Sushi Azabu

There are a number of great sushi restaurants in New York City: Masa, Kurumazushi and Sasabune in a discernable league of their own, followed by Ichimura, Sushi Yasuda, Sushi of Gari and 15 East. (We've ranked the 20 best in order here) As different as those 7 restaurants are, however, they share one thing in common: their expense. And so what makes Sushi Azabu so remarkable is how disproportionately fine its edo-mae-style sushi, 70-80% of which is imported directly from Japan 4 times a week, is relative to the cost: the renowned “Koi Course” (starter, 10 nigiri and miso soup) is a mere $35.

Evincing the Japanese predilection for hidden and diminutive restaurants, Sushi Azabu is located in the basement of TriBeCa’s Greenwich Grill, and has only an 9-seat sushi counter and 3 banquettes. The subdued décor – a bamboo ceiling, pebbled river stone flooring, a decorative fish on the backsplash behind the sushi counter – is attractive, if fairly unremarkable. The real attraction of the ambience is the quiet serenity of the restaurant.