The Izakaya NYC E 4th

This review is for the Shogun Burger pop-up at Izakaya The pop-up borrowed Izakaya's storefront during lunchtime to sell award winning wagyu burgers. The burgers were alright, didn't feel like they were particularly good, just normal good. The beef flavor is definitely more soft compared to typical American beef. I'm wondering if the temperature affected how they tasted. Inside was cooked medium-well. We weren't given a choice, just single patty or double patty. At first glance it felt like too little fries, but I enjoyed eating them. It seemed too salty but I found that dipping them in ketchup overpowered the fries. Upcoming comments are around the venue itself. Izakaya has that rustic old cabin vibes. All the décor focused on torn wood...to a point where I can't tell whether the broken window was intentional or not. Tables are small and spaced very closely to each other. My friend and I sat in the corner table next to the window. We could not get in and out of our seats without asking the table next to us to get up. The server also had trouble getting the burgers to our table. We just stood up to get it from him ourselves over other people's heads. Also the heat was broken or VERY LOW. It was 20 degrees outside and inside probably felt like 30. Many customers didn't take off their coats. I was sitting directly at the window and could feel a draft blowing in from outside. I swear the back of my head felt cold the whole time even though I had a beanie on. My fingers were quite cold too, so I struggled eating the burger. I definitely wanted to eat asap to get out of there. I was also hoping I could get utensils to eat my burger instead of using my clammy frozen hands. I didn't bother asking since I wanted to get out asap.

Came here shortly after noon on a Monday and was the only one eating there. Seems to be a small little shop and the staff was very friendly and welcoming. I got a tonkatsu sandwich. There was a thick piece of juicy pork tonkatsu, katsu sauce and a bit of cabbage. Pretty delicious! I just wish that the bread was a bit thicker and softer-they had toasted the bread which was great, but I feel like the crunch of the fried pork would be nicely balanced by some fresh, soft shokupan. They also plated it with a pickle and a bit of mustard, both of which helped offset the heaviness of the pork. I will say that there were a few flies flying around and the shop seemed a little dark and dingy. When I walked in, I was little bit confused as to whether they were opened or not, since when I walked in, they were mopping. When I asked if they were open, one employee said no but the other one consulted with the kitchen and said "well...it's ok!" They explained that this was normally them testing new food. Regardless, I appreciate that they allowed me to sit and have lunch there!

Came here for dinner and everything was delicious. The staff were super friendly and helpful in recommending what to order. The restaurant is pretty dark if you sit in the back - it was definitely giving ambient vibes. We ordered a bunch of dishes to share and we were all surprisingly full after. My favourites included the tamago egg rolls and the signature fried chicken. I'm obsessed with the sauce that the fried chicken came in - super delicious and creamy. The Katsu sandwich was so good we had to order another one to share. The Katsu was nicely crispy and juicy. The addictive cabbage was a nice vegetable addition to the table. The yakiniku beef slices were a bit too well done but definitely flavored well.

Came here for dinner with a reservation and got seated quite promptly. We thought the place would be empty but it got pretty busy as the night went on.We ordered the mentai spaghetti ramen, chicken nanban, the pork special and the pork Katsu curry rice.The special of the week pork was actually a surprise. The meat very juicy and tender, and the onion paste sauce added great flavor.The curry over rice, I quite enjoyed. Only wished there was more rice. The sauce had the slightest kick presence to let you know it's curry and the pork Katsu was chunky.Chicken nanban was fabulous as well. Very juicy and not overly fried or dry. The mentai ramen was a surprise hit and I wanted more of it. The only qualm I had was after the pork came out, it was about 40 minutes before anyone else came out. Other than that, definitely enjoyed it.

I've been here a few times now and absolutely enjoy this place. It's inexpensive and delicious. We have our go to favorites: spicy cucumber, spicy cabbage, agedashi tofu, mapo tofu, and mushroom garlic butter fried rice. I will say that the mapo tofu has shrunk in size compared to the past. This time around we found a new favorite, the beef sukiyaki. We liked it so much, we ordered two orders of it. Overall I would recommend this place. They do have a sister location on 4th. The menu there is different however. I would say that the 4th street location is better for drinking but the 6th street location is better for food.

We entered when it just opened, and there weren't many people when we left. It seems like a nice, cozy area for a small meet-up or a single large one if you needed it.We tried the salmon sashimi, miso soup, and the two sandos. Sashimi was definitely good, but quite expensive and I feel like you can get same quality cheaper elsewhere (tho maybe plated less fancily). Miso soup was standard and good! The two sandos were where this place shined. The katsu was really good, but the wagyu had us thinking about this place for days.

Interesting dining experience. We were the only ones in here and the vibes were a little weird- but the food was SO GOOD. Had orange wine for the first time which was a great start and cannot say anything bad about any of the dishes. The eggplant , salmon sashimi and noodles are a MUST. Even though vibes were weird being only ones there perhaps a luxury getting place to ourselves ~

I brought a group of friends here. I liked how this was a very cool and casual spot, and our server was really nice. However, had some hits and misses with the food.We did a round of cocktails and a round of sake "for an important day" (I liked that a lot, very clever!) I enjoyed my espresso martini- the other drinks seemed really strong and I'm glad I went for something mild leading up to our sake. We ordered a bottle to share among us for the sake that was fantastic- each of us had a couple of glasses each that went down like wineAs with the food - the two pictured were probably the only ones I thought were better tasting at their price points. Our favorite was the eggplant with miso. We also ordered the mackerel and shishito peppers that were mediocre? But maybe more popular for the college students around.Overall, it probably already is but I can see this as a great college kid hang out if the prices were brought down a little more- but because it seems like it's trying to compete in a more mature market it just fell short compared to some other izakayas in Nyc.

Amazing Service 10/10Food Quality was a 8/10Top 3 favorites:Agedashi Tofu, crispy light battered tofu in a dashi broth was very good to start off withChicken Nanban, deep fried chicken with a sweet and tart tartar sauceMentaiko Pasta, amazingly succulent and creamy pasta with a kick of fresh spicy cod roe in each biteNot impressed with:FlanAmbience 9/10Dark and quiet as we were given a booth in the back to talk and celebrate a friends birthdayAlcohol 9/10Great plum shots

A group of us visited the past weekend for our friend's birthday. In typical East Village fashion, it is a cozy unique (barrel vaulted !) space with a diverse menu of offerings for a reasonable price. Dishes are meant to be shared in Izakaya fashion, and the drinks are served up frosty. I was a big fan of their cucumber yuzu cocktail. We shared a bunch of plates, including the miso eggplant, agedashi tofu, marinated mushrooms, steamed clams, scallop and yellowtail sashimi, fried smelts, the addictive cabbage, the pork katsu, and crab fried rice. And at the end, a coffee jelly for dessert. Everything was tasty and solid, no real surprises. It's definitely a solid option for an izakaya styled evening.