Hama Japanese Cuisine

Loved this place! We had just gotten into town and we’re absolutely famished. It was a Friday and we had forgotten to make reservations and couldn’t get in anywhere. We walked in here and they right away saw that we were exhausted and about to give up! Lol They made room for us, feed us the most amazing sushi we have ever had and made us feel right at home and welcome. Food, service, staff was everything hospitality is supposed to be!

There are hundreds of sushi restaurants in Manhattan, but not all of them are really good. Hama you discover only at 2nd glance, because the restaurant is located in the basement. But it has excellent sushi and absolutely attentive, friendly service. That makes it clearly one of my sushi favorites in New York.

A decent Japanese place in midtown though would be difficult for the folks with vegan and/ or vegetarian preferences. You can certainly stop for a quick bite of Edamame, vegetables with Iced tea or a drink. Don't expect too much from the ambience as it is not very elegant or classy if you are looking for one.

I went in for the happy hour which ends at 6:30pm. I ordered the seaweed salad, which was very tasty, and the shrimp shumai, which either wasn't fresh or just didn't taste great. This was recommended to me by the waitress over the little neck clam soup. For $5 a dish in midtown, however, I have no complaints about portion sizes. Service was fine, though happy hour diners were seated in a separate section near the bar. I'm glad I tried it but I have no plans to return.

Stumbled upon this restaurant during a break from watching the St. Patrick’s Day parade and weren’t expecting much but WOW! Loved the calm ambiance in contrast to the busy street outside and the service was great. The weekday lunch specials are amazing, we couldn’t believe it was so affordable. Fish was fresh, portions were large, and everything was delicious. Loved that the teriyaki chicken wasn’t super sweet (like it often is) and the green tea was delicious! They use real leaves and you can get refills of water. Will definitely go back!