Times Square
12-course | $50 | 8-seat
After enjoying our first 30-minute omakase experience at Sushi on Jones, we were ready for more. We had heard about Sushi by Bou and were thrilled with it’s location. A previous chef at Sushi on Jones and Sushi Dojo, chef David Bouhadana is widely known within the New York sushi community as the guy who challenged the Department of Health’s laws against chefs preparing food with their bare hands. Our opinion? If you are preparing us beautiful sushi with clean hands, we are more than satisfied.
Situated in between Mid-Town and Times Square, Sushi by Bou is the perfect spot for a quick work-lunch bite or pre-theater dinner. We made reservations for lunch while working from our day-job’s New York office. In order to be back in under an hour, we made sure to pick a restaurant known for its 30-minute time-slots. When you arrive at the address for Sushi by Bou, you are standing at the top of a stairway down into what looks like an inconspicuous basement, with the only sign you are in the right place being their insta-worthy neon sign. As you descend the stairs toward the dark, New York basement door, you are immediately transported to the swanky, subterranean speakeasy that is Sushi by Bou. The host was accommodating and vivacious, asking us to take a seat while the previous diners were finishing up. He made great conversation with us and recommended some delicious drinks we regretfully declined.
As the previous diners finished up we were shuttled to our specified seats and waited for the fun to begin. Bou is a well-oiled machine with a set menu and timed delivery of each piece of nigiri. One by one nigiri was placed in front of us in cute, bite-sized portions. We scarfed down piece by piece excited for the next. While not the highest caliber of sushi you can find in New York, Bou offers very high-quality cuts of fish, at an extremely affordable price (in omakase terms). As Bouhadana puts it, “ I wouldn’t [call it] affordable sushi, I would say sushi for the people... because affordable sushi is different.” We have to say, with a post-grad budget and an expensive taste in sushi, affordable omakase is a game-changer.
Some of our favorite pieces included the salmon, hotate, uni, torched wagyu, and wagyu toro handroll. We can confidently say we left here feeling full and completely satisfied. We were so happy with our meal, and overall experience, that we even tried to cancel dinner plans that night to make it back. Overall, Sushi by Bou wins our hearts as our favorite environment for 30-minute omakase in New York.
The Menu
Hamachi - Yellowtail
Akami - Tuna
Chu-Toro – Medium Fatty Tuna
Botan Ebi - Shrimp
Ikura – Salmon Roe
Bincho – Albacore
Hotate - Scallop
Uni - Urchin
O-Toro – Fatty Tuna
Sake - Salmon
Wagyu-Toro
Sushi by Bou at a glance
Rice: To be honest we can’t remember, which leads us to believe it was neither memorably on-point nor disappointing.
Fish: The fish was good. Nothing crazy or mind-blowing, but did the trick. Our favorite pieces were the salmon and wagyu-toro.
Vibe: SO. MUCH FUN. Whether you are looking for a quick omakase fix, a business lunch, or a fun night out, Sushi by Bou is the place to go. With good music, fun vibes, and good conversation with the chefs, you won’t regret it.
Experience: This fast-casual omakase fulfills its promise of good sushi at a good price. With great conversation with the chefs, and a lively, speak-easy ambiance, we think the experience was spot-on.
Value: Good sushi at a great price. A+ value.
For reservations, click HERE
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