Curry-Ya

I went to Evil Katsu for their pork curry, but it was way overpriced and I was still hungry.

I googled Katsu curry and Curry-Ya popped up. I should've gone here in the first place. Nice traditional Katsu curry in a traditional setting.

Came here for dinner on a Friday evening without a reservation and we were able to sit at the bar.

Pros:
- The Berkshire Pork Katsu Curry and Takoyaki were delicious
- Apps and entrees were served at a great pace
- Calpico and kikusui genshu were really refreshing
- Heated toilet, clean single stall bathroom

Cons:
- None!

You can tell when a Japanese restaurant is serious about their curry when they serve it separately in a gravy boat. It's as if they're saying, "Come look at my luxuriant curry as it must have its own vessel for you to admire." OK, they don't talk like that here. Only characters on "Star Trek" talk like that, the villains without shirts. But I digress.

Jamie W. and I were just coming out of, OK, staggering out of Otto's Shrunken Head where we had a couple of tiki drinks a piece (review: https://bit.ly/3THx5QQ). We were on our way to see a Celine Dion doppelgänger at Asylum NYC (review: https://bit.ly/3f7dtXv) when we realized we should eat something before sailing on the Titanique. We found this funky East Village spot on Yelp. Despite a full staff, it was pretty empty of customers.

No matter to us because we were hungry and ready to roll. We first shared the $9.50 Veggie Gyozas, six dumplings held together by a thin grilled coating of melted cheese and drizzled with sesame oil (photo: https://bit.ly/3fcrXW3). Delicious and gone in a matter of minutes. Jamie must've passed a sobriety test because he ordered wisely with the satisfying $18.95 Vegetable Medley Curry.

It consisted of a melange of corn, green beans, potatoes, butternut squash, and onion accompanied by that gravy boat of goodness (photo: https://bit.ly/3W8whWM). I went full hog and ordered the hearty $22.95 Berkshire Pork Katsu Curry because it was billed as their #1 seller. Who am I to break the streak? It came with its own veggie medley and, of course, a gravy boat of my very own (photo: https://bit.ly/3THdjoO). Near. Far. Wherever you are.

FOOD - 4 stars...tasty curry, a tad pricey but worthy of its own vessel
AMBIANCE - 4 stars...hip spot fitting in the East Village
SERVICE - 4 stars...as attentive as you'd expect
TOTAL - 4 stars...curry in a hurry and good to boot

RELATED - Hungry in NYC? Here's a collection of places I've tried and reviewed: http://bit.ly/2YS9ELs

This is one of my favorite spots for Japanese curry in the city. I stopped in late on a Sunday afternoon, and it wasn't too packed. The server was really nice and we ended up having a pleasant conversation since it wasn't too busy. I had the vegetable baked curry with cheese and pineapple ramune. The space is small and cozy. I'd definitely recommend trying this place.

Honestly, this place is just "OK".

Came here by mistake as my friend and I were heading towards another restaurant but that place seemed closed. Little did we know, it wasn't and it was literally right next door to here. We decided to dine here anyway since we were super hungry.

Staff was absolutely friendly! They were super tentative and stopped by to check if everything was okay every now and then. However, the food was just okay. My dish was fine but it was a tad bit too salty for my taste. As for the rice that came with it, it was still hard. I don't love rice in general but this was an exception since I was starving. Took a few bits and realized it was uncooked and I had to leave it off to the side.

My friend loved their dish. Nothing wrong with their food. Just my luck eh?

Amazing! The pork was super tender, full of flavor, and nice and crispy on the outside. The curry is amazing, sweet, savory, a tiny bit of spice, and rich. I'm really excited to go back and you should be too. Make sure to give this a try if you're a fan of Japanese curry

Finally got to come back and try Curry-Ya's dishes at Rai Rai Ken next door. Unfortunately, the reviews were right, the dish isn't the same as 2015-2016.

The curry is still amazing and probably still my worldwide favourite, but the berkshire tonkatsu lost its x factor. The breading came off every piece, perhaps in part because the katsu is cut into very thin slices. While there is ample fat caps on the loin, it didn't have much flavour and the meat was a bit dry. I'm not sure what was off about the breading - maybe not fresh panko, maybe refried? I'm no chef and have no god tongue.

Over all, if I still lived in the tristate area I'd probably come back - not on a weekly cadence as before, but more like every one or two months. It's a solid dish and maybe could have stayed a 5 if I hadn't had Curry-Ya of old.

It was a happy accident walking into this spot. I went on a Saturday around lunch time and it was very busy but thankfully a table for 2 cleared up right as I walked in. For an appetizer I had the chicken bao buns that came with a spicy Mayo that was supper yummy. For the main entrees I had the curry ramen noodles and chicken katsu curry with rice. The curry noodles were definitely my favorite as the curry was very flavorful especially when paired with a nice cold beer.

This spot is located on the east 10th as many other popular restaurants you've might have seen before. I definitely recommend on a rainy day when you're craving ramen.

Been wanting to try out Curry-ya for the longest time, but I feel like the food was a little average especially for the price point. Although not as expensive as Akibo curry, I feel the Katsu were a little bland. The baked curry was interesting, but nothing to write home about.

Went here as part of a date night with my girlfriend. We were at Temakase, a sushi handroll bar, just before this but we were still hungry. So we decided to come here for some katsu curry.

When we arrived, the indoor dining was full (restaurant is kind of small). And so we waited in the waiting area where there are heaters. We wanted to dine inside but it didn't seem like any tables leaving any time soon. So we told the waitress that we were fine with outdoor dining. I believe there are 3-5 tables for outdoor dining, with 3 of the tables being in an enclosure and are separated from each other. We sat in the middle booth out of these 3.

We ordered and shared a Chicken Katsu Curry and added a potato croquette on the side. They also have their Berkshire Pork Katsu Curry (their specialty dish) which I really wanted to try, but we got chicken instead. The dish comes with katsu, rice, a side of vegetables, and a cup of curry with small bits of potatoes in it.

The katsu was really crispy and the chicken wasn't dry. They probably use some kind of chicken thigh. The curry itself was delicious. If anyone has ever been to Abiko Curry, it's definitely thicker than their curry. The texture and flavor was just right for the katsu. Although the vegetables didn't pair too well with the dish in my opinion, they still tasted good and it gave the dish a nice chaser/refreshing taste before going back into the katsu. The croquette was delicious and I'd recommend adding this every time.

I really only have tried one dish. But it leaves a solid impression. I will probably end up coming here again for their Pork Katsu Curry. Highly recommend this place!