Great happy hour deals! Prices in general are great and they even have hh on sundays! Love the interior and they even give pokemon cards when you walk in haha They also have a omekase in the back room which i have not had yet but excited to try next. As for the food and drinks, very solid food no real complaints. The steak skewer is a little tougher than i like but crispy rice is great and so is the karaage Servers are very chill and attentive read more

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According to Google, Izakaya translates to a type of Japanese bar in which a variety of small, typically inexpensive, dishes and snacks are served to accompany the alcoholic drinks. That is a perfect representation of what we experienced on Saturday night. We stopped in during Happy Hour. Most of the small plates were discounted and a few sushi rolls were as well. The house cocktail made with Midori liquor was a popular choice among customers. I forgot to snap pics but we started off with edamame and Spicy Tuna Rice Crisps. The rice crisps were amazing. 4 pieces per order and the crunch was so satisfying. Edamame was salted and warmed up just right. The veggie dragon roll was extremely flavorful and filling. The Sriracha made it spicy but not in an overpowering way. It was hard to believe the only thing inside were veggies - that's how excellent it was. We opted for no dessert, but I believe they have fried ice cream and mochi ice cream as options. It was too cold that day for ice cream, but I'd definitely be open to it during the warmer months. The seating layout and the art on the wall was such a hit, including the Snorlax directly behind us. He was so dang cute! Service was great and our server took wonderful care of us. We loved this precious spot in Fishtown! read more

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Izakaya Fishtown is a nice place to take your friends, but not worth it for a weekday out. By that, I mean it's mostly style without much substance. I heard the omakase is a different story, but that's not what I had when I came here. I'd give it a 3.5 if I could. My friends and I ordered many appetizers, including the chicken yakitori, chicken karaage, and fried squid. The squid was my favorite out of those three, maybe because it's difficult to find restaurants that sell it nowadays. It's like calamari, but with the full tentacles of the squid instead of neatly cut rings. Flavor with lemon for the best taste. As for the entrees, my bf and I got hand roll set A and the shoyu ramen. Our server was nice enough to give us an extra bowl and spoon on the side for sharing the ramen, which I liked better out of the two. The firm noodles paired well with the broth and mix of toppings. Warning: If you don't like pickled flavors, I'd recommend asking to remove the pickles radish. It sunk to the bottom and overpowered the broth toward the end of my meal. As for the hand roll...don't bother. It was mostly mayo, which was disappointing. Couldn't even taste the fish underneath it all. I've had similar hand rolls at Chika Ramen near Center City, and they were much more generous with the fish. My friend and I got cocktails. I liked my Cherry Moon, but that's probably because it just tasted like coconut rum and sugar (grenadine). Anyway, Fishtown has so many better options in the area if you're willing to book in advance. Izakaya is a good backup, though! read more

Came here for an anniversary a few months ago, so I am writing this review from memory. The restaurant is super close to my house so I'd support it no matter what. I think a new sushi place opened up even closer though. One of the reviews says that this place is "style without substance" and I would probably echo that. It's ok. Probably not worth the price, but sushi rarely is. It's a really cute and cozy place in a great location though! read more

We came here for my birthday, rescheduled this evening Reservations 4:15 pm..they open 4 pm. & We got chefs tasting $45 pp for 4 dishes! It was wonderful, a small plate, regular sushi, specialty roll, then choice donburi or ramen dish, , ending with dessert: either ice cream mochi or fried ice cream It has a good bar too, which didn't order. read more

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Came here for happy hour and we were able to make a reservation for it. Their happy hour menu was extensive. We ordered just about 1 of everything. Wagyu hotdog tastes like a normal hot dog. They sliced the hot dog in half horizontally (hot dog wise) and used only half of it. It is not special. The wagyu on a stick was more worth it. The wonton tacos, we got ours filled with crab meat, was not flavorful. read more

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I'm new to the area and I'm so happy that I found Izakaya! We went on a Monday night; it wasn't too busy. I started with the Tea Time to drink and it was delicious. Extremely refreshing. My partner and I shared the spicy tuna crispy rice. This is one of our favorite apps to order and theirs were really enjoyable! I ordered a salmon roll and the fire fighter roll. To be so honest...this was the best salmon roll I've ever had. I don't know if it was the way they seasoned their rice or what, but this salmon roll was top tier (trust me, I'm a salmon roll connoisseur). The fire fighter roll was really great too, just was a little too drenched in spicy mayo. The atmosphere and lighting was super cute and the staff was extremely friendly. I love a free flowing kitchen, the sushi just took a little longer to come out. I'm really excited to go back, especially for happy hour!! read more

Izakaya Fishtown - Tea Time - Sushi Bars Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

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Came in for a quick bite and a drink on a Monday night with a friend. The restaurant was quaint and quiet, not a lot of people were there which was expected since it was a Monday night. We sat at the bar and ordered miso soup, pork baos, and hamachi crudo. I was a little disappointed with the quality of the food because I've heard great things about this restaurant from my friends, but they raved more about the happy hour so maybe they were more excited about the pricing. The hamachi crudo had a little fishy taste to it. The miso soup came in a huge bowl which I really enjoyed but it was very salty and my friends bowl came out with no green onion, tofu, or seaweed so we had to get it "remade". The pork buns were ok not special, the greens paired with the pork buns were a little bitter. The star of the show for me was the drink I got. It was Tea Time, super yummy. Maybe come for Happy Hour so you're paying for what you'll get instead of the full price. Maybe next time I'll try their ramen. read more

Izakaya Fishtown - Hamachi Crudo - Sushi Bars Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

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Man, I LOVED this place when they first opened. I went there once a week, told everyone I know! Then the quality started declining. I tried their omakase which was underwhelming. Recently a friend went and said they had improved/switched chefs etc. Tonight at work we ordered on Grubhub. $140 worth of food. When the driver arrived, he told me that he went to the restaurant and waited 30 mins until he was told that 'someone else must have taken that order, we'll cancel it' they did not cancel or contact me/Grubhub about this. I called the restaurant to confirm this (with the driver standing next to me), and was told by the manager, 'We get pretty busy with takeout orders on the weekends'. Ok and? I have worked in the food service industry I'm aware. Then he said sometimes drivers come in and just grab food without checking with staff, and 'some of them don't even speak English'. What does the driver's language have to do with anything? That's a restaurant issue if you're leaving bags with hundreds of dollars worth of food just sitting out without anyone to keep track! He said he had refunded my order but shortly after hanging up I received a GH notification that my order had been delivered! With a picture of my feet. I had to go through GH to get my refund. Guess I should cancel my omakase reservation for next month as well. So disappointing. read more

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OMG I did the Omakase experience and it was ahhhhhhmaziinnggg! The sushi was so fresh and flavorful. I tried some pieces that I've never had before and it was sooo good. The atmosphere was very nice and good music played. I also got a drink called the Yuzu Honey Bee. THAT drink was ALL THAT! I had to get two lol.Inwould definitely recommend this place if you truly love sushi. read more

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Pretty good sushi in fishtown! Loved the atmosphere and will definitely be back to try more. Unfortunately did not love the actual sushi nigiri pieces we got (didn't taste that fresh) nor the fried ice cream but everything else was a home run. Esp the cucumbers, wonton tacos and the crispy tuna rice. read more

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Sat at the bar while waiting for Sushi by Bou. The bartender was super nice and the drink he made us was sooooo goood!. An intimate spot with great drinks. read more

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My friend and I stopped here for happy hour yesterday and had such a great time! Cute decor, friendly and fast service, and tasty food. We ordered the spicy salmon roll, shrimp tempura roll, tuna rice crisps, bluefin tuna chiraishi bowl, and soft shell bao bun. Tuna rice crisps were #1. We were raving about that dish. Bluefin tuna was #2. The fresh cuts of tuna paired nicely with the pickles, seaweed salad, rice and furikake. Highly recommend both dishes! Fun cute spot if you are ever in the area! read more

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GREAT OMAKASE - 15/10 - LOVED IT! We had the omakase and saké pairing on March 16 to celebrate a birthday and it was a wonderful evening. We were promptly seated at 6:00 and there were 3 other couples so only 8 of us, and Chef/Itamae Kevin (the Sushi Whisperer) Yanaga took us through 25 courses of amazing food. The saké pairing with the food was the BEST we that have had (and we have had quite a few from NYC to Philly to Canada, Asia etc.) and had a nice mix of daiginjo junmai, junmai and even nigori saké - one was not even Japanese and it was amazing, very smoky-sweet and was fantastic with the selections it was paired with during the omakase. It should be noted that the sakés for the pairing are generally not available on the menu - and there are a nice selection of sakés on the menu. I often describe the food, the dishes in a review but in this case, I think it's better to describe it as the best traditional sushi somewhat reinterpreted, reimagined and relevated but still with a wholly Japanese aesthetic tinged with some Western nods. A great part of the omakase was the discovery of the dishes, Yanaga-san's description and sharp wit also come into play and so no real spoilers in this review. Think foie gras and awase miso, osetra caviar on nigiri sushi, uni garnishing a slab of futomaki, an escabeche sauced bite... Every bite of every offering that Yanaga-san created for us was sublime, nuanced and delicious, the last omakase we had that was of this caliber was at Hiroki (yes, they are friends) and yes, you should try both because they are amazing yet different from each other in the same way that great painters are - the omakase at Izakaya By Yanaga is a delicious, artistic masterpiece to be experienced, enjoyed and remembered. We will be revisiting Yanaga-san's omakase again! read more

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Very much enjoyed my Friday evening omakase experience at Omakase by Yanaga. The room is secluded in the back and painted with dark colors, so it feels cozy and intimate. Service was terrific and knowledgeable about the sake pairings. One of the reasons I like omakase is that it forces me out of my comfort zone--I can't simply order my favorites a la carte. For instance, I learned in this omakase that while I hate truffle oil (tastes dirty to me), I love actual shaved truffle (tastes rich and salty). Plus, who wouldn't like the opportunity to eat some of the fattiest tuna nigiri-style? And underneath much of it was Yanaga's delicious 5-vinegared/seasoned rice...yum! Is it expensive, yes, but it's also a treat for all your senses, particularly when the chef is well-trained and generally personable. P.S. Yanaga served a honey sea-salt tartlet from the nearby Beehive Bakery, which was delightful, and I loved that he was supporting another neighborhood business. read more

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Came here for omakase on a Friday night. Tried lots of omakases in the past, this one was average. I would give it a 6.5/10. Nothing out of the ordinary. Fish was fresh. Chef was personable. LOVED the honey sea salt dessert they served. It was from Beehive bakery. You leave very full. read more

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This place is amazing! The happy hour from 4pm-6pm is so good!!! From the drinks to the food. What I love is the variety of items on the HH menu. All for incredibly reasonable prices. Albeit small tasting portions, but that's the best part -- you get to taste everything. It's actually a lot of food. The TanTan Men Ramen was very spicy so I had to take it home lol. The chicken thigh robata skewer could've used a couple more minutes on the grill, since the larger end piece was kinda cold, and I got some of the chicken fat that didn't render fully. I definitely order the American wagyu and shrimp skewer twice. Wanted to order the deviled eggs and tuna rice crispy again as well, but will save that for next time. The Tea Time cocktail was super refreshing -- my kind of cocktail! Super clean and modern space of course. There were two water closets (bathrooms) and both were substantial in size. Nice to have individually wrapped sanitizing wipes at the door too. Can't wait to return! read more

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Unfortunately cannot recommend. Nice vibes but very overpriced. The good: I got the fishtown punch for my cocktail and it was a delight. The meh: - curry bao: the short rib was tender but tasted more of Frank's than curry/Japanese curry - duck onigiri: I expected the middle to be full of crispy/juicy duck bits. I had so much trouble finding any duck at all. If I was blind folded, I would think this was the leftover rice at the bottom of the roast duck takeout after all the duck has been eaten already. - chirashi sushi bowls: SO TINY. My friend and I were shocked. Maybe if I came here during happy hour with discounted prices, I would have been a bit more satisfied. At full price, I just can't justify coming back here again. Interior of the restaurant is very cool, aesthetic. Service was quick and friendly. There is very limited street parking in the area. read more

Izakaya Fishtown - Curry Short Rib Bao - Sushi Bars Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

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Really enjoyed my dinner at Izakaya by Yanaga the other night. Service was attentive and the vibe was cool- very busy! Interesting menu with lots of unique food and drink options. The drinks were delicious- tried the East meets West and the Meet me at the El and both were well balanced and boozy. Loved the duck onigiri, hamachi, wagyu beef skewer and the tuna rice cracker. Didn't love the mushrooms and thought the bao bun and spicy salmon were good but not mind blowing. We also tried the sake flight which was 4 shot glasses worth of sake for $40 but the sake was so smooth it was delicious. Definitely recommend checking it out if you like raw fish but it's not cheap, so just be ready for a bit of a splurge! read more

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Visited Izakaya by Yanaga for an early dinner on a Saturday and was pleased with our experience! In ever-growing Fishtown, the restaurant is in a great spot, and luckily, parking wasn't too atrocious so we easily found a close by spot. The restaurant itself is super cool - the interior is chic and cool and has good ambience. We were one of the first ones in the restaurant and were seated at the back of the space, but by the time we were ready to leave, the seating was nearly full! Out waiter was quite kind and helpful, providing his suggestions on various dishes and helping us navigate the menu. For drinks, I opted for a cranberry ale, which was refreshing and light enough to pair with our food. Next time, I definitely want to try sake or one of their cocktails! My co-diners enjoyed their beers as well. For food, we tried a variety of dishes, including the mushroom gyoza, short rib bao, oishi fish taco, nakatsu fried chicken, waygu beef robata, toro scallion roll, and snow crab roll. It was plenty of food for 3 of us! Our favorites were the fish taco and the toro scallion roll, but everything was excellent. All the flavors were very fresh and not too heavy. You could tell that the ingredients were high quality and prepared fresh, which was much appreciated. I would love to make it back to try more of the sushi offerings! Overall, we enjoyed our early dinner at Izakaya! It's a really great spot in Fishtown for fresh sushi and other Japanese specialities. I'm definitely looking forward to another visit for some cocktails, sake, and sushi! read more

Izakaya Fishtown - Fish tacos - Sushi Bars Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

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Nice ambiance with friendly and helpful staff! My meal was ok...I got the bluefish tuna chirashi sushi which tasted just ok. The cucumbers were too much and way too salty. Also ordered a sashimi and sake, which were both good. Would go back to try other items on the menu--just not the chirashi sushi bowls. read more

Izakaya Fishtown - Bluefin Tuna Chirashi - Sushi Bars Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

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*MEDIOCRE* 3.5 Stars I've looked forward to trying this place when I found out it was opened by Kevin Yanaga, who worked with Starr and Schulson. The place has bar seating and table seating, first come first serve, no waitlist. Would recommend going early and not during peak dinner hours. Menu is relatively small, but with a decent variety of hot and cold foods. Price is not bad as well, average $10 per plate. All dishes are small tapas style, great for sharing. Overall, there are hits and misses. Cold food was a lot better than hot food. DINNER * Toro scallion maki - MUST GET. This roll was my favorite. Very comparable to toro you would get at Omakase. Fresh, quality, and they did not skimp out on the amount * West Coast Oysters - MUST GET. My 2nd favorite item. Although the oysters are small, they are so fresh and texture so buttery, basically melted in my mouth. They clean it very well too. Would recommend getting Hamachi sashimi - pretty fresh yellowtail sashimi. Sauce is a bit on the lighter side compared to other hamachi dishes I've had. -Shrimp tacos - pretty good. It was unique that the taco shell is actually a fried wonton shell. I liked that it had a large piece of shrimp in it -Karaage - pieces were huge but not as fried crispy as other karaage I've had. Batter was a bit think and kinda soggy -Duck Bibimbap - basically duck meat mixed in rice in a shape of onigiri. Didn't really get much duck. -Snow crab maki - snow crab didn't have much of a flavor. Kind of disappointed -Tantan mazemen - would not recommend getting. The sesame flavor of the meat sauce overpowered everything. No depth of flavor and it wasn't that spicy. *VERDICT* I probably would not go back again unless someone ask me to, and if I did, I would probably just stick to sushi. read more

The service here is phenomenal! I can't here for dinner for my birthday with a reservation. They really took care of us and everyone working here was lovely. We had the okonomni which is a 4 course menu. The sashimi was the star of this meal. The fish is so fresh and you can taste the quality. I also really liked the curry short rib bao, but I have to agree with the other reviewers there wasn't much of a curry flavor to the bao. The bbq wagyu lettuce wraps tasted like bulgogi and were also good. I was kind of disappointed that there side vegetable dishes (cucumber and pepper/carrot) were the same 2 across the small plates, the appetizers, and the chirashi. They were also way too salty. I also had the ginger mocktail and it was made well. I definitely want to come back and try the omakase experience. read more

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I went here for my birthday about a week ago because I was craving the tuna rice crisps and crab baos from the first time I ate here. It's so disappointing how they changed the recipes for them and I'm pretty embarrassed that I took a friend here because of how unappetizing the flavors were: The tuna rice crisps is now a lukewarm red mush on hard rice (instead of the cool fresh orange tuna slices over a crispy rice crunch). The crab baos were really bitter in flavor and the fried batter was soggy. I ordered the duck onigiri too before I knew the food quality dropped. I only tasted oil and there was barely even a hint of meat/duck flavor or piece. Even plain white rice is more delicious than this. I added the broth tantan mazemen in hopes to save our tastebuds. Though the ramen wasn't bitter, overly oily, or lukewarm, it still didn't taste as good as packaged ramen is. Oh! But our waitress was super nice and sweet! read more

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Sushi by Bou is hands down one of the coolest spots I've been to in Philly. This speakeasy-style sushi bar in Fishtown combines a laid-back, intimate atmosphere with an impressive 12-course omakase that is out of this world. Every bite was fresh and delicious, and I loved the hip-hop beats playing in the background--it really adds to the vibe. The staff was friendly and explained each course as it was served, which made the experience even better. If you're looking for a great date night or just a unique dining experience in Philly, Sushi by Bou is the place to go. read more

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The only sushi spot in Fishtown, and offers omakasa, so we have been wanting to try it. However quite disappointed... overpriced and no matching quality or service or innovation. First, very lack of variety. For sushi/sashimi, you can only order the sashimi set and only very few options of maki/hand rolls. No a la carte nigiri/sashimi option. The chirashi bowl options are one-fish choices only, no mixed option. No intriguing appetizer options either. Secondly, quality & portion not justify the price. The "wagyu" beef lettuce wrap is just stir fried shredded beef, seasoned well but tastes pretty dry, not worth it. Sashimi and rolls are very small portion yet high in price. For a $40 sashimi combo comes with 15-piece tiny cuts (half the size of normal pieces in other stores), not even with any high end fish... and some pieces didn't taste the freshest (not bad either). Each hand roll comes with 5 pieces only, it tastes good, but for $18+ for a nothing special roll it's too much... The ramen is not bad, the broth is super thick though, thicker than cream, and noodle is a bit softer than Al dente, but the flavor is pretty good (tried both chicken and pork dandan with soup) and perfectly cooked soft boiled egg (unfortunately not marinated/ramen egg). We arrived Sunday for late lunch so the place was empty, but the service was still pretty tardy. Side note, not sure why they open from 2pm, not the most optimal for operations or cost savings... read more

Izakaya Fishtown - Sashimi Combo (15pc) - Sushi Bars Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

This was one of my favorite recent dining experiences!!!! I'm so confused that there is even one negative review here. I did the 16 piece tasting, each piece was more delicious than the last. There wasn't one piece I didn't love! I had a glass of sake and my friend had a signature cocktail- both were great! The chef, Mitsutaka, gave an incredible experience. He was friendly, knowledgeable, and so much fun! We all even had a complimentary sake shot, which was a nice touch. The ambiance is unmatched with really cool Philly murals, and the music was all late 90s, 2000s. I am so thrilled with this experience! read more

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We saw the hype and decided to try. Good service, fair prices, okay food. We had high expectations but was a bit disappointed instead. Our fave was probably the brussel sprouts and least fave was duck onigiri.. sushi was average, nothing special. read more

Izakaya Fishtown - House Pickles - Sushi Bars Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

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Newly opened Japanese cuisine in Fishtown. Very clean and modern decor. Calm and friendly environment. Service was very good. They rely on food runners who bring out and briefly explain your dish. Nice touch because it creates an increase in efficiency. They have a nice beverage menu. Includes wines, craft cocktails, sake and additional Japanese elixirs. They recommend that you order about 5-6 items at once. They will come out once they're ready. The food menu is very good. Lots of very nicely prepared Japanese rolls, sashimi and ramen dishes to suit your palette. Overall I had a very nice experience here. They still have a few things to button up, because they are new. I felt there were too many people working, but that's no a bad problem to have these days! I'm looking forward to coming back. Give them a try! read more

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Great atmosphere. Come with a great comfy temperature. Wait staff very accommodating Food was great and fresh across the board. Sushi was flavorful and fresh. Appetizers were great Great stop. Worth the price. read more

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My boyfriend and I experienced Omakase By Yanaga at this restaurant. It was only limited spots they offered. My bf got lucky when he booked the resv. Only 8 limited sittings offered. 25 course menu. I liked the fusion style of Foie gras on rice cracker absolutely outstanding. Everything was so fresh and clean we liked it so much. The texture of sushi was melting overall great omakase! read more

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I wanted to try a good quality sushi restaurant that I haven't been before so I decided to give this place a try. I got their okonomni menu which allows me to try different dishes. The chef selection sashimi and nigiri were my favorite. The ramen and the speciality sushi were decent. My least favorite were their house pickles and umami cukes. The favor were a bit off and many of the dishes I ordered happen to come with the pickles and the umami cukes. read more

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Since I've been waiting for the bartender to take our credit card for over ten minutes I might as well burn some time writing a review. We've come here twice now and I'm so underwhelmed. We came for the soft opening ages ago and decided to give it a second chance during happy hour. We ordered the ramen, sushi bowl, spicy tuna roll, chicken rotana, some other chicken thing, and a sashimi. The rotana and the sushi bowl were good, everything else was underwhelming. The tuna roll was bland and didn't taste fresh. They gave my husband the wrong ramen which was a shame (we didn't say anything so whatever). The chicken thing he got was made with super well cooked meat, it was like a better cooked popcorn chicken. I don't like it when they place music loud while it's not super loud, all restaurants do this. It's just mediocre for the price, even during happy hour. read more

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I was so excited to check this place out and it did not live up to my expectations. Honestly, the food is decent, but what you get for the price of your meal it is not worth it. I felt like everything fell short. My husband and I ordered the soft shell crab baos, curry short rib bao, mushroom gyoza, their special of the day chirashi bowl, toro tartare with uni, an extra toro roll, the King K speciality roll, grilled octopus, duck onigiri and fried chicken. I also ordered the tea time cocktail. My cocktail was very pretty. It had a lemon with honey burned on top. When I initially drank my cocktail, I loved how it taste! It was not too sweet and you could taste a clean crisp flavor. However, since there was honey that was burned on top of my lemon, that burnt flavor slowly seeped into my cocktail and made my drink taste bitter. The soft shell crab baos were okay. The crab was a little greasy and I felt like the sauce was just okay. There was nothing special about the bao. Honestly, I feel like I could have got the same bao somewhere else for way cheaper. Like the flavor was not there for the price. The soft shell crab bao was better than the curry short rib bao, so that says a lot. The mushroom gyoza was just okay. I didn't even taste the mushrooms and honestly if you shut your eyes and eat the mushroom gyoza, I would believe that it was a frozen one from the supermarket. It wasn't that special. We were excited for the special of the day chirashi bowl. It had uni, grilled octopus, sea bass and squid ink rice. Honestly, the rice and uni were good, but everything else had problems. The octopus was way to chewy and overcooked. The seabass was not melt in your mouth soft. It was way too overcooked too. It was a ehhh dish. Kind of disappointing really. The toro tartare was okay. The uni saved the dish, but I felt like it was way too greasy to be eaten with greasy wonton chips. I wish we just got the toro rolls with uni on top of them. That would have been more worth it. The King K specialty roll was decent but again nothing special. Just tasted like any random specialty roll you can get at a random sushi restaurant. Like I feel like it had all these nice ingredients in the meal, but nothing really stood out. The duck onigiri just tasted like a rice ball. I could hardly taste the duck. The best thing I ate here was the fried chicken. It was good, but again... I had better for way cheaper. Sorry, I feel like I was complaining for most of it, but I just feel like what you get for the price is just not worth it. I would have rather spend the same amount somewhere else and been so much happier. Like the food is decent, but not for what you are paying for if that makes sense. read more

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I have been to this place 3-4 times since they opened. The first time was amazing, but I am sad to say that their quality has drastically declined over time. The quality of the food does not justify the incredibly high price point of their menu items. If I could describe this place in 1 word, it would be: SALTY.  Here are some of the dishes I have tried:  Yellowtail/Shrimp Tempura Special Roll: I have had grocery store sushi better than this. The yellowtail looked so unappetizing because it was not fresh and it was the smallest and thinnest piece of yellowtail in the world. The shrimp tempura was all tempura and no shrimp. On top of that, the ratio of the cucumber and shrimp tempura made the cucumber the star of this roll. The piece of cucumber was larger than the shrimp tempura and yellowtail. It was not worth $16. Please do not call yourself the "Sushi Whisper" if you are putting out this embarrassment to your guests.  Other sushi rolls (Shrimp tempura, Spicy Yellowtail, California, etc): Nothing special/not good. Salmon Chirashi: The cucumbers were so salty that it overpowered the entire dish and ruined everything. Veggie Ramen: The broth was incredibly salty. I sent it back to the kitchen and it was still so salty when it came back.  Mushroom Gyoza: This used to be good, but when we got it this time, the entire gyoza broke apart. Tofu & Maitake Bao: This used to be just the Maitake Bao which was amazing. This new bao just tasted like mush.  Oishi Shrimp Taco: This was good, but nothing special. read more

Izakaya Fishtown - Sushi Bars Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Did not live up to the hype for our group. The food was good - but we left hungry even though we ordered a ton and spent a lot. We actually got food elsewhere afterwards! I also felt the sushi had too much rice and not enough fish. The cocktails were well balanced, but nothing epic. It was also incredibly loud because it's such a small, intimate place. However, the restaurant itself is very nice looking inside. read more

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came here for valentines day and had a decent meal! oysters were yummy! def get some curry short rib bao - this was delicious! curry was strong but i appreciated that tan tan mazeman - this was yummy but super peanut-y which makes sense but i wanted a little more of that spicy meat sauce! wagyu beef robata - delicious and perfectly cooked bok choy - this was super flavorful i enjoyed it bluefin tuna chirashi - this was my favorite dish of the night. i could eat it every day shrimp tempura and snow crab chirashi - i wish there was more crab! all in all the seafood was fresh, service was good and drinks were decent. i'd definitely come back for that chirashi! read more

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Damn, I had such high hopes for this place after seeing reviews and pictures of the food on social media. Our group of 4 came here on a Thursday night for dinner and unanimously agreed that it was a supremely mediocre meal. Typical izakaya fare is supposed to be snack size portions at reasonable prices but everything here is pretty pricy and only a couple of items stood out as tasty and memorable. We started off with the duck onigiri and each of the baos (2 per order): maitake mushroom, curry short rib, and soft shell crab. The maitake bao was fantastic, the mushroom was earthy and savory and the bao was pillowy and a great canvas. However, the curry short rib had no curry flavor and tasted more BBQ-y... still not a terrible bite of food. The soft shell crab was $15 per order and for some reason they doused the crab in a sickly sweet, ketchup-y sauce that dominated the flavor of the bite. Not worth it at all. The duck onigiri never came until we asked our waitress about it at the conclusion of the meal, at which point we learned it went to another table?? We ordered a couple of the skewers: the octopus and wagyu beef. The beef skewers did not taste remotely close to wagyu quality, as the meat was muscle-y and chewy and not fatty at all. The texture was really disappointing and overall it was like eating overdone steak bites. The octopus was a highlight of our meal in terms of flavor but portions were uneven so one skewer was big and the other small. None of the maki rolls we ordered were particularly inspiring. The yellowtail was solid but you can find similar quality hamachi almost anywhere else. The toro scallion roll was SUCH a dud: the fish did not taste all that fresh and was not really fatty at all. The tuna had the texture of what you find in a spicy tuna roll you'd get from the grocery store. The salmon chirashi was so small and the fish is chopped up into bits, not served as slices. There's as much cucumber as there is fish, which further takes away from the value. The raw fish here really did not impress. We ended up spending over $50 a head, as we each got a cocktail as well (drinks were a saving grace and something I would actually come back for!). I feel pretty duped, as nothing we tried came even close to wow'ing us. The worst part is the portion sizes were so small that literally everyone in our party agreed we were still hungry after our meal. Not exaggerating, I was still starving when our check arrived. We ended up going to get pizza afterwards since none of us were full. The taste of the food at Izakaya by Yanaga just does not stand up to what it costs and portion sizes don't do much to fill you up. I don't see myself coming back here or recommending it to friends. read more

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Heard about this place on instagram, and I will say it is a hidden gem!! Our server Blake was phenomenal - super friendly and guided us to some yummy happy hour drinks (jelly bean). Truly 10/10 server, and we will definitely be back again. For food, my partner and I had the Bang Shrimp (10/10) and Wagyu Yakitori (another 10/10) to start. HIGHLY HIGHLY recommended the Bang Shrimp as it was both of our favorites. For an entree, my partner had the Tonkotsu Ramen (6/10). Honestly, not the best ramen we have had but still a decent choice! I had the Calikatsu Roll (9/10) which was delicious, I especially liked the creamy crabmeat on top. Also, I heard a lot about the Spicy Tuna Roce Crisps (10/10) which was definitely worth eating on a full stomach. Looking forward to coming back in the future! read more

Not every special hits it out of the park, but I like how this restaurant tries to vary the menu with weekend specials and there are certain dishes that I've had again and again here that are consistently perfection. Plus the staff here are super helpful and kind. The cocktails are delicious (though I'm a clear liquor girl so I cannot speak for their brown liquor cocktails). Dishes I love, have gotten repeatedly, and are so good: Salmon sashimi. Duck onigiri. Octopus robata. Plus ANY special he tops with uni. Another special he had that I hope he brings back someday: a monk fish liver sashimi he did in November. I read reviews that call the sushi (particularly rolls) bland. Do not come here if you're a sushi fan who loves pretty much only rolls like spider, Philly, California, Alaska, dragon, spicy tuna, rainbow, etc. Don't get me wrong--there's a time and place for such rolls but this Japanese restaurant is about simplicity and (I think) challenging Philly's palate--so come with an open mind, try something out of your wheelhouse, or don't come at all. read more

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