All-you-can-eat sushi at Cinnabar in Massapequa includes nigiri, like this...

All-you-can-eat sushi at Cinnabar in Massapequa includes nigiri, like this salmon, yellowtail and tuna. Credit: Newsday/Andi Berlin

Fans of Cinnabar, an ambitious Chinese fusion concept, may have gotten a surprising text message this month. "Grand opening, under new management. Sushi, hibachi, Cajun seafood," the message read, alongside a new logo. It also advertised a bargain price: all-you-can-eat sushi for $34.99 a person.

The Massapequa spot opened in 2023 with ties to several high-profile spots in Flushing, Queens. Its partners, which included restaurateur Cathy Ren, redesigned the blockish building on the outskirts of Sunrise Mall (formerly Ginza sushi) to look like the Forbidden City, serving eye-catching dishes like lychee shrimp lollipops in a stately, cavernous space.

The genre-bending restaurant lasted barely a year before the partners pulled out, making way for new owner Owen Chen, who is behind The One Sushi in Amityville. 

The new menu is a large booklet full of approachable sushi standards, minus the shrimp lollipops and elaborate colorful dumplings that made the previous Cinnabar stand out on social media. But there's a silver lining: a separate menu features all-you-can-eat sushi that is substantially higher quality than a typical spot. In fact, it was the best sushi deal I've had not just on Long Island, but in recent memory.

The tuna roll and Dragon roll with eel and avocado...

The tuna roll and Dragon roll with eel and avocado are part of the all-you-can-eat sushi menu at Cinnabar in Massapequa.  Credit: Newsday/Andi Berlin

The $34.99 price includes all the nigiri, rolls and hand rolls you want — plus soups, salads and appetizers. (Kids under 3 feet tall get it for $7.99, and kids under 4½- feet are charged $19.99.) If you want to order the fish sashimi style without the rice, it's $5 extra. The Cajun seafood boil is also extra, although it's hard to imagine why you'd need it. The offerings here are more than enough to satisfy. Although they stick to basic varieties of nigiri, the freshness and presentation are commendable.

Each succulent piece of nigiri is topped with a different condiment, like you'd see at a highbrow omakase restaurant. (For sushi lovers, the nigiri offers the best bang for your buck.) I was able to get through two rounds, enjoying three varieties of tuna, as well as raw scallops, salmon and yellowtail. The hand rolls are also choice, with delicate slivers of fish wrapped in cones of snappy seaweed. But many will go straight for the creative rolls, which include an impressive Dragon Roll of eel topped with perfectly ripe avocado. 

The new Cinnabar is frankly one of the most entertaining and satisfying dining experiences I've had in awhile. The all-you-can-eat price gives more freedom than other sushi spots of similar quality. And when it's over, there are cartons of ice cream for dessert. 

Cinnabar, 45 Carmans Rd., Massapequa, 516-308-4648, cinnabarsushi.com. Open noon to 9:30 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, and noon to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday. 

 
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