* old school sushi with tatami rooms * great customer service, fresh food * pricey, but top notch sushi this is not so much an american style roll place, they fly in fish from Tokyo Tsukiji market. I hear at lunch, they're known for their sukiyaki, but i got the sushi and cold soba lunch combo. delicious, the soba was al dente. sushi was fresh and they threw some fish roe in there as well. place seems like it's been there awhile, but they've definitely maintained it pretty well. I came for lunch with a friend, he go the same but with curry instead of the sushi, it's his go to place. after your soba is complete, they give you hot soup to pour into the sauce bowl. make sure you pour some sauce out before putting in the hot broth otherwise it'll be too salty, i'd def come back. we got a soft shell crab roll. it tasted fresh, crab was good, but they didn't do it up quite like american roll places do the "spider roll" with extra flavor. So, i'd recommend just sashimi/ nigri. read more

The best japanese food I have had ever. I have been to japan and I have been to many japanese restaurant in bost east and west coast of all price range. This is truly the best in terms of wuality of food, service and the vibe read more

We had the beef negimayaki appetizer, original soba salad and the beef sukiyaki. All were delicious!! Worth every bite. No room for dessert. Staff was very accommodating and the owner very attentive. We had a great time and looking forward to coming back again. read more

I was psyched to come here after all of the great reviews, but was sorely disappointed. Granted, we only ordered a mix of sushi rolls, so maybe the other food is better. At any rate, the rolls were incredibly bland and boring. I've had much better sushi from Whole Foods... Service was also slow and the vibe was bleh. (I realized after awhile that there was no background music playing, which was partly why it was such a weird vibe.) Definitely recommend skipping. read more

Delicious, traditional and fresh sushi. We both got the edomae set, soba salad appetizer and agedashi tofu. All great! I can't wait to try the other things here--I wish all Japanese restaurants had their selection. This is definitely an authentic place. It's always a good sign when a restaurant in New York makes me feel like I'm back in Japan. read more

we had wonderful experience here. The server is very nice and food is also very delicious. My friend order a duck don which she loves it a lot. I tried beef sukiyaki and soba soup as appetizer. All were delicious. I will come back agian. read more

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I was really excited to find out that they have Puffer Fish (Fugu) on the menu. It was an amazing experience. Vice president told us an interesting story of about it. I would definitely recommend this restaurant to a friend. Great food! Good people! - Andrey read more

I like this place. Quality is consistent. I tried pretty much everything on the menu. If you are a Japanese fish afecionado, they import many pruducts daily directly from Japan. Meat is excellent as well as the sashimi. There are items not on the menue, like chirashi, that you can ask for. The only disappointment was a salmon teriaki for lunch: farm raised fish. Prices are on the high side. Service is very good. Decore is from the '80 but still enjoyable. read more

A more traditional Japanese restaurant. Have incredible soba noodles from their own soba farm in Canada. All the cold and hot soba dishes are amazing. Probably the best soba in NYC. The soba salads are great too. A perfect healthy option. But I tend to get that for lunch or take-out.The Kaiseki dinner is also amazing. Multi courses, like omakase with sushi, but with traditional Japanese dishes instead. The private rooms are fun for groups with the low tables and floor seating. Just call to book them ahead. read more

Great experience at this tradicional restaurant. Very good for those that are looking at a traditional menu and Japanese style restaurant. Good variety in their menu, with even blow fish being served as sashimi. The food was very fresh. And very friendly staff. The menu can be confusing and they might not have the different trendy rolls and all, but they stick to tradition and they deliver, making it very friendly for someone from Japan missing the taste of home. Definitely come back again!!! read more

The soba noodles were very good, but the sushi was kinda meh. The decor is nice, and very welcoming, but I think our waitress literally forgot about us for about 45 minutes before we flagged someone down to ask for a dessert menu after our meals. Very disappointing. read more

My growing up in a Japanese household has made me a bit of a snob when it comes to Japanese food. The best Japanese food I've ever had - if in Las Vegas, LA, NY or Japan - has ALWAYS been served by Japanese people. So, I tend to go for Japanese food at restaurants owned and operated by my people. No offense to my Asian brothers and sisters - I'd rather have Chinese food prepared by Chinese people... you get the picture. That being said, Nippon Restaurant is the best sushi I've had in NYC. My mother comes to visit me for 3-4 days at a time and at least two meals are chowed at this establishment. And speaking of superstars, any place where Hideki Matsui eats on a regular basis must have some legs cause he's doing something right. If you have a phobia of going above 14th street like I do, I think you're fine grabbing your Spicy Tuna or California Roll at any number of spots downtown. This is a place for people who love raw fish - and we're talking about the quality of the fish as well as how it's sliced and diced that sets this restaurant apart. My old school sushi boomer behind the bar might not be the flashiest guy in town but he knows what he's doing. Now I'm a sashimi guy, and when I order the Octopus it's always just tender enough... like gelatin. The Toro always melts in my mouth and the Salmon and Yellowtail have delicious flavors without being 'fishy'. I could go on but you get the picture. Always ask what's good - chef serving will know the direction to point you and if you're into the crazy stuff - well they have that too - Sweet Shrimp, Sea Urchin and I believe they even have a fish called Fugu that is poisonous. It's also important to note that the Tempura is the best I've had in the city as well. The key to making good tempura, so I've been told, is the temperature of the oil. And the fact that there is a separate station with a guy focusing solely on that task - well that just makes me feel better. It's not too greasy, not too battered but just right. I'm sure the rest of the menu rocks as well, but when I have the opportunity to eat some of the best sushi in town - why would I even bother? read more

what? only 5 reviews for the first japanese restaurant in nyc! what? only 5 reviews for the first sushi bar in nyc! what? only 5 reviews for a place where michael jackson, andy warhol, and a slew of other celebs ate through its 45 years serving nyc! come on, nippon is an institution the owner has the kinda soul and passion that i always strive for. if you're gonna get into something do it right and go all the way. nippon has the best soba in nyc, hands down. it blows away hanmura-an and even if they were still around to do a face off, nippon could grapple with its pinky and make hanmura-an cry uncle. name for me a restaurant that hand makes its soba in house daily? ok maybe a handful in nyc. name for me a restaurant that crushes the buckwheat grain daily to make the flour for the soba noodles? try none. name for me a restaurant that owns and runs its own farm to grow hokkaido species of buckwheat? now that is DO IT RIGHT and GO ALL THE WAY. the wasabi can not be anything but the best wasabi you've ever had anywhere because they import the special species of wasabi root from japan. they worked through tons of red tape and acquired a special permit from the FDA to import this wasabi. it comes out on a beautiful platter with a manual grater. you thought you had fresh wasabi before? try it within 5 seconds of grating and tell me what a difference it makes from other so called fresh wasabi's you've tried anywhere. i could just eat rice soba wasabi and tofu here. they just started growing their own soybeans on their farm and they taste pretty sweet. the sukiyaki is just perfect. you have got to try the duck sukiyaki. it is so moist and full of flavor. the simmered veggies are amazing too. they have the best bamboo shoot in it. you'd swear they just harvested the bamboo shoot just yesterday from their backyard. tempura is probably the one of the best in the city as well. its very light and not greasy. the sushi counter is made of hinoki wood which means it is super sterile prep counter. hinoki gives off essential oils that have powerful antimicrobial chemicals. the sushi itself is average for nyc. but what makes them special in this area is that they are one of the only restaurants in the city that have a license to serve fugu. it has a different taste and texture than any fish. the staff is one of the nicest i've come across in nyc. the manager is super friendly and the head chef comes and greets you at the end of the night if you are still around. he's been there 37 years! Go for their 45th anniversary dinner price fix dinner. it ends at the end of march so hurry up and make a reservation now. go and yelp this baby, show it some love. read more

Ok, where else in New York can you get fresh fish imported (daily) from Japan?!? To me, quality is very important and the fact that Nippon does this tells me that the owners value the same thing as I. I've essentially given up eating sushi and eel prior to finding Nippon; after reading horror stories of farm raised eel in China (seriously, do a Google search. Eel and these other species are literally fed crap. Those farmers refuse to even feed their farm-raised products to their own children. Yet, these same products seem to "pass" inspection here in the US and are disseminated across restaurants and supermarkets), I gave it up. I LOVE eel too but knew I had to give it up. So imagine my surprise when I saw that Nippon flew this in - fresh - from Japan daily! Let me tell you, it is worth the premium. If you value your health, you won't 13itch and moan about the prices here. The eel is distinctively different than the cheap crap you would get at the markets or other restaurants. It is delicious. It is soft. I haven't had it like this since I was in Japan over a dozen years ago! I also had the seaweed salad and agedashi tofu - both really good and fresh, albeit a tad too salty for me. If it weren't for my second dinner following this dinner, I would have ordered more (hehe). I do plan on bringing some of my colleagues here though. I saw some cute, authentic private rooms - perfect for a (business) meeting! Nippon, I'm so glad I saw you and I'm so glad the folks at Totto Ramen were so douchey that I turned around and walked out to come here. I will be back for eel soon! read more

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The food here was pretty good but man this place sure loves being racist against non-Japanese people! The people I came with, who were all Japanese, were served first and cleaned up after first and everything for me was last! It was so obvious I was laughing on the inside about how I'd come back on yelp and give them a crap review. It was so funny how the waitress told us to order around the table but soon as the 2 japanese people next to me were done, she skipped me and went to the 2 japanese people after me. So yea unless you are Japanese I don't recommend coming here because they will not give a crap about you. Their food was pretty good but very expensive and for the same type of meal I'd just go elsewhere where I'd probably get better service because hi this is America not Japan. read more

The Food served here, while true to the Japanese cultural belief "less is more", wasn't to my taste. I ordered their in-house concoction of "mini-don", and I am referring to the amount of flavor and spice of course, not the quantity of food. That said, very high marks for presentation and, my colleagues who ordered their otherwise cold noodle specialty, did seem to enjoy it quite a bit. read more

This is a great place for traditional and authentic Japanese food. We had the famous duck hotpot, kani-miso soup, eel don and pork tonkatsu. I really enjoyed the duck hotpot. It uses special soup to stew duck meat and vegetables together with vermicelli. The duck meat is especially soft and tasty. The kani-miso soup contains a half-sized small crab, which is both creative and delicious. The one star deducted is attributed to the speed it serves the dishes, which is way too slow. However, the environment and service are nice. read more

Loved this place. Excellent food and customer service. Sushi is pricey but well worth it and as everyone has said the tofu and ramen are spectacular. Authentic spot that I would highly recommend. read more

The soba here is uniquely delicious, especially in the form of the soba salad. The service is great, the portions are appropriate (do not expect a Cheesecake Factory-size entree). The agedashi mozzarella is a worthwhile indulgence. read more

Don't have too much to say about this place since we had a really quick dinner. I ordered two rolls, one spicy tuna and a whitetail (?) and scallion roll. Both were pretty good, but nothing to write home about. I tried some soba (ordered by another in my party) and it was so-so....very, very chewy. They seemed to make it out to be worse than it actually was. Nippon has friendly staff and a comfy atmosphere. Don't know if I would return though... read more

My husband and I spent a week in NYC to celebrate my 40th birthday. Nippon Restaurant was one of our last stops and it was certainly one of the best meals/experiences we had in NY. The food was fabulous and the staff was great, but it was General Manager, Yasuhiro Makoshi, who made our night extra special. Yasuhiro warmly greeted us as we entered the restaurant and then stopped by our table several times throughout the meal to ensure everything was great. He gave me a complimentary ice cream dessert with a candle and personally sang "Happy Birthday" to me, so sweet! He also took our picture and promptly emailed it to us the next day. Thank you, Yasuhiro! We'll definitely return to Nippon the next time we're in NY. read more

I read the reviews on Yelp and needless to say I was not disappointed. The staff was super friendly. I took my wife there for her birthday and the head chef came out to introduce himself. I told him we were there for my wife's birthday. Not expecting anything they brought out fruit and ice cream with candles. It was a VERY nice gesture. Now, onto the important stuff, the food! The soba noodles were OUTSTANDING. Make sure you order the soba noodle salad or soup. I ordered sashimi and the cuts were fresh and tasty. A word to the wise, this place isnt cheap, so make sure you bring your Amex gold card. (Then again, to get quality food, you gotta pay for it!). Definitely worth coming back. read more

Authentic and delicious but frankly over priced with very small portions compared to many other Japanese restaurants nearby.

Sushi was good. Absolutely nothing great. For those prices, I expect it to melt in my mouth.

Close to the office but that's the only upside to this outdated, overpriced, unimpressive japanese spot. Had a terrible overpriced dinner (had Sukiyaki, ordered but didn't eat the anago don - not impressive at all). Terrible service (waiter seemed clueless and had no idea what he was doing). Terrible management (when we asked if we could change the anago don because it was smelling extremely fishy, the manager came over to tell us that's how it is and he's sorry we don't like it). It's a wonder they are still in business. Had high hopes for this place (to be fair, I have a co-worker who comes here and likes the soba salad) and have kept trying to like it, but my last meal here sealed the deal. Go elsewhere for better food. Tons of other options in the area. read more

The food was ok. My complaint is the portion size and the price. The sashimi came in tiny pieces, I mean real tiny...stingy tiny. Surprisingly the miso soup was really done well and I would come back if I was in the mood for that. The dragon roll was bland. Reasonable portions and price would have given this four stars. read more

I went for sushi and would not recommend it. I ordered the omekasa sushi, as it promised the chef's choice of the freshest fish. After I ordered, another waitress (maybe a manager?) had to come back to make sure that was definitely what I wanted because she said "most people want traditional. They don't know." No, I'm fine with whatever the chef thinks is the freshest fish. I love sushi and will eat anything that is fresh. Unfortunately that was not what I got. First of all, it was all standard pieces I would have expected from any sushi assortment--nothing special or unusual, so I don't know why they thought I would be so trepidatious. Worse, all but 2 or 3 pieces had a GIANT chunk of wasabi between the fish and the rice. They were definitely hiding fish that was far from fresh because the wasabi largely but not entirely masked the funky fish taste. I'm not sure what the deal was. Maybe they thought because I was not Japanese I wouldn't know the difference and they'd give me the bad stuff? Unfortunately I was in a rush so I just ate, told them it was good, and left. Which I know isn't entirely fair and doesn't serve anyone but I really didn't feel like sitting there having a discussion about the old fish. When the bill came I discovered the omekasa was $80--which is $30 more than the traditional sushi plate. I'd be fine with that if it was because I was getting the freshest fish, but I don't think that's what happened. I won't be back. 2 stars instead of 1 because it was so quiet which was a nice escape for the evening. If I get sick tomorrow I'll change it to 1 star. Update: yeah. I got sick. Changing to 1 star. read more

This place gets three stars because of the s-l-o-w service. If I were judging it on food alone, it would get five stars. My boyfriend and I made reservations on Saturday night (09/28) at 7:30. We walked in, and the host (?) almost wet his pants trying to find a suitable place for us to sit, even though the restaurant wasn't crowded. It was a little uncomfortable and frustrating watching him jump around from table to table as he led us around to the back. Dude, I get you want to give us the best customer experience possible, but you don't need to be OCD about it. He finally leads us to a table way in the back, where the sushi chefs are. As soon as I sit down, my nostrils are assaulted by the unpleasant aroma of mothballs and broccoli flatulence. (My boyfriend didn't notice any smells because his allergies were acting up). At first, I thought someone had gotten sick at our table, but then I realized the smell was coming from the table directly in front of us, where three elderly people and one incredibly annoyed teenage girl were sitting, all simultaneously eating and complaining about the quality of their food. More specifically, the odor was emanating from the elderly gentleman at that table. Now, to be fair, I can't blame the restaurant for this. It's not their fault some of their patrons can't control their sphincter muscles and dress in hideous blue leisure suits circa 1976. I also could have flagged down the host or a random server and politely requested to sit somewhere else. But I never back down from a challenge, so I took a deep breath, drank some water, and concentrated on ignoring the little band of misfits. Oh yeah, speaking of water...it took a very long time for someone to get to our table, and it took an even longer time for our waitress to arrive. I noticed our effusive host frantically summoning our waitress when we decided on our orders...and then sat waiting for 15 minutes. My boyfriend ordered the soba noodles with beef, and a side order of the yellowtail/scallion roll. I ordered two pieces of eel and yellowtail nigiri sushi, and two small rolls of spicy tuna and spicy salmon. We also ordered sake (I can't pronounce the name, but it was the lightest of the bunch, and it had a delicious fruity aftertaste. We ended up going through the first carafe the waitress brought over and plowed through the second one she brought, as well.) Although I think I liked the sake because it helped obliterate the nasty vibes I was getting from the folks sitting in front of us. The sushi was excellent, and I also thought the soba noodles were good too (it wasn't heavy or thick like a beef stew, but it had a rich, hearty flavor.) The service gradually improved as the meal progressed (thanks in part to the departure of The Three Furies and their buddy Stinkbomb), although it was still sluggish. The green tea served at the end of our meal was a nice touch. All in all, I think this place has very good sushi, but they need to pick up the pace on their service. I would be willing to give Nippon another try in the near future. read more

In terms of Nabeyaki udon that I ordered, not very good at all. The eel rice was blend and soggy too. The price was ok for that location but the food was definitely not worth it read more

I was pretty excited to come here as this was the first place to get fugu which I will definitely try next winter. I ordered the sushi edo-mae which turned out to be a disappointment. The fish was not the best quality I've eaten and the price per piece is pretty expensive considering the quality. There was anago (freshwater eel), mackerel, tuna, salmon roe, scallop, and a couple other types of fish - nothing exciting. Most of the fish was slightly chewy and not buttery like at the higher-end Japanese restaurants. The slightly cold rice was very sub-par and there was too much of it per slice of fish. I ordered an extra two pieces of uni sushi on the side ($8.50 per piece) and was pretty disappointed. The uni wasn't of the best quality, which judging by the price, should have been; this was $4 uni at best in other Japanese restaurants in the city. The (fake) green tea mochi ice cream for dessert was also of the kind that I'm not too fond of - vanilla ice cream with some food coloring and green tea powder instead of the dark colored, slightly bitter real green tea ice cream. The service was also kind of slow and we got charged an extra dish on the bill which took forever to fix. read more

i felt as if i was transported to japan! although i have never been there this felt like an authentic experience. i went for lunch and had the sushi/sashimi lunch. granted it was pricey but definitely worth the cost. it was some of the freshest and best sushi/sashimi i have ever had. toro was superb and the variety of sashimi i received was excellent. im looking forward to my next visit to try the chef's sushi/sashimi tasting. read more

It's a pretty typical midtown Japanese place - kinda pricy, though plenty of food, good quiet atmosphere perfect for biz meetings, and good service that's fast and courteous. I ordered a soba and curry lunch set and it was like two lunches for one - really too much. I suppose considering that I took my soba home for a second meal, the $26 price tag (with tax and tip) was not that bad. read more

Good service. Uses a retrograde cash register. Waitresses are seen wearing kiminos. Sushi bar in upper level. Ordered sukiyaki normal portion, waiter asked me if I want raw egg. But the time I paid my bill, the owner came over and asked if I need anything else. Restaurant contains private tatami rooms. Clerk didn't need to asked my name for reservation confirmation. read more

I have been here several times and each time the quality of food has been great. Very fresh ingredients and I love the duck soba salad! I also had the Fugu meal here with my husband and the chef came and talked to us and also served us table side for the soup part of the course (made with Fugu bones). The chef was super friendly and easy to talk to. Love it here. read more

A great place for a homey hearty Japanese meal that is decent priced when compare with those high-end options around this location. Visited here on a rainy old night and the hot udon soup and the warm ambience just made me want to stay for longer. Came back again for the beef sukiyaki. The staffs are all very nice and welcoming. read more

I ordered the Beef Sukiyaki, and my friend ordered sushi. As a sushi lover, I was hesitant to steer away from ordering a sushi dinner, but the Beef Sukiyaki completely satisfied me and exceeded my expectations! It's beef in a sweet/salty/tangy soup with vegetables. I wish I could describe taste better... but really- it's delicious! Beautiful restaurant, wonderful service, very relaxing environment. The Beef Sukiyaki comes with a raw egg that is supposed to be just used as a sauce (not put into the soup as I initially suspected), and the waitress explained that to us in a very friendly manner. They were very helpful in an uncondescending manner. I didn't try the sushi, but according to my friend it was delicious as well. Terrific experience! read more

After a long day of shopping and walking around the city, it was nice to sit down at Nippon and have their hot pot. The flavours were simple and good. It was like eating a home-cooked meal. We also tried their cold soba noodles with the dipping sauce. The flavours wasn't very complicated or anything very special or memorable. Nippon presents home-cooked, comfort Japanese dishes and great service. read more

Good sushi and totally old-school Japanese vibe. Worth checking out if you are on an expense account or your dad is paying. The manager comes by your table and stiffly welcomes you; when you walk in there's a cadre of kimono-clad ladies greet you in Japanese; when you go it seems as though every staff member says goodbye. It's cute. (Oh, and the fresh tofu -- from their farm in Canada (?!?!?) -- served on ice with scallions and sauce is worth trying. read more

The sushi, especially tuna that I had melted in my mouth ! With a small bottle of sake, I enjoyed so much!! Waitresses are a bit aggressive but I assume that they were overwhelmed with the crowd. The owner of the restaurant greeted us so graciously, and he was really welcoming! One of the best tuna that I ever had read more

Really good food. they were a little crowded so instead of making us wait, let us sit in one of the private rooms where you have to take your shoes off. Fun experience. read more