Yagura Makeover Means a Price Hike & Cream Puffs

Yagura

When fellow luncher Asafoetida broke the news that Yagura (41st btw. Mad+5th) had a makeover plus a price hike, I said “nooooooooooo” in my head (I was in the office so I couldn’t really yell). Last time I was there I had a pretty darn good oyakodon and for $5.93, it was pretty hard to beat. With the price hike I wondered if it would still be a good deal. Luncher Asafoetida also said Yagura added pastry to the menu. Well, a makeover, price hike and pastry? I had to check this out for myself.


Yagura

The first thing that I noticed when I first walked in was how bright the place had gotten. Back in the day it looked kind of gloomy and dingy but now with a fresh coat of paint it looked a little happier.

Yagura

The previous menu board with plastic wrapped around it was replaced by a more up-to-date brightly lit generic looking menu.

Yagura

Besides the makeover, Yagura has also added freahly made cream puffs to their menu- which made me nearly forget about the price hike. Back when Beard Papa (the Japanese cream puff chain) was still in Cafe Zaiya (41st btw. Mad+5th), I would never leave without getting half a dozen to go, so I’m glad that after 3 years, the cream puff is back! You can get a plain cream puff for $1.50 and a red bean cream puff for $2. Also if you buy 10 you get 1 free.

Yagura Japanese Grocery, 24 E 41st St. (btw. Mad+5th), 212-679-3777

7 Comments

  • Did you forget to order food?

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    They are definitely trying to compete against Cafe Zaiya’s cream puff. A throwdown is imminent…Donny, that’s your job. :)

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    Booooooo to raising prices. Their katsu don, at $5.93 after tax, was a real treat for when I decided to indulge in a real gut-busting lunch during the weekday. I think it’s $5.99 now, so probably going to $6.50, give or take a few cents, after tax.

    Do loooooooove cream puffs though. Gunna cheggit out this afternoon :D

  • Gone are the days that Beard Papa ruled surpreme.

  • Well, I just tried it. Never been there before, so I don’t know how today’s katsudon compares to yesterday’s. Not really much to say about it, it tastes just like it looks.

    As for the cream puff, since I work in this area and I was a Beard Papa addict while they were available, I can definitively say that while it’s nice to have a $1.50 cream puff option for those long afternoons that just demand a snack, it’s no Beard Papa. I was hoping for some serious knockoff “A product”, but the pastry is cheap and the cream was inferior in flavor and texture to Beard Papa’s.

  • Had the oyakodon and a cream puff from here yesterday. Good (meaning not amazing) all around – good service, good, filling portion size, and the egg smothered the chicken and rice nicely. Flavorful, but not what you would call ethereal. So it didn’t blow me away, but at 8 bucks even for the dish and the puff, this is a very GOOD lunch deal.

    The cream puffs, by the way, are the size of doughnuts. Just in case anyone out there is reeling at the $1.50 price tag and thinking they’re more munchkin-sized.

  • this place is an oasis compared to all the nasty overpriced garbage in midtown.

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