Faced with the challenge of planning a birthday dinner for 12 people, my group decided to make a reservation at Kumo Sushi, an all-you-can-eat sushi joint that has become a favorite in the West Village.
If you haven’t partaken in this latest trend in Japanese cuisine, Kumo Sushi is one of many restaurants offering unlimited rolls, beer and sake for a flat rate. The only catch is you must finish everything on the table or you get charged, but with a large party and careful ordering, this isn’t much of a problem. We did face some initial friction when we were told our two hours began when we sat down and started drinking, complicating our plan to surprise the birthday boy, though the manager was accommodating.
Upon entering the establishment you’ll notice two things: It’s very small and there aren’t any small tables around. The entire restaurant was filled by four large parties, making it rather crowded and noisy — a plus by the end of the night. Kumo Sushi is less a sushi restaurant and more a party venue. Immediately after sitting down we were given a pitcher and glasses, and to our surprise it wasn’t water but sake. The waiters encouraged us to begin ordering and constantly made sure we had drinks.
Our dinner was a little early in the night, but soon enough you could see people all around the restaurant doing sake bombs while plates were cleared for more food. The place is packed and has a lively atmosphere, with the other tables drunkenly singing “Happy Birthday” for our friend. Some people had to climb over tables to access the bathroom, but the management didn’t mind as they encouraged a party atmosphere. The food, on the other hand, wasn’t anything special. Being an all-you-can-eat place, the sushi isn’t top quality, nor the sake, but there is a large list of specialty rolls that pack enough flavor.
The end of our dinner saw a mad rush to finish the food, as it’s easy to over order between sake bombs. While the quality of the rolls wasn’t that bad, this isn’t the place to go for fresh sushi. But if you’re looking for a place to host a large dinner before a night out in New York, you can’t beat this establishment.
Kumo Sushi, West Village
282 Bleecker Street
New York, N.Y. 10014
212 366 0808
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