Dainobu

Nice market with a lot of items. Staff is friendly and helpful. Give them a try!

This place blows away some of the larger japanese grocery stores. Toss some crustless sandwiches in the fridge section and this mart is straight out of Japan. Snacks, produce, beer and very decent affordable sushi.

It's a nice store near Grand Central Station. Although the prices are slightly high, they have nice sales. There is a cute crane machine near the entrance with a small selection.

I liked this shop and the selection of foods was good. I got a chocolate cornet and udon. Both were delicious

Packed Japanese supermarket with many options. It's a bit overwhelming but assume it has good Japanese products.

wide selection of sushi, bentos, snacks, and even Japanese beauty products

Lots of Japanese products and a lot of delicious Japanese Drinks! This is a small (this is Manhattan of course,) but well stocked Japanese Grocery Store. This grocery store has sauces, seasonings, breads, sweets/desserts, prepared dinner/lunches, a butcher/deli counter, frozen foods, and cold drinks. If your looking for a specific Japanese food, this grocery store is going to have it. I mainly come here to buy Japanese milk tea drinks, coffee drinks, and bean cakes. For the coffees, my favorite coffees are Pokka Coffee Gold and Ucc Coffee. Both of these coffees are similar to the Starbucks Frappachinos, but not as sweet nor as creamy. My favorite Milk tea has to be Ito En Milk Tea Hawaiian style. Those three drinks are crack! The Vitamin Cc Lemon is pretty good. It tastes like Fresca, but instead of having a grapefruit flavor, it has a lemon flavor. The Suntory black tea is good (unsweetened) but its a bit pricey $2.50. The Calpico literally tastes like Lychee. The Bean cakes are good and my two favorite cakes are the wheate cake and the cake with the sesame seeds on it. This is a very good store to go in and buy a drink, a bean cake, or Japanese groceries!

Cute little convenience store. All manners of Japanese food, snacks, and wares. There’s a tiny small seafood station and produce in the back, and in the front there’s ready to eat food. A microwave is conveniently provided for those that need one. Asahi cans at 1.29. Would highly recommend as a casual detour or quick stop over. Definitely a nice little find.

Worst customer service. I asked for the price of an item, and the older staff member claimed it wasn't in the system and refused to help by checking with the office because he didn't want to. To top it off, he had the audacity to ask me to put the item back on the shelf..? Why should a customer be responsible for putting back an item that's not even for sale? Ridiculous and unprofessional behavior. In some Asian countries, people might be expected to automatically respect someone just because of their age, but this is the US, and I'm the customer. I don't deal with that kind of age-based deference nonsense shit here

Out of the several Japanese supermarkets in this area, I think they have the best price for sashimi grade fish. Was really fresh

This place is awesome, affordable fresh sushi and poke made daily. Tons of specialized Asian food and items as well as a breadth of others. Can't beat it especially during the lunch rush, quick dependable and delicious.

Best grab and go in the area with large assortment of smaller dishes, way beyond sushi. Craziest music played in there too (e.g. Get Low). Good grocery stock too.

My daughter works at this deli Very nice people, so far the better egg salad sandwich is delicious and the spicy chicken sandwich is well worth the price. And sailor moon soft drinks are always refreshing.

The place was as narrow as Katagiri and Sunrise Mart in Soho. When I entered, it wasn't busy. I saw that the cooked food items here are better than the ones in Katagiri and Sunrise Mart. There was pop music playing in the background. The groceries are in the back of the store. I saw that there was a small screen by the front showing Japanese programming. Ordered the strawberry fruit sandwich, chikuwa salad, nikujaga, and fish toast with cheese. The nikujaga is a newcomer to Japanese cuisine as a result of moderation and westernization during the Meiji restoration, while the fish toast is an alternative to the Hatoshi shrimp toast. Would come again, knowing that there are three grocery stores competing with each other around the Grand Central terminal.

As a convenience store that carries Japanese snacks and drinks, Dainobu is great. I'm especially a fan of their selection of Hitachino Nest and Far Yeast beers. Their prepackaged sushi on the other hand is an abomination. I've had better sushi from American grocery stores in the Midwest...The rice is either over cooked or not the correct type. Either way it's way too mushy. And the wasabi in the container is exposed to air and is flavorless by the time the consumer eats it. So yeah, Dainobu is a decent store as long as you avoid their sushi!

Wonderful place for healthy Japanese meals to-go at reasonable prices. Came here many times and got the chirashi bowl, sushi rolls, seaweed salad, and miyako mochis. Everything was fresh and delicious. The store itself is very narrow and crowded, but that's New York real estate. They have a variety of items such as seasonings, snacks, meat and fish, alcohol, and housewares. Great store for a busy person who lives and works nearby.

Small and very condensed Japanese grocery store. Provides good varieties of all things Japanese from freshly made food to condiments, snacks, and kitchen utensils and appliances. Bit overpriced like everything else is in the neighborhood.

I was visiting NYC for the weekend and not planning to spend too much! this small Japanese store was close to our hotel and saved us ! I was surprised by the quality of the sushi's and rolls there. The fish had quality and unlike many places the rolls had just the right amount of rice (not too much like many other places) the price was fair and I ended up picking up their sushi's for lunch /breakfasts and dinner! NYC can be very expensive and I'm so glad I found this place ! They also have a microwave you can use to heat up the food ! Definitely the best finding in mid-town if you are a low budget traveler like I am! They offer quality for a very fair price! The attendance are very polite and helpful ! Let's support this business so they can keep saving travelers like me :)

The expiration says today, 6/23. Worst futomaki sushi I have ever purchased and I was raised on this type of sushi as a sansei. The rice was hard and overall it was tasteless. For $8.99 I expect a fresh, semi-sweet, non-crunchy sushi. I've noticed a decrease in the quality of their prepared foods over the years. Thoroughly disappointed with my latest purchase.

I love this place! It's a very efficient mini Mart, convenience store and a Mecca of Japanese goods. You can buy almost anything from here - a local Japanese newspaper, toothpaste, a tube of wasabi, fresh veggies for home, or why I frequent here, to buy a complete lunch/dinner meal. Lots of food options - hot ramen and udon can be made to order, just proceed to the back of the store and order it there. Bento boxed style lunches pre-prepped and ready to be eaten as well as rice balls, salads, and sushi entrees to go. They also have a microwave in the store, for customer use should you need it, after you purchase an entree that needs to be heated up. Side note: they sell cakes, cookies and bread too both on the shelf or frozen section. I come here often just to buy the bottled drinks (ie Green Tea). Great prices and excellent selection considering the size of this store. It's long, railroad style aisles make for easy shopping and browsing. They even sell the hard to find exotic candy and treats that are only found in specialty markets or overseas. There's 3-4 registers open at a time - this should give you a clue as to how busy it gets (especially at prime lunch times) but it moves fast so don't be deterred by the line. This place and it's process is a well run machine. Efficiency as I've said, with a capital E. After visiting Japan, this mart comes very close to their convenience stores there. They know just what to stock and what to sell. A total neighborhood gem especially if you're living in the city and want authentic food without breaking the bank. Totally recommend.

I love this Japanese grocery and probably come 2-3 times per week. If you're in Midtown East and don't want to walk farther than 8 blocks, to find a Dainobu. I'm all about onigiri (rice balls $3+)) and depending on when you go, they might have salmon teriyaki, spicy tuna, karaage, Apan, ume, etc. Very little filling and the rice can be hit or miss, the separated seaweed is the savior of these little rice balls. Dainobu also carries bento boxes, cakes, cookies, candies, lots of snacks and sweets in general, and a few household items and grocery items too. Friendly cashiers, but tight spacesbecause the store is very small

Came in 5 mins after they closed the ramen station and dude in the beanie was kind enough to still make one for me - top notch service and really authentic flavor in the tonkotsu ramen. It's my new go-to place for a quick lunch takeaway.

When rushing to catch a train at Grand Central, what is more convenient than this nearby deli with restaurant level sushi and bottles of green tea? Hard to resist the other taste treats --soba noodles, lotus root and more -- plus the flavored Kit Kats for dessert. What a bargain!

I recently adopted a special needs dog. I brought my dog in a stroller to other Dainobu stores (just last week). But when I visited this location, I was told that dogs are not allowed. This is fine but I was curious as to why the policies are different across Dainobu locations so asked to speak with the manager. The manager came but his mask was half way down his face, he stood less than 2 feet away from me, and essentially yelled at me about dogs not being allowed without giving me a chance to ask my question! After walking 30 min to get here I left with a terrible experience. Please make sure to stand 6 feet apart & please wear your mask properly especially when handling food!

I came here often because I like Japanese food. Been here for years and found many unique stuff. The cuisines and dessert were handmade and import from Japan. Was my favourite supermarket. The chicken taste the best. Little spicy with garlic flavour. The price is fair. The calpico and aloe drinks were healthy and sweet. Had always grab these drinks with my snacks. Melon bread and cream puff were small sweet snacks as refreshment. Enjoy having these for meal

It's a Japanese grocery store with prepared food available and beer and sake from Japan. I get ceremonial res from here to drink every morning. I make my own sashimi where they sell sushi quality fish and just slice them. It buy their prepared sushi.

Amazing selection of fresh sushi which was delicious, so much so I went back to buy more in the same night! Very friendly, clean and helpful business. Highly recommend!

Dainobu carries bento boxes, cakes, cookies, candies, lots of snacks and sweets in general, and a few household items and grocery items too. Friendly cashiers, but tight spaces because the store is very small. I'm love the onigiri and they have salmon teriyaki, spicy tuna, karaage, Apan, ume.

I was craving sushi as my usual spots were closed during Covid-19 lockdown. Dainobu was open and their sushi hit the spot. They also have fresh produce in single serving portions in the back, which is great for solo diners. It's not as big or fancy as H-Mart, but the convenient location is great.

Just came back from Japan and craving those snacks? Don't wanna drive out to mitsuwa? This is the place for you! They also sell hot foods in the back. Go during lunch time when they come out warm. Otherwise they get cold sitting out. They also sell out of certain lunch boxes if you go late. They also have two other locations in the city.

Dainobu is one of those restaurants within a grocery store things perfect for a lunch to go. Upon entering, you're greeted with rows of sushi and refrigerated main dishes. Venture through the shelves of various Japanese food stuffs to reach the hot food cafe area, serving everything from tonkatsu ramen to beef bowls. I love the beef and tofu bowl for around 8 dollars. While the food (in general) is pretty expensive, it tastes pretty authentic. Give it a shot for lunch on the go.

Excellent lunch and snack option for the midtown east area. There are a lot of great lunch options that are budget friendly and good sized portions. They carry everything from karage, sushi, edamame, rice balls and udon. I love that I now have access to rice balls whenever I crave one- they have a nice variety as well. The food items are sold cold but they have a microwave available to heat entrees. There is a counter in the back that cranks out Udon and Soda which is quite nice! Small store with aisles of japanese condiments and snacks- they fit a lot into those aisles. Lunch time is crazy- crowds and lines but it moves quickly. They take credit cards too.

As a one-stop location for snacks and lunch, Dainobu might be considered a convenient Japanese deli that offers pre-packaged lunch options from sushi rolls and bento boxes to udon and rice bowls along with a snack selection limited to dried noodle cups, sake, and candy snacks. Rolls range from $6 and up (assuming most people don't actually count California rolls anymore), rice balls and bento boxes are $2 and $7 (approx) respectively. A hot food station located at the back of the deli offers just a handful of choices (ramen, miso soup, and curry rice bowl) for 6 to 7 bucks. Unfortunately, the so-called positives stopped right there. Prices are expensive when compared with similar spots such as Cafe Zaiya and Chiyoda a few blocks south. The selection is lacking with the absence of items such as salads, sandwiches, and soba noodles. A roll and a rice ball, which equates to nothing more than a 5-minute lunch break, came out to $10! Yushi, down the block, looks better by the minute as I write this. In the end, there was no better icing on the cake than the realization of a 10 cents surcharge for extra soy sauce or wasabi. They had (suckered) me at "hello." Convenience only adds value when options are limited around you, therefore it only heightens the level of disappointment when one does not even try to be competitive.

This is the worst Japanese grocery stores in Town. One of the staff was very rude and feels like want to fight with customer. She was also gazed "Niramu"(in Japanese). Just getting the food, I didn't want that attitude from the staff. I would not recommend this store.

WHY have I never known about this place before?!?!?! Thanks to Tina W, who has opened my eyes... I need to go back for my Japanese snacks and rice balls!!! It's a tiny store with no seating, BUT there's more variety in onigiri (rice balls) compared to Cafe Zaiya or Sunrise Mart. Soooo many rice bowls. So many random foods. I want them all. They also have green tea kit kats, green tea aero and green tea crunch right next to each other.

This store is also listed under Instacart, and when ordering online, it shows items available. When the instacart shopper is there shopping for the items, I was notified most items were not there. Out of 13 items ordered, only 6 were found and those were the low price items like snacks. So here I am paying 10 dollar long distance fee, and a good tip for the shopper for an order price of less that the fees and tips. It the store does not have items in stock, they should mark it as "not available". Store is a rip off.

One of the things I missed after relocating jobs from downtown to midtown east was udon soup. When a friend of mine mentioned Dainobu has my beloved soup, I was sold and we made a lunch date. This store is small and it's just that....A store. Aisles chock full of Japanese snacks. In the back is a counter where they sell udon and a few other hot items. There is also a fridge section if you want to grab something and heat it at the office. It gets very cramped in here since the space is narrow and people are trying to shop and pay. There are plenty of registers so the line moves fast. The udon soup was delicious and just what I needed on a chilly day. It's a large portion so some ended up coming home with me. Also for such a large portion, it's only $7.99 which is a steal in the city. I can't wait go return and buy ALL the snacks!

I love coming here. Every time I'm here it is like a treasure hunt. Never know what you are going to find. Great little Asian market with all kinds of goodies. I usually come just to get Mochi, gummies and salty snacks. They have fresh sushi and other fish treats that are reasonably priced. You name it it is in here. Some of the items have English on them but many do not. So spin the roulette wheel and see what you get. I've tried the octopus flavored chips, crunch ramen chips, lychee gummies, Ube Mochi, sesame Mochi, and more that I can't remember. They always have special on clearance at the register. So much fun you should try it.

Super tiny but a great place to grab Japanese imported anything that's not ridiculously overpriced like a lot of souvenir shops will be. You can find pretty much anything from shampoo to food here.

If you're in Midtown East and don't want to walk farther than 8 blocks, dainobu really hits the spot. I'm all about onigiri (rice balls $2-3)) and depending on when you go (9PM when I went twice) they might have salmon teriyaki, spicy tuna, karaage, ume, etc. Very little filling and the rice can be hit or miss, the separated seaweed is the savior of these little rice balls. dainobu also carries bento boxes, cakes, cookies, candies, lots of snacks in general, and a few household items and grocery items. Friendly cashiers, tight spaces, but great location in my opinion since I'm too lazy to walk to Sunrise Mart or Gonbei Omusubi.

I really enjoy making a stop here every now and again. It's got a little bit of everything that are right up my alley - cool and unusual snacks, bottles of cold unsweetened ice tea, yakult yogurt drink, and an assortment of lunch boxes (which also contain a little bit of everything). Don't want a full-sized meal? Check out their single portions of dumplings (shrimp, vegetable, pork), or snack on a rice ball (well, rice triangle with different fillings, wrapped in seaweed). While the lunch boxes can be a little pricey, I find it worth it when I want a tasty, healthy lunch with fish (today I had the Yellowtail Teriyaki). Everything always tastes fresh and looks homemade. The store itself is kept very clean, and all the cashiers are just lovely people.

My go-to! Friendly service, fair prices, and amazing selection in a little shoebox of a store. Salmon sashimi sometimes comes a little frozen, but the rest of the sushi is pretty on point. Love the beverage selection.

I come here often to stock up on Japanese groceries since my spouse is Japanese. They have all the items you might need to cook Japanese cuisine. On the weekends they have good specials too.

This is a small Japanese grocery store which barely has space to walk around and is part of a chain, they even have a sister store at 5th Avenue and 56th Street. This is a typical grocery store and has items in food and small store merchandise including beauty and household items too. They also makes fresh food items in the back like kaki fry! (aka fried oysters) and stock the open refrigerators with pre-made items like shrimp dumplings, sushi rolls, noodles, katsu, banchan and even chicken patties. They have frozen items like ramen, and you can microwave them in the store, just don't think you can eat in the store Now keep in mind this is not restaurant quality food, this is good when you want something different and quick. The place is packed at lunch time but is reasonably price for the area and maybe better that a food trucks that are at 47th Street.. At the office I keep a snack tray that is filled not just with heresy's kisses, Lindt chocolates, Baci, and gummies, but also Japanese rice cakes, Maccha Green Tea KitKat, Chinese Jang Red Ginseng and even Haw Flakes. So when I need to stock up I go mostly to Dainobu to get those items that I can't find nowhere else unless it's a big Asian market. Daunodu, has several dozen rice crackers, cakes, cookies and a large even larger assortment of candies, like 4 different Japanese flavors of KitKats, and more and more. These snacks are crammed into about 4 or 5 racks in the back. The place is worth a look if you are in the area, who knows, you may find something you normally don't see at other places that you may end up liking.

So the selections available here are mind-boggling, and for someone indecisive like me, I spent a good 15 minutes trying to check out all the food available before finally deciding on something to enjoy. I got the eel avocado roll and an onigiri (my first ever!). Can't exactly say the food here is top quality (considering it's more about filling your stomach here), but the quality was acceptable and I enjoyed the lunch. It's also really close to my workplace (and a bunch of others) so the lunch rush here is very real. However, considering it's a filling lunch for under 10 bucks in Midtown, it's a good choice to make.

Quite disappointed at the quality of onigiri's (Japanese riceballs) at this Dainobu location. It lacked substance and flavor. I was biting into a cold triangle of poorly seasoned rice. The filling was barely enough compared to amount of awful rice that you get in one onigiri. Honestly, I much prefer the quality and price of onigiri's at Katagiri Japanese Grocery Deli, which is on 41st and Lexington. I'm really scratching my head here on how this location got higher than 3 stars. I do want to give due credit to the extensive shelves of snacks and candy within the grocery part of the store. But then again - no one is going to the grocery store to buy just candy, cookies, and cakes. Skip if you can. Katagiri's a far better alternative in terms of pricing, quality (!!!), and store space.

I used to stop by Dainobu after my Japanese classes for some onigiri so this place is special to me! Their onigiri is tasty, fresh and pretty cheap! They also have a great assortment of Japanese beers, snacks, and everything else a Japanese supermarket has. They also have ready made meals to go as well! Staff is also super friendly.

It was not an enjoyable shopping experience at this Dainobu. I came here on a Sunday evening and there werent even that many people (probably around 8 other people as well). Because of its size (very small, with narrow aisle), it felt really cramped in there. There wasnt much of a selection of anything, or maybe because i went at a bad timing. I rather go to Katagiri if i can. A better shopping experience...

So I was just going through my bookmarks and realized I never made a review for this place. I come here almost every other day and they always have something on sale or something new to try. The staff is friendly enough (especially in the morning ) and the prices are dirt cheap. My only *complaint* is that it is a bit cramped when there is a lunchtime rush and the food (bento) goes quickly, but しょうがない。 Don't be deterred by any negative reviews you've read of this place, just keep an open mind and enjoy the cheap Japanese snacks (｡*‿*｡)

I expected a larger selection for groceries, but it was pretty limited. Lots of snacks available. I bought a few packages of Hi Chews which is a Japanese candy but I noticed it was made in China after we opened it at home. If I had known it was made in China, I would not have gotten it. I think the ones we got from Sunrise were made in Taiwan. The reason why I shop at Japanese markets more so then Chinese markets is mainly for more organic, natural items. Though plenty of Japanese products are made with chemicals, i.e. msg..but they tend to have premium, natural, organic options. I bought some regular tofu for someone else. There wasn't much to choose from anyway. Frozen food on weekends are 40% off. Not sure if that includes everything. Not much of a selection in the refrigerated prepared food section after 7pm. I think Im going to stick with Sunrise Mart.

Superfun midtown lunch spot for me with a large grab and go selection of Japanese lunchables including decent sushi grade fish used in it's sushi, and chirashi bowls. It's great when your palate is confused and doesn't know what it wants as you can go and grab a bunch of smaller items to satisfy those cravings. Prices are ok considering most of it is very good quality and rent in midtown is out of control.

came in late last night and the woman who rang me up was super friendly and polite. i was afraid that they were closing for the evening, but instead she greeted and welcomed us in. dainobu has consistently been a great place to pick up asian bakery-type buns/breads, sushi and rice bowls, and asian cooking staples and snacks. i usually try to buy a few items even though there is no credit card minimum.

Sometimes a girl's gotta have her Onigiri. (that's riceball for all you non japos). In this case, the girl is my mom, who has to have rice, sometimes rounded, everyday. I guess i'm not a true japo, cuz I can go two days without rice, sometimes three. This was a pretty cool find relatively close to our hotel stay at the Doubletree Cookie Hilton. Took a looksie and they had some onigiri (phew!), Japanese drinks and bentos. My fave section would definitely be the Meiji section.

I have passed by this place a few times and thought I might as well check out the hot food section here. I think it is cool that there is a japanese market and all but this is midtown east definitely not cheap. I can go to chinatown and get stuff for more than half the price. Even pocky was mad expensive here. I ordered a shrimp soba soup and it was ok but not worth the $8.75 or whatever that I paid for it. Not many pieces of extra shrimp at all. ok, lesson learned. I will just browse for future options going to somewhere like Mallory said MITSUWA.

I think this is a really cute store that sells both grocery items and some freshly prepared food. I went for the onigiri, and I got two, they were both yummy, but it think the rice to filling ratio was a little off, there was a bit more rice it seemed, and also the seaweed itself was very stiff, it tasted stale kind of, but I don't think it was. Overall, I think it was a good deal, 2 rice balls for around $4.50. I went at 9:30 in the morning, and the cashier was really nice and friendly, we had a small conversion because there was no line ahead or behind me. After work I went back around 5:30 to grab some rice balls for my siblings, but the line was around 6 people long. I walk in, and I see the line but I don't mind waiting because it's not expensive, but after 3 minutes the line still didn't move at all, so I just put my stuff back and left the store. If you come when there's no line, then maybe you'll see the charm.

Cool place for Japanese snacks and lunch platters! We stumble pass here one night after dinner and decided to browse around. They even have bath products like shampoo, conditioner and soaps. Some stuff I don't even know what they are. The aisles are very narrow so a big bag is going to be hard to get through. Makes me want to go visit Japan!

You must put your bento and other contained foods into small plastic bags for the customer . They leak ! The young lady at the cashier did not put the hamburger bento I bought into a small plastic bag before putting it into the brown paper shopping bag. The brown bag ripped as I was walking in the rain and the hamburger sauce leaked onto my jacket and shoulder bag !! It was a mess! The other Dainobu stores do it - why can't you ?