Best cheap sushi - please recommend!

[Jel212]

I know, "cheap" and "sushi" shouldn't necessarily go together...but I'm trying to work on being better about finances, and I don't want to have to give up my sushi habit - which currently can get expensive. I'm looking for your tastiest sushi options with dinner for two (with decent-size appetites) that can remain comfortably under $50. Preferably under $40. Or less! The BF and I tried the newly-named May's Sushi on 2nd ave and..8th? (next to Love Saves the Day) on Saturday night. It was fine, although the rice was begging for seasoning. So I'd go back, but it didn't reallllly do it for me.

And, by the way, Yuka on the UES used to be my TOTAL go-to cheap sushi, but I had an unfortunate evening one night after being the only person at the table to eat the eel (and after I'd been going at least bi-weekly for years!). So, no Yuka.

Thanks in advance for your suggestions!

[Lau]

try takahachi on Ave A...its very reasonable and the sushi quality is good

[diablofoodie]

Yeah, that's a tough one, eh. You're going to do better if you don't mind going to non Japanese establishments (i.e. Inase). Have you tried the couple of 50% off sushi gimmick places in the East Village (Sushi Lounge, Sushi Park) that can be the right meal at the right time. I wouldn't worry about freshness because they're usually packed to the gills. To be fair, I only go to these places when I'm drunk like a skunk. I like Ariyoshi on 53rd for an average sober sushi place but for a bit more change.

[Jel212]

I'm totally down with the gimmicky places if they're going to help my budget. I think Sushi Park closed, but May's was one of those places. Any others? I used to hit Sushi Lounge but found it still rather $, if that's possible? I'll take any All You Can Eat places that are busy.

[Lau]

id avoid places like sushi park (my friends used to go there in college), the quality is absolutely terrible.

Ariyoshi - is really more of an izakaya place where japanese people go to drink and eat tapas type dishes, their sushi is mediocre

[MMRuth]

Inase isn't Japanese?

[gutsofsteel]

Why do you say Inase is non-Japanese? It's completely Japanese. And it's also not cheap.

[MMRuth]

I wonder if he or she is thinking about another place.

Our cheap go to place on the UES is Ichi Ro, fwiw to the OP. Poke is pretty reasonable too, byob, cash only - rolls much better than sashimi.

[erin07nyc]

Try Hiro on 10th st, just east of 4rd ave. They do great delivery, too... well packed in nice containers. Better than May's.

Takahachi on A is very good, but we find the bill seems to add up pretty quickly. Maybe it's just the atmosphere that makes us feel like it us be cheap. Great quality fish, though.

[Lau]

oh one other thing about takahachi, they have an early bird special like 5-7 or something like that...its ridiculously cheap for what you're getting, its only like $30 i think

[bosox]

i had a wonderful (and fairly cheap!) meal at avenue a sushi last week...

[foodwhisperer]

Takahachi is good, but try Nori on 2nd Ave. and St. Marks. Nori used to be the manager of Takahachi. The sushi is very good.

[Jel212]

Awesome - thanks everyone! I'm going to try them all.

[fooodie]

Try Umi Sushi. The atmosphere isn't the best, but the fish is very fresh and generous size portions.

[holland_oats]

Yoshi is our default awesome Hell's Kitchen sushi take-out joint.

[UWStoSONO]

China 99 downtown in the financial district. I used to live in Battery Park City and would order delivery from here all the time. This was 6 years ago, but I thought this was the best kept secret in NYC. Regular run of the mill chinese/japanese takeout place that consistently put out incredible sushi at reasonable prices.

China 99 Restaurant
64 Fulton St Frnt 2
New York, NY
[phone]