Sushi By Bou - Times Square NYC @ Sanctuary Hotel — Restaurant in New York

We heard great things about this place and it's limited to 1/2 hour of delicious omakase. We were scheduled to come into the city for a Broadway show and felt a bit pressed for time. Their timed half hour eating would fit our schedule perfectly so off we went. We came upon this place where we noted we had to go down the stairs on the side of the Sanctuary Hotel. Mind you, there are two japanese restaurants that lead you downstairs. One is called Sushi Lab and the other, Sushi by Bou is located on the left side if you are facing the hotel. I looked at the entrance leading down and thought it looked so sketchy, god, it has to be good. Okay, maybe I was worried for a millisecond. Off to our adventure like Alice in Wonderland going down the magic rabbit hole.

We were greeted by awesome and friendly hosts. They kept asking if we would like to order any cocktails before, during and after our dinner. Be forewarned, most cocktails there cost $18. They also offer a sake flight that is $32. They do offer barley tea for $8 and I haven’t any notion if they offer free refills. The place truly looks electrifying and has the coolest vibe I’ve been to in a long time. It is a very small and warm space (we came during January) and you are to hang your coats and hats on hooks by the entrantry way. The chefs were freshly preparing the slices of fish from the set omakase menu and when they are ready, they nod to one of the hosts and we are all seated. I should mention, you need to make reservations prior to coming. You can either call or use your electronic device to make the reservations by going to their website and choosing the location, time and day.. After we are all seated at the said time, the two chefs hit the timer and our 12 course nigiri sushi odyssey begins. They will ask you if you have any aversions to anything. Now is the time to speak up. For example, if you do not eat beef, let them know because one of the hand rolls is wagyu beef with uni. They will make substitutions for you.

What to expect: Do not expect soup or salad to come with your dinner. They serve their nigiri on a plate in front of you. Do not move the plate. This is where they will consistently place your fish. You can use your fingers to pick up the sushi (there is a moist towelette for you to wipe your fingers) or use chopsticks. Ginger will be supplied but no soy sauce is given. The chef will be adding their own sauces to the nigiri. They will serve some of the sushi aburi style. You will know when they place all the fish on a plate in front of them to char the sliced fish to bring out the smokiness but if you don’t wish for your sushi to be charred, let them know ahead of time. Everything is served one piece at a time to the complete table relatively at the same time. This is important because this is how they govern the timing of the meal. You do not feel rushed at all and you can have a wonderful conversation with your date or even chatting with the chefs themselves.

The omakase consists of 11 nigiri pieces and one hand roll. I’ve had many excellent sushi before at very expensive restaurants but this place truly holds their own against those $$$ sushi omakase restaurants in terms of quality. I was completely caught off guard in the very best way. Most pieces were melted in your mouth goodness. The only one I had a slight problem with was their wagyu beef, aburi style, with uni. I felt their wagyu wasn’t the most tender. The gentleman next to me (not my hubby) confirmed my suspicions. He stated he’s from LA and LA has one of the best omakase scenes and this place ranks right up there with them...except for their beef. If this is all that’s the hiccup, I’m willing to take it.

You may wonder, if it’s so good, why only 4 stars? The reason is simple: their set omakase menu has not changed in several years. The only time their omakase menu changes, is when you go for their reserved hour session. This was told to me by one of the...

After last night's experience at sushi by bou, I decided to write a review to express my thanks AGAIN! Lol probably being a broken record but u know how u visit somewhere on vacation and just want to have everything work out perfectly? Well, my visit to sushi by bou was just that! I had a reservation beforehand but had one additional unexpected guest joining my party last minute. The change was so late that I couldn't cancel my reservation without penalty and at the same time, I wanted to share with my friends the unique dining experience bou had to offer! I messaged the number provided in the reservation email but I only received short snappy answers... I get it, off-site customer service is just doing their job by the guidelines. We ended up attending the reserved dinner time anyway and my friend as the extra was kind enough to escort me through bustling time square! Showed up and I requested the host to please please please add one more, I even offered to stand!! At first they didn't budge as I fully understand the restaurant is smaller than most nyc studios! But there's obvious enough space for one of me to stand as a compromise right? lol they didn't like that idea. Instead, the host consulted with the sushi chief and after some logistical changes and forfeiting some comfort for good company to stay, they squeezed in one more chair at the sushi bar and we were able to dine together!!! And BOY was it worth it! Food was as good as I remembered from several years back when I had my first experience and with a bigger group, dinner could not be more fun and We were elated! Our sushi chief was great! Super friendly, informative and prepared a fantastic omakase for us!!! The rest of the crew were super attentive too and I really cannot THANK YOU enough to the sat night team that assisted with creating an amazing experience and memory for my friends and I!!! I absolutely plan on recommending sushi by bou to my friends n future visitors!

Food wise, we got the 12 piece course, loved every piece and even more so collectively! I love the seasoning they used on the pieces that accentuated the flavor profile even more! As the finale, we finished with the Big Mac! I recall I was pretty deterred by the price during my first time lol but by request from our first timer diners, I indulged as well! The layers were very luxurious with the jewels of the sea! There was quite a bit of depth to it. Lol but frankly, I think I prefer each element separately so they don't have to compete with one another in taste. Happy I tried it tho!

Drinks were fantastic too!! Really like the yuzu bee and the shiso drink! Very refreshing and quite unique!

Anywho, great sushi spot! Glad I chose them over some others that I was contemplating on! Again big thank you for EVERYTHING! Hope to see...

AVOID AT ALL COSTS. Quite possibly the worst sushi place I have ever been to especially considering the price.

We went for dinner around 6. Soon as we walked in, we heard music literally blasting so hard that it hurt my head after a while. There were like 8 seats, and about half of the seats were taken by a group celebrating one of their birthdays, and their screams somehow managed to be even louder than the music continuously for the next hour. The chefs were drinking beer as well as they made the sushi. But sure, maybe some people like this vibe instead of the traditional omakase vibe, so I can let this slide. Besides, this one waiter came to whisper to us and apologized that their place is somehow letting this happen. He was very nice and probably the only good part about the whole experience.

We got the "bougey" 60minute 100$ course instead of the 30min/50$. With 30min, you get 12 pieces. With 60min, you get 17 pieces. So that means the extra 5 pieces you get are EACH 10 dollars, and we were excited to see what these amazing additional pieces were going to be. To be very frank, I can barely tell which ones were the additional ones or not. I expected the additional pieces to be one of the more expensive fishes, but they were not at all, or they didn't have any taste for me to recognize it. None of the 17 pieces were even remotely fresh, delicious, or had a provoking taste. I can definitely let it slide for the bit too laid-back-atmosphere, the way-too-loud music, the private party screeching, but in the end, the sushi was simply horrible. I would still give this place 1 star even if the atmosphere was perfect. There is nothing more I can say, except the whole set was maybe worth 25$. Each flavor was so bland. The nori was very damp, the fatty tuna barely melted, the yuzu shred taste didn't come through, etc etc the list goes on.

Even if you have never been to omakase and you are looking for a casual one, I would still advise against it. I really am baffled why this place has such good reviews. You should pay a little bit more and go elsewhere more legitimate. And don't ever, under any circumstances, go for the extended 60min/100$ course as it is not worth it AT ALL. It is borderline a...