Megu
845 United Nations Plz
1st Ave & 47th St
New York, NY 10017 (212) 964-7777
- Price Range: $$$$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Attire: Dressy
- Good for Groups: Yes
- Good for Kids: No
- Takes Reservations: Yes
- Delivers: No
- Take-out: No
- Waiter Service: Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: No
- Good for: Dinner
- Alcohol: Full Bar
19 Reviews for Megu
My friend and I decided to get lunch at this location.
Decor is nice and their bathroom is cool. Yeah..I know...anyway is cool.
About our food:
Their Kobe burger was very good, but served with Lay's potatoes chips????
C'mon.
They are an upscale restaurant. You will only find executives and bussiness guys wearing suits there. (UN is pretty close)
For these 2 reasons I couldn't understand those bagged chips.
Please!!!!!!!!!!
Megu.....You can do better!
OK, I have to agree with the rest of the Yelp reviews and say that Megu is a little pretentious and overpriced for what it is.
However, the food isn't terrible. I found most of it to be decent in fact, so long as you stay away from the very average sushi/sashimi. Some of it was good too. I thought the Kobe steaks were excellent! It is their signature though, which is why they charge close to $200 each.
I rate this 3.5.
I've eaten at this Megu about 8 times over 2 years, mainly because I know exactly what to expect when dining with fund managers that haven't yet climbed the ladder to the epicure elite.
On the downside, the decor is highly pretentious (come on, throne chairs around the sushi bar?), and the staff, especially the hostess', cops an attitude straight out of an 80's 2-good-4-u movie.
Once you make it past that though, the appetizer and entree menu is really quite good, but is weighed down by the less-than-stellar sushi. While it is definately bling-bling expensive, I've never minded because I only do business dinners here and I can expense it. Would I foot the bill on my own dinner? Maybe once, but not more than that.
If you're a sushi buff, its highly mediocre (although I love that they grind the fresh wasabi root at your table, which really does make a big difference!), but if you are in the mood for good Japanese entrees and need a place for business dinners with the unfussy, I quite like the place.....
.... except don't bother ordering the Kobe beef cooked on a rock. It is the must underwhelming thing I've ever experienced at a restaurant of this caliber. I think I've had more fun watching paint dry.
Not a place for hipsters. The crowd is generally older.... thought not sure if they're mature..
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I know Japanese food, and the food served at Megu is just about as good as it gets outside of Japan. They won't over-season, over-portion or over-cook items, just to appeal to "middle America," which may explain some of the comments here.
I must however question the knowledge of the non-Japanese servers. When I was served soup with contents I did not recognize, my waiter (who appears to be either Filipino or Thai) stated it was just seaweed, and the Asian hostess--who spoke no Japanese--seconded his opinion. What BS! I asked the chef directly, and it was junsai.
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Injury to insult:
Just really not that great. Went here for restaurant week with coworkers and we find paper napkins. I mean CMON. do they not realize that if you're wearing a suit this type of napkin will leave white leftovers all over you.
Fish-eh.
Dessert was rich and tasty though!
The thing is, if this was my neighborhood sushi place with 6-10 dollar pieces and rolls it would be great value. But not for a $$$$ like this one is....
Also, when you walk into the dining room the host announces something in Japanese and the busboys yell something back...Maybe i'm just not experienced enough with this kind of restaurant but it was EXTREMELY TACKY, especially since we were the only ones in the restaurant and there were maybe 2 busboys that responded.
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Pricey, Overhyped. They supposedly have aged soy sauce and only use Evian water for their sushi rice. Good service.
Must get: Edamame soup w/ rosemary stick
Decor: Elegant.
Notes: Fresh wasabi
Ripoff!!!!!!! The quality / size / price relation of the food is simply ridiculous. To top it of, the ambiance sucks. Mostly older people staying at the hotel. I was the youngest person in that place. By 25 years.
Sigh... I was dying to come here, since they opened! After many failed attempts I got to go for lunch yesterday. (On an expense account, so I will not make any reference to the prices)
The menu and the room were impressive (not to mention the button/remote activated toilet seats in the ladies room - a must see) The service and food, eh, not so much.
The fish was fresh, but nothing spectacular, I have had better/fresher from my local moderately priced sushi spot...
The special dishes were, well, not too special. Hamachi (thats yellowtail) with some hoisin/plum type sauce and some thinly sliced jalapeos... yeah that was inventive... 5 years ago before everyone else did it. ah well.
And the service. Man, if that is how they run their lunch every day I am not sure how they are still open. With a few substitutions, that I saw the waiter write down, everything that came to our table was exactly as it was described on the menu (too bad we asked for no nuts in one dish to account for an allergy, and no wasabi in some of the rolls to account for a sensitive anti spice diner)
Some items we ordered never delivered at all! At the end of the meal we had to sit with the check and go through and make changes to the bill based on things we had ordered and not received and things we had received and not ordered!
Such a mess. And when we asked to take some of the sushi in doggy bags to go, they told us we couldn't cause we would get sick. That gave me a lot of confidence in the meal I had just eaten.
All in all a very poor experience, thankfully for the folks at Megu, the cool bathrooms and my stellar lunch company saved them a star.
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ok this place was so bad that i haven't even fully changed outta my clothes yet so that i can sit down and write this review. i went here for restaurant week... but i also ordered outside of the menu, and still wasn't impressed at all! not to mention the leather couch we sat on had a noticeable tear on it... tacky...
first off, we get there... COMPLETELY EMPTY!!! we're the first of 3 tables to get seated and before we even did coat check the host asked us if we can keep it under 2 hours please... um ok... understandable if it was packed but seriously there was NO ONE there...
k next they really rushed us to order it even though we were not sticking completely to the restaurant week menu... so we decided on the following...
appetizers
- the yuba sashimi salad... um smoked fish on top of salad woopee!"
- fried scallops with asparagus... asparagus with something crispy was better than the scallops i feel like the scallops u can get at a bar anywhere...
- some kinda kobe with foie gras fried... couldn't taste the kobe at all... or the foie gras... funny sour taste to it...
- miso soup... um miso soup?
- some sorta shrimp hot appetizer thing... uh again looks like u can get this at an americanized restaurant...
entree
- sushi... omg this is not good sushi... sushi rice is cold... the fish was shrivelled up... chu toro was not even cut the right way... um i tasted more rice than fish... and there was a roll made of salmon salad or sumptin... NOT WORTH IT... i think i can get better cheaper sushi at niko niko downtown! granted maybe its rw and the fish runs out but we were the first ones there... no excuse at all for blah fish
- i guess the fresh wasabi was good...
- the kobe beef looked and smelled good... didn't get to try it and now wish i did...
dessert
- they rip u off here... u can get twice the size of what u get at megu at another place for $8 crepe lady m cake... or just go to dean and deluca's!!!
alcohol
- 22 bucks for a glass of sake... is that worth it? granted it was quite smooth but man that was a lot for 1 drink...
ok thing that cracked me up the most...these 2 girls sat down near the end of dinner next to us and asked for only miso soup and edamame cuz they weren't big into sushi... SO WHY THE HECK ARE YOU AT THIS RESTAURANT!!!! omg so by then we had to excuse ourselves and leave the restaurant...
eh maybe cuz it was restauarant week but i don't think i will go back... not unless my company pays for me...
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I dined here a month ago and was ready for a treat. Everyone selected the pre-fix (you can view the photos). I was most impressed with my steak and the foie gras and the excellent plating for all dishes. The cool restroom took a close second. Sushi was ok; I was disappointed with the toro. For a party of 6 we dropped $900 and were still hungry. We did not order a bottle of wine, but only a round of drinks. I still have nightmares about the bill. Sorry. Never again.
IFHTP 1
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Underwhelmed.
To use Jeremy L's word, 3 coworkers and I schlepped here from our office for RestoWeek lunch, and I can't say it was worth it.
App: Ceasar salad. Not properly dressed. China was mismatched.
Entree: Sushi. I had the vegarian option and my fellow diners all had the regular sushi. None of us was blown away. It was good, but not great. One of my companions mentioned the pieces of fish were cut too thin. Ginger was totally flavor-less. The plates matched though (whew).
Dessert: Green Tea Crepe. This was EXCELLENT! By far the best part of the meal, and good thing dessert is at the end, because had it been at the beginning, I might not have felt as generous with those 3 stars. It was light, fluffy and melted in my mouth (that's what he said).
All in all, not even worth the ~30$. I would not go back.
(yes, I know the RestoWeek menus don't represent a restaurant fully, bla bla bla, but still, unimpressed, and that was their one shot. Upwards and onwards!)
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I tried quite a few things here, but the only dish I remember (after too much wine) was the kobe beef skewers with different dipping sauces. It was an enjoyable meal, but not worth the price in my opinion.
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My boyfriend and I were visiting to Chicago and came to Megu because his Amex Concierge recommended it.
We had the tasting menu and it was pretty blah. A couple of things were good but nothing memorable. Ordering the kobe beef entree was an extra $20 and it was nothing but meat served on a rock.
The service was also TERRIBLE. Staff would clear our drinks and I would have to wave three times to get the waiter's attention to order another. There was also no communication regarding what we were being served...usually a tasting menu comes with a bit more explanation.
Perhaps, we were underwhelmed because he had eaten at Le Bernardin the evening before, but we are people that can enjoy ourselves just about anywhere. Megu was really disappointing.
This place has really come down over the years. Perhaps, due to the popularity and trendiness, so service and food has deteriorated. What a shame.
Do not come here for Restaurant Week. That's all I have to say. It was too overpriced for what it was.
I'd never chose to schlep all the way to the east river in midtown for a nice dinner, but in this case, I was invited by others. It took me a while to find the place as it's hidden inside a typically obnoxious, large Trump apartment building alongside the FDR highway. But from the moment I finally found the entrance, I was impressed.
The poor hostesses were shivering in the cold foyer (the burst of freezing air each time someone opened the door contributed, but they might be well served to find a hostess weighing more than 95 pounds). The entrance is cleverly isolated from the restaurant by a semi secret door. When you're taken inside, you realize this place belongs downtown. (In fact, it's a midtown import, and the original Megu is in Tribeca.)
Everything on the menu is superb. We tried a couple of the Kobe steaks (at $180 per dish, I was glad someone else was paying!), and they were perfect, but I'm not sure even perfection justifies a $180 entre. The fish and salads were just as good -- the miso salmon and red snapper salad stood out among a long list of great stuff. Don't forget to save room for the desserts -- half Japanese (like green tea souffle) and half 'classic' (like cheesecake).
The closest subway is a marathon away, and the FDR isn't exactly a great spot to find a taxi, so think ahead when it comes to transportation. But if you can't get a table at the Tribeca location and want to splurge on some top notch Japanese fare, you won't be disappointed here.
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Megu Midtown is a part of the Trump Tower - everyone seems to complain about its location which is rather far away from everything else out there - but I live on 1st ave - so its a nice 20 minute walk for me :)
Anyways, the sushi here is good - its not the best I've ever had - but its probably in my top 3.
In regards to decor, they seated us at the sushi bar - which could be cool..if you could see the sushi being made, but instead of clear glass like most sushi spots, we faced a wall and above that wall were the sushi-makers. I thought this was kind of lame - because I like to people watch when I'm eating, or at least I like to sit across from the person I'm dining with - here we sat side by side.
If there are more than 2 people though, you get to sit at a table that faces the windows and the view of the UN..so i guess it depends on how many people you come with.
The rolls we got were: yellowtail and chive, salmon and avocado, and some sort of shrimp tempura roll. All were good. For dessert we opted for the chocolate torte (? I think that's what it was called). The waiter warned us that this particular dessert takes 20 minutes to come out because they make it fresh when ordered - but its chocolate so of course I got it.
The torte came out warm and included a scoop of green tea ice cream and vanilla (service is great btw - because its not supposed to come with vanilla but we asked and they obliged) - the ice cream is made fresh at megu - and it was definitely really good!
Good place - I'd go again - but Bond Street still takes the cake for best sushi in this town.
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I went to Megu on Friday with a party of seven, all intent on trying the prix fix 7-course menu (value $75), and some misc. platters + drinks @ slashed Jap-Restaurant week bargains; alas, we werent dissapointed in the least.
Location: The E 47th, United Nations Plaza/Trump Tower location is peculiar @ night; a quiet corner, 1 block from the harbor, emptied office buildings, and wide streets, all make you feel this welcome aesthetic solace as you enter Megu. The interior decor is exactly what you expect from a lobby-located business oriented restaurant; lavish, comfy and large... lighting was subdued and sensual; the maitre d' was gracious enough to walk us through a whole concourse presentation, even when we obviously werent there on a high-roller outing; the ppl @ Alain D. should watch and learn...
The Food! Gosh, where to start? (Its a 7course diner) First, be forewarned; of course each platter/selection is very small, which is to be expected, however, you WILL find yourself completely satisfied at the end of the meal. Trust me.
Cold Appetizer: I ordered the Tuna Tartar with Caviar and Bone Marrow Froth which was delicious; the tuna was pudding-like in softness, which made it so delectable and tasty... I also tried my friend's Taraba King Crab and it was also surprisingly good (and real)
Salad: I had the Seasonal Sashimi, also good, but nothing to report otherwise.
Entree: The Silver Cod with Green Sauce was also great; the outside was covered in this sweet and smokey flavor which mixed very well with the Green Sauce. Next time I'll try the Organic Chicken.
We also ordered a Kobe Beef platter which was a shade over medium, and very tasty, but not extraordinary.
Then they give you a Chef's selection Omakase Sushi, which was very tasty and very crunchy -- Have I also mentioned that the presentation of each dish, the attention to detail (they changed cloth mats almost imperceptibly during the evening), and the timing where all clockwork!
Finally, the dessert time had come, and what a finale! They brought 4 platters and a bouquet sprouting with goodies, of which the truffles where just amazing (the outer coating was powderish to the point that it was a surprise to the tongue when after sinking you teeth, you felt the creamy chocolate interior) -- the Ice creams were great; especially the Coffee flavored one, which was, I have to say: unparallaled
The only thing I did not like was my Soju, which I've definitely had better elsewhere.
Last but certainly not least; an unexpected find of a particular kind: Upon going to the restrooms upstairs on the 2nd floor, we realized there were many, many, cubicle-like two-seaters and a bar, with windows looking out the street. It was a Friday night 10:00pm and the 2nd floor was completely empty! This makes it the perfect, perfect place for a total intimate after-diner affair; if you feel the need to relax over drinks, over a quiet and pensive environment with someone you just had a great night with, this is the place to go on Fri night!
I'll give it a 4, but just because it IS pricey; even in restaurant week, our tab was about a $975.00 -- talk about giving the savings back to you!
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i just went here today for lunch for restaurant week. i was disappointed from the beginning of our dining experience. the place was not too packed, but the hostess takes us to the back of the restaurant telling us how we'll have a great view - yea right. a great view of the building next to us.
so my friend and i sit down to see that the table linen is creased with fold marks all over it. i look around at other tables and see that all the tables are like that. i would think that at such a reputable restaurant with meals 50+ per person should have nice, crisp table linen.
moving along. we started off with ceaser salad which was very subpar to say the least. crutons were stale and the dressing was much too salty. my friend was not even half done with her salad when the server brought us our entree of kobe steak. to be honest, the presentation of the kobe steak was VERY unappetizing. steak, string beans, a tiny apple and a cherry tomato. it was just on the plate - like a school lunch. but i have to say, the steak was really good. tender, juicy, flavorful and cooked just right (medium). as for the rest of the plate - YUCK. rice and miso soup came long with the meal, but it came after we've eaten half the steak already. last but not least, dessert. the presentation of the cake was amazing and the taste was absolutely divine! i wish i took a picture of it, but i completely forgot because i was too focused on trying it.
atmosphere was okay. service was great.
overall dinining experience - disappointed (but then again, its restaurant week).
this place is one of the best meals I have eaten and has one of the most beautiful presentations I have seen in a long time. If you are an artistic person, you would luv all the different dishes they present your dish in. First, the chef's complimentary dish...it was so beautiful called the egg illusion. We all thought it was a raw egg on a spoon but to your surprise, it isn't what you think it is....then the bread with red bean which was too great, think they overcooked it. but the dishes we chose for our pre-fix was very reasonable. I had the baked unagi with avocado...delish...bear in mind the portions might be a bit small but in the end it is perfectly portioned. If you like Kobe beef you must get the one on the hot stone with Hennessey....it is soooooooo divine, me not eating beef had to try it. The duck was ok...not too unusual. But i highly recommend you try the sparkling sake. Apparently it is the lastest craze in Japan...I was quite surprised, as it tasted better then champagne. (but only order if you like sweet wines...cuz it is on the sweeter side) The for dessert....their chestnut crepe cake...It is sooooooo goooood. 18 thinly arranged crepes on top of each other with chestnut creme and bits of chestnut inside. It kinda tastes like the indonesian kua lapis cake. Their green tea one is also good. If yo like green tea ice cream, I think you should try their "matcha" green tea ice cream...more fragrant than ordinary one you get at a japanese restaurant.
To top it all off, for you chocolate lovers, I think you should try their hot chocolate with a shot of hennesey. It is soooooooooo yummy it will cure all your cravings for chocolate...
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