Japonica

This was our first time coming to Japonica and it was a mother's day lunch/dinner for 4. The seating was intimate, the service was excellent & the food perfect. There are seasonal options and regular favorites when you think of sushi/sashimi. This location is ideal for small groups (2-6) or if you're on your own. From appetizers to dessert, we were absolutely pleased. I look forward to returning.

Fantastic uber-fresh sushi 🍣 and wonderful efficient service make this place my #1 for sushi! Excellent quality! I got here when it opened and within 35 minutes, the restaurant was completely filled. I highly recommend Japonica!

The sushi is really amazing here, it’s just that it’s very expensive. It’s a cute little place and I would recommend it. For lunch they have lunch specials not the cheapest lunch special you can find, but I would definitely want to go here again because everything looking beautiful and fresh. There’s some things on the menu that I’ve probably never seen before in a Japanese menu that’s what makes this place unique, and authentic.

Was happy to try this place for sushi but was a bit disappointed with how small their rolls were. The California roll only came with 6 very very small rolls and is only served with crab and avocado… I had to ask to include cucumber. They tasted good.. nothing out of the ordinary in terms of great sushi.

Extensive menu! It took some time to figure out what we wanted, but after we did it was excellent! Nice waiters!

Amazing small restaurant who do not take reservations, walk-ins only. I have been here with my girlfriend, sat at the sushi bar table. The overall experience was fantastic: great food and great service. Paid 110$ + tip for two persons with hot sake and a lot of sushi, rolls and a snow crab roll. Note to the owner: give Mr. Alex a raise, he deserves it!

Friendly service. First visit in quite a while, ate outside during the pandemic and they have a nice set up, sturdy shelter and electric heaters. I had the sushi deluxe which was pretty good and my friend had the bento dinner, which he enjoyed. I will definitely be back to give it another try.

The fish is always fresh here. The technique for making sushi and other Japanese food itens is pretty much as good as it gets. Highly recommended

I LOVE THIS PLACE!!! I am still sitting here inside the restaurant writing my reverie because it's so great. I came for lunch and loved the environment. It's quiet and relaxing and feels authentic, like a date night spot in an early 2000s romance film. I got the lunch special, it was SUCH A GREAT PRICE FOR GREAT FOOD IN NEW YORK! Excellent excellent food it was so good and I was so full I couldn't even finish it all! the service was great, the employees are kind and welcoming. Live laugh love japonica

Small, quaint Japanese restaurant located just south of Union Square. The sushi selections were a little pricey but the Bento Box was not bad. We had one with the Tempura as the entree selection and one with the (cooked) Salmon - both were pretty good. The service was friendly and we were able to dine at a comfortable pace.

It's okay. It's very expensive for decent but not great sushi - $70 pp for lunch with no alcoholic beverages. The server laughed at me when I asked for a water with no ice or straw. It's not bad but I don't feel the need to return.

Very good longstanding traditional Japanese restaurant in west village/NYU area. Always busy. Extremely consistent and good, food and service. Comfortable, clean, orderly. An efficient retreat of a place.

Meh. mediocre sushi made out of good quality fish. Overpriced, there are many better choices. A shadow of its former self.

I've been coming to Japonica since it opened in the mid to late 70's, and while their prices historically have been on the higher side, the food quality justified those prices. Sadly, that's no longer the case these past few years. Tonight, my father and I both had their $40 prix fixe bento boxes, and while the sushi was (just) OK, the other items were quite mediocre, particularly the mushy, tasteless veggie potstickers. My "mini unagi donburi" tasted like leftover little chunks from last weekend, recycled over a little bowl of rice with BBQ sauce. There were also a number of ambiguities in the menu that our server seemed to have difficulty explaining. After having given this place more than three chances to redeem themselves this past year, I think that we are going to move on in search of better Japanese fare in the Village.

Our favorite sushi place in Manhattan. It's been in business since the 70's they moved back to their original location a few years ago. I love their lunch special, it's a great deal for a bento box. Probably my favorite thing on the menu is the snow crab handroll on the special menu. Super high quality sushi and a nice menu

This review is for the food. My husband and I both got sick. Terrible. I'm not sure if it's the fish or maybe the preparation of the food

AVOID JAPONICA - IT AIN'T WHAT IT USED TO BE. I walked into Japonica last night solo. After a long while I was finally asked if I wanted a drink. About 20 minutes later my waiter asked my order. I ordered Shumai and was told "Oh no, the wait is 15 minutes". I wasn't in a hurry but ordered gyoza instead. 5 minutes later a couple walked in. They ordered shumai and rolls. My gyoza came at the same time as their Shumai. Their rolls came before mine. My rolls were also just ok. I paid. I left. I'm never going back. YOU GUYS REALLY SUCKED LAST NIGHT. AVOID!

Been here a dozen times it used to be amazing but been slowly going down hill- prices have increased, portions and quality has decreased imho- is still better than average but there are better places given the cost -

Japonica used to be a special place but now, sadly, it has become a sub standard sushi joint. The sushi rice was sweet like sugar and the fish was mediocre at best. I'll miss the old Japonica:(

Perennially reliable, informal Japanese dining option in Greenwich Village. Graceful transition from founder and long time operator to new owners.

Very good , very traditional sushi restaurant near Union Square. Food is good, but overpriced Service is reasonable Not too noisy

This used to be the best sushi place by far in Greenwich village. It is now hardly recognizable as the same place. The sushi is badly made, falls apart as soon as you touch it. The appetizer sushi portions are small at higher prices and the service is inattentive at best. The take out tastes as if the sushi were sitting around for an hour on counter. Miss the old japonica.

So not worth the price. I don't mind paying for good food but this a regular sushi spot. Two eel and avocado hand roll cost me $25.00. Really? It tasted like every other eel and avocado hand roll I ever had. Maybe other foods are worth it but not this. Saki was good but then again just like every other other Saki I ever had. The atmosphere is also a bit dark, not sure why. I just wasn't impressed.

Been coming here for at least 20 years but crossing it off the list once and for all. Food has been ok but the service is poor at best. Waiter was inattentive, disorganized and forgetful but everyone has an off night, right? No biggy. Paid the check and waiter approached us to say "cash for tip." Ok ... left 20% (more than he deserved). As we left he ran after us on the sidewalk to say " not enough / this doesn't cover it. I told him too bad - he says "f--- you". Incredible. Never again.

Let me just say that this restaurant had the tastiest California roll I have ever tasted. Who knew such a "basic" roll could be done so well?! I've walked by this restaurant so many times and didn't realize it had been around for so long. Finally got the chance to come here for lunch on a weekday. The lunch specials might be a little pricey (about $17-$20), but the portion is so worth it. I ordered a bento box that came with edamame, salad, pineapple slices, a California roll, and udon noodles in hot broth. I was left feeling super full by the end and didn't even end up finishing the salad/pineapple. The restaurant itself is smallish but cozy and service was good! I would definitely come back for lunch or dinner.

I have been to japonica a few times these past few years and was always delighted. Last night was not the case. Although the service was very nice, the partitions between tables a nice and safe addition, the sushi platter was not the best I've had to say the least. You could tell that it was not the freshest fish, edible yes, but not great. The miso soup was very hot and yummy. The place offers a seating area outside and just a few tables inside.

Japonica used to be a wonderful spot to get a quality Japanese meal. When the restaurant moved to it's current location a few years ago, it went very far downhill. I believe that the lovely couple that owned this place sold it because I don't see them anymore in the neighborhood. The last time I ordered some sushi several years ago, the fish glowed in the dark. The tempura is now made with very cheap ingredients and overall food quality is dirt poor. The staff is also very rude. I stopped patronizing this restaurant years ago and haven't yet found a good neighborhood Japanese place to fit my culinary expectations. What a shame.

I've been coming for the lunch special and it is amazing and never disappoints. I get the combination with salmon collar.

Japonica is fine! If you're going for casual sushi - this is a great place. The service was EXTREMLEY slow- but once you got them there food started coming. I got the dinner bento box and it was a hearty amount of food for $35. I am pleasantly surprised by this hole in the wall! (From @tastessky on Instagram)

The Bowling Alley, Pizzeria and Japonica disappeared for a new building. After years I discovered a new Japonica in a nearby store front. Parking (6pm) across the street, I was surprised by a new decor. We were seated and before long the restaurant was full. Service was good. Food authentic and excellent. I did not experience any service delays and in fact it was nice not to be rushed. I marveled how such a small place could feed so many people. Japonica as remembered and happily renewed.

All I'm gonna say is don't order the "seasonal fried oyster" it was so god damn smelly and tasted horrible. The lemon doesn't even help the smelly flavor of the oyster. It wasn't a fishy smell. It smells like it's gone bad.. like rotten eggs you fished out from the sewer.

Excellent sushi and teriyaki plus vegan options good service in a cozy room great lGreenwich Village ocation

Japonica is my all time favorite restaurant for years n years. . Sushi bar is open. Sakura roll is my my favorite. The pieces literally melted in my mouth. The fish was so fresh; as always. Absolutely delicious. I always get a miso soup, small hose salad, large sake and Sakura roll m green tea ice cream. Great food n great service. Support your local mom n pop establishments in NYC!

My uncle and I have been going here for many years and it's our favorite sushi spot in union square. Amazing quality fish, and other Japanese cuisine. It's definitely on the pricey side but the food is worth it if you can budge on the wallet.

Haven't been here in a couple of years and was sad to see that the food quality has deteriorated greatly. Service was as kind as ever, and this has been one of my go to places for aburri )seared) sushi. Today, I found my lunch to be not the best tasting fish but also poorly seared. Their sauces were good, but the fish (sable, salmon, yellowtail and blue fin tuna) were all very tough and extremely fishy. Without enough sear, each piece was missing the much needed contrast of warm and charcoaled versus the cool. And the cool pieces of fish were of really low quality, so as to not stand on their own as sushi. Sadly, $57 for four poorly prepared pieces means I won't be back. There are many better options for your time and money.

Do NOT go here especially if doing takeout or delivery they forget absolutely everything most of the time and act nasty when you want your account credited for stuff you already paid for and did not receive! This place has gone downhill over the years sushi quality has dropped as well as a few other things. it's sad to see a neighborhood staple decline like this. I realize there's more important things going on in the world I know -but if we're talking about this specific place I would go elsewhere!!! also very nasty response when you try to get your message across or get credited for stuff -They actually hung up on us when we were asking questions about getting our money back! just lame all around don't go here it's a ripoff!!

Really good sashimi at Japonica. Also try the fried shumai it's delicious. We come here often and can usually get a table, but it does get very crowded. They do not rush you out and the prices are reasonable for the area.

Best chirashi in town, a bit pricey but a lot of good food included! Service is a bit slow but that is normal for a classic sushi restaurant.

I don't usually review. However, my experience at Japonica the other evening was not good at all. I have been coming here for +20 years. Originally, I found it over priced given the quality, but it was an easy neighborhood sushi spot for fine sushi. However, it's recently taken a terrible turn for the worse. My appetizer Oshitashi smelt and tasted like fish (this is a dish of boiled spinach...) Sushi is now all pre cut, tasteless and sub par. I even noticed the sushi chef questioning the look of certain pieces and even throwing some out. In short, ownership is completely checked out and doesn't care about quality or delivering a good experience to their clientele. It's very obvious. I would avoid eating here at the risk of getting sick and/or over paying for mediocre (at best) food. Go somewhere (anywhere!) else.

Run far away from this place. They will steal your money. $68 for 3 different sushi is insane. The shrimp tempura was just rice, seaweed and shrimp no avocado no cucumber same thing with all the other rolls and for $68? For average sushi? Presentation wasn't even pretty. No music in the establishment so it was extremely boring. The waiters were not attentive. Horrible experience

The food is excellent! We got the pork katsu which was fried to perfection, the white tuna and salmon nigiri, Japonica roll, crab and avocado roll and the scallop roll (both raw and cooked) personally, I would recommend getting the raw fish because they're all more fresh! The cooked ones tasted a little too rough but the raw one's freshness makes up for it!

The service here is absolutely horrible. All of the waiters are extremely rude. We asked to put our order in 4 times and they ignored us. Once we finally ordered the chicken was not cooked and we said something they literally argued with us and told us we were wrong. Would NOT recommend unless you want to be bullied by the staff.

Overpriced and honestly just okay. There are better sushi spots that don't command such high prices. I give it 3 stars mainly because of the service, but the food was nothing to write home about.

(3.5 stars) Came here on a Saturday night with a friend and we were surprised that it was not full. We were seated right away and they informed us that they no longer serve alcohol as their licenses are no longer in effect. We ordered the uni appetizer, sashimi salad, shrimp tempura roll, speciality roll (it has uni inside), beef stew Uni appetizer: $15 for one piece of California uni and one piece of Hokkaido uni is definitely not worth. It wasn't fresh either.. it came with squid sashimi on the bottom of the bowl as base, but the amount of uni you get in there is just... sad.. Sashimi salad: I liked the salad very much, it came with 2 pieces 3 different fish. Shrimp tempura roll: average, same as other restaurant Specialty roll: just because they had uni in it I'm goin to give this 4.5 stars. Other than that, nothing special Beef stew: the broth was very flavorful but the beef was cooked way too dry. It was actually hard.. hard pass Overall, I wouldn't come back here, the only reason I'm giving this place 3.5 stars is because the service was good.. very attentive. But other than that, hard hard pass

HIDDEN GEM!!! Guys, if you love fresh tasting sushi look no further. From the service to the actual meal the food was so tasty. And they have a solid drink menu to accompany your selection. I had the blessing of stopping here after an appointment in the city and it was perfect. While I appreciate that it was peaceful I think we need to give these guys some serious business!!!!

I have been eating at Japonica for over 30 years - my first sushi restaurant when I was a freshman at NYU - and this much time later, it's still my desert island restaurant selection. Sushi is all about quality, and Japonica has stayed consistent and delicious over years and years and years. Our family loves great food and trying new places, but we come back to Japonica regularly, because it's something that delights us all, every time. Try the Chirashi sushi. The unagi. Even their green salad is delicious. It's small, humble, and dedicated to the craft they do. I hope it will stay around for another 30 years...

I like this spot. My friend who grew up in the West Village said he had been coming with his family to this spot (or same restaurant, apparently they moved locations recently) for like 20 years. Food was amazing, 3 of us had the omakase. The service was a little slow and they messed up someone elses order. Might have been because we came in near the end of the night. Great spot tho!

I'm surprised that this place doesn't have more than 100 reviews since this restaurant has been opened for more than 20 years. I came here with a small group to celebrate a friend's birthday and was blown away with their food! They have a HUGE menu, which was a little overwhelming but there's lots of options to choose from. The staff were very attentive, and were constantly checking up on us and replenishing our tea/water through out the night. APPETIZERS: Combination Fried Tempura Japonica House Soup (This is SO worth it. You get so much ingredients and it's REAL MISO) Fried Tofu ENTREES: Chirashi Bowl (Small, honestly this can feed 2-3 people) Two sushi specials - I forgot the name of specials... but they put it on a boat for us! The food was pretty good and they did not hold back on the fish. You get a good chuck of fish whether if it's on a roll, sushi or sashimi. It's THICKKK. DESSERT: ICE CREAM (Vanilla Bean, Ginger, Green Tea & Lychee) - I loved ALL the flavors, it was really good and I was surprise that the Ginger was so sweet! I know when it comes to sushi, you want to eat at a place that's worth the price. I do have to say the pricing is a bit intimidating but I would recommend to come here and give it a try. Definitely will be coming back ~

I had given Japonica a 5 Star Yelp rating with an extensive review a few years ago but it was either deleted or disappeared for some reason. I'll keep this one short and direct. I have been coming to Japonica off and on for over 35 years and never left disappointed. State of the art sushi and traditional Japanese fare. I have dined at over 30 of NYC's top rated Japanese restaurants and Japonica is at the top of heap especially for classic sushi and sashimi. Wide variety of super fresh fish generously cut with expert preparation. NYC's best Chirashi for sure. A bit pricey, yes. But well worth it. As they say... you only get what you pay for. I look forward to my next visit.

Over priced, low quality sushi/sashimi where they try to make up for by cutting huge pieces of fish. Rice is so sweet, tamago is tasteless, the "salad" that comes with the dinner is just mixer greens with dressing, nothing else. Disappointing dinner

Terribly slow service. Took 30 minutes for 3 sushi rolls to arrive. Sever very inattentive. Won't come back.

Not worth it. Old looking sushi. Ok taste. Pass Over all lackluster presentation, lackluster food, and lack luster taste all for a sadly not lackluster price

Amazing food. Very friendly staff. Just went today (late August) and the food was exceptional! They are doing a great job with the outdoor space. And for when things reopen inside, it's a great vine and atmosphere! Highly recommend.

This place is a rip off; my friend ordered the Tekka Don and I ordered the uni soba, but we were utterly disappointed. The Tekka Don was $35 but it was your AVERAGE sashimi rice bowl that would cost no more than $20 in other restaurants. The uni soba ($26) had a lot of noodles but had very little (size of your thumbnail) uni. Can't believe we spent so much on mediocre-average food, won't be coming back for sure. Go to Ootoya, which is nearby - their prices are better and tastes better.

Japonica is just as good as ever during Covid. The inside seating has dividers between the tables and the outdoor seating has heaters above the tables.. The Sakura roll is out of this world, but I recently tried some special sushi pieces and have gone back two more times to have them again - the chopped eel and avocado (requires 2 bites!), the seared salmon, and the salmon with tomato. YUM..I'm obsessed!! I first heard about Japonica years ago when a restaurateur friend said that it was the place all the chefs go for sushi. Now that I've moved nearby - I'm in heaven!

I've been here for lunch, mainly with my colleagues. Very nice interior, fairly quiet. It offers an environment appropriate for business meetings up to 4 people. I love their lunch specials, which include your choice of an entree, donburi/udon/soba, small salad, edamame, and a piece of pineapple. You get to enjoy variety of food, and have a well rounded nutritious lunch. As you can see from the photo, my favorite is Alaskan donburi that has ikura on top and the rice mixed with salmon skin. So delicious. One thing that I suggest is to up the salad game. The leaves are usually super dry and majority is spinach and carrot at the top. Adding one simple touch will make the set even more impressive. Other than that, I'm pretty happy with it and will definitely come back again!

Steak teriyaki ordered rare came out well done. Meat was cold and had no flavor. Accompanying salad had what seemed to be a honey mustard dressing. A Japanese honey mustard dressing? Fried Shu Mai were over fried. Toro tartar was lovely. Chicken yakitori was totally overdone, turning the chicken into cardboard. Perhaps they do a better job on the fish dishes.