Japanese Street Food on the Streets of Manhattan

Otafuku

236 E. 9th St., New York, NY 10003


*** (Worth a visit)

One of my favorite things about writing reviews for restaurants is that in doing so, I find obscure restaurants serving food I’ve never before tasted. Otafuku is one such East Village takeout joint that offers a very limited menu of simple but tasty Japanese street food. 

Slurpy Goodness

Ippudo
65 Fourth Ave., New York, NY 10003

**** (Definite Must)

Okay, so I cheated on this one. Ippudo is not technically a dive—even by my lazy definition of one. It’s more of a semi-fine dining Japanese chain restaurant that specializes in ramen noodles. At least I got the price right. My $ 13 bought me a hearty bowl of steaming noodles drowned in a flavorful Tonkatsu (pork-based) broth with thinly sliced, slow-roasted Berkshire pork, crunchy cabbage, scallions, and sesame oil, and topped with their “special secret sauce” which I guessed was made from garlic oil and red miso paste.