CONOHEN
Authentic Japanese restaurant · Bedford-Stuyvesant ·
Authentic Japanese onigiri, sandwiches, karaage, yakisoba
Authentic Japanese onigiri, sandwiches, karaage, yakisoba
"You can’t find Conohen on a map (for now), so listen closely. The next time you feel like your regular weekend bagel routine is in need of a refresh, head to The Word Is Change, a bookstore in Bed-Stuy. Then look to your right, where you’ll see a takeout window. That’s Conohen, a weekend-only Japanese pop-up serving fresh onigiri and other snacks mostly to people who have passed this place and wondered why it smelled like sushi rice. The facade is plastered with printer paper signs that might alert you that there's chicken kara-age today or that the chef’s special of the day is ahi poke with chips. There’s also a sign saying they will be opening as a full-on restaurant “this summer.” (The “summer” they’re referring to remains unclear.) Get at least two onigiri, because they're made-to-order and filled with things like konbu and grilled salmon, but also try a sandwich. They come on pillowy milk bread, with the crusts cut off. There's a slightly unfinished (for now) backyard where you can eat your first rice ball, but you should take them to-go and work through your haul while window-shopping down Tompkins Avenue. Food Rundown Sandwiches Yes, those are the crusts, and yes, they fry them up and serve them on the side of the sandwich like french fries. Try the egg salad, which is soft and seeps into that squishy milk bread. photo credit: Willa Moore Onigiri They’re bigger than the onigiri you’ll find at your local Japanese grocery store, and they’re also better, because they’re warm, freshly made, and overflowing with grilled salmon or salty-sweet beef. photo credit: Willa Moore" - Willa Moore
"A bargain-minded preparation that showcases ikura in smaller portions, offering an $8 onigiri topped with salmon roe that delivers concentrated pops of salty umami." - Tammie Teclemariam
"A small, informal onigiri counter that recently formalized its hours and online presence, serving tightly packed, generously sized rice-and-seafood hand snacks (such as a fist-sized grilled salmon onigiri) alongside complementary sides like vegetable yakisoba and a tender hamburger patty with demi-glace." - Paula Aceves, Margalit Cutler
"This small Japanese counter—which began as a weekend pop-up and now operates Thursdays through Mondays—serves onigiri, sashimi, and karaage and is best known online for an egg-salad sandwich on milk bread with the trimmed crusts fried to a golden brown and served like bread frites. The crusts are crunchy and enjoyable and the $5 sandwich is fine, but the egg-salad filling is thin and doesn’t reach the edges of the bread, so the sandwich itself isn’t particularly special; a good neighborhood spot for onigiri but not worth a special trip solely for the viral crust." - Tammie Teclemariam
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