Ambiance (5/5): Super cute and trendy on the inside. The vibes are very welcoming, chill, no noise…read more The establishment is quite small and can be very tight on seating. The wait was around 30 minutes for 4 on at 1:30p on a Sunday. By the time our meal ended, there were several empty tables. Service (4/5): Timing of the dishes was not in sync with the table (not that that bad, just noticeable). Ordering wasn't as smooth as we hoped but all in all corrected (order was wrong but was corrected when we were asked to re-confirm the order). By the time we sat, the food was out within 20 min and then the pancakes came out another 20 min after the first dish. Food (5/5): The food was outstanding! Seriously like everything from the pancakes, ramen, to the lemonade. Lunch special of Tan Tan ramen (special May 2026) and Pork Cha-Shu Bowl. Tan Tan was spectacular and was def better than the bowl. The broth had so much flavor with richness, spice, spicy level, half seasoned egg. The noodles were also a lovely bouncy chew. The pork was pretty standard with about 5 thin slices spread over a soy sauce based sauce. Omurice was very silky. The egg was nice and runny. I liked that the sauce wasn't too ketchup-flavor forward. I enjoyed the rice which had bits of meat which gave it more flavor too. Crème Anglaise Souffle Pancake - my only wish was that there was more of it because it was so good. The cream that was on top was not too heavy and the zest flavors blended surprisingly well. It comes with a little side of fresh fruit. The cake was not overly egg-y in flavor either. Lavender Lemonade - Not too tart and not too sweet. I liked the forward lavender taste.

Solid brunch spot in LIC. I walked in on Saturday around 1:45 and was told I needed to have a…read morecomplete party before being seated. 2/3 of us had arrived, and I informed the server that we would place the order, but he reiterated that the complete party would need to present. Just something to keep in mind when you walk in. My friends and I did family style and ordered the Omurice, Vert Frais Matcha Soufflé Pancake, Matcha French Toast, and Large Fries. The French fries came out first and were basically McDonald's fries with a little Parmesan sprinkled on it. Everything looked pretty and instagrammable but at most tasted just okay. I wasn't in love with the Omurice sauce which tasted more tomato-based than I prefer. The soufflé was nice and fluffy but the pancake itself didn't really have flavor. The matcha French toast took the cake for me. It was soft and crunchy on the crust. My group ordered drink as well and the total ended up being $120+ with tip. Way more expensive than I was expecting, but I was happy to treat my friends to a nice birthday brunch. Come for the photos and aesthetic, but don't expect much when it comes to the food.

Located in LIC, this beautifully decorated izakaya serves an array of different items such as…read moretempura, hot entrees, yakitori, and sushi and sashimi so we had to try a little bit of everything. The yakitori here is very tasty. We loved the veggie skewers (okra and shishito peppers. The salmon belly is actually just salmon pieces and not the belly party. The enoki beef was little too salty. The squid, beef and scallops were very tasty. The veggies tempura were freshly fried and delicious. Could have been drained a little better. Salmon crispy rice was a hit but the star of the show was the sushi and sashimi deluxe and the blue Toro roll. Amazingly fresh. The passion toro was a little too sweet and fishy for us and had no passion fruit taste. Service here is amazing. The server actually gifted us the desserts of matcha creme brûlée and homemade green tea mochi ice cream. So sweet of him!

Hidden gem in LIC!! Review is from my first visit, but have gone back a few more times already for…read moretakeout. Value is insane and the fish is so fresh here. Must visit if you are nearby. Interior is spacious and upscale, and staff is so friendly. FOOD: Blue fin tuna tartar (7/10): Fresh tuna with a rice cracker. Fresh and delicious! Cyan Fox Roll (10/10): Insanely good, so much fish and so fresh. Got this 3 times already Truffle Naruto Roll (6/10): Tries to take a unique spin to it with a radish wrapper, but not my favorite. LIC Roll (8/10): Again, huge portions with generous and fresh fish.

TLDR: Small Japanese specialty store in LIC…read more If you're looking for something specific, almost niche Japanese - there's a good chance they'll have it here. Everything from imported dashi, spices, sashimi, wagyu, etc. This was one of the few places I've ever seen that carries my favorite spice mix from Kyoto. Sushi bowls and boxes are definitely above average. Pricier but premium quality. The back there's also wagyu, misos, dashi, etc. A cool spot to check out whether you're looking to get something to eat or cook. They also are one of the few places us civilians can get crown melons at. Although they will set you back quite a bit.

Adorable Japanese fish market with elevated pantry staples and an assortment of ready-to-eat sushi…read morerolls, bowls, rice balls, and soups. The space is quite cramped and can hardly fit a stroller down the aisle, but the density of quality goods is impressive. Really anything off the shelves would make a fantastic gift. The rice balls / onigiri are fantastic and are the perfect grab-and-go snack, the sushi rolls are fresh, and the mini pork belly rice bowl was really well-seasoned (also LOVED the ratio of scallions in this little $6 bowl).

$40 for a salmon belly set that comes with miso soup, rice, 2 sides, dashi & tea…read more i felt super clean eating this. like im a bear. like i'm just eating a simple fish and rice and soup & it's super flavorful and the salmon belly was very soft. there are diff prices depending on the fish you order. service kinda slow. idk why it took so long to make one set. and they weren't too busy. ambiance is nice, it's inside a japanese home goods store so you can look around afterwards.

I visited Dashi Okume when I spent the day in Greenpoint last weekend. Dashi Okume dates back to…read more1871 in Japan (it was originally established as a seafood wholesaler), but this shop in Greenpoint makes quality Japanese products, especially dashi, more accessible than ever. Dashi Okume sells ... you guessed it ... dashi. They sell several kinds, and you can taste all of them there in the shop before deciding which to take home with you (I tried them all and went home with one bag of vegetable dashi and one bag of sweet shellfish dashi). They also make custom-made dashi. You can choose from around 30 ingredients - dried fish, seaweed, mushrooms, and vegetables. They grind it up and put into individual bags for you. Such a fun idea, but I thought I should try some of their pre-made dashi options before creating mine own. They also sell miso, rice, noodles, rice seasoning, seaweed, tea, and other items. I picked up some Japanese mustard, seaweed, and rice seasoning to take home with my dashi. Beyond being a great shop, they also have a cafe area where they offer a teishoku set meal - you pick your fish, which comes with tea, rice, miso soup, pickles, and sides. They also offer an omakase popup. The shop is beautiful, and the service was very friendly and helpful. I'll certainly return for more shopping but next time I plan to make a meal of it and try their teishoku set.

Hibino is one of my favourite restaurants in LIC. I love that they offer their lunch specials even…read moreon weekends. I always order their "obento box", which comes with a choice of an entrée from their daily-rotating list (so cute how they write them on a few chalkboards that they move around the restaurant for whoever's ordering). Everything I've ordered has always been delicious, from the various fish dishes (salmon / arctic char are particular favourites), the stir-fried pork, and their sushi rolls. The salad is invariably so fresh, and the small side of obanzai is always a treat :) Price point is unparalleled -- I think the bento was priced at $12 when I first came a few years ago, and it's still $12 now. Such a lovely cute restaurant -- service is fast and friendly, and the interior, while a bit small, is definitely very cosy and has that unique rustic Japanese aesthetic to it (including a lot of their tableware). This is definitely a must-try in the area, and I will no doubt be back very soon!

Cuisine: 6 Service: 7…read moreDecor: 7 Value: 6 Overall: 6 I have to preface that, if I had reviewed Hibino in the past, they likely would have received 4 stars. Unfortunately, my latest experience was such a letdown that I have to average that into this review. My usual order here over 10+ years has always been their Kaisen Don, which had some of the better quality sushi rice available in Queens. If you don't think sushi rice is important, then skip my review. If you do, then know that my preference is slight warm rice that does not clump together, with a nice touch of vinegar. Hibino seems to get this part right regularly, but not this past Sunday. It was cold, clumpy, and super light on seasoning. Furthermore, as soon as the bowl arrived, I was a bit skeptical since it's not the usual square box filled with premium goodies. Instead, it was a smaller round bowl with relatively common pieces of sashimi. In the past, there were toro, ikura, uni and scallop, but none were present on Sunday. The only premium pieces I received was the spotted prawn. The rest were salmon, yellowtail, bluefin tuna, sea bass, and arctic char. More importantly, some of the sashimi pieces were somewhat mushy and slightly fishy, not the best quality. On the other hand, we also ordered their Chirashi, which had seared toro, yellowfin tuna, salmon belly, yellowtail belly, shrimp, and flying fish roe. Between the proteins and rice is a layer of shredder egg. Sadly, rice was still cold and lacked flavor, but the egg did help a bit. Though I prefer the thin slices of sashimi in the Kaisen Don over the chunky pieces of fish in the Chirashi, I did prefer the latter on that day. Bottom line, I will give them another chance, but the downgrade on the quality of rice and premium seafood in the Kaisen Don was a major disappointment. Praying my next visit restores my faith in the restaurant.

I had a great experience at this sushi restaurant. The fish was fresh, the rolls were flavorful,…read moreand everything was nicely presented. The atmosphere was calm and inviting, and the service was friendly and quick.I'd definitely come back

Hidden gem. Great happy hour, very affordable along with fantastic service & yummy drinks…read more Loved the passionfruit martinis & sushi rolls. We'll be back for sure.

Came here for dinner with a friend, and didn't need a reservation on the weekend. We got the…read morechicken thigh and pork belly skewers to share, both of which were very delicious. The chicken thigh was coated in this sweet teriyaki sauce, and the pork belly was quite peppery. For entrees, we got the spicy yakisoba and chicken teriyaki don - I think the yakisoba wasn't anything special, ans the grilled chicken was pretty dry but a very good portion for the price. Overall a good affordable neighborhood spot, and the ambiance and service are great.

So yummy! We stopped by on a Sunday afternoon and it was already pretty busy but got packed after…read morewe sat down. Plenty of seating can be a little tight but not uncomfy. Smelled so good once we walked in. Spicy cucumbers were great, nice chili oil. Ube tempura was so crispy n with the sauce it was giving crab rangoon vibes. The special curry was great, good egg texture and flavorful curry. The mentaiko was also so good. Our waitress recommended the udon over the pasta and it was great texture & flavor 10/10

I believe this spot is known for their omakase. I didn't go there for the omakase instead went for…read moretheir sashimi and ramen. Also tried the karrage and the crispy rice. I wasn't a fan of their crispy rice. The spicy ramen wasn't that great either. But I doubt that's what they specialize in so Ill give them a benefit of the doubt. The service was great and this place seems like where people in the neighborhood all gather to hangout. They take pictures with the chef and staff. No one seems to be in a rush to leave after their meal is done. We stayed until it closed as well.

One of my favorite go to omakase places in Queens. Service…read moreis great. Chef and waitress are very kind. They are people of few words but kind nonetheless. Never busy whenever I go. It's still a restaurant but has a bar in the back for you to have omakase. I have been doing the omakase for 2 (14 pieces with appetizers and ice cream ) and I always leave feeling full.

ABSOLUTELY AMAZING!! I would make the trek to come back here…read more Everything in the set meal was so good and the portion size was perfect. Lovely ambiance as well. Please visit. I'm coming back here for sure. Finally a place that is both Instagram worthy AND yummy!!

Honzen was very hyped up on TikTok, which usually means that it's not worth it or as good as it…read moreseems on video. However, after the first time trying it, my partner and I were blown away by the quality of the meal. The portions we got were way more than any other Japanese set meal restaurant in NYC, and for under $40 you can't really get any better than Honzen. Each set includes miso soup, fresh sashimi of the day, uni topped tofu custard, pickled vegetables, eggplant, pickles, and your main dish. Our favorite has to be the katsu, it's probably the best value item on the menu. The miso cod was also excellent, super buttery and tasty while not being too expensive. Both options are available under $40. I would also recommend just ordering the standard Japanese rice, since it's already very filling as it is and we've never needed any of the rice with additions. Service can be a bit slow if you come later in the evening, which is understandable as it gets busier with all the set meals coming out. Ambiance is super cozy, with a sit down area that has cushions and a low table. Can't really go wrong with any spot in the restaurant. We come back here all the time when we're craving something homey and filling, would recommend Honzen!

We really loved the Matsunori in Boston and was exciting learning that there was an NYC location…read more They took reservations and it was easy to book, even for a Friday evening. The service was attentive, serving the handrolls one-by-one and coming back to take our next order. It was very well-paced. The standout handrolls were the spicy scallop and the miso butter cod. Perfect spot for a date night and would be coming back again to fulfill the sushi/handroll craving!

Cozy and ambient interior, great for catching up with friends or date…read more Impressed with the fish to rice ratio, it felt like 70:30 which really allows you to taste the fish youre eating. Rolls aren't very filling and kind of expensive. I had 4 rolls and was still hungry at the end so take that as you will. Service was kind and efficient.