04/18/09

AWFUL EXPERIENCE AT THE SUSHI BAR!!!!!

by Himawari

"Zettai nidoto ikanai" means "I absolutely never go back there" in Japanese.. Sushi lunch maybe okay but DON'T even try to make a reservation for the sushi bar. They will charge you impossible $$$$. If you want to have good sushi in NY, go to the counter at Sushiden, Sushi Yasuda, Sasabune or others with the same quality of level. (There are many in NY) I have never seen a sushi chef who had long hair and, charged $85 for a tiny sashimi platter for 2. (assortment of four different kind of very thinly sliced plain fish, totally nothing special, this was a joke, not rip off ) I noticed that that's their strategy, serve sushi for tourists at lunch time at proper price and charge$$$$ for customers sit at the counter. My husband doesn't drink at all, I ordered just one glass of beer which was $6 and we paid almost $300 total. Do you still wanna go there??

09/29/08

Excellent Service..

by marianneee

Excellent service...delicious sushi with a wonderful selection. I have been frequenting this establishment for almost a year now, and I must say that it has never disappointed me yet. The atmosphere is relaxing and the staff couldn't be more polite. Even my nit picking base requirements of my dining experience are always fulfilled without an issue or need to request. I would recommend this restaurant to everyone interested in sushi.

• Pros: staff,food

07/21/08

Very fresh seafood, small cozy place

by sihui

I came to Shimizu based on the recommendations of a Japanese friend. I ordered a Chef-selection plate of mixed sushi and sashimi. There was sea urchin among the selection. At first I dreaded eating it (not an urchin fan!) but to my surprise it tasted really sweet and tasty. It is like slurping a great oyster. The rest, needless to say, is history. My $75 plate had about 8 pieces of very good onigiri (toro, sardine, yellowtail, salmon, sea urchin, sweet shrimp, etc), seared mackerel sashimi, tuna sashimi,

• Pros: Fresh seafood, authentic chef, no-frill sushi
• Cons: Pricey, small place

07/03/08

Questionable at best

by shaheen1981

Poor service, mediocre cuts and way over priced for the setting. Go to Haru or something similar. Same prices but better ambiance, cuts and service.

• Pros: None
• Cons: Over priced, bad service and mediocre cuts

06/17/08

Wonderful food, gracious (if occasionally clumsy) service in a beautiful setting.

by sf6

Shimizu is very simple. It has no gimmicks, it's not trendy, it's just some of the best sushi in the city in a lovely quiet room. Your best is sushi here, but the cooked dishes are also quite good. Lunch is a spectacular bargain; every bit as good as dinner at a fraction of the price. Service can be uneven, but it is always friendly and polite. The chirashi is especially good - chef's choice of sashimi arranged on perfectly cooked and seasoned sushi rice. Well worth it for both lunch and dinner, and a close runner-up to Yasuda in quality.

• Pros: Excellent, very fresh fish, resonable prices (for the quality)
• Cons: None.

05/18/08

Very Good Food Avarage Service

by mmontos

The food with very good and really it was better than a lot of places I had tried and the price is convenient however the service there need a lot of renovation because at leat you need to have some of the staff to be qualify for the service and give attention to their guests. At all I enjoyed the meal overthere and I think I will go there again.

• Pros: Fresh Fish and Food
• Cons: Slow Service

12/17/07

Poor service, fine food

by weendiggity

The service at Shimizu is poor at best -- the waitress brought us the wrong rolls and the bill wasn't itemized, so without going back to the menu, we had to take her word that she charged us for the right rolls. It was hard to get the wait staff's attention, as well. The food was fine -- not exceptional, but good quality sushi. The vegetable tempura was delicious, but the agadashi dofu was sticky and gross. If you're in the neighborhood, the food is fine and there was no crowd, and the price was right. However, I wouldn't go out of my way to go here.

• Pros: Centrally located, quiet, good food
• Cons: Poor service, small space

06/30/07

great fish

by maroncelli

You'll have to wait for a table at this restaurant, but the wait is worth it. Amazingly fresh and generous scallop sushi and yellowtail and scallion maki are among my favorite choices (at very reasonable prices.) Somewhat barren setting, no reservations.

03/26/07

Don't Sit @ the Sushi Bar unless You're Japanese

by bitsi

1: my reservation for omakase on my boyfriend's bday had been "lost;" still, we decided to stay for a meal and for $65 per person, we ended up having a wonderful experience with delicious cooked and raw dishes.

2: My boyfriend and I went back to finally have omakase. This time they had our reservation, but we were mostly ignored by the chef. The quality of the fish was high, the art of sushi-making was average and in an american style (monster pieces). After almost 2 hours, we decided to ask for our bill as the Japanese patrons around us were served much more food, with much more care at a much faster rate. We had eaten 8 pieces of sushi each + shared 1 appetizer and were feeling hungry and annoyed...and then the bill came: $90 per person - such a ridiculous rip off. Our lesson? If you're white and don't speak Japanese, don't sit at the bar at Shimizu.

• Pros: good sushi
• Cons: lost reservations, ripped off

12/15/06

Fresh sushi SPLURGE in a quiet atmosphere

by futondesk

I went for lunch on a weekday so it was virtually empty, sat at the bar and handed it to Shimizu to wow us. I liked it b/c he had me sample shellfish varieties that I usually don't have. but I thought that considering we got one piece at a time, the price tag of $80 a pop seems excessive. I am willing to pay for good sushi, and god knows I have, but I'm not sure it was worth every penny. The usual suspects were good -- uni, toro, albacore, but I also liked his sweet shrimp and crab concoctions. I usually have a blue crab handroll at my fave sushi haunt but it was good to explore beyond my comfort zone. The only really negative thing I have to say is that I'm partial to warm-just-out-of-the-rice cooker rice in the sushi and the rice was not only bordering on room temperature, but the texture was also not chewy and kind of crumbly. I think this place is worth a try if you are a sushi lover, if nothing else for the experience of trying another good place. but be prepared to pay up.

• Pros: fresh sushi, quiet ambience, decent service
• Cons: exorbitant prices, not-so-warm rice in the sushi