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Astor Place (6)
8th St-Broadway (R, W)
3rd Ave-14th St (L)
"I adore this place! I went last night for the Wednesday night deal ($25 for a flight of sushi + appetizers). First off, you get an amazing…" read more »
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This is pretty much the best place to go for yakitori if you are hungry late at night in St. Marks!
Never go on the weekends...unless you are masochistic and like putting yourself through an hour and a half of hunger till your stomach juices burn away your mucosal walls...yeah it's that's bad!
Kudos to the Kirin and Sapporo drafts and quick service! It's a small place, so expect to be squished, but think of it as being hugged by Taisho :)
I've been to Yakitori Taisho several times already, and it seems I am less impressed by the food with each visit. I went there again last night with my little sister. I had considered taking her to another restaurant at St. Mark's Place since, out of all the Japanese restaurants there, I've only been to Yakitori Taisho, and I wanted to try another place. But she is visiting NYC and I did not want to risk taking her to a restaurant that I am unsure about, in case the food turns out to be bad. We arrived at the restaurant at about 6:30 pm, and it was already crowded, but there wasn't yet a line. We lucked out because two people sitting at the bar had just left when we arrived, and we were seated right away. Sitting at a table was probably better, but all the tables were full at the time.
Looking at their colourful and picture-filled menu, I am never sure what to order aside from a plate of their skewered meat. But for the skewers, we ordered Set A, which consists of two skewers of each of the following: chicken, chicken skin, chicken gizzard, chicken meat ball, and pork. It probably took us another ten minutes to pick other dishes, but I finally decided to order the Unatama Don and my sister chose the Nasubara.
Though there was hardly any table space for our food, it was cool watching the busy cooks make food for the customers. I was, however, stuck somewhere between thinking it was hilarious and thinking it was gross that one of the cooks was sweating profusely. As always, I thought the best things about the restaurant were the Japanese hipster waitresses, and that goes double for the hostess with the dreadlocks and the two-foot tall Erykah Badu headwrap.
The Unatama Don came first, then the Nasubara was served. I wasn't sure where the plate of skewers would go at this point because there really wasn't enough table space at the tiny bar. But when the dish came, the waitress put it on the serving part of the bar instead of the table part of the bar. I should have known that the professionals would know how to best utilise the small spaces in this restaurant! The Unatama Don is a bowl of rice with scrampled egg and eel, flavoured with soy sauce. I think without the soy sauce, the ingredients might not have came together very well, but the soy sauce really brought the ingredients together. The rice was smooth and flavourful. The Nasubara is a dish of sauteed pork with eggplant, served with a bit of dried pork shreds on top. Admittedly, while this dish was not bad, it was also forgettable. Lastly came the skewers. They were all pretty good. I especially liked the chicken gizzard, but the pork was a bit too salty though. As it may be expected, the chicken skin and the pork were both very fatty; I don't think I can eat food like that very often.
The last time I was in Tokyo, I was eight years old. But a friend of mine who had recently been to Tokyo has told me that Yakitori Taisho is very close to the kinds of restaurants you can find in Tokyo. I have a feeling that the other restaurants at St. Mark's Place would probably have the same atmosphere. I think I'm definitely going to try another restaurant next time I'm in the neighbourhood.
I ate here each of my last trips to NY back in '06. Based on most of the recent reviews I skimmed, sounds like not much has changed.
I don't know if we just ordered the right things or what, but it was the best yakitori I had ever had up until that point. Inside it's small, cramped, and hot...just as it should be! Even to this day, I've tried yakitori at several places during my travels in the NW, Cali, and Vancouver B.C., but each time I leave disappointed. Nothing has come close to this place.
It will be on the itinerary or the next eventual visit to NY, no doubt.
Yelpers, you disappointed me...
This place is seriously overrated, just a whole lot of nothing going on.
Gotta hand it to the owners though.
Take some meat and veggies, cut it up, stick em on skewers, and VOILA! There's a line out the door. They're geniuses..
The yakitori is awful The okonomiyaki was the worst I've tasted in my lifetime. It was super thick and doughy, hard on the outside, and just drenched with mayo and a soy glaze. After two bites, we asked the server to take it back.
Seeing the line, we gladly gave up our seats and left as soon as we could. If you want a 5* yakitori dining experience, I'd highly suggest a trip to LA and visiting Shin Sen Gumi.
Sorry Taisho!
We love Yakitori, and desperately miss our many nights at the counter at Katsu's in Singapore. So, we were very excited when we found Taisho's
Too bad the food was awful! The dried, burnt, tough little pieces of leather served barely passed as meat. For the first time in my life we walked away from yakitori left on my plate... It was that bad.
The selection of sake was pretty limited and the cabbage snack served was:
a) not free, unlike almost every other yakitori restaurant in Japan and around the world.
b) limp and cut into small pieces, not big fresh, cold leafs.
c) without the tasty brown sauce for which the cabbage is really just an organic spoon.
We asked for the brown cabbage sauce and they brought us a small dish of soya sauce!
#fail !
Is iy possible that there really is no amazing Yakitori in this city!?!
super great atmosphere with tasty food! just that the place is too tight that I can breath sometimes!
I came here over the summer for my birthday, and yes this is my first Japanese spot that I had yakitori.. the food and company was good, but the only bad point, was that my friends was sitting near the door, so our feet was exposed to the elements, it was raining, and let' s just say that mosquito's feasted on our legs that night.
This place was decent. The ramen noodles were actually fantastic. The broth and other items in the ramen were not spectacular. The pork was a little gamey tasting, and I missed having an egg in my soup! All things considered, I would go back if craving ramen, but I'll probably try all the other ramen places in NYC before I do decide to return here, so I may find better...
Yakitori Taisho is amazing this was one my first taste of real food moving from a small town in the midwest. Everything here is great, the people, the enviroment, the everything. If your a tourist this is definitive new yorker / east village experiance japanese style.
The food.
I consider this place one of the best because everything is moderately priced. You could try everything on the menu i bet for under $200 with a drink or two. Just try everything, anything. It opens your palate up to the japanese food culture quick. Now you can go to almost any japanese resturant and have some sort of idea of what's going on with the menu.
Groups.
Best place for groups. Pitchers of beer and tokkuris of sake. Large plates of food and cheap prices. Open late! No need to say more.
Wait time.
Worth the wait.
Enjoy it.
Proprietor/Chef: Ben & Ken Lau
This place fucking rocks for izakaya.... you can find various small tapas plates and eat to your heart's content. All dishes for the most part can be found for under $10. For very little, you can eat like a champ. Be creative as there are a ton of variety dishes you can choose from, from yakitori skewers (over 20 kinds), rice balls, sushi, ramen, udon, okonomi-yaki pancake, one of my personal faves, mentai fries with spicy mayo cod roe dip.. it's not really spicy, but it's absolutely delicious.
For all locals, tourists, minds alike, this place is a definite MUST in the fun heart of St. Marks. All major credit cards accepted and only open for dinner and late nights only. It's a tiny hole in the wall, but the food speaks for itself. Go ape shit!
This place is always packed and line is out the door most nights. However, I really enjoy the vibe here and it just feels more authentic than other Yakitori places.
We got a lot of skewers, grilled sushi triangle, sweet & sour pork don and everything tastes yummy! (especially the bacon wrapped scallop and asparagus).
The price is unbeatable too. I think each person is about $15 and you would walk out feeling satisfied.
Up in NYC for a conference in Midtown, I decided to duck out of the tourist trap headquarters in the theater district and I headed down to the East Village to check out Yakitori Taisho with my coworkers. Great find, thanks to yelp, of course!
The yakitori concept itself is great, sets of small skewers that can be shared allowed for all of us to try a whole variety of items. Marry that concept with a few pitchers of japanese beer and life is grand. Everything we ordered was flavorful, but the total experience was great: lots of energy in the place, loved sitting at the bar and seeing the chefs cook the skewers on the narrow grill, and the service was attentive given the crowds that started to build up. My recommendation is to go early if you can to get yourself a seat.
Since my last visit to Yakitori Taisho, I've become a more strict vegetarian and I will say that the vegetarian selections there are light compared to the number of meat selections, but they are plenty tasty. Might not be enough to build up a meal, but definitely satisfying enough for a pre-dinner drink and appetizer.
I love Yelp and all you wonderful Yelpers! Not only do you help me find delicious eateries but you also help me find lost friends. Allow me to elaborate:
My bf and I had plans to meet up one of my girlfriends here for dinner. And it just so happened that her cell phone died right before she left for work to meet us up. She emailed me right before she left the office in Brooklyn to let me know her ETA. So 30 minutes later, bf and I are waiting at the restaurant and no friend. An hour later and still no friend. Hmmmmmmm. And no way to contact her... did she get kidnapped? OMG did she get attacked by BNTs on her way back into Manhattan?!?! Friend or no friend, we were starving so we got a table and ordered food. All the while, I was still worried sick about my friend (it's not like her to leave you out in the cold). What happened to her, you ask? Well, I owe it all to my fellow Yelpers. Like a bolt of lightning, it suddenly struck me that a few reviews about this restaurant mentioned another Yakitori place two doors down. Possessed by this revelation, I hypnotically got up from the table and followed the light at the end of the tunnel. As I stood outside the restaurant looking in, like a creepy food voyeur, I saw the profile of my friend sitting at the counter all by her lonesome self. She was waiting for us for over an hour and finally decided to eat dinner without us. Damn you Yakitori Taisho and your evil twin! And that is why they are missing the fifth star.
Now on to the food review -
2 stars - just for the chicken meatball. It's that good.
1 star - grilled chicken skin (that's right, I said it!), pork belly, gizzards (if you're an adventurous eater), kimchi noodles and some other stuff that I can't remember what they're called because we usually have about 3 pitchers of beer and sake with our meal.
1 star - because they don't yell at you THAT much like some other Asian restaurants.
I've never had Yakitori from any other place before but this is A-OK in my books. Great atmosphere if you're looking for something very low maintenance, boisterous and affordable!
P.S. Sometimes my bf and I like to pretend we're 21 again and do sake bombs. This is "frowned upon" at this establishment but if you're a sake bomb ninja like we are, anything is possible!
Dear Yakitori Taisho,
Hey, how are you? Just dropping you a note to say I had a great time on Friday night. It was lovely visiting with you again. Safe to say, it gets better with every time. In fact...
I think I love you, Yakitori Taisho.
Really.
You can just say "thanks" in return and I'll still come back for more.
Guilty of being mildly obsessed with this place. My friends and I go often. Pretty much any chance… Read more »
From Yakitori to Decibel
From Decibel to Yakitori
2 different nights, 2 non related friends. I didn't know the plans and both bring me to the same places.. ?? how could I forget Yakitori after this?
Anyways, you don't need this funny coincidence to remember Yaki. About Yakitori I keep an idea on my mind: very relaxing, very casual; a summer BBQ with friends in a backyard but in St Marks and indoor. Is not that the food is amazing as well as the service as well as the ambiance. For me, this is like a place for a spontaneous dinner, late or early night because dinner is not like the most important thing that night, or because you didn't get dinner on time or you are just hungry any time. I like the tables in the back but I clearly love to seat in the bar area, watching the guys making the food. They are busy and so you have to decide what to order quickly. They are nice but they will pressure you; I didn't consider this rude, it match with the place.
The Yakitori is good enough and so many to choose; including the animal parts that you never consider to eat; my first Chicken Skin Yakitori, crispy and very tasty. The miso soup is a regular soup, always comforting; the rice balls have a crispy outside as well, softy inside, and are huge. The wasabi octopus was really good and I loved the Hodge Podge Unagi Tofu (eel, tofu, egg in special sauce); semi-sweet flavor and eel that literally melted in your mouth.
I'll definitely come back in a context where "I just want to eat something good, cheap and without any preparation" . Next time I don't think I have a 3rd surprise Decibel-Yakitori, Yakitori -Decibel night with another friend... well, you never know, tho.
Fun place! I have a sentimental attachment to this place though now the quality of the food has fallen abit.
Still yummy Japanese style skewers! I really like the chicken yakitori with chicken skin yakitori also. The steiners of Calpico are mixed strong. The bustling NYU undergrad infested atmosphere makes it a fun if crowded izakaya to grab a bite.
One of my favorites in NYC!
Good taste, vibe and prices. Reminds me of Japan. I got the '3 skewers + noodles' dish.
I can never get enough of this place. As authentic Japanese as you can find in New York. Go here if you want to try some decadent food and expand your flavor palette. Forget the minimalism you're used to with Sushi; this place epitomizes the adventurous, over-the-top-flavor side of Japanese cooking.
The main categories of food their carry are yakitori (skewers/kebobs), ramen, bento-style boxes, and interesting protein dishes (many fried).
The menu can be overwhelming, so on your first visit I recommend getting a bunch of yakitori that sounds appealing. Of particular note are the Chicken Meatball, Pork, and Scallion. If you're adventurous, try some of the wild combinations like Bacon-Scallop. I personally can't stomach others, like the chewey Chicken Gizzard.
The ramen is just what you'd imagine. Good.
The dishes are where this place really shines. You've gotta love the Seaweed Salad, Spicy Tuna Tartare, Saikora Steak, and Baba Kimchi.
But for those of you willing to be risky, I recommend two dishes that never fail to impress: Mentai Potato and ... I can't spell this right... Chikwa Cheese?
The Mentai Potato is some badass home-style french fries with a mayonaise & fish egg dipping sauce. Just try it.
The Chikwa Cheese is deep-fried fish cakes, filled with melted cheese. Oh, and a mayo dipping sauce, too. Naturally.
Anyway, you have to try this place. Go and order some ridiculous dishes and see what happens.
I did mention the pitchers of Sapporo and sake bombs, right?
Note: Don't confuse this place with Oh! Taisho! which is a few doors down. Same owners, very similar food, but Yakitori Taisho is a step up.
I simply love this place. The atmosphere, the friendly staff, the cheap Japanese beer, the food. At the start of my cousin and I's "get trashed" night, we came here. After a couple pitchers, we left to meet up with friends. Later on that night, we returned. this time to grab some food...and maybe one more pitcher. I got a bowl of taisho don. I love, love, love donburi. I don't 100% remember what the taisho don had, but everything was great except the kimchi I'm pretty sure I detected. I'm still trying to like kimchi, but it still turns me away.. We were also seated at the same exactly place we were at the start of the night. This was a good thing, I liked where we sat at the bar.
I'm hooked. I need to go back again soon.
I'm not here to rave about the yakitori... I know... what good am I then... but I actually like many of the other things on their menu other than the yakitori.
I think their yakitori is decent. Not out of this world, but ok. My favorite dish there is their Unagi Tofu. OUT OF THIS WORLD! I love tofu, eel, and eggs, and this dish combines all three (I'll just overlook the scallions)! I also like their grilled Onigiri, particularly the salmon and the plum, although sometimes you have to dig through the pile of rice to find the hidden jem within. The Ika Yaki is delicious (well quality fluctuates a little, but generally it's quite good), and their kimchee dishes are not bad. Their Takoyaki is ok, but I do NOT recommend their Okonomiyaki. Maybe I'm just picky, but I think their okonomiyaki just has too much mayo. I'm generally not a mayo hater, but too much of it makes me feel unhealthy (eh), so I've learned to avoid this dish. Most of their other dishes (with no mayo - for some reason they really like to douse things in mayo when it's present) are decent. It's a pretty good combination of Japanese street food.
Service is passable. It's a Japanese place, but it's also really busy with relatively few servers. I don't expect stellar service. I've never had a problem there, except when they misunderstand me... but that's a typical NYC story.
Space is rather (ok extremely) crammed. There are hanger on the wall for jackets so please be sure to get them out of the way so they don't get trampled on or food spilled on them.
Where does one go for a panoply of protein? Why, Yakitori Taisho! We had walked by several different restaurants on St. Marks Place, but none had the impressive array of Taisho. Their menu is dizzyingly extensive.
For appetizers, we started with kim chee (nice flavor, but not crunch at all!), seared tuna skewers (eh), and sauteed vegetables (very delicious!).
My friend and I ordered the 10 skewer party platter --
2 of each:
1) shrimp
2) beef
3) chicken teriyaki
4) chicken meatballs
5) scallions
I pretty much liked all of them, but it was a bit greasy. The skewers are served on top of raw, crunchy cabbage. That makes up for the extra oil, I suppose.
This entire meal cost less than $30! What a bargain
Why is there always a line out the door? Becaus.e it's cheap? or is the food is good? I can tell you that the food is definitely below mediocre. It is a joke to even say that this place has decent yakitori. The chicken they use is bad quality, even Perdue chicken is better. Yes they are moderately priced, but I rather pay that extra money to eat at a real yakitori joint. As a Japanese person, I am ashamed that someone would even open a restaurant with horrendous quality food. That said, I don't want to sound like a hypocrite, but I do come here on occasion because my friends like going to this place and I just don't have the heart to tell them this place sucks.
So so... I just wasn't impressed with their yakitori. It seemed like the yakitori was precooked and they just slightly heated it up. We tried the chicken, chicken gizzard, and some other chicken stuff but not a big fan. I'll have to try this place after a night of drinking.
I did like the okomiyaki (sp?) japanese pancake... except it was a bit on the thick side.
Not sure of this place.. maybe I'll give it one more chance.
it was O-KAYeee...I felt like we were intruding on someone else's party...except the "someone else's" were the workers ( i.e. cooks and servers) and their friends that were sitting at the bar (unfortunately, we were also sitting at the bar). Once the workers' friends started showing up, the service went to shit.
i've had better yakitori in LA.
Always a wait at this little hole in the wall, but the yakitori is sooo good! A must stop place if you're in the St. Marks area.
- B Set Skewers: yummy assortment of skewers
- Kimchi Udon: delicious and not too spicy, noodles are good
- Bacon Wrapped Skewer: good if you like bacon
- Chicken Skin Skewer: yummy even though i usually don't like the skin part
It's a small place with wooden tables and chairs. Not ideal for large groups. Service is usually fast and efficient. Lots of NYU kids and be prepared to wait on weekend nights.
I came here with a large group so they brought us through the restaurant into the back which housed more tables. We had 12 people and were a bit cramped. Service was slow and they didn't even fill our waters. Gratuity is normally 18% for large groups but Yakitori Taisho decided to tack on 20% instead. If I had not pointed out this to my group, we would have ended up tipping them almost 40% for $175.
Some of the food was good. I recommend the unagi roll and the chicken skin skewer. Beware the chicken skin skewer though, those chickens must have been FAT cause the layer of fat was ridiculous. At $1.50 to $2.50 per skewer isn't all that bad. Their menu is very broad so there is plenty of choices for everyone.
Tip: If you have a large group, try to get there before 6:45 to avoid a wait.
Same review as "Oh! Taisho".
~Setting~
This tiny cramped hole in the wall that must have violated at least 30 fire hazard, safety, and sanitation codes lives at the heart of St.Marks's . The tables are way too small for the amount of people they try to stuff, party of four? They have a tall coffee table just for you. During the summer it get really stuffy, cramp, and hot in the back.
~Food~
A friend once told me "Even a village idiot can't mess up yakitori; it's just meat on sticks." He was right. Although, this place was rundown,crazy hot, and busy it still was able to provide decent grilled food. The price is much cheaper than other kushiyaki places but you get what you pay for. For instance the bacon asparagus at Yakitori Taisho has a lot of fat while going to Soba Totto you get less fatty, meaty bacon slice.
~Service~
One should not expect good service when coming to St. Marks, and this is exactly the same mentality you need for this place. It takes about 15 minutes after seating to get your drink orders in another 10 to get the drinks and another 5 to get someone to finally take your food order. Need another round of something? Don't hold your breath.
~Conclusion~
If you're on a budget, want yakitori, and ok with waiting then come here. If you're able to afford more, I highly recommend another kushiyaki place like Soba Totto or Yakitori Torys, they have better service, ambiance, and food.
There is nothing so special about their food.
It was funny when I asked a waitress there which yakitori she recommends... although she had 3 suggestions none of them were yakitori (chicken).
I chose this restaurant because everyone has been saying how its cheap and good. I don't think it is cheap nor good!
I've wanted to come here on a few other occassions but the lines were always insanely long. Last night (Tuesday night around 8pm) we finally got a break and got a table right away. They tried to squeeze the three of us into a two-person table, even though the table next to us was empty and remained empty for the next 20 minutes. It was very uncomfortable because I had to sit on the bench with my other friend and i felt like half my body was invading the table next to us (I'm a tiny girl). Not to mention we didn't have any room to put our jackets/bags. Also, there seemed to be no a/c or any ventilation so I was sweating for a good 5-10 minutes before my body temperature cooled down.
So then we ordered A Set Skewers to share (chicken, chicken gizzards, chicken skin, chicken meatballs, etc). Cost: $13.50 for 10 skewers. We also got octopus balls to share as well, they were like $5.75 for 6. For myself, I ordered pan-fried glass noodles - $7.50
Skewers: Everything was really burnt and the flavor was not impactful. You can honestly get way better skewers from the street carts (like the ones in Flushing for $1). I would have to say the best one was the chicken skin (minus the burnt part), it has a very surprising taste. My least favorite would be the chicken meatballs - not very appetizing. The texture was not what I expected and it was dry. And flavorless.
Octopus balls: this one was decent. i imagined there to be more octopus meat though.
Clear noodles: It wasn't terrible, but it was nothing special either. Regular clear noodles with a few slices of pork and onions. Really something you can buy for like $4 at a Korean place. I wasn't too impressed.
Overall - I don't see what the big hype over this place is. The food was average, the place was small and cramped and it is really not that cheap...
This place is all kinds of awesome. The last time I was here, I definitely went a little overboard ordering: chicken skin, fish balls, grilled garlic, squid legs, noodles and Okonomiyaki (it's like a giant meat pancake with just about everything but the kitchen sink thrown in and topped with Japanese mayo...and its freakin' amazing!). And that was for two people!
I love St. Mark's because you never know what you're going to get: tatted up freaky-freaky's; NYU kids eating 99 cent pizza and singing karaoke; members of Local 13-whatever stumbling out of that pub on the South side of the street (you know the place I'm talking about!) or people looking for yakitori. I fall into the latter, because I've never met something skewered and grilled that I didn't want to eat.
I will not rest until I've ordered every possible grillable foodstuff they've got. I'll probably be done around 2012.
First off a glass of Coke is $5.75 + tax. Its a huge mug, but still...
I loved the Rock Shrimp w/ sweet and spicy mustard and some of the skewers were tasty(we got the sampler "party tray"). The pumpkin tempura was odd sounding but so delicious. Don't be shy and give it a try. It tasted much like sweet potatoes. I will say the service was slow and far in between. Over all I loved the food, but the service was lacking and the fact that a coke costs $5.75 just makes it lose a star automatically.
Yakitori is a great example of function over form. Its cramped, dingy, and freakin' delicious.
St. Marks is it's own little foodie mecca and Yakitori rules it Japanese style, with a samurai sword and a gloved backhand. I don't even like the concept of Yakitori (tiny street-food sticks) because I like to gnaw my meat off the bone whenever possible (preferably still attached to the animal, screaming), but the other items on their menu are just drool-worthy. Who knew fries and dipping sauce could be the object of my gastrointestinal desires?
Prices go from $3 to $20, I suggest you share family style. Expect about $20-25 per person all said and done. Bring something (read: mother-in-law) to stuff under the table if it wiggles.
Authentic and delicious food. As it is called Yakitori Taisho, you definitely have to try the yakitori. They also have nice okonomiyaki as well. Though for hungry students, this place will cost you a lot to fill you up, as it is an izakaya, not a restaurant
P.S. Ohtaisho and Yakitori Taisho are probably the brother restaurants with the same menu, but you will find more room at Ohtaisho
I'm visiting New York for a week and this is the first place my sister took me, since she doesn't live too far from East Village.
I've heard of this place, too. My friends told me they were pretty good.
My sister and I ordered skewered Chicken Skin, Chicken Meatballs, Chicken Chunks, Smelt, Beef Tongue, Green Bell Pepper, Shitake Mushrooms, and Scallions. We also ordered Miso Soup with Tofu, Fried Chicken, and Salmon Ochazuke.
The general consensus was that the skewered foods we ordered should've been on the grill a bit longer. Not that they were undercooked, but both my sister and I wish they would've charred the meats a bit more. For example, the Chicken Skins was good, but if they were more charred they wouldn't have been so greasy, instead the skins would be criiiiiispy. Same thing for the Chicken Meatballs, I wish the balls had a nice crust on the outside from the wood fire grill.
The beef tongues were just ok, too. They sliced the tongue pretty thick, which was a bit hard to chew. However I thought they were at least properly cooked. The Smelts were good, but not extraordinary, and again they had the problem of not charring the meat.The veggies were good, but again it's very hard to fuck up mushrooms, bell peppers, and scallions. Also, the sauce that came with the skewers was on the sweeter side, a bit too sweet for me.
In terms of the other dishes. The Miso Soup with Tofu was mediocre. The Salmon Ochazuke was actually not so great at all. The salmon tasted pretty fishy and I wish it had more broth (there was a lot of rice in the bowl with not enough soup in my opinion). The fried chicken was great though. Crispy skin, tender meat, and they were HOT. Pipin' hot, which was what I wanted.
I've already been here twice in the past week. Great place to go with a few friends for some drinks, tasty food, and good times.
None of the items are real culinary breakthroughs, but they're not really intended to be. The restaurant essentially takes Japanese street food and does it really, really well.
The spicy tuna tartar is refreshing, the Japanese pancake is filling, and the fried oyster in garlic lemon butter sauce is addictively good. The same can be said about the deep fried shrimp in the mustard sauce, and one can have a field day ordering all of the assorted yakitori, as each range from $1.50 for something like chicken balls to $3 for something like bacon wrapped scallops.
Definitely a place everyone in NY should check out.
Food: This place would have easily gotten a 5 star rating a few years back. Comparing then to now, the quality of the food dropped. The yakitori occasionally comes out cool/warm instead of hot. Probably too many customers waiting to be seated that they rush things up front. The salmon and spicy cod roe rice balls hardly contains any ingredients, 97% rice. The kimchi yaki udon is far too salty and consistently has two pieces of beef. Forget about the grilled squid, too tough and un-chewable. All these are recent developments.
There are still a few reliable dishes. The mentai fries with mayo/cod roe sauce is still addictive. Fries fried well and lots of cod roe in the mayo, however the portion got alot smaller (use to come in a bucket, now a tray). The fried chicken is still good too. I guess the overall quality of fried foods didn't change over time.
Never liked the okonomi yaki, too thick. Wish it was thinner, but that is personal preference, flavor is good though.
Drink: Great environment to slam back some Japanese beer (Asahi, Kirin) or sake. Sake selection is pretty weak, but after a few pitchers of beer just order the cheapest one, would be a waste to order a good one by then anyway. The cocktails are horrible, basically juice, stay away!
Service: Big drop off in this department, likely due to the popularity of the place. Remember sitting here till whenever we felt like. If you don't order now, get prepared to get kicked out. If you order slowly and drag out the night, prepared to get dirty looks.
Crowd/Ambiance: Love the feel of this place. Packed as hell, can't walk in or out without offending everyone on line. Everything from the exposed bricks, grill up front, to the cramped stool seating adds to the intimate and festive feel of the place. Results in drinking way too much. Expect to spend hours waiting for a seat Fri/Sat night.
I lived in Japan for a year, and my favorite place to snack there was a little outdoor yakitori stand. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the yakitori here is almost the same. I'm especially fond of the pork, and the asparagus and bacon. When ordering a cocktail, be aware that large means really large!
I'm not in love with the wait time and the space, but it definitely satisfies my yakitori craving since I can't run back to Japan whenever I want. I'd recommend this place for those who are interested in authentic Japanese food and don't mind a little crowding. Overall a fun and energetic atmosphere.
I love izakaya food - Japanese tapas. After trying a few things during a few visits, I have determined that there are a few staples that are required to be ordered each visit: rock shrimp and pork spare ribs. soo juicy and tender and sweet. yummmm
I also like that its so cheap but you can order and explore so many different dishes!
Alas, it doesn't get 5 stars b/c I honestly think Furaibo in LA is better. But for now, Taisho will satiate my cravings.
yum yum!
The hotate bacon won me the hell over!!!
I really liked this place in terms of the food and the establishment. Yes, it's tight but it's really cozy. These small cozy places are what makes NYC so great and interesting, and when it's accompanied by good food what more could you want.
The only thing I didn't like about taisho was that they don't marinade the meat. They grill it first then dip it in the sauce. I don't have a problem with it but I just think it would be better if they marinaded it first so that you could really taste the flavor in the meat. Regardless...I loved this place =) Oh man did I mention how much I loooooveed the hotate bacon! I loooove hotate (scallop) and I loooove bacon!!!
I can't wait to go back!!!
Happy Hour!
Neighborhood: Lower East Side
now serving on sundays!
Neighborhood: East Village
Neighborhood: East Village
Category: Japanese
Neighborhood: East Village
Category: Japanese
Neighborhood: Theater District
Category: Japanese
Neighborhood: East Village
Category: Japanese
Neighborhood: East Village
Category: Japanese
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