Kimura is the kind of place that is disorienting in the best way. You step in and you forget what city you’re in, because it doesn’t matter. What matters is that you are here. It feels immersively Japanese, but that’s not the point. The point is that you’re in for a solid, comforting meal that feels simultaneously classic and vibey drawing a cool kid crowd to mingle with the regulars. Not too shabby for a restaurant that’s been around since the 80s.

Kimura specializes in hot pot, with a selection that ranges from classic nabes to sukiyaki to shabu shabu on a menu supplemented by grilled snacks, sushi and other izakaya style bites. We love a place that leans in on a niche and does it well. Like many lower Manhattan restaurants, the space is intimate, but the restaurant is best experienced in a group (ok maybe a small group), after dark, with plates and pots to share. Nothing like a steaming pot of soup to bring people together.