Noz 17 — Restaurant in New York

100% worth it.

Food 10/10 I am a fan of everything Noz. We All Gotta Eat Group does it again with this superb omakase experience. It’s a little more experimental, and more varied in piece selection, but a stellar meal nonetheless. Excellent quality of fish of course, but had a greater number of unique dishes and ingredients. Felt like there were fewer nigiri compared to Sushi Noz. I love the way Chef Matsuzaki plays with different textures and combinations of ingredients.

I am actually obsessed with the rice. It was warmer than other omakases I’ve been to, and the rice itself was seasoned with the perfect amount of vinegar, slightly sweet, and a perfect complement to the fish. The rice size itself was also not too big, so I was able to eat all 23 pieces. Again, 23 pieces is insane and such a great way to explore the diverse ingredients. I could eat omakase every day for the rest of my life.

Omakase list: Japanese winter potato Chutoro: aged one week Yellowtail Stewed octopus Baby sea bream Steamed egg and male snow crab Baby bluefin tuna Monkfish liver, shirako, caviar: a massive piece I attempted to stuff all in my mouth, and it melted immediately Needlefish: surprisingly might be my favorite, loved the ginger flavor Hokkaido uni: classic favorite. SO SWEET Cuttlefish Bottarga: tastes like parmesan, done better than the Italians imo Scallop on scallop Whitefish Gizzard fish with shrimp flakes Clam: Black codfish: seared and topped with homemade sauce Lean bluefin tuna Otoro: love Homemade female snow crab with uni risotto: creamy af Miso soup: made with the bones of the fish, SO SO rich Tamago: best I’ve ever hard, it’s so custardy and literally when I tried to pick it up I embarrassed myself by breaking it in two. I did not want to be perceived at that moment. Chestnut paste dessert

Umami go crazy.

Atmosphere 9/10 The interior felt more lowkey compared to Sushi Noz, potentially acclimating to the more lwokey vibes of Chelsea. I was wearing a sweater and felt a bit too hot, but other than that, everything was perfect for the meal.1

Service 9/10 Excellent hospitality. Everyone is super friendly and made me feel very comfortable. It was nice that they would say my name before asking me anything, so it felt more personal. I would say the level of service is a little less polished than Sushi Noz, but that is such a high standard anyway. Felt slightly awkward at some times, but overall very homey and very...

This is a review for anyone who isn’t sure what to expect at Noz 17. With its high, pre-paid price tag, it’s important to know whether or not to take this risk. In these cases, some people get lucky, and others get unlucky. I was unlucky. My advice: Do not go to Noz 17 if you care about an Omakase dining experience.

The UES Sushi Noz was a 5/5 stars in my experience. I was blown away by the quality of the food, the appreciation of Japanese tradition, and, especially, the service. The Noz 17 experience was, unfortunately, 2/5 stars at best. From the moment we walked into this intimate, 6-person dining experience, the wait staff and sushi chef were focused on a 24-year-old finance bro that, to his very vocal bragging, frequents Noz 17 twice per week. And you know what? I get it. You have a temporary fixed-income coming in, so you’re milking it for all its worth to summon as many bros as possible. In a word, it seemed trashy, and it led to the most awkward and uncomfortable dining experience that I’ve had in a long, long time.

In terms of the quality of food, it wasn’t that bad, but also wasn’t that good. While this is certainly advertised as an eclectic experience, I was definitely exhausted with custards by the end of the night. When my wife turned to me halfway through the meal and said, “I wish we could just leave without being rude, but we did pay a lot of money”, I knew that it was important to let others know how much Noz 17 is operating with money in mind instead of quality. And, again…I get it. Business is business. But please don’t schedule additional dining nights (plural) with a 24-year-old in front of clientele, because it’s trashy. And don’t make customers feel like they’re being a nuisance when they ask a question about your sake collection. (No need to get into the upsell of a carafe at Sake at 120/carafe without letting us know the price is more than any other sake offering.)

My advice is to try it out for yourself if you think this review is unfair, but I wish I would have had this information before embarking on this disappointing and...

In its current iteration, Noz 17 may be the only sub-$250 sushi establishment in NYC worthy of its Michelin star and is certainly one of the finest in the city. It’s clear that Chef Matsu takes great care in both seasonality and balance in his menu, as well as nods to true Edomae tradition throughout.

Our meal started with a perfectly cured Kohada (gizzard shad) and ended with a pillowy, custard-like Tamago (egg omelette), both considered traditional measures of a chef’s skill and yet conspicuously absent from so many so-called omakase restaurants in the city. I actually went back a second time almost immediately because of how impressed I was, and both Chef Matsu and Sous Chef Kenta separately delivered an incredible meal of highlight-after-highlight, including delicious cuts of Kasugo (young sea bream) and Aori Ika (bigfin reef squid), and in Chef Matsu’s case a soft shell crab bouillabaisse that was probably the most delicious otsumami I’ve ever had. Subtle details, such as the delicate roasting of the seaweed over charcoal (Jiro-style, one might say), are where the magic lies.

The meal does have some limitations, namely the absence of any significant amount of bluefin tuna (I received only a single piece of chutoro over the course of two meals, and wasn’t particularly blown away) and a high charge of $25 per piece for extra orders. That being said, if you’re looking for a traditional Edomae-style establishment in a serene environment that won’t serve you a blowtorched wagyu-uni-caviar monstrosity or insultingly half-sized nigiri pieces, as seems to be increasingly the norm these days, you can stop searching as I don’t think you’ll find much better and certainly not for under $200. Thank you Noz 17 for keeping the art alive and (relatively) accessible. I look forward to hopefully...