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    KARLSBALLS

    4.4 (74 reviews)
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    KARLSBALLS Food Stands Restaurant Photos

    KARLSBALLS ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Moderate noise
    Good for kids
    Dogs allowed

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    Recommended Reviews - KARLSBALLS

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    Reviews With Photos

    Alice W.

    I love Osaka style takoyaki, so I always stop by if I see the Karlsballs booth. If you're not familiar with Osaka style takoyaki, it's supposed to be very soft, creamy, and melt-y. Karl recently updated his recipe to include dairy so it's even creamier than before! He doesn't deep fry frozen premade takoyaki and I enjoy watching the process at the booth. Even the mayo is homemade and not store bought!

    Mentaiko takoyaki
    Greg Y.

    I visited this Osaka-style takoyaki stand at JapanFes and could not believe that there was a authentic Osaka-style takoyaki! I ordered the Mentaiko and it was just as good (if not better) than the ones I had when I was in Osaka years ago. The creaminess of the interior contrasts so well with the supple bounciness of the octopus & the crispy-chewiness of the exterior. Karl and team are also SUPER nice and always eager to talk shop with customers. Already looking forward to my batch of takoyaki at my next NYC Japan Fes!

    Spicy Takoyaki
    Jessie N.

    I got the Karlsballs spicy takoyaki at the Sakura Matsuri in Washington D.C., and it was absolutely delicious! The takoyaki dough was melt-in-your-mouth gooey, the octopus was tender, and there was a perfect amount of toppings on top. Definitely a favorite every year they come down to D.C. for this festival!

    Crystale Y.

    Tried it at Japanfes 2022 and it was disappointing. The takoyaki was soggy and tasted undercooked. Though they do make fresh batches and it is fun to watch them flip in front of you, it is pricey for what it is. We paid almost $17 dollars for 6 mediocre takoyaki balls. Definitely had better takoyaki elsewhere for much cheaper. Line was extremely long and was not worth the wait.

    Making my Tako Taco
    Chun M.

    In the scorching summer heat at the Queens Night Market or the freezing temps outside Jacob Javits, Karl's dedicated self is out there to crank out his delicious takoyaki balls. Follow the lines, hear the sizzle and smell the aroma as he flips the dozens of tasty balls on those cleverly designed grills. I follow KB on Facebook and saw that he would be setting up at AnimeNYC for 3 days as his final event of 2019 and he sold out his first 2 days. After we walked the convention for a few hours, we were hungry and went in search of Karl. We checked the maps and couldn't find him listed anywhere. Then I remembered his gas fired grills had to be well ventilated and figured he had to set up outside. And that's where we found his canopies set up between 2 food trucks under the Jacob Javits covered driveway below street level. It was a brisk November 35°F and the roadway forms a wind tunnel, but Karl had the heat on his crew and grills cranked up. The line moved in fits as customers rushed back inside with their batches of those octopussy, doughy spheres. We found a place to settle down among all the Japanese anime cosplayers, which seemed to be a proper atmosphere to enjoy our takoyaki. Karl's Original was 6 balls with original sauce and covered in Bonito flakes. We also got an order of the Scallion & Mayo balls drizzled with Kewpie Mayo. I really enjoyed the Tako Taco ($10) with it's crunchy cracker, which gave the mushiness of the balls, a nice crisp texture. The only drawback is that it only had 2 balls. That's why we got 2 more orders to spare! See ya next year, Karl!

    Original takoyaki
    Israt A.

    Karl's balls has a novelty name but it isn't a novelty-- they're really good. I tried this takoyaki at the Japanese food festival in nyc. The long line was an indicator that this was something worth waiting for, but I'm not sure if I felt that way while taking my first bite. The octopus was tender but there was only one small piece in each takoyaki l, I wish there was more. The inside was nice and gooey but the outside wasn't as crispy as I'd like it and was falling apart. I also feel like $12 for takoyaki is a bit steep when you can get takoyaki around the corner for a few bucks less. Overall, I was a little bit disappointed with my experience as I really enjoy takoyaki. All in all it was a good experience, but I don't know if it was truly worth the wait.

    Amazing and enthusiastic team
    Chiwa Y.

    Absolutely amazing and authentic takoyaki. Find them at any chance in any food fairs / Japanese festival all across the city. The tako (octopus) is definitely the highlight which most people overlook when it comes to the takoyaki. You can taste the effort that was put into preparing the fresh octopus along with a flavorful and well prepared batter to make the takoyaki fresh off the grill. The staff and the owners are probably one of the most friendly people you will come across in the city. The level of pressure on serving hundreds of customers back to back for many hours by the team and the owner alone is impressive. Not only they are laser focus in preparing the food, they are also well aware of each and every customer on the line and provide detailed explanations and friendly chit-chat while the takoyakis are prepared right in front of you. If you are expecting quick and fast reheated frozen takoyaki from casual Japanese restaurant then don't get on the line, it is a food fair, not a full service restaurant (and yes, you know who you are). If you are planning to visit Karl's balls, then expect a wait line because they ARE the most recognizable novelty name in New York's Takoyaki scene.

    a person holding a hot dog
    Jasmine S.

    Yesss Karl's Balls finally we got to try them! Unable to catch them in last years Japan fest because of the line line. We were able to try them this years Japan fest! These balls are called takoyaki. Karl has appeared on tv several times including Buzzfeed Tasty, Vice Channel, The Food Film Festival, Cooking Channel, and so many more! His mission is to bring Konamon culture to the west through the preparation of real Osaka-style takoyaki.

    Spicy takoyaki Japan Fes 2021
    Kaylamay S.

    We waited for a long time with a big group but it was worth it! Looking forward to catching them again soon. Workers were also great and made it enjoyable overall.

    Spicy original takoyaki
    Manasa A.

    We had karlsballs at mitsuwa summer fest in NJ.They were amazing.The octopus was so tender and the spicy sauce was bomb.I am glad we tried them inspite of the long line they had.It was nice to see karl making the most delicious takoyaki.

    Gabby S.

    Ugh yasss so I have been meaning to get Karls balls for awhile saying this aloud and typing it both sounds equally weird haha but y'all need to find out where they at and try it. I finally got it at mitsuwa summer festival yaaa. Got the original and the scallion mayo and they were so good and perfect. From the amazing exterior to the interior being moist and having perfect dough to octopus ratio. Also the line was long lucky i got there early but I saw people waiting and the line just growing and growing and I was like daaaang but it is so worth it. I wish we got more orders of it to go:(

    Madison F.

    I truly believe I never had takoyaki until I had Karl's Balls. I had the fortune of Karl visiting NJ a month or so after I had started following on instagram at the Mitsuwa Summer festival. That one one of my driving factors for making it out this year, actually. And it was definitely worth it. Karl's Balls does one thing and does it phenomenally. I opted for original (although the scallion mayo option looked really amazing, too) just to get that authentic feel as my previous experiences had been just at restaurants with takoyaki as an appetizer before. Wow. Just, wow. The large chunks of octopus in each ball were super tender and fresh-tasting. Up until this point I did not know octopus had a flavor! And that flavor was rounded out by the incredible dough, crispy on the outside and chewy/soft in the middle covered in sauce, bursting with umami flavor. Definitely not something you can eat in 2 bites due to the whole thing falling apart but just better to pop the whole takoyaki in your mouth and savor the melding of all the flavors and textures. If you like takoyaki (or think you do) I would definitely recommend Karl's Balls to see what high-quality, delicious takoyaki is. You really can taste the love and effort that goes into these!

    Balls in action
    Jennifer H.

    Excellent, authentic takoyaki! Reminds me of when I first had it in Japan. Very friendly staff and entertaining even just watching them make it. They offered a few different options (e.g. regular, spicy, etc). The octopus was tender, inside gooey umaminess and not greasy at all. Highly recommend in a heartbeat!

    Here's the man, the one and only Chef master Karl Palma with unyielding smile always shining with passion and grace. At last worth the wait!

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    2 years ago

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    9 days ago

    Expensive for what u get , super tasty but not worth $17... decent place though for what it is

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    3 years ago

    The wait is little bit long, but totally worth it, recall my times back to Japan. Yessss.

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    Page 1 of 2

    Ask the Community - KARLSBALLS

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    4.3(636 reviews)
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    - Tiny establishment with a very small parking lot shared with another restaurant; seating is…read moreextremely limited, so expect a wait during peak times - Visited on a sub-freezing Saturday night, and the indoor heating struggled to keep up; despite multiple space heaters, the dining area remained uncomfortably cold - Unfortunately, the service reflected the temperature of the room--efficient but lacking warmth and friendliness - The pork buns were generously filled and flavorful, though the meat was quite dry; the ramen orders, however, were satisfying with excellent flavor and solid portion sizes - Overall, the food earns 4 stars, but the service and inadequate heating brought the experience down to 3 stars

    THE GOOD ----------------…read more+ Really, really, reallllllly good ramen and food (and just as good as our 1st time 4 years ago!) ++++ Pork Buns - Each order comes with 1 bun, so you can order 1 at a time. Pork was shredded and a little dry, but the Japanese mayo and other ingredients made it very good. ++++ Green Curry Ramen - EXCELLENT curry flavor, but it wasn't too strong. Ramen was cooked perfectly and plenty of ingredients inside, including 2 slices of cha siu and a half of a soft boiled egg. ++++ Blackbeard Ramen - Also fantastic broth flavor too and same comment as above regarding their ramen. ++++ Kids Tonkotsu Ramen - At just $7, this is a steal for a kids ramen. There was 1 piece of cha siu in it, but it was excellent for a kids bowl. + Food comes out fairly quickly. + Private parking lot, but it was packed on an early Saturday evening. THE NOT SO GOOD ---------------------------- - Service was a little disappointing. ---- One (young) waitress seemed very inpatient and was a bit flustered throughout the evening. Didn't appreciate her lack of cordialness. - Interior is tight. ---- There are only 5 tables in the restaurant and all of them can accommodate 2-4 people, MAX. There is also counter seating too for about 4-5 people. - It was freeezing inside when we came in on a frigid January Saturday evening, so keep your jacket on! MIXED THOUGHTS --------------------------- = Nada. RANDOM OBSERVATIONS -------------------------------------- = We arrived at about 5:45 PM on a January Saturday evening and snagged the last available table. Turnover is relatively quick here though because all people are eating is ramen, but there was a large party of about 8 people waiting a good 15-25 minutes after we were seated.

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    Sazanami Hamba-Gu - HAMBA-GU

    Sazanami Hamba-Gu

    4.3(36 reviews)
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    Strangely enough I missed trying this dish on a trip to Tokyo last year…read more I had it on the list to try but didn't get a chance given all the foodie items I had on my list. While I can't vouch for authenticity but I can vouch for a delicious bite. Sazanami Hamba-Gu is notable for their Japanese Hamburger Steak, which is a hamburger without the bun, a very popular dish in Japan. Their version was served on a platter with rice, vegetables, miso soup, and chawanmushi. The patty itself was very juicy and tender and noted on the menu as a beef and pork combination. I included some addons which made my entree far more pricer. The fried egg was a good call while the double cheese probably wasn't necessary. I got the recommended red wine demi-glacé and another with the soy onion. The red wine was better in my opinion. Also got a tonkatsu to share and while the breading was very good the pork was a little drier than other ones I've had. I'd skip the tonkatsu and stick with the Hambu-gu as that was definitely more notable. Service was friendly but the entree does take time to prepare. I'd say think twice if you are in a hurry.

    Solid hambagu spot. Had this place recommended to us by a few people so gave it a shot. Walked in…read morewere able to sit almost right away on a weekday dinner. It was busy but there were a few seats here and there. Service was friendly though on the minimal side - came once to get order and then to take our trays when done. Food itself was good. We ordered hambagu and tonkatsu both of which were cooked well with good texture for the hambagu and good crisp for the pork cutlet. Ambiance is casual - not too big of a spot but didn't feel crowded. It's BYOB and parking can be an adventure on River Road so something to note.

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    Sazanami Hamba-Gu
    Sazanami Hamba-Gu - Dessert

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    Sazanami Hamba-Gu - Hamba-gu original (beef & pork) with chimichurri sauce and added an egg topping

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    Tempura Hannosuke - Takoyaki

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    - Vendor located inside Mitsuwa serving a variety of tempura and soba dishes; moderately busy on a…read moreSaturday evening around 7p--food court was still fairly lively; vendor stall appeared clean and organized; large menu with photos displayed next to the ordering counter made it easy to browse - Service was excellent--staff were friendly, patient, and very accommodating; we had an issue with a voucher not working properly and they were extremely helpful in resolving it with management - Food was very good overall: the tempura sashimi set included one large piece of fish, two shrimp, seaweed, broccoli, pumpkin, and string beans--the tempura arrived hot, crispy, and fresh without feeling too greasy; the sashimi portions were on the thinner side and could have been a bit fresher; only thing missing was a soft boiled egg--would've been nice to have it included with the set - Overall, a filling and satisfying meal, especially if you're craving fried Japanese comfort food--definitely best enjoyed fresh, since the tempura loses its crispness once it cools down

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    KARLSBALLS - foodstands - Updated May 2026

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