Hand Hospitality [Official]
In a sea of thousands of New York City restaurants, Japanese hot pot destination Hakata Tonton was in a class of its own prior to the pandemic. For 13 years, the welcoming West Village shop attracted throngs of diners over its warm service and unique devotion to highlighting tonsoku, or pig’s feet, in nearly every dish on the menu.
Like countless others, the restaurant could not survive the pandemic and permanently shut its doors last March. Now, exactly a year after the initial shutdown, the hitmakers at Hand Hospitality, a Midtown-based restaurant group known for established hot spots like Take 31 and Her Name Is Han, are reviving Hakata Tonton this month as a delivery-only shop. And, yes: The restaurant’s former executive chef Koji Hagihara has been re-installed at the helm, and he’s overseeing a menu once again celebrating tonsoku.