Sakagura
Japanese restaurant · Midtown East
211 E 43rd St B1, New York, NY 10017
Highlights
Extensive sake list & refined Japanese small plates
Extensive sake list & refined Japanese small plates
"To get to Sakagura, you walk through the lobby of a very normal office building, pass a security guard, then head down a flight of stairs. This place is an izakaya from the people behind Sake Bar Decibel and Rai Rai Ken, and most people will be impressed that you know how to find it. The food here consists of sashimi, udon, soba, and small plates like Japanese fried chicken, and it’s all relatively affordable. Book in advance." - bryan kim, sonal shah, molly fitzpatrick, willa moore
"Right across the street from Yasuda, Sakagura is hidden underneath an office building, the lobby of which you actually need to enter to get inside. If Yasuda is George Clooney, Sakagura is… Sia. In other words, not similar at all. Sakagura actually isn’t a sushi place at all - it’s really a sake bar/izakaya, but we’re including it here because if you’ve made your way to the East 40s and realized you aren’t quite ready to drop $250 on dinner, Sakagura is going to show you a good time. There are several sashimi platters, as well as raw fish rice bowls and onigiri rice balls that may satisfy a similar craving. Like Sia, it’s fun, hidden, and if you drink enough sake here, you might end up swinging from a chandelier." - hillary reinsberg
"Sakagura and Sake Bar Decibel were both opened by a man named Bon Yagi in the 1990s. Does that designate Bon Yagi as the de facto sake king of New York? We aren’t here to comment on fictional monarchies. What we do know, however, is that Sakagura’s underground setting makes it one of the most unusual places to have dinner or drinks in all of NYC. To get to Sakagura, you walk through the lobby of a very normal office building in Midtown, pass a security guard, then head down a flight of stairs. Right now they’re offering three different sake tastings, each curated by the sommeliers. These range in price from a $30 beginner flight trio to a $40 dry flight trio, and the most deluxe $100 trio tasting. You can pair any of them with a five-course, $85 prix-fixe meal or order drinks and snacks a la carte. Just be sure to book in advance either way." - hannah albertine
"Sakagura isn’t a speakeasy, but the fact that you have to walk past a security guard in a very normal looking Midtown East office building and descend down a flight of stairs to get there makes it feel like one. The izakaya has an extensive sake list, with flights and seasonal specials, so it’s a great spot to explore your taste in rice wine. The menu ranges from things like $18 karaage with matcha mayo, to an $88 bowl of cold soba noodles with sea urchin dashi and Hokkaido uni." - will hartman, neha talreja, bryan kim, willa moore
"Finding Sakagura is at least a quarter of the fun of eating here. You have to walk into a nondescript office lobby, and down a random staircase in the back. At the bottom, you’ll find yourself in a big, dark room with bottles of sake lining the walls. The menu is mostly Japanese snacks—sashimi, tofu, little rice bowls—and there’s a textbook-sized drink menu. Make a reservation if you’re set on eating at a certain time. Even though it’s not easy to stumble on this place, it gets busy." - neha talreja, bryan kim, hannah albertine, molly fitzpatrick
