Why don't they take the $50 reservation deposit and give it back? I'm curious Everything was good, but I’m curious about this part.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Chris G
Totally unprofessional. Gave away our seats by mistake 10 minutes before our reservation. Then were disrespectful and insulting in how they handled the situation. Based on other reviews this is NOT the only time this has happened.
I don’t leave bad reviews. But I was particularly insulted by how they handled this situation.
Elizabeth Sara Ross
I unfortunately had one of the most disappointing and unprofessional reservation experiences I’ve encountered in Manhattan on my second visit to Sushi Kai - East Village. While having twice confirmed with the reservation time with the restaurant (via text message and phone call), we were dismissively and disrespectfully told while waiting outside in the cold with our handicapped party that they had given our reservation away to someone who booked after us. On my first visit to this place when there were four people total in the restaurant, I was willing to overlook the chef’s having placed on more than one occasion something that was deathly to either my or my partner’s vocalized allergies before removing it and replacing it with something safe. That being said, it is the inability to rely on the credibility and security of a repeatedly confirmed reservation that makes me not want to come here again. You’d better be served by going to 13Water nearby where the food, atmosphere and service (including but not limited to the reservation integrity) are superior.
Atmosphere: 1
Service: 1
Dave Monks
Stunning food (thank you Gary), exemplary service (thank you Cassie) and a wonderful experience in their intimate East Village location. If they would have let me, I would have stayed for 3 hours of being delivered delicious mouthful after delicious mouthful. Can’t recommend Sushi Kai highly enough.
Eugene Yakubchik
I’ve had my eye on Sushi Kai for quite some time, but only now did I finally get to try it out. I’m a big fan of omakase, but it does tend to get pricey. Sushi Kai is a great “affordable” alternative if you’re trying to have high-quality sushi, without breaking the bank. Their omakase course comes with a three piece entree, 12-15 courses, and a hand roll, all for $85 per person - not bad!
Once I entered, I really liked the cozy and chill vibe. Made the dining experience really comfortable and relaxing.
And of course, the food. I was very surprised by the quality and freshness of the fish. All were super soft and melted in your mouth. Paired well with the perfect amount of rice and garnishes. The rice to fish combo was spot on - a lot of places will often go too heavy on the rice and it overpowers the fish, but the sushi chefs here do. A great job and creating the ultimate balance.
Soju selection was good too and reasonably priced. I got the Dassai 39 bottle and it was very good, sweet and silky, paired very well with the fish.
Great experience and awesome sushi. Will be back!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Estee
Absolutely amazing! Highly recommend!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
michael capasse
An excellent meal. The food and service is phenomenal. They were able to fit us in for an omakase on a Saturday evening last minute and made it one to remember. Each bite better than the last. Will certainly be coming back.
Not great if you’re GF, they accommodate by leaving your sushi dry and handing you a bowl of gf soy sauce. I watched them dress my companion’s sushi in soy sauce and thought to myself… why not do mine too with the GF? I’m no expert. But at the west village location I did not have this issue. Ordered unfiltered sake, received filtered.
Nicole Kim
We went here on a Friday evening for the $85 15-course omakase that included an appetizer, 10 nigiri, uni ikura don, and a hand roll. Also got Japanese beers and a small bottle of dry sake to share. The chilean sea bass was my favorite as part of the appetizer and the uni ikura don. Tbh, none of the nigiris really stood out for me since it was a bit hard to taste the fish and somehow tasted all similar since all of them either had caviar, truffle and/or ponzu sauce on it. The pieces were also very small which left us hungry at the end. The chef and server were very friendly and attentive. The space is small and the seats are crammed next to each other which made it awkward every time the server came by to reach over to refill our glass or ask if everything was okay. They will shorten your course if you arrive late to your reservation (which the hostess noted when we called); luckily we made it on time.
Cozy, friendly spot with fresh fish at a good price. The nigiri toppings are minimal but pair perfectly. Fave is the salmon nigiri with the tomato on top, and of course the Uni. Chef accommodates allergies or dislikes and makes great selections (and is very friendly). I frequent a lot of omakase spots in the city, and this is a good weekly spot. The only thing I'd change is the first dish appetizer - it's unnecessary and isn't as good as the rest of the experience. Love that it's BYOB also! It's definitely fast but that's what omakase is. Didn't feel overly rushed. @ eva.on.eats for more recommendations!
Dietary restrictions: They accommodate certain fish allergies
**Beware if you have food allergies** I had made a special request for gluten-free soy sauce during the online reservation, and emphasized again in person at the beginning of the dining that we needed gluten-free food. Unfortunately and unbeknownst to us at that moment, the appetizer was served with regular soy sauce. This has caused health issues to my friend who's allergic to gluten. To be fair, they did have gluten-free soy sauce and tried to avoid gluten afterwards. But an oversight on stuff like this can lead to physical distress at the very least or serious health problems.
Dietary restrictions: They have gluten-free soy sauce BUT (see my review) you may still get gluten in your food.
Highest quality sushi. Deserve a Michelin star.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Sushi
Why don't they take the $50 reservation deposit and give it back? I'm curious
Everything was good, but I’m curious about this part.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Totally unprofessional. Gave away our seats by mistake 10 minutes before our reservation. Then were disrespectful and insulting in how they handled the situation. Based on other reviews this is NOT the only time this has happened.
I don’t leave bad reviews. But I was particularly insulted by how they handled this situation.
I unfortunately had one of the most disappointing and unprofessional reservation experiences I’ve encountered in Manhattan on my second visit to Sushi Kai - East Village. While having twice confirmed with the reservation time with the restaurant (via text message and phone call), we were dismissively and disrespectfully told while waiting outside in the cold with our handicapped party that they had given our reservation away to someone who booked after us. On my first visit to this place when there were four people total in the restaurant, I was willing to overlook the chef’s having placed on more than one occasion something that was deathly to either my or my partner’s vocalized allergies before removing it and replacing it with something safe. That being said, it is the inability to rely on the credibility and security of a repeatedly confirmed reservation that makes me not want to come here again. You’d better be served by going to 13Water nearby where the food, atmosphere and service (including but not limited to the reservation integrity) are superior.
Atmosphere: 1
Service: 1
Stunning food (thank you Gary), exemplary service (thank you Cassie) and a wonderful experience in their intimate East Village location. If they would have let me, I would have stayed for 3 hours of being delivered delicious mouthful after delicious mouthful. Can’t recommend Sushi Kai highly enough.
I’ve had my eye on Sushi Kai for quite some time, but only now did I finally get to try it out. I’m a big fan of omakase, but it does tend to get pricey. Sushi Kai is a great “affordable” alternative if you’re trying to have high-quality sushi, without breaking the bank. Their omakase course comes with a three piece entree, 12-15 courses, and a hand roll, all for $85 per person - not bad!
Once I entered, I really liked the cozy and chill vibe. Made the dining experience really comfortable and relaxing.
And of course, the food. I was very surprised by the quality and freshness of the fish. All were super soft and melted in your mouth. Paired well with the perfect amount of rice and garnishes. The rice to fish combo was spot on - a lot of places will often go too heavy on the rice and it overpowers the fish, but the sushi chefs here do. A great job and creating the ultimate balance.
Soju selection was good too and reasonably priced. I got the Dassai 39 bottle and it was very good, sweet and silky, paired very well with the fish.
Great experience and awesome sushi. Will be back!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Absolutely amazing! Highly recommend!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
An excellent meal. The food and service is phenomenal. They were able to fit us in for an omakase on a Saturday evening last minute and made it one to remember. Each bite better than the last. Will certainly be coming back.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Wagyu, Roll, Kai’S Omakase, Scallop, Sushi
Not great if you’re GF, they accommodate by leaving your sushi dry and handing you a bowl of gf soy sauce. I watched them dress my companion’s sushi in soy sauce and thought to myself… why not do mine too with the GF? I’m no expert. But at the west village location I did not have this issue. Ordered unfiltered sake, received filtered.
We went here on a Friday evening for the $85 15-course omakase that included an appetizer, 10 nigiri, uni ikura don, and a hand roll. Also got Japanese beers and a small bottle of dry sake to share. The chilean sea bass was my favorite as part of the appetizer and the uni ikura don. Tbh, none of the nigiris really stood out for me since it was a bit hard to taste the fish and somehow tasted all similar since all of them either had caviar, truffle and/or ponzu sauce on it. The pieces were also very small which left us hungry at the end. The chef and server were very friendly and attentive. The space is small and the seats are crammed next to each other which made it awkward every time the server came by to reach over to refill our glass or ask if everything was okay. They will shorten your course if you arrive late to your reservation (which the hostess noted when we called); luckily we made it on time.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
Cozy, friendly spot with fresh fish at a good price. The nigiri toppings are minimal but pair perfectly. Fave is the salmon nigiri with the tomato on top, and of course the Uni. Chef accommodates allergies or dislikes and makes great selections (and is very friendly). I frequent a lot of omakase spots in the city, and this is a good weekly spot. The only thing I'd change is the first dish appetizer - it's unnecessary and isn't as good as the rest of the experience. Love that it's BYOB also! It's definitely fast but that's what omakase is. Didn't feel overly rushed. @ eva.on.eats for more recommendations!
Dietary restrictions: They accommodate certain fish allergies
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Nigiri, Kai’S Omakase, Scallop
Great omakase spot!!! Been here many times
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I got food poisoning :(
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 1
Service: 4
Great service:)
**Beware if you have food allergies**
I had made a special request for gluten-free soy sauce during the online reservation, and emphasized again in person at the beginning of the dining that we needed gluten-free food. Unfortunately and unbeknownst to us at that moment, the appetizer was served with regular soy sauce. This has caused health issues to my friend who's allergic to gluten. To be fair, they did have gluten-free soy sauce and tried to avoid gluten afterwards. But an oversight on stuff like this can lead to physical distress at the very least or serious health problems.
Dietary restrictions: They have gluten-free soy sauce BUT (see my review) you may still get gluten in your food.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 1
Loading...