Sushi Ishikawa

Address | Upper East Side: 419 E 74th St, New York, NY 10021 | Upper West Side: 207 West 80th Street New York, NY 10024

When friends come into NYC they’re always asking me for my favorite restaurant recommendations. In my opinion, wherever you travel (especially coastal travel) you always need a recommendation for excellent sushi. So I’m adding to my NYC Guide to tell you about one of my favorite spots for omakase, Chef Don Pham’s Sushi Ishikawa. With two locations, one on the Upper East Side the other on the Upper West Side, Ishikawa has got you covered. Sushi Ishikawa is a small and intimate—read romantic—spot to get great sushi in NYC. I took my wife to the Upper East Side location for our first official date (our first “unofficial” date was at Ten Bells wine bar on Manhattan’s lower east side, we can revisit that later…) in the summer of 2017. Needless to say, Sushi Ishikawa was a great move on my part!

If you’re like me and currently sticking to outdoor dining you’re in luck because Ishikawa is offering patio dining and takeout options as well. Under normal circumstances, I recommend that you book a reservation at the counter—which only has 12 seats—to get the optimal experience of omakase dining.

Omakase is the only option (two menu options: 15 courses for $125 or 16 courses for $155). Omakase is really all you’ll want because each piece of sushi is innovative and like a bite of magic. The fish is of excellent quality—often sourced from Japan—and uniquely topped with culinary treasures like Russian caviar, truffles, gold leaf, and lots of one of my personal favorites, Uni. Occasionally, the fish will be blow torched adding another element of flavor to your bite.

The omakase experience includes being served elegant small plates (see below) with unique flavorful sauces such as ponzo sauce or Thai chili sauce. You may also be served non-traditional toppings such as pico de gallo bringing in a little spark of flavor from other parts of the world.

For NYC diners, local or visiting, for an exceptional omakase experience in NYC book a reservation at Sushi Ishikawa. With excellent service and high quality sushi, the experience is sure to be memorable. What are some of your favorite sushi spots around the world? Let me know in the comments below.