Taka Sushi Japanese Restaurant

I found the true home of The Zombies and found out that they thrive on great sushi perhaps the best on Long Island.
This little «hole-​in-​the-​wall» makes the real thing with no fancy twists. Just great fresh fish, soups, and appetizers freshly prepared to order by a master sushi chef.
The waitstaff and chefs are all stone-​faced with zero personality but although it would be nice if they had some interpersonal skills the sushi is the best this side of the East River.
Therefore, I would highly recommend giving this place a spin but don’t expect smiles and conversation unless you are with your loved one or friend.
The physical size of the place is very small with little room for conversation above a whisper no ability to spread out or even move. You must have a thick skin and overlook these limitations to experience the food.
This place is strictly business and a culinary gem. Rules
Eat and leave. No dwelling. No Smiles. No small talk.
Enjoy!

A rare Japanese owned Japanese restaurant on Long Island.
The food is definitely good. I love it.
But the waiter/​waitress are the worst of the kind. Cannot believe they are from Japan where hospitality is top notch.
I stopped going there just because of the lack of quality in service.

Love this place. Sushi is always fresh & delicious. I usually do take out. Place can get a little crowded on weekends.

Outside: Looks plain.
Inside: Cozy and nice, like I am in Japan.
Food was very good, especially for Long Island. It IS authentic Japanese food, not imitation.
Overall I liked it.

We ordered several appetizers. Then I tried Aji, Tachiuo, Sea urchin from Japan, fluke and scallop. My husband ordered Japanese sushi set. I thought their Neta (fish topping for sushi) was quite fresh for a sushi restaurant on LI. My husband’s sushi set was ok. Unfortunately unlike sushi restaurants in Manhattan, this place didn’t offer many daily special fish other than those already on the menu. Including drinks, we paid only $ 120. So the price is much lower than Manhattan. Décor is quite old and dated with casual izakaya atmosphere.

I have only ordered out a few times from this place, but this is definitely a hidden gem. I’ve only gotten their spicy salmon roll and shrimp tempura rolls. The food is fairly portioned in size and it’s fresh! If I was in the area, I’d order from here again.

You get what you pay for. This sushi is on the pricier side, but the quality is fantastic. The toro is worth every cent you pay. It is fresh and melts in your mouth as toro should. I respect the diversity of the menu. Though I ordered takeout, the ambience in the restaurant looks eerily similar to izkakayas I have visited in Japan. I can’t wait to bring a date and dine in!

The sushi was decent, chirashi, beautiful to look at and some bites were delicious others just ordinary. Seaweed salad crisp and nutty. The uni, fresh with a great mouthfeel, I preferred the Japanese over the Californian, but both delicious.
Why 3 stars — well a fairly expensive meal should have the proper ambiance. At first it seemed like we were intruding on some kind of religious ceremony. Staff, patrons and sushi chefs stoicism and silence seemed icy and impersonal. I have had livelier meals in the silent dining hall at Kripalu.
I thought sitting at the bar would allow for conversation with the chef, a chance to be dazzled by his skills, to hear his suggestions for the evening. There was none of that with us. Instead, we suffered through, trying to make the best of what should have been a romantic evening, the inane and loutish, behavior of a loudmouthed attention getter at the end of the bar. Conversation rife with inappropriate sexual innuendo, boasts of the exorbitant amount of cash his meal might have cost, seemingly an expert on Japan, Japanese cuisine and yet not even knowing what uni was, and this was the man that Chef Taka chose to engage with, toast and share a drink with? Likely not coming back!

Lee and I just walked in from a Valentines dinner sans Cupid at Taka and I am happy to be their 100^th review. As long as I can remember, Taka has been across the street from our house and we’ve been here 23 years. Not sure exactly how many for them, but they’ve been here a very long time. Tonight was really the first time we have been there. Maybe many years ago for lunch, but this was our first real visit and sadly, probably our last. The food was excellent. And the service was also top notch. We dine out a lot. There was an awkward edge to the whole experience. As noted in many reviews, it is a very small storefront. Yet it is warm and cozy. When we walked in at 7:15 pm most of the tables were filled and there was another couple at the sushi bar, where I had asked to sit. A small gold sign held our reserved seats, which was nice. But I felt like I was interrupting a religious service or something as we walked in. It was very quiet and everyone turned or looked up… definitely no gregarious conversations going on and the music must have been very low or non existent, which may be good in many cases but there was an erie calm to the room. Not like a candlelit French restaurant calm. So awkward that I felt the need to say hello to everyone, which I did. I actually removed my coat and while placing it behind my chair, I said a «hello» to each quadrant of the tiny room as I rotated around. I never feel awkward when I’m out… never. I understand that perhaps the culture is a stoic one… but hello… can you break a smile and say «Hello». ?? How about a flower for the lady ?? It’s Valentines Day !! Lighten up.
Everything was delicious and prepared with care and great detail. The wasabi was excellent, as was the pickled ginger. I thought the miso was great and Lee enjoyed a seaweed salad. We also ordered the Chirashi which was a exquisite array of fresh fish on rice, yet I’m not sure if it warranted 25 dollars and thought we could have just ordered the fish per piece and then omitted the less than exciting items like the fake crab stick and omelet. The scallop was interesting with a smooth and velvety texture. Lee also ordered a California Uni and a Japanese Uni and was pleased with both. When I asked the Chef what the difference between the two was he hesitated and said «one is from California and one is from Japan»… Really ?? Ya think ??? When he put them out for us I deliberately hesitated to see if he would direct us to which was which and as expected, he did not. I had to look at him and say…” So… which is which «. Grrrrrrrrrrrr
We shared a spicy trio roll that had a gentle wasabi crushed pea coating and that was great. Lastly, there was the pork belly in ponzu sauce that was executed just right. Sadly, the entire time the guy next to us sounded like he was in a dive bar rather than a sushi bar and dampened the already bizarre mood. He just went on and on the entire time. There were no other sounds in the room but his cracks and laughter.
Perhaps if you are a regular, you can enjoy a more intimate experience. I for sure, will never become one, so I will never know.

Not worth it coz little expensive for they made the foods, specially high price in unagi over rice taste really soso.

The freshest fish (I only eat sashimi, so it has to be good), and a well kept secret in a strip mall in a quiet section of Westbury. True sushi lovers will return time after time, Reservations are always a good idea and imperative on weekends. If you want to sit at the sushi bar, reserve a few days ahead (for a weekend seating) You won’t be sorry.

Love this place! The food is fresh and the people are so good. The place has a friendly atmosphere.

A hidden gem. I will only eat sushi here on LI and they have some great sake.

Always fresh they may have selective hours but I believe that is a good thing!!! Means nothing is ever out for a long period of time… I may have a craving at a certain time and have to wait a bit for them to open but good things come to those who wait. I have only done take out. All orders are made to order they have a large variety menu every thing I tried I loved the quality is excellent! Something tells me I will be checking in here later today

Hands down the best sushi I’ve ever had. Fresh fish every time. It’s a small but cozy restaurant. Love this place !!

Excellent fresh sushi!
Great service and cozy atmosphere. Very small, so need to make reservations, has a Manhattan feel to it (I guess from the size).

Outstanding fresh sushi. I no longer have sushi at any other local fusion restaurant, Taka’s quality is just way above any other. They also make an incredible homemade Miso soup.

OMJ for oh my jesus! I left a $ 20 tip on top of our 20% tip for the sushi shefs. We don’t normally do this but this was no normal sushi place!’. All quality. Can’t wait to come back.

I just finished eating my meal and I was instantly compelled to run and Unilocal about it. This meal was phenomenal. It was so good I even ate the ginger and I never do that. The wasabi was nice and potent. If it doesn’t make me cry then there is a serious problem. Wasabi is one of my favorite enjoyable self tourtures and it always clears out my sinuses. I pack on a large dab on each piece of sushi. I was beggining to think I was immune to it because the usual spot I go to is clearly using a weak one. the soysauce was nice and salty and not generic or watered down like in some sushi places. I’ve had my fair share of both good and bad sushi experiences and this place rates pretty high.
I got the Sushi A lunch special with california rolls, crab, and shrimp. It comes with a miso soup in a coffee cup. The miso soup tastes much like the Kikoman version they sell in stores in a packet but that’s not a bad thing because I like that one. The sushi was definitely well constructed. The rolls were appropriately sized and eventhough I have seen bigger its about quality and not quantity in most cases. The shrimp was nice and clean. I will probably come back and get a bento box later this week.
The restaurant is small but nice and the employees are friendly. The food was really fresh and it was prepared very quickly. Definitely not a good place for groups. The tables are very small and pretty close together. I got takeout since I was on lunch break but I sat inside long enough to get a good vibe off the place. The pricing is okay for this area but please note for about $ 10 more you can drive a little further to Minado and get the all you can eat sushi buffet to get more bang for your buck.
I’ve always neglected trying the places in this little strip mall eventhough it’s so close to my work place. I am going to try the Peruvian place a few shops over next and that will conclude my little Unilocal review tour of this area.

there is lots of good sushi
and lots of sushi that is just ok
Then there is TAKA
and does this little tiny place stand out
its in such a ugly and unassuming strip of stores and that is a bit sad but you might pass it on by
don’t!
little place with dark décor
I would say there is seating for about 18 sushi lovers
even a little bar where you can watch the sushi chef at his craft.
I had a lovely roll of spicy crunch tuna and avocado
made with soy paper (give that stuff a try its better then seaweed)
nice fresh salad with really tasty dressing not that usual orange stuff
my friend had a naruto roll sushi roll but wrapped in cucumber it was stunning to look at beautiful tuna and cucumber
waitress was very friendly
its a perfect little sushi spot go on in