Donburi-Ya in Midtown has very little Midtown flair, but that makes it genuine and fun and popular among Japanese ex-pats. The somewhat confusing menu with garish color photos makes ordering a bit random, and prices change depending on the time, or so it seems. (One waitress explained, the "Mid Night" menu is actually the post-dinner, not post-midnight menu, which goes into effect at 11 p.m., but really at 10:40 since that's when the last pre-11 p.m. orders must go in. She explained this at 10:43.)

But being confused is part of the fun, and the place is not expensive. It also has reasonable prices on shochu, which can be distilled from rice but is definitely not sake. Try both, appreciate the difference and let the rest of the city split hairs over malbec versus shiraz. -nytimes.com