Sushi

by Celia Sin-Tien Cheng
March 23, 2006

USHIWAKAMARU
136 W Houston St
(MacDougal & Sullivan Sts)
New York, NY 10012
212-228-4181

I had received recommendations to try Ushiwakamaru. While it has the prime location of being on Houston Street near 6th Avenue, I had never noticed it in the past. It looks like a hole in the wall, possibly a faux Japanese restaurant. But upon closer examination, you’ll notice that the clientele is very authentic, with many Japanese salarymen enjoying themselves at the sushi bar.

I’ve only tried it once, and I have to be honest that I wasn’t blown away. However, I definitely want to come back and try again. I somehow feel like there might be something that I missed or overlooked. I walked in without a reservation so they made room for me at the end of the sushi bar by the kitchen. I was in no man’s land and envying the Japanese businessmen who were sitting in front of the sushi chefs merrily eating and drinking away. On my next visit I definitely want to sit in front of the chefs and ask for their recommendations.

Another way to look at it is that within its neighborhood, Ushiwakamaru is the most viable candidate for a good sushi restaurant at reasonable prices. Let’s not get into the blasphemy of Yama or Tomoe’s large quantity but low quality sushi. Blue Ribbon Sushi is also close by, but it’s more westernized and has a higher price point. So for reasonable, authentic sushi, Ushiwakamaru is a great deal. You just won’t get the quality of the fish of the Midtown sushi restaurants, but you won’t have to go broke either.

Also in Greenwich Village, Japanese, Seafood, Sushi