Kitaro is pretty.... decent. Not be redundant, looking at the other reviews, but yeah... decent is all I've got. The delivery was pretty quick, and they give you three mini veggie fried spring rolls for free with your order. The fish seemed fresh and unlike Hiro, they do not hold back on the spice. They are NOT playing when they label a roll as spicy. Holler for that. I actually found it to be somewhat overpriced, given that there are other sushi options, even for delivery on the barren UWS, which are cheaper and fresher. Open pretty late. read more

I like this place for a simple healthy dinner with a friend or even alone. Good sushi, good prices. It's very chill and the service is quick. Warning, the sushi menu is long and can be a bit overwhelming. There are a lot of crunchy spicy fish rolls, which I like. If you do too, try the Manhattan roll (spicy salmon crunch with eel avocado) and the White dragon roll (crunchy white tuna) - both are favorites. read more

Cool spot. Lunch menu with 2 rolls for less than $10? Can't go wrong with that right? Service was quick and I was literally in and out in 25 minutes. read more

My husband and I usually order take out sushi from this place because from all of the sushi places we tried in the UWS, this is the tastiest and somewhat affordable. Their delivery can be a little on the slow side, but it's well worth the wait. I usually order the chirashi when I get take out and the fish is always really fresh. We decided to go there for the first time last week and the food was just as good, if not better than when we get take out. Although, the service wasn't too great when we first arrived. It took 5 minutes until we got menus even after we were seated. It took about 15 minutes for our waitress to bring us a glass of water. However, once we got our meal, the service was okay and the waitress was very attentive and friendly. We ordered the sushi meal for two plus the buffalo chicken roll. Everything was really good, but I think the buffalo chicken roll could have had a bit more kick in it. Although, I have a really high threshold for spicy food so this is purely subjective. If you're looking for a good and more affordable sushi spot in the UWS, I highly recommend Kitaro. read more

Almost overwhelming amount of sushi roll choices. Normally this would be a good thing but it was like reading a novel. Sushi was average. Got the job done. Spicy salmon is a go to favorite for me at any sushi restaurant but it was almost too spicy - only a problem because salmon flavor was completely lost. Got a couple of special rolls - some worked better than others. I was excited about the "Iphone 5C is for suckers" roll (and yes, I'm sure 99% percent of the reason I ordered it was the name) and it was mediocre. Ordered one with apple because I thought it sounded interesting....turns out, there's a reason that's not a popular sushi restaurant thing. Shrimp tempura was the one I was least excited about but a friend ordered it and it was my favorite. Prices are decent so I'll probably be back (or at least order) but not much to make me go here over any of the other UWS choices. read more

Very bad service. Love the food here but the service is unbearable! I ordered from at least once a week. The service never improve. I get a better service from a younger sound cashier. The other one always rush, and grumpy. read more

I love this place!!! The food is really good and the sushi is fresh. The owner is absolutely hilarious and one of the nicest people I've met. Definitely need to check this place out if you're looking for a good meal from a nice, family owned place on the UWS. read more

Only came here due to close proximity to apt on a cold night. Mistake--should have kept walking to Momoya. After sitting down immediately, it took 15 minutes to get a glass of water, after asking two different servers. That aside, we ordered sushi and rolls. The fish here isn't good, it tastes too fishy and even bleach-y. I had to rake a top layer of tuna off that wasn't edible. I left two pieces on my plate, which I haven't done in years at any sushi restaurant. The cuts of fish weren't fresh and the rolls were just flat. I wouldn't go back and don't recommend you spend the EXACT amount of money for sub-par sushi---walk a few blocks down and eat at Momoya (if the UWS is your destination). read more

Great service, food, and prices. This is my second time coming and they catered to my boyfriend and I. We were running late for a movie and got our food fresh and fast. read more

My 7 year old daughter wrote this review. The food is awesome! Our waitress was very nice. We got there as it was about to close but they kept the restaurant open just for us. Thank you Kitaro! read more

The fact that makes this place recognizable as a mediocre sushi place is why I love it...you can always get a seat...no wait...ever. I also think that they have solid sushi in a completely non-trendy atmosphere. The sushi, too, is not trendy. No Brooklyn Rolls or Doggy Rolls, or whatever the roll of the week is. Just very standard, reasonably tasty sushi. Though this review may seem lukewarm, I do hope this place stays in business for many years to come. Decent sushi, zero pretense. read more

This used to be my "go to" Japanese place. The food was good, the service was polite and fast, the portion size was more than adequate. All of a sudden though it went down hill for me. I could say the plates were slammed down on the table and I won't say that the generally patient wait staff was off their game. But I will say that it just isn't the old dining experience I used to have there. 'Nuff said (or not said!) read more

One of the oddest little experiences ever. The place feels like it's 10 years past its prime...everything is dark and worn-out feeling, there's almost never anyone there, and the service today was on the snippy rude side of things. But, ok, we forge on, I get the udon, my kid gets a bento, the food is tasty and we are happy... Then BAM, as we are waiting for them to take my card, my kid (a slender teen) leans forward in her chair--doesn't tip forward, just leans in, like you do to talk--and a chair leg snaps and the chair collapses and dumps her on the floor. The leg doesn't even snap at a joint, it just breaks in two jagged pieces...we're lucky as hell she didn't end up with a huge chunk of wood in her leg. And what does the staff say/do? Nothing. Silently they take the chair away and bring another one (we were standing to go anyway). No "We are so sorry." No "Are you ok?" Definitely no "Let us make this up to you somehow." That will be our last time there... Things happen, chairs break, but how people respond means a lot in a restaurant, which is supposed to be about atmosphere and hospitality, in addition to food. No wonder no one ever goes there. read more

My fiance & I order from or dine in at Kitaro about once a week and we enjoy it every time! When we have take-out out the food is always delivered quickly and the order is always filled accurately. When we dine in the service is always polite and attentive. While the decor is not trendy, it is comfortable - and a nice traditional touch is that you are greeted with warm scented towels at the table to refresh you hands for the meal. Now to the good part... the food (whether for take-out or for dining in) is delicious and a fantastic value for the price. I prefer Kitaro's sushi to the other restaurants I have tried on the Upper West Side -- and they actually have the most competitive prices. Bonus! I highly recommend the salmon-avocado roll (this is my favorite roll in general) the tuna-avocado roll, the "Alaska" roll (a more ornate version of the salmon avocado roll that adds cucumber inside and smelt roe outside for a very refreshing taste), and the spicy salmon roll - to name a few. We also very much enjoy their seaweed salad, the dressing that comes on the regular salad (yum!), and their edamame. If you are looking for a trendy sushi joint with a SoHo feel, this is definitely not the place for you. However, for a good neighborhood sushi dining experience on the Upper West Side, look no further! :) read more

I am not a big sushi eater (sorry sushi fans). This restaurant is solid for cheap sushi. Both time I have eaten here we ordered rolls of the specials menu and they were really good. They even let me order something that I had before that wasn't a special anymore. The Shrimp Tempura and Kamikaze Roll are yummy :) read more

This place is worth a try. It's cheap, but good enough quality, where I've had my fair share of sushi and bento boxes that I haven't had a craving for a while. I've only eaten there for lunch, but I think that's the only time it may be worth while. A lady inside scared me off once saying it was ridiculous I was using a card for a $1.50 soup (but really, I didn't have cash and wasn't about to pay a $1.50 charge to take out money for her). So, I order online and get a delivery. So much food. I love that it lasts me an hour to eat and I still have leftovers. I'm thinking it's time to get something from there soon. Good enough to keep me coming back. read more

Just come in and try there lunch believe me it is best sushi lunch special of the UWS creative rolls and a large selection on menu. And not so expensive read more

Kitaro - Sashimi bento and two hand rolls salmon skin & spicy & small sake all for about $20 bucks Mmm - Sushi Bars Near Me - New York, New York

The sushi was disgusting. Old and chewy. Also, and this is sheer robbery; they charged me a snow tax and put it into the price of one of the rolls I got that was $9 on the menu (look at the price difference of the RAINBOW Roll in the pictures below. I include pictures of the "discrepancy" so you know I'm not lying). I've written like maybe 2 other yelp reviews, but this just had to be done to warn my fellow eaters not to order from this place. By the way, when the delivery guy came and tried to get me to pay the extortion, I called them and they gave me some bullshit about different priced menus but wouldn't fix the price. I told them that I planned on giving their guy a $5 cash tip, but they still wouldn't fix the price. I told them I don't want it, and said that I'd use their over charge as the tip if they'd like, they said no. So I walked away. They ran after me and gave me their shitty old sushi, that I never even finished cause it was so nasty. YOUVE BEEN WARNED, from a guy that would never do this unless it was really that bad. I would rather drink spoiled milk than take another chance with their rotten fish. read more

Kitaro - See the rainbow roll? $9.00 right?? Now look at the next picture. Cheap, greedy and still wouldn't budge. And the fish was old and chewy. - Sushi Bars Near Me - New York, New York

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TERRRRIBLE restaurant. Delivery people very rude. Curse at you if you do not tip them more money. Had delivery person lean in on the buzzer until I got to the door. I have a knee injury and could not walk fast or pick up my order so I had it delivered. He then came to my door threw the food at me and said I shouldve picked it up and the he continued to curse. I called the restaurant and they didn't care they said they didn't know when he manager would be in and that they would not replace nor refund my order (after the delivery man threw it at me!). I asked when the manager would be in and they said "we don't know whatever" and hung up the phone. They are usually really rude and racist but today was extreme on their part. Do not order from here. There are other neighbor sushi restaurants that are much better and the staff is pleasant and considerate. read more

The food is okay, but I can't give more than 2 stars because the people working there are often quite rude and I find myself not wanting to stop by to order because of them, even though location wise they are so convenient (literally 2 minutes from my apartment). My typical interaction is the server handing me the check and saying rudely, "Sign here." I sign and respond gently, "Thank you." No response. The other day I entered the restaurant when they had the sign outside indicating that they were open; apparently the chef had not arrived yet and the older woman rudely told me to leave because they were not open. Even if the food were delicious, it wouldn't make up for bad manners... and the food here is just okay. read more

Just went there today and had the sushi dinner with a shrimp shumai appetizer. Was very happy with the quality of the food as well as the general ambiance. I look forward to eating there again. read more

My 5 year old son is a huge fan of this place! Here is where his love for sushi salmon began, and he is a picky eater!! The staff is friendly and especially the cute lady Bebe. Small quaint little place. Prices are reasonable and the salmon sushi is always fresh. Bathroom is clean as well!- YOu can tell a lot about a restaurant based on the restrooms! read more

I'm sorry but I've been eating here for a long time now but lately I've been noticing that afternoon and waitresses have no professional courteous restaurant service manners. The waitresses seem always mad or upset for some reason and continue to make my dinner experience unpleasant. The chef are really much nicer then these two ladies. Best bet to here is when bibi is there for lunchtime or plain old take orders "food is great I have to say" but these two ladies make your visit unpleasant... Get nicer waiting staff !!! read more

Fresh sushi! Quick delivery turnaround and delicious sushi. Yellowtail jalapeno appetizer, vegetable gyoza and spicy tuna roll is my typical order. The lunch specials are amazing also....their chicken teriyaki never disappoints! read more

Chinese sushi at its finest Great fashion rolls with great texture and so many favors! Ambience is better than it seems to be Good prices Toro not always in stock Not too much exotic fish found in a rare Japanese sushi restaurant Abalone, geoduck, sweet shrimp, fluke fin, king crab, Owner very nice read more

Let me begin by saying I love ramen. I especially love curry ramen. But I have no idea what this garbage is that they call curry ramen in this place. Some watery soup with curry powder and a lot of vegetables. I ordered a beef ramen and had to go fishing for the pieces of some tough meat that was supposed to pass for beef. Oh and one more thing. I was sort of expecting ramen noodles. After all, I ordered ramen. No noodles. None. Not one. I couldn't even send this $15 dreck back because this was not an eat-in order. Do yourself a favor. Keep away from this place. read more

Had the lunch deal $10 for Salmon teriyaki set. It's a pity because the portion is very generous, but it's no where authentic. If you have to, only come in during lunch, if not give it a pass. read more

Holy crap, one of the worst sushi spots ever! From the service to the food.... I don't even know where to start.... The appetizers were not brought at the same time, the main dish was brought out before the soup. And when I mentioned this to the waitress, she responded with, "yeah, he (the chef) made it first." Chicken Teriyaki was swimming in hardened, gelatinous teriyaki sauce; the vegetables that came with the chicken were boiled and had absolutely no flavor. Sushi rolls were not fresh looking or actually fresh. One time I actually had to go get our waitress because she completely ignored us. When I found her she was talking on her cell phone. Definitely not a place I would recommend. If I had to rate it on a scale from 1-10, this would be a 3 for me. read more

I'm so angry at the service here that I am writing this review as I sit at the table. The waitress was so rude and basically demanded that I leave her a higher tip than I originally gave. This is on top of the overpriced but very mediocre food we receieved. I really do not recommend this restaurant! read more

Better order your sushi elsewhere! My order was missing the salad. When I called to inform the restaurant, I was told they can't bring it because they were closing. I was told they'd bring it with my next order. I told the woman on the phone that I believed they should provide an additional item in order to compensate for their error, but she did not seem to understand me. I tried several times to explain, and eventually hung up the phone because I was not understood (I'm a native English speaker). When I called back to place a new order, I explained the problem from when I last ordered, and requested to be compensated for their error. I was told they'd bring the salad, but refused to do anything to make this right. I didn't even get a chance to suggest a low cost appetizer. I requested to have the salad delivered and informed them that I'd never order from them again. After all, this is New York. We have several sushi choices, and most restaurants that make mistakes do something to try to make things right. Not them! They definitely need to improve their customer service. read more

From a gurney at St. Luke's Hospital-- I never write reviews of any kind because I simply don't have the motivation to do so. I am just not one of those people. So the fact that I am writing one now is evidence enough that I have been surreptitiously and unjustifiably wronged and poisoned by the irascible Japanese harpies that run Kitaro Sushi. Let me repeat: I have been poisoned. I strongly urge you to never patronize this filthy establishment. I'm convinced that they store their fish in the deepest recesses of a horse's hindquarters and then let the beast frolic around in the hot sun, the tuna flopping around in the stallion's anus like lottery balls. Do you even know what sushi tastes like on the way up? Well, at Kitaro, it is similar to how it tasted on the way down... AWFUL! Eat at your own risk. read more

I order from Kitaro A LOT, but the past few times something has always been wrong with the food the staff has terribly rude when I've pointed it out. For instance, my order was missing a piece of tuna toro, although I paid for it. When I suggested that they would give me an extra piece (since tuna toro is quite expensive: 6.50$ a piece), they said no mistake had been made. How can they say nothing is wrong when it did say on the receipt that I paid for two pieces, but I only got one? And then they put me on hold for 15 minutes and after that offered me 1$ discount on my next order. Very disappointing! read more

If the food had been good then maybe it wouldn't matter that when we stopped by here on a Sunday when they were all but empty, we were treated like a nuisance by the server. It makes for a really unpleasant meal experience. We won't be back here when there are so many other options to choose from in the neighborhood. read more

I decided to give them a try because I really wanted a Spider Roll and they were listed on delivery.com. I thought they were pretty decent. I ordered the miso soup (not really my favorite), the Spider Roll (alright) and then two pieces of tuna and salmon sushi (really good). Delivery was timely and friendly. Lots of food for me but I still managed to eat all of it but the miso soup. Again, really not that good for miso soup. Oh well, I think I will continue to find my favorite sushi at some other locations. read more

The food is Okay. Just Okay and the price does not really help considering there are a million and one other sushi places in the Upper West Side. I've ordered from here a few times and have eaten there a few times also because it is less than a block away but the service is HORRIBLE. HORRIBLE. HORRIBLE. HORRIBLE. I took my mom there for lunch one afternoon and had to call the waitress over for everything. She brought us our check TWICE without asking if we wanted anything else (which we did). Every time she had to bring something over she basically just threw the plate on the table. Mind you, this was a weekday and we were the only people in the restaurant. We left and the waitress literally ran out of the restaurant asking for a better tip. She was running and yelling in the middle of the street. Who does that?? I went back one more time and again the waitress was horrible. Laughing and talking to the co-workers I had to get THEIR attention to get her to come over and she did not bring me my entire meal. Needless to say, I left. Wish I could love this place but I think that it is time to move on. read more

It's not a fancy sushi place, but a good stand-by in my neighborhood of less than inspiring Asian restaurant. The food is fresh and tasty. Good serving staff (though they need more people on busy nights!). And it's not a problem to eat in there alone--they don't make you feel awkward. I usually get sashimi and a couple of rolls. read more

Eh, I gave them a shot. Not bad sushi per se but not good either. That's in terms of freshness and, thus, tastiness. Affordable lunch special - three roll combo for about $10. read more

Great cozy environment and calming music. Food is extremely tasty and a good price. Highly recommend.

Close to our apartment, so my boyfriend and I frequent this place. We only get hand rolls for when we get sushi cravings, and this place is pretty good! Service is good, we get the same lady every time. The decor is what you would expect, though I wish they played music more often as it can get quite unsettling with no background sounds. read more

Such a crap place. The sushi is fine - nothing special but not bad. The service made me lose my appetite. Rude. Disinterested. Not a single smile in the place. Will never return. Very unpleasant. read more