Dandadan ダンダダン @ Ginza

The name of the store already announces the wonderful, juicy gyozas that they serve.

The Juicy Gyoza Dandadan 肉汁餃子のダンダダン is not very big and scribbled on their wall is their motto, “餃子を愛し新宿東口を愛す、そもしが我等の心意気。” (“We love gyoza and we love Shinjuku East Exit, that is our spirit.”)

I was attracted by the availability of basashi 馬刺し, or horse sashimi, which is something I have grown to love and pretty much only available in Japan (at an acceptable quality and flavour, although I had it before in Shanghai.) There are several different stories of its origin, and one says that then feudal lord Kiyomasa Kato promoted it in the time of severe food shortage in Higo Kumamoto. Horse meat is also called “sakura niku” for its beautiful colour similar to cherry blossoms.

I ordered the 本日の馬刺し 2種盛り Today’s Horse Sashimi (2 types), which came with a couple of slices of akami 赤身 (lean meat) and futaego ふたえご (horse belly meat). Of the two, I love the futaego; it is a three-layer meat on the ribs with condensed sweetness and umami with a unique crunch. It is a rare part unique to horse meat.

Basashi is eaten with condiments such as sliced onions, grated ginger and garlic, then dipped in sweet soy sauce. This is a popular side dish for drinks.

But this is their specialty – 肉汁焼餃子 Juicy Fried Dumplings. These gyoza are made to go well with rice, as well as a snack with alcohol. They are designed to be eaten without any dipping sauce, so I recommend to try one as-is first.

After that, you can pick soy sauce 酱油, vinegar 酢 and homemade chilli oil 自家製ラー油 as condiments to the dumplings that are crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside.

I also recommend dipping them in the homemade chilli oil to change up the flavour. They are nice when hot (temperature wise).

The fragrant skin is made with whole wheat flour (7%) and is packed with a rich, savoury, meaty filling. It wasn’t like what we say in Chinese, “皮薄馅多” (lit. “skin’s thin, filling’s full”), the skin was slight thicker than usual gyozas because it was very juicy and needed to hold the juices inside.

Nice eat, and not crowded in the afternoon. Great if you don’t want to have a heavy lunch.

Dandadan Shinjuku Higachiguchi 肉汁餃子のダンダダン 新宿東口店
3 Chome-35-12 Shinjuku, Shinjuku City, Tokyo 160-0022, Japan
Tel : +81 3-3359-8383

Visited May 2025