Latest
-
HAVE A PLAN...
FreshMalt is your guide for what to do
and where to go on dates in NYC.
If He/She…Loves Sake
Your date or significant other has mentioned that he or she loves sake and you want to do something about it. You know about sake bombing and that they serve the stuff at Japanese restaurants, but you’re looking to do something more specific and unique. Here’s our guide to help you plan out something great if he/she loves sake.
Info | Resources | Where To Buy | Regular Events | Spots
Info
Sake Day (Nihonshu No Hi) in Japan is October 1st.
The Joy of Sake, the largest sake tasting outside of Japan, is an annual event that comes to NYC in late September.
Resources
UrbanSake – sake news, education, events and more
Sakaya Sake Shop Blog – new product news, events going on at the store and throughout NYC
Sakaya Sake Shop Website – familiarize yourself with the history, classification, ingredients and brewing process of sake
Where To Buy – Stores With Wide Selection
Sakaya (East Village)
Specialty Store, Sake Shop
324 E 9th St (btwn 1st Ave & 2nd Ave), South side of street; 212.505.7253
Hours: Mon-Sat: Noon-8pm, Sun: Noon-7pm
Events: Weekly tastings, meet sake experts, sample different varieties, learn more about sake; check out upcoming events here and get more info on their blog here
Notes: The first sake shop in NYC exclusively specializing in premium sake, designed for both novices and connoisseurs, clean, modern, light wood paneled décor, selection of over 120 varieties of sake with each displaying information about the region, flavor description and suggested food pairings, helpful staff that encourage you to ask questions and learn about what you’re purchasing.
Astor Center (Wines & Spirits) (NoHo)
Specialty Store, Wine / Liquor / Sake
399 Lafayette (at E 4th St), Northeast corner; 212.674.7500
Hours: Mon-Sat: 9am-9pm, Sun: Noon-6pm
Events: Regular tastings, classes and seminars
Notes: The city’s largest wine and liquor store/learning center, feels like an experience when visiting, offers a huge selection of wines and liquors, almost 200 artisinal sakes (stored at 40 degrees at all times in display chillers and cellars), organic wines from some of the top producers, a cooling room for storing extra delicate wines, free tastings and events regularly held at the store, great classes and learning seminars at the expansive concept/educational spaces upstairs.
Landmark Wine & Sake (Chelsea)
Specialty Store, Wine / Sake / Liquor
167 W 23rd St (btwn 6th Ave & 7th Ave), North side of street; 212.242.2323
Hours: Mon-Sat: 11am-10pm, Sun: 1-7pm
Notes: Wine and liquor shop focusing on a good selection of fine wine and sake, helpful and knowledgable staff, offers typical liquors as well, one of the better options for buying sake in the city.
Regular Events
Sake-Related Events Calendar in NYC
Check out all upcoming events focused on sake, including tastings, classes and demonstrations
EN Japanese Brasserie / EN Shochu Bar (West Village)
Early Evening Sake Tasting – Located in En Shochu Bar, create your own sake flight daily from 5:30-7:30pm, choose three types of sake (out of six high quality offerings) for $18, served with housemade yasai chips, crunchy Japanese root vegetable chips.
Sakaya (East Village)
Weekly Tastings – Opportunity to meet sake experts, sample a variety of brews and learn about them from the brewers, importers and/or established sake scholars and sommeliers.
Astor Center (Wines & Spirits) (East Village)
Free Regular Tastings – Tastings and education of a wide variety of wines, spirits and sake, receive a 15% discount on any wine poured the day of tasting.
Classes & Events – Various classes, seminars and hands-on events featuring food, wine, spirits and sake.
Satsko on Eldridge (Lower East Side)
Hard Times / Premium Sake Tastings – On Tuesdays and Wednesdays, get six varieties of sake chosen by Satsko for $25 per person or choose your own six varieties of premium sake for $35 per person, both options served with chef’s appetizers.
Sake Bomb Bonanza Thursdays – Every Thursday, $5 sake bombs all night.
Spots
Top recommendations:
Sakagura (Midtown East) – mecca of sake in nyc, offers 200+ varieties
EN Japanese Brasserie / EN Shochu Bar (West Village) – more sophisticated option for sake and shochu
Decibel (East Village) – best sake bar to feel like you’re in Japan, dive speakeasy-type spot
Other spots around the city:
Kyotofu (Hell’s Kitchen) – unique Japanese dessert spot with variety of sake and shochu flights
Sake Hana (Upper East Side) (*Closed*) – good destination for sake uptown
Chibi’s (NoLita) – small sake bar with special sake tasting menu
Sake Bar Satsko (Alphabet City) and Satsko on Eldridge (Lower East Side) – restaurant and sake bar offering weekly sake tasting and sake bomb specials (both locations??)
Even more:
Haru Sake Bar (Upper East Side) – sister sake bar to popular Haru across the street
Ippudo NY (East Village) – ramen noodle hotspot serving sake and sake-based cocktails
Sake Bar Hagi (Theater District) – hidden authentic Japanese pub and sake bar
Sakagura (Midtown East)
Restaurant / Sake Bar, Japanese / Tapas
211 E 43rd St, Basement/B1 (btwn 2nd Ave & 3rd Ave), North side of street; 212.953.SAKE (7253)
Prices: Small Plates: Less than $10 – Mid $10’s
OpenTable Reservation
Notes: Large subterranean space located in the basement of a non-descript office building, mecca of sake in nyc with 200+ varieties, well organized menu with tasting flights available, food pairings and sake-based specialty cocktails, cool authentic décor and long list of Japanese small plates, ask the helpful staff for recommendations, sit at the bar or one of the small high tables nearby for drinks or grab a booth or table in the main dining area for lunch/dinner, feels like you’ve left the city (and the country), holds monthly sake flight specials and regular tasting events.
How to find it: Enter the office building at 211 E 43rd St and take the elevator down to the basement level, follow the winding hallway until you find Sakagura, steps leading down to the basement are available as well.
EN Japanese Brasserie / EN Shochu Bar (West Village)
Restaurant / Sake & Shochu Bar, Japanese / Sushi
435 Hudson St (btwn Leroy St & Morton St), West side of street; 212.647.9196
Prices: Apps: Less than $10 – Mid $10’s; Entrees: Low $10’s – Upper $30’s; Sushi/Rolls/Sashimi: Low $10’s – Mid $20’s; En Kaiseki (multi-course dinner): $60+
OpenTable Reservation (for the restaurant)
Notes: Japanese izakaya chain transplant, large open space with high ceilings and sleek authentic decor, long menu of various Japanese-style dishes, sushi and sashimi, considerable focus on tofu which is made fresh at least five times per evening, great selection of sake and shochu both available in the dining area and in the Shochu Bar, check out the Shochu Bar for drinks and small snacks.
Decibel (East Village)
Sake Bar / Speakeasy, Japanese
240 E 9th St (btwn 2nd Ave & 3rd Ave), South side of street; 212.979.2733
Notes: For the more adventurous type, hidden subterranean sake bar / speakeasy, hip with a bunch of tables packed in tightly, extensive sake menu with small plates, order something chilled from the Junmai category, ask wait staff for suggestions or do research on sake beforehand.
How to find it: Near 2nd Ave, look for a plaque with Japanese writing above the first flight of stairs next to the old Max Brenner’s location (space on the southwest corner of 2nd Ave & 9th St) and walk down. Open the door, wait behind the rope, tell the host the number in your party and you will be seated in the back room when a table is available.
Kyotofu (Hell’s Kitchen)
Dessert Bar / Bakery, Ice Cream / Cupcakes / Cake / Eclectic
705 Ninth Ave (btwn 48th St & 49th St), West side of street; 212.974.6012
Prices: Assorted Desserts: Less than $10 – Mid $10’s; Small Plates (Dinner): Less than $10 – Low $10’s
Hours: Sun, Tue-Wed: 5:30pm-12:30am; Thu-Sat: 5:30pm-1:30am; Mon: Closed
Reservations: 212.974.6012
Notes: Cool, modern Japanese dessert bar and bakery serving a variety of eclectic items, offers a traditional omakase dessert tasting of three or five items, wide selection of sake/shochu as well as beer, wine, cocktails, teas and coffee.
Sake Hana (Upper East Side) (*Closed*)
Sake Bar, Japanese / Sushi
265 E 78th St (btwn 2nd Ave & 3rd Ave), North side of street; 212.327.0582
Notes: Good sake bar on the UES for a date, cozy and dim-lit atmosphere, sit at one of the small tables or at the bar, nice variety of sakes to choose from, interesting décor, surprisingly on the quieter side for a sake bar which can be good for conversation.
Chibi’s Bar (NoLita)
Sake Bar, Japanese
238 Mott St (btwn Spring St & Prince St), East side of street; 212.274.0054
Notes: Sake bar hangout with extensive sake list, helpful staff with good suggestions, bar food menu available, cozy spot but décor is nothing special, look out for the bar’s French bulldog mascot on certain nights.
Sake Bar Satsko (Alphabet City)
Sake Bar / Restaurant, Japanese / Sushi / Pan-Asian
202 E 7th St (btwn Ave B & Ave C), South side of street; 212.614.0933
Notes: Sake bar and restaurant combo, good for the crowd and sake offerings rather than the mediocre food, sushi and other Japanese offerings, fun and chill hang out to taste various sakes or sake bomb before a night out.
Satsko on Eldridge (Lower East Side)
Restaurant / Sake Bar, Japanese / Sushi
245 Eldridge St (btwn Stanton St & Houston St), West side of street; 212.358.7773
Prices: Small Plates: Less than $10 – Mid $10’s; Sushi: Low $10’s – Mid $20’s
OpenTable Reservation
Notes: Small restaurant and sake bar with weekly sake tasting and sake bomb specials, personal sushi making on Tuesdays, helpful and knowledgable staff regarding sake selection, better food than at sister Sake Bar Satsko in Alphabet City, more of a casual hang out spot, 40+ list of sake with sake-based cocktails like the Saketini and Sakegria.
Haru Sake Bar (Upper East Side)
Sake Bar / Restaurant, Japanese / Sushi
1327 Third Ave (at 76th St), Southeast corner; 212.452.1028
Prices: Apps: Less than $10 – Mid $10’s; Sushi/Sashimi/Rolls: Less than $10; Special Rolls: Low – Upper $10’s; Entrees: Mid $10’s – Low $20’s
Reservations: 212.452.1028
Notes: Across from Haru restaurant, dim-lit sake and sushi bar, sit at one of the small tables or the bar and share an app or two, decent selection of cocktails, sake-based drinks and sake, full menu.
Ippudo NY (East Village)
Restaurant, Japanese / Ramen
65 Fourth Ave (btwn 9th St & 10th St), East side of street; 212.388.0088
Prices: Apps: Less than $10 – Low $10’s; Specialties: Less than $10 – Upper $10’s; Ramen: Mid $10’s
No Reservations Accepted, American Express Not Accepted
Notes: Very popular ramen spot near NYU, relativelty large space with different seating arrangements and Japanese-influenced décor, cool atmosphere, generally an extensive wait during prime dining hours, plan to go at odd hours (or put your name down and go somewhere nearby for a drink), sit in the bar area for awhile and have some sake if you have to wait, pork buns are a favorite, but other apps are great as well, ramen dishes are well regarded.
Sake Bar Hagi (Theater District)
Restaurant, Japanese / Izakaya
152 W 49th St, Downstairs (btwn 6th Ave & 7th Ave), South side of street; 212.764.8549
Notes: Authentic, subterranean, Japanese izakaya pub-style restaurant and sake bar, decent food and good selection of sake and shochu, well-lit, basic décor and bunched together tables don’t necessarily make this a good date spot, but if you’re in the area and want sake, it might be a good choice.
How to find it: Look for the address 152 where you will see two clearly marked restaurants, then look for a door with a sign over it marked “Sake Bar,” walk through the doorway and down the stairs to the basement level where you will find Sake Bar Hagi.
