The Timeless Punk Rock Japanese Bar Serving Highballs and Mortadella Katsu Sandwiches

"Not much has changed about Masahiro Urishido's punky passion project, Katana Kitten, since it came on the scene in 2018. Nearly a decade later, you're still guaranteed a good time at the West Village cocktail bar. Dollar bill chandeliers hang from the ceilings. Nostalgic Japanese movie posters promoting Rocky Horror and Star Wars dot the walls. Chatty patrons sip ambitious cocktails throughout the two-level space."

"The bar immediately became known for its mortadella-stuffed katsu sando; the plump slabs of bologna nestled between fluffy milk bread will give you a new appreciation for the still-trendy cured meat. Oh-so-salty nori-flecked waffle fries are a great bar snack; adding the $6 curry sauce is a must. Calamari topped with bonito, ginger, spicy mayo, and takoyaki sauce is an obvious but appealing play on okonomiyaki, without all that pesky cabbage."

"Japanese-style highballs are a calling card here. Think custom ice, precisely chilled glasses, and subtle but effective accents like shiso and lemon oil. The melon-lime soda represents a masterful use of Midori, recalling Mountain Dew and kitchy favorite Ramune. The Hinoki martini, presented in its austere wooden box, remains one of the classiest presentations in town. The matcha grasshopper, heady with pandan and coconut, can perform double-duty as dessert."

Katana Kitten maintains a punky West Village atmosphere with dollar-bill chandeliers, nostalgic Japanese movie posters, and a chatty two-level dining room. The kitchen is known for a mortadella-stuffed katsu sando featuring plump bologna on fluffy milk bread, salty nori-flecked waffle fries best with the $6 curry sauce, and calamari topped with bonito, ginger, spicy mayo, and takoyaki sauce that echoes okonomiyaki. Japanese-style highballs are a signature, served with custom ice, precisely chilled glasses, and accents like shiso and lemon oil. The menu includes a melon-lime Midori soda, a Hinoki martini in a wooden box, and a matcha grasshopper dessert cocktail. Happy hour is appealing, and Urushido’s cocktail book requires substantial home-bar effort to reproduce recipes.

Read at Eater NY