10 Essential Omakase Experiences in NYC

In NYC, sushi seems to be approaching pizza in terms of availability. You can eat well for less than $10 at some takeout spots, while trendier locations approach the cost of airfare. Then there’s omakase, a set-price, multi-course (usually 12 or more) experience that translates to “I leave it up to you.” This is the best way to sample a little bit of everything, albeit at what for most leans towards special-occasion prices. Options under $100 do exist, but the norm is more in the $200 range. For that, you get to sit across from the chef and have a personal experience not otherwise possible in a traditional sushi bar.

Fish selections change, but you’ll know where everything came from and why that’s the chef’s origin of choice. While the majority of NYC omakase experiences must be enjoyed below Central Park, there are a few notable options in Bayside, Greenpoint and on the Upper East Side.

Here are 10 essential omakase experiences in NYC.

11 Tigers

This Alphabet City Japanese-Thai speakeasy started its Tiger Roar omakase experience in 2023. There are 11- and 14-course options, with the latter being the better value. For an extra $18, you’ll get two sake pairings and dessert. The eight omakase seats are at the bar, so you won’t be far from the flaming cocktails 11 Tigers is known for. The most decadent course has fatty tuna, caviar and a gold flake stacked on Japanese rice, in that order. If you like salty and sour, there’s a Surat Thani oyster filled with a generous scoop of salmon roe soaking in seafood sauce.

Three 90-minute seatings are available Monday through Wednesday starting at 5:30 p.m. Bookings can be made via Resy.

Bar Miller

While the majority of restaurants with omakase experiences boast about having scallops flown in from Hokkaido and tuna from Spain, Bar Miller keeps it as local as possible. The rice comes from a small Upstate town less than 100 miles from Alphabet City. The 15-course dinner is informal for omakase, with Chef James Dumapit bantering with patrons while preparing and describing courses like Arctic char and fatty tuna from New Jersey garnished with kimchi. The last two courses are always sweet. Past examples have included maple ice cream with a row of caviar right down the middle of the bowl.

Seatings are at 6 and 8:30 in the evening and can be booked via Tock.

Coral Omakase at Point Seven

The 17-course Coral Omakase at Point Seven experience starts with small plates before the nigiri flows. Chef Robby Cook has a buyer at Tokyo’s famous Toyosu Market, where most of the fish comes from. Fatty tuna is one of the more popular nigiri courses. You can also expect high-end garnishes like caviar and black truffle. Unlike most NYC omakase experiences, the desserts seem to be given just as much thought as the savory courses.

Curated beverage pairings by Wine Director Luke Boland start at $180 in addition to $275 for the omakase. They include a mix of wine and sake. Coral Omakase reservations can be made Monday to Friday via OpenTable. Bento by .7 is Chef Robby’s takeout counter, also inside the MetLife Building.

200 Park Ave (MetLife Building)

Hōseki

Tucked away in a corner of Saks Fifth Avenue’s basement, Hōseki is open for one-hour seatings from noon to 4 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday. At $95, this is one of the few NYC omakase options that starts at under $100.

The nigiri are served in quick succession atop large emerald green hand-blown glass platforms made by Chef Morgan Adamson’s grandfather. They match the space’s color scheme and make each cut of fish resting over white rice seem even more delicate. Nigiri are topped with different salts, ranging from plum to ghost pepper. Each does its part to enhance the flavor. Nigiri make up the majority of the 11 courses, with a soup at the beginning and hand roll at the end. Diners are also given an engraved matcha chocolate to finish.

You can book one or more of the six counter seats via Resy.

611 5th Ave (inside Saks Fifth Avenue)

Momoya SoHo

Momoya’s standard omakase is $150 per person, with the option to upgrade to Kiwami for another $60. You’ll get at least a dozen pieces of sushi with Yukiwakamaru rice from Japan’s Yamagata Prefecture. Highlights can include Japanese sea bass from Nagasaki and sea scallops from Hokkaido. The buttery medium-fat tuna covers the white rice like a blanket in winter, while the nori that holds the hand rolls together is as crispy as a seaweed snack.

Momoya SoHo doesn’t stop at traditional fish omakase either. If you are in the mood for something sweet, Momoya does a seasonal parfait that changes every quarter. These are about as Instagrammable as a dessert gets: Parfaits are served in a wine glass with an inner and outer layer and as many ingredients as the omakase. Chef Norie Uematsu even offers a dessert omakase on select Mondays with a minimum of five courses.

Noz Market

Located on the Upper East Side, Noz Market has fish flown in twice a week from Japan’s Toyosu Market. Chefs in plain white robes serve nigiri followed by a hand roll, while drink servers wear traditional Japanese kimonos. The baby shrimp course is one of the more interesting ones, as the chefs pack 40 baby shrimp atop rice from Japan’s Ibaraki Prefecture. If you dine here during mango season, you might be fortunate enough to end your omakase experience with Miyazaki mangoes so sweet that you’ll question whether or not the world’s best mangoes really come from the Philippines.

The omakase counter has seatings up until 9:30 p.m. seven days a week, with lunch slots available Friday through Sunday. Lunch is $95, while dinner is $185, with a $95 vegetarian option. Reservations can be made via Tock.

Omakase Room by Mitsu

Chef Mitsunori Isoda has an unparalleled reverence for the fish he serves. This restaurant’s $220 omakase experience feels the most Japanese of any in New York thanks to the namesake and Osaka native’s serious tone and insistence on rice from Hokkaido and fish from Japan (except for some tuna, which comes from Spain). Chopsticks are provided, but Mitsu strongly recommends eating with your hands. White fish from Japan (which Mitsu claims is the world’s best) makes up more than half the 14 courses, with delicate eel from Nagasaki and a Hokkaido sea scallop topped with sea salt and yuzu zest among the more memorable.

Omakase Room by Mitsu has three two-hour seatings from Wednesday to Saturday, starting at 5:00 p.m. There are also 6:00 and 8:00 seatings on Tuesdays.

14 Christopher St (Lower Level)

Restaurant Yuu

If you think the best NYC omakase experiences are all in Manhattan, you haven’t been to Greenpoint’s Restaurant Yuu. Named after Osaka-born Chef Yuu Shimano, this Michelin-starred restaurant mixes Japanese tradition with French sophistication. There’s a theatrical vibe in the air as the lights dim and the curtains rise. You then get to watch the whole team prepare 15-plus courses with top-of-the-line ingredients, including abalone, smoked Arctic char and caviar. In addition to the focus on entertainment, the experience also stands out thanks to the mixing in of A5 wagyu and dry-aged duck, which is part of Chef Yuu’s signature Duck en Croute.

The standard tasting menu and vegetarian options are $250. Reservations can be made on Tock.

Sushi by Boū

With four Manhattan locations and one deep into Queens, Sushi by Boū is the most fun and accessible omakase experience in NYC. At most locations, 30-minute experiences start at 5 p.m. and are available every 45 minutes until 11. Each location has a different theme; while NoMad is all hip-hop, the Flatiron location will give you disco fever, from the Studio 54 music to the shiny disco balls that hang above the bar.

The classic 12-course experience is $60 and takes 30 minutes, making it an ideal nightcap. You have the option to upgrade or add a la carte items after. Many patrons do this, or they ask for another Wagyuni, which combines the richness of wagyu beef with the custard-like texture of uni.

The Times Square location also has lunch seatings. Reservations for all locations can be made on OpenTable.

Sushi Suite 1001

When it comes to NYC omakase experiences, this is about as intimate as it gets. The name Sushi Suite 1001 refers to the fact that you’ll be occupying one of four seats inside room 1001 at Hotel 32|32. It’s hard to top an experience where you get your keycard at the front desk and take a small elevator up to a suite, where a sushi chef is waiting behind the counter, and there’s a bar on the patio where you can hang out before or after. The only other team member in the dining room is the one serving your drinks.

The nigiri make up most of the courses and have Suite 1001’s signature two-to-one fish-to-rice ratio. Fatty tuna, citrusy scallop and rich uni are all hits here. But a popular B-side is the striped jack topped with the perfect amount of the chef’s secret salt.

Seatings are available Wednesday to Sunday, every 75 minutes between 5 and 10 p.m. You can book on Bucket Listers.

32 E 32nd St (inside Hotel 32|32)