Tokubei 86

Just had another amazing meal at sushi bar (the dimunitive one up front) last night. I believe this place flies under the radar cause it has been around so long and not a glitzy place. Very dated enviroment BUT the sushi and side dishes the chef makes is top notch. I always enoy the quality and variety here. REPLY (43 Replies) (by UES Mayor, created August 4, 2011)

I have started going back to Tokubei for diner.
This restaurant has been around since the mid 1970's when the only sushi restaurants in NY were Robata and Nippon.
It fell out of favor with the advent of all the new high end sushi bars.
We were there again last night. It's a really homey place with a salt of the earth, Japanese bar tender. No masters of the universe and no one from the burbs....+READ I have started going back to Tokubei for diner.
This restaurant has been around since the mid 1970's when the only sushi restaurants in NY were Robata and Nippon.
It fell out of favor with the advent of all the new high end sushi bars.
We were there again last night. It's a really homey place with a salt of the earth, Japanese bar tender. No masters of the universe and no one from the burbs. The crowd is strictly Yorkville and very down home. The neighborhood characters hang out at the bar. The tables are covered in tacky oil cloth and the menus have cigarette burns from bygone years. The owner tends the sushi bar.
The sushi and sashimi was very good. We had Monkfish liver, a very good bonito tataki and superb toro. I loved my oshitashi.
My sashimi was very fresh. The chef used real assortments of seaweed, not the shredded radish that one gets at Korean owned "Japanese" sushi bars which have now populated the UES.
No, this is not Yasuda. My sea urchin was not from Santa Barbara and the salmon was a bit bland. Sake selections are very limited. But it was a quiet haven with a neighborhood feel without the wait and the attitude.
Make sure to ask for the specials of the night and you will get a very good dinner.-COLLAPSE / REPLY (16 Replies) (by pups224, created June 26, 2011)

Tried to get into Sakagura but was booked. Anyway opted for Tokubei mainly due to weather conditions and had an excellent meal!Started the evening off with a bottle of Junmai Daikarkuchi Sawanoi Sake which was an excellent choice made by waitress. We sat at the tiny sushi bar which seats 4 tops-and were treated to some of the best sushi and sahimi omakase style. The sushi chef did not...+READ Tried to get into Sakagura but was booked. Anyway opted for Tokubei mainly due to weather conditions and had an excellent meal!Started the evening off with a bottle of Junmai Daikarkuchi Sawanoi Sake which was an excellent choice made by waitress. We sat at the tiny sushi bar which seats 4 tops-and were treated to some of the best sushi and sahimi omakase style. The sushi chef did not dissappoint. Also feasted on nato beans which is a slimy dish of fermented soybeans, something you have to have had growing up or you will think its the most disgusting taste in the world. Also were pleased with a huge dish of fried tofu and couple dishes of Karaage (Tokyo style fried chicken). We left stuffed and I just had to let you all know about this often overlooked place for some of the best sushi in town, Granted the atmosphere not hip but well worth the trip for the food. Also run by authentic Japanese folks!-COLLAPSE / REPLY (17 Replies) (by UES Mayor, created June 10, 2011)

»The Real (Japanese) Deal

Dark, and kinda creepy-looking. Service is slow but friendly. But the food is wonderful. A couple of lunches and a couple of dinners revealed a kitchen with an awesome level of skill at producing very nicely-prepared, well-seasoned dishes. Sushi's fresh and attractive. The prices are *extremely* reasonable.

Mussels appetizer is fresh and huge for only $6.95. Calamari (I think $7.95) is treated...+READ Dark, and kinda creepy-looking. Service is slow but friendly. But the food is wonderful. A couple of lunches and a couple of dinners revealed a kitchen with an awesome level of skill at producing very nicely-prepared, well-seasoned dishes. Sushi's fresh and attractive. The prices are *extremely* reasonable.

Mussels appetizer is fresh and huge for only $6.95. Calamari (I think $7.95) is treated with respect and is lovely and tender, not rubbery. Seaweed salad is not the run-of-the-mill. House salad with their roasted sesame dressing is very different, just bursting with all sorts of veggie goodness.

Whoever thinks that teriyaki sauce is a cornstarch-thickened liquid condiment redolent of sugar, sake and little else should try teriyaki here. Teriyaki items here are glazed; they're not sauced. Whatever it is that they do is a masterpiece of restraint, balance, and superb preparation. Items were cooked just until the sauce turned to caramel.

Sushi's very Japanese-style -- meaning smaller pieces, not the huge things we usually get. Sushi's fresh and value-priced.

Luncheons offered a homemade curry which is very good, sushi which is a steal price-wise, some interesting stir-frys and a Japanese staple: hamburger (or hamburger with mashed potato ball) in brown sauce. The hamburger/potato combo was in a brown sauce and was kinda like Japan's answer to Shepherd's Pie.

We don't know much about sake, but they have what appears to be a very good assortment. Beer and wine are the other alcohol options.

The restaurant boasts about being around for over 30 years. It's understandable why. Great quality, at a very, very nice price, are going to keep people coming back!-COLLAPSE (by shaogo, created December 21, 2009)

»The Real (Japanese) Deal

Dark, and kinda creepy-looking. Service is slow but friendly. But the food is wonderful. A couple of lunches and a couple of dinners revealed a kitchen with an awesome level of skill at producing very nicely-prepared, well-seasoned dishes. Sushi's fresh and attractive. The prices are *extremely* reasonable.

Mussels appetizer is fresh and huge for only $6.95. Calamari (I think $7.95) is treated...+READ Dark, and kinda creepy-looking. Service is slow but friendly. But the food is wonderful. A couple of lunches and a couple of dinners revealed a kitchen with an awesome level of skill at producing very nicely-prepared, well-seasoned dishes. Sushi's fresh and attractive. The prices are *extremely* reasonable.

Mussels appetizer is fresh and huge for only $6.95. Calamari (I think $7.95) is treated with respect and is lovely and tender, not rubbery. Seaweed salad is not the run-of-the-mill. House salad with their roasted sesame dressing is very different, just bursting with all sorts of veggie goodness.

Whoever thinks that teriyaki sauce is a cornstarch-thickened liquid condiment redolent of sugar, sake and little else should try teriyaki here. Teriyaki items here are glazed; they're not sauced. Whatever it is that they do is a masterpiece of restraint, balance, and superb preparation. Items were cooked just until the sauce turned to caramel.

Sushi's very Japanese-style -- meaning smaller pieces, not the huge things we usually get. Sushi's fresh and value-priced.

Luncheons offered a homemade curry which is very good, sushi which is a steal price-wise, some interesting stir-frys and a Japanese staple: hamburger (or hamburger with mashed potato ball) in brown sauce. The hamburger/potato combo was in a brown sauce and was kinda like Japan's answer to Shepherd's Pie.

We don't know much about sake, but they have what appears to be a very good assortment. Beer and wine are the other alcohol options.

The restaurant boasts about being around for over 30 years. It's understandable why. Great quality, at a very, very nice price, are going to keep people coming back!-COLLAPSE (by shaogo, created December 21, 2009)