If you love chirashi, Chikarashi is the spot. Tucked away in Chinatown, this place is an elegant quick service restaurant. Fast and fresh food with nice ambiance! The food absolutely speaks for itself. The fish is incredibly fresh, beautifully cut, and generously portioned, and there are both raw and cooked options. Every bowl I've tried here has perfectly seasoned rice, pristine slices of sashimi, and just the right balance of flavors and textures. You can tell a lot of care goes into every bowl. If you're craving something sweet, they also have dole whip! Chikarashi is a Chinatown gem I'll happily return to again and again. read more

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I do not like writing reviews when I only try 1 item from the menu and it is to go, but I got similar feedback from others who ordered delivery with me. Since it was delivery, I cannot say anything about the restaurant itself (service, decoration, vibe etc), I can only comment on the food. I tried the goma shoyu tuna and others went with the negitoro don tartare and sichuan chili salmon. The feedback overall was it was too expensive for the portion size. The portion wasn't small, but it certainly wasn't big. We were all still a little hungry after eating our bowls. Regarding my order, the goma shoyu tuna, the fish was good, but not great and for my bowl at least, I felt it was lacking in flavor. I did not taste any chili oil and the only real flavor present in the dish came from the seaweed salad. Chikarashi does not allow you to make your own poke bowl, which I feel is unfortunate. I usually like to get both tuna and salmon and add a bunch of toppings/ingredients and that is not an option for any of their bowls. read more

I can't believe I'd never reviewed Chikarashi up until now. This review is way, way past overdue. Chikarashi opened during the height of the poke craze about a decade ago, and has managed to stay afloat as the hype has nosedived over the years--finding a poke spot these days is almost the equivalent of finding a vinyl shop. Don't get me wrong, I love the poke places that let you put as many toppings as possible, but there's something unique about Chikarashi's set menu bowls that always makes me come back for more. Their cuts are some of the freshest that I've ever had, and that's hard to come by in NYC. I think I've tried just about every bowl over the years, and you can't go wrong with any of the options--such unique, thoughtful, high-quality toppings that you won't be able to find at build-your-own-poke places. The price point is slightly higher than average, but worth paying for the higher quality and a carefully curated menu. Most people might not know about their dairy-free soft serve, which alone is worth a visit. They have Pineapple Dole Whip, which is not common to find at all, and in the summer, they have a watermelon flavor which is super refreshing. read more

Chikarashi - Watermelon Soft Serve - Japanese Near Me - New York, New York

4.5 / 5.0 - I was in Chinatown and stopped by late afternoon for a late lunch at this casual, counter-service poke spot. It was nice and clean inside, with seating available along the walls. I chose the Ponzu Salmon ($18+), which had salmon, avocado, cucumber, shiso, tobiko and katsuo panko. It came with wasabi ponzu, which I asked for on the side because I do not like wasabi. The staff was insistent that the wasabi flavor was mild, but I simply do not like the flavor and ended up eating most of the bowl without it. The bowl itself was delicious and I especially loved the flavor that the shiso added. Chinatown isn't the first place you'd think of for Hawaiian cuisine, but I'd recommend trying if you like poke. read more

Chikarashi - Ponzu Salmon ($18+) - Japanese Near Me - New York, New York

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Walking around in the heat with all the people, I needed something to cool me down so got a pineapple Dole whip. Yum. The food also looked good. Will have to try next time. Service was friendly and quick. read more

Chikarashi - Dole whip - Japanese Near Me - New York, New York

Roughly $20 after tax for this Ponzu Salmon bowl. Pretty clean fast casual spot in Chinatown. read more

Chikarashi - Ponzu Salmon - Japanese Near Me - New York, New York

Grabbed the hamachi bowl for lunch, and while this is on the slightly pricier side, I felt there was a good portion of fish and rice, and I loved the sour and spicy flavors that melded together. Would get again if I was in the area! read more

Chikarashi - Japanese Near Me - New York, New York

On the busy streets of Canal street- there is a hidden gem, Chikarashi! I was greeted by a lovely friendly man at the register who was folding napkins with pride. Oh so perfectly! I asked him about the Chilli salmon and if it was super spicy. He gave me great feedback and said he recommends anyone who isn't sure of their spice tolerate to get the other salmon option. I ordered it anyways and it wasn't too spicy to me, BUT it does creep up on you! The service was fast as lightening! A beautiful presentation. And you can't leave without a Dole Whip dairy free treat!!! Impressive hidden gem on canal ! read more

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Both Fish were very good...The black cod had a mild sweet taste, which went perfectly with ponzu sauce on the side...the hamachi kama very meaty. The portion of fish and side veggies could have been bigger as well as less rice. The hamachi kama takes some time to cook which the cashier warned us about but even then was pretty quick. Pineapple dole whip hits the spot, but the previous pomagranate may have been slightly better. Will be back to try the rest of the entrees! read more

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Place is clean and service is super nice. Food was amazing - miso black cod, salmon with ikura, and ell bowls. We all inhaled our meals. Perfect for a rainy day even. Rice was cooked perfectly - well seasoned and fluffy and sticky. I just finished eating my meal and miss it already. read more

(Overall: A) - I went back to my favorite lunch spot quite a few times as their Salmon Ikura Bowl is just superb. They use scottish salmon, which is a fattier cut that tastes much better raw in my opinion and that's clearly noticeable as its glistening with flavor. It pairs incredibly well with the sliced shiso, fresh wasabi root, and the ikura for the umami burst. This is their dish that they should brag about because it is relatively affordable and just incredibly high quality and delicious. I recently also tried their Toro Ikura bowl, which was not as good as their Toro was not very fatty. It looks like they may have sourced their tuna from the atlantic, which tastes less good, and it also doesn't pair well with the ikura. -- Food: +1 Presentation: +1 Price: E Overall +2 A IG: @amei.eats read more

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The poke bowls here are ok - I would say the salmon ikura is probably the best option as the salmon slices are decently thick and fresh vs the chopped chunks in the other bowls. The rice isn't the standard mirin-seasoned rice (it's seasoned but missing the sweet and tangy kick) but it pairs well with the toppings. It's a solid option for poke in the area but not sure I would go out of the way. read more

Chikarashi - Japanese Near Me - New York, New York

This place outperforms its rating online. The cost remains reasonable for what you get. Our neighborhood pride includes this restaurant. Their team shows genuine kindness. Your money buys real value here. read more

Loved my hamachi bowl here - it came with what looked like a massive slab of fish but upon further investigation turned out to be a series of precision-cut slices, still thick and shiny and perfect. Its citrusy glaze was offset by some shockingly spicy birds eye chilies that were scattered on top, surrounded by the only miss of this dish: random cornflake-like rice chips. These added a nice crunch but were ultimately kind of unnecessary. This all sat on a bed of rice and two kinds of seaweed - nori and wakame. The portion size is not-quite-meal... I needed a snack afterward. But for $15, the quantity and quality you get is still absolutely fair. I'm not sure I've had a better chirashi bowl in the area, and they have all sorts of unique offerings that you're not going to find from the cookie-cutter poke places scattered all over. read more

It's a neat and tight spot for crazy poke bowl lovers to fandom about. I got the regular Ponzu Salmon and boy was it good! I love the freshness of the raw salmon in my mouth. It tastes creamy in your mouth. The masago adds a crunch in your mouth where they feel like popping beads. Avocado and cucumber adds extra flavor. Sauce is not overly done and right to the par! I love it. The down side is it can be a bit expensive. There's enough seating in the restaurant and the seating is entirely made out of bamboo. Very cute! read more

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Checked out this little joint near the office, and it was a pleasant surprise. Couldn't make up my mind on what to get, so I went for the Chikarashi flight. Totally blown away - it includes ponzu salmon, Sichuan chili salmon, and wasabi mayo tuna. The standout for me was hands down the wasabi mayo tuna. A flavor-packed experience! read more

Chikarashi - Chikarashi Flight - Japanese Near Me - New York, New York

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Good casual spot for good quality poke. I got the ponzu salmon bowl, and it was delicious and made for a nice quick lunch. I also got the dole whip here earlier this year, and it was so yummy and refreshing. The location itself was covered in this nice light wood paneling, which made for a clean and soothing space. Definitely will stop by again for another poke bowl. read more

Chikarashi - Ponzu Salmon - Japanese Near Me - New York, New York

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Decided on Chikarashi for lunch as it was the "healthy" and hearty option. Ordered via Uber eats. Ordered the negitoro don bowl with extra seaweed and "homemade" miso soup. I am a fan of bowls in general, usually love to mix and match flavors. I found that the negitoro bowl was a good size and that was only because I added seaweed salad and a miso soup for extra cost! Without extras, I think the bowls are very small and not worth the price. The bowl costs almost $30 for extras! Very steep price! The flavors and toro tartar was good and fresh. The miso soup was nothing out of the ordinary. Overall, good bowls if you want to pay extras for fill it up. But good flavors and most importantly, fresh fish. read more

Chikarashi - Negitoro Don with seaweed salad - Japanese Near Me - New York, New York

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Paid: $21 total for a bowl + miso soup. Food: 5/5 Okay, the food was good and it was fresh. The only problem I had was the portions and the cost. I modified my order for extra fish. Even so, I finished all the fish with a considerable portion of rice left. The miso soup was good, hits the right spots. But it's so small, you barely even get anything. This is a good, quality place. Not a cheap one for convenience. read more

Not your average poke place! Came here after craving...anything (I was starving alright?) and walked into this tiny abode with sleek woodwork. As everyone else has mentioned, this isn't a DIY Poke place. The menu has a few combinations listed and on that day I ordered the Goma Shoyu Tuna. Overall, this place knows what their doing with their combos. Tuna was fresh and rice was well cooked. Plenty of seaweedy flavor and the garlic chips added a nice crunch. The avocado wasn't the freshest I've ever had, but I guess even restaurants are subject to avocado's finicky nature. If I lived in the area, would totally stop by here for a quick lunch, maybe pick up a Dole Whip as an afternoon pick-me-up too? read more

Chikarashi - Goma Shoyu Tuna - Japanese Near Me - New York, New York

Delish and so so fresh! Got the goma shoyu tuna which is just basic rice with tuna, avocado garlic chips and seaweed salad but it was soooo good. The fish is so fresh and the seaweed salad was extremely flavorful. The place is very quaint and cozy with a few barstools and the guy at the front is helpful with any questions. Simple and good place definitely will come back again!! read more

Fish was tender and flavorful, the bowl on the whole was simple but everything worked well and made for a satisfying meal. Extra points for the lovely warm rice and the really quick service. read more

Chikarashi - Spicy Hamachi Chirashi - Japanese Near Me - New York, New York

Comes back from Hawaii not long ago and orders a dole whip here. Too soon? I think not! I almost forgot NYC has dole whip until my friend offered to stop by here, having had it before. There were options of cherry in addition to pineapple, so you could get a mix swirl if you want! They also had a Watermelon flavor sign outside, but that flavor wasn't available yet at the time I went. The Pineapple Dole Whip was identical to the ones in Hawaii, full of pineapple flavor, tart, and not too sweet! I am totally coming back in the summer again for more! read more

Chikarashi - Pineapple Dole Whip - Japanese Near Me - New York, New York

Food looks great in the photos but my order was incredibly disappointing. Admittedly I made a tactical error subbing greens for rice ($.50) with my bowl but this is something I do often and have never had such a lackluster experience. I had the ponzu salmon bowl and it had very little fish, a decent amount of avocado and not much flavor even though I added a ton of wasabi. I left starving, would not really recommend. read more

The process of ordering and receiving the food was simple and easy to follow. There is a small amount of barstools on the sides of the restaurant to enjoy your food. The poke bowls were light, fresh, and filling. read more

Chikarashi - Ponzu Salmon - Japanese Near Me - New York, New York

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I came by after an afternoon of shopping per a friend's rec - I've passed by loads of time walking through the area but never stopped to check it out. I got the ponzu salmon bowl, which was a pretty interesting example of their combined poke/chirashi concept. I thought the salmon was super tasty - fresh, with a strong wasabi ponzu - and it also came with generous helpings of avocado and cucumber. Overall, a really good meal albeit a tad expensive. I'd be interested in coming back and trying some of their other bowls next time! read more

Chikarashi - Ponzu salmon - Japanese Near Me - New York, New York

No feeling of welcoming at all when I stepped in. Service was terrible and just work day by day. I was thinking about having lunch here but unhappiness staff made me change my mind. read more

Chikarashi - Japanese Near Me - New York, New York

I love this spot! I used to go all the time in flatiron as it was right next to my office and now I order from here all the time. The Sichuan chili salmon is amazing and be sure to add avocado! They deliver on seamless and they're such a yummy fresh lunch during the summertime. read more

Chikarashi - Sichuan Chili Salmon and Ponzu Salmon - Japanese Near Me - New York, New York

I thought Chikarashi made chirashi bowls because of their name, but actually they are poké bowls. We had two bowls for takeout. $15 Spicy chili salmon I thought the bowl was a little dry because of the furikake seasoning. It's not that spicy, but spicy enough that you can't really taste the salmon. The taste is like a spicy salmon roll you can get in American sushi restaurants, but in a bowl. $17 Goma shoyu tuna I liked this bowl a bit better. It had a more refreshing taste. There was lots of seaweed and a quarter of an avocado, yum! The tuna seemed like OK quality. For both bowls, the fish was chopped quite small and inconsistently. I like that the sushi rice had a chew and there was crunchy stuff in both bowls to make it texturally interesting. The high quality disposable chopsticks were nice too. Overall, I thought it tasted good, and price is about what I expect when dining in NYC. read more

Chikarashi - Spicy chili salmon - Japanese Near Me - New York, New York

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A friendly and helpful team will greet you into this cute little establishment and even assist you in selecting the right bowl for you! I landed on the Wasabi Mayo Tuna and didn't regret it. I do, however, have some constructive feedback: First, not a fan of the plain rice-to-protein ratio. Felt like a 9:1 situation. Secondly, more toppings could've brought this bowl outside of the mediocrity sphere into glory. That's to say, bowl felt a bit uninspiring. Thirdly, considering the grungy/inexpensive food territory this restaurant is in, bowls are pricy. Certainly given my earlier comments. I paid $18 for a "regular" size bowl (a large would've been $20), and that, my friends, isn't much of a bargain... read more

Absolutely horrible!! There is rotten fish in the poke bowl it's a joke!!! DISGUSTING!!

If I could afford Chikarashi every three days, this is where I'd be every three days for lunch. The quality of the fish is superb, and the bowls are simple but delicious. Seared Hamachi: my FAVORITE! I took one bite and it was melt in my mouth. Other bites just kept up with the buttery texture...how is this sooo good Goma Shoyu Tuna: second favorite for something more of a classic poke. Yum read more

Chikarashi - goma shoyu tuna - Japanese Near Me - New York, New York

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Feels like a more upscale pre-made poke bowl place. The seating area leaves a bit more to be desired, but a great place for casual dinner/takeout. I also wish the large bowls came with a bit more rice for what you're paying, but the fish tasted fresh. Especially love the toppings like the daikon and furikake that came with the bowls. read more

Chikarashi - Hamachi Kama - Japanese Near Me - New York, New York

Chikarashi offers poke bowls, which are really refined. Not your classic spicy mayo salmon avocado bowl. Came here a few times for lunch and it is definitely one of my to go spots every week. this is not a "do it yourself" poke bowl. There is a menu, it is well thought out. Just pick one. Also, don't expect a kaisen don with super high quality fish on top of rice. It's not this kind of place. For the plus - Toro is on the menu and delicious - pricing is just right - the rice is really good, which is how this place stands out: slightly warm, medium grain, perfectly sticky - use of pickled onions or marinated cucumbers or shiso or scallions or Bonito flakes depending on the bowl is always the perfect mix of crunchiness, softness and spice - served quickly For the minus - it's not a comfortable sit down experience so don't come here with a party - miso soup is below standard average which is definitely something they can easily improve - Here the fish quality is good but because they chop the fish in small cubes, they can use more of the fish, unlike sashimi. Thus, it's not always the highest quality, which is not something that necessarily bothers me for a poke bowl under $20, with sauce and condiments, but worth mentioning. read more

Chikarashi - Tasting menu - Japanese Near Me - New York, New York

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Chikarashi seems to be positioning themselves as a more upscale poke bowl but their food quality doesn't match the price. I got the Salmon Ikura Poke Bowl and was really disappointed by the small portion size. At most poke places, you can customize your bowl since they are made to order but that doesn't seem to be the case here. When I asked to removed the sauce from my poke bowl while ordering, I was told that the sauce already comes with the bowl, which makes me suspect the bowl was premade. Additionally, the avocado was pretty icy, as if it just came from the freezer. For $17 dollars, I feel like I got a poke bowl that was worse than the cheaper ones at competing chains like Poke Time. read more

Chikarashi - Salmon Ikura Chirashi - Japanese Near Me - New York, New York

The food and service was amazing. When I came in for lunch during jury duty, the place was so relaxing with counter seats along the walls. It was the perfect refuge from the busy streets outside. All the ingredients in my bowl were so fresh and flavorful. read more

Chikarashi - Salmon Ikura Chirashi - Japanese Near Me - New York, New York

It's my favorite low-key Poke spot when I need a quick bite or a snack before a full meal. Delicious, healthy, fast and worth it. My favorite bowl is the seared Otoro, I have 2 different pictures of it from when it used to look a bit different, but it's simply delicious. The sear makes it a little warm and juicy and the garlic chips give it some texture and garlic flavor. I haven't had a better poke bowl in NYC yet. read more

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Came here for lunch on multiple occasions after getting off the Greyhound traveling from Philly. Our order was quickly made and the poke bowls are SO FRESH! I'm not sure what other special ingredients they put in the bowl but it's so addicting! We ordered the Goma Shoyu Tuna and the Ponzu Salmon. Both dishes were very delectable! read more

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Fresh fish, good flavor combinations and friendly staff! We got the ponzu salmon bowl and the spicy hamachi bowl. I had like a bite of the salmon bowl and it tasted pretty good from what I tried, I don't know I can't really speak for it. I liked my hamachi bowl though! It had lots of flavor, but I wish they gave a little more fish lol I ate that thing so fast. The staff was really nice and gave us each a complimentary bowl of miso soup! Would recommend! I'll be back because I want try their miso cod bowl heh read more

Chikarashi - Spicy Hamachi Chirashi - Japanese Near Me - New York, New York

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Recently tried the watermelon dole whip and it was awesome - tasted like sour patch watermelon gummies. I didn't get poke on this trip but I'll definitely return for more soon! read more

Chikarashi - Watermelon dole whip - Japanese Near Me - New York, New York