A supermarket sushi tour of Manhattan's 6th Ave

Why are there so many Japanese markets on 6th ave? I am not complaining just wondering?

Winter break is officially ending, which means I’m about to return to my MFA classes, and as Monday creeps steadily closer, I have only one thing on my mind: Grocery store sushi.

My classes go from 7–9:30 pm, which apparently some foolish former students petitioned for; unfortunately, as a food writer (and as a person who gets embarrassingly cranky when unfed), this means that class always starts at dinner time, which is a travesty and a crime. So, to stave off my inner demon, I’ve had to figure out on-the-go dinners that 1) aren’t tooooo expensive and 2) only take about fourteen seconds to eat (because, in addition to being extremely cranky, I’m also always about to be late to class). Luckily for me, there happen to be three Japanese markets within a literal one-block radius of my classes on Sixth Ave.

Extremely respectable supermarket sushi haul from Ten Ichi Mart in Cobble Hill

I fucking love supermarket sushi. My apologies to the ghost of Bourdain, who I hear in my ear every single Monday telling me that the raw fish I’m about to consume is likely days old, but I don’t care — three salmon nigiri and a California roll huddled together under plastic is my favorite meal. I love the compactness of it; I love how cold the sushi is and how quiet-luxury it feels to use chopsticks on the go. Even when you get rice that’s hard as a rock, even when the tuna is stringy and tasteless, there’s still something extremely satisfying about flipping that plastic lid over, squirting out your packets of soy sauce, and dipping raw fish in. And then, on those rare occasions when you get fresh, good quality fish — I would trade it for omakase in a heartbeat.

I visited at least one of these markets every single week last semester, and I lived to tell the tale, so I now consider myself an expert. Here’s where to go for emergency sushi on 6th Ave.

My thoughts on the supermarket sushi in a very specific one-block radius

1. Yamadaya (450 6th Ave)

Sushi offerings at Yamadaya

There’s nothing wrong with Yamadaya sushi, but I must say that the offerings aren’t very inventive. Overwhelmingly average, and no variety in shape — just spicy tuna roll after spicy salmon roll. With that said, if you get there early enough, they may still have some Deluxe Sushi ($13.49), which features four nigiri and a big hunky roll with multiple kinds of fish inside. While Yamadaya’s sushi selection may lack inspiration, the fantastic thing about this store is that if you need anything — stationary, clothing, home goods, etc. — you can find it somewhere in these labyrinthine halls, which extend deep into the building.

2. MI-NE (496 6th Ave)

You have to get so deep into MI-NE before even realizing there is a deli counter

MI-NE is my least favorite of these three markets because the sushi collection is quite paltry, and usually packed in brown rice. (I’m not in the supermarket sushi game for health reasons.) The spicy rolls ($9.49) are just normal cuts of fish with a dollop of spicy mayo on top — disappointing. The rolls themselves are larger than those offered at the other two stores, but there are rarely more than three options available. Also, once, I got a mapo tofu bowl from the sneaky deli area in the back, and the texture was so gelatinous that I couldn’t finish it. With that said, the non-sushi options here are really fun — it’s worth stopping in for the claw machines in front.

3. Dainobu (498 6th Ave)

Check out the fun chunks of raw meat on the top drawer!

Right next door to MI-NE sits Dainobu, my favorite market of the three. The array available here is surprisingly extensive. There are a lot of one-fish packs, which is pleasing to me as a sworn salmon girly; I’m also always tempted by the variety nigiri packs. The random cuts of raw fish on the top shelf are also highly compelling — I have not yet been brave enough to get a raw octopus tentacle to gnaw on before class, but it’s on my bucket list for sure.

If you missed it I also wrote other things recently

• “Get these tomatoes out of my poem!”: An Interview with Evan Hanzcor – I interviewed Evan, the founder of Tables of Contents (which I wrote about in my last newsletter), for the Inquisitive Eater. An incredibly cool guy involved in countless thoughtful food-related projects, like a bake sale for Palestinian humanitarian aid which he hosted at his restaurant Little Egg today.

• Brooklyn Gains a New Levantine Bistro – This new Levantine place opened in East Williamsburg in Nov and I forced my friend Jack (who had never eaten in a restaurant before, by his own will, and I wish I were joking about that) to come along for the meal. The food is great but I don’t think Jack will ever return to a table service restaurant.

• Try These Fabulous Mocktails for Dry January – This is a fun little survey of five places you can go for Brooklyn mocktails of various sorts. When BK Reader blurbed this on Instagram, they chose the caption “Throats are open this Dry Jan,” which was upsetting.

• Greenpoint’s Newest Restaurant is Cajun-Asian – Kinoko is a new plant-forward, Cajun-flavored sushi spot run by Smorgasburg vet Kelseay Dukae. I’m obsessed with her vegan gumbo ramen (or ramen gumbo?).

That’s it for today. With love,

Hannah