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    Towa

    4.3 (141 reviews)
    Open 6:00 pm - 10:00 PM

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    Recommended Reviews - Towa

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    Seasonal appetizers
    Dani F.

    There is something to be said about a divine Omakase experience and this is my second time having one in NYC. We started off nicely with Sakizuke, pictured in the photo I shared, followed by Amber jack, Panamanian trout, Japanese scallops lemon juice and pink salt, Medium fatty, Japanese horse mackerel, Japanese steamed egg custard, Japanese sea bream, Spanish mackerel, Spotted prawn, Seared tuna belly, Japanese striped jack, Short spine Sea urchin (sourced from Japan) and Long spine sea urchin (extra piece ordered - sourced from Santa Barbara, Japanese sea eel and Miso soup. They were all incredible but the Santa Barbara sea urchin was one for the books. If I could describe the taste of the ocean, in one bite, this would be it. I also devoured the steamed egg custard, Japanese eel, Amber Jack and the sea bream. Service was top notch and the suggested sake was absolutely perfect. 100% a place to go to for an intense and traditional Omakase experience. Next one will be in Japan, without question!

    appetizers
    Hajir S.

    In a town full of excellent omakases, Towa delivered on a good omakase without going above and beyond at any point. There was nothing disappointing about the meal, but not exceptional about the meal. The price point was right for the food, and if you're looking for a traditional japanese meal at a reasonable price point that matches what you might have in Japan, then this is it. If you're looking to be over the top like Sushi Noz, or super fun like Sushi by Bou, or super chill like Sushi Yolo. Our waiters brought tradition and thought to their service, every dish was well executed with just the right amount of soy sauce and wasabi on sushi. The Chawanmushi was technically perfect, the miso soup truly great, and the dessert somewhat innovative but also to be expected with the sakura. Each piece of sushi was good, but nothing was outstanding, not even the O-Toro. The chopped toro handroll was also good, but again not outstanding. This really had a strong Japanese sensibility to it throughout, nothing was overdone. I'm not going to run back, I would come back, but only if someone suggested it. It's good, but there's too many other options for me to go out of my way to come again.

    Chanwamushi
    Jason W.

    A pretty solid Japanese spot that offers a sort of multi-course meal with traditional Japanese dishes. Towa comes from Hand Hospitality, which is more known for Korean food (e.g., Jua, Her Name is Han etc.). So how's the restaurant? A solid and faithful recreation of a multi-course meal that you might find in Japan. Towa has few different options: an omakase counter, course sets, and a la carte. I went with a coursed menu here and the dishes were solid! The miso soup tasted home made, the chanwamushi (steamed egg with roe) was delicious, and the sushi was solid, though maybe nothing to write home about. I do think Towa offers one of the more traditional takes of Japanese food in Manhattan. Whenever I miss the food I ate in Japan, I think about coming here.

    Danni F.

    Came to Towa on a weekend with some friends and reserved a spot about a week ahead with plenty of openings and probably could have walked in. The restaurant was very simple and elegantly decorated, which made it look very upscale. We had a pretty big table for ourselves and did not feel like it was over crowded or too close to the tables next to us. Our servers were very nice and overall we were satisfied with the service. The food was really good! I have only good impressions of the cooking. Each dish was fairly small so you may want to get a bunch in order to feel full. We had the tomato, duck breast, chicken wings, tofu, and each dish had unique blend of flavors. The sushi was mediocre, but maybe bc we did not order the right kind. The rest of the food were delicious, including the soba noodles. Would definitely recommend the tapas here and would love to come again!

    Allison C.

    Got the O set menu for 60$ and it was great! Every dish was good and well seasoned, and I left really full. I like that they have a range of different preset menus you can choose

    cheesecake and panna cotta
    Victoria D.

    Restaurant had beautiful ambiance and service, but food was very underwhelming. the flavors were rather light and too subtle. the textures were also lacking. chiwamushi was far too liquidy, and the wagyu claypot lacked the crispy bits. shrimp balls and sukiyaki both also didnt have much flavor. best part of the meal was definitely the houjicha panna cotta - this was delicious!

    Toro shoyu
    Jaimie C.

    Overall, I think this is a solid place for good drinks and Japanese food. I was very impressed by how delicious and smooth the sake were, definitely some good sake my fave fave dish was the tofu skin with sea urchin, def a must get! -a5 wagyu yaki was good, but barely had any meat, and mostly mushroom (which was very goood as well) -toro shoyu was a bit salty -tomato umami was ok (this somehow popped as most popular dish, but it was just OK) -their sake was very smooth and good! (Junmai shimane on the sweeter side, junmai ginjo was perfection)

    10 piece sashimi
    David N.

    Came here as the last seating before they were about to close. My friend and I were hungry and the waitress encouraged us to order more but it was way too much and she should have warned us. The sashimi was fresh and high quality. The edamame are great but I think that's just due to them putting sesame oil on it. The chicken wings are good but could have used stronger seasoning. The confit tomato was nice and chilled and resfreshing. The miso black cod was a little mealy and fell apart too easily.

    Kendy Z.

    In my top 3 for best homestyle Japanese in NYC. Feels super healthy while still yummy and all ingredients taste very high quality. Some of my fave dishes are the shabu shabu, clay pot rice, and any of their tempura. I came for the New Year's handmade soba and it was one of my fave lunch meals I have ever had!!

    Wagyu Donabe
    Kat J.

    We wanted to do the OMAKASE, however the timing didn't work out as there are only two seatings per night (5:30 or 8pm). Our reservation was for 7pm. We were trying to figure out why it looked so familiar. I think this used to be a Korean restaurant. Anyway, they did a great job renovating the space, by making it cozy and welcoming. We couldn't decide amongst all the delicious sounding items on the menu and decided to try a few from each category. My personal favorite was the wagyu donabe, so delicious and perfect on a chilly day. It's like the Japanese version of chicken soup for your soul. Warm, comforting and just the right amount of richness. The sashimi were super fresh and the drinks were very delicious (we got cocktails and sake). Overall the perfect meal, can't wait to come back to try the OMAKASE.

    Unagi
    Kelly C.

    My partner and I came in last night and were really impressed with our omakase experience. We loved all the pottery on display and pottery we were given to eat off of. The staff was very knowledgeable and professional. We started with three small appetizers, tofu skin with ikura, fried white fish, and some greens in a dashi broth. Next we got a great selection of nigiri: Madai, wild yellowtail, striped jack, makarel. My favorite was the wild yellowtail; it was the most buttery yellowtail I've ever had. The quality of the rice was very good. I typically don't love makarel but this one was very good; good level of saltiness to it. Next we got some more prepared kitchen dishes: fish bone broth, unagi with caviar, pure buckwheat noodles (+uni for $20). It was my first time having unagi without the sauce and with caviar/wasabi as the highlight instead. Uni was very great quality and I'm glad I added it to my noodles. Next up was 1 piece of futomaki and nigiri pieces: Japanese scallop, ikura, otoro, Hokkaido uni, sea eel from Japan. All were very good, the marbling in the toro was beautiful. The meal ended with a negitoro roll, miso soup, and Fuji apple gelato/sencha tea. I wasn't totally stuffed by the end of the meal but I was very happy. Everything came together really well and felt complete. Hand Hospitality restaurants never seem to disappoint. I would highly recommend!

    Fried shrimp

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    This is one of the real Japanese restaurants left in Manhattan. And this is the very good one, if it is not the best.

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    Ask the Community - Towa

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