Yoshino

Yoshino is the NYC outpost of Sushi no Yoshino in Nagoya. Having experienced the parent we felt obliged to visit the offspring. We were not disappointed. Yoshino remains under the personal guidance of Chef Yoshida who is a third-generation sushi master. Yoshino is strictly omakase - a twenty course excursion through the finest ingredients selected personally by Chef Yoshino. Seven apps, seven nigiri courses, soup, hand rolls, and dessert. The signature dish is grilled press saba sushi.Yoshino isn't for the faint of heart as this is traditional Japanese fare infused with international embellishments. It is also $625 per diner which runs well past $700 per with drinks.Yoshino's store front is non-descript and diners are allowed in one party at a time with the door locked shut behind them. It has a Zen minimalist decor which would fit nicely in Ginza. Superb venue which we recommend highly.

It's hard to justify a meal at $650/PP. Eating for an experience to try.7 appetizers to start -*Mostly were really good: abalone, bottarga udon, uni/caviar/hairy crab, oyster & fish soup, grilled scallop.*However, if expecting them to be perfect -The grilled scallop was HUGE! Very good but almost feel boring that it's just simple grill, we can all do that at home as well I feel, looking for creativity.Ankimo felt too melty, i would like the regular ankimo more.The soup base was KinMedai but there's no KinMe in the meal.Salmon wrapped Tomato I really dislike this dish and how it ends the appetizers. It was with an onion sauce just feels very western and out of nowhere.Nigiri (total 9 pieces including handroll) -4 pieces out of 9 are tuna (akami, chutoro, otoro, toro handroll). I feel like I'm eating tuna anatomy. 2 pieces out of 9 are uni (aside from uni appetizer). At this price point I'd prefer variations. Rice is a larger grain but I enjoyed it which at least it's something. Aside from the high cost, the charge $12/pp for water, which is wild.With so many good options in the city, is Yoshino really better than others? It's all up to diners choice.

TL:DR - The best omakase experience and/or sushi restaurant in NYC--and, if we are to listen to the critics, all of NA.Chef Yoshida and his wonderful staff have an immense passion and meticulous attention to detail that is apparent from the moment you walk through the door. I will refrain from sharing any specific details or photos as I want to save the experience for any future patrons so they may enjoy it in the same way I did. However, I will summarize:-The Food: Delicious, intentional, interesting, beautiful, and fun.-The Service: Attentive, friendly, knowledgeable, entertaining, and welcoming.-The Ambiance: Elegant, intimate, and light-hearted.The only con I could possibly think of is the price (which to be fair, is by no means low); however, at the end of the meal I did not feel jipped, robbed, or any another equivalent in the slightest. The cost makes more and more sense with every passing minute and dish. If you have the opportunity to secure a reservation, I simply cannot recommend it enough.

Food and service was great - loved just about every course, especially the appetizers. Wine options by the glass were great and paired well. Only slight knock, and this goes for most high-end omakase's is the ambiance - a little quiet, stuffy and not the most fun atmosphere. I guess when you're paying this much it's supposed to be a serious experience but it would be better if there was some more energy and personality to the space and throughout the service.

Food 10/10Yoshino has stolen the show and is now my favorite Omakase place of all time. The ingredients used were classic but also creative, everything was top quality and you can taste the freshness and premium perfection of the fish. A holistic journey of different pieces and plates, and there was just the right amount of courses. They clearly took that extra step to prepare everything beautifully and precisely. Chef Yoshida does a spectacular job with the nigiri, and his saddle-shaped rice is unique and incredible. If you do get a reservation, you HAVE to go. A few of my favorite dishes:Aokri ika / big reef squid: the first dish. The crunch of the seaweed was refreshing and paired perfectly with the smooth texture of the squidMonkfish liver: also outstanding, so much better than foie gras. Light and airy, yet somehow creamy at the same timeKarasumi Mochi: as someone who is very much obsessed with mochi, this was the perfect addition to the meal. Freshly made mochi, along with bottarga. I made sure to savor every bite, and I ended up eating the slowest among all the diners hahaChiaigishi Chutoro: a gorgeous gradient of hues, a generous amount of tuna, put together through a legendary craft, produced this outstanding piece. Might be the favorite one of the night, and apparently they only serve this piece once every ten days because it's very difficult to obtainAtmosphere 10/10Light wood interior, a super subtle entrance that guides you into an intimate yet not too tight dining room. There are limited amounts of seating, which is probably why it's so so difficult to get a reservation here. Bright lighting that creates the perfect stage. Subtle and minimalist designs keep this place feeling relatively lowkey. There's a bonus: a spaceship-shaped toilet, beautiful and sleek. Service 10/10There was absolutely no sense of snobbishness or elitism that can commonly be felt at fine-dining restaurants. With Omakase experiences, there is a history and a tradition to it, and I really appreciated the interactive elements throughout the entire meal. All of the servers were friendly and homely, I felt really comfortable and enjoyed every part of the dinner.

Chef Yoshida and his second chef are so friendly and welcoming. The food is extraordinary. Chef takes pride in his food and it's well deserved. Jazz music track is fun. The room is stunning. The 300 year old counter, the ceiling, art installation and the DOORS!!!The dishes, cutlery and glassware are gorgeous. Make a reservation. Yoshino is absolutely worth every penny. Thank you to the entire staff for a great evening.

My husband and I dined at Yoshino twice, and I can't wait to go back again!! Every piece was exceptional and very explanatory for each course and easy to talk to! Service was exceptional as well. In my opinion, Yoshino is hands down the BEST sushi omakase in NYC

Truly one of the best meals I've ever had. Every course was a new delicious amalgamation of flavors hitherto unknown to my palette. The food was both beautiful and delectable. The sake was a perfect pairing to our meal and made me truly understand the meaning of a complex finish. The lighting and ambiance was peaceful and perfect; while the chef and his whole staff made my wife and I feel like valued guests. A frankly wonderful experience.

Yoshino is probably the best sushi place that I've ever been without factoring the crazy high price. The ambiance is really cozy, and you feel like you are invited to a friend's house. Chef Yoshida and his second chef really made us feel both entertained and welcoming like an old friend. The servers are really attentive, filling out the water for us, and stored our belongings neatly when I went. The sabazushi is really delicious, a fusion of smoky, crispy, and fishy deliciousness. The otoro and kohada taste a good combination of the actual fish and fermented sushi rice. The karasumi tastes a bit bitter though, but all karasumi tastes this way. The shirako is really soft with a bit of saltiness from the broth. The tamago I had at the end is really sweet, like a dessert, and the ice cream is really soft and tasty. My favorite would be the uni and toro sushi hand roll, which tastes like a good combination of sweet from the uni and salty and crunchy from the toro, as it is the best I've had in my life. This is one of the most expensive meals I've had in my life, and I'd say that the experience along with the food is 10/10. Truly amazing!

I found Yoshino to be a disappointment. While the food was perfectly fine, it did not meet the expectation nor the price tag. NYC is saturated with Omakase and sushi and you expect the higher price tag experiences to elevate above the rest. Yoshino certainly underperforms relative to its peers, Sho & Noz, and there are many options for less than 50% of the price that I prefer - Takeda & Mumi. We started with 7 small plates, nothing outside of the Bonito sashimi was that memorable and then we had 9 nigiris. 5 of the 9 were different grades of tuna, a squid piece and a mackerel piece. Uni, Ikura, hamachi, kampachi, hotate, salmon, goldeneye snapper and many more sushi staples were no where to be found. Perhaps we came on a bad night, but the lack of diversity in seafood and overall quality of ingredients were a major letdown.