Fried Sardine Fish Cakes is a delicacy in Chef Suzuki’s home prefecture, Shizuoka. You will never find this dish at any other place in New York. Sushi You 100 Stanton St., (bet. Ludlow & Orchard Sts.), New York, NY 10002 246 E. 51st St., (bet. 2nd & 3rd Aves.), New York, NY 10022 TEL: 212-752-2987 www.sushi-you.com Tue-Fri: 12pm-1:30pm, 6-10pm, Sat: 6-10pm Japan recently experienced a transition from the Heisei to the Reiwa era, but there is a place in Midtown where you can be immersed in the even older Showa era (1926-1989). This is Sushi You, a restaurant run by Shizuoka-born c ..read more

All kakigōri come in three sizes: small, medium and large. Pictured is LES Black and White Cookie in large. It’s a mountainous, chocolaty dessert perfect for sharing. Bonsai Kakigōri 100 Stanton St., (bet. Ludlow & Orchard Sts.), New York, NY 10002 www.bonsaikakigori.com IG FB Mon-Thu & Sun: 9am-10pm, Fri & Sat: 9am-Midnight The Lower East Side has just become sweeter with Bonsai Kakigōri opening their first brick-and-mortar location in April. Revolving around kakigōri, a traditional Japanese dessert assembled with finely shaved ice, flavorful sauces and toppings, the dessert b ..read more

Currently served as a Special Menu item, the Mushroom Cream Udon features creamy sauce with an earthy mushroom flavor and smoky aroma. It can be enjoyed like a pasta dish. Gohei 934 3rd Ave., (bet. 35th & 36th Sts.), Brooklyn, NY 11232 www.japanvillage.com Mon-Thu: 12pm-8pm, Fri & Sat: 12pm-9pm, Sun: 12pm-7pm Tucked in the food hall in Japan Village in Brooklyn’s Industry City, Gohei serves two Japanese native noodles, soba and udon, crafted in-house. Gohei’s soba is made with a blend of three types of flours; finely-milled buckwheat flour, coarsely-milled buckwheat flour, and whea ..read more

Sobaya East Village 229 E. 9th St., (bet. 2nd & 3rd Aves.), New York, NY 10003 TEL: 212-533-6966 www.sobaya-nyc.com IG FB Crafted in-house every day, Sobaya serves the freshest soba noodles as possible. They use buckwheat flour grown in Azumino in Nagano Prefecture, mecca of soba production. Enjoy the authentic flavor with crunchy tempura featuring shrimp, shiso and shishito pepper. Luscious Thai Upper East Side 1099 1st Ave., (bet. 60th & 61st Sts.), New York, NY 10065 TEL: 212-813-1188 lusciousthaifood.com IG FB Luscious Thai is beloved for their most authentic flavors procure ..read more

TakuMen 5-50 50th Ave., (at Vernon Blvd.), Long Island City, NY 11101 TEL: 718-361-7973 www.takumenlic.com Mon-Fri: 8 am-10 pm, Sat & Sun: 10 am-10 pm (Lunch:12 pm-3pm, Dinner: 5-10 pm) IG Hawaiian Tuna Poke Big Rice Bowl features lightly soy-marinated yellowfin tuna chunks over 17-grain rice served with a variety of vegetable salads.   “Many people mistake our restaurant for a ramen shop because TakuMen has ‘men’ in it, but we are actually an izakaya/café,” says Owner/Executive Chef Kiyo. This LIC spot was picked by Kiyo to create a family-friendly community for locals and visitors ..read more

MORI 351 5th Ave., (bet. 4th & 5th Sts.), Brooklyn, NY 11215 TEL: 347-799-1175 www.mori-nyc.com IG FB TW Mon-Thu: 11 am-10 pm, Fri & Sat: 11 am-11 pm, Sun: 11 am-10 pm MORI’s Ikura/Uni Don boasts generous portions of ocean jewels over sushi rice. It’s served with homemade rice cracker, nori seaweed, and ponzu to your taste.   New York witnesses Asian food thriving more than ever. Now Brooklyn has its own hot spot with a new genre of Asian food: Izakaya (Japanese gastro pub) food prepared with a French flair. MORI is a new-comer to the Park Slope restaurant row on 5th Avenue, and ..read more

Ikinari Steak Midtown West 37 W. 46th St., (bet. 5th & 6th Aves.), New York, NY 10036 TEL: 917-409-5783 www.ikinaristeakusa.com IG FB TW   Japan’s popular steak restaurant, Ikinari Steak serves cut-to-order, certified Angus beef steak. Their beef is wet-aged for at least 40 days, so it’s tender and juicy as it’s sizzling on a cast-iron platter. Season with the original Ikinari sauce and cut into the aromatic ribeye. Niche Lower East Side 172 Delancey St., (bet. Attorney & Clinton Sts.), New York, NY 10002 www.nakamuranyc.com/niche IG Niche is NY’s very first mazemen (saucy ..read more

Sushi Uesugi 934 3rd Ave., (bet. 35th & 36th Sts.), Brooklyn, NY 11232 www.japanvillage.com Mon-Thu: 12 pm-2:30 pm, 4:30-8 pm, Fri & Sat: 12 pm-9 pm, Sun: 12 pm-7 pm Customers can enjoy highly seasonal delicacies from Japan, like hotaruika (firefly squid) for winter. (right) It’s not seafood, but wagyu beef is also a popular sushi item. (left)   Last December saw the opening of Sushi Uesugi inside Japan Village in Industry City, Brooklyn. Chef Koichi Sugimoto is at the helm of this cozy, counter-only restaurant, and he enjoys being able to watch over all of his customers and int ..read more

Soba Totto Midtown East 211 E. 43rd St., (bet. 2nd & 3rd Aves.), New York, NY 10017 TEL: 212-557-8200 | www.sobatotto.com | Instagram FB After numerous requests, Soba Totto’s Uni Soba returns to their popular menu. With house-made, aromatic dipping broth, topped over a bed of cold soba noodles are excellently sourced uni, harvested from the best of locations only in-season. Curry-Ya Midtown West 746 9th Ave., (bet. 50th & 51st Sts.), New York, NY 10019 TEL: 646-998-4810 | www.nycurry-ya.com | Instagram Inspired by curry served at the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo, Curry-Ya’s Jap ..read more

Ramen Setagaya at Japan Village 934 3rd Ave., (at 35th St.), Brooklyn, NY 11232 Mon-Thu: 11:30 am-7:30 pm, Fri-Sun: 11:30 am-8:30 pm   Once digging in to Mt. Fuji Ramen, umami from the double cheeses, one in the broth and the other on top, spreads in your mouth. Ramen Setagaya has been one of New Yorkers’ favorite ramen joints since its opening in the East Village about a decade ago. Their latest location located inside a food hall in the newly opened Japan Village is “busy all day long” according to Mr. Takayoshi Seno, COO of SETAGAYA USA INC. Setagaya’s signature is Tonkotsu Ramen boasting ..read more