Sachiko’s on Clinton (CLOSED)

It’s no longer enough to simply open a Japanese restaurant and serve great sushi. New Yorkers expect something more, and Sachiko’s delivers. This petite downtown eatery woos beverage snobs with rare sake imported from the 850-year-old Japanese producer Sudo Honke. Design-savvy locals appreciate its bright-orange walls, minimalist concrete-and-bamboo garden and sliding wood screens for private dining areas. And food lovers dig the first-rate fresh fish at the sushi bar, soba dishes and kushiage, and skewers of deep-fried fish and vegetables.