Amura Japanese Cuisine

Think of Amura as the Cheesecake Factory of sushi restaurants. This casual neighborhood UES spot in a generic space has an overwhelmingly large menu, and there’s zero chance you’ll flip through it and say: “Nothing sounds good.” All the usual suspects like tempura, sashimi, and house special rolls are available, but they also have unique items like a scallion pancake topped with chopped spicy tuna, avocado, and a teriyaki-like sweet sauce. It sounds blasphemous, but it works quite well. Our go-to order is the $28 omakase that comes with a negi toro roll and six pieces of good-quality nigiri (some of which are flown in from Tsukiji Market). They sell beer, wine, and sake, but you can also BYOB, with a $10 corkage fee on Fridays and Saturdays.