Sawako Y
Google
I’d been curious about Next Door by Wegmans since it opened earlier this year and finally had the chance to dine here this weekend.
I’d had the fatty tuna and salmon from the Wegmans fish market downstairs previously, so I knew the quality of the fish would be good, but had read some mixed reviews about this place.
It completely exceeded my expectations, though, and we had a lovely evening overall.
From the outside, the restaurant looks upscale, but the entrance is inside the grocery store, which may kind of downgrade the experience.
Once you walk in, though, you’re greeted by friendly servers into a modern, spacious dining area.
I would say highlights for me were:
1. the service
2. the quality of the food
3. the atmosphere
1. Service
In the beginning, service was a bit slow and it took a while to be able to order and to get our drinks and appetizers. We didn’t complain or anything, but they brought us a complimentary dish that we were considering ordering as one of our appetizers. We were pleasantly surprised and it was a delicious dish.
Then, there was a bit of a miscommunication regarding wasabi with one of our orders. But this was also handled very professionally (as it would have been in Japan, which is not as common here). Nick was very personable and offered me another glass of prosecco—he actually brought me a glass of Pommery, which I really enjoyed.
2. Food
Everything we tried was absolutely delicious. I really liked that they had a variety of non-sushi dishes as well, especially vegetables.
- lobster miso soup x2 - This is seasonal and not cheap, but a must try! It tasted more like lobster bisque than miso soup, but I love lobster bisque, so it was perfect for me.
- grill shishito peppers - You can’t really go wrong with shishito peppers, but this comes with a tofu dip and salt on the side. I’m not a garlic-lover, so I used the salt and it was very nice.
- grilled seasonal mushrooms - This came with maitake tempura and grilled maitake—I especially enjoyed the tempura.
- nigiri variation (9 pieces) x2 - You get one piece of each nigiri listed on the nigiri menu. Although they are fresh and of high quality, they are very very small. So it’s easy to eat, but may not be enough for the average person. They do put fancy toppings on (which I actually prefer without, so I can enjoy the fish itself without caviar or jalapeños overpowering the sushi…). My favorites were the otoro (fatty tuna) / chutoro (semi-fatty tuna), hotate (scallop) and uni (sea urchin).
3. Atmosphere
With a stylish decor, high ceilings and spaced out tables, it has a chic, comfortable atmosphere.
The one lowlight would be that they only have one bathroom. (There is one inside the grocery store, but it’s apparently not as nice).
When you consider the portions (especially sushi), it may be on the pricier side, but the quality is definitely there and it’s worth it for the overall dining experience. I look forward to dining here again.