This shoe box-sized, counter-focused omakase haunt debuted in December 2019 just before the pandemic set in, and since then has gone largely overlooked. Chef and owner Yukihiro Takeda helms the eight-seat counter, and it’s thanks to him that the Upper West Side now has a higher-quality omakase sushi option. His Edomae-style, 19-course menu runs $185 and incorporates seafood flown in from Tokyo’s Toyosu fish market three times per week. A meal could start with tsumami like ikura (salmon roe) and Santa Barbara uni before eventually moving into Hokkaido scallop, akami (lean tuna), and iwashi (sardine). Note, Takeda doesn’t necessarily follow a traditional path typically defined by serving all nigiri back-to-back. Instead, bites are occasionally interspersed with creative dishes such as a maki roll filled with soba noodles in place of rice.

Sushi Noz has solidified its place as one of New York’s top omakase experiences, one that’s rife with Japanese seafood not found elsewhere in the city. Patrons can pick from two counter experiences: The main Hinoki Counter, helmed by Sushiden alum Nozomu Abe, aka Noz, where the chef serves eight diners a $400 omakase, and the slightly less expensive Ash Room, where Noz’s second in command serves a slightly less expensive omakase priced at $230. Diners at each counter can expect an Edomae-inspired experience with occasional Western touches — the meal begins with otsumami (appetizers), before moving into around 15 nigiri bites, followed by miso soup, and finally tomago (egg). Those at the Hinoki Counter often conclude with a piece of seasonal Japanese fruit, as is customary in Japan.

Lauded for its pristine fish, Uogashi — which relocated from the East Village to Midtown after a devastating fire in 2018 — has earned a devout following for its top-quality omakases priced at $135 or $185. Choose from a long sushi counter or tables, where guests can also order izakaya-style dishes like shrimp tempura and sake-steamed clams. Back when Pete Wells visited in 2019, he gave the restaurant two stars.

A freewheeling, sushi-slinging, expletive-laden omakase party in Jackson Heights, Sushi On Me charges less than $100 for an all-you-can-drink omakase that lasts less than an hour. The cash-only event in a Queens basement allows for a dozen people at a time, four seatings per night, seven nights a week. Dinner begins with a few sashimi courses and finishes with 12 pieces of nigiri, served one at a time.

Previously known as Omakase Room by Tatsu, this cozy, basement-level, eight-seat counter is now under command of head chef Mitsonori Isoda — the former executive chef of Jewel Bako — who is heading up the 14-course, $180 omakase. All of the seafood here is flown in overnight from Japan (except for the tuna, which comes from the North Atlantic), with deliveries arriving four times each week. While the menu is highly seasonal, some of Isoda’s best-known bites are his maguro zuke nigiri, an akami tuna marinated overnight in dashi, and his 40-day aged toro.

Even before chef Nobuyuki Shikanai nabbed one Michelin star, his unfussy sushi spot had already earned a devout neighborhood following for its well-priced fresh fish. A long menu of sashimi, nigiri, and rolls — in addition to izakaya bites like shrimp tempura and gyoza — run a la carte, but the most coveted seats are at Shikana’s omakase counter. Note, while Kanoyama is open daily and accepts walk-ins, this $170 chef’s choice menu is only served Thursday through Saturday (6:15 and 8:30 p.m.) and requires reservations.

While some frequent Cagen for its excellent soba noodles, the nigiri here shines just as bright. Chef and owner Toshio Tomita offers two omakases: The pricier menu runs $250 for 17 nigiri bites and a hand roll, and this menu is served in the restaurant’s backroom. Up front, chef offers a $150 omakase that includes 12 pieces of nigiri and a hand roll. All of the fish is seasonal and flown in from Japan, and after each meal diners can add additional bites like Hokkaido-style uni and wagyu from Miyazaki.

Sustainably-minded sushi spot Rosella, which offers a la carte ordering and a single omakase priced at $150, debuted in October 2020. Jeff Miller formerly of Austin’s Uchiko helms the kitchen, beside friend TJ Provenzano who heads up beverages and manages the space. By way of eats, expect a more liberal, creative approach to maki rolls and nigiri. Also, drop in for what might be the city’s best avocado roll — this one is made with zippy kimchi — in addition to fluke nigiri with chives and walnut wood-smoked yellowtail. As for drinks, expect a heavy attention to natural wine.

In 2020, Soho kaiseki spot Hirohisa introduced this diminutive sushi bar just a few steps away. Counting just 10 counter seats, this might be the most affordably-priced, highest quality omakase meal in the city right now. Chef Jongin Jeong is charging $180 for his excellent omakase, which skews Kyoto-style, meaning there’s a heavy attention to preserved and cured fish, and some bites are pressed into a box oshizushi-style. The meal begins with tsumami, before moving into roughly 14 nigiri bites, a plated dish, a rice option, and a seasonal dessert.

This is New York’s first outdoor omakase: a 14-seat sushi bar with additional tables at Bowery Market. The meal, which lasts no more than 45 minutes, includes 12 pieces for $58 or 20 pieces for $105. Sushi on Jones serves as an excellent option for high-quality sushi at a fair price, with bites like fatty tuna, scallop, sea urchin, and wagyu. Since its debut six years ago, Sushi on Jones has expanded with locations in the West Village, Gotham Market (delivery-only), London, and new location launching in April will replace the group’s shuttered Uchu and include a private karaoke bar.

One of Japan’s most respected sushi masters, Tadashi Yoshida of Nagaoya’s impossible-to-book Sushi No Yoshino, shuttered his lauded counter to pursue an opportunity in New York.  Now he’s serving a $400, 20-course omakase on the Bowery, which is especially important as Yoshino’s debut marks the first time a sushi master, not a protégée, has relocated from Japan to open in the city. Drawing inspiration from both France and Japan, Yoshida’s omakase commences with a series of around six tsumami that call for western and luxury ingredients like cream, olive oil, caviar, and white truffles, before moving into a traditional 10-bite Edomae nigiri serving One of Yoshida’s signature bites is sabazushi (mackerel), which he torches with a handheld binchotan grill.

Reserve a seat at this lively sushi bar or head up to the second-floor banquettes in this laid-back fishbowl of a restaurant. The omakase kiwami ($250) at the newish Momoya Soho is a deluxe series of compelling dishes worth the splurge, but there are plenty of more wallet-friendly a la carte options that can keep dinner and a drink to under $75 a person.

Perhaps the best deal in New York for quality fish at the moment, Gouie is the new counter-only sushi stop from Keisuke Kasagi and Yudai Kanayama (Izakaya, Dr. Clark), which debuted within the Lower East Side’s the Market Line last October. It’s a casual spot and one that was conceived in response to all of New York’s pricey omakase spots. There are 18 perched counter seats plus a standing sake bar (this is the only booze on offer, no beer or wine) for those waiting to be seated. Chef Yusuke Fukuzaki — who came to New York after spending time at one of Tokyo’s most revered, three-Michelin-star kaiseki counters, Ishikawa — has designed a menu heavy on a la carte options, with a spate of seasonal specials like red rock crab tamagoyaki and simmered spiny baigai shell. The top seller is the Nami plate, which comes with seven pieces of nigiri and half a maki roll for $30. For a slightly longer menu, there’s a $75 Tokujo option, with seven pieces of chef’s choice nigiri, plus chutoro nigiri, uni over rice, ikura over rice, and one maki roll.

Like many of Tokyo’s top sushi bars, Nakaji is tucked away in an unassuming hallway partially decorated with charred cedar wood. Look for an illuminated box bearing the chef’s name in calligraphy, and press the doorbell to enter what might be the city’s most exciting sushi concept right now. Helmed by longtime sushi vet Kunihide Nakajima, and launched right before the pandemic, this wholly Japanese experience — which takes place at a 10-seat sushi counter and involves Japanese seafood like ice fish and sea cucumber — has quickly ensconced itself as one of the city’s most traditional Japanese experiences, from its minimalist aesthetic to its standout menu. Compared to the sushi Nakajima served during his previous tenure at Sushiden, Nakaji is a step up in price and quality, currently running $265 for a menu that includes tsumami, a hot plated dish, 12 nigiri bites, soup, and seasonal Japanese fruit. The uni omakase, which includes a 3-course uni tasting, runs $295.

The cozy, minimalist-designed Okozushi, which counts fewer than 10 seats and doesn’t accept reservations, serves set sushi menus, in addition to hand rolls, chirashi bowls, and some hot dishes. The sushi style here takes inspiration from Kyoto, where sushi is typically cured and pressed. Score set menus of nigiri, sashimi, and rolls priced between $24 and $29.

Longtime Ginza Onodera chef Kazushige Suzuki now helms the minimalist-designed oak sushi counter ($400) within the dual-concepted Icca, which also counts a front dining and drinking bar where chef Hisanori Yamamoto serves a six-course Japanese-Italian tasting menu ($153). Tucked away behind a sliding door at the restaurant’s rear is where Suzuki presides, in front of six seats, and it’s here that guests embark on a somewhat traditional sushi omakase –– rife with pristine seafood flown in daily from fish markets in Tokyo and Fukuoka –– that weaves in subtle Italian touches. Take, for example, Suzuki’s Hokkaido hairy crab course, in which the crab’s fine meat is carefully piled upon a bed of capellini pasta sitting in a vibrant green sauce made from chrysanthemum. A 10-course nigiri series commences with a pressed bite combining rice and abalone liver, before moving into expertly-prepared, umami-rich seasonal fish, like nodoguro and madai. Pro Tip: Icca has curated one of the city’s most compelling sake lists, securing rare bottles not to be found elsewhere in the city.

As far as Brooklyn sushi goes, Katsuei is the top option. It’s beloved by locals, and a review in the Times established its destination status. In fact, after its Brooklyn debut in 2014, the team launched a West Village outlet three years later. Both locations serve some of the highest quality, most affordable sushi in New York. At the moment, the Brooklyn location’s sushi bar is closed (but the $57-$125 omakases are offered at tables), but the West Village counter is up and running, offering a sushi-only omakase for $65, a sushi and sashimi mix for $95, or a seasonal chef’s choice omakase for $135.