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    Sozai

    4.3 (155 reviews)
    Open 11:30 am - 3:00 pm, 4:30 PM - 12:00 AM (Next day)
    Updated 3 months ago

    Order Sozai Takeout or Delivery

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    SOZAI ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Trendy
    Happy hour specials

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    Recommended Reviews - Sozai

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    Cold Soba Green Tea
    Lucille L.

    3.5 stars The good: cold green tea soba with salmon and ikura. They used a cold dashi soy sauce based broth and it worked well where I may have to make this at home after a visit to Mitsuwa. Mentaiko don tasted good, but I have had better. Chicken karaage was cooked perfectly and had a delicious aioli with citrus. Tako wasa was fresh and good. HH until 6pm with $10 apps and highball drinks I liked the yuzu highball it was refreshing! The not so good: the fried squid legs and kibinago were both under seasoned. I usually love fried squid legs at all Japanese izakaya style restaurants but this one was really mediocre and I wouldn't order it again. Maybe even a touch more salt could do the trick for both. Also, the place was tight in seating and you may have to sit right next to others. Since there are many other Izakaya spots in the city, I think I can't give a full four stars. It's decent but I've also had better not far from here!

    Hotate Carpaccio- Hokkaido scallop, ikura, and a mustard soy dressing. $18. Very tasty
    Glenn C.

    I was at this Izakaya while walking around a good while ago. They were pretty crowded, so I sat at the bar. The inside was a tad dim, and the bartender was friendly. To drink, I got a pretty reasonably priced highball, one of my typical drinks at izakayas. This was a Chu-Hi, or a highball made with shochu, and it was $14. For the same price or a buck more, there were also options made with whiskey, Toki whiskey, vodka plus yuzu, umeshu, or a paloma with tequila, umami, and grapefruit. Outside of highballs, there was also a pretty sizeable selection of cocktails, sake, and some other drinks, as is typical for an izakaya. My appetizer was the very tasty Hotate Carpaccio for $18, with Hokkaido scallop, ikura, and a mustard soy dressing. This had six relatively large scallop pieces, each topped with a couple of pieces of salmon, and some microgreens for presentation. It was good-quality scallops with a bit of sweetness and a firm texture. The ikura added a pop of fishiness, and the slightly salty and umami-forward soy dressing thankfully did not have too much mustard, which would have overpowered the remaining ingredients. I liked this and would recommend it. The other dish was the Mentaiko Pasta for $17, consisting of spaghetti mixed with creamy spicy cod roe and topped with bacon and seaweed. I have had this wafu pasta dish from a bunch of different places, and this version was alright. Some other spots have more mentaiko, but this spot went the other disappointing way, with the spicy mayo a bit stronger. Therefore, it was a bit less fishy than usual. The pasta was cooked decently, and the bits of bacon were nice and crunchy, but they made the already salty dish saltier. This was fine, but there are several other places where I would recommend this dish much more. The food here was pretty good. It's reasonably priced, at least for Midtown West, and certainly better than many other restaurants in the surrounding area. I would go back here and try some other dishes.

    Gloria L.

    The ambiance in this restaurant is so cute with the dim lights and intimate, minimalist design of the booths. Sunny working at the bar was so kind!! I had a really long jacket but the hooks were too low so my jacket would've dragged on the floor. I sat on it instead and he offered to hang my jacket up for me on the hooks near the front. Very attentive staff and the food came out super quick! The seafood is so so so fresh. I was most excited for the cold soba green tea and IT DID NOT DISAPPOINT!!!!!!! The soba was perfectly al dente and the thickness of each piece of salmon sashimi were perfect. The dashi broth was not excessively salty and I loved the addition of the wasabi. It gave a nice kick to each bite The hotate carpaccio was really good as well. I really liked the mustard soy dressing. I've recently been eating more scallops at different establishments and I'm blown away by the presentations each time!! The hamachi Kama is such a staple for me. I remember going to Japanese restaurants with my parents when I was younger and they would always get this. It tasted exactly like how I remember. It was grilled to perfection. The skin was so crispy. Squeeze a little bit of the lemon and add some radish, perfect bite I recommend making a resy, it was packed on a Friday night! They also have happy hour from 2-6pm, who doesn't love happy hour??????

    Cold Soba Green Tea
    Qian L.

    Stopped by on a Saturday night without reservation and got seated right away! Host was really nice and service was speedy through the night. Food was excellent! Sake clam miso 10/10 every clam was cooked perfectly, except 1, didn't matter. Broth was delicious, sake flavor subtle, savory and a touch of spice. Very memorable dish. Cold soba green tea 10/10 soba cooked perfectly, salmon sashimi and roe was excellent. Pork katsu 10/10 perfectly cooked.

    Menu
    Darrell L.

    Really enjoyed Sozai in midtown. Sushi was super fresh and they have interesting different izakaya dishes like green tea soba noodles, curries, fried rice etc. So many options to choose from. Will definitely come back next time we are in NYC. We all loved it.

    Tonkotsu Ramen
    Chen H.

    Loved this hidden gem in midtown where you can find traditional as well as innovative Japanese dishes. We tried the salmon skin salad which was a first for me, tasted quite fresh and the salmon skin was crispy. Everything else we tried was also delicious and amazing. The service staff here are friendly and tentative. From ambiance perspective, I would say this is a cozy and bright spot, perfect for seeing friends, hanging out with family, or even a quick work lunch.

    The rolls were just okay
    Sunny L.

    This was my second time dining here, and unfortunately it didn't live up to my first visit. The much-hyped clams in miso broth were a letdown. The clams were overcooked, and the broth wasn't savory enough for our liking. The salmon donburi, cod dish, and sake were solid and definitely the highlights of the meal. That said, the experience was off to a bad start when the host immediately told us we had a one hour and thirty minute time limit for the table, which we did not appreciate. Overall, this visit was disappointing, and I won't be returning.

    Sukiyaki Beef Udon
    Rachel M.

    Overview: Overall, the food was good! The interior and ambience is super cute as well. The service was really great too. Very attentive and kind. I would definitely recommend getting a reservation, as it seems to fill up super fast. We got there right before 5pm on a Saturday and by 5:30pm they were packed and people waiting. Definitely want to come back to try the other dishes! What was ordered: Crispy salmon skin salad, kakuni, crab croquette, lemon miso salmon, beef sukiyaki udon, dessert Stand outs: Crab croquette, crispy skin salad, kakuni, beef sukiyaki udon Would I come back/recommend: Yes - I would come back Yes - I would recommend

    Sukiyaki Beef Udon
    Annie S.

    Udon was really good! The sukiyaki was super flavorful and would def go back for it, only downside is it's a little pricey. Service was fast and ambiance is nice but a bit small inside. Had to wait for 15 min but it wasn't too bad.

    Cold Soba Green Tea
    Gabbie P.

    Sozai is an elevated Japanese izakaya restaurant. Upon entering, the restaurant ambiance is charming and warm. My family and I walked in without knowing many tables were reserved. Although we were unable to dine at a table, we sat at the bar. The menu had a great variety of dishes from hot appetizers to refreshing sashimi and drinks. I got the Mentaiko pasta and enjoyed it! It was creamy, savory, and had an asian twist on beloved carbonara. My mom had the Green Tea Cold Soba and loved it. It was vibrant, light, and refreshing. My sisters had a mushroom miso ramen and shrimp sukiyaki. Overall, this place is wonderful. My family and I highly recommend to visit this restaurant in NYC. The staff is kind and friendly. And lastly, the quality in their food is speaks for itself.

    Miso Black Cod
    Emily Z.

    Stumbled into Sozai on a weekday night, and we were seated immediately. I love that there's tons of booths to make the restaurant feel so cozy and intimate. We ordered the hamachi miso roll, agedashi tofu, uni sushi, rk curry katsu rice, and miso black cod. Everything was so fresh and delicious. The standouts were for sure the hamachi miso roll and the katsu. Would definitely love to come back!

    Salmon Cold Soba Green Tea
    Vicki C.

    Who says you can only have izakaya food at night? This place was totally buzzing during Sunday lunch! All the dishes were pretty small so we didn't feel that full afterwards. I really liked the fried potato balls + hojicha ice cream dessert. Definitely get that one if you go!

    Danielle B.

    We walked into sozai for an early dinner, and we were able to be seated at the bar. I got the raw tako appetizer, which had a strong wasabi fresh flavor. I love the texture and it was really well done and fresh. We also each got a Ramen my go to is always a tonkatsu broth which was amazing on a cold day. We also headed to a show right after and it was the perfect place to go before the theater. The ambience of the place was fantastic. I felt like I was being transported to Japan. I loved their cozy booths that they had.

    Hamachi Crudo

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    26 days ago

    Really good, Asian approved. The ramen is delicious, and the tuna is great. Nothing beats a warm bowl of ramen in a cold rainy day in NYC

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    Page 1 of 4

    Ask the Community - Sozai

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    Izakaya MEW

    4.3(3.3k reviews)
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    Kazumi Popup - Chicken Karaage

    Kazumi Popup

    4.3(17 reviews)
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    Sozai - izakaya - Updated May 2026

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