Takahachi Bakery Visited 2/10/2012 4.5 Forks

Takahachi Bakery 25 Murray St., (between Broadway & Church St), New York, NY 10007

I normally wouldn't have reviewed a bakery but I just couldn't stop thinking about the lunch I had there, there I felt like I just had to spread the word about this place.  I had passed by it several times but just assumed it was your usually Asian bakery that I've been to a million times before in my life.  And on a basic level, that's what it is.  They have tons of different kind of breads (sweet and savory), pastries, and strangely enough macaroons.  If you've never been to an Asian bakery before they are pretty different than your standard American or Italian bakery.  When I say "sweet", I mean that the breads have red been paste or an egg custard type of taste to it.  And the savory breads have ham or pork baked into it.  But I was pleasantly surprised to see that they also had a variety of salads and specialty sandwiches during lunch at very reasonable prices.

I got the small tofu salad ($4) and a fish sandwich that came with a side of beans and potato ($6).  They had a whole variety of hot and cold sandwiches to choose from, so you can really have a real meal here.  They have a several tables in the back for you to sit at and you also get a view of the bakers making the food in the back.  After my Soba-ya experience, I wasn't sure if I'd have luck with non-suchi Japanese food, but I really loved my food.  The tofu salad had soft tofu with lettuce, tomato, red onion,  and topped with a seaweed salad all with a very light but flavorful sesame dressing.  It was simple, clean and just what I wanted to lunch.  But of course I didn't stop eating there. I also got the fish sandwich, which was a piece of cod that tasted like it was pan roasted put in a soft Japanese bakery bun served with asparagus on top.  I know it sounds weird but it was super tasty and the small green beans and potatoes on the side were crispy and very fresh tasting.  The fact that I got all of that for $10 is a pretty great steal, especially in Tribeca.  I'm totally super excited that my friend Allison suggested it for lunch because I am definitely coming back here more often, especially since most of the places in the Tower are terrible or under renovations until 2013!

Photo Credit: Yelp