Great Neck’s Matsuya has revived in an unlikely location: inside the bustling Delicacies Gourmet in Roslyn, bringing yet another sushi option to the waterfront village.
A yellow curtain separates the deli from Matsuya’s sit-down dining area, but the shared space is still decidedly more deli than restaurant. Televisions at full blast tussle with light dinner jazz music for acoustic supremacy. Locals dash in to order Boars Head heroes as lavish plates of sashimi land on the tables. But the sushi is as good as it was in Great Neck, where Matsuya opened in 1996.
Inside Matsuya, located within Delicacies Gourmet deli and market in Roslyn. Credit: Marie Elena Martinez
The short menu features starter plates like gyoza ($9.50) and vegetarian spring rolls ($9.50), yellowtail jalapeño sashimi ($18.50), spicy tuna crispy rice ($19.50) and Matsuya’s sashimi pizza — a crispy flatbread loaded with jalapeño and avocado (and tuna for an additional $6). There are miso and udon soups for slurpers, larger hot plates like a chicken katsu and curry sauce ($19.50), plus a full branzino in yuzu sauce ($38.50). But it’s the full sushi menu — with traditional rolls accessed via a table side QR code — that are the main draw. Try the Matsuya Dream featuring spicy tuna, avocado on the inside with spicy kani salad and crunch on the outside ($16.50) or the no rice Kobi-Shimi with spicy tuna and avocado inside, wrapped in salmon sashimi and tobiko ($20.50). Round out your order with the Matsuya fried rice ($19.50), and be sure to take a peek at the restaurant’s large selection of sakes and Japanese beers.
Matsuya Quality Japanese Eats (inside Delicacies Gourmet), 1358 Old Northern Blvd., Roslyn, 516-773-0303, matsuyasushi.com; Open Tuesday through Thursday from noon to 3 p.m. and 4 to 9 p.m., Friday from noon to 3 p.m. and 4 to 10 p.m., Saturday from 12:30 to 3:30 p.m. and 4 to 10 p.m., Sunday from 3 to 9 p.m.
A global freelancer who has checked her suitcase to raise her young daughter on her native Long Island, Marie Elena will always make time for good mezcal, even better tacos and killer conversation. Preferably, in a corner bar seat. She can be found on Instagram at @mariesworldeats.