Bohemian…It’s So Secret…Nobody Goes There!

Blink and you’ll miss Bohemian, a hidden Japanese gem on Great Jones Street near Bowery. There’s no name on the outside of the restaurant, and you can’t see it from the street – it’s tucked away behind a butcher shop. You also can’t just go – you have to know someone in order to get a reservation. There’s a secret number passed around, and even the website is hidden (we’ll give it to you here, but it won’t do you much help, since they ask you to submit for approval before accepting your reservation!). So we Magpies were so excited when we scored a recent reservation. We showed up around 8:00 on a weeknight, and had to ring a doorbell to get inside. The restaurant was really small (only about 25 people can dine here at a time), relatively empty for prime dinner time, and very minimalist chic. The decor had a “fifties” living room vibe - with comfy leather chairs that were so relaxing. We’ve never been to Japan – but it looked exactly how we’d imagine a restaurant in Tokyo to look. We started with the mini Bohemian sliders, which are made with wagyu beef and sauteed onions and served with a side of pickled cauliflower. They were definitely the highlight of  our meal – so juicy and delicious – not at all what we’d expect on the menu of a Japanese restaurant.

We also tried the short rib sashimi, which came with eight small slices. We’ve  had steak tartare before, but we’ve never had anything like this dish;  it was very tender, thinly sliced, raw steak in a marinated sauce  – so good!

And we just had to order the chef’s sashimi bowl, a cold sea bream sashimi served over warm rice. The fish was incredibly fresh and the presentation so different – it almost looked like ice cream with a cherry fruit topping…don’tcha think?

There were several special desserts on the menu for the evening, but after several drinks and our main courses, we were too full to order anything else! All in all, we loved the exclusivity of the place, and how cozy and special  it was to sit and dine there for a few hours.  If you want to impress a friend, date or guest, this is definitely a trip worth taking. Though our one criticism might be someone else’s compliment. As good as it was, we felt it might be too exclusive, since there was hardly anyone else dining while we were there!  So, we’d like to do Bohemian and our readers a favor and…spread the word! Bohemian, 57 Great Jones Street. Contact Harriet Magpie at the top of the page, and we’ll send you the number! Enjoy