Do Japanese kids ever beg their parents for a six-piece takoyaki meal?
I suppose this question begs another: How often do Japanese kids beg their parents?
McChildhood culture aside, Otafuku‘s takoyaki beckon the cravings center of my brain anytime I’m within a few blocks from E. 9th St. At this Japanese take-out counter, these fluffy, golden-brown, spherical griddle cakes are stuffed with springy octopus meat, slathered in a salty/sweet mystery sauce, drizzled lightly with mayo, sprinkled with dried seaweed flakes and topped off with a fistful of super savory katsuobushi.
$8 gets you 6 takoyaki with okonomiyaki (great for an early lunch) or seafood-centric yakisoba (perfect for a post-happy-hour snack). Otafuku offers one hardy bench outside its door for a brief urban picnic; all you really need is a sunny day and an off hour to make this an oishii! meal.
Otafuku
236 E. 9th St.
New York, NY 10003
I went there once and was disappointed! I thought the takoyaki was too doughy, and super salty. But it sounds like that was not your experience at all!
It seems like Otafuku’s an inconsistent place, but also one that draws inconsistent opinions. I go there every couple months, and haven’t had a bad turn (not super salty, though I could see how one could see the takoyaki as doughy).
Esther, where else can we score takoyaki in NYC? It wouldn’t hurt me to have more points of reference :)