As a person who loves a good list, I could not help but look at the list of NYC Michelin stars for restaurants I’d be adding to my own list of places to try. I started to notice a fe restaurants with a price tag of $400+ per person for their omakase dinner.
There are seven NYC restaurant, to be exact, that fit into this price point. While that’s not a high number out of the many sushi restaurants in New York, it is still a jaw-dropper for me.
First off Masa tops the list, being the most expensive meal in NYC for many years. This isn’t surprising. However, newcomers like Yoshino and Noz 17 make me question if this will become more of the “new normal” in high-end sushi and if I’ll actually ever try these places as an avid-sushi eater.
When did high-end sushi omakase menus become this expensive? Eater NY explained it best – between inflation for ingredients and labor, plus supply chain issues – there is arguably the need to increase prices. There is demand for these seats too, where it is nearly impossible to find reservations for certain places without booking weeks ahead.
For my circles, the $400 price point isn’t too popular and most people seem to cap it at $275 – albeit high, but at least doesn’t count the price of a plane ticket to Asia. Below are my top picks for sushi restaurants in New York City that I’ve enjoyed based on:
- High quality of fish
- Well seasoned treatment of fish
- Great service, knowledgable staff
- Clean, beautifully displayed dishes and pieces
Shuko ($270pp, Greenwich Village)
Sushi Ikumi ($220pp, Soho)
Cagen ($150pp, East Village)
Tanoshi Sushi ($110pp, Upper East Side)
Sushi Sasabune (~$100pp, Upper East Side)
So, what’s on your sushi list? Feel free to share and comment below!