In New York City, there’s a plethora of sushi restaurants. The sheer volume means more options, but it can be a daunting task to find the right place that makes tasty sushi that’s worth your hard-earned money. Well, look no further. Fushimi Times Square serves the best sushi and Japanese cuisine in Manhattan’s Theater District.
Fushimi Times Square is a contemporary and luxurious Japanese restaurant offering the highest-quality seafood found outside of Japan. Located in Times Square at 311 West 43rd Street, Fushimi Times Square is named after the iconic red torii gates located at the temples of the Fushimi Inari Shrine in Kyoto, Japan. Fushimi Times Square’s owners, Daniel Chen and Ben Chen, have created a dining experience that combines exceptional sushi with an elevated ambiance making it the perfect place for a business meal with clients, a post-Broadway show dinner, or a romantic date. You’ll be impressed by the masterfully crafted meals, drinks, and atmosphere provided by Fushimi Times Square.
From the moment you walk into the restaurant, the chaos of Times Square is left behind. Fushimi offers a relaxing retreat away from the insanity, large crowds, and tourist trap establishments of the neighborhood. Guests will be greeted with a striking long hallway of red torii gates that invoke the Fushimi Inari Shrine. It’s the perfect spot to take some selfies for social media. The dark and moody-lit restaurant is opulent with modern sleek décor that is well balanced with dramatic Asian artwork. Japanese touches like sake barrels and a large whimsical fish hangs from the ceiling near the bar. There are several dining rooms where tables are well spaced, allowing guests to never feel cramped and offering a more intimate eating experience.
The Japanese cuisine at Fushimi Times Square is delicious with amazing flavors. Our server brought out steamed pork gyoza dumplings as an appetizer, which were large in size and delightful. Next, a plate of spicy tuna topped with jalapeños on rectangles of crispy sushi rice was presented. It was perfect. Then we tried the yellowtail jalapeño, which burst with delicious sweet and spicy flavors.
For our main dish, a platter of the chef’s choice of sushi and sashimi arrived at our table, which consisted of nearly 30 pieces of fish including salmon, tuna, yellowtail and red snapper. The sashimi was so fresh—no fishy aftertaste—it melted in your mouth. The special “Fire & Ice” cut roll made with spicy tuna, cream cheese, white tuna, avocado and snow crab wrapped in rice paper and lightly fried was also outstanding with the perfect ratio of rice and fish. Portions were generous and the presentation is picture perfect for Instagram that will leave your friends jealous. Our sushi platter arrived with dry ice and our waitress poured water over it to create a fog — elevating the presentation.
When it came time for dessert, we were served coconut sticky rice pudding with vanilla ice cream, which was the yummiest dessert! We also tried the tempura ice cream that was wrapped with butter pound loaf cake and chantilly cream. The flavor was unique and not overly sweet.
Overall, the food at Fushimi Times Square is outstanding and the prices are very reasonable. Also, the wait staff was friendly, attentive —not overly bearing—and made sure we had everything we needed throughout our meal. Fushimi Times Square is exceptional and highly recommended. It’s a beautiful restaurant, the food is fresh and delicious and we can’t wait to return.