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Washoku Cafe
Rating Details »
- Nearest Transit:
-
42nd St-5th Ave-6th Ave (7, B, D, F, V)
33rd St-Park Ave (6)
34th St-6th Ave (B, D, F, V, N, Q, R, W)
- Hours:
Mon-Fri. 7:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.
Sat. 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Price Range:
-
$
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- No
- Delivery:
- Yes
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Good for:
- Lunch
- Alcohol:
- None
12 reviews for Washoku Cafe
i really ought to patronize this place more often. but my office is equidistant between this place and cafe zaiya, so it's a tough choice.
i get the impression that this place is still figuring stuff out; tweaking the selection and readjusting specials, which confuses the customer. i walked in today and apparently they've gotten rid of pre-packed bentos? not sure what they meant or if i heard right.
anyways, they currently offer a $5.99 per pound bento buffet, which is a great deal. they have a many items that you can put into your partitioned bento container: spicy fried chicken, hamburger, deep fried tofu, eggplant, kabocha, macaroni salad, etc. great if you like to try a bit of everything and keep it healthy. you can also get rice for $1.50 extra (confusing details).
definitely will be back for more. this place really deserves more attention from the midtown lunch crowd.
This place is totally hit or miss menu-wise. Luckily- you can learn from my mistakes and eat cheap Japanese food to your heart's content.
MISS- the Oyako Don- the meat is grisly in a way that made it difficult to confirm it was chicken. Gross.
HIT- the Salmon Soba Noodle Soup. I don't even really like salmon, and it sounds weird to put it in soup, but a co-worker insisted I try it, and she was right. This soup is addictive.
Also, it is impossible to spend more than 10 dollars here. Seriously, if you do, you have a problem. Seek help.
I came here to try the Bento Box Buffet Table ($5.99 / lb.) around 12:45 PM, which is about prime lunchtime. The food was scarce sitting on the steam table, looking as if it sat there for a while. Although it did not look the most appetizing, I made it a point to try their buffet table so I wasn't about to back out. Hey!? You never know?
I grabbled a little of everything, so that I could sample their most appealing dishes:
- Tofu with meat and spices, scallions - The tofu was firm, meat tender and flavorful with a small bit of heat. The dish was slightly oily.
- Japanese Style hamburger - If this dish is all the hype that everyone keeps talking about, I wasn't very impressed. Served as mini bite-sized burgers, the beef was cooked well doone, but still moist/tender complimented with a hint of sweetness from the orange sauce topping.
- Eggplant inaka-ni - Served cold. The eggplant was nice and soft, mushes in mouth. Just how I like my eggplant. Yum!
- Sweet and sour chicken - almost like General Tso's chicken but without the sauce, slightly dry as if it were sitting on the counter for a while.
- Spicy chicken - ever so slightly moist. Neglible heat felt on the very top layer of tongue. To the next dish...
- Fried tofu - firm, covered with some jelloey skin. Decent though it tasted like tofu with no other noticeable seasonings/flavors.
- Chicken cutlet - Dry. Seasoned with salt and pepper. Boring.
For $6.26, the food was all served at room temperature (thumbs down) and mediocre at best. Maybe next time I'll try one of their fresh prepared dishes as the steam table was not very appetizing. Unimpressed.
I only came here once for the cheap lunch box specials which were cheap and decent. When you are in a rush to get lunch, it gets the job done. Your stomach is full and your hunger is satisfied with healthy food. Doesn't get any better than that.
However, I came back 4 more times strictly for their dessert; the tea/cake set is a STEAL! Their green tea mouse cake always kills me over as does the Tiramisu.
One thing to uh, watch out for is the cheesy cheese cake. Was a bit too sweet for my Korean t-buds. Hmm..what else is left...Ah, yes, the service is always friendly and professional.
I'm smitten silly with Washoku Cafe~Please visit this place as soon as you read my review. Your t-buds and your girlfriend will love you for it.
IT IS ABOUT TIME that we had some authentic Japanese comfort foods! Don't eat any more of that Yoshinoya crap. This is FAST, it's DELICIOUS, and it's ridiculously CHEAP! Not to mention that they accept credit cards. Their donburi (rice bowl) is $8 and below, the lunch boxes are $4.99, and their food tastes better than any other venue at this value.
They opened up recently in January, and they present to you an inviting Japanese cafe environment with a super friendly staff. Walk in, and you'd be surprised at how clean this place is despite having such affordable meals. Try walking into Oh Taisho and saying that!
I was dying to try their Japanese style hamburger steak after having read about the place in the Chopsticks magazine, but they ran out by the time I got there :\ Japanese style hamburger steak is the type of comfort food that I've been craving for such a while.Now, they need to add in Omu-raisu (omlette rice). They listened to their customers and recently added Curry Rice to their selection. Oh, I forgot to mention, the portions are much larger than the $6 rice bowls you get at Saint's Alp! Go check it out for yourself.
Lunch is THE prime time to eat at this place.
Washoku Cafe is in the right place at the right time, for me, anyway. I'm doing a temp job in this neighborhood and for affordable, good quality Japanese food this place hits the bullseye. And with some 'authentic' Japanese extra's available (as far as I can tell, I'm a Gaijinn)--umeboshi placed on top of a portion of rice for example.
The hot & sour (Japanese style) soup available in the front cashier area is wonderful and cheap too. I hope this place gets high ranking in the cheap eats/Japanese fast-food category in, say, Time Out because for its category, it's just right--with coureous, friendly service to top it off.
Jeez, I love this place. I want to make it our "family place". I've never been in the afternoon, so I've not seen the crowds. But I go at night with the fam sometimes for dinner and I always feel so good. Not just 'cause the food is so delicious and fresh (fresh, fresh, fresh), but the staff is so nice about explaining to a Japanese food novice what's what. Especially since the only Japanese food I've ever had is, uh, sushi. Pretty sad, I know. But with Washoku, I'll finally get beyond the stuck-in-the-mud sushi!
Ive been here plenty of times because I work in the building two doors down and its pretty cheap compared to others. The lunch special is pretty good for 4.99 and they have a good variety of snacks. I've tried the chicken teriyaki lunch special and they give you just about enough to be filled. I never tried their sushi, but i've tried their rice balls and they are my favorite, esp. the tuna and mayonaise. Once before closing time, they ran out and the manager made some for me when I asked. Staff is very helpful and nice. They have homemade desserts and cold noodle salads. They also serve breakfast..so yeah. I feel like these cheap prices wont last long being that they started out...It's an nice place to grab lunch=)
I walked by here so many times and I always almost walk pass it every time. From the outside it looks like a really small place, which doesn't even look like a cafe. At first I always thought it was a japanese gift shop. Inside there's plenty of room to sit. Surprisingly during lunch time this place is pretty quiet, but I guess it's because not too many people know about this place. The staff is really friendly. The sushi looks really fresh, which I have to try next time I go back. I had the Oyako Don (chicken and egg), which was really good. There's also a section of japanese snacks =)
I found out about this place from http://midtownlunch.com and I am so glad that I found a goto Japanese spot for midtown 30's food. This place has probably one of the best Katsu Dons I've had in the city...delicious. They have a pretty good $4.99 lunch special where you get choice of chicken, pork, tofu, japanese hamburger, or spicy chicken with a side of rice/salad & edamame. They also have a some interesting soba salads & cold ramen salads as well. Do get the their awesome miso soup with any combination for $0.75... If you're still hungry they have plenty of variety of japanese snacks, cup of japanese fried chicken, rice balls, cookies, & pastries to fill your hunger. This place is a super value place to have quality Japanese food!
Washoku Cafe is a new concept for the Murray Hill neighborhood. Fresh Japanese cuisine, tossed salads, great rice bowls, sushi made by Japanese sushi chefs, noodles and lots of homemade desserts and ice creams.. Like the other reviewer said, if you are tired of the same thing, try this place. The staff is friendly.. the prices are right.. this week, $4.99 for a rice bowl with chicken and egg. Everything is fresh and authentic. Many of the Japanese places are run by Koreans or Chinese and it isn't the same. This is an authentic establishment... try it and you'll be back.
9 East 37th Street, NY, NY 10017 WASHOKU CAFE (212) 686 2233
When you're tired of the Europas, the Chipotles, and the street carts, a new Japanese deli in Midtown is quite a welcoming sight. It's situated on a quiet street, so without advertisement or word of mouth, it'd be easy to miss this place. But never fear, NYers are always on the lookout for good eats and this place, I'm sure, will have a influx of customers quite soon...that is until the staff can work out the 'new business syndromes', such as getting to know the products' ingredients, prices, function of the floor, and just basic 'soccer-like' collobration. Otherwise, the Japanese staffs are very friendly and willing to help along the way. That said, the front of the deli sell cheap coffee (75 cents!) and some baked goods and homemade ice-cream. The back is where the sushi, bentos, and salad bar are. There's also a food by the pound section that sell authentic Japanese side dishes. Not cheap at $7.00/lb. There's a rather large sitting area and something Cafe Zaiya doesn't have - a restroom! And two of them, one for men and one for women. My compliment to the Japanese's concern with hygiene. For this week, they're running some specials and handing out coupons, but after that, it's probably going to be regular prices. I haven't tried the fish, so can't comment on the freshness, but you can order the sushi on the spot, so you know they weren't sitting around waiting for the bait (your wallet). FYI, the deli is closed on Sunday. So 3 stars for now until they can get the business rolling. Ganbatte kudasai!
