Yakitori Yakyudori
3739 6th Ave
(between Evans Pl & Pennsylvania Ave)
San Diego, CA 92103 (619) 692-4189
- Hours:
Wed-Sun 6:00 p.m.-1:00 a.m. - Price Range: $$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Street
- Attire: Casual
- Good for Groups: Yes
- Good for Kids: Yes
- Takes Reservations: Yes
- Delivers: No
- Take-out: Yes
- Waiter Service: Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: No
- Good for: Dinner
- Alcohol: Beer & Wine Only
129 reviews
Neighborhood: Old Town
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55 Reviews for Yakitori Yakyudori
Its 7 am on a Wednesday morning and I'm already craving the food here.
I love this type of simple down home grilling. Love it.
Yakitori Yakyudori here I come baby ! I cant wait until tonight.
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This is serious business folks. I mean DAMN GINA! Seriously, the food here is absolutely fasntastic. Everything is prepared well, quickly, and by waitresses (waitri?) so damn cute, you just wanna put 'em in your pocket and take 'em home! By the way, the Soju cocktails are wonderfully refreshing. Prices are moderate.
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"Beef sticks" as my friend Ger would say.
#1 on the favorites for American palates is the beef stick so you know it's good.
I recommend the combo to maximize your value. You get rice and salad along with a couple selections of either beef, chicken, or something else. The charcoal they use to cook their stuff really gives everything a great flavor. There are some basic things on the menu that once grilled, taste superb. Beef, for example.
Other notables include:
-Rolled Pork Shiso
-Mushroom and Cheese
-Squid
-Grilled Garlic (so simpo.. yet so good)
-Black Sesame Ice Cream (only one of two places I've found in San Diego that serves this mystical dessert)
Prices are decent. It definitely adds up if you want to try a bunch of things or if you get hooked on those beef sticks. I hear there's a happy hour but have yet to take advantage of it.
Service has always been excellent and attentive. You can imagine in a place where they serve things like octopus balls and chicken skin ("smooth as a baby's bottom" - i think they took that sign down though ha) that a customer might have questions about what they are getting. The servers will help you figure it all out.
If I had to knock anything about the place it'd be the location and the weirdish hours (Why do I always feel like going to this place on Monday and Tuesday evenings?? - when it's closed) And parking can be difficult to find as well.
Yakitori Yakudori is one of very few yakitori places I know of in San Diego and is always a treat to eat at.
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Damned you YELP. This is the ONE spot I was going to keep as my little secret, to avoid the whole waiting in line thing. I don't want the same thing to happen here that happened to Turf Club. Next thing you know, Y.Y. will be packed wall to wall with tall,thin, tattooed rockers with nose rings and tight black jeans and red streaked hair coming for the hip scene rather than the food. With 47 reviews I guess the cat is out of the bag. So many reviews, the only thing I have to add is this:
The whole charcoal vs gas debate. If you think the bintochan charcoal doesn't make a difference, eat here. TASTE. You will see.....
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This spot takes me back to the streets of Tokyo! Man, this place has delicious takoyaki, agedashi tofu and almost anything on a stick. While I may not be a fan of hatsu - you're gonna have to find out just what hatsu is on your own - I am a huge fan of Yakitori. Just the smell of the place makes my mouth water! That charcoal goodness is too much for a girl to take! Yakitori wa ichiban desu yo!!!
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Shitsubou--that's how you spell disappointment in Japanese. Yes, the place is authentic, or at least that's what the two Japanese girls who where eating next to us said, but when it comes to food nothing stands out.
I'm adventurous, so I tried the liver, chicken hearts, gizzards (the most unique texture), beef, quail eggs, fish, octopus, shitake mushroom, chicken catsu, and chicken skin (hated it, because I thought it would be grilled but it was raw). First I would have a piece of yakitori by itself, then I would dip it in the barbecue sauce, then in hot sauce, and then in ponzu. I really wanted to find a combination that tasted delectable, but I never did. Everything just tasted OK. I also ordered a Karin beer hoping that it would clean my palate between each tasting, but it didn't help.
The waiting staff is fairly friendly, but their English lacks. I don't want to sound racist, but regardless of how authentic a restaurant is, I want my waiter to have sufficient English so I can easily communicate with them. Now, if the cook is fresh of the boat and doesn't speak a word of English, that's awesome, however, I don't like repeating what I want over and over again when I order.
I can't believe I ate cow tongue and thought it was really good. I've never eaten so much meat in one meal in my life. It was amazing though. I had never been to an asian bbq restaurant like this before, but it was great and I would highly recommend it. Don't go if you are vegetarian because they specialize in meat. Beef, Chicken & Fish. I was very pleasantly surprised. We had a big party of 10 people and they were very accomodating.
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Yakitori...
Yaki (grilled) tori (bird)...
This place is definately in my top 5 places to eat in SD....period....Why I say this you ask? 3 simple reasons:
Bomb food! Great service! Open Late!
The food selection is very plentiful which includes your typical (beef,chicken,pork) and not-so typical (gizzard, tongue, and hearts) choices....To a lot of people...this can be quite overwhelming, but fortunately there are 2 lists on the wall that give you the top 10 American choices and top 10 Japanese choices...I tend use those lists as a starting point....
All the food is cooked on bamboo skewers over special charcoal which in my opinion is the reason why the food comes out extra flavorful! Hmmm....If its your first time I highly recommend trying one of there combination choices to get a good variety of meats and also some individual dishes such as the quail eggs and cheese, pork shiso, and my personal favorite...the asparagus wrapped in bacon....oh yeah!
If you know you are going to have a party of more than 2-4 people....I HIGHLY suggest to make reservations in advance...The place is small with limited seating, and since the food comes out in smaller portions and the menu being so extensive..people end up ordering and trying new things throughout the course of there dinner, thus leading to longer wait times..
Also...even though each individual food item is generally inexpensive ( approx..$2.50 to $4.00 per item)...it can add up FAST!!..Remember...smaller, yummier, portions + fast sevice = a full, satisfied stomach...and also an empty wallet...
Pro's: - Great Food!
- Great Service!
- Great Drink Selection!
- Open Late (1am)
Con's: - Parking is difficult during the weekend...but can always pay to
park at the Rite Aid across the street..
- Earliest it opens is at 6pm, Wed to Sun...
FOB Review: " Dis flace is di best wen u hab a craybings por poods on
a sticks! ", " Oh Mai Gasss..Sarap Sarap! "
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My wife and I checked out this restaurant last Friday for our weekly date. We made reservations for 7pm and the place was surprisingly not packed yet. When we left around 8:15, there was a line out the door though :)
We ordered lots of food, beef, pork, fish, chicken sticks with various sauces and dips. All were cooked to perfection, but the standard beef sticks and the rolled pork with shizu were our favorites. The ambience was refreshing and the waiters and servers were cheery and polite. We only wish they were closer to where we lived.
Parking can sometimes be troublesome, but there is 2 dollar parking a few storefronts south and 1 dollar parking across the street.
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i didn't think i would have such great japanese food this weekend. who knew there would be a real japanese yakitori in san diego's boys' town?! thanks to kelly and dave who took pity on my hungry soul tonight, and brought me to their favorite neighborhood grill.
i knew this was the real deal as soon as i walked in the door and there was a large group of japanese twenty-somethings sitting in the corner, red-faced with empty bottles of beer and picked over plates. the waitstaff and grill chefs all spoke japanese to each other and the menu and writing on the walls had the charm of non-native english speakers' scrawl (liquor=liquar, closed=close, license=licence).
yet...the. food. was. heavenly.
lightly seasoned chewy-crunchy chicken gizzards
tender beef sirloin with shredded daikon and ponzu sauce
roasted cherry tomatoes with dipping salt
rolled pork cutlets with shiso leaf served with an umeboshi plum sauce
kimchi
boiled chicken skin with ponzu sauce
each dish was incredibly well-executed. next time i come back here, i'll have to try the beef tongue and chicken liver and heart skewers. also, happy hour here is a great deal. 99 cent sakes and $2 beers?!?!
hells yes.
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Hai! Oishi desu! The selection Yakitori boasts is widely varied, from chicken heart to mushroom, and from mushroom to tofu...etc. There are other delicacies that I cannot remember but I am pretty darn sure they have liver, guts, and such. I rarely comment on this... but their rice is really good, for some reason. It glistens and is so chewy!
Service is not bad. Of the time I visited, the waiters were polite and prompt with our service. The wait is manageable (15-20minutes).
Price is a tad on the expensive side. Since you only get 3-5 tiny pieces on each skewer, all the items you order will add up. Don't be too shocked when the tab comes out. Personally I don't mind dropping a bit more Benjamins here since there are few places in SD like this.
Parking is not terribly easy to find. You just have to drive around for a bit before locating a good spot.
Definitely check it out. Try not to wear black or else you might end up smelling like roasted chicken. My favorite is definitely the chicken heart--so get it! They have both Japanese and American favorites listed on their wall so check those out as well.
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came here on a wednesday night at 9:30ish and there weren't too many people so there was no wait.
the guytan (cow tongue) and tebasaki (chicken wings) here are really good and so were the shiitake with cheese..but anything is good with cheese! all these were really juicy. zuri (gizzard) was ok and so was the hatsu (heart). tori kawa (chicken skin) here isn't grilled but rather in a cold dish form which kind of caught me off-guard. yakitori was yummy though lacking in wasabi.
it's really funny how they have a list of american favorites and japanese favorites. what's especially funny is that gyoza and shumai would be on the american list's top three when this is a freaking yakitori place. seriously dudes try the beef tongue!!!
their beer is good. happy hour is from 6-7 for alcohol only.
they serve red bean and black sesame ice cream!! and maccha mochi was today(wed)'s dessert special :3. i can probably buy all this stuff at mitsuwa though.
so all in all it's a pretty decent kushiyaki place. not really sure why there's all this hype though...i have to say i was rather disappointed considering it had an overall 4.5 stars. not saying the food wasn't good, but i've had much better at other places for cheaper. i say 3.5: 3 being average and rather pricey for this kind of food, +.5 for friendly waiters. oh what the hell, i'll give them .5 more for opening so late!
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Beef sticks. Beef sticks. Beef sticks.
Thats all I have to stay. SOOOOOOOOOOO freakin good. Its juicy, tasty, and I crave it. If you love meat, you have to come here for their beef sticks.
AHH and the Beef with Radish, another orgasmic experience. Imagine having Shabu Shabu on a stick... thats what its like. Its the beef sticks topped with radish, some green onions, and drizzled with ponzu sauce. Sooo gooooood.
Other amazing things worth ordering is
Pork Roll with Shiso
Geso
Steamed Monkfish Liver
Black Sesame Ice Cream
Octopus Balls (u didn't think that octopus' had balls did u?!)
Okay so they aren't really called octopus balls on the menu, its called takoyaki, but if you say you want "octopus balls" they know what you want. The chicken sticks are ok. They give you a lot of different sauces, but its nothing special. I recommend getting as many meat sticks as possible, as well as all those I mentioned above.
P.S. Reservations are a good idea. =)
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I picked this place for a date that I had recently and I think it was a good choice. We sat at the bar area and watched the owner cook skewer after skewer which was pretty entertaining. I LOVED their takoyaki (octopus balls) the most out of everything we had. Also their fried tofu was great even though it's not homemade like it says on the menu. The chicken hearts and beef tongue were tastier than I anticipated and I hear the pork shiso is one of the best things they have (though I didn't get a chance to try it).
Next time I will definitely remember to make a reservation because we had to wait a bit. This is a great place to come and order a pitcher of beer, enjoy some yummy food, and potentially be super adventurous.
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I would have to agree with Ger C about the beef sticks. They are awesome! I've only been here once but it was really good. It kind of reminds me of a tapas place but Japanese. There are definitely some "exotic" and "different" items on the menu, but be open-minded and give it a shot!
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The food is always great, although they seem to run out of things a lot. The lighting is a bit bright, but i guess you get used to it. The items with cheese is swiss singles. it used to be real mozzarella cheese, which was a lot better. It's more expensive, but I think if you're paying 3-4 bucks per item you should get real cheese. Chicken hearts are delicious, beef tongue steak is the way to go, and get your own bottle of shochu. Open 'till 1am!!! ...most of the time.
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I really really enjoyed this place. its so different from any other japanese restaurant ive ever been to, i love it! Our waiter was attentive and really went above and beyond to help me and my husband with the menu. Everything we got was really good...especially the pork with shiso. My husband, who live in japan for 2 years, said it was just as good as the yakatori back in okanawa. One thing to note though, this place serves meat on a stick...thats it! So be prepared to order multiple little plates, as they don't serve entrees of any kind here. Next time i want to be brave and try some of the less appetizing yakatori, like chicken heart or beef tongue...who's with me?!
*update* i went here again the other night and guess what?...
this place still has bomb ass food!
here is what you should try....
orian (okinawan beer.... much better than sapporo)
fried octopus balls....sounds funny but damn these are some tasty balls yummmm my favorito
beef topped with daikon
pork rolled in shiso w/ plum sauce
quail eggs w/ brown sauce
asparagus rolled in baon
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The highlights of my journey here have to be the:
Rolled pork with shiso
Takoyaki
Beef ground radish with ponzu
I've had beef tongue, chicken heart, chicken gizzard (ninniku), and quail eggs at other kushiyaki/izakaya establishments and I think its pretty hard to screw these up.
Things that I would also recommend are geso (squid legs), bacon wrapped asparagus, and raw octopus in wasabi sauce (takowasa). If they have lotus root for their special you should try it too. It has a tasty crunchy teriyaki flavor!
I used to work at yakyudori but that lasted about two weeks. I felt that I was being treated unfairly by one the waitresses to the point I was in tears. That doesn't change my opinion on the food. It is pretty darn good. As a matter of fact, I am going there for dinner tonight. I would definitely recommend the pork shiso, chicken meatball, sasami with cheese and wasabi. For drinks either the blueberry calpico hai or the draft beer which i believe was kirin. If you plan on going over the weekend it would be wise to make a reservation as it gets extremely busy. Enjoy!!!
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Great yakitori place, prompt service, reasonable price. It was interesting to look at Japanese and American popularity ranking of their menu items. I heard from my hair stylist who is familiar with this place that "kawazu" is extremely good here and I think he probably meant Tori kawa ponzu(?) my friends and I were having too much fun talking and I forgot to order it... maybe next time.
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This is my first time at a Yakitori place. I never been one before but seeing Andrew from Bizarre Foods once at a place like this in Japan kinda creep me out. I am not into hearts and livers but they had normal beef and chicken. What was cool is they had lists on the walls that said what are Americans faves and Japanese faves. The place is really small, we got lucky with a table but overall most of the restaurant was reserved and they had to let customers who came in that it would be open after 7:30pm. I guess they had a party but had and option to sit at the bar. Overall it was very good, I like there quail eggs and I actually tried Beef Tongue. It was hard to try it but it was pretty good and tasty. A bit chewy but not bad. Parking was either on the street or this little lot near it, which you had to put in quarters and dollar bills into a little slot. It was weird. Overall, I had a great time and would go back for sure.
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This place was awesome, not the cleanest, not the prettiest but definitely good, authentic and fun!
We were in town for the Fancy food Show. 6 people from Italy, 1 American and 1 Japanese.
We ALL enjoyed it a bunch.
Plus they have sooo many drinks and you can taste so many different delicious things..
I love that place! I'm going back next time I will be in san diego! Is there a place like this in the bay area???
I don't know any! Help me yelper!!!!
Love this place. Opens late, great food and great salad dressing. The service is good. The only thing i can say about this place is portions. Kinda pricy for the portions. If you are hungfry, its not the place, you would have to eat for than one of their entree to fill up. BUt if you just want to hang out chill have some beer and munch on something good, this is the place to be for people who wants to eat late and get off work late.
Great place to drink && eat. If you come in huuungry, be prepared to spend some money.
First time, my boyfriend and I went we were starving! We spent close to about 80 bucks. It was great to try mostly everything on the menu, but the next time around we knew better. Don't get me wrong, the food is yum yum delicious and worth every penny. BUT. . .
Second time around, we ordered a bowl of rice along with our orders. We got full quicker. ha.
Our all time favorites are the beef sticks, bacon asparagus sticks, and momo. But basically, all their food is scrumptious!
DEFINITELY CHECK THIS PLACE OUT. AN AUTHENTIC PLACE TO EAT. NICE & FRIENDLY SERVICE TOO!
p.s. If you can make it to their happy hour from 6pm - 7pm, then it would be a big PLUS.
I love this place!!!
They actually grill with Binchotan charcoal which I swear makes a difference.
The young grill master trained at the original Yakyudori in Nagoya, Japan where he was given the right to use the Yakyudori name upon opening his own place. How Kung-Fu Samurai is that!?? JJ.
Anyway for me, more a place to go with a large group of friends, drink lots of Ice cold beer served in special frozen cooler pitchers, laugh, have many many yummy skewers, and have a great time. We'd usually start at Happy Hour and go on past 11pm.
As far as I know they're not open for lunch.
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Tasty, tasty, tasty. 2 of my companions were actually from Japan and said it was very authentic...they were impressed. They told me that Yakitori is meant for small snacks while you drink and yeah...the portions are a little small but I liked that because I could try a variety of things and not feel stuffed. If you have a hearty appetite though...you might want to try one of the usual rice bowls to fill you up. We didn't try any of the organ meats but all the other skewers had great flavor...the deep fried mackerel (with a mayo condiment---hello..YUM!) was crunchy and meaty on the inside. I didn't care for the octopus balls though...the octopus was kind of hidden with all the other chopped up ingredients....I guess I was sort of thinking it was going to be grilled pieces. We also tried the potato salad (a little on the crunchy side for me) and the udon (pretty standard)
The only bummer is that It doesn't open until 6pm which kind of sucks and they are closed one random day a week (I forget which day). Everyone seems like they genuinely enjoy working here, with their smiles and efficient service. I can't wait to come back even if my hubby has to eat a cheeseburger before we come (he was all grumpy because he was still hungry after dinner).
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In the words of Anthony Bourdain, "Understand, when you eat meat, that something did die. You have an obligation to value it - not just the sirloin but also all those wonderful tough little bits."
Like Tony, I too have an appreciation for the nasty little bits. I am after all, Malaysian Chinese. So once in a while, I stray away from pesce-vegetarianism to succumb to culinary experiences.
My friend and I came here on a early Saturday and the place was already full. We ordered a variety of different types of yakitori seasoned wasabi style and also the safer teriyaki style.. and a big pitcher of Kirin beer. Tip.. sit at the bar. The 30 seconds or so for your order to get from the chef to your table will take away from the experience. You want the skewers to be hot as hell and served immediately from the coals to your mouth!
Besides, the fun people sit at the bar. We had one person poke around at our food fascinated and jealous.. and a crazy lady who kept asking someone to pour sake into her cup cos she apparently heard that it was bad luck to pour your own sake. I think she was high.
Come here with friends. It's great conversation food. Drink/Eat/Talk.
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I consider any type of real Asian cuisine to be leaps and bounds beyond most other cultures' food. Most people in the states have no idea what good food is unless they are open minded or have vacated what most consider "the best country in the world" (those who have not traveled make this consideration most often, ironically).
To the guy/girl who said everything tasted the same: These are people that have been mastering everything culinary for centuries longer than most cultures. This includes many undesirable parts of animals that can really be prepared to taste better than filet minon. Simplicity is also highly celebrated. Hence Yakitori. This is meat and skewers! What do you want? Try more things on the menu. Order chopped raw octopus, beef tongue, chicken hearts, chicken gizzards, quail eggs, fish, squid... Do you really think these all taste the same? Put down the coffee and cigarettes and check for diabetes. I think your taste buds are damaged.
For all of us that were never wealthy enough to buy the expensive "attractive" cuts of meat, this is great place. Hamburgers, steaks, and most "American" foods are just about as boring and bland as is gets. Step outside the box for once! That goes for you too, yes, the one who wrote "we don't eat organ meats." You are willing to consume a dead animal carcass, warmed up for your eating pleasure and you want to be choosy about what part you eat even though having nothing to do with flavor. It's time for people to adjust their perceptions and start unlearning the negative, narrow minded things and start learning what they know nothing about but seem to have enough time and arrogance to write a review. People, your opinion only matters if it is valid.
To Steph P.: Learn something before sharing. Don't share your ignorance, it's sad enough that it exists. Yakitori is not meant to fill you up. However, you may just be a person that needs to "exercise" moderation anyway.
To Yummy G: It was an octopus ball you ordered. That's what they are like. Here's a thought, order OCTOPUS if you want to taste it dominantly.
This is a wonderful place to eat responsibly and have some hot tea or cold beer. If you are looking for a meal, why not enjoy some soup or an entree with rice. Otherwise, simply enjoy the company you are with while snacking on something that won't turn you into an average obese American walking the streets giving new meaning to the term "belly shirt."
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I drove past this place and thought it might make a nice little dinner for my son and myself. We found street parking right around the corner and headed in.
The place was packed (this was around 8PM on a Thursday), but we were able to sit at the counter. If you have a choice, sitting there is cool because you can watch the food being skewered and rotated (by hand!) on the wood-fire grill.
We shared a combination dinner, which comes with a huge bowl of rice, salad and six skewers each of chicken and beef. I was worried that this wouldn't be enough food for me and my little cherub, so we also got an order of gyoza.
As far as my son's concerned, the fact that they serve Coke products and kept his glass constantly filled was a major plus. The food was excellent, the beef was so tender and cooked juuuuuuust right. The order of gyoza was also great; two skewers, three pieces on each and grilled. Grilled gyoza! Nice!
They also have ice cream desserts on the menu, if you want to finish off your night of grilled items with a bit of ice.
I highly recommend Yakitori Yakyudori!
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Oh man, if you ever drive by this place, put your hand out the window and wave Hello to My New Most Favorite Thing Ever. I guess it helps that my girlfriend and I are both pretty average-to-small people and don't need much between us, but we love this place and are totally hooked after just one visit. If you're the type that likes good food in moderation instead of mediocre food in colossal proportions, we'll see you here. Add to that a pitcher of beer and mmmmm, we're golden...golden brown like their delicious chicken katsu, that is. Oh, stop reading my dumb jokes and go try it already.
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Do you like chicken heart and beef tongue? I do, and Yakitori Yakyudori is the reason. OK. There is an ample amount of great tasting selections that are in keeping with the Western norm. However, if you want to ditch the typical, this is the place for you. There is even a helpful list of top ten Japanese choices vs. American choices on the wall. Don't forget to drink some shochu while you're there. Ah...shochu.
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Great food, not too expensive, and friendly service. My favorite skewers: bacon-asparagus, chicken meatball and pork toro. The latter is a special and not available every night but be sure to look for it on the specials menu.
The decor is simple but its a popular place and usually pretty lively. I believe they have a happy hour but not sure when.
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I love this place. The food is amazing. Best with 3-4 people. My usual order involves: geso, asparagus, teba, shitake mushrooms, fried teriyaki wings, and steak skewers. If you have to try more varienty, try the beef tongue (softer texture than steak), chicken gizzard and intestines. Good selection of sake and imported beer.
This is my new favorite grub spot. I come here to drink kirin draft and eat copious amounts of tasty animal flesh on a stick. The semi-open kitchen adds to the experience and the yakitori grill master is more focused than Quagmire chasing tail. Some of my favorites...chicken hearts (trust me they are delicious) Beef Skewers, Asparagus wrapped in Bacon, Squid, beef with Radish, any of their fried food, anything with their plum sauce, cabbage....cabbage...cabbage! Get one of the combos...you get 8 skewers, rice, and Yakitori Yakyudoris house salad of asian greens and wasabi vinaigrette. The prices are reasonable and the friendly japanese staff laugh at whatever you say. Happy hour from 6 to 7 daily. $8 pitchers of Kirin and $2 drafts. They are open from 6pm to 1am and are usually pretty busy.
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this place is rad!
if you your palette is as universal as mine is, then by all means, head to this restaurant. the food is as unique and friendly as the servers, the sake menu has something for everyone to drink from, and they are open late.
yakyudori can get a little pricey and crowded at times. they are closed on odd days of the week and i dont think they're open for lunch.
its a terrific place if you are carb conscious. if you arent, then just order a bowl of rice to cure part of your hunger and save a little.
oh, be careful about your plans after. the burps are horrendous!
enjoy
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MEAT ON A STICK! CMON! This place is all that and a bag of chips. Open later which is a great thing. I love the fact they are very very traditional skewers and lots of variety. Be a little adventurous you just might try something you thought you'd never like that you do!
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Great food but the reason why I only gave it 4 stars is because I couldn't get full off of meat!!! I love the food and I would love it more if I could get full off of it. We had dinner here so I am not sure what the lunch specials are but our bill was about 75 bucks and I still wasn't full. The skewers were really good though. I wouldn't go back for a meal but a midday fix would be do.
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I was expecting this place to be really good with all the reviews. However, I was a little disappointed. I mean the food is alright but nothing to be crazy about. I tried about 7-8 different yakitoris that night and none of them were that memorable. As is nothing stuck out in being that great or horrible.
Service was very good. The servers were very prompt and made sure everything came out in a timely manner and everything was alright.
I guess all in all I would go there again but it would not be at the top of my places to go.
i'm gonna get skewered for this, but i didn't think the food/place was all that. there is so much pomp & circumstance that i guess my expectations were high. but yakitori (the place) and the yakitori (food) were just so-so.
we hit yakitori up on a friday night and scored a table by the bar (apparently the last table bc we were told other tables in the main room were "reserved"). the seating was a bit squished since that's where all the wait staff ran back and forth (we were constantly tucking our elbows in, like when the drink carts come down the aisle in an airplane), but we received fast (sometimes TOO fast) service. i randomly ordered about 8 things off the menu.
though a few items had different textures, most everything - chicken, meats, mushrooms, tofu, etc - had the SAME taste. and that taste was nothing brilliant.
our bill was WAY more than i expected for food that really didn't fill us up. maybe we should come here during happy hour or something, if we eat here again.
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I'm surprised with the overwhelming reviews of this place. It was merely average in taste and kinda pricey. What it does offer is friendly service and unique cuisine often hard to find. Last time I had yakitori was in Japan, and this place came close to it. Great menu selection, but once again just overpriced.