Hasaki - hidden gem in East Village
Since 1985 Hasaki has been delivering the freshest fish and traditional Japanese plates for New Yorkers. The place feels like an escape from the scene and often loud and overcrowded streets in East Village. Hasaki is a small place located in the basement of the townhouse. I often think of it as a hidden gem from tourist and pretentious crowds, and a quick dinner at 11 pm. Their kitchen closes at 11.30 pm.
My first encounter with this intimate East Village establishment was five years ago. Hasaki serves fresh sushi and great soba noodles. The menu is simple but gives you enough choices to take the opportunity to explore the real Japanese cuisine.
Their fatty tuna tartar is irresistible. It is so fresh and so creamy that it melts in your mouth. The vegetable tempura, is light and crispy, and never over fried, and it is a good addition to soba noodles. Don’t eat too much of the soba, they are very filling and the portion is huge…perhaps consider splitting it with the table.
Something that Hasaki does really well is eel and avocado roll inside very thin cucumber wrapping ...no rice, no seaweed. The roll is super light and really delicious. You can not skip yellowtail roll special is a must to try…and the yellowtail is amazing.
Then comes the selection of sashimi, and it is hard for me to recommend anything specific as everything on the menu is fresh and tasteful. I also believe that sashimi selection is very much up to individual taste, personally I will eat mostly anything raw on the menu but shrimp is a big no.
I have been coming back to Hasaki on numerous occasions and I have never been disappointed, it is a place of great comfort, home like feeling where you can sit back, relax and enjoy the food…surely leaving fully satisfied.
Facebook and 
YouTube