Affordable omakase w/ good sushi quality. Cozy Japanese spot in the East Village.
Discover SHINN EAST, a Japanese gem in NYC's East Village, celebrated for its surprisingly affordable omakase experiences. While some describe it as an 'entry-level' omakase, many find the sushi quality to be good to excellent, especially given the price point. It's a cozy spot, with seating primarily at the counter, offering a casual yet intimate dining atmosphere.
SHINN EAST offers Japanese cuisine, particularly known for its sushi and omakase. While some reviewers found the omakase experience to be a "cash-grab" and not authentic, others highly recommend it for its good to excellent sushi quality, especially considering its relatively affordable price point for an omakase experience.
"SHINN EAST is primarily recommended for its sushi and omakase, often highlighted as a surprisingly reasonably priced option for this type of Japanese dining experience."
Customer sentiment is mixed, with some praising the good quality sushi at a reasonable price, while others found the omakase experience less authentic and the seating cramped.
Important Note
There are mentions that the restaurant might be closed for renovation, and some find the omakase experience to be less authentic and the seating to be very close.
"The user recommends Thirteen Water over Shinn East, stating that Thirteen Water is better and more creative. Shinn East is mentioned as having the same owners as Thirteen Water."
Negative"This user recommended Shinn East, mentioning they had booked the entire small restaurant for a group of a similar size in the past."
Positive"The user doubles down on the recommendation for Shinn East, also mentioning Shinn West as good."
Positive"Shinn East is recommended for excellent and relatively inexpensive Omakase in a tiny setting where you sit at the counter."
Positive"The user mentions Shinn East, noting it might currently be closed for construction."
Neutral"Shinn East was recommended as a "surprisingly really reasonably priced casual omakase spot" in the East Village."
Positive"Shinn East might be closed for renovation, suggesting checking their status before visiting."
Neutral"Recommends Shinn East for omakase at the OP's preferred price point of ~$150pp, as requested by the OP."
Positive"Commenter 'The_CerealDefense' indicated they would choose Thirteen Water over Shinn East for an omakase experience. This implied Shinn East was less preferred in their comparative assessment."
Neutral"Commenter 'surfz' ranked Shinn East's omakase taste last among Thirteen Water, Sanyuu West, and Shinn East. This was in a comparative discussion about omakase options."
Negative"Commenter thinks they saw Shin East in the pictures and states 'That place is fire'."
Positive"Mentioned as an example of an entry-level omakase spot around $70."
Neutral"Shinn East is fairly good quality sushi. But it's not an "authentic" omakase experience. It feels like every other cash-grab omakase that's popped up in the last couple years."
Neutral"Shinn East was not enjoyable. It was a set menu rather than a chef serving up the freshest of what he has on hand. The seats were incredibly close together and you could barely move. Decent quality fish but not fun. They try to upsell you outside the prix fixe on more sushi and dessert, and there’s a strict time limit."
Negative
