The best Japanese restaurants in NYC in 2026, beyond sushi, are Odo for kaiseki, Torishin for yakitori, Sakagura for sake and izakaya plates, Raku and Tsurutontan for udon, and Hi-Collar for a Japanese-style coffee house. Japan Village in Sunset Park is the best one-stop Japanese food hall.
Our separate guide covers the best sushi in NYC. This list is everything else — kaiseki, yakitori, udon, tonkatsu, izakayas and kissaten.
A seasonal kaiseki counter that is among the city's most refined Japanese meals.
Chef Hiroki Odo serves an intimate, seasonal kaiseki tasting menu at a small counter in Flatiron, with a casual bar, Hall, at the front.
Good to know: Book well ahead; the counter seats only a handful of guests.
17 W 20th St, New York, NY 10011
Serious binchotan-grilled yakitori, every part of the chicken.
Torishin grills chicken over binchotan charcoal, skewer by skewer — thigh, heart, skin, meatballs — with an omakase option that walks you through the whole bird.
Good to know: Sit at the counter to watch the grill.
362 W 53rd St, New York, NY 10019
A hidden basement sake bar with hundreds of bottles and izakaya plates.
Reached through an office-building lobby, Sakagura is a calm, wood-lined basement with one of the largest sake lists in the city and well-made small plates and soba.
Good to know: Ask for a sake flight if you're new to it — the staff are excellent guides.
211 E 43rd St, New York, NY 10017
Thick, chewy udon in a dashi you'll want to finish.
Raku makes Sanuki-style udon with springy, hand-cut noodles in clear dashi or rich curry broth, plus tempura and small plates.
Good to know: Expect a short wait at peak hours; it's worth it.
342 E 6th St, New York, NY 10003
Huge bowls of udon from an Osaka udon chain.
Tsurutontan, an Osaka udon specialist, serves oversized bowls of udon in dozens of styles — from classic kitsune to mentaiko cream — in a big, lively room off Union Square.
Good to know: Bowls are large; a side of tempura is enough for two.
21 E 16th St, New York, NY 10003
A tiny kissaten: siphon coffee by day, sake bar by night.
Hi-Collar is modeled on Japan's old-fashioned coffee houses, with siphon coffee, katsu sandwiches and fluffy omurice by day and sake and small plates after dark.
Good to know: Seating is limited to a short counter — come outside peak times.
214 E 10th St, New York, NY 10003
A Japanese food hall and grocery under one roof.
Japan Village, in Industry City, gathers Japanese food stalls — ramen, onigiri, takoyaki, sushi, an izakaya — alongside Sunny Mart, a large Japanese grocery.
Good to know: Combine with a wander around Industry City's shops and courtyards.
934 3rd Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11232
Kaiseki is Japan's formal multi-course meal, built around the season, with small, precise dishes served in a set order.
There isn't one Japantown, but East 9th and 10th Streets in the East Village, the blocks around Grand Central in Midtown East, and Japan Village in Sunset Park all have clusters of Japanese restaurants and shops.