Tomi Jazz

The atmosphere was amazing, the service was excellent, and the food was great. The drinks weren’t mind-blowing, but still nice and enjoyable. As for the music, we saw two brilliant groups. The acoustics were great and the volume was perfect — loud enough to enjoy the performance but still low enough to hold a conversation. Overall, a great spot with very reasonable prices compared to other jazz bars in the city. Would definitely come back.

One of my favorite places in New York to go out for a night, despite its long wait-times. Waiting in line can take more than an hour or two depending on the day. Food: Affordable and tasty food overall! I’ve had a lot of their menu selection and I have enjoyed every one of them. My favorite would be the hamburger steak and cod roe spaghetti. Atmosphere: Very cozy ambience with the candle-lot lighting and the chill live jazz. Feels very intimate! Service: The service is wonderful. Many times I’ve been here, when there was a seat closer to the live jazz the servers would offer if my party would like to sit closer. The staff are very friendly and attentive!

Not mad honestly at the 1hour 15minute wait. It felt like part of the experience but I wouldn’t have been happy if I had to wait closer to 2 hours. The food was pretty good and I agree with others that it’s not actually “intimate”, it really is just small and cramped. But it’s unique and an experience that I wouldn’t probably do again just for the vibe. You don’t get on a waiting list or have any idea of the wait time. It’s just a waiting game and many people ahead of us gave up. I wouldn’t say the food is ABOVE average but i have no complaints.

Where do I even begin? We lined up around 5 PM and the wait (about 30–45 minutes) flew by tip: pull up the menu QR code while you wait. Once inside, it felt like stepping into another world: cozy, dimly lit, intimate, with a live jazz band that set the mood perfectly. We were seated in a back booth for three, which was spacious and great for conversation. Drinks included the Mandarin Slush, Lychee Martini, Road Runner, and The Bate. Standouts were the Lychee Martini and Mandarin Slush: well-balanced and refreshing without being overpowering. Food highlights: Fried Brie with Honey Mustard – crispy, gooey, absolute must-order Okonomiyaki – tasted just like Japan; I’d come back for this alone Seafood Spaghetti – do NOT sleep on this—fresh, briny, and transportive Hayashi Rice – rich, comforting, and deeply flavorful (Omu rice was fine, just not a standout.) Seasoned Octopus – fresh with a nice wasabi kick (can do without) Dessert sealed the deal: the Honey Toast with Green Tea Ice Cream & Red Bean was everyone’s favorite—perfectly balanced and indulgent, like a deconstructed taiyaki. The Lychee Ice Cream was light and refreshing with great texture. Overall: incredible ambiance, live jazz, and standout Japanese-Italian fusion dishes. Cozy, romantic, and 100% worth the wait.

I wanted to give it a 5 for overall experience EXCEPT for the fact that there was a BABY ROACH on our sake carafe. On a Saturday, we got there at 3:30 and were second in line, but there are space heaters so it was okay waiting the hour and a half for a guaranteed great seat. The jazz was really wonderful, and it's at a cozy level where you can still hear yourself talk. The photobooth picture thing is a nice touch, the drinks are standout (the Roadrunner is excellent) and the food is very solid for the price point. The service is honestly really good, with attentive and kind and polite waitstaff. When we pointed out the roach on the sake, the waiter immediately replaced it and comped the sake on the house, but honestly it kind of put a damper on an otherwise really nice experience. It was really surprising, pretty unappetizing and disappointing.

We went on a random weekday and had to wait in line for an hour to get in. But the food, music and atmosphere were all worth the wait. The music was amazing, very old school jazz with lots of improvisation. They have different artists every day so the experience is probably different. The music is not very loud and you can easily have a conversation. The menu is extensive, lots of interesting food and a separate section listing all their vegetarian options.

My review is based on party of 1pax (myself). Positive: Bespoke underground Japanese jazz "cafe" serving light meals, albeit great food with wide selection of drinks and Japanese beers and whiskeys. Decor and ambiance is quite nice and very rustic. Space is small yet cozy and intimate if you do not mind. Focus is more on wine/dine with music than music being the focus. Music was acoustic jazz (trio) playing more traditional jazz. Negatives: Wait time to be seated was 1.5hrs, expect to wait atleast 1hr+ when showing up on a Thurs, ~8pm. For 1pax seat placement was horrible as I was sat in small counter spacer in the middle between the bar and dining area looking away from the band so both staff and patrons kept brushing up on me multiple time while eating my meal. Once seated i was immediately asked what to order and didn't really feel welcomed rather rushed to hurry and decide. Overall, being 1pax I wouldn't recommend. For groups of 2+ perhaps more suitable however despite the ambiance and good food/drink selection and music it didn't feel all that welcoming rather trying to move as many pax in/out during evening hrs. Just my 2 cents ✌️ Give it a try.

we waited in line for an hour and a half, which wasn't so bad since we did arrive a little late. the atmosphere is amazing, the service was excellent and the food was great. the drinks weren't mind-blowing but they were nice. as for the music, we saw two brilliant groups: the acosutics are great and the music had an excellent volume, allowing us to mantain a conversation whilst enjoying the music. great place with pretty great prices in comparison to other jazz bars in the city.