Sushi Kai - East Village

We came here for a cute birthday dinner and walked away pleased overall. Participated in the omakase tasting menu and found each bite to be fresh and different than the last. The staff was kind and personable, especially when we were running late after a train delay I had seen other reviewers mention their time was cut short, I think because we visited on a Monday night the timeline had some flexibility It feels very special watching the food made in front of you. And I guess that's the experience you're paying for. I personally found the ambiance to be a little lacking, from the lighting to the kitchen area. When paying $100+ pp, I think some small tweaks could be made to create a more intimate feeling.

Came here the first time with my friends and it was our first time. I got to say, I was really impressed and had an amazing experience. I also took my friends here recently as well. This spot is now on the top of my list for omakase! The price is fair and the quality is really good. I feel like there's so many omakase spots now & has become so saturated..lots of very generic spots but this isn't one of them!The service is great and the staff are great as well. I also like that it's an intimate and nice space. Overall I recommend!

One of my favorite omakase spots in the city with locations in East and West Village -- I liked that they weren't too traditional and had fun toppings! They weren't stingy with premium ingredients at all... we had SO much uni. Every single piece was actually FUEGO but Otoro was insanely good -- it was so melty and buttery, literally they'd broken it down that morning. Dare I say it an all-time favorite sushi bite! Other favorites include King Salmon, Seared Scallop, Truffle Tuna and Yellowtail. I'll definitely be back when the sushi craving hits again!

I will preface this by saying I'm not well-versed in omakase but do love sushi. $95 Omakase for 13(?) coursesI went with people who were used to going out for omakase and this is one of their favorite lower price point spots; the price to quality ratio is high and worthwhile, according to them. The fish tasted all really fresh, and my personal favorite was the scallop with lime zest piece. At least two of the dishes utilized uni. I could only upload 10 pictures unfortunately but each one was quite delicious. Small place, good service, and they have sake as well.Would def come back. We were able to get a same day reservation for 7pm on a Sunday.

Was able to book a res for 8pm on Friday day of and was incredible and BYOB! It was pretty packed but we were swiftly seated and served. The inside is fairly small but really nicely decorated and they have outdoor seating. The omakase was delicious, filling, and not too pricey. The scallops in the trio appetizer were my favorite but everything was super flavorful and different from each other. The staff was super attentive and very friendly as well! Would definitely return!

This was my first experience fine dining and I don't think I'm exaggerating when I say this was life changing. It was my first time doing omakase too and it was such a cool experience. We were able to see the chef in action as he made each piece. Every single thing I ate was probably the best thing I've ever eaten. I made sure to take my time eating things because it was so good. It was about an hour to get through everything and I've never been so zen leaving dinner. If you're ever in the area I recommend checking this place out. Price wasn't too bad and the food was amazing. Super fresh. Everything melted in my mouth. There are times I dream about my time here.

Coming from the Bay Area, price point alone here at Sushi Kai ($85 omakase for 12pc course) already gave it an edge against the omakases in the bay I'm used to ($150 starting). It wasn't hard to get a resy, and when we came to our res, it was half empty (there's only bar seating in the small space). Note that there is also a west village location, though when a different party walked in for a west village location res, they were super flexible to accommodate the change and seat them here at the east village location.If you're looking for a slow, ~ soaking it in ~ omakase experience, this, and many of the other similar east village omakase spots are probably not for you. The entire course duration was under 1 hr, probably around 45 mins. However, I'm not complaining, I thoroughly enjoyed this meal and experience. Since there weren't many customers, our chef was dedicated to us and served us the next piece just a few minutes after we finished the previous. He was also pretty generous on premium toppings/portions (caviar, uni, etc.), which was really refereshing to see. The toppings themselves were typical of the east village omakases I've previously been to that distinguish themselves with a modern twist from more traditional omakases in both NY and the bay, which I personally really love. Fish also taste super fresh. Highly rec!! 9 pieces of nigiri + 3 smaller dishes.

Made a reservation for the bar for 2 people and enjoyed the omakase ($85 for 15 courses when I visited in March 2024). Highlights included the sea bass and oyster, salmon with tomato, and uni chirashi. Overall I thought it was good, but there is better affordable omakase in town.

Scored a resy for my bestie's birthday & was super excited to hear that they do birthday specials and have BYOB. Each seating is scheduled for 1-hour increments, which we were totally fine with, having been to another 1-hr omakase that was extremely well paced. As expected, the restaurant was intimate but cozy, and seats around 12(?) at the bar and 2 at the table in the back.Favorites of the night definitely include the scallop with caviar, and the uni and ikura. 2 of the pieces (the eel & something I can't remember) were surprisingly a bit on the fishier side. The rest of the pieces were good though. Although the chef never explicitly rushed us, there was almost a bit of pressure because the next pieces were already done and lined up before we finished the current piece. Overall, we finished the omakase offerings within 30-40 minutes, and the couple next to us already left by the 30 min mark. They did deliver on the birthday surprise though, which was a nice little chirashi almost, with 3 types of fish. Overall, good affordable omakase option with tasty pieces, but not one of the best I've had.

Really awesome Omakase with fantastic service and amazing bites. Mostly sushi, but a handful of other things and the ambience was very traditional - tight, limited, seating and up close and personal interaction.Too much to recount, but we left totally satisfied, and really amazed at all of the great interpretations.