TORA NYC

The Brooklyn Hit List: The Best New Restaurants In Brooklyn

"As any good Japanese chef will tell you, the rice is everything. Which is why we go straight for the donburi section at Tora, an izakaya-style restaurant in Bushwick. The rice is something special: perfectly seasoned, glossy individual grains that taste good with everything. Get the gyudon, for soft slices of beef in a sweet sukiyaki sauce, or the ikura don, a full dome of roe bursting with flavor. They also do yakitori, sushi, and specials like grilled hamachi collar. Come by for a solo meal during the day, or bring some friends to throw back toki highballs and eat yakitori in the evening. Or save this spot for date night. Tora’s mood-lit bar makes the single-room restaurant feel more intimate once the sun goes down." - will hartman, willa moore, neha talreja, molly fitzpatrick, bryan kim