Shinjuku Sushi Hatsume — Restaurant in Tokyo

Hi the purpose of this review is to provide tips to anyone who is planning to go. Please don't make the same mistake our friends and other guests did during our visit. But first we would like to thank the restaurant is helping us celebrate my mother's birthday. It was truly a special experience. When you go please make sure to get the instructions to go to sushi Hatsume, not sushi Hatsune which is also another a sushi restaurant in Shinjuku. It's one letter name difference and our local Tokyo resident friends went to the wrong location they went to sushi Hatsune instead which is a 25 min walk away. When going to sushi Hatsume which is a five min walk from Shinjuku station if you exit correctly on the west exit. If you exit on the east you're looking at a very long walk towards the other side. Google maps says use exit 15 , however 15 is closed for construction so we had to exit at 16 instead on the west exit. I think this construction has been on for a while and Google maps does not know this. When you reach the building, the entrance to the restaurant is B level which in Japan is for basement level. So the stairs to go down on a white stairwell are on the left side of the building. There is no visible sign and there certainly isn't any English sign. While I was waiting for my friends who went to the wrong location (even though they are from Tokyo), I found a couple of European guests wandering outside and I asked them if they were looking for the omakase sushi and they said yes. They had been sitting and drinking on the ground floor izakaya at the same address for half an hour and thought they were in the correct place. I reassured them that they were in the wrong place and instructed them to go down the stairs to basement level. The chef had also been waiting for the five of them. Note there is no sign in English for the restaurant. Also even in japanese we had a hard time finding it as we walked up and down the street a few times. Normally restaurant will list their name on the big billboard of the building but the only sign we saw was the white one on top of the stairwell (small and in japanese). Being on time in Japan means you're late. So please don't show up on time. You need to be at least 10-15 min early. Come with a open mind and be prepared to eat anything. We are 100 percent japanese but even we were surprised by some of the items as they are truly unique, example raw whale. The herring may have been my favorite even though it is something I normally would not favor. It was excellent how none of the dishes tasted too fishy. So come with a open mind and be prepared to eat absolutely anything. This is not a place for picky eaters. Also if you cannot come please have the decency to cancel your reservation so that others can attend. The seating is so very limited and if there are no shows you can imagine how much it hurts the business and also the reputation of foreign visitors.

To the restaurant, as you know there are many clientele who find you on social media and wish to come. To make it easier please invest in a relatively large sign in romaji (English characters) to accommodate your international guests. The current sign in japanese on the stairwell is too small even for us we missed it and we can still read japanese. You need a sign on the street or building billboard. Also email your guests the instructions, that they they need to go down the stairs. That they need the correct address that it is sushi Hatsume not hatsune . Even my own mother found incorrect restaurant when she did her research. We do not want you to lose the business from your customers. I also suggest making people pay in advance. I had to do this at a few high end restaurants in Tokyo. You can have a flexible cancellation policy but at least it will force them to cancel instead of just not showing up. I had to pay months in advance for some restaurants in Tokyo.

My mother (In the pic)...

Sushi Hatsume Shinjuku was my second omakase experience on this trip, and it turned out to be one of the most enjoyable. It’s very clear this place is tailored towards foreigners — and honestly, that’s what made it so great.

The 22-course set was filled with variety, from unexpected items like whale and spinach nigiri to real highlights like the lobster mini roll, which was outstanding. Not every bite was the most flavour-packed, but the balance of creativity and tradition made it exciting to experience.

What really makes this spot shine is the hospitality. The floor manager walked around and explained every course in English — where it came from, what it was, and why it mattered — which added so much to the experience. The chefs were also friendly and engaging, even showing us the ingredients before preparing them. It felt very welcoming and inclusive.

At around ¥10,000 (under $100 AUD) for 22 courses, the value is excellent. Yes, it’s not the most traditional omakase — the night I visited it was all tourists, no locals — but as a foreign visitor, that made it a lot more approachable and easy to understand.

If you’re a tourist wanting to experience omakase without the intimidation factor, this is absolutely worth it. The hospitality, accessibility, and overall atmosphere make it a standout option...

Overall a good experience. But, we where the first to arrive, and we ordered the wine/sake menu, pretty quickly. Some of the other guests where late, and they still got drinks before us. We had to ask for water, and for me that should be there soon after we sit down. Maybe a small appertiv drink when you order the wine/sake menu, before the show starts.

there where alot of different food, where i thought there would be a little more sushi. But the overall Food experience was great.

We where 3 people and sat at the privat table. At first i was a little disappointed, because when you order Omakasse, its to sit at the desk, and watch the chef work, with the food. But our waiter was very good to present the food, and overall i think we got even more info about the food, than the guest at the desk. The wine/sake menu was great, we had some really great ones, and ended with the waiters recommend Mandarin Sake, that was a great finisher.

With the price around 17500yen, for food and wine menu, it was a great experience. And with a few changes, it would have been 5 stars no doubt.

I would...