When it comes to living in New York City, the varieties of cuisines you can try and devour run plenty from one palette to the next. One type of cuisine that seems to run supreme throughout is Japanese, which was evidenced when I reviewed the beautiful & thought provoking Sushi Dojo a while back for this site (you can check that review here). I recently discovered that Sushi Dojo has a sister restaurant located in the Lower East Side as well called Dojo Izakaya. Dojo, which you can find on Avenue B and East 3rd, boasts a more casual dining experience compared to the elegant side that is Sushi Dojo.
Dojo Izakaya is a small and cozy space that packs a ton of really incredible food amenities that would work for anyone who loves Japanese food and will not hurt your wallet as all of the food is priced beyond reasonable (most of it is $10 and under). What’s even better is that you really get what you are paying for as the food is expertly prepared in small dishes that are great to be shared with your friends and family.
Some of the highlights for me that I highly recommend anyone trying upon their next visit to Dojo Izakaya include their Gobo Chips in the vegetable section of the menu. Gobo chips are essentially fried Burdock root with a spicy cod mayo. The Burdock root is tender and juicy with how it is cooked and the spicy cod mayo really adds such a delicious blend of heat to the Burdock itself that it really makes for a great starter course.
In their Kushiyaki section, otherwise known as skewers, I would recommend getting their Bacon Wrapped Asparagus, Kalbi (beef short rib) and Guyton (beef tongue) as all are expertly spiced and seasons and cooked very well. My favorite was the asparagus as quite frankly you can’t go wrong when anything is bacon wrapped. Completely delicious. Their meat section also has a great variety of choices, one being the Gyozo (pork dumplings in a spicy broth). Normally with pork dumplings I get them steamed with a side of soy sauce, however having these marinade in the spicy broth really elevated the flavor of the Gyozo itself, making it a really wonderful dish. The Buta Kakuni (Braised Pork Belly) was my favorite dish of the night as it was perfectly cooked and tasted stupendously. What is great is that if you order all of these together and share it with a friend, the cost per person before tax and tip would be $15 per. Easy and great spend in my opinion!
They also have a wonderful line of Sakes and drinks available for your pleasure. For more information on the menu and Dojo Izakaya, check out their official site.
Happy Eating Everyone!