Zenkichi

Such an amazing place. Will go back every change of session to try every new amazing foods and saki they have. The service was great they tell you what is on each plate and they are attentive to your needs. The atmosphere very romantic you have your own little cubby. My husband didnt like this says you can look straight into someone elses cubby but to counter act this they have blinds for each area.

Went there twice. I got Omakase for both time. The first time, I was amazed and everything was soo good. But the second time, it was not as great as the first time. I thought they change the course menu seasonally, but they only changes certain dishes and some remains the same. But the food still taste amazing and loved it.

So I went to Zenkichi on Saturday night– my boyfriend made a reservation on Tuesday.
I’ll start with the ambiance. The décor and private seating arrangements are really intimate– perfect for a date. They have these screens that separate each table and makes the experience super personal and void of distractions.
When it comes to the menu, I was left a little disappointed. We ordered a la carte– Sashimi of the Day, Shrimp & Nasu Tempura, Potato Mochi, Nagoya Teba Wings, Grilled Nasu Dengaku,
Lamb Chop Tataki, Frozen Black Sesame Mousse. I will say that this was too much food for two people. I think we would have been okay with one or two less plates. The sashimi was extremely fresh– and I would recommend it were it not for the extremely fishy, bottom-​of-​the sea taste of the shrimp/​prawns that would not dissipate even after 2 glasses of water. The Shrimp and Nasu Tempura left much to be desired. It was an odd texture and the combination of eggplant and shrimp was not as flavorful as I thought it would be. The potato mochi were dense potato balls, lightly fried. Extremely plain and flavorless– we sent 3 back to the kitchen. My boyfriend said that the wings and lamb chop were both delicious. However, he did say that the wings were similar to the ones I make and the lamb chop was not as delicious as others he’s tasted. Do not order the grilled Nasu Dengaku– it is so plain and the flavor very strange. The miso paste on the top does not complement the eggplant and the eggplant was simply grilled with no seasoning at all. The best part of the meal was definitely the frozen black sesame mousse. If after reading this review, you decide that $ 130 is still reasonable for a meal for two– make sure you order the mousse. It is the perfect blend of chocolate and exotic flavor that you would expect of it. I absolutely LOVED it and were it not for the minimum order, I would come to have the mousse again. Sadly, I don’t think Zenkichi will be seeing me again.

Amazing experience & good date spot. My friend and I decided to get the Omakase because it is seasonally and some the plates were not offered as a la carte. The food was amazing especially the black cod, donburi and the sashimi but it was not worth the price considering my friend was not full at the end of the course.
The décor was very traditional with the intimate private booth that we both loved. The waitress was very attentive and sweet.

One of the most disappointing dining experiences of my life even though the ambiance was cute and the little private booths with the shades that roll down, I kept wondering where was the rest of the food? After spending $ 400 for three people and still leaving hungry we were told they were closing in 10 minutes, and they meant business! they kept harassing us to get up and leave even then we still had some champagne left in the bottle. This place sucks! I will never go back! there are too many more options in New York a friend took us and recommended this so I appreciated that but I wouldn’t take my chihuahua there! it was a horrible experience it was strange and very weird to say the least!!!

Very interesting menu (lamb chops, bamboo chicken are awesome), great collection of sake and the most peculiarly amusing setup for a restaurant. Everyone has their own closed off section with curtains and a button to call for food.
Good service, great location and, all in all, one of those restaurants you’ll talk about to your friends and family for the days to follow!
Tip: great place for a date/​birthday/​anniversary

I’ll be honest, as a Manhattanite I rarely venture to Brooklyn on the weekends. I know it’s not THAT far away, but it just seems like it is due to having to cross the East river and weekend train schedules. That being said, Zenkichi is a restaurant that I would go to Brooklyn for. It’s a really unique experience unlike any other that I’ve had in recent memory.
The place has a very zen like feel and every table is private a private booth with curtains. It makes for a very un-​New York feel of quiet, peace and serenity. I think this place is excellent for a group of 4 – 6 people who you enjoy engaging in conversation.
On to the food. We opted to order off the a la carte menu. There is also an option for omakase (pre-​fixe). Zenkichi’s a la carte menu items are meant to be shared «izakaya-​style» with everyone at the table. Think tapas. They recommend about 3 items per person. We had a group of 5 and ordered just under 15 dishes. The standouts were the sweet duck salad, maguro carpaccio, rocksalt jidori chicken and the grilled spicy cod roe mayo riceballs.
The maguro carpaccio has the perfect balance of tangy and salty. It’s finished with a green yuzu pepper sauce. The sweet duck salad was surprisingly large and the pieces of duck were absolutely delicious. The dish is finished with a soft egg that you mix into the salad.
Zenkichi’s food is visually beautiful and delightfully appetizing. Everything is spot on here. I highly recommend this place especially if you’re in the Williamsburg neighborhood.

I’ve been here a few times for their cold tofu and the private space with curtains, I love going on dates here, you could get intimate with your date, the servers are exceptional, and I love the décor, you open the door to a dim room with wood interior, once you walk upstairs, you get to sit inside wooden tables and booths, they are separate spaces too so you don’t even have to make eye contact with anyone else in the room.
I usually get omakase, and sake, their homemade tofu is like heaven, tofu to another level, it’s so soft and creamy, it just melts in my mouth, I felt like I’d never eaten tofu before. My boyfriend and I tried their seasonal beers in the summer time, called Snow I think, it’s $ 10 a bottle but it’s so worth it. I enjoyed it a lot with my grilled fish dishes, the omakase was so filling I almost couldn’t finish. Another thing that’s a must have, is their potato mochi balls, oh em gee those are the best things of Williamsburgh!

Bamboo curtains are a bit strange but really help in terms of privacy.
Delicious sake.
Best miso soup I’ve ever had, fried tofu and spinach.
Incredible marinated cod.
Wagyu beef was a spiritual experience.
Salmon with salmon roe.
Special anniversary dessert.
Thanks for a wonderful evening.
(Disclaimer: I wrote this review a year ago and forgot to post it until now. Still a memorable evening, and the best anniversary date night yet!)

We went here for birthday dinner.
The deco dominated by bamboos and rock pebbles with steps lead through the dining area. The waiting room was rather dark in modern Japanese style. The lighting was meticulously designed. Our seating was on 2^nd floor. This place promotes intense privacy. Each table area is a semi-​closed space divided by bamboo drapes. There is a buzzer built on the table corner for customers service signal.
This was my friend Jaz’s 3^rd time dining here, and it was my first time. The menu offers pri-​fixe and also orders by choice. We ordered the pri-​fixe. There were 8 courses including dessert on the menu.
1. Appetizer was miso soup with scallions and small little mushrooms. Tasted a lot better than the miso soup from the local Japanese take out place.
2. Chilled platter — The waiter recommended the order they should be consumed. The sahimi was very fresh and tasty. One of each of yellowtail and salmon. There was a piece of bone in my piece of yellowtail which I was a bit disappointed. Other than that, it was absolutely tasty. Other sides included tuna tartare and scallops with sweet soy sauce garnished by finely chopped scallions.
3. Zenkichi Salad — 2 pieces of homemade fresh tofu sit on top of fresh spinach with few pieces of arugula, no sign of bruise on the leafy spinach. One of my favorites courses of the 8.
4. Shrimp Eringi Tempura — Came with the house salad. The peppers are spicy but refreshing. The salt added a nice flavor and savory taste to the tempura.
5. Grilled Black Cod — Black cod grilled with skin on. My FAVORITE dish of the entire menu. It’s flaky, buttery and juicy. Perfectly cooked.
6. Beef — 3 pieces of very rare «steaks». The waiter didn’t ask the temperature we’d like for our «steak» to be served. My friend Jaz ended up not eating them because they were too rare for her.
7. Donburi (Salmon Rice) — It served with finely chopped seaweed. Salmon sashimi and uni on top of white rice. The rice was perfectly cooked.
8. Dessert — We picked the tofu pudding and Sesame mousse (our choices). The tofu pudding was over the top! The flavor of the tofu is authentic. I could smell the aroma on every bite. The sesame mousse was amazing! Very rich in black sesame taste.
The price was reasonable. The pri-​fixe was $ 65/​each. I also ordered the only warm sake which it paired well with most of the courses we had. Zenkichi is all around a heavenly experience. I will definitely come back again.

Everything was delicious. We got the Japanese chicken meatballs with poached egg dipping sauce, chicken wings, hot udon soup, filet mignon tataki and walnut chocolate pudding. We had two orders of the meatballs and two of the chicken wings bc we were just overwhelmed at how good it tasted we wanted more. Of course we had edamame which was delicious. Our choice of beer was Sapporo beer. Our waitress Yuki was the best and soooooo cute!!! She did not rush us she served us our food perfectly and timing was the best example of customer service that my boyfriend and I have experienced in a long time.
I recommend this place to everyone who enjoys sushi and private time with their significant other. It was on the top ten list of intimate places to go in the New York post, we are very happy and will be returning soon. :)

WHAT is the hype about this place?!
Unilocal doesn’t usually lie to me, so I was rather disappointed after trying this out. A party of 4, we made things simple and each got the Omakase ($ 65) tasting menu.
At first, everything started out half decent. Menu seemed ok, fish seemed fresh (but nothing that special). However, as the courses progressed, things just seemed to get worse and worse. Yes, some dishes were better than others (I enjoyed the shishito peppers with shrimp tempura). The first course of sashimi and dried scallop and tuna tartare was very eh so-​so. Then a salad with some peanut sauce and tofu they claimed to be homemade, but I swear seemed like $ 1 store bought tofu to me. Then a miso cod that was decently flavorful for me, but too salty for one of my friends, and too bland for another (where’s the consistency?). My friend’s cod also had 3 bones in it she almost choked on. When telling the waiter, he said it usually has bones and it was «unusual» the other 3 didn’t. Wtf? Just wait til someone chokes and sues your ass.
Then, the supposed «stars» of the meal: duck breast (wayyyy too chewy and cold, but the sauce was good) and wagyu beef (they first served this to us with cold hard rice and we had to tell them so then they exchanged it for a little warmer rice). We also waited about 30 minutes in between two of the courses (which is probably why our dish came out cold).
The best part for me was the black sesame mousse dessert. But by that time, I just wanted to get the f*** out of there already.
Don’t know if it was an «off» night or what, but I am not returning to find out. I’d rather pay way less and eat some st. mark’s Japanese street food for what I got here. Disappointment.
Oh, and 3 of us had stomach aches immediately after. Explain THAT.

Best. date. spot. ever.
No joke. I would give it 10 stars if I could.
So here how story went: we supposed to go see rock group playing at Rough Trade for their new album. It’s was just a preview, free opening, so why not?
But we were hungry, and decided to stop for dinner beforehand.
Zenkichi entrance door was simple, no thrills, but it was mysteriously inviting. Inside, it is dimly lit. Hostess quickly showed us to our table — small booth for 2, with bamboo curtain for privacy and bell for service.
The atmosphere was a perfectly beautiful prelude for wonderful food and relaxing evening.
Menu is pretty long, and sake menu is even longer. After pouring over and over our choices, dishes were ordered, and sake tasting flights chosen as well.
(Well, it did not stop with just tasting, we ordered more. And a bit more.)
All senses were enveloped with intimate setting, subtle teasing of sake flavors and aromas of food that started to arrive… Wasabi-​cured octopus was light and fresh, Seaweed & mushrooms were so delicious I almost refused to share (I was convinced tho), and Black cod was incredible.
…So, we missed the concert…
At that point we simply did not care. We laughed it off and went to nearby Cotton Candy Machine art gallery instead.
It was best darn date I ever had.
You noticed I did not take any pictures? Impossible, right? Because I forgot about camera and everything — falling under the magic of this place. Or may be it was other kind of magic? In any case, Zenkichi is amazing, romantic and incredible.
Don’t think twice, bring your date here and thank me later.

What an experience! My date found this spot because it was listed as one of the most romantic spots in the city. It certainly is! You have your own private booth! It was almost comical to me.
We did the tasting menu. The fish tasted very fresh. I’d score it ten points on presentation alone.
Service was excellent.
I can’t wait to go here again!

Went here for my girlfriend’s 23^rd birthday to have a romantic evening and had an absolutely amazing meal.
The ambience is intimate, romantic, and quiet with soft jazz playing in the background.
At $ 65 a person the omikase tasting menu was worth every penny. The sashimi, tempura and chocolate walnut pudding were especially good.
We also got the $ 19 sake tasting which was a great way to try a few different sake’s with our meal.
This is a great place to go for a romantic evening and the service was phenomenal.

Dark. Romantic. Sexy. In the heart of Williamsburg (or is it Greenpoint?), Brooklyn. 14 years old and under not admitted (haha).
Lots of couples and group dates are personally led through 3 floors of elegant dark wood hallways and mirrors to their own L-​shaped private booth that is perfect for cuddling. A bamboo screen casts a sheer cover for privacy. It is very possible to gaze beyond the screen and see your neighbors (as well as hear them) but eyes on your dinner companion! It’s a PERFECT date place. I love how there is no dress code but many people are dressed nicely. Most do not wear formal attire (pheww!).
We had their Omakase tasting menu that is $ 65 per person and covers 8 small plates. It changes seasonly. I was a bit worried that I would not be full afterwards but I left feeling very satisfied and hunger did not set in until the next morning. If you are ordering a la carte, they recommend 3 – 4 plates per person.
We also tried a small glass of their plum wine. Very sweet and perfect for me!
Our experience with their early-​Summer 2015 Omakase menu:
1. Miso soup with scallions and mushrooms. Tastes much better and definitely more authentic than your typical miso soup at a sushi restaurant. A little salty but manageable.
2. Chilled platter with 4 different samples. The waitress will recommend the order they should be consumed. First, the freshest fish in the market that day, which for us was salmon and yellowtail sashimi (2 pieces each). Very fresh and thick slices. Next was a large Japanese snail that they carefully pulled out from its shell and cooked. The beautiful shell is left on the plate with salt underneath for your seasoning. Then we tried the big spoon of fish underneath their jelly. I couldn’t taste much but it was very refreshing. The last sample we tried was a small bite of sashimi on top of pickled shredded carrots.
3. Zenkichi House Salad with one block of soft silken tofu in the center and greens on the bottom. The peanut dressing was delicious and added a lovely creamy texture to the leaves. The tofu was a challenge to pick up with chopsticks.
4. The fried tempura came with the House Salad. 2 pieces of fried peppers, 2 pieces of fried fish, and a small plate of matcha green tea salt for sprinkling over the tempura. The peppers were refreshing and provided a nice contrast with the fried fish. The salt didn’t have much of a matcha flavor.
5. Grilled black cod. Very smooth, juicy, and buttery. A few small bones are left in there so be careful. Came with a few slices of white radishes on the side.
6. 3 thick slices of beef, cooked rare with a very pink center. I’ve never had my beef/​steak cooked rare but this was great! Tough on outside, soft and chewy on inside.
7. Donburi with seaweed, garnishes, and sashimi on top of white rice. The rice was a little dry. A bit of light soy sauce would have been perfect. It arrived in a really cute plastic canister.
8. Dessert! We each picked one from the dessert menu. Their frozen black sesame mousse was AMAZING! Very rich in black sesame taste. A thicker version of Cha-​an Teahouse’s black sesame ice cream in St. Marks. If you love that one, you will fall head over heels for this dessert! We also had their walnut chocolate pudding. It was also very rich and creamy. Complimentary to our desserts were 2 little dark chocolate truffles infused with whiskey. Their desserts are incredible. Looking back, I wish we ordered an extra dessert ($ 6.95) outside of the Omakase menu.
Service was impeccable and the girls are very sweet and efficient. I booked our dinner to celebrate my boyfriend’s birthday and reminded them at check-​in. Our desserts came with candles on a Happy Birthday plate. I’m glad they did not sing as it would contradict the sexy, intimate ambience. I highly recommend their food, service, and romantic setting to every couple out there who wants to splurge a little for a date night! I would love to come back!

Came here last night after we missed our reservations at sushi yasaka, we got here around 10:15 and they seated us right away. We were starving and my friend and I both ordered the omakase. The staff was really courteous and the food was delicous!
From the Unilocal reviews I had expected a secluded private booth but when I got to the booth it is really just a tiny section with wooden curtains so it supposedly gives the illusion of privacy but the table next to us were quite loud so it wasn’t as private as I had expected.
The omakase started us with miso soup and this was the good stuff not the grainy tasting ones like the lower end sushi places serve, I enjoyed it and liked that there were pieces of mushrooms in there
Next we got the sashimi platter which came with two pieces of fresh salmon and two pieces of fresh yellow tail a spoonful of tomatoes with agar jelly, this was refreshing and tasted like soup to me. This course came with a piece of cooked sea bass I believe cooked with some miso base and a piece of escargot looking thing. My favorite from this was the salmon and the agar jelly
We then received the zenkichi house salad which was super delicous, cold very very silkened tofu with greens and a sesame dressing, I never had tofu in my salad and I must say its not a bad combo especially with this quality tofu
Next came a few pieces of friend fish and fried peppers and the black miso cod, Omgg this has to be my favorite part of the whole omakase, I hardly eat cooked fish but this is so so good I really love how the miso taste is in every bite and the portion of the fish was pretty big too
After this we got the rare beef, it was a bit more chewy than I expected and it was served with a miso dipping sauce. This was my friends favorite part of the meal. After we were done with the beef they served us rice with three piece of sashimi, I actually preferred my sashimi cold and since it came in the rice bowl it turned out pretty warm and the rice wasn’t really flavored so this had to be my least favorite
Last was dessert, I highly suggest the tofu dessert it’s like nothing I’ve ever tried here in New York and I’m a foodie so l have tried a lot of places, my friend got the black sesame ice cream and the flavor was too strong that he couldn’t really finish it… They also served malt truffles which I didn’t like at all, too powdery and too strong.
Overall I really recommend this place the price is pretty good for the amount of food you get, I paid more for an omakase set and didn’t get half this amount of food. The service was impeccable and the food is delicious

Date night just became a lot sexier thanks to Zenkichi. A super discreet door opens the way to this dimly lit Japanese brasserie located on Grand St. An 8 course omakase will set your back 65 dollars but well worth it when you want a variety of what this place has to offer.
We were seated on the 2^nd FL in a booth that feels cleverly hidden away as there are bamboo shades which gives you a sense of false privacy. A small button summons your waitress when you’ve decided on your order.
Some highlights were the Maguro Nuta and the Yuzu grilled black cod. Both are a must try. I’m not a big dessert guy but I loveee their black sesame mousse!
Date night. Do It.
Thank me later.

Yoko was awesome!
This place was such a wonderful experience for me the the bf! Cute private booths with a roll down bamboo screen and great for an intimate evening. Maybe a little cramped if you’re tall with long legs. Place can be hard to find because the door is pretty incognito, but you will notice it being a long wooden looking building.
I wanted to order the Omakase, but it states that you have to have a min of 2 people ordering to get it and the bf unfortunately does not eat red meat or fish. Fortunately they allowed me to get it and the bf ended up getting the vegetarian version. We even splurged for the lobster for me ($ 20 extra).
Everything was very good! The service was great, the tofu was so creamy and delicious, sashimi was very fresh, the cod was soo good, and it was a nice variety of things I probably wouldn’t have gotten on my own or too many things I would’ve wanted! My favorite was the washu beef with rice, it was just nice to have a warm little plate with deliciously cooked meat and it tied together wonderfully with the black sesame mousse. It was like eating ice cream that didn’t melt! It was awesome! I was worried the bf wouldn’t like all the flavorings or wouldn’t enjoy this food, but he really liked everything that came with his set and said that he would definitely have it again.
We were celebrating our recent engagement at the time so they also had a little something special on our dessert plate. I am excited to come back and try another season’s Omakase (I had the Winter).
Enjoy! :)

Romantic. Cool. Intimate. Exotic. Incredible. My visit to Zenkichi was unforgettable, and I can not wait until my next return.
Navigating here from the subway was a cinch. A few minutes in the unbearable cold made arriving here, heavenly. As we were escorted to our table, I couldn’t help but notice how enchanting the actual place was. Each booth is fancifully tucked away by bamboo shades, while dark wood and minimal lighting further elevate the sense of intimacy. High off of a day in the city, date-​night-​nirvana was certainly underway.
Service was flawless. Staffers are summoned via ‘push button’, and the lack of a hovering server was the exact reprieve we needed after a day of human interaction. After a minute of browsing over so many temptations, we happily decided to revel in the seasonal, Winter Omakase (8-​course tasting menu handpicked by the chef.)
Artfully prepared small plates, each dish that was showcased was superb. Expertly well-​paced, every dish was beautiful and delicious. Keep in mind — there is no sushi. Sushi is a completely different category of Japanese cuisine from the Tokyo-​style small plates Zenkichi specializes in. And hands down, was one of the best dining experiences I have been apart of. Melt in your mouth seafood: scallops, shrimp, monkfish, salmon; tender and succulent beef steak; fresh and local vegetables; delicately sweet and tart grapefruit agar gelee. Perfection.
Although we didn’t splurge on their impeccable sake list, Zenkichi prides itself with over 50 kinds (a menu in of itself) of carefully chosen premium sake bottles, and several Japanese beers. They don’t serve wine or cocktails. If you’re looking to keep the night going, you can visit their Oyster & Sake Bar Akariba next door. Open only Fridays and Saturdays.
With dark passages and booths separated by privacy screens, the intimate atmosphere is a key appeal of this hidden, and utterly unique setting. Perfect for romantic dates; the expensive, small plates-​centric fare is just as exquisite, and it’s delivery by excellent pro staffers are just but a button-​push away. Truly a dining experience, live a little and come savor this little slice of Japan in New York!