Chez Sardine
(Now Closed)Japanese Restaurant and Sushi Restaurant$$$$
West Village, New York
Has a stamp of approval from Serious Eats and Time Out New York
85 Tips and reviews
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Sneakily usurping Joseph Leonard for the "Best wvillage brunch" title. The crab egg in a hole with corn and cheddar is unreal. Get weird with some octopus okonomi and avocado toast with deviled egg. Read more
refinery29August 3, 2014The food will knock your socks off. From the foie-gras-and-smoked-cheddar grilled cheese sandwich to the silver-dollar pancakes topped with salmon roe to the delicious selection of fresh sushi. Read more
- The salmon head is more delicious and less weird than it sounds. Pork and unagi hand roll. Urchin and chopped beef. Pork belly. Skip the pancakes, beef curry, and grilled cheese.
- Gabe Stulman's latest west village spot, which he described as "an inauthentic version of a Japanese izakaya". Dishes like crispy chicken and kimchi, and foie gras smoked cheddar grilled cheese.
Lea J.March 9, 2014Some of the best food I've had in the city. Pancakes, pork belly, scallop sushi and the complimentary creamsicle soft serve ice cream w/ vanilla wafers at the end... Oh and the oyster mushrooms! Whoa.
Tracy P.November 10, 2013Very delicious. Loved the grilled cheese with foie gras and the lobster tempura roll. The miso maple salmon head was very delicious as well. Shout out to the hostess for graciously accommodating us.
David RosenbergFebruary 24, 2014The miso salmon head is of course a must. But don't sleep on the arctic char (smokey and delicious) with crispy rice or the iceberg wedge with whipped ricotta and honey.
New favorite brunch place! (sorry JL, although to be fair, the chef Shuai used to cook there). Get the chirashi, egg sandwich, or crab egg in a hole.
Josephine SonFebruary 21, 2013Amazing dinner last night! Tiny spot but packs a ton. A few favs: pork/Unagi hand roll, chopped beef/uni sushi, scallop/quail egg sushi, foie gras grilled cheese! Great drinks too!- Sneaky great brunch with some Asian flare thrown in. No line at noon = unheard of in the wvillage. Good Joseph Leonard alternative. Get the miso baked oysters to share for a starter.
Susan LohJanuary 21, 2014Next visit, I'll likely go all in on sushi. It's that good. Unique combinations of textures and flavors. Beef uni a must.
Good for brunch, get on it before it blows up. Granola, burger, miso oysters, and eggs florentine (with brown butter hollandaise) all worth getting. Great people viewing on the corner.- S. FanOctober 4, 2013Cauliflower with pana cotta in child dashi and shitaki with bonito flakes on top. Surprisingly refreshing and love the pudding like texture!
Wilson ZhouApril 28, 2014Gabriel Stulman’s clutch of downtown Manhattan restaurants includes the neighborhood haunts Joseph Leonard and Jeffrey’s Grocery,the trendy cocktail den Fedora, and the excellent, more rarified Perla.
Michelle TarrAugust 5, 2013The Volleyball at the Bowling Alley is one of the best drinks I've ever had. It sounds sweet but it's not. The bourbon drink is delicious. Depends on what you are in the mood for.
Time Out New YorkApril 11, 2013The slim restaurant’s sardine-can-size kitchen sends out wild riffs on sushi, like pork-belly or chopped-beef-with-uni & more gluttonous dishes like a grilled cheese sandwich oozing melted foie gras. Read more
Arctic Char, Uni with Steak Tartare, Unagi Pork roll, breakfast pancake, maki tempura, and everything else too
- I normally hate deviled eggs, but this avocado toast with deviled eggs and pickled onions has made me a convert.
- Mike SingletonMarch 10, 2013Dare I say the winner here is a drink? The Schlenkerla Helles Lagerbier is a unique, smokey German lager that you won't find very often
BlackBook MagazineDecember 14, 2012Gabe Stulman’s Little Wisco empire moves on from Italian and New American to tackle Japanese bar food. As telegraphed by the name, authenticity takes a backseat to creativity at this upbeat izakaya. Read more
So f-ing delicious & inventive it just blows my mind. If I had to leave one concrete recommendation it'd be get the breakfast pancakes. Pillows of heaven.
GenaMarch 5, 2013If you can't make up your mind about what to order, leave your fate in the hands of your waiter (ours was Chad). Hell make sure you hit all the right dishes (in the right order) w/o hiking up the bill
Serious EatsMarch 14, 2013Lively atmosphere and smartly crafted small plates make this Gabriel Stulman restaurant something special.
The New Yorker ManagerMay 31, 2013The menu of snacks, sushi bites, and small and large plates is full of oddities, ambitious, overwhelmingly rich, and delicious in turn. Read more
Village VoiceJanuary 28, 2013Get the Foie Gras & Smoked Cheddar Grilled Cheese. Weird, but oozing and delicious, just ask for extra napkins before you dig in.
Pam B.March 20, 2013NYT says to get the cod fritters, pork and unagi hand roll, miso-maple salmon head, breakfast pancakes, and braised beef curry.
For drinks: Midnight In Her Eyes to start the dinner. Rittenhouse rye, Amaro Montenegro, cherry hazelnut bitters. Coats mouth with sweetness.
LaurenMarch 23, 2013My favorite of Gabe Stulman's so far! Breakfast Pancakes and Foie Gras & Smoked Cheddar Grilled Cheese were unreal.
Rachel KarnofskyJuly 31, 2013A place for the adventurous eaters only. Fish breakfast pancakes and duck confit smoked cheddar grilled cheese.... Mind. Blown.
Edris NichollsApril 21, 2013Maki tempura, yummy! If you enjoy fish us the place to be ... Excellent!
Selin CebeciAugust 29, 2013Impressive food and service! Octopus Carpaccio, Lobster Roll, Unagi and Salmon is to die for
Chelsea BalkanSeptember 15, 2013#FabuLIST #DubiDO chirashi and hush puppies special are my fav. The Fish is so fresh here. Can't wait to come back.
CezaryFebruary 20, 2013This is such a good spot, it's packed even on weeknights. The pancakes, octopus + pork belly were my faves.
Idan DeutschJuly 7, 2013Chocolate banana bread and eggs florentine were both great. I saw someone order the fedora burger nearby and I was filled with food envy.
Akaash AchrejaFebruary 24, 2013The best new restaurant in the city. Everything on the menu is fantastic, but if nothing else, get the sushi rice balls.
Daniele HauptmanJune 29, 2014Avocado toast is amazing, chirashi was super fresh and delicious. So sad it's closing! :*(
Jori BellMarch 10, 2013Mind blowing meal. Get the miso maple salmon head, pork belly, char sushi and Brussels sprouts.
Spotted by Locals - city guides by localsOctober 1, 2013Try as many plates as you can convince your dining companions to order – think of them as Japanese tapas. Read more
- Maki tempura, beef tartare: delicious. Spanish Mackerel is a melt-in-your-mouth heavenly bite.
Nancy LeeJanuary 4, 2014Ummm beat dinner i have had in years ! I dont think you can go wrong with anything on the menu !
- Get the char, the pork belly and eel roll, and the pancakes
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Permanently closed (Show more)
- Mon–Wed
- 5:30 PM–11:00 PM
- Thu–Fri
- 5:30 PM–1:00 AM
- Sat
- 11:00 AM–2:45 PM
- 5:30 PM–1:00 AM
- Sun
- 11:00 AM–2:45 PM
- 5:30 PM–11:00 PM
(646) 360-3705
Features
Reservations
No
Credit Cards
Yes (incl. American Express)
Outdoor Seating
No
Wheelchair Accessible
Yes
Music
No
Restroom
Yes
Food & Drink
Menus
Brunch, Dinner
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- 8.7
"Come for brunch!! They do salmon on cream cheese crispy rice and matcha waffles. Divine and just a fun twist on staples"
Nikhita Mahtani - 8.5
"As close to the famous Tempura Kondo in Tokyo as you can get without having to book 1 year in advance and fly there. Authentic experience. Sit at the counter if possible."
Adam S - 9.0
"Fantastic value - definitely the best sushi dinner I’ve had at the $50 price point. Probably top 5 sushi I’ve ever had at any price."
Steven Benario
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- 8.5
"The breakfast cocktail during brunch and the whiskey tea later in the day are my faves."
Maryann Watson - 8.9
"A nice, relaxing lounge to grab a drink. Lines can be long on weekends but it's worth it, especially if you love a classic jazzy atmosphere."
New York Habitat - 9.1
"Salmon & scrambled eggs with capers and creme fraiche! A must!"
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