Sakagura Reviews

I've been eating here for years - always taking new folks to this hidden taste of Japan through the lobby of a building on 43rd street (between 2nd-3rd Aves) and then downstairs, then voila! Upon first walking into the restaurant, you'll notice many of the Aisan clientele are hear because they know this place is great! Not your typical sushi - no exotic sushi rolls like many peer restaurants, but plenty of excellent quality fish dishes along with a variety of noodles and other interesting delights. Dinner is quite different with a tapas-style menu, which allows for a small group to try a large array of tasty dishes. The sake selection is quite amazing too and Sakagura offers both cold and hot sake - the lower-priced all the way up to high-end bottles. I highly encourage the enthusiasts to try the sake sampler. Not cheap, but a great way to taste several different types of very nice quality sake. Highly recommended for a memorable experience!

A very respectful staff but a very deceptive restaurant. Food is incredibly expensive for such a small portion. We err cold inside, the atmosphere was a bit gloomy and very posh at the same time. Sure the food is good but that goes with the price you pay. It’s not worth it from our point of view. We went out still hungry after having eaten 4 sashimis for me and one small rice bowl with eels and another fish for my husband and it was $115. It seems to be a very chic Japanese restaurant however far from being the best we had.

A little bit of an unusual entrance which isn’t so easy to find but a fantastic restaurant with amazing food! Great atmosphere and busy even on a Monday night so make sure you make a reservation, you won’t regret it.

We were into some sushi or other Japanese food and picked this one from tripadvisor. You really need to know the exact entry, else you won’t find it. The reataurant is in the basement. We checked the menu at the desk and found the prices reasonable. Later it turned out not be a representation of the expected costs, as it was stated that 3 dishes per person was normal, so with a party of four, ordering 12 dishes to share was a normal dinner. As this would make it all too costly for iur family we ordered just one dish per person. Salmon, beef, chicken and a hot udon soup. I did taste a bit of all, and really didn’t find the taste exceptionally good for such a restaurant. So we paid and left after having finished it.

I Knew SAKAGURA twelve years ago, More or less. Hidden, like a Perfect Japanese Secret. Every dishes Is better. I appreciate the place at the Same Time to the Food. Nice and very kind attention...please, don't Let to know SAKAGURA in Your schedule

Came here for dinner for the first time. Get a seat at the counter if you can if you’re 2 people. It’s nice and private enough for you to be in your own world. The tables are just in the middle with people passing by. Pork belly - delicious. Get it. It’s cheap too compared to others. Miyazaki beef - pricier but absolutely worth it Cod - delicious Eel with rice - enjoyable. Nothing special in the sense that you can get this kind of dish in many places. But it’s good! Beef Shumai - I didn’t get a picture of this but it was yummy as well. 4 pieces of beef wrapped like a shumai with a dipping sauce. Black sesame creme brûlée - delicious. Sesame flavor was great. There are still many dishes to try....

Love this spot. The portions are small so you can try a bunch of items without feeling stuffed. The bathrooms are made out of old sake barrels. The alcohol selection is outstanding with a bunch of Japanese whiskeys and the bartenders are extremely knowledgeable. Note that the restaurant itself is hard to find. Go inside an office building and all the way to the back of the lobby. The entrance is on the left side where you take the stairs to go down.

There are a few places in NYC where you can get authentic Japanese food and beverages without a second mortgage. This is one of them. Unisoba is a healthy portion of uni on home made soba noodles. The difference between homemade noodles and the noodles served at most noodle shops in NYC is amazing. Pork belly is another classic. The sake menu is huge. It can be intimidating, but the servers are patient and knowledgeable. They have different tasting flights to help educate your palate. Don’t skip dessert.

We frequent this gem of a restaurant very often. Get there before 12. They only have a limited amount of bento boxes. The food is great and the choices are many. Leave room for dessert. For dinner you can enjoy what must be the largest variety of SAKKE in New York. A bit hard to find its in the basement of an Office building. Great location near Grand Central and UN

I arrived at this restaurant almost by chance, it is not very easy to find but the security at the entrance of the building will guide you. We had no reservation so we waited half an hour but it was worth it. The quality of the fish is very high and the prices are absolutely acceptable. The place is very well decorated and the atmosphere is cozy and quiet. Highly recommended

For sake experts or those just wanting to explore, Sakagura probably has the best sake list in the United States. The food is also excellent, with succulent pork belly, fried chicken, chicken meatballs among many others on a very diverse menu. The set course lunch is one of the great values in New York. The location in a building basement is surprising for New York but makes you feel like you are back in Tokyo.

This restaurant does not disappoint. Very authentic, good service and reasonably priced. Highly recommended.

Unbelievable location and authentic Japanese food for a reasonable price. It is very hard to find a place for authentic big portion Japanese dish in the city.

After a day of taking in a few exhibitions at the MMofA, my friend & I were to meet her son at Sakagura. Our selection of the restaurant was not based on knowledge of the food served, but upon the fact that it was close to where her son had earlier meetings and the fact the my friend had recently returned from a trip to Japan. The location was somewhat difficult to find because of outside construction and then having entered the large commercial building, the receptionist told us to take the stairs downstairs to the basement. This area was not at all inviting and we became skeptical about entering the restaurant. However; it was like going thru a time warp as once inside the restaurant it was like, what I imagine, a street in early 20th century Tokyo would look like. Once the three of us were together I allowed my friend to order both the food & sake. The menu was extensive and we had a variety of dishes--most of which were unfamiliar to me. I enjoyed listening to my friend discuss with our knowledgeable waiter the various dishes she wanted to order. There was one dish that was a surprise in that it was a soup served once our other dishes had been consumed. None of us expected this based on the menu description. I thought the waiter was pleasantly forthright in saying when the order was sufficient for 3 and that we could always order more later on, if we were still hungry. Again with the waiter's assistance an order for a special sake was placed. It was the first time I had this drink and found it to be an easy tipple. The various dishes we ordered were beautifully presented and excellent--sorry but I didn't take a menu when I left to reference back specific dishes that we had ordered. The restaurant seemed to be full even though we were there late on a Tuesday night. The W.C.s were discreetly hidden and contained very 21st century facilities. I look forward to being back in NYC and able to revisit this most enchanting restaurant which serves Japanese food of the highest quality.

We had dinner at Sakagura last night. This is a real find! The signage does not do it justice as we passed it the night before and paid no attention to it. It is in the basement of what appears to be an office building. Once you pass the security guard you take a left and head down the stairs where you are immediately transported into a beautiful setting. The food was excellent and the service was superb! As a group of four we ordered eight different things from the menu. Each dish was better than the first. I would eat there again and again. The sea salt chocolate ice cream at the end was the perfect ending to the meal. Two people from our group had the sake. This was their second or third time at the restaurant and they agreed it was one of their favorites. I also appreciated that we had made a 7:30 reservation and when we arrived early it was ready. The hostess told us upon being seated that the table was ours until 9:30. This allowed us to have a leisurely meal and not feel rushed.

Wow what a hidden gem. I think part of the fun is finding the restaurant! It's in the basement of what looks like a regular office building. Every item we ordered was delicious. My favorite was the uni soba, uni egg soup and Miyazaki beef grilled on a hot stone. Did I mention their amazing sake collection ?

I love this place, its a great hidden gem in NYC. Located in the basement of an office building in midtown. When you enter you feel like you are entering a cool bar in Tokyo. The sake menu is intense it would probably take you a year+ to try everything. They have some really expensive sake here! The food is good, but definitely not the Japanese food most people are used to here in the US. I am a big fan of the Uzaku(eel salad). This is a fun spot and you will not be upset that you came here. Definitely make a reservation.

Not a fan of Japanese dishes, but this was a good one to share with colleagues and friends. I would recommend to try Japanese food, well served and nice environment. It was curious the way to reach the place but it was fine. I enjoyed.

fun, hidden location, great variety of food.Good sake choices. This is one of the best Izakaya in the city

Love this place with their excellent sake collection, including flights, great atmosphere, plus great food. Gindara, Nasu Dengaku, Onigiri, etc. all great. Sea Bream special was excellent. Black sesame creme brulee with black sesame ice cream is awesome.

This place makes you feel like you are in japan. underground, quiet place that has a long sushi bar area. you must make reservations and be on time. after 15 mins they will not honor your reservations anymore. lunch is also pretty busy. they have special menu such as "first XX people get this for $X" for lunch deal. i have came here few times trying to order it but at all times, it was already sold out. otherwise luch here would be $20-30 depending on what you order. quality of the food is very good, great sake selections. Definitely recoomend for anyone who is looking for great food but do not care too much about the scene.

Sakagura is a supposedly a great sake and soba bar really well knowned around midtown Unfortunalty the service is poor and I am picking my word and it makes the experience lunching there not worth it even worth it wrecks your experience the food is good a bit pricey for lunch of course you are eating raw fish and it's fresh so do want it to be to cheap otherwise the quality may be in jeopardy but nevertheless around in the same area you can do better for cheaper Soba's are good I will not contradict that I am not gonna complain about the food. it's good not impressive or amazing Good like many other places in the neighborhood so why bother with poor service and staff for nothing special Nevertheless Service here is bad really bad and mean even So if you have an other option (like next door ) maybe try somewhere else because the food is not worth it

Interesting menu. Don't go for the specials - they are pricey and not as good as the other stuff. Small portions. But certainly worth visiting once.

If you want other Japanese food than sushis try this restaurant. Very good soba and a very large choice of sakes

Sakagura is one of the best Japanese restaurants or any restaurants in the city. It’s like be transported to Japan. The sale collection is excellent. Large menu with something for everyone. Came for a 6 person business dinner and it was perfect.

this is a must if one likes different sake and great desserts along with delicious Japanese food- great for dinner also - its well below ground you enter through the office building and you will be surprised as to how long the line is and how good the food is

We came without a reservation and were asked to wait for 10 min, it turned out to be a half-an-hour wait, then the service was patchy mainly due to the fact that the kitchen does not seem to keep up with the patrons' orders. Our waiter was very polite and courteous and warned us that the dishes will not be served at the same time. However, the wait between the different dishes took a long time (around 30 min), the meal took forever to come and when the food was served - the quality left us to desire better: it was cold and did not have much of taste. After paying the NYC midtown price for dinner for 4, we came out almost hungry. If you like Japanese or Asian food - find something outside the midtown. We tasted scrumptious Asian food in Korea and China towns at the fractions of the cost with good amounts of food. We would not be rushing back.

Their menu is very rich and very different than the average Japanese restaurant in NYC. Fish is very fresh, ambiance is amazing; service is great too - as well as their Sake selection

The food here was amazing! The wait staff was friendly and helpful. Will assuredly dine here ever time I'm in the city from now on. MAKE SURE YOU GET RESERVATIONS!

We were well serviced by a japanese man (the one who took the orders). The food was great though expensive. Sakes were really good. Unfortunately we had a bad experience in the end, when my card did not go through at first and another japanese man (maybe he was security or the general manager) kept following me everywhere and was rude as I was calling my bank to sort out the payment (which took about 10 minutes).

Very fun environment. Service was excellent. Huge variety of sake. Sashimi was excellent! It felt like going into a speakeasy!

Great experience. Great sake list. Inventive Japanese. Presentation on the dish - excellent. Taste - excellent. Ate at the long bar for dinner. Service was attentive. Chef came out to talk to customers. Take the stairs or the elevator to the basement. You need to look for the sign on the door of the building or you will walk past. Prices reasonable for NY. Decor matches the restaurant.

The entrance to Sakagura is a little off putting; it feels like you're heading to the basement as you wander past firehoses and down a rather dank stairway before you finally enter the little oasis that is the restaurant. And charming oasis it is. The decor is lovely, full of cherry blossoms and hip art. The service was no only attentive but our waitress was very helpful with making our choices off the varied menu. The food, served tapas style, came out so beautifully plated it was hard for us to create any disarray! We enjoyed every bite from the amazing seaweed salad, to the duck, to the Japanese eggplant. If they are still serving the cherry blossom flan for dessert, don't miss this divine treat.

We found out about Sakagura on a travel show and we are so happy we went! The food was delicious and authentic. Sadly some of the dishes were unavailable so go early!

If you're not purposely looking for this spot, you'll never find it. Fact, even if you're looking for it, you may not find it. This izakaya is tucked away in the office building in the middle of midtown. It's only a few blocks away from Grand Central so you may have even passed it numerous times already. Head downstairs to the basement and you're greeted with a visit to Japan. The food is standard izakaya fanfare but worthy of it's own praise. The prices are very reasonable and the staff is super attentive. The space is big so you won't feel like you're stuck in a dungeon basement. The agedashi tofu and seaweed salad were by favorites but everything was quite good. I'll definitely be stopping by again.

Had heard a lot about this basement hidden gem. But in fact Was disappointed in the service. and the food was good but I have had better Japanese food in NYC and in Seattle. One very irritating detail: we arrived fairly early in the evening. And we immediately ordered the special - salmon or tuna collars. No comment from the waiter about availability but after our other dishes arrived I asked about it and was informed that the chef decided that the quality was not adequate. They hadn't already decided that?

In the basement of 211 E 43rd Street, you'll find a Japanese oasis of delicious food and drink. On a recent evening at Sakagura, two of us dined on Ika Shioraka (sliced raw squid cured in salt and a squid liver marinade), Onsen Tamago (soft boiled egg topped with sea urchin and salmon roe in cold soup), Tomago Yaki (sliced egg omelette with bonito broth, wrapped around grilled eel), Tatami Iwashi (dried sardine crackers fried crisp served with a spicy mayonnaise dip), Buta Kakuni (special stewed diced pork belly), Waygu beef on a hot stone, Uni Soba noodles (homemade buckwheat soba, topped with sea urchin in a sweet soy broth, and finished off with a sesame seed creme brulee. All of the dishes were outstanding and packed with flavor. The raw squid sounds a bit off-putting but it was packed with flavor that lingered. It went perfectly with our sake, recommended by the waiter. The stewed pork belly melted in your mouth and tasted like the best honey glazed ham you ever ate. The Waygu beef was of top quality and heavily marbled. I am a big fan of uni so the soba noodles and Onsen Tomago were my standouts, but every morsel was absolutely delicious. Highly recommended!

Food was good but very over priced. Service is extremely slow. I probably would not visit this place again.

Really love this place...been a while since I’ve been here but absence strengths love, as they say. This is one of those places that you’d never know was there - Sakagura is in the basement of a relatively anonymous office building on 43rd Street - and I’d like to think it’s still something of a foodie secret. I learned that they do take reservations (which never used to be the case...at least for the non-Japanese) so definitely take advantage of this option either for lunch or dinner. Given the location, Sakagura gets very busy for lunch with peak time between 12-1p. We didn’t have reservations but arrived around 12.30 and were seated at the bar right away. Service was attentive, as always. I had the (cold) soba lunch special (pictured) which came with tofu and sashimi...excellent...this was accompanied by a local sake (also pictured) which I rather enjoyed. Would not hesitate to recommend Sakagura to anyone wanting to try authentic Japanese food.

Friends of ours who pride themselves on making the most of living in NYC introduced us to Sakagura midtown about a year ago. Really cool and different dinner menu, which by the way is totally different from the downtown menu except for similarities in the sake menu presentation. Great place to meet friends as long as you make a reservation. Word is out and just standing in the lobby of the building, you can observe a virtual parade of “oh my god how cool it’s in the basement” couples. So no, you are not that cool and it’s not that hidden thanks to the internet. However the food is top notch and the pricing fair for NYC. Rice balls with fish roe are a value-leader and I recommend everyone get one. The grilled chicken that comes with salt on the side is fantastic.

Don t go there if you are hungry Very nice decorum A bit crowded and service is constantly lagging behind We took maguro and quantity was pitiful Udon fish soup was unsavory and mostly udon Chicken was ok Nothing like in Japan Far better places in NYC

This place was a very fun find as it was an adventure to get to the basement of a large office building. Sakagura has a great Sake bar with a huge selection of sake. The menu is not large so you better know what to order because there is not an amazing array of choices. Unfortunately, I had no idea what to order and failed miserably as there was no omakase menu to save me. Looking around the restaurant, the dishes looked beautifully prepared. I had no idea what they were, unfortunately. The four dishes we ordered, black cod, tuna tartar, udon soup and the sashimi were delicious, however, I was clueless what to order next, so we closed out our bill and went for pizza. I would recommend this restaurant for those that truly know their way around a Japanese menu. I thought I did, but apparently, this restaurant is truly proved me wrong.

We had to wait 15 mins in the reception for a table. It was worth it!!! Don't be put off by the climb down to the basement, once inside a beautiful and vibrant atmosphere will open up to you. Our waiter was friendly and spoke very good English and helped us through the menu which brings much creativity to traditional Japanese food. We headed straight to the Dengaku eggplant which is usually our favourite. It was the best we had ever had, recommended. I was a bit boring by ordering Karaage Fried Chicken but order it all the time around the world (including Japan) so wanted to judge Sakagura by previous tastings. Best ever! Moist chicken and a delicious flavoursome crunchy batter, recommended! The Sake was extraordinary. Our waiter was such a great guide to this because there are so many to choose from. The one we chose was much more subtle in flavour then anything we'd had before. My partner ordered Salmon and it was cooked perfectly. We would expected to have paid a little more for the meal so this is 5 star quality priced in a mid range. If you're staying in Midtown east head here but book! If Japanese food is your thing this is the place for you!

I really enjoy this basement Japanese restaurant. It is always busy and the food is really fresh. Raw fish is really fresh and cooked food also exquisite. An amazing selection of sakes as well. A fun place to go. It is definitely not your typical Japanese restaurant with the usual offerings.

Seriously, the sake list here is *exceptional*. Mind you, if you're not crazy, you'll end up losing your shirt - the prices on quite a few of these (very good!) sakes can be up there! Then again if you pay attention, you can work your way through quite a few sakes without breaking the bank 😀 The food here is long on munchies (think of the place as, kinda, sorta, an izakaya). That said though, the munchies are invariably very very good, lending themselves to a fun evening of noshing and sake. All that said given a choice, I'd rather go to their other location (Sakagura East), the bar is more conducive to a communal experience. But, then again, this *is* near Grand Central, so if you're in the 'hood....

Enjoyable professional restaurant which we have visited before. They seemed to have improved even. I tried a glass of Sake recommended to me by the barkeeper. He let me try 3 different ones and this one was WOW...!

Enjoyed a very tasty lunch at Sakagura with a colleague. Finding the restaurant was a bit of a challenge, but made it even more special. Really liked the green salad and shrimp and vegetable tempura. Would recommend for a tasty, quick lunch.

A memorable basement decor in Midtown. Many out of the ordinary items for connoisseurs as well as more standard items. But unless I am mistaken only sashimi, no sushi. I thought their chicken meatballs (TSUKUNE) were amongst the best I have eaten. I've made them myself. The little appetizers meant to go with the saké are a deal at 12 collars (first thing on the menu. The saké menu is one of the best anywhere, including sakés for almost 1000/ bottle. Very good desserts; Noise level no worse than anywhere else in NYC or Boston.

We visited today with a group (4) of wrk colleagues. We all had different dishes some soba noddles hot, cold, some fried pork or chicken, others sashimi but all of the meals where presented very well, came quickly and amazingly tasty. The couple next to us had the sake tasting plate which if it hadn't been a work lunch I would have loved to try it looked wonderful! The people I was with has taken their parents and friends there and they all loved it. Well worth trying! During the normal working week expect a line up.

One of the best Japanese place in NYC. Variety sake selection, from what I've heard it's one of the best in the country! Foods and sake options were amazing

After reading reviews for Sakagura and a couple of similar sounding places in the same area, I was torn on which to try while in NYC. I ultimately chose Sakagura and it did not disappoint! I booked a Saturday evening on the morning of and so was only able to get bar seats for me and my husband. The seats were fine and our server behind the bar was super attentive. We are not very familiar with the various types of sake, but she was very helpful and explained the various options for flights to sample. We chose 2, one at a time so we could both try each one. As for the food, it was amazing! From the spinach to the fluke sashimi, to the chicken meatballs and braised pork belly and even the shrimp fritters - we enjoyed every bite. The presentation was spot on and more importantly, the flavors were perfect. I was intrigued by the red bean ice cream and was glad I tried that as well. The atmosphere was fun. Go and try it!!

We were invited for dinner and went to this amazing place. The wait was long and worth every minute of it. Lots of Japanese families were eating so it must be good we thought and it was! Great food reasonably priced and so well prepared amazing a must go We will be back! Great staff and servers as well

Great izakaya in the basement of an office building ; the lobby attendant will provide direction. Many authentic dishes available including homemade soba and a huge sake selection. The Sake Kama was excellent - heck, everything we tried was. The drinks got a bit expensive but we did have some great Japanese sake, beer, shochu, and whiskey.

This is the second time that we have dinner at Sakagura while in NYC. The experience was again fantastic. The staff is great and friendly, and the food very fresh. We had the hot Udon soup, a choice of 3 appetizers (shrimp, squid, and vegetables), beef and pork meatballs. All were fresh and very tasty. The portions were reasonable and we were able to eat everything. Our bill was $70.88. Book a table though, the place is always packed.

Sakagura does an awesome yet inexpensive lunch special which includes their handmade soba. In addition to the soba we ordered a Jewel Oke Bento which was as beautiful as it was delicious. Service was very efficient and friendly, in true Japanese style. The restaurant ambience is very cool and funky, and being located in a basement of an office block gives it a definite "hidden secret gem" vibe. Considering the quality of food I did not think the pricing was expensive at all. We'll be back!

This was a terrific dining experience all around and I can’t wait to go back. Sakagura is located in the basement of a nondescript office building in midtown Manhattan. Upon entering the building lobby, the security guard will point you in the direction of the stairwell, which takes you down one flight to the basement (there is also an elevator). The basement is just that — a colder subterranean level with concrete floors and cinder block walls. You are literally in the basement. No frills at all. But don’t let that distract you! Walk through the door to Sakagura and then through the curtain to the dining area and you’ll enter a bustling, warmly lit restaurant. The menu offers sushi, yes, but also focuses on small plates to be shared by your table. For the two of us, we ordered six different items, plus two carafes of sake, and it was plenty. The sake menu is extensive (they say it’s the largest sake selection in the country). We weren’t sure where to start so we asked for guidance from our server, who asked a series of questions to help narrow down our options. His recommendation was spot on and what we drank wound up really complementing what we ate. We were there on a Thursday night and it was packed. Reservations are a must. Our server was very busy but was still attentive and helped us navigate through everything. Can’t wait to go back!

After going through a bright white building hall you need to reach for a small door on your left which open the way to a small stairs leading to the underground restaurant The place is very tastefully decorated with a traditional old japan street atmosphere The sake comes in a beautiful flask on a bed of ice with a bouquet of rea flowers. The one we selected was smooth and elegant The sashimi platter is very beautiful and very good. It looks like a small japanese garden The eggplant is cooked with different miso sauces on top: it is sharp and good The grilled cod is smooth and tender The sesame creme brulee is rich elegant and topped with a very good vanila ice cream

This restaurant is located in the basement of a building behind scaffolding right now. But don't be put off by that. Essentially a sake bar that offers small plates of food. The equivalent of a Japanese tapas bar. They have a huge selection of both hot and cold sake for your pleasure. The god here is really great. Although the place is small, it is worth a wait. Service was very attentive. A great find.

Everything was fresh and delicious. Service was fast and courteous. Ambiance was fun and cozy. There were multiple things on the menu I wanted to try. Alas, I only have one stomach.

If you are looking for American style sushi rolls or are not adventurous, this is likely not your place. You close your eyes and you could be in Tokyo. The sushi is fresh, flavorful and quite diverse. An experience all sushi foodies should experience.

I’ve grown up coming to Sakagura, and recently came back for the first time since the start of the pandemic. It was lovely to see that things are back to old times, in full swing. It was very heartwarming when some of the staff remembered us and came up to chat and reminisce about old times. Sakagura is truly a gem in the city, and no other Japanese restaurant I’ve visited has truly measured up. When you step in, it’s like you’ve been transported to an oasis (with divine food). We always get the seaweed salad, agedashi tofu and black miso cod. All mouthwatering. I was disappointed to see that my favorite dish (salmon sashimi over rice) was taken off the menu, though the tuna sashimi was quite good as well. Sakagura is a place I’ll never get tired of. I could eat the same dishes again and again and it would be like trying for the first time. That being said, I do look forward to expanding my horizons on their menu.

I don’t know what all the hype is about. They say it’s a hidden gem in NY. It’s definitely hidden inside a basement of an office building but a gem it is not. The food is pretty disappointing and I have definitely had better elsewhere. Service was average.

This place is a little hard to find at first but totally worth it. We had the wagu beef on hot stone. When I say it was amazing I'm not exaggerating. The best beef I have ever had, no need for sauce or salt. I would come back to NY just for this dish!!

This is another lunch place that I prefer. The restaurant serves izakaya-style dishes that are simple but well prepared. The restaurant also provides an excitement for being like a speakeasy. Quite unique.

This place is located in the basement of the building and looks more like a bar than a restaurant. Nevertheless it was our last night in NYC and my wife really wanted to give a japanese restaurant a try. This place was recommended by her friends whom live in Brooklyn. We ordered the sashimi moriawase, chawamushi, and some udon. Overall, the sashimi was very fresh and the selection was a good variety. One of the better places we've been to and we have been to many. . .all over the world from Tokyo, to Hong Kong, Las Vegas, and Los Angeles. The udon was just ok. They don't use the thick white noodles, rather the thinner yellow noodles. The chawamushi was very good. Overall, glad we chose it and if we ever go back to NYC again, will consider coming here again.

Oh my goodness! Sakagura is a hidden gem. It's in the basement of an office building - I don't believe there's a sign outside. One friend said it felt like we had stumbled onto a Speakeasy! Over 300 varieties of Sake. We tried so many dishes and there wasn't one dish that disappointed. Skip the touristy spots and go Sakagura for authentic Japanese.

It was a pleasant late dinner. The place is well designed and has a nice Japanese ambience. The food was very good but not special. A wide variety of options when it comes to sake. The menu wasn't simple for us as non experts in Japanese cuisine. Definitely a notch overpriced.

Japanese menu, jazz music, Japanese tapas (A tapa in "Spanish" cuisine, is an appetizer, or snack), pricey for what you get, and all in a basement of an office building. We're too old for this.......seriously.

I love this restaurant, the decor is authentic Japanese and the food is heavenly. Excellent service with attentive staff. I strongly recommend reservations since it’s a popular place. Extensive Sake selection as well.

Food is very high quality. The Trio-Seaweed Salad excellent, the special Hirame Ponzu Sashimi excellent as well but few (4) pieces for the money, the Japanese radish Daikin salad excellent except it had little amount of spicy cod fish roe mayo and had to ask to be redone, vegetable cold udon very good - nothing extraordinary, the fried Ebishinjo Shrimp balls excellent but also nothing Earth shattering. Service excellent. Ambiance - extremely noisy, smokey and overall not a place to relax. Next time I will order beef and pork entrées plus black cod to see if that's their real signature.

There is not enough wonderful things I can say about Sakagura, such a cultural atmosphere in the restaurant with amazing tasty food.We were greeted right away with a smile. The service we got was impeccable, our beverages were constantly refilled and the staff was very knowledgeable about the menu, the food was delivered quickly with a smile. I had the Tori Tsukune which is chicken meatballs with teriyaki sauce, I was a little skeptical at first since I have never had chicken meatballs but they were super tasty and flavorful , the teriyaki sauce added just the right amount of saltiness. The authentic paintings and artwork within the restaurant were beautiful and added a wonderful cultural touch. I highly recommend this place to anyone a 5 star experience.

This slightly hard-to-find izakaya probably features more types and brands of sake than anywhere outside Tokyo. For that, and the helpful staff who make the phonebook-sized wine list navigable, it is worth a visit. The food is fine and very well prepared but not particularly imaginative and some portions are tiny (apart from the crazily rich pork belly). It is a pricey experience and, for my money, there are better Japanese restaurants around. But if you want great sake, look no further.

We at here after going to a show on a Monday night and we were still able to get a great meal even late on a Monday night. The food and service were great. Served small plates style so you can order several things and share it. The dishes I remembered that we really enjoyed included Black Cod, Eel, and Grilled Octopus. We also had the black bean creme brulee and it was great. Prices were what you would expect for a nice restaurant in NYC.

We were staying in a hotel nearby and I used my tripadvisor app for restaurants 'Near me now'. We certainly hadn't noticed passing this restaurant. Walking by, it was evident why, as it's noted only by a 16x20 sign on the wall outside an office building. Walking down to the basement location, I wasn't sure I wanted to continue, but was so glad I did. Once in the restaurant, it does not feel like you're in a basement and the decor is lovely. We arrived shortly before the lunch hour, with few tables seated. By the time we left, the place was full, seems very popular with the office crowd in the area. Our lunch was wonderful! I had a vegetarian noodle bowl and my partner had a tempura dish. I would return to try other items.

I've reviewed this restaurant before and it has gone down hill.... It is quite sad. My wife and I decided to go to Sakagua to celebrate our anniversary. We never suspected for the quality of food and service to decline. We ordered the seaweed Salad, the hokaido Uni Soba and 5 kind moriawase. All dishes were brought out at the same time mind you that we were sitting at the bar. I also ordered the Dassai Blue sake. The waiter kept on trying to pour the sauce on our soba before we had a chance to finish our salad and moriawase... It felt as if we were being rushed out. The moriawase was average and the seaweed salad was tiny. The uni was fresh as usual but again the portion was noticeably lacking. Lastly the service although friendly was lacking compared to what we were accustomed to at Sakagua . Just a big disappointment mainly b/c we expected the excellent service we were accustomed to from prior visits. There are many fine Japanese restaurants in NYC serving similar dishes that are much more deserving of your money.

The Gindara Yuan Yaki (black cod) was over-flavored with too much soy sauce and it was pricey too. The Buta Kakuni (pork belly) felt a bit greasy but it was tasty and tender. The ebi stick was rather dry, and the sauce again kills the flavor of the shrimp/ebi. On the other hand, the Washu beef tataki was tender and properly flavored, and the Chanwanmushi (steamed egg custard) was authentic and perfect. A decent place for Japanese tapas in Manhattan but a bit underwhelming overall.

I went here 5 years ago and loved it. Returned with friends and it was even better. shout out to the awesome bathrooms with japanese toilets in old sake barrels - great. Cozy, mostly Japanese clientele. Our waiter was patient (Jay) and recommended some amazing sakes. With 5 of us, we tried many flights and some great sakes so our bill was $700 but it was the bar bill, not the food. Food was amazing- authentic, not typical Japanese american. Loved cooking the meat on hot stone, 5 Star and authentic.

A friend introduced this gem to me more than a decade ago. It's very pleasing to see that excellence hasn't changed at all. Service is efficient, attentive, but not intrusive. Advice on what to drink and what to eat is good. Everything they cook that has soya bean in it is excellent somehow. It was a suddenly wet and cold evening during an otherwise sunny week, so I was particularly happy with the ox tongue stew and ramen soup. Hope my next visit is quicker than same time next year.

This restaurant came as a recommendation to me, and met all my expectations. Sakagura is an authentic Japanese experience that boasts more than 200 varieties of Sake and No Sushi!! That's right, no sushi. But I didn't miss it, instead enjoyed a wonderful bowl specialty with shrimp, vegetables and rice. Delicious, I look forward to visiting again and will recommend to others.

A solid spot for Izakaya dining offering a wide range of Japanese beers that are hard to get. Their sushi never lets us down and their most outstanding dishes are grilled octopus and the pork belly. If you’re like me, love Asian food you might be shocked to learn the struggles these communities are currently facing. We’ve seen almost 3000 anti-Asian incidents this past year and the number keeps rising. From physical assaults, to verbal harassment to civil rights violations across 47 states in America. We need to speak up, show our support and raise more awareness. It's time for us to remember the impact these communities have made in our lives. All we need to do, is love the Asian community the way we love their food. #ReviewsOfLove #StopAsianHate Visit reviewoflove.com for more information

I read some good reviews and decide to take our family of 4 for dinner at Sakagura. I felt the food were overpriced for the quality and quantity provided. My daughter wondered whether one of the dishes were dog food, which says a lot about the presentation. Not recommended

Sakagura is a hidden gem in Manhattan. The entrance is through a commercial building, around the corner, down a couple of flights of stairs and then you pop into what feels like Japan. The decor, ambiance and service is very authentic, as is the food. Highly recommend the uni soba, beef back ribs, and the pork belly. But by far, the standout was the waygu beef cooked on a hot stone. Fun, interactive and delicious. The sake selection is amazing and they offer flights - highly recommend.

3/5 for cool descent into basement where an interesting scene opens up. The vibe is not bad but it's superficial and dissipates soon. The food is interesting at times but overall just ok. This place is just not authentic enough. If u r looking for a relatively inexpensive date dinner- go there. Otherwise, there're lots of better options in our beloved Gotham.

This restaurant is in the basement of an office building, a little hard to find! But once you get inside, it is like a different world. Both very homey, and foreign at the same time. The food is really good. They have seven or so items for the day, some run out if you are late. We tried four of them on two different occasions and were happy with all. We especially liked the eel plate. There are both cold and hot (soup) soba noodle dishes. I recommend the daily specials. Food presentation is beautiful.

Found Sakagura on an Eater essential list on a recent trip to midtown NYC. It's a delightful little bento box of a restaurant hidden in the basement of a non-descript office building. The meal was wonderful. It started with a sake recommendation from the bartender. Harushika is a dry sake that was very smooth and complemented the entire meal. I was then served: --UNI IKURA ONSEN TAMAGO: I don't normally like soft boiled eggs, but the flavors in this cold soup dish were amazing! Every bite was different depending on the balance of dashi soup, salmon roe, egg and sea urchin. This was by far my favorite. --SATOIMO IRIDASHI: This was basically vegetable tempura. It was excellent tempura, but given all the options on the menu, I'd probably go with a more unique dish next time. --BUTA KAKUNI: This braised pork belly was rich an savory sauce. I thought it'd only be a bite, but it was a pretty hearty serving (about 2.5inx2in). It's delicious if you like soft pork belly, but I've learned that the texture is an acquired taste for some. --ONIGIRI with Spicy Cod Roe: I love a good rice ball and this delivered. It was simple, but the mix of salty roe with rice and pickles was perfect. This was more than enough food for one person. I even passed on dessert!! That made me really sad because I had my eye on the black sesame crème brulee. I'll definitely be back another time.

We took a chance on eating at Sakagura without a reservation on a Sunday evening. The restaurant welcomed us and we had an enjoyable meal of uniquely prepared and served Japanese cuisine unlike any we had tasted before in our travels. What made it work? Our very patient and knowledgeable server, Yuta. He guided us through a complex array of Sakes that make the spot well known--we would not have managed those choices on our own! He recommended choices for foods to accompany our Sake, and encouraged us to try dishes we were unfamiliar with as well. From the first mackerel sashimi to the last taste of black sesame creme brulee, the food was elegant and tasty! We would go back in a minute if we didn't live so far away!

Loved our visit here last week for dinner! The food is best described as "small plates" and so it's great to order a selection of different tastes and flavours! My husband and I chose around 4 plates between us which we found sufficient (as we wanted to leave room for dessert!). We enjoyed sake cocktails to start (which were very good) followed by a carafe of a uzu-based fruit sake, and then a carafe of a more smoky sake (sorry, I cannot remember their names!). We finished with the famous sesame seed creme brulee - what a beautiful dessert and a perfect way to finish a meal. You have to try this if you come here. Service was friendly and efficient, and the restaurant is tastefully decorated. We felt like we had had a real taste of Japan in NYC. We liked it and would go back. Bill came to around $175 with tip which was reasonable for the quality of food.

I love this restaurant as I find very typical meal . Also you can see lots japanese customers . This tells clearly that isn't a japanese for tourists but for "locals " Great food and beautiful atmosphere . Hardly you can see anything from outside as it's in located in the basement. Totally a blast of flavors I enjoy also desserts

Now, you have to know to get down there. Not for anyone. I was taken there by a New Yorker otherwise wouldn’t have even found it! It’s in a basement. Super nice. And the Japanese food is great. Also, try sake 🍶!! They have lots of different varieties of the drink. Great experience!

Sakagura is a pretty decent Japanese tapas place. The setting inside is pretty Japanese and not pretentious, with a long bar against one side, cozy booths against the other, and other seating organized in between. Love the variety here. Some choices are great hits, while others are not so much. I'd say the pork belly and uni soba are winners, and the desserts are amazing. Service is also really attentive.

No street signage, no building address 213 visible from street, painted cinder block wall behind bar. Buzzing with diners nonetheless who are there for the food. 200 sake choices. Seaweed salad best I've ever tasted.

Enter tokyo streets and ambiance for a unique japanese experience. Huge sake menu and tasty a la carte japanese specialties in small portion so that you can try many of them !

Met some friends for dinner here. One of my friends is a regular visitor to Japan and recommended we met here. It is a bit hard to find, being in the basement of a nondescript office building with guard, but there's a small sign beside the main door. The restaurant is relatively small with a very long sushi bar lined with saki bottles. The menu, in addition to the standard Japanese sushi and sashimi, includes some very interesting small plates that are perfect for sharing. In general, I thought the food was quite good though definitely on the pricey side. The staff is Japanese and very friendly. Even the toilets are Japanese, which I haven't seen since my own trips to Japan. Good beer and saki selection. If you are seeking something a bit more unusual than the standard Japanese fare, this might be for you. We were there on a weeknight and it was crowded, so best to make reservations, I suspect.

Hello! We were at the restaurant the 4 august but our reservation was the 3. It was a mistake of the day of our reservation. In the restaurant someone told us that the money of the cancellation will no be taken and today i saw -100 dollars in my bank account. Can you check and answer me please. Thank you.

This underground restaurant has a large room with tall ceilings. The bar is lined with sake bottles. Eating solo at the bar, you have plenty of room for all the foods and drinks. I always drop by when in New York City for their wonderful soba lunch set menu.

Not so easy to find and nit necessarily a typical location for a well rated restaurant in New York in a rather questionable basement of a highrise. But worth the effort ... by Japanese standards. That's also with sone if the food which is very authentic ... and very good and delicious.

Great dinner. The food is very fresh and tasty. We had the udon soup with tempura shrimp. There is a good range of choices from the traditional sushi/sashimi to the more original

Wow! Such a beautiful place. The selection of Sake is amazing. Food is all delicious. The service was excellent. What an experience! The oysters were just mouthwatering. We’ve ordered more than 20 dishes among 4. It was a special occasion and Sakagura certainly served the purpose and satisfied all of us. Highly recommended.

Lots of choices of food and beverages. Did not try the sake bar but the beer on tap was great and all of the food, whether cold, warm or hot was extremely well prepared. This isn't a cheap place and it is more tapaish than plated - so do be prepared to spend some dollars. But very good and lots of people who appear to dine there, all the time.

We went for dinner and had some 5 dishes. Four good and one definitely not so (a very chewy and tasteless octopus). Service informal but friendly and relatively quick. Décor unimpressive. Prices on line with NYC standards. A decent option.

A really great Izakaya. Hidden in the basement of an office building an amazing gem with delicate food and loads of choices of drinks. The marinated maguro was magnificent as was the chawan mushi with snow crab. The fried chicken was also delicious. Definitely worth a visit.

Such a great place for a business lunch. My lunch companions and I all shared a seaweed salad for a starter, then had ten don set and tekka don set. Very flavorful and perfectly prepared. Udon noodles were so tender! Sake recommendation was also wonderful

The quality of the sushi and dishes here is really high, but my absolute favorite dish here has to be the healthy soba salad, a salad of cold soba, leafy greens and seaweed, served with a highly addictive sesame dressing. Unfortunately they don't bottle and sell it...

My experience with Japan is long and deep. Language fluency and years of living there have given me an appreciation of things Japanese. And I have always enjoyed this restaurant. We visited again for the first time in a long time recently and were pleased to see that the quality has not diminished. We had an unfortunate interaction with the hostess who was rude when we declined a pair of seats at the bar, preferring a table for the occasion, but our server was excellent, the food was excellent, the sake was excellent, and the atmosphere is still fresh and excellent. I was pleased to see they were busy and, as usual, crowded with Japanese. My wife and I like to taste sakes from various regions using different brewing techniques, and our highly knowledgeable server was helpful in identifying and tasting several. I look forward to returning again in the near future.

At the basement of an apartment building without any signs to guide you. But the atmosphere is nice, and the food overall very good. High quality ingredients. Service is OK, at times sloppy. Had some good sashimi, the eggplant was very good, as was the BBQ beef. Overall, a place worth visiting.

I went with my boyfriend without a booking on a busy night and we were lucky enough to get a table. We had great advices on both the food and Sake from our friendly waiter and the dishes were tasty and original. The decor was also very atmospheric yet intimate. Highly recommended!

Main course was delicious; starters were perhaps too “authentic” for us, probably a matter of acquired taste. Service was exceptionally friendly and attentive throughout.

On of the beat izakayas in the city. If you’re into Sake you’re in for a ride. It’s s said to have the second biggest sake menu in the world. Friendly service in a room that takes you back to Japan. Food is yummy. Worth going in with a date and sit at the bar or with friends and share a nice bottle of sake. Kampai!

My wife and I have frequented this restaurant for over 20 years. It pioneered Izakaya dining in Manhattan. Don't head here looking for sushi. Authentic Izakaya cuisine is the theme. This restaurant is hard to find, but if you prevail, well prepared food and a saki selection second to none in New York awaits. Your saki selection will be expertly paired with your meal by the knowledgable servers. Challenge your sense of adventure and I think your will be pleasantly rewarded.

Our waiter was not helpful at all- food did not come out as ordered, multiple waitstaff, not even our own waiter were constantly grabbing silverware and food off our table- we were very rushed and not treated nicely- Felt completely unwelcomed, it felt as if our waiter was doing a chore when interacting with us as someone who lives in the city I will never return. There are so many other better option.l

This restaurant has been around for over 20 years. It is in a very "Tokyo" location, in the basement of a nondescript office building. Getting there is an adventure, through the office lobby and down a dark stairway. But when you enter the restaurant, you feel like you have arrived in Japan. The room and bar are authentic and crowded. The service is friendly, knowledgeable and professional. The sake list is exceptional and full of excellent bargains. The food is delicious, refined and diverse. Sashimi is exceptional and the cooked dishes excellent. We've visited several times and this place has consistently been great.

We had been to this restaurant once before and liked the food, so decided to try it again. We got there shortly before they close the kitchen. They sat us and allowed us to order. We ordered edamame and their Sashimi selection and sake. They quickly brought the edamame and the sake, and after 15 mins, the waitress asked us if we want anything else. We reminded her that we had ordered sashimi. Apparently, she had forgotten to write down that order and thought we are only ordering edamame, and then informed us that it's already too late to order any food. No serious apology or something to make up for this was offered. This level of service is simply unacceptable.

We have patroned this restaurant every now and then for over ten years and are delighted to see that it never fails to maintain its good standard. It is still a top player in terms of extensive and well chosen sake lists among NYC izakayas. My husband and I ordered 16 items from various categories plus 3 desserts and none of them was disappointing. If the restaurant can expand the menu and add more popular Izakaya dishes such as robatayaki like hamachi kama, tebasaki, tsukune etc, we will go much more often. Anyway, happy to have had another great Sakagura meal over the Labor Day weekend.

When it was a find, and there were few decent izakaya around NYC, Sakagura was a standout. Now, it's got stiff competition from above and below and Sakagura is good but not great. The food is very standard and decent, but there are better places with better value. Still, the sake list is a good one, although they inexplicably leave helpful guidance out such as the sake meter value (SMV) or acidity. But watch out, total prices climb fast with a few carafes, easily $30 each and more. Still, the basement location and some of the decor make you feel as if you're in a Tokyo-like setting, but that may no longer be enough.

Only went in for lunch on my own whilst in NY on business but was pleasantly surprised. The daily lunch special was good value, with beef soba noodles in a flavorful broth and salmon nigiri. The salmon was a little too thinly sliced but I guess for the price I shouldn't expect slabs of salmon. The service was extremely polite and efficient and the restaurant décor makes for a really peaceful and serene place which made me feel far away from the maddening crowd. Definitely want to come back for the full menu one day.

What a Hidden diamond. Simple, lovely and tasty. A New palett of taste was both interesting and well done. The menue was special and long . Dont miss any of the 200 sakés .Such Nice servants made us feel Happy and welcome.

Over all the food was good, prices a little high compared to quality, but what totally ruined it for us was the rudest manager yet: he questioned our tip, which was around 16%, started demanding for more, saying their staff lives on tips and doesn't get paid etc. We were totally blown away by the arrogancy and the nerve of this guy! Not going back!

The place is nice with a good genuine Japanese atmosphere. The food is fantastic and confirmed our expectation. The quality of the sashimi is excellent although the quantity is not very generous. Gluten free option available. Highly recommend.

wonderful place. you will never think there is a restaurant of that quality in the basement of an office building. yet, it has a cool decor, professional staff and the food is excellent. i tired many dishes and all of them are well prepared and " tell a story". the prices are reasonable for this quality.

Came here for lunch and the food and drinks were great - we had the soba lunch special and another soba lunch and had the sake - didn't break the bank like some other places in NY so would come back again in a heartbeat IF the service could improve - service was slow and barely there - what a shame I really wanted to give them a 5 star review!

If you're looking for your typical "California Roll" this is NOT the place you'll find it. I don't want to give it a bad rating because I really didn't know what to expect but I'm used to ordering an appetizer or two and being full. Again, this is NOT the place for that either. I should have ordered an entree as I was still pretty hungry after spending $60 on 2 sashimis and a glass of sake. It's a beautiful restaurant with exceptional service, presentation, and flavor, I just needed more! Also, excellent service from the time you arrive with a very hearty greeting from several staff members, all with welcoming smiles. I would love to go back there with friends who know Japanese sushi better than I.

This place is a little difficult to find as it is in the basement of an office building, but after you enter and go down the stairs, the place opens up into a massive seating area (by Manhattan standards). The wait staff was exceedingly courteous and kindly took the time to guide us through the extensive sake menu and food offerings as well. We dined on a large assortment of sashimi - which were delicious but not as fresh tasting as I expected. The seaweed salad and edamame were done well, but it is hard to go wrong with these staples. If you want to escape the chaos of the city for a bit, Sakagura is a solid option.

Make a reservation! And follow the counsel of other reviewers. The restaurant IS hard to find. You must go through the lobby of a typical New York office building and go downstairs. There you will be transported in time and space.

My friend told me about this place and raved about it. We made reservations (it's a must if you want to get seated without the long wait) and it was after lunch. We had 20 minutes before the kitchen closes. Tempura, Soba, sashimi and gindara. Wow!! All good. No.... exceptional! Sake was also very good and they have a good selection. Service was good. Could be a bit more friendly and inviting (thus, the 4 stars).... the food made up for the service. Maybe because they know they get top reviews despite the lack of hospitality? Will still go back. Can't resist their food!

The decor is nothing to write home about but great gem for izakaya. All the food is delicate and the ingredients super fresh. The sashimi was excellent and the toro rice with uni even better. The cooked dishes are really good as well with the chawan mushi being a favourite. Lots of premium sake selection. They even presented us with Dessai face masks at the end.

A friend recommended this place while in New York and I have one word: Wow. I watched few American films where some scenes are filmed in a basement where magically a secret restaurant pops up. Well, this was exactly the same! Sakagura is located in the basement of an office building, and little details are given to make you aware where to go exactly to get to the restaurant! We entered an empty building, with a concierge at the entrance. We asked where to find the restaurant and he mentioned "down stairs". I was a bit concerned because the entrance of the building was pretty empty (no plants, not sofas..) and no indication outside about the restaurant! We go down the stairs, and we have this peculiar entrance where you can't see people eating, you can just hear the noises. When we entered, I was so surprise by the décor. I felt like entering to a different parallel world. We sat down and a had a lovely dinner - I will add pictures as well. The service was great, the food was lovely and tasty and the experience was unique! Value: 10/10

We had two adults and two kids. We ordered the lunch tasting. It came with tempura shrimp, soba noodles, and assorted sushi. Everything was delicious. The kids ate sushi and loved it. We tried every ice cream on the menu. Salted chocolate and coffee were our favorites. Prices are reasonable. Highly recommend.

Having been to Japan, this place really takes you there in a matter of seconds. Excellent food, reasonable prices, great Japanese vibe.

A super eclectic menu of delicious Japanese Izakaya. Lots of items I've never seen anywhere else in the U.S., but also some standards (often with a twist). Huge sake selection, almost all available in a glass or four larger sizes. Sapporo and Asahi on tap. A super funky entrance -- down the basement stairs and past some smelly garbage -- but once you're inside, it's all good; feels more like Tokyo than NYC.

I cannot rave enough about Sakagura! I have been here 3 times and each time it has been absolutely perfect. The dishes are not typical of any Japanese restaurant I have been to. There is a mix of cold, hot, fish, meat, vegetables...anything you want. Sea bream was awesome. The tuna tartare with caviar is a show stopper. And the sake list will keep you going and going and going! The real surprise was dessert. We had black sesame creme brûlée that was off the charts. In 32 years of marriage I have NEVER seen my (thin) wife order a repeat of dessert until this visit! You need to be a little experimental here, but in 3 trips I have never had a single bad bite.

This was a very surprising place and even if I have eaten a lot of Japanese food this was amazing and new. The service was excellent and the Sake list goes on forever. We will definitely be back.

Sakagura is an eating experience, a superb saki bar, and a little piece of Japan. We almost did not want to post a review to keep it to ourselves. Four of us went there for dinner. The staff is incredibly friendly, helpful and knowledgeable. The saki listing is like a wine list in a very fine French restaurant - voluminous and confusing. Our waiter explained the different levels of saki, gave us samples and then, based on our stated taste preferences recommended a carafe of snow - aged Hakkaisan and one of Urakasume Zen JG. Both were excellent. When you go, if you are not saki aficionados I recommend you ask the waiter to walk you through the saki listings, don't be bashful to ask to sample and then go with what pleases your palate. If you don't like saki, the Hakkaisan Rydeen IPA, a Japanese beer I had never heard of, was very good.I don't believe they serve wine but they do offer Japanese whiskey. We started with seaweed salad, bonita flakes over rice, and onigiri for appetizers. For our main courses, we had a squid dish (Surumeika Zukeyaki), Salmon Saiko Yaki, a grilled chicken and grilled rockfish. Every dish was beautifully presented and delicious. We were still hungry and ordered a Udon noodle broth (hot) Agedashi tofu and another fried chicken dish. The desserts looked so tempting, the four of us shared three desserts, one non-traditional- a chocolate souffle, a scoop of green tea ice cream and a scoop of sesame ice cream. Hard to believe but when we left we felt full but not stuffed. The atmosphere is like a friendly Japanese Inn, the staff is without exception welcoming and our entire dinner experience was absolutely delightful.

I always come here when I was in New York but mostly during lunch hours which is more value for money. Anyway, the dinner menu has set for 2 but not for a party of 3 so we ordered some of the suggested dishes which are good, as always.

I have been treating myself to this place once every 4 years for 20 years so as not to wear out the wow! In the basement of an apartment building. Amazing sake selection and great creative small plates. Do not go expecting Americanized sushi expect creative Japanese which is why 99% of its clientele are Asian. Super cool vibe wsp vitally if you are a world traveler

The tapas style did not bother me, but the choices and lack of sushi, did. Two dishes the four of us really liked,in particular, was the braised beef and zucchini. Others we had were ok, at best. Service was spotty, prices high when receiving bill (for 4 of us over $200).

It's an awesome sushi place. I would highly recommend it. Fresh fish!! I had their 5 course meal which comes with tasting menu of sake. I think they have one of the best Sashimi in town.

Went there with my family and we loved it. We tried various dishes and the steamed Kinmedai Nitsuke is by far our favorite. The chocolate lava cake, cotta (forgot its full name), and green tea ice cream are must-try desserts. The service was pretty good as well.

I enjoyed having dinner in this place, it's a bit hard to find, so that created the whole atmosphere of being in an alleyway in Japan. The food was great, the service nice, and the prices decent. I think this is a fun place to come with friends or colleagues after a long day in the office

Ok, for those who don't understand izakaya, it is a type of Japanese joint that offer alcoholic beverages (particularly sake) and food that good well with it. Portion sizes are smaller than your average American size, so more like tapas. So dishes like tofu are a Japanese soul food. You may not understand why it is on the menu and it may not taste particularly good to non-Japanese. As my wife who is a Japanese said, non-Japanese may not fully understand what a izakaya is, and a fair number of izakaya in the US Americanized their food to fit the US palate. But if you want the real experience, this is the place for you. The food here is the benchmark for your comparison when you go somewhere else for Japanese food. If you don't like a particular dish, it is because you don't like it, not because it is not prepared well. We had a few glasses of plum wine and sake, several very authentic dishes (grill cod, grill squid, black edamame, tofu, etc.). Just love them all. Soba was awesome since they make it from scratch. Enjoy a piece of Japan here!

You'll see the name Sakagura on the right window of the building and the doorman will show you the stairs to the authentic Japanese restaurant with a fabulous saké collection which should not intimidate you. I ordered Taruzake (aged in cedar) and another one, according to what I was willing to pay and must say that both were excellent. they serve them by glass, carafe, "masu" meaning the square box, half bottle and whole bottle.Also enjoyed their shochu made from goma (sesame seed). As to the food, only the fried chicken disappointed in its lack of seasoning. the specials of the day are on a separate menu and the yari-ika squid sashimi was quite fine. Everything is garnished as it should be, with either a real shiso leaf or a bamboo leaf. The creme brulée tasty dessert deserves a recounting. We thought the topping was the actual dessert and underneath some kind of false bottom, as it did not yield to the spoon. Luckily the waiter asked if we did not like the dessert and then tapped on the burnt sugar lid which revealed the actual crème brûlée. Perhaps I'll venure a small criticism of the service, which for a Japanese restaurant, was a tiny bit understandard. But I'd gladly go back any day. The Kanpachi (wild) yellowtail sashimi was 15 for 3 pieces, but it was very very fine indeed.

Almost everything we ordered was truly delicious. The pork belly and beef were perfect. Pork dumplings were very good. Tuna with sticky yam was perfect. Cold soba noodles with fish sauce were tasty. Udon noodles in broth were good, perhaps ever so slighlty overcooked. Ebi prawn sticks were great. Excellent edamame. The only slight let down was the crispy pork. My hungry teen son was still starving at the end of dinner. We ordered one glass of sake, and had tap water. No dessert. The bill including tip was $40 per person. Not a place to go for a cheap meal. Considering this is a basement place, they have done a very good job with the decor.

The welcome was a little starched - we were asked to wait for nearly 20 minutes for our table which had been available (and fully set) during our entire wait. Perhaps they wanted to avoid too many orders coming into the kitchen. Afterwards the meal was delightful albeit relatively pricey. Well worth the visit though.

So this place is a bit hard to find, but once you’re there it is amazing. Lots of good tapas type appetizers with plenty of selection for me (a vegetarian) as well as my friends. I really liked the vegetable tempura done perfectly, light and airy, not oily at all and with fresh components. The seaweed salad is also great and fresh here and the soba dishes are worth going back for.

Great interior, great food and great service. Food is amazing. Sake is a must!! The combo is great. I was trying to get the Uni noodle and it was not available. But the other food that we ordered taste fantastic.

A place to enjoy your friends or family; atmospheric genius. Great food and wash down with some Sake and just enjoy it all!

I've been to this restaurant twice now and really enjoyed the food here. The sashimi moriawase is excellent even though it's pretty pricey. The quality of the fish and sea urchin is well worth the cost. We tried the uni soba before and the Miyazaki beef on hot stone this time and both were terrific. The chicken meatballs are delicious too. The Onsen egg with salmon route and uni is so flavorful and refreshing on a hot summer night. Will definitely come back. The restaurant is located in the basement of an office building so it's not noticeable from the street unless you look out for the address. Reservations are recommended although we were able to get a table by showing up at 5:30 on a Saturday night. Dessert selections are terrific as well. Although we don't drink, the restaurant has an excellent selection of sakes. Even the bathroom is shaped like a giant sake barrel.

Authentic japanese restaurant in NYC! No sushi here (just few sashimi dishes), the menu is quite complex and I would have loved to be here with a Japanese or an expert to choose food. We managed to order 5 dishes for 2 people and it was enough to go away happy. Drinks are beers and sake with an extensive list, never seen anything like that, seems like the wine list of a very good restaurant. The waiter has been very kind and helped us chosing a sake (cold and dry for us). restaurant is hidden in a basement of a building, impossible to ge here by chance, it was suggested as first choice by a friend living in NYC. Price in line with good restaurant in NYC, you get away with a 120$ check including tip drinking half bottle of sake (very expensive, around 45$ half bottle). Suggested for people who understand where they're going, otherwise look for a sushi place.

I was staying over one night in Midtown in January and, since there was no indoor dining due to the pandemic, I picked up the five-course prix fixe meal. It was fantastic, and, though I wasn’t there with staff to enjoy, it came with gifts and a personalized printed menu with my name on it. Even though I was enjoying this alone in my hotel room, I felt that the care put into my meal and into the service was exceptional. I will definitely make a point to return and dine in in normal times.

Since I ate at the place last year, I have been saying I need to come back. Here I was, again. My wife was a bit concern if the food would disappoint once the new experience effect wore off. Not a chance. The food was just as great. We ordered tuna sashimi, grilled black cod, grilled chicken, edamame, and soba. They were great! Fresh, melt in your mouth tuna; perfectly grilled moist cod with miso flavor, made from scratch soba... absolutely top notch. Now I saw someone complained about lack of sushi. This is an izakaya, not a sushi joint. Dinner ended with a little surprise: They served us tea while we were waiting for our check. Three cups of tea. I warned my daughter the tea was hot, because mine was. Little did I know, they served my daugther cold tea! How thoughtful is that! Make reservation if you want to visit! Menu is also seasonal, just as any izakaya in Japan!

May be difficult to find, but more than worth the effort. Interesting menu, amazing sake offerings, very helpful staff and outstanding food.

Regular of Japan and Asian cuisine, I am very pleasantly surprised by this restaurant. Well advised by a competent waiter even if a little difficult to understand for a native English speaker, I appreciated the extreme freshness of the different dishes, e.g. Sashimi . The price is a little high. Atypical scenery. Sushi only at lunch, but for dinner there is still so much to discover. Enjoy!

We came to the right address but wondered were the restaurant was, well hidden inside an office building in the basement, super cool. Services was great, make sure to be seated in the main dining room. If you are a sake lover you will never leave this place, sober ... so much to choose from. We had so many different choices from the menu and everything was crazy good, so I would suggest trying a little of everything so be sure to be hungry.

This is a hidden gem downstairs in an office building right by Grand Central Station. But the room was nicely decored and had good lighting. The food was great and great for sharing. Totally like tapas. Lots of interesting tastes and flavors, both cold and hot dishes. Something for everyone. If you like sake there's a ton of sake choices as well.

Wow. I’ve been wanting to come to sakagura for a while but never seemed to have the chance. Boy as that a mistake. Semi-secret entrance on the east side opens up to a Japanese Oasis. It was outstanding. The sake choices are endless. The food was outstanding. Loved it and can’t wait to go back.

Neat Japanese restaurant -- highly recommend the sashimi special and the marinated black cod. An extensive selection of sake -- the "dry" sake choices are excellent. Entrance to the restaurant is not easy to find -- go in the building and find the stairs to the basement just past the security person on the left. Definitely an outstanding experience.

I loved my lunch at Sakagura. This is a meal I will be talking and dreaming about months after my visit. Fist, the ambiance transports you. You walk into the basement of an office building and emerge in a Japanese fishing village. Sakagura is so well-themed it almost seems "Disneyfied." We began with sparkling sake-- no wine menu here-- and moved on to the tasting menu. What a feast: sashimi (no sushi here either), cold soba noodles, tempura, the most divine black cod, and beef fillet. The meal finished with matcha green tea and homemade ice cream. The black sesame flavor is incredible. At $33, I found the tasting menu to be a very good deal. It's also a nice tour of the menu. Service was prompt and friendly. Muddling through a bit of miscommunication was part of the experience. I can't wait to return.

Fried oysters ($23 for 5) were wonderful.Hamachi ($24 for 4 pieces) very tasty as were the Hotake Crudo ($18 for 4). The Uni ($11/piece)was also great. Stone grilled Wagyu ($52) which you cook yourself was great too with the dipping sauce & side spices. The panacotta (14) was quite good too. Service was excellent.

Subterranean Izakaya that has been around for decades. The food continues to be top notch and fresh. Everyday there are specials and quite a lot of them and very well prepared and presented. The oysters are divine as is the tuna tartare. The snow crab chawanmushi was perfect. The maguro Don was the least exciting. We also loved the matcha tiramisu.

This was a rushed lunch not because we were in a hurry but because the waitress was. The menu is long and she asked three time if we were ready but it was a group of friends and we were chatting and looking at the menu and didn't know we were on a timeline. We ordered different sobas and donburi bowls and they came pretty fast. My veggie soba was very average. Not much flavor and overcooked noodles. The tea was good. I've been here at night for appetizers and sake before and liked it more then. Not a great lunch or lunch place.

My husband and I were travelling from Australia and decided to visit this restaurant for dinner. We had the seafood salad, this was delicious. We also had the agedashi tofu, pork belly signature and hot udon. These dishes were average. Customer service was not great. We called for our waiter and he said he would be back in a minutes....although when we looked over to the bar we saw that he was making drinks. He came back about 10 minutes later. The lack of customer service was frustrating.

I’m not a big sushi eater so I wasn’t especially looking forward to going here. But, I loved it! Everything was shared with my 3 friends. I especially recommend the eggplant, chicken meatballs, beef rib, and tempura. We also shared a sake flight. The decor and service were top notch, and it was quite spacious and not too loud for conversation. We spent less than $40 per person including alcohol, tax and tip which I thought was an amazing deal for the city.

We really enjoyed this restaurant, very friendly and extremely good. Every single dish was better than the previous one and we really loved them all!!!!!will go back!!

Went to have lunch with my wife and son. The place is unique as it looks you are in another place. The food is amazingly authentic and the service very good. Highly recommendable, and you will not be spending a lot of money. Very reasonable. Would go back.

After all the raving reviews my expectations were high. It's a cool place and atmosphere is good. But the food is expensive for very minute helpings. The food was good but not amazing at all and really overpriced. Black coffee at 22$ for literally 2 mouthfuls is really outrageous. The two people who sat next to me felt the same. One guy said would never come back. I agree. One the positive the black beans creme brulee was incredible.

We came here looking forward to good food. We got that started. We ordered 6 dishes and shared 2. that was enough. They did forget half the order so we got half the food before the waiter came back and asked for our order again. As I said, the food was very good. After an hour we were almost kicked out, as they cleared the table AT THE SAME TIME as we were eating. In addition, we were asked about red wine with the food, which cost 25 dollars, which we thought was a lot to charge for a normal wine without informing them... In short, very good food, poor service.