Holy Grail of Sushi Lunch Specials Found at Hiroshi

Ah El Mar: that great big blue that brings us such delicacies as the spicy tuna roll, salmon sashimi and shrimp tempura. Can there be a better piscatorial lunch then a plate of the finest of the sea? Freshly hooked, gutted, sliced and then served raw begging to take a little dunk into a shallow pool of salty soy sauce and nasal watering wasabi. I think not!

ML has always had an ideal vision of what an affordable sushi lunch should cost: 3 rolls for under $10. Any sushi lover out there knows that’s a tough one. Getting 2 rolls tends to be doable in most cheap Japanese eateries, especially if you include those refrigerated cases at delis and markets. However, ML is not about imitation crab and massed produced bento boxes. 2 rolls are for suckahs! Eaters like us need the magic number 3 to satisfy our gastronomic needs. For a while Aoki filled that craving, but their fishy trinity has increased to $11 and they are dead to us hardcore lunchers. Enter Hiroshi (on 3rd Ave btw. 38+39th) and things start to look up for us sushi loving lunchers on the eastside.

I’m relieved to tell you this is not another review of cheap drugstore or hospice sushi. Hiroshi has a full sushi bar and offers the familiar list of fresh made rolls, sashimi, teriyaki, soba, plus some Thai options like Pad Thai and Curry like you’ll find at most Japanese fusion restaurants. The space is deli sized but the ambiance is calm, clean and modest.

The lunch special is for dine in and take out. It offers any 3 rolls with soup and a salad for $9.50 or an array of hot kitchen items, like sesame crusted salmon ($9.95), Thai basil ($7.75) and lemongrass shrimp ($9), all from 11am-3pm. The roll special cuts it a bit close at $9.50, but for all that food I’m sure we can ignore a few cents tax right? I succumbed to the siren call of salmon avocado, eel avocado and spicy tuna -which turned out to be a crunchy spicy tuna roll, even better!

In addition, the salad was fresh and even had some baby greens, as opposed to that all iceberg lettuce crap that you get all too often. The soup was decent, but far from the best miso soups I’ve had.

3 rolls, soup and salad made for a Neptune inducing coma and well worth the $10. Yet, I would be remiss if I didn’t also share this nugget of lushy goodness. Hiroshi also does an “All You Can Drink” special EVERY DAY from 5 to 11pm for $12.95. Now don’t wet yourselves yet, you only get 2 hours worth of drinking in that period and in addition you also have to purchase $13 dollars worth of food. As far as the lunch special is concerned: Eastside pescetarians rejoice, this is your new sushi destination!

The + (What people who like this place would say)

  • 3 rolls for $10!
  • With the addition of soup and salad this is enough food for any big eater
  • Special is available for dine-in, and the space and staff is welcoming

The – (What people who don’t like this place would say)

  • Obviously the lunch menu does not include fancy rolls like dynamite or spider rolls
  • This is not an upscale Japanese restaurant, if you’re hosting clients look elsewhere
  • With sushi, you get what you pay for.  (And I’d rather pay!)

Hiroshi, 585 3rd Ave (btw 38+39th), 212-661-9288

6 Comments

  • Hope the rolls are good! Good to see a $10 deal though.

    The AYCD for 26 could be worth it for 2 hours and if food is solid.

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    there’s a 2hr limit of all-you-can-drink now? I feel that may be my fault.

  • Excellent work. This is going on my must-try list.

  • OMG, this is a great deal for AYCD. I compares to the Sounkyo greatness!

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    Hiroshi is only 1 block from my office but I had never been there (due to the abundance of other sushi places within a 2 block radius). But I had to try the 3 sushi roll deal. Went there for lunch today and conclude that for the 50 cents extra, Aquamarine’s 3 roll lunch special for $10 is much better, and worth the extra block walk to 2nd Ave (b/w 38th & 39th)! And they even include their spicy crunchy tuna roll that would apparently delight Mamacita.

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    I agree with the Marisain and I also add this place to my must try sushi list in New York. I usually visit to Jack’s sliders and sushi restaurant to eat sushi food but this sushi looks like the same that I eat.

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