J-Spec Reviews
Submitted by J Aaron Dullas on 07/17/2021
J Aaron Dullas 4 stars rating.
I'm not big on overly expensive food. The food was really good! Don't get me wrong the wagyu is so good, but 99% of the time I'd say my money spent was not worth it at high end places and this time was no different.
Had the tasting menu. $110 for four courses that was actually quite filling. Good? Yes. Mind-blowing? Nah.
Wasn't a lot of people for lunch, but the ambiance is nice, the bathroom is wildly nice! Staff was friendly.
Colin 1 stars rating.
Tried the $60 restaurant week menu. The quality is very poor. The roasted wagyu beef salad and the appetizer trio are just like some refrigerated fast foods from a convenience store. They taste dry and cold. Too much sauce is used. The main dish A5 Wagyu Shabu Beef Bowl is okay, but it does not worth this price. The service is not good. The waitress wanted to rush up. She brought the next dish before I finished the previous one.
Submitted by Colin on 08/08/2022
Kai Feng Zhang 2 stars rating.
Flavor doesn't match the relatively high price and fancy sounding menu. Hot temperature inside. A ton of vegetables and rice relative to the meat. Dessert taste good though. Empty place so don't need to worry about getting seat here.
Submitted by Kai Feng Zhang on 08/02/2022
Nikita Gavroff 1 stars rating.
RESTAURANT WEEK REVIEW
TLDR -> Not worth the $60 per person at all unfortunately. Extremely small portions and the dishes that were served were not a good representation of what the restaurant regularly serves.
As seen in the pictures these portions are tiny. They're just not justifiable to charge $60 for something like this. The first course which was a cup of salad and a teaspoon of meat was when I knew this wasn't going to end well. The appetizer was 1 cherry tomato, 2 baby shrimp, and 2 dried "wagyu". Again, portion is just not it and the sauce that came on top tasted like a supermarket bought dressing. The main dish which is the beef bowl tasted like something I could buy for $8 anywhere in the city. No special taste to it at all. And lastly dessert wasn't anything special at all. By that time we just wanted to pay and get out because of the subpar experience.
It was also extremely hot the whole time!!! Practically no airflow at all!
It just didn't feel like they tried to give you a taste of their usual and instead made up something that would make them a quick buck.
Won't be coming back.
Submitted by Nikita Gavroff on 07/23/2022
Bonnie 5 stars rating.
My boyfriend and I went to @j.spec.wagyu.nyc for our valentine’s day dinner for this restaurant week but ended up getting their full tasting menu. It was $129 for 6 courses. I think it was worth the value for the amount and quality of food but I would not get the tasting menu again because it’s too much food to eat at one time.
Wagyu TKG - 8/10
This rice bowl was rich and creamy but there were only 2 slices of wagyu and I was left craving for more.
Wagyu Steak - 9/10
This was the BEST steak I’ve ever had. It was buttery, soft and literally melted in my mouth. The cut of the meat is A5 ribeye and they offered a generous portion of wagyu. Honestly I could have had 3 less pieces because it was too buttery but I definitely enjoyed every bite.
J-Spec TKG -7/10
J-Spec TKG consists of uni, ikura, caviar and a poached egg. This bowl was creamy but they didn’t give much uni or caviar so those flavors get lost in the eggy rice. Also I enjoy warm dishes so I preferred the Wagyu TKG.
Appetizer Trio - 7/10
The fish that came in the appetizer honestly did not taste that fresh. The tuna was definitely the freshest fish but the salmon and yellowtail was lacking. The mentaiko sauce was AMAZING and I found myself dipping the duck in the sauce to savor every last drop. The duck was also cooked well but was kind of cold.
Uni Special Dish - 7/10
This was kind of like a uni handroll and it was quite delicious. The uni tasted very fresh and I liked the mix of flavors.
Tomato Sherbet - 8/10
This was the most surprising dish of the night because my boyfriend and I were not expecting to enjoy it. The sherbet was slightly sweet and similar to frozen grapes. If you like tomatoes I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised.
Pumpkin Pudding & Peach Panna Cotta (Not Pictured) - 6/10
I was pretty disappointed by the desserts. The peach panna cotta was too sweet and I didn’t enjoy the texture of the pumpkin pudding.
Submitted by Bonnie on 02/13/2022
Noah Obstfeld 5 stars rating.
If you’re into wagyu or Japanese high end cuisine this is an ideal experience in NYC. Simple yet elegant meal that was surprisingly affordable considering the value. I HIGHLY recommend the wagyu flight if you’re coming here for the right reasons. Also the course menu is perfect for a special date night. Couldn’t recommend more.
Submitted by Noah Obstfeld on 02/01/2022
Carol Leung Ouyang 1 stars rating.
Went there for restaurant week - overpriced for what it is, food was not good. No wagyu on the restaurant week menu although when we booked the table, a variety of menus for restaurant week appeared to be available to upgrade if you want steak. Bait and switch - paid $59 for a bento box that consists of 9 items and that was the main. Cream cheese (!??!!), eggplant (!?!!!?), tofu. Definitely not worth it. Due to limited selection on the restaurant week menu, we upgraded to the $150 (!!!) 6 course menu for my husband so he can try the wagyu. Wagyu was okay…I’ve been to plenty of restaurants in nyc - this is probably the most over priced I’ve been to for the quality of food you’re getting. Do yourself a favor, read my review and pass on this place
Submitted by Carol Leung Ouyang on 01/24/2022
felnov 5 stars rating.
The place is excellent. We had the stake, it was out of this world . Sake was exquisite. I enjoyed the meat which was prepared and presented with care. If you want to try wagyu stake this is the place to do it at. Authentic is the word to describe the experience. I am already planning an excuse to go out again.
Submitted by Felnov on 01/14/2022
Bernadette Bennett 4 stars rating.
Food that melts in your mouth! The fatty tuna and wagyu beef were absolutely delicious and the best part of our meal. We savored every bite. We shared $75 bottle saki which was perfect pairing with our meal. Look at pictures of the food we ordered and description. The salad was good but they didn’t put enough dressing so the bottom of the salad didn’t have flavor. The seaweed salad was ok - there were 3 different kinds. After our meal, they gave us hot tea and we shared red bean and mango mochi ice cream. Overall we enjoyed our meal. Portions were good, it was pricey but this type of food is expensive. If I could give a 4.5 stars I would.
Submitted by Bernadette Bennett on 08/22/2021
Cat W 5 stars rating.
Highly recommend! Came here for restaurant week lunch on the weekend ($39 for an A5 wagyu steak donburi). What a bargain!
The wagyu was incredibly tender and had a soft buttery flavor. You also get a generous amount of beef. The only thing I can nitpick is that the beef flavor was not as strong as I expected but for $39 I can’t complain.
I also added on the mango mochi dessert and earl grey panna cotta. Personally preferred the mochi more but the panna cotta was also pretty good. It is very light and not overly sweet which I enjoyed.
Submitted by Cat W on 08/08/2021
