wagamama, murray hill, new york — Restaurant in New York

My BFF and I likened to this very hip, eclectic, Modern Japanese hotspot after she got off work. Located within walking distance to Grand Central Station and Bryant Park. At first glance we both dove into the select Sake list, after being warmly greeted and seated by Mia, our marv-y hostess for the evening. The appetizers were a toss-up between their outstanding Tuna Tataki and the Lettuce-Wrap Duck Roll! Just amazing how both pairs with a slough of Sake for starters. Taking our time, bopping enjoying the private DJ that cranked out these absolutely fantastic dance music— numbers the likes of which gossamer “Avalon” back in Boston’s Golden Age in the Fenway aeons ago … but, savor today’s hottest nabobs somewhere on tipping NYC’s nightclub scene here. (Too fantastic for words.) And this is not a discotheque in Tokyo or Osaka !!

Nevertheless we ordered our main entree, which was “to die for …” just absolutely smashing! Everything on the menu, including the Night Manager was super-delicious. Beyond dreamy people party animals … I tell you. It was wonderful. Super-friendlier wait staff that kicks it … like ‘wowow’!! They were smashing !!

Personally in my opinion every one should bring a date here! … Why? Because it’s that great. Maybe just on weekends. Really. Maybe yes? The DJ for one.

Of course no evening is ever complete without dessert (and pairing of Sake)! Too much for my blood, of course—but it’s worth every penny earned!! So whenever we look on how far we’ve struggled to come this far even after COVID, it surprises others that we want to enjoy ourselves. Inasmuch as everyone has had the same chances in life and the same opportunities too, if not more, the Rich want to enjoy living Life to its fullest. So do we! Especially with great food. Super great friends— however that may be for any one of us … at any given time— it’s literally taking the time to spend doing it … which is dramatically really refreshingly cooler and so awesome relaxing somewhere to have such a ball … on such spur of the moment [Comedy Club] ! No pun intended.

Highly recommended ! Definitely top notch all the way around … the Block ! Loved it. Like LA without the Hollywood Press, and the Hotties in The Hamptons o’er the Weekend...

I usually enjoy this restaurant quite a bit, but the most recent time I went here soured me so much, that I now will never return to this location again. Both me and the person I was with enjoyed the food immensely, however while the prices are not great here, and it is considered somewhat premium, I don't complain because it tastes solid and I like eating with friends or on dates.

So anyway, I gave a certain tip this time because the service was lousy and I also didn't want a bill to go from $70 to $80 when it wasn't deserved. (Tipping culture is going too far anyhow) The obnoxious, entitled waiter gave the Toast POS device an odd look after I punched in the tip as we were leaving. I thought something was wrong but didn't say anything, as to not make things awkward. He went and did that to a stupid degree anyway, so I didn't have to! The waiter approached and asked if everything was okay, and I replied that service was a little slow but nothing else was wrong. He then proceeded to shame me in front of my date for leaving a "low" tip and asked why I didn't give more.

Waitstaff these days are extremely entitled, but this was a bridge too far! If your service isn't great, I'm not giving you a 20% tip, and you can just deal with it and cope harder. That's how life works. I shouldn't have to explain myself, especially in front of a date. Because of this egregious behavior from that staff member, I refuse to give this location any more money at all. I'll be going to the Nomad or 6th ave locations from now on. They have nicer layouts and friendlier staff anyhow. Wagamama needs to do better with training staff to not be pushy with tips. Otherwise, you'll continue to lose more customers, and...

I was very excited to find a place with such a wide open space, vegetarian/ vegan options, and so close to Grand Central station. It could have been dreamy but ... Upon arrival on a Saturday night with a 6:45p dinner reservation (peak dinner hour), the restaurant appeared mostly empty. We waited for 15-20 minutes before a server came to our table, "oh I was waiting for two more people to come" indicating two more places that were set. We did have a reservation for 7 people, and only 6 of us were seated so we brushed the wait off as a misunderstanding. Weirdly the menu has bold red numbers next to each entree which indicate to the servers what entree to place where when serving. I'm not sure why the customers need to see these numbers... The drinks took a ridiculously long time to arrive. I found the spicy margarita ($15) extremely sweet and nearly virgin. The server forgot to give us plates with the very delicious appetizers (crispy chili cauliflower, edamame with flaked salt, and fried calamari). Once our food arrived we realized that one of our party had not been served and in fact had not had his order taken at all! How do you take the order of an entire table and forget one person? So he ordered his food while the rest of us ate- at this point we have been there for nearly an hour. We had to ask the server for the bill and then noticed we were charged for some things that we didn't get so that was yet another thing to fix. Overall, the service was bafflingly awful and the whole thing felt off. However, the wagamama salad was...