Sushi Bar in SoHo: Blue Ribbon Sushi on Sullivan Street

Blue Ribbon Sushi opens at noon every day at 119 Sullivan St, between Prince and Spring Streets, and it has been feeding SoHo from the same cedar-lined room since 1995. The restaurant takes reservations for groups of up to eight on OpenTable, sets aside a walnut sushi bar for walk-ins and counter bookings, and lists a Sushi Deluxe Platter at $46. Few sushi bars near me in lower Manhattan have lasted three decades on one block.

The partnership behind it is what set it apart in the 1990s. Brothers Bruce and Eric Bromberg, who had launched their Blue Ribbon brand in 1992, opened the sushi bar with Toshi Ueki, a sushi master who ran the fish side of the restaurant. Ueki died in 2018, but the format the three of them built, a downtown hangout where raw fish and late hours meet, still defines the place.

The official menu reads like two restaurants under one roof. On the raw side, Kyushu aji sashimi, horse mackerel from southern Japan, is $36. On the hot side, a two-ounce portion of wagyu teppanyaki is $48, nasu dengaku, the miso-glazed eggplant, is $18, and chawan mushi is $22. Order across both sides; the point of Blue Ribbon has always been the mix rather than strict tradition.

Most tables also order from the house platters. The Sushi Deluxe Platter is $46 on the restaurant's ordering page, crispy rice is $27, the signature Blue Ribbon Roll is $38.50, and the oyako don rice bowl is $32. For a celebration, the Blue Ribbon Special Platter runs $275 and covers a full table. Those ordering-page prices are the takeout figures, so treat them as the baseline.

An honest assessment matters here. The Sushi Legend visited in February 2026 and rated Blue Ribbon not recommended, saying both the room and the rice felt dated. That is a fair warning for anyone chasing the precision of a modern omakase counter. Skip the sushi bar if what you want is fifteen courses of aged fish. Come instead for the cooked dishes, a roll or two, and the room's late-night buzz.

Ruth Reichl, writing in The New York Times, reported lines stretching down the block just two years after the restaurant opened. Those lines are shorter now, but prime weekend dinner still fills up. Book on OpenTable up to ninety days in advance, or arrive close to noon for a quieter lunch at the counter. If the host quotes a long wait, Sugarfish SoHo at 202 Spring St, a few blocks west, takes walk-ins only.

Inside, the official description gets it right: a cozy cedar-clad restaurant, with seats at the walnut sushi bar up front and tables tucked into the back room. The back room is better for groups, while the counter suits two people who want to watch the chefs slice fish. One OpenTable reviewer called it one of New York's most loved sushi stops and a quick bite at the chef's counter, which is the right way to use it.

The tone is relaxed rather than reverent, closer to a neighborhood bar than a temple of nigiri. OpenTable lists the dress as casual, and nobody here expects a jacket. The counter works best when you treat it as the restaurant intends, a place for a quick bite at the chef's counter, while the back room tables are where groups settle in for platters, sake and conversation that runs past dessert.

Hours depend on where you look, and that is worth knowing before a late visit. The restaurant's own site lists service until midnight from Sunday through Wednesday and until 1am from Thursday through Saturday, while its OpenTable and ordering pages show 11pm closings. Plan for the earlier time to be safe. Either way, it keeps serving after many kitchens on the surrounding blocks have closed for the night.

For a night out, pair dinner with a film. Film Forum, the nonprofit cinema at 209 W Houston St, is about a five-minute walk west, and its repertory and first-run screenings make an easy early-evening plan before a late sushi dinner. Afterward, the walk back along Prince Street passes the boutiques and cafes that give SoHo its weekend crowds.

Families and larger groups do best in the back room. Parties larger than eight fall outside the reservation limit, so split into two tables or call ahead. Couples on a date should request the counter, where you can see each piece prepared. Solo diners often get seated at the bar fastest on weeknights, especially in the early afternoon, when the lunch rush around Prince Street has thinned out.

Both the counter and the back room can be requested. For takeout, the online ordering page lists the full platter menu, which is useful for a quick hotel dinner in the neighborhood. Call the restaurant directly for parties above eight or for questions about late-night seating.

Blue Ribbon Sushi is best for people who value atmosphere and history as much as rice texture: a late dinner after a show, a group celebration with a big platter, or a nostalgic return for anyone who ate here in the 1990s. Purists looking for the city's most exacting nigiri should book elsewhere. For a relaxed SoHo sushi bar that stays open late and never takes itself too seriously, it still delivers.