Three hands-on classes make up the sushi making class NYC scene right now, all in Midtown: a three-hour workshop that reaches nigiri, a two-hour roll class near Penn Station, and a Nikkei class where Peruvian pepper sauces go over the maki. Rice, fish and tools provided in all three.
Updated 2026-09-05
Quick answer
Sushi making classes in New York run $63 to $120 and last 2 to 3 hours, with rice, fish, mats and knives provided. The Midtown workshop is the long one — three hours that reach nigiri and sashimi, not just rolls. The two-hour classes are cheaper and more social: one rolls three classics plus a ponzu you mix yourself, the other teaches Nikkei, the Japanese-Peruvian cooking behind tiradito. All three are beginner-level and the sushi you make is dinner.
Key takeaways
Top Rated — 4.6★, 23 Reviews Best Sushi Making Class NYC — 3-Hour Workshop with a Professional Chef
Join a professional sushi chef in Midtown Manhattan for a deep-dive sushi workshop that covers handrolling technique, Japanese knife skills, and the cultural history behind each dish. You'll finish by sitting down to eat everything you made — a full sushi dinner included.
Three hands-on sushi making classes running in Manhattan — a three-hour workshop that reaches nigiri, a two-hour roll class beside Penn Station, and a Nikkei class that finishes with Peruvian pepper sauces. Every class includes ingredients, bamboo mats and the meal you make.
from $120
Join a professional sushi chef in Midtown Manhattan for a deep-dive sushi workshop that covers handrolling technique, Japanese knife skills, and the cultural history behind each dish. You'll…
from $63
A two-hour, hands-on class in the breakfast room of a Midtown West hotel, two blocks from Penn Station. You season the rice, learn how sushi-grade fish is picked…
from $63
Something different Nikkei is the Japanese-Peruvian kitchen that produced tiradito and Lima's sushi bars. In two hours inside a Midtown South hotel you roll tuna maki and sweet potato maki…
The three classes side by side — price, length, venue and what each one is actually for. Figures come from the booking platform's live listings, checked on 5 September 2026.
| Class | Price | Duration | Book | Venue | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sushi Workshop for Home Chefs | $120 | 3 hrs | Check Availability | 286 5th Ave, Midtown | Nigiri, sashimi, serious learners |
| Hand-Rolled Sushi | $63 | 2 hrs | Check Availability | W 36th St, Midtown West | Cheapest hands-on start |
| Nikkei Sushi | $63 | 2 hrs | Check Availability | W 36th St, Midtown South | Something the others don't teach |
Every sushi making class in NYC covers the same three fundamentals: rice, technique, and presentation. You'll start by preparing sushi rice from scratch — washing, cooking, and seasoning it with rice vinegar until it reaches the exact sticky texture that holds a roll together. It sounds simple, but getting the rice right is the skill that separates good sushi from great sushi, and your chef will walk you through every step.
Once the rice is ready, you'll move on to knife skills — learning how to slice avocado, cucumber, and other fillings cleanly and evenly. The chef will demonstrate the proper hold, angle, and motion before you try it yourself. After that, everything comes together at the bamboo mat: laying the nori, spreading the rice, adding the fillings, rolling, pressing, and slicing. By the end, you'll have made two or more complete rolls and sat down to eat them.
What you roll depends on the class. The two-hour class near Penn Station builds three rolls — a spicy tuna, a traditional veggie maki and a salmon avocado — and has you mix the ponzu they are served with, which is the part most people repeat at home. The Nikkei class swaps one of those for a salmon yuke: a tartare plated with two Peruvian pepper sauces you make from scratch, the Japanese-Peruvian style that Lima's sushi counters run on.
The three-hour Midtown workshop goes further than rolling. It reaches nigiri and sashimi — hand-pressed rice and sliced fish rather than a mat — and spends real time on where the dishes come from; reviewers keep naming the instructor's food-anthropology background as the reason the extra hour is worth it.
| What you make | Ingredients | Which class |
|---|---|---|
| Spicy tuna roll | Nori, seasoned rice, tuna, spicy mayo | Hand-Rolled Sushi ($63) |
| Veggie maki | Nori, rice, vegetables | Hand-Rolled Sushi ($63) |
| Salmon avocado roll | Nori, rice, salmon, avocado | Hand-Rolled Sushi ($63) |
| Tuna & sweet potato maki | Nori, rice, tuna, sweet potato | Nikkei class ($63) |
| Salmon yuke + two Peruvian sauces | Raw salmon, ají-style pepper sauces | Nikkei class ($63) |
| Nigiri and sashimi | Hand-pressed rice, sliced fish | 3-hr workshop ($120) only |
All three classes now run within about fifteen blocks of each other in Midtown. The two-hour classes are hotel-venue classes: Hand-Rolled Sushi sets up in the breakfast room of the Fairfield by Marriott at 338 W 36th Street, two blocks from Penn Station, and the Nikkei class runs inside the Hyatt Place at 52 W 36th Street. They seat up to 26, drinks are sold rather than included, and the Hand-Rolled room is 21+.
The three-hour workshop works out of a kitchen at 286 5th Avenue, sixth floor, near the Empire State Building. It is the structured one — more technique, more context, dinner and soft drinks included, and children from 11 admitted. The trade-off is shared by all three: every booking is final, so pick the date you can actually keep.
| 3-hr workshop | Two-hour classes | |
|---|---|---|
| Venue | Kitchen, 286 5th Ave | Hotel rooms on W 36th St |
| Duration | 3 hours | 2 hours |
| Price | $120 | $63 |
| Seats | Max 20 | Max 26 |
| Drinks | Soft drinks included | Sold at the venue |
| Ages | 11 and up | 21+ (Hand-Rolled); all ages (Nikkei) |
A sushi class holds up as a date because the two of you are doing the same thing at the same station, and dinner is the thing you just made. The two-hour classes suit that best — the $63 roll class is the low-commitment version, and the Nikkei class is the one that gives you something to talk about, since almost nobody arrives knowing what a yuke is.
For groups, both two-hour rooms seat up to 26 and the format does the mingling for you; the three-hour workshop caps at 20 and is the better pick when the group actually wants to learn. As a gift, book a specific date in the recipient's name — but note that every class here is non-refundable, so a booking-platform gift card is the safer package when you are not sure their calendar.
Arrive about fifteen minutes early — all three venues check you in at the entrance, and the hotel rooms want you seated before the chef starts. The two-hour classes sit on W 36th Street: 338 W 36th (Fairfield) is a two-block walk from Penn Station and the A/C/E, and 52 W 36th (Hyatt Place) is a block from Herald Square and the B/D/F/M/N/Q/R/W. The three-hour workshop at 286 5th Avenue is a five-minute walk from 34th St–Herald Square.
Wear something you don't mind getting rice on. Nothing needs bringing — mats, knives, nori and fillings are laid out for you. Come hungry: the sushi you roll is the meal, not a tasting. Flag dietary requirements when you book rather than on the night, and remember that gratuities and, in the two-hour classes, drinks are on top of the ticket.
Every class here runs the same spine, whichever menu you booked. These six steps are what the chef walks you through — by the end you are rolling clean, tight, even pieces.
Rinse short-grain rice, cook it until fluffy, then fold in seasoned vinegar while it is still warm. The target is sticky and glossy, rice that holds its shape without turning to paste.
What sushi-grade means, how tuna and salmon are handled, and how neta — the fillings and toppings — get chosen. Two minutes of theory that changes what you buy afterwards.
Sheet on the mat, rough side up. Wet hands stop the rice sticking to you as you spread a thin, even layer right to the edges.
A neat strip across the lower third — tuna, salmon, avocado, cucumber or sweet potato depending on the class. Less is more; overfilling is the beginner's mistake.
Lift the mat, roll forward with even pressure, tuck the nori edge under as you go, then press to compact. This is the step the chef corrects by hand.
A wet knife, one clean pass per cut, eight pieces from a roll. Plating is taught as its own step in the Nikkei class, where the tartare course is built to be looked at.
All three classes run inside a fifteen-block stretch of Midtown, so the choice is about the class rather than the commute.
All three classes are beginner-friendly. The difference is in format, vibe, and depth — here's how to pick the right one.
The two-hour classes: one station, two people, dinner at the end, $63 each. The Nikkei class gives you the better story to tell.
Both two-hour rooms seat up to 26 and the format does the mingling. The three-hour workshop caps at 20 and suits a group that wants to learn.
The three-hour Midtown workshop is the only class here that reaches nigiri, sashimi and knife work — the deepest dive in the city.
This was a new and fun experience! Had a great time making sushi and learning about Japanese culture. Oliver and Ormondo were so kind and informative. Great for a date and/or meeting new people!
Armando and Oliver were very helpful and friendly, and made sure to assist us with any trouble or questions we had. The class was very fun and informative, and a good way to socialize as well.
Went for a bachelorette party and had a fantastic time. Sandro was a great teacher!!
These are hands-on classes, not demonstrations. Every student rolls their own maki from start to finish — under the chef's guidance, with their own hands.
Nori, seasoned sushi rice, tuna, salmon, avocado, cucumber — everything is laid out when you arrive. Bamboo mats and knives are provided. You bring nothing.
Every class is explicitly designed for complete beginners. Chefs explain each step before you do it, and they walk the room to correct technique. No Japanese cooking background needed.
The class ends with a sit-down meal: the complete sushi feast you just rolled. It's a genuinely satisfying ending — not a few sample bites, but a full dinner you made yourself.
A professional kitchen on 5th Avenue for the deep dive, or a hotel room on W 36th Street for a two-hour evening — the roll class or the Nikkei one.
Unlike a one-off experience, sushi making translates directly to your home kitchen. Most students report attempting rolls at home within a week — the techniques are genuinely learnable in 2–3 hours.
The three-hour workshop and the two two-hour classes teach different things — here is what comes off your mat in each.
The first roll of the night: even rice, a straight filling line, controlled pressure. Everything else builds on it.
Same technique, vegetarian filling — and the roll that exposes rice spread too thick or too thin.
Soft fillings punish an over-tight roll, so this is where shaping gets taught properly. Your own ponzu goes with it.
Two maki built the Japanese way, then finished with Peruvian pepper sauces you make from scratch.
A tartare course rather than a roll: plating is part of the lesson, and it is the dish people photograph.
Hand-pressed rice and sliced fish. The traditional forms, and the reason the workshop runs an hour longer.
No experience is needed for any of the three classes here — all are built for people who have never touched a bamboo mat. The gentlest start is the two-hour roll class: three rolls, one technique at a time, and the chef reaches every station. Nervous anyway? Our walkthrough of your first sushi class, step by step covers exactly what happens from check-in to the final slice.
The $63 roll class teaches a spicy tuna roll, a traditional veggie maki and a salmon avocado roll, plus the ponzu you mix yourself. The Nikkei class makes tuna and sweet potato maki and a salmon yuke tartare, served with two Peruvian pepper sauces. The three-hour Midtown workshop is the only one that reaches nigiri and sashimi.
Every class includes the ingredients, bamboo mats, knives and the meal you make. The three-hour workshop also includes soft drinks and all fees. The two-hour classes include the food but not drinks, which are sold at the venue, and gratuities are on top everywhere. For the full breakdown — tips, drinks and the value math against a restaurant dinner — see our sushi class cost guide.
Yes, if you flag them at booking rather than on the night. The rolls are built around fish and vegetables, so vegetarian swaps are the easiest ask; raw fish is unavoidable in the Nikkei class, where the salmon yuke is served as tartare. Every host asks for dietary notes in the booking form.
No — and this is the one thing to get right before you pay. All three classes are sold as final: no refunds, no date changes after booking. That is the operators' policy on the booking platform, not a promotional rate, so treat the date you pick as the date you are going.
Yes — it is one of the most-booked couple experiences in the city, and both two-hour classes are built for it: one station, two people, dinner at the end. See our full guide to the couples sushi making class in NYC, or our honest take on sushi classes as a date night, including how they compare with omakase and food tours.
The Midtown workshop caps at 20. Both two-hour classes seat up to 26, though bookings are seated as parties and you work with the people you came with. All three are small enough for the chef to correct your grip in real time — the thing that separates a class from a demonstration.
Yes, but pick the date carefully: every class here is non-refundable, so a mis-timed gift booking is money gone. Either book a specific date in the recipient's name once you know their calendar, or buy a booking-platform gift card and let them choose. The two-hour classes are the easy price point at $63. Our gift guide to sushi classes covers presentation ideas and the mistakes to avoid.
All three run in Midtown Manhattan. The three-hour workshop is at 286 5th Ave, 6th floor, near the Empire State Building. The roll class is in the Fairfield by Marriott at 338 W 36th St, two blocks from Penn Station, and the Nikkei class is inside the Hyatt Place at 52 W 36th St, a block from Herald Square.
It depends on the room. The roll class is 21+ — it runs in a hotel bar-service space. The Nikkei class sets no age limit, and the Midtown workshop takes children from 11 with an adult; under-11s are not admitted. Knife work is chef-supervised throughout.
Keep reading
Every guide we've written on picking, booking, and enjoying a sushi class in New York — grouped by where you are in the decision.