(212) 228-4181

136 W Houston St
New York, NY 10012 40.728 -74.0016

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Neighborhoods: SoHo, Downtown

Price:

$$$

Last updated 8.16.11

Category:

Restaurants

Payment Methods:

American Express, Visa, Discover, MasterCard

Cuisine:

Japanese, Sushi

Notable Chef:

Hideo Kuribara

Smoking Permitted:

no

Editor's Tips

What People Are Saying About Ushiwakamaru

Featured Review

Kathleen Squires

Contributor

The Scene – Behind a modest storefront, a pleasant, green-tea colored room awaits downstairs. Japanese devotees crowd the long bar and the spill-over diners are relegated to a handful of tables. Kimono-clad servers add nice details like a choice of cups for sake. – – The Food – Chef Hideo Kuribara, a three-time National Sushi Society gold medalist, presents superior fare. Delicate baby squid sashimi swims in a fruity, fiery mustard-miso sauce, green tea-infused tofu is a dense, creamy luxury. Tiny enoki mushrooms add a taste of the earth to sake-marinated scallops,…

Editor's Tips

Look Good:
Experience chef Kuribara's omakase (tasting menu) at $70 or $100. The generous, high-quality feast is well worth the money.
ambiance
100.0% positive
  1. “The wait staff is for the most part friendly and the atmosphere is fun!”
drinks
100.0% positive
  1. “Anyhow, there were a lot of Japanese people seated at the bar, eating & chatting up the chefs, surely that's a good sign of authentic sushi.”
  2. “He prepares the most authentic dishes, I guess that's why the bar is usually filled with Japanese.”
food quality
100.0% positive
  1. “would say Ushi Wakamaru is one of the best sushi restaurant in NYC.”
  2. “Quality sushi and great service at mid-market prices”
  3. “The sushi here is amazing!”
  4. “The fish is fresh and delicious.”
  5. “This restaurant has the most authentic sushi and sashimi I've tasted outside Japan.”
  6. “higly recommend this authentic sushi restaurant to whom looking for traditional sushi.”
  7. “Come here if you have a genuine passion for Japanese Authentic cuisine.”
  8. “He prepares the most authentic dishes, I guess that's why the bar is usually filled with Japanese.”
  9. “The sushi and sashimi here are excellent, and I have also had a number of very good to excellent cooked dishes.”
  10. “Fishes were very fresh, and especially sushi rice was awesome.”
  11. “everything is consistently delicious and there's lots of veggie options.”
  12. “Authentic sushi”
  13. “ate here with 2 friends and we all loved our sushi & sashimi.”
  14. “The best sushi in town”
  15. “This sushi chef became famous in Cliffside Park, NJ and moved up by getting to open his place in NYC.”
  16. “If you want to enjoy authentic sushi, this is the place.”
  17. “Anyhow, there were a lot of Japanese people seated at the bar, eating & chatting up the chefs, surely that's a good sign of authentic sushi.”
  18. “amazing food”
  19. “The sushi was superb - only Sushi Yasuda has matched it for quality in the sushi places I've visited in NYC.”
  20. “I've been here twice and both times the food was amazing!”
  21. “Their omakase tasting course is amazing and perfect for those who are interested in trying a series of seafood appetizers.”
  22. “The quality of the fish and the variety is superb.”
menu variety
100.0% positive
  1. “The quality of the fish and the variety is superb.”
  2. “everything is consistently delicious and there's lots of veggie options.”
overall
75.0% positive
  1. “would say Ushi Wakamaru is one of the best sushi restaurant in NYC.”
  2. “Waitresses were in kimono-styled uniform and look nice but they didn't seem to be good enough to work at this kind of expensive place.”
service
100.0% positive
  1. “Owner Sushi chef was friendly, and people who working there were very nice.”
  2. “The wait staff is for the most part friendly and the atmosphere is fun!”
  3. “Anyhow, there were a lot of Japanese people seated at the bar, eating & chatting up the chefs, surely that's a good sign of authentic sushi.”
  4. “Quality sushi and great service at mid-market prices”
value
75.0% positive
  1. “Quality sushi and great service at mid-market prices”
  2. “Waitresses were in kimono-styled uniform and look nice but they didn't seem to be good enough to work at this kind of expensive place.”
5 Star Rating: Highly Recommended

03/20/12

I Like this Better than Masa

by Chubby Restaurant Goer

Well not quite, but definitely better value. Masa serves very expensive ingredients like truffles and caviar but still doesn't really justify price.

This is the only restaurant other than Masa that actually serves real omakase style which is individually, piece by piece. The only way to enjoy sushi or sashimi in my opinion.

I like to avoid the fake omakase sushi places where they serve it all in one plate.

The toro is to die for. The fish eggs definitely recommended. My favorite is the sea urchin.

5 Star Rating: Highly Recommended

12/16/10

Best Sushi I Ever Had! Metls in mouth...

by gahlawat

everything is superlicious! call before if you like beef sushi.. they are gone fast!

shila abi and ikura are my favorites. chef Hideson rules!

ps: probably misspelled

4 Star Rating: Recommended

05/08/09

amazing food

by barrrr

I've been here twice and both times the food was amazing! everything is consistently delicious and there's lots of veggie options. The wait staff is for the most part friendly and the atmosphere is fun!

  • Pros: staff,food
5 Star Rating: Highly Recommended

10/18/08

Outstanding

by racheloves2eatout

Just sit at the bar and trust the chefs to surprise you with anything they recommend. If you are an open minded sushi eater you will not be disappointed. (this doesn't apply to california roll customers). Simply the best, I have never had a bad experience. Oh and of course, prepare to pay for it. Don't worry, it is worth it.

  • Pros: fresh, great variety, excellent sake selection, nice neighborhood feel, Mr. Kuribara - my favorite sushi chef (and owner)
  • Cons: no cons whatsover
5 Star Rating: Highly Recommended

06/15/08

Quality sushi and great service at mid-market prices

by Terrapolitan

I'd walked past the restaurant several times and noticed that it was always full of Japanese diners. So when Blue Ribbon Sushi told me I'd have to wait more than an hour, I decided that I'd give Ushiwakamaru a try.

The sushi was superb - only Sushi Yasuda has matched it for quality in the sushi places I've visited in NYC.

Furthermore, the service was top notch - run by Japanese for Japanese which shows in the quality.

The final bill was very reasonable. It was a touch higher than I had expected, but only because I decided to have a second round of sushi even though I was full - that's how good it was. Cheaper than Blue Ribbon, better service but slightly less hip perhaps.

My new regular sushi place in Soho.

  • Pros: Quality of food and service; reasonable price
  • Cons: None really - perhaps less trendy than competing restaurants but superior on quality (and price)

The Details on Ushiwakamaru

Place Categories:

  • authentic sushi
  • authentic sushi restaurant
  • authentic sashimi
  • amazing course
  • famous owner sushi chef
  • authentic dishes
  • delicious fish
  • never bad dinner experience
  • amazing food
  • great hideo
  • bad music
  • fun atmosphere
  • great service
  • very nice people
  • like tomoe
  • authentic cuisine
  • very reasonable final bill
  • expensive place
  • excellent cooked
  • superb quality
  • very fresh fishes
  • nice waitresses
  • awesome sushi rice
  • consistently delicious everything
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