NYCReview
photo credit: Kate Previte
Mama Yoshi Mini Mart
Included In
At a Ridgewood konbini the size of a shipping container, there’s a crispy katsu sandwich so huge it requires peripheral vision. Follow the smell of deep-fried foods, and stop when you reach a corner littered with sunflower-yellow patio furniture. There, you’ll find a shop selling Pocky, furikake, and a few takeout items that a younger version of yourself would skip school for.
photo credit: Kate Previte
photo credit: Kate Previte
photo credit: Kate Previte
photo credit: Kate Previte
From a few Bay Area expats who used to run pop-ups around NYC, this Japanese-American convenience store is a friendly place with a fanbase of regulars who understand the importance of Spam and Kewpie mayo. In addition to franchise-worthy fried chicken sandwiches, they have shelves of pantry items, a limited supply of grab-and-go foods, and some made-to-order dishes, like rice bowls topped with curry and spicy salmon.
All of the options are good and comforting, but a few are disorientingly delicious. Served on a potato roll that provides less coverage than a Speedo, the cartoonishly large fried chicken katsu is the headliner here, although there’s a cauliflower version that’s just as impressive. If you arrive early enough, you might be able to snag a breakfast burrito with Spam and crunchy hash browns. If you don’t, just get your Spam in grilled cheese form, with cheddar and American oozing all around it.
photo credit: Kate Previte
photo credit: Kate Previte
Open from noon to 7pm, Wednesday through Friday, Mama Yoshi is a respectable reason to call out sick or pursue a career as a night auditor at a hotel. But if you can’t make it during the week, they’re also open Saturdays. Grab a green tea from the fridge, get a container of mac salad to take home, then find a table on the patio where you can enjoy some of the best quick bites in NYC.
Food Rundown
photo credit: Kate Previte
Spicy Chicken Sandwich
photo credit: Kate Previte
Spam Grilled Cheese
photo credit: Kate Previte
Hawaiian Bowl
photo credit: Kate Previte
Cauliflower Katsu
photo credit: Kate Previte
Chicken Katsu Curry Bowl
photo credit: Kate Previte