Restaurant in New York City, United States
Michelin counter omakase, Midtown. Book early.
Sushi Amane is a Michelin-starred omakase counter in Midtown East, Pearl Recommended for 2025. Chef Shion Uino serves a focused progression of Japanese-sourced fish over sharply vinegared rice in an intimate downstairs room. At $$$$ per head, it earns its price through sourcing discipline and technical precision — book well ahead, as the small counter fills fast.
Book Sushi Amane if a Michelin-starred, counter-format omakase in Midtown is what you're after. It earns its Pearl Recommended status and its 2024 Michelin star through technical precision, sourcing discipline, and a service cadence that respects the format without performing it. At $$$$, it sits in the same price tier as Masa and Sushi Noz, but the experience skews more intimate and less theatrical than either. For a special occasion dinner where quality of fish and rice matters more than spectacle, this is the right room.
Sushi Amane operates out of 245 E 44th St in Midtown East, downstairs from street level. The descent into a worn wood counter is the first signal that this is not a room built for Instagram — it is built for eating. The counter accommodates slightly more than a handful of guests, which means the room stays quiet enough for conversation and focused enough that the progression of courses holds your attention throughout the evening.
Chef Shion Uino runs the kitchen with a progression that follows a traditional omakase arc: light appetizers open the meal, the sushi sequence follows, and the evening closes with warm miso soup and Okinawa brown sugar sorbet. The rice is sharply seasoned with multiple kinds of vinegar — a detail that matters more than most diners expect , and fish are sourced directly from Japan. A rich nikiri glaze finishes many of the nigiri pieces. The appetizer stage includes preparations like pounded ankimo with pickles and fried amadai with hairy crab. These are not incidental bites; they set the register for what follows and signal that the kitchen is working with real technical intent.
On the service question , which at this price tier is always a fair one to ask , Sushi Amane does not offer the white-glove formality of Sushi Nakazawa or the grand-gesture hospitality of Masa. What it offers instead is focused, unhurried attention from a small team in a small room. For a date dinner or a celebration that does not need the trappings of a grand dining room, that restraint works in the venue's favour. The intimacy of the counter format means you are close to the preparation, and the pacing is controlled by the kitchen rather than the clock. That is the trade you are making at Amane: depth over polish.
For diners who want the counter experience but find the Midtown address inconvenient, Kosaka in the West Village is worth considering. Sushi Yasuda, also in Midtown, offers a more accessible price point if the $$$$ tier is a stretch. For a similarly priced omakase with a different style emphasis, Sushi Noz on the Upper East Side is the direct peer comparison worth making: Noz is more formal, Amane is more focused. Both are legitimate at their price.
If you are planning a broader New York itinerary around this dinner, Pearl's full New York City restaurants guide, hotels guide, and bars guide are useful starting points. For experiences and wineries in the city, see also our experiences guide and wineries guide.
Internationally, omakase at this tier is a competitive category. Sushi Masaki Saito in Toronto and Endo at The Rotunda in London are the closest peer comparisons outside the US. Within the US, the counter-format fine dining conversation includes places like Lazy Bear in San Francisco and Alinea in Chicago, though the cuisine categories differ significantly. For those travelling from other US cities with strong restaurant scenes, Providence in Los Angeles, Emeril's in New Orleans, and Single Thread Farm in Healdsburg represent the comparable splurge tier in their respective markets.
Sushi Amane operates Tuesday through Saturday, 6 PM to 11 PM, and is closed Sunday and Monday. Given the small counter size, demand is high relative to available seats. Treat this as a hard booking , plan well ahead, particularly for Friday and Saturday evenings. The format does not accommodate walk-ins in any realistic sense. Confirm the booking method directly with the venue, as no online booking link is currently listed.
| Detail | Sushi Amane | Sushi Noz | Sushi Yasuda |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price tier | $$$$ | $$$$ | $$$ |
| Format | Omakase counter | Omakase counter | À la carte + omakase |
| Location | Midtown East | Upper East Side | Midtown East |
| Days open | Tue–Sat (dinner only) | Varies | Mon–Sat |
| Booking difficulty | Hard | Hard | Moderate |
| Michelin star | 1 Star (2024) | 1 Star | No star |
| Venue | Cuisine | Awards | Booking Difficulty | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sushi Amane | Sushi, Japanese | Diners arrive for their reservations at Sushi Amane and are ushered downstairs to a worn wood counter with seating for slightly more than a handful. The progression follows a fairly traditional trajectory starting with light appetizers like pounded ankimo with pickles or fried amadai with hairy crab. As for the sushi, the rice is sharply seasoned with multiple kinds of vinegar, and fish are sourced directly from Japan. A rich nikiri glazes over many of the pieces. Warm miso soup and Okinawa brown sugar sorbet close out the evening.; Pearl Recommended Restaurant (2025); Michelin 1 Star (2024) | Hard | — |
| Le Bernardin | French, Seafood | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
| Atomix | Modern Korean, Korean | Michelin 2 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
| Eleven Madison Park | French, Vegan | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
| Masa | Sushi, Japanese | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
| Per Se | French, Contemporary | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
Side-by-side comparison to help you decide where to book.
There is no ordering — Sushi Amane is a fixed omakase format, so the chef decides the progression for you. Based on what the kitchen is known for, expect the meal to open with appetizers such as pounded ankimo with pickles or fried amadai with hairy crab before moving into nigiri seasoned with multiple vinegars and glazed with nikiri, closing with warm miso soup and Okinawa brown sugar sorbet. If you have strong preferences or aversions, flag them when you book rather than at the counter.
Sushi Amane's format is a chef-driven omakase with fish sourced directly from Japan, so the menu is built around seafood — this is not a flexible-format restaurant. Severe shellfish or seafood allergies are likely incompatible with the experience. If you have dietary restrictions, contact the restaurant in advance; last-minute requests at a small counter this size rarely land well.
At $$$$ per head with a Michelin star and Pearl Recommended status, Sushi Amane justifies the price if counter-format omakase is your preferred dining mode. The rice is sharply seasoned with multiple vinegars, fish comes directly from Japan, and the progression follows a considered arc from light appetizers through nigiri. If you want à la carte flexibility or a less formal fish-forward experience, this is the wrong venue — but on its own terms, the credential-to-price ratio holds up.
The venue database doesn't specify a dress code, but a Michelin-starred counter omakase in Midtown East at $$$$ generally draws guests in business casual to business attire. Loud fragrances are a practical concern at any small sushi counter — chefs and fellow diners are close. Trainers and athleisure are likely to feel out of place, even if they're not prohibited.
Yes, for the right diner. The 2024 Michelin star and Pearl Recommended recognition are earned markers at the $$$$ price point. Fish sourced directly from Japan and a rice program built on multiple vinegars reflect the kitchen's technical priorities. If you're comparing to Masa at a higher price ceiling, Amane offers comparable seriousness of ingredient sourcing at a lower entry cost; if you're comparing to more casual omakase options around the city, the gap in formality and ingredient quality is meaningful.
Sushi Amane only operates dinner service, Tuesday through Saturday from 6 PM to 11 PM, with no lunch service and no Sunday or Monday seatings. There is no lunch versus dinner decision to make — plan accordingly, especially if you're traveling to New York mid-week.
Counter omakase is one of the formats where solo dining works best, and Sushi Amane's worn wood counter with seating for a handful of guests is well-suited to it. A single seat is typically easier to secure than a pair, which can be an advantage when demand is high. Solo diners get full focus on the progression without coordinating pacing with a group.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
