WANO New York

  4.4 – 78 reviews   • Japanese restaurant

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A modern Japanese izakaya, rooted in wano (和の) meaning Japanese style — balance, intention, and a deep respect for flavor. Drawing from the energy of Tokyo and Osaka and the laid-back island spirit of Okinawa, this space blends multiple sides of Japan into one stylish New York experience. Hand rolls, sashimi, and shareable plates layer bold, refined flavors alongside cocktails, sake, and Japanese whisky. A go-to for power lunches, after-work drinks, and nights that begin with Tokyo Twilight and flow effortlessly into dinner. Come for the vibes. Stay for the bites.

✔️Breakfast ✔️Lunch ✔️Dinner ✔️Dine in WANO New York 10017

Address and Contact Information

Address: 245 E 44th St, New York, NY 10017

Phone: (646) 881-4948

Website: http://www.wanonewyork.com/

Order and Reservations

Reservations: opentable.comresy.com

wanonewyork.com

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Reviews

Natalie Vera
Not crowded for a weekday lunch.

Bara chirashi – fish tasted very fresh. Portion is on the smallish side for the price. Rice is well-seasoned and I enjoyed the spice topping. Lunch set comes with miso soup, salad and pickles. Wasabi tastes authentic.

Service was okay and by Japanese waitstaff. Unfortunately, she cleared the dish before I was done and I felt a little rushed.

Ambience was okay. My seating was not very comfortable on the regular table. Felt a little too open yet dim.
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Jonggu Shin
We walked in feeling good — the atmosphere was lovely, and I was looking forward to the meal. But while eating, I found a long string/net-like piece caught on my chopsticks from inside the rice. I told the staff, and she took the bowl without a word.

She later returned and simply asked if I wanted a new dish, with no explanation or apology. But after finding that foreign object in my food, I couldn’t continue eating. When I declined, she said it would be taken off the bill and walked away.

Hygiene is extremely important in any restaurant, especially in one that serves raw fish. Finding a foreign object inside the rice was unfortunate, but the way it was handled afterward felt even more inappropriate.

Unfortunately, the experience left a poor impression. I hope similar situations are handled more professionally in the future.
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Stephanie Almeida
Love this place. Best goyza I’ve ever had! Atmosphere is very cool. Next time I’ll try sitting at the bar so I can watch the chef!
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Lohanna
I absolutely love this place! It’s so cozy, and the staff is incredibly friendly and welcoming. The food is absolutely delicious—I enjoyed every moment here!
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Alex Chin
The cod was well-seasoned and tender, and I really liked it! However, I regret not trusting our friend Michael’s review. He said, “I spent $60 for 8 pieces of low-quality sushi drowned in soy sauce. It was insanely overpriced, and I will not return.” and he was right…
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J Kit
My husband and I came to WANO on a NYC restaurant week and they didn’t disappoint us at all. The food is a fusion between Japanese and western. The price is reasonable. We would definitely come back.
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chiara charles
Honestly a good experience, I Will definitely be back. Not only was the ambience top tier but the host was also very nice, and had 10/10 recommendations. My fav rec of the night was the Gindara saikyo Yaki – it melts in your mouth..
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Ellen
Great value for money in midtown for lunch! The food and interior is great for a sit down lunch with coworkers. The udom noodles are very chewy and fresh. The chirashi bowl was good too and the rice is flavored unlike the normal vinegar sugar mixture. Highly recommend!
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Patrick Wong
TLDR: Wano is an omakase experience for all but definitely will appeal to you if you’re more of a traditional purist eater. Omakase is excellent and if you’re going to pop in to have one singular item – don’t leave without the tossaki roll. You won’t find that anywhere else.

I came across Wano after seeing some picture on IG of their tossaki handroll. Now this is not any ordinary hand roll, it’s a signature item of Chef Sato who helped launch Wano. I was trying to eat this myself in Ginza but the fact I could now get this in New York – I knew I had to go.

A random Saturday night and we found ourselves at the sushi bar. Wano is in the same space and same company behind of MIFUNE. Chef Tomomi who worked with Chef Sato in Hakkoku is now here and it truly was a treat to be served by him. Ayana and Daniel were also wonderful hosts and we stayed long after our dinner service because we had a great time.

Food-wise, the omakase had a slightly different format but enjoyable nonetheless. First was the tossaki hand roll, a tuna temaki made from a cut near the neck of the tuna. Very tender, flavor-forward and the perfect accompaniment with crisp roasted nori and well-seasoned sushi rice. The sushi rice is so distinct, it almost looks dark brown from all the vinegar. Not salty as you might imagine, perfectly al dente and well balanced. This rice is dark, like Chinese takeout fried rice dark. It’s so good though and like any omakase fan boy or girl knows – the most memorable thing from all great omakases is the rice!

All the nigiri was excellent. The chawanmushi was especially luxurious with the piled on uni, caviar, chives, etc. The botan ebi was especially memorable, it was slightly cooked almost like a poached texture but so full of flavor. I love a good spotted prawn raw too but this was really unique. Almost reminded me of the flavor of a great langoustine.

I also was fortunate to try the abalone and mushrooms which was super unique. Nice, bouncy chunks of abalone paired beautifully with the nice earthy mushrooms.

I was hoping for some silver-skinned fish but chef said he had not yet found the optimal fish to source and that’s why there was none. That was a very respectable answer.

Everything was awesome but 100% my favorite was the hand roll. So nice, had to have it twice.

I genuinely think Wano is a place you should try whether you’re just your feet wet or you’re a seasoned omakase diner. With the right marketing and word of mouth, I think Wano will become a destination sushi-ya. Much like Takeda on the UWS was when they first opened so many years ago.
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Simone Weichselbaum
If you don’t mind waiting a hour for a table you booked days ago, this is your spot.
It wasn’t just us, there was a line of frustrated folks ahead of us – all waiting for the table they had booked. New Yorkers don’t like places that waist their time
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