There are three omakase options at Uogashi, whose original East Village location burned to the ground in October 2018 and quietly reopened in a new Theater District location in 2019. The restaurant is owned by a Japanese conglomerate that also includes a fish supplier in its holding, which is what allows Uogashi to serve quite high quality fish at a relatively low price point. While the new location isn’t anything fancy decor-wise, the sushi selection makes up for it. Choose from a $95, $135, or $175 omakase; a reservation is required for the last offering. 

The quality and craftsmanship of the omakase at the intimate, fairly upscale Kakurega in Flushing is on par with that offered by well-known Manhattan restaurants. Kakurega’s omakase offers three price points: $98 for 14 courses, including four appetizers, eight pieces of sushi, miso soup, and a dessert; $138 for 17 courses, including five appetizers, nine pieces of sushi, a handroll, miso soup, and a dessert; and $168 for 16 courses, including six appetizers, eight premium pieces of sushi, miso soup and a dessert. There are two seatings nightly, at 6:30 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. The sushi bar seats 13, and there are also three small tables with four seats each and two larger tables with eight seats each.

This restaurant with two Midtown East locations has been serving sushi and sashimi since 1976. At least 25 percent of the fish is flown in twice a week from Tokyo’s fish markets, and local stock is delivered daily. There are two nigiri omakase choices: $100 for 16 pieces and $120 for 18 pieces.

This new 12-seat spot offers a $65 omakase with 12 courses, including two appetizers and 10 pieces of chef’s choice nigiri. Ingredients come from sea markets in Japan, and diners can expect uni, wagyu, foie gras, several types of toro, and more during the omakase. At the end of the meal, those who want more may add items on an a la carte basis. Those who’d prefer a sweet finish to their meal can also choose from a variety of mochi flavors, including matcha, salted caramel, and vanilla chip.

There are three omakase options at this former izakaya in the Flatiron district. Led by Kazunobu Taguchi, an experienced chef who has worked in both the U.S. and Japan, this small restaurant serves high-quality sushi with a side of education: The menu includes information about the fish’s sourcing. Notably, it uses red vinegar (akazu), which many consider to be the vinegar of choice for traditional Edomae sushi, for its sushi rice. The lite omakase option ($48) includes seven pieces of sushi and one hand roll, while the regular $60 option includes 11 pieces of sushi and a hand roll. Finally, the largest, the Teisui omakase ($85), includes 16 pieces of sushi and a hand roll. There are also kosher options at the same price points.

Sugarfish by Sushi Nozawa is an LA-based chain with two New York City locations (Flatiron and Soho) that serves traditional sushi styled by esteemed chef Kazunori Nozawa. The restaurant’s formula is simple: There are four sets of “Trust Me” menus, each of which starts with edamame and a small cup of tuna sashimi, followed by sushi and hand rolls. Options range from the smallest Trust Me Lite ($23), which includes four pieces of nigiri and a hand roll, to the Don’t Think. Just Trust Me ($63), which comes with two pieces of sashimi, 12 pieces of nigiri, and two hand rolls. Warning: The wait time for walk-ins can be long.

Sushi by Bae is a six-seat counter that originally started as a sister pop-up to Sushi by Bou in 2017. The omakase costs $125, and there are three seatings each evening (6:00 p.m., 7:30 p.m, and 9:00 p.m.). Come here for an accessible, casual vibe that seeks to make omakase accessible. Owner Oona Tempest — a U.S.-trained chef who stands out as a woman in a world that’s dominated by Japanese chefs who trained in Japan — is chatty and more than happy to answer highly technical questions about the service.

This 14-seat BYOB spot in the West Village sources its fish from Tokyo’s world-renowned fish vendors in Sakasyu. Selections fly into New York three times a week for the restaurant’s Edomae-style sushi, employing traditional techniques such as aging, konbu-jime (a technique used for briefly curing fish between two slices of kombu seaweed and refrigerating), and occasional charcoal grilling and smoking. Its 17-piece omakase is $125, and the meal lasts 75 minutes.

This casual East Village institution, which seats 10 people at the counter for omakase and another 30 or so in the dining room, has been around since 1984. It offers three sushi omakase options: a $60 “traditional” option with nine pieces of sushi and one roll in its classic style, a $80 “special” option with 12 pieces of seasonal fish sushi and one roll, and a $110 “premium” option incorporating wagyu and truffle with 12 pieces of sushi and one roll. It also offers two sashimi omakases — a $65 deluxe sashimi and a $140 premium sashimi for two — as well as combination options, including a $150 sushi and sashimi for two.

This is unfussy yet intimate spot offers chef Tim Lin’s playful take on the omakase experience. It focuses on unique flavor profiles and unexpected combinations such as the Big Mac (an $18 extravaganza with chopped toro, seared toro, wagyu, and two types of uni stacked inside a piece of seaweed). Choose from two omakase choices: a $50 option (12 pieces) and a $95 option (19 pieces). A la carte pieces, which range in price from about $8 to $20, can also be added. Menus change on a weekly basis based on fish availability, but can be reliably counted on to offer things like hamachi, tuna, uni and toro. Each omakase seating is capped at 12 seats per session.

There are four omakase choices at this East Village serving a modern take on omakase. The smallest starts at $65 for 12 pieces of chef’s choice sushi. Choices then go up to $75 for the Dojo omakase (eight premium sushi and a king salmon hand roll), $95 for 15 pieces of chef’s choice sushi and a hand roll, and $125 for the chef’s choice of sushi and sashimi. Unlike more traditional omakase places, Sushi Dojo incorporates nontraditional elements such as foie gras, gold leaf, and truffle into some of its offerings. The ambiance — which resembles that of a house party more than that of a traditional, somber sushi joint — is more laid back and relaxed than that of many other places with comparable omakases in the city. Note: The $65 and $75 omakase choices aren’t available at the sushi counter.

Sushi Yashin is a low-key, 20-seat spot that offers a 12-piece omakase for $85, and some weeks, this is reduced to a 10-piece omakase for $78. There is also a market price open-style omakase, where the price varies depending on the number of courses ordered by the customer; generally people order about 12 pieces for $85. Reservations are required for all omakases because they aren’t available every day, so plan accordingly.

Sushi Katsuei’s under 50-seat original Park Slope location is a neighborhood favorite that opened in 2014 and spearheaded the elevation of sushi in Brooklyn. Prior to Sushi Katsuei’s opening, few — if any — Brooklyn sushi bars could credible claim to rise above neighborhood stalwart status. Sushi Katsuei’s reasonably priced menu offers a $52 omakase with nine pieces of nigiri. Its newer West Village location is a touch pricier at $60 for the omakase experience, but it includes a toro scallion hand roll in addition to the nine pieces of nigiri. Both locations serve Edomae sushi with a modern twist, and much of the fish served at Sushi Katsuei is flown in from the famed Tsukiji fish market in Tokyo.