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- Neighborhoods:
- Midtown East, Midtown, Midtown East (Turtle Bay)
At a Glance
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100% ambiance
“Nice decor, good service, chef is a bit arrogant but he certainly knows what he is doing.”
100% dessert
“For desert I had the green tea ice cream, again the best ever.”
100% drinks
“If you are alone or with one other person, I strongly recommend you sit at the sushi bar in front of Yasuda himself and order the omikase, were the selection of fish is left up to the chef (you should reserve and ask to be seated in front of him).”
88% food quality
“Too bad since we tell all our friends-- great sushi, terrible attitude.”
100% menu variety
“Theres a $21 prix fixe menu so that was really good.”
92% overall
“Admittedly, this is not the place for gigantic pieces of fish overflowing the plate (and thank goodness, in my opinion) but for simple, elegant sushi there is no better place in New York or anywhere in the US.”
66% return potential
“was there for a business meeting and had such a bad reception by the Maitre D and his assistant who was there to "greet" guests that I will never return again.”
61% service
“Although the manager was a little rude, I had an overall great experience here.”
66% value
“The sushi was fresh, portions small and the slew of wait staff, while much better than maitre d, did constantly interrupt the flow of conversation as other reviewers commented.”
75% wait time
“So when I got a check for $500 (including tip) I was thinking "jeez did we pig out on the toro" - no, we did have some good stuff including a couple of toro, house saki for two and we ate a generous amount in the 75 mins we were there, but the place has p”
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Sushi Yasuda Ltd
What Our Expert Scouts Say
December 14, 2012
As I always warn when writing up a sushi restaurant here, ignore all the negative reviews. An overwhelming majority of diners know nothing about sushi, and are conditioned by strip mall restaurants. Sushi Yasuda is one of the best sushi restaurants in America. Pure, stripped-down, expensive, and not disposed to currying favor with dragon roll-loving yahoos, you go there, put yourself in their hands, and say thank you afterwards.
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October 19, 2012
Love this sushi spot; beautiful room with increibly fresh and well sliced fish: uni, toro and the fresh water eel were amazing!
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Tips for Sushi Yasuda Ltd
February 28, 2009
Great sushi from a great sushi chef!. My girlfriend and I had the omakase and sat in front of Mr. Yasuda at the sushi bar. It was a great experience. A few tips: 1. the food: the uni is a must have! I am also a big fan of hamachi and Mr. Yasuda served us 4 different types! The king salmon from Alaska was phenomenal and I don't typically rave about salmon. We had chu-toro instead of otoro and it was good but nothing to write home about. 2. have the nigiri instead of sashimi because the rice is very good (mr. yasuda told us he is a rice man.. haha!) 3. definitely request the sushi bar preferably in front of Mr. Yasuda, if you can't get the sushi bar, find another time to go. (I have not experienced the tables but based on previous reviews and what my friends tell me, it's not the same) 4. If you're the type of person who equates sushi to inventive rolls, this is not your place. There's no fancy schmancy rolls with lot's of sauce to cover up the taste of the fish. With that in mind, you will enjoy this place if you like a sushi chef who pays special attention to your palate and is extremely humble despite his popularity. Eating in front of Mr. Yasuda made the experience worthwhile. He even found time to joke about the sushi union in Japan. The bill was very reasonable for what we got. It came out to $200 for the two of us before tip and included a sake, two beers, and one dessert!
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February 12, 2009
Best sushi in NY. If you have a conservative sushi palate... then leave that at home. This is sushi place to try all different types of fishes you didn't even know existed. The chefs are extremely cordial.
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February 03, 2009
one of my best birthday dinners ever. I went to Sushi Yasuda for a birthday party last December. I am Asian and have dined on sushi numerous times, but never before did I understand the expression "the sushi just melts in your mouth." A friend of mine had brought a store-bought cake, and Sushi Yasuda did not have any problem storing the cake in their fridge and bringing it out after dinner. Candles all lit, and with beautiful plates! They did not charge a "cake fee" either - which I have seen charged at some other establishments (similar to "corkage fee" I suppose). It was one of my best birthday dinners ever. Highly recommended.
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December 09, 2008
Best Suhi in NYC. I have been to some of the best sushi restaurants around the globe and I have yet to find one with better service, quality, and style. Sit at the bar and allow their pride to shine as they serve some of the best, freshest fish you ever had. Fresh REAL wasabi is just icing on the cake. The fish is served at a perfect temperature and the perfectly balanced flavors explode in your mouth. Better than authentic Japan! Enjoy!
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October 16, 2008
BAD IDEA.
Food was not good. NOT FRESH, NOT ORIGINAL and NOT ENOUGH VARIETY.
Staffs are very unprofessional. Overall I was very disapointed.
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September 22, 2008
I expected more. What is so great about this restaurant? Given the hard to make reservation and pricy menu, I was expecting a MASA type food quality and professional services. But was I wrong. Service was not bad but the staffs definitely aren't professional. Waiters were literally running around, which is very distracting, and they all look stressed out. For a restaurant that only serves rolls and raw fishes you would think freshness is all they focus on. Not only was the sashimi not fresh but the rolls fell apart when served. I think this restaurant is a tourist trap. There are way better and cheaper japanese restaurants in NYC than this place.
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September 10, 2008
great sushi, fresh fish. Can't get away with $100 if looking for a full meal. But I keep coming back because the food is just so great. Reservation is a must. They have the best ankimo (Monkfish liver) in town. Nice decor, good service, chef is a bit arrogant but he certainly knows what he is doing. I like the idea of serving the sushi on a leaf. Looks very organic.
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September 04, 2008
HORRIBLE SERVICE, ESPECIALLY MR. YASUDA HIMSELF. AWEFUL!.
DO NOT GO TO YASUDA!!! I sat at the counter in front of Mr. Yasuda himself. He has issues.
He was pretty "soup Natzi" from the get-go. He told us to eat the sushi within 5 seconds. I sort of like that professional attitude so, I obliged. Then I noticed he served pretty quickly so that I felt pressure to hurry and could not really relax and savor the food. Did the rapid turnover equate to more profits? However, I continued to keep up a good attitude given his reputation. Then it all went sour when my wife stopped by for a few minutes as a surprise to say hello to my friend who met me there. I gave her one piece of sushi so she could enjoy it too before having to scurry off. Mr. Yasuda then told us to leave, because I gave a piece of sushi to my wife who was standing.
I am Japanese and grew up in Japan, but I have never encountered such a rude sushi chef. I suppose success breeds hubris. It is so unfortunate when a chef takes himself so seriously that he forgets that the whole point is about the joy of eating.
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August 16, 2008
WARNING: DO NOT GO TO SUSHI YASUDA..
DO NOT GO TO SUSHI YASUDA. I experienced the worst service there. We were asked to leave before we could finish dessert because the manager and wait staff wanted to go home. Instead of serving dessert then asking us to leave, they should have just said it was too late to order dessert.
Also, the price for the quality of food was outrageous, not to mention service. I've had better sushi from wholefoods.
This is a warning to all. DO NOT GO TO SUSHI YASUDA.
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June 01, 2008
Over Hyped.
We, a group of experienced diners, went to Yasuda last night with high expectations. Our friends had raved about the quality of fish and the sheer joy of the Yasuda dining experience. We were advised to avoid the tables and sit at the bar. Because we were a party of four, we ignored this advice, and asked to be seated at a table.
We were impressed with the ambience-- cool and modern. The service was a bit in your face and bordering on arrogance. But we waited for the food. We ordered the omakase menu where the chef chooses for you. In chefs we trusted. The appetizers were superb, We liked the deep fried eel bones and the crab innards-- be warned that the portions are tiny.
In contrast to the delectable appetizers, the sushi and sashimi were disappointing. Given the hype we expected the fish to melt and for our palates to be excited like never before. The fish tasted metallic, stale, with a flavor akin to the sushi you get in cheap deli stores. The uni in particular was smelly and downright stale.
After dinner and a $500 bill (including beers and tip), we asked the golden question, "was the food so good that we'd come back". The consensus was a resounding no. We all agreed that neighborhood sushi joints, like Mishima on 30th and Lex, had better sushi.
Of course the Yasuda worshiper would say we should've sat at the bar. Our response is simply that the quality of food should not be conditional on where one is seated. We opine that Yasuda is capable of serving unparalleled sushi to "chosen" guests (all the more reason we feel cheated) and that most diners who rave about this place do so from a herd effect- you think it's good because everyone thinks it's good. We beg to differ.
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