Sushi Yasaka
Lunch: 12pm-3pm Everyday; Dinner: M-Sa 5pm-10:30pm; Su 5pm-9:30pm
When I first learned that this restaurant was considered one of the best sushi spots in the neighborhood, I was eager to take friends there to try it. As a vegetarian, I was able to find several of my favorite Japanese dishes offered, and others were quite pleased with their orders from Yasaka’s sushi bar. I have since been back numerous times and it is no surprise to me that the restaurant has been a consistently popular dining destination since it first opened in 2011. The menu is tasty and creative and the restaurant is always filled, no matter what the time of day. Even at noon in the middle of the week, when I took the Manhattan Sideways team for lunch, there were patrons at every table. Without a reservation, no one seems to be able to grab a seat, even at the sushi counter. Surrounded by Japanese prints decorating the walls and traditional Shoji dividing screens, we ordered a bowl of edamame to share. Beginning with the house miso soup, Sideways team members Tom and Olivia tucked into a salad followed by shrimp shumai, tempura, rice, and a sushi roll of their choice, while I enjoyed an order of the steamed veggie dumplings. In addition to the excellent food, the lunch special is a great deal at $12.00, and explains why so many choose to come in for their midday meal.
