J-Spec

Flavor doesn't match the relatively high price and fancy sounding menu. Hot temperature inside. A ton of vegetables and rice relative to the meat. Dessert taste good though. Empty place so don't need to worry about getting seat here.

Tried the $60 restaurant week menu. The quality is very poor. The roasted wagyu beef salad and the appetizer trio are just like some refrigerated fast foods from a convenience store. They taste dry and cold. Too much sauce is used. The main dish A5 Wagyu Shabu Beef Bowl is okay, but it does not worth this price. The service is not good. The waitress wanted to rush up. She brought the next dish before I finished the previous one.

My boyfriend and I went to @j.spec.wagyu.nyc for our valentine’s day dinner for this restaurant week but ended up getting their full tasting menu. It was $129 for 6 courses. I think it was worth the value for the amount and quality of food but I would not get the tasting menu again because it’s too much food to eat at one time. Wagyu TKG - 8/10 This rice bowl was rich and creamy but there were only 2 slices of wagyu and I was left craving for more. Wagyu Steak - 9/10 This was the BEST steak I’ve ever had. It was buttery, soft and literally melted in my mouth. The cut of the meat is A5 ribeye and they offered a generous portion of wagyu. Honestly I could have had 3 less pieces because it was too buttery but I definitely enjoyed every bite. J-Spec TKG -7/10 J-Spec TKG consists of uni, ikura, caviar and a poached egg. This bowl was creamy but they didn’t give much uni or caviar so those flavors get lost in the eggy rice. Also I enjoy warm dishes so I preferred the Wagyu TKG. Appetizer Trio - 7/10 The fish that came in the appetizer honestly did not taste that fresh. The tuna was definitely the freshest fish but the salmon and yellowtail was lacking. The mentaiko sauce was AMAZING and I found myself dipping the duck in the sauce to savor every last drop. The duck was also cooked well but was kind of cold. Uni Special Dish - 7/10 This was kind of like a uni handroll and it was quite delicious. The uni tasted very fresh and I liked the mix of flavors. Tomato Sherbet - 8/10 This was the most surprising dish of the night because my boyfriend and I were not expecting to enjoy it. The sherbet was slightly sweet and similar to frozen grapes. If you like tomatoes I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised. Pumpkin Pudding & Peach Panna Cotta (Not Pictured) - 6/10 I was pretty disappointed by the desserts. The peach panna cotta was too sweet and I didn’t enjoy the texture of the pumpkin pudding.

RESTAURANT WEEK REVIEW TLDR -> Not worth the $60 per person at all unfortunately. Extremely small portions and the dishes that were served were not a good representation of what the restaurant regularly serves. As seen in the pictures these portions are tiny. They're just not justifiable to charge $60 for something like this. The first course which was a cup of salad and a teaspoon of meat was when I knew this wasn't going to end well. The appetizer was 1 cherry tomato, 2 baby shrimp, and 2 dried "wagyu". Again, portion is just not it and the sauce that came on top tasted like a supermarket bought dressing. The main dish which is the beef bowl tasted like something I could buy for $8 anywhere in the city. No special taste to it at all. And lastly dessert wasn't anything special at all. By that time we just wanted to pay and get out because of the subpar experience. It was also extremely hot the whole time!!! Practically no airflow at all! It just didn't feel like they tried to give you a taste of their usual and instead made up something that would make them a quick buck. Won't be coming back.

The place is excellent. We had the stake, it was out of this world . Sake was exquisite. I enjoyed the meat which was prepared and presented with care. If you want to try wagyu stake this is the place to do it at. Authentic is the word to describe the experience. I am already planning an excuse to go out again.

Went there for restaurant week - overpriced for what it is, food was not good. No wagyu on the restaurant week menu although when we booked the table, a variety of menus for restaurant week appeared to be available to upgrade if you want steak. Bait and switch - paid $59 for a bento box that consists of 9 items and that was the main. Cream cheese (!??!!), eggplant (!?!!!?), tofu. Definitely not worth it. Due to limited selection on the restaurant week menu, we upgraded to the $150 (!!!) 6 course menu for my husband so he can try the wagyu. Wagyu was okay…I’ve been to plenty of restaurants in nyc - this is probably the most over priced I’ve been to for the quality of food you’re getting. Do yourself a favor, read my review and pass on this place

Food that melts in your mouth! The fatty tuna and wagyu beef were absolutely delicious and the best part of our meal. We savored every bite. We shared $75 bottle saki which was perfect pairing with our meal. Look at pictures of the food we ordered and description. The salad was good but they didn’t put enough dressing so the bottom of the salad didn’t have flavor. The seaweed salad was ok - there were 3 different kinds. After our meal, they gave us hot tea and we shared red bean and mango mochi ice cream. Overall we enjoyed our meal. Portions were good, it was pricey but this type of food is expensive. If I could give a 4.5 stars I would.

If you’re into wagyu or Japanese high end cuisine this is an ideal experience in NYC. Simple yet elegant meal that was surprisingly affordable considering the value. I HIGHLY recommend the wagyu flight if you’re coming here for the right reasons. Also the course menu is perfect for a special date night. Couldn’t recommend more.

Outstanding food friendly service busy staff but they are helpful recommend highly I look forward to going back

I liked this place. All the dishes were good but for some reason, it was just missing the "wow" factor, hence only 4 and not 5 stars. I did like that they sent us a special dessert and candle with a birthday sign for my husband's birthday. I was most disappointed with the sake - didn't like any of the 3 in the samples tasting. We did enjoy the uni, dashi eggplant, and of course the wagyu steak. The desserts were also good - we got the yuzu creme brûlée and the matcha tiramisu. I did like that it offered a mix of lighter options like sushi and heavier options like steak all under one roof. They also had shabu shabu options, which we didn't have space for but may try on another visit.

J Spec Wagu dining participated in RW this year and I took FULL advantage and look forward to coming back soon. I had never been to a Japanese steak house like this before! We tried: - Wagu Trio Tasting: this was such a great sampler, you can taste the high quality. It's so interesting that each piece really tasted different and paired extremely well with the individual sauces. I didn't realize all of these pieces were going to be presented cold, but this didn't bother me. - Steak Don: I ordered this for my entree and the meat was incredibly tender and flavorful. The rice was the perfect amount of sticky- I could have eaten the whole bowl of just rice and sauce but the wagu truly is a star. - Sukiyaki: my friend ordered this and I wasn't sure what to expect but WOW, the best balance of savory/sweet and cooking everything in your individual pot with broth was a fun experience. - Matcha cream pudding: not overly earthy, so light and silky, foam like. I would order this again. - Yuzu sorbet: this was good but it's a basic sorbet, nothing crazy to right home about. I'd get the matcha cream again over this. - Sake tasting ($21) I thought this was a great deal and I really liked the pairing of these with my meal! The interior has clean lines and a futuristic curved ceiling that's appealing to the look at while you dine. There are 2 sections of this small(er) restaurant. It wasn't that busy when we went but I'm always a fan of scoring a reservation to dine. Service was friendly and food came out quite fast. A great experience, I would recommend it to try atleast once if you're a fan of wagu!

Went here for a lite dinner. Was out the night before at an ayce Korean bbq and about 25 bottles of soju so beef was not on my mind at all. However... Jspec is legitimately amazing! The attention to detail with every dish shows. We ordered quite a few must haves. Reservations were made but we were early and the place was charming intimate and not too busy. Service was prompt and polite. Our meal was simply put amazing. The freshness of the fish and richness of the Uni as well as the perfectly cooked and marbled wagyu had me craving more. The uni udon is an absolute must try. Super rich and creamy it really is one of the highlights of our meal.

This place is the bomb!!!! First the aesthetics is freaking amazing and the staff is beyond amazing. The wagyu was the best I ever had. It was very tender and fresh! They even song Happy Bday to my daughter and gave her this cute desert. Cant wait to visit again

We had such a nice dinner here the other night during restaurant week. Although it's unassuming from the outside, once you walk in, you're transported to an intimate dining room with cozy lighting. We opted for the pre-fixe menu with a couple of add ons. The uni wagyu sushi was the perfect bite to start with & definitely a flavor bomb. For the main course, I preferred the A5 wagyu steak don to the roast beef with uni. The A5 was butter soft and so flavorful, while the roast beef was more chewy and dense. For dessert, we ordered the yuzu crème brûlée as well as the green tea ice cream - I love yuzu but this dish fell a bit flat and I think it would have been better if served warm. The green tea was great though. Overall, they have a really interesting menu with a lot of options at different price points. They also have a wonderful sake list. Would definitely come back for rounds 2 and 3.

I came on restaurant week and ordered combo, which contains a Steak Don, an appetizer and a dessert. The appetizer was too little. The lotus root taste the best, kimchi is okay, but the egg was too blend, we all don't like it. Everyone will get a free salad, the salad had a good dressing though. The Steak Don and Roast Beef Don didn't surprise me. Portion is too small for me. Dessert was the best! For all of them! Soy Milk Pudding was so strong and my friends all like the Yuzu & Lychee Sorbet. Yuzu Creme Brûlée and Green Tea Ice Cream were okay too. But Do not order the fries with Truffle. The fries has nothing to do with the truffle powder, they are not match, I couldn't even taste the truffle, and the fries doesn't taste good too, even worse than McDonald one. The vibe is pretty good. Service is okay, so overall I will give 4 stars.

Food: 3/5 Service: 5/5 Ambiance: 5/5 Came here for restaurant week. It was $60 a person for 3 courses. We got one of each of the prefixes and both of the wagyu dishes as the meal. Nothing too exciting about the appetizers, they tasted like any other kimchi, tofu, and lotus root we had before. We were extremely excited for the wagyu but unfortunately it did not meet our expectations. Sadly the cuts were left over for what they serve on the regular menu. The cuts provided were a low grade below 10. There was a lot of sauce on the donburis which hid the flavor of the wagyus. The only saving grace of this meal was the yuzu creme brulee. There wasn't a strong yuzu taste but it was better than the other two dishes we had.

Pricy as heck but so worth it. We loved the wagyu tempura and the sirloin wagyu (if i remember correctly) the most. Get the signature platter first to try out which cuts you like then get whatever ounce you want after of the wagyu you like. Service was great. Was able to try a sake first before ordering. Our waitress was helpful and gave suggestions as well. I'd go here for a special occasion! Small and intimate place.

The spot looked modest outside but nice inside. They were specialized in wagyu dishes and they even shown the wagyu certificate. We got three dishes: - Overstuffed wagyu sushi: the beef was thin (and cooked), the portion of rice and beef was just right, i really liked this but it was pricey - J-spec TKG and Wagyu TKG: both were delicious but they were kinda small (the pics online may make them look big but they were smaller in person) Generally, this was a nice spot for special occasions since the food was delicious but on a pricier side, so you may want to order than just three dishes we ordered to feel full. But I would def recommend this spot!

Came here for the restaurant week experience and it didn't disappoint! Interior looks absolutely gorgeous The A5 wagyu donburi bowl 4.5/5: so delicious and very filling Apple compote 4/5: the cooked apples works be rdy well here but cinnamon was a little overpowering Matcha pudding 4.5/5: very strong matcha which I love Soybean with brown sugar pudding 1/5: beware!! Literally taste like the Asian cough medicine "nin jiom pei pa koa"

The restaurant's exterior is rather unassuming, but the interior, though rather small and narrow, is pretty tasteful. Service was alright. I tried the Kobe Colada cocktail, and it was okay. The Eel Uni appetizer combines two of my three favorite sushi ingredients - very satisfying. If they can figure out how to add blue crab to it, I'd come and eat it every day! Between the Wagyu Steak Donburi and the Wagyu Roast Beef Donburi with Uni, I'd say the former is more tender but fattier and the latter is tougher/chewier. Wish it came with some veggies ad it was just beef on a bed of white rice. The Yuzu Crème Brulee was pretty standard, but the Soy Rice Pudding was very refreshing and hit the spot, be careful not to inhale the power on top though.

The atmosphere of the restaurant is elegant and refined and the staff is friendly and attentive. We ordered the A5 Wagyu Filet Mignon (3 oz) [$65] and the Wagyu TKG (a rice dish with wagyu, tartare, and a poached egg) [$26]. Since this restaurant specializes in wagyu, we had to try one of the signature wagyu steaks but I thought the rice dish was much better than the signature steak. The steak was not as tender as I would have expected and for the price, I would have wanted to get a few of the other rice / noodle dishes instead. All that being said, I am glad we tried the signature steak so we wouldn't continue wondering! One of the waitresses was extremely friendly and she also offered us some hojicha tea on the house at the end of the meal. It was a nice spot and we were surprised that we were able to get a table for 2 at 7:30 PM on a Friday night.

Wow. Just wow. It's everything you can hope for and the prices for the ingredients is beyond fair. The uni is from Hokkaido and so is the meat. Certificate and all as proof. Honestly and selfishly I wish they had more options. Sadly I wasn't able to get everything but I think we got the best options. Will come back here in a heartbeat. The service was great and the staff was super friendly. The place is small but I think it's what made it so special. Really liked it.

I've been wanting to try this place for a while now but never found myself in the area. When I saw they had a restaurant week menu, friends and I decided to make the trek out to east village just for it and it was definitely worth it! We all loved our Wagyu dons and I really liked my yuzu lychee sorbet. Service was a little slow as we had to wave our waitress down a few times, but I understand it was busy during dinner rush and with restaurant week on top of it. Would love to come back for their normal menu one day!

This was the best wagyu I've ever had. The steak literally melted in my mouth. Wagyu tends to be fatty but this one had the same flavor of fat but without fat on the meat. Usually the oil would hurt my stomach but this one was such high quality that it was not oily. I definitely could of ate a second bowl! The second photo is the matcha pudding. Tasty rich matcha!!! Definitely needed seconds of everything

Came here looking forward to the food. The seaweed salad was good. The fish quality not so much. The don was decent. The wagyu nothing special about it. Seasoning was bland. The grab salad was pretty good. For the price we paid it was not worth it for the quality and flavor of the food.

Came here for restaurant week to try out this restaurant and to say I was disappointed is a understatement. The appetizer "wagyu trio" was so thin, small portioned and tasted like cured ham more than A5 wagyu. We got the A5 waygu don for the entree and the meat quality was better BUT it was not 4 oz as mentioned. The meat was cut super thin like hotpot meat thin (paper thin) and with heaping amount of rice. I ate the meat with rice and still finished the meat with 75% of rice remaining that had no remaining sauce, disappointing. The best thing was the dessert just because I have a personal liking to the flavor yuzu the sherbet was nice and tart. But this meal WAS NOT WORTH $60 biggest RIP OFF. We had to go to another restaurant to get another meal to get full. Save yourself the money and disappointment, don't come here. Their "waygu" is not wagyu quality, I have had wayyyy better. Restaurant week is a great opportunity to gain customers to come back for the full menu, but they failed to cease this opportunity. I'm no longer interested in this restaurant, nor would I ever recommend anyone.

I came here today to try out the restaurant week menu! It was definitely an enjoyable meal, and I do like the decor of the place! It felt quite intimate, which was perfect for date night! My boyfriend and I got the Home-made Kimuchi Salad and the Renkon Spicy Kinpira for our appetizers. For our mains, we got the A5 Japanese Wagyu + American Wagyu Steak Don and the A5 Japanese Wagyu Roast Beef and Uni Don. However, after finishing our entrees, we realized we weren't full, so we ordered the Spicy Cod Roe Udon for the regular menu. And to end the meal, we shared the Soy Milk Pudding and the Sorbet! The appetizers were very small. When the server brought it out, we didn't even realize they were our appetizers. We thought they might've been side dishes or something because we expected more from them. The taste and quality were fine, but nothing special. A5 Japanese Wagyu + American Wagyu Steak Don (8.5/10): I wish the staff explained which of the steak was from which wagyu because we couldn't really tell ourselves. Each piece was very tender and buttery. My boyfriend said he wish there was less of the sauce because it was sweet and he wanted something more savory instead. But the quality of the wagyu was definitely unmatched! A5 Japanese Wagyu Roast Beef + Uni (9/10): It would've been a 10/10 but I feel like the portion was quite small for the price. There weren't as much pieces of roast beef here compared to the other steak bowl. I do love roast beef and I feel like they executed it really well! I think the dish would be even better if they had an egg instead of the uni, but that's just my preference! Spicy Cod Roe Udon (9/10): Again, the portion size was small. The taste was great and I love how chewy the udon noodles were. The cod roe really shone through in the dish, and it's definitely my favourite version of cod roe udon! The desserts were good! The Soy Milk Pudding (7/10) was too sweet for me, and I wish the pudding was a little more solidified. The Sorbet (10/10) was so refreshing and had the perfect amount of sweetness! Overall, we enjoyed our time here! The staff was a little hard to get a hold of at times, but I think that's because there were only 2 waitresses. I wish the portion size was bigger, but that's my only complaint. I'd love to come back and try their other dishes though!

My boyfriend and I came here for Valentine's Day and had such a great time. Although wagyu is generally very expensive, J-Spec offers relatively unique and affordable options so that you can try all the different ways it can be presented! We had a reservation at 8:30 p.m. but came 10 minutes late, and they were still able to seat us relatively quickly. We almost missed the entrance because the outside door didn't seem to stand out to us, but upon entering, we were in love with the interior. The curved wooden panels that reach the ceiling, the warm lighting, and even the way the chopsticks were presented made us really appreciate the ambiance. We started with the Sunshine and the Pina Colada, and these cocktails did not disappoint. Both were so refreshing! We ordered the overstuffed wagyu sushi, 3 oz of the Ozaki Beef Striploin, J-Spec TKG, and Wagyu TKG. WOW! I really did get the impression that they were experts at serving wagyu. Each bite melted in my mouth, and I could tell they had different ways to prepare each type of wagyu dish that we had. The Ozaki beef was sooo soft, but my favorite personal bite was the Overstuffed Wagyu Sushi. Although the poached egg mixed well with the seafood components of the J-Spec TKG, I think it might have been the only dish I would not order again just because they do wagyu sooo much better. We ended our dinner by ordering "dessert" aka one of their Valentine's Day cocktails to share, but the staff was kind enough to give us another one on the house! And honestly, it really did feel like a dessert considering how good and sweet it was. Although we paid a pretty penny to dine here, it was well worth it considering the fact that we were eating wagyu. The wagyu dishes were done so well, and I would definitely be willing to come back!

Esora omakase review only: A solid four-star experience that will rank higher in your memory bank by not being focused on seafood like every other omakase. - Sakizuke, Sashimi, Wagyu Sushi: Delicious and quick. You'll fly by these courses unless you're doing the sake pairing. - Tempura: Here's where things really slow down, as Chef Koichi Endo worked at the Michelin-starred Tempura Matsui for years and clearly brought some of that experience here. Expect more than 10 individual pieces covering seafood from Japan, seasonal vegetables and wagyu beef--plus a few add-on options should you wish to splurge (we added the hen of the woods for +$8). This course will take about an hour to complete. - Mushimono, Wagyu Steak, Finishing Touch: The chawanmushi was very unique given that it was mixed with foie gras to give it extra creaminess. I would just remove the sliced scallop up top, as it was dry and overcooked. We opted to splurge again for the Wagyu Steak and try the Kobe Beef (+$40) and Ozaki Beef (+$25)--because hey, we're at J-Spec after all! Both were delicious fatty and seared to perfection without any heavy-handed seasoning. The Finishing Touch was a seafood fried rice with black truffle, accompanied by piping hot miso soup. Simple, hearty, lovely. - Matcha / Dessert: Always love a good, hot cup of matcha as a palate cleanser and nutrient booster. The dessert was a yuzu sorbet topped with fresh berries/fruit and syrup. I never expect much from omakase desserts, so this was fine. If nothing else, yuzu sorbet is also the perfect palate cleanser. Service was super friendly and attentive, as it always is at these places.

I had the opportunity to try this spot out with my gf during restaurant week. They offered a four course dining experience for $60. Face value, this sounded like a terrific deal given how expensive Japanese Wagyu can get. First Course: Essentially a salad appetizer. Wagyu Roast Beef Salad - essentially two slices of roast beef and the rest is salad. Snow Crab Salad - same concept, but with snow crab meat. I think this one was more worth it than the other. As I mentioned, this was literally just a salad. Second Course: A sampler of appetizers. Roast Duck Breast/Broccoli with Anchovies/Spicy Tuna - I enjoyed the roast duck breast and the spicy tuna. The broccoli (literally one piece) was nothing special. Wagyu Brisket Bacon/Cherry Tomato with Yogurt Sauce/Shrimp Cocktails - I'd go with this choice over the previous as it's more worth it. It was cool we got to try various different items, but it was just one or two pieces. Third Course: The entree with comes with seasoned pickles and miso soup. Essentially you will be full because the bowls are half filled with rice. Can't really go wrong with the choices: Traditional A5 Wagyu Shabu Beef Bowl or the A5 Wagyu Shabu Beef Bowl with Vinaigrette Vegetables. Fourth Course: Dessert! May have been the best part of the four course meal. The choices were Soy Milk Pudding Coated with Black Sugar Syrup & Red Bean Paste, Seasonal Fruit Salad with Vanilla Ice Cream, or Tiramisu. Overall it was a good experience where you got to sample various items they had to offer. On the other hand, I felt that they were not truly showcasing what they really had to offer. There was a lot of fluff and very minimal wagyu utilized in all the dishes. In all, restaurant week may not be suitable for this establishment.

This is the review for the restaurant week menu. Food is just ok but not overwhelming. I know restaurant week they won't serve you any premium food but it's little disappointing with the entrees. I feel like I'm eating at Yoshinoya. The wagyu beef is little dry. I think if they separate the beef, veggies and rice in different dishes maybe better. $60 set dinner can have many choices better than this.

Me and my boyfriend reserved a spot here on Valentine's Day for a fancy dinner date. I loved the interior of the restaurant and it was the perfect intimate date spot. We ordered the Wagyu tartare donburi, wagyu vinaigrette vegetable rolls, ozaki beef striploin. Although the dishes took a long time to come out, I have to say it was one of the best steaks I've ever had! The meat was so soft, tender, and melts in your mouth. I highly recommend the wagyu here and would love to come back again!

All I can say is this place is authentic the server does present a certificate of authenticity where they get there wagyu from and from experience best wagyu I've had and worth every dollars. This place is smaller than expected but I guess smaller space pack a huge quality.

Came here on a Friday night for dinner for 3 people. Amazing food and service was spectacular. The staff will answer all your questions and was very friendly. She recommended options for me without me asking. Great attention to detail too. The food was so delicious. My favorite was definitely the signature flight and the Wagyu TKG bowl.

Only a couple of days left for restaurant week in NYC. I think this place is pretty good if you order the right dish, otherwise, a little expensive. Chicken salad is pretty okay, thanks to the sauce. The tofu salad sauce is very bland. The wagyu steak donburi is the go-to for your main dish: better cut of meat, more food. The wagyu roast beef uni donburi is meh; I would other the other one unless you really want uni. I don't like either dessert, maybe tiramisu or matcha pudding would have been a better option. We also order the overstuffed wagyu sushi that is pretty good as well.

We had restaurant week at J-Spec with reservations. Servers were friendly and seated us to our table immediately. Food was delicious especially the A5 Waygu Steak Donburi; the meat melted in my mouth. The place is beautiful! Would definitely come back!

Could easily say this is our favorite restaurant in New York City. We have visited J-spec many times this past year, in small (2-3 people) as well as mid-sized groups (6-8 people). The menu selection is amazing. I think we tried almost everything on the menu and loved every one of them (esp. the Ozaki steak, the shoyu simmered wagyu and the wagyu TKG). Their staff are super nice and friendly, always ready to answer any questions we may have, or offer their suggestions on wine or sake options. Pricing is really reasonable for A5 wagyu, and they even have options below $20 (if it's your first time and you don't want to break the bank). The restaurant also has a nice casual atmosphere, for sure not a formal steakhouse white table cloth kind of dinner, so you can actually relax and just enjoy the good food. TLDR; nice place, amazing people, yummy food!

The best steak I ever had. You can't experience Japanese wagyu anywhere. This place is legit, from when you walk in throughout the dining experience, to when you leave. Knock knock, いっらしゃいませ ! *Did I just teleport into Japan from the streets of NYC???* The restaurant is small but beautifully decorated. The design is peaceful, centering. The heck why am I suddenly imagining a Cherry Blossom Festival. The menu - get the uni kani ikura don buri. SO FRESH. Did I just drink sea water from Hokkaido?? Who knows. For your entree, you GOTTA get the 9 Oz Wagyu ribeye. THE MENU SHARES DETAILS ABOUT THE COW AND BREED AND EVERYTHING. Honor the cow. Get the wagyu ribeye. It's the best steak you have ever eaten. Cant afford it? Eat cup ramen for a month if you have to. Look, this is not just steak. This is Japanese wagyu. This is Cow #364. This is a relationship - a connection in time between you and Cow-San. Respect Cow-San Overall: 五 / 五

My boyfriend and I went to @j.spec.wagyu.nyc for our valentine's day dinner for this restaurant week but ended up getting their full tasting menu. It was $129 for 6 courses. I think it was worth the value for the amount and quality of food but I would not get the tasting menu again because it's too much food to eat at one time. Wagyu TKG - 8/10 This rice bowl was rich and creamy but there were only 2 slices of wagyu and I was left craving for more. Wagyu Steak - 9/10 This was the BEST steak I've ever had. It was buttery, soft and literally melted in my mouth. The cut of the meat is A5 ribeye and they offered a generous portion of wagyu. Honestly I could have had 3 less pieces because it was too buttery but I definitely enjoyed every bite. J-Spec TKG -7/10 J-Spec TKG consists of uni, ikura, caviar and a poached egg. This bowl was creamy but they didn't give much uni or caviar so those flavors get lost in the eggy rice. Also I enjoy warm dishes so I preferred the Wagyu TKG. Appetizer Trio - 7/10 The fish that came in the appetizer honestly did not taste that fresh. The tuna was definitely the freshest fish but the salmon and yellowtail was lacking. The mentaiko sauce was AMAZING and I found myself dipping the duck in the sauce to savor every last drop. The duck was also cooked well but was kind of cold. Uni Special Dish - 7/10 This was kind of like a uni handroll and it was quite delicious. The uni tasted very fresh and I liked the mix of flavors. Tomato Sherbet - 8/10 This was the most surprising dish of the night because my boyfriend and I were not expecting to enjoy it. The sherbet was slightly sweet and similar to frozen grapes. If you like tomatoes I think you'll be pleasantly surprised. Pumpkin Pudding & Peach Panna Cotta (Not Pictured) - 6/10 I was pretty disappointed by the desserts. The peach panna cotta was too sweet and I didn't enjoy the texture of the pumpkin pudding.

This is a lateee review. I came here for restaurant week with my boyfriend back in August. He raved to me about the wagyu, so I was extremely excited to try it out! We opted for the $125 signature experience, which was a 5 course meal. We started off appetizers and opted for the wagyu tamagoyaki and the homemade tofu with uni. The tamagoyaki was ok, nothing spectacular but I enjoyed the tofu and uni. For our second course, we got the wagyu sashimi and the wagyu macaron. Both were good! For entrees, our server told us about the Ozaki Beef steak and we knew we had to try it. We ordered one and got the regular A5 wagyu steak as well. Let me tell you... this PREMIUM A5 Ozaki Beef made the regular A5 wagyu taste like plain old steak. It was the best beef I'd ever had and really almost melts in your mouth. If you've never tried it before, definitely check it out. It was a 35$ surcharge but worth every cent. The 4th course was a rice dish- TKG. It had uni, ikura, caviar and a poached egg over rice. I appreciated having this dish because it made me full! For our desserts, I wanted to try the earl grey panna cotta, but they were out so we tried the key lime cheese mousse and mochi ice cream. The key lime was actually really good! I don't usually like key lime as it's normally a little too tart for me, but this was balanced so well. Overall, the meal was fantastic as was the service! I'm not sure I'd come back unless I had a special occasion planned but amazing experience!

I love this restaurant because of the cheaper price for overstuffed wagyu uni (2 for $24), I love getting many appetizers here. I love their desserts and their wide variety of menu, they have so many selections to try and even have really good desserts. Their affordable prices makes me want to keep coming back here compared to other restaurants. They have high grade Wagyu and also more affordable selections. I always crave for this place, probably my favorite restaurant in NYC.

My husband and I recently tried J-Spec for restaurant week, and we both thought it was definitely worth the $60 value. I did read a few reviews that stated that the portions were small, but we did not find that to be the case at all, especially in terms of the wagyu entree. The pre-fixe comes with a choice of salad, entree, and dessert. The salads that we opted for were unremarkable (shrimp salad for me and chicken salad for my husband), but they tasted fresh and I appreciated that they were not overly dressed. We both got the wagyu steak for our entrees, and it was delicious. Buttery, well seasoned, and perfectly cooked. For dessert I had the matcha pudding, and my husband had the apple compote. They were both tasty and not overly sweet. We also shared the stuffed wagyu sushi as an appetizer, which was incredible. Generous with the wagyu again and nicely balanced with the crispy nori. Overall it was among the better restaurant week experiences we have had.

We loved our meal here and tried a little bit of everything: -Age-Dashi Fried Lotus Root Dumpling: I really enjoyed this, but my husband didn't love this. -Chicken kara-age with Spicy Scallion Sauce: this was amazing! The chicken was so crispy and the sauce was delicious. -Overstuffed Wagyu Sushi: this was amazing and you should definitely get this -Garden Salad: this was so simple but the dressing was amazing and the lettuce was so fresh -A5 OZAKI Striploin: this steak was amazing and melted in your mouth -Wagyu carpacio: this was very good but not amazing Overall, I would definitely recommend this restaurant

I waited over 24hrs to write this review. I ate the leftovers to make sure... The pictures make the place look cleaner and bigger (and newer) than it actually is. The service was also fine. But $60 for restaurant week dinner and essentially what is a lunch time beef bowl is a little ridiculous. Restaurant week is suppose to introduce you to some featured items on the menu to get you to come back for more. I had been following the restaurant on IG and the place came highly recommended by a friend. I was very disappointed by everything I was served. It tasted like it has been prepared and refrigerated for quick service. The "wagyu" beef was dry and tasted like it was slightly reheated for serving.

I forgot a picture of the most important dish: Wagyu! In 2021 I've been on a quest to try each steak type/cut. I've never really eaten steak or understood the art behind the chart beyond a sirloin. I took my guest to this restaurant week intimate restaurant that looked cute and quaint and had a beef I recently learned about on a TV show: Wagyu. I heard it was one of the most expensive types of steak so I was excited to see if it was worth it. Honestly, I was nervous to eat my first medium rare beef but it was really deliciously flavored. I liked it! Service was excellent. I was called regarding my reservation a couple instances which I appreciated and they were very accommodating and pleasant and fast to serve. The salad was excellent. The dessert was different but yummy. That was my first mochi and the chewyness isn't my fave but the mango ice cream was yum. Go, enjoy!

So good. I'm not a huge meat eater but went with a couple of friends. Out of everything I ordered I was really impressed by the Overstuffed Wagyu Sushi -- so many different flavors and textures. It was more like a hand roll so lots packed in one bite. I got one of the Donburis so it was nice to try some uni/caviar/roe. I enjoyed the ribeye, very well cooked and paired well with the ginger sauce they gave us. They included a complimentary tiramisu dessert and we also got the soy pudding which was my personal favorite. Total cost for me was ~$110 so definitely expensive but would be good for maybe a date night or special occasion!

If this app allowed for 6 star ratings then I would give J-Spec 7 stars. The staff was incredibly kind and arguably serves the highest quality steak in the city, altogether it was an amazing night. Not only would I recommend their food to all my friends, I would say it's a requirement for every single person in NYC. Steak absolutely rocked my socks!

Pleasant ambience, friendly staff, and fantastic food. We came during Restaurant Week and ordered from the Restaurant Week lunch menu. To start, a salad with a fantastic dressing. The meat was good but the dressing was the star of the show. And the entree was a beef bowl accompanied by miso soup and both freshly cooked and pickled vegetables. It sounds plain but the beef was absolutely delicious. The sauce and rice were likewise an excellent pairing. I'd come back to this restaurant just to get a similar dish. Overall, some of the best and well priced beef I've had in a while, and worth a return visit.

Made a reservation for restaurant week and was seated quickly. It was the Best signature 5-course dining experience thus far! service was great! 1st course: A5 Wagyu roast beef salad & A5 Wagyu Tamagoyaki 2nd course: A5 Wagyu sashimi, Uni & chutoro sashimi, & A5 Wagyu Macaron 3rd course: A5 Wagyu steak & premium A5 ozaki beef (my fav) 4th course: J-Spec TKG 5th course: key lime cheese mousse & earl grey panna cotta The ume and yuzu soda is a must. Definitely coming back for more ozaki beef and trying more items!

Came here for restaurant week and it was shockingly underwhelming. The staff are super nice. The food was subpar at most. We each ordered the 5 course $125 I enjoyed the 1st and 2nd course. 1st course was the roast beef salad and the 2nd was the Waygu sashimi. Not anything special but good. The following courses were bad. My waygu steak was over cooked and chewy. It was so disappointing. We were so excited to try this place and the special Waygu dishes but after the other night we are Lilly not returning. Dessert was good but not anything special. You can find mochi that was served here at your local grocery store in the frozen food section.

We came here as a recommendation from a social media food account! This place did not disappoint! Also-- BYOB! The food - if you want bangin' wagyu but also different options, look no further than J-spec. We ordered the wagyu flight as our main entree, salmon roll and wagyu,Uni,caviar roll as appetizers, and grilled veggies and rice as our sides. Wagyu was THE best. I really enjoyed the buttery melt in your mouth meat that was part of the flight, but the "American style" was equally delicious. I loved the different condiments/sauces that it came with - all of which were house made. The appetizers were phenomenal. The place was clean, staff was friendly. I loved that there were outdoor and indoor options for seating. Overall this place was fantastic. I'd definitely come back here for a special occasion.

Hands down best steak I've ever had. We ordered the Wagyu Flight and it included the famed Ozaki A5 striploin. The flight was perfect if you want to taste the different cuts of wagyu. For our appetizers we had the blistered shishito peppers and the overstuffed wagyu sushi, they were quite good and not too heavy. We finished off with a refreshing lychee coconut mousse, and a fruit jelly. Service was also attentive and nice. I highly recommend checking this place out, esp if you are a steak lover.

We got the restaurant week $60 dinner set! Appetizers: roast beef, crab salad When I heard the preset here was A5, I wasn't expecting almost cured beef, but that's what it is! The flavor was good, but I thought The crab won here. The latter had excellent flavor, but the beef salad had a vinaigrette that made the actual salad part more delicious. It was a refreshing appetizer. First course: roast duck+anchovy broccoli+spicy tuna scoop, beef brisket bacon+tomato with yogurt+shrimp cocktail My favorites were the duck, anchovy broccoli, and shrimp cocktail, while my partner enjoyed the duck, spicy tuna, and tomato with yogurt! So across the board, the dishes were good but up to your own preferences. I thought each flavor was interesting, but was only truly impressed with the anchovy broccoli. Main course: traditional shabu beef bowl, traditional vinegar beef bowl (both comes with miso soup and pickled cucumber) Both were really good! The traditional shabu beef bowl had that japchae-esque taste with vinegar and bell pepper, while the traditional vinegar had a radish scoop that added that extra something to each bite. These bowls were super filling. Dessert: soy milk pudding, sugar soaked fresh fruit with vanilla ice cream These were both great! People with a sweet teeth and those without can enjoy both of these without complaint, because they're not overwhelming at all but do a good job at satisfying that final touch to a meal. I personally preferred the milk pudding though--tasted a little more professional to make. Ambiance was also really cute. The venue is cute but comfy, and the decoration made me feel like I was in a bamboo bowl. Service was great too. Everything was served at the right pace, and the staff was attentive. Strangely though, for a nice place, they played 2010s pop music lol. Overall, would definitely recommend for a date night. However, those looking to have some big beef chunks might want to look at other options on the menu. Taste: 4/5 Value: 5/5 Ambiance: 4.5/5

J-spec was on my list to try for awhile now. My friend was able to get a reservation for 8pm and it was not as busy as I thought, which I like. My friend has been here before so he did most of the food ordering. When we were deciding on what to drink, the waitress was very friendly and offered us a taste to two different bottles of sake so we ended up getting their newest addition (I forgot the name but it is not on their menu yet). The food came out really quick, especially the hand rolls and each hand roll was delicious. the meat was cooked perfectly and the fish was very fresh. Definitely recommend coming here for a date night or a small group gathering. Food: 5/5 Service: 5/5

Came here on a date. was able to make reservations that night a few hours ahead of time. Was a bit difficult to find at first on the street as we passed by. Was the first people in the restaurant around 6pm. The place is very clean and seating was comfortable, overall a nice environment. We decided to get the course menu for the night which was $125 (feb 2022). Course Menu Appetizer Trio - Bee, Fish, Veggies Uni Special Dish Wagyu Steak - A5 Ribeye or Ozaki Beef +$25 Tomato Sherbet Rice - JSpec TKG or Wagyu TKG or Unagi *Ochazuke Dessert - Apple compote, Pumpkin pudding, YOgurt Mousse w/ peach sauce, azuki mochi ice-cream (red bean), or Green tea mochi ice-cream What we got from the Course Menu that night (Feb 2022) Appetizer Trio - Good appetizer, nothing stood out Uni Special Dish - also good Wagyu Steak - A5 Ribeye and Ozaki Beef - we thought was amazing, melted in our mouths Tomato Sherbet - I personally liked this, very sweet as I would have never expected frozen and sugar coated tomatos to taste that good Rice - JSpec TKG and Wagyu TKG - good dish, enjoyed it Dessert - Apple compote, Mousse (sweet potato) - apple compote was good but the sweet potato mouse was MEH, kinda bland. For some reason they didnt have the peach sauce yogurt mousse...highly recommend against it if they give you this option! As a surprise they gave us another dessert cause it was a "special date" so that's amazing customer service! I feel some places dont read special requests or whatnot but this place does! Overall great experience and attentive wait staff!

J-Spec has been popular among Asian communities for its restaurant week special- Wagyu bento box with a side salad. It's totally a super great deal and you can feel that the owner takes the event seriously. We did a pick-up order via Grubhub with assigned time and the process went smoothly. There is a limit of 50 orders per day for the RW offer. We were amazed by their brilliant and artsy decor when we picked up our orders and we definitely will visit when the indoor dining is available. The waygu beef was cooked properly and the portion was amazingly competitive but we couldn't finish them ourselves since they are kind of greasy when you have too much.

Awesome! We had the wagyu+uni+caviar temaki, the tuna yukhwe, the steak flight that consisted of 6oz A5 Ozaki (Miyazaki) wagyu tenderloin & 6oz wagyushu filet mignon, the bara chirashi, the sakura panna cotta, and the yuzu sorbet. Honestly, everything was fantastic, comparable to high-end restaurants in Japan, and very reasonably priced! They serve real wasabi with both the steak flight and bara chirashi, and even give otoro in the $26 bara chirashi! Super friendly service from the Japanese staff, and I actually prefer that it's BYOB (there's a liquor store around the corner and you don't get typical wine markups). We'll be back!

Ordered take out for restaurant week for their steak set for $20.21. The steak was melt in your mouth. Though it needed a pinch of salt, the sweet soy sauce gave the steak a lighter taste. Overall, the beef was exceptional. The packaging was nicely packaged, the food and service were A5 (quality). I highly recommend calling them to ask about this restaurant week deal. They're extending it through February. Call ahead to schedule a pick up. When I called to pick up for a weekend, they ran out so I ordered for a weekday. When I got there, at 6, I waited till 6:20pm for the food to be ready as was everyone else, but it was worth the wait! Great value, definitely check it out!