Sushi Zo

After tasting several top sushi bar in New York, I found this is the best I got so far. Great diversity of fishes is great and proper preparation of them is more valued. With some creativity that many sushi bar doesn’t have, it offer perfect sushi – the balance between rice, seasoning and raw seafood through the experienced pair of hands. The bar is visually more comfortable than than that of Nakazawa, which is the only other I would consider a qualified competitor in the town and the seasoning is more refreshing. Recommend to all who have a great taste in Sushi.

There were some noteworthy moments, but I’ve had much better ones in other sushi/​sashimi places. The starting sashimi plate was mediocre. My favorite pieces were the seared wagyu, oh toro, madai, and anago. The sorbet dessert tasted very weird and I didn’t really enjoy the miso soup.

This place is amazing! Top notch customer service, great & delicious filling food!
I reserved 2 weeks before & they told me that they don’t have bar table left. I still agree & did the reservation for 2 people. After a few days I called again & told them that if someone cancel maybe they can put us on the bar. Good thing after 2 days they called me back & informed me that we got a bar table. Yay! So exciting! Haha.
We got there around 8:20pm. The place is simple with 2 tables that can seat 4 people & bar area that can seat 10 people. We sat & the chef is still chitchatting with us waiting for everyone to arrived. I like it because its like a private event kind of dinner. You can’t just walk in & ask for a table. You need to reserved ahead of time.
He started serving us at exactly 8:30pm. We got 16 pieces of omakase, 6 pieces of sashimi, a piece of oyster, snow crab chawanmushi, clear broth soup made with perch, toro roll, for dessert watermelon cucumber sorbet a total of $ 200. Drinks is not included so I ordered green tea for $ 5. Were very impressed & satisfied! It was actually filling. Each piece of omakase melts in your mouth!
What a wonderful dinner! :)

Sushi Zo is my new favorite sushi place in the city. Having tried nearly all of the high end omakase (ichimura, Shuko, nakazawa, tanoshi, neta, soto among others) I can confidently say Zo is the best — both in quality, flavor and diversity of fish, as well as awesome and interactive service with a smile. Yes it’s a bit more expensive than most omakase but it’s well worth the price as it’s also a lot more courses than I’ve had elsewhere, and have never left Zo hungry (or even with the need to order extra at the end).
My favorite pieces were the chu-​toro, seared o-​toro, and golden eye snapper. There’s also quite a few prices that he sears with the torch which is a nice touch.
Book a few weeks in advance, request to sit with Masa, and you will be in for a treat.

KenScale: 9.0÷10
I haven’t really been to LA since my family trip in my high school year. There are a lot of LA restaurants that I’ve been dying to check out, but I haven’t really had the occasion to visit the city (my California connection is more with the Bay Area up north and that’s where several of my friends that I can visit live, but not in LA). Well, at least one acclaimed LA sushi restaurant decided to go east and open an outpost in NY. Since I really can’t comment based on my experience how good the sushi at LA is compared to NY, Sushi Zo’s expansion was the best opportunity to see what it’s like to eat high-​end sushi omakase in Southern California. The verdict: Sushi Zo is one of the best sushi restaurants in the city, and maybe the entire country.
The omakase will set you back by quite a lot (I initially thought the price when they opened up was $ 160 per person, but on my recent visit it was $ 200), but I wasn’t really complaining because of how good most of the sushi pieces were. The sushi style is more modern than traditional edomae, using a variety of ingredients such as yuzu, ponzu sauce and salt to give seasoning and additional flavor to the fish. After a delicious plate of sashimi (consisting of oyster, octopus, tuna, red snapper and mackerel) came insanely fresh fish that really shows the chefs care deeply about the ingredients. My bliss came early, with a hot streak of two mackerels (Spanish mackerel with ponzu sauce and horseback mackerel with soy sauce), scallop, chu toro (medium fatty tuna) and blow-​torched o toro (fatty tuna) all literally melting in my mouth and making me swoon with awesome sensation. Sea perch with Volcanic salt and yuzu, snow crab, Hokkaido sea urchin and ikura (this one came on a little bowl without any maki) were all also absolute winners, too. The toro hand roll toward the end of the meal (the chef gives you an option to have a hand roll maki with either toro or sea urchin) was an exclamation point to a blissful dinner. There wasn’t really any bad or unimpressive piece in the omakase menu at Sushi Zo. I was impressed with the variety of fish that the chef was expertly preparing (from halibut to trout to shrimp to belt fish), as well as a range of techniques (the chef showed raw wagyu and then blow torched it right in front of me to make surreally tender beef that would’ve been perfect but for a tad less salt). The rice had right balance of firm and I appreciated that the chef didn’t put too much rice underneath each sushi piece to make the fish shine even more without making me feel full. Only after aromatic red snapper soup and tender tamago, followed by the elegantly sweet black sesame mochi, did I wake up from the dream. It also helped that the chef who was serving me and my dining companion happened to be a surprisingly young one with nearly fluent English so we were able to chat about various topics such as my experience eating in Tokyo and my best sushi list in the city.
There is one sushi counter and limited number of tables (and obviously, you have to go for the bar!) so get a reservation as early as possible. There are rather pricey sake options and some beer options but if you’re already splurging $ 200 for omakase, might as well try at least a glass or two right? The counter setting is typical modern Japanese setting, with jazzy music in the background and a nice mix of Asian and non-​Asian guests who look like more serious than curious diners. I’m so glad that Sushi Zo has made this move east and would love it to stay in the Big Apple for a long long time. It definitely deserves a place in the pantheon of all the great sushi-​yas in the city.

At $ 200 per person, Sushi Zo is pricier than most of the other high end sushi restaurants I’ve been to, but undoubtedly also offers one of the most satisfying meals I’ve ever had as well.
Oftentimes, an omakase meal emcompasses a large variety of fish, ranging from raw protein on rice to pure umami bliss. Sushi Zo’s menu is one that contains an unusually high amount of that second category, even among New York’s multitude of fine Japanese establishments.
Servings start promptly on time, and if you’re at the 6 PM serving you’ll likely need to wait outside until the restaurant opens. This an extremely small restaurant, and thus reservations are mandatory.
Two chefs work the counter, with about four people a piece.
The drink menu is limited, but contains quite a few high class sakes and two Japanese beers.
Their omakase menu varies considerably by season, but your meal will generally consist of Japanese sourced fish in a classic style, with small garnishments and a dab of wasabi. Ours was comprised of the following:
1. Sashimi Platter — Oyster from Washington, Butterfish, Lean Blue Fin Tuna, Amberjack
2. Halibut With Yuzu
3. Spanish Mackerel
4. Horse Mackerel
5. Beltfish
6. Chutoro (medium fatty tuna)
7. Sweet Shrimp
8. Hokkaido Scallop
9. Hokkaido Uni
10. Ikura
11. Chawanmushi with Scallops and Snow Crab
12. Seared Wagyu Beef
13. Tasmanian Trout
14. Skipjack
15. Snow Crab from Japan
16. Golden Eye Snapper
17. Sea Perch
18. Black Cod with Miso Vinegar
19. Seared Otoro
20. Anago
21. Santa Barbara Uni or Negitoro Roll (We picked the Santa Barbara)
22. Red Snapper Soup
23. Tamago
24. Homemade Tofu
Note also that between the two chefs, there were also differences (especially in the order that the fish were served). However, I believe we eventually received the same overall menu. Topping preparation and visual style also differed between the two, but based on the comments from the patrons for the other chef, their food was also stellar.
The sashimi platter had an excellent butterfish and oyster, but wasn’t anything special with regards to the amberjack and lean tuna. The halibut was also a bit boring, and the mackerels weren’t smoked, so the flavor wasn’t as intense as what you might have at Nakazawa.
However, once we hit the beltfish, the omakase experience really started taking off, with each piece better than the next, and we never looked back.
There were several points in the meal where the chef would start making the sushi, and likely decided one of the fish slices was too cold (NYC fish must be kept at a certain temperature prior to serving), and took apart all the pieces to sear instead to keep things uniform. To me, I really appreciate when a chef takes the effort to make sure each piece is crafted perfectly, rather than simply do it the same every time.
Personally, the standout dishes were definitely the seared Wagyu Beef and the Ikura. Generally, Wagyu Beef is almost overwhelmingly fatty and somewhat difficult to eat too much of. However, in perfect sushi bite, the taste is mind-​numbingly good and definitely left me in a state of bliss.
I believe the chef said the Ikura is soaked in a fish broth/​seaweed base, which made it insanely flavorful, but not in an overwhelming salty kind of way that some restaurants serve it.
The only somewhat strange dish we ate was the Hokkaido Uni, which was served rather cold. It wasn’t bitingly cold, but I still prefer the somewhat warmer version that I had at Gari 46.
They also had Santa Barbara Uni, which was available at the end in a hand roll format. The other chef gave his squad a negitoro hand roll, but ours offered us the choice between the Santa Barbara Uni or the negitoro roll. As an avid lover of both, this was by far the hardest choice of the night. However, since we had two servings of fatty tuna and only one of Hokkaido Uni, I picked up the Uni and was definitely pleased with the result.
The ginger is also worth a mention, as it’s pickled whole and sliced into thicker pieces than usual on-​site. At first I thought this might be too strong, but after trying it I’m not sure if I ever want my ginger in the usual thin sliced manner ever again.
All in all, definitely a recommended stop for any serious sushi fan, and I’ll certainly be dropping by again next season.

Beyond 5 stars! My best Omakase experience. From first bite to last sip — the creativeness, the freshness, the delicacy, the perfect balance in flavor… every single detail is perfect!
Total 22 dishes: 16 pieces of sushi, one sashimi platter, Alaska salmon roe, chawan mushi (steamed egg with seafood), sea urchin handroll, egg omelette, and snapper soup. Right after the sashimi platter, chef Masa kicked off our wonderful journey with a mild fruity yuzu hirami. Then one wonderful piece after another, each piece of sushi is artfully crafted and perfectly balanced. One bite after another is fresh, juicy and more and more luxurious. If I have to pick, my favorites are snow crab, scallop, sweet shrimp, and horse mackerel. Snow crab is super juicy, going perfectly well with the crispy seaweed. The scallop — the natural sweetness of scallop is perfectly presented with small amount of wasabi. Adding scallions on top of horse mackerel gently increased the flavor dimension and took the freshness to a new level. The giant sweet shrimp is simply elegant and naturally sweet.
Chef Masa is not only expertly good at cutting long fishes, but he is also in charge of picking fishes globally with a focus on Japan. Additionally, he is the most interactive and engaging chef I have ever met. He’s Staff is very attentive, checking on us and adding sake frequently. I also enjoyed the natural agreeable decoration. The dark simple and elegant plates also let customers completely focused on the wonderful food itself.
Impeccable experience — looking forward to seeing Sushi Zo becoming the 2017 Michelin star restaurant! Or more accurately, the question is «How many stars?!»

This is probably my first time saying this, but Sushi Zo has absolutely set a new definition of sushi for me, and that I deeply enjoyed the whole tasting journey. Being established by Keizo Seki San all the way in LA, Sushi Zo has a new executive chef here in NYC, Chef Masashi Ito San. As all media kept mentioning, Zo has a focus on creating uniqueness, which they did.
After the assorted sashimi plate, we were ready to kick off our sushi courses — Ito San started with the fish right away. With 17 pieces of hand-​made sushi and one hand roll, my palate has experienced every possibility of freshness and delicacy. I would not judge the final sea urchin hand roll, as I am a crazy fan of any sort of uni dish and any comments I came up would be biased to the least. Out of the 17 pieces, the seared tuna, snow crab, as well as the giant sweet shrimp impressed me the most. By searing the fish meat to a slight extent, chef Ito completely brought out the aroma without attaching greasiness onto it. While carrying a bit of sweet flavor, the shrimp sushi was not at all too overwhelming that it pertained the humbleness taste. Towards the last dish — Japanese sweet omelet, I was 100% stuffed; however more than satisfied.
I was a bit disappointed that Zo currently does not carry a dessert menu, and according to them, this is being developed and will be on the menu soon. Still, I will leave my best possible rating for Zo — I see a lot of upside potential here, and I cannot wait to witness every piece of potential comes into being!

I don’t want to review until after I leave NY, but I had such a great experience with Masa-​san, that I need to write. Firstly, after I made my reservation online, he calls me and confirms. I asked about the sushi bar, and he suggested I get an earlier time or later. After checking with my friend A, we decide to do the bar at 6. I don’t get there til 6:15, because I took the F train uptown instead of down… no. I mean I fell asleep on the train. ugh nothing sounds good.
(Because I want to sound like a pretentious LA snob…) I went to Sushi Zo on National Blvd in Palms back in 2006 when it first opened. I was supremely impressed then, because I’ve only experienced quality sushi a couple times (Sasabune, Matsuhisa, and Nozawa) in my 25 years. It shut down every other sushi restaurant that I had been to in LA. It was immediately my favorite one. Sasabune might have introduced omakase to LA, but Zo took it to the upper echelons of dining in LA. Masa-​san came out to NY to open Sushi Zo’s 3^rd store. I asked him why he chose to come to NY, he said, «I don’t like SF, I can’t go to Vegas because everything I make will be gone, so naturally come to NY.»
After the quick meet and greet with the chef, he asks about allergies. Neither my kosher friend A or I (for health reasons) eat shellfish. I made an exception to eat uni, because the risk-​reward premium of grade A+ uni with perfectly made rice (foreshadowing) is worth it.
There are 28 different preparations of fish. To start he presents a sashimi plate with 5 items on it served on different types of seaweed: a shellfish (oyster) and 4 different cuts of fish. We had tuna, amberjack, some kind of yellowtail, and spanish mackerel. This was my first test of Zo’s highly gifted apprentice: how did the mackerel come out. Usually mackerel is a tougher chewy texture with a bottom of the ocean taste. NOPE. It was like biting into a filet mignon. I knew I was gonna be in for a treat!
The first piece of nigiri was a LOCALLY CAUGHT HALIBUT off the coast of Long Island. This is crazy to me, because I’ve never been to a chef that uses fish not flown in from Japan. How was it? He prepares it with a hint of citrus and sprinkles of salt to enhance the flavor. The texture. FRIENDS, LISTEN. I’m not sure if you’ve ever ordered jerky-​like halibut at a junky Korean-​owned sushi spot, but it’s not the easiest to chew. THIS WAS AMAZEBALLS. For your sake, I hope you get to try it and appreciate Masa-san’s execution and skill. The guy is only 30! He’s only going to get BETTER.
Next was just a string of wow moments. I can’t remember the name of everything, but we had multiple types of amberjack, chi-​toro, otoro, tazmanian ocean trout (that looks and tastes like salmon, but it isn’t), a variety of yellowtail, etc… Now… here’s a lesson on nigiri — the rice matters. A LOT. Sushi Zo prepared the best rice in LA. Sushi Zo now prepares the best rice in NY. Bi-​coastal king of rice! What are my parameters of rice? 1) Sweetness 2) Vinegar-​iness (not a word) 3) Temperature 4) Texture/​Moisture (overcooked /​undercooked). I don’t how they do it, but it’s amazing. Just try it! If you don’t believe me, go to Garri or Nakazawa and tell me how important rice is.
Lastly, I usually don’t rave about service at Japanese restaurants in LA, because it’s almost customary for high-​end sushi places to have excellent service (Shunji, N/​Naka, Totoraku, Urasawa, Zo, etc). In NY, the immediate care and attention was lacking, and I lowered my expectations quite a bit. I’m so glad Zo opened up here, because they calibrated my bar back to where it should be. There wasn’t a single moment where I had to turn my head to look for the waiter. I never had my iced green tea at least 40% filled, the waiter was always on it. I kid you not! I would take a sip, then the tea would be immediately filled again. I must’ve drank a quart of green tea. Luckily, I had some excel spreadsheets waiting for me to put me to sleep last night: D
If I could do a classic ebay-​esque review to describe the service at Zo, it would be: «EXCELLENT SERVICE A+++++++! WOULD BUY FROM AGAIN!»
PRO-​TIP: Sit at the bar in front of Masa. Go with a group of 2 or 4. Be friendly to Masa-​san because he’s a really fun guy.
Price: $ 200 for omakase + tax and gratuity. I walked out around the $ 265 mark.

New sushi omakase in town.
Sushi Zo in LA is considered one of the best Japanese restaurants in SoCal.
This one in NYC might just take the top spot here, as well.
Omakase is $ 200/​person, but they give you a lot of food (see pics), most of them imported from Japan. Each sushi was amazing.
It was a treat to watch Chef Masa prepare all the sushi behind the counter.
Only complaint (minor): No dessert options.
Also, very difficult to get a reservation.
Impeccable service.
Highest recommendation.: A+

Aweseome experience here thanks to Chef Masa! I wish the rice stayed together more, it fell apart at times but overall, the experience was great, fish was good and service was impeccable.

Was so excited to see that Sushi Zo came to New York! I’ve been a fan since their first restaurant in Los Angeles. I booked my reservation about 4 weeks in advance and it was the only opening available that month. Couldn’t believe it was so difficult even though it’s only been open for a few month. Clearly word had gotten out.
Everything about Sushi Zo is amazing. Most importantly, the quality of the fish. One piece after another was like a little foodgasm. I’m attaching pictures so you can enjoy with you eyes. The service was also impeccable. They were very attentive, switching out my tea several times with a fresh hot cup. I also loved being served by Masa. I was dining alone and he would include me in conversation with the other diners. It was also interesting to get his thoughts on the New York dining scene and how it compared to la. Masa took care of 5 of us in the front corner of the restaurant.
Almost hate sharing about how it was such a great experience since it’ll be harder to get a reservation but it looks like the secret is already out. Something to note is that you have to make a reservation. When you’re there, you’ll notice that not all the seats are filled. They like to leave a few empty seats I think to have more attentive service and also just in case they need it.

Five stars! I am still dreaming the o toro, sayori and uni! I had two weeks ago at Sushi Zo. It is the best dinning surprise for me in 2016 so far, speaking from a person who has tried every reputable sushi restaurant in the city. I would rate it higher than 15 East.
Where should I start, the authentic feel of the decoration, the impeccable services, or the hyper seasonal selection of fish flew in daily from Tsukiji fish market in Tokyo? The dashi shoyu made in house definitely heighten the essence of the fish which i could not help but give lots complement to the itamea (sushi chef) serving me the night.
Yes it is certainly not cheap for $ 200/​pp before alcohol and T&T. But it worth every penny. I will go back without a blink, if reservation is easier for the 9 seats at the counter. I made reservation a month ahead.
I would save you the long description of each pieces I had. It is pointless. You won’t be able to experience the foodgasm I had based on that. Plus, fish selection are changed seasonally and depending on availability (hello, that is what omakase means). You can drool over the sushi porn i took. Even better, made reservation now.

For a $ 200/​p omakase I expected a lot more. After our dinner there last night I’m sad to report that Sushi Zo isn’t quite ready for business but… I’m rooting for you!
Don’t get me wrong the food was good but just didn’t warrant a $ 200 admission, not even close. Why only 2 stars? First off, once I stepped in the restaurant the place smelled awful. Almost like they didn’t do a final scrub down after renovations before opening. It literally smelled like they were still under construction; permeating scents of glue and paint mixed with fish. Yuck! Perhaps they were in a rush to open but jeezus the smell really turned me off.
From the moment I sat down I noticed there were two grains of rice as well as a hair on the table… mind you there’s already a setting on the table. How they managed not to see this bewilders me. Clearly this patron just left cause the rice was still plump, did they even clean the table? On my chopsticks there was a partial grain of rice stuck to a fuzzy hair. The chair next to me still had part of the protective cover attached to it. ugh. Not a great start.
We ordered a bottle of Sake that was AMAZING. Full body, crisp and paired really well with the fish. One of the best sake’s I’ve ever had.
My biggest pet peeve of the night however has to be the sushi bar divider. The clean look of a typical Japanese restaurant sushi bar shouldn’t be hard to achieve. I can cope with simplicity but this sushi bar divider was a joke, I would be so embarrassed to be charging my customers so much and have that POS in front of them. Its literally a cheap ass piece of plexiglass with rough and chipped edges, a complete eyesore. I mean really? was actual glass too expensive?! The divider sections weren’t even the right height from one another. I’d seriously sue my contractor if I were them.
Our sushi chef was nice however I wasn’t impressed at how he botched our plates a couple of times by almost serving the same thing twice. He was only serving 4 people. The preparation was also a bit sloppy, cuts of fish weren’t uniform in size. Some of my nigiri was much smaller or bigger than my friends even when its the same fish. This was the same when it came to garnishing the nigiri, some had a lot of ginger while another barely had any. Perhaps its because we were the last service of the night and he was tired but he was definitely not meticulous in his craft.
Of all the nigiri we had, several fish he mentioned were from Long island, not that I have anything against local fish but again this is a $ 200 omakase. Couldn’t the fish monger aspire to reach waters a little further than the exotic seas of coastal Long Island?
Strangely for one of the courses, while the couple next to us got needle fish nigiri we were given barracuda nigiri. Did they um, run out of fish? *shrugs*
We found all the fish fresh but nothing really blew us away. Our favorite was the amber jack from the sashimi course which was amazing. I also really liked the ikura.
The steamed egg course was so hot that it literally burned my mouth. I was pretty shocked that they let it come out of the kitchen at this burning temperature.
I anticipated the hand roll course the most and was not disappointed! The seaweed was so crunchy mixed in with the cold uni and soft rice. I however needed a little soy sauce and when I attempted to dip my roll I noticed… another hair floating in the dish. WTF!
Homeade pickled ginger was also really good!
It pains me to give a low rating because there is potential here but unfortunately Sushi ZO is a Sushi NO for me. But… I’m rooting for you!

Ok folks, game over. We have a winner, and it’s not even close. This place is pure sushi bliss. Amazing. Better sushi than Nakazawa, Ichimura, Dojo, Kura, Tanoshi, Ushiwaramaku, Yasuda, Cagen, and any other traditional edo style omakase place I’ve been to.
The place is small and intimate, seating maybe 10 people at the counter with tables to seat another six people. The space is elegant, with a light and airy zen feel. The wood branches behind the bar add a warmth that complements the space.
Chef Masa truly makes this an excellent dining experience. There was a constant dialogue between Chef Masa and his diners the entire dinner, ranging from everything to different techniques he has used on fish, living in LA, differences in local fish, and of course, detailed descriptions of each delectable bite presented.
For the sushi itself, each piece is carefully, and artfully crafted and presented. The sushi is perfectly balanced, from start to finish, and each bite is as luxurious as the one before it. Our meal consisted of some Kumamoto oysters to start, followed by six pieces of sashimi (from 3 types of fish), 18 pieces of sushi, an egg custard, a toro hand roll, tomago, and a snapper soup to finish the meal.
Seems like a lot of food? It is, and be prepared to pay accordingly. For the 24 total dishes, you will be paying $ 200 a person. This comes out to about $ 8 a piece, which is more less what you can expect to pay per piece at Nakazawa or Tanoshi. You’ll pay a premium here, but you’ll get literally every piece of fish that Chef Masa has in the restaurant. He holds nothing back from the omakase. Even at at $ 200 price point, once word gets out, it will be impossible to get a reservation here. I’ll be back again before that happens.

This is one of the best omakases in NYC.
Masa (the head chef) is interactive and engaging. He started at the original Sushi Zo and has done well in bringing the California feel to the NY dining scene.
As far as the fish goes, as high a quality as you will find in NYC. I personally find it impossible to distinguish ‘quality’ amongst the top-​tier, but suffice it to say this is as good as it gets.
On style, no gimmicks, but not super traditional. Fun flavors and a good variety of fish sourced globally (with a preference for Japan).
The omakase was 22 courses; including sushi, sashimi, chawan mushi, soup, and tamago. Favorites were the salmon roe, amberjack, uni, monkfish liver, and blue fin.
Overall, amazing experience. Well worth the price…

This place is really good. The fish is of a very high quality with lots of variations, and the nigiri was well balanced with the rice. For reference I think it is better than Ichimura, Soto, Jewel Bako and Shuko. The omakase is well paced out, although I would have liked more otsumami (little bites) before the actual sushi, but I suppose they are still in the soft opening phase.
Only improvements are perhaps to not serve the chawan mushi mid course, and perhaps serve shirako on its own (personal preference, I love it but not particularly fond of having it as nigiri). Go before it gets too crowded!

T​he bottom line
New York City. Greenwich Village.
$ 150+ per person
Date: January 29^th, 2016
​Recommended
A famous writer named Horace Greeley once coined the phrase «Go west, young man». He was referring to the American ideal of «manifest destiny», and likely the promise that the fertile lands in the western part of the country offered people. But I like to pretend that if Greeley were alive in 2016, not only would he be over 200 years old, he would also be updating his famous quote for the true reality of the American culinary experience in 2016. «Go expand, young man» has a nice ring to it, don’t you think? In the past, opening multiple locations in other cities was left to chain restaurants. But if Los Angeles staple Sushi Zo’s opening in NYC is any indication, superstar restaurants are joining in.
Now, for those of you who have had the privilege to have sushi in both New York City and Los Angeles, you will understand that the differences is a reflection of the people. At the risk of gross generalizations (says The Sushi Legend, right before he makes a gross generalization), Los Angelans (I had to wikipedia that) tend to be a little more laid back compared to their Gotham counterparts. I don’t go to Los Angeles enough to have full conviction behind my opinions, but my experience has been that sushi in Los Angeles — and specifically omakase — is less formal, more adventurous, and leans towards the Kaiseki style that has become so popular across North America (send all hate mail on my opinions to
). Given that, Sushi Zo’s transition is — so far — incredibly impressive.
FOOD
I’ll preface this entire portion (pun intended) of the review by noting how incredible the fish is. The main chef behind the bar is Masa, whose only drawback is unfortunately having the same name as other sushi legends (pun intended again) in the city. Before coming to NYC, Masa trained at the LA location, where he honed his craft and was eventually chosen to head up Sushi Zo’s journey east. Though he is young, Masa’s experience is noticeable; At Sushi Zo, not only does he expertly cut some of the longest pieces of fish I’ve ever seen, but he does everything else also, from ordering the fish, to running the official instagram account. That level of enterprise involvement is not only impressive, it’s critical: from my experience, the best sushi restaurants are the ones where the sushi chef does more than just serve.
It doesn’t matter how incredible a chef you are though, the food still has to deliver. And at Sushi Zo — thanks to preferred supply lines from larger buying power — the sushi delivers like an owl in Harry Potter (worst simile of all time — sue me). It helps that Masa is not afraid to go outside the box either, with delicious sushi ranging from the softest yellowtail belly and the tenderest squid (from Long Island!) to the fatty Kinmedai (golden eye snapper), black cod and Akamatsu (sea perch) trio. For those that are truly adventurous, Masa serves Shirako, or as it’s less commonly known, the Cod Sperm Sac (no clue on the rules of capitalization here). Every single piece is outstanding, with little touches added in moderation to enhance the flavours. If there’s any small negative, it’s the progression; Chu Toro and O Toro are spaced out, and Chawanmushi in the middle of an omakase can drastically alter your palette.
ATMOSPHERE
The Sushi Zo space reminds me of my favourite sushi restaurant in the world, Naoe, in Miami, Florida. The space is minimalist, with natural tree branches incorporated into the brick walls. Though the space is tight, the seats are spread out enough that you never feel cramped. Sushi Zo has a serenity that I enjoyed, and a staff that was so attentive, I — at times — felt that it was almost too much. Seriously, let’s play a game. Go to Sushi Zo, and tell me if you manage to finish your glass of water. If you can, congrats — I have nothing to give you, besides some respect, because I could barely put mine down before a waiter, host or manager was filling it up. Masa himself — the star of the show, in my eyes — is engaging. Perhaps it’s some of the holdover from his Los Angeles days, but he converses with his customers in a way that few high-​end sushi chefs do — which is why you can probably name them all. The young man went east, and he’s currently overseeing one of my most recommended spots in New York City. See
for this review and pictures.

A new king has been crowned In the Ny sushi scene !!!
Just left zo with my wife and we were blown away
Masa is the man. Everything start to finish was a ten plus. Just another level. Like yasuda plus nakazawa on steroids.

After 5 years on Unilocal,and zero reviews written, I have been inspired to break the silence and share one of the most memorable culinary experiences of my life to all of the sushi purists of NYC.
Disclaimer: I have been a loyal Sushi Zo patron at the DTLA location. So after finding out that I was moving across the country to NYC, I made sure that Zo was my last meal in CA. Mission accomplished.
Fast forward 2 months and 9 days later (12÷19÷15) at the soft-​opening of Sushi Zo in Greenwich Village. It is only fitting that my first true «omakase» experience in NYC is at Sushi Zo. First impression upon walking into the restaurant: warm and inviting. Definitely a lot more vibrant and industrial feeling than DTLA, with a hard to miss exposed brick wall from the early 1900s on display for your viewing pleasure.
After being greeted by some familiar smiling faces, Masa-​san and Keizo-​san, we were seated at the 10 seat sushi bar. I believe there were 3 smaller tables behind the bar, 2 tables seating 4 and 1 table seating 2. Tip: there is no menu, with the exception of a beverage menu. So in the true meaning of omakase, TRUST your chef, announce your food allergies, and let the journey of pure traditional sushi begin.
We were sitting with executive chef extraordinaire Masa-​san. If you are fortunate enough to get a seat with him, you won’t be disappointed. Since this was a soft-​opening, we had an abbreviated course that included one kumamoto oyster, an assorted sashimi course, 15 individual sushi courses, soup, and a toro hand roll. Zo is known for their preparation and presentation. Both of which, were not compromised at the NYC location. I can honestly say that every cut of pristine fish masterfully prepared by Masa-​san with the Zo signature sauces were exactly what I have been accustomed to in DTLA. Most of the fish were from the west coast and Japan, with exception to a new cast of characters from New England. Most notably the uni from Maine. A lot bigger and more colorful than the usual Santa Barbara/​San Diego variety in CA, my wife went on record saying that she liked the uni from Maine better. Bold statement, I know. But she’s normally 99.9% right and I’m allergic to sea urchin, so can’t weigh in here.
As the night went on, Masa-​san kept the omakase marathon going, carefully pacing each course just right, with each cut of fish more exceptional than its predecessor. After about 2 hours, and more complimentary sake than I can remember, the toro hand roll came, and I knew the night was about to be over. The highlight of the night? Possibly the buri with roasted shishito peppers, hirame with sea salt, or hotate from Hokkaido. Or maybe the ankimo that was served warm, the aged toro, or anago? Who am I kidding; there can’t be only just one, which is why I love this place. Some favorites (skipjack, kurodai w/​truffle salt, black cod, blue crab) were not available this evening, but nothing in life is perfect; even though this meal came close.
Look out NYC, a new sushi giant is in town and must be added to your list.