yakuni

I love this place . It’s low-key, intimate, and has such a warm vibe. The bartenders may not be the most attentive, but they’re incredibly knowledgeable about sake and always have great recommendations. I especially enjoy their vinyl record choice, the jazz music creates such a calm and relaxing atmosphere. I’ll definitely be coming back again and again.

Super cozy speakeasy vibe with Japanese inspired cocktails and vinyls. Pretty small with the best seats at the bar. Best for parties of 2. But definitely a great alternative in the neighborhood

I love Yakuni. The ambiance, quality, and selection are all off the charts. The #1 highlight is Jed. His taste and vibe are impeccable - I come pretty regularly to get a sake flight per his advice. Every single person I have brought here has come back. You should try it, and definitely get a sake flight.

Glad we got to check out Masa Sans newest space! Like each of his spaces, it’s a smaller bar space, only one bartender, but an absolute vibe. Ben was awesome and took care of us. The cocktails we got were next level and we would absolutely be back here again. It honestly felt like we stumbled into a bar in a Yokocho in Japan.

Great cocktails and phenomenal spicy sausage! Oh and some really good sake too.. service was a bit slow - felt bad for the lone bartender trying to serve up all the drinks to the packed house. Anyhoo, definitely recommend the place.. chill vibes and good drinks.

Awesome cocktails and vibe! Service is great too and I loved their selection . It’s super small in there, maybe fits about 12 people or so.

Felt like a japanese bar straight from Osaka, complete with jazz records and lighting. Great drinks, hand crafted.

A hidden gem tucked away in the heart of the big apple. It has an exclusive, almost secret vibe that makes it feel truly special. The space is just the right size cozy and comfortable and it’s the kind of place you’ll want to linger at for hours. The location is underground and a bit tricky to find, but that only adds to the charm and makes discovering it even more rewarding. Since it’s newly opened, it’s currently only open on weekends with limited hours, so be sure to check in advance!

Yakuni is a charming 18 seat cocktail bar located in a basement. No reservations are accepted. I had an Oolong Peach Drink and a special off the menu drink that had no name. Both were exceptional! We also shared some cheese. My friend had a plum wine which was out of this world. The space is super tiny but the vibes are on point. The bartender Jed was awesome. So kind and a master at his craft. Highly recommend stopping in to this chill spot for unique cocktails 10/10

I hate this place. I really just do. (I gave myself some time to put this together, if at all, to see if I was being reasonable-and came to the conclusion that had I read this before coming in, I could have had that evening back.) Really dingey looking, as though you are in a makeshift teenager's basement pad decorated by generations of incohesive flea market hand me downs. Dark. Cramped. Aggravating music. 'Mostly pre-batched cocktails', said the bartender, which STILL took FOREVER, during a not-busy time. Ignore all the wording on the menu about 'handcrafted'. Really really excruciating and exhausting for a place which seems to consider itself so high and mighty. Really stuffy in there, no air circulation. Also totally dirty, had to ask twice to have the bar area in front of us cleaned; kept asking for napkins and never got any. Very sparse food menu, which includes chips on the wall pole, a la the gas station mini mart. I truly have no idea why anyone comes here or would want to stay. Really excessively expensive and unpleasant, and frankly, really annoying. Especially the bartender, who I think belongs in somewhere NOT NYC, and/or at a head shop, he is SO slow-paced in EVERYTHING. Unless you are a teenager just trying to get away from your parents in someone else's dank basement. Please note: I was in no rush whatsoever. I just couldn't stand anything about here, let alone the slowness of the bartender. Kind of like someone on a cramped sidewalk who keeps passing you on their phone the entire time, but forces you to slow down/go around yet again. Another note: I was REALLY EXCITED to try this place. We do NOT mesh.

Got here when it basically opened, glad I did because this is one of the more new and hype places in NY. AMBIANCE: Parking: You're in Midtown.... good luck. You're not too far away from the E and M subway. Seating: Bar seating, maybe for 12 people total. Vibes: Welcome to Midtown East! A mix of a residential urban neighborhood with a calmer feel of the city. The spot itself is pretty hidden, you do head down a half stairs then open up a door to a dimmed bar. Nothing too flashy, simple lit, great hi fi blues music, Japanese art and a wall of alcohol. Nothing too fancy, so need to dress up if you can't. Great place to wine down, enjoy a drink, and listen to some good music. FOOD: MaCHET Baker (Recommend) Heavenly! Smooth, earthy, nutty, and relaxing. Sweet/Umami - Junmai Sake, matcha, earthy genmaicha, oatmilk, and genmai rice. The icing on the cake is that Chet Baker was playing in the background. CUSTOMER SERVICE: Great! Friendly and a great delivery that contributed to the aura/presentation of the drink TL; DR OVERALL: 4.5. Awesome! Good selections, wonderful drinks, and pleasant vibes. It felt like a sharp contrast from experiencing the hustle and bustle of New York, to something calm and relaxing. I've had a lot of matcha drinks in my life, this is certainly a memorable one! TIPS: * Come early for a calm enjoyment. This place can get packed!

Came here with my friend who loves sake and he was impressed with their selections and recommendation. The bar tender was knowledgeable and even gave us a mini review of each sake we tried. It is a true hole in the wall, we had to go to the restaurant upstairs to as for directions. Very cosy so get a reservation if you can or come early!

Glad we got to check out Masa Sans newest space! Like each of his spaces, it's a smaller bar space, only one bartender, but an absolute vibe. Ben was awesome and took care of us. The cocktails we got were next level and we would absolutely be back here again. It honestly felt like we stumbled into a bar in a Yokocho in Japan.

I love the bars intimate ambiance! I had two cocktails, two sake, and some chips. They don't serve food, so I'd recommend coming after dinner. The service was exceptional, and Ben's cocktail creations are truly a highlight, so creative and delicious! Definitely a spot worth visiting for a relaxed night out (:

Really enjoyed our time here. We made a reservation and thoroughly enjoyed the cocktails. It really did remind me of a speakeasy in Tokyo. The sake tasting was excellent and the bartender went through a thorough explanation. 5 stars!!

Super slow service, bartender is taking long time, lots of ingredients were gone, no host, small space. I get that they are trying to replicate the vibe of a Tokyo small bar, but the lack of communication, unfriendliness, and the bartender taking his sweet time doing stuff really killed everything. The drinks themselves are decent, less alcohol, more on the creamy/fruit side. There are bunch of sakes you can sort of just point at and order, but I just can't stand the bartender making drinks at the pace of 10 min per...it seems like artificially building up a crowd of disgruntled people.

super excited to have come to this place on its date of soft opening. the bartenders were very friendly and knowledgeable about the drinks. it was cool just to watch them create these various drinks. this place is unassuming on the exterior, a few people from the street had even followed my group as they saw us all going down these stairs that seemed to lead to a laundromat and were confused where we were all going, only to be pleasantly surprised by where they ended up. the interior is super vibey and cool, a quaint little spot very dimly lit with cool decor including a record player. the ma-chet baker drink was delicious, and came in a beautiful little matcha bowl. the bartender garnished the drink with a brown rice flaky topping called genmaicha that provided an interesting textural and flavor aspect. the peach oolong punch was DELICIOUS, it tasted almost just like a lovely peach tea, you could barely taste the liquor (dangerous lol). on a friday night around 8pm, this place was poppin, it was a good thing we made a reservation in advance i'm happy we came and wish success for this place, which i'm sure will come very easily!

A moody, underground vibe meets a killer music selection, flickering candlelight, and thoughtful service. The curated sake lineup is a joy to browse--even before the first sip. Perfect for spending a fun, laid-back evening with friends.

wonderful new sake bar with super unique ambience and an amazing selection of sake plus cocktail. Service is impeccable!