Had sushi omakase. Was just ok. Fish quality was average. No special preparations (just fish and rice). Not worth the price point.
Will Qin
The way the sushi chefs handled and prepared the fish seemed quite unsanitary - they’re constantly pulling the same tin containing all the cuts of fish loosely separated by parchment paper into the mini fridges under the counter. The packaging was quite messy and the flavor of the fish is definitely cross contaminating with each other.You end up getting ~10 pieces for $85. It looks like a decent price but you get a way better experience, higher quality fish, better service and a more sanitary and refined experience from other sushi places — in nyc some Michelin places that might cost more up front end up being around same per piece! There’s also way more care placed on each piece of sushi.
Gabriel P.
I have been coming to this place for years and I will continue to do so for however long Daizen is around. Great wait staff, the chef is incredible and we haven't even mention the sushi yet. For that I recommend you give this place a try. Ambiance is great; really nothing bad to say about the place.
Youngok Jo
It was really nice omakase for a reasonable price. I would like to pay more! Every dish was so good. It’s like a jewel that i want to keep to myself.
Martin Liu
It’s mediocre Omakase at best, the rice was way too hot which really diminishes the flavor of the fish. The fish was not fresh, especially the Uni, which tasted a couple of days old at least.
Abe
Over priced, adequate pieces, sushi rice is lack luster. I don't really face words to describe how ripped off I feel. They got 2 stars instead of 1 because their ginger was pretty good.
Grace W.
Not a bad omakase for a neighborhood joint in Long Island City. The place is small and limited sushi bar seatings with simple decor. Their minimal menu only have 2 sets of omakase to choose from. We opted for Sashimi & sushi Omakase ($105pp) which served with soup and appetizer, follow with 10 pieces of sashimi, 7 sushi and 1 hand-roll. The raw fishes were fresh and the toro hand-roll was the highlight, it was so good that we each ordered an extra roll to finish off the meal. One downside, we went on a Tuesday night seated at the sushi bar and it wasn't busy at all. However I felt the chef was a bit of a rush in between pieces, hence not quite a relaxing and enjoyable experience. Overall, pretty good omakase for that price point, but the bill can adds up after you order extra pieces and drinks.
Trace
Fantastic Omakase. Husband and I did the sushi and sashimi version, great value for the quality. Everything was fresh and intricately prepared. Nice sake selection. Enjoyed the clean and relaxed environment - reminds me of Tokyo. Recommend making a reservation or come right at opening, the sushi bar only seats about 8.
Anja V.
Good omakase in lic but they only brought me that menu from the start. I would have preferred the option to pick my own sashimi. That being said it was all delicious and the service was exceptional.
Annabelle D.
LIC omakase only sushi joint. Believe this place is a bit overrated for its rating on yelp. Minimalist interior with counter and table seats. Decent quality fish but overpriced, small portions and omakase pricing for table and counter is the same. When we made the reservation through Google we thought it would be for the sushi counter. It did not specify online. At the time we didn't even realize there was table seating. We assumed incorrectly we would be at the counter. Although mildly disappointed, still wanted to give it a fair shot, and overall my experience was not memorable and my expectations were not met. Pros: - decent quality fish Cons: - overpriced for what you get. (Cuts of fish are small, only comes with ~10-12 pieces overall. We paid over 200$ for two plates of fish each and a table reservation.) We did not even get to experience watching the sushi chefs prepare our food. Half of omakase is the experience and watching the chefs work. - food lacked creativity. Pieces were served in a minimalist nature, which is good because it showcases quality, but is also at times is a bit boring. I believe that for the price they could be more creative without ruining the intrinsic quality of the fish. - logistical errors not specifying table vs counter seating on their Google affiliate reservation site. - loose rice that fell apart - overall underwhelming When we pay a premium for omakase, we expect some elevation in creativity(none), quality(avg-slightly above avg), and/or experience (none) over regular sushi joints/meals on the menu. We did not get most of that here. There are other places in a similar price range that have more creativity, a better overall experience (Sushi on Me) and value (Shinn East) than here at Sushi Daizen.
I had higher expectations for Sushi Daizen than I experienced. I tried the sushi and sashimi menu and the quality of the fish was good but pieces are very minimalistic and not creative. I did enjoy my omakase experience but it was not memorable and for the price, I can certainly enjoy quality fish for less than $100 elsewhere.
Jennie K.
Great quality fresh fish without need with crazy topping to make it so fancy that it distracts what real sushi should taste like . Uni was sweet, toro was good grade , buttery without chewing. Rice was perfect texture and temperature . Sushi chef was the real deal and the owner. Bought my best friend here for his bday and he is a foodie and restaurant owner pioneer so he approves. Covid sure shifted things for all restaurants so hope business picks up for everyone.
Junior Reyes
Fresh, delicious and such a vibe for slow pace eating.
Dan Thompson
Truly some of the best sushi in the neighborhood. Beautiful restaurant and excellent service. Simple, expertly crafted food.
Eric S.
This place is amazing. They had two options, sushi sashimi combo omakase or sushi omakase 10 pieces. I had the 10 piece which also comes with a handroll and did not regret it. Many places that offer an option, the sashimi just doesn't have as much of a complex or rich taste as the sushi pieces. While I didn't have the sashimi here, I did sit at the bar and the sashimi just looked very normal with less preparation than the sushi pieces. While you do get more food with the sashimi combo, you can always order more sushi pieces at the end of the omakase if you're still hungry (probably 8 per piece except the expensive pieces like uni given that the omakase was 80 for 10 pieces) The soy mix they used here did not make me thirsty. It was subtle but really enhanced the fish. The fish was also very well picked and cut up/prepared ahead of time so that each piece was actually soft and once again, not insanely thirst inducing. Mackarel is usually on the saltier side but the way they did it here reduces the salt and the ginger scallion really enhanced the fish that I normally am not a fan of. You know a place is good when they can make the normal taste great! The staff was all masked up and they do have little private tables if you aren't able to sit at the bar. Overall, great experience, good price!
Had sushi omakase. Was just ok. Fish quality was average. No special preparations (just fish and rice). Not worth the price point.
The way the sushi chefs handled and prepared the fish seemed quite unsanitary - they’re constantly pulling the same tin containing all the cuts of fish loosely separated by parchment paper into the mini fridges under the counter. The packaging was quite messy and the flavor of the fish is definitely cross contaminating with each other.You end up getting ~10 pieces for $85. It looks like a decent price but you get a way better experience, higher quality fish, better service and a more sanitary and refined experience from other sushi places — in nyc some Michelin places that might cost more up front end up being around same per piece! There’s also way more care placed on each piece of sushi.
I have been coming to this place for years and I will continue to do so for however long Daizen is around. Great wait staff, the chef is incredible and we haven't even mention the sushi yet. For that I recommend you give this place a try. Ambiance is great; really nothing bad to say about the place.
It was really nice omakase for a reasonable price. I would like to pay more! Every dish was so good. It’s like a jewel that i want to keep to myself.
It’s mediocre Omakase at best, the rice was way too hot which really diminishes the flavor of the fish. The fish was not fresh, especially the Uni, which tasted a couple of days old at least.
Over priced, adequate pieces, sushi rice is lack luster. I don't really face words to describe how ripped off I feel. They got 2 stars instead of 1 because their ginger was pretty good.
Not a bad omakase for a neighborhood joint in Long Island City. The place is small and limited sushi bar seatings with simple decor. Their minimal menu only have 2 sets of omakase to choose from. We opted for Sashimi & sushi Omakase ($105pp) which served with soup and appetizer, follow with 10 pieces of sashimi, 7 sushi and 1 hand-roll. The raw fishes were fresh and the toro hand-roll was the highlight, it was so good that we each ordered an extra roll to finish off the meal. One downside, we went on a Tuesday night seated at the sushi bar and it wasn't busy at all. However I felt the chef was a bit of a rush in between pieces, hence not quite a relaxing and enjoyable experience. Overall, pretty good omakase for that price point, but the bill can adds up after you order extra pieces and drinks.
Fantastic Omakase. Husband and I did the sushi and sashimi version, great value for the quality. Everything was fresh and intricately prepared. Nice sake selection. Enjoyed the clean and relaxed environment - reminds me of Tokyo. Recommend making a reservation or come right at opening, the sushi bar only seats about 8.
Good omakase in lic but they only brought me that menu from the start. I would have preferred the option to pick my own sashimi. That being said it was all delicious and the service was exceptional.
LIC omakase only sushi joint. Believe this place is a bit overrated for its rating on yelp. Minimalist interior with counter and table seats. Decent quality fish but overpriced, small portions and omakase pricing for table and counter is the same. When we made the reservation through Google we thought it would be for the sushi counter. It did not specify online. At the time we didn't even realize there was table seating. We assumed incorrectly we would be at the counter. Although mildly disappointed, still wanted to give it a fair shot, and overall my experience was not memorable and my expectations were not met. Pros: - decent quality fish Cons: - overpriced for what you get. (Cuts of fish are small, only comes with ~10-12 pieces overall. We paid over 200$ for two plates of fish each and a table reservation.) We did not even get to experience watching the sushi chefs prepare our food. Half of omakase is the experience and watching the chefs work. - food lacked creativity. Pieces were served in a minimalist nature, which is good because it showcases quality, but is also at times is a bit boring. I believe that for the price they could be more creative without ruining the intrinsic quality of the fish. - logistical errors not specifying table vs counter seating on their Google affiliate reservation site. - loose rice that fell apart - overall underwhelming When we pay a premium for omakase, we expect some elevation in creativity(none), quality(avg-slightly above avg), and/or experience (none) over regular sushi joints/meals on the menu. We did not get most of that here. There are other places in a similar price range that have more creativity, a better overall experience (Sushi on Me) and value (Shinn East) than here at Sushi Daizen.
Restaurantji Recommends
I had higher expectations for Sushi Daizen than I experienced. I tried the sushi and sashimi menu and the quality of the fish was good but pieces are very minimalistic and not creative. I did enjoy my omakase experience but it was not memorable and for the price, I can certainly enjoy quality fish for less than $100 elsewhere.
Great quality fresh fish without need with crazy topping to make it so fancy that it distracts what real sushi should taste like . Uni was sweet, toro was good grade , buttery without chewing. Rice was perfect texture and temperature . Sushi chef was the real deal and the owner. Bought my best friend here for his bday and he is a foodie and restaurant owner pioneer so he approves. Covid sure shifted things for all restaurants so hope business picks up for everyone.
Fresh, delicious and such a vibe for slow pace eating.
Truly some of the best sushi in the neighborhood. Beautiful restaurant and excellent service. Simple, expertly crafted food.
This place is amazing. They had two options, sushi sashimi combo omakase or sushi omakase 10 pieces. I had the 10 piece which also comes with a handroll and did not regret it. Many places that offer an option, the sashimi just doesn't have as much of a complex or rich taste as the sushi pieces. While I didn't have the sashimi here, I did sit at the bar and the sashimi just looked very normal with less preparation than the sushi pieces. While you do get more food with the sashimi combo, you can always order more sushi pieces at the end of the omakase if you're still hungry (probably 8 per piece except the expensive pieces like uni given that the omakase was 80 for 10 pieces) The soy mix they used here did not make me thirsty. It was subtle but really enhanced the fish. The fish was also very well picked and cut up/prepared ahead of time so that each piece was actually soft and once again, not insanely thirst inducing. Mackarel is usually on the saltier side but the way they did it here reduces the salt and the ginger scallion really enhanced the fish that I normally am not a fan of. You know a place is good when they can make the normal taste great! The staff was all masked up and they do have little private tables if you aren't able to sit at the bar. Overall, great experience, good price!