Blue Ribbon Sushi

Possibly the worst over priced sushi I have ever had. Fish all tasted and smelled like it had been frozen for weeks before served to us. I actually ventured to buy the $ 18 a piece of Toro and it was all tissue and sinewy, not fatty and buttery like all the other Toro I’ve had that cost LESS than $ 18/​piece.
Service was also not spectacular. We had a group of 12 people and spent well over $ 3,000 so you’d think they would have at least given us a little more attention.
We got 2 of the most expensive sushi boats and they were all disappointing. The only thing that tasted decent on the boat was the Salmon. Everything else had the flavor of Safeway sushi. The fried rice was pretty decent, and so was the dynamite shrimp. But really, I came here for sushi and the best thing they had was fried rice and dynamite shrimp? Call yourself blue ribbon fried rice then.

Although I have never dined here, Blue Ribbon offers some of the freshest, if not the freshest, sushi in the city.
Favorites to note are the Spicy Blue Crab Roll and the Lobster Roll. Both incredibly delicious and the shellfish speaks for itself. Though, I found the spicy tuna roll to not be signifitcantly tastier than the ones offered at standard sushi spots around here.

Love this Resturant very knowledgeable wait staff and fresh delicious sushi. The inside out spicy tuna roll is amazing

My friend and I were in Soho and stumbled upon this awesome restaurant. We decided to be spontaneous and have dinner here, and we were not disappointed! We ordered the amberjack and rolls (spicy lobster, rainbow, spicy crab, tuna/​yellowtail, shrimper tempura). They were delicious. The ambiance is so cool. The lights are very dim and the restaurant was full. Our food was served promptly and the waiter tended well to our table. I would return again when I come back to NYC!

Sushi is delicious but the place is little tight. Passing by clients or waitresses keep bumping yo you, especially if you sit at the sushi bar. For their price range I think sitting arrangement needs to be little bit more comfortable.

Very good sushi. Very nice atmosphere. Very expensive. The salmon is smooth and melts in your mouth like butter. $ 60 for a few pieces and two rolls. Be prepared.

Came here as a suggestion from a New York local and was pleasantly surprised with a gorgeous interior, friendly and nice waitstaff and most importantly — no wait on a Friday night. We opted to sit at the sushi bar and after extensive thought, went with the Blue Ribbon Special because there were so many people ordering it and it really is a great value.
This comes with 6 types of sashimi (3 pieces each), 6 nigiri (2 pieces each) and 3 rolls.
The sashimi was all fresh and delicious, but not all of the nigiri was that good. The salmon skin roll is super unique, with crispy salmon skin on the outside of the roll. The lobster roll with shiso and caviar was great, but if you don’t like shiso, the flavor is overwhelming for sure. The dragon roll was super creamy with a LOT of avocado.
Overall this was a great value, but there is better sushi elsewhere — especially in NY!

One of my favorite traditional Japanese sushi restaurants. Every piece of sushi sliced just right and couldn’t be fresher. My favorite was the toro and salmon.
We ordered the platter for four and we couldn’t finish it.
Recommend you try some of the daily sushi specials. A lil pricey but you won’t be disappointed.

All i can say is WOW! Everything was simply amazing. The service was great and the food was awesome. We racked up a 200 $ bill of drinks, apps and sushi and it was money well spent. They have an excellent wine selection and i cant get over the jellyfish and octopus, as well as the eel roll. Will be coming back very soon!

Really enjoyed this place. Stopped in for a quick dinner and it was delicious.
Attentive service with a wide variety of fish, not just the normal items. Had a mix of the usual and a couple less than usual fish — all were high quality.
This place isn’t exactly cheap but not insanely priced — and here — you get what you pay for. Really good sushi.

We came here on Friday night and it was quite busy. We were asked to wait in the waiting area and there were two guys attending to everyone waiting there and people walking in. One of them took our names down and gave us drinks menu after we sat on down to wait. He even asked to take my umbrella for me. We waited for like five minutes and we were quickly brought in and seated. We were given hot towels to wipe and clean our hands.
We were given the menu and there was just too much to choose from. Didn’t know what to get because so much was listed. They even have a daily special menu list printed for that specific date. We were served hot green tea and it was some nice tea (at least for a Japanese restaurant). We decided to order the Sashimi Deluxe ($ 35.75), Maki Combo ($ 24.50), Spicy Lobster Roll ($ 16.00), and 2 Hokkaido Uni ($ 16.50 so $ 8.25 each). I have to admit, the food was quite pricey for the quality it was. It was good and all but not crazy good. The spicy lobster roll was only six pieces and each piece was really really small and that was $ 16.00! The Maki Combo was a combination of three rolls, spicy scallop, water eel and salmon skin rolls. They were all pretty good but once again the pieces were really small. The sashimi deluxe came with 18 pieces of fish, 3 pieces each of six kinds of fish (i forgot the names). The Hokkaido Uni was probably the best of the meal.
The waiter was really nice and demonstrated good customer service (one star is for him). We explained things to us and told us the names of each fish upon serving it to us. I think it’s a little overpriced for the quality and quantity of fish given but don’t get me wrong, it tastes good (hence the four stars — food and service). I just don’t think I would want to pay that much again here. But that’s just me and my opinion.

Sat down on a busy Saturday. There were four of us, we were in and out in about hour and a half. You can tell what we ordered via the photo (i forget specifically what I had), but it was one of the best sushi meals Ive had. Service was great as well.
Expensive restaurant, but thats to be expected there. Will definately go back.

My fiancée and I came here for my birthday dinner on ⁴⁄₂₂ with no reservation as they don’t take any. Surprisingly, we were seated rather quickly and were super excited about what this place had in store. We are from Las Vegas, so we were looking for a great sushi place in NYC and this seemed to be consistently popping up.
All I’m going to say is the fish is SUPER FRESH! I’m not exaggerating when I say that this may have been the best sushi I have eaten. Everything was consistent and super tasty! Can’t remember the dish, but it was an appetizer that consisted of thinly sliced garlic tuna with some kind of onion sauce… omg, I’m just drooling thinking about it again haha. Everything was on point!
The service was excellent as well! Drinks were kept topped off, and they were super attentive and helpful with the menu items.
I’m hoping the blue ribbon sushi out here in Vegas is the same because I think I just found my favorite sushi restaurant haha.

We reserved for a super early table and ducked in just ahead of a downpour, where we were greeted with glasses of cold Saki. A perfect introduction!
Seated in the window at the front of the restaurant, we ordered the large sampler platter for a table of four. Both the presentation and the freshness of the fish were out of this world. Service was impeccable. Blue Ribbon is a delight.

Blue Ribbon has consistently been in NYC’s top five sushi restaurants since I first ate here in ’98. And consistency is important — I’m glad to say this place hasn’t just got better and better. It hasn’t, it’s just the same. The best.
That is apart from the 1 ½″ cedar wood interior which has become slightly more worn and has now a rich patina.
Omakase is my rule when eating sushi and we were not disappointed this time. Highlights include sea urchin from Santa Barbara, wild Tasmanian trout and of course world class Toro.
If you love sushi and you’re in NYC Blue Ribbon has to be top of the list.

Ok, let’s get one thing straight… Blue Ribbon Sushi (in Soho) is the Overall Best Sushi spot in the city, hands down, in my opinion. This is not your typical, formal, quiet, sterile, traditional sushi restaurant — this place is way way more fun!
Now, before you start bringing up other sushi places, let me preface this by two things:
1. I’ve been to Yasuda, Masa, Azabu, Nobu, Gari, Brushstroke, Seki and countless lesser known sushi spots. Now, I haven’t been to Nakazawa or 15 East, but will next month and will report back.
2. I say «Overall» sushi spot, because I’m taking into account the ambiance/​vibe of the place, food options, sake/​wine list, open late, price and service. Sure, some of the places I mentioned may have celebrity chefs, or more unique sushi options, or be Michelin Star rated, but, as a package, you can’t beat Blue Ribbon Sushi.
*INSIDER TIP*…they don’t take Reservations, and can have waits quoted as long as 2 hours, but don’t let that dissuade you. I’ve been dozens of times, and on weekend nights, and my longest wait has been about an hour. But, DO NOT do what everyone else does and just wait in the waiting room like packed sardines. Give them your cell number (they will text you when your table is ready) and walk a half block down to Soho Room, which is a casual, fun bar, grab a few drinks and wait for your text. I promise you it’ll come sooner than you think — sometimes as fast as 20 minutes.
So, why do I love Blue Ribbon Sushi so much? Easy, because:
— Sushi quality is amazing
— Have adventurous options (uni, fugu/​blowfish, abalone, monkfish liver)
— Have basic sushi for less adventurous types (spicy tuna rolls, etc.)
— Sake & wine list is great
— Ambiance is cozy and romantic for dates
— Play 80s/​90s music which creates a fun vibe
— Open Late — until 2am, 7 days a week
— Service is very good
— Price is reasonable ($ 180-​$ 300 for two with drinks or bottle of sake/​wine)
I’ve ordered many things here, but my Favorites are:
Appetizers:
— Yellowtail Collar
— Miso Black Cod
— Amberjack (thin sliced) with yuzu pepper
— Seared Filet Mignon slices with garlic
Main/​Sushi/​Sashimi:
— Whole Orange Clam
— Uni (prefer Japan, but their Maine & Santa Barbara is good as well)
— Monkfish Liver
— O-​Toro (blue fin tuna belly)
— Horse Mackerel (from Japan)
— Sea Bream (from Japan)
Sake:
— Cold Dai-​Ginjo (super premium sake) or Ginjo (premium sake)
— Prefer Cold over Warm, unless it’s Winter and I don’t plan on pairing it with food
So Overall, Blue Ribbon is the best sushi spot in the city in my opinion, and my GO TO sushi spot for dates or group outings. Just a really fun and special place — I ALWAYS leave happy and satisfied. Make sure you come here when you’re wanting both sushi and a great time — I assure you, you will not be disappointed!

Really good authentic food in a relaxed setting. Really enjoyed the sushi here. Had the tartar to start it was delicious. The black edamame was so flavorful. Then we had the spicy lobster, spicy tuna and the roll with a trio of fish. Really good would definitely come back!

Some of the best sushi I’ve ever had. Fresh, delicate, and full of flavor. Restaurant is small so unless you are a regular client like the guy I went with or have a reservation be prepared to wait 20 – 30 min. Small restaurant with HUGE flavor. Bathrooms are clean, but quaint. Staff is energetic and helpful when ordering specialties. I recccomend this place if you like sushi!

I came here with one other person. It can get crazy crowded, but the sushi is very good and totally worth it. It’s a must try.

Amazing date spot with someone that is really special, not casually.
My top choice because great value, great venue.

I love this place. They have excellent /​friendly service. They always greet you very quickly and offer you a drink if you have to wait to get a table. The sushi is very good. Spicy Crab and Ebi Tempura rolls are two of my favorites. I have been here a dozen times over the years and have only had great experiences. The wait can be long during prime time so I usually go early 6 – 7 pm during the week to get seated immediately. Excellent spot.

I have heard a lot of hype about this place, and finally went to check it out. The staff at the door walked me in and showed me my seat. They sat me down by the sushi bar which was well overcrowded and uncomfortable. Nevertheless, I didn’t come here so much for comfort, as for the actual menu. On arrival I had ordered water, which took them over ten minutes to bring out. The waiter poured me a single glass of water, and forward on was completely unresponsive, as he was serving some thirty or so other guest at the same time. Needless to say, the service was the absolute worst I have ever received in the city. When the sushi arrived however, it was amazing.
Summary: I paid $ 7 for bottled water which only two cups were served over the course of my annoyingly long 1.5+ hour meal. The only enjoyable factor was the sushi (when it had finally been served, after 25 minutes waiting).
My bill came out to $ 85 for two rolls, two pieces sashimi, bottled water, and 15 percent gratuity). It was good, but not worth $ 85; not even near this for that matter.
I do not recommend this sushi joint.

Oh man, the only times I’ve been here it’s been because I’ve been lucky enough to be treated which is nice since this place isn’t exactly cheap. Everything is so good and it feels like what I would have previously imagined a trendy, delicious, NYC sushi place to be (in a good way).

Don’t get me wrong. This place isn’t cheap but it’s the one place I think stands out sufficiently to justify the extra price.
5 of us ate here at Blue Ribbon on a Friday night quite late starting around 1130.
The baaement hole in the wall entry opens to a rather large establishment which deep even if narrow at points.
We sat in a booth at the back and we’re served by a very attentive Japanese waiter. We had maybe 20 different items between all of us including the fish they char broil the remains of after its main fish meet section have been consumed.
Sadly I was enjoying the company and food so much I didn’t pay attention to all the dish names but everything was amazing.
This place is a commitment by your wallet but worth the visit. Bring good company and at least 2 hours to get the most out of the experience.

I’ve been here a number of times, and have frequented other Blue Ribbon establishments in New York City at least two dozen times. My last visit was to the Sullivan Street location.
The service this last time was annoying — and that’s being generous. My fiancé and I ordered a box of saki, the waiter did not fill it. The sushi rice was too warm, so much so that my box sushi piece was falling apart; for the price being charged that’s unacceptable. I get it, your busy, hundreds of diners a night; and if this were the first time the service was eh I would turn the other cheek — but it’s not. To his credit the gentleman handling the waiting list and tables was spot on.
I’m willing to give this brand another shot at earning my business, but if service is poor, I’m sure I can find another sushi restaurant in this city.

Was a little too extreme for my friends some sushi had skin and weird looking shapes on it
But then again it’s New York sushi so way different from than the pacific over all I thought it was okay not too bad
Vibe was cool presentation awesome

I’ve been to blue ribbon many times before and while it is very good solid fresh sushi, it’s not the place to go if you want creative rolls with a little bit of flair. And for the price there’s a lot better sushi in the city. The green tea crème brûlée is pretty good but you can barely taste any green tea in it. The green tea ice cream is very good though.

I thought I would be ruined for all other sushi after my other worldly dining experience at Sushi Nakazawa; a thought that made me very sad. I’m happy to say that the sushi gods are generous and Blue Ribbon was NOT a let down. Celebrating my birthday a day early with sister in tow, we shared the incredibly rich, fatty and salty grilled scallop covered with mushroom and a thick layer of fish egg otherwise known as DYNAMITE. Even the server warned it was super rich with a knowing smile. The hot saki from Nagano definitely helped to offset as well as enhance this decadent combination. We shared a few simple maki and sushi preparations featuring Blue Fin tuna, squash, tempura and the Tamago sweet egg. Like other Unilocalers have noted, it’s best to get there before 7:30 or 8 when the place PACKS. We were leaving just as the throngs arrived (literally, we couldn’t even step out of the exit until a stream of 14 people had finished entering). It was a perfect starter to my birthday weekend. I only wish we had taken a few more pictures — the lighting was buttery and flattering as F*&#…I will be back.

Brought my boyfriend here for his birthday knowing how great this place was from my past experience. Put my name in and they said 45 minutes, awesome! Then an hour and a half went by and people who came in well after us were all being seated. I told the guy at the front and he said sorry and they covered our first round of drinks and brought us to the next available table. It was spectacular after! They suggested so many great things to eat, were helpful and sweet and not rushing, and even brought him ice cream with a candle at the end.
Classy place done right!

This is the type of sushi place you want to go on a date to. It is very good and traditional sushi is served as well as some more familiar rolls. However, sit up at the sushi bar and watch the chefs prepare the fish to impress a date. We tried the blue ribbon special for 2, and we’re delighted when we could customize it (usually chefs choice) to include o-​toro. If you are very specific I am sure you can customize quite a bit of the plate. We also had cold sake and sopporo, of course. Though it was loud and hard to understand what all of the fishes we are were, everything was delicious and well-​prepared. For a more expensive sushi place it did not disappoint, but it did not truly stand out in service, quality, or presentation from any of the other sushi places on the area.

Very fresh sushi but with fresh sushi comes an expensive tab — so be prepared. We ordered a bunch of rolls and of course dessert all of it was perfect! And I enjoyed the presentation as well! I would come back to blue ribbon for my sushi anytime! (Even on a date: hint hint)

The sushi was good, fresh and tasty, but I for some reason I wasn’t wowed. I just think I had too high of expectations going in. The space is tight, and becasue all of the tables are a 4 person seater the space /​seats aren’t used efficiently. (for example there will be instances where 2 people are seated at a table for 4, with a long line of people waiting to get seated.
We ordered, the sushi sashimi deluxe platter and the lobster with miso butter as it was highly recommended. We weren’t totally full and so ordered another platter of sashimi deluxe platter. The only dish we were disappointed with or regretted ordering was the lobster. We thoguht it was goign to be half steamed, and half raw (maybe we misheard the waiter) but we thought it was goign to be steamed claws with a raw sashimi body. We ordered this dish becasue we thoguht the sashimi lobster would be interesting to try… but turns out the entire lobster is steamed. To finsih off the meal, we ordered the favorite green tea crème brûlée, which was good as expected. Overall it was a good meal, but in comparison to the damage done on the wallet, I was just expecting something more. I give 4 stars, becasue the food is good, but would I come again? I don’t think so.
FYI, they don’t take reservations.

Always on point. The quality of sushi here never disappoints. When I have sushi cravings, this place is definitely at the top of my list. The rice is seasoned to perfection and the sashimi is fresh as it can get.
It is on the pricier side, but for the quality I think it is well worth the money.

Given that this restaurant is pretty pricey, I was expecting either being full from an «entrée» or being blown away by the quality. Unfortunately, neither of these expectations were met however, if the price was a bit more reasonable, I would have been quite satisfied. After all, the sushi was fresh and tender.
In terms of the specific dishes, I ordered the Maki Combo #3 which came with eel roll, scallop roll, and salmon skin roll. The rolls were all pretty small and the rice was a tinge bit too warm. There also wasn’t that much in terms of actual fish filling however I totally recommend the scallop roll as a dish on its own since the scallop was very fresh.

I ordered a salmon roll and an uni roll for takeout tonight. Delivery to fidi took about half an hour. Both the salmon and uni tasted very fresh. If you’re feeling hungry, I would recommend ordering more than two rolls.

Coup de cœur pour ce restaurant en plein Soho .
De nuit l’arrivée est déjà pleine de charme dans ce quartier quand on arrive devant ce bel immeuble avec Blue Ribbon au sous sol on né peut qu’être séduit !
Une fois à l’intérieur un serveur nous indique notre table c’est certes bruyant mais on s’y sent bien. Nos commandes arrivent: je pense que l’on peut dire que ce sont les meilleurs sushis que l’on ai jamais mangés: la fraîcheur des produits n’est même pas un sujet de discussion: c’est parfait. Jamais nous n’avions mangé cela avant poissons crus avec un goût si fin et fondants en bouche !!!
Nous y reviendrons sans hésiter

Sorry Eric and Bruce Bromberg but you’re not getting a blue ribbon from me.
Perhaps I’m spoiled from having omakase (recently dined at 15 East in the last 4 months) but I wouldn’t say this was the best sushi I’ve had in NYC. I’d say their sushi is on a different scale. The sashimi deluxe and hokkaido uni sushi did not blow me away. I would’ve given it a 3.5 star rating but the dynamite dish brought it down.
The hokkaido uni was creamy but it lacked that sweet after taste, I’m not sure if it was a day too old or something but it did not taste like anything as good as what I had at 15 East.
The sashimi deluxe came with 6 types of fish: salmon, tuna, yellowtail, albacore tuna, fluke and another type of yellowtail (which I can’t recall.)
All the fish were fresh but they weren’t grade A quality. It was just okay, my favorites were the salmon, fluke and yellowtail. A couple of the fish were a little too briny for me.
The dish was actually surprisingly filling for two people, thus it can be easily shared.
The dynamite dish was probably the only thing I regret ordering. It was basically a baked scallop shell stuffed with lots of mushrooms and topped with some scallop covered in flying fish roe. There was definitely more mushroom and flying fish roe than scallop, I was actually surprised they charged $ 21 for this thing. There was no flavor to it, everything was steamed there was no sauce.
I left feeling like I could’ve gotten way better sushi somewhere else for the price I paid. I just hope they serve better fish for those who plan to do omakase here. Word to the wise, avoid the cooked seafood dishes and go raw all the way.

Loved our meal here so much we came back the next day!
Coming from Detroit we have good sushi but not GREAT sushi, so whenever I’m on coastal shores I try to take advantage of it. Luckily our schedule during our trip allowed me to do that easily. You see, we’d gone to NYC for a theatre binge which meant that we ate early before the evening shows and by the time we got out of the show we were a bit hungry again. Unfortunately 10/​11pm was too late to do anything super heavy but sushi? Sushi was perfect. And Blue Ribbon being open late? Even better.
The space is small but being that we went late we didn’t have a wait at all either night. The staff was excellent. They even remembered us the next night when we returned and even remembered our orders from the night before. So nice! We chatted with the host a bit about coming from Detroit and how much we loved their space and just had a lovely conversation and meal.
Yes! The meal! My fiancé and I both got the sushi combos, although I upgraded to the sushi/​sashimi combo because I am mad for sashimi in particular. Everything was fantastic. The fish was buttery and fresh, the rice on the sushi was the perfect consistency, the iced tea was delicious and our green tea crème brûlée was excellent. We loved it so much that the next night when we came back we had practically the same orders, we just swapped the dessert for green tea ice cream and added an appetizer our waiter recommended to us.
The price is a bit higher but for NYC and the quality of the sushi I thought it was extremely reasonable. I’ll happily pay good money for excellent sushi, especially when I can’t get it at home!

Excellent japonais, mélange une ambiance traditionnelle et actuelle. Les poissons sont d’origines très variées.