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In a Times Square neighborhood littered with chain restaurants and tourist traps, the small, friendly Hakata Grill stands out for its fresh ingredients and substantial portions. Though they cater to a pre-theatre crowd, there's a sophisticated jazz and folk soundtrack, as soft on the ears as the low lighting is on the eyes. Hakata provides table-only service beneath an undulating ceiling sculpture made of wooden dowels. Copper paneling enlivens one wall, a motif picked up in the copper-covered menus. Japanese standards like sushi and soups predominate. The occasional Pacific Rim element can also be found, like the Hawaiian taro chips slipped beneath chunks of roe-dusted tuna. Other dishes betray a bias for tourist palates: heavily battered striped bass and grilled chicken inundated with teriyaki sauce. More appealing are the large and plump shrimp shumai, and the juicy, scallion-stuffed beef negimaki. Shiso leaves garnish the thick cuts of fish in the sashimi deluxe, served on the deck of a wooden boat. Sushi rolls aren't particularly distinctive, although the spider roll’s tempura is light and not too greasy. Come dessert, that tempura appears in sweeter form, encasing the fried ice cream. Though nothing here is extraordinary, the cooking is capable, and for this part of town you could do a lot worse. — Ethan Wolff

This restaurant is now only open for delivery, takeout, and catering.

Shrimp shumai, $5.75; spider roll, $14; umeo bento, $20; sashimi set, $23