sushi bar. Something that stands out to us is the quality and care put into each roll. For example, something like a spicy tuna roll at other places is often what I feel is ground up scraps of tuna mixed with spicy sauce. At Katsuno the same roll is made with larger chunks of fresh tuna with the spicy sauce separated in the roll. Not sure if my description makes sense but it tastes of such a higher quality than we get elsewhere. Hamachi Kama and Kampachi Kama: These are flown in fresh from Japan so quantities are limited. So fresh and flavorful and cooked perfectly. This is one of our #1 go to items at Katsuno. Tempura udon: At other Japanese restaurants something like this dish would be a salty broth with soggy tempura floating in it. At Katsuno the broth is loaded with flavor and the tempura selection is served on the side so it is still crispy after you dunk it in the broth. Pork Hirekatsu: Tender succulent pork lightly breaded and fried. Not heavy and loaded with breading as would be common elsewhere. While the above items are our regular favorites, we have tried so many other menu choices, many of which I can't even pronounce. Each is always better than the next. Even the desserts are authentic and beautifully prepared with our favorites being the red bean ice cream topped with red bean paste and the green tea tiramisu. While not big drinkers, we like to enjoy a cold sake based on the recommendation of Yuka. I don't even know the names but they are always good. I see others ordering other authentic Japanese beers and cocktails off the large drink menu. Perhaps our favorite thing about Katsuno is the warmth given out by Yuka and her husband. We always feel as if we are dining in their home rather than in a restaurant. It's so rare to find such an environment in today's world. Just be sure to make a reservation as seating is limited. Thank you Katsuno for consistent authentic flavorful food served in a friendly warm intimate environment. read more

This invisible little Japanese restaurant is a bit pricy. The place is dinner only place, no lunch. My husband came here with his daughter many years ago so he decided to take me, his mom and his daughter to have dinner there. The four of us went into this little place and had a great dinner. The waitress was very friendly especially when my husband started speaking in Japanese. She was impressed with his speech and started chatting more with him and wasn't sure whether hubby understood it all, he said he did hehe *:) Our food presentation came out unexpectedly perfect in style. A picture tells a thousand words. So my pictures are the evident that they tell you to eat and enjoy! The appetizers that we ordered were truly nice-looking ones: asparagus tomato salad, tamagoyaki, tofu (ice-cream look-alike). Then followed by entree: zaru soba, tempura, grilled cod fish and grilled mackerel. One thing about this place, they turn down people who don't make reservations. So sad because until we leave, no one came in to sit at those reserved tables yet and we were there almost 2 hours. I guess the place is not desperate for business. The appetizers were very appetizing! My mackerel came out better than some places. I liked the place but I thought it's a bit pricy. The restaurant doesn't show much happening from the outside, it's like being in Japan except I've never been to Japan (but hubby did, many times). Will try sashimi here one day. read more

See all

You have pre-conceived notion about certain things (we all do) and then when it turns out that your expectations are completely different, it takes a little while to adjust. That was the case when we walked into Katsuno, a little Japanese restaurant in the middle of suburban Forest Hills. I sort of expected this place to be dark and romantic, but the lights were bright and the few tables looked more like a fast food set-up than a respectable restaurant. But I must say, besides the layout and the lighting, everything else far exceeded my expectations of this place. We got the cold onsen poached egg, an appetizer of cucumbers with wasabi miso dipping sauce, chawanmushi (an egg custard with chicken, shrimp and gingko nuts, a warm duck soba soup, and a different approach to a spicy tuna roll (the tuna was not chopped up and mixed with spicy mayo as usual). Everything was incredibly fresh and well-prepared. I was in heaven. I learned later that Katsuno is from the same owner and chef as Seo, which is one of my favorite Japanese restaurants in midtown. Now if only they spruced this Queens location up to be as intimate and stylish as the Manhattan location, this would be a great destination spot. -eatthisny read more

Definitely a delight in the Forest Hills neighborhood of Queens. Walking here is far but pretty straightforward from the Forest Hills subway station. The restaurant is located on a quiet street with nothing much else around. The inside of the restaurant is also rather spartan. Service is very attentive and it looks like the owner is also very much engaged in taking orders and talking to customers. They ran out of their famous salmon uni salad when we were there on a Sunday evening for dinner around 7.30pm, which is a bummer having heard so much about it. But other than that initial disappointment, the food served up was delicious. Some of the highlights were the miso-marinated grilled beef and the tofu with yuba. There was also a special appetizer that evening, which was warm tofu with miso sauce, served up on a popsicle stick - quite tasty. They serve inaniwa udon here, just like their sister restaurant SEO in Manhattan. The udon was a little overcooked in this instance but the broth was still very tasty. The duck udon came with five slices of rare duck, which added some gamey oomph to the otherwise light noodles and broth. Desserts are quite simple, ice cream and ice cream mochi. Nothing special to end the meal. Overall, this is definitely a great addition to Queens. However, if you live in Manhattan, I think you will get the same quality and many of the same menu items at SEO. read more

Good ole Japanese home cooking. All the dishes here remind me of the food my mom used to cook for me growing up and now what I aspire to cook myself! I think the inside and outside of the place is typical of the small restaurants they have in Japan. If you're looking for a trendy Asian fusion (yuck) this is not your place to be. I ordered: Agedashidofu (awesome portions) and the dashi that is poured on it is amazing. Karage (friend chicken) nice and tender boneless chicken thighs and wings (not dry chicken breast) Grilled Mackerel - lighted salted and perfectly grilled, just like my grandpa does Pork Filet Cutlet - nice and juicy with a crunchy panko crust..the trick is the fry it in fresh oil (I just wished cabbage in the US was as sweet and crunchy as it is in Japan!) All is in all we ordered too many appetizers because we were expecting NYC portions! And of course, yebisu beer is rockin! I will be back again and again! Thank you Kastuno! read more

The restaurant seemed clean and was greeted by the waitress upon entering. There was no heat, but there was an portable heat that wasn't doing its job. Dined without taking off my coat. Food was mediocre, below average. We had two people and ordered 6 dishes. One dish that bothered me the most was the filet mignon; the meat texture didn't look like filet mignon. It looked like flank. Also, what was worse was that the filet mignon didn't taste like beef. It had a strange, unpleasant taste and odor to it. I've read articles in the past that restaurants were using horse meat to replace beef for cost reasons. This "filet mignon" didn't look like one and didn't taste like one, made me wonder what it really was. After one bite my friend and I didn't eat it further and didn't wrap it to go either. Surprisingly waitress didn't ask if something was wrong with the dish. While finished eating, the waitress took 25 minutes to come to us to give us the check. There were only two tables at the time, they were not busy. The table next to us wondered why no one was at the area for us to ask if we needed a check or anything. I will not recommend my friends to come nor coming back myself. read more

So happy to find a classy, authentic Japanese restaurant in Queens! We had the special appetizer of the day which was delightful and had some unique flavors. The sashimi was all fresh and mouthwateringly tasty. The sushi choices were a little more interesting than the usual and good. And Yebisu beer is so rare in the US, that was a nice treat. The staff was also friendly and attentive. They took our reservation for 3 and it looked like they had a back room for private parties. Of course, it all added up a little pricier than expected, but worth it for a special night out. read more

Based on the reviews on yelp I was really looking forward to trying Katsuno. Maybe I was expecting too much based on the reviews, but the place was okay. I did really like the Chawanmushi and thought it was pretty good. I liked the addition of the chicken to the chawanmushi. I've only had it with shrimp. The Salmon and Uni salad was pretty good and really like the dressing on the salad. We also had a couple of pieces of Salmon and Yellowtail sushi. The fish was pretty fresh and better than most places in the Forest Hills area but nothing mind blowing. I would go back to Katsuno as a neighborhood restaurant with good sushi but probably wouldn't come out of the way to go to it. read more

What to say about Katsuno... The reviews below are all very accurate from the negative ones to the positive ones. In terms of food, it is authentic Japanese food that is well prepared. Nothing incredibly fancy but the taste is accurate to traditional Japanese food. If you are looking for an Izakaya bar style experience this is not the place but if you are looking for a relatively quiet restaurant then this is it for you. There are many downsides to this restaurant that does not involve the food in any way. The issue with this restaurant is the service and the price of the meals. There is very slow service so expect to sit here for a while and remember to bring company or a book. You can expect an order of soba to come out in half an hour or more if the place is packed which is a terribly long wait for what noodles. So while you can expect good quality food, the service is slow and often times forgetful. read more

We recently came here using a Groupon purchased earlier this year. Seeing the rave reviews on yelp, we figured we should give this place a try. We were pretty disappointed. The food, priced on the higher-end of what you'd normally expect from a Japanese restaurant, was mediocre at best and uninspired. Speaking in uninspired, I can't even gather enough energy together to write a review for this place, that's how "eh" the experience was for us. Move on, nothing to see here... read more

I discovered this place while running down Metropolitian Ave. It's easy to miss with no window view into the restaurant and no big signage. You can spot this restaurant with the little Japanese lantern hung outside of the restaurant. Since it's a neighborhood spot, we thought we would check it out. It also had many Michelin guide stickers on the window so it must be good! The inside is very cozy, there are only 6-7 tables but it feels spacious (the tables weren't too close together). By the back wall there is a one-manned sushi bar. The menu is standard Japanese far-udon/soba noodles, cold noodles, sushi and some meat/fish entrees. I ordered the kake soba noodles and my boyfriend and his mom ordered the noodles with marinated duck. My boyfriend ordered the sashimi entree and we got the cucumber and seaweed vinaigrette and fried chicken to start. I noticed that with a facebook/four square checkin, you get free green tea! Definitely take advantage of this as their green tea is superb. I love tea that has the flavor of burnt rice and it was unlimited. Waitresses kept coming over to pour more tea! The cucumber/seaweed vinaigrette was delicate and a great light starter. The cucumber slices were sliced very thinly and absorbed a lot of the vinaigrette. I didn't taste the fried chicken appetizer but they noted that it came out warm and was yummy. The soba noodles were a delight-the broth was light and flavorful and had lots of unami flavor! I drank most of the broth and gave some of my noodles to my boyfriend. Noodles were cooked well and weren't too chewy and bland. They did give an ample portion of noodles. I did however think the prices were overpriced for the neighborhood. The cheapest noodle soup dish was $9.50 and going upwards to $18. For Queens??!! Maybe they can get away with it because there isn't any other place that serves such delicious noodles? Anyway, the sashimi was fresh and well cut. Service was very friendly and attentive. The meal came out to over $100 though. So my only gripe is the cost. It's Manhattan standard prices. read more

Katsuno is the best Japanese restaurant in Queens! Hands down! My husband, our friends and I love this place and dine here often. I can't believe I haven't checked-in before. Must be cause I am always so excited when I get there. You feel as if you are sitting in a restaurant in Japan. From the moment you walk into their establishment you are treated like family! They have a great selection of sake. Everything on the menu is to die for. I think we have had everything on the menu at least once. We always order so much food thinking we will have leftovers, but that never happens. I'm counting the days to dine here again! read more

See all

We came here for dinner on a Friday night with reservations. We were running late and called to let them know but they said it wasn't a problem, they had tables. When we got there the restaurant wasnt completely full so it's a pretty relaxing time. In terms of food I thought everything was just ok. Nothing really stood out. Nothing was bad, but nothing was amazing either. One day I'll look back and not really remember much about the meal. We got the chicken tatsuaage which was a bit lacking in flavor and crispiness but was juicy. Also ordered the tofu & uni, salmon & uni salad, the green tea tiramisu with black sesame ice cream (had an icy texture). I don't even remember what else we got to list it out anymore LOL! In summary, average, decent, forgettable. read more

This place is honestly incredible. It's really low key and easy to miss, and when you walk in it looks like your run of the mill sushi place, but the food here is seriously magical. I would consider it higher-end Japanese food, so it's also pricier than your average sushi place (although the sushi here is great, there are so many cooler thing to eat). The service is great as well. read more

It's rare when a local restaurant is exceptional but Katsuno in Forest Hills has some of the best authentic Japanese food I've ever had. The Spanish Mackerel Tataki in Scallion red onion myoga sauce was excellent. The Chilled braised Magritte Duck yuzu kosyo was superb. The Sashimi Dinner was outstanding. The steamed black cod was better than a renowned restaurant in Manhattan. Service was attentive for the most part. The decor is pretty basic. However, given the chef's abilities I defintely would return. read more

Came here a little over a year ago to celebrate my boyfriends birthday. The food was quality with a good selection of sake. We were the last customers there and needed to call a car service to go home but the owners already had their coats on and practically threw us out into the cold night air. After spending close to three hundred dollars I must remind the owners that excellent customer service is just as important as excellent food! By the way your food is way over priced! read more

Everything from the food to the service to the decor was subpar. My nostrils were immediately assaulted with this musty mildew smell. Dirty and dingy is how I would describe the place. There was only one other table present when we came in. Service was slow and inattentive. Sat there with an empty tea cup the entire meal. And what Japanese restaurant do you know runs out of salmon of all things. The sashimi was meh, as was the pork belly. The prices are way too high for what is being served, potions are small as well. Won't be coming back. read more

This is by far the best sushi in Queens. Super fresh, the chef is a master. Order the fried chicken appetizer, it is delicious. All their wines are tasty. Definitely a place to maybe keep to yourself. Really hate that they are closed on Mondays and Tuesdays and when they are open they close by 10pm, but it is what it is. read more

Food was good and well prepared but nothing extraordinary. However, i feel the food was overpriced for what it provided. Word of advice the soumen was mediocore and not worth it. The cod and salmon were pretty good though. Friendly staff is a plus. read more

to the tune of simon and garfunkle's 59th steet bridge song slow down, i'm moving too fast this amazing place, i almost passed just looking for food, in my hood its hard to find cause nothing's good. ba da, ba da, ba da, ba da..... feelin' moody. hello menu what cha showin? in your kitchen, what cha growin? ain't cha got some food for me? udon, soba, feelin' hungry ba da, ba da, ba da, ba da..... feelin' moody. the akadashi made me swoon it is gone now, all too soon i devoured my uni, it was so good the zarusoba was beyond food katsuno i love you all is groovy ba da, ba da, ba da, ba da..... feelin' moody. moody only cause i drank too much last night i decided it might add a little realism to the review. i have been blessed by the presence of katsuno in my neighborhood. no joke. but don't go here. it's too small to get popular and crowded. so seriously, don't go here. i'm not joking. read more

This is my new favorite Japanese restaurant in NY. Quality of the fish is very high - considering it was a Sunday. their speciality udon was very nice, el dente and subtle smokey flavour. The rolls also very good - eel avcado. Value for money - 3 ppl $100 with beer. read more

Wow! What an incredible find on Metropolitan Avenue in Forest Hills, Queens!!! Yes it is a little on the expensive side, but, dear reader, expensive is so relative as to have become a completely empty term, a expression devoid of meaning. After all If something is free but is so disgusting, isn't it too expensive to consume? That's how I feel about many "moderately priced" Japanese restaurants in Manhattan and Queens, NYC. Look up towards the top of the page. Currently, Katsuno is categorized as "$$$" Yelp's key for "$$$" is moderate to moderately high. If Spending $50 - $100 per person is a great deal of money (and I've been there, too) then, today, do not bother to go to Katsuno. Do not be shamed by your poverty. Work, hard pray to the the Shichifukujin, the Kami of Success and Fortune. There is a Wendy's and a McDonald's 1/2 mile down. There are plenty of good "$$" restaurants in the area. But, honestly, in the Glendale / Rego Park / Forest Hills are there is nothing in the "$" or "$$" class that's going to match Katsuno in quality, ambiance, enthusiasm, or diligence. Now I can begin my review of Katsuno. I and my wife arrived on the actual date of our anniversary which fell on a weekday this year. So we were in admittedly in a good, romantic and celebratory mood. Katsuno's Japanese Cuisine added and enhanced our desire to celebrate. Having eaten Japanese food in "$$$$+" restaurants in NYC, Boston and SF I knew something of what I could expect. What we were offered at Katsuno, so exceeded what we become accustomed to that I MUST give the Five Stars. This restaurant's quality exceeded every single Japanese restaurant I or my wife every have eaten in Lower and Midtown Manhattan and certainly here in Queens. Katsuno does NOT have the now obligatory Bento Boxes, or the Teriyaki-Roll-Salad Combo, or the Sukiyaki with overdone low fat chewy, dry roast beef. (Also we didn't see breaded chicken fingers for the kiddies, but had no reason to ask. It has a more authentic Japanese dishes that 95 percent of the Americanized Japanese Restaurant in NYC. The folks running THIS place deliver excellent food to the tables My appetizer, Silken Tofu / Egg Custard, was an exquisite piece of very light tofu with the hint of egg and, was that pork belly or just plain old bacon? No orange food colored carrot dressing to be found one the shared salad we were served here at least on the date we visited. The dipping sauce for my Soba noodles had to have some magical ingredients in it: Three days later and I still crave more of those noodles. My wife's fish was mighty tasty, too. I haven't given many particulars, but as we go back I'll consider adding more and more particulars. But I'm not a believer in providing a reverse engineered food analysis, or in treating a restaurant experience like an architectural review of lighting, ambiance, sound decibels, and seat density (OK, very good, not bad, pretty good.). I tried to address Yelper's concerns: Is the food great. Absolutely! Does it approach excellence? Resounding yes!! So, look at your budget before before entering this eatery. Don't get mad at the people striving for excellence. Get made at your boss for being so cheap and not compensating you what you knew your are worth. Then when you're ready come and enjoy really good Japanese food properly and carefully prepared. And allow yourself to savor and enjoy it. PS: I believe Katsuno has the best Sake Menu in Queens. Sake menu? Yes like a wine menu but with different types of sake. Served hot and cold. read more

I like this place a lot; not very big but neat and clean. Waitresses are friendly and they recommend food base on the taste not the price, haha. Their salmon salad is really my favorite, I order it every time I go there. Try the sake! read more

Excellent food. I thought the food was authentic and artfully prepared. Nice menu with a variety of traditional Japanese appetizers, sushi, entrees and noodles dishes to choose from. I thought the sushi better and fresher than average. We enjoyed a beautiful grilled cod and a tasty Udon noodle dish. Service was excellent. They have a liquor license (do not BYOB) and offer a better sake and beer selection. Not crowded on a Wednesday night, but reservations might be in order as seating is limited. Atmosphere: I like the art / colors / bar et al, passable... but I would give another star if the lights were a bit lower (after food/drink, lighting is the single most critical element for me in a restaurant experience, how about some candles or lanterns?), the refrigerator was hidden by a screen and the music was more interesting (I really hate MUZAK :-) ) and... my inner marketing director might suggest a small, discreet sign outside. I'll be back. read more

Overpriced mediocre Japanese food. Super disappointed. Not sure why they got good reviews. There are tons of Japanese restaurants in Manhattan that serve amazing food with $50 per person. We left just feeling we wanted our $100 back read more

Amazing went there for dinner with my wife and both of us were blown away. The sushi was unbelievable fresh and delish. The place is easy to miss since I been told it is a Japanese tradition. read more

Quality over quantity, sashimi was fabulous. This will be my go to Japanese restaurant tucked away in Queens.

First of all, I am a sucker for Japanese food. After trying tons of J restaurants in NYC, I have to say, THIS IS ONE OF THE KIND!!! The place is small but very classy. The dishes r incredible!! Fresh and yummy!!! I am so glad I find it!!! read more

Made reservations for a Sunday night and didn't have to wait. Service was great, our drinks were refilled and orders taken at a good pace. The chefs appetizer set was a nice starter- we had sweet pumpkin, sashimi, and watercress. The sashimi was fresh and delicious. I got the salmon collar entre and it was a generous portion. The cold soba noodles were a refreshing change of pace. The almond milk pudding was my least favorite part of the meal, wasn't as smooth as I expect from pudding. Still, not bad. Will definitely come back to try other stuff. read more

This restaurant is phenomenal, though the prices are quite high. The food is worth it, though, as this is my favorite place to go to. I'd recommend the duck sobs noodles, and pretty much everything in the menu. There are a few desserts, all of which are amazing. read more