Otafuku

Ok ok ok this is another restaurant I’ve known about for years and haven’t written a review for it yet. Let me start off by saying I love Takoyaki and I try to eat them whenever I can get my hands on them. Takoyaki are grilled octopus balls with Japanese mayo, special sauce, squid bonito flakes, and garnishes on top.
Otafuku is a NYC staple and must do for me when I’m visiting. They only make 3 different dishes and 2 desserts, that’s literally it and people still flock to them. I always get the Takoyaki and okonomiyaki.
Ive never been to Japan, but I’ve been told these are authentic as they come. I’ve tried Takoyaki in Korea, Malaysia, Maryland, Virginia, and other NYC restaurants and nothing has come close to Otafuku to me.
The Takoyaki always come out piping hot and will burn your mouth, so be careful. I would love to go to Japan one day to compare and go on a Takoyaki binge spree! ;p

Eating at Otafuku always satisfies but it never quite blows me away.
The takoyaki are nice and hot, with a solid dashi flavor in the batter for umami, the chunks of octopus are tender. The okonomiyaki is cooked perfectly into a light, fluffy cabbage pancake with the tasty little shrimp. The taiyaki is classic and they’re generous with the red bean.
But there are some little things that are sometimes a let-​down. Sometimes the cooks are too heavy-​handed with the sauce and that worcestershire-​based takoyaki sauce drowns out the flavor of everything. If they’re really busy and making takoyaki too fast, not every single piece gets a chunk of octopus. Also, when they make all the takoyaki in advance and hold it in the hot box, you lose the ability to taste the separate ingredients in the takoyaki– the benishoga, the tenkasu, the scallion and it just tastes like dashi custard. With the taiyaki, it’s a simple street food snack and when it’s not made to order, the crispness on the outside is completely lost as it steams up in the box.
Overall, the flavors are good and the prices are okay but Otafuku just isn’t quite 5 stars for me.

I’ve been meaning to try okonomiyaki for some time, so I was excited to check out otafuku. I got the combo with the shrimp oko and the hot shrimp yakisoba. (I know the pork is supposed to be better, but I’d rather not eat meat if I can avoid it.)
The okonomiyaki was very enjoyable, with sweet, smoky, and umami flavors hitting me one after the other. I think I’d have a hard time eating two of them, making the $ 9 entrée a solid deal. The «shrimp» were the creepy little wiggles that you get out of a can. Even at that price point, they could do better than that – especially considering that they don’t have to pay for seating. Still, if this had been the only thing I ordered, I probably would have given a 4.
The yakisoba was nasty. It tasted like pasta tossed with onion soup mix, an ungodly amount of oil, and more of those creepy wiggle-​shrimp. I threw it out.
I’ll probably be back, but just for the okonomiyaki.

The food is so tasty! Unlike some other reviews have stated, our food has always been made to order! And there’s no misunderstanding about it, as your food is prepared right in front of you. My favorite is the Takoyaki + Okonomiyaki combo, but yakisoba and medetai are both good as well. Prices are great!
Since there is no inside seating, coming here during winter time takes a bit more willpower.

My gf really wanted to come here for takoyaki, which I’ve never had before and really good! I was pretty unsure how’d I would feel about it, but it was pretty irresistible! They have combos which are perfect for lunch and snacks! The place itself is pretty small, but there’s a bench outside and parks all around anyways. It’s really cool how you can see the takoyaki and other foods being prepared.

I love takoyaki, and I was super duper excited to try a NY takoyaki… (that’s how much I love them)
I literally made my friends take a detour so we could try this place.
First off, there wasn’t any other customers. You’d think they would make fresh takoyakis for us… WRONG! They gave us takoyaki that clearly had been made hours earlier.
The flavor fell flat of expectations. It wasn’t anything to rave about.
I should have told the worker I was from Cali and ask for some fresh balls! But that thought didn’t occur to me.

I didn’t have high expectations, but for a place that has 4 items on their menu (takoyaki, okonomiyaki, yakisoba, and medetai), I am going to assume you do them well. I gave the takoyaki and okonomiyaki a shot, but they were, to be honest, not good. The takoyaki was large, but mostly starch and very little tako. The okonomiyaki felt like it was only fried cabbage. I’ve had much, much better takoyaki and okonomiyaki at other establishments that don’t even specialize in them.

Good casual, fast-​food Japanese place to quickly stop for a snack. I like how you can see the octopus balls being made right behind the counter. Their four different combinations of snacks pretty much cover everything on their menu.
The red bean fish is not as good as some of the ones I’ve had in Koreatown. The paste is minimal in amount and the bread is very thin.

Great place, more catered to to-​go customers. Among a bunch of other Japanese restaurants.
Came for the takoyaki, and the medai.
One star off for running out of medai red beans, some of my friends had to get the banana nutella instead.
But the red bean medai was awesome, wish the red bean was more spread out though
Will come back in the summer for the matcha parfait!

I really wanted to try this place after I bookmarked it for so many months already~.
So I went with my friend after school and I ordered the Combo B. My friend and I ordered the same Combo. I have to say they were fast on making it. Remember to take a combo stamp card!
Service: It was okay, after I got my food, I asked for the receipt and the lady just glared at me… Like wth… I just needed the receipt to keep record of my spendings. Is that wrong to do so? So she just gave me back the number receipt… Like wth. That was one star taken away. I mean if a customer asks for a receipt at least give it to them and not glare at them…
Food: Woah there! Go easy on the sauce! The okonomiyaki and the takoyaki was bomb! I chose the pork for the okonomiyaki~. It was really good but a little bit salty. I give it ⁴⁄₅ stars.
The takoyaki was really good! It came in 6 balls and I have to say it was bomb as well. They gave a lot of bonito flakes and it was really Instagram worthy. The squid was not rubbery and that made it really good. I feel like the dough was a little to much but, it was fine. I give the takoyaki 4.5÷5 stars.
Be prepared to sit outside because there aren’t seats inside. There just counter were you can stand and eat your food. Also remember, they don’t take cards only cash! They don’t accept $ 100 bills.
If you come in on Tuesdays and show your student Id, they give you 10percent off for the combo.
I would come here again just for the food. However, please consider on your attitude please.

I love their takoyaki! The only thing I really eat that has octopus inside. The octopus is not too rubbery, which is perfect. Do be careful eating them right after your order is ready because these little balls may look cooled, but eating one in a single mouthful will burn! Letting them cool down completely is a sin though! Definitely best eaten while they are still piping hot! ;) The taiyaki is good too – the red bean paste was really smooth, didn’t have a chunky bean texture at all, but there were a few stray bean skins here and there.
I’ve also had their okonomiyaki and yakisoba noodles in the past. They were decent too, but personally, I’m not really a fan of the heavy worchester sauce flavor that goes into yakisoba. Japanese places in NYC really don’t offer the best okonomiyaki, but I would say this place does it slightly better than other sit-​in Japanese restaurants.

I really love takiyaki and I was glad I stumbled upon this place. I came here on a Sunday night and it was pretty empty. I quickly ordered the medetai ($ 3). It is the fish waffle. They had two flavors: red bean and hazelnut chocolate with Nutella. The hazelnut chocolate with Nutella was pretty good. They already had the one I ordered prepared beforehand, so it wasn’t piping hot. But it was good. It was a little fluffy than I am used to and the filling was a little meager. The overall taste was okay, but nothing to remember.
The shop also has takoyaki ($ 7), okonomiyaki ($ 9), and yakisoba ($ 8). I really want to come back and try the other items! Even though the takiyaki wasn’t that impressive, I still think the store is deserving of four stars. They really try to make the foods well and are very neat and hygienic in preparation. They also make their okonomiyaki and yakisoba fresh to order!

I came here specifically for the medetai and I was disappointed. I got the banana Nutella one and was so excited but after taking the first bite, I was already sad. Even though I know the first bite often does not have any filling, it was dry and hard to swallow. After I took a few more bites and reached the filling, it got significantly better. However, it was merely warm when I received mine and I expected more. This place got my hyped up for no reason.

I like this place, anytime we r in the area we would stop by and pick up an order of takoyaki ($ 7). It’s a very small shop with standing room that fits a handful of people and that’s it.

This place offers Japanese street food. They have a short and simple menu. I’ve tried various items including: their takoyaki (octopus ball), it’s crispy on the outside and soft on the inside with pieces of octopus and sauce on top. The okonomiyaki (Japanese pancake), it’s the savory kind of pancake made with ingredients like cabbage, I had the one with pork. The medetai taiyaki (Japanese dessert), I had the matcha one. It’s shaped like a fish with red bean paste and mochi inside. Outside is like a waffle batter. I really like the taiyaki, it’s one of my favorite dessert. But try everything because everything is awesome. They also sell Japanese drinks. There is a counter to eat your food standing and some benches outside. They only take CASH.

Monday, January 25^th, 1:34 PM
The reason I had came to this location in the first place was because I wanted to try some taiyaki. Otafuku was the only place I knew about that wasn’t super far away from my school.
When I entered, there were only about 3 people. The entire place is pretty small, so you can eat indoors only while standing up. However, there are also wooden benches outside.
Like all other reviews say, the menu is really not that wide, but in a good way. (For a New Year’s Special, they have a matcha medetai for $ 4.50). Upon entering, I ordered the two red bean medetai and also bought a really cute apple soda. I was notified that my order would take about 10 – 12 minutes, which was totally okay. After waiting 10 minutes and getting my medetai in cute small bags, I took them outside to eat. The staff seemed nice and didn’t talk about any personal business while I was there.
The fresh medetai are really good. Because I came at a not-​so-​common time, they had to be made fresh. The batter (when cooked) is extremely nice and fluffy. It tastes like a waffle I guess, which is good. The red bean paste in the center has a nice creamy texture (like how good red bean paste should be) and it’s not too sweet.
I will definitely be coming back to get more, ahaha. I definitely recommend this place for it’s medetai!

Honestly, this is one of the most disappointing places I have ever been to.
I came here with my brother one Friday afternoon to try this place out which was recommended by my best friend.
I ordered Combo A (~$ 9.00) which included a 6-​piece takoyaki and a medatai (pretty much a taiyaki). My brother ordered Combo C (~$ 14.00) which included 6-​piece takoyaki and shrimp yakisoba. Our order took about 10 minutes and out of all the items we ordered, the only item that was fresh was the yakisoba.
The takoyaki and taiyaki had obviously been sitting under a heating lamp for hours and tasted unpleasant. The takoyaki was indeed hot in the inside, but warm on the outside. The texture was just awful as it was tough to bite (very similar to eating chips that have been left sitting out for hours, very stale texture), and the inside, thought it was hot, was PINK inside. Never have I ever ate takoyaki that was pink inside. The red bean taiyaki was also very disappointing. I saw that it was also taken from their heat lamp area and just heated up. Literally tasted like it was leftovers from a day ago. The red bean filling was simply too sweet that it made my throat hurt and the outside pretty much tasted like stale bread. (Mitsuwa’s taiyaki beats this place anytime!)
I tried a bite of my brother’s yakisoba, and it was nothing special. Literally fried noodles with frozen baby shrimp all combined together and definitely not worth $ 14.
Food/​Beverage: disappointing, stale-​tasting outer shell for takoyaki and taiyaki (like it has been left out for hours), Pink-​red takoyaki inside and extremely sweet red bean paste.
Appearance: small, simple, very woody (no seats just a long table against the wall which you stand and eat)
Service: the cashier pretty much was talking to her co-​worker while I was waiting to order. I felt like I had take the initiative in ordering and what I wanted since she didn’t really offer her services (like what to recommend me, nor did she speak in tone that was welcoming)
Price: average, just not worth the price for quality and portion ($ 7-​$ 20)
I had read reviews earlier about this place, and even read articles saying how this place was one of the top places for takoyaki. Clearly, since this article was published, their food quality has sunk dramatically. Maybe business got into their heads or simply I came when it wasn’t busy so they didn’t make a fresh batch, but I have decided not try this place again. Clearly the food was not worth the price, both in portion and quality as well as the service was not up to par.

I love this place! It’s a really fun treat and worth a visit when showing out of town guests the EV. I wish they would bring back the takoyaki with cheese though!!! It was always a fave of mine.

Cute Takayaki, reasonably priced and great for a late night snack. Thier other menu options are quite large and delicious and you will be very satisfied!

They have some of the best Takoyaki! I normally come here to eat takoyaki on my way home from work and it really makes things better after long hours at work. This place is very small: two benches outside and a table on the side of the wall to place your food on to eat while standing. Overall, this has a cultural festival feel which makes the food more delicious. Definitely try the takoyaki as well as everything else! The food is pretty pricy per item, though the combo is cheaper. But it’s worth the price!

If you are around St. Marks and looking for a quick delicious snack I recommend you to come here and try the Takoyaki! $ 7 will go far to please your tastebuds. The takoyaki comes with 6 balls each glazed with sauce and mayonnaise and topped with sliced live squid flakes (just kidding not live, but moving). Water is $ 1.

Delicious okonomiyaki and takoyaki! It is a standup place so if you’re looking for a sit down place this isn’t the place for you.
The food is freshly made to order and you get so much food. My mom and I both got a combo and we could have split one!
Love it here. Perfect for grabbing your food to go or a quick but filling me delicious bite!

This has to be one of my favorite places in the world, not even just NYC. I remember coming to this place when it used to be a little hole in the wall down the street when I was a student at NYU — recently revisited and it has really grown and renovated! Had to come two days in a row, and I’m still dreaming about their takoyaki. Don’t even care that it’s cash only and inconvenient.
They only serve about four things on the menu — takoyaki, okonomiyaki, yakisoba, and medetai. I love that they also come in combos. We tried everything, and everything was made fresh and delicious. I had been craving good takoyaki for months, and this definitely satiated that craving. Although now I’m craving it again. Just a word of warning not to pop the entire takoyaki ball into your mouth if it’s just made because you will burn the inside of your mouth pretty bad (happened to us) — still worth it though. The okonomiyaki is also delicious with a crispy exterior. Loved the little rice cake balls in the special matcha medetai. They also have a big refrigerator with many different types of imported Japanese bottled drinks — we dared each other to try the yogurt water and some other yogurt-​type drink, and they were all really good!

Love this little place. Unfortunately only cash, but absolutely delicious.
Sometimes there can be a little bit of a wait for food, approximately 10 mins. But sometimes, that’s the best, as the little octopus balls come straight out of the molds. The two sauces drizzled on really seal the deal. The pancakes are pretty good, too.
The one thing I do get annoyed by is when they keep an inventory of already made octopus balls in the heater oven, and it no longer tastes fresh. But I’m usually too impatient to wait for another batch…

I’ve been a frequenter of this place ever since I was a Freshman in college, which was 7 years ago. holy eff I am old.
I was definitely a bigger fan of the previous hole in the wall that was actually a hole in the wall… and the recipe has changed somehow as well. They have the little cake makers now that lacks the originality of the way ti was made previously (they were all different sizes and shapes) and now they are uniformly and in freakishly perfect sizes which is not necessarily a bad thing I suppose.
This has not hindered me, however, from coming here every chance I get. It is cheap, fast, consistently delicious. Although having tried everything on the menu, takoyaki is still the only thing I would order. They added medetai pretty recently… but it is not nearly as impressive of a dessert… you can also buy your own in the frozen section at sunrise mart and heat it yourself (it is sweeter and cheaper albeit less healthy).
If you havent’ been here. You must go. now. the end.

Love Otafuku. Easy to get an on the go meal. Okonomiyaki (seafood pancake) or takoyaki (octopus … spheres). Quality varies highly, however, by who is working. I poke my head in and do a quick assessment of how lazy the person looks. Going against my instincts has resulted in undercooked takoyaki.
Ask them not to put too much sauce either.

Takoyaki (6 pcs): octopus and batter balls, $ 7
Okonomiyaki (2 pcs): savory pancakes with cabbage and pork or (baby) shrimp, $ 9
Taiyaki (1 pc): fish-​shaped pastry cake filled with red bean, $ 3
We went for Combo A: Takoyaki (6 pcs) + Okonomiyaki for $ 10, which good value and very delicious. With a Taiyaki ($ 3) to finish it off, the 2 of us were full-​up satisfied.
If ever I return to NYC for this, I’d opt for Takoyaki + Taiyaki (Combo B, $ 9) since the Tako really stuck out to me and the Taiyaki is a sweet something I look for to counterbalance the savory.
Their Tako is solid because of the carefully crafted octopus to batter ratio. The grilled octopus is a good-​sized chunk to the soft, doughy and lightly crispy ball of batter. These babies are drenched in special sauce and mayo though, so I’d suggest requesting to go light or served on the side. Extra bonito flakes isn’t a bad idea :)
The Okonomiyaki is made fresh to order so be prepared to wait anywhere from 12 – 15 min. depending on how busy it is. Takos are made in advance and kept warm, so there’s little hassle there. Same for Taiyakis.

6 Takoyaki for $ 7, a little bit on the expensive side, I would say it’s worth $ 5 at best.
The takoyaki was not made fresh, but they served it from a heating cabinet resulting in a sort of warm meal, but not hot as served in Japan.
As others have mentioned, they do go overboard on the bonito, but that’s not the end of the world, it just gets a bit messy when eating outdoors on a windy day.
I don’t think I would come here again due to the high price and mediocre quality.

I remember when this place was a hole-​in-​the-​wall down the block from where it currently is. That place literally couldn’t even fit more than 4 customers or else it would be a safety hazard. They then moved to where they are currently which has a bigger area and even standing room to eat at. The quality and price of food has also changed ever since they’ve moved.
What makes this place famous is for their takiyaki ball (Squid balls) made fresh with their homemade batter. They also offer noodle (yakisoba) and takyaki (sweet fish pastry filled with red bean paste). Ever since moving, the prices has risen and the quality of food has since deteriorated.
Would I come back? Maybe once in a blue moon.

Thinking this would be a quick in-​then-​out Takoyaki purchase, the wait time ended up being much longer than we expected. Overall the Takoyaki was sub-​par at best.
Note: This place is cash only!

Such a fun place! I ordered the Combo A which consists of takoyaki (6 pieces) and medetai (taiyaki) for $ 9.50 plus tax. I have to say, I was kind of thrown off when they added tax but whatever… You can eat outside the storefront where there are two benches reserved for the customers or stand inside where there is a counter to eat at, though space is quite limited.
The takoyaki were delicious. It came out pipin’ hot and perfectly ooey and gooey on the inside. The sauces on top and the bonito flakes were simply exquisite.
We chose the taiyaki with red bean filling, but you also have a choice of nutella with bananas if red-​bean isn’t your thing. The red bean filling was sweet, but not overwhelmingly sweet. It went very well with the cake itself which is more plain in taste. I would’ve preferred the outer part of the taiyaki to have some sort of a sweet glaze on top which I had seen in some parts of Japan. Plus, I was bummed that the fish outline of my taiyaki was not as pronounced as I would’ve liked it to be. Silly I know, but looking at the fish shape is one of the reasons why I like eating taiyakis so much — I think it is so cute! Haha.
Overall, I really enjoyed the food here and would love to come back and try the okonomiyaki as well.

I’ve always will have a soft spot for this place. So far the best takoyaki place in the city I’ve found. Been going to this place since my early years in college (6 – 7 years ago now? lol).
I do feel as though since they have moved to the larger location that the quality and taste of the takoyaki & okonomiyaki has gone down… maybe different ingredients or just the chef making their own variation… I don’t really know.
They do have a frequent rewards card now which is a plus. $ 7 bucks for 6 takoyaki balls and around $ 10 for the combos which include the yakisoba, okonomiyaki, or the taiyaki.