SourAji — Restaurant in New York

One of my favorite things about myself is that when I take an L, I'm very consistent in getting my lick back. I'll do anything to get a lick back. However, one lick I have been unable to get back is Montezuma. Bro just has my NUMBER. The last 4 times I have gone to Mexico I got sick as a dog. Montezuma is getting every last bit his revenge for Hernán Cortés massacring and enslaving the Aztecs. Talk about getting a lick back...

All this to say, I had a dinner planned with my girlfriend's cousin at SourAji to demolish the all you can eat omakase here. When I committed to the res 9 days prior, I had no idea I would still be in a DOGFIGHT with Montezuma... and what was I gonna do? Cancel last minute? How would that look to my girlfriend's cousin?

In hindsight, I should have absolutely canceled as raw fish is the last thing I should have been eating. But hindsight is always 20/20, we need to look forward.

We entered the clean Japanese interior of SourAji and were seated at the bar. One of the chefs looked at me and said "Are you the chicken guy!? I love your videos!" I wish I could have interacted with him more and gotten his name, but I was so locked in on trying to have a solid poker face.

The first 14 pieces of sushi were delicious, and I got through them pretty easy. I was feeling myself.

However, after the omakase course, they come around and give you 3 options for all you can eat. You get to pick however many lean tuna, fatty tuna, and wagyu nigiri you want. Anything you don't eat, you have to pay for.

Big cuz leaned over to me and said "We are about to go CRAZY! How many do you think you're gonna get?" I said "probably like 3 each..." which sounded like a lot in my current state.

He responded with "THREE!??! THAT'S IT!??! I thought you were a big dog..." I upped it to 6 each to which he said "THAT'S IT!?!" But 6 each, 18 total pieces of nigiri, was more than I thought I could possibly finish. I informed him I was operating at around 43% of my full strength right now.

I got 6 of each, and he got 6 lean tuna, 8 fatty, and 10 wagyu nigiri. TANK. I made it through the first 12 somehow, but when those last 6 wagyu nigiri came... man. I had to look myself in the face and say "who are you as a man?" I was scarfing them down and chugging water.

I picked up the last piece with my chopsticks, beads of sweat rolling down my face, and shoved it in my mouth against my will. Job finished.

He said "we have to come back when you're at full strength." Absolutely we do, I’ll be back to do some DAMAGE.

IG...

I was quite disappointed with the restaurant and the overall omakase experience.

To begin with, the reservation process on Resy was unclear. There was no direct or easy indication regarding seating preferences. Upon arrival, we were told by the staff that we should have clicked on a specific part of the Resy interface to select bar seating—something that wasn’t obvious at all. As a result, we were seated at a back table, far from the bar where most of the action takes place. When we realized this, we expressed our desire to leave, but were told the $50 no-show fee would still apply. This made us feel stuck and obligated to stay for an experience we no longer wanted.

As for the omakase itself, the fish was decent but certainly not premium quality. It felt like quantity was prioritized over quality, likely due to the all-you-can-eat format. The wagyu beef, which was part of the offering, was often over-charred and left an unpleasant burnt, smoky taste. Additionally, the ventilation in the space was poor—excess smoke from the torched meats lingered in the air and caused noticeable eye irritation for more sensitive guests.

On the beverage side, the sake was of good quality and enjoyable, though it wasn’t freshly poured, which is typically standard in more traditional Japanese establishments.

Service felt disorganized and lacked professionalism, although I did appreciate that staff kept our glasses filled for the all-you-can-drink option.

The cleanliness also left something to be desired. With three dinner seatings per night, there was a sense of being rushed out to make way for the next group. The 1.5-hour time limit felt short for what should be a more relaxed and immersive omakase experience.

Overall, I would strongly advise anyone booking through Resy to pay close attention to seating options and confirm bar seating if you’re expecting a traditional omakase. This restaurant is better suited for those looking to eat and drink a lot in a more casual, party-like environment—not those seeking a refined, traditional omakase with high-quality sushi...

I’ve been to both locations, and while this one tasted slightly better, the poor service kind of makes it a one and done kind of place to go.

Examples of poor service: staff took forever to get refills, clear plates, and seemed to have trouble understanding and communicating orders in English. I wanted some hot tea and the server heard iced tea and then proceeded to walk off before I could correct him. They also made us order all 3 rounds of refills at once instead of ordering each round separately, so you can better gauge how full you are feeling to avoid waste. On top of that, we were sat and not served for 15mins and then asked to leave before our hour and a half was up in order to make way for the next reservation.

In terms of the 13 item omakase, it is quite worth the price for quality. There are some pieces of sushi that were subpar, like the uni, wagyu, and fatty tuna, but the rest were either good or excellent, with my personal favorite being the lean tuna. You have to make sacrifices in order to maintain upkeep, and while this may not be the best sushi I’ve ever had, it’s still quite good overall.

My biggest issue with the food was the inconsistency with large orders. I can understand that the sushi chefs are in a rush to get out the orders as quickly as possible, but you can tell they made huge sacrifices to quality control. MANY of the pieces served had a strong butane flavor, likely from holding the blowtorch too closely to the fish when searing. Some pieces of wagyu were very charred in comparison, with uneven amounts of salt applied to every piece. It’s an all you can eat spot, so I don’t expect the greatest quality as most people will be satisfied or be unable to tell the difference.

Lastly, if I could make a suggestion to add or have the option to buy soda or something with carbonation that’s not alcohol. If the service here was as good as their sister location at Souraji West, this place would definitely be a favorite to come back to, but I can’t see myself coming back here until they fix...