A must for mirin purists looking for the real thing. Real mirin has a lot of alcohol, not made with sugar, the same way cooking wine is crap and you should use the good stuff when cooking. The proprietor is very knowledgeable and has it in a separate place, instead of the showroom, so ask for it in advance. read more

Sakaya - Genuine mirin. The only place you can find it in the USA. They have it in a separate spot so ask for it - Beer, Wine & Spirits Near Me - New York, New York

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Wide selection of sakes, each with a description so you can find your favorite one to buy. It's a tiny place so it can feel a bit cramped if there are more than 5 people in there. The guy we spoke to was knowledgable and recommended a sake for one of my friends, who said he really enjoyed it when he got home. read more

Sakaya - a storefront at night in a city - Beer, Wine & Spirits Near Me - New York, New York

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- excellent sake selection - owner is helpful and offers suggestions when asked - good cold selection in the fridge Great place to snag some sake on the go. read more

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- stumbled upon this specialty shop by accident while picking up pastries at Lady Wong a few doors down - they saved my bacon when 3 other stores were sold out of my and my wife's favorite sake - intimate and knowledgable - knocking a star because they charge 25% (approx. $15) more than what I normally pay at Astor Liquors read more

We were just passing by and came across Sakaya. The place is neatly organized. I feel like I'm in Japan. The best part is that I've been trying to order one particular sake online but is always sold out when I remember to look for it. Thankfully, in just one glance, the owner knew he had the product on site. In 5 minutes, I found what I was looking for, close to home. read more

Sakaya - the entrance to a restaurant on a city street - Beer, Wine & Spirits Near Me - New York, New York

This is my go-to sake store in NYC! They have a wide selection of sakes. Pretty much every bottle I've purchased here has been good so far. I always ask the owner for a recommendation. It's the perfect location to buy sake for places that are BYOB, i.e. Shinn East which is nearby. read more

Small sake and shochu store. The selections weren't as diverse as I'd expected. Daiginjo selection especially is limited. I did find a potato shochu I was looking for so that's a plus. If you are in the area stop by for the popular sakes like Dassai 23 or Kubota Manju or Akabu. read more

Got a great bottle of Japanese Whiskey here. The shop owner was so friendly and so helpful. Such a cool and niche spot to go to!

I didn't like customer services when me &my friend visit there. it's our 1st time stepped in, while we were watching sake selections, Asian lady all of the sudden saying "Don't TOOOUCH!!!" Me and my friends were talking at the store but after that, we both became a quiet.... Till the things happened, the store inside is super quiet. the sale selections are very good, but this store lady must learn How to deal with customers. It was very UNCOMFORTABLE. read more

Horrible staff. If you are the only store with a mask policy when the entire city doesn't have one, then have a bigger sign that is easily observable. As someone who is concerned with others well-being and works as a first responder, the audacity of such a rude (and Caucasian) staff member--in a Japanese store--to give an attitude to someone to put on a mask, as opposed to a polite ask, is astonishing. Particularly for a person of Asian descent. Definitely do not visit this store as there are many other purveyors of Japanese spirits in this city. Trust me, I lived in Japan for years. read more

Visited this place a couple of times over the past few years. Service is nonexistent and also getting tired of its rather plastic ambience especially when all they seem to care is $$ in the most fast foody way. As for the lady, a sake vending machine would be more efficient and pleasant to deal with. The other guy would offer description like this $40 dollar sake will taste more like a $70 bottle. Also just don't know how unique this place is as it tries to pretend when you can find quite an amount of their selections at the nearby Astor Wines & Spirits or Union Square wine and spirits. A southward trip down to Kuraichi in industry city would be a great alternative too. read more

Not so nice and not so humble so it kinda sours the experience Better to visit Minori's sake shop on 23rd. They are so kind and sweet and happy to answer your questions :) read more

A tiny sake shop ran by a couple tucked in the Astor place area that is worth a visit after you get your ramen fix. Bottles range anywhere from 30-50 bucks, with cheaper bottles placed on the bottom row and more expensive ones on the top shelf. I love that each bottle has a description card right below it, explaining the region of Japan the sake is produced, the alcohol content, dominant flavors of the sake and my favorite, the pairing and serving suggestions. The couple goes to Japan every year and visits different sake breweries to offer their customers a wide range of sakes from all over Japan. The owner was very helpful and gave us great suggestions after learning about our sake palate. Don't hesitate to ask for recommendations; the owner offers good insight and was a pleasure to speak with. read more

I always come for yuzu sake- they are the only place I know that sells it( I admit I didn't look too hard) I've also been here for other items(not a sake drinker myself), but for gifting purposes. I agree with other reviewers that when you ask for recommendation, you won't get a straight one, if one at all. When I asked, I think the male owner said "it really depends on your preferences" or something along those lines. Today I walked in, and both owners looked at me, and then proceeded to ignore my presence. Like how you'd look if there's a sound but you find out it's just wind blowing your door - no sanction or welcome, as expected. So I took a bottle of yuzu sake to register, they managed to not say hello to me still. But told me the price would be 33 something, and when I pay they said thank you. Of course I said thank you too - I'm a polite girl =) I get it, this is not a place for excellent attentive service. But the owners seem to know they have bad service and they are okay with it. Alright then, after all I'm not here to be pampered. Having said that, if I find there is another place in the city that sells yuzu sake for a similar price and has better service, I'd go elsewhere instead. read more

ONLY IN NYC: Can you find something like a cute little shop that sells nothing but Saki. And will guide you to the right bottle, even if you know nothing about Saki. Now I just need to find a good BYOB sushi joint... read more

Sakaya - SAKI & GOAT CHEESE: Because that's how they roll in Boston (saki from Sakaya, cheeses from Formaggio Kitchen in Cambridge MA) - Beer, Wine & Spirits Near Me - New York, New York

Very nice staff with the knowledge of liquors. I'm Japanese but I don't even know what I have been drinking.lol I just told him what I'm looking for and he gave me very good suggestions. The store is very clean and organized. It's a small store so they don't carry everything. If you are looking for something specific, you should call or check their website. I was looking for kagatsuru umesyu, yuzuomoi and junmai ginjo. They didn't have kagatsuru umesyu and yuzuomoi but he suggested different kind. They had many kind of junmai ginjo. I didn't know what I should get but he gave me his recommendation based on what I like. I would go back. read more

Sakaya - Junmai ginjo - Beer, Wine & Spirits Near Me - New York, New York

As a burgeoning sake fan, I'm happy that this place exists, but agree with others that service and selection leaves something to be desired. Gorgeous wood-paneled shop. The tasting notes on the walls are useful, which is good because staff always refuses to give recommendations. Almost every bottle is $30+, which is fine, but I've had plenty of good $20-area bottles from Astor. Their hours aren't particularly convenient, so I often end up going to the latter for my sake needs. I have had some knockout bottles from here so I'll return but wish they could staff it with friendlier people. read more

Very disappointing experience. I went in hopes of finding a good nigori sake, and I asked the woman for help. She said they only had a few, and pointed to 3. How can a shop calling itself a specialty sake store only sell 3 unfiltered sakes? When I asked for a recommendation, she couldn't give me one, so I picked the midpriced one ($35). I'm happy with the sake, but disappointed in the choices available and the service. I don't intend on returning. read more

An absolute must visit for anybody who is a sake fan, or an aspiring connoisseur. Dropped by today to purchase a bottle of Junmai Ginjo. I love how all the sakes are labelled with pairing recommendations and descriptions. It really makes the selecting process easy. I was lucky to pop-in during a sake tasting by Rick. He was really friendly and knowledgeable. I heard there's sake tastings generally every Saturday around 5pm. I'll definitely be popping back in the near future. read more

Very nice boutique stocked with many kinds of Japanese sake. I was looking for sake from a specific region and they were able to help me with several selections. As other people have mentioned, the service could've been friendlier, I was the one who had to come up and ask for help, otherwise I would've been on my own, and I was the only other person in the shop at the time. read more

Thank God! I am so glad I don't live near this little hole in wall sake shop.. you will get lots of info with small plastic paper explanation under the sake bottle display about flavor, quality and where the sake's from etc., yet huge explanation from owner Rick. read more

Recommended for: Sake, shochu. Service 5, Selection 5, Quality 5. If Sean T. is to be know for one thing on yelp aside from his "sean approved" slogan, it would be his knowledge and appreciation of Sake. Therefore, if an establishment earns 5-stars based on sake, this is somewhere to go to... and this holds true for Sakaya. I heard about this place from legandary yelper David S. and the blog urbansake.com (no, its not mine). This business is a creation from people who truly care about sake and want to educate and share their passion - which I whole-heartedly embrace. The stores minimalistic decor brings a calming feel to an overwhelming variety of sakes (and shochu) from around Japan. With the amount of space the store has, they have an excellent selection. The quality ranges the gammet of Ginjo, to my favorite Junmai DaiGingo. While the prices are neither steep nor expensive they are definitely deserving of the quality that they offer the NY community. Both Rick and Hiroko are very polite and highly educated about sake. The labels by each bottle gives accounts from the region, alcoholic volume, taste, type and many other pieces of information. Sakaya hosts tasting events allowing people to further enjoy sake that they might not try on their own. I already have my sake "suppliers" but, if my feeling is correct, I believe I may adding another place to secure my Junmai Daiginjo. Oh, and stalkers, you may (or may not) find me here for their free tastings... Sean Approved: Zettaini ita houga ii yo!!! read more

This is overly overpriced.. Take the example of the most popular Dassai 23, price in Japan is 5000yen, right now that's about $50, compare locally, Mitsuwa has it for $96.99, and Astor wine and spirits has it for $86.99. In Sakaya they sell it for $112.99! I don't know... they seem to have a good selection, unless you can't find what you enjoy the most somewhere else you can come here.. But definitely do your price research first! read more

Great knowledgeable staff who was able to educate us on sake and what to get for our omakase meal. We thoroughly enjoyed talking to the staff and learning about the different types of sake. The two sake bottles we got we enjoyed immensely . read more

This little sake store in the East Village is amazing! It's the only store in New York City that stocks the plum sake (Aragoshi Umeshu) I was looking for. Rick, the owner, was really nice and he told me about the different types of plum sake. The price are on the higher end but only because most, if not all of these sakes, are imported. If you take the shipping cost from Japan into account, the ones they have here are actually cheaper. I'll come again to get my plum sake and perhaps something else in the future. read more

I'm so bummed I'm not the first one to review Sakaya!! I was walking on 9th St and noticed the place, which I'd never seen before: sure enough, it had just opened the day before. I've taken a liking to sake recently, so I had to make a stop and check it out. First, the place is beautiful: they did a great job on the design (and apparently it was created by the same designer as Momofuku and Chickalicious). The place is small, but the selection seems good. I'm by no means a sake connoisseur, but I did recognize a few bottles. Most of them are fairly expensive: you won't find much under $20, and the prices go as high as you want them to go. I chatted with the owners a little bit, and they mentioned they may be having sake tastings in the future. Definitely a place to check out if you're into sake, and I probably will go back soon. read more

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Sake can be pretty intimidating to learn about. The labels are all in Japanese, the terminology is a bit bewildering, and one could be forgiven for assuming that, since it's Japanese, it must be a really complicated beverage in both production and taste that would take as long to learn about as wine or whiskey. Actually, it's not that bad! Really good sake has only been produced for a few decades now, and there aren't so many premium styles and brands (imported to the US, at least) that you can't learn to navigate a finely curated selection like Sakaya's pretty quickly. It helps that Sakaya has frequent tastings, an opt-in sake of the month club, and an extremely friendly and helpful couple running the shop who are more than willing to answer all your questions knowledgeably and without condescension. The best thing about this shop is that you really can't go wrong buying anything here. Other places that sell sake are hit or miss. You might find something good, but they probably don't store it chilled like you're supposed to. Or the employees know a ton about wine but nothing about sake. At Sakaya, everything is good, because they really don't sell all that much. There's a fine selection of styles including some plum wines and shochus, but they only stock things they really like and think are really good. If you don't know what to try for your first time, go for their biggest seller: a small pull-tab opened can of Kikusui (translation: Chrysanthemum Water). Very smooth tasting but with lots of character and a little alcohol taste on the palate. Only $7. If you can enjoy one of these, you can probably enjoy anything else in the store. Here's a quick guide to sake words you can use to decode the signage: Junmai: pure sake, only rice and water and rice polishing at least 70% (that is, 70% of the rice grain remains after polishing--the more that is polished away, generally speaking, the finer and more expensive the sake, but this doesn't mean it's better as that's a matter of taste) Honjozo: a sake also made from rice polished to 70% but with a small amount of distilled alcohol added to smooth out the flavor Ginjo: a sake made from rice polished to at least 60%, this is made by a unique and difficult process and is very good stuff; can be Junmai or Honjozo Daiginjo: like Ginjo but with polishing at least 50% and sometimes as low as 35% (I even saw one down to 23% and Rick the owner says one goes as low as 18%, but I'm skeptical that these taste like anything); very expensive Tokubetsu: just means "special" in Japanese, but it doesn't mean "good" or "better" just like a special edition a sake brewery has released Namazake: unpasteurized sake that must be kept cold, a sake that has a wilder flavor; can also come in Junmai, Honjozo, Ginjo, etc. varieties Nigori: "cloudy" in Japanese, this is unfiltered sake that contains the lees of the rice it was made from and often tastes quite sweet; I like Nigorizake very much but it's not typically considered sophisticated Yamahai/Kimoto: these are two different but related variants of sake that use a different yeast fermentation process which reminds me of Belgian lambics, sort of, but that may not be a useful analogy since Kimoto is made by laboriously beating the rice mash with oars or something; anyway, this is just something else to try Taruzake: sake aged in barrels made of sugi, or "Japanese cedar," this is generally best avoided according to sake enthusiasts (Sakaya sells one and only one) Genshu: undiluted sake--most sake has water added to it to bring the alcohol content down to around 13-15%, but Genshu does not undergo this process, which sometimes means it's stronger, but not always That should be enough to get you started. Just try one of everything and figure out what you like and then you can impress your friends with your sake knowledge the next time you're out having sushi. Sakaya conveniently groups their sakes together according to these categories, so it won't be too hard to find something in each one. Kanpai! read more

These people are smart for opening a sakaya. Like I am so happy this store exists. Very cozy and wood floor and interior make this place such a calming spot to buy amazing sake. Most of this sake is found in many known sakayas in NYC(Decible, Hi-Collar, Sakamai, Satsko), so if you want to buy your own bottle at a reasonable price, I think you guys should stop by and try this place. They have sake tasting, but I don't know when haha. All I can say is that if you love sake and don't want to spend 100-200 dollars on a sake bar. COME HERE! And get it cheaper :) read more

A few days before Christmas I though of the perfect gift for the BF. At every Japanese restaurant (in the US and Japan) he flips right past the food to the "beverages" section to scan for Awamori but rarely finds it. A quick search brought me to this little wood lined shop with rectangular cubbies displaying a curated collection of Japanese sakes; I focused in the only bottle of Awamori that seems to be available in the states: Zuisen Hakuryu ($33) After acquiring a present for him, I focused on something a little more important... finding a present for me! I asked the owner, Rick, to recommend a Nigori. Seemingly unhelpful at first, he proceeded to tell me about every Nigori they have... because with only 4-5 to choose from, of course he recommended them all! So I took home a milky bottle of Ohyama Nigori "Big mountain" ($21) and a wish to return soon. read more

Love the premium sake! Love the owners and love the education they provide about the sake I love! LOVE - LOVE -LOVE! I can actually pick out a really great sake in sushi restaurants now - and my friends are never disappointed. read more

My friends and I stopped into Sakaya to find a gift for our friend who just opened a restaurant in the East Village. We are from out of town and found Sakaya on Yelp. The boutique is cozy and minimalist in decor, but it works! The simplicity of it all really showcases the products being displayed. The sake that we looked at were reasonably priced. The negative experience I had with this establishment was with the older gentlemen in the store. He was unfriendly, and made a remark that could have been said in a much nicer manner. I felt he was unnecessarily rude to us. He overall seemed disinterested in our business. I wanted to leave, but luckily the woman working walked into the shop and kindly greeted us and proceeded to help us with our selection. I appreciated her warm and welcoming attitude. We purchased a large bottle of sake and just wanted to thank the saleswoman for her help and kindness. read more

The white dude knew his stuff about Sake. I was expecting the Asian girl in the store to be the sales person but she bought and walked out. So I never would have known the white guy was the man with all the knowledge. read more

My bf's mom LOVES sake, which is really the only alcohol that she will drink. So while walking around aimlessly I passed by Sakaya and absolutely had to go inside of this sake-only store to scope out what will probably become my mecca for sake. The store is on the small side but it's filled with an amazing variety of sake, and when you specialize in only one product you don't need too much space. Each sake is beautifully displayed on shelves inset in the walls and is accompanied by a thoughtful and very apt description, including recommended food pairings. The owner (or I believe it was, not sure) was very sweet and knowledgeable, even though she was constantly occupied with helping customers. This is clearly the place to go to for premium sake, both for novices and pros alike. read more

Poor service - no greeting and obviously dis-interested in my presence as a customer. For a Japanese Sake Boutique, I wish the owner/manager would at least attempt to honour the service standards in the Japanese culture. read more

Sakaya is a cute store that is nested away in an unassuming place in NYC. The store is very modest and almost zen like with its intimate space and wood shelves, as if a sake and wine shop sprouted in the mountains of Japan. The place is well-stocked with two very sweet and soft-spoken owners who truly seem to love what they do- search for great tasting sake and other spirits that will complement any event involving good company. I decided to get a light sake called Hou Hou Shu. It is a sweet and creamy drink (think Pinkberry Frozen Yogurt turned into a sake beverage). It is a dessert sake or Japan's equivalent to the Moscato. The alcohol content is around 5% which means you barely taste the alcohol (if that is your preference). This store definitely has a wide selection of sake and worth a visit if you want to start trying sake or if you are already hooked on sake. read more

A cute shop that has varieties of Japanese Sake in the little old townside of NYC. I went to this place back in June of 2009, and I personally thought that they have collected almost all of Premium Sake, Regular Sake, and Shochu from each province in Japan. I highly recommend to the sake fans to go to this shop and taste their premium sakes that they have. The prices are a bit high but it DOES have a high quality of taste that cannot be decribed in words. You have to let you tongue to understand what I mean here, that is why I am being a little bit vague because it is hard to describe in English. HONEST........ The owns are very nice, and knows what kind of Sakes would match with Americans, and other ethnic groups. This place is located almost close to NYU. I would recommend Sakaya to Sake Fans......... read more

My review is only for the service at Sakaya because when I went soon after they opened last year, it was an incredible experience. Rick was working at the time, and you could just look at him and know he was the kind of person that lives and breathes food. They all have that same look. And I just found out today he was Associate Publisher for Food and Wine Magazine so that makes sense. Anyway, I went with a friend who was buying sake for someone. She had no idea where to begin. So Rick had her list what alcohols her friend liked so that he could see what their palette was like. Soon enough, he was pointing out sakes that would fit the flavor profile, educating us about the different types of sake from the extent of rice polishing, and to my surprise, pouring sakes into tiny cups for us to try. I'm not a sake lover, but some of the things I tasted were AWESOME. My friend walked out with about 4 bottles of pretty expensive stuff and I walked out thinking I would return. Unfortunately, I haven't, but I hope a positive review for this establishment is good enough because being in the presence of Rick was a treat in and of itself. read more

Sakaya is amazing, even though I can't really afford to buy from there that often. This is not really their fault, as they can't move sake in volume in the States like they can with wine and pass the savings onto consumers yet. But until it does, this is one of the premier places to buy it. Rick and Hiroko have a great relationship with sake breweries and fly to Japan to make new connections and bring even more delicious stuff stateside. With Sakaya, I subscribe to their newsletter and keep an eye out for seasonal namazake (unpasteurized sake.) This is not to be confused with nigori-zake, a sort of unfiltered sake that is more popular stateside. Namazake have fresh, fruity, rich tastes and due to the unpasteurized nature, the bottle's flavor can change significantly throughout the year. Buy these when they are released, and drink soon. (This namazake isn't like beaujoulais nouveau where wine is hurriedly made and shipped out to the world for a marketing stunt. It's really a lot better, and well worth the $30-40 you will pay for one bottle.) read more

Summary: sake selection in itself is good but the experience with the staff makes this spot worth avoiding in my personal opinion Lengthy story--! I've visited this sake shop before and liked the sake selection. I didn't have much interaction with the staff previously so that never bothered me until my recent visit. I was in the area with friends and we thought to drop by and see if we wanted any sake. It was 7:54pm and we saw on google the store closes at 8pm. My friend being more thoughtful called the store just to check if they would still be open by the time we walked there. The owner who picked up responded that they were closing up in a bit and my friend told him we were just 2 min away and he was fine with that. Mind you she didn't ask him to stay open or anything she simply asked if he'd still be open in 2 min which is before their advertised closing time. We get there in 2 minutes and the second we walk in we see the owner leaning against the wall staring straight at us obviously already looking annoyed as if he'd waited for hours. We say hello while he doesn't even greet us and we get right to browsing the sake while he continues to stare us down. Sensing the weird atmosphere and not seeing anything appealing to us, we tell him politely thanks and maybe we'll get something another night. He pauses in disbelief and raises his eyebrows then says "well can I help you?" in a dramatic and condescending tone. We say it's fine and thank him and start walking towards the door. While we're at the door he mutters audibly without looking at us "so I stay open for you and now you just". We were so shocked he felt the need to snark a remark like this. My friend apologizes and says maybe next time and he continues to not look at us and waves his hand to motion us to leave. The second we walk out the door the metal gate comes rolling down shutting right behind us. At this moment it's 7:57pm. I haven't written a review in a long time but I felt the need the point out this kind of behavior of the store owner for people who might think of visiting 15 min before advertised closing time. It's not even at the level of a staff service issue just an awful personal interaction that really killed our spirits. The behavior was very petty and immature while we were trying to be polite. From reading other reviews this is not the only time this store owner has behaved like this. I think it's fine if he prefers to close shop earlier, I'd advise the store to just close earlier then everyone, including this unhappy owner, can avoid these scenarios. We wouldn't have minded at all if when we called he said he was closing and asked us not to come. Customers are not required to purchase but he acted as if that was what we should've done and we wronged him in some way. It was a truly shocking experience and such a shame for a nice shop with good sake. read more

Unique and gorgeous sake shop with a focus on high-end quality bottles. The store itself is so beautiful, with built in wood shelves and crisp green accents. The staff is really nice and helpful, and as this was my first time buying sake, walked me through the different types and what kind of flavors I could expect from each. In the back right corner they have a shelf that houses information on sake that was really neat - they even had a little wood box with rice samples showing the levels of polishing the rice is put through to make each of the three sake types. They have a smaller refrigerated section in the back with both small and large bottles of filtered and unfiltered sake, as well as sparkling sake which I hadn't seen before. We ended up with two bottles and the one we have opened is superb. I will definitely go back and would highly recommend this place for both sake novices and experts. read more