Sushi Hatsune — Restaurant in New York

TL;DR: Ingredients are very fresh and omakase sets are placed at competitive price point, every piece is seasoned well. There are a few minor hiccups but I would absolutely come back again!

Discovered Sushi Hatsune the other day while I was walking in the area. This spot caught my attention as it somewhat stands out from the neighboring-decade old local stores/restaurants. I was drawn to its modern and bright interior design looking through the windows.

With current indoor dining restriction, I could only have take out. With a curious mindset and a hungry belly, I picked the 12piece fusion omakase ($48). Personally, I don't discriminate against new twists on traditional cuisine. Having had dozens of Edomae style omakase, I still share the same love for non-traditional/fusion style.

Upon arriving at restaurant, I was greeted by a friendly staff. Within minutes, my order was brought to me. Right off the bat, I was impressed with the extra thoughts they put in - wooden laser engraved take out box, and free wings with an appreciation note for supporting the business during this difficult time. The nigiri presentation was the spot on. Vibrant color looks extremely appetizing. Well, as for the taste, they were delicious! Toro with tofu sauce, which I mistaken for a light sesame sauce due to my numb palette on a freezing day, topped with chili oil was one of my favorite. It sounded like an odd combo but it balances well with the sweetness from the flesh. Minced Kombu and yuzu zest toppings are some highlights as well.

Though, there are a few things I wished are done differently. The wasabi (not the actual grated ones) on some pieces were bit too overpowering. I am a big wasabi person but even that was bit too overpowering. The rice was tad too hard/cold, and under-seasoned.

Overall, I absolutely enjoyed every bite and would definitely visit again, dining by the counter would be...

TL;DR: New favorite sushi spot in NYC. SO fresh, amazing prices, best crispy rice and fried rice. Can't say enough good things.

I don't usually go out of my way to write reviews for restaurants but this is an exception. We stumbled upon Sushi Hatsune after our original restaurant of choice was closed. Although a little skeptical we decided to give it a whirl. On our first trip we ordered the tuna crispy rice, a spicy tuna roll, philly roll and bottle of sake - let me tell you - ALL the sushi was sooo fresh and the crispy rice was the best we have had in NYC. Generous portion of tuna on top and rice crisped to perfection. It was so good we had to order a second portion and add the chicken fried rice as well which tasted almost like hibachi fried rice, so fresh!! While we were there I told the waiter we will 100% be back. Low and behold we found ourselves back just two days later craving the crispy rice and fried rice. You honestly cant beat the price and the freshness. The place is also really cute inside with hanging lights and great music. The bathrooms were immaculate both times we went, very clean. The waiter was so sweet and attentive. Although the inside wasn't packed, we must have seen over 50 to-go order flying out over the course of our meal. 100% recommend and will be going back next with some friends to share...

Wow. This is my 3rd time ordering from here and this time was extremely disappointing. I had the 3 roll special (salmon, spicy scallop, eel avo) and a seared salmon ikura roll. The main ingredients were SPARSE.

The 3 rolls were 90% filler.. especially the spicy scallop, it was practically all spicy ground filler, the scallop was scant. The eel avocado was mainly avocado. The only highlight is the salmon roll but I guess you can't skimp on that if the only component is salmon. The seared salmon roll was only okay but way too little ikura and way too much cucumber.. definitely not worth nearly $10 a roll. So disappointed.

Maybe don't order at 3pm on a Saturday, like I did.. and definitely don't order their regular rolls. Their Omakase sets have been good in the past but who knows if they'll start slicing the fish thinner. The busier and more popular they get, they seem to get cheaper with the main ingredients. Do they skimp out thinking no one's gonna...