Hit or Misso? Sendo
Updated: Oct 1
Sendo is probably one of the most popular affordable omakase spots in NYC. The foodie TikTok community absolutely raves about it, so I had to see what all the hype was about.
First Impressions:
I studied finance and industrial systems engineering in college, and Sendo felt like a perfect example of an extremely optimized business. Everything seemed designed around efficiency: ingredients, pricing, portions, and pacing of the meal. But the bigger question was: does that level of optimization translate into good food?
My three cousins and I came for dinner around 5 PM on a Friday. It was a small, dark, upscale place - one counter, two chefs, 12 seats. We were told the wait would be about 1.5 hours, and after arriving, we ended up waiting another 15 minutes. So the real question was: Was Sendo worth a 105-minute wait?
First, the prices are some of the most affordable I’ve ever seen for omakase in NYC. There are three options: Kyoto, Tokyo, and Hokkaido, with the least expensive option (Kyoto) starting at just $36. We went with the middle option, Tokyo: a 12-course omakase for $47. This came with 2 hand rolls, 9 nigiri, and 1 kaisendon.
Sushi Progression:
Our first course was a sea bream handroll. It was good, but there was a lot of rice. They clearly want you to leave feeling full, which makes sense at this price point. I love sea bream, but as a sushi chef myself, I probably would've chosen a meatier fish to pair with seaweed. The seaweed, rice, and fish ratio was too off, overpowering the delicate flavor of the sea bream.
They also occasionally served two pieces of sushi at once. With only 12 seats, serving multiple pieces together helps move diners through the meal faster and increases table turnover.
That night was my first time trying monkfish liver - and it was wonderful. It was served with shiso and bonito flakes in gunkan form. It tasted slightly bitter, as liver usually does, and tasted like pate, which I really enjoyed.
The snow crab and akami were good, but slightly fishy, and the new zealand king salmon was mushy. I didn't mind the akami, but in my opinion, if a restaurant is going to serve crab, serve it well and fresh, or don't serve it at all. In my experience, all the crab courses I've had at affordable omakases have been extremely mediocre, and can be replaced by a much better (and probably cheaper!) piece of fish instead.
I was also disappointed by how 4 out of 12 courses were salmon (or trout, which is too similar). When I go to omakase, I expect a greater variety of fish, so having salmon featured in a third of the meal felt very repetitive. That said, I imagine this is one of the ways Sendo is able to keep their prices so low. For someone who enjoys sushi casually but isn’t necessarily a sushi "connoisseur", the repetition may not be as noticeable.
The last course was kaisendon, which a mixture of what I assume to be fish trim, including lots of salmon. It was good, but just another course in an optimized dinner.
Overall Thoughts:
I think Sendo is a great starter omakase - you get the counter experience, you get to try a few different fish, yet stay in your salmon comfort zone, all without spending too much money. However, as an omakase chef and sushi lover, I felt like Sendo is the perfect definition of capitalism, instead of a business formed by tradition, love for the cuisine, aim for perfection, or creativity. Every course was optimized to provide an omakase at that price point. I'm not sure if the chef even tried talking to us, even though we were 1 foot away from him. Did he even have time to? I mean, this is not necessarily a bad thing - there's definitely a demand for it, and I understand it. It's business. You get what you pay for. But personally, I would rather spend $15 extra to go to a better omakase with better fish, better variety, and all without the wait.
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Food: 6/10 - All agreed upon by the four of us. Their takeout looks great though. I would be open to trying that next time.
Atmosphere: 9/10 - Upscale
Service: 8/10 - Good, I also save my 10s for a place like Eleven Madison.
As always, these are simply my personal opinions, shared with the hope of offering constructive feedback. Every dining experience is unique.
What do you think—do you agree with my thoughts on Sendo? And more importantly, where should I review next? Drop your favorite omakase or sushi spot below!
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