Real Japanese at Wajima

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Good Japanese food is hard to find. While there is an overabundance of decent places to choose from, I find it oddly difficult to come across authentic Japanese cuisine in Manhattan.

Then I discovered a restaurant on the Upper East Side, at the cusp of Midtown, called Wajima. It’s an unassuming place — so low-key that I didn’t even know it has existed for three years in my own neighborhood. But what surprised me was that this restaurant isn’t a typically Upper East Side Japanese joint. In other words, Wajima is a very traditional restaurant, run by Japanese people, and full of Japanese patrons. And you know it’s a good sign when the cognoscenti are there.

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What makes Wajima great is not just its authentic cuisine, but its $9.95 lunch specials are also an amazing deal. There are several to choose from, and all consist of a sampling of dishes that arrive on a lacquered wooden tray. My favorite is the Sanmizen: little bowls of chirashi, tempura shrimp, cold soba noodles, steamed egg custard, and miso soup. Each dish is delicious and distinct from the others—a veritable Japanese smorgasbord. I love having a little bit of everything, especially when the price is right, and Wajima is the perfect place to get it.