Restaurant in New York City, United States
Counter omakase that earns its OAD ranking.
Kanoyama's back-counter omakase, led by Chef Nobuyuki Shikanai, is the right booking for a personal, seasonally driven sushi experience in the East Village. Ranked #165 in Opinionated About Dining's 2025 North America list, it delivers serious technical quality with warm service and a considered sake program — easier to book than comparable counters, and worth returning to as the seasonal menu shifts.
If you want a counter-seat omakase in the East Village that feels personal rather than performative, Kanoyama is the right call. This is the venue for someone who has already done the tourist-circuit sushi spots and wants something quieter, warmer, and more technically grounded. It works particularly well for a date night or a small celebration where the conversation matters as much as the food — Chef Nobuyuki Shikanai's back-counter setup keeps the room intimate rather than theatrical.
Kanoyama has steadily climbed Opinionated About Dining's North America rankings, moving from Highly Recommended in 2023 to #235 in 2024 and reaching #165 in 2025. That upward trajectory matters: it signals a kitchen that is sharpening rather than coasting, which is a good sign if you visited a year or two ago and are deciding whether to return.
Book the omakase. The à la carte menu exists, but the counter omakase is where Kanoyama earns its OAD ranking. Seated at the back counter facing Chef Shikanai, you receive nigiri passed directly from the chef's hands , the expectation is that you eat with your fingers, which keeps the temperature and texture exactly as intended. Before the nigiri sequence begins, a series of seasonal small courses arrives: OAD reviewers have documented preparations including seafood broth with fish and clam dumpling, abalone, and lobster tail with a spicy creamy sauce. These courses change with the season, so return visits yield a genuinely different meal.
The sake list is worth your attention. The selection is considered enough that the venue invites diners to choose their own cup from a curated range of options , a small detail that signals how seriously the beverage program is taken. If sake is part of how you evaluate a Japanese restaurant, Kanoyama clears the bar.
The room is cozy and the service is warm rather than formal. This is not a hushed, reverential experience in the style of some higher-price omakase counters , it is approachable and engaging. For diners who find the ceremony at certain omakase venues alienating, that distinction matters.
Address: 175 2nd Ave, New York, NY 10003. Hours: Monday through Thursday and Sunday 5:30–10:30 pm; Friday and Saturday 5:30–11:30 pm. Kanoyama is dinner-only , there is no lunch or brunch service, so weekend evening bookings are the relevant window. Booking difficulty: Easy relative to the city's more sought-after omakase counters. Dress: Smart casual is appropriate; the room is relaxed enough that you will not feel underdressed in a jacket-free outfit. Budget: Price range is not published, but positioning between accessible neighbourhood sushi and the top-tier omakase counters (Masa, Shion) is consistent with the OAD tier. Expect a spend in line with serious but not extreme omakase pricing. Reservations: Book in advance for weekend counter seats; weeknights tend to have more availability. Google reviews average 4.3 across 633 ratings, which for a venue at this level of critical recognition suggests consistent execution rather than occasional brilliance.
Within the East Village and lower Manhattan sushi tier, Kanoyama sits above Blue Ribbon Sushi in terms of omakase ambition and critical standing, and is more accessible , both in price and booking , than Shion 69 Leonard Street, which occupies a different price bracket entirely. If you are comparing it to Joji, the decision comes down to formality: Joji is more structured and reverential; Kanoyama is warmer and less ceremonious. For diners who want world-reference omakase and have the budget, Bar Masa and Sushi Sho represent a step up in both price and intensity. Kanoyama's value is in delivering a high-quality, personally delivered omakase without the booking friction or price ceiling of that top tier. For context on how New York's leading sushi counters compare globally, see Harutaka in Tokyo and Sushi Shikon in Hong Kong.
If you are deciding between Kanoyama and a non-sushi special-occasion dinner in New York, the city's other highly ranked options , Le Bernardin for seafood at a formal level, Atomix for modern Korean tasting menus, or Eleven Madison Park for a plant-forward splurge , operate at a different price point and format. Kanoyama's case is that it delivers a genuinely personal omakase experience at a spend level that does not require pre-planning the way a Masa or Per Se reservation does.
For a broader view of where to eat in the city, see our full New York City restaurants guide, and if you are planning a longer trip, our New York City hotels guide, bars guide, and experiences guide cover the rest.
Book the omakase counter, not a table. The counter-seat experience facing Chef Shikanai is the version that has earned Kanoyama its OAD Top 165 North America ranking in 2025 , the à la carte route will give you good sushi but not the full picture. Nigiri is served by hand and meant to be eaten with your fingers, so do not wait for chopsticks. The service is relaxed and the room is welcoming, which makes it a good entry point for diners who find some omakase counters intimidating.
The omakase is the answer. OAD documentation notes seasonal pre-nigiri courses that have included seafood broth with fish and clam dumpling, abalone, and lobster tail with spicy creamy sauce , these rotate with the season, so the specific lineup will vary. Pair with sake from the venue's list; the selection is taken seriously enough that you are invited to choose your own cup, which is worth doing rather than defaulting to a standard pairing.
Yes, specifically for two. The back-counter omakase setup is intimate and the service is warm rather than stiff, which makes it work well for a birthday dinner or anniversary where you want the meal to feel personal. For larger groups marking a celebration, the format is less suited , the counter is designed for a focused one-on-one experience with the chef. If you need a private room or a larger table for a group occasion, look elsewhere in the city.
The omakase counter at the back of the room is the seat to request , this is where you face Chef Shikanai and receive the full omakase sequence. It functions as the chef's counter rather than a conventional bar. Arriving without a reservation and hoping to sit there is possible in theory on quieter weeknights, but given the venue's OAD standing and consistent Google rating (4.3 across 633 reviews), booking in advance is the sensible approach.
Dinner is your only option , Kanoyama does not serve lunch or brunch. Hours run from 5:30 pm every day of the week, with Friday and Saturday service extending to 11:30 pm. If an evening visit does not work, there is no daytime alternative here. For a comparison: venues like Blue Ribbon Sushi offer more flexible timing if your schedule requires a midday meal.
Small groups of two to four work fine, but the omakase counter format is optimised for pairs. Larger groups should confirm directly with the venue whether the space can accommodate them , counter seating at this style of restaurant is typically limited, and the personal nature of Chef Shikanai's service makes large-party bookings less direct than at a conventional restaurant. If a group dinner is the goal, a venue with private dining infrastructure will serve you better.
It depends on what you are optimising for. If you want a step up in formality and price, Joji and Shion 69 Leonard Street are the serious competitors in the city's omakase tier. For a more accessible walk-in option, Blue Ribbon Sushi trades the chef-counter intimacy for flexibility. If budget is not a constraint and you want the highest-reference experience New York offers, Bar Masa is the direct comparison. Kanoyama's position is the mid-tier sweet spot: critically ranked, personally delivered, and easier to book than the venues above it.
| Venue | Price | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Kanoyama | — | |
| Le Bernardin | $$$$ | — |
| Atomix | $$$$ | — |
| Eleven Madison Park | $$$$ | — |
| Masa | $$$$ | — |
| Per Se | $$$$ | — |
Comparing your options in New York City for this tier.
Kanoyama works best for parties of two. The back counter omakase is an intimate format built around Chef Shikanai's personal engagement with each diner, and large groups will disrupt that dynamic. If you're coming as four or more, book early and confirm seating arrangements directly — the room is cozy by design, not by accident.
Yes, particularly if the occasion calls for something personal over something showy. The back counter omakase puts you face-to-face with Chef Nobuyuki Shikanai, the service is warm, and the sake list is strong enough that sake aficionados are invited to select their own cup from multiple options. It's a better fit for a meaningful dinner for two than a milestone celebration requiring a large table.
Book the omakase. The à la carte menu exists, but OAD ranked Kanoyama #165 in North America for 2025 on the strength of the counter omakase experience, not the regular menu. The format includes seasonal small courses before the nigiri — think seafood broth, abalone, and lobster tail — and nigiri is served by hand directly from the chef.
The back counter is the seat to request — that's where you face Chef Shikanai and get the full omakase experience OAD has cited three years running. Whether walk-in bar seating is reliably available is not confirmed in the data, so contact the restaurant ahead of time if you're planning on showing up without a reservation.
For a step up in price and prestige, Masa is the benchmark NYC omakase. For something closer in format and neighbourhood tier, Blue Ribbon Sushi is a nearby option but sits below Kanoyama in terms of omakase ambition and critical recognition. If you want a more theatrical or modern Japanese experience, Atomix operates in a different category altogether.
Kanoyama is dinner-only. Hours run from 5:30 pm every day of the week, with Friday and Saturday service extending to 11:30 pm. There is no lunch service to compare against.
Book the counter omakase, not à la carte — that's what the OAD Top 165 ranking reflects. The experience is deliberately intimate: Chef Shikanai hands nigiri directly to guests to be eaten with fingers, so come ready to engage rather than observe. The sake list is a genuine strength, and the cozy room at 175 2nd Ave in the East Village rewards diners who want precision without a formal or corporate atmosphere.
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