Hakata Japanese Market — Attraction in New York

I was in route to my favorite Asian restaurant located on the same block i had not visited in a few months so I was due. But as I passed my regular spot I noticed there was a interesting Japanese market and I noticed my regular Asian spot was closed. So what would one do ? and yes I did exactly what you thought I would do I went inside the Japanese market. I was so happy and delighted I did. I noticed one thing about doing business. If one place is closed it will cause for people too drift to another business offering either the exact items or similar. This is what took place today. I'm so happy it did. So let's talk about what I experienced. The market is set up quite simple and easy to navigate through, thank goodness. Packaged items and glassed items sat on the shelves to the right as you enter into the store and some ready to eat foods were to the left. All things from noodles to candy, soups, snacks and more. If you are looking for a quick delicious snack or meal go to the center of the store where you can order freshly made hand rolls. They offer a great price on the combos of two hand rolls plus miso soup. I like the choice of rice they used to roll. I've gone to some places and the rolls are huge because of the grain of the rice and the amount of rice other places use. If I wanted to enjoy just rice I would get a bowl of rice LOL. BUT NOT HERE! If you look at the picture of the rolls you will see the rice grains are nicely sized which makes for the enjoyment of actually tasting the other items that are wrapped in your rolls. Absolutely wonderfully done. My preference this day was the eel and avocado roll. I also picked up a unagi eel onigiri, and a shrimp . I thought it was so cute how this item was wrapped as a triangle although I've seen it before and I've unwrapped it before but I've never seen it in my neighborhood. It may be a little difficult for some to unwrap but if you simply pull the red tag it opens up like a book and the seaweed will lay flat onto the rice where you can add your soy sauce or hot sauce or whatever you prefer. It really is a convenient, sanitary, and cute way to have your meal on the go. Each item I had was absolutely fresh. The wasabi however for me could have been much more potent. I enjoy wasabi that opens up my my sinuses and causes me to gasp, LOL. I liked that the ginger was white and not pink as I've seen it in some marketplaces. We will not discuss pink Ginger okay we'll leave that alone Lol. I'm sorry I didn't get the name of the owners to share with you all but I will be back. However, a very nice couple answered my questions and prepared my meal. I'm sure they saw how excited I was and couldn't wait to dig into my food. I was so happy that I even bowed. The last time I bowed was to my best friends great great grandfather because I was so excited to see such a elderly man standing strong and speaking strongly you had to have respect for him. Nonetheless I'm getting off the topic. But I was so excited that this marketplace is in my neighborhood and I can frequent it as often as I want. Customer service was on point how can I not give this place a five-star everything was in order. I was informed that they just opened up 2 months ago so when every reader who reads this is in the neighborhood please go by and pick up some of these delicious wraps they have and get a combo or two. You won't be disappointed not unless you just don't have any taste buds lol. Subarashī...

Love this small family owned grocery store on Fulton St. I’ve been coming here for a year for their freshly made bento boxes and onigiri’s which are consistently delicious and exceptional quality. The salmon and eel onigiris are my go-tos and the hijiki and ume onigiris are yummy vegan options. They don’t skimp on the fish, which is always fresh. They also carry a variety of Asian condiments and snacks that you cannot find anywhere else in this area, such as soy sauce, mochi, and wasabi peas. To top it all off, the owners are so welcoming and nice that I feel like I’m coming home each time I visit this store. So happy this is in my neighborhood. Definitely stop by if you’re...

My favorite spot in this entire neighborhood. Hakata is a small Japanese market that has great prices for Asian staples which can be hard to find -- unless you're trekking out towards Park Slope/Gowanus. The real kicker here though is their food. Their onigiri is always fresh and if they don't have a flavor, you can ask them and they'll make it for you. The fried pork buns are so juicy and succulent without being oily. Plus, the staff are so friendly and sweet....