Sugiyama Restaurant

(212) 956-0670

251 W 55th St
New York, NY 10019 40.7657 -73.9824

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Neighborhoods: Clinton, Midtown

SUGIYAMA-NYC.COM

Years in business

Established in 1999

Price:

$$$$

Last updated 8.11.11

Category:

Restaurants

Payment Methods:

American Express, Diners Club, Visa, MasterCard

Restaurant Special Features:

Quiet, Special Occasion Dining, Fine Dining, Business Dining, Prix Fixe Menu

Cuisine:

Japanese, Sushi

Notable Chef:

Nao Sugiyami

Editor's Tips

What People Are Saying About Sugiyama Restaurant

Featured Review

Contributor

Contributor

The Scene – The long, wood-paneled room is minimally decorated. A small, see-through wall is stuffed with stones, and a tree festooned with lights branches out from the front desk all the way across the ceiling. Service is impeccable, good-humored and informative. – – The Food – Chef Nao Sugiyama serves in the traditional kaiseki style--a kind of tasting menu consisting of between six and 12 small courses. There is extremely fresh sashimi on the menu, but most of the dishes are more exotic. Sea urchin, quail egg and Japanese yam mixed together and served in a shot…

Editor's Tips

Know Before You Go:
Diners grill meat courses themselves over a small flame, and the restaurant can get smokey at times.
ambiance
100.0% positive
  1. “The ambiance is beautiful and the waitstaff extremely knowledgeble on the menu.”
  2. “However, the place started growing from Maiko-san attention to the cute decoration, the open chef kichen to the great food.”
  3. “The place has a wonderful combination of intimacy, ambience, service and quality food.”
  4. “If you just enjoy good quality japanese food and alot of variety, in a nice traditional but not stuffy atmosphere, this is the place.”
dessert
100.0% positive
  1. “For $68 each, you get an 8 course meal, which is very filling, plus dessert.”
food quality
100.0% positive
  1. “To give a maximum value rating for a $100+/ head restaurant gives a fairly good indication of the amazing quality and quantity of food that you get here.”
  2. “You can cook seafood or beef on the hot stone, get a variety of small delicacies, service was excellent, knowledgeable and friendly.”
  3. “To a New Yorker with adventurous tastes, this restaurant can be fresh and exciting.”
  4. “The food was unique, from sushi to uni shots to seafood grilled over a hot rock on my table.”
  5. “Their friendly nature was always courteous and had definately made the meal more enjoyable but beware and make sure you bring out your paycheck.”
  6. “However, the place started growing from Maiko-san attention to the cute decoration, the open chef kichen to the great food.”
  7. “Still, I can recommend that those who love Japanese food or have nostalgia for Japan try this place once.”
  8. “Exquisite food, perfect service.”
  9. “tasty seafood”
  10. “Put simply, this is the most authentic, most delicious, most colorful Japanese restaurant I have ever been to.”
  11. “The beef seared on the rock so satisfying and delicious, with the meat just needing the slightest of searing.”
  12. “This fine meal is complemented with an excellent selection of sake and finished off with surprizingly wonderful grapefruit jello.”
  13. “Each dish was beautiful, elegant and delicious.”
  14. “And for much less $$$ we can get the Love Boat & have the best sushi in town.”
  15. “If you just enjoy good quality japanese food and alot of variety, in a nice traditional but not stuffy atmosphere, this is the place.”
  16. “In the japanese tradition of a kaiseki course meal, each serving is as a gift from this world class chef - combining fine, rare and seaonal ingredients - each presented on beautiful japanese dishes.”
  17. “The food, the presentation, the explanation and descriptions of the courses were are perfect.”
  18. “For $68 each, you get an 8 course meal, which is very filling, plus dessert.”
  19. “The service was impeccable - they were always there to help you with anything, especially with explaining everything on your dish.”
  20. “have enjoyed sushi and Japanese food around the world and this was the worst.”
  21. “But if you want to eat varied, delicious, fresh, original food with plenty of sea urchin, then I cannot think of anywhere better.”
  22. “The meal was flawless.”
  23. “great and unforgettable food”
  24. “The place has a wonderful combination of intimacy, ambience, service and quality food.”
  25. “My husband and I lived in Japan for 3 years and love quality Japanese cuisine and decided to try Sugiyama for our anniversary.”
  26. “The food is great and the service is impeccable.”
  27. “At the end of the meal, I was totally satisfied with a culinary experience that was delightful both visually and gustatorily.”
menu variety
100.0% positive
  1. “You can cook seafood or beef on the hot stone, get a variety of small delicacies, service was excellent, knowledgeable and friendly.”
  2. “The ambiance is beautiful and the waitstaff extremely knowledgeble on the menu.”
  3. “This fine meal is complemented with an excellent selection of sake and finished off with surprizingly wonderful grapefruit jello.”
  4. “If you just enjoy good quality japanese food and alot of variety, in a nice traditional but not stuffy atmosphere, this is the place.”
  5. “The standard 8 course modern kaiseki for $68 is the best value on the menu.”
overall
100.0% positive
  1. “Such a great place!”
  2. “If you just enjoy good quality japanese food and alot of variety, in a nice traditional but not stuffy atmosphere, this is the place.”
  3. “The best Japanese restaurant in Manhattan!”
service
100.0% positive
  1. “must say that I can understand why some people rave about this restaurant.”
  2. “The food is great and the service is impeccable.”
  3. “The service was impeccable - they were always there to help you with anything, especially with explaining everything on your dish.”
  4. “Their friendly nature was always courteous and had definately made the meal more enjoyable but beware and make sure you bring out your paycheck.”
  5. “Exquisite food, perfect service.”
  6. “Staff is excellent and friendly.”
  7. “You can cook seafood or beef on the hot stone, get a variety of small delicacies, service was excellent, knowledgeable and friendly.”
  8. “The place has a wonderful combination of intimacy, ambience, service and quality food.”
value
66.66999816894531% positive
  1. “This place is overrated and expensive.”
  2. “To give a maximum value rating for a $100+/ head restaurant gives a fairly good indication of the amazing quality and quantity of food that you get here.”
  3. “unique, but expensive, experience”
  4. “Not worth the money and definitely overrated.”
  5. “have been told that the expensive $150+ Kaiseki dinners here are amazing.”
  6. “The standard 8 course modern kaiseki for $68 is the best value on the menu.”
wait time
100.0% positive
  1. “Service was the best I can recall experiencing in a long time.”
5 Star Rating: Highly Recommended

01/30/09

Perfect

by jjl25 at Citysearch

Exquisite food, perfect service. Atmosphere is basic but calm and pleasant. Lived up to the hype, and worth every penny. Brought boyfriend there for dinner -- he had the modern 8 course omakase with kobe -- and he's still talking about the meal.

  • Pros: Attentive and friendly service
  • Cons: Fairly basic atmosphere (not a con, but FYI)
5 Star Rating: Highly Recommended

01/19/09

Excellent upscale Japanese Restaurant

by koguma2000 at Citysearch

If you want to taste true (non-family style) Japanese food, this is it. They use finest ingredients from all over the world and cook them with excellent skill. You might feel it a little expensive and indeed it is, but you have to pay twice if you were to eat the same food in Tokyo. I strongly recommend this place.

  • Pros: Uses finest and fresh ingredient. Has true Japanese flavor
  • Cons: A little pricy
4 Star Rating: Recommended

10/22/08

tasty seafood

by cardozaaa at Citysearch

I came here on the recommendation of an American friend who lived in Japan for a year. The place has a wonderful combination of intimacy, ambience, service and quality food.

My friend and I ordered the grilled fish and left our dining experience in the hands of a master.

The dishes came out at a steady pace, and our server was so cute and sensitive to our needs. Each dish was beautiful, elegant and delicious. At the end of the meal, I was totally satisfied with a culinary experience that was delightful both visually and gustatorily.

1 Star Rating: Poor

09/27/08

Way Bad

by henrykinney at Citysearch

This restaurant was recommended by a friend who I believe has a sophisticated palate. Boy was I disappointed. Having recently had a meal of a lifetime at Nobu I was hoping for more of the luxury shown there. I cannot tell you how bad this place is. Five of us ordered the $160 meal which had six or seven courses. All bad. We could not wait for it to be over. To top it off the wait staff was rude. Please do not waste your money. I have enjoyed sushi and Japanese food around the world and this was the worst. I have had better sushi at cheap rotating carousels in San Francisco and in Melbourne.

1 Star Rating: Poor

08/30/08

Not good enough

by jd78 at Citysearch

We scheduled a 6pm reservation, and arrived fifteen minutes early to an empty restaurant. Apparently my family isn't good enough for Sugiyama - we were told that the food was "too hot" for children, that they require a quiet atmosphere, and to please leave. My daughters can handle omakase at the bar with Yasuda-san, nine courses at Per Se, but now I'm told that kaiseke is out of their reach. That's unfortunate for Sugiyama, as I will make sure never to return.

  • Pros: None
  • Cons: Ambience, Service

The Details on Sugiyama Restaurant

Place Categories:

  • great good quality japanese food
  • best japanese restaurant
  • impeccable service
  • enjoy meals
  • beautiful dish
  • amazing quality
  • good alot
  • amazing kaiseki dinners
  • excellent staff
  • delicious original food
  • satisfying rock
  • expensive experience
  • unique culinary experience
  • perfect explanation
  • never unique restaurant
  • amazing quantity
  • tasty seafood
  • beautiful japanese dishes
  • elegant setting
  • wonderful fair price
  • best value
  • nice atmosphere
  • wonderful delicious
  • overrated place
  • extremely knowledgeble ambiance