Sushi Lounge

Sushi Lounge - 132 Saint Mark's Place (Avenue A) (Japanese)
A competant sushi joint, located in Alphabet City (on Avenue A). Similar to Sushi Park, the Lounge offers 50% off on sushi (though with a $10 minimum, after rebate.) The rolls seem decent, including a few tasty veggie rolls (such as natto, squash and pickle.) Not quite as yummy as nearby Avenue A Sushi - but if you buy enough, the rebate makes for a decent bargain.

Sunrise Market

Sunrise Market - 4 Stuyvesant Street, 2nd floor (near 9th Street and 2nd Avenue) (Japanese)
Around the corner from JAS Mart in the East Village. This street is Manhattan's J-Town, although there's not all that much there other than Sunrise and Otafuku. But this market is a gem. Decent sashimi cuts, snacks and some daifuku.

Sharaku

Sharaku - 14 Stuyvesant Street (right around the corner from St. Marks, in Little Tokyo - near Otofuku.) (Japanese)
Ah, a Japanese restaurant that has earned the Gaijin Girl prized 3.999999999 stars rating! This place was visited on a whim, and turned out to be great. Very reasonable prices, fresh takes on sashimi and sushi - classy surroundings, good service...what is there to say? Oh yes, go upstairs (lots of stairs there), and get a seat by the huge picture window, for a wonderful view of the village at night. Let's just say that my friend who was visiting from DC and I have agreed. One visit, and from now on, it's going to be a tradition. Whenever she's here - its Sharaku. Recommended.

Satsko

Satsko - 202 East 7th Street (Japanese, Pan Asian Sake Bar)
In alphabet city, between Avenue A and Avenue B - its a teeny, tiny bar, specializing in sake and fusian asian appetizers with a Japanese bent. Great intimate place to learn about the different types of sake - on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, they have a $25 sake sampler, including 6 shots of your choice, and a belly filling appetizer to keep you from getting too sloshed. And Warren the bartender has a good beginner tutorial on which sake is which.

Otafuku

Otafuku - 236 East 9th Street (2nd/3rd Avenue) (Japanese)
Yummers! It's a nook in the wall place around the corner from St. Mark's, and they only make three things: Takoyaki, Okonomi Yaki, and Yakisoba. That's Octopus Balls, Japanese Pizza/Pancake, and Fried Noodles. (It's kind of a Okonomi Japanese version of Pomme Frites, a Belgian Fry place that's also around the corner. They only make Belgian Fries--the best in the city I may add--and Otafuku only makes the holy yaki trilogy. It takes awhile to get an Okonomi, because they're made fresh. But do it, and get all the yummy brown sauce and fish flakes on top of it!

JAS Mart

JAS Mart - 35 E. St. Marks Place (East Village) and 2847 Broadway (between 110th and 111th) (Japanese) .
Okay, it's not Chinatown. But JAS Mart is a nifty Japanese grocery. On street level there's a small Japanese diner where you can get a good Onigiri. But the real attraction is downstairs, where there's an honest to goodness grocery store. There you can find snacks, mochi ice cream, pocky, miso, everything your little Japan-o-phile heart desires....! I'm starting to find Tongin better, though.

Cecil Cafe Crepe

Cecil Cafe Crepe - 135 First Avenue (St. Mark's and 9th) (Fusion/Japanese)

A cute little creperie, located between St. Marks and 9th. Like many Japanese influenced boutiques, the space is small, classy and pristine - sure to catch your eye as you wander along first avenue. Which is a good thing, since CCC is not well advertised on the net (as of this writing, there were no postings in either citysearch or menupages. Averaging around $7.00 per item, CCC serves crepes both sweet and savory - medium sized, delicate wraps filled with ingredients ranging from capers, ham and/or tuna to ice cream, sweet red bean and/or cream. (Not all at once of course...capers and ice cream? Oh blechhh!) Both sides of the spectrum are tasty, though none transcendant. But the crepes themselves are light, and enjoyable...with a texture that proved the most memorable aspect of the trip for me. So if you're in alphabet city, you should stop by and pick up a wrap. You might really enjoy it.

Beard Papa's

Beard Papa's - 740 Broadway (Astor Place) (Japanese)
They say it's the best place around for cream puffs. I'm actually not a cream puff type, but I did stop to sample the Chocolate Fondant. Not bad. Chocolately - but hardly transcendant. But if you're a cream puff fan, you should know where this place is located. There. Now you're duly served. Try 'em and let me know.

Avenue A

Avenue A Sushi - 103 Avenue A (Between 6th and 7th Street)
A hip little sushi joint in alphabet city. The decor is nice, the bar looks good - and the vegetarian rolls are very tasty!
(On the Gaijin Girl maiden voyage, the choice was two veggie rolls - pickled japanese squash--kampyo--and seaweed/avocado. Both a treat...and the kampyo was dark and tender enough to pass believably for tuna.

With options this tasty, who needs toro?

Yagura

Yagura - 24 E. 41st Street (Japanese)
A reachable Japanese grocery mart if you're stuck in mid-town and need a fix....

Sushi Time

Sushi Time - 821 2nd Avenue (43rd/44th Street) (Japanese) (Seamless Web Review)

One of my favorite restaurants, when ordering from Seamless Web. For me, sushi is comfort food - maki and hand rolls never fail to make me happy...especially when prepared spicy/crunchy. So when the workload requires those late night hours, Sushi Time is inevitably my choice. No, I've never actually seen the physical location - but have come to love their varied selection of veggie rolls (filled with ingredients such as Avocado, Mushroom and Pickles), ordered with an appetizer of seaweed salad (very yum.) They're quick to deliver, and always tasty. Hey - with Sushi Time and Oms B in the vicinity, who ever needs to leave midtown?

Oms B

Oms B - 156 45th Street (3rd and Lex) (Japanese)
A little place in midtown, specializing in gourmet onigiri. Very pretty offerings, a little on the pricey side. Nice when you want to treat yourself, although it has to be said that regular $1.00 onigiri at Yagura or Jasmart are just as tasty. (Although not as decorative!)

Maeda Sushi

Maeda Sushi - 16 E. 41st St. (Madison/5th) (Japanese)
A classy sushi restaurant (right next to Yagura) with Awabi on the menu.

Hakata Grill

Hakata Grill - 230 W. 48th Street (Bway and 8th) (Japanese/Hawaiian)
A classy little Asian fusion place in the middle of the Theater district - serving sushi, sashimi - and Hawaiian Poke (quite a rarity in NYC!)

Akane

Akane - 216 E. 39th Street (2nd and 3rd Avenue) (Japanese/Sushi)
A classy sushi joint in the heart of mid-town east. Good food, with decent vegetable roll options. Pretty popular with the business crowd, Akane gets pretty crowded near lunchtime...

Kenka

Kenka - 25 St. Marks (Japanese)
A funky restaurant in the heart of St. Marks.

I originally had a very fond view of this place, but that's recently changed, giving it the dubious distinction of 1 of only about 2 places that I'm really displeased and negative about. Just came back from a run to Kenka for, yes, turkey testicles. (Don't giggle!) They just kept striking out on so many levels. 1) You can't order "to go". 2) It took an inordinately long time to get the order. 3) The $6.00 order turned out to be the size of four large lima beans.... 4) When I approached the waitress to give her the money, because I had to get going and it was getting late, I got an attitude in return. It's a real shame, because I'd planned to sample a few more things on the menu, and now I've got--well--a bad taste in my mouth about the place (no, it wasn't the testicles!). I seriously doubt I'm going back. Oh well.

Choga

Choga - 145 Bleeker Street (Japanese/Korean)

A decent, stylish joint in the West Village - offering both Japanese and Korean fare.

Not much seems to distinguish Choga from the millions of other Japanese and Korean spots dotted throughout the city. The interior is classy. Like alot of places with Korean food, it's a tad on the expensive side (definitely not a cheap, tasty grab n' go like Han Ah Reum.) But the menu has a decent breadth of choices - from Japanese comfort food such as OmeRaisu (omelet rice) - to Korean mainstays like Bulgogi. The ethnic mix is probably the best reason to give Choga a try - it's a chance to have your sushi, and Bibimbap too...all in one big multicultural meal.

Go Sushi

Go Sushi
A NYC chain, serving up the standards with a fast-food mentality. The menu offers plenty of the classics - such as spicy tuna, handrolls and soba salad. Though it ain't Nobu, the fare is perfect for a dine-and-dash. It's not transcendant...but sometimes fresh and tasty is all you need.

Katagiri

Katagiri - 244 East 59th Street (Between 2nd and 3rd) (Japanese)
A good, basic Japanese mart. Sushi, sashimi, wasabi, daifuku, etc.

Mitsuwa

Mitsuwa - 595 River Road, Edgewater, NJ (Japanese)
Not exactly what you'd expect in the middle of New Jersey, this Japanese-only food court and mall offers a range of produce, condiments, and even delicate goodies from the likes of Minamoto Kitchoan. The booths at Mitsuwa come complete with plate glass window displays featuring plastic replicas of their menu options - with dishes from Tonkatsu to Soba noodles. The food court is equally elegant - with the polished wood tables overlooking an expansive view of the Hudson River. For Japanese culinary fans, Mitsuwa is worth the trip....which isn't all that bad. Open 365 days a year, there's a bus available from Port Authority. So even if you don't have a car, it's a reachable destination!