Izakaya Restaurants in New York, NY

“I wouldn’t call Katana a dive bar, but on a Tuesday night it felt like a great neighborhood bar. Relaxed atmosphere. Was surprised at how small it was but that added to the chill vibe. I bet on a Thirsty Thursday and the weekend that all changes, but the bartenders and the craft cocktails will be just as great.“

“Ended up here accidentally on a layover: Hands down, the best ramen I’ve ever had (springy, slurpy perfection), amazing cocktails (if you like gin the Japanese 75 is a must try!), and whatever the whipped cream, creme brûlée’d banana dessert was tasted like heaven. I even ordered another tonkotsu ramen to go (all the way to Florida) to bring back to my fiancé. They separated all of it, packaged it so it wouldn’t leak, and wrote directions on specific timing for heating up each item! Very impressive service. I’ll be back again!“

“Ramen is good ! Soup is good not so oily Yakitori good with Asahi Beeru !“

“Best Filipino Fusion, Try the Cebuano Longganisa. Perfect“

“Konban is an izakaya-style restaurant located in Chelsea with a sophisticated vibe and wooden interior. They even have a zen courtyard garden smack in the middle. It is so calming to sit by the window and enjoy the meal with that view. My boyfriend took me there and the intimate atmosphere made it a perfect date night spot.

Their tonkatsu, corn ribs and corn ice cream has taken the social media by storm. Every dish came in a small portion but exquisitely crafted. Even the complimentary starters (cherry tomato with yuzu cream cheese, yuzu sparkling drink) were memorable.

The restaurant gets really packed on weekends. Make sure to get a res at least a week in advance to secure a table (it isn’t as competitive as before!).

＊Katsu Tenderloin $15 ***
I picked tenderloin instead of loin as I prefer my pork to be more meaty and less fatty. The tonkatsu sauce was thick, rich and sweet, easily my fav one among the three. Truffle salt was aromatic and addictive. Wasabi didn’t really match well imo.

＊Sabazushi (Mackerel Sushi) $19 ***
My first time trying Mackerel Sushi and this one blew my mind. The mackerel was melt-in-your-mouth tender. The ginger and shiso were appetizing and they added so much flavors to the sushi. I am still dreaming about it.

＊Konban Corn Rib $13 **
Everyone recommends corn ribs from konban. You won’t be able to stop eating it after your first bite. The corn cheese powder tasted like doritos.

＊Eggplant Agebitashi $15
Served with toasted baguette slices, the eggplant agebitashi has a western spin with a mix of parmesan cheese and pork ragu sauce.

＊Mazemen $17
The mazemen was made of their housemade flat noodles, spicy pork, almond butter, scallion and butter. Thought it would taste like dan dan noodle but it was different. The texture was creamier and thicker.

FYI I didn’t get the viral corn ice cream at last. It looked cute but I heard from the other table that the white chocolate part was very sweet.“

“Great sushi! Great ramen!“

“It was a cool place great food and atmosphere“

“最高でした！ 日本でもここまでの居酒屋は無いと思います！“

“A delightful small cozy place, with a varied menu. Everything we had was top-notch delicious!! This one gets 5 stars from me“

“My brother and I came for the Izakaya Prix Fixe dinner while visiting from Canada. Absolutely a wonderful time.
The food was great, the eel was probably my favorite dish. I dug the decor, like the dBA monitor on the wall.
We had looked at the vinyl selection prior but it truly was a joy to decide something on a whim and guess the other guests music choices. I could probably go on for ages how wonderful the team is for indulging my brother and I! Much love to both Davids and Denandus (sry for spelling).“

“Here’s an enhanced version:

The tan tan ramen was absolutely delicious, with a rich, creamy broth that had the perfect balance of flavor and spice. The edamame and kimchi were fresh and tasty, making for great sides to complement the meal. The prices were very reasonable, and we enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere—especially since it wasn’t crowded on a Tuesday night. Highly recommend for a cozy, flavorful ramen experience!“

“Fun spot!“

“I highly recommend Toriya.
Delicious authentic yakitori with so many options it's hard to choose.
They also offer larger plates and smaller appetizers as well. I had their seafood okonomiyaki which was wonderful.
The drink menu is wonderful offering a good selection of Japanese beers, soju, and a very extensive and well crafted sake menu.
Also I was seated immediately despite dropping in at a prime time on a Friday evening.
The ambiance is very nice, well decorated with excellent choices in music that is not overly loud.
The staff were all lovely and very attentive as well. Truly top notch all around.

Vegetarian options: Numerous vegetable only Yakitori options as well as vegetarian friendly large plates.“

“I love the atmosphere and the customer service they provide! The food was good and differently one of my favorite place to eat in New York city!“

“Wonderfully eclectic place with phenomenal cocktails. Do both experiences (Sip & Guzzle) if you can when you book there. Highlights for me were the chicken, the wagyu sando, and the milkshake. Wagyu old fashioned was also very very tasty.“

“Great value for money in midtown for lunch! The food and interior is great for a sit down lunch with coworkers. The udom noodles are very chewy and fresh. The chirashi bowl was good too and the rice is flavored unlike the normal vinegar sugar mixture. Highly recommend!“

“Best izakaya place I’ve ever been to. Great atmosphere, but more importantly, the food was amazing. All the yakitori dishes were so good. Had to order more and more. Other dishes were as great. Would love to come back for the delicious food.“

“ニューヨークで超落ち着く日本料理屋さんです。最高でした！日本の皆様にもぜひ紹介したいです！“

“All the snacks are delicious, but for some reason the main dish, the yakitori, isn't very tasty... The sauce was too sweet and the food was overcooked, so you could barely taste the flavor. It's a little small and noisy, but the atmosphere is good.“

“最高でした！ 日本でもここまでの居酒屋は無いと思います！“

“This place was a nice little surprise. It's kind of like a blend of many kinds of small Japanese restaurants into one, almost like a restaurant sampler and a great bar in one. What this meant to us is that while I am not sure that any single food dish we had was a 10/10, the vast amount of unique foods we could try alone made the place a good spot. The vast selection of sake and other Japanese beverages that pair well with those dishes made it a great spot. There were grilled meats, ramen, sushi, onigiri, okonomiyaki, and more.

If you are an adventurous eater, you would likely be satisfied with many of the options. From the grilled meat side we tried beef tongue which we both agreed was good and chicken gizzards which split our group texturally. We had gotten the pickles with this (oshinko) and I would highly recommend pairing any grilled meats with those and a drink. I would comment that the kimchi didn't really fit with the pickles, but we loved the pickled daikon and the spicier green pickles. The monk liver and salmon roe (ankimo) was another adventurous dish that we thought was okay. The spaghetti with creamy spicy cod roe (mentai pasta) was another very unique one, we could have taken or left.

Overall though, I would suggest trying maybe fried and grilled meats with the pickles and booze. We also tried two types of onigiri which were both very good, plum filling the non grilled one and spicy cod roe filling the grilled one. Both of the onigiri were excellent, but I really think the grilled onigiri stands out as perhaps the best dish of the night.

We did try the miso soup, which was very good, however there is a lot of salt in all the food so I would tell anyone to consider if they really need that much salt before ordering. We tried a sushi roll, which was good, but it was hard not to find the sushi selection just a little bit disappointing. There were maki rolls and sashimi, but no nigiri or temaki which just seems like such an easy miss. There's a big difference between a quality slice of yellowtail nigiri and a maki roll.

I wish we would have gotten to try more, but we left very stuffed and also a bit tipsy. We were very free flowing in our orders, ordering just a few items at a time and the staff seemed very prepared and acquainted with that. We also ordered a nigori bottle of sake to start (this was a great deal and kicked us off properly) before we later finished with a higher proof shochu and mixed drink. I do think I would have appreciated the option to get flights here to lean more heavily into the trying everything vibe. I have never had shochu before and while my selection was fine, it would have been nice to know if I just picked the wrong one or if I'm just not a huge shochu fan without having to order several entire drinks. Same for the sake honestly, need flights.

The restaurant itself seemed fairly clean, was popular but not overcrowded, and was very well themed. There were anime posters, manga, a vertical standing record player, the bar looked cool. Overall a good vibe.“

“great atmosphere! super friendly staff.“

“Went on a Saturday night at 7 so there weren't many people. I sampled the omakase. Although each portion of the six courses was small, the taste made up for it. It's hard to give an objective review as the items may change. However, I wanted to sample more food. I ordered soba which I felt was authentic and finished with the roasted green tea mousse, which was Hojicha pudding and it was delicious! I came to experience Japanese comfort food and left satisfied.“

“This ramen restaurant offers exceptionally flavorful noodles. For tonkotsu ramen, thinner noodles are used, while shoyu ramen features thicker ones, achieving the perfect balance for each dish.

The atmosphere is trendy and inviting, the staff is friendly, and the place is always buzzing with patrons, a testament to its well-deserved popularity.“

“An absolutely gem in the hit & miss Times Square area.

The sushi is inventive flavorsome and seriously generous , the sashimi a cornucopia of the freshest fish of all colors sliced extra thick.

Great value for what you get with outstanding , friendly and attentive service.

I can’t wait to go back!“

“I don't often write reviews but I had to for Sozai. The food is incredible, the vibes are amazing inside and the service is wonderful. You can't go wrong with any of the dishes! And I also love the bar area in the back if you were just going for a drink, but I highly recommend eating here as well.“

“super cool vibe and gets better as the night goes on. located in chelsea market but not hideously touristy which is nice. enter on 15th st. serving great cocktails and asian inspired cuisine. the toro hand rolls were a highlight. i got the sweet potato cocktail (sorry i forget the name) but if you like negronis you’ll love it. it’s giving tokyo record bar. highly recommend in a weekday hangout with friends or even a date.“

“The beef bibimbap is amazing.“

“A place styled as an izakaya specializing in kushiyaki, Ai Ki Ya is a decent spot for night grub in the area if you aren't craving Chinese or Korean food to go with beer. The restaurant decor is fun and the back has a dark feel with neon lights. The front is more well lit.
The staff are prompt and bring the menus as soon as you sit. They take orders and are pretty responsive to being waved over. Food takes a bit to prepare since kushiyaki is usually more gently grilled than something like American barbecue.
The food is good and they have a very good variety of choices of skewers and even food off the skewer. They have skewered offal, which was good but everything unfortunately did not feel hot enough when it reached my table. The mochi was a fun treat in particular, though it was more stiff than I expected and not that tender. Overall, the vegetables were probably the best part, especially the shishito peppers. Prices per skewer are fair considering the local restaurant competition. It can feel pretty pricey since you pay per skewer, of course, so it's recommended you order some bigger things to stomach as well.
Overall, not a bad place to try kushiyaki if you want to just try it.“

“We only came to drink here but I’ve been here many times to eat before. We had 3 bottles of sake to share amongst the 4 of us, along with two glasses of sake (peach and yuzu). We really enjoyed the peach nigori (tasted like yogurt), but my favorite was the kurosawa nigori (less sweeter). The service was okay (had to ask for water and was never served any when seated). But the vibe here is great, has the old school Japanese-style pub vibe. Would stop by again to grab some food and drinks again.“