RFK Cuisine · Sushi · New York
Best Sushi Restaurants in New York City 2026
Sushi · New York · 6 counters ranked · Updated June 2026
Compiled by the Restaurants for Kings editorial team · Published June 20, 2026 · Updated June 20, 2026
For more than a decade Masa was the only three-Michelin-star sushi bar in New York. In the 2025 guide it dropped to two stars and Sushi Sho climbed to three, and the city's omakase map redrew itself overnight. New York is now the most serious sushi town outside Japan, a tight row of Edomae counters where the fish is aged and cured rather than served cold, the rice is warm and vinegared, and the chef, not the diner, decides how each piece is eaten. These are the six New York sushi counters worth booking in 2026, ranked on the fish, the rice and what the bill buys, with the price to expect and how to get a seat at each.
1.Sushi Sho
New York's only three-star sushi counter, Keiji Nakazawa's aged-fish omakase near Bryant Park — book it once for the top of the city.
Sushi Sho, on a quiet stretch of East 41st Street near the New York Public Library, became the city's first new three-star sushi bar in a generation when Michelin promoted it in 2025. Keiji Nakazawa is a master of aging and curing, and the omakase leans into matured fish, rich red-vinegar rice and a slower, more cerebral rhythm than the flashier counters. The room is small, blond-wood and hushed, with the chef working a handful of seats per seating. It is very expensive and the menu is entirely the chef's call. Seats release on a set schedule and go fast, so plan a month or more out. For the highest-rated sushi in New York and a study in what aging does to fish, book the earliest seating you can get.
Reserve through the restaurant's booking system; trust the omakase, the aged tuna, and a flight of sake over wine.
2.Masa
Still the grandest, most expensive sushi in America, now two stars at Columbus Circle — book Masa once when price is no object.
Masa, on the fourth floor of the Deutsche Bank Center at Columbus Circle, is the most expensive serious restaurant in the country, around $950 a head before sake. Masa Takayama held three Michelin stars here for well over a decade and dropped to two in the 2025 guide, but the experience is unchanged: a hinoki counter so prized the wood is sanded daily, toro and caviar, white truffle shaved in season, and a pace set entirely by the chef. It is a once-in-a-lifetime splurge rather than a regular booking, and you pay for the rarefied calm as much as the fish. For an occasion where the bill is beside the point, book a few weeks ahead and clear the evening.
Reserve direct; the toro with caviar, the white truffle in autumn, and the full omakase at the bare cypress counter.
3.Sushi Noz
The purists' two-star, Nozomu Abe's hinoki counter on the Upper East Side — book Sushi Noz for the most exacting Edomae in the city.
Sushi Noz, on East 78th Street, is the connoisseur's choice. Nozomu Abe works a beautiful hinoki-wood counter built to evoke an old Edo-era sushi-ya, and his two-star omakase is among the most precise and traditional in New York: meticulous knife work, warm rice, a small daily set of fish handled exactly as the Edomae canon dictates. The room is intimate and reverent, with a back bar for a shorter sitting. It is a high-end booking, in the serious Edomae band below Masa, and the focus is squarely on the food rather than the trappings. For diners who want craft over spectacle, book a couple of weeks ahead and take the main counter.
Reserve direct; the marinated akami, the simmered anago, and a seat at the main hinoki counter rather than the back bar.
4.Sushi Nakazawa
The West Village star that made omakase a night out, Daisuke Nakazawa's nigiri run at around $180 — book it for a first great sushi dinner.
Sushi Nakazawa, on a pretty Commerce Street corner in the West Village, is the one-star room that turned high-end omakase into something New Yorkers actually book. Daisuke Nakazawa, who trained under Jiro Ono and featured in Jiro Dreams of Sushi, runs a generous twenty-odd-piece nigiri progression that is warmer and more welcoming than the hushed Midtown counters. The dining room takes tables as well as the counter, and the price, around $180, is gentle for the quality. It is the best entry point in the city for someone eating serious sushi for the first time. For an approachable but genuinely excellent omakase, book the counter a week or two ahead.
Reserve direct or via Resy; sit at the counter not a table, take the full nigiri omakase, and add the supplemental toro.
5.Sushi Amane
An eight-seat Edomae hideaway below a Midtown noodle shop, Tomoyuki Hayashi's quiet star — book Sushi Amane for an insider's omakase.
Sushi Amane is the kind of address you would walk past: an eight-seat counter on the lower level of the Mifune restaurant on East 44th Street, with no fanfare at street level. Chef Tomoyuki Hayashi cooks a strict, classic Edomae omakase in the lineage of Tokyo's great counters, and the one-star meal, around $250, is as serious as rooms charging far more. With so few seats, it feels private, almost clandestine, and the focus never leaves the fish in front of you. It is the connoisseur's value play among the starred counters. For a quiet, high-level omakase that few visitors know about, book one of the eight seats a couple of weeks ahead.
Reserve direct; let the chef lead, watch the rice temperature, and ask about the day's cured and aged pieces.
6.Sushi Yasuda
The Midtown institution that taught New York Edomae, serious sushi at a sane price — book Sushi Yasuda for the best-value great sushi in town.
Sushi Yasuda, on East 43rd Street since 1999, is the value benchmark every other counter is measured against. Founded by Naomichi Yasuda and still run to his exacting standard, the blond-wood room serves rigorous Edomae sushi, fish handled with restraint and a famously light, just-warm tamago, for a fraction of what the starred counters charge. It carries no Michelin star and does not chase one; the point is consistency and value, with a chef's selection that is one of the smartest orders in fine New York dining. It takes both counter seats and tables and is busy at lunch with people who know. For excellent sushi without the marquee price, book the counter a few days ahead.
Reserve direct or via Resy; sit at the bar, order the chef's selection, and finish with the signature tamago.
How New York eats sushi
New York sushi is overwhelmingly Edomae, the Tokyo tradition the city's best chefs trained in. That means the fish is aged, cured, marinated or simmered rather than served raw and cold, and the rice is warm, seasoned with red vinegar and salt, and pressed loosely so it collapses on the tongue. Almost every room above is omakase, chef's choice, served piece by piece across a counter; you eat at the chef's pace and on the chef's terms. The neighbourhoods cluster in Midtown around Grand Central and Bryant Park, with outliers in the West Village and on the Upper East Side.
A few practical notes for 2026. The marquee counters, Sushi Sho and Masa above all, release seats on fixed schedules and book out weeks ahead, so set a reminder for the drop. Counters are small, latecomers throw off the whole seating, and many rooms ask you not to wear strong perfume that fights the fish. Tipping is expected on top of the menu price, which can be substantial at these bills. And ratings move every year, so confirm the current Michelin guide. For the wider city, use the full New York dining guide, and compare other cities on the sushi cuisine pillar.
Where not to look for it
Skip these for a serious New York sushi meal
The conveyor-belt and all-you-can-eat rooms, for Edomae. The cheap sushi-go-round spots and $30 unlimited deals scattered around Midtown and the East Village are fine for a fast lunch but have nothing to do with the cooking on this page. For real Edomae at an entry price, book the counter at Sushi Nakazawa or Sushi Yasuda instead.
Masa, if you flinch at the bill. At roughly $950 a head before sake it is the most expensive serious meal in the country, and the experience is austere rather than celebratory. If you want a three-star ceiling without the four-figure outlay, book Sushi Sho; if you want excellent sushi at a sane price, book Sushi Yasuda.
Frequently asked
What is the best sushi restaurant in New York?
By the Michelin rating, Sushi Sho is now the best in the city: chef Keiji Nakazawa's omakase counter near Bryant Park earned three stars in the 2025 guide, the first New York sushi bar at three stars since Masa. Masa at Columbus Circle, now two stars, is still the grand splurge, and Sushi Noz on the Upper East Side is the connoisseur's two-star Edomae room. Book Sushi Sho for the top of the rating, Masa for the occasion, Noz for the purists' counter.
How much does omakase cost in New York?
Top-tier omakase in New York runs a wide range. Masa is the most expensive serious sushi in the country at roughly $950 a head before sake; Sushi Sho and Sushi Noz sit in the high-end Edomae band of a few hundred dollars. Sushi Nakazawa and Sushi Amane are gentler at around $180 to $250, and Sushi Yasuda is the value pick, with a chef's selection well below the marquee counters. Drinks and the customary service push every figure up, so confirm the price when you book.
Did Masa lose a Michelin star?
Yes. Masa, Masa Takayama's counter at Columbus Circle, held three Michelin stars for well over a decade but dropped to two in the 2025 New York guide. At the same ceremony Sushi Sho was promoted to three stars, making it the city's only three-star sushi bar. Masa is still an extraordinary, and extraordinarily expensive, restaurant, but if a current three-star is the point of the evening, Sushi Sho is now the address.
What is the difference between Edomae sushi and regular sushi?
Edomae is the Tokyo-style sushi that nearly every serious New York counter follows: fish that is aged, cured, marinated or simmered rather than served raw and cold, and warm rice seasoned with red vinegar and a little salt, formed loosely so it falls apart on the tongue. Sushi Noz and Sushi Amane are strict Edomae rooms; Sushi Sho and Sushi Yasuda work in the same tradition. The point is that the chef, not the diner, decides how each piece is best eaten, which is why these are omakase counters.
Which New York sushi bar is best value?
Sushi Yasuda on East 43rd Street is the value benchmark. The Midtown East institution, open since 1999, serves serious Edomae sushi and a famously light house tamago for a fraction of the marquee counters, and the chef's selection is one of the best deals in fine New York dining. For a step up in price but still short of the three-star band, Sushi Nakazawa in the West Village runs a complete nigiri omakase at around $180. Book either a week or so ahead.
More sushi, by city
More from RFK
Browse the full New York dining guide, compare the global field on the best sushi worldwide, read the verdict on three-star Sushi Sho and Masa, find the best Japanese in New York, plan a table to impress a client, book a proposal omakase, or open the full RFK cuisine index.
Restaurants for Kings is reader-supported. Some reservation links are affiliate links with OpenTable, Resy or Tock; we earn a small commission at no cost to you, and a link never buys a place on a ranking. Editorial scores and ranking order are independent of any commercial relationship. See our ranking methodology.