Aburiya Kinnosuke

213 East 45th St., Midtown East, NY

8.2

map & more

Neighborhood
Midtown East

Cuisine
Japanese

Nearby
Grand Central Station
United Nations

212-867-5454

Official Website

By Chris Stang
November 30, 2010

One thing that this website has never claimed to be, is an encyclopedia of food knowledge. While we can absolutely help you find the perfect restaurant for scoping out some smoking hot vegetarians, we cannot tell you what winter vegetables are best used in soups. We are more than capable of telling you where (and where not) to eat BBQ in Brooklyn, but we have no idea where you should go for Cambodian food. Steinthal doesn’t even know where Cambodia is.

You can’t be everything to everyone, and that especially rings true for us when it comes to some of the foods from other lands that you can find in this great city. When it comes to all of the Authentic Ethnic Eats around the five boroughs, we simply can’t cover all that ground. For that we rely on our informants.

Which brings us to Aburiya Kinnosuke. A trusted Infatuation ally, Kerry Black, swears by the place, and the morning benders list it as their Friday Fives go-to for Fine Dining. From what we’re told, this is an authentic Japanese establishment, all the way down to the robata grill. We can’t vouch for its authenticity, nor are we sure that a robata grill isn’t something from the Sky Mall catalog, but we do happen to agree that this place is damn good. We loved everything that came off that grill, and most of the other things we have tried from the huge and mysterious menu. The service is extremely polite and professional, and the place is equally popular among Japanese people getting a taste of the homeland, and those who just know their sh*t when it comes to good food in NYC. It’s not a cheap restaurant, and your best bet is to go omakase style and drop a little dough to get a good sample of everything. Don’t feel like leaving it up to the chef? Check the food rundown for some of our highlights.

Photo Credit: Jeremy Liebman

Food Rundown:

Sashimi
The sashimi at Aburiya Kinnosuke is absolutely delicious, but it’s also expensive. We recommend spending your money messing around with more of the unique things on the menu, but you won’t be mad about some of this fresh fish if you order it. Particularly the yellowtail and the fluke.

Deep Fried Organic Chicken Wings
There are chicken wings on a stick that people swear by from Aburiya, but these from the fryer are the ones we love. Four tiny, but incredibly tasty wings are served on a plate with just a little bit of sweet glaze goodness.

Salmon Harasu (Fatty Salmon)
The robata is a charcoal grill which uses a special kind of wood that does not smoke and produces “infrared” rays (not something from the Sky Mall Catalog that grills hot dogs in your apartment). Whatever comes off it tends to have extra crispy skin and perfectly tender meat. This fatty salmon is the perfect example. Simple and sweet, if you like grilled fish, you will love this.

Washu Beef Hanger Steak with Ponzu Sauce
Add “hanger steak” to the list of “stuff that tastes more delicious with ponzu sauce on it.” This is one of the best dishes at AK. Order it.

Ground Jidori Chicken Tsukune
A fan favorite, this is basically a chicken meatball on a stick, served with a poached egg in a tiny saucer for you to dip your meat stick into. Pretty excellent.

Grilled Jidori Chicken Tsukune
Supposedly a newer addition to the menu, this time the chicken is wrapped around asparagus and grilled on the robata. We liked it better than the ground version. You need it.