Kenka Reviews

I really enjoyed this restaurant. The place itself is highly original, and it has a great atmosphere. The main cons is that it is slightly loud and since it is very popular, it is necessary to wait some time to get a table. The food and the service were very good and the prices are really reasonable for NYC. It is probably one of my favorite Japanese restaurants ever.

I love Astor Place area and in particular St. Marks Place to hang out. Kenka is really a one-of-a-kind Japanese restaurant. It is so authentic that they have images of their hot bizarre movies on the menu! They also have weird mannequins and decorations in the restaurant and not to mention the restrooms. The choice on the menu is really vast, and I had bonito fish, one of my favorite from my last trip to Japan, so I knew what to expect. The beer they serve is very cheap. They also have those authentic Japanese sodas that you have to open by breaking a little marble on the top of the glass bottle. You go there, you can't regret the experience!

I'm a japanese-food lover, and this is a Real Japanese Restaurant. Great food ( taste like food I ate in Japan ), great variety at the appropriate cost. If I have to find a little black mark is that the hall it's much loud!

I walk by this place all the time while hunting for food in St. Marks, but the line is always outrageous. Finally got a chance to try in out last night because the line was almost non-existed outside.But still waited 10 minutes to get seated. This place seems like a very authentic Japanese peasant restaurant in a very twisted way. The Japanese art isn't the very traditional ones. Well, the food was really average. Nothing surprising about the quality . The only things that made it different are the environment and the loud non-stop Japanese songs. I won't regret trying it, but coming back is a debate. I must also say their prices are average giving the portion and quality. Not the high end, more in the low end with portion cut back.

the atmosphere is really cute.

Crap food, cheap alcohol. The portions used to be bigger. The wait staff are insane. I think they came straight from the Japanese prisons. Kenka means to fight in Japanese. I blacked out one day and woke up with my first all cut up. I think the wait staff attacked me with a Japanese bottle of beer and then I retaliated and it all ended up in a knife fight with one of the wait staff. Never going back there again because the music is too loud--it's old-man music from Japan. the bull horns are too disturbing for my ears. And I can't stand the people who go there thinking that the place serves authentic Japanese food.

This was a good restaurant, good food, good ambience and very reasonably priced. The only negative thing was the 30min wait to get in as you could not book it beforehand. There was always a crowd outside so it's very popular.

Some unique foods like grilled big juicy clams that are surprisingly tasteless. Food wise, nothing else particularly stands out. Music is noisy and crazy, quite a torture if you want to chat. Staff are really stressed and never smile, but at least they get me what I want.

My best experience in a Japanese restaurant in NYC! And I mean a Japanase full menu restaurant, not just a sushi bar!! The food is excellent, the service very kind and fast and the atmosphere is wonderful! If you like the japanese cult b-movies of the 70s, like me, the Nippon trash culture and the good food and beers, you'll love this place!! There is an never ending menu and a huge list of beers, sakes and sojus, but every choice will be good and cheap! Just to let you know, after having eaten a lot and drink beer, the final bill for the dinner for two (my girlfriend and me) has been 39$

Prices are great and fun atmosphere for drinking but the food is mediocre… things don’t taste really fresh and flavors are kinda off. I prefer Oh Taisho next door for food.

Kenka is a true gem! I walked out of the restaurant begging for a business card, but only received a pair of chopsticks wrapped in Japanese writing. Thankfully I took note of the address and was able to find the name on Yelp (thanks fellow Yelpers!!). My friend begged to take me to Kenka, a place he said was dirt cheap and had delicious Japanese food (but no sushi). I wondered if this could truly be a combination to be found in NYC. But, oh yes, Kenka is exactly how he described it. The long wait at the door provided a clue that we were on the right track. Once seated, I perused the lengthy menu of affordable delicacies. My friend and I decided to start with the butter scallops, which were really like butter melting in your mouth. We also tried the pigs' feet appetizer to satisfy my odd food craving for the month. The waitress clued us into the fact that pigs' feet are really good for your skin- yay! I honestly had no idea what to expect from this meal, but it just tasted like some good barbecue pork. There were, however, several small bones (toes?? ew) to spit out. For a main course I got a massive bowl of white rich covered with thinly sliced marinated beef and sauteed onions. The meat was shockingly good quality and devoid of fat. It was an absolute steal at around $6. The restaurant also has a large sake selection, graded by sweetness to help you make your decision. My $6 glass was pretty good and packed a punch. Lastly, upon departure, the waitress delivers a cup of cotton candy powder with your check. On your way out to the street, you can stop and whip up your own batch of the pink stinky snack. It is a kitschy detail that really helps distinguish Kenka from the neighboring Japanese places.

Cheap Izakaya. Good for students.

love the prices..

Had to wait 45 minutes at 7pm for a table of 4... but was nice and cheap food and drink when inside, so would recommend for experience, with complementary candy floss on exit.

always go there for after -hour food. Honestly food's ok, but it's the atmosphere that's so catchy. Really interesting wall posters - mostly vintage Japanese porn??? and the self-made cotton candy is another pleasure!

So loud you can't hear the person next to you talking. I think the wait staff read lips. Well, you end up pointing to what you want on the menu because they can't hear you. The wait staff seemed numbed by everything and not very nice but you don't go there for the service. Seemed to be a lot of drunken college students a little out of control and the management didn't seem to care that things were getting out of hand. Seemed like business as usual to them. The food was not so great but it was CHEAP and the beer is cheap. That's why ppl keep coming. So, bring your earplaugs, take a valium before entering and join the debauchery!

kenka is not your ordinary japanese yakitori bar. nestled in st. marks among a dozen yakitori joints, this one has a sense of character on the same scale as perhaps a cheesy japanese flick. the menu, decor, and odd music is something to experience. its nice to come to enjoy the vast menu: udon, takoyaki, yakiniku don, donkatsu, toro toro yaki [grilled tuna], hamachi no kamayaki [their best grilled fish: yellowtail neck], calamari, corn, okonomikayi, etc… their menu is extensive so its a hit or miss. but cheap beer, loud environment. its definitely somewhere to come with friends for a late night. ps they sell bull penis there…. so if you like making friends miserable [its a good punishment for bets].

I've been living in ny for a couple of months and I have to tell you this was my best surprise so far :) We had a good meal for a reasonable price, the ambiance is very interesting and adds a lot of character to the place, plus we get tomake our own cotton candy in our way out which is fun. There is a special menu with a few exotic dishes, such as turkey testicles (nay) and pork brain (YAY). My favorites were the okonomiyaki and the shrimp dumplings.

Well if you are trying to impress your futures in laws with some nice Japanese food, think again. Awesome food but weird place ! ..... Good thing we were average sized individuals , heavy duty people will have serious issues at the tables. Then again Japanese people are tiny. Overall cool and weird atmosphere . Good beer prices. Oh and the store upstairs.. Very creepy..

I've been to NYC in 2011 with a couple of friends. We've been to Rock the bells and the food there was pretty expensive so we decided to wait after the show. A friend of us brought us to Kenka and we enjoyed it a lot ! The food was just good but the presentation we're verry special. The ambiance was really nice and I really like the fact that they give you a little cup of sugar so you can make your own cotton candy outside. It end up the night nicely. The prices we're cheap, so as it was for the alcohol !

The hostess decided to have my party of 5 wait for over an 1-1/2 for a table . Kept trying to skip us, despite us putting our name down on her list multiple times. Wouldn't bring a manager. Gave us a different excuse each time. "Card machine out of order, kitchen full, 20% added to bill, manager doesn't speak english, etc.." just didn't care. No matter how patient we were she refused to seat us. And it was my friend's 30th birthday. Never again.

Nice atmosphere, food was ok, fair price. I had the luck to go there on a very quite Thursday, since apparently can get very very busy during the week end

This is a fun place, with a very ironic decoration inspired to Japanese gangsters and Japanese porn, but has a very authentic Izakaya food (appetizers that accompany drinking sake or else). And at a very accessible price. If you do not mind fat pork, I recommend the kakuni. I enjoyed also the fish cheek grilled after being marinated in miso, one of my preferred dish in this style. I am afraid they do not need publicity, as on monday evening they were quite full.

It is a really nice place in the great St Marks Place area. The problem is the menu... A bit complicated for foreign people... Even if there are some pictures to show what we gonna eat, it is a bit hard to choose when you don't know exactly what you will arrive in your plate... The sugar to to your own barbapapa at the end is a really good and funny idea ! The food is good and service nice.

My boy convinced me to eat here because this was his favorite restaurant. We waited outside until they called our name. He nerded out and told me this place was featured on broad city. Haha. When we sat down, I noticed the bdsm kink details and I loved. The food was so good and so cheap. A date night, I never thought to have but one I freaking enjoyed. Fried chicken, grilled chicken, fried rice, dumplings, frog legs, other stuff I forgot. So good.

The title of the restaurant mean fighting. Interestingly they decorated the place with soft porn and strange mannequins ... for a place of dining No reservations, you must take a number and gripe about the delay, they do give you cotton candy at the end to make it up Massive menu with numerous delicacies. No need to list them here, just pick n choose. It’s likely you will find something that tickles your fancy

Albeit a bit loud, but the raucous atmosphere is the perfect setting to catch up with friends over some cheap, cheap beers and tasty snackish Japanese foods.

Despite the Rough Guide saying you need Japanese to get in. My hesitant "hitori desu" was greeted with a friendly Hi. The menus are in Japanese and English. It is a bit like an Izakaya and the mugi shochu is keenly priced

PROS *Bull penis somehow wasn’t awful. I’d almost call it decent thanks to the sauce. The hard part is the mental aspect, not the taste. *Dish was only $6.50. You’d think it would be more. *You’re handed sugar to make your own cotton candy at the end, which is a quirky touch and adds to the interesting experience. CONS *Fried cheese appetizer was ridiculously small. It looked even too small to serve for free. Wasn’t expecting that since the rest of the menu seems like such a good deal.

Avoid at all costs. Terrible service, a waiter with attitude, ignoring customers, showing clearly he didn't want to serve us.

I like Kenka more so than the other izakaya (Donburya) that we tried a few nights earlier. Better grilled food and a very old Japan vibe sort of like in the EDO period a couple of hundred years ago. Cool old pachinko machines next to the toilets. Pretty Good service too. Overall we really like the East Village area of NYC.

Young noisy and cheerful crowds, cheap food that is not bad, dirt cheap draught beer, party atmosphere, a people watching paradise. Just don't have any high expectations of this non-typical japanese restaurant that does not serve sushi.

Please ignore the negative reviews about this place. Yes, it is busy, but the staff are great fun and I believe that they genuinely try to be fair to everyone who is waiting in line to get into the restaurant. I would recommend arriving no later than 6pm if you want to avoid a lengthy wait. The food was excellent and 3-4 dishes should be enough for most couples. The highlight for us was the beef dish with rice. Very reasonably priced food and excellently priced drinks. Highly recommended!

Great spot to visit when you get hungry somewhere near St. Marks in the Village. Good Japanese food for ridiculous prices. Okonomiyaki is my favorite, accompanied by one-dollar Sapporo beer. Takes some time to get in if there's a line, but it's worth the wait.

Kenka serves up some pretty terrible food, especially when compared to restaurants within the East Village area. The long lines are definitely not worth it, unless all you're doing is drinking here. In that case, the beer options are a great value.

Kenka is not the best Japanese food in NYC and it is not supposed to be. It is Japanese bar food (but it is much healthier than its America cousin). On occasion they produce some really tasty treats. I am a big fan of the Okonomiyaki, Takoyaki, salmon sashimi, and the grilled squid (eat as many of these damn things as possible, they are taking over the oceans). What I really like are the beer specials. It is a great place to go with friends and drink.

cute environment but not so much the food... some were decent, some not

Kenka is not for everyone, it's loud, cramped, and the wait can get long. It's obvious it's not for everyone when you first see that it's located under a freaky S&M apparel store. Yet I always find myself coming back for its $8 Japanese draft pitchers and great food. As with classic izakayas, you gotta get drunk. The decor and music will make sense after you're 5 beers in. One of the best spots on St. Marks and you can tell by the huge crowd outside on a Saturday night. Expect half an hour waits on Saturdays. Last thing, when they give you the check they give you a tiny cup of sugar, it's NOT for you to eat. It's for the cotton candy machine outside, so don't be a hooligan and shoot it like a shot.

Good japanese restaurants are really difficult to find in my town so, when I went into this small restaurant full of japanese people having dinner, I said to myself: yeah, they have to serve really good food. It was. I found typical japanese dishes which I never find at any "asian restaurant" in Spain. A few years ago, a japanese friend taught me how to cook "okonomiyaki"....I felt in love with that magical recipe !! I've been trying to look for it in every restaurant I go since...with no luck. As I've said, there were lots of japanese there which I thought was a good sign.....and it truly was !! I totally recommend having anything from their menu....mostly...okonomiyaki !! ^^

This place was recommended to us by our hotel concierge, as somewhere she went regularly. This is totally different to any other NYC restaurant I have been to before. It seems like a very authentic Japanese restaurant. The menu is awesome and food is so good. This place takes some getting used to, there's lots going on but it's somewhere I would recommend. Plus you can free candy floss afterwards!!!

Been a few months since I visited this upbeat place near NYU campus and boy! I was throughly pleased. The menu is elaborate, service is quick and food is eccentric, exciting and packed with a punch. While sticking to some conventions, Khemka also offers adventurous food for those willing to experiment with Asian cuisine. Quality of food is great. Chilly Beef Noodles stood out for me with exceptional taste composition. Loved the spring rolls and Grilled squid as well. They also have a fun array of liquor. Have some fun and order something different.

There were exhibits that seem to demean Japan, such as a doll of a naked woman hanging, a Tengu mask from Japanese culture attached to female genitalia, posters suggesting prostitution, and a framed message saying that poison can cure constipation by causing diarrhea. I couldn't enjoy my meal while looking at those displays. Furthermore, as a Japanese person, I felt extremely uncomfortable with these displays shaping negative impressions of Japanese culture. When did we ever become naked? A Tengu is a mask meant to be worn on the face. What could the owner have been thinking when deciding to put up such exhibits? Linking Japanese culture to such vulgar sexual content is so terrible that it's no wonder misunderstandings arise.

I went with a large party of friends to celebrate a birthday, and despite the busy time of day, they made us feel very welcome. There was a table large enough for us, and everyone was comfortable. There was still a wait to get in, but it was manageable. The food was fantastic, and everyone found something they could enjoy on the menu. I very much enjoyed the croquettes, while others raved over the katsu curry. The drinks were good, too, and at the end of it we were all very happy. Many thanks to Kenka for a wonderful dinner.

Always love the Japanese pub style restaurant. As they promise, the food was delicious and inexpensive! For the 4 of us, we had many dishes and drinks included.....less than $100 bill. Unbelievable. They serve the best Yakitori Assorted Mix.

Great Japanese Izakaya to get cheap food and beer/sake. There's a hundered different little dishes to choose from, some good, some bad, some highly unusual (like bull penis! ;O). Dont go here for great food, but for decent cheap eats, I'd say its a good find. The cotton candy at the end of the meal that you make yourself is a nice touch.

Izakaya type place..Service was pretty bad, the food was okay.

Kenka is a cool and popular place with an authentic Japanese atmosphere and delicious Izakaya fare! Their sakes are wonderful too! Service is fast and friendly, and the place gets packed really fast! Get your name on the waitlist and be sure your entire party is present when they call your name (otherwise you won't be seated). The cotton candy machine (where you make your own cotton candy dessert) is pure genius, and oh so delicious! Definitely going back on my next visit to NYC!

I've been coming to Kenka for years and it's always an interesting and enjoyable experience. The decor is... interesting. Part industrial, part 60s yakuza film chic. Outside is the traditional tanuki (this one with glowing red eyes) and the cotton candy machine that will become important later. Once you get inside, you have a loud, crazy space. This is not a place for quiet conversation and contemplation. It's a party and reminds me of places that I hung out in while I was in Tokyo. The food is more than adequate. It's not the best Japanese food in New York, but it's quite good and the menu is pretty extensive. My personal favorite thing to do is get a bunch of small plates for sharing and you'll find lots of the usual suspects (gyoza, tonkatsu, tori kare, croquettes, yakitori, onigiri, etc). If you have a bigger appetite, there are plenty of options, from ramen to donburis to curry rice. A particular favorite of mine is the kinoko butter - basically shitaki and enoki mushrooms with butter wrapped in a foil packet and grilled. And for a long time, it was the only place that I was able to find okonomiyaki. Beer is cheap (and when is a pitcher of Kirin ever bad?) and there is a nice selection of sakes and sake based cocktails. Dessert options are pretty basic but that's not usual in Asian restaurants. But with your bill you get a little thimble-sized plastic cup (one per diner) filled with colored sugar. Remember the cotton candy machine that I mentioned? On your way out, you can spin your own cotton candy. Even with the promise of a sugary treat, I wouldn't bring young children here (too many scantily clad women on the walls) but for the grown ups it's a real trip.

As a Japanese person, I had come to the conclusion that NY Japanese restaurants were much more authentic and fun than the ones we were used to visiting in Toronto, so I was expecting anything to satisfy my expectations before we even arrived. The location seemed to be like a hip hangout for young people. I loved the store sign and open entrance - you can see right into the restaurant. We had to wait a bit when we got there, (though after reading reviews, it was to be expected of a popular restaurant!). We were fortunate in only having to wait 10 minutes since we were a party of 2. The inside of the restaurant was very cool, with lewd posters on the wall that looked like it was from the 40's or 50's, and also food price signs that look like they came straight from a Japanese restaurant (indicated in yen). I loved the menus, they were fun and you could try out so many authentic Japanese dishes that weren't your regular ramen or sushi. The great thing about the menu was that you can try so many different things as the prices range from $3-10 per item, I believe, and there's just SO MUCH STUFF! We got okonomiyaki, udon, edamame, takoyaki, pickled veggies...from what I can remember. But I couldn't help but realize they all tasted the same as my mom would make it! It's a great place to take someone who'd want to get more acquainted with real Japanese food! I have to say, it was a great place to eat after spending so many days eating out at Italian/French/American cuisine restaurants. Sometimes I just wanted to revert back to asian foods...and this place totally did it for us! I don't usually rate restaurants according to service, but the table service here was moderate at best, since the wait staff are so busy with other tables and they all from Japan, their English isn't the greatest in the world, but really the food should be the only thing any visitor should think about at Kenka. At the end of our meal, we got a little plastic cup with pink sugar in it, which we used to spin our very own cotton candy in a REAL cotton candy making machine at the front of the restaurant. That was the best end to a meal I have ever experienced at any restaurant, and to this day, Kenka is the coolest food outlet I have ever visited!

draft beer is cheap 1.50. although the music is too loud to have conversation, i always enjoy the food and time with my friends !!

This place gets very popular at night so we waited for almost 30 minutes for our turn. The prices were great, it was an authentic Japanese ambience but I was overwhelmed with the extensive menu and didn't know what to order because at least 100 dishes to choose from. All of our food was mediocre and nothing to shout out for, but we enjoyed the loud surrounding and aircond. Enjoyed the cotton candy diy at the end of it.

Really awesome authentic Japanese restaurant! From the menu, the chooses, the ingredients and the setting. Small portions and cheap prices make this dining experience very fun! Very real place not the "fancy" typical Japanese decor we're used to. Good for a small group of people but it tends to get very crowded. There's always a wait!

3 stars for the beer prices.

Kenka is about as close to going to japan as you can get in NYC. Cheap beer, ample selections of Sake and a huge menu of true Japanese dishes (some quite adventurous.) The place feels like a big party and is definitely a unique experience.

Well... Kenka was an interesting experience, a little to much porn for a place to eat! Staff were extremely rude to the point of ignoring half of us and delivered food to the wrong table, one girl in our group didn't even get any food she ordered! The Staff then had the cheek of trying to over charge us, dumped the food down in front of us with out telling us what it was! I hate the fact we are forced to leave tips in the USA as we would have left non! The food however, (to us who got our food) was actually quite nice.

When eating a restaurant I usually focus on the food that's the reason for the average rating. That being said this place was really fun and had awesome prices. Booze was also really cheap. Server was really nice. You put yourself on a first come first serve reservation list which is not manned by the restaurant and then you wait outside in the cold which was kinda dumb. The prices were so cheap I almost want to say that you get for what you pay for. Ramen was below average. My favorite dish was a pork belly in a broth. MSG MSG MSG!!!!!

descent food, awesome place for sake bombing for cheap!

You know it's authentic when 70% of the clientele is Japanese! We tried several dishes I would have never dreamed I would have eaten. All very tasty. It's dive so dress down and come prepared to try things you'd never thought you'd eat.

Great Casual Place to get some cheap but good food! $1.50 pints of Kirin.. you really can't beat that!

This place has very good attraction on Tanuki statue in front of it. The restaurant is decorated in retro Japanese. You can see vintage pachinko machine and lifestyle of Japanese picture. The taste of food was good, especially takoyaki and curry rice. The best thing of this restaurant. is they are very cheap compared to others around St. Mark. The beer is just only 1$/ glass during promotion time. Raw tuna fish bone is for just 5$, and you can order extra rice to eat with it. I will recommend this place for anyone who like to eat and drink in Izakaya style with a cheap price.

This restaurant is delicious and fun! I gave it 4 stars because of the wait for food. The wait outside was not unreasonable - I was prepared for that - but upon entering the restaurant I saw that the tables were not even filled. Then, we waited 30+ minutes for our food. However, the food was delicious and worth the wait. And CHEAP!

After some years we went to Kenka again. Same place, same atmosphere. You get what you want. Funny, crazy, loud, bit weird, good food, very reasonable prices, tasty rice dishes. For one night: very okay. But it won’t be the no.1 place in NYC. Nothing for the first night, but when you spend some days in Manhattan: try it!

Went here just this past Saturday and it was awful. The place was recommended by friends, so we waited 40 mins for a table of 3, and. We ordered Gyoza, Yakisoba, Yakitori and fried rice. Portions were small and tastes horrible. rice was hard, noodles were too salty, and gyozas were burnt and grainy. The only good thing here is the $1.50 beers. The soju was EXPENSIVE ($50/bottle), and we didn't care for sake. And the music was loud and annoying, and tables/chairs very uncomfortable. We were disappointed. I would not come back here... even for the cheap beer. If I wanted cheap alcohol, I could walk around the corner to Continental and get 5 shots of anything for $10, plus there's no line-up there!

I'm half asian and i love asian food, i discovered Kenka two years ago and it's my number one restaurant in Manhattan, prices are very cheap and the quality of food is incredible! I go to Kenka everytime i am in New York. it,s always overcrowded that means it is good! They have a large variety of sake too! Enjoy!

Great for a cheap bite. Nothing spectacular here.

True Japanese style bar with good food. Loud and packed in the summer. Not for families.

Went there a few times and the atmosphere is really nice and just a lot of fun. Perfect for a small group of friends trying to eat and drink, although once when we went the service was pretty bad. Anyway, still one of my favorite restaurants in NYC!

I really like Kenka. The decor is so cool, original and fun. Colorful signage, original wall 'art' and objects (like patchinko machines and what seemed like portraits of former winners), Japanese music coming to us through megaphones (no speakers there), self service cotton candy machine, and communal tables, all make this mainly an ambiance place. It is noisy, customers are loud, yes, but so are the staff, screaming their orders atop the service bar. This is not to say that the food isn't good. It is not bad at all. The seaweed salad was excellent actually. We ordered seconds. The rest was also good. Don't expect high-end Japanese, but an all out good eating experience at low prices. They also have a good Japanese beer selection at really cheap prices. Get a pitcher. It's even cheaper! The servers weren't big on smiling but they still came through as friendly, and they knew their menu well. Expect a line, noise, a beer buzz, and loud conversations. Fun!

that's "Japanese izakaya" style place, nothing romantic / formal, just a casual place to get drink / food for cheap after a hard working day. if you like Japanese "anime", you'll like the atmosphere but you will have a hard time if you are not familiar with Japanese food. or you can enjoy Kirin at least, beer is super cheap there! they give you a cup of sugar before you leave, and you can make your own cotton candy @ machine close to the door. I used to go there cuz a couple of my friends were working.

Went to Kenka with a local friend, the wait was 30 minutes on a Friday night but there is lots to do in the Lower East Side. This place has an awesome vibe inside, more authentic than most. Had the fried tofu in miso, fried udon noodles and fried calamari. All were good, the tofu was delicious. At the end of your meal they give you a shot glass with blue powder in it. Turns out there is a cotton candy machine outside and you make your own to take with you. Very cool.

I went to Kenka with a friend on a Monday evening, and the place was packed. We sat at one of the big communal tables, which was pretty uncomfortable with staff squeezing past us to the bar and nowhere to put our stuff. But it all added to the crazy atmosphere. A very young and noisy crowd - didn't spot anyone who looked over 30! Probably due to the supercheap beer at $1.50. Loud music, horribly distorted through very old 'megaphone' type speakers. not the place to go for a quiet rendezvous! The whole place is completely chaotic, and this also applies to the menu, which is almost impossible to navigate. But this all adds to the fun. There's also a rather alarming set of rules on the back of the menu, including 'no fighting, no sex, no vomiting (or pay a fine), no graffiti except in Japanese' The decor is quite bizarre. Lots to look at, mainly old-fashioned Japanese porn. There is a little terrace area out the back for smoking. The toilet signs are in Japanese so you have to make sure you know which is which! The food was ok, nothing spectacular but v good value for money. Not a huge amount of choice for vegetarians though. Service was a bit hit and miss but ok. At the end of the meal they give you a little cup of pink sugar to make your own candyfloss in their machine outside, which is a nice touch. A great place to have some cheap food and drink with a noisy bunch of friends, just be prepared to wait!

Dinner in East Village. This place is pretty unique - because the sign is in Japanese. The restaurant lay out is very japanese movie/ street-style, e.g. pictures of japanese actors and actresses, japanese video games, etc... Even the menu is fun and interesting (the first few pages are only pictures of japanese alcohol). Food is delicious and cheap. I can definitely see why there was a waiting line to eat here.

a friend of mine is living in NY and suggested we go there. its one of those places as a tourist you wouldnt find or go. Its not in the magazines! the place is absolutely cool. small, hidden. You feel in Japan. The look and feel of the place, the menu, the decoration and the people all is Japan seventies style. The menu has everything so you can choose. Soups are great, fish, meat. Choose different things to share. when you pay they give you a little cup with pink sugar so you can make your cotton candy at the machine in the front door!! i recommend t as an experience on St. Marks street Ny by locals!!

Very fun izakaya experience. If you're looking for a good, cheap meal in a fun space with lots of wacky things on the walls, then please check out Kenka. We ordered tons of food and our bill was only around $50. The service and food were both good, and it was a really fun experience. Definitely worth checking out if you're staying in the East Village.