There is something quietly cinematic about slipping into a Japanese omakase tucked inside the Empire State Building in December. Outside, Midtown hums with holiday electricity—windows glitter, tourists swarm, the city performs itself at full volume. Inside Sushi Beauu, the energy softens. The lights dim. The counter gleams. Time slows to the measured cadence of knife, rice, breath.
Sushi Beauu is the newest Japanese restaurant and omakase bar to take residence inside this most iconic of buildings, and the pairing feels intentional. Precision, ambition, and restraint housed within an American monument to scale. The concept comes from Keisuke Kasagi, the Hokkaido-born, New York–based hospitality force behind beloved destinations like The Izakaya, Dr. Clark, and the former Gouie New York. His signature has always been clarity without pretense, and Sushi Beauu carries that philosophy forward with confidence.
At the helm is Executive Chef Tetsu Kaminakaya, newly arrived in New York after decades running his own restaurant, Hanabi, in Japan. His presence is calm and assured, the kind of chef whose hands move with muscle memory earned through devotion rather than trend. Together, Kasagi and Chef Tetsu have created a premium yet approachable omakase experience with two tiers: the Classic at $100 and the Seasonal at $140. Both feel generous, thoughtful, and refreshingly grounded in value. Fish is sourced locally and directly from Japan, and regardless of which menu you choose, the through-line is imagination—unexpected pairings handled with discipline rather than flash.
The 18-course progression unfolds like a well-edited narrative. The meal opens with a rotating amuse-bouche, currently monkfish liver with ponzu, rich and briny with just enough acidity to awaken the palate. From there, the nigiri begins its steady ascent. Highlights include seabream brushed lightly with the chef’s proprietary soy; sweet ebi crowned with ebi-miso; barracuda, torched and finished with lime and salt; and a beautifully wrapped torched mackerel formed into a seamless, sculptural log. Each piece arrives with intention, never rushed, never overexplained.
Then comes the pause—the moment I keep thinking about days later. The warm egg custard. Silken, comforting, and deeply satisfying, it cradles mochi with eel and mushrooms, topped with ikura and green onion. It is luxurious without being heavy, nostalgic yet precise. In the middle of a nigiri procession, it feels like a breath, a hand on the shoulder, a reminder that great omakase is about rhythm as much as rarity. I loved it.
The meal closes with tamago prepared à la minute, a signature flourish. Chef Tetsu’s version is quietly radical: seasoned sushi rice tucked inside the sweet omelet, a final nod to craftsmanship that rewards attention.
Sushi Beauu succeeds because it does not try to shout over its surroundings. It understands that being inside the Empire State Building during the holidays is already theatrical. What it offers instead is focus, warmth, and restraint—an intimate counterpoint to the city outside. This is a place to bring someone you want to impress subtly, or to remind yourself why New York dining, at its best, still feels like magic.
@beauunyc
