Otafuku x Medetai Red Bean Taiyaki: Otafuku x Medetai is a small Japanese to-go street food shop in the East Village specializing in okonomiyaki, takoyaki, and taiyaki. Taiyaki is a classic Japanese dessert with a fish-shaped waffle exterior and different fillings inside (traditionally red bean). They make all their taiyaki from scratch here, filling their detailed custom molds with batter and producing 6 fishies at a time, all of which you can watch. This was probably the freshest taiyaki I've had -- it came out pipping hot and needed to cool down for five minutes before it could even be touched. I really loved how the waffle and red bean combination was not too sweet, even verging on savory. The waffle was very crispy yet slightly gooey on the inside, so they got the texture just right. The entire dessert is quite large and easily sharable, but costs only $3.50, so it's very affordable. Definitely worth checking out if you're in the city! 4.5/5.0

exceptional nyc japanese otafukuxmedetai red bean taiyaki 4.5