{"id":369422,"date":"2025-11-10T15:11:29","date_gmt":"2025-11-10T15:11:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/369422\/"},"modified":"2025-11-10T15:11:29","modified_gmt":"2025-11-10T15:11:29","slug":"what-is-kaiseki-new-yorks-next-japanese-dining-trend-explained","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/369422\/","title":{"rendered":"What Is Kaiseki? New York\u2019s Next Japanese Dining Trend, Explained"},"content":{"rendered":"

In New York, Japanese cuisine has long been defined by omakase, a chef\u2019s progression of tastes from chawanmushi to one-bite nigiri. But with a crowded omakase landscape \u2013 just take a look at the \u201ctop rated\u201d category on Resy that\u2019s dominated by omakase \u2013 diners may be ready to experience Japanese dining beyond the single-bite progression.<\/p>\n

Enter kaiseki, which has jockeyed into place as the next coveted dining experience, with restaurants like Tribeca\u2019s Muku<\/a>, <\/a>Yoshoku in the Waldorf Astoria, <\/a>Yamada<\/a> in Chinatown, Ikigai<\/a> in Fort Greene, and Midtown\u2019s J\u014d<\/a>, joining the likes of Tsukimi<\/a> in the East Village, Hirohisa in Soho,<\/a> Odo in Flatiron<\/a>, Kappo Sono<\/a> in the East Village, Hakubai<\/a> in Midtown.<\/p>\n

While omakase is often defined by sushi, kaiseki is a choreography that follows Japan\u2019s five cooking techniques \u2013 raw, grilled, simmered, steamed, and fried \u2013 and leans heavily on seasonality.<\/p>\n

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Foie gras chawanmushi at Muku.<\/p>\n

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Kegani tomato<\/p>\n

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Grilled eel over maitake rice<\/p>\n

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Japanese melon<\/p>\n

\u201cThe first element of Japanese food culture to land in the US was sushi, but mostly just rolls, which evolved into sashimi and nigiri, and then omakase,\u201d said Howard Chang, who opened Muku a few weeks ago in the space that was most recently the omakase temple, Ichimura<\/a>. \u201cThe natural next step is kaiseki, a tasting menu that truly explores all of Japanese cooking.\u201d<\/p>\n

At Muku, the 10-course kaiseki, menu, overseen by chef Manabu Asanuma, includes dishes like hairy crab with tomato, caviar, tosazu jelly (a seasoned vinegar jelly), and shiso flowers; chawanmushi with foie gras, nameko mushrooms, gingko nuts, and mitsuba (think parsley, but Japanese); and unagi rice with maitake mushrooms, chicken soboro (a homestyle ground chicken) with chives, and pickles, served in Japanese custom ceramics and costs $295 per person.<\/p>\n

Chang sees kaiseki as a way to do something different. \u201cHow many high-end $500-$800 sushi dinners can you sell every night? There\u2019s an oversaturation. So for us, it was more of a fundamental business decision; the market is ready for something new.\u201d<\/p>\n

The trend is also buoyed by New Yorkers travelling to Japan and coming to understand the beauty of nihonryori \u2014 the larger world of Japanese cuisine. \u201cKaiseki is just the next logical step as New Yorkers discover more about Japan,\u201d said Ry Nitzkowski, chef of the newly opened kaiseki-styled restaurant Yoshoku in the Waldorf Astoria<\/a> (eight courses, $188).<\/p>\n

A very short history of kaiseki<\/p>\n

\"Chef<\/a><\/p>\n

Chef Isao Yamada of Yamada. Yamada<\/p>\n

Kaiseki can be traced back to Buddhist tea ceremonies in the 16th century, \u201ca light meal served before matcha to prepare the stomach and spirits,\u201d chef Isao Yamada told Eater. He opened Brushstroke in 2011 with David Bouley, one of New York City\u2019s first kaiseki restaurants. \u201cOver time, it became more refined, featuring seasonal vegetables, fish, and tofu, always in small, balanced portions. The goal was never luxury or excess, but harmony with nature, restraint, and beauty.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kaiseki evolved during the Edo period (1603 to 1868), becoming \u201ca way for chefs to express seasonality, craft, and beauty on the plate while still honoring its tea ceremony origins,\u201d said Yamada, who opened his namesake kaiseki restaurant in April, where a 10-course kaiseki meal is $295. \u201cToday, kaiseki is considered the highest form of Japanese cuisine. It remains connected to seasonality, balance, and harmony of taste, texture, and appearance, and is meant to nourish body and spirit with humble grace.\u201d<\/p>\n

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A kaiseki course from Ikagai. Ikagai<\/p>\n

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Ikagai<\/p>\n

If you\u2019ve had a kaiseki dinner before, you know the meal builds, with courses moving from light and delicate to rich, hyper-focused on seasonality, with menus changing sometimes week by week. \u201cIt\u2019s not like Bon Jovi,\u201d said chef Shin Zeniya, of the two Michelin-starred kaiseki restaurant Zeniya. \u201cIn kaiseki, we have to know about the story, the music, and enjoy the design of the set and the dresses. It\u2019s a much more immersive experience.\u201d<\/p>\n

The 10-course experience ($295) at Odo unfolds in a series of ornate and intricate plates from the first bite, the Sakizuke, a Hokkaido uni and scallop topped with caviar, to the last sweet bite, \u200b\u200bthe Kanmi, a chestnut Mont Blanc with milk ice cream and Fuji apple.<\/p>\n

\u201cSushi is one lane of Japanese cuisine,\u201d said Hiroki Odo, the chef and owner of Odo. \u201cIt is served on one wooden plate, and in many ways it is a simple experience. Kaiseki is not just about the food. It is about the totality: the dishes each course is served on, how the flowers are arranged, the pictures on the walls.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Seasonal<\/a><\/p>\n

Seasonal display of early bites in the hassun course.<\/p>\n

New York City chefs are increasingly using kaiseki as a scaffold for their own creativity, freeing them from the relative limitations of an omakase.<\/p>\n

\u201cFrom a chef standpoint, kaiseki is appealing because it allows you more freedom than traditional omakase,\u201d said Nitzkowski. \u201cSushi can be a little rigid; kaiseki lets you do almost whatever you want in the realm of Japanese cuisine.\u201d<\/p>\n

At Ikigai, for instance, chef Rafal Maslankiewicz\u2019s Polish heritage shows up in the restaurant\u2019s 10-course menu ($185 per person). The chef, who trained at both Masa and Eleven Madison Park, blends Japanese tradition with Polish influences. The dishes that draw on his Polish roots are most revelatory, like an okinawa potato with braised red cabbage and pops of black garlic puffed quinoa. \u201cIt\u2019s our signature,\u201d said Maslankiewicz. \u201cIt\u2019s a dish that reflects where I am coming but staying respectful to Japanese culture and what kaiseki means.\u201d<\/p>\n

The last course is perhaps the most memorable: a solitary knedle, a traditional Polish dumpling made from sweet mochi flour, stuffed with cheesecake \u2013 a nod to New York City \u2013 in a pool of black sesame sauce and sour cream.<\/p>\n

Other chefs are also taking thrilling liberties. At Muku, the intimate, ten-seat restaurant helmed by chef Manabu Asanuma (Ucho, Odo, Sushi Ichimura) dishes include hairy crab chawanmushi with persimmon and foie gras, Pacific mackerel with ikura, and matsutake rice wagyu. But what sets his menu apart is the soba course. His Yamagata soba noodles with scallion, chives, and sesame oil is crafted with Mogami Wase buckwheat from his family\u2019s farm in Yamagata Prefecture.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a very personal thing,\u201d said Chang. \u201cHis family legacy and personal story are told through the menu.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"In New York, Japanese cuisine has long been defined by omakase, a chef\u2019s progression of tastes from chawanmushi…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":369423,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5122],"tags":[5229,16319,405,403,5226,5225,5228,5227,67,586,132,5230,68,2969],"class_list":{"0":"post-369422","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-new-york","8":"tag-america","9":"tag-dining-out-in-ny","10":"tag-new-york","11":"tag-new-york-city","12":"tag-newyork","13":"tag-newyorkcity","14":"tag-ny","15":"tag-nyc","16":"tag-united-states","17":"tag-united-states-of-america","18":"tag-unitedstates","19":"tag-unitedstatesofamerica","20":"tag-us","21":"tag-usa"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115526047853276004","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/369422","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=369422"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/369422\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/369423"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=369422"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=369422"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=369422"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}