A new sushi counter is about to take over one of Hell's Kitchen's most storied storefronts. Sakasama, a 20-seat handroll bar specializing in torched A5 Wagyu and temaki, opens October 13 at 344 W. 46th Street, the Midtown Manhattan address formerly home to Spanish taverna Mesón Sevilla.
The Spanish-to-Japanese transition at that address is notable in itself. According to NYC Tourism + Conventions, Mesón Sevilla served tapas and paella. As reported by WhatNow, the new restaurant is led by Teng Huang with Georgie Castillo serving as executive chef, and it will seat diners across a 20-seat sushi counter plus 12 additional table seats.
Sakasama is the latest project from Sakasama Hospitality Group, which already operates Tam Mai Thai, Ramen Momoko, and Kamisama elsewhere in the city, per the same WhatNow report. The group's existing footprint includes Tam Mai Thai on W. 56th Street and ramen spot Kamisama on E. 14th Street, according to Grubhub. The new sushi concept marks a departure from the company's Thai and ramen roots into premium Japanese seafood.
What's on the Menu
The restaurant's signature move is torching eel and A5 Wagyu to order right at the counter, the WhatNow report notes. Handrolls are prepared directly for guests at the sushi bar, while open-style temaki are served at the table seats — a format the outlet describes as a relaxed, interactive take on sushi dining without the formality of a traditional counter.
Beyond the torched Wagyu, the menu features Japanese milk bread toasts topped with uni, ikura, and caviar, offered as a toast trio, the same account states. Sakasama also offers three signature sets: the Mitsu set with salmon, scallop, and yellowtail; the Ura set with salmon, scallop, crab, eel, and toro; and the Sakasama set with salmon, scallop, crab, bluefin tuna, and lobster. A from-the-chef section rounds things out with seasonal mackerel, tuna tataki, salmon sashimi, and hamachi, alongside individual handrolls and additional seafood dishes.
The restaurant will be open from noon to 3:30 p.m. and again from 5 to 10 p.m., accepting both reservations and walk-ins, according to the report.
Why Authentic A5 Wagyu Comes at a Premium
Serving genuine A5 Wagyu in New York isn't cheap, and the economics help explain the premium pricing diners can expect. Authentic Japanese Wagyu is tracked under Japan's 2003 Cattle Traceability Law, which registers every animal at birth with a 10-digit identification number in a public national database, according to Destination Wagyu. Despite widespread menu claims across American restaurants, less than 5,000 pounds of true A5 Wagyu entered the U.S. market weekly as of 2024, per The Meatery.
A 2026 tariff change concerned ground beef, not Japanese A5 Wagyu. Sakasama's menu will include torched A5 Wagyu, but the restaurant is not built around the ingredient.
A Shift Toward Casual, Interactive Sushi
Sakasama's format fits a broader pattern emerging across the city's dining scene. Interactive handroll counters and fast-casual omakase concepts have expanded rapidly in New York in recent years, as diners look for high-quality sushi in unpretentious, lower-cost settings without formal dress codes, per Lemon8.
On Restaurant Row
Sakasama's address puts it on the West 46th Street stretch known as Restaurant Row.
