Sushi Para 88

212 West 14th Street

(between Seventh and Eighth Avenue)

I am SO excited to have learned about this restaurant!

The décor is small, comfortable, and welcoming.

They also have a back patio that was not opened when I went.

Their AYCE special seemed to have a wide variety of sushi and roll options. I did not choose that as an option as my dining partner thought that might have been a bit too much food as the restaurant does not allow you to share.

Instead we opted for the $25 dinner special, which we were allowed to share. The dinner special offers several different combinations. We went for 3 rolls, 2 sushi pieces, and 1 appetizer.

We selected the steamed shumai appetizer.

And for our rolls, we went with a Volcano roll (spicy yellowtail, spicy tuna, and spicy salmon inside, tobiko and chili sauce on top), a Palatine roll (salmon, eel, cucumber, tobiko, avocado with eel sauce), and a Paul’s roll (shrimp tempura with cucumber, eel, and avocado with eel sauce). And we selected a salmon sushi and tuna sushi. The fish was presented in a beautiful fish-boat-shaped plate.

Everything was fresh and delicious!

Best of all, they allow you to BYOB! If you don’t want to do BYOB, they do offer a selection of nonalcoholic drinks along with wine, beer, and sake. Be aware, though, that they do charge a $3 “corking” fee, but it’s well worth it as a single glass of wine on their menu costs $5.

I, of course, brought with me a bottle of rosé: Moulin de Gassac Guilhem. A light, dry wine it went well with the raw fish.

And the restaurant kindly brought out a bucket of ice to keep the wine chilled.

We capped it off with mochi green tea ice cream. Refreshing and a great palate cleanser!

Dinner for two came to about $25 per person, with tax and tip. Will be a frequent return customer!

Pros:

Helpful, friendly service.

Low-sodium soy sauce.

Excellent rolls.

BYOB policy!!!

Cons:

AYCE special can’t be shared and they charge $1 for each piece of fish not eaten. So if you have 5 pieces left on your plate, they charge you $5. There is also a 2-hour time limit.

Final Thoughts

Come hungry!

Must return for their $20 AYCE lunch special or $25 AYCE dinner special!