Jewel Bako

The makimono omakase (chef’s choice) is really, really good. As an FYI, it will include 8 or 9 pieces corresponding to each of the large variety of makimono rolls. Also, its a small point but I’m not a big miso soup fan but here it was pretty amazing.

A 11 year old consistent Michelin Star restaurant in the East Village, known for it’s sushi. It’s not inexpensive, it’s also not terribly expensive for a Michelin Star restaurant. From a San Francisco eater’s vantage point of view, this is every bit as good as Wako on Clement and 2^nd, and it’ got a very intimate setting.
My evening was dominated initiatively by the very rare self doubt I was having as I was surrounded by a posh group of Ivy Leagues. Among the four of them, between under and graduate schools, just about covered just about every top tier school of the country. The subject matter was more somber as it’s related to policy setting and endless of name droppings of the who’s who. I had instead taken the opportunity to examine the room’s décor and food offering as a way to keep myself mentally occupied.
I had determined, their rolls are very good, especially if you order the larger rolls to share. Their sashimi platter is reasonably priced and quite fresh. Their beer and sake offerings are slightly different than what you’d see in San Francisco, so that makes the decision making process slightly more interesting.
The service was wonderful. Despite the place being oversold and crowded, no one rushed us, we spent a good three hours eating, and chatting, and clearly taking on more time than the average patrons, they did not come to harass us to leave as some of the restaurants would.
Japanese influenced desserts are worth getting.
I don’t know why the price was deemed high by other reviewers, I thought it was well in the middle for what it is, and the quality was consistent across rolls and sashimi.
Four hour meal later (the extra hour after meal was spent on drinks and more chatting), I finally bid goodnight to friends from the upper east side, I had completely forgotten how insecure I felt at the beginning of the evening, and how full and satisfied I was by the end of the evening. Hmmm… excellent sushi is the final frontier to education inequalities…

Great food and great ambiance. Needed to look for the door, but once we got in, the ambiance was fantastic. Staff made you feel right at home and helped us out with the menu.
The rolls where at perfect temperature, the staff did everything they could to help us and the menu price was not too bad. I would recommend this restaurant to everyone! If there is 1 thing they could improve: the size of the rolls was a bit big.
The spacing is a bit small, but for some reason it did not bother me. Overall great experience and would recommend this place.

My all time favorite sushi place in the city. I have been to many sushi restaurants and so far this still tops all. Get the omakase. Nothing else to say.

Don’t let the ambiance fool you, this place is terrible! Our group arrived on time for dinner with a reservation and did not get seated until 40 minutes after. To make matters worse, there was no space to wait so we were awkwardly scattered along the front of the restaurant blocking the front entrance.
After getting seated, we sat around for a good 10 minutes before a waitress stopped by for our drink orders and then another 5 minutes for our food order. We ordered the Usuzukuri — the dish was bland and unoriginal and the fluke not particularly fresh. For my meal, I had the selection of sashimi. The waitresses was very slow in bringing out our food and seemed distracted. She mixed up my order with a friend who ordered the selection sushi. So to the food… if you like fresh nigiri this place isn’t for you. Presentation was poor. The fish was sliced extremely thin and like the fluke the fish was not fresh. 90% of the dish had a bad slimey taste!
The photos makes the restaurant appear very grand and open with its arched canopy ceiling. In reality, the space is very closed with tables tightly packed and the ceiling is very low and feels claustrophobic. Furthermore, the lighting is bright, harsh and not at all soothing to the eye.
Do yourself a favor and go to Sushi Yasuda instead!

Get the sushi/​sashimi omakase for $ 90. It sounds quite expensive, but it’s on par for quality sushi. They give a decent amount of pieces for the omakase. But for those of us who eat a lot, you will probably walk out still hungry. So have a backup plan in place or order more. I ordered extra uni pieces for only $ 8 a piece, which is reasonable for the quality.
For dessert, they give you a green tea ice cream sandwich.
The restaurant is very dim lit and the waiters/​waitresses are well mannered. It’s a good place for a fancy date.

Top quality, very fresh and delicious sushi and sashimi. We had the sushi and sashimi omakase which is $ 85pp before taxes and tips. The fish was so fresh — there’s about 14 or 15 pieces (combination sushi and sashimi) in the set which enabled us to be full (not super full but appropriately so). Included a piece of chutoro (medium fatty tuna) but not ootoro (fatty tuna) which would have made my night if it was included.
The set came with edamame (a touch too soggy) and miso soup. Loved the sake cocktail (Winter Moon) too. Must try the matcha green tea ice cream sandwich — lovely end to a delicious meal.
My only gripe is for the price you pay, although a delicious meal, not sure that it’s particularly that special or different from the other handful of great Japanese sushi bars with omakase offerings in Manhattan.

Sushi isn’t usually something I crave or seek out, but I was excited to have the chance to sit at the bar at Michelin-​starred Jewel Bako for the omakase tasting menu. At $ 150 per person, this meal is not cheap by any means, but I was anxious to experience something special.
The interior is trendy without being too scene-​y, and the low ceilings (even though they’re slotted by design) can feel claustrophobic if you’re seated at a table. This was easy to ignore at the bar, where the chefs making sushi provide enough of a distraction not to notice how little room the servers have to walk behind you. Service was very friendly and patient.
The omakase tasting menu features a mix of hot and cold dishes from the kitchen, as well as nigiri, sashimi, and dessert. It is a LOT of food. We sat there eating for well over 2 hours. The nigiri and sashimi were all expertly prepared, but towards the end I requested any remaining nigiri to be prepared as sashimi since I just couldn’t eat any more rice. The chef graciously obliged. Standouts for me included scallops topped with seared uni, o-​toro sashimi, and… the dessert!
The scallops and uni were just yum, like what is there to say about it? Scallops? Good. Seared uni? Goooood. The o-​toro, same deal, just yummm, literally melt-​in-​your-​mouth good. My only gripe about liking these two courses is that it had very little to do with the chef. Fresh ingredients are going to taste great no matter what, and these minimally prepared courses were a prime example of that. The dessert was a green tea torrija, which i learned today is like a very soft, gooey piece of french toast with a crème brûlée-​esque top. The yuzu syrup was a great foil to how sweet and cloying the torrija was and really tied all the flavors together. I’d never had anything like that and I ate every last bite despite how über stuffed I was.
I enjoyed the omakase as a whole. In retrospect, however, it didn’t feel worth the price tag. There were more than a few courses that left me feeling neutral, instead of raving about it and anticipating what was coming next. If I ever come back I would order à la carte or downgrade to the sashimi omakase. The tasting menu is overkill unless you are starving, are impressing someone, or are being impressed by someone else. Highly recommend sitting at the bar (at any sushi restaurant)!

This place… Food was so fresh and delicious.
The first rule of thumb for any Japanese joint that thrives on serving sushi and sashimi is freshness.
We pre-​ordered the spiny lobster (served 2 ways), which was amazing and had a sweet undertone.
The lobster was still somewhat moving when we received the sashimi, proof of this freshness. We were then served a lobster soup which was screaming with lobster flavor.
The ordered (2) different omakses, one classic and the other with their specials. Both were very good and fresh.
We ordered their trio tartar which was a great way to start the meal, and ended the meal with their green tea ice cream sandwich dessert which was delightful

If you like good nigiri, especially if you been to other good sushi spot in NYC, this place probably isn’t for you. Paid my 2^nd visit last Friday. I had chutoro maki, three fishes tartare and the nigiri omakase.
Chutoro maki is okay. The toro and the seasoning are good, but the two layers of thick firm rices are not as enjoyable (not sophisticated).
Tartare comes in three different types of fishes, I only enjoyed the tuna (but not memorable), the flavors on other two are bland.
After two average dishes, I was looking forward to try the nigiri omakase. Unfortunately it turns out to be nothing but a 98mph fastball strike 3. I didn’t like any other the nigiri I had, the flavors are just bad, the rice was not cooked properly. I wish I could critic more specifically, but the overall taste just not working. Me and my gf were both disappointed.
I did enjoy my kagua beer and miso soup…
I could not book the sushi counter due to last minute reservation, but I am really glad I didn’t. I would not want to pay any more $ for this food quality. There are so many good sushi places in the city within the same price range. I would definitely recommend place like Sasabune, Sushi of Gari, 15 east, or Soto… If you looking for around under $ 150 nigiri omakase. For something more affordable, the lobster place at Chelsea market got pretty damm sushi.

The sushi is fresh and delicious. The sake list is impressive. The plates are chipped and a little dingy. The restaurant décor is a bit outdated. You decide if that is Michelin Star worthy.

I had the chef’s omakase for $ 75. It was really worth it as it came with a generous portion of sushi that was both exquisite and delicate. I would recommend trying the crispy sea bass in bonito broth ($ 24). Although the sea bass was quite pricey, it was uniquely refreshing thanks to the delightful mix of bonito, shiso leaf and pickled plum! Other than the food, the ambience was relaxing and the service staff were attentive and professional.

I’ve managed to go to Jewel Bako three times over the years, which is more than I can say for most high-​end sushi restaurants in L.A., where I actually live. Most recently, I went for a late Tuesday night dinner with my friend Vanessa S. We sat at the bar and decided to splurge on the $ 85 omakase – my first time doing omakase here.
It had been at least a few years since my last Jewel Bako meal, but the place was as I remembered it – very cute, distinctive décor with a calm, classy ambiance. I liked sitting at the sushi bar, which I think had fewer than a dozen seats. We had a 9:30 reservation, so it wasn’t full, and we were the only diners left at the end of the night, at least at the bar, quite possibly in the whole restaurant. Ideal conditions for a leisurely catch-​up friend date. Service was great. The set-​up was pretty intimate, and our sushi chef was friendly. He also made some delicious sushi. I sipped on a glass of cedar barrel sake and let the beautiful meal wash over me.
It started with a light amuse bouche of red snapper sashimi with yuzu zest and cucumber, followed by a miso soup with tofu skin and radish. After that, we dove straight into the sushi – I think there were eleven pieces and a mini rice bowl included in the $ 85, and we tacked on a couple more pieces at the end. Everything was pretty outstanding, the fish fresh as possible, over just the right amount of lovely sushi rice. First there was marinated blue fin tuna, a flavorful preparation of tuna that I’d never had before; then kinmedai, always a favorite of mine, with a dab of yuzu kosho. I loved the iwashi, which came served with ginger and a thin sliver of shallot or onion, a dab of soy sauce pooled in a medial slit. I didn’t know sardine could melt in the mouth quite like that. Hagashi toro was a luxurious cut of fatty tuna I’d never had before. After that, we got tiny bowls of negitoro and ikura over sushi rice, which we scraped clean with tiny wood spoons.
The next nigiri was seared engawa, which was another first for me. It was kind of magical, charred and flavorful, topped with a combination of ponzu and scallion and what must’ve been a dollop of liver. The fluke fin got wonderfully unctuous while still retaining a little bite. The decadence continued with a piece of shiroebi, itty bitty white shrimp mounded into a single textured whole, with a nice little heap of caviar on top. A tender piece of scallop came dusted with yuzu zest, then the uni, which I’d been anticipating for most of the meal. It showed up right on time and tasted absolutely splendid, loose and cool and creamy, practically puddling over the rice. Our chef made good use of his blow torch for the next two – Japanese barracuda and aburi toro kama. I’ve heard this isn’t exactly a purist approach to sushi, but fuck if it isn’t effective. The barracuda and tuna collar both shone under the heat. The anago rounded out our omakase. It was wonderful, slightly smoky, brushed with sweet eel sauce, with a unique texture – fine almost to the point of being pasty, but in a good way, if that makes any sense.
We weren’t left hungry or anything, but we supplemented our omakase with a couple more orders of nigiri, just for fun. The botan ebi was top notch, firm and sweet with a supple chew. The sanma was tender with and the right kind of fishy, in that flavorful mackerel way.
Our chef threw in a palate cleanser gratis, a sort of fish-​free nigiri made with ume and shiso, a good way to end any sushi meal. Instead, we decided to split a green tea ice cream sandwich, which the kitchen obligingly sent out as two minis, both of which were plenty big. A scoop of green tea ice cream came wedged between two chocolate cookies dusted with matcha powder, with some melted chocolate and candied pecans for garnish. The cookies broke soft and went well with the ice cream. None of it was too sweet.
This dinner was a splurge, but I have no regrets, and would be convinced pretty easily to do it all over again. I’m always on vacation when I’m in New York, and there are few better ways to live it up than omakase sushi. Jewel Bako is a reliable spot for top quality fish, and I look forward to making a fourth visit.

Brought a friend here who was visiting me from out of town.
The ambiance is very upscale and trendy, although it can also be a tad claustrophobic, we were basically eating in a cave haha.
I ordered the selection of sushi and my friend had the selection of sashimi. What a steal! For just $ 38 I had ~10 pieces of various nigiri, plus one sushi roll that was sliced up into 6 individual pieces, craziness! When compared to other omakases around the city this type of price for such quality of fish is pretty much unheard of!
We also shared a special uni appetizer they had, a sort of uni mousse, so good but pretty pricey at ~$ 20 just for a tiny jar of the stuff.
Service was very attentive and they were great at making recommendations or answering any questions you might have. I would recommend Jewel Bako for sure for a slightly more affordable fine dining experience =).

My belly… will it ever be the same again?
For the quality AND quantity you get, there are few – if any – sushi establishments in this city that can outshine Jewel Bako. A $ 77 omakase is a steal, especially considering the number of pieces you get (was it seriously only 20?). Surreal is the only word to explain my recent dinner here. It was precisely how I’d imagine the last meal of my life: a seemingly never-​ending succession of fresh, creative, beautiful nigiri and sashimi pieces placed before my feasting eyes. My friends and I were literally contemplating the challenges of Instagramming this business AS we were scarfing down each piece and losing count («exactly how many frames?»).
You can either go all out with the tasting menu, which is the omakase plus an assortment of appetizers/​side dishes and a dessert or you can go with the omakase. We went with omakase and chose both sashimi and sushi, which brought the total from $ 77 to $ 100. Still a steal! Book the sushi bar – there’s just no better seat in the house.
Pro tip: Reserve a late dinner on a weekday evening (~8 or 8:30pm). We got some really snazzy treatment from the proprietor by the time we neared the end of our meal at around 10:30pm and were one of the few people left in the restaurant. When asked whether we wanted dessert, we were pretty much given (ahem) no choice: before we could bow out, three orders of matcha bread pudding suddenly appeared before us. We were also served some well-​aged plum wine. Either we were three lucky pigs or the restaurant had nothing better to do with leftover dessert at the end of a long day and wanted to be generous with their remaining clientele. I’m leaning towards the latter. Great way to end a weekday evening.

Occasion:
Friday night dinner
Order:
Chef’s tasting menu (seasonal Omakase) + Yuzu Omoi on the Rocks (crisp and citrusy just the way I like it)
Grilled salmon belly with radish on top
(quite unique in its own taste. The belly fat melts in your mouth when you break the crispy skin)
Oyster with Yuzu sauce (the Yuzu sauce was a little bit too sour for me) + Japanese mizuna salad with walnut (great sensation of being salty & sweet and chewy & crunchy) + fire squid with Yuzu jelly (my favorite of the 4: The squid was seasoned really well accompanied with the fresh citrusy jelly) + spicy salmon tartare (this was ok)
Sashimi (I think I may be biased but Sushi Azabu has way better sashimi both in terms of quality and presentation. Plus the wasabi tasted too weak and watery. That’s disappointing)
Crispy sea bass (crunchy fried batter on the outside, tender and juicy fish on the inside, the subtle but flavorful broth enhanced the original taste of the fish)
Sushi (again Sushi Azabu spoiled me with their traditional Edo-​Mae sushi. Both the fish and rice triumphed the sushi at Jewel Bako)
What I had here were:
Tuna
Yellow tail
Tasmania salmon
Medium fat tuna
Otoro
Fresh octopus with green salt
Sea Eel (my favorite piece of the night. The eel was cooked in a way that it’s so soft delicate that it melts like a jelly)
Uni scallop cup (it was delicious! Especially the grilled uni. It was creamy and sweet in its very natural way. But I wish they brought this dish out earlier because at this point I was already a little over stuffed.)
Green tea torrija (the sweet/​tangy sauce on the bottom was too overwhelming. Torrija was great especially with the bitterness of the green tea matcha power)
Overall:
I enjoyed my meal here. With the price and quantity of food, the Omakase here is a good deal. Right now my sushi list in nyc is: 1. Sushi Azabu 2. Sushi Yasuda 3. Jewel Bako

Jewel Bako
NY Manhattan East Village
8pm Friday 3^rd April 2015
Five Stars
Probably the best meal I have had in New York. Reservation at 8pm at this adorable sushi restaurant. The inside has a sleek stylish and a bit tight at times. The rounded wooden beams make you feel like you are hidden in forest on a sunny day.
We sat at the sushi counter and had the chef tasting menu ($ 150, which was $ 25 more than advertised). We also enjoyed two 350ml bottles of Hakaisan Junmai Ginjo sake ($ 35).
First Course: Salmon Belly with Crispy Skin served over lemon wheel topped with minced daikon and micro greens. It was melt in your mouth delicious. The meat was slightly over medium. The lingering taste of citrus on the tongue was perfect appetizing.
Second Course: Four seasonal dishes. A) micro Green salad with lots of miso dressing and nuts. B) Baby Squid with Cucumbers. The cephalopoda were tender. The cucumbers weren’t cut all the way through. C) fried wonton skin filled with spicy tuna and topped with chili strands. It was good but nothing special. D) fresh raw oyster with yuzu foam. A bit too sour for me.
Third Course: Sashimi Platter. All 12 – 13 pieces of fish was fresh and outstanding. The shrimp was sweet and best thing on the platter The black cod had a weird collagen layer which was a bit chewy. Also the shrimp head served on the plate never reappeared in the meal which was disappointed.
Fourth Course: Twice Marinated Salmon cooked with a habo leaf and shiitake mushrooms in parchment paper. The meat was tender and a bit smoky. The crispy cod was great.
Fifth Course: assorted nigiri handmade piece by piece by the head chef himself. He served three types of ahi: akami, chutoro, otoro. There was also uni, rainbow snapper, shrimp, octopus, fresh water eel toasted in a leaf. Also served a cup with sushi rice, topped with fish eggs and nori. The rice was a bit hard but loosely packed.
Sixth Course: Dessert. It looked like a piece of fish with the burnt sugar and the starchy sweet cake. The red sauce was a bit too saccharine for me.
Last bite: a fortune cookie like cake.
The bill was $ 400 but worth every penny. The food was outstanding, service was spectacular and this place deserves its Michelin star.
A warm towel to start. A napkin on my lap upon sitting. Promptly filled water and sake glasses. Wet paper towel to wipe your finger between nigiri pieces. Plus a girl emptied the bathroom trash four times during our meal.
I am so glad to share an amazing meal with such an impressive woman.

Bless NY and all it’s Omakase glory! Jewel Bako is a beautiful restaurant. The interior has a modern chic look to it. And the hosts/​servers dress impeccably well.
I sat at the sushi bar for a 7PM dinner. My friend and I both ordered the $ 85 omakase, and my oh my was it a splendid meal. 16 pieces of excellent sushi — each piece better than the one before.
Surprisingly, one of my favorite pieces was the sea eel. This is coming from someone who normally doesn’t like eel.
The only reason Jewel Bako gets 4 instead of 5 stars is the sushi chef. He was very terse and barely talked to us. Even though his food was amazing, I just wish he was a bit more social.

The place is a bit small but I guess you could call it intimate, the mirrors do help in preventing the feeling of claustrophobia but I noticed the servers were always squeezing through the seats as they walk past the aisle. They were practically on tippy toe. I can bet there’s a weight requirement to be a server here. If you’re a bit on the heavier side I would sit inside the booth rather than the chairs by the aisle, makes it easier for both ends.
It was my partner’s birthday so I wanted to take him out for real good food, what better way to his heart than his stomach first, am I right ladies? Given the fact this is a michelin star restaurant, I had high expectations but they did not deliver.
The tartare trio comes in a selection of blue fin tuna, salmon and yellow tail. It was okay as a starter, my favorites were the tuna and salmon. The sweet potato chips weren’t homemade based on its taste and appearance.
The sashimi selection came with miso soup, nothing extraordinary I actually prefer the miso soup at Ki Sushi. The special included blue fin tuna, yellowtail, Scottish salmon, isaki, fluke and jumbo shrimp. All the fish was pretty standard, it wasn’t amazing as I had expected since it was Michelin star.
I had an addition unagi makimono roll since I was still hungry but again, the roll tasted very ordinary.
Since it was a birthday dinner they gave us a green tea matcha red bean cake on the house. It didn’t redeem the mediocre meal though.
I left feeling disappointed and ripped off, for the price I paid I expected better tasting food. I began to question the Michelin quality for this year. I couldn’t wrap my head around the fact Jewel Bako had a Michelin star…

A few years ago, Jewel Bako rode the popularity wave of sushi in New York. Now it’s 2014, and the restaurant is still coasting on the last morsels of potential energy.
I’m not saying the restaurant is bad, but for the price point, it could be a lot better. A miso soup that comes with almost every meal was mundane and in all ways as ordinary as possible — except it seems that the chef exercised a heavy hand in adding the misu. The sushi or sashimi is elegantly arranged on a platter like artwork. But there were many missteps: the sushi pieces come preseasoned, which is ordinarily a nice touch, but can be dangerous for those who prefer pieces with no wasabi. At least one piece of fish was stringy. An eel handroll came wrapped with soggy nori as if it had been sitting in the sushi bar a little too long and got drunk from sake bombs. I also felt as if I were eating sushi in a nightclub with all the lights turned on to the max.
But even for all its shortcomings, the sushi is decently good and some of the sashimi is fantastic. Bluefin tuna is one of those things that is decadent and unctious and it comes with almost every sushi and sashimi plate. Enjoy!