Azabu New York

An oasis in TriBeCa

I’ve been going to Azabu for years.

That isn’t me asking for a pat on the back. In fact, given the 15 years I’ve spent hunched at a desk like Quasimodo, even the slightest touch would probably put me on the sushi shelf for months.

No, it’s something us pulitzer winners call context. I visited the original location in 2013 (review here), and in 2023 I sat downstairs – at The Den – for an Omakase with the legendary Toshihide Terado (review here).

Outside Azabu

But I’d never done lunch until recently

I rushed to get this review out because:

I’m a benevolent blogger. I share the love.
Celebrities have started to visit. First there was Tom Brady, then Leo DiCaprio. If Sushi Park in Los Angeles is any indication, 31 paps and an eager Eater staff writer will soon follow.

Actually, that’s unfair. Azabu isn’t like Sushi Park. Azabu isn’t an overhyped mess that serves half nigiri to clout chasers. Azabu is actually good.

Let’s get into it.

Opening “salad” – wakame

That’s great because I’ll let you in on a little secret

There’s not many great lunch options in TriBeCa. Period. There’s a reason my neighbor’s most frequent guest is the Sweetgreen delivery guy. I’m telling you, there’s nothing. Bubby’s is better and emptier at dinner. Walker’s, I guess? Puffy’s has sandwiches? It’s barren. Shocking, given that Citi HQ is right here, as are a dozen fancy galleries (no clue how they stay in business, but that’s for a different blog).

Azabu offers a very limited lunch menu

The makimono set ($28) ncludes pre-mixed spicy tuna. Azabu is nearly perfect, but they can do so much better here.

But that actually helps. No more can your jerk friend use the “I’m not in the mood for sushi” excuse (laughable to begin with).

We went with the $65 nigiri platter

It comes with makimono, which was fine. But the nigiri itself is barely a notch below the nigiri at The Den downstairs, remarkable given that it was (a) lunch and (b) prepared by apprentices. The perks of being an international restaurant group – that’s Plan Do See – with a steady pipeline of talent, I guess.

The nigiri lunch platter.

$65 may seem pricy for six nigiri, a makimono and salad, and maybe it is, but quality matters. You’re not getting rubbery, boiled ebi like lunch at most sushiya. Chu Toro, O Toro, Kasugodai, Akami, Sake and first of the season, Buri. All prepared with magical hands.

To me, that’s worth it.

One theme that holds top to bottom

Downstairs at The Den, the counter is beautiful, but there’s empty space behind and to the side that’s a little awkward (if you’ve been, you know). But upstairs, especially in the back, is an oasis.