Matsunori
Sushi restaurant · Lower East Side ·
Intimate BYOB sushi spot serving creative omakase tasting menus
Intimate BYOB sushi spot serving creative omakase tasting menus
"Matsunori on the Lower East Side has been around since 2021—it's withstood the first couple of omakase waves, and still stands out because of its reasonable pricing and casual feel. The omakase toes the line between sticking to the blowtorched o-toro hits, and getting a little creative. photo credit: Carlo Mantuano photo credit: Carlo Mantuano photo credit: Carlo Mantuano Pause Unmute For $98, you’ll get 12 pieces of high-quality, decently varied fish, plus an appetizer, and a hand roll. Beyond multiple preparations of fatty tuna, the highlights include a king salmon nigiri that’s topped with diced onions and a slice of tomato that’s tracing paper-thin. The bagel-and-lox effect is surprising, and it works. The add-ons at the end of the omakase are also notable. There’s hamachi brushed with spicy garlic sauce and what appears to be a (delicious) rip-off of Sushi By M’s Big Mac, loaded with blowtorched wagyu, scallop, uni, and caviar. Unlike a lot of omakase spots in the neighborhood, you can usually get a reservation last minute here. Make sure to stop at September Wine & Spirits nearby for wine or sake, as the place is BYOB. Food Rundown Omakase You’ll find your usual suspects in this 12-piece, $98 omakase, like multiple preparations of toro, which are often blowtorched. There are some pieces here you probably won’t find elsewhere, though. One tuna nigiri is topped with bonito flakes before being tucked into a lettuce wrap—this one’s cheekily called tuna salad. There’s also blowtorched white tuna with thin half-moons of gold kiwi. Overall, it’s a relatively creative omakase offering that’s not too out there. photo credit: Carlo Mantuano" - Carlo Mantuano
"Matsunori on the Lower East Side has withstood the first couple of omakase waves and still stands out because of its reasonable pricing, casual feel, and ability to toe the line between creativity and just sticking to the blowtorched otoro hits. For $98, you’ll get 12 pieces of high-quality and decently varied fish, plus an appetizer, and a hand roll. Our highlight is the king salmon nigiri topped with diced onions and a thin slice of tomato for a bagel-and-lox effect. It'll go great with whatever you picked up from September Wine & Spirits." - molly fitzpatrick, bryan kim, willa moore, will hartman, sonal shah
"Lower East Side sushi bar that opened a location in the market during the 2023 renovation." - Melissa McCart
"Matsunori on the Lower East Side is a casual BYOB spot with reasonable pricing. For $68, you’ll get 12 pieces of high-quality and decently-varied fish, plus an appetizer, a handroll, and homemade mochi for dessert. Past highlights have included soft-then-crunchy needlefish and a crispy piece of eel with a tiny square of melted foie gras on top. Bring a date to one of their five nightly seatings, and make sure to stop at September Wine & Spirits nearby for wine or sake." - neha talreja, bryan kim, kenny yang, hannah albertine, will hartman
"A Lower East Side sushi bar that normally specializes in less common fish, the Canal Street Market branch is a bit more predictable but still delivers stunners — I was delighted by a wagyu and uni hand roll ($18) where searing the fatty steak adds flavor and the bright orange sea urchin provides a creamy, briny dressing." - Robert Sietsema