After puppy yoga, the family and I made our way to Izakaya Mew on 53rd Street, and this place was a…read moregenuine surprise. Everything we ordered was delicious. There was nothing on that menu that let us down. We started with two Calpico sodas, which are always a solid choice. My wife had the Omu Soba and loved it. I went with the Tonkatsu Ramen and that dish was everything. Rich, satisfying, the kind of bowl you do not want to end. We also shared the Kalbi, which are Korean short ribs, and they were outstanding. All three of us were on the same page about those. My son added two salmon tacos to the mix. He enjoyed them but said they did not hit quite as hard as his Mew Special Roll, which was clearly the standout of his night. It features raw tuna and what I believe is a combination of salmon and seared salmon on top. Either way, that sear flavor is really good. Worth trying if you get the chance. The space was lively and busy, which gave it a great energy. We ended up at a long communal table with another couple, but it never felt cramped or uncomfortable. There was enough room to breathe and enjoy the meal. My son mentioned his back felt a little tight from the seating, but that was a minor thing in an otherwise great night. Izakaya Mew delivered on every level. Great food, great atmosphere, and a dinner I am already looking forward to repeating

We stopped in for a work lunch, and I ordered the Kaisen donburi. They were out of uni, which our…read moreserver let me know right away and mentioned they would lower the price to $30 instead. At the time, I thought that seemed fair enough, but looking back, I'm not so sure. For what was left in the bowl, $30 still felt overpriced. The fish slices were cut extremely thin, and there was really only a single layer of fish, so overall it just wasn't very satisfying. That said, there are still quite a few items on the menu that caught my eye and that I'd like to try. I'm going to chalk this one up to ordering the wrong dish rather than writing the place off completely. One thing that did leave a bad impression, though, was the interaction at the end of the meal. The girl who brought our check wasn't exactly rude, but she seemed visibly annoyed when we asked about using Apple Pay but ended up putting the charge on my card and it felt like asking her to bring over the Apple Pay machine was somehow inconveniencing her. She also didn't bother asking whether I wanted my receipt. Maybe none of it was intentional, but her overall demeanor came across that way and left us ending the meal with a bad taste in our mouths.

This location in particular is very small…read more Niku udon - super chewy and flavorful noodles! Broth had a lot of flavor this time too! Meat had one good piece but rest was too dry and/or too fatty 4.5/5 Shrimp tempura - a bit oily but still good! Shrimp is soft and bouncy but wish it was bigger in comparison to the tempura 2.75/5

I was skeptical of this place because I didn't think the price of udon would be worth it. I was…read morewrong. The actual udon noodles themselves are incredible. They're soft but not mushy, and have a nice spring to them. They are genuinely the best udon noodles I've had. Udon and mushroom are two of my favorite things, so it was a no brainer when ordering the seasonal mushroom udon. It comes with all types of mushrooms including maitake, woodear, king oyster, local oyster, and shiitake. It also comes with tororo kombu and tofu. The both is light and flavorful, perfect for a cold night. I wish they would keep this dish permanently because I want to order it again and again. I also liked the frozen grape at the end, it was a nice ending to a good meal. The servers were helpful and the space was on the smaller side. It has minimal decor with wood furniture. The place is tightly packed and busy so just make sure to have a resy booked. Overall, I would highly recommend trying Raku.

Everything we tried was honestly amazing--nothing missed. The service was great too. Portions were…read moregood, and every bite was super enjoyable. The ube tiramisu was a standout. I'm not usually an ube fan, so I wasn't expecting much--but they told us it was just added to the menu and we were some of the first people to try it. After one bite, I literally said "wow" out loud. My friend even laughed because I never react like that unless the food is really good. Overall, everything we had was a solid 10/10. Would definitely come back!

Have been meaning to check this place out for months due to all the hype and attention it's gotten…read more Finally tried it today with a friend and have to say that it was very underwhelming. Got the most popular dishes per the waiter's recommendation and nothing was great. I would say the corn ribs are good but definitely not worth the hype. The corn ice cream was a total miss as it was rock hard and was such a mess to eat. It didn't taste like corn ice cream; rather just vanilla ice cream with a few corn kernels and chocolate. This spot is def one of those IG/TT spots but you don't have to go.

lovely spot for ramen, very authentic and cozy vibe! i put my name down for dinner around 7 and i…read moreonly waited about 15 minutes to be sat for a table of 2. service was kind and attentive, and the food came fast. i ordered the seasonal mushroom udon and it was full of umami flavors and had so many wonderful components. i particularly enjoyed the addition of the dried fried tofu, which was able to soak up all the delicious savory broth. the servings are quite large and the udon was perfectly chewy and succulent.

I don't visit NYC too often but when I do, Raku is the #1 spot I always make sure to come back due…read moreto its delicious udon and its soup quality that is not commonly seen in most Japanese restaurants I have been. I have been to famous spots in Japan within Kyoto and Tokyo and Raku definitely is on the top of the list in terms of service, food quality, and vibes. I have ordered to-go, DoorDash and dined in and its never been a disappointment.

Had a great time celebrating a coworkers birthday here at Kimura. Was a large group so got to get a…read moreton of things to try. First thing we got may have been my fav, conveniently called Addictive Cabbage it really was addictive like wow I just couldnt stop it was so good. I also looooved the meatballs the marinade was super flavorful. Other appetizer options were pretty tasty as well, the takoyaki was soft and sweet, gyoza were large, and chicken skewers were delish. Split a shabu shabu hot pot which was pretty good, all the meat and toppings were nice but I wasnt really tasting much of the broth! Loved the sauces that came with it. Also don't sleep on the yuzu hot sauce thats on the tables that stuff was fire.

Hotpot is what they're known for! I really enjoyed the collagen nabe…read more Tried their kiss of fire roll. It was nothing extraordinary. Also, tried their skewer combo (scallop, salmon and chicken/scallion). These were ok too. I would come back for the hotpot for sure

4.5 rounded up to 5. Good assortment of items and overall, pretty good! Surprisingly, the most…read moredisappointing items to us were the udon and chawanmushi - they weren't bad but they were probably our least favorite items which surprised us given the hype for those items. The noodles were good but my husband thought the broth was too creamy (we got the warm crab one). Absolutely loved the agedashi tofu and black sesame latte. Miso cod wasn't bad either. Definitely a good spot to try if you're in the neighborhood!

As a lover of the downtown locations, I was excited to finally try the midtown location. I always…read moreget the gyunan. I will say that although the flavors were almost there, there was a certain dimension missing. Maybe it's because I didn't add any of the spice powder? But I usually don't have to in order to get that the blast of flavor. I will say though that the beef was really tender and better than at the other locations. But also not sure if the portion size is smaller but I was actually still hungry. I ate a slice of pizza after.

Really good, Asian approved. The ramen is delicious, and the tuna is great. Nothing beats a warm…read morebowl of ramen in a cold rainy day in NYC

Arrived at 10:30pm on a Tuesday night and this place was still poppin, which goes to show just how…read moregood the food is here! We ordered the mentaiko pasta and the scallop and tuna carpaccios. All dishes were amazing, would order those over and over. Their ingredients are very fresh. We got seated at the bar within 20 minutes and the food came out relatively fast too. The place has a cute late night vibe. We also saw the actress Tessa Thompson eating here during our dinner, so even the celebrities think this place is the best!

Still the best in New York. Unique, flavorful chicken skin skewers among many things (see my…read morephotos), though somehow grilled chicken soft bone is a bit tasteless? Fast service. You can order a little and keep adding depending on how big or small each dish is. We came right at 5 pm when they opened. We didn't have a reservation, and after some fumbling they got us four seats at the bar (looking over grilling chefs at work). Not bad, though we were hoping for a table. Great decor and ambiance as always. Wish the grilled shrimps come with shell on, and with salt only (no sauce).

Yakitori Totto has been around for ages, and I've visited this location in person a few times…read morethough it's been a while! Their location is a little hidden, it's on the second floor above Soba Noodle Azuma on 55th Street between 7th and 8th Avenues, closer to 8th. You have to go up a stairwell on the side. Getting to the food, their focus is on meat, seafood and vegetable skewers though they also have a variety of appetizers, rice bowls and noodles, and dessert. The meats and veggies are grilled over charcoal while basted with "tare", a house-made sauce that adds a level of umami to the caramelized grill flavors. Recently I got a handful of skewers for takeout, including: - Ebi (shrimp) $8 x 2: the shrimp were cooked just right, tender and juicy, yum! - Hotate Eringi (scallop and oyster mushrooms) $8 x 2: the textures of the oyster mushrooms and scallop pieces complemented each other, and were kinda similar. Another tasty offering. - Negi pon (pork belly with scallions) $7: I'm not a huge fan of pork belly in general, though they grilled it well here and chopped scallions added a little spicy tickle. While not the cheapest for skewers that you can find, (and inflation hasn't helped,) their flavors are authentic and their quality and consistency is key here. I'm glad it's still here since there seems to be fewer and fewer good yakitori spots in Manhattan these days. They used to have another location in the city though I believe this closed pre-pandemic, however from their website they now have another location in Boston. This was also the sister restaurant to Ramen Totto which had four locations at one point though all have shuttered as well. Hope this location stays around for a long time!

I want to start this off with how I loved how laid back this spot is. It only seats about 15…read morepeople. Music was on very low. Was able to speak to my wife softly (love a restaurant that's quiet!) The server & cook were great. The waiter was kind and check on us in a timely manner. The food was amazing. Bigger portions would have been great, but I know that's not the kind of place this is.. so no complaints! Highly recommend this place for a date. We might have to come back again soon. Two thumbs all the way up!

Came here a long time ago bc I heard how good their sushi sets are. If you are a sushi lover and…read morewant something homey you will definitely like Okonomi. It's nonfussy, and although not the cheapest sushi, it's definitely not super expensive/omakase level. It's a small space with a giant bar for seating and maybe a few tables - the owners are definitely passionate about Japanese cuisine and you can definitely feel that as you chat with them a bit. The menu is small, but dedicated to quality, and you will make your choice quite quickly. All the fish was fresh, large pieces, and really really clean tasting. The soup was delightful and paired wonderfully and everything was presented quite nicely. The grilled fish was also tasty and really tender.

I am a sucker for delicious Katsu and you'll struggle to find better than Katsu-Hama. Katsu-Hama…read morehas a quaint, Japanese vibe in a small but comfortable dining area. It's not especially big, so you may have a bit of a wait if you frequent right at lunch or in the evening but whatever amount of time you have to wait it will be well worth it. Service is top tier but you come for the food. They have a varied menu with a lot of options so if you're bringing a buddy that isn't up for Katsu, they'll have plenty to choose from. The Katsu is the star and I think what sets this place apart is that they offer Berkshire pork katsu as an option. Arguably some of the best pork, it's great to have the option if you're looking to heighten the experience. I love their pork katsu and go nuts over the chicken katsu curry. It's super crispy, slightly greasy but never off-putting. And it's served with the most delicate and delicious cabbage slaw. I could eat a mountain of this it's so good. Highly recommended.

This place is a bit hard to spot, but it's on the same side of the street as the sorta famous (50…read moreyears +) Phil's Stationery. Katsu-Hama is about two doors to the Left of Phil's, and has minimal, very discreet signage. I got some tonkatsu...I forget the exact type, but it was essentially the most fatty of the tonkatsu offered. It came with cabbage (with a sesame ginger type dressing), daikon radish (with some type of sauce on top), and the standard sauce for the tonkatsu, along with some crushed sesame seed and hot mustard. I'd have to say...the tonkatsu was quite good....not quite as sublime as my favorite tonkatsu place in Tokyo...but still, very, very good. The dish also came with a bowl of miso soup (good, and not overly salty) and a bowl of white rice, which I considered the most disappointing part of the meal. The rice seemed a bit dried out...not moist.... All in all, an excellent meal. I'd definitely come back.