The tastes of Asia and the Orient are growing increasingly prominent in Warsaw, and not just the posh stuff, but the kind of food you’d actively seek out in a back alley market on a backpacking jaunt. Recently, the spotlight has focused on Japan: first, on Sato Gotuje, and now, on Yako Tako.

Decoration isn’t so much minimal as it is non-existent: beyond tables and chairs, there’s no other element to the interior design. The stripped down approach is also applied to the menu, a simple affair that presents two types of dishes: takoyaki (deep-fried octopus) and okonomiyaki (a cabbage-based pancake).

Representative of Japanese street food, the takoyaki are something of a surprise and filled with scalding hot creamy ooze. The okonomiyaki, meanwhile, are pimped-up to suit individual requests: bacon, shrimp, ham and egg can all be added, giving this savory pancake plenty of tasty twists that are from expected.

A welcome deviation from the standard sushi experience, YakoTako is an overdue addition to Warsaw’s burgeoning ethnic revolution.

YakoTako
ul. Nowolipki 15