![\"Executive](\"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/chefs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/Koyu-2.jpg\")
Executive Sushi Chef Bryan Yee notes that the 12-seat counter pictured is a deliberate choice and part of the restaurant\u2019s name, which evokes the bonds that form around a single counter.Jovani Demetrie<\/p>\nIf Japan is still on your bucket list, there is no better introduction to its cuisine than Koyu in Roslyn. Koyu is an intimate 12-seat subterranean omakase counter experience featuring at least 18-courses that showcase fish flown in directly from Japan, as well as locally sourced and premium ingredients.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Koyu, a name that evokes the bonds that form around a single counter, opened on Nov. 5 to a full counter. The restaurant was created through Northern & Main Hospitality Group, a partnership between chef and partner in Koyu, Marc Spitzer, an established chef who spent over 20 years shaping BONDST into one of New York City\u2019s most notable Japanese restaurants, and Noam Shemel.\u00a0 Executive Sushi Chef Bryan Yee is at the helm, a former longtime BONDST Sushi chef who has trained in well-known kitchens including O Ya, Zuma and Tao.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAt a 12-seat counter, nothing is hidden\u2014guests watch every cut and every course come together, so every choice has to mean something,\u201d said Yee, who recently came back from Japan with \u201ca lot of new ideas.\u201d<\/p>\n
Yee said that while traditional Edomae-style is \u201cvery special\u201d to him, he also wanted to put their own spin and modern interpretations on a dish when it \u201cenhances, never overpowers, the course.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Executive Sushi Chef Bryan Yee notes that the 12-seat counter pictured is a deliberate choice and part of the restaurant\u2019s name, which evokes the bonds that form around a single counter.Jovani Demetrie<\/p>\n
\u201cMy goal is for each night to feel like it could only happen at that counter, with the people sitting around it,\u201d said Yee.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Spitzer noted that Edomae-style nigiri is certainly at the heart of the meal and how everything is built on their shari, which is a house blend of three vinegars including an aged red vinegar. He added that the fish is also aged and also cured or seasoned with adherence to age-old technique \u201cfirst and foremost.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cBut each night allows us to have some fun and break boundaries, whether it\u2019s with opening otsumame courses, small composed bites like our A5 Wagyu Cannoli, a crisp nori shell with wasabi mascarpone, A5 wagyu tartare or osetra caviar,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s that playful, but always respectful of the ingredients, approach that makes each night an adventure.\u201d<\/p>\n
He said that he and Yee have cooked side by side for over 15 years and refers to the menu at Koyu as a \u201cconversation between us.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Koyu offers only two seatings an evening, Thursday through Saturday, with 12 seats around a single counter and Shemel explains the intentionality of this decision.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cLong Island has become a much more sophisticated dining destination, and guests are increasingly seeking experiences that were once something they had to go into Manhattan for,\u201d said Shemel. \u201cKoyu is designed to deliver that level of experience in a format that has become a destination in its own right.\u201d<\/p>\n
Shemel said that the intimacy and deep connection is, in fact, what they are most excited about with Koyu\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWith two seatings, everyone at the counter starts together and moves through the meal together, at the same pace, with the chefs\u2019 full attention,\u201d he explained. \u201cThat\u2019s what makes omakase so special, and it\u2019s very hard to do that at a larger scale\u2014keeping it to 12 seats means every guest gets a front-row seat.\u201d<\/p>\n
Spitzer emphasized the name of the restaurant speaking to this exact concept and that guests often come in as strangers but then leave having shared something special with the people beside them.<\/p>\n
\u201cWith 12 people, I can get to know each guest, see what they\u2019re enjoying and adjust as we go,\u201d said Yee. \u201cThat\u2019s the part of omakase I love most, and when they return, we\u2019ll be able to build on that dialogue each time\u2014we\u2019ll remember their preferences, and they will feel that connection.\u201d<\/p>\n
After working on their first restaurant \u201cOkaru\u201d together, Shemel said that he and Spitzer considered bringing Koyu to Roslyn as being personal, as they both also call Long Island their home.\u00a0<\/p>\n
![\"Koyu](\"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/chefs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/Koyu-3.jpg\")
Koyu is an intimate 12-seat subterranean omakase counter experience featuring at least 18-courses that showcase fish flown in directly from Japan, as well as locally sourced and premium ingredients.Jovani Demetrie<\/p>\n
\u201cKoyu is the next chapter for Northern & Main, and it\u2019s built on the same commitment to hospitality that\u2019s guided Okaru from day one,\u201d said Shemel. \u201cWe\u2019re grateful for how the community has embraced us, and this is only the beginning.\u201d<\/p>\n
Spitzer called opening night \u201cincredibly rewarding\u201d and said that the feedback they already received regarding the full experience and service meant the most to them.<\/p>\n
\u201cHearing it rivals the best omakase counters they\u2019ve been going into Manhattan for\u2026that\u2019s exactly what we set out to do,\u201d said Spitzer.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Yee said that opening for him was special because he was able to finally see the guests\u2019 reactions around the counter, face-to-face.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople were asking about the fish, the rice, the ceramics\u2014that connection is the whole reason we built Koyu the way we did,\u201d said Yee.\u00a0<\/p>\n
What makes Koyu the place to have a night out and a great dining experience, Spitzer said, is that it gives them the opportunity to take everything they love about Japanese dining and make it focused and personal.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve loved serving Roslyn and the surrounding community since we opened Okaru, but with Koyu we\u2019re able to dial in on the experience even further to offer our guests an intimate, immersive and transportive experience that can only be achieved around a single counter,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Shemel noted that it\u2019s a night out that starts the moment you walk down the stairs and arched hallway beneath Okaru.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThe room is warm and quiet, and everything about it, from the intimate counter to the ceramics that Bryan just brought back from Japan, to the wine and sake pairings, has\u00a0been deeply considered,\u201d Shemel said. \u201cYou\u2019re watching every piece made by hand, talking with the chefs, choosing your own sake glass\u2014it\u2019s more than dinner; it\u2019s an incredibly special evening that\u2019s almost like getting tickets to a Broadway show.\u201d<\/p>\n
Spitzer recommends that guests come \u201chungry and curious.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen people think of omakase, they may have had different experiences with platters or chef\u2019s choice, but in the most traditional sense, it\u2019s a journey guided by the chef\u2019s whims\u2014it\u2019s seasonal, it\u2019s intentional, but it\u2019s also deeply personal for us\u2014we can\u2019t wait to welcome you to the counter.\u201d<\/p>\n
Koyu is located at 1401 Old Northern Blvd. in Roslyn. To learn more, visit Koyu\u2019s website at koyu-omakase.com or their Instagram @koyu_omakase.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
If Japan is still on your bucket list, there is no better introduction to its cuisine than Koyu in Roslyn. Koyu is an intimate 12-seat subterranean omakase counter experience featuring at least 18-courses that showcase fish flown in directly from Japan, as well as locally sourced and premium ingredients.\u00a0 Koyu, a name that evokes the<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":13760,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[5,4504,12973,12974,12975],"class_list":["post-13759","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-chefs","tag-chef","tag-japan","tag-koyu","tag-roslyn","tag-village"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/vive.im\/@dnc\/117589373329002332","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/chefs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13759","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/chefs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/chefs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/chefs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/chefs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13759"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/chefs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13759\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/chefs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13760"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/chefs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13759"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/chefs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13759"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/chefs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13759"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}