asian restaurants
Here are the best Asian restaurants in NYC, whether you’re craving sushi, ramen, Japanese, Thai, Laotian, or Chinese.
sushi/japanese
williamsburg / omakase / $$$
This woman-owned restaurant in Williamsburg is unlike any sushi restaurant you’ve been to. Inspired by her travels and her love of art, the founder infused all these elements into this divine dining experience. Walking in, you are transported into a tranquil, no shoes’ environment where the food is treated and tastes like art, and where your senses are awakened.
They have a $78 per person omakase menu, and an á la carte menu to order additional items as well. You sit on traditional tatami mats on the floor, and they offer indoor dining (their back “garden” is fully enclosed although the tables are spaced out and the ceilings are high.)
Seasonings and sauces from around the world like ghost pepper salt from India and matcha salt from Japan come with every order for you to try and mix and match with your fish. This was by far one of the best dining experiences I’ve ever had!
various locations / omakase / $$
This is a 30 minute $50 omakase experience with multiple locations throughout the U.S. and the city (they also have a 60 minute option as well). I’ve never had a more fun dining experience than what I had at this place. Everyone from the sushi chef to the maître de to the busboy to the other diners were enthusiastic, accommodating, and fun. Not only was each sushi course delicious, but the whole experience makes this place a go-to spot for sure. You also don’t feel rushed with the 30 minute option.
west village / hand rolls / $$
The hand rolls from Nami Nori are delicious, filling, affordable, and look so pretty! After wanting to come here for some time, I was finally able to get a reservation on Resy (they’re a bit hard to come by here.) We ordered the nori chips with yogurt chive dip, spicy tuna crispy rice, the Asari clam soup with miso and butter, and the signature hand roll set ($28 for five rolls!) Everything was amazing, and I can’t wait to come back here!
kazunori: the original hand roll bar
flatiron / à la carte / $
I understand why the wait for this place is usually so long every night. Besides the fact that they don’t take reservations, this elevated fast casual restaurant has phenomenal hand rolls, fast service, and extremely reasonable prices. (They’re also a no tipping establishment).
various locations / omakase + á la carte / $$
Sushi on Jones is a tiny, 30 minute, $58 omakase restaurant with locations in West Village, LES, Hell's Kitchen, and London. You can choose to do the omakase tasting or order á la carte.
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flatiron + soho / à la carte + omakase / $$
An LA hotspot that has since opened in New York, Sugarfish is a no tipping, no reservations’ restaurant with unpretentious, fresh, and authentic sushi.
soho + les + columbus circle / à la carte / $$$
This James Beard award-winning food chain does many different types of food well, sushi among them. With several locations around the city, Blue Ribbon is easily accessible, no matter where you may be in the city.
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upper west side / à la carte + omakase / $$$
Unlike other high end sushi places, Sushi Yasaka has more of a homey atmosphere, but the quality of their sushi is still on par with other restaurants with more elevated atmospheres.
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midtown / omakase + appetizers / $$$$
I rarely willingly travel to Midtown, but when there is legitimately good food involved, I’ll do it. Sushi Yasuda is one of these places. A traditional counter seating place, they typically fly their fish in from Japan so you know it’s going to be fresh.
chelsea, uws, soho / à la carte / $$$
This place still does not take reservations, so be sure to come early and be prepared to wait, or order for takeout. They unfortunately are located under scaffolding on a busy street, and don’t have the best dining atmosphere right now. My go-to sushi place in Chelsea, Momoya also has hot dishes like udon and tempura.
lower east side / japanese / $$
Located behind a butcher shop in Andy Warhol’s old studio, Bohemian is an artfully mysterious yet well executed speakeasy restaurant with a sister location in Tokyo. (The location in Tokyo is even more exclusive and didn’t even have a publicized address until recently. If you ask someone nicely at their NYC restaurant, they will give it to you.) I loved my experience at the Tokyo location - more on that in my travel guides, which will be available soon!)
With impeccable service, reasonably priced well-made dishes, and minimalist, zen-inspired decor, Bohemian is a top restaurant in the city. Their exclusive reservation system has changed due to covid to make the restaurant more accessible to everyone (their previously hidden phone number has now been publicized, and you can call between 1 and 5 pm for reservations, although I have found from past experiences that they tend to only pick up around 3 pm. You could also try leaving a detailed message if they don’t pick up,) or walking in.
Housed in an unmarked, graffiti building once owned by Andy Warhol, Bohemian has a beautifully decorated and cozy space inside, which also has a small zen garden. Bohemian is also part of a larger organization called Play Earth, which is a collective of travelers, chefs, bartenders etc. with many other secret locations around the world.
chinatown / omakase + a la carte / $$$
This multi-level Japanese restaurant in an undiscerning area in Chinatown has exquisite Japanese food. Look out for à la carte sushi along with specialties like uni rice. and live scallop. The portions are fairly small and are meant for sharing. There is also a very cool and intimate hidden cocktail bar downstairs called Straylight, which is a great place for after dinner drinks.
chelsea / japanese / $$$
This intimate Japanese restaurant on a cute part of 9th Ave in Chelsea brings an artsy and sultry twist to a classic Japanese gastronomy experience. Not just a sushi place, Juban offers hot plates like blue crab fried rice and wagyu beef alongside classic rolls and maki. I never know what to get here because I want everything.
ramen
midtown + hell’s kitchen / $
One of the most popular ramen joints in the city, Totto usually has such a long wait during the midtown lunch rush and right after work as well. This is a very solid, cheap option for high quality ramen. They also have locations in Taipei and the Boston area as well.
midtown / $
The brainchild of Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto, Momosan Ramen lives up to the hype. Named after the famed chef’s nickname Momosan (short for Morimoto-san), the ramen restaurant is a more casual and much less expensive alternative to his upscale eatery Morimoto NYC. While their ramen is phenomenal, their other dishes are worth trying as well. I love the yaki salmon appetizer (salmon belly and salmon collar), which delivers a melt-in-your-mouth explosion of deliciousness. It is an absolute steal for $10, although note that this dish is served on a first come first serve basis until they sell out.
midtown / $
Not sure why all these ramen places are in midtown, but this is another good spot. A very well-known establishment that also has locations in SF and LA, Ippudo serves up traditional tonkatsu ramen from Hakata Japan. They also do not take reservations, so be prepared for a wait.
thai
noho / thai / $$$
Don’t expect to find pad thai on the menu at this Thai restaurant in NoHo. Created by two Thai brothers, Fish Cheeks brings authentic Thai food to NYC, with a heavy focus on seafood dishes. Pictured is the tiger prawn karee. I also tried the sauteed cabbage, crab with glass noodles, and finished off the meal with the Pandan rice cake for dessert.
west village + brooklyn heights / $$
This beautiful Thai restaurant has a string of flowers trailing from the ceiling in the back indoor garden. The front seating area has unique wallpaper, and is filled with rabbit statues. Featuring a menu that provides much more than your typical comfort Thai dishes. Weird tip, but be sure to stop by the bathroom at some point before you leave – the blue rabbit-covered wallpaper, ambient music, and scented candles curates a vibe that I would love to recreate for my future home.
upper east side / $$
When I lived on UES I would order takeout from Up Thai often. However, with a spacious room with colorful lanterns hanging from the ceiling and many plants, their space is an inviting atmosphere to dine in as well. They still don’t take reservations though, so be prepared for a wait.
lower east side / $$
The back garden at Wayla is one of the best parts of this Thai restaurant (besides the food of course!) Roomy and spacious and nestled among plants, Wayla’s back patio is perfect for grabbing lunch, dinner, or drinks with friends, family, or a date.
vietnamese
hello saigon
laotian
tribeca / laotian / $$$
This restaurant was high on my list to try for a very long time, and has quickly become one of my favorite restaurants in the city. While their dishes are fairly expensive, they are well worth the price tag. My favorites are the lobster noodles, curried salmon, and the whole branzino.
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indonesian
french-indonesian / nolita / $$$
You may have heard of the chef of Wayan’s father, Jean-Georges Vongerichten, the lauded chef behind famed eateries like ABC Kitchen, Nougatine, and the Mercer Kitchen. Cedric Vongerichten followed in his father’s culinary footsteps before venturing on his own to open Wayan, a French-Indonesian culinary destination. With a spacious and dimly lit interior and equally cute outdoor space complete with makeshift wooden pagodas, Wayan is a cozy place for brunch, dinner, or drinks. Their lobster noodles and indo colada are simply divine.
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chinese
east village + midtown / $$
This place specializes in “dry hot pot” which is basically traditional hot pot but without the liquid. “Mala” means numbingly spicy in Chinese, and is a hot speciality in the Szechuan province. However, they do have milder versions for people who don’t do well with spicy foods (like me). They also have plenty of seafood and vegetarian options for anyone with dietary restrictions.
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nolita / $$
This is an extremely popular hot pot place in the city that unfortunately does not take reservations. Waits used to be up to two hours pre-covid because for the measly sum of $27.99 per person, you can get all-you-can-eat delicious hotpot. (Ali Wong, are you reading this right now?)
midtown + east village / $$
Although Dim Sum Palace is not in Chinatown, they have authentic, reasonably priced dim sum. With all the classic dishes on the menu, they are a solid option for dim sum in the city.
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korean
east village / tapas / $$
I can still taste the truffle mac and cheese and kimchi risotto in my mouth. While this restaurant unfortunately does not take reservations, they are worth the wait. While this restaurant unfortunately does not take reservations (still), they are worth the wait. If you’re into Instagrammable drinks, they have drinks in clear plastic pouches that glow in the dark (think fun adult Capri Sun).
east village / tapas / $$
The newer sister restaurant to Thursday Kitchen, Mokyo delivers on exceptional food that is on par with their more popular counterpart. I almost got an order of the truffle corn dumplings to go because they were so good. We also got the mushrooms with shaved Brussels sprouts in a wild sesame beurre blanc sauce (the sauce was so good I would 100% drink it like water), the rice with octopus, and the basil, Brazilian nut, and mala oil noodles, which were all to die for! For dessert we got the cocoa leaf and hazelnut mousse with oat crumbs.