The Daps Famous Hood Joint, Kichijoji's Bodega Deli

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I’ve lived in Japan for five years now (not counting the first time I lived here). I’m pretty acclimated to the culture, how people behave in public, and all that. But every now and then, I still get a craving sushi cannot satisfy. I miss something from home, and I simply must have it. Last Thursday, I got one of those cravings, so I dragged my wife across town to a sandwich place modeled after a New York bodega.

The Daps Famous Hood Joint

Located in Kichijoji, The Daps Famous Hood Joint is easy to miss. They’re so committed to the bodega theme that there are giant signs and shelves of old products blocking the windows, preventing you from seeing in. We almost walked past it.

Inside, there are indeed American products like Cheetos, A&W Root Beer, and Reese’s Puffs. There’s also a counter where you can order sandwiches, and a set of turntables for a DJ because why not. If you’re eating in, there’s only one table, and since it was full, we sat on the brick steps that take up most of the interior. It wasn’t so bad, but if the place was crowded would have been annoying. The windows in the back look onto a barber shop so you can watch people get their hair cut.

The decor is decidedly New York hip-hop-themed. There’s a signed Spike Lee street sign, sneakers, and framed rap records. Is this cultural appropriation? Could be, but it’s thankfully much less racist than you might suspect a Japanese restaurant modeled on a Harlem bodega would be. There’s only one guy behind the counter, so it took a while for the sandwiches to be made, but not terribly long. Our view on the place would come down to how accurately they recreated those sandwiches.

The chopped cheese

Eriko got a chopped cheese, which if you haven’t had one is like a chopped up cheeseburger with pickles, onions, lettuce, and tomato. The bread was nicely toasted, and the flavor was all right. I explained to Eriko that chopped cheese is a very New York thing, and she decided she thought hers was okay but not amazing. We also got orange juice to go with it, which was a pretty good size.

But enough about all that. Onto the main attraction.

The Fat Boy sandwich

The reason we were there was because I’d seen pictures of the Fat Boy online. Decent deli meat and cheese is hard to come by in Japan, and I’d been burned more than once before by places promising to offer a good sandwich. This one looked absolutely packed and was even more packed than it looked.

The Fat Boy has prosciutto, salami, mortadella, mozzarella, lettuce, tomato, and mustard on a roll that was untoasted and just a smidge too thick. They give you SOOOOO much meat, and the quality was stupendous. Better salami and prosciutto than I’ve had at supposedly nice Italian restaurants in Japan. And so thick!

Eriko only had one bite of this, but was raving about it all day afterward. She only had one bite because I gobbled that thing up so greedily it was all gone before Eriko had even picked up the second half of her chopped cheese, which had been delivered five minutes before my Fat Boy.

It was exactly what I wanted, full to the brim, great quality, satisfying as hell. Ahhhhhh heartburn.

Conclusion: should you go to The Daps?

There are some negatives about this place: the seating is a novelty but could be annoying if it’s full, the sandwiches are pricey, and it takes a while to get what you ordered because of the lack of staff. But it’s in a great neighborhood, has a fun atmosphere, and the Fat Boy is well worth the time and money considering how much meat you get.

I don’t think I could ever treat this as an everyday lunch place, but if I worked in the area, it would be a nice once-every-couple-weeks, i’m-having-a-bad-day-I-want-a-Fat-Boy type of place. They give you two wet napkins per person. What more could you ask for?

Where to find the Daps Famous Hood Joint

The Daps is in Kichijoji, which can be reached from Shinjuku by train. Depending on where you’re staying, it may take a while, but the neighborhood is quite fun, especially if you want to try international food or play with awesome animals.

And if you purchase a JR Pass, which lets you take unlimited train rides, you’ll want to get as much use out of it as possible. So open up some time in your schedule, visit a cool part of town many tourists miss, and treat yourself to a big giant Fat Boy sandwich. Tell them Gregg sent you. They won’t know what it means.