Best Omakase Under $100 in New York City
Editor’s Note: This blog is part of the “2025 New York City Sushi Guide‘, presented by Ledge Headwear. The digital guide features a number of articles, collections, “best ofs” and “What to dos” for the Big Apple, and can accessed directly at NYCSushiGuide.com. As always, we appreciate your support of the blog and Ledge Headwear, the designer cap brand designed in New York and handmade in the hills of Piemonte at a generational family factory.
The sheer volume of sushiya in this city – approximately 745,000 at last check – means you don’t have to spend your paycheck going to a Michelin Star restaurant if you don’t want to. Which is perfect, because the question I get the most – far more than, “What makes you the Sushi Legend?” (hint: it’s the name of the blog, not me) – is “Where I can find a reasonably priced Omakase in this city?” Well kiddos, you’re in luck. I’ve collated a bunch of my favourites that are under the arbitrary amount of $100 below. No particular order. Think I missed any? Drop me a line at [email protected] or follow me on Instagram at @TheSushiLegend and slide into the DMs.
Thanks for reading.
So yes, Oita was busy. Not just at the counter or tables, but with a steady procession of delivery drivers from COMPANY REDACTED (no free ads) picking orders up.
We sat at the counter, where Oita offers an $85, 15 course, Omakase. Interestingly though, the Omakase is not required for all countersitters. That’s a major plus for those who have mixed families of sushiphiles and more basic folk. For example, Mrs Sushi Legend ordered a la carte and had rave reviews.
$85.
You’d be forgiven for being surprised about Uotora’s location. A small nook in a subset of Crown Heights in Brooklyn, it resides in an area not exactly known as a culinary hotbed. Or it wasn’t at least, until recently, when soaring rents in Manhattan, Williamsburg and Long Island City have pushed some of New York City’s true tastemakers further (or farther?) outside the city’s center. This isn’t the place for massive restaurant groups or celebrity chefs with venture capital funding. It’s for people like Hiroyuki Kobayashi and Atsuomi Hotta, two experienced New York City sushi chefs, who’ve finally decided to push out on their own and open a sushiya in more reasonably priced real estate. $95.
It’s easy to forget that despite the massive proliferation of intelligent sushiya in New York and the broader continent, there’s still a large number of people that think a communal dorm shower like Zuma represents good sushi. Fairly certain that a Venn diagram of those people and the folks that think “Omakase” and tasting menu” are synonymous is probably just a circle. That said, I was still caught off guard when, at Sushi Kaito, a 2-year old, omakase-only sushiya in the Upper West Side, two erstwhile individuals entered looking for a menu, and then argued when told there wasn’t one. To their credit, the wonderful staff and management handled the situation calmly; not surprising, because Sushi Kaito is, above all else, an extremely warm and welcoming sushiya that takes on the character of its family-heavy neighborhood.
Owned and operated by Yoko Hasegawa, Kaito is an intimate, 12-seat sushi counter that sources much of its fish for the three nightly seatings directly from Japan. My 90 minutes there alongside a buddy felt more like eating in my cousin’s living room than a $125/per person sushi temple. And as an added plus, it happens to have a website that puts mine to shame (seriously, check it out and drool).
Full review here.
Chef David Bouhadana’s latest venture, Sushi by Bou (which theoretically you are here to read a review of), certainly covers all the familiar beats. Bouhadana – or as the locals call him, “Chef David” – is still relatively young by itamae (czar behind the bar) standards, but he’s been through a lifetime of headlines. He first rose to relative fame at Sushi Dojo, where he eventually ran afoul of New York City’s department of health because of his (correct) refusal to wear gross plastic gloves while doing something that people have been doing without them for centuries. $50.
I knew right away that I would like Mojo Omakase. How much of that stemmed from the Lane 8 music playing when I arrived? If we’re being honest, a lot. If you’ve seen my “work” on TikTok (follow me to feel alive), you’ll already know that progressive house music is my ambrosia. My nectar. It rivals Celine Dion for “best writing music”, and really, Celine is only on there because she’s a Canadian icon.
Fortunately, judging a book by its cover worked out pretty well. Mojo’s a relative newcomer to the West Village sushi scene, but already has filled a critical niche; Affordable omakase, at the counter, with offerings that aren’t the typical salmon-tuna fare. $95.
In theory, the one small downside for Katsuei is its location, situated in an area of Brooklyn that isn’t exactly convenient (even to the subway). The reality however, is that its Park Slope location mean that the owners can afford to provide an outstanding sushi experience at an affordable price. The sushi wasn’t the best that I’ve ever had (the maki left a lot to be desired), but I came away extremely impressed – or at the very least, I came away with some great pictures. $55 in Brooklyn.
Let’s get this out of the way. Temakase isn’t an Omakase like the other 10 options above. It’s not nigiri, Rather, it’s Temaki (handroll), served one-at-a time by a friendly bunch at an outpost of the mini-chain in the East Village.
Now, Temakase isn’t the only temaki (handroll) focused NYC sushiya; but it is one the best. Why? Unlike many other spots, the fillings aren’t pre-mixed. Instead, a collection of chefs behind two counters prepare everything to order. That includes Salmon and Ikura, but also blog favourites Toro Taku and Negi Toro. At a price of $35 for 6 temaki, it’s as reasonably priced an option as you’ll get in New York.