Michael Schulson’s jumbo izakaya Double Knot has landed on Midtown’s corporate row, and the buzz started almost immediately. One critic has already crowned its bubbling nabemono hot pot the best new seafood dish of the year, while the two-level space leans hard into big-group energy with sushi counters, robata skewers, baos and a serious cocktail list.
As reported by The New York Post, critic Steve Cuozzo zeroed in on Double Knot’s nabemono, a hot pot loaded with mussels, clams, head-on prawns and scallops steamed in an aromatic sake dashi with tobanjan and house-made ramen. He called it the year’s best new seafood dish and noted the $41 price tag, praising the lift of the broth and the texture of the shellfish. Not everything impressed him, though, as he found the pork tonkatsu “drained of moisture and without character.” Still, his rave has pushed the nabemono straight onto Midtown must-order lists.
Menu basics and price points
Eater reports that the New York outpost sprawls over roughly 12,000 square feet across two floors and seats more than 350 diners. The menu mixes a robata grill and a sushi counter with a wide lineup of cold and hot small plates and larger format dishes. The restaurant’s site highlights a happy hour and shows many small plates in the $7–$15 range, while larger fish and wagyu entrees climb higher up the check. Hours and reservation details are posted on the official site at Double Knot NYC.
Schulson’s reach and the Midtown scene
According to Michael Schulson's site, the original Double Knot opened in Philadelphia in 2016, with the concept expanding to Miami in 2025 before this latest New York move. Local write-ups say the Midtown version skews toward a corporate-night-out crowd, pairing an upstairs lounge for quieter drinks with a livelier downstairs “Amber Room” aimed at groups and a rowdier vibe, per The Infatuation.
Should you make a reservation?
Reservations are available on Resy, and the restaurant rolled out dinner service first, with lunch scheduled to start March 30, 2026, according to The New York Post. If you go, plan to park that nabemono in the middle of the table and share, then fill in around it with $7–$15 skewers and baos alongside pricier sushi and wagyu plates, depending on how ambitious you are feeling with the expense account.
