A new restaurant has arrived in Midtown, and it’s brought down the average age by at least 15 years. And you know what, it’s a welcome surge of energy in an otherwise staid corporate office-heavy corridor. Double Knot NYC, a Philly transplant, has arrived in New York City, and it’s the restaurant we didn’t know that we needed in our life.

Atmosphere

Young. Young and cool. And young at heart. Not since the opening of Tao on the East Side in the early aughts has a restaurant disrupted the mode of a neighborhood. There’s not a giant Buddha or a transition to a club with DJ a la Tao, as Double Knot stops short of a den of debauchery. Instead, Double Knot is a cavernous enclave of lounge and lively dining scene where the next gen gathers over cocktails and food. . The upper lounge has the club mood lighting where you can pop in for a drink or bites at cocktail tables. Downstairs is the main dining room, where tables are packed with the same next gen noshing on sushi and sake.

Photo courtesy of Double Knot NYC

While the dining room is busy, they’ve also figured out the sound and you can actually hear your dining companions. There were a few older folks like us on a Friday evening, but Double Knot is enough of a draw to bring in the younger crowd to Midtown as a destination. Also while the crowd trends towards twenties, this generation knows how to behave properly, unlike mine when we were that age. Although we were by far a decade or two older than most, it was actually pleasant to dine at Double Knot, for all ages. The space is massive, so chances are you can drop in anytime, even without a reservation but still be in a good scene.

Food + Beverage

Double Knot is like a younger version of Nobu, and more evolved rendition of Sugar Fish. The menu is sprawling, with a whole page of appetizers like edamame dumplings, which should be on every order. I would come back just to eat two orders of those dumplings, which were light bites. Plates are small so you’re meant to order 5-6 dishes each. I also added in the spicy crab and scallop in addition to our tuna tartare. In lieu of the standard rice paper roll that seems to show up on every trendy Japanese menu, the Double Knot version was served in a shell. It wasn’t my favorite as I’m not a mayo fan, but applaud the creativity.

The unique aspect of Double Knot is they have an entire page of Robatayaki, which are grilled Japanese skewers. You can make an entire meal of skewers, sake and the black cod fried rice. I personally liked the cooked sushi, which in my opinion, was every bit as good as Nobu, for a fraction of the price. They excel in hand rolls, which are nice and crispy, stuffed with just enough but not too much rice. The food is the kind of everyday sushi you can have on your rotation.

The only area I found limited was the cocktails. I think that there are too many fussy concoctions, and they would shine brighter with basics like a lychee martini. Wine list isn’t reserve but this isn’t the kind of place you would order the Mouton. Instead, wines by the glass are reasonable, with the top maybe hitting $24/glass. Overall Double Knot represents value; for two of us we escaped for right around $200, which is unheard of nowadays.

Service

I know I keep going back to the youthful age of Double Knot NYC, but you wouldn’t be able to tell by the service. The approach is polished, friendly, professional and genuine. The host stand while no older than 28 operated like a well-oiled machine. I would go as far as to say they were a collaborative team, who set the tone for the service experience. Food came out seamlessly and servers were attentive and knowledgeable on the menu. We asked for a sake martini that wasn’t on the menu, and the head bartender obliged with his own custom concoction. It’s nice to see service that has a “can do” attitude and authentically puts the client first.

Overall: 7.8/10

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FAQs

Q: Where is the Double Knot NYC located?

A: The Double Knot NYC is located at 1251 6th Ave, New York, New York. It is on the ground floor of an office building with its entrance on 49th between 6th and 7th Avenues.
dknycinfo@schulson.com
646.974.8789

Q: What are the hours of operation of Double Knot NYC?

A: The hours of operation of Double Knot NYC are as follows:

Q: What kind of food does Double Knot NYC serve?

A: Double Knot NYC serves Japanese cuisine, including sushi and robatayaki dishes.