(212) 953-7253

211 E 43rd St (nr. Third Ave.)
New York, NY 10017 40.7513 -73.9736

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Neighborhoods: Midtown East (Turtle Bay), Midtown, Midtown East

SAKAGURA.COM

Hours:

Mon-Fri, 11:30am-2:20pm and 6pm-midnight

Sat, 6pm-1am

Sun, 6pm-11pm

Price:

$$

Last updated 8.16.11

Category:

Restaurants

Payment Methods:

American Express, Visa, Discover, MasterCard

Restaurant Special Features:

People Watching, Online Reservations, Special Occasion Dining, Private Rooms

Cuisine:

Japanese

What People Are Saying About Sakagura

Featured Review

Contributor

Contributor

In Short – Enter through the corporate lobby, follow a small gold sign that points down an industrial stairwell and you'll happen upon a subterranean sake lounge with a highly loyal following. American jazz is the music of choice, but the decor is pure Japanese minimal, all bamboo plants and paper lanterns. There's an extensive sake menu and the dinner menu offers sashimi (no sushi), as well as a range of less familiar Japanese dishes.

ambiance
100.0% positive
  1. “friend and I went to Sakagura after a concert, and were blown away by the authentic izakaya atmosphere, tasty food and mind-boggling sake selection.”
  2. “It's hard to find (great way to act like a hot shot on a first date) and the decor is awesome (dark but you can still see everything).”
  3. “The decor is cozy and comfy.”
  4. “The atmosphere is warm and cozy.”
  5. “The food and ambiance here are wonderful.”
  6. “The atmosphere is unique.”
  7. “very smooth atmosphere and the most unique bathrooms you've EVER seen.”
  8. “went for Sake and loved the food and ambience!”
  9. “Service varies depending on whose section your seated in, but the atmosphere is unique and soothing, the food is always excellent, and we always have a wonderful time here.”
  10. “He thought it was a strange location, in the basement, but the food and atmosphere was great.”
dessert
87.5% positive
  1. “They're desserts are same as the ones from "Cha-an" near St. Marks and that place is really famous for its delish desserts.”
  2. “Though desserts are more fusion, I honestly don't think people would truely appreciate authentic Japanese desserts and thus think that carrying fusionized desserts is a good idea.”
  3. “suggest eating somewhere else and stopping by Sakagura afterwards for the great sake selection and fantastic, creative desserts.”
  4. “desserts very good.”
  5. “Oh, and the chocolate souffle was definitely the best dessert (we tried almost all of them).”
  6. “my favorite dessert is seasonal- the sweet potato with ice cream and some crunchy stuff in it.”
  7. “The fresh/raw items are so-so, but dessert was surprisingly good.”
  8. “buying the chocolate truffles came in nice packaging.”
drinks
66.66999816894531% positive
  1. “However, eating at the bar here is a pleasant experience.”
  2. “GREAT food, GREAT drinks.”
  3. “The only downside was the service was slow and our waitress kept forgetting to bring our drinks.”
food quality
89.93000030517578% positive
  1. “great service clean nice good best sushi bet sashimi loved it”
  2. “do not go to Benihana, do not order Tempra, do not believe Teriyaki is the Japanese food.”
  3. “The food is not sushi, but rather, the Japanese version of tapas--small plates of exquisite food.”
  4. “He thought it was a strange location, in the basement, but the food and atmosphere was great.”
  5. “small appetizer portions but large variety of appetizer dishes and good special entrees.”
  6. “Excellent service, waiter brought complimentary tastes of different sakes when challenged for something unusual and the food arrived promptly as we finished each set of dishes.”
  7. “The food is not bad either, but it's about what you'd expect for the price.”
  8. “friend and I went to Sakagura after a concert, and were blown away by the authentic izakaya atmosphere, tasty food and mind-boggling sake selection.”
  9. “Generally, I get one or two "big dishes" such as the sake oyako don (raw salmon and salmon roe over rice-- ask for extra wasabi!)”
  10. “It is not cheap, and it is not fast food, but I promise one of the best dining experiences you've ever had.”
  11. “Service varies depending on whose section your seated in, but the atmosphere is unique and soothing, the food is always excellent, and we always have a wonderful time here.”
  12. “There's a large choice of tapas style dishes so this is a good place for "snacks" but one can easily make a meal of it too, as we did.”
  13. “The food is very good, but the portions are tapas-sized.”
  14. “The food and ambiance here are wonderful.”
  15. “As my friends enjoyed the delicious sake from the blue bottle, I pondered over the so-so food.”
  16. “Wonderful food, great night out!”
  17. “The dishes we ordered were delicious.”
  18. “The staff there is very friendly and offers great advice on Sake / food paring, should you have any questions.”
  19. “We had several different dishes including chicken meatballs, steak, root vegetables, sushi, and our favorite, beef tongue (doubled-up on this one!)”
  20. “The food is wonderful, japanese style fried chicken, grilled squid, toro to die for and shrimp rolls are just a few great things here.”
  21. “The food was good, the sake was great, but the service was BAD.”
  22. “GREAT food, GREAT drinks.”
  23. “would definitely recommend this place, it has delicious food and great service.”
  24. “my favorite dessert is seasonal- the sweet potato with ice cream and some crunchy stuff in it.”
  25. “Good food & great experience”
  26. “The baked fish smelled fishy(in a bad way), cold spinach with sesame was okay and so was the cubed steak with dikon oroshi.”
  27. “One of the few AUTHENTIC Japanese spots in New York City, Sakagura boasts tasty Japanese cuisine with *200+* variations of sake.”
  28. “My favorite dish is the Sake Ikura Don.”
  29. “Sakagura is truly a treasure-- the cooked food is *really* good but the portions are *really* small (note, however, the sashimi is only mediocre to above average).”
  30. “went for Sake and loved the food and ambience!”
  31. “The small dishes were beautifully prepared and presented -- especially good were the yuba dumplings and the shrimp balls wrapped in almonds.”
  32. “good food.”
  33. “Although the eggplant 3 miso dish was not bad, I've had better at Taste of Tokyo.”
  34. “This is perfect place if you basically want to nibble some delicious treats while taking full advantage of the sake options.”
  35. “Fortunaltely, bro had eaten here several times before and had a few favorites dishes to suggest from the menu.”
  36. “great sake and food”
  37. “most of the food comes in smaller portions (asian tapas-style) which is a perfect way to enjoy all of the delicious dishes they have on their menu.”
  38. “The lobster in white miso sauce, a V-day special I believe, was fantastic.”
  39. “The fresh/raw items are so-so, but dessert was surprisingly good.”
  40. “The food was amazing, with the specials menu shining.”
  41. “Beautiful evening, great dishes which for me were very experiemental as I'm not very accquainted with true Japanese cuisine, however I sat along some some old pros who found each bite just as inviting!”
  42. “Sakagura offers almost no raw fish items, but instead, dishes that Japanese enjoy back home.”
  43. “The tuna tartare was my favorite dish of the night.”
  44. “I've been to this place numerous times and everytime before I go, I call to make sure that they have fresh uni.”
  45. “It is best to go with few people and order many appetizer dishes.”
  46. “Saki heaven I'd like to call this place, a place where u can enjoy the great selection of saki's and enjoy lil tapa dishes to go with your saki.”
  47. “Though desserts are more fusion, I honestly don't think people would truely appreciate authentic Japanese desserts and thus think that carrying fusionized desserts is a good idea.”
  48. “good food and a wide variety of sake.”
menu variety
95.45000076293945% positive
  1. “good food and a wide variety of sake.”
  2. “The food was amazing, with the specials menu shining.”
  3. “Saki heaven I'd like to call this place, a place where u can enjoy the great selection of saki's and enjoy lil tapa dishes to go with your saki.”
  4. “most of the food comes in smaller portions (asian tapas-style) which is a perfect way to enjoy all of the delicious dishes they have on their menu.”
  5. “friend and I went to Sakagura after a concert, and were blown away by the authentic izakaya atmosphere, tasty food and mind-boggling sake selection.”
  6. “Fortunaltely, bro had eaten here several times before and had a few favorites dishes to suggest from the menu.”
  7. “the sake menu is mostly in japanese, but the friendly & unpretentious staff will help out.”
  8. “The Izakaya style menu is truly amazing and partners wonderfully with the excellent sake selection.”
  9. “small appetizer portions but large variety of appetizer dishes and good special entrees.”
  10. “This is perfect place if you basically want to nibble some delicious treats while taking full advantage of the sake options.”
  11. “suggest eating somewhere else and stopping by Sakagura afterwards for the great sake selection and fantastic, creative desserts.”
overall
100.0% positive
  1. “For awhile, this was my favorite restaurant-- I was coming here twice a week (or at least once a week).”
  2. “There's a large choice of tapas style dishes so this is a good place for "snacks" but one can easily make a meal of it too, as we did.”
  3. “great place loved it”
service
79.16999816894531% positive
  1. “would definitely recommend this place, it has delicious food and great service.”
  2. “We had a delightful dinner and my husband was very pleased with the service.”
  3. “great everything except the staff”
  4. “Though desserts are more fusion, I honestly don't think people would truely appreciate authentic Japanese desserts and thus think that carrying fusionized desserts is a good idea.”
  5. “The food was good, the sake was great, but the service was BAD.”
  6. “Slow service!”
  7. “The staff there is very friendly and offers great advice on Sake / food paring, should you have any questions.”
  8. “The only downside was the service was slow and our waitress kept forgetting to bring our drinks.”
  9. “Excellent service, waiter brought complimentary tastes of different sakes when challenged for something unusual and the food arrived promptly as we finished each set of dishes.”
  10. “It is best to go with few people and order many appetizer dishes.”
  11. “The whole experience -- including the warm, helpful service -- made me feel like I was in Tokyo again.”
  12. “The service is attentive and knowledgeable; you will be pampered by some of the best waitstaff in New York City, in my humble opinion.”
  13. “the sake menu is mostly in japanese, but the friendly & unpretentious staff will help out.”
  14. “The bartenders are very friendly.”
  15. “great service clean nice good best sushi bet sashimi loved it”
  16. “The staff was friendly.”
value
61.11000061035156% positive
  1. “small appetizer portions but large variety of appetizer dishes and good special entrees.”
  2. “Sakagura is truly a treasure-- the cooked food is *really* good but the portions are *really* small (note, however, the sashimi is only mediocre to above average).”
  3. “We eached tried several of the less expensive suggestions.”
  4. “most of the food comes in smaller portions (asian tapas-style) which is a perfect way to enjoy all of the delicious dishes they have on their menu.”
  5. “It is not cheap, and it is not fast food, but I promise one of the best dining experiences you've ever had.”
  6. “Dishes are small at ~$10 each, and sake can get expensive.”
  7. “The food is very good, but the portions are tapas-sized.”
  8. “The food is not bad either, but it's about what you'd expect for the price.”
  9. “If you don't go crazy on expensive sake, the tariff is quite reasonable.”
wait time
0.0% positive
  1. “The only downside was the service was slow and our waitress kept forgetting to bring our drinks.”
1 Star Rating: Poor

01/14/12

be extremely cautious about the wine

by dianyu

Great food but be extremely cautious about the wine (they don't serve wine but call and ask if you want to bring your own wine).

Love the food but the staff was contradictory about the wine policy. We called before about the cork fee (as they don't serve wine) and was told 20 dollars per bottle. When we got to the restaurant, we were told that the bottle was bigger so they need to charge 50 bucks. We asked for 40 bucks (it's a bigger bottle, equals to 2 small bottles) and got an illogical answer - "we are a sake and beer restaurant, we can't open a wine bottle). How ridiculous it is

Yes, it's Japanese, but it doesn't mean they need to learn how to be customer friendly.

5 Star Rating: Highly Recommended

10/19/10

Top Notch Japanese....If you can find it.

by Brad3277

This place is fantastic. Tucked away in the basement of a corporate building in Midtown East, Sakagura offers delicious and fresh Japanese fare along with an extensive Sake list. One thing to note - they do not serve any traditional red or white wines. Sake and beer only. Works for me but may not for some.

Menu offers a variety of fish, noodle, meat and poultry options. Favorites include the Chilled Duck, Fluke Carpaccio, Filet Mignon cooked on a hot stone, Tofu salad, grilled Yellowtail Head and I can go on forever.

Ambience is nice but nothing out of this world (you are in a basement after all). All in all the service is terrific and friendly and tihs place is definitely worth checking out. Note - it can be hard to get in. Reservations recommended although you can walk in but might have to wait a good 45 minutes to sit down. It's that good and has built a loyal following among its customers

5 Star Rating: Highly Recommended

04/01/09

Fantastic, Unexpected Fare

by Nativeater

My boyfriend surprised me with a lovely trip to Sakagura on Valentine's Day, and I was definitely impressed. The food is not sushi, but rather, the Japanese version of tapas--small plates of exquisite food. I have eaten a lot of great and not-so-super Japanese meals over the years, and this was definitely a memorable dining experience. The lobster in white miso sauce, a V-day special I believe, was fantastic. The sake was also quite great.

  • Pros: Wonderful food, large space for Japanese place, yet romantic
  • Cons: None, really--except the portions are rather petite
4 Star Rating: Recommended

01/09/09

great everything except the staff

by foodwineny

Loved everything about the place, including the hard to find location.

What on earth is up with the staff? Not the friendly Japanese style hospitality one would expect...

5 Star Rating: Highly Recommended

06/06/08

Delicious Japanese Food!

by Dior46

I was a little weary at first because to get to the restaurant, you need to go into an office building and then down the stairs toward the basement level. Upon entering the building, the security guard was standing there making out with his girlfriend. Not that it had anything to do with the restaurant but it gave me a bad impression. After entering the restaurant, I felt better. The decor is very cute and everyone is very polite and friendly. It is a tapas type place and it is usually shared among those sitting at the table. I have been here twice and I have not been disappointed yet. Everything I ordered was pretty good. Some better then others but nothing that I disliked. It is expensive considering the portions are very small. They are also known for their sake, and they have a huge selection to choose from. I would definitely recommend this place, it has delicious food and great service.

  • Pros: Great food and service
  • Cons: None

The Details on Sakagura

Place Categories:

  • great wonderful food
  • great place
  • slow service
  • favorite few favorites dishes
  • unique izakaya atmosphere
  • friendly staff
  • favorite dessert
  • great delicious sake
  • memorable dining experience
  • cozy decor
  • memorable evening
  • favorite restaurant
  • great everything
  • favorite sato
  • expensive sake
  • not-so-super japanese meals
  • clean sushi bet sashimi
  • love little secrets
  • not order tempra
  • not bad miso dish
  • excellent waiter
  • favorite beef tongue
  • wonderful ambiance
  • great drinks
  • especially good yuba dumplings

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