Yakitori Sun-Chan

A definite 5-star! The hitsumabushi is great, and they suggest to mix the rice and eel with soup, that was awesome. Their sauce on the eel was delicious. It was supposed for two persons but could be handled by one lol. I also tried the sashimi appetizer and seaweed. Both are great. For the sashimi you pay 16 to get 7 slices including toro and salmon, worthy. Ended up with $70 but totally worth it. I ate a lot so I guess it would be around 50 per person. A small but lovely restaurant, about 10 tables or so, with nice waiters and waitresses. I asked about reservations but they only take calls. Not very busy even it was Saturday night though. Easy to find, just at the opposite of 103 st station. Will visit again!

We 2 people ate about $100. All good is warm and comforting for me. I like the sukiyaki udon. The unagi Don (for 2) is great but not the best. You can find some other better unagi Don in New York City.

Sun-chan is at the top of my best nyc restaurant list. Their Eel Rice is really the best eel rice I’ve had in nyc. It’s a super small and tight restaurant but the staff works hard and fast. Order anything from the menu except sushi and yakitori. They are not as impressive. The rest of the menu is to die for.

Sun-Chan, an old restaurant near Columbia, has long been known for its Nagoya eel over rice, but a recent visit really disappointed me. First of all, it is very slow to get seated, the seat has been empty for a long time but the waiter will turn around and ignore you anyway. The food is also very slow, waiting for 20 minutes and you get a skewer, Yeah, one skewer. The chicken wings had hairs on it. Sashimi was so so. We sat in the kitchen door, see that in fact, the cook inside are actually mexicans, outside the old guy and waiters are Japanese. So you call this authentic? I don't know, but regardless who cooked it, what we had were purely horrible. I want to curse people at the very beginning of this oyakodon, because I really want to have a good oyakodon and that's why I came here at the first place! This looks and tastes worse than Yoshinoya's premade package... The egg is supposed to be half cooked, isn't it? Everything was overcooked. Eggs will cry when they know they've been made to taste so bad. Pork chop rice is also super dry and hard. Never coming back.

One of the best yakitori spots in the city. The unagi set is super nice, highly recommend. Staff was friendly and many options on the menu. Must try if you are looking for a yakitori spot!

This is my favorite Restaurant in NYC. Come here for the wide menu, stay for the sake and friendly waitstaff. Theres a reason the neighborhood fought to keep this place afloat during the pandemic. Try the eel Hitsumabishi for 2 if you are looking for something truly special, and be adventurous with the Yakitori section, theres lots of great stuff lurking on that back page. Dont forget to make a reservation as you wont get served without one, its packed every night.

Nagoya's eel is nice and the only recommendation at this place. Taste of Yakitori is not stable, sometimes really good sometimes just ok. Sashimi so-so. Most waiter and waitress are friendly. There is one lady. That RED T-SHIRT PONY TAIL LADY. The first time you're rude might because you're tired. The second time you're rude might because you have a bad day. The third... that might be your temper. Why every single time I dine here you rude like I own you money? I checked the review and there are other customers feels the same way. And she will keep coming back and ask you "are you done" while you're eating.

They said cash only, went to ATM next door to get cash The food is great, service varies by people Interacted with 3 people working here, 2 of them are great! 1 has attitude issue..

This is my go to dinner time sushi spot off the 103 train stop. Meals affordable, so are drinks, vibe is friendly and homey, and it's Asian approved with a 80%-90% representation when I go. $7 sake bottles, &17 rice bowls and $20 sushi plates save the day. Closed on mondays. Usually slow at opening and then after 830pm-9pm/

This place is the real deal, it's so good! I've been going here for 12 years and I'm so glad they survived the pandemic. Everything is seasoned perfectly, and the new renovation they did the restaurant is really nice. Try the wings and the pork buns, they are so good! And you can't go wrong with any of the Udon noodles and rice dishes. Their sake list is comprehensive, so you're bound to find something you like. It's very authentic, and a total gem on the Upper West Side.

3.5/5 stars Food taste fine. But they really don't give you a lot. Overpriced. Wait is too long. I think we waited for an hour for all our food to come out. Too crowded. They could lose a few tables inside the restaurant.

For somebody lives in Hawaii and travel to Japan, this restaurant is underwhelming to me. First of all, I was seated in a counter tables near their kitchen. The whole time, the kitchen smells keep bothering me a lot, to a point I couldn't enjoy the meal. I ordered oyako don which is not so flavorful. And I was told when I checked out they don't take discover card.

Shouldn't be called yakitori sun-chan but yakitori diarrhea-chan. Carpet is also extremely gross and sticky from not being cleaned.

TLDR: Under the radar, Japanese eatery in Manhattan Valley on Broadway. No frills, just good yakitori and an incredible unagi don. This is one of those places that you probably won't pay much attention to. It's unassuming, just kind of looks like any other restaurant. However, behind these doors is a quaint little yakitori restaurant. Looks like a throwback to a 90s Japanese restaurant. They serve sushi, yakitori, noodles, etc. but the yakitori is definitely the highlight here. The salmon belly is awesome but you can't really go wrong with any of the traditional skewers. Their Nagoya Chicken Wings are definitely worthy of a shot. They're nicely crispy, there's this sweet/savory glaze that goes over it. It's not your traditional chicken wing but you may need to get multiple orders of this. I don't like my wings sauced personally but these I'm okay with it. The best thing here though is the Unagi Don or eel rice. It comes in a set for 2 and it's definitely an experience if you've never had this before. The eel fillets are brought over in the pot and then they drizzle the sauce in. The server will mix it all up for you, top it with some seaweed and then dish it out. You can eat it like this, they also offer wasabi and scallions and finally - a dashi broth to mix it in with. So it's like an unagi don three ways. Every bite will be sweet, savory, umami bonanza. Here's the kicker, I don't even care for eel myself. If you're into eel or have ever thought of giving it a try - this is place. If anything, people would probably rather I didn't write this review. The food here is so good, it's probably why everyone's kept it a secret this long.

food is not bad. Service is quite slow tho. You gotta be really active in terms of calling for your server to get your orders in and get your check.

una don, Nagoya chicken wings would never let you down!!! Matcha cheesecake with sesame ice cream have a rich taste ( but chose the rest in the menu carefully)

Come if you like Japanese-style grilled eel. The price is relatively affordable compared to other nyc restaurants that can offer food of equal quality.

One of the best katsudon I've had in a little while, there was enough sauce to coat the rice and the pork was crispy

Rude hostess. Very bad attitude from the moment we entered. We sat down and tried to order but the hostess was so unprofessional that we got up from our table and left. We have no idea if the food is good, but the ambiance is sad.

The food was alright but the place was not so clean. I had to ask to change the plate as it was not cleaned up and change the water bottle as there was a fly flying around. The service was 5 out of 10. I had to wait about 20min to get my credit card back and I got charged for the wrong amount twice while I can't even change the tips after this poor service. Very disappointed about the service at the end. It's better for take-out than dine-in.

Despite eating at Sun-Chan for 12 years, I have never ordered anything except for the Nagoya-style Unagi Hitsumabushi. That's because this dish is so ridiculously good. Grab a friend or a date and order it (it's for two). You will not be disappointed.

(3.5) For places like this, it's not about seeking something that will blow your mind but about being in the moment to enjoy food and drinks with your company. It's about being a patron at a local joint where the wait staff and cooks know you. The food is going to be similar in quality to your average Japanese joint. Everything is generally enjoyable and you'll have your staples. They might even be running a 50% discount on sake so add that to the list!

The place is close to the university and definitely worth a try. You get a good vibe at the bar and some traditional food. We got the shiso yam, teriyaki eggplant, and unagi set. I'd highly recommend the shiso yam at any time of the year, very refreshing to kick off the meal. It's also good alongside grilled or teriyaki dishes to balance the flavor. The shiso paste on the yam was chill and be sure to mix the soy sauce and wasabi with it. The eggplant was good but nothing to write home about, nothing bad about it, but simply not worth recommending (the sauce was too sweet and rich). The highlight of our meal was the unagi set. It comes in a clay pot with fish broth and scallion on the side in case you like ochazuke. The broth was made of kezuribushi and maybe kombu. We thought the ochazuke was great, definitely a plus. But the unagi rice itself was mediocre. Our waiter mixed the rice, eel, and seaweed altogether, which I consider it is an unnecessary step (the reason is that you can't really taste the eel since everything was minced together.) One thing I noticed was our waitress had absolutely no smile, a b-face. She made no expression whatsoever during our time there. With that said, the Japanese manager (looks like it) was nice and friendly. The value was just ok, about reasonably priced. food 3.5/5 ambiance 4/5 service 3/5 value 3.5/5

Our first visit in 3 years because of Covid. We saw the rating pending on the front widow. The place was nearly empty on a Saturday evening vs a line pre-Covid. After less than a minute we were overcome by a rat-like smell. We walked out. Sad. This was one of the best. The place was closed for many months during Covid. It may need new AC, flooring vs old carpet, cleaning ...

The food and service is good. We love the chicken wings here. It's different than the regular American buffalo wings; it's savory and sweet. Super nice. We also love the eel rice bowl. It's slightly on the more expensive side tho considering it's not exactly in the busy part of the city.

The WORST SERVICE EVER. SO RUDE AND UNFRIENDLY. Tried to order takeout and they handed me a notepad to write down my address that they shoved away when I tried to give back. Then I tried to order delivery and they said they don't deliver to non apartments. DO NOT GO. IT IS AWFUL. I DON'T CARE IF THE FOOD IS GOOD NOT WORTH YOUR TIME OR MONEY. Would give a 0 but here we are.

Really? $3.5 extra if you want to switch from white rice to brown rice? Even for New York City standard, this is way too expensive. I don't usually look at bills line by line, but I was stunned.. The Ooyako don - chicken egg over rice was dry and flavorless. It's shameful that such a staple item for Japanese izakaya restaurants was not executed properly, which may explain the low rating of the restaurant. I should probably have got the hint upon my arrival. A waitress shouted at two guests who came to the counter to pay: literally "go back to your seats and wait!"

Salad: good. Recommend eating without dressing to balance any oily dishes. Eggplant: I love it for the sweet and tender taste, though a bit oily. Eel rice: good. But not as expected(so many recommendations there) service: the people here are very nice, in a western way.

Don't eat in this restaurant. The food quality is not compatible with the price at all! The service is acceptable but the speed is way too slow, and they put the wrong dishes on our table for 2 times. That's all fine but what we can't bear is the sand soup they served! We ordered Sake steamed clams, it turned out to be a sand based soup. They didn't clean the clams at all before they put it on steam! When I asked the waitress why there are so much sand in the soup, she responded to me "so what do you want me to do" without even apologize. Seriously this restaurant is not worth to wait.

The five-star is to balance out some of the unfair reviews. This place has remained the best-kept secret among Columbia students for nearly 20 years. As a matter of fact, I am not even sure that I want you to know about it. If you want an authentic izakaya experience like the kind you see in Japanese movies like Tampopo, this is it. A couple of years ago it closed for a prolong period of time due to the gas leakage in the building that left me so devastated. On a recent visit, I was very happy to see that their already versatile menu has expanded further. I usually must have their Oyako Don -- it is one of the best in the City, imo. Una Don tastes great but it is not the best and a tiny bit pricey here. I'd go for all those yakitori, specials, and the izakaya items. Ankimo sashimi, the monk fish liver, is also a must-try here. Overall things are a bit on the salty side for my taste, but imo, that's just what the Nagoya food tastes like. Most importantly, this is also maybe one of the only places in town to get the beef liver sashimi. The Sunagimo Age is excellent -- perfectly crispy, great texture, and super tasty -- comes with the pink Himalayan rock salt just the way they serve it in Japan.

The service is not good at all. When I left the restaurant, the waitress forced me to give 15% tip. This is ridiculous! I have money but I would like to spend it when your service is good.

I rarely write reviews and do so when there is a level of uniqueness matched with quality. This is a hole in the wall, family run business (which seems to have been there for generations). I was surprised at the selection of food and was very happy with the assortment. This place had the feel of an authentic Japanese diner/izakaya. From the dim lighting to the trotusic playing in the background, the only needed to add to make the biance complete would be some smoking salarymen. But I digress... The food was great and the service was pleasant. I wondered how much of the stuff was made in house and if their wasabi sidling my eel avocado roll was grated fresh. Being a bit chilly, I also had their tonkatsu-shoyu ramen which was no-frills fantastic. This place was breath of fresh air in a time of showy pretentious restaurants that seem to focus more on aesthetics than substance. TLDR - Solid on food and service. Will be back with friends.

An authentic izakaya, owned by a warm and New York loving Papasan. This is a Mom and Pop shop... the food is five star, the ambiance is more of a friendly, nyc dive. My fav!

It's my favorite unagi don in the city. I like how fresh and soft the fish is and how good the sauce is. The unagi don here is served in a large pot that is big enough for two people. The restaurant is usually full of Columbia students, so be sure to come around opening (5:30 every night). It is possible to make reservations, but only via phone. Finally the restaurant is next to the 1 train, so very convenient. The reason why I take 1 star off: the service is pretty slow and the price of unagi don has hiked up 50% in the last few years.

I can't believe I didn't know about this place. It has a special atmosphere with a "bar" facing the cooking area. My favorite spot is the half-booth facing the the grill. Great ramen! Highly recommended!

My FAVORITE restaurant in Manhattan Valley. The place was closed for quite a while last year and hundreds of Columbia students signed a petition "Sun-chan we need you more than ever!" You can still see the signatures on the left hand side wall when you step into the restaurant and that gives you a sense of how popular the place is among the students community. Ambiance - 3/5 - very packed and crowded inside. Staff and service - 4/5 - Really friendly. Food/Drink - 5/5 Must try: Una gi ( eel rice bowl for two) 5/5 BEST eel rice in the city!!!! Nagoya style chicken wings 4.5/5

The service is absolutely horrible. The hostess is extremely rude and refuses to communicate. She deserves to be fired.

Absolutely authentic Japanese. Real, clean and tasty. Sayoonara. The sushi and sashimi for two is delicious and the staff more than friendly. It is a top notch sushi place

It was a rainy night and this was my saving grace. Great service and awesome food! I took the bust from East Harlem and walked over cause they didn't deliver in our area but it was worth the travel

One of the most authentic Japanese food places in the upper west side, a cozy environment, highly recommend, particularly their eel over rice dish.

This had to have been the worst sushi I have ever had in my life, and I am not exaggerating. First of all, the service was beyond terrible. We sat and waited for our food for an HOUR while other patrons walked in, got seated, and got their food before us. Second of all, the actual food was terrible. I don't know how difficult it is to make sushi, but I feel like they had to try and make it that bad. If I could rate this place a 0/5 I would. Do not go.

This is so UNDERRATED. The dishes are very authentic, just like how the YouTube Japanese chef made them in Japan. I wish we could know this place earlier.

Took over 15 minutes to be seated and no one was in front of us. We just stood there standing in a restaurant with many empty tables. I was dumbfounded and confused as they relentlessly inspected my vaccine ID. She inspected the ID's longer than a pilots passport before flying the president. Eventually, after standing there like a frog on a log; we left. One day I'll try the food, but for now I'm next door getting dumplings.

My favorite go to place for Unadon, even though it is far from the city. The set for two definitely is worthy. The sake clam soup is my second favorite! The port belly is ranked third! You will never regret going to there!

Great spot where I finally got to try the eel bowl 3 way thing that I've had bookmarked for AGES! Service was super attentive and friendly even though we arrived pretty late in the evening. The waitress showed us the 3 different ways to eat the unagi bowl (first by itself, then with pickled veggies, then with soup) and they were all delicious. It's not cheap fare, but it reminded me of small izakayas in Japan and it was certainly on point! Will go back when I'm hankering for a treat yo self kind of meal!

The Asian students who live in Morningside Heights always comment that anywhere from 96th street and above should be marked as "Japanese food desert". The only exception to this statement is Sun-Chan, which now becomes a go-to place for Nagoya style eel over rice. The lovely Japanese waitress there will instruct you to finish the dish in three different ways (ひつまぶし): first, try the original taste; second, mix the rice with wasabi, scallions, or seaweed; last but not least, DIY a Chazuke by pouring the hot soup into your rice. My friend who frequently visits Japan in the past told me that the eel over rice served here is as good as you can get in Nagoya, sometimes even better. Although the Nagoya eel over rice is meant to be served for two, its portion is quite reasonable and if you are truly starving, you should be fine to finish one order by yourself. The Nagoya style chicken wings is another dish that you simply cannot let go. The crunchy skin with tender bite underneath is mouth-watering. Although I should say there are many places that serve even tenderer or crispier wings in the city, Sun-Chan offers a killing price that you will never regret.

This is my fourth visit and first after pandemic. Used to be my go to unagi don place and must-visit after a day in the Central Park. But this time, A bit disappointed tho. The fried chicken wings is too salty, the unagi don is just okay. The yakitori is inconsistent as well. Beef liver is very tender and juice, but the meatball is too mushy, and chicken gizzard is too dry. Didn't even bother to order more to finish the sake. Hate to see a restaurant from my must-visit list downgraded to a maybe.

The food is excellent, and the unagi for two is really special. I recommend the chicken wings, chicken gizzard skewer, soft shell crab, and agedashi tofu as well. The service isn't the best, but the hostess is doing her best handling the whole restaurant.

4.5 stars for the food, 0.5 star off for the price. Maybe I just spend more when eating alone... Personal Recommendation: Toro scalion salmon Chicken skin Chicken Gizzard Mackeral Sake-steamed baby clams Eel rice for 2 (3 ways of enjoying) Chicken wings and thighs Sushi and samashi, nothing special...... Tempura: the flour wrapping was too salty and too thin... I won't have it a second time.

This place is the most underrated and delicious izakaya in all of NYC. It's never crowded, consistently delicious, and has so many things on the menu that I don't even know where to start. We come here almost every week. We've never had a bad dish - and this place reminds me of being back in Japan. I almost don't want to leave this review because it's our favorite little spot and we don't want it to get more crowded but that would be a disservice to this place, especially in Covid times.

I don't know this business died or what. This is the second time in a month that I visited this restaurant during their open hours and they are closed... if you guys do not open anymore, be responsible to your customers and update ur operation status!

People all know how much I hate carbs, and today I'm telling you I love the eel rice cooked at Sun-Chan. Eel rice, in my opinion, could be easily messed up - rice too bland, eel not marinated well, the two elements weren't combined well...apparently Sun-Chan successfully avoided all the possibilities of failure and presented me the best eel rice so far I have eaten. The big bowl was for two people to share, and trust me, there was a lot of fish meat on top of tons of rice. However I did not at all feel too stuffed. The fish soup was a perfect way to clean up my palate after the rice. This eel rice dish worth a full credit! Aside from the main dish, we also shared a small pot of wine-steamed clams. Less impressive, however still worth a try! I commuted a long way to get here, now I am so glad that I made that decision.

I just moved to the neighborhood and several friends recommended Sun-Chan for the Nagoya style eel on rice. As a reward to myself for completing an exam, I ordered this dish (supposed to be for two people) for delivery and total was $49.85, cash only. Delivery was quick, but really surprised that the delivery guy had $0 in change on him. To top it off, the take-out container was only slightly bigger than my hand (and I am a petite person) and contained less eel than is pictured in the unagi don photos that others have posted. Also, no soup is included if you take to go or get delivery. So perhaps the lesson is that you should only get the Hitsumabishi in person, or that you should not order it for delivery without exact change.

Solid sushi on the Upper West Side. I've been here a few times before. We ordered a few rolls. Spicy tuna, yellowtail scallion, Alaska, salmon avocado. Everything was good and came out fast. We told them that we were in a rush and they had us in and out in about 30 minutes.

Been here with my friends. The waitress totally skipped my order and didn't even realize that. After all of my friends had their courses, I still had nothing. It's been an hour already, btw. After I reminded one of the guy and I've been told they forgot my order and had to take another 10 -15mins to cook. So I waited another couple minutes and finally get my food. The name for the course is Yaki Oni Chazuke, which is so flat that I wish to jump into the Ocean and use some salt. And this is not the end of the story, we paid 10% of tips to kindly remind their "great" service. When we reached their front gate, one of the waitress chased after us said we didn't pay enough tips. Well, I usually pay 20% or more, as long as the food and the service are good. But this one? Seriously? We spent 2 and a half an hour for such a boring waiting. If you want more tips then maybe you should try harder. With this efficiency, I really wanna give you nothing. Let me remind you that tip stands for TO INSURE PROMPTNESS, not for PROCRASTINATION. Best, Your Salty Epicure

Mediocre Japanese food. I only go here when I'm too lazy to head down to my favorite and only good UWS sushi place on 72nd st. Sun Chan is way overpriced for the food you get, which is decidedly mediocre.

This is the best Japanese Izakaya restaurant in NYC. All dishes are delicious and reasonable. They are promoting 40~50% dc of Japanese sake now highly recommend !