Kajitsu New York - Buy Reservations

If I won the lottery, I think I'd spend half of my money on dinners at Kajitsu. If you have any doubts about whether or not this is worth it, I promise it is. Even if you aren't vegan, the menu has so much flavor and textural complexity that you won't miss the meat. My mind was just blown away one dish after another. My favorite dishes were the seasonal ingredient salad, which was just flavor and texture bombs in every bite, the pistachio fava bean paste plus grilled fennel and homemade seitan, and the jicama bamboo soup, which just reminded me of home. As you can see from the pictures, it's impossible to describe these dishes in words. You just have to experience them yourself. Even if you think you don't like things like asparagus and radish or whatever, I promise this will be the best, tenderest, literally almost creamy asparagus you'll ever have. I dream of sitting at the counter at Kajitsu and being fed until I die of happiness. You can live this dream too. Just make a reservation.

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The attention to detail was impeccable in the 12-course dinner. From the chef taste-testing the sauces to the aesthetic placement of each leaf in the salad, I could tell the staff were very skilled and knowledgeable in creating and explaining each dish. For the sesame tofu "sandwich", the soft tofu was made a particular size and positioned in the middle so that it would become evenly distributed with the crispy shell as it was eaten, creating a perfect balance of textural contrast. Honestly going into the details and thought for each dish would take a million words. You have to experience it for yourself. What's even more impressive is that the courses change monthly. Reservations need to be made at least 1-2 weeks in advance, so plan ahead!

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The vegan omakase was a very unique experience overall, with several intriguing vegetable/noodle/soup dishes and a few "just ok" courses in between. I appreciated the attention to detail, and felt like I left with some new perspectives on how vegetables and tofu can be prepared.Most of the courses are really small, even for a fine dining place. I actually enjoyed not being stuffed afterwards, but it might not be filling enough for some of my male friends. I did find the distribution of serving sizes weird; the first 9 courses were mostly bite-sized (i.e. 25-200 calories each), so I found it shocking when the 10th course was a deep bowl of udon with a rich curry sauce, large enough to be a meal on its own. My favorite:- "Oshinogi": a vegetable salad with a diverse assortment of vegetables, leaves, and jelly sauces. I had no idea what I was eating but it was flavorful and each bite was something new.- tempura dish: still warm, loved the crunchy thin layer of batter, paired with a delicious broccoli sauce (reminded me of saag in Indian cuisine)- grilled fennel: the best part was the pistachio sauce, very nutty and aromatic. We licked our plates when no one was looking.- seasonal starter: the softest, best-textured asparagus I've ever had.Good but not mind-blowing:- Udon dish: yeah it's really hearty and savory, but it doesn't taste terribly different from some good street udon.- desserts: the strawberry jelly and mochi were small in size but had a nice kick in flavor.Meh:- Kuchidori: a sticky tofu in between two wafers. The texture of the tofu is quite unusual -- goo-ey, like a thicker version of a marshmallow. But the flavor was really bland and I wish there was some sauce/seasoning. The wafer actually had a slightly revolting scent to me. - Hassun (hirashi sushi + fava beans): really not that interesting, veggies over rice just hits different without meat tbh and there was no soy sauce.- Soup + Rice + Mukōzuke: rice was bland, again the soup is hearty and thicker than normal miso, but nothing extraordinary. The woodear was coated with something that has the texture of the snail mucus in my night skincare routine.

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Overall, this was more experiential dining than delicious food. I unfortunately can't describe any of the dishes in detail because I truly have no idea what I ate, but vegetable after vegetable. So many vegetables and soups I was a balloon after it, but hungry a couple hours after leaving.There was absolutely zero music and a somewhat cold atmosphere. You felt the need to speak softly and even still could hear everyone else's conversation.The best dishes for me were a salad of sorts and red soup. The worst were a burnt tofu with decorative shell and a curry noodle soup. Nothing blew us away, except a very high bill for mediocre food and poor ambience. Would not recommend unless you are a vegan who wants to cross off all the spots in NYC.

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My partner and I dined at Kajitsu for a special occasion and both still drool thinking about the food. It was both beautifully presented and absolutely delicious. Neither of us is vegan, but I'm vegetarian and we both enjoy the creativity and thoughtfulness of fine vegan dining. It's a particularly special treat to be able to enjoy vegan Japanese food, since vegetarian options at most Japanese restaurants (like American or European ones) are an afterthought. The menu here changes monthly and is prix fixe. While pricey, it's worth every single penny -- even for those on budgets. I'd describe each dish, but there were ~12 of them, plus matcha, and each was excellent. The meal overall felt well balanced, exciting, adventurous, and delightful. The service was courteous and kind. If you're celebrating an occasion, you'll be served an extra little dessert with a somebubbly for a toast. 10/10, would recommend, already planning to make Kajitsu an annual pilgrimage.

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They tout using fresh local ingredients to make their dishes. We elected to go with the tea and premium sake pairing, which, honestly, amazing.Vibe: intimate and quiet. Service: 10/10. Great pairings, great explanationsThe courses1. My personal favorite was actually the starter - fig and sesame, which was a perfect blend of sweet and savory. Tbh it might've been better to present this later, was really hard to top.2. Peppers, tomato soup, and rice/corn. All fresh and a good palette cleanser for the next dishes. 3. Kuchidori - their special. This was...weird. So it's essentially tofu crunched between two thin crackers. It was presented well, but overall not that tasty. 4. Owan: an amazing tomato, corn, and sweet pepper soup, which made up for the Kuchidori5. Grilled: tofu/squash. Again, well presented. Tasted really fresh, and again a good hot/cold complement to the Kuchidori and the soup. 6. Shiizakana: Avocado, peach, and squash. This was by far the prettiest of the dishes, presented in flowers. Was also the most jarring with the different flavors, and it was hard to predict which was which until you actually tried it. 7. Fried: Corn fritters. Honestly sort of tasteless. 8. Simmered squash, onion, eggplant. Disappointing. Their worst dish of the night. 9. Hassun: Eggplant and Tomato sushi - they took the concept of frying a thin slice of tomato to come up with a sort of tuna flavor (I think ) either way it was pretty good! 10. Sudachi soba served in ice. This one depends on whether you like cold noodles - you either loved this or hated this one. 11/12. Fruit sorbet and a seasonal wagashi with mochi and tea. A nice way to round out the menu. Overall - A couple misses, but if you're looking for solid vegan fine dining, this is the place. Menu changes monthly so lots of variety

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Kajitsu is an omakase kaiseki-style restaurant. The menu changes regularly, though there is only one menu at a time. It is enough. The food is vegan, and the dishes are on the smaller side, but there are many courses, and they are delicious. Imagine course after course of the most delicate, delicious, exquisitely prepared dishes…getting full but you can’t say no. I also got the sake pairing, which added to the flavor tsunami. The best meal we’ve had in years. Highly recommended.

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Love their use of vegan ingredients while still making the dishes delicate and delicious. However the amount of food is simply too much. Both me and my friend was very full half way through the meal. Make sure you are extremely hungry before dining there.

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This review is for the price fixed dinner. For lunch/snack/tea advice, see my tip We have eaten at many price fixed restaurants around the world, many of them Japanese. We've eaten shojin ryori ( temple food) in temples of Japan. My husband has a sake sommelier certification It is hard to surprise us when it comes to Japanese food. Kajitsu was not merely excellent food, it also surprised us with some flavor combinations we had not had before. Every course was delicious with very well balanced flavors and textures. The soup course was so good I asked how the chef made it. The chef came out to describe the process, and specific vegetables-- it was a white miso and sake lee broth. I've had plenty of great Japanese soups but never with sake lees, which is a flavor I love. Another standout dish had yuzu and white miso on cauliflower. The mochi dessert was one of the best we've ever had. The sake pairing was also good and a surprise. There were several my husband had not had before and the variety of locations/ origins as well as sake types were varied and well paired with the food. All were served in beautiful glasses. We were celebrating a special occasion and they brought us 2 complimentary glasses of champagne This is a must do restaurant. If you are vegan or vegetarian, why have you not been here? If you are not vegetarian, you won't notice the lack of meat. Everything is tasty and beautiful. Bathroom grade: B+ ( and easily fixable). The lock on the door was broken -- swinging on one screw so it worked but needed a repair person. The door itself was also heavy to open. The room is otherwise clean and pleasant. Just expect a bit more precision and loveliness to match the rest of the establishment's mood. It's small ( not ADA accessible, but the restaurant itself has stairs at entry and more to go up to the main dining room )

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I'm as omnivore as you can get, and I would love to come back and try their next menus. Don't skip this place because it has "vegan" in its description, it is good, quality, traditional, not processed, Japanese cuisine, with rich flavors, combination of textures, and those unicorn dishes - where every different bite is unlike the other.The "omakase" tasting menu is $120 + tax & tip. It starts with delicate dishes, and slowly becomes richer, more complex, and aggressive - in a good way.You won't go hungry, this is a lot of food.Now I need for some out-of-town vegans friends to visit, just so I'll have an excuse to come back here.

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Had the first seating at 5:30PM on Saturday at a table, tremendous service from the moment we sat down until we left. The food, which is unique in being completely vegan, left me quite satisfied. My favorite course was the truffle and persimmon, although the mushroom hot pot was a close second.

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What a treat! I was so delighted to happen upon this wonderful restaurant and delicious tasting menu for my vegan partner's thirtieth birthday. I was a little nervous about going somewhere so fancy, but the staff was so welcoming! Hope to dine here again soon.

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TLDR: The service and quality aren't aligned to the price point. Meal: While it was lovely and there were a few standout dishes (winter vegetable salad was the star, and the grilled yuzu FROM JERSEY!! was excellent) overall the flavors were repetitive and the signature dish of black sesame tofu was not good. Service: fine but not true omakase level. Very poorly paced but as pp said, could be due to first day of new menu.Ambiance: meh, agree with pp that music would have been nice, in the dining room you can hear every detail of the other guests conversation and a lot of what we heard was vulgar businessmen (not very zen LOL.) Anyway- we tried

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5 stars because this is the only place to get a Japanese vegan buddhist omakase... in NYC? in the States period? and it's very well executed! (...it was more like 4 or 4.5 because of a few service/ambiance glitches but reading the negative reviews I'm giving 5 out of spite)The flavors are definitely somewhat subtle. Everything was great, nothing was out-of-this-world spectacular to me - but I'm not vegan, haha. This was the December menu so it had a lot of yuzu (awesome) - I loved the wagashi and grilled dish which both featured yuzu prominently! The potato-sake lees soup was also very good. The plating is gorgeous and often seasonal, like a dusting of freeze-dried mochi flakes for snow. There were so many courses I did not leave hungry. Actually we got a tea tasting and between four pots of tea and like three soup dishes lmao we felt slightly like overwatered plants...*although Kajitsu serves shojin-ryori they aren't strict about allium - we were served onion and leek, albeit sparingly - not sure if this sentence is interesting or helpful to literally anyonealso the menu has circle triangle square on it. do not ask them about squid game i feel like they get that every daySome slightly odd things about the experience:1) The counter ambiance is austere. There's no music - they don't play the Kajitsu playlist that the NYT ran an article on. Another reviewer said they play it downstairs? IMO music and/or some wall decor (calligraphy?) would go a long way. 2) When checking in at 5:30pm the server checked to make sure we knew we had to leave by 8 (!), which seemed like plenty of time until we actually finished at 8:45 because of the kitchen's slow pacing...?? This might be a 1st-of-the-month experience (first time serving their December menu) but I found it unpleasant and kept wondering if they were going to kick us out due to their own slow service. The second half of the meal felt noticeably more rushed, e.g. they'd whisk dishes away right after you finished them... If anyone from Kajitsu is reading this, consider not asking that stuff at check-in, or starting your first seating at 5pm? Feeling rushed and like you're on a deadline while eating is not conducive to mindfully experiencing your meal, and feels especially out of place at a Zen Buddhist restaurant, honestly. ==tl;dr: Kajitsu is a wonderful experience, especially for vegetarians/vegans and people with an interest in Japanese fine dining! Conversely it's not great for meat-lovers or people with no interest or experience in Japanese fine dining (hence the reviews calling everything bland). If that doesn't describe you, definitely check it out - I hear they're closing in 2022 D:

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