Nonono
Nonono is a restaurant from the people behind Her Name is Han. This is located just a few blocks from Korea town. They are part of the Hand Hospitality network, which also includes Atoboy, Cho Dang Gol, and many more. The restaurant offers Japanese grill cuisine with a twist. We’ve been to the restaurant several times, and it’s been a decent value and choice for any small gatherings.
Ambiance & Service
The ambiance feels like a normal Japanese restaurant where there was a lot of activity. The tables are relatively close to each other, so it can get a little tight. However, it was fine talking to your party, so the sound acoustics were good. They have both a floor table area and a second floor area.
The service was very quick once you place your orders. They bring a card reader when you are looking to pay.
Food
The Zuke Maguro ($15) was marinated bluefin tuna sashimi with fresh jalapeno sauce. The tuna was actually pretty good, and the jalapeno sauce has a nice kick to it. The picture shown here was from my most recent visit in 2024.
For the yakitoris:
The skirt with shishito was pretty good. There wasn’t anything super special about it, but I really liked the flavor of the coal they use here.
The beef tongue was chewy as expected but again the flame of it was pretty good.
The Chicken Gizzards ($4 each skewer) had that nice crunchy taste.
The Chicken Hearts ($4 each skewer) were plump and spongy and tasted pretty good especially with that smoke flavor. Normally it tastes on the side of metallic, but this one was less so. The picture here was from my most recent visit in 2024.
The nori tacos were a monthly special. They consist of chopped salmon, yellowtail, tuna, avocado & fried egg with spicy mayo on deep-fried nori seaweed. The first thought that came to mind was maybe this would taste like a fried tempura roll, but it actually was much better.
The Tamago Bacon ($4.50 each skewer) was decent. It was a bacon wrapped egg where the yolk was still creamy. This picture was of the most recent experience in May 2024.
The nanchatte steak is beef rib eye with signature onion sauce. This was actually pretty good, and they gave a decent amount. The onion sauce is on the side of a little soury/pickly, so think of it as mixing sourness with ponzu.
The ebi wasa was not memorable at all except for the fried heads of course. It kind of tastes like how it looks like.
The salmon bruschetta is a play with rice. It has basil sauce, avocado, cream cheese, and shiso leaves. I love shiso leaves in general, but the taste of it was nearly non existent. The basil oil was prominent though. Even though I am not a fan of cream cheese in fake rolls, I thought this was actually quite good.
The last thing we got was the Chicken Karaage ($13). I was thinking this would be boneless chunks of chicken, but nope. It was served with 3 drumsticks cut in a unique way such that the meat flared up away from the bone. There were 3 little balls of cherry tomatoes that were good too. However, I really wished they served it traditional style with their batter and gave a little more chicken.
In May 2024, we visited this restaurant again and ordered the chicken karaage. Compared to the initial post, the food has changed slightly with both the seasoning and flour. It’s still very tasty and good.
Second visit on May 11, 2024
The Anchovy Octopus ($9 per skewer) came with octopus with anchovy and Japanese basil sauce. The octopus was pretty good and tender.
The Scallop Crab Mayo ($9 per skewer) came with scallops with crab and mayo sauce.
The Yakitori Wings ($4.50 per skewer) came nicely charred and tasted great.
The Ebi Katsu ($18) came with deep fried shrimp with tartar sauce. This was surprisingly very good. The shrimp was plump, and the flavors were great.
The Yaki Corn ($8) came with grilled corn with tobanjan, miso, and parmesan. This was a little disappointing for me. It was just charred corn with parmesan cheese on top.
The Nonono Mix Tartare ($16) came with fresh tuna, salmon, and yellow tartare served with wonton chips. This came dressed in a sweet sauce.
The Kani Fried Rice ($14) came with snow crab, egg, and scallion. This was a fairly small portion of fried rice, and the snow crab was sparse. It was decent, but probably not something I’d recommend getting unless you really are looking for carbs.
Final Verdict
Nonono is one of those repeat skewer restaurants that we have gone many times. The food is decent for the price, and it’s relatively easy to get reservations. It’s also right next to Korea town, so it’s easy to get dessert afterwards. This restaurant is great for a small party, and you can try many foods.
Yelp Jabs
Too bad they’ve been discovered - they won’t seat a single person except at a counter/bar - even when upstairs tables are empty. Not a good New York experience, especially when you’ve been a steady customer for years. Their loss.
This is a NYC type experience. As a solo diner, you should be prepared to sit at the bar. I would find it odd if they seated me at a table.
We ordered a bunch of chicken yakitori skewers - all were average, both in terms of cook and flavor. The lime cilantro chicken was the slightly better one of the lot. The vegetable skewers were quite lackluster. The fried eggplant was the best dish of the night - didn’t feel deep fired, and had a nice crunch from the nuts and scallions
It’s really difficult to take this review seriously. First mistake was ordering regular chicken yakitori skewers. I’m not sure what one can expect from this. It’s chicken. The second mistake was having high expectations for grilled vegetables. The third mistake was the fact that this person was going to a yakitori restaurant expecting excellent chicken and vegetable skewers that you could probably get anywhere else.
We were not done with the food and waitresses were eager to clear the table. Excuse me- how would you feel if you’re obviously still working on your food and the waitress had decided to take away all your friends plates and chopsticks.
Welcome to Asian restaurants. I’m all for turning tables to keep the price low, especially in Manhattan.
Revisions
- May 11, 2024 - Added a few more items.
- May 26, 2024 - Initial revision.