15 East Restaurant

The Scene – This upscale Japanese restaurant fills the former space of its popular sister restaurant, Tocqueville, which moved down the block. A nine-chair sushi bar graces one side of the front room, and beyond lies a narrow, rectangular dining room that radiates minimalist cool, thanks to giant boxy lamps, dark slate floors and plush, armless chairs. The down-to-earth staff attends graciously to the splurging fish fanatics and neighborhood moneybags that fill the place. – – The Food – The menu splits into sushi, provided by a Jewel Bako alum, and modern Japanese…

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Editor's Tips

What to Drink:: The sake list is extensive--and expensive. The medium-priced, dry Kaumitsuru ($16) pares well with the fish dishes. Wine drinkers fare well with a glass of crisp Muscadet ($10).
Prix Fixe Menus:: There are a variety of prix fixe menus available, from a $55 omakase (chef's choice) sushi menu to a $120 seven-course tasting menu.
Lunch Spot:: A lunch deal includes three courses for $29.
The Extras:: Read up on Tocqueville.

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User Reviews (27)

ambiance	50.0% positive	“The food was incredible, the wine list was extensive, the service was amazing (my date dropped her knife and before we could even bend down to look, a waiter had picked it up and offered us a new one), and the atmosphere and location are great.” “Slightly above average food and decor destroyed by ridiculous prices & service”
drinks	57.14000225067139% positive	“My girl and I sat at the bar to get the full culinary experience.” “When you go, you must sit at the sushi bar and order the omakase!” “At the time, it sounded very odd, ambiguous, and like he was trying to get us to buy expensive drinks.” “And the wine list is decent--also rare for a sushi joint (although Megu's is very good).” “The food was incredible, the wine list was extensive, the service was amazing (my date dropped her knife and before we could even bend down to look, a waiter had picked it up and offered us a new one), and the atmosphere and location are great.” “sat at the sushi bar and thoroughly enjoyed the experience in the hands of extremely helpful servers and chef Masato Shimizu who was very” “Also, the staff tended to hover, which was uncomfortable (even more odd, they kept our beers and sake off to the side on a seperate counter, so you had to alert them every time you wanted a refill--we'd have drunk a lot more if we weren't captive to their”
food quality	78.75% positive	“The sushi was good but everything else was mediocre.” “We could order the sushi a la cart so long as we ordered the prix fixe.” “As good as the early days of Jewel Bako and probably some of the best fish we've ever eaten--and an entertainingly atypical selection too (at least 3 pieces I'd never had before).” “go tp a lot fo the high-end city sushi restaurants and this place was pretty mediocre.” “The sushi was absolutely awful.” “It's so difficult to find a dedicated staff, coupled with terrific food and a spot-on chef.” “Amazing food for a price” “Take your business where you can enjoy the food and be treated properly.” “Good sushi - not the best in the city but the quality was good enough considering the immediate seating.” “Now we both love seaweed salads, but this dish left us gagging.” “have not had such bad sushi rice in a sit-down restaurant, ever.” “Definitely some of the best sushi I've ever had.” “Our main entrees - wild salmon 5 ways - was also rather disgusting.” “This fish has never been my favourite, but this piece was amazing.” “Think simple, pure; and zero foofy sauces splashed around masking the elegant flavors of this fish.” “It's simply the best sushi I've had, and I've been to Nobu, Megu (full disclosure: I've yet to try Masa).” “And the wine list is decent--also rare for a sushi joint (although Megu's is very good).” “new to NY and wanted to try to best sushi it has to offer.” “The dipping sauce (ponzu, yuzu, and Japanese spice) was tasty.” “Slightly above average food and decor destroyed by ridiculous prices & service” “Without a doubt some of the best sushi I have had in the city.” “We did not order the tiny tofu and thought it was on the house.” “The sushi/sashimi was very fresh and tasty.” “Each piece was delicious and the service was extremely attentive.” “The kitchen puts out delicious food as well, it's just hard to manage to fit it in amid the delectable sushi, but one should at least on occasion.” “DON'T GO HERE, if you want good quality sushi, go to sushi Yasuda!” “Good sushi, but everything else was poor” “The food was incredible, the wine list was extensive, the service was amazing (my date dropped her knife and before we could even bend down to look, a waiter had picked it up and offered us a new one), and the atmosphere and location are great.” “love their sushi, but I'd never go back to 15East.” “sat at the sushi bar and thoroughly enjoyed the experience in the hands of extremely helpful servers and chef Masato Shimizu who was very” “The fish itself is good, but you can get the same fish at a market.” “When you go, you must sit at the sushi bar and order the omakase!” “otoro: I love the taste of this raw, unseasoned fish.” “For days I've been trying to put my finger on what it was about this meal that left me feeling less thrilled about it than I should be: Thing is, our omakase was brilliant, transcendant.” “All of the pieces were excellent, prepared in an innovative style and served the only way sushi should ever be - seasoned by the chef, no soy needed, pop it in your mouth with your hand and experience the amazing tastes and textures!” “But his omakase was great because he was never suprised at how big our appetites were, and kept going with the sushi without complaint or rushing us out (like at Yasuda, where you have 90 minutes & that's it, even if you still want more).” “The entire staff was very friendly and the sushi was fresh.” “At $50 per person for terrible and minimal amounts of food, lousy and obnoxious service, its not worth the bother!” “Shimizu-san is one of the most pleasant, friendly, and enthusiastic chefs in the business of displaying & showcasing his talent & selection of fish.” “And I wouldn't recommend this below-average sushi place, especially because they have deceptive billing.”
menu variety	100.0% positive	“Drink menu is decent, though as mentioned, the prices are quadrupled of the same alcohol you can buy at Astor Wines or the real Japanese joints in midtown or east village.” “As good as the early days of Jewel Bako and probably some of the best fish we've ever eaten--and an entertainingly atypical selection too (at least 3 pieces I'd never had before).” “The food was incredible, the wine list was extensive, the service was amazing (my date dropped her knife and before we could even bend down to look, a waiter had picked it up and offered us a new one), and the atmosphere and location are great.” “Shimizu-san is one of the most pleasant, friendly, and enthusiastic chefs in the business of displaying & showcasing his talent & selection of fish.” “They also had a nice variety of Sakes.”
overall	100.0% positive	“This is a good place to go when you don't have time to wait.”
return potential	100.0% positive	“love their sushi, but I'd never go back to 15East.”
service	65.78999996185303% positive	“The service was is the best I have ever had.” “Also, the staff tended to hover, which was uncomfortable (even more odd, they kept our beers and sake off to the side on a seperate counter, so you had to alert them every time you wanted a refill--we'd have drunk a lot more if we weren't captive to their” “As a result, service was very slow and unorganized and it was hard to get anyone's attention.” “At $50 per person for terrible and minimal amounts of food, lousy and obnoxious service, its not worth the bother!” “After we ordered, the waiter failed at his attempted at flattery by trying to utter "It's refreshing?” “extremely talented chef & polite & elegant staff” “Excellent quality, overattentive staff” “sat at the sushi bar and thoroughly enjoyed the experience in the hands of extremely helpful servers and chef Masato Shimizu who was very” “The service was impeccable, but not overtly intrusive.” “After wiping, I noticed that my hands smelled like shit, literally, so I asked the manager over and said "The towel smelled really bad" and waved my pooh hand at him.” “The service however is lacking - pushy and more specifically, while attention is nice, it is to the point that it is uncomfortable.” “The staff was friendly and courteous.” “The entire staff was very friendly and the sushi was fresh.” “Each piece was delicious and the service was extremely attentive.” “Slightly above average food and decor destroyed by ridiculous prices & service” “It's so difficult to find a dedicated staff, coupled with terrific food and a spot-on chef.” “Shimizu-san is one of the most pleasant, friendly, and enthusiastic chefs in the business of displaying & showcasing his talent & selection of fish.” “After we were seated, the manager gave warm towels for our hands.” “The food was incredible, the wine list was extensive, the service was amazing (my date dropped her knife and before we could even bend down to look, a waiter had picked it up and offered us a new one), and the atmosphere and location are great.”
value	37.5% positive	“Drink menu is decent, though as mentioned, the prices are quadrupled of the same alcohol you can buy at Astor Wines or the real Japanese joints in midtown or east village.” “Amazing food for a price” “At the time, it sounded very odd, ambiguous, and like he was trying to get us to buy expensive drinks.” “At $50 per person for terrible and minimal amounts of food, lousy and obnoxious service, its not worth the bother!” “Was management looking to embarrass the male in the group into paying for the expensive dinner?” “Slightly above average food and decor destroyed by ridiculous prices & service” “I've worked in a real Japanese restaurant in college & my parent afforded me to eat well growing up, so to be brutally honest, the chefs here are just plain bad, regarless of price.” “For the price, I would recommend Sushi Seki, Ushi Wakamuru, Yasuda, Gari, Soto, Blue Ribbon, Nobu, Bond Street and Sushi-Ann before wasting your money here”
wait time	50.0% positive	“as a result of these factors this place was pretty slow on a Friday night at 9PM.” “But his omakase was great because he was never suprised at how big our appetites were, and kept going with the sushi without complaint or rushing us out (like at Yasuda, where you have 90 minutes & that's it, even if you still want more).” “As a result, service was very slow and unorganized and it was hard to get anyone's attention.” “We could order the sushi a la cart so long as we ordered the prix fixe.”

01/20/11

Great by Japanese and American Standards

by KGirl1010

I came here with my mother and my Japanese friend.

We all loved it. I got avocado rolls and a sea-vegetable dish. The plum wine is delicious, too-- not to be missed.

My friend got some more classic Japanese dishes that she eats at home, and she deemed the restaurant really good.

If you are not an adventurous eater, I'd say stay away from 15 East because the food is definitely more particular, but it is great. The atmosphere is really nice, too.

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11/20/10

Alas Not What it Once Was

by Robert in the Village

Used to be a zen like heavely place, worth the high cost fro sensational foood. But the sushi quality dived and the noise level exploded. Now it is sushi samba at twice the price

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02/14/10

5 Star Deception

by wallystump

We visited 15 East for Valentine's Day. Prior to our arrival we received one email and one phone call confirming our reservation. Once at our table, the waiter took our drink order (though he didn't know that the restaurant only offered one kind of hot saki - we had to advise him) and subsequently our sushi order. Five minutes after ordering, the waiter returned to advise that the menu for the evening was prix fixe at $110 per person. We could order the sushi a la cart so long as we ordered the prix fixe. Needless to say we didn't stay. Apparently, this scam didn't work on two other couples as they departed when we did. Was management looking to embarrass the male in the group into paying for the expensive dinner? Perhaps, but it looks like they had a 20% failure rate.

We have eaten in many sushi restaurants around the city. We had heard that the quality at 15 East was great. Perhaps it is. But the business integrity isn't. Take your business where you can enjoy the food and be treated properly.

Pros: None
Cons: Looking to empty your wallet, not fill your stomach

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01/17/10

Good sushi, but everything else was poor

by jlubert

I go tp a lot fo the high-end city sushi restaurants and this place was pretty mediocre. The sushi was good but everything else was mediocre. Me and my wife ordered the chef's sushi and kitchen tasting menu and I would definitely avoid this. The hot meals lacked any creativity. Quite frankly I could have cooked more creative tasty food myself. While the sushi was frech and good, it was nothing sepcial. no creative pieces or sauces. Basically I learned nothing and there was no wow factor. Finally, there were tons of waiters, perhaps two for every patron, but they were unorganized and not working together. As a result, service was very slow and unorganized and it was hard to get anyone's attention. as a result of these factors this place was pretty slow on a Friday night at 9PM. My guess is they won't be in business long. For the price, I would recommend Sushi Seki, Ushi Wakamuru, Yasuda, Gari, Soto, Blue Ribbon, Nobu, Bond Street and Sushi-Ann before wasting your money here

Pros: Good sushi
Cons: Poor service, cooked food was mediocre, lack of creativity

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12/25/09

Worst dining experience so far..

by meng522

Terrible Experience, Please be patient and read on.

After we were seated, the manager gave warm towels for our hands. After wiping, I noticed that my hands smelled like shit, literally, so I asked the manager over and said "The towel smelled really bad" and waved my pooh hand at him. He said "I'm terribly sorry, I'll bring another towel." I seriously doubt another clean towel would do the job so I said, "it's ok, I'll just go to the restroom and wash." I spent 5 minutes in the restroom trying to wash away that smell, and when I finally came back, I noticed that my hands still smelled like pooh and went right back to the restroom. Needless to say my mood (kimochi) was totally ruined and all I got out of it was a very unremorseful "I'm terribly sorry" from the guy. Really? Did you bother going to the back of the room and check to see how stinky that towel was and how it could have happened so that it may never happen again?

As I was busy wiping my hands with the shitty smelling towels, the guy asked what we'd like to drink. I said water and hot tea. Both came promptly but throughout the hour or so time that we were there, the waiter came by to refill the water constantly but never the tea. My gf and I thought it strange but were like, whatever. At the end, when we got the check, we were surprised at the "Hot Tea $4x2" line on the bill. REALLY? When we went to Morimoto and asked for hot tea in the beginning, the waiter informed that the tea would cost extra and we ordered Sake instead. I don't know, is it too much to ask for a restaurant like 15 East to inform their customers if they're charging for tea?

We ordered two 10 pc $55 Chef Omakase Sushi. I thought, alright, we've had the 10pc combos at Tomoe $36, Sushiden $45 & $50 and they were all pretty alright, so this $55 combo can't be too bad right? When the $55 Omakase came, we were not impressed with the selection of fish. There were medium-fatty tuna (9) and the bright red lean tuna sushi (5) you see in whole foods and korean deli/marts around midtown, Tai (5), scallop (4.5), sea eel anago (5), namero (5), Kohada (4) and Kamasu (5), Hamachi (5), king salmon (5). That's a total of $52.5 on the a la carte menu... I don't know what to say.. I'm at a loss!

What was consistent throughout all the pieces of the sushi was the quality of the rice. BAD, really bad. It didn't taste like the usual sushi rice. Too dry, like the ones you get at those Korean Deli/Supermarts for lunch around midtown. I have not had such bad sushi rice in a sit-down restaurant, ever.

15 East Restaurant

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What People Are Saying About 15 East Restaurant

Featured Review

Justin Hartung

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Editor's Tips

User Reviews (27)

01/20/11

Great by Japanese and American Standards

by KGirl1010

11/20/10

Alas Not What it Once Was

by Robert in the Village

02/14/10

5 Star Deception

by wallystump

01/17/10

Good sushi, but everything else was poor

by jlubert

12/25/09

Worst dining experience so far..

by meng522

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