KATSUNO — Restaurant in New York

A true hidden gem of a restaurant! We had seen it mentioned a few times online but we were still surprised by how good it was. The quality of their raw fish is top notch, on par with many of the very expensive omakase restaurants popping up all over the city but at a more affordable price.

We had the octopus & cucumber vinaigrette, magritte duck with yuzu kosho, and sashimi plate (20 pieces). All were fantastic but the sashimi was by far the highlight for us.

We had asked about the salmon & sea urchin salad but unfortunately they couldn't make it that night as they didn't have enough sea urchin (which at least attests to the freshness of their ingredients!).

We also asked the waitress/owner what she recommended, but she seemed hesitant to mention anything other than karaage, black cod, and tamagoyaki despite having a menu with more unusual options than what's offered at most Japanese restaurants in Queens. To be fair, every table around us seemed to be ordering those things, so I guess their main customer base is not very adventurous and she didn't want to recommend something that we might end up not liking.

Service was fairly attentive considering they seem to be a husband-wife team with no other staff, but I imagine it could get a bit chaotic during busy times. They're reservation only, but we called a couple of hours before opening time and had no issues getting a table for Friday evening. Bring cash to avoid...

Called a week beforehand to make a reservation for 6:15. There was only one other party dining at the same time. I actually appreciate that they are reservation only - it does make for more quality conversation with your party.

We ordered the Agedashi tofu and Magritte duck as appetizers. Both were delicious and had really great sauces that paired well with the dish. For entrees we ordered their black cod, pork hirekatsu, sashimi plate, and their snow crab avocado roll.

The black cod was absolutely delicious, so tender, cooked to perfection, jam packed with flavor but not tough or mushy. The hirekatsu was another hit - four large pieces, fried to perfection. The pork itself was still moist and juicy. The sashimi?? So fresh and cleaned perfectly! The quality is definitely on par with what I get in the city so the price is absolutely reasonable to me. Lastly their snow crab and avocado roll - also really good! I love how sweet the snow crab was, there also wasn’t too much rice on the roll which was appreciated.

Overall, we had a wonderful time dining at Katsuno. While the prices may seem a bit high and portions of certain items may not be the largest, the flavor really is authentic and the quality of ingredients used are good too. We...

We have been going to Katsuno for many years since we moved to the area 10 years ago. I’m from Japan and can vouch first-hand that this is very authentic and delicious Japanese food. It’s run by a Japanese couple in a very intimate space. It is now reservations-only, which is very easy to set up.

This was the place we went to for our first night out as parents, and to celebrate birthdays, including for our daughter who requests dinners here. Whenever anyone asks me for local recommendations, especially Japanese food, I mention Katsuno.

Since I love sushi, I always order the nigiri sushi set (pictured but missing some pieces I already ate!), but we also often order the hijiki ingen salad, ume inaniwa udon, and rolls. I have also had tempura and the black cod and they’re also highly recommended.

The sushi quality is so much higher here than anywhere else nearby (and far), and offer unadulterated Japanese flavors which are surprisingly very hard to find. I look forward to supporting them for years to...