PHOTO: Andrea Grujic
If you open a tiny gourmet sushi bar that earns a Michelin Star and is described by New York Magazine as having “The Absolute Best Sushi in New York,” what do you do for an encore? You might open an equally impressive cocktail bar next door—and let the two share one of the largest Japanese whisky lists outside of Tokyo. That’s just what the owners of the 8 year old Noda restaurant did when they added Shinji’s Bar in 2022.
Located in the Flatiron District on 20th Street just off 6th Avenue, Shinji’s is a hidden gem and respite from the frenetic urban scene around it. Even knowing the address, the door and signage are so discreet you might walk past it. Once you do get inside, you’ll find just half a dozen seats around a central semi-circular bar of elaborate tile topped with black and gold marble, in front of a modern brass and glass rack of shelves holding both spirits and an extensive display of fresh seasonal fruit. Set back slightly from the bar along the exterior wall are four semi-circular booths with round tile tables with seating for up to four. They serve great food, but it is much more a bar than a restaurant, and while it’s a small space with a capacity for about 18 patrons, it does not feel crowded.
Shinji’s has ultra-elaborate cocktails like a take on a Screwdriver with house-made orange liquor served inside a frozen orange that has to be made hours in advance, or a Sidecar with foie gras and Hennessy XO cognac, but it is the whisky list and whisky cocktails, mostly made tableside, that steal the show.
The Hot Cold Toddy is an idea replicated from England’s famous 3-Michelin Star Fat Duck, one of the world’s original temples of molecular gastronomy, combining Johnnie Walker Black, green tea, chamomile, and ginger. What makes it so special is that it is comprised of two discrete layers, with the top half hot and the bottom half cold, which stay separated through the wonders of chemistry. It’s served in a shot glass-sized teacup, to be enjoyed in one slow but continuous “chug.” Because it is small it runs $12, while the rest of the signature cocktails are $24-$30. For most patrons it will be unlike anything they have ever drank.
The same can certainly be said for the C.R.E.A.M., which combines Michter’s rye, Hennessy VSOP cognac, 30 year old sherry, aged sake, white chocolate, and Spanish Manchego cheese. If that is not confounding enough, it adds one more special ingredient, liquid left over from poaching unagi (Japanese eel) for the food menu. Oddly, it works well and is a delicious creamy cocktail. While not all so offbeat, most of the signature whisky drinks continue the theme of elaborate recipes and ingredients. The beverage director hails from New England and his Infinity Maple is a nod to home, combining Ardbeg Wee Beastie scotch, maple syrup, and bitters, plus a grappa-style custom maple spirit they have made to their recipe at a distillery on Long Island. There is also a rotating seasonal house-infused whisky which can be used to make classics like Old Fashioneds, and most recently it was Suntory Toki with cocoa and black truffle. Another menu wildcard is I Dream of Whiskey, sort of a daily dealer’s choice offering that is usually a big twist on a classic whiskey cocktail with odd gourmet ingredients, such as a Whiskey Sour using clarified banana syrup.
Whisky fans looking to keep it simpler often visit specifically for the deep list of Japanese whiskies, more than 100 labels at last count (and the sake list is similarly impressive). The equally remarkable display is separate from the main central bar, tucked around the corner at the entrance to the adjacent sushi spot.
There are nine variations of the coveted Yamazaki alone, and all whiskies are available in either one or two-ounce pours. These range from several Mars Shinshu options at $35 (all prices for 1 ounce) including IPA cask 2020 and Tsunuki Aging up to Yamazaki 18 year old Mizunara Cask 100th Anniversary at $1,500. There are several labels from Ichiro’s single cask series (such as The Boar, Rabbit, Dragon and Mouse, $400-$720) while the “Rare & Extinct” menu section includes Golden Horse 12 year old single malt ($250) and Hanyu 20 year old ($800). There are also a handful of selected scotches and bourbons, including several rare numbered single barrel King of Kentucky offerings.
Finally, there is the food. Sister spot Noda is widely considered one of the nation’s very best—and most expensive—sushi spots, an eight-seat omakase restaurant that offers only a $400 per person 20-course chef’s tasting menu nightly. That leads to one of the other great things about Shinji’s, a simpler “bar” menu prepared in the same kitchen (and often tableside) by the same staff, at much more approachable prices and in a casual setting. Most seafood hand rolls run $25-$35 with fish flown in from Japan four times weekly, alongside several other options, from wagyu tartare to rice-stuffed chicken wings. As the waiter said, “Not everyone wants to sit down to a 3-hour, 20-course dinner, and at Shinji’s you can sample some of the same food, have a Japanese whisky, and do it on your schedule.”
