SourAji

"A $98, 90-minute meal at SourAji in the East Village has more in common with a dinner party at your buddy’s house than it does with most omakase spots, because it’s all-you-can-eat and all-you-can-drink beer and sake. The only time your cup won't be full is when you sit down—you’ll hear things like “that’s not how we drink here” pointing at your half-empty cup. After a set of a dozen initial pieces of surprisingly well-cared-for nigiri, the AYCE portion begins: the chef will offer five of the pieces you’ve had earlier, and ask how many pieces of each you want. For the best experience (and the most booze), come for their last seating at 8:30pm. They don’t like putting away half-drunk bottles of sake, and the gluttonous party will likely last past 10:30pm. At midnight on the first of every month, SourAji releases the entire slate of reservations for the month after the next. On September 1, for example, you'll be able to book for November. Walk-ins are only accepted in the case of cancellations." - willa moore, sonal shah, bryan kim, neha talreja, will hartman

"Verdict: From a business perspective, an all-you-can-eat $98 omakase with unlimited beer and sake makes no sense. We don’t know how this East Village restaurant exists, but take advantage of it. Their sushi is on par with comparably priced, non-AYCE options, and at the end of your 14-course meal, you can experience the thrill of ordering 15 extra pieces of otoro, delivered all at once. Keep in mind, there's now a second location in Chelsea that may be easier to get into." - bryan kim

"SourAji in the East Village is different—and it's a deal at $98 per person. A 90-minute meal in the narrow room with two counters starts as a traditional 14-course omakase (including soup and ice cream). After that, the all-you-can-eat portion of the night begins. The pieces are fairly standard (akami, toro with uni, madai, torched wagyu), but the fish feels well-cared for and the rice is nicely seasoned. Did we mention there's all-you-can-drink sake or beer too? If you’re shameless—the sake should help with that—you can eat an unholy amount of fish. We saw one couple getting 30 extra pieces each. There's also a Chelsea location, if you can't get a reservation at the original." - neha talreja, bryan kim, kenny yang, hannah albertine, will hartman

"SourAji is a paradox. The East Village sushi spot offers a sub-$100 omakase, and it’s also all you can eat. We don’t know how a restaurant can afford to offer both a chef’s choice meal and AYCE, and—we suspect—neither does SourAji. But what it functionally means is that after you’ve had your set fish, soup, and ice cream, you can order as many more pieces of nigiri as you want for the remainder of your 90-minute seating. Fueled by all-you-can-drink sake and Top 40 remixes, dinner here would be messy, gluttonous fun, even if the fish were an afterthought. But the nigiri is actually pretty good—and that’s not our opinion filtered through sake-tinted glasses. Each piece gets plenty of attention, the fish is flavorful, and the sushi rice well-cooked and seasoned. photo credit: Will Hartman photo credit: SourAji photo credit: Will Hartman photo credit: Will Hartman photo credit: Will Hartman Eating here feels like going to a buddy’s house for a dinner party, if your buddy’s house were a narrow, gray-walled room with two sushi counters. A server who’s just as in on the fun as you lists off the night’s sake and beer options while rummaging through the drinks fridge. That’s the only time your glass will be empty, and there’s a good chance they’ll leave a few bottles up on the bar for you to pour at your own discretion. Once the omakase is over, and you’re about a dozen glasses of sake in, the real fun begins. The chef runs through an abbreviated selection of the night’s fish offerings, and asks how many pieces you’d like. If you’re shameless, you can easily consume double the original omakase. We’ve seen a party of two order 22 pieces of otoro, and another couple getting 30 extra pieces... each. Book a spot to celebrate something worthy of the next day’s hangover, and try to get the last seating at 8:30pm. There’s a good chance they’ll let you linger later than 10pm, making this already unbelievable deal that much sweeter. Food Rundown Omakase You’ll get around 14 courses including raw fish, a soup, and ice cream. The fish is fairly standard for the $98 price point, with things like red sea bream, akami, otoro with uni, king salmon, and scallops. Once that’s over and done with (about an hour), choose from five options for the AYCE portion of your meal. photo credit: SourAji All You Can Drink If you don’t drink, you probably shouldn’t come to SourAji. But if you do, maybe have an electrolyte beverage or an IV bag waiting for you at home before you go out to dinner. They have three or four options each night, ranging from a light junmai ginjo to cloudy nigori sake. There's also beer. photo credit: Will Hartman Madai Several pieces, including this first bite of sea bream, get a citrusy pop from a swipe of yuzu juice. photo credit: Will Hartman Akami Soaked in soy, the akami has just a bit of a tacky chew, which we love in lean tuna. photo credit: Will Hartman Toro with Uni This piece sums up the whole SourAji experience. It’s maximalist—and also quite delicious. photo credit: Britt Lam Wagyu Torched, then dusted with truffle salt, this piece is smoky, savory, and fatty. The people next to us ordered five extra." - Will Hartman

"If you have something worth celebrating with a hangover—or just want to eat a lot of solid nigiri and drink a lot of sake on a weeknight, add SourAji to your list. The East Village spot offers a $98 omakase, which magically turns into all-you-can-eat sushi once your 14 set courses are over. You can order as much sushi as you want from a limited nigiri selection—we’ve seen people shamelessly order as many as 30 extra pieces. Your cup will never be empty either—the whole thing is all-you-can-drink, with a few beer and sake options. The drinks are nicely chilled, and despite the party atmosphere and Top 40 remixes, the nigiri—though simple—feels well cared-for." - molly fitzpatrick, bryan kim, neha talreja, willa moore, will hartman