Takumi Taco

Got the bento box with the chipotle shrimp and braised shortrib tacos, Japanese rice & beans, spicy tuna nachos.
The shrimp taco was excellent; the shortrib taco merely so-​so. Next time I would try the spicy tuna. The nachos were flavorful but, as I had feared, the spicy tuna was overwhelmed by everything else; try the nachos, but get a stronger protein than the tuna.
The line was long on a Saturday at one p.m., but it moved pretty fast.

Last night (⁶⁄₁₈) — I stood in line by myself while the employees moved around and pretended not to see me and right when I was about to say anything the young day behind the desk said — ‘I just got an unexpected delivery and won’t be taking orders right now’ to which I said ‘ok when will you be taking orders’ she said ‘I’m not — I’m just going to close’ when another young lady employee said ‘why don’t you just take his order and then close’ to which she responded ‘I can’t do all this on my own’ why does a customer have to hear all that??? Unprofessional — she subsequently took orders of 10 people behind me who showed up without an attitude. The food was good and could be worth 5 stars but wasn’t worth the ‘I hate my job and the fact your making me do work attitude from its employee’ so for the customer service it is less than one star. I will not be coming back.

I eat here at least once a week. You can get a pretty healthy brown rice bowl that is soo good and quick! I have had the burritos, but they are just like the bowls with extra carbs so I just always go for the bowl.
If you work in Chelsea it’s worth fighting through the tourism of Chelsea Market!

I got the spicy tuna taco and the curried beef taco in a bento box with the corn salad. The spicy tuna was alright, not much flavor, but cool and refreshing. The star of the box was definitely the curried beef taco! The flavor was great and went really well with the crispy taco shell. I also really enjoyed the little side salad that came with the box. The peanut sauce dressing was delicious. The only thing I could have done without was the corn side salad. Overall it was good but not great.

Came here after grabbing a warm dessert crêpe from Bar Suzette and wanted something refreshing to wash down the amazingly sweet crêpe.
My partner ordered the lychee iced tea and I ordered the sake sangria. First off, flavors for both drinks were great! Not too sweet but not too tart/​bitter from the tea/​sake. The lychee ice tea really takes like it was just lychee juice, whereas the sake sangria had plenty of fresh fruit to enjoy as you sip the drink.
Nevertheless there were a few things that took away from the greatness of the flavors. First the drinks were iced drinks but not cold whatsoever. You can view them from the counter when you order, so when you get the drink, you watch them fill an empty cup full of ice, then top it off with the drink of choice. Within 5 minutes, both of our drinks had melted most (if not all) of the ice and watered them down. We went on a cold May day, and Chelsea Market wasn’t particularly hot, yet these drinks were apparently warmer than necessary.
The second thing that took away from my experience was the staff. My boyfriend ordered and got his tea quickly and I was right behind him. We ordered in the same order yet my drink wasn’t ready quite as fast. I saw the woman standing by the pitcher of sangria, and my silly self assuming she was going to pour my already-​paid-​for glass, stood there and waited. Instead I watched her stand around, drink her own drink, then look at text messages on her phone. I don’t mind if you are on your phone if my order is contingent on someone else to finish something first — BUT this was a drink. Ice, cup, liquid. By then I just asked if my drink would be ready soon. She looked annoyed at me, then tried to find a ticket for my order as if I didn’t pay just before. The cashier turned around and confirmed my order which I got quickly after that, but there was a lot of unnecessary wait time in a cramped small area yet no line (no one else was waiting for drinks).
With other options and more appropriate service in Chelsea Market, I’d rather go somewhere else for some tea/​sangria.

Unique ingredients combination but it did not «wow» me. Ordered spicy tuna taco. Reasonable price for the size. The flavors was just ok. Will try something else next time. Great customer service.
Overall 2.3

Excellent lunch! Service was so good they clearly focus on training to check in on every patron. My favorite was chipotle shrimp taco but carnitas was good too. My friend has the taco bowl and enjoyed too. Will be back!

I stayed away from this place for a while because Japanese Mexican didn’t sound appealing but once I tried it I was hooked! What I’ve tried and loved so far
–braised beef tacos
–shrimp tacos
–lentil tacos
–chicken teriyaki bowl
–lychee iced tea
One star off for being so pricey! Otherwise a great lunch option in the market

We were in the market and we were on the hunt for food. After passing quite a few sandwich shops and burger places we spotted a sign for ‘Japanese/​Mexican fusion’. Yes, please!
With a vegetarian in tow we were a little bit worried about his options. They had so much to offer! The staff was so very helpful when we asked what was available for vegetarians and even gave us pointers on what to try for the meat eaters!
We ended up with *lentil nachos (the 11 year old vegetarian was in heaven!). * a bento box with the curry beef taco, short rib taco with the rice and beans for the side. * a bento box with the spicy tuna taco, carnitas and chips and salsa for the side.
It was all amazing! The beef curry was by far my favorite. Wonderful flavors in the crispy shell.
If we are ever in the city and anywhere near the market we will for sure stop in! Seating is hard to come by, but that didn’t stop all the people who weren’t as lucky to grab a table from sitting on the ground to eat!

When I first saw this place, I thought oh great! ANOTHER fusion place with weird food combos.
Then I tired their food stuffs when I was in search of something different for lunch, and I literally ate my words.
I usually get the bento box here — bc it’s such a solid option. It tastes delicious, and is filling enough that I don’t get the 3pm munchies. I generally get the Asian citrus Vegi tacos and the Japanese lentil tacos. Those are both great. The citrus vegi is light and the Japanese lentil flavorful. I generally have to add Sriracha as their food is lacking spice for sure.
The chips and salsa are a decent side, though the salsa is always a bit bland if you ask me.
Solid service and reasonable prices.

The beef curry taco itself gets it a 3 star. It had full Japanese curry flavor with some tortilla which is barely considered fusion. Aside from that, the spicy tuna taco had good amounts of tuna in it, but the flavor was overshadowed by something. I couldn’t tell what it was but it resembled more of tuna salad rather than spicy tuna.
I also got the corn which was recommended on the Unilocal page and I was a little underwhelmed as well. The vinaigrette of the ginger overpowered the corn and it tasted a little like ginger and edamame in a cup, nothing more exciting unfortunately.
Lastly I got the sangria which had a very sweet and pleasant taste at first but clashed with the rest of my meal making it a little sour and unwanted, then back to sweet when my meal was over haha. It might seem unfair to say it didn’t taste good for a majority of my meal, but the tacos and the lychee sangria was a «no-​go» for me when consumed together… I will admit though that it did give me a little little buzz though and the lychee was sweet before and after.
All in all, 3 stars for the bomb beef curry taco, environment/​presentation was okay, but their pricing ($ 20 for a bento w/​sangria) was definitely regrettable and not worth it.

I wonder how the Asian taco trend started. Takumi’s menu format is very similar to Chipotle’s in that you can choose between a burrito, rice bowl, salad bowl, or tacos with their selection of proteins and taco fixings. Some tacos come in a corn tortilla, and some come in a ‘gyoza shell,’ which I assume is a fried wonton wrapper.
Bento Box — 2 tacos, 1 side, market greens ($ 11.71)
The Bento box seemed like a good deal since each taco is about $ 5-​$ 6 and each side is about $ 4. I chose the beer braised shortrib and chicken adobo tacos, in accompaniment with the corn salad. Both of these come with a corn tortilla. I probably should have tried one with ‘gyoza shell.’ I prefer crunchy over soft tacos, but it doesn’t seem like they cook or heat up the corn tortillas.
Sapporo Braised Shortrib Taco with Napa Cabbage, Japanese mustard, scallion, wasabi crema, black sesame seeds, corn tortilla:
The short ribs are actually pulled pork. I couldn’t really taste the beer, but of course alcohol cooks out. The taco was okay.
Chicken Adobo Taco with cilantro, sesame seeds, salsa, corn tortilla:
The chicken had much better flavor, making the taco more enjoyable overall.
Charred Corn Salad with edamame, citrus soy, kale, tomato, miso vinaigrette:
The corn salad was sweet and slightly smoky, yet refreshing. Usually I think sides are somewhat of a throwaway, but this was actually worth pretty good.
The bento also came with tortilla chips, but no salsa, so I used the corn salad as a salsa.
The market greens included in the bento were just mixed greens & julienned carrots and could have used more dressing, so I mixed it into the corn salad.
Nachos ($ 9.87) with Spicy Tuna — tortilla chips, Napa cabbage slaw, cotija cheese, yuzu guacamole, wasabi crema, ginger pico:
The so-​called nachos were okay, but could have used more tuna. Most of the plate was topped with the yuzu guacamole. It’s more of a chips & dip plate than it is nachos.
Sweet Ginger Tea: light & sweet, but too much ginger flavor for me
Honestly I think the prices are pretty high for what you get.
$ 12 for a Bento Box translates to $ 12 for 2 small tacos & a minuscule side
& $ 10 for nachos translates to $ 10 for chips & salsa & guac with a little bit of protein.
The individual tacos seem especially expensive. $ 5 for a small taco. I’d rather put that $ 5 towards a meal. Overall, it just felt like paying for expensive fast food.
Though their proteins aren’t bad — I enjoyed the chicken adobo and the Japanese curry beef sounds pretty good, there just wasn’t enough of it on the plate for it to be the star of the dish.
The plus side is the staff was friendly and there are a couple of seats for dining in.

The best of both world, Japanese and Mexican smashed into one another to bring you things like Sake Sangria. Bento box is the way to go to try a few things at once. You get two tacos, one side, and a small side salad. My lentil tacos were dreamy, perfectly spiced with an almost Indian flavor. The other vegetarian option is basically the corn salad on tortillas, but it is served cold. The chip portions are huge, but you don’t get too much of the basic salsa. Overall I want to go back now just for those lentil tacos.

I’ve no idea how they can mix up Mexican with Japanese and present that flavor in a taco so decided to give a try at this small shop hidden inside Chelsea market. Not really in a mood for a heavy lunch so only got one spicy tuna taco. Nothing really attracted me as the sauce was too light in flavor (except for a strong spicy taste). Not too much tuna meat could be found inside the taco either… probably I should just get some salad next door instead. Guess I’m just not a taco girl!

I really enjoyed my experience here. I came near closing, and the staff didn’t rush me at all. The guy at the counter was actually really nice.
I ordered the Peach Tea and the Rice Bowl with Short Ribs. I REALLY wanted the Lychee Tea, but they ran out. You should probably go a good hour before closing if you want it because I came again another time near closing, and they ran out again. The Peach Tea however was really awesome. That in itself deserves 5 stars. It tastes exactly like Asian peach candy (which I love), but it’s not sweet at all. I imagine the Lychee Tea will taste even better.
The Rice Bowl was pretty good, but not amazing. The short rib was super tender, and the brown rice was good. Altogether, the taste was really nice and fresh, but it wasn’t special.
I will definitely come back!

A fusion worth trying!!!
Japanese, Mexican is often done, but not always done right, this place fuses the flavors & ingredients in a creatively beautiful, affordable & tasty way.
I’m shocked about the reviews that are three & below, because I don’t feel the rating does this place justice!
What I got:
I tried the shrimp nachos– it’s a cool, refreshing mixture of shrimp (pretty fresh), soy beans, cabbage and other cool veggies with a mix of some kind of mayo. I loved the colors, varying textures & flavors.
Bento box with adobo & lentil tacos.
Adobo tacos were a lil dry. I think it would use some kind of addition to give it more flavor.
Lentil tacos were in a hard, crunchy, yummy taco. Very good for a vegetarian. My boyfriend, not a vegetarian, enjoyed this taco better than the chicken.
Roasted corn salad, with Japanese flavors… Sooo good.
This place is great, especially for foodies who like to live on the edge & love fresh veggies.
The Filipina foodie on the bEast coast,
Renee Rises

I tried the curried beef nachos. They were pretty good, tasty, full of flavor, the curry flavor really stood out. There was enough to share as a snack or one as a meal.
The seating wasn’t ideal. There is not much seating anyway and some of the seats were broken.
You order at the till and then you can sit down to eat it at the counter if you wish. Food came out fast and service was satisfactory. By the till they have some examples of the dishes and what they look like, which I thought was handy.

Delicious spot in Chelsea Market for Japanese-​Mexican street-​food mash-​ups. I actually didn’t expect to get something that was really great from this spot (sorry), but they proved me wrong for sure! Their Japanese curry beef taco is out of this world good! You MUST try it!
The only thing is, they DON’T offer any kind of drink. No water, no beer, no soda. There are places that sells these right next to this place, but they should have at least water bottle…
If you want a quick yet delicious food inside the Chelsea Market, this is the spot! Even if you are NOT in a hurry, you should still check this place out. It is better than you expect (at least it was for me), and you can even take it to go if you need, which is awesome!
Read my full review of this restaurant and food on my food blog, foodlovergirl.

I wish you could give half stars on Unilocal because I think Takumi Taco deserves 3.5, but I’m going to stick with 3. I had Takumi Taco at Madison Square Eats and the meal itself wasn’t bad but I happen to enjoy Domo Taco more, which also serves an similar Asian /​Mexican fusion menu. I got the Bento Box (two tacos, a side, and market greens) for $ 12, and you can find a more detailed description below.
I went with the Spicy Tuna Taco and the Short Rib Taco and got the Takumi Slaw as my side. The Spicy Tuna Taco and Short Rib Taco were good but not particularly inspiring. I generally enjoyed them but I wasn’t craving more afterwards. The slaw was disappointing; it was basically napa cabbage doused in miso vinagriette and tasted more or less like what you could get from any Japanese restaurant to send you as a free accompaniment with your Seamless order. The same goes for the market greens. I liked that they gave me a few tortilla chips, though, as I used them to scoop up whatever had fallen out of my taco during the eating process.
Takumi Taco wasn’t a bad meal, but it wasn’t a great one either. I would be open to giving them another try, though.

Walking through Chelsea Market really works up ones appetite! When we initially went through, we thought we would just get a full meal at one of the restaurants but after coming across a few different places we wanted to try, one of the places we decided to try out was Takumi Taco.
After glancing over the menu, we had originally decided on just a couple of tacos, but we ended up selecting the bento box which comprised of 2 tacos, corn salad (the side we selected), & some greens. For the tacos, we went with two of the Chipotle Shrimp ones. They were very quick in getting our order out so we were crunching away pretty quick. I’d say that the tacos were definitely the highlight of the box, as they should have been. The side and greens were pretty pointless — they lacked any sort of flavor, mostly due to not enough salt. If ordering again, I’d stick to just the tacos.
It did seem a little bit overpriced and considering that there are so many places to try in the market, I’d definitely look around!