Takesushi

A gem in our neighborhood! We’ve been going to Takesushi for many years and the food & service only gets better! Mr. Robin, his sister, wife & staff are always so friendly and kind. They even know us by name. Mr. Robin works there 7 days a week and is always there for lunch and dinner. My family and children love the food and the service is always exceptional. They make us feel like family there. My husband loves the fresh sushi and always rave about how good the fish is.
Please keep up the outstanding food. We love it here! Thank you so much for putting so much effort and time in your quality of food. We can’t be more grateful. Thank you, Mr. Robin & family!

This place delivers the finest seafood around the area. At first I was hesitant to try this spot because there is another japanese restaurant around the corner that had my business for a long time.
I tried this place about 2 – 3 times because I wanted to try their normal items (udon, chickteriyaki, gyoza, etc.) And also the fresh fishes!
Since I am not a sushi enthusiast by heart, it all tastes pretty similar to me (relative to other restaurants). Definitely a nice place, with a simple décor inside and a sushi bar you can sit at with minimal seating (4?)
Servers and host are polite and have proper etiquette! Good spot for a semi-​formal/​casual date if you would.
I’d like to add that although I prefer to hit up the other restaurant, since their food proportions have been gradually diminishing and prices increasing. I just might move my business this way! See ya soon (:

If I lived in Queens, I would be here couple times a month. Came on a recommendation from a Japanese colleague. Passed up plenty of great options in midtown to come and couldn’t be happier.

Big thumbs up. Had ramen and sashimi lunch. Both were really good and worth repeat visits.

It definitely is the best Japanese restaurant in Queens. I can’t even think of a similar place like Takesushi around. Fish is always fresh, lots of choice, VERY authentic.
I love that Takesushi has the neighborhood feeling. it’s not one of those Manhattan Japanese restaurant with fancy decoration but makes you end up still being hungry after paying.

Love their lobster sashimi it’s so fresh and has a slight crunch to it. It’s slightly sweet too. Def recommend

Takesushi is really convenient to get to from the 7 train, and offers beautiful, authentic and high quality sushi at an affordable price. When we went, the place was rammed with other Japanese patrons (a good sign, in a sushi bar), and the quality was really top-​notch. It’s definitely a hidden gem — I’d recommend it to anyone for an authentic sushi experience in New York.

Hands down the best sushi I’ve ever had. My cousin’s boyfriend (from Japan) suggested and so thankful he did! Slightly more expensive than the average sushi place, but deservingly so. The fish’s grade is high, very clean and melt in your mouth. The nigiri has the perfect amount of wasabi so no extra was needed! From what I hear, the restaurant is Japanese run.
On a side note, our server was horrendous. He was a red head gentleman from Colorado; I don’t remember his name. But his service didn’t detract for how delicious the food was. I kinda hope you don’t believe me so you can see for yourself.

I had the ramen, and it was great! For a cold, brisk day, hot bowl of noodles is just the thing to melt away the winter blues. I love Japanese noodles with just the right about of meat with the right amount of flavor and half a boiled egg… so tasty! I can’t wait to come back to have the sushi options. I have to recommend this place. The service was spectacular and the décor was inviting. It was very welcoming.

This is a very solid sushi spot for Sunnyside Queens. Japanese owned and run. We ordered sushi, miso soup and salad — the classic combination. The miso soup was good, the salad was good — though the salad dressing wasnt my favorite typical Japanese salad dressing, and the sushi was very quality. That is the most important part of this restaurant — the sushi — and it is great sushi, made by skilled chefs with very fresh, good quality fish.
However, what prevented me from giving it 5 stars is the décor, the wasabi and just the laxness of the way it is run. The décor is not nice. It is very brightly lit with cheap furnishings. Definitely not the dimly lit, beautifully decorated Japanese spots Im used to. Also things like the tea cups and all the plates are Ikea. The Japanese make amazing plates and cups, way better than Ikea. The interior furnishings and bright lighting are cheap. Also I found it weird that I never got the spicy head rush from the wasabi that night. We even ate huge chunks of wasabi straight up and not once did we get the spicy rush. Maybe old or bad wasabi? Also the staff aren’t the perfect Japanese staff I’m used to, that get everything right and are extremely attentive.
The very casual décor and atmosphere give it a unpretentious and small town vibe, however I find it much more relaxing with dim lights, soothing music and what not. I love the relaxing experience of many real Japanese restaurants. This does not have that. Also for the somewhat moderate-​high prices, and the fact that they used to have locations in Manhattan and Japan I’d expect it to be a little nicer.
Make it nicer and its 5 stars!

Use your Unilocal app to relieve your stress levels whenever you’re at the doctor’s office. Instead of groaning over interminable waits, you’ll be happily searching for your next eats. Ariyoshi was recommended by my doctor but since I’d rather place my trust in eats in my fellow Unilocalers than my life in my doctors, I decided to try the pricier Takesushi based on the rave Unilocal reviews. I would never had thought adorable applied to a Japanese sushi place but adorable this place is. As soon as I entered, the chef and hostess both greeted me with a warm smile and hello and beckoned me to take a table. On a mid week afternoon, the place seem occupied by all Japanese and apparently all locals who seemed to patronize it regularly, based on some of the interchanges in Japanese with Chef Rob. It wasn’t totally packed but it wasn’t empty either. I don’t understand the Unilocaler complaints about lack of ambience. There was a warm homey quality to the simple wooden décor, and of all things to see, there were harvest decorations like scarecrows! The place was clean, and yes, quiet, because eating to the Japanese is a zen thing and enjoyment of food is best contemplated in a peaceful atmosphere. I was charmed even before I ordered, by the cute elderly waitress who moved enthusiastically to serve despite her slight limp and the sheer happiness she exuded when I complemented her on the tea, despite her limited understanding of English. Unilocaler Casey M. was surprised the tea was black. I found out later from Chef Rob it was hoijicha. It is a green tea, but it’s roasted. The absolutely adorable elderly waitress kept refilling my cup as I guzzled. She gets five stars plus alone for service, friendless and for just being so cute I wanted to spirit her away in my pocket.
I had the sushi C combo, which came with a tasty mixed salad and the standard miso soup. Both were delicious. The sushi itself was top notch, beautiful and firm pieces of fresh fish that melted in my mouth. This isn’t cheap sushi, so don’t expect cheap prices. I know some Unilocalers seemed to gripe that prices seem comparable to Manhattan prices. Does a Japanese eatery have to be cheap just because it’s in Queens? Maybe rents rising and quality fish isn’t inexpensive? You get prices comparable to Manhattan places like a Yama. My meal was fantastic and I enjoyed every bite. It was fresh, tasty and filling. Yes, service is slow but be patient. Appreciate the tranquility. Chef Rob when I went was the only person at the sushi counter and he seemed to take great pride in his work. Rush sushi to me means supermarket sushi. I really enjoyed my lunch and even discussed with two other diners how delighted we were to be eating there. At the end of the meal, as I made to leave, my favorite cute person presented me with a piece of strawberry jello (agar, I think), cake made by Chef Rob. I of course, sat back down and promptly ate it with gusto. Gracious hospitality, great food. Takesushi’s a place I would recommend without hesitation and visit again. I’m already dreaming of the uni bowl.

Went back a few more times. It’s great. For Sunnyside I just can’t find a similar place. Go here for lunch if u love good quality food.
Just good fresh items on the menu.

Third time was the charm.
I’ve known Takesushi from back when they were open in Manhattan, used to go there with my family when I was small.
So when I found that the same Takesushi was reopening I was thrilled, although the first 2 times were a disappointment 3^rd time was satisfactory.
Great value and nice service.

Coming in for another lunch. Really disappointed. Average taste of nigiri. The maki was the biggest problem today, a plastic piece was found in it plus way too salty!!! No need of the soya sauce at all. Big chunks of salt was mixed in the rice/​fish?
2 stars for the salad and miso soup…
The supermarket sushi at Key foods taste better.
I’m not sure I’ll try their dinner menu but this will be last time I’m buying their lunch sushi.

My dinner at Takesushi started with a very long wait for food, then mediocre sushi, and finally a painful stomachache.
Like many Unilocalers, I came here after seeing 4-​star Unilocal rating with 200 Unilocal reviews, but what a disappointment!
Sashimi and Cali Roll combo ($ 29) was most likely the culprit of my stomachache. A few pieces of fish reeked smell of deterioration, while other pieces tasted bland. Apparently, they use cheap fish (and not fresh) to make sashimi.
Our sashimi platter came with an embarrassingly tiny dot of wasabi and no ginger. This platter for 2 people only comes with one complimentary miso soup. How cheap are you, Takesushi? The miso soup tasted like heavy MSG.
Japanese restaurants usually serves green tea because it’s part of their culture and helps digestion, but Takesushi served a black tea that tasted strangely like Lipton.
Miso cod was overcooked. The skin was burnt to texture of coal and taste was average — it was not marinated well. Takesushi ran out of a few important items on their menu including uni, sweet shrimp, and a type of sake. What a joke.
Its service was a joke as well. Takesushi has a decent variety of sake and their SMVs are listed next to sake names. I asked our waiters what does SMV mean? He stalled for a good minute and we let him go because he didn’t know sake, not to mention SMV. His general attitude was just indifference.
The hostess is the only Japanese staff in the entire restaurant which leads me to believe Takesushi probably already changed restaurant owner.
Takesushi can be summed up into one word: Disappointment.
That big «Grade Pending» sign on their window should’ve been a warning.

Oof, sorry Unilocalers — I was really hoping I would love Takesushi since I want a great sushi place that’s right in my neighborhood, but generally, I find it disappointing. There are other Japanese places in the Sunnyside area that offer better value for this level of quality.
The ambiance and décor aren’t great, but that’s not why I’m docking any stars — I’ve been to hole in the wall places with amazing food and that doesn’t really make a huge difference as far as detracting from a dining experience to me. The service was a bigger sticking point: while consistently present and attentive, I ended up feeling like my concerns fell on deaf ears.
A solid omakase offering is really what makes or breaks a sushi restaurant. Takesushi’s fish is generally fresh, so that’s a plus (but a low bar to clear). And, the cuts are done expertly with good knife technique so that each bite conveys the best texture of the fish. The smaller omakase comes with about 18 pieces of fish and an introductory amuse bouche of uni in a delicious marinade. The uni is excellent but unfortunately it set my expectations high for the rest of the meal.
When I went recently, four of the pieces of tuna in our omakase were FROZEN. Like, ice crystals, crunchy frozen. I understand that the fish is kept on ice. I get that. But you cannot serve me frozen sushi and pretend it’s supposed to be like that. When we told our waiter, he told the manager, who spoke to the sushi chef. The manager came back to our table and basically said, «Sorry, sometimes the fish is frozen.» I am not somebody who ever sends food back, and I’m generally an easygoing diner, but I was pretty annoyed that they didn’t at least come back with a thawed piece of tuna or remove those pieces from our bill — that’s not good service.
I’m willing to give Takesushi more chances, but I found this experience too pricy to create such disappointment.

Like other reviewers said, a hidden gem. Fresh fish at affordable prices. Service was wonderful. Win win.
Came here for lunch specials. Got the Kaisen deluxe ($ 19) the first time and a Uni/​Salmon Don ($ 17) the second time. I love the Uni here. First– that they even have it (often, I’ll go to a japanese restaurant that has uni on the menu and then order it to find they don’t have it) and it’s affordable!!! What! And fresh??? Awesome. They normally have Maguro/​Uni lunch special but I requested salmon instead.
Anyway, as for the rest of the fish– you can tell it’s fresh. As a sushi lover who constantly misses the fresh fish she ate at Tsukiji Market, this place will do for the freshness without the hefty plane ticket.
I’ve tried a bit of the hot food as well (chicken teriyaki and tempura) which was pretty good. But I come for the fish.
Service is also really hospitable. Seemed very family oriented/​owned. They all spoke japanese so you know it’s legit. The waitresses, not your average young servers, were so kind and inviting.

Sunnyside seems very unpretentious and quiet, but it hides this amazing Japanese sushi restaurant. Apparently Japanese-​owned, all of their wait-​staff seem to be Japanese. We were served by this very polite middle-​aged Japanese lady who served us lots of hot tea.
Not surprisingly, the sushi was delicious and most importantly fresh. Both of us ordered the Chirashi bowl deluxe. Make sure you get the deluxe and not the regular. It’s only a few dollars more for better and more fish. The bowl came with fatty tuna, scallop, uni, salmon, hamachi, shime saba, ikura (fish roe). I was trying to save the best pieces for last, but every piece I ate was equally good. The uni is incredibly sweet. There are also bits of tuna hidden in the rice. Just as when you think you’re done you dig in deeper and find a little treasure inside. The rice is delicious. Good texture and seasoned enough.
We didn’t order these, but on their walls they have a lot of specials such as broiled tuna jowl. It takes a while for me to get to Sunnyside, but I will travel far just to eat sushi here again.

Takesushi’s exit from Midtown (
) a few years back raised some eyebrows for the NY sushi enthusiasts keeping track. Why leave a perfectly solid area where there is plenty of customers and accompanying Japanese bizes to complement each other (#1)? To open up a bigger shop into the new frontier (#2): Sunnyside, Queens. And the hood hasn’t been the same since.
For one, the Takesushi name has been a fixture in the sushi community for the last few decades. Yes, decades. Owner Robin Kawada has seen it all and has pulling double duty as not only the owner /​part time chef, but all while managing a seafood market in downtown Manhattan. What does that mean for Sunnyside customers? Two words: Fresh fish.
Admittedly it took me awhile to warm up to the idea of paying semi-​Manhattan prices for sushi in Queens, but Takesushi really vouches for the quality and it shows. In fact many of the popular spots in Astoria and Flushing don’t compare. It’s not even close. The texture of the meat is smooth and the fishiness is at a minimum. It also of course, depends on the type of fish and style in which it’s prepared.
It should also be pointed out that Takesushi is strictly Japanese owned and operated, not that it should matter in the name of good food, but this becomes important when much of the competition is Chinese owned. The ambiance is near nil, with no hip music in the background or decorations on the wall to speak of, just a simple menu and specials worth trying. There’s a lot to appreciate.
Raw fans, go with the omakase. There is no better way to acquaint yourself with the chef’s finest than to experience the variety they have available. The rainbow of colors and expertly sliced fish are sure to garner a photo op or two, but the real treat is being able to eat it with as little condiments as possible. Hamachi and Toro win hands down for me but the Sake (salmon) is very nice as well. For $ 60, it’s a potion of what the same would cost just a few subway stops away.
It doesn’t end there seafood lovers. The tuna jaw is an excellent choice, with charred bits of tuna meat crispy to the touch but juicy on the inside. Uni lovers could probably get behind the uni don, a bowl of sea urchin goodness that cannot be finished in a rush. It beats the chirashi, but only marginally.
There are countless specials that change every few months. From soft shell crab tempura to fixed price combos, it’s all worth trying in my opinion. Lobster is always a safe bet and so are the monkfishes. Sometimes they even rock shio ramen during lunch time. Though it’s not a special, I can never seem to stop ordering the gyoza. It might be some of the smoothest, almost buttery dumplings I’ve eaten to date.
So bring yourself, a date, or a group of like minded sea food loving friends and check it out. Sit at the bar and receive your sushi directly from the chef as they would in a small bar in Tokyo. The service is great and the food is top notch. Just make sure to taper your expectations to remember that this is meant to be a simple, fun, and delicious experience.
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(#1) There is also the rent dispute story. Someone needs a good landlord.
(#2) Not just of Queens, but maybe even all of NYC. Just watch.

Is it my fault for not getting a not so stellar experience at Takesushi?
We didn’t do Omakase. Ordered the sushi and lobster for two with their broiled Tuna Toro Kama. Whole meal came with complimentary appetizer, miso soup with some lobster shell/​legs and dessert. Sushi and complimentary stuff was at best mediocre. No stand outs. I was expecting something more with the Tuna in terms of taste given all the rave from previous reviewers but got a bit disappointed.
Service was spot on friendly.
Would probably come back for their Omakase.