Where to Grab Taiyaki Soft Serve in the Tulsa Area
Last week, we finally went to a place that had been on my bucket list for awhile now: Little Taiyaki in Sapulpa! So I’ll share a little about that and some other places to grab taiyaki in Tulsa below. But first, what is it?
According to Wikipedia, “Taiyaki is a Japanese fish-shaped cake, commonly sold as street food. It imitates the shape of tai (鯛, red sea bream), which it is named after. The most common filling is red bean paste that is made from sweetened adzuki beans. Other common fillings may be custard, chocolate, cheese, or sweet potato. Some shops even sell taiyaki with okonomiyaki, gyoza filling, or a sausage inside.” Ice cream fillings seem to be a more recent development, and one I can definitely get behind.
This page tells you more about the history of Taiyaki, including why it is fish-shaped. I encourage you to read it, as I definitely learned some things I hadn’t known before. byfood.com/blog/culture/all-about-taiyaki
Little Taiyaki
I think we first heard about Little Taiyaki when we visited the Sapulpa Christmas Chute a couple years ago. Unfortunately, it was closed that day. But now, I can officially say that I’ve been and it was definitely worth the wait! I mean, I wish we hadn’t waited so long, but it was very tasty. I’d definitely make the drive to Sapulpa again for this experience.
Their menu board makes it easy to order, even if this is your first taiyaki experience. Choose whether you want an upside-down fish (in a bowl) or a taiyaki cone. Then, choose a flavor of soft serve ice cream. They have regular flavors and monthly specialties. Next, choose your filling: Nutella, vanilla custard or Biscoff. Finally, choose two toppings.
My taiyaki creation was an upside-down taiyaki with vanilla soft serve topped with rainbow mochi and Fruity Pebbles. It was so good! The waffles were thick, and perfectly crispy on the outside, chewy on the inside.
Also on the menu, you can order regular, filled taiyaki (no ice cream). Filling options include Oreo, Nutella, mozzarella, red bean and custard. And they have some interesting drink options as well.
Try to go at a time when there might be other businesses open along the street. It’s located in the heart of downtown Sapulpa, so there are a lot of fun shops in the area.
Boss Tea
Shortly before planning our visit to Little Taiyaki, I found out that Boss Tea Bubble Tea Shop on South Memorial also serves taiyaki ice cream! So we went there a few days later – it made for a fun 4th of July morning with friends.
Boss Tea has an extensive drink menu in addition to taiyaki. I was honestly overwhelmed by all the options. It’s probably a good thing they’re located at 103rd and Memorial, or I’d be tempted to keep going back until I’ve tried everything.
But to the point, their taiyaki options include the Unicorn and Mermaid, which are very Instagrammable and kid-appealing 🙂 (And then, of course I failed to grab a photo of Joss’s unicorn cone).
I also wish I’d taken a photo of the menu because the one I found online was just the online ordering form. You can get to it via their website: thebossteashop.com/location. But it’s a similar process to ordering at Little Taiyaki. They had a nice coffee-flavored option that I chose. Just make sure to grab napkins if you buy the taiyaki cone version because it got messy!
Overall, I think we agreed that we preferred Little Taiyaki. But with all the other options to choose from at Boss Tea, it’s definitely a place to put on your to-visit list.
Kremee
[Sept. 2024 Update] When I first wrote this blog post, Kremee wasn’t open yet. But it opened in late August or early September 2024, so I wanted to provide an update! Thank you to Kremee’s owner, Harry, who invited us out after seeing the blog post and wanted to make sure we knew the shop was now open.
Kremee is located at 61st and Memorial, in the same shopping center as Sky Zone. So if you’re spending a day at Sky Zone, you may want to swing by Kremee before heading home.
Joss and I went with TulsaKids coworker Amanda Murphy, along with her stepson and daughter. Out of the five of us, I believe everyone was very happy with their order. I tried the chocolate/matcha swirl upside-down taiyaki with rainbow sprinkles and custard filling. Joss went with an unfilled taiyaki cone with vanilla soft-serve and gummy bears. His had disappeared before I had a chance to grab a pic!
In addition to taiyaki soft serve, their menu includes regular filled taiyaki (fillings: mozzarella, custard, nutella and cheddars); milk shakes and drinks like milk tea and fruit teas. We didn’t try the drinks on our first visit, but will hopefully be back to try a little of everything.
The ordering process was easy. There’s a good variety on the menu, but it didn’t feel overwhelming. Joss had no trouble figuring out what he wanted, and my only problem was narrowing down whether I wanted the chocolate/matcha or salted caramel.
If you’re reading this in September 2024, Kremee has a Grand Opening special of 25% off your order through the end of the month, according to their website. Their hours as of Sept. 12 are: Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, 12-9 p.m.; Friday-Sunday, 11 a.m.-10 p.m.
Other Places to Grab Taiyaki
If you’re looking for taiyaki but don’t need the ice cream, you can also find it at Laca Boba in Owasso.
I was unable to confirm where else you might be able to buy it, but there must be other places. So please shout them out in the comments, and I’ll try to add to this list.
Make Your Own
You can also find taiyaki makers fairly cheap. If you get the ones you set over the stovetop rather than electric versions, they can cost less than $20. So this might be a fun new thing to try, as you can customize your fillings and flavors to your taste! The cheaper ones are not for the taiyaki cones, however, but for regular filled taiyaki. But I imagine you can always just serve them on the side of your favorite ice cream.
So…tell me about your favorite taiyaki experience! What combination did you try? Where else can we go?
