Initial impressions were strong: the ambiance was nice, the website was polished, and the visual presentation of the food was aesthetic, aligning with the high Google reviews. However, where it truly counts—the quality of the food—the experience was a letdown. I had high expectations that were quickly deflated by the mediocre dishes. The sashimi was fishy, the rice tasted stale, and the flavors were simply average. For all its curb appeal, the food quality felt like an unamusing, low-tier sushi restaurant. Kudos to the excellent service and dessert, but the main courses need significant improvement.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 1
Service: 4
AsianEatsNYC
Great food selection ,and reasonable price and nice environment!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Debby
My friend and I really enjoyed Towa. I felt like I was in Japan. Great atmosphere and service. The salmon maki was delicious! I’m definitely going back for the dining and omakase course.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Nate Moore
Wonderful experience at the Omakase counter
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Eric Cruz
We love and lived in Japan for 10yrs. So for our Last Supper in NYC during this trip and we wanted something special. Towa was fantastic! Omakase was a great choice and the rest from the cocktails to the appetizers to the other mains were on point. The Karaage was one of the best we’ve ever had, Top 3 for sure. Towa truly lives up to the Japanese standard and Gochisosama Deshita! Can’t recommend this place enough.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Vincent
Great value for money for their tasting menus. Good location for birthdays.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
Yinshen
To be fair it's a good value considering the fish are good quality for the price. Yes the set menu is $95, but but other place would easily charge over $120 for that level of fish.
However the sushi is just terrible. The rice is cold on most pieces, tasts like chewing wax. If I have to compare it to something, it's like those onigiri from the japanese 7-11 fridge.
Other courses are also just so-so. The only dish that I feel is well executed is the fried sesame tofu, which is not part of the course menu.
Lastly the timing of the courses is off. Sometimes I had to wait 20 mins for the next course, sometimes the waiter would serve the next course before I even finish the last one. And it's the same situation on few other tables around.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 2
Service: 3
Lawrence Leung
The sashimi was very fresh. The uni tasting was great. Very good dining experience.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Dani F
There is something to be said about a divine Omakase experience and this is my second time having one in NYC.
We started off nicely with Sakizuke, pictured in the photo I shared, followed by Amber jack, Panamanian trout, Japanese scallops lemon juice and pink salt, Medium fatty, Japanese horse mackerel, Japanese steamed egg custard, Japanese sea bream, Spanish mackerel, Spotted prawn, Seared tuna belly, Japanese striped jack, Short spine Sea urchin (sourced from Japan) and Long spine sea urchin (extra piece ordered - sourced from Santa Barbara, Japanese sea eel and Miso soup.
They were all incredible but the Santa Barbara sea urchin was one for the books. If I could describe the taste of the ocean, in one bite, this would be it. I also devoured the steamed egg custard, Japanese eel, Amber Jack and the sea bream. Service was top notch and the suggested sake was absolutely perfect.
100% a place to go to for an intense and traditional Omakase experience.
Next one will be in Japan, without question
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Jeff Thibault
The fried chicken saved this from a 3. It was tasty and juicy. Highly recommended.
The cod entree and the tempura mushrooms were incredibly bland. If I wanted unseasoned food, I'd go to a new American restaurant.
Fight against the salt demonization in America!
My date was happy with her tuna tasting. And, the egg custard w/ rowe was pretty tasty, too.
Tucked away on 26th Street is this unassuming Japanese restaurant from the hospitality group behind Jua, Atomix, and Her Name is Han. We stopped in for an early lunch and were pleasantly surprised by the menu, which included a combination of lunch and a few Japanese breakfast-style items.
The service was terrific, and the food was delicious. I ordered the eel over rice, which came with three or five sides. I opted for five and enjoyed everything
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Oswald Spengler
This was my third time at this restaurant. The food is decent - nothing exceptional, but acceptable quality for the price point. However, the service problems that brought me back to write this review persist.
The hostess continues to display unprofessional behavior. Her attitude is dismissive and condescending, treating customers as if we're an inconvenience rather than valued guests. She acts superior and seems to think she's above providing basic hospitality.
After giving this place three chances, it's clear this isn't an isolated incident but a consistent pattern. While the food is adequate, the unwelcoming atmosphere created by poor front-of-house service significantly detracts from the dining experience.
Management should address these service issues if they want to retain customers. The combination of mediocre food and poor service makes it difficult to recommend this establishment
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 3
Kei Sasaki
Our omakase at Towa welcoming, engaging, entertaining, and delicious dining experiences I’ve ever had. Service was exceptional including our greeter, server, and chefs Kurosawa and Fukuzawa. The food! Sushi was prepared with care and precision. The temperature contrasts of the fish and rice were fantastic. The chawanmushi was like a warm hug with a punch of unami. The warabi mochi sprinkled with kinako powder really brought back some great childhood memories. And to top it off they gave my friend a nice birthday surprise. Another fine addition to the Hand Hospitality family of restaurants. Gochisousama deshita!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Braden
my boyfriend and I came here for omakase for our anniversary and it was delicious! the service was excellent and everyone was so sweet and attentive. I'd never tried omakase before so this was an amazing first experience.
we got the 15 course with the tuna tasting and it did not disappoint. the chutoro and uni were probably my favorite pieces out of everything that I tried; they also had a lovely yuzu matcha that I really enjoyed (and honestly wish I could have at home).
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Justin Jiang
Got the 18 course Omakase, it was one of my best dining experiences ever. Our sushi chef, Joho, was absolutely amazing, answering all our questions and serving our food with precision that's certainly unforgettable for my first sushi bar experience. The rest of the staff were also extremely kind, and I'd highly recommend the sushi bar experience to anybody!
Initial impressions were strong: the ambiance was nice, the website was polished, and the visual presentation of the food was aesthetic, aligning with the high Google reviews. However, where it truly counts—the quality of the food—the experience was a letdown. I had high expectations that were quickly deflated by the mediocre dishes. The sashimi was fishy, the rice tasted stale, and the flavors were simply average. For all its curb appeal, the food quality felt like an unamusing, low-tier sushi restaurant. Kudos to the excellent service and dessert, but the main courses need significant improvement.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 1
Service: 4
Great food selection ,and reasonable price and nice environment!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
My friend and I really enjoyed Towa. I felt like I was in Japan. Great atmosphere and service. The salmon maki was delicious! I’m definitely going back for the dining and omakase course.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Wonderful experience at the Omakase counter
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
We love and lived in Japan for 10yrs. So for our Last Supper in NYC during this trip and we wanted something special. Towa was fantastic! Omakase was a great choice and the rest from the cocktails to the appetizers to the other mains were on point. The Karaage was one of the best we’ve ever had, Top 3 for sure. Towa truly lives up to the Japanese standard and Gochisosama Deshita! Can’t recommend this place enough.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Great value for money for their tasting menus.
Good location for birthdays.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
To be fair it's a good value considering the fish are good quality for the price. Yes the set menu is $95, but but other place would easily charge over $120 for that level of fish.
However the sushi is just terrible. The rice is cold on most pieces, tasts like chewing wax. If I have to compare it to something, it's like those onigiri from the japanese 7-11 fridge.
Other courses are also just so-so. The only dish that I feel is well executed is the fried sesame tofu, which is not part of the course menu.
Lastly the timing of the courses is off. Sometimes I had to wait 20 mins for the next course, sometimes the waiter would serve the next course before I even finish the last one. And it's the same situation on few other tables around.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 2
Service: 3
The sashimi was very fresh. The uni tasting was great. Very good dining experience.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
There is something to be said about a divine Omakase experience and this is my second time having one in NYC.
We started off nicely with Sakizuke, pictured in the photo I shared, followed by Amber jack, Panamanian trout, Japanese scallops lemon juice and pink salt, Medium fatty, Japanese horse mackerel, Japanese steamed egg custard, Japanese sea bream, Spanish mackerel, Spotted prawn, Seared tuna belly, Japanese striped jack, Short spine Sea urchin (sourced from Japan) and Long spine sea urchin (extra piece ordered - sourced from Santa Barbara, Japanese sea eel and Miso soup.
They were all incredible but the Santa Barbara sea urchin was one for the books. If I could describe the taste of the ocean, in one bite, this would be it. I also devoured the steamed egg custard, Japanese eel, Amber Jack and the sea bream. Service was top notch and the suggested sake was absolutely perfect.
100% a place to go to for an intense and traditional Omakase experience.
Next one will be in Japan, without question
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
The fried chicken saved this from a 3. It was tasty and juicy. Highly recommended.
The cod entree and the tempura mushrooms were incredibly bland. If I wanted unseasoned food, I'd go to a new American restaurant.
Fight against the salt demonization in America!
My date was happy with her tuna tasting. And, the egg custard w/ rowe was pretty tasty, too.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
Restaurantji Recommends
Tucked away on 26th Street is this unassuming Japanese restaurant from the hospitality group behind Jua, Atomix, and Her Name is Han. We stopped in for an early lunch and were pleasantly surprised by the menu, which included a combination of lunch and a few Japanese breakfast-style items.
The service was terrific, and the food was delicious. I ordered the eel over rice, which came with three or five sides. I opted for five and enjoyed everything
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
This was my third time at this restaurant. The food is decent - nothing exceptional, but acceptable quality for the price point. However, the service problems that brought me back to write this review persist.
The hostess continues to display unprofessional behavior. Her attitude is dismissive and condescending, treating customers as if we're an inconvenience rather than valued guests. She acts superior and seems to think she's above providing basic hospitality.
After giving this place three chances, it's clear this isn't an isolated incident but a consistent pattern. While the food is adequate, the unwelcoming atmosphere created by poor front-of-house service significantly detracts from the dining experience.
Management should address these service issues if they want to retain customers. The combination of mediocre food and poor service makes it difficult to recommend this establishment
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 3
Our omakase at Towa welcoming, engaging, entertaining, and delicious dining experiences I’ve ever had. Service was exceptional including our greeter, server, and chefs Kurosawa and Fukuzawa. The food! Sushi was prepared with care and precision. The temperature contrasts of the fish and rice were fantastic. The chawanmushi was like a warm hug with a punch of unami. The warabi mochi sprinkled with kinako powder really brought back some great childhood memories. And to top it off they gave my friend a nice birthday surprise. Another fine addition to the Hand Hospitality family of restaurants. Gochisousama deshita!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
my boyfriend and I came here for omakase for our anniversary and it was delicious! the service was excellent and everyone was so sweet and attentive. I'd never tried omakase before so this was an amazing first experience.
we got the 15 course with the tuna tasting and it did not disappoint. the chutoro and uni were probably my favorite pieces out of everything that I tried; they also had a lovely yuzu matcha that I really enjoyed (and honestly wish I could have at home).
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Got the 18 course Omakase, it was one of my best dining experiences ever. Our sushi chef, Joho, was absolutely amazing, answering all our questions and serving our food with precision that's certainly unforgettable for my first sushi bar experience. The rest of the staff were also extremely kind, and I'd highly recommend the sushi bar experience to anybody!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
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