Bessou is one of many vendors in the Pier 57 food court. The food court is a fairly loud space with limited seating and a decent array of options, but that doesn't necessarily work in Bessou's favor. The first thing to note: Bessou is not serving 'traditional' style Japanese dishes. This should be clear from the menu, but they do a modern, fusion style. This does, unfortunately, mean that what you imagine you are getting and what you are actually getting may be two completely different things. I got the hot honey namban karaage. Typically, karaage is fried with a light batter and is juicy and mostly bite sized. What they serve here is soaked in sauce, with large unwieldy pieces that require a knife to eat. The tartar sauce (the entire point behind calling it namban) was very lacking and with so much sauce, there was zero crunch. It was still very good, but not what I was expecting. I also got fries but they were just... ordinary thin cut fries that are priced fairly high given what they are. I'm short, what I got was pretty good but soggy fried chicken was not what I was expecting. Service was fine. Will not get the standalone karaage again if I come back. read more

Tried Bessou again, on my friend's recommendation. Got fried chicken again, but with no mayo, and sauce on the side. Much, much better. Quite good. The breading is slightly sweet, almost like a pastry flavor. And the miso bbq was great, very strong taste. A little goes a long way. The rice & sushi bites look good, will try next time. read more

Bessou - Fried chicken with miso bbq sauce - Japanese Near Me - New York, New York

My friend and I wanted to have a quick bite while at Pier 57 and Bessou was perfect! We tried the crispy fried rice. Staff was very friendly. There is not a big area to eat so definitely a grab and go read more

Bessou - Japanese Near Me - New York, New York

Long wait, and food was just okay. Got the combo with karaage and a salmon crispy rice. The karaage was nice and crispy and juicy, but there really was no flavor. The hot honey sauce... very lacking--it wasn't spicy to be 'hot' and it wasn't sweet at all to be 'honey' ... It tasted like a vinegary version of sweet and sour sauce. The salmon was good and fresh, and the presentation was nice. But hard to eat/execution. The crispy rice was a little too crispy and hard. The elote had interesting flavor... They did this weird thing slicing the corn off the cob... But I wasn't a big fan of it. Hard to hold and eat efficiently. Felt like a too fancy deconstructed corn on the cob. read more

Bessou - Elote - Japanese Near Me - New York, New York

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We visited the Bryant Park Xmas market pop up and got the Miso Salmon crispy rice! The rice was nothing short of crispy, and the inside of it was seasoned and fluffy! The miso salmon was well cooked and had a rich creamy flavor! read more

Bessou - Crispy Rice - Salmon - Japanese Near Me - New York, New York

I only tried the shrimp toast, but it was absolutely delicious -- perfectly crispy with flavorful shrimp. It definitely makes me want to come back and try more of their dishes next time. A great spot if you're in the area and looking for tasty bites! read more

Bessou - Crispy Rice - Shrimp - Japanese Near Me - New York, New York

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I went to Pier 57 with my friend on Sunday and we tried Bessou. I had the FRIED CHICKEN KARAAGE with Wasabi Mayo and it was great! I wish I ordered it with fries but I already had a hot dog from Glizzy's. The staff were really friendly & accommodating. The ambiance was trendy & chill. read more

Bessou - My friend's order: FRIED CHICKEN KARAAGE with Shiso Verde & Fries - Japanese Near Me - New York, New York

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Visited on a Sunday afternoon. Got the karaage, fries and spicy tuna. The chicken karaage, while being a good portion, tastes like nothing. It was oily, overly breaded and completely lacking any taste. The spicy tuna was 3 bites on bland fish. May be resting on their laurels and a convenient location. read more

Bessou - Japanese Near Me - New York, New York

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I really loved Bessou's brunch at their now closed brick and mortar restaurant in SoHo and was crushed when they announced their closure. This reincarnation at Pier 57's food hall is not as robust as their restaurant of course. I liked the popular crispy rice trio topped with salmon, tuna, and enoki mushrooms, but it's not something I would rush to return for. I really miss their matcha french toast I had at their restaurant. Pier 57 is a well curated food hall, as far as those go, with many of the restaurants chosen to be here by the James Beard Foundation. I like biking on the West Side Highway, stopping in for some grub, and taking it to go eat on Little Island. If I'm rating the whole experience of enjoying some Japanese bites from Bessou while people watching on Little Island beautiful grassy area, I'd rate this a top tier summer activity. read more

This is one of the many places within the JBF/James Beard Foundation associated Pier 57 and from the one thing I tried, it's alright. The Sushi Crispy Rice listed as sushi-style rice patties fried crispy with sashimi toppings are mostly $8 with your choice of salmon, tuna, black garlic, mushroom or shrimp toast or $10 for a scallop ceviche one. I got the spicy tuna one which came with yuzu tobiko and it took maybe 10 minutes or so. The spicy tuna on top was similar to those found in poke spots being a dollop though constructed to fit on top of the triangle shaped sushi rice. It had some tuna flavor with the spicy mayo being a bit overpowering. The bit of yuzu tobiko on top added a color and a light citrus tinge. I'd try the scallop crudo or the salmon but it's not super likely I'd try them again. read more

Bessou - Sushi Crispy Rice- Spicy tuna, yuzu tobiko. $8 + tax. OK - Japanese Near Me - New York, New York

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The chicken karrage was juicy and crunchy. The chef was so nice to slip me an extra one too! The salmon sashimi on the crispy rice was flavorful, but pricey for $8. read more

Bessou - Chicken karrage and salmon sashimi - Japanese Near Me - New York, New York

This review is specifically for the crispy rice trio! We shared the salmon sashimi, spicy tuna and shrimp toast at pier 57 recently and they were wonderful. The shrimp toast was the surprise standout for me! The textures and flavors were very complimentary, we ate it all up. Friendly service as well! read more

Bessou - Japanese Near Me - New York, New York

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The food was really good. The server was kind enough to recommend me the double since I was unsure about the wings or the rice cakes. The chicken was perfect, it was crispy on the outside and had some sauce inside it. The rice cakes took some force to break apart but they were good too, I should've used a knife with my fork. The restaurant is inside pier57 so the ambience is good for where it's located at. read more

If you visit Pier 57 and you like fried chicken, you have to try Bessou! They have Japanese fried chicken, karaage and they use dark meat chicken for these big tender like nuggets! I absolutely love their karaage and 10/10 recommend having it with their sweet miso bbq sauce with Orion draft beer which is from Okinawa. I made the mistake of trying the miso bbq sauce with fries and thought it was a tad salty but having it with the fried dark meat chicken and the beer, definitely worth it! The staff there were nice and the atmosphere at the food hall was vibing but nothing beats good ole fried chicken and beer! I kinda wish they had onigiri but instead they have "crispy rice" which is similar so if you like crispy, crunchy rice balls without the seaweed, this place is another must-try when you visit. read more

Overall: This is one of the food venues in the food hall at Pier 57. I chose this place because it seemed to have a steady line while many of the other stalls were completely empty. I was pretty disappointed with my food - the chicken itself was the worst part. I don't think I would try this again with so many other options nearby. Food: 2 Service: 4 Value: 1 Atmosphere: 3 Food: I got the original chicken sandwich with a side of fries and spicy mayo. The fries were great and the mayo had a nice kick to it, but the sandwich was not good. The chicken itself was a thin patty that was way over-breaded. When I bit in, there was just the thinnest sliver of meat surrounded by a ton of crispy breading. They also had these large chunks of radish on the sandwich that mostly got in the way - it felt like gnawing on a raw plant stalk. Service: Standard counter service. Food came out reasonably quickly. Value: Not a good value. It was $22 for the sandwich with fries. There were plenty of fries, but the sandwich was small to start with and pretty low quality. I did not feel like I got my money's worth. Atmosphere: The food hall is nice and has plenty of spots to eat. However, I would recommend taking your food up to the park on the roof of the building and eating there. There's lots of benches and places to eat. read more

A stall in the Pier 57 food hall. Five stars (5/5) for Karaage ($12 for 3 pieces) Amazingly juicy and tender chicken, a crisp and flavorful coating, served with a drizzle of fun sauces. We got to try both the spicy mayo and the wasabi mayo, both which are good. One star (1/5) for the sushi crispy rice ($8 with toppings). It felt unpleasantly hokey in a ramen burger kind of way, with a triangle of rice deep fried and topped with (in our case) spicy mayo, a single thin slice of raw salmon, and ikura. There's no pleasant warmness and vinegary tang in the sushi rice. The ikura falls all over, the long slice of salmon doesn't bite easily, and it isn't easily distributed over the rice. read more

Bessou - karaage with spicy mayo, salmon crispy rice (top left) - Japanese Near Me - New York, New York

Food (4/5): Got the crispy rice trio with spicy tuna, scallop, and shrimp. My favorite was the shrimp which was very delicious. The scallop was oddly a bit chewy while the tuna was just ok. Service (4/5): Our order was efficiently taken and the food came out at a reasonable speed. Overall decent service. Ambiance (4/5): This place is a booth in Market 57 so there is plenty of food court seating and views of the water. The booth itself looks quite nice. read more

Bessou - Crispy rice trio - Japanese Near Me - New York, New York

Not good. Portions are huge, but the mixture of sauces on the hot honey Chicken sandwich is not desirable. I left the whole thing. Absolutely will not return and do not recommend that people get this sandwich either. Sorry, but I think the team who runs this place needs to order their own sandwich and confirm it is being made the right way. read more

I LOVE crispy rice, especially spicy tuna! Food was quick and the staff was nice. Great option for a quick bite when you are at the Pier. There was open seating nearby which was perfect for people watching! read more

Bessou - Crispy Rice Trio (two spicy tuna) - Japanese Near Me - New York, New York

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Forgot to snap a pic , I was so hungry! I ordered the hot chicken sando from Bessou. The service here was very nice and quick. The chicken was fried perfectly and was nice and juicy. The pickles were a nice addition that added a great crunch. I also liked the roll it was on. Only thing I'd say is they need to tone it down just a bit on the sauce it was all over the wrapper and my face . Will come back to try more of the menu read more

Ordered the hot honey chicken sando and sashimi crispy rice. The chicken sando sounds like a great idea and I love the idea of fried chicken with the hot honey sauce and pickles, but it was too smothered in sauce and messy. I think the sauce overpowered the whole sando. The sashimi crispy rice snack was yummy. I'd give it another whirl and try their karage chicken but overall it was just ok. read more

Bessou - Hot honey chicken sando - Japanese Near Me - New York, New York

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discovered Bessou via an promotional event. tbh, i didn't realize Market 57, a food hall, existed inside Pier 57. Bessou is a casual Japanese comfort food spot--serving a small variety of karaage (Jap ế fried chicken), sandwiches, and other savory eats. ended up ordering the Bessou fried chicken club sando -- fried chicken, bacon, slaw, and pickled Daikon on a roll. the fried chicken is crunchy, seasoned subtly, and tender. bacon is thick and crunchy ftw! the slaw and daikon add a layer of crunch and flavors that contrast with the chicken nicely. the roll was not great --pretty average--way too bready and dry. wish they used toasted thick Japanese white bread /milk bread instead. beyond the roll, the sandwich is good and filling. the service is friendly. worth a stop if you're at Pier 57 and/or Little Island. read more

Bessou - Japanese karate food stand - Japanese Near Me - New York, New York

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Sashimi bowl was yummy and beautiful! Salad was too heavily dressed but I like the variety of veggies

Came to Market 57 after post Little Island visit. I didn't know what I was in the mood for until I came across Bessou.and saw Karaage chicken on the menu. That was it my friends. After walking 4 miles, I was suddenly hungry and Kaarage is always a good choice. The chicken comes with piece options: 3 pcs for $12, 5 pcs for $17, 7 pcs for $23, etc. I also decided to extend the cheat to Shrimp Toast. The wait time was about 5-10 minutes to pick up order. While I waited I visited Lotus Roots and bought bubble tea. I then found a table near the window to dine at.. some of the reviews are correct about limited seating, there are not enough seating.. Maybe the thought process us for patrons to dine on Little Island? Not sure...I also didn't know about the upstairs dining until after. The KarAage Fried chicken portion was extremely generous: I had 5 pieces vs 3. The chicken was moist but the coating didn't really stick on the chicken as I sliced it, but that's not a huge setback. The real star was the scallion Mayo.. I love sauces.. I love Mayo.. I love scallions.. I love this sauce!!! Combined with the chicken the dish became a knockout. There are other sauces to try like Wasabi Mayo, Sweet Miso BBQ or Spicy Mayo. You can order extra sauces at fifty cents each. The real disappointment was the Shrimp Toast with Nori Crunch. . I looked up what Nori Crunch was and the explanation was sweet and salty kettle corn mixed with crispy sheets of Nori, edible seaweed. Which explains the green strands that were on the toast. I wanted to like it but I found it extremely bland.. Would I come back to Bessou.. yes. I noticed after that the chicken is prepared two ways: original or Hot Honey Nanban which sounds interesting. Bessou is listed as Japanese Comfort food and it sure is! read more

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I was so sad I never got to try Bessou at their brick and mortar store in Noho area, and while the menu at this food stand in Market 57 is much more limited and lacking some of the interesting brunch/noodle items that I was eyeing at their old storefront, they still deliver some tasty bites. Got 7 piece karaage chicken, which was tender and very generous in size. The sauces were delicious and fun, like the yuzu verde, but ultimately, the spicy mayo was my favorite. Also got the salmon crispy rice, which was delicious and had a large portion of fresh salmon, topped with roe and capers. Delish! Solid food court option. read more

Bessou - Chicken karaage - 7 piece - Japanese Near Me - New York, New York

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I have no idea how this karaage won two awards for best fried chicken and was a complete letdown for me. Breading barely stays on the chicken, and it's absolutely flavorless. The reason it was edible was because of the side of sauce, but without that, it's the most bland fried chicken I've ever tasted. Ordered 5 and threw away 2 since I couldn't convince myself it tasted decent. Would not recommend this if you're at pier 57 read more

Bessou - Japanese Near Me - New York, New York

I'm a sucker for crispy rice. I saw someone holding one outside and made a beeline for this place. I got just one crispy rice with spicy tuna on top and immediately regretted not getting more. It was overflowing with fish on top and the rice was perfectly crisped. I am already dreaming about coming back to try the other crispy rice items read more

Bessou - Crispy rice Spicy Tuna - Japanese Near Me - New York, New York

The Double is a pretty large amount of food in my opinion. The karaage was really great and the staff does a good job serving the customers quickly and efficiently in the busy food hall. I was a little ambivalent about the crispy rice as it wasn't super easy to eat and just fell short of my expectations. Overall a nice meal and the market and rooftop were great with friends on a summer day! read more

Bessou - The Double with Original Chicken Karaage - Japanese Near Me - New York, New York

I can't hardly wait to go back to pier 57 to get this again. This was the best chicken karaage that I've ever had, and I've had a lot of it. We got the combo with 2 karaage and 2 crispy rice sushi. The chicken was incredibly juicy., yet crispy (not greasy) and the sauce (spicy mayo) and furikake was spot on. Each bite was perfect. We love crispy rice sushi and it's not easy to find! We had the salmon and the scallop. They both were fresh and nice with that satisfying crispy rice crunch! The scallop ceviche had some kind of citrus with it, which made it taste extra fresh. read more

Bessou - Chicken karaage - Japanese Near Me - New York, New York

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Came here on a whim and highly enjoyed my experience. Ordered the 3 piece Hot Honey Nanban Karagge and was pleasantly surprised by how large the pieces were. Was plenty filling for lunch. The taste was a bit spicy but not overwhelming since I removed the jalapeños slices. The employee working the register was very friendly and provided wonderful service. read more

Bessou - 3 Piece Fried Chicken Karaage Hot Honey Nanban - Japanese Near Me - New York, New York

Not good. Fried chicken is a splurge for me, so when I order it, I want it to blow my mind. This chicken was a letdown. The chicken was juicy but bland. The crust was crispy but bland. The spicy mayo could not even redeem it. An expensive rice bowl with assorted raw fish, pickles and roe was also a letdown. Under seasoned rice, chewy, fishy tasting salmon, and not enough fish for the price. Do not recommend. read more

Idk what the infatuation was talking about. They are calling chicken tenders karage...which would've been okay if they weren't soggy and accompanied by cold bun. I've had better frozen tenders read more

First time patron. I am always hoping for a good experience. Unfortunately, I was dissatisfied. I ordered karaage and waited at its bar seating. Even though I didn't hear them call out my name, I'm sure I was 3 minutes late. The breading on the chicken did not adhere to the meat. The breading had dark specks and the meat was dark for white meat. What they served me looked and chewed as if twice or thrice cooked. read more

This place was surprisingly bad. Japanese comfort food sounded interesting so I got the salmon sashimi over crispy rice and the honey chicken. Salmon was abysmal. The sauce on the chicken was a weird mix of a bunch of strong flavors. It also appeared slightly undercooked. My wife got the Chicken burger and felt the same way. Wouldn't recommend. read more

Went to explore at the newly opened Pier57 and decided to try the karage chicken at Bessou. It's not your regular size karage but more like chicken strips. The chicken was underwhelming and lacked any seasoning or taste. You have to use the sauces (5 to pick from) for any flavor. Sadly, I would not be getting it again. It's not karage. It's basically tasteless chicken strips with dipping sauce. read more

Bessou - Since the chicken was so bland you would think they should give more than 2 small sauces for 12 pc chicken. Would not go there again. - Japanese Near Me - New York, New York

Really just... not good. I wanted to like it so much. My husband and I love Pier 57 and are trying a different stall every few weeks. I ended up being embarrassed that this place was my pick this time. We got the fried chicken and 2 crispy rice bites. Chicken was 80% breading and panko which, granted, CAN be good when coating is crispy and flavorful. It's not in this case. It's weirdly soft and chewy. After my first bite I simply said "no" to my husband who thought I was being dramatic until he tried a bite. Crispy rice bites were fried so tough that it hurt my teeth to bite. Not to mention had very low quality fish. Salmon was clearly not fresh and tuna looked bizarrely like an ice cream scoop. For $45 I was extremely disappointed. Wish I could get my money back P.s. if you've already bought it and want to make it bearable, my husband picked off all the coating and just ate the chicken stand alone which made it at least edible. I hate wasting money read more

Bessou - 9 Fried Chicken Karaage Original - Japanese Near Me - New York, New York

Presentation is nice but the quality is okay. Was expecting crispy fresh chicken. That is not what I got. Tasted reheated as it wasn't crispy but soggy. Not many options for beverages either. read more

Bessou - 3 Piece Fried Chicken Karaage Hot Honey Nanban - Japanese Near Me - New York, New York

Delicious! Crispy rice perfectly fried, scallops and shrimp on top tasted so fresh. Fried chicken very good only complaint would be I got all dark meat. Would go back!! read more

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