Tsukimi

My boyfriend and I booked this place for our Christmas dinner. The set up of the restaurant was kind of weird since we were sitting right across the counter from other customers, but that did not affect dinner negatively. The service was spectacular and there was a little matcha making show at the end. I was not a huge fan of the matcha since I am so used to my Hojicha/barley tea towards the end of dinner to help digest, so matcha was a little weird. All the dishes were prepared flawlessly and nothing to complain about. The experience was great, and the staff did a great job explaining each and every dish. The cutlery and appliances were all very cute and looked good. Can't wait to come back and try other dishes when they change the menu.

I had a last minute dinner cancellation, so it was actually my good luck that Tsukimi had open spots available and I was able to book a reservation the day of! I will warn you that it's on the more expensive side of typical 1-star Michelins I've seen around the city--around $320 for one person including gratuity and tax. Service is impeccable, and everyone is extremely knowledgeable about each course and where the ingredients come from. It's a very intimate omakase spot--maybe about 14 seatings? I was surprised that only 6 total diners (including myself) were at the 5PM seating on a Sunday. I love the interior. Diners face each other, and you can see mirrors behind you and in front of you. Ambience is really nice.I think the actual courses themselves were pretty good but some definitely left me feeling like I wish there was more. Some dishes were a little more unseasoned or plain, but I honestly do love the overall simplicity. They made the protein the star of the show. Small bites, dessert, wagyu, uni, caviar... you can't really go wrong with most of the plates. Pretty solid Michelin with impeccable service!

An underrated Japanese Kaiseki that has one Michelin star and is not advertised heavily on social media platforms.The ambiance is very serene, peaceful, and I felt like I walked into a fine dining restaurant in Japan. All seating is similar to a counter seating where the servers bring out food in the center to you personally. They treated us with the utmost respect and I enjoyed how quiet and attentive the restaurant was. We were not given a menu beforehand so everything was a huge surprise (some may not be a fan of this). Don't worry, they ask you if you have any allergies beforehand.I went in July 2023 and each dish was unique and presentation was on point! I really enjoyed the incorporation of different ingredients and how they had a variety such as wagyu beef, sushi, and fish (raw and cooked). Their dishes can represent breakfast, lunch, and dinner of the Japanese cuisine.I was pretty full after - don't be fooled that the dishes are small because it eventually fills you up. In the end, they give you a personalized menu of the date and the dishes. I would come back here in a different season to try their other innovations.

TLDR: I didn't want to skew the average but this meal overall was really a 4.5/5. It started off with straight 5's, but the final savory course left much to be desired and 2 of the 3 desserts missed the mark. Overall though, an excellent meal and experience.SETTING: Tsukimi is in the East village behind a nondescript storefront. I made a reservation for my partners birthday weeks in advance. You can get a res through Tock where you prepay for the meal ($697 which includes a 20% service charge and tax on a $530 bill for 2). We were VERY excited given all the excellent reviews and because Tsukimi has 1 star, which not a lot of Japanese places in NYC have.There are two counters with 6 seats each facing each other with a narrow walkway for the servers. I've never seen such a restaurant layout but it was unique and a cool experience. The chefs are cooking in the kitchen which you can kind of see into depending where you sit.FOOD: The meal here was truly excellent. It's amazing quality and a GOOD amount of food- it's not like some other places where you pay an arm and a leg for 10 pieces of sushi. Every dish here had tons of fresh fish or accompaniments, whether it be crab, uni, caviar, truffle, etc.As the meal progressed, my partner remarked this was maybe the best meal we've had in years! I was riding on a high proud of myself for finding this place. All was going well, a true 5/5 experience, until the final savory course. This was wagyu tenderloin cooked on charcoal served with rice seasoned with Japanese mushrooms and a broth that was just incredible. The depth of flavor in every dish was just amazing- but the wagyu... the wagyu was chewy. It was tough to eat and left much to be desired. From there, 2 of the 3 desserts (1) carrot sorbet with foam, and 2) this Japanese candy with chestnut and matcha) were just okay. One of the three (this persimmon with milk foam concoction) was excellent and unique. But the final savory course then 2 of 3 desserts were a bit of a let down given how high we had been riding on all the other courses. SERVICE: The service was just impeccable. I can see why Tsukimi has a star. The staff was exceptionally friendly, knowledgeable, and had a true passion for the food. I love when you're dining at a restaurant and the staff is just as excited as you are!VERDICT: All in, we had an amazing experience here and I will definitely be recommending this restaurant to anyone in NYC looking for something a little different and unique (and special). The meal was delicious and I loved the authenticity of the food. We will be back!

4.5 stars. I'm usually not a fan of kaiseki but this one was quite good. My favorites were the chestnut tofu, A5 wagyu, the Uni and caviar, the kanpachi, and the appetizers.

Booked Tsukimi to celebrate my mom's birthday and it did not disappoint. I would say this was a solid 4.5/5 meal. What a wonderful kaiseki experience for us to enjoy fresh seasonal ingredients being prepared like a form of art. The restaurant looked very deceiving from the outside as I thought the sign was very discreet and I doubted myself wondering if I was walking into the right place. However, once I stepped inside, I was greeted by a friendly staff, leading me and my mom to 2 of 12 intimate seats in the small restaurant. The place was very clean and comfortable, with 6 seats on each side and ample space between each party. We started the first course with a trio of trout, saba and aori ika. Every bite was refreshing with perfectly balanced of flavors and textures. The egg custard with uni and caviar was one of my favorite dish. The egg custard was steamed to perfection and there was an explosion of flavors from the creaminess of the uni, saltiness and crunch of the caviar, and with a touch of savory taste from the potatoes foam. The Amadi soup was very hearty. The broth had a lot of depth and flavor which was paired nicely with the bamboo shoots and fiddlehead which added another level of textures. The Kapachi was plated so beautifully like a spring garden and we almost didn't want to eat it. The fish was super fresh and the citrus from the yuzu sauce was the perfect touch to make this dish very refreshing. It was almost like a palette cleanser to prepare for the next dish. The scallop tempura was a surprise since I saw that it was paired with egg yolk and was a little skeptical since it just looked and sounded very heavy. But to my surprise, the scallops were perfectly fried with the perfect amount of batter and not oily at all. The scallop was big, fresh and sweet. The egg yolk was not overly salty and had a good balance of flavor when paired with the shungiku puree. For the sable fish dish, I know the main focus was the fish, which was well seasoned and perfectly grilled. But what I really enjoyed was the white asparagus. It was just simply blanched but it was so fresh and tender. I've never seen white asparagus so big before!The wagu was charred perfectly and literally melted in my mouth. I also enjoyed the rice which as well seasoned and loved how it was paired with bamboo shoots which gave it a nice texture. The miso soup was very flavorful and my favorite was the homemade tofu which was silken soft with a rich soy bean taste. Up to this point, the meal would've been a 5/5 rating. However, I feel 2/3 of the desserts fell short for me. Although the sorbet was refreshing and served its purpose as a palate cleanser, I couldn't really taste any kumquat or honey in the sorbet at all. In fact I feel the basil jelly was a bit bitter. The pineberry soufflé however, was divine. It was airy and light with fresh pineberry at the bottom. I particularly like it when combined together with the sake lees ice cream. The last course of the meal was just a Sakura mochi which was good but nothing memorable which was unfortunate because the last dish always leaves an impression but it unfortunately wasn't very impressive. Overall, I really enjoyed Tsukimi. It's a traditional kaiseki experience using fresh ingredients from the season. You can tell every dish was prepared using various techniques and well put together. Do not expect it to have any modern twist because it's not a fusion restaurant. The staff were very friendly and attentive. They were very personable and I loved how they spent time explaining every dish to us in detail. Their menu changes every season and I would love to go back to try their summer menu! I highly recommend Tsukimi!

A really unique experience! I came here for a special occasion with my boyfriend and was not disappointed. You share a meal with a small room of other people and all enjoy the food at the same time. The interior is simple but chic. The hospitality and service is amazing. The staff is so knowledgeable about the food and preparation. The food was also delicious. My favorites were the unagi and the chestnut dessert. We even got a menu at the end with some kind words. Overall, an entirely creative evening experience!

My husband surprised me with a trip to Tsukimi to celebrate our anniversary last year. I wouldn't have known such a cute space could exist from walking past the door. You enter through some stairs down to the restaurant and you're immediately greeted with very polite staff. They take your coat and you'll realize you're in a very intimate "bar" setting. Everyone is seated on either side of the restaurant so that you're sitting next to your party and facing the other guests. I think there were a total of maybe 12 seats total. We had the seats where we can peak into the tiny kitchen. I loved watching the chefs meticulously put the dishes together. The staff was also warmer than what I've experienced at fine dining restaurants so that made the experience extra nice! You won't have to place an order for anything other than your drinks as its a preset menu. We got a bottle of sake which complemented the experience beautifully. They'll continuously fill your cup for you and you get to take any leftover liquor home. Because there were so many dishes I can't possibly go over all of them so I will talk about some highlights that I still remember to this day (we were there in May 2023!). There was a course with rice, sea urchin and fish roe. This dish was sooooo rich and I still remember what it tastes like. The flavor is muted but so comforting. Even though everything was soft in texture I don't think the dish needed anything else. There was a soup that tasted just like something my mom's made. It was a sort of nutty flavor and the aroma was amazing. I wanted to savor every sip of this dish. One of the dessert courses had rhubarb chips. The moment these reached our tastebuds, the guest seated across from me and I just looked at each other with wide eyes and nodded in agreement. These were the most delicious little crispy pieces of rhubarb that I don't think I'll ever get to taste again! I am very grateful to have been able to eat at Tsukimi. We had a wonderful experience from start to finish and would highly recommend!

a 5 star experience, the place feels very luxury yet very homey and yes it is pretty expensive, but the experience is what you're paying for. the food is delicious and the service is spot on but it is a very nice place to enjoy and definitely worth going once.

Unfortunately Tsukimi is outrageously overpriced. There's absolutely nothing on the menu that can possibly justify $265 per person. There is a 20% gratuity automatically prepaid as well. For a group of four people, the gratuity is $212. The tasting menu was fine, but redundant in flavors of shiso, tofu, and chives/green onions, while other dishes lacked salt, seasoning, and was a little bland. There are many other restaurants with minimal flavor profiles that embrace the "true" minimal taste of an ingredient, but do it better. If this experience cost $100 per person that would make sense. But for the high expectations and reviews, this establishment fell flat. The servers are fine and the interior is pretty, but I hope they can do better in the future in regard to their pricing and menu.