Spicy Food in NYC: Mentai Ika Shishito from Izakaya MEW

Mentai Ika Shishito from Izakaya MEW

Spicy Level: 🌶🌶

Mentai Ika Shishito is made of squid and shishito peppers sauteed with mentai, butter, soy sause and black pepper. Japanese food normally won't be spicy. Even though this dish with shishito peppers tastes just a little bit spicy, the flavor is extremely good! Sometimes, the peppers are not spicy, but sometimes they are so spicy, so it's kinda like an "adventure" to eat this.

Tucked into a basement on 35th Street in bustling K-Town, Izakaya MEW attracts young professionals, businesspeople and students looking for a real izakaya experience. This place always needs to wait to be seated. I went there four times and I always waited at least an hour.

Take the narrow steps down to the basement, and you will find yourself in a huge, brick-walled dining space designed with both the essences of a traditional izakaya in Tokyo and a chic bar in Brooklyn. The rustic yet modern décor is one of the charms of the restaurant/bar, but their reasonably priced, small dishes are also a great appeal to their clientele.

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