Pricing: Cheap
Venue: Take Out
Cuisine: Japanese Snack Food
Favorite Dish(es): Okonomiyaki ($6), Takoyaki ($5)

This is real Japanese street food. This tiny food stand on the original Japantown (9th St), nestled between the Cloister Cafe’s outdoor areas, serves two drunkfood faves.

1) Okonomiyaki (oh-ko-no-mee-yah-kee) – a battered pancake made with veggies and protein of your choice, either squid, chicken, or beef.

2) Takoyaki (tah-ko-yah-kee) – small round balls using the same batter with bits of octopus, commonly referred to as “octopus balls”, although they are not actual octopus testicles (sorry Andrew Zimmern, keep lookin!).

Both are topped with healthy squeezings of Japanese sweet mayo (Kewpie) and a sweet and tangy dark sauce that is similar to tonkatsu or plum sauce, and then covered in bonito flakes, which are sweet, dried, smoky fish flakes. Notice the sweet theme. They’re made hot, fresh to order, and are perfect as a mid-day anti-starvation treat while wandering the St Marks area, or even better as a hold-me-over till the next bar mini-meal. Either way, totally worth the 5 minute wait, and if there’s a long line, hold out and come back later.

Don't fear the fish flakes! Takoyaki Octopus Balls waiting underneath...

Pricing: Cheap
Venue: Take-Out
Cuisine: American, Italian (Pizza)
Favorite Dish(es): Margarita Slice ($3.50)

Artichoke Pizza is a fairly recent newcomer to the NY gourmet pizza scene.  They offer two signature pizzas that you won’t find anywhere else – Artichoke (of course) and, of all things, Crab.  But for our first visit, we opted for the traditional Margarita slice: mozzarella, fresh basil, and fresh tomato sauce. One word describes this pizza that makes it stand out from the rest of NYC’s many gourmet slices – “CRISPY.” This crust is super crispy, almost cracker-like and crunchy like melba toast, with very little bending or doughiness. It’s not the kind of pizza you can just fold in half and walk around with. It deserves your full attention, from tip to crust. They use quality ingredients, and don’t skimp on the cheese. We’re anxiously waiting to try the Artichoke and Crab slices next time. The Artichoke slice is a white pizza without tomato sauce, with a bit thicker, softer crust embedded with bits of artichoke and spinach.  Can’t wait to go back and test them out.

The famed Artichoke slice.

Margarita slice, as they call it. I think it's actually spelled "Margherita".

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228 E 10th St, between 1st and 2nd Aves
(212) 387-9545

Pricing: Not Cheap
Venue: Sit Down
Cuisine: Italian
Favorite Dish(es): Tomato Mousse Crostini (appetizer, $5), Homemade Black Taglioni (entree, $15)

First I want to say…I finally got to try squid ink pasta. I’ve been wanting to get the infamous “black tongue” ever since I heard about it.
Having said that, I’m not sure this is the necessarily the best place to get true pasta.
It’s an Italian restaurant run by Japanese cooks and wait-staff. You can see some Japanese influences in the decor, presentation of the food, and portion-size of the dishes. We had the crostini sampler with 4 different spreads and 2 different pasta entrees. I honestly couldn’t really tell the difference between the squid ink pasta and regular pasta other than possibly the squid ink ones were chewier…? Maybe a little seafoody taste…? The pasta with meatballs was pretty good, but the sauce was a little too cheesy and salty.
Overall, it’s not the epitome of true Italian, but we thought this place was worth mentioning for the cool & cozy atmosphere. It’s a good date-place with a nice vibe and very personable service.

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Boka (Bonchon Fried Chicken)
9 Saint Marks Place, between 2nd and 3rd Sts
(212) 228-2887‎

Pricing: Not Cheap
Venue: Sit Down
Cuisine: Korean (and some Japanese) Bar Food
Favorite Dish(es): Large Fried Chicken Combo – Spicy ($18)

This is the sister restaurant of the Bonchon Fried Chicken pub/bar in Ktown, a fried chicken chain that’s big in South Korea. It’s usually pretty empty, unlike the Ktown spot where you may have to wait up to half an hour for a seat, and sometimes longer for the chicken. Boka is more of an actual sitdown restaurant, with a bigger menu serving wannabe-trendy versions of Korean and Japanese bar food (which we have yet to try). The main reason to come here is the patent-pending Bonchon recipe fried chicken. It comes in two varieties, a sweet ginger soy glaze and a spicy sweet red pepper glaze that has a little kick to it. Both are good and super crispy, like no other fried chicken. They don’t use any batter on the chicken – it’s just marinated and fried (a few times probably). Coming from someone who usually doesn’t eat the fried skin, this crunchy stuff is really addictive. To cool off the spice and grease, the chicken is served with a bowl of cold pickled radish cubes, which is sweet and sour. Wash that all down with a pitcher of Kirin or Coors, and you’ll make this place a regular stop for your Korean fried chicken fix.

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Gyu Kaku

Pricing: Not Cheap
Venue: Sit Down
Cuisine: Japanese (and some Korean)
Favorite Dish(es): Kalbi ($12 each), Chicken Bibimbop ($9), S’mores ($4 each, dessert)

This is a large, upscale, wannabe-trendy West Coast chain Japanese restaurant across from Cooper Union in Astor Place.  Each table is equipped with its own BBQ pit, much like Korean BBQs, but with high tech ventilation systems.  You order by single serving portions of various marinated meats and vegetables, all of which are fairly bland, that you grill on your own.  Sort of like Village Yokocho meets Benihana, but where you are the chef.  So why pay extra to cook your own dinner?  It’s all about the sauce.  One of the dipping sauces at each table is awesome – sweet, tangy, and spicy like a BBQ marinade with Sriracha.  It goes great on everything they serve.  Plus, on certain days after a certain time, some of the dishes are half price.  And, this is one of the only places that serves Kirin beer by the pitcher – ice cold.  Their other dishes are pretty good too, like their take on Korean “Bibimbop” (rice mixed with veggies and a spicy pepper sauce) which is a welcome change of taste from 32nd Street.  And for dessert, the BBQ pits turn into S’mores pits.  All in all, a pretty fun (but kind of expensive) place that’s good for long group dinners and dates.

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203 E 10th St, between 1st and 2nd Ave
(212) 995-9511

Pricing: Not Cheap
Venue: Sit Down
Cuisine: Dessert, Dessert Bar
Favorite Dish(es): Blueberry Trifle, Chocolate Tart (Prix Fixe, $12)

This is a tiny little “Dessert Bar” near St Marks that has become popular as a date and happy hour spot, and usually has a line. They only serve dessert and drinks, and everyone from the host to the chefs and Chika herself pitches in to help wait tables, and are super attentive. This isn’t your typical dessert place though – it’s definitely not for everyone and you won’t find a slice of chocolate cake here. The desserts are very unique and inventive, using less sugar than most places, with uncommon ingredients and interesting flavor pairings. The portions are small, more for tasting and holding conversation than getting your sugar fix. It’s definitely worth a try at least once, just for something new and different. We recommend getting the Prix Fixe course for a good sampling.

Note: They also have a take-out bakery across the street that serves more “normal” desserts like cookies and cupcakes, but with the “Chika” flavor twist. We had their Red Velvet Cupcakes, which were pretty good, but too different from what you’d expect from a Red Velvet. Not quite up to the Cupcake Challenge.

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8 Stuyvesant St, between 9th St and 3rd Ave
(212) 777-5415

Pricing: Not Cheap (relatively speaking for drinks)
Venue: Sit Down
Cuisine: Cocktail Lounge
Favorite Dish(es):

This little joint is hidden above the Around the Clock diner, inside the Village Yokocho BBQ restaurant. When you walk up the neon-gilded stairwell, you’ll notice a wooden door to the left, usually with a few people waiting to get inside. Because this place is tiny. They only let in groups of 4 at most, and have a quiet-talking policy. But it’s worth it. Why? Because their drinks are spectacular. The ingredients in their drinks are so well balanced and clean that you can’t taste the alcohol, but you’ll be flying in no time. The mixmasters here are super professional, trained to make perfect drinks. Every pour is precise, methodical, and entertaining. They always play jazz music and have a live band squeezed into a nook every once in a while, so the mood is always very mellow, making this the ultimate date place. A few drinks here and you’ll melt away into a cabride home… hopefully not alone.

Note: B Flat, their newer sister bar in Tribeca, has much more space for standing room and is a bit more upbeat. Check out our review here.
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Village Yokocho
8 Stuyvesant St, between 11th and 12th Sts
(212) 598-3041

Pricing: Cheap
Venue: Sit Down
Cuisine: Japanese (and some Korean)
Favorite Dish(es):

Very cute, casual place with a trendy authentic Tokyo vibe. Usually bustling and busy during all hours of the day, especially lunch and dinner times. Most everything on the menu is under $10, but small “tapas” style. All-around tasty…we definitely recommend having the takoyaki (fried octopus balls), okonomiyaki (japanese pancake), fried chicken, and a calpico shochu to drink!