takahachi

Zagat

“Creative sushi” and “excellent” Japanese home-cooking basics at a favorable “quality-to-price ratio” earn these neighborhood spots “favorite” status; a “helpful” staff adds warmth to the “nothing-fancy” setups, which “bustle” at prime times.

Time Out
New York

At this upscale spin-off of the East Village’s original Takahachi, you’ll need to pick and choose from the pun-filled, East-meets-West menu. Chilled soba salad, for instance, is a pleasing pile of sesame-dressed buckwheat noodles served with shiitake and avocado. Barbecued eel, walnuts and tofu skin are Happy Together in a delicious roll. Sushi wasn’t as fresh or pristine as you might like it to be, so have the saikoro steak instead: chunks of marinated, grilled rib eye. In a nod to authenticity, the desserts include a green tea milk crepe served with custard cream.

NY Mag

If the high prices and haughty crowds at Nobu get you down, this laid-back, budget-friendly-but-still-elegant sushi restaurant—which reportedly gets its fish from the same supplier—is just a few blocks away. True, the food isn’t quite Matsuhisa-esque; the miso-marinated black cod, while delicious, isn’t the otherworldly delight that it is around the corner, and the menu of special rolls includes some misses—like the Passage to India, which pairs yellowfin with mango, cilantro, and a curry sauce that clashes with the flavors of salty nori and wasabi. (The gimmick of naming rolls after movie titles is silly—who wants to order a dish called Wages of Fear?) The sashimi, though, is undeniably good; the seven-variety deluxe plate, with slices of tender octopus and velvety kanpachi, is a good bet. And don’t overlook the appetizers, especially the excellent gomaae (still-green boiled spinach dressed in roasted-sesame paste) and hijiki-shiraae (steamed black seaweed mixed with mild scrambled tofu and tender vegetables). Solo diners can watch the sushi chefs at work in the minimalist front room, where unadorned white walls contrast with black-lacquered furnishings and floorboards. The small back dining area, with overhead skylights that cast a glow at sunset, is more romantic. — Sarah Gold