NYC Eats: Panya/Hakata Hot Pot
Naming my favorite place to eat in NYC is practically an impossible task, as you’ll soon learn during your first few weeks exploring the eclectic range of cuisine NYC has to offer. Personally, the task is especially difficult since I have a handful of go-to places for different occasions, whether they be for a quick and cheap bite, an aced-that-presentation occasion, or a friendly group-hangout place. For the sake of my foodie soul, I present my favorite place to go on a daily basis and a place for more special occasions.
One of the places I frequent most often is Panya, a friendly (and cheap!!) Japanese cafe located just right off of St. Marks, and a 2 minute walk from the Barney building, home to the Steinhardt Studio Art department. If you’ve ever been to an Asian bakery, you’ll know that the pastries aren’t quite like the typical pastries you’ll find at a Au Bon Pain. Instead, Asian pastries will feature a range of flavors, from sweet to savory, using ingredients that might sound strange but are often rather tasty (ie. cheese, corn, mayonnaise, raisins, shredded meat, etc). Panya also features some great bentos and other Japanese snacks, drinks, and even eat-in dishes such as curry and ramen. They’re usually open quite late, so even after grabbing my lunch at Panya, I’ll often head back for a second time to grab coffee and snacks for my late night art-ing sessions in the Barney building. Another great thing about Panya are that they have outdoor seating for when the weather is nice, so you can do some people watching in the spring. Only downside is that Panya has a card minimum of $10, so make sure to check your wallet before heading in!
The second place I looovee going to for slightly more special occasions (and especially with friends!) is called Hakata Hot Pot. Located just a bit off St. Marks on 8th Street between 1st and 2nd Ave, this small Japanese hot pot restaurant is a delicious place to celebrate after a difficult exam or after acing a presentation! A friend actually introduced me to this place after we aced a really tough presentation for our class and it was definitely a satisfying reward. The restaurant is small, so I often make a reservation before going, especially on weekends when it gets really busy.
Best thing to try on your first visit? Hakata Dontaku Hot Pot. I say this because most of the hot pot dishes feature pork or beef intestine (for the broth! and it’s really tasty I promise), but this signature hot pot doesn’t include it as a main ingredient, so if you have an adverse mental reaction to thinking about animal intestines in your food, you can try this to get your palette used to delicious Japanese hot pot! Each hot pot order also comes with edamame and a small complimentary shot of plum wine which is a really sweet fermented wine (it won’t get you drunk, but it’ll make your tummy warm in preparation for devouring the hot pot).
As some of you may know, hot pots generally include a lot of broth, and sometimes you find yourself left with a ton of broth after eating all the food inside. To combat this, Hakata will add in ramen for an extra $5 so you can finish all your delicious broth with ramen soaked in that delicious broth! It’s definitely worth it if you’re with friends and you’re all still hungry because it’s a lot of ramen.
So there you have it, one place for everyday munchies and another for more special occasions! Finding out new and delicious places in NYC is exciting, and will most likely result from exploring different streets and neighborhoods with your friends during your time in NYC, so enjoy and keep munching!
- Clara, OL