Otafuku – A Bite of Japan that isn’t Sushi

New Yorkers are at times still too dazzled by sushi and its rice-less companion that they forget that Japanese cuisine isn’t all about immaculate pieces of raw fish. Otafuku is a place where you can add three new dishes to your gourmet repertoire: okonomiyaki, takoyaki, and yakisoba. Take a moment to open your eyes to the rest of Japanese deliciousness.

Always crowded, overflowing onto the streets.

The place is truly a Manhattan shoebox. Three employees clad in their branded t-shirts are typically seen efficiently running the “kitchen”, hovering around the takoyaki molds and grill. The process may be a little slow, but certainly not because they’re not moving fast enough. If they happen to be out of those yummy octopus balls (also available in cheese and plain, but I’d suggest still the one with octopus bits), they’ll make them on the spot, which may require a 5-10 minute wait.

Employees work tirelessly on the grills

Okonomiyaki, a sort of glorified Japanese omelet, is also a nice choice. If you go, definitely order the combo with it for the full experience. Like Ramen, how it’s made is different all over Japan and to be honest I’m not quite sure where this particular recipe is from, though I must say it’s quite good.  For your information, Hiroshima is typically the region people associate with okonomiyaki, but it is loved up and down the four islands. There are four or five “flavors” of okonomiyaki, including beef, shrimp, etc. The combos add up only to about 7-10 dollars, so it should be in your budget to give them all a try at some point.

Simple Menu

Yakisoba falls a bit into the background at this place, seeing as it is a bit more common, but you never know when you’ll be in the mood for fried noodles. Otafuku also offers daifuku (a really really big mochi/ricecake) and dorayaki (a red bean sandwich of sorts, for those of you who know who doraemon is, that’s where he got his name). There is also an impressive assortment of Japanese drinks, a nice supplement to any combo you may get.

The only real draw back to this place is that there are no seats, only a lonely bench in front of the store. However, if you don’t mind looking like a bum, you can eat standing up or find a stoop across the street. For the price, it might just be worth 10 minutes of your dignity.

You're looking at the entire store.

P.S. Ask for the both the sauce and fish flakes, without it, it just isn’t the same.

Yum~~~ now go join the crowd on the sidewalk eating..

P.P.S. Also check out Sobaya across the street for some excellent soba (buckwheat noodles) and Cha-An next door for lovely tea and food parings.

Jessie

Rating:  

236 E 9th St
New York, NY 10003