Sakagura

This has been my go-to midtown sushi spot for several decades. Situated in the basement of an office building, it always has a speakeasy vibe that feels cool and always impresses guests. Today, the allure still stands, and the food is just as good as it always was. If you are 1-2 guests, sit at the counter. You stay in the main room and won’t feel isolated, which is what happens if they put you in the back. The best seats are in the booths up front. I have only gotten them with a party of four, but maybe if you ask. While the menu has changed slightly over the years, the classics remain. The menu varies between lunch and dinner, with evenings being somewhat more upscale. The service has always been excellent, but I will say the team there now seems to be more standard restaurant staff and less Japanese, which is not a dig, but it’s missing the je ne sais quoi of the previous team. All in all, it's an excellent spot for lunch, and now that there is Wi-Fi, you can stare at your phone or respond to email during lunch…if you want.

The restrooms are cute like huge barrels! Good amount of space and sake. Food overpriced:(

I visited during the lunchtime. The portion of the food was a bit smaller than I thought. This place really good for drinking some Japanese good sake with good Japanese appetizers.

Hidden gem in manhattan! Literally, it’s in the basement of an office building which you will not find if just passing by. The greeters and coat check at the door was fast and efficient, very friendly as well. Service in general was excellent, the attention to detail makes us feel like we are in Japan, every single detail was not left unnoticed, a piece of garbage on the table, taken away immediately, some crumbs on the table, cleaned up immediately, water glass is empty, refilled immediately along with many other details. The food was amazing!! Truly one of the best izakaya type restaurant we’ve eaten at in North America. The special yellowtail fish with the sake pinenut sauce was to die for. So much flavour, so tender, the sauce was the perfect pairing to the fish. Just amazing. Sashimi was extremely fresh, not a single piece that wasn’t excellent and fresh. Pork shoulder was amazing, love the mustard on the side which complimented the pork very well. The highlight was the clay pot rice. We ordered the crab rice and the mustake mushroom rice. Just delicious, they present it and serve it at the table in the clay pot. Flavourful rice and the mushrooms really come through. The crab was amazing as well, you can taste the pieces of crab and it was just delicious. The best Japanese restaurant to go to in manhattan. Give it a shot, it does not disappoint.

I’ve been frequent Sakagura for quite some years now and it never disappoints. Always enjoy the food, ambience and services. Recently went back with a group of 9 and we had a great time. Food was good as usual but service was a bit off putting that night, at one point during mid way at dinner our server was trying to discourage us to order more dishes. Maybe it was a busy Friday night and he wanted to turn over the table?

日本の居酒屋ですが外国人ばっかりで盛り上がっています。 価格は全体的にNY価格で高いですが接客も良く料理も美味しかったです。

Great vibe and food - I had the Friday lunch menu “bara chirashi don” that comes with half udon. Quality fish and good amount for $18 in NYC. Also, very professional and friendly service.