Sushi Nakazawa — FoodNYC

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postSushi Nakazawa Disappointment98 pts
“While the space and service are truly wonderful, the quality of the fish was subpar. We had several pieces that were half sinew and poorly cut, as well as a few pieces that tasted fishy and not in a good way.”
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postSushi Nakazawa by Daisuke Nakazawa ⭐, June 2026 Review21 pts
“Overall I wouldn’t give either branch a star or recommend them.”
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in:Sushi Nakazawa Disappointment9 pts
replying to u/tunitg6: I don't think you're a sucker who only likes American omakases. I'm also not sure that Nakazawa is actually a good sushi restaurant. Nakazawa may have been good many years ago when it was featured in Billions but is Nakazawa's claim to fame not simply that he worked for Jiro-san, a restaurant popularized by a documentary? It's not even a top 20 sushi restaurant in Tokyo. There's a new class of edomae sushi restaurants that opened in New York starting with Sushi Noz in 2018. Let me be clear, *all* of the best sushi restaurants in New York City are <= 6 years old. It's upsetting that you had such a poor experience at Nakazawa. Unfortunately, everyone I know who has been there has said the same thing. There's no excuse for poorly cut, sinewy, and bad seafood. I think it's extremely challenging to read reviews and/or take recommendations from Reddit, Yelp, Google Reviews unless you know the experience and preference of the people giving the recommendations. It's clear to me that some individuals say one place is the best or their favorite but they've only been to a few places. You mention budget restaurants like Sushi By M, Thirteen Water, Sushi Lab, etc. They're fine but I think just because they're "cheap" (relatively) doesn't mean they're a good deal. Low quality uni, caviar, wagyu, etc. is cheap. They use farmed, non-seasonal seafood and the multi-chef platform leads to inconsistency. In fact, I'd say many of the workers are more line cooks than sushi chefs at some of the…
“I also went to nakazawa recently and had a pretty lame experience, I noticed he was putting something that looked like stone ground mustard on the pieces, we asked him what it was , and he said mustard because Americans can’t handle wasabi, kinda blew my mind, I left there pretty disappointed.”
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in:Well I just impulse reserved Sushi Nakazawa for tonight at the Lounge...8 pts
replying to u/locheness4: I think it’s solid. I used to go often pre-covid and really loved it. ESP for the price point. Last time I went in early 2022 I felt like it went downhill but that’s kind of the case for everything in general. And it’s hard to find that level of omakase at their price point in Manhattan so I think for the price, it’s pretty good.
“It is well worth it and half the shit I read about this place doesn't seem remotely true. I was served 21 pieces of fantastic nigiri, there was no western performative stuff like truffle, caviar, wagyu unless you paid extra for the supplement and the staff did not push it on to you.”
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in:I received a $100 gift card eligible for any of these Michelin star restaurants. Which would you choose?7 pts
“I would say nakazawa is the most accessible of the really-good omakase spots given its heavy focus on tuna; if you haven’t done a lot of omakase but do like sushi it’s worth going to”
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in:Best Nakazawa alternative?5 pts
“Nakazawa's strength is that its 21 course nigiri only omakase that is under 200$ that is substantially better than what you get at a 120$ place.”
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in:What has been your most overpriced and underwhelming restaurant experience? 4 pts
replying to u/captainhector1: Is Nakazawa still good? I went in the first few years and was excellent but heard lots of recent reports of downturn.
“I went pre-covid and loved it, went back last year and it did not hold up IMO. Not bad, just not especially creative, small pieces of fish, and somewhat sterile service.”
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in:Out of town friend visiting me, thoughts on these restaurants?3 pts
replying to u/Texas_Rockets: I firmly believe there is nothing special about sushi nakazawa. It’s good sushi but nothing special
“I’ve dined at Nakazawa twice,and it was incredibly inconsistent experience.”
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in:Sushi Nakazawa3 pts
“Then I got reservations at the counter and it was fantastic. Their chefs are (in my experience) all chatty and engaging, they really round out the experience.”
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in:best omakases under $200/pp in NYC3 pts
replying to u/weezyfGRADY: I had a terrible experience at Nakazawa. I like sushi by M, sushi Lin soho, thirteen water and sushi lab
“Same here. Had the most miserable sushi chef as well as an unchecked drunk diner that kept buying the staff shots, who in turn kept downing them and got drunk. Fuck this place.”
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in:Omakase $200pp before tax/drinks/tip that DOES NOT pre-cut their fish?2 pts
replying to u/submissivelittleprey: What are your personal thoughts on Nakazawa? I have read very differing opinions, from very high praise to "it's fallen off considerably and isn't as good as it used to be". Also thank you for giving me an honest answer instead of being judgemental :)
“I think the thing that Nakazawa does well is its straight forward, shut up and eat some high quality Nigiri.”
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in:Looking for another omakase spot like Sushi Yasuda2 pts
“Nakazawa is also worth looking at. 20 pieces for 190$. The sourcing is good and I think they only pull blow torch out for one piece and maybe do caviar. The rest is a pure nigiri only omakase.”
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