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Don't understand the negative reviews.  I started eating sushi before there were any sushi restaurants in New York (dating myself) while spending time in San Francisco where there was  one of the earliest Japanese communities in the country.  Inase's sushi is as good as almost any I've had anywhere.  The fish is always fresh, and often fairly unique if you ask for something different, and their prices are fair -  I live in Washington Heights and spend over $30 on round trip taxies weekly to eat there; that's how good I think it is.   The owner is the sushi chef and comes from a family of sushi chefs.  A good percentage of their customers are Japanese ( which seems to be the ultimate test) and once I saw Woody Allen and family eating there.  

If a restaurant is hit or miss, it is not a good restaurant. "bad day", "good day"... when going to a good restaurant, the food should be consistently good... orrr it is not a good restaurant! This restaurant is not good. there are many great options on the UES... This one needs to improve the size of the rolls, and the quality of the fish (on a daily basis). I love sushi. I eat sushi 3 times a week, and I know a good roll. This place just doesn't cut it. And the service... not good at all!!

The sushi was not good. there was barely any fish in the roll. It did not taste good. I know good sushi, and this is not it. I have been to nearly every sushi restaurant on the upper east side.

I went there on Saturday with a friend and ordered a few rolls, all of which were delicious! My friend got some sushi, which she wasnt thrilled about. The sashimi definitely looked better. The atmosphere was quaint- not a great first date place, but fine for dinner with friends or family. Lovely service and reasonably priced. I would definitely go back!

Inase is a true gem. The chef here is highly skilled and serves very high quality fish. The variety is also excellent as he gets both local and Japanese fish. Many obscure types to be had here. If you enjoy traditional sushi you will not be disappointed. Inase is a winner and the cooked dishes are good too. Their Sushi lunch special is a bargain considering the quality and variety of the fish. To the poster below who complained about the spicy rolls. True "sushi snobs" don't order spicy rolls as we know that no matter where you are getting them they are just scraps in hot sauce.

In search for a sushi place and with no patience for a long line at Poke, we stumbled upon Inase. Excellent fish! Fresh and reasonably priced. I enjoy the fact that the critic below was judging sushi based on spicy rolls...really? Get pieces of sushi and you won't be sorry. This sushi chef clearly takes pride in his work and it shows. Friendly staff, convenient for upper east siders and as fresh as I have had it in the city.

This place is terrific. My wife and I eat a lot of sushi, sometimes very high-end (we have our favorites for both styles), and were fortunate enough to discover this gem too long after moving to the neighborhood. It's nondescript so we walked by often without trying it and tried Poke (pretty good) and some other terrible "neighborhood" places prior. Inase is run by a Japanese couple who are very gracious and the chef is clearly highly skilled. The food is traditional so if you are ordering spicy rolls (ahem, previous "anonymous" reviewer), then you are definitely ordering the wrong thing. Order by budget: sushi regular for under $20, sushi deluxe for under $40, or omakase for $60 and up (name your price and come hungry). Kitchen dish highlights are egg custard with uni and grilled miso squid; one or both usually come with omakase. The uni is always fantastic and the chef usually includes fresh fish just flown in from Japan. We went to Inase several times a month for about 2 years but moved to Brooklyn and miss our frequent visits. We've been back a few times since and find the trek well worth it. Our hosts greet us with smiles and serve familiar flavors, giving us lots of extra tastings on the house and sharing stories about their family. If you live in the neighborhood, take advantage often.