Inase Restaurant
“Living on the UES, I'm glad to have discovered it because it's one of the best authentic sushi restaurants in the area.”
“With the Omakase the chef places the sushi on a plate in front of you as he makes it.”
“When thinking of the fish we were served here, I am reminded of our excursions to Sushi of Gari and Tanoshi Sushi….”
Inase Restaurant
Takes Reservations: Yes
Delivery: Yes
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
Good for Kids: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
Price range.
$$$ Price range $31-60
5 reviews
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I really wanted to like this place because the hostess was so sweet and warm.
The ambiance was not there. Yes, I know $60-80 omakase is not a ridiculous amount of money to pay for omakase in Manhattan, but I was the only patron for the majority of the dinner (Fri evening, fyi) and there was no music. Now, I am not saying there HAS to be music either, but throughout the entire meal, I felt oddly exposed and felt as if the silence was tangible. It was slightly awkward and uncomfortable.
I opted for the $60 omakase and got 6 pieces of sashimi (just ok, not AMAZING) and 6 pieces of sushi (pretty good!) along with a salad, small kitchen appetizer, miso soup, and dessert. That's not a bad deal in the city, but I also felt that the kitchen appetizer (some sort of seaweed app) was a tad bit salty.
Service was definitely there, ambiance wasn't, quality of food could have been better. Would I return? Probably not.
Really good, fresh sushi. Went with a party of 6. Got the chirashi deluxe bowl.
No ambiance at all, but solid food, which is often more important!
Inase Restaurant is lovely in every way; fresh delicately prepared sashimi aside warm and attentive service….
Lately we've been investing in higher quality sushi experiences less frequently, rather than taking an exuberant amount of trips to dime-a-dozen Japanese restaurants…. Inase is the perfect splurge that still stays in the realm of affordability without sacrificing quality. When thinking of the fish we were served here, I am reminded of our excursions to Sushi of Gari and Tanoshi Sushi….
My partner and I arrived early for a 6PM reservation and you could tell that the bar and kitchen were just opening. The dining area was totally empty in an eerie way–luckily our discomfort was quickly quelled by compassionate wait service. We ordered the Fatty Tuna Don and the Sushi/Sashimi Entree. Similar to our experience with omakase elsewhere, the waitress asked if we had aversions to any fish–a big sell in my opinion as it makes you feel the staff cares about feeding you food you enjoy while still surprising you with their specials selection. Our dishes were something like this:
Fatty Tuna Don
This entree was far beyond what you'd expect based on its name. Not only does it come with a large portion of toro, it's served aside two small slices of uni, a piece of white fish, marinated mushrooms, plump salmon roe, and two sushi-size pieces of sweet egg tart. For $27.00, unlike most high-quality Japanese dishes, you will be both full AND satisfied. A fantastic and unexpected variety of fresh fish over a bed of perfectly-cooked lukewarm rice (oh, and a quail egg yolk) is enough for me to suggest any big toro fan venture to Inase.
Sushi/Sashimi Special
Imagine the simple, rich flavors of fish served at an over-indulged modernized Japanese restaurant for a fraction of the cost…that's what Inase's special is. Our waitress served us a large platter of fantastically prepared sushi and sashimi. Sushi pieces of fatty tuna, fluke, squid, scallop, sweet shrimp, octopus, Spanish mackerel, yellowtail, and one seasonal fish. Sashimi slices of blue fin tuna, salmon, fluke, and yellowtail. All marvelous from first to unfortunately, last bite.
In conclusion, I think I've said more than enough. I'm their biggest fan, from the fish to their charming dish-ware. Inase is worth your dollar and your time. For those with seasoned palettes you will not be disappointed, for those wanting a new, enriching experience with the Japanese preparation of raw fish–this is the perfect place to start. The highest of recommendations…safe to say I'm already a regular?
In that category that is higher end than street corner sushi, but not quite at the price point of the spectacular joints in the city (Yasuda, Brushstroke, Gari, whatever) Inase stands alone as being spectacular.
When you order tell them you want the Japanese fish and not the garbage they give to the soccer moms.
Chawanmushi is especially rich and delicious and if they have it make sure to have the Maitaki Mushroom soup.
I have no idea why this place got such high reviews. I had to double check a few times that it was the same place. I went here solely based on yelp reviews and I had a completely different experience.
I got some basic sushi rolls – tuna, salmon, eel avocado and my boyfriend got some of their special rolls. The sushi did not taste fresh at all. In fact I knew right away because the tuna looked light pinkish rather than dark red. The salmon was fattier than my liking.
The place is very small and the menu pretty limited. Its more expensive than some other sushi places in the area. That night, I got extremely sick. I have no idea if it was connected to the sushi but I will probably not be returning considering Poke is down the road.