ROKI Le Izakaya – New Japanese Restaurant in Flatiron offers ramen and sushi

It seems like there are new Izakayas popping up every week in New York City these days. Which one is worthy of your precious time? What to order? How is the Izakaya experience different from that at my favorite sushi bar? All great questions. Let’s find out!



The newest addition to Manhattan’s Izakaya scene is ROKI, high-end Japanese brasserie (ie Izakaya) that serves everything from veal liver sashimi to organic vegetable ramen. Yes, the menu is vast, as a good Izakaya typically serves a large diverse menu. ROKI has a few signature menu items that are really special. Their Japanese canapé is definitely one of them and is a fun way to start the meal. The canapé consists of deep fried crispy sushi rice topped with either seafood or a vegetarian treat, such as truffle mushroom, guacamole and uni and spicy tuna. This is a sophisticated version of the popular spicy tuna on crispy rice. These mini treats will whet your appetite, as well as satisfy your sushi cravings. If your craving for sushi is more substantial than a few bites, go for the tricolor seafood roll, which is a tuna, yellow tail, salmon and scallop roll topped with generous serving of salmon roe to crown it.

What makes ROKI Izakaya different from sushi bars and other generic Japanese restaurants? ROKI doesn’t serve “main dish” type plates, which is typical of the Izakaya, instead, they serve many small dishes. Here, you can share gyoza, wagyu beef, pork belly buns with your dining companion, then order a hot pot to finish the meal. ROKI also serves a few original ramen dishes which make also provide a nice finish to the meal. You can choose an individual bowl of ramen, or you can order ROKI ROKI Ramen Nabe, which is a hot pot dish for two. The hot pots are wide ranging, including a seafood hot pot with tonkotsu broth; soy milk dan dan ramen, or beef and vegetable ramen in chicken and dashi broth.

ROKI is the newest izakaya in Manhattan, by restauranteur Keiko Ono Aoki, widow of Rocky Aoki, the founder of the Benihana restaurant chain. Guess what was Rocky’s favorite thing to eat? It was ramen, and ROKI created a unique ramen in his honor, to keep his memory alive. With a luxurious Interior, ROKI is the perfect place to take a date or to impress your new client.

Restaurant Info of ROKI Le Izakaya: Navigation: 12 West 21st St., New York, NY 10010

Ring: 646-383-7654

Surf: www.rokileizakaya.com

Text by Tomoko Imade Dyen