4.6
Superb
90 Reviews
42-15 Crescent Street, Long Island City · 6.96 miles
Customers’ favorites
- Fatty Tuna Sushi with Caviar
- Sesame Tofu
“I’d make that joke more about your own snap judgment and the “authenticity police” rather than the staff’s ethnicity. I came to Warabi Omakase because it was conveniently located near my friend’s house, which is apparently the extent of my restaurant research these days. No Michelin investigation. No deep dive into reviews. Just “it’s close.” Somehow, this reckless strategy worked. I walked in and was immediately impressed. The sushi counter was organized, there were plenty of sushi chefs behind the bar, and seeing an all Asian sushi team immediately activated my completely unscientific internal authenticity meter. Apparently, my brain decided, “Yep, this looks legit.” 😂 Then I saw unlimited drinks, including sake and beer, and suddenly my decision making looked significantly more sophisticated. The 14 piece omakase was genuinely delicious, with a nice variety of fish, scallop, and botan ebi topped with uni, presumably Hokkaido uni. My only gripe was the seasoning. Both the rice and fish were seasoned a little too aggressively. At certain points, the seasoning was giving “main character syndrome” while the fish was standing there wondering why nobody was paying attention to it. But then came the part where things got irresponsible: two rounds of unlimited nigiri. Tuna, fatty tuna, salmon, and wagyu. Yes, unlimited. Because apparently 14 pieces of sushi and unlimited drinks weren’t enough to make me question my life choices. There is one catch. If you order it and don’t finish it, there’s a $5 per piece penalty. And I actually watched people get charged. 😅 So this is not the place to discover halfway through dinner that you “might be getting full.” Warabi does not believe in your excuses. Order responsibly or prepare to financially support your unfinished sushi. By the end, I was so full I was basically one conveyor belt away from being rolled out of the restaurant. For the price, this is seriously good value. I’ll definitely be back. I’d just love to see the chefs pull back on the seasoning a little and let the fish speak for itself. Overall, Warabi was a fantastic surprise. I went because it was close to my friend’s house and left feeling like I had accidentally discovered a sushi buffet disguised as an omakase. Honestly, that’s the kind of bad decision I’m happy to make again.”
Japanese · $$
