"Everyone will have a great time at Shuko, but the Union Square restaurant has special appeal for a very specific type: someone who wants an upscale experience that isn’t too stuffy. The chefs behind the 20-seat counter wear Shuko-branded baseball caps, and—rather than the typical silence or jazz—the dramatically lit room is filled with the sweet sounds of Skee-Lo and the Beastie Boys. At $270, the roughly 18-course omakase is firmly in the "major birthday or anniversary" camp, and, while the types of fish are similar to what you’d find at a 60-minute omakase, the service and attention to detail make this place worth it. You’ll eat shima aji and ocean trout over warm, well-seasoned rice, and they will be some of the finest pieces of shima aji and ocean trout you’ve encountered." - bryan kim, neha talreja, hannah albertine, will hartman
