c/o Lincoln Square BID
The Upper West Side has a new Japanese restaurant, and the two people behind it aren’t strangers to the neighborhood. Both spent years with one of the area’s better-known sushi operations before striking out on their own.
Advertisement
CHIKARA recently opened at 150 West 70th Street, between Broadway and Columbus Avenue. It’s co-owned by Yumi Matsumura, formerly a vice president of Sushi of Gari, and chef Atsutaka Chikaraishi, who cooked at the group’s locations, according to the Lincoln Square BID. The restaurant is named for the chef. In Japanese, “chikara” means strength, power, or force.The Sushi of Gari name is already a fixture in the neighborhood. Masatoshi “Gari” Sugio opened the first Sushi of Gari on the Upper East Side in 1997 and expanded from there, and the group still operates Gari Columbus at 370 Columbus Avenue, about seven blocks north of CHIKARA’s front door.
The menu centers on sushi and sashimi, with otoro, hamachi, kanpachi, and hotate among the selections, alongside appetizers like tuna avocado and tori karaage with green yuzu spicy mayo. Diners looking for something longer can order the chef’s omakase, priced at $185 per person.
It’s early, but the first reviews have been strong. CHIKARA currently holds a five-star average on Google across its first five reviews.
CHIKARA is open Wednesday through Sunday from 5 p.m. to 9:45 p.m., with hours that may expand in the future. The restaurant can be reached at (929) 755-0150.
It also isn’t the only new arrival on the block, with Croissant et Café opening right next door last month.
Have a news tip? Send it to us here!
