Sushi Bar Near Me in the East Village: Kanoyama on Second Avenue

Kanoyama has been feeding the East Village from 175 Second Avenue, at the corner of East 11th Street, for long enough that The New York Times called it a favorite of sushi savants back in 2008. If you search sushi bar near me around Union Square or St. Marks Place, it is one of the closest serious options. The appeal is the split personality: a casual neighborhood room for ordering by the piece, and a counter that serves a chef-led omakase.

Inside, Kanoyama is effectively two places. One room works like a classic neighborhood sushiya, with tables and a long menu of nigiri, sashimi and rolls. The second room holds the omakase counter, where the chef works directly in front of you, plus a few overflow tables from the first room. Kanoyama's menu page states that the a la carte menu is served at tables seven days a week, so decide in advance which experience you want before booking.

The a la carte list is where the restaurant earns its regulars. The Sushi Regular set is $29 for seven pieces of sushi with a tuna cucumber roll, an easy weeknight dinner. The Sushi Special, $55, brings the day's best eight kinds of sushi plus a chef's pick roll. The chirashi bowl is $35. These sets come out quickly and give a clear sense of the fish before you start ordering individual pieces to follow.

For individual nigiri, medium toro is $12 a piece as sushi or $14 as sashimi, madai sea bream is $9 and hamachi is $7. Boston uni from Japan is $25, a treat worth sharing. The spicy tuna is $13 as a hand roll or $11 as a cut roll. Ordering two or three pieces of each fish you like, rather than a big roll platter, is the best way to see why this room has a following among people who eat a lot of sushi.

The omakase counter is the other draw. Resy describes chef Nobuyuki Shikanai delivering a 20-course sushi omakase, priced at $195 per person. Seatings are limited: Wednesday and Thursday at 6:30pm only, and Friday and Saturday at 5:45pm or 8:30pm. Kanoyama held a Michelin star for six years, from 2017 to 2022, according to the restaurant's own reservation page, which gives a sense of the standard the counter is cooking to.

Booking rules for the counter are strict and worth reading. A credit card is required when you reserve. Groups of one to three must cancel at least four days ahead, and groups of four or more at least seven days ahead; otherwise the full $195 plus tax per person is charged. Reservations go through Resy, and on a recent October 2026 check the counter showed a 6:30pm omakase seating alongside regular dining times from 5:30pm.

Regular tables are simpler. They open every day from 5:30pm, and parties of three or more need a credit card on file for the cancellation fee. After 10pm, the restaurant asks diners to call directly rather than book online. The posted hours are 5:30pm to 10:30pm Sunday through Thursday and 5:30pm to 11:30pm on Friday and Saturday, so this is one of the better late options for sushi in the area.

The best time for a relaxed table is right at 5:30pm on a weeknight, before the after-work crowd from Union Square arrives. Late evening on Friday and Saturday is busier but still workable thanks to the 11:30pm close. If you are dining alone, ask about a seat near the counter side; watching the chefs is half the pleasure. For the omakase, the Wednesday or Thursday 6:30pm seating is the calmest night of the week.

The chef's story is tied to the address. A long-running sushi blog, The Sushi Legend, reports that the space once operated as ISO, and that Nobu Shikanai was an apprentice there before the restaurant became Kanoyama. That continuity shows in the cooking: the a la carte room still feels like a place built for neighborhood regulars, while the counter reflects the training that later earned the restaurant its Michelin star.

Plan dinner for the East Village rather than a single stop. Before or after, walk east on 11th Street, toward First Avenue, to Veniero's Pasticceria at 342 East 11th Street, a pastry shop open since 1894, for cannoli or cheesecake. It stays open until 10pm Sunday through Thursday and until 11pm on Friday and Saturday, which lines up well with the sushi hours. The combination of fish followed by Italian pastry is a very East Village evening.

If you prefer a quieter stroll, walk one block south to St. Mark's Church in-the-Bowery at 131 East 10th Street. The church has stood on this site since 1799 and its small churchyard is a calm counterpoint to the traffic on Second Avenue, and an easy walk after a long omakase.

Practical notes. The posted menu lists prices without dollar signs, so the numbers in this guide are the menu figures in dollars. Because cancellation fees apply to both the omakase and larger table bookings, set a reminder in your calendar. Casual clothes are fine in both rooms, and the a la carte room is the easier one to book at short notice.

Kanoyama suits several kinds of diners. Couples who want a serious counter without Midtown prices will like the $195 omakase. Friends who want to share many pieces will prefer the a la carte room and its $29 and $55 sets. Solo diners can slip in at 5:30pm for a quick plate. Book the counter early if you care about the date, order the medium toro and uni at a table, and finish the night at Veniero's.