Hadaka in Asbury Park Brings a Boisterous Omakase Experience to the Jersey Shore

Among the trends food forecasters are tracking for 2025 is an increased focus on hospitality and forging connections between restaurants and their customers. Nowhere is this goal more evident than at Hadaka, the intimate, 12-seat omakase restaurant in downtown Asbury Park.

Opened in July, Hadaka is the first to bring omakase to the Jersey Shore. The Japanese word means “I leave it up to you,” which is what diners do when they forego menus and place themselves in the capable hands of Hadaka’s chefs, who craft a sampling of artfully prepared sushi each night. Seated at an L-shaped counter facing the chefs, diners are presented with successive pieces of raw tuna, mackerel, eel, scallops, oysters, and more, topped with everything from salmon roe to truffle dust to uni butter. Most of the fish is flown in from Japan, by Yama Seafood.

New Zealand king salmon with fresh truffle. Photo: Shilpa Iyer

In developing their concept, first-time restaurateurs Gino Ferretti and Eddie Falzarano tapped into Ferretti’s fond experiences taking clients out for omakase when he worked as a Japanese bond trader in New York and London. Though many of those meals were more formally structured, Hadaka is modeled on the fast-omakase concept at places like Sushi by Bou, a popular omakase chain where Hadaka’s head chef, Xida (Sean) Zou, worked for four years, along with two of Hadaka’s other chefs.

Over a 90-minute session—most fast-omakase meals are served in under an hour—Hadaka offers a set 12-piece menu ($85), then offers diners the chance to extend to 18 sushi pieces ($135), an option about three-quarters of their patrons choose, according to Falzarano.

Kumamoto oyster with marinated salmon roe and Japanese Hokkaido uni. Photo: Shilpa Iyer

For the set menu, Hadaka breaks from the usual omakase practice of starting with the lightest bites and progressing to heavier, more complex dishes, opting instead to switch back and forth. Our first dish was a showstopper Kumamoto oyster, a luscious slurp with a pop of salmon roe. Next up was fatty tuna topped with salted egg yolks, followed by a more subtle marinated branzino, then toro tuna in a seaweed wrap.

The sublime Hokkaido sea scallop with golden caviar and lemon zest was perhaps my favorite bite, quickly followed by a spotted prawn topped with uni, pungent sea urchin that’s an acquired taste for some, myself included. On both visits, we opted for the extended menu, and were treated to amberjack topped with truffled mushroom and gold leaf; a rich, creamy monkfish liver; and the one meat offering, buttery Wagyu beef topped with foie gras.

“Throughout the meal, we keep asking customers what they like, because if there’s something they don’t like, we can personalize it and make something different,” says Zou, 34, noting that more than half the diners have never experienced omakase. “I lean toward sweet toppings, while other chefs like spicy or mild.”

Chopped toro handroll with salted cashews. Photo: Shilpa Iyer

In more formal omakase restaurants, the dining experience is subdued, with more observation and less discussion. This is not the case at the red, black and neon-accented Hadaka, where the atmosphere is boisterous, beginning with the opening sake toast, offered by and shared with the chefs, and continuing throughout the meal as the chefs enthusiastically describe the flavor profiles. This is intentional, says Falzarano, who has spent most of his career in the hospitality business.

“The vibe is very different than in New York,” says Falzarano, 41. “Everybody gets friendly here. They talk to the chefs; they talk to each other. They sing and dance. And sometimes they end up leaving together and going somewhere else.” Indeed, by the end of our first visit to Hadaka, our animated discussion with fellow diners continued at a bar around the corner.

Smoked Spanish mackerel with shisho pesto. Photo: Shilpa Iyer

Besides getting to sample the freshest of fish, diners are treated to a memorable bit of theater, from the shaping of the sushi rice to the placement of toppings to the added flourishes, like the blow torch that provides a seared finish on some pieces, or the smoking of the Spanish mackerel in a smoke machine.

Diners are encouraged to participate in the show and are invited to aim the blow torch at the king salmon or lift the smoke dome off the mackerel. When the barbecued eel is presented beside a quail egg in its shell with the top sliced off, diners are challenged to shoot the egg in one gulp. Bottoms up!

[RELATED: Forget Pizza! These Kids Crave Raw Fish from NJ’s Fanciest Sushi Restaurants]

HOW WE REVIEW: Restaurants are chosen for review at the sole discretion of New Jersey Monthly. For our starred fine-dining reviews, our critics visit a restaurant at least twice with a guest, always maintaining anonymity to avoid preferential treatment, and the magazine pays for their meals. Stars are assigned by the dining-section editor in consultation with the reviewer.

Four stars = extraordinary; three stars = excellent; two stars = very good; one star = good; half a star = fair.

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