Midtown Lunch

Yesterday, we received word from a Lunch’er via twitter that Yagura, hailed as the best deal among the Japanese grocers on 41st between 5th and Madison and a favorite of Midtown Lunchers, is closing TODAY. In deep confusion and sadness we must ask with urgency, What is the meaning of this? Our source says Yagura will be closing indefinitely, and it sounds like it could be lease issues although we don’t know for sure. In this short time frame we’re drawing upon our readers to shed any light on the situation, as this could possibly be the last day of Yagura awesomeness for a while, or perhaps forever! Any tips, inside knowledge, or dirty rumors would be greatly appreciated.

UPDATE: It appears as if the news is true.  Check out the sign after the jump…

Read more »

Yagura (41st btw. Mad+5th) is the most unassuming Japanese grocer in the 41st street trinity tetrad, once called the “ugly duckling” of the group by Donny. It’s true, there is no fancy sign to herald its existence. In fact, I had to double check with the staff that it was, in fact, Yagura. It’s a favorite in my office for its value.

Read more »

Sometimes when a place gets a facelift the quality of food goes down. I was thinking about that when I was standing in line at Yagura. Back in February we mentioned Yagura had put on a new coat of paint, the menu board actually lights up and freshly baked creme puffs can now be found off to one side. The much needed facelift came with a price hike as well, bring them a bit closer to Cafe Zaiya and Sunrise Mart. While I was tempted to get the oyakodon again, I decided to go for the $6.99 chicken karaage instead because I was in the mood for some Japanese fried chicken chunks.

So how was it?

Read more »

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.

Read more »

Come tax season it’s a tradition of mine to visit Cafe Zaiya (41st btw. Mad+5th) every time I go see my accountant (his office is just around the corner, lucky guy). But now with the addition of Sunrise Mart, deciding where to eat on 41st St just got a bit tougher- although on my most recent visit the fact that I hadn’t been to the new Sunrise Mart yet made the decision a bit easier. I walked straight to the back and ordered their oyakodon, the Japanese rice bowl with chicken and egg. I wanted to compare the version at Sunrise Mart to the version I had at Sapporo few weeks ago.

And then I realized I should probably go to Yagura too (the ugly duckling of the Japanese stores on that street).  After all, they serve oyakodon as well. So how do all 3 oyakodons compare to one another? Will I ever get tired of eating oyakodons? Let’s fine out.

Read more »