Tyler S.
Yelp
Sushi Noz Market sets the tone in the under $150 sushi omakase category with both lunch and dinner offerings. Due to its membership in the Sushi Noz Universe, Noz Market serves nigiri that you cannot find at other "budget" shops. While the use of multiple chefs can lead to inconsistency in execution, Noz Market scores high on taste, service, ambiance, and neta quality.
After a failed launch of a prix fixe dine-in restaurant in 2021 to supplement the market, the Noz group embarked on an extensive renovation and reopened Noz Market in late 2022/early 2023. With the introduction of Noz Market's new 'Omakase Counter', Chef Nozomu Abe aims to offer New Yorkers an elevated version of the quick sushi meals found at Tokyo's Tsukiji Market. By heavily emphasizing Japanese hospitality and decor, seasonality of ingredients, and traditional techniques, the team at Noz Market successfully delivers a serious, yet enjoyable, experience at the counter.
It's challenging to compare Noz Market to other elite restaurants in New York City but it's important to not make faulty comparisons. In an effort to keep costs down and adapt to a different restaurant format, Chef Nozomu Abe had to make careful choices with respect to the rice, neta, number of seats, and some of the other finer details of the restaurant. That said, the Kisu, Aji, Shima-aji, Ishigakigai, and Kuruma ebi that were served were impressive and exceeded expectations.
While the breadth of the menu is impressive (note that some of the above were add-ons), some of the pieces lacked textural contrast or the characteristic flavor that exists in paradigmatic examples. Ultimately, the quality of the meal is determined more by the chef than the restaurant itself. I can only recommend sitting with head chef Sugano-san or second chef Takahashi-san and would be wary of sitting in front of anyone else. Make sure to request this in advance as being served by an alternate chef can lead to a significantly different experience. As the demand for sushi greatly outstrips the supply of experienced sushi chefs in New York, it is understandable that a multi-chef restaurant would substitute chefs on days off but the diner suffers.
With the availability of the Sushi Noz Market 'Counter Omakase' at an affordable price, I can recommend no cheaper places. Although Sushi Ikumi's $150 lunch outperforms Noz Market's offering (especially after add-ons), I plan to return to Noz Market for casual sushi outings with friends. I would recommend it to budget-conscious diners seeking an authentic experience.