RFK Cuisine · Japanese · New York
Best Japanese Restaurants in New York City 2026
Japanese · New York · 7 counters and rooms ranked · Updated June 2026
Compiled by the Restaurants for Kings editorial team · Published June 20, 2026 · Updated June 20, 2026
For the first time in years, the most expensive sushi in New York is no longer the highest rated. Masa, the $750 omakase at Columbus Circle, slipped to two Michelin stars in the 2025 guide just as a quieter Midtown counter, Keiji Nakazawa's Sushi Sho, climbed to three, the only sushi-ya in the city to hold them. That changing of the guard is the story of New York sushi right now: a deep field of master counters where the rankings move, the fish flies in from Toyosu, and the difference between a great meal and a transcendent one is measured in the temperature of the rice. This list runs from the three-star counter to the $150 omakase, ranked on the fish and the cooking, the room and what the bill buys, with what to order at each.
1.Sushi Sho
The city's only three-star sushi-ya; book the counter weeks out for Keiji Nakazawa's Edomae omakase, the new benchmark in New York.
Sushi Sho, on East 41st Street in Midtown East, is the New York outpost of Keiji Nakazawa, who opened the original Sushi Sho in Tokyo in 1989, and since arriving in 2024 it has rocketed to three Michelin stars in the 2025 guide, the only sushi restaurant in the city to hold them. Nakazawa's style is a distinctive, generous Edomae: a long omakase that mixes pristine nigiri with an unusual number of small plates and his own touches, served at a small counter with real warmth. It has become the most coveted sushi reservation in the city almost overnight. Plan on roughly $400 a head and up. It is the new top of the New York sushi table. Book the moment the window opens, weeks ahead.
Reserve when the window opens; the full Edomae omakase, the otsumami plates, the chef's nigiri.
2.Masa
The $750 omakase that defined New York luxury sushi; book it for a once-in-a-lifetime splurge, two stars and all.
Masa, on the fourth floor of the Shops at Columbus Circle, is Masayoshi Takayama's opulent omakase, long the most expensive restaurant in the country and still the grandest sushi experience in New York even after slipping to two Michelin stars in 2025. Takayama works a hinoki counter for around twenty-six guests, building a sprawling omakase of toro, uni, truffle and seasonal fish flown from Japan, with the chef himself often shaping the nigiri. At roughly $750 a head, with a $950 counter option, it is a pure splurge where the cost is the point as much as the fish. It is the choice for a milestone where money is no object. Reserve about three weeks ahead.
Reserve direct; the full omakase, the toro and uni, the seasonal Japanese fish, the Hinoki seat.
3.Sushi Noz
The two-star Edo-style counter in a hinoki tea house; book it for Nozomu Abe's pure, traditional nigiri on the Upper East Side.
Sushi Noz, on East 78th Street on the Upper East Side, is chef Nozomu Abe's two-Michelin-starred sushi-ya, built as a hinoki-cypress room that evokes a Kyoto tea house. The format is purist Edomae: an eight-seat counter, a procession of perfect nigiri and traditional otsumami, and an almost reverent quiet around the craft. Abe ages and cures his fish with precision, and the rice is the equal of the seafood, which is the mark of a serious counter. It is the most traditional two-star sushi experience in the city, the antithesis of the big-room spectacle. Plan on roughly $395 to $450 a head. It is the choice for an Edomae purist. Book two to four weeks ahead.
Reserve direct; the nigiri omakase, the aged tuna, the otsumami, a counter seat.
4.Odo
Hiroki Odo's two-star kaiseki hidden behind a tea bar; book it for a seasonal Japanese tasting that goes beyond sushi.
Odo, tucked behind a tea bar in the Flatiron, is chef Hiroki Odo's two-Michelin-starred kaiseki room, and it is the one entry here that is not primarily a sushi-ya. Odo cooks a multi-course seasonal kaiseki that blends tradition with personal, creative touches, sushi among them, served at a serene counter screened from the street. The meal is a broader journey through Japanese cooking than a pure nigiri omakase, with the precision and quiet that the two stars reward. It is the choice for a diner who wants the full range of refined Japanese cuisine rather than sushi alone. Plan on around $365 a head. Book two to three weeks ahead, and take the sake pairing.
Reserve direct; the seasonal kaiseki tasting, the seafood courses, the sake pairing.
5.Sushi Nakazawa
The West Village counter from the Jiro Dreams of Sushi protégé; book it for a warm, generous omakase that still feels like an event.
Sushi Nakazawa, on Commerce Street in the West Village, is chef Daisuke Nakazawa's restaurant, and his story, as the apprentice who famously perfected the egg in the documentary Jiro Dreams of Sushi, gives it a particular pull. The omakase is a generous twenty-plus piece run of nigiri served with warmth and a sense of occasion, at a counter or in the dining room, with fish flown from around the world. It made its name with a rare four-star New York Times review when it opened. At around $180 to $200 a head it is a far gentler price than the two- and three-star counters for a genuinely serious meal. It is the choice for a celebratory omakase that does not require a month's notice. Book a week or two ahead.
Reserve direct; the counter omakase, the famous tamago, the chef's nigiri selection.
6.Sushi Yasuda
The Midtown institution that trained a generation; book it for classic Edomae nigiri and one of the best sushi values in the city.
Sushi Yasuda, on East 43rd Street in Midtown East, opened in 1999 and has been a New York Edomae institution ever since, the room that founder Naomichi Yasuda used to set a standard that many later counters trained against. The cooking is classic and restrained: precise nigiri, an emphasis on the rice and the cut, and a calm, light blond-wood room that lets the fish speak. There is no theatre and no inflated bill, just consistently excellent sushi at a price, around $150 for the omakase, that undercuts almost every serious counter in the city. It is the choice for great traditional sushi without the splurge or the scramble. Book a few days to a week ahead, and sit at the counter.
Reserve direct; the omakase at the counter, the seasonal nigiri, the tamago.
7.Nobu Downtown
The polished Tribeca flagship of the Nobu empire; book it for the black cod and a lively à la carte Japanese night out.
Nobu Downtown, in a soaring Tribeca space on Broad Street, is the New York flagship of Nobu Matsuhisa's global empire, and it offers the counterpoint to the hushed omakase counters: a large, glamorous, à la carte room where the famous Japanese-Peruvian menu meets a buzzy crowd. The order is the canon, the miso black cod, the yellowtail with jalapeño, the rock-shrimp tempura, the new-style sashimi and a broad sushi list, cut to a high standard even at volume. It is the easiest booking of the group and the best for a larger table or a livelier night. Plan on roughly $120 to $200 a head once you share. It is the choice when you want excellent Japanese food inside a scene rather than a silent counter. Book a week ahead for weekends.
Reserve direct; the miso black cod, yellowtail jalapeño, the rock-shrimp tempura, the sushi list.
How New York eats Japanese
New York's Japanese scene is the deepest in the West, and right now it is unusually fluid at the top. The 2025 Michelin guide reshuffled the order, lifting Keiji Nakazawa's Sushi Sho to three stars and dropping Masa to two, while a tight band of two-star counters, Sushi Noz and the kaiseki room Odo, hold just below. Beneath them sits a strong middle tier, Sushi Nakazawa and Sushi Yasuda, that delivers serious Edomae at a fraction of the marquee prices, and a wave of glossy à la carte rooms led by Nobu Downtown. The result is a city where you can spend $750 or $150 and eat genuinely great sushi at either end.
Practically, the small counters live by their booking windows: Sushi Sho, Masa, Sushi Noz and Odo release seats on set schedules and sell through them fast, so set a reminder and aim two to four weeks ahead, while Nakazawa, Yasuda and Nobu are easier. Counter omakase asks for attention and discourages substitutions; trust the chef's order. Tipping is the New York 20 percent, and many counters run a single seating. Geography clusters the best rooms in Midtown East, the Upper East Side and downtown. For everything beyond Japanese, from the steakhouses to the Italian rooms, the New York dining guide maps the city by neighbourhood and occasion.
Where not to look for it
Skip these for serious Japanese
The Midtown conveyor-belt and bento chains. The volume sushi counters around the office towers run on frozen fish and speed, a different thing entirely from the counters on this list. For real nigiri at a fair price, book Sushi Yasuda instead and pay a little more for far better.
Sushi Sho or Masa for a casual, last-minute dinner. These are weeks-ahead, hundreds-of-dollars, single-seating commitments built for quiet attention. If you want a relaxed Japanese night out, book Nobu Downtown or a neighbourhood izakaya instead.
Frequently asked
What is the best Japanese restaurant in New York?
Sushi Sho in Midtown East is the new benchmark, chef Keiji Nakazawa's Edomae counter that earned a third Michelin star in 2025, the only three-star sushi room in the city. After it come a cluster of two-star counters: Masayoshi Takayama's Masa at Columbus Circle, Nozomu Abe's Sushi Noz on the Upper East Side and Hiroki Odo's kaiseki-and-sushi room Odo in the Flatiron. Choose Sushi Sho or Masa for a milestone, and Sushi Nakazawa or Sushi Yasuda for a more affordable serious omakase.
How much does omakase cost in New York?
At the top, a lot. Masa at Columbus Circle is the most expensive, around $750 a head before drinks, with a $950 counter experience. Sushi Sho and Sushi Noz run roughly $395 to $450, and Odo's kaiseki tasting is around $365. The mid-tier counters are far gentler: Sushi Nakazawa is about $180 to $200 and Sushi Yasuda lands near $150 for the omakase. Nobu Downtown is à la carte, so a full meal there is roughly $120 to $200 once you share.
Which New York sushi restaurant has three Michelin stars?
Sushi Sho in Midtown East is the city's only three-Michelin-starred sushi restaurant, having earned its third star in 2025 under chef Keiji Nakazawa, who first opened Sushi Sho in Tokyo in 1989. Masa held three stars for years but was downgraded to two in the 2025 guide. Sushi Noz and Odo also hold two stars. For the highest-rated sushi in the city, book the Sushi Sho counter well ahead and follow the chef's omakase.
How far in advance should you book sushi in New York?
For the top counters, weeks. Sushi Sho, Masa, Sushi Noz and Odo each seat only a handful to a couple of dozen guests a sitting and release reservations on set windows that sell through quickly, so aim two to four weeks out and set a reminder. Sushi Nakazawa and Sushi Yasuda are easier but still want a week for prime times. Nobu Downtown is the easiest of the group. Book the small counters as early as their windows open.
What is the difference between sushi and kaiseki in New York?
Most of the top rooms here are sushi-ya, counters serving an Edomae omakase of nigiri and a few small plates, like Sushi Sho, Sushi Noz, Sushi Nakazawa and Sushi Yasuda. Odo is different: a kaiseki room, serving a multi-course seasonal Japanese tasting that includes but is not limited to sushi. Masa blends both, an opulent omakase that ranges across sushi and hot dishes. Choose a sushi-ya for pure nigiri and Odo for a broader Japanese tasting.
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