Fave okazuya finds

By Mari Taketa
Nonstop

A childhood memory: It’s early morning, air is cool and cars fill the streets. Field trip today, so there’s a frozen can of juice in my backpack and $5 in my pocket for lunch. If I’m lucky, Honda Delicatessen will still have sweet potato tempura. Fried Spam, musubi, namasu and sweet potato tempura: I’m golden.

Whose memory is this? Yours? Ask any longtime local about their favorite okazuya, and they’ll either throw out their current fave, along with a list of items that constitute the perfect plate, or they’ll tell you they grew up near another one that’s long since closed, like Honda.

For you out there who love okazuya, for you who know mainly your neighborhood faves, for you who are wondering if okazuya today can help you recapture memories and flavors past, I visited five local favorites to find the answers.

I wouldn’t be a credible food hunter if I didn’t also revisit each place until I could bring you the top picks. What did I find? Let’s go take a look.