WOKUNI — Restaurant in New York

Went with my friend on her birthday to try this east side Japanese cuisine treasure.

By all means, I still have the lingering taste of the freshness of the sashimis in my taste buds: that’s a good thing!

For apps we had Agedashi Tofu, and skewers Momo (thigh) and Ebi (shrimp).

The tofu is umami, as the name suggested it was soaked in dashi. Because it was fried before soaking, the tofu sucked all the flavors from the dashi and was able to deliver, what I like to say, the flavor of the ocean and seaweed.

Momo (thigh) and Ebi (shrimp) was just fine. The shrimps were a bit tough (maybe overcooked?) rather than bouncy (probably shouldn’t expect this as they were grilled). The thighs were nicer in taste: juicy and not overly seasoned. I wouldn’t compare the quality to the ones I had from official yakitori places, but for exciting palates, they are ample.

We had the Kaisen Hitsumabushi, and tuna toro and salmon toro for sashimis. The volume of the food is enough for two gals and we were actually quite stuffed at the end. Nothing really had to be said about sashimi: it is all about the freshness and the source. For the quality, the slices were priced reasonably. They also had “meal boxes/platters” at the entrance of you are just craving sashimis and wanna a quick to go.

Fair warning, the bowl for Hitsumabushi we had was quite shallow. The dish is meant to display all kinds of sashimis of the day on top of the rice, so it is wide but not deep (almost like chirashi but with steamed rice not sushi rice). Generally, if the rice and sashimi’s quality is top-notch, and the chefs do not do too much “imaginative tricks”, the dish can be guaranteed to be at least good.

We saved a bit room for the birthday cake, and that’s where I felt unreasonable about certain things (though many restaurants tend to do it): they charge you for the cake slicing fees. Cost me to just to slice the cake we brought in? Honestly quite dis-encouraged to host any celebration event here from this action.

Nonetheless, if you crave for some quality sashimi, and you happen to be in the area, it is a decent place to go without worrying spending money on bad fish and getting sick. They got really trustworthy sources and they have tunas they bought from auctions from...

My recent visit to Wokuni left me thoroughly disappointed. While the establishment prided itself on being an upscale restaurant, the experience fell short in several aspects, particularly in the quality and variety of their expensive food offerings.

First and foremost, the limited choices on the menu at Wokuni were disheartening. For the high prices charged, I expected a wider range of options to cater to different tastes and preferences. Unfortunately, the selection was underwhelming, leaving me feeling restricted in my choices.

Moreover, the quality of the food at Wokuni did not match the exorbitant prices. The dishes lacked the finesse and attention to detail one would expect from an upscale establishment. The flavors were ordinary, failing to deliver the exceptional culinary experience that was promised.

To exacerbate matters, the portion sizes at Wokuni were disappointingly small, further diminishing the value for money. I left the restaurant feeling unsatisfied and questioning the justification for the hefty bill that accompanied such meager portions.

Additionally, the service at Wokuni left much to be desired. The staff appeared disinterested and inattentive, providing little guidance or enthusiasm when it came to explaining the dishes or offering recommendations. Their lack of professionalism further detracted from the overall experience.

While I understand that fine dining experiences come at a premium, it is essential to deliver on the promises made. Unfortunately, Wokuni failed to meet expectations, providing an underwhelming culinary experience that did not justify the high prices charged.

Overall, I cannot recommend Wokuni to fellow diners seeking a memorable dining experience. With limited choices, subpar food quality, small portions, and lackluster service, it is clear that the high prices do not correspond to the value received. I hope the management of Wokuni takes these concerns into account and makes the necessary improvements to enhance the overall dining experience.

Please note that personal experiences may vary, and it is advisable to consider other opinions before making a final decision about...

This has become one of my favorite Japanese restaurants. For the last three months, I visited 5 times (3 times for dinner and 2 times for lunch). And, I’m Japanese. The quality of their fish is superb. This restaurant is no comparison to other restaurants like Ootoya in terms of the food quality and price. Their lunch special is a steal and now It has become very popular. Super fresh quality fish and good price! The only reason why I don’t give five stars is because of their poor service. Especially during the lunch time, I would say the service is worse. Today, I asked my waitress to bring me a cup of hot tea twice. Both times, the waitress said “sure” but never came back. I waited for 5 minutes each time but when I saw no one seemed to remember it, my husband called one of the chefs and asked for a cup of tea. The chef told the waitress and she finally brought it as if she didn’t remember me asked for tea (no apology - no acknowledgement). Also, last time when I visited here with my friends, one of the friends’ order was taking much longer than ours. She told us to start eating and patiently waited for her food. When we were about to finish our dishes, a waitress approached and told the friend that the chef got confused and made something else other than what she ordered. The waitress asked “Do you want the food he just made instead of what you ordered?” .... We were shocked because she didn’t apologize for the mistake nor realizing the mistake after 20minutes! She just asked if my friend wanted the one the chef just made! My friend was speechless and just said “I do not want to wait anymore because my friends will need to wait for me.” I thought the waitress would notice that my friend is being passive aggressive. However, the waitress said “sure, I’ll bring what the chef made.” ..... Seriously? No apology? No nothing!? Again, we had to ask for cups of tea multiple times at that time too. Well, I still give four stars and will go back there. So you can see how fresh their fish is. Yes the quality and price is great but don’t expect...