- extensive menu - americanized dishes - creative/fun rolls - instagramable appeal - it's not authentic by any stretch of the imagination but it's moderately priced for the area and reasonably fresh - personally, I didn't like any of the rolls that I tried (just too much going on, overly dressed) but I did like their sushi, specifically the sweet shrimp and any/all of the roe read more

My friend found this spot on TikTok, and it is getting traction for being a delicious, but affordable spot for omakase in Manhattan! This restaurant is conveniently located right off Union Square. It is super nice and clean on the inside, but not too fancy. The menu is huge and extensive. Online, it doesn't look like they take reservations, but if you call, they do. We got reservations at 7 PM and were seated right away. My one negative was that the host at the front was very rude, in front of everyone, to multiple delivery drivers coming in. It was distracting, and kind of off-putting. Our server was super nice though and didn't rush us through the ordering process. I had the lychee martini to drink, and it was delish! For a cocktail in Manhattan, $12 was super reasonable. We split the tuna pizza to start, and it was incredible! I would actually come here again just for this. The crispy rice was the perfect base for all the toppings and the spicy mayo was *chef's kiss*! We then shared three rolls: Alaska roll, Daisy Dukes specialty roll, and Spicy Girl roll. All three were fabulous, but my fav was the Daisy Dukes. It was the perfect bite! I also got a side of spicy mayo, which was the perfect addition to each roll. All in all, this was delicious AND affordable sushi in Manhattan! A definite score! Other than the negative energy from the front of house, everything was 5 stars! read more

Kotobuki Manhattan - Spicy Tuna Pizza - Japanese Near Me - New York, New York

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Kotobuki is one of the, if not the, best moderately priced sushi restaurants in Manhattan. Always high quality food no matter if you eat inside or get carry out. If you eat inside, the food is very prompt and the restaurant itself is relatively loud. Would not recommend as a date spot unless you already know the person well. Better for a group of friends. Always a decent amount of college kids given the price point. Highly recommend the spicy tuna pizza and getting one of the sushi combos (ie Sushi for one, two, three, four -- that is truly the best value) I love a dragon roll, but their dragon roll is not ideal. Way too big of bites read more

Kotobuki Manhattan - Sushi for one - Japanese Near Me - New York, New York

I haven't gone to a non-omakase place in so long! This was a great spot for a variety of Japanese food, ranging from sashimi to udon noodles to rice places. I got the chirashi bowl. The rice was on the colder side. I wasn't sure if it was supposed to be warmer. They gave me a variety of sashimi! I felt that it was a good amount for the price. The pieces were sliced thicker than what I would like. And the quality and variety werent near omakase pieces. But it's a good place to go for your run of the mill sushi and sashimi. read more

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Pretty sure they gave me the trashiest noodles under the name "Jin Asian kitchen". Absolutely awful and I had a cash tip to give but the driver came to the door yelling that I didn't tip on the app; I closed the door in his face, put the 5 in my pocket, and ordered better food. I can't believe when looking up the address it was kotobuki. What a bummer. read more

Would not come here expecting omakase quality but a solid place for speciality rolls and/or if you're looking for reasonably priced sushi. Service was also quick and attentive! Crispy rice & spicy tuna - came with 6 pieces. Rice was perfectly bite sized and crispy. Spicy tuna wasn't super flavorful but it wasn't bad. Beach monster (spicy scallop, eel, burdock, scallion topped w/ torch-seared super white tuna) and hole in one (shrimp tempura, avocado, tobiko, mayo, topped w/ lightly seared scallop & sweet sauce drizzle) - exactly what you'd expect from speciality rolls. Lots of different flavors and sauces with decent quality fish. Uni sushi - $8 and not the highest quality but also not the worst. Enjoyable nonetheless. read more

Kotobuki Manhattan - Top: Hole-In-One Roll, middle: Uni, bottom: Beach Monster Roll - Japanese Near Me - New York, New York

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Noms: So good. Hit the spot since I was craving sushi! Only ordered the rolls: the one with everything (forgot the name) and the rainbow California roll. I would definitely come back again to try the others! Looks/service: Service was great and server was friendly. Location is so pretty!! read more

Kotobuki Manhattan - Rainbow Roll #1 and the roll with everything (forgot name) - Japanese Near Me - New York, New York

I ordered the sashimi platter through Postmates and it was fantastic! The portion of fish was quite large - I had leftovers - and everything was very fresh and flavorful. I particularly enjoyed the hamachi, yum! Thick pieces of fish and a nice variety. They also include a couple pieces of cooked salmon, which was nice, and it came with some sushi rice to round things out. Delicious and great value - would recommend! read more

Kotobuki Manhattan - Sashimi Deluxe - yum! - Japanese Near Me - New York, New York

Came in on a very busy evening and luckily they had 2 seats at the bar. Without hesitation, we took them. When our food came out, we were so delighted. I loved how much variety was on my deluxe plate, and the hand rolls were filling too. Pricing wasn't too bad! Seems like a super popular spot, would try to make reservations if you can. Recommend! read more

Kotobuki Manhattan - Japanese Near Me - New York, New York

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Fabulous dinner at Kotobuki! To start, COVID precautions are still being taken seriously with staff disinfecting seats and tables thoroughly between seatings. With some restaurants foregoing these considerations lately, this does show the restauranteurs care! We definitely left feeling satiated. Here is the rundown: -Wasabi pork shumai: Wow. These definitely have a kick. They were not stingy with the wasabi and the tang was definitely appreciated. -Crispy rice and spicy tuna: Cute bites that are easy to share. After the shumai, these were definitely not spicy and tasty nonetheless -Chicken teriyaki: Comes sizzling! Warm and standard Japanese fare -Sashimi deluxe: A steal! The meal was so filling. Fish was fresh and cut well. A good variety of fish. -Spicy girl roll: Very tasty with complex flavors. Definitely spicy but not just one note. -Mardi gras gone wild: This was interesting! Had never had torch seared salmon on my sushi before but the texture worked well! Will be back soon. read more

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I was quite disappointed in my overall experience at Kotobuki. Went here for a date night. The ambience is really dim here so it makes for a nice romantic environment yet at the same time it's very relaxed and casual. It's really affordable for sushi standards of what you can get however the quality just wasn't up to par in comparison to the many sushi places I've visited. Some of the rolls the fish was warm which was a bad sign. I thought everything was just ok. The best dish was the crispy rice with the spicy tuna. However all my other dishes were very mid and unimpressive. However the service was nice For me it's a one and done place don't think I will be back. 3/5 stars read more

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Holy crap, this place is a gem! I will come here again and again. I ordered a sashimi deluxe, daisy dukes roll, and beef tataki. Everything was so affordable and filling! Usually at sushi restaurants the fish is so expensive and I leave hungry, but not at Kotobuki!! The SASHIMI DELUXE was only $27 and came with 18 pieces. Everything was so delicious and fresh! This is the best tasting, most economical, sushi I've ever had. I also got MISO SOUP + HOUSE SALAD so maybe it came with the Sashimi Deluxe or it was an accident. The DAISY DUKES roll was amazing - it was juicy, crunchy, fresh, and any other positive adjective you can think of to describe a sushi roll. The BEEF TATAKI was my least favorite out of the dishes I ordered, but it was my friend's favorite so it just depends on your taste buds I guess! It was good, just not as good as the other dishes to me. Service was great too (lots of water refills!) as well as the ambience. Wait wasn't too bad on a Friday night. Can't wait to go back! read more

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Kotobuki was an overall amazing experience with a great ambiance and delicious servings. I would recommend to anyone in the area especially my sushi lovers. The ambiance included very dim lighting which compliments its relaxed vibe. However, the seating is very intimate in relation to other tables, the restaurant seats a lot of people, so it was moderately loud. Because it is so loud, I would recommend going with friends and maybe it not being first date material. I could not even hear the waitress as she spoke with my accompanied guest. Nevertheless, the food was very fulfilling. For an appetizer, I had the Spicy Tuna and Tatsutage which was fresh and tasty. The fresh jalapeño was such a great compliment to the spicy tuna. For the entree, I had the Spicy Girl Roll and Caterpillar Remix Roll which were both amazing as well. I would definitely try again but the menu is so plentiful, I cannot wait to see what other delicacies this restaurant has to offer. read more

Kotobuki Manhattan - Spicy Tuna and Tatsutage - Japanese Near Me - New York, New York

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Ordered take-out from this sushi spot. It is located on a terrible block, sandwiched between several vacant, boarded up, graffitied storefronts. Don't let that deter you as this spot is a gem. I ordered various rolls to try them out and loved their unique offerings. American Dream Roll ($13) - rather than choose one fish, why not have them all? You get eel, salmon, tuna, yellowtail, and shrimp tempura all in one massive roll, with tobiko, avocado, spicy mayo and sweet sauce. That is the American Dream. Spicy Tuna Pizza ($13) - This one was my favorite. A crunchy rice & nori crust topped w/ spicy tuna, shredded crab salad, tobiko, spicy mayo, and scallions. Essentially you combine a spicy tuna and crab roll with pizza. Can you imagine how great that must taste? UFO Roll ($9) - also consisted of multiple kinds of fish: salmon, tuna, yellowtail. It also includes avocado, scallions, tobiko. What makes this one unique is that instead of seaweed and rice, it is wrapped with daikon. Can't wait to come back to try their other creations! read more

Look, contrary to popular belief you don't have to spend $100+ on an omakase experience for good sushi in NYC. Kotobuki is a prime example of a fun menu designed to accommodate sushi lovers for an affordable price. It's also right next to a movie theater, making it a perfect choice for a dinner and a movie date night. Service is quick so you don't have to worry about missing previews. Stop in! read more

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Went there tonight and what happened at the end put a sour taste in my mouth and I'm never returning. After the meal was done, we paid the tab and as we were about to head off someone rushes to us and points out how something is wrong. He proceeds to tell us that we didn't tip 15% (just slightly less) and returned the tab to us. This is so rude and unnaceptable behavior. As a former waiter myself I know that the waitresses/waiters depend on tips for a living but to throw the tab back at us is unacceptable especially if that is what I think I should tip, it's not like we didn't leave a tip. read more

Kotobuki Manhattan - Spicy Tuna Pizza - Japanese Near Me - New York, New York

Came here on a weeknight with my friend who has been here before. We were craving sushi and she mentioned that Kotobuki was really good so obviously I agreed to give it a try. We popped in for an early dinner so I don't think a reservation was required. At 5:45pm, the restaurant was pretty quiet and there was tons of seating available. I'll also note that I really liked the ambiance and decor here. This restaurant is not only easy on the eyes though. It's also spotless which I definitely appreciated. My friend wanted to try the K-Mac sliders and I'm really happy we did. I'd even go as far as saying this was the highlight of the meal. The sliders, chopped tuna, rice, tempura flakes, avo,romaine, & spicy mayo in a rice cracker "bun" came with 2 per order ($9.50) and were delicious. They were a bit messy so you probably shouldn't order this if you're on a first date (or maybe you should, just so the other person knows what they're getting themselves into lol). Believe the hype on these! For our entrees, we went a little too hard and over-ordered as we normally do. We EACH ordered the sushi/sashimi combo with 4 nigiri, 8 sashimi, salmon carpaccio, cali, and u.f.o. roll ($27 each). We clearly did not need that much food and should have just split this because I was full after just a few bites. I'll note here that the quality of the fish isn't amazing (more like something you'd get from a takeout spot), and some pieces of tuna were a little TOO fishy, so I don't think I'd order this again. I'd prob just split those K-Mac sliders again and order a specialty roll of some sort. Also, u.f.o. roll wasn't my favorite (fish quality-aside) because it was wrapped in daikon. Not necessarily a flavor and texture I enjoy. I will conclude by saying that the service was LOVELY and very accommodating. The staff took my sesame seed allergy seriously which, unfortunately, is not something many sushi restaurants do. Our servers were sweet and quick with our orders. No complaints here at all. I'd visit again since I'm already dreaming about those sliders, but I'd order a different entree. read more

Kotobuki Manhattan - Japanese Near Me - New York, New York

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Came here for dinner the other night and had a fantastic meal. The menu has a crazy variety and is so extensive, there's something for everyone. My friend and I shared three things and it was more than enough, we both left full and the bill was extremely reasonable. The interior is really chic and cool. Lots of seating, we just walked in at like 6:45 on a Wednesday night but it seems to get pretty busy so definitely err on the side of caution and make reservations. Everyone there was really friendly and it moved really quick! To start we got the crispy rice and spicy tuna which is always a favorite of mine but they did a great job. It was a perfect bite and seasoned really well. We also got the spicy tuna pizza which was really unique, it came in 6 slices so it was easy to share. It wasn't particularly spicy but was very good lots of flavor and topped with so much delicious crab salad. We then also shared the Gold Coast roll which was a little sweeter than we both expected. Still really good but would try something else when I go back! Overall love this spot, I have a friend who raves about it so I was really excited to try and it definitely did not disappoint!! read more

Kotobuki Manhattan - Spicy Tuna Pizza - Japanese Near Me - New York, New York

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Great dinner!! Yelp waitlist made it easy to grab a table on a packed Sunday night as we walked over from east village. We sat at the sushi bar, which is super underrated. We tried the sushi pizza, tuna sandwich and dragon roll. Everything was delicious and tasted fresh. The turnover here is incredible so I expected nothing less- would recommend you have a resi as it fills up quick!! Would love to go back, yum!!! read more

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The best sushi you can get in Manhattan for its price! For reference, I moved to Los Angeles about a year ago. I've been back to NYC twice since then... one of which was only for a single day. Both times I've made it a point to order from or stop by Kotobuki. When with a group, I go for the Sushi and Sashimi for 1 special - it easily feeds 3 people and has a good mix of sushi, sashimi, rolls and carpaccio. The fish is always fresh and flavorful, to the point where it lasts for a solid sushi breakfast the next day if I have leftovers. Dining alone, I'll typically go for the rainbow bright roll (toro!!!) or the tuna avocado salad, both of which are amazing. I've tried to recreate the tuna avocado salad at home and it never tastes quite as good. I don't normally like fried ice cream but the green tea fried ice cream here is to die for - I would literally go here just to pick up fried ice cream if I could. The batter is thick but fluffy and lightly sweet, while the ice cream has a rich green tea flavor, less milky than a lot of the store-bought options. The best flavor match I found was Mr. Green Tea ice cream (which might actually be their supplier? It tastes the same and MGT allegedly does supply restaurants....) but the crispy, warm batter really takes it to a 10/10 All this to say... please open an LA outpost :) read more

Kotobuki Manhattan - Japanese Near Me - New York, New York

Another great restaurant found in East Village! Loved the modern decor and how spacious it is. Tables are kind of close to each other but guess they want to accommodate as many customers as possible. We were there around 6pm on a Friday night and it wasn't too busy yet. We got seated right away without reservation. Very thoughtful of the restaurant to provide hot towel for customers to wipe our hands. Seems like most fellow yelpers raved about the sushi and sashimi and the food certainly did not disappoint. My boyfriend got the combo which was a nice set. Fresh sashimi and very generous pieces as well. I opted for the pork Katsu which again was a big portion. Both entrees came with miso soup and green salad. Service was quick and we finished our meals in less than one hour as we had to catch a movie at a nearby AMC. Would definitely be back. PS: the restaurant was packed around 9:30pm when we passed by it after the movie. read more

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With so many dining options in Manhattan it's hard not to want to try every restaurant. I'm glad I chose kotobuki! Upon entering, it is a dimly lit restaurant with some good tunes playing in the background. Total vibe for catching up with a friend or a date night! It is spacious inside and they do follow social distancing protocols. For appetizers, we ordered yellowtail jalapeño, rock shrimp tempura, crispy rice & spicy tuna, Agadashi tofu, and Chilean sea bass. Everything was delicious and tasty. My favs were the sea bass and rock shrimp tempura and yellowtail jalapeño (really everything lol). We also got an eel roll which was great! For entree, we shared the sukiyaki. It came in a large hot pot. I think I'd skip out on this dish next time and try another it wasn't bad it just wasn't amazing! I think kotobuki is a great choice for Japanese dining because they have sushi, ramen/noodles and entrees. Kotobuki doesn't just focus on sushi so you'll have multiple choices when dining here. I'd definitely recommend and come back! You can also join Yelp waitlist which is pretty cool! read more

Kotobuki Manhattan - Yellowtail Jalepeno - Japanese Near Me - New York, New York

Kotobuki features a fantastic selection of Japanese foods, with inventive rolls. Really, the menu is vast, and next time we're there, I'd be up for some experimentation. We ordered the salmon Carpaccio, which is to be had with wasabi mayo sauce. And, we had a yaki udon that is delicious, although they could have been more generous with the beef. The ambience leans toward the louder end, and make sure to reserve if it's for dinner on a busy day. read more

Kotobuki Manhattan - Yaki udon - Japanese Near Me - New York, New York

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Oh god how did I not rate this spot. This is the absolute best spot for sushi/ Asian fusion appetizers in the city. Omakase lovers not for you. This spot holds a special place in my heart, that makes me and my gals return religiously. Whether it's this location or the one in LI, we are obsessed! The food is always 10/10, not less. Service is always 10/10, never less. Gotta get here for 5pm because it gets busy and you will wait! The fried oysters are magical, yellowtail jalapeño is to die for, k Mac sliders finger licking good, crispy rice is good too, crazy tuna roll is outstanding, I can keep going.... just try it !! read more

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Uniquely presented, generous portions, well priced. Great second date spot. You're gonna pay around $50/person, have plenty of food (which is super rare for a sushi place), and really enjoy the meal. Just look at that photo. You see this? You see this shit? I sent this to four people & told them they had to go. That presentation & quantity & quality & price makes me an easy repeat customer. I've been two times in a week -- I'm worried about Mercury poisoning. Go here read more

Kotobuki Manhattan - Sushi / Sashimi for two (Titled "Damn" on my computer) - Japanese Near Me - New York, New York

Great food and ambiance The appetizers came out way faster than food Reasonable price We got two appetizers and three rolls for under $100 read more

Kotobuki Manhattan - Spicy Girl Roll Cinderella Roll Caterpillar Remix Roll - Japanese Near Me - New York, New York

The short: really cool vibe, felt totally unrushed during a weeknight dinner, amazingly fresh fish & semi-weird service. The longer: my friend and I came here for dinner, and we had a really, really nice long meal here. We ordered the sashimi entrées which come with soup & salad. My clear soup and salad were great. The plate of edamame was huge. And, our seafood was really fresh. We did have a miscommunication with our waiter-- he thought we didn't want any red tuna, and when he brought out our plate, there were a few things missing. We told him and he got super aggressive and defensive, so we had to call over the manager. They sorted the issue, but the service made us quite uncomfortable. The manager was super sweet, and other than that confrontation, our meal was great... so I'd definitely give this spot another try. read more

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The interior was pretty nice, but I do not think I will be returning here for their sushi. The prices were fair and the menu has tons of options, but my primary focus for coming here would likely remain the sushi/sashimi dishes. There is nothing terribly wrong with the fish here, but I find it lacking umami and taste when compared to other restaurants I have been to. One person described the fish as tasting like it was frozen. My personal complaint is centered around the rice, which in my view was too sticky and water logged. The sushi may benefit from reducing the amount of water used when cooking the rice. Perhaps the other food items are tasty, so I may revisit for that purpose. The ambience is nice, and it can be a fun place to dine with company. read more

Kotobuki Manhattan - Japanese Near Me - New York, New York

This felt like very high end sushi and I was very impressed. There are so so many sushi restaurants in the city and they all just seem to blend together, but this one stood out among the rest. Everything was so good and I would definitely go back and recommend it to anyone trying to figure out where to go. Also get the plum wine, it was delicious. It was pretty dark in there, which is fine but a little hard to see the menu. read more

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Food was good but there is better sushi out there. Restaurant was cute but as it got later started to empty out. Service was good they were all very nice. read more

I absolutely loved this place. It was delicious and the service was fast and on point. The decor is tradition which is lovely. As soon as I sat down they gave me a complimentary little cold noodle sample. It was delish. I ordered the spicy tuna sandwich which was delicious. The hole in one roll which was fantastic with the scallop on the top and the yellow tail of sashimi is fantastic. The portions were all pretty big and the pricing is even better! Will definitely be coming back to try more of their fun rolls!! read more

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Kotobuki never disappoints! It was always great dining in here and they have amazing sushi and rolls. This place is definitely more amercanized compared to omakase places but the overall quality of the fish is great. They're still opened for take out and delivery. Sushis are great for take outs! read more

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Stumbled onto this delicious clean sushi restaurant. All I can say is I've eaten a lot of sushi and I was pleasantly surprised. The Spicy Tuna Pizza was one of the best things I've ever had. It was crispy on the bottom and had the perfect amount of flavor. I'm looking forward to going back again. Only complaint I had, was they close between lunch and dinner. read more

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Came here with a group of friends. This place gets crowded fast after 6pm. It does get very loud with the high ceilings echoing. We got some appetizers, rolls and Sushi and sashimi for 2. The Sushi and sashimi was delicious. The fishes was so fresh you can really taste the difference. The kitchen food was a bit disappointed because it really doesn't have much flavor other than the sauces. read more

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Went here with a friend on a Sunday night. Was super busy and packed, but didn't have to wait super long because my friend had put us on the waitlist. I had wine and two types of sushi rolls for dinner. My friend and I also shared the crispy shrimp appetizer. The food was great and the ambiance and vibes of the restaurant are really cute. Would go again. read more

Kotobuki Manhattan - California Roll - Japanese Near Me - New York, New York

Kotobuki is hands down the best sushi place for your buck in Manhattan. The waiters are super attentive, the sushi is always super fresh and you get free hot towels and spicy glass noodles upon sitting down. The prices are really hard to beat and the quality of the fish is superb. A great place to come with a group friends or for a chill date! My must-tries: Spicy Tuna Pizza, Crazy Rolls, Shogun Roll, The Grinch Roll read more

The salmon avocado salad is a fresh healthy menu choice! It's a smallish appetizer, but a great meal if you're not starving. read more

Kotobuki Manhattan - Salmon & Avocado Salad - Japanese Near Me - New York, New York

BANG FOR YOUR BUCK. Kotobuki's portions are generous and the price point, extremely reasonable. I came here on Christmas Eve for dinner and it was packed; thankfully, they accepted reservations so we didn't have to wait at all. Sushi & sashimi platter for 3 ($120) - this was a LOT of stuff. If your party didn't order any entrees or appetizers, you'll be stuffed with this alone. I think it'd be the perfect amount for a party of 4 to eat if nothing else was ordered. I shared it with 5 other people in my party and though I didn't order an entree, my stomach was super content (and extremely stuffed) by the end of the night. We were also served miso soup, a small salad, and fried oysters. Side note: this platter is predominantly tuna-based...I felt it lacked in fish variety! My friends ordered a bento set, gyoza, beef yaki udon, and katsu chicken. I found those to be just okay but I highly recommend their sushi & sashimi for the value! read more

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For the price, the quality is way above average. Stopped here on Saturday night with a few friends and immediately got a table. We got the crispy rice spicy tuna and the rock shrimp to start and then each ordered our own rolls. All were very good. Definitely not the best sushi in Manhattan by any means but hits the spot without breaking the bank. Also, the restaurant is cute and usually crowded. Nice ambiance. Good date place or catch up with friends. read more

Kotobuki Manhattan - Crispy Rice & Spicy Tuna - Japanese Near Me - New York, New York

Cute spot with great service! Really yummy sushi and udon soup! Came here with a friend to catch up. I for the crispy tuna and tempura udon. I could tell that the fish was fresh and the tempura was so light and airy I wanted more! Super great place while you find yourself in union square. read more