Japanese pub – as close it can get

If you are into Japanese bar food and a live Jazz music, Teshigotoya is your dream bar. Located in the heart of East Village NYC, Teshigotoya is one of the most cozy bars you will find in the area. Even on Friday night, the bar wasn’t crowded. It is not that food and service are bad. I think it has a specific atmosphere in which only few people would like. I have visited Japanese local pubs when I went to Japan and this place had a similar feel (in fact, you can see lot of elderly Japanese).

The service was excellent and food looked great and tasted good. It is few places in the US where Kushiyaki (Skewered Cutlet) is getting served. It is extremely popular in Osaka but not as much in other parts of the world. They had many varieties of  Kushiyaki ranging from common ingredients like Salmon, Shrimp, Onion and Chicken to something more exotic such as cod roe. One thing they didn’t had was a dipping sauce, but it still tasted good.

Definitely try Tsukune (Chicken meatball) if you get a chance. It tastes like a mixture of  a sausage and a meatball but tastes much better. The proper way of eating is through dripping raw egg sauce (comes with a meal) before you bite it.

The main highlight of this bar would be live Jazz performance. It can’t be compared to a state of art performances in Jazz bar, but you won’t have to pay admission fee here! There are two men playing the music, one guitarist and one trumpeter. I haven’t been to a proper Jazz bar yet. So I can’t provide a critical review, but the performance was impressive in my opinion.

Price is not that cheap but not too expensive for NYC ($10 – $30). Given its atmosphere and the quality of food, it may be an ideal place to come with your significant other. Please check this place out when you are at East Village.