NYC offers more than just ramen and sushi for Japanese food, from imported udon noodles to discreet yakitori joints – here are the best places for authentic flavors in New York City.
Japan Village, located in Industry City in Brooklyn, provides one-stop shopping for everything Japanese – a grocery store, food court, and several eateries like ICHIRAN’s solo dining experience and their tonkotsu ramen are among them.
1. Okonomi
When people think of Japanese food, their minds often turn to sushi, ramen, and donburi (such as katsudon). Still, one must-try dish is okonomiyaki: an authentic crepe-like pancake made with wheat flour batter mixed with various toppings before being cooked on a flat grill or griddle.
People often mistake okonomiyaki for a scallion pancake, but it’s more closely related to a savory omelet than they think. It is traditionally enjoyed as part of family dining experiences at restaurants or street-food stalls specializing in it; customers cook their meals. You can select filling options such as cabbage, octopus, squid, meats such as shrimp and bacon, and additional add-ons such as Aonori dried bonito flakes and paper-thin strips of pickled ginger are popular additions; you can even have melted cheese added as topping!
At Okonomi, a brand new Williamsburg restaurant recently established by Yuji Haraguchi and Tara Norvell, partners Yuji Haraguchi and Tara Norvell adhere to mottainai, which translates into not wasting anything. Each day, they receive deliveries of fresh fish for breakfast and lunch set menus and for seabass-based okonomiyaki in the evening; Haraguchi even uses their heads and bones for making ramen stock!
2. Nonono
Nomada Restaurant, from the hitmakers behind Korean hot spots Her Name Is Han and Take31, offers updated yakitori and ramen dishes as well as counter seating, nooks, and tables in a bi-level space with contemporary globe lights to give it an upmarket vibe.
Yoshihito Kida and Mika Ohie, two chefs who both ran restaurants in Japan before arriving in NYC, draw upon Japanese cooking styles to create this casual spot. From scratch-made noodles and sides such as cold house-made tofu with scallions, ginger, and bonito to their famous yakitori skewers, including chicken skin-neck-wing-tail-turkey (SNCWT), beef, and pork offerings, everything here is homemade from start to finish – you won’t be disappointed here!
If the menu seems complex, our chefs are meticulous about every detail. Their dedication to excellence pays off in a seasonal omakase from Tokyo’s Tsukiji market that’s prepared ideally using modern techniques and precise preparation methods. Get lucky enough to catch one of four daily tasting sessions. You will experience expertly prepared sashimi and sushi that could fool even experienced diners into believing you were entirely elsewhere!
3. Bar Goto
After seven years behind the bar at Pegu Club, Kenta Goto opened his contemporary izakaya on the Bowery to channel Japan and offer cocktails and izakaya. Showcasing small bites by chef Kiyo Shinoki, including classic Japanese fare such as okonomiyaki (Savoury cabbage pancakes smothered in salty-sweet sauce that Goto enjoyed growing up outside Tokyo) or miso chicken wings; Gobo fries made with burdock root instead of potatoes are worth trying out; similarly do korokke croquettes which combine crispy outside layers and melty centers!
As for drinks, the focus here is originality and balance; many of the cocktails highlight Japanese ingredients. One standout cocktail is the Yuzu-Calpico Fizz, made of gin, yuzu preserve, Calpico yogurt drink, soda water, and lemon; another great offering is Umami Mary, which features vodka shiitake mushrooms dashi tomato Clamato Lemon with Clamato or Clamato tomato as a base, then Koji-San margarita made up of Mugi Shochu mezcal with lime and dashi salt-rimmed cocktails!
Though more mature in tone and ambiance, this cozy cafe makes an excellent place for post-work happy hour or an intimate date. While not the site for dance floor action, this spot makes a perfect spot to sip a drink while pretending you’re somewhere exotic, like Japan, for an hour or two!
4. En Japanese Brasserie
En stands out as one of the city’s few expansive and stylish restaurant spaces, providing guests with plenty of versatility – shoes-off dining in one of five exclusive private rooms designed after Japanese apartments, more casual dinners in booths or around the counter in front of an open kitchen; drinks and snacks from their impressive shochu selection are amongst some of the best available anywhere!
Start your meal right with fresh and flavorful Izakaya cuisine such as crab miso soup or Uni soba for something light yet filling, then move on to their delicious Kuroge Washugyu Taki Shabu, beef cooked tableside in soy broth with scallions for your dining pleasure; then the offer Yukon Gyu-suki beef cooked tableside in sweet soy sauce with scallions for another unique experience; deep fried shrimp fitters (ebi Shinjo); finished off by house-made ice cream or panna cotta finished off by their house-made ice cream or panna cotta served alongside an amble of sake.
Mile-high ceilings and sleek wood and concrete elements give this space the feeling of an uptown utopian “department store,” While its menu may lack traditional sushi rolls, its owner, Reika Yo, hopes to educate New Yorkers on lesser-known Japanese delicacies by offering either their seven-course tasting menu or a la carte options to sample some of her culinary creations.
5. Kono
Kono is a chef-driven counter restaurant with 14 seats that was once home to a pharmacy. Atsushi Kono offers a kappo-style yakitori omakase for $165, and guests sit at eye level with him as he prepares their multicourse meal.
Kono has been grilling chicken since 2006. His career began with working as a b-boy at his family’s seafood market, but his passion for cooking propelled him into mastering yakitori. This intricate method requires excellent skill when selecting cuts of chicken and controlling kapo binchotan coals.
Kono’s mission at Kono is to “bring out umami from each part of the chicken” and “to make people happy.” To achieve this goal, Kono uses organic free-range Pennsylvania chickens with juicy meat that’s been lacquered with his unique soy sauce mixture and lacquered poultry skin, which was popular at their pop-up at Hotel 50 Bowery last summer – serving up crisp as Fritos chicken skins as one of its signature dishes.
Before each skewer leaves the grill, Kono tastes it and seasons each piece accordingly, bopping his feet rhythmically as he strengthens them, “as if I were playing it like a xylophone.” His movements sync up with an eclectic playlist featuring jazz, funk, R&B, and hip-hop to keep his energy high while cooking crispy chicken skin.
6. Takashi
Takashi Murakami, one of Japan’s acclaimed contemporary artists, is widely renowned for bridging the divide between art and commerce. Widely considered part of the “Japanese Pop” movement, his brightly colored works draw influence from traditional Japanese painting and otaku culture (an anime/manga/videogame fan subculture) to produce his unique visual language that resonates across borders.
One of his best-known pieces is a smiling, colorful flower design that has become iconic thanks to Kanye West’s Graduation album cover and magazines and celebrity homes featuring it. Additionally, its playful variations and vibrant hues have become hallmarks of Japanese society that values innocence and sweetness in young people.
Murakami has developed his signature artistic philosophy known as Superflat, forgoing traditional depth in Japanese art for an innovative, two-dimensional, vibrant artwork that stands out. This style has earned him global renown.
He is well known for his innovative, multidisciplinary art practice that spans fashion and entertainment brands and for creating his own art and event production company. A master at blurring the boundaries between high art and commercial culture, his influence can often be likened to that of Andy Warhol; one can consider him one of Japan’s premier contemporary artists of his generation.
