Street Eats: Kinpatei Takoyaki in Sanlitun and a Story of Diminishing Cravings

If grilled pig trotters and cheesy toast are the new trendy babies, then takoyaki is the grandpa of street eats. For flour-lovers, and fans of Japanese fare, takoyaki doesn’t mean simple grimy street snacks. Instead, it's the comfort food for the cold frozen winter, usually filled with seafood, like chopped octopus (tako) and green onions, all of which make you feel like you're eating something healthy but equally as filling.

I remember when Kinpatei Takoyaki moved to Beixinqiao as well as the bitter winter chill from when I would run to buy hot takoyaki (six balls for RMB 20) from Kinpatei's much less crowded Nanluogu Xiang location back in 2009. At the time, the owner would shout: “Authentic takoyaki from Osaka! The best Osaka takoyaki in Beijing!” So, when I heard that a new branch was opening in Sanlitun, I hurried over excitedly to try this beloved snack from my past (even though the weather was significantly hotter).

I ordered half original Osaka-style and half with mentaiko (marinated pollock roe). The balls are covered with mayonnaise and chopped pickled ginger before shredded seaweed and bonito fish flakes add the final douses of color, the steam from the takoyaki rising through them making the whole dish wriggle. All in all, if I were to compare these takoyaki from the ones I used to scoff seven years ago, they were made using too much wheat flour and nowhere near enough octopus. These shortfalls were only compacted by the price: RMB 35 for six, especially when RMB 25 will get you and stuffed jianbing lunch set at Goubuli next door.

If I were you, I'd ditch this overpriced Sanlitun version and head to a Tamayaki chain, which can be found at almost every department store in town, at almost half of the price (RMB 15-18) and with far superior flavors. Maybe one factor is just that as I've grown up, the cravings for takoyaki have faded with time (as opposed to my love for jianbing, which is seemingly timeless).

Read more about Tracy's search for Beijing's best street eats here.

More stories by this author here.

Email: tracywang@thebeijinger.com
Twitter: @flyingfigure
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Photos: Dianping, Tracy Wang