JoJi

The food and service were all very good but at $410pp before tax/tip/drinks, not sure I can justify it.It's located inside grand central, which is already a little odd for a fancy expensive restaurant, but once you're inside, it's nice. The sushi was all fresh and tasty, and I appreciated the non-sushi courses, like the crab with uni. The chef asked what I normally like and I mentioned that I love monkfish liver. Despite it not being on the menu, he had some and whipped some out for us! Super thoughtful and really made my birthday celebration there special. We ended with a special Japanese melon for dessert which sounds odd but it was quite good. Although the food and service was all very good, I do think for the price that you are better off going elsewhere. That said, we still had a lovely experience here and I appreciate the chef being so kind to us!

Overall, this was a nice experience. Everything we had was delicious and we enjoyed the conversation with the chef. The servers were great, attentive, and nice. The bar itself is very small and intimate and the decor is beautiful. It was actually very hard to find, we wandered for a bit. What I didn't like about it: there was an influencer who was recording and talking the whole time which I found quite annoying. It was a bit overpriced in my opinion, especially the alcohol. Didn't get pictures of everything but towards the end they asked which was our favorites and gave us another!

My boyfriend and I came here to celebrate our anniversary, and it was an incredible experience. The atmosphere is modern and refreshing, focusing on bringing a different experience to omakase. They had trendy music lightly playing in the background, and we had plenty of insightful conversations with our chef and the rest of the staff on the start of Joji and details on their omakase process. As for the food we had a total of 24 courses (including the night's add-ons) and we loved every single bite. Every course was beautifully presented and explained thoroughly, from the flavors melded together to the fish's sourcing. I loved how at the end our chef asked if there were any other pieces we would like to re-try or anything new he could make us. Dining at Joji was truly an incredible and unforgettable experience!

Went all out for my birthday.Appetizers:- Tuna (? a reddish white fish looks like) wrapping a bunch of microgreens. Honestly didn't like this that much, felt like the microgreens had too much water content and not flavor. Watered out the dish for me. (usually microgreens that are spicier or more tannic are used for something? I'm not a fan of microgreens for flavor effect in general).- The next appetizer was a bit better, this was definitely tuna. Just less cucumber to water it out.- Shrimp with caviar on toast. This was beautiful and pretty good. Although not sure what effect the shiso flowers had other than looking pretty.- Cod (?) with truffle in a truffle broth. I enjoyed this as a truffle enjoyer, although the truffle might be too intense for othersSo far just ok, I liked the shrimp and cod dish, first two appetizers I would've just liked as sashimi and not crunchy water to dilute the flavor.Nigiri time:- Wow these portions are small...and for this caliber of restaurant, I thought they would be generous. The likes of Ginza, Zo...even Tanoshi. The fish hangs off generously from the rice, or it is thick. Here the fish is thin AND short. You could say the thickness is a stylistic chef choice. Sure. But the piece is short and therefore quantity is really small...- I don't really taste the rice. I guess that's fine, neutral rice is a style. But because there is so little fish...you're just eating a big wad of tasteless rice and some fish.- I am pretty hungry after this meal :/Dessert:- Melon, this was pretty yummy. Wish I had more of this.- Truffle on ice cream. This was good I guess.Drinks:- Opted for by the glass to try more things. And I wanted some sparkling + sake, so this was the only way to do it.- Selection is pretty good, prices are very very expensive. But nothing out of the ordinary for a place like this. - Somm was reasonably helpful, but wish I got to hear more about the actual sake making, e.g. rice varietal, more about the Toji and brewery, brewing process etc, than just brand things like "Pharrell Williams helped design this sake"Heaviest weight to judging the nigiri, I really felt I was disappointed by the quantity and seemingly average quality of food I got here. The ambiance is cool and the chefs are chill people as well, and try to make conversation with you. But for now this is not the place for me, especially with a $1200 bill for 2 people.P.S. I actually ran into the 3 sushi chefs in the JFK airport on my way back from Tokyo at baggage claim. Was too embarrassed to tell them my real thoughts about Joji...

Fantastic experience and beautifully delicious food with thoughtful presentation. Everything from walking inside this restaurant to the last bite was what would be expected from chefs of such high caliber. We were lucky to be served by Chef George who entertained both our palates and minds. The omakase was fresh, delicious and so imaginative. We opted for the addition of the hairy crab accompanied by caviar and Uni. This was beyond delicious. The restaurant itself is gorgeous. Minimal, yet so intimate and warm. We will definitely be back. For the price point it is well worth every cent. Compared to others around the same price, Joji is by far superior. If you're willing to part with $$$, you will not be disappointed.

What can I say about what I experienced? Coming from the background I had, I made a promise to myself that if I returned to New York, I'd treat myself to a special experience. Joji was a holiday gift to my inner child. The space is very clean and contemporary looking, with nice wood accents. From the person at the entrance, to servers and sushi chefs, all of the service was polite (and I know not everyone claims to experience this but I did), warm and kind. I read online it's impolite to try to talk to sushi chefs while they're working so I was pleasantly surprised when our sushi chef (and Owner, Executive Chef George Ruan) engaged me in conversation!  It was fun to learn his favorite fish, and then try it!Perhaps it is better I didn't know I was served by the owner of the restaurant until I read about it later, as I may have been intimidated. He's so kind and humble, and takes the craft of preparing each dish with care.My family didn't want to join me, so I went by myself. I was next to 3 couples, and while it was nice to see people on dates, I do think they seems distracted and may have missed out on experiencing the full flavors--just my opinion. In hindsight, I was glad I went alone to savor everything in quiet contemplation, at my own pace. We joked that my favorite fish wasn't available, and as I took the next bite I said "maybe this is my new favorite!", and smiled. Perhaps it may seem like "well, obviously", but it was really the most flavorful and soft fish I've ever eaten. Some of the textures felt like they melted as I ate. My favorite bites (seasonal picks so it may be different fish served for you):Toro tatakiAka ebi caviar toast Shiro ebiUni caviarSabaChutoro What I enjoyed most, though, was how attentive everyone was as I experienced delicious bites. It's the small details/considerations like replacing ginger or finger wipes that I really enjoy in addition to the meal.Matt was the server for drinks and I watched as he went from person to person ensuring that our cups were full with whatever we ordered. I think because I was by myself, he checked in on me a little more which was nice. I do feel bad I was a little overwhelmed with the final bill I could have tipped (a lot) better. Next time I'm bringing family and maybe friends, and we'll tip a lot more. In the meantime, I hope my review drives business more!Recommendation: have a light breakfast and/or lunch and leave room because you will be satisfied by the end of the Omakase experience..something told me to show up hungry and I'm glad I did!If you plan to have tea and/or drinks (and I do recommend either), you can expect to pay $350 give or take. On its own for lunch, Omakase experience is $275.I don't know if I will ever crave sushi again, unless it's Omakase with a highly skilled sushi chef.

About a 2.5: We came to check out JoJi for their omakase, making reservations ahead of time. We had heard about this place being a favorite of some of our friends, and noted that they had 1 Michelin.Our omakase started off with:+Ika Somen+Toro Tataki+Shrimp Toast Caviar+Kinki Karaage Truffle+JiruThe progression of the sushi was:+Shima Aji+Akami+Amaebi+Kasugo+Kinmedai+Akamutsu+Hotate+Chutoro+Shiro Ebi+Aji+Uni Caviar+Maitake+Saba+Anago+Toro TakuTo end the meal, they served a Japanese musk melon.Overall, the omakase was fine, along with the service. Nothing was terribly wrong, but nothing was noted as being outstanding. The interior is dark and modern. If you tend to get to places early, there isn't a designated waiting area, so you'll have to stand outside of the restaurant until the actual time of your seating.Located at the LL of Grand Central.+okay service

Tucked away behind a Zen rock garden in a corner of Grand Central Station's lower level, JoJi can be a bit hard to find - but maybe that's the point. We arrived about 10 minutes early for lunch, but were barred from waiting inside the restaurant by a stern guard until JoJi's exact 12:30 opening time - so stood outside awkwardly with other diners waiting to be allowed inside. Weird "welcome" but apparently that's the drill here.Ambiance: Don't expect a traditional gracious Japanese experience at JoJi. Rather, JoJi's competitive edge rests on its celebrity chef's (ex Masa) pedigree and hip ambiance replete with hip hop and jazz background music. Joji's intimate space is beautifully spare with washi paper walls and a gorgeous wood counter that accommodates just 10 clients per seating. Food/Service: Since there were no small bottles of sake on the menu (disappointing at lunch time), we chose a 720ml bottle of Heaven Hakushika sake that was very good but arguably overpriced at more than 3 times retail. Joji's lunch menu is comprised of about 16 small courses plus dessert; we didn't leave hungry. We would have liked to see more uni and less saba on the menu (personal preference) but overall quality was superb. Standouts included the lightly fried amadai w/caviar appetizer, otoro/daikon handroll, ikura presented in an elegant glass bowl, and sweet ama ebi shrimp. Beverage service was professional and prompt, our glasses were always full. Our chef was skilled but can't say he was warm and friendly as we've experienced elsewhere.Takeaway: While the sushi was excellent, IMO the whole experience wasn't outstanding enough to warrant Joji's (even by NYC standards) inflated prices.

Truly perfection! We had Chef Wayne and he was great! All the sushi were fresh and yummy. Service and ambiance are nice! Nothing much to say about the food other than all were perfection! At the end, Chef asked all guests if we're full and if anything else we'd like to have. I had omakase at other place before but was never asked such question. I thought it was really nice of him! And of course we all asked for extra! LolsAnyway it was a great experience! Definitely give it a try! Oh, went to the restroom ... it was dark! Lols The seat's heated tho! But it is dark! But nice! But could use some lighting in there. I had to used my phone's light. It's different and nice ... but dark. But yeah I highly recommend!

I went to sushi Joji for the second time, this time with my long-term friend. We had a fantastic lunch. The food was exquisitely prepared, and it was beautiful and delicious. Unique taste not matched by any other sushi places I visited, including Sushi Nakazawa (ma second favorite after Joji). The place is spectacular and perfectly designed for the best possible experience. Servers were superbly attentive without being overwhelming. Everything from walking inside this restaurant to the last bite was what would be expected from such a high caliber restaurant.It was pleasant to watch our Chef preparing every piece with perfection!