damnlines.comdamnlines.comA twelve-seat Upper East Side omakase counter famous among NYC diners for its once-notorious same-day paper sign-up reservation system, now booked online through Yelp Reservations.
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Tanoshi's out-of-the-way location near the East River at York Avenue and 73rd Street used to come paired with one of the more convoluted reservation systems in New York sushi: per The Sushi Legend, a paper sign-up sheet was posted outside the restaurant each day for one of three nightly seatings, and for years the process was handled entirely by phone and notebook by the chef's wife — a setup that favored people who could show up in person during the workday, since nothing about it was online.
That system has since been replaced. Per The Sushi Legend, Tanoshi moved to online reservations that require a credit card on file, and Tanoshi's own Yelp Reservations page confirms that a no-show or a cancellation inside the cutoff window results in the full omakase price being charged to that card. The Infatuation's review of the restaurant links directly to Yelp Reservations for booking and lists a phone number as a backup, while also noting the sushi bar itself seats only twelve people split across 'two different narrow dining rooms.'
Per The Sushi Legend, Tanoshi still runs three fixed dinner seatings a night — 6:00pm, 7:30pm, and 9:00pm — the same structure that existed under the old paper sign-up system, just booked online now instead of in person. Neither The Sushi Legend nor The Infatuation report current wait times or how far in advance the online slots sell out.
Patterns as reported by press and regulars — not measured by damnlines.
Reservations: Booking is online via Yelp Reservations and requires a credit card on file; no-shows or cancellations inside the cutoff window are charged the full omakase price, per Tanoshi's Yelp Reservations page. This replaced a longtime system in which a paper sign-up sheet was posted outside the restaurant each day for one of three nightly seatings, per The Sushi Legend.
Walk-ins: Not established by current sources for today's system; historically the restaurant allowed same-day, in-person sign-up on a paper sheet posted outside, per The Sushi Legend, before moving fully to online reservations.
Three nightly dinner seatings — 6:00pm, 7:30pm, and 9:00pm — per The Sushi Legend; lunch omakase is also offered ($60–$65) per The Infatuation.
Tanoshi runs three fixed dinner seatings a night — 6:00pm, 7:30pm, and 9:00pm — booked in advance rather than a walk-up line, per The Sushi Legend. Reservations go through Yelp Reservations, per The Infatuation's review, and a credit card is required to hold the slot, per Tanoshi's own Yelp Reservations policy.
Yes — The Infatuation's review links directly to Yelp Reservations for booking, with a phone number listed as a backup. Tanoshi's Yelp Reservations page requires a credit card on file and charges the full omakase price for no-shows or late cancellations.
Tanoshi historically let people sign up same-day on a paper sheet posted outside for one of three nightly seatings, per The Sushi Legend, but that system has been replaced by online booking through Yelp Reservations, per The Infatuation. Neither source indicates walk-ins without a reservation are seated today.
Tanoshi runs three nightly dinner seatings — 6:00pm, 7:30pm, and 9:00pm — a structure that predates its move to online booking, per The Sushi Legend. The Infatuation notes the sushi bar seats only twelve people split across two narrow dining rooms, so each seating is limited.
Sources: The Infatuation · The Sushi Legend · Yelp Reservations (Tanoshi Sushi Sake Bar)
