11/02/09

ABSOLUTELY HORRIBLE CUSTOMER SERVICE!!!

by leannenyc

I will never, ever, set foot in this restaurant. The manager on the phone was so incredibly rude that I will never, ever, eat here. There are too many excellent sushi restaurants in this city for me to waste my time someplace where they don't respect their customers. The manager was incredibly disrespectful and rude.

• Pros: none -- there are tons of excellent sushi restaurants in nyc
• Cons: incredibly rude manager on phone

08/14/09

excellent fish, crazy prices

by bjones69

we wnt there a group of 4, the waitress was slow, she forgot our appetizers, we allordered omakase; 12pcs ea.

the pcs were all delicious. but not filling. we ordered more food. the bill was $600 with tip for 4 people.

good food, too much money.

• Pros: best fish ever
• Cons: crazy crazy prices!

09/07/08

best place ever

by princy55

AMAAAAZING!!!

best. sushi. ever.

seriously

if you want gari, the owner chef to make the sushi for you then you should call ahead and ask.

cant wait to go there again on wednesday!

• Pros: everything
• Cons: price

06/30/08

Poor service, long wait, sushi was good but not fresh

by PH200806

We waited 15 mins for the menu, another 30-45 mins for our food. Half the table ordered omasake - the chef's choice of sushi (equivalent to tasting menus in other western restaurants), while the other half ordered the regular items on the menu. The culinary was decent but the fish was stale. Also, the appetizers that we were told we would be getting did not show up on the table. And we inquired about that, the server simply told us that it was missing because not the entire table ordered omasake (which we weren't told earlier). According to my friends, the regular items on the menu were not spetecular by any standard.

• Pros: Special sushi sauce/dressing
• Cons: Everything else

03/18/08

One of the best omakase in NYC

by DumpyBumpy

I've been here twice. First time we sat at the bar, second, at tables. We ordered omakase both times. Creative dishes, good atomosphere. Unlike other top notch sushi places in NYC, Gari doesnt rush its customers. We got to spend time to enjoy each dish and chat. The fish is very fresh and well cut. Flavouring pretty unique. Having tried omakase at other places, I'm glad Gari is so creative in each piece. We told our server that we love Uni and Roe. We got some very interesting sushi like Crab leg + Uni, Grilled some fish roe (maybe Yellowtail). I love how they don't put seaweeds around their Uni Sushi.

But as this is a chain, the executive chef is not the owner. I didnt get to enjoy the fun of treating the chef with Sake to receive, in exchange, some more creative and interesting sushi like those owner-chef-managed sushi bars...

While Gari is creative, Garis is not even in NYC, the sushi from the first time are very similar, if not exactly the same, to those I tried the second times. Which is sad...

Having read other reviews on this page, I will go to the original Gari next time. Too bad Gari is in Japan now....

• Pros: fresh, creative. No rush
• Cons: same dishes the second times I went, expensive

05/10/07

BE VERY CAREFUL!!!

by rosesjeong

This place is operated by complete scoundrels. I took my family there for a special occasion. Party of five. We ordered the chef's tasting menu, which was a complete rip off given that the fish we were given were mostly cheap tuna. Not the worst part. After the tasting menu was done, the waitress asked if we want more sashimi. She gave us 4 more pieces each, which ended up being $300 on top of the overprices tasting menu. Still not the worst part. The bill was $1,200, and on top of it she took the liberty of adding $240 of service charge!!! The next day, I called anonymously and asked what their service charge policy was. The host told me it was 18% for a party of 6 or more. When I asked why I was charged 20% for a party of 5 without even being asked a single question, the answer I got was "Sometimes, case by case, we decide how much to charge." When I pointed out how unethical that was, I was asked very rudely, "So what do you want me to do about it?"

This place is a complete embarrassment to the Asian food culture. DO NOT GO THERE.

11/29/06

Not quite the original

by mr_meursault

We came here for dinner. The place is not so crowded yet, but it might be best to make a reservation. The decor and service are far better than at the Upper East Side location. The fish is of very good quality. That said, it may not be worth it to get the Omakase here because the artistry of the chefs is inferior to those at the original Sushi of Gari, but the prices are the same. That said, the Sushi Special and Tuna special were both excellent, and at just over half the price of the Omakase. The pieces of sushi are of very generous size. Also, since the place doesn't have a liquor license yet, it is BYOB for the time being. Give it a try if you are ever on Restaurant Row.

• Pros: High Quality Fish
• Cons: The cooked/prepared pieces are not as good as at UES location.

11/06/06

Nothing to eat!

by jandy007

I'm a semi-regular eater at Sushi of Gari, off of 1st Avenue. I had recommended this new place for a friend's birthday dinner. Would I do it again? No.

It wasn't horrible or anything, but I would've had a better experience at their other locations or a different Japanese restaurant for cheaper costs.

Here are pros: calming bathroom decor + their location (if you need to be on the westside/theater district.)

Cons: No available foods and unhelpful waiters (50% of appetizers were not available and we had to guess them - EVERY single time!)

Unlike other places, I don't recommend Omakasae ($75.) If your taste bud is really keen on finer qualities, go elsewhere. Or get Sushi special ($45) -this will get you 1/2 regular sushi and 1/2 omakasae selections. Even Sushi delux ($35) was fine by most of us.

Editorial Review

by Contributor

Masatoshi Sugio's Theater District outpost highlights both his signature sushi flourishes and traditional Japanese preparations.