Kotobuki
| Address: | 1530 Old Northern Blvd, Roslyn, NY 11576, USA |
| Phone: | +1 516-621-5312 |
| Site: | kotobukinewyork.com |
| Rating: | 4.2 |
| Working: | Closed 12–2:30PM 12–2:30PM 12–2:30PM 12–2:30PM 5–10:30PM 5–9:30PM |
Location
Photos 100
Reviews 8
DO
Dominic Alvarado
After reading some of the reviews calling this the best Japanese restaurant on Long Island, I figured I would give this restaurant a shot. Im not your typical American consumer of Japanese food - having lived in Japan for a year, I tend to have higher expectations of Japanese restaurant, and sushi is generally an afterthought for me as opposed to a primary focus. I went in looking for good sukiyaki, and my mom was looking for teriyaki chicken. We also ordered a side of miso soup and the shrimp shumai as an appetizer and a soda and green tea as beverages. Besides the green tea being of only marginal quality, we were never offered a refill on either drink, but Ill get to that when I talk about the service. Shortly after ordering, salads with a sesame ginger dressing came out. These were slightly above average in quality (freshness and taste), but were a little overboard with the dressing, and despite being only slightly above average, were the best part of the meal. Next out was the shumai, which was bland and didnt leave any impression on me whatsoever. The entrees and the miso soup came out quite some time later, and were easily the worst part of the meal. Lets start with the sukiyaki. While there was a decent amount of food in the sukiyaki, the beef used was tough and of low quality, making it really hard to chew. While the veggies were fresh, the sickly sweet dashi made the dish hard to stomach; not wanting to wait an eternity for a new order, I just squeezed the dashi out of the noodles, veggies, and meat as best I could. Dashi in sukiyaki should be a mellow flavor, only lightly flavored, that complements and enhances the flavor of the meat, not overpowers it. Yuck. The chicken on the teriyaki plate seemed to be boiled or steamed rather than lightly grilled, and the sauce tasted like it came out of a can. Once again, yuck. The miso soup was salty to the point of being inedible, so we only had a couple sips. After waiting for an eternity for our waiter, he finally came to clear our plates. Not once were we asked if the food tasted alright. One would think that with a nearly full serving of miso sitting in front of someone, the wait staff would ask if we were finished with the soup or if everything had tasted alright before removing it. We got neither - he simply removed the bowl without saying a word. I noticed the waiter giving the couple next to us a refill of green tea as we were leaving, but I had been sitting with an empty drink for well over 30 minutes. Similarly, another patron had placed a to-go order while we were waiting for our table and waited over 45 minutes to get his food. Overall the food was marginal at best, the service was slow, and it was definitely not worth the 45 minute wait for a table. If this is the best that Long Iasland has to offer, you are seriously missing out on good Japanese food. If yaoure ever in Colorado, try Domo or Sushi Den in Denver. Youll get far better food with far better service. I think Ill skip out on Japanese in New York in the future if this is the best youve got.
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Estee Adri
You know its a bad sign when you come to a restaurant hungry and you leave starving. I live down the road and come here all the time, but after my most recent experience, I will never step foot in this place again. Two words: HORRIBLE service. You will receive better service at a McDonalds. It is really such a shame that the terrible service trumps the great food. Bottom line is that they need to hire more servers and a busser staff. The poor waitresses and waiters here run back and forth like chickens with no heads while the customers wait starving. I came here with my boyfriend on a Sunday night. We were here for TWO hours. All we got were sushi rolls and had to wait almost an hour for them. Once we received them, they were incorrect. We sent them back just to receive 2 other rolls that were not correct either. Also, they were disgusting, mushy and the seaweed was falling apart. Overall, I will never be coming here again. I will gladly spend my money at other Japanese establishments in the area that know how to wait on their customers instead of being cheap and not hiring more people.
KA
Katie Lane
This is a sushi restaurant that is just solid across the board and the sushi/sashimi itself is phenomenal and notably fresh. If you start off with appetizers and make your way to the main dishes and cap it off smartly with dessert, its like the orchestra crescendoing into a harmonic finale! Everything just builds off of the previous dish. Transforming the average into amazing is this places forte. They go an extra step to make sure the taste/presentation is en pointe. Im not saying that the platters are covered in exotic flowers, and your sitting on some lush divan, surrounded by running waters, and tinkling of crystal. Its just their little finishing touches, and extra-clean presentation that stands out.
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A Private User
My wife and I celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary at Kotobuki in Babylon. It was our first time there. We agreed that the sushi was the best we have ever had anywhere. The Nori was so fresh and toasted (Crisp) and the fish was really fresh. The service was not perfect, but it was friendly and I have no complaints. I highly recommend giving it a try. Best to go on a week night, I understand that they get very busy and is a wait on weekend nights. One last note: we were very pleasantly surprised by the bill. Approx. 100.00 for the two of us (And we ate a lot). The Sushi Combo for 1 can feed 2!
YO
Yoni Fogel
Ive only been here once, when I came back to NY to visit. Normally I would go to the Hauppauge location. This location was very good, but not quite as good as the other location. The prices were higher, the service was slower, and the food didnt taste as good. The decor however was more impressive. It could really work for an intimate date. However, on an absolute level this place is still great.. I havent been able to find anything close to it in the pacific north-west.
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A Private User
The Salads and Apps were great. Very tastey. I was dissapointed with the rolls tho...A lot of scallion and the taste was just so so. The service was horrible. Our food came on time and was spaced well but the lack of smile, eye contact and follow up after it was served was horrible. No "how is everything, do you want another beer/water, can I get you anything else....Service with a shrug. But the place was packed so get there early. I just dont get the hype.
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Daniel Nabavian
Maybe I ordered the wrong food? I really didnt find it special. It was not terrible. But the overall high grades its getting from Zagat are not in line with my experience here. Granted, its more expensive, but go to a sushi restaurant like "gari" or "soto" in manhattan and then reconsider the grade here. This place is definitely "good". But its not other worldly, which the Zagat reviews (from over 400 reviewers) are claiming.
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A Private User
Nothing is better than great food! Oh yes there is great food and great music! I go whenever this Sax player is going to be there! Nothing like the food dancing in your mouth while your grooving in your seat. It makes for a romantic night, fun night out with the girls, and easy listening while you watch the big screen that always has a great game on. You can find me on Wed nights at Kotobuki when the Sax is being played!
