I was there last week and there was a piece of plastic in my fried chicken set (with 5 chickens), and the staff refused to take it off the bill after they replaced that one piece of chicken for me.
The waiter said they “fixed” it because they provided me with a new chicken ball, and I ate it.
I told them, “isn’t that supposed to happen? I ordered karrage set so I should just get fried chicken, without plastic. So you were just giving me my order. However, there was an “unexpected plastic” in my food, so for this, I think it should be taken off the bill to be addressed separately.” I also told them it’s what happened in my other experiences dining in New York — weird things in food, exchange for a new one, taken off the bill. No questions asked.
However, the waiter claimed that they will take it off the bill only if I return the whole plate of food. But the illogical thing is, I didn’t find out the plastic until almost in the end, and I did return a portion of the chicken that’s directly in contact with the fried plastic.
I understand it probably is the restaurant policy, so the waiter was just following? I am not sure. However, it doesn’t make sense.
🔺Swapping the food for the contaminated one is not “we fixed it”, it is called giving customers what they order, which is uncontaminated food. To fix this kind of food safety issue, it needs to be addressed separately. Like other gestures or taking the meal off the bill.
I still paid the whole because I saw we were not sharing the same logic. I won’t come anymore because the service was really weird aside from this food safety issue. And food was average.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 2
Service: 1
Buster Coe
A solid neighborhood eatery
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
Yasemin Sahin
neighbourhood comfort food spot.
they also do have sake/beer and wine which is great.
we will be back
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
J B C
I stopped in for an early dinner Friday night around 6pm. Since it was early it was rather quiet only 4 other tables dining in. Though being Friday it was still a work day & with the large amount of various delivery services coming in & out of the restaurant I can only guess many people in the area just wanted to stay home & unwind. I decided to try the crab cream croquettes for my appetizer which were lightly fried which I liked however the cream overpowered the crab to the point I couldn’t taste the crab. For t my main I went with the Kurobuta katsu burger (basically a fried boneless pork loin on a bun with shredded cabbage & mayo) which came with fried potato tots. Which was OK. I don’t know what I was thinking but in reality I had way too many fried dishes in this meal so perhaps that’s why I didn’t enjoy it as much as one normally would. I tried the Hikari from their cocktail menu which sounded good however the chewiness of the jelly wasn’t for me. Perhaps if you like aloe drinks you would enjoy this drink as well. The tables were rather close to each other so when getting up from the bench side (there’s one long bench across the entire back wall) of the table your guaranteed to bump into a table or two. Next time I’ll have to limit myself to one fried dish & perhaps my meal will be more enjoyable.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 3
Philip Buchanan
One of the best bites of food I’ve had all year. The atmosphere is very cozy and the decor is very warm and welcoming. Wouldn’t change anything about my visit and I will definitely be back again soon!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Leo Zou
Went exploring and found this nice little shop. Some of the best curry I’ve had around New York. The mackerel was great along with the salmon, very flavorful. Their menu had lots of pictures so it really helped to see what’s looks good and matches very well with what we got. They might be understaffed, very busy but was no wait line when we got there.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Tiffany Cheng
Good food in a small setting. Friendly staff and food comes out quickly. The prices are a little high, but the portions are big for their entrees. Brunch is served on the weekends. The curry is good.
Grace Chi
This spot is seriously a hidden gem, the atmosphere is so cute and cozy, food is as good as it looks, and service was super welcoming!
The Spicy Karaage Don was easily the best fried chicken I've had in years, and the green onions that came with it had a bright, acidic dressing that complimented the karaage amazingly well.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Kaitlin Huben
We tried Soboku for the first time today and were blown away by the Spicy Karaage Don and Kurobuta Katsu Don! We got there on the earlier side (around 6pm) and were seated promptly. Vibes were lovely, service was great, and food was fantastic. We can’t wait to come back and try more of the menu.
Saltier than expected, but then Japanese cuisines are on the saltier side.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 5
Alicia
The ramen I got was rather underwhelming. My friends all loved their curry so I would say that is a safer bet here
Lan C
Finally had a chance to stop into this Japanese spot on Smith. On a block stocked with so many food options, it’s nice to find a delicious Don - rice bowl, and curry. The small interior is half open kitchen and half seating. It’s great and reasonably priced, which allows for solo and family dining. Lots of great starter dishes too, including the spicy tuna taco. Wish the ventilation system was better though. It’s either not enough A/C or there’s air in your section but the cooking oil smell is clinging in the air. But a quick meal on a not hot day should be fine.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Biteworthy
Craving simple, feel-good Japanese eats?SOBOKU—which means simplicity in Japanese—has you covered. From crispy katsu, comforting curry or juicy Kurobuta burgers, every bite will feel like home.
Food safety issue and rude service
I was there last week and there was a piece of plastic in my fried chicken set (with 5 chickens), and the staff refused to take it off the bill after they replaced that one piece of chicken for me.
The waiter said they “fixed” it because they provided me with a new chicken ball, and I ate it.
I told them, “isn’t that supposed to happen? I ordered karrage set so I should just get fried chicken, without plastic. So you were just giving me my order. However, there was an “unexpected plastic” in my food, so for this, I think it should be taken off the bill to be addressed separately.” I also told them it’s what happened in my other experiences dining in New York — weird things in food, exchange for a new one, taken off the bill. No questions asked.
However, the waiter claimed that they will take it off the bill only if I return the whole plate of food. But the illogical thing is, I didn’t find out the plastic until almost in the end, and I did return a portion of the chicken that’s directly in contact with the fried plastic.
I understand it probably is the restaurant policy, so the waiter was just following? I am not sure. However, it doesn’t make sense.
🔺Swapping the food for the contaminated one is not “we fixed it”, it is called giving customers what they order, which is uncontaminated food. To fix this kind of food safety issue, it needs to be addressed separately. Like other gestures or taking the meal off the bill.
I still paid the whole because I saw we were not sharing the same logic. I won’t come anymore because the service was really weird aside from this food safety issue. And food was average.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 2
Service: 1
A solid neighborhood eatery
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
neighbourhood comfort food spot.
they also do have sake/beer and wine which is great.
we will be back
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
I stopped in for an early dinner Friday night around 6pm. Since it was early it was rather quiet only 4 other tables dining in. Though being Friday it was still a work day & with the large amount of various delivery services coming in & out of the restaurant I can only guess many people in the area just wanted to stay home & unwind. I decided to try the crab cream croquettes for my appetizer which were lightly fried which I liked however the cream overpowered the crab to the point I couldn’t taste the crab. For t my main I went with the Kurobuta katsu burger (basically a fried boneless pork loin on a bun with shredded cabbage & mayo) which came with fried potato tots. Which was OK. I don’t know what I was thinking but in reality I had way too many fried dishes in this meal so perhaps that’s why I didn’t enjoy it as much as one normally would. I tried the Hikari from their cocktail menu which sounded good however the chewiness of the jelly wasn’t for me. Perhaps if you like aloe drinks you would enjoy this drink as well. The tables were rather close to each other so when getting up from the bench side (there’s one long bench across the entire back wall) of the table your guaranteed to bump into a table or two. Next time I’ll have to limit myself to one fried dish & perhaps my meal will be more enjoyable.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 3
One of the best bites of food I’ve had all year. The atmosphere is very cozy and the decor is very warm and welcoming. Wouldn’t change anything about my visit and I will definitely be back again soon!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Went exploring and found this nice little shop. Some of the best curry I’ve had around New York. The mackerel was great along with the salmon, very flavorful. Their menu had lots of pictures so it really helped to see what’s looks good and matches very well with what we got. They might be understaffed, very busy but was no wait line when we got there.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Good food in a small setting. Friendly staff and food comes out quickly. The prices are a little high, but the portions are big for their entrees. Brunch is served on the weekends. The curry is good.
This spot is seriously a hidden gem, the atmosphere is so cute and cozy, food is as good as it looks, and service was super welcoming!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Kurobuta Katsu Curry, Spicy Tuna Taco, Crab Cream Croquette, Crab Meat Korokke
The Spicy Karaage Don was easily the best fried chicken I've had in years, and the green onions that came with it had a bright, acidic dressing that complimented the karaage amazingly well.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
We tried Soboku for the first time today and were blown away by the Spicy Karaage Don and Kurobuta Katsu Don! We got there on the earlier side (around 6pm) and were seated promptly. Vibes were lovely, service was great, and food was fantastic. We can’t wait to come back and try more of the menu.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
Gyudon was really tasty!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Saltier than expected, but then Japanese cuisines are on the saltier side.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 5
The ramen I got was rather underwhelming. My friends all loved their curry so I would say that is a safer bet here
Finally had a chance to stop into this Japanese spot on Smith. On a block stocked with so many food options, it’s nice to find a delicious Don - rice bowl, and curry. The small interior is half open kitchen and half seating. It’s great and reasonably priced, which allows for solo and family dining. Lots of great starter dishes too, including the spicy tuna taco. Wish the ventilation system was better though. It’s either not enough A/C or there’s air in your section but the cooking oil smell is clinging in the air. But a quick meal on a not hot day should be fine.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Craving simple, feel-good Japanese eats?SOBOKU—which means simplicity in Japanese—has you covered. From crispy katsu, comforting curry or juicy Kurobuta burgers, every bite will feel like home.
🫶🏼 Hikari | Sake, Prosecco
🫶🏼 Arimura | Sake, Yuzu, Peach
🫶🏼 Spicy Tuna Taco
🫶🏼 Sweet Potato Tempura
🫶🏼 Tsukune | Chicken
🫶🏼 Toryofu Mezamen | Brothless Ramen
🫶🏼 Kurobuta Katsu Burger
🫶🏼 Kurobuta Katsu
🫶🏼 Ebi Fry Katsu Don
🫶🏼 Soboku Salad
📍@sobokunyc | Brooklyn
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
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