Jōji – the sushi counter hidden beneath Grand Central

Jōji sits in a hidden alcove below One Vanderbilt, the 1,401-foot tower that rises directly above Grand Central Terminal in Midtown Manhattan. Hidden below a staircase within the skyscraper, the restaurant reunites George Ruan and Wayne Cheng, two sushi chefs who met at the counter of Masa and became close friends long before they became chef-partners. Their intimate omakase counter, operated by Daniel Boulud's Dinex Group, opened on 14 September 2022, built by One Vanderbilt's developer SL Green as a secluded refuge tucked into Grand Central Terminal itself. The ten-seat sushi bar sits one level below Boulud's own Le Pavillon, reached through an unmarked entrance on Vanderbilt Avenue and East 43rd Street. It holds one MICHELIN Star, awarded for an Edomae-style omakase built entirely around the day's best fish, served in a room where the chefs and sommelier do all the talking.

01The room and the setting

Guests enter not through a restaurant door but via the Vanderbilt & East 43rd Street entrance of One Vanderbilt, descending to the lower concourse beside the entrance to SUMMIT One Vanderbilt, the tower's observation deck. The dining room was designed by Shinichiro Ogata, founder of the Tokyo studio Simplicity and best known for his use of the shitsurai method of spatial arrangement; the result is a space built on a deep reverence for nature rather than any attempt at spectacle, located in what the developers describe as a hidden refuge within Grand Central Terminal itself.

The counter seats ten, with the chefs working in close view of every guest, and a separate private dining room holds up to eight for events and full buyouts. Business casual is recommended, and the whole experience sits quietly one level below Le Pavillon, Boulud's own French-American dining room on the floor above.

02The chef

George Ruan spent close to two decades at Masa, Manhattan's three-MICHELIN-starred temple to Edomae sushi, starting as a server before training in the kitchen and rising to sushi master. It was at that same counter that he met Wayne S. Cheng, and the two later became chef-partners at Jōji, sharing the room and the omakase itself.

Insider tip

Book via Resy up to 14 days ahead; business casual; lunch $325, dinner $450 per person.

Both work under the oversight of Daniel Boulud's Dinex Group, and at the counter a sommelier shares the stage with the chefs rather than working apart from them — pairings of sake and wine are talked through course by course rather than poured from a fixed list.

03The cooking

The format follows the traditional Edomae omakase: a sequence of small, seasonal courses leads into a run of nigiri cut to order, finished with a single dessert. Ruan has spoken of wanting to share his appreciation for the diversity of Japan's seasons and its ingredients through the menu, and the kitchen changes its selection accordingly rather than running a fixed printed menu — the fish decides the night, not the calendar.

04Wine and drinks

Pairings run through premium sake and fine wine, chosen to match each course as it lands rather than poured as a single predetermined flight, with the sommelier working the counter alongside the chefs. Guests who prefer to bring their own are permitted up to four bottles of corkage, at rates published on the restaurant's own reservations page, provided the bottle does not already appear on Jōji's list.

05When to go and booking

In October 2026, Jōji's own site listed one lunch seating and two dinner seatings a day at the ten-seat counter: lunch at 12.30pm Wednesday to Saturday, and dinner at 5.45pm and 8.30pm Tuesday to Saturday. Reservations open online fourteen days ahead via Resy, a credit card is required to hold the table, and cancellations inside 48 hours are charged separately for lunch and dinner.

06The neighbourhood

One Vanderbilt is Midtown's tallest office tower, rising beside Grand Central Terminal, with the Chrysler Building a block away across the plaza. Jōji's own takeaway counter, Jōji Box, operates from the same lower concourse near the SUMMIT One Vanderbilt entrance, for anyone who wants Ruan and Cheng's sushi without the full sitting.

For a weekend. For a lifetime.