Hand rolls have been trending all over Manhattan with some spots having long lines waiting to get inside like it is the latest club hot spot. This one is a more chilled and relaxed approach to getting a hand roll. I was seated and greeted by the cook or rather hand roll maker who was very vibrant and passionate about what she was doing. She was multitasking while serving multiple customers all at once while smiling and serving delicious hand rolls. I ordered the Starving Hand Roll Sets which are 5 hand rolls for $32. It seems pricey and you think 5 hand rolls won't fill me up but it did. I ordered an extra one for me because it was not part of the set and that was unagi (grilled eel). The space is your classic long table with a table above to serve and grab your hand rolls as they come by. And you are seated with other customers who share the same experience. It is lively with light conversations which is ideal for a chill, quiet type of spot. Some hand rolls are prepped with diced and chopped fish, which are squeezed out from a piping bag. I know hand rolls vary from restaurant and approach to making it, this location does diced and chopped combined with sauce and/or oil to enhance the flavor. After I wrapped up eating, I paid and wanted to include a tip for the hand roll maker but they emphasized that they do not accept tips. The host was very grateful for the kind gesture but you only pay for what you eat read more

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Temakase on 28th Street is dangerously good. Every hand roll was absolutely banging--fresh, flavorful, and perfectly wrapped. They just kept coming, each one better than the last. The crispy rice was also a standout--super crunchy and topped to perfection. The quality of the fish and the balance of textures made it one of the best hand roll bars I've been to in NYC. The ambiance is also super cute--intimate and modern without trying too hard. Highly recommend for a fun, delicious night out. read more

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Tasty hand rolls in a very chill atmosphere. Friendly service from everyone and they helped me choose some delicious items. Prices not bad for New York and you don't feel rushed when you're eating. The menu is very focused (which I appreciate). Would definitely come here instead of Kazu Nori or Bondi. read more

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Ordered takeaway and they have a great system for wrapping the hand rolls to ensure they don't get soggy. Particularly enjoyed the scallop hand roll, salmon / tomato nigiri and caviar crispy rice. Recommend as an affordable and casual sushi option! read more

It's a great spot for a fast and casual handroll experience. You sit at the bar, and can order a set of either 3, 4, 5 or 6 handrolls or sushi, including crispy rice. The staff make the food fresh in front of you and serve it as it's ready. For the handrolls there is a choice of spicy or classic. The spicy option is very mild. They also have beers and sake for purchase. My favourite was the scallop roll with Yuzu and the spicy salmon crispy rice. read more

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Amazing warm ambiance! We were sat immediately, and the service was beyond great. We got the "Hungry" 4 hand rolls set each, and it was filling. Great variation in flavor, and everything was fresh. Definitely a must-try! read more

I've only ever been to Kazunori for hand rolls, but Temakase is a serious contender in both taste & ambiance. I came here for a girls night catch up dinner with one of my close friends, & we both really liked the calmer and more relaxed vibe here. There's a few different hand roll sets here for super reasonable and comparable prices. We both went with the starving (5 hand rolls), which was $32. What's also nice is, you can choose between the spicy or classic preparations OR mix and match for specific handrolls only! I ordered all mine with the classic prep and loooved the scallop and blue crab. The toro might've been better with the spicy honestly, but it was still okay. The pacing here is excellent - I never felt rushed and all the staff was really mindful. 5 rolls was perfect for me to feel full but not stuffed. The staff here is truly SO kind! In addition to the excellent service all night, they provided a complimentary dessert for my birthday! read more

Not a bad runner up next to Kazunori. Less of a wait time as well but still can make reservation. I opted for the 5 rolls mix of spicy and non spicy hand rolls. Nothing spectacular but overall yummy flavors at a good price point. Would prob return if the line at Kazunori down the block is looking long. The sevice was also friendly and the take out menu was extensive as well. read more

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Honest review of Temakase Handroll bar: Stopped in at Temakase Handroll bar located at 157 Second Ave. NYC for a quick bite. Their slogan is roll up, roll in, roll out which is pretty fitting because you can definitely go overboard with these handrolls! Also remember this is not high grade sushi, it's quality food but not a high grade Omakase experience. I ordered the "Hungry" option with 1-scallop hand roll, 1-blue crab hand roll, 1-salmon hand roll, and 1-tuna hand roll....all of them went down sooo smooth so naturally my fat ass wanted more so I added a lobster roll and a toro roll! Both were really tasty and they were made lightning fast. I was almost full but I said, I have to order the crispy rice choice for you know....science. The spicy yellow tail was served hot with a very good crunch that combines with the cold yellow tail very well. On a cold day it will definitely hit the spot. I think this place is a great lunch choice or someone with limited time because the courteous staff is lightning quick with your order. I also think this is a great place to bring a friend that hasn't tried sushi. Nice way to ease them into the experience. Overall it was a pleasant experience and my favorite roll was the Scallop hand roll! if you are in the area give them a try, especially if you are pinched for time! read more

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Came on a Saturday for lunch. Sushi bar seating only, but had hooks for bags +1! Decor was fun and seating very comfortable for a bar situation. Host and staff all very nice, even chatted a bit with one of the chefs. Had several hand rolls and crispy rice -- everything came out one by one and was absolutely delicious. Loved the toro, Japanese pumpkin and scallop rolls. Also had the miso/avocado crispy rice which was also very good. Iced green tea made for the perfect accompaniment on a hot summer day. Service was perfect and the place was spotless. For sushi in Manhattan, the bill was quite affordable too.First time here but will definitely return. read more

It's 5 stars , though they have to do something with the atmosphere as they are an obvious competition to the kazunori across the street . But .... Their hand rolls are really good , fresh and tasty . Fair price , great service . But again , it feels a bit frigid atmosphere wise. Recommended. read more

Sushi is my all time favorite food and as a seafood cook myself, I am extremely particular. This place exceeds any and all expectations. The scallop roll is far and away the best raw scallop I've ever had and the blue crab roll is a stellar follow up. I'm unfortunately the pretentious type to clown my family for using their fingers at a sushi restaurant but there's something incredibly refreshing about how this restaurant embraces it. Seeing all of the sushi made in front of you bridges the gap between a high end omakase experience and a welcoming local diner. I got the 4 hand rolls. That then turned to 5 hand rolls. Then I had to get to get the baked crab for dessert. I did all the spicy rolls tonight but I'm looking forward to returning and trying the classics. I can't recommend this place enough. 10/5 stars. read more

Temakase Hand Roll Bar - 28th St - Japanese Near Me - New York, New York

The food was delicious and the service was great. I really liked the chopped unagi avocado hand roll and the salmon crispy rice.

Love this hand roll spot. My bestie and I happened to stumble upon this place when heading initially for KazuNori, but honestly the outside wait over at KazuNori was too long and not worth it for the rainy day. We were seriously so glad that we came here to Temakase instead!! I wanted to compare the two restaurants since they're both great, but have their differences. First thing my friend and I both noted was that the lighting/ambience made it easier to see/chat with each other here. Temakase is not tip included for their set menu and is slightly more expensive for the 6 set roll; however, the extra ingredients, spices, and free miso soup can justify that price difference. They also let you swap out rolls amongst the ones included in the set you select. I am usually not a fan of scallop, but this place had me convinced it was my fav roll. Overall, I thought it was quite worth it for the taste/flavor!! Definitely give Temakase a shot. read more

Went here for lunch. Food was divine! Fresh and delicious! Service was perfect, not rushed and they took very good care of us. Ambiance was very relaxed and warm. I will definitely be making this a regular sushi spot. read more

The first time I dined in I really enjoyed the quality of fish, seaweed, and temp of the rice. The service and menus need help but I feel like for the price im happy with everything. I did order delivery the second time and my experience wasn't so great. I did not enjoy the maki roll because rice was really mushy and the seaweed was super chewy. read more

It was a good experience, definitely a need for more handrolls in the area! Service was average, my one complaint was there was a bone in the handroll. Crispy rice was a pleasant treat read more

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Tasty hand rolls made from very fresh fish There are different hand rolls (1 item/portion) and big sushi (2 items/portion, it's not regular sushi but it's a fish on a rice - so, sort of sushi). You can choose any amount of the available hand rolls or they also offer you some sets depending on quantity of items in it: from 3 to 6. All dishes can be classic or spicy (with spicy aioli sauce). Everything is very tasty - fish is very very fresh. Don't lose your chance to try hand rolls with a scallop - it's surprisingly one of the best positions in the menu! For drinks there are soft beverages and teas, couple of sake and beers. The interior is authentic - all visitors sit on the counter. But be ready that you can wait for the next serving quite a long time - only one or two people work in a one time, so they are not very fast compared with our level of hunger:) overall, staff is friendly and polite. read more

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Good service and excellent lunch spot and friendly staffs. I give a 4 for food but the service and the ambiance made it up. I like to try their crispy rice on next visit. It's good for solo lunch. Service charge is included from the bill. read more

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Fresh rolls and very nice service. They are accommodating and I would recommend them when you want a quick bite in the city. read more

Temakase Hand Roll Bar - 28th St - Japanese Near Me - New York, New York

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I love a prefix menu based on hunger level. Thought 4 hand rolls wouldn't be enough for hungry but so filling. Staff paces out rolls giving you time to enjoy each one. Perfect for a solo or duo dining wouldn't recommend for a larger party due to seating arrangements. read more

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The hand rolls were great and the service was good. The rolls were made swiftly and we never had to wait. As we finished one the next one was ready. I enjoyed every roll I was given! The fish to rice ratio was perfect. read more

Best handrolls in NYC. Try it, good service Best for quick bite and great sake menu. read more

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Ordered take out on DoorDash and it took more than an hour to get the food.. the staff were nice tho, saw a lot of people hanging out with friends at the bar read more

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Great Experience! Fresh, Delicious, and quick! I recently visited this hand roll spot, and I was really impressed! The hand rolls were incredibly fresh, with high-quality ingredients that made each bite delicious. Great value and with friendly service, perfect for a fast, satisfying meal. read more

This was my first time dining at a hand roll restaurant and Temakase did not dissapoint! I would be a regular if I lived in the area. Since I wasn't too hungry and snacked on fries earlier, I thought hand rolls was a great dinner choice. I shared the 4 rolls combo with my husband but our chef made us an extra scallop roll by mistake. He thought we were each getting the combo. It was the most delicious, fortunate error and we wanted to pay for 5 rolls. When we paid, he only charged us for 4. I just want to express how appreciative I was for the wonderful dining experience. The seaweed was the crispiest I've ever had and each roll was super tasty. read more

Ordered on Uber Eats for lunch. When it said ready, I left my work to take my break. When I arrive the from lady (with red hair) is very dismissive and not kind. Leaves me for 25 minutes and my food is not ready. This wasted half my lunch break. I know not her fault but still not ok. read more

I was in the area and decide to come in for a quick bite ... It was so good I loved every single item I got .. I even order another order love it !! read more

I got the spicy hand rolls and they did not disappoint. My least favorite was probably the crab hand roll. Vibe of the restaurant was nice. Service was quick and the workers were all very kind. I would definitely go back for a quick sushi dinner. read more

Temakase Hand Roll Bar - 28th St - Spicy Salmon - Japanese Near Me - New York, New York

I'm so absolutely obsessed with this place I cannot get over it. Every time I go there I can't shut up about what a phenomenal experience it is. Ugh. I actually get upset about it being over. Wow so good. The rice is out of this world good -- it's so tangy and delicious and the seaweed is so crisp and fresh and not chewy at all. Don't get me started on the flavors -- theyre INSANE. This handroll place is just too good its not fair. I also want to shout out Peter who was making our rolls. He was incredible! So friendly, shared his recommendations, and answered all my annoying questions, honestly it was such a fun time. All of the rolls are amazing but some of our favorites were the scallop (im not usually a fan of raw scallop but this one is just unreal), the crab, and the hamachi (this one is super good classic style). I will be dreaming of this place until I go back! read more

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This place has some of the best crispy rice in the city. Their tasting set makes it easy to sample all the handrolls. So glad to have this in the neighborhood. They also carry Soto sake which I love read more

The service was IMPECCABLE!!! My friends and I walked in and asked if it would be possible to have 8 people (it was my birthday) and they accommodated for us!! The food was amazing, honestly the best hand rolls I've ever had. The staff was so so nice and they even made me a matcha crepe cake slice and sang happy birthday. Genuinely such an amazing experience!!! read more

Temakase Hand Roll Bar - 28th St - Toro Scallion Roll - Japanese Near Me - New York, New York

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The sushi was very fresh and they had a lot of great choices! One of our new favorite places to go! read more

My friend and I came last night for dinner since Kazunori's line was long and we had just gotten back from travel carrying luggage and super hungry. She said she's had Temakase before at the 2nd ave location and it was just as good. So we came in around 8:40pm and the host seated us about 5-10 minutes after we sat in the waiting area as he was no where to be seen when we first walked in. After getting seated he said someone would take our order in a few minutes, we waited about 15-20 minutes before the guy behind the bar actually acknowledged us and apologized for having us wait so long. We got 2 classic Hangry's and 1 spicy tuna crispy rice. By this time, we still have not had any water or wasabi and ginger (which we finally got after our first handroll) but we thought it's end of day he probably was tired and forgot. Everything was going well until our third handroll, the guy who was making our handrolls(had long curly hair and a hat) asked us which one he just gave us and we said blue crab, and he gave us spicy tuna when we were expecting the classic salmon. We didn't think it was a big deal but he noticed right after that he made us spicy instead of classic and apologized and offered to remake it if we didn't like it but we didn't mind. He then gave us the hamachi handroll after that, skipping over the toro. At this time we thought he was just doing it out of order until we saw him start cleaning up and we waved him over and let him know he skipped over 2 handrolls and he reacted in disbelief and annoyance like we were lying. Didn't apologize and walked off to make the two handrolls he missed, one of which he messed up again and made us the spicy one instead of the classic (the toro one) and the other which he put way too much yuzu sauce on our rice( it was too overpowering and not good). No apologies, bad attitude when we asked nicely and on top of that he was whispering loudly to the host about us "lying about our handrolls" as if we weren't one of the 2 parties in the restaurant left and only sat 3 feet from him making handrolls. Honestly, we were just shocked at how poor the service is and how unprofessional these workers are. The food is not bad but the service definitely needs work. Won't catch us coming back again after that. read more

Being Asian myself and connoisseur of raw seafood, I was delighted to come across this place on my way to my favorite hair salon next door. Fish was so fresh and taste was unbelievable! I was in a rush and had only 20 mins before my appointment, but they understood my request, so I was already paying my check in 7 minutes. Stuff was nice and friendly. Coming back for sure! read more

New Handroll spot right down the block from kazunori but I would Say the quality was 10x and the price was the same, definitely a new favorite in the neighborhood and great addition! read more

The food was good especially the crispy rice but the service was absolutely terrible. We felt bad since it was obvious that they were short staffed which doesn't make sense when there is a limited number of seats. It took 20 minutes to put in our order. Then the timing of the rolls was all messed up, my friend got two rolls before I got one. We watched them throw out food, which felt so incredibly wasteful. The "roller" who took my order didn't write it down and I got the wrong thing. When I told them at the front that my order was wrong they took off one crispy rice which was nice but also the least they could do for this shit show of an experience. The host was apologetic but the disorganization really ruined our experience. Additionally, we were never check up on, no one asked if needed anything, we had to flag someone down for water. Overall I would say that the food was not worth the experience. read more

Temakase Hand Roll Bar - 28th St - Japanese Near Me - New York, New York

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I have to be honest guys... I am not big fan of a seafood by my wife is :) So, she took me to this place Temakase on 28th street close to my office , for the first time, and I don't regrade it , the food was sooo tasty, especially the caviar crispy rice, definitely my favorite!! It's a must ! And most importantly the bill was $58 for the 2 of us which is amazing ! Highly recommended read more

So absolutely delicious. I scarfed down everything I ordered. Can't wait to visit again! Hidden gem!

Everything was good! Service was great. The spicy flavors were perfect and warm seaweed was good