Entering this East Village sushi spot is like stepping into a two-dimensional, black-and-white drawing, with floors, ceilings, and furniture that all look like they’re straight out of a comic book. Even the bathrooms are on theme. 

The decor might be a TikTok-optimized gimmick, but Shirokuro’s commitment is truly impressive. Its name means “white black” in Japanese, and wherever you look, you’ll find yourself charmed by the attention to detail, from the illustrated sake bottles lined up next to real ones behind the bar, down to the delicate grain of the “wood” floorboards. It took the restaurant’s art director more than three months to hand-draw it all. 

photo credit: Angie Chavez

And the sushi here is actually pretty good. The rice is a faint shade of brown thanks to a generous application of vinegar, and we’d be happy to eat the melty, lightly smoky seared king salmon or the scallion-forward miso soup at just about any counter in town.

In addition to an a la carte menu (with a three-roll combo for $25), Shirokuro offers two affordable omakase experiences. With all of those possible options, it’s a good choice for a meal with a hard-to-impress preteen, or the kind of early-ish date where it’s comforting to know you’re guaranteed to have something to talk about.

photo credit: Angie Chavez

photo credit: Angie Chavez

photo credit: Angie Chavez

photo credit: Angie Chavez