Come here with my boyfriend usually when we just want to grab some light snack and robata bar always delivered! Love their skewer menu and how we can order from sushi roku's menu as well. Delicious ankimo sushi! The sushi rice is better than sugar fish imo. Have to try the tofu sample plate. The topping is sea salt and truffle mushroom, sesame oil and negi, as caviar. I am obsessed with truffle mushroom now because of this plate. read more

Robata Bar - The tofu sample plate. Caviar, truffle mushroom, and sesame oil/negi. So good! - Japanese Near Me - Santa Monica, California

Out of all 5 places on the date night list, we ended here (a place not on the list) for date night. Lucky for us, we didn't need a reservation. The manager greeted us at the door, and recommended some great skewers and sushi. The service was almost as amazing as the food! The black cod skewer was my boyfriends favorite, I thought all the food was umami *salivates* . Don't even get me started on the dessert! read more

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Let's just get right to the important part. The food. My date and I ordered Grilled Octopus, Braised Short Ribs, Spicy Pork Belly Fried Rice, Yaki Niku, a Duck Breast with Yuzu Pepper paste skewer, and, just so we didn't feel completely guilty, an asparagus skewer. The food here is melt-in-your-mouth delicious. The Grill Octopus was tender and savory. It is probably the most succulent octopus I have ever eaten in a restaurant. I was a little surprised that it was a salad but was happy to have the tartness of the cherry tomatoes, the few slices of radish, and the frisee to cut through the olive oil which they were a little heavy handed with in my opinion. The sweet croutons crumbled off to the side also added a nice texture to the whole dish. The Braised Short Ribs were also very tender and could be easily torn into pieces with just gentle pulling. The vegetables in the bowl were nicely caramelized and I loved the sauce. The short ribs were laid on top a bed of mashed potatoes which was nice and creamy. The Spicy Pork Belly Fried Rice was good. The rice had a good kick to it and was a nice side to all the meat on the table but the star of the show was definitely the pieces of seared pork belly off to the side. Although the pieces seemed a bit small and there was only 3 of them, they had a nice sweet crispy layer on the outside and was juicy without being too fatty. This was my favorite of the night. The Yaki Niku was the most disappointing out of the bunch. When you order their grilled meats, they give you three dipping sauces to accompany them - yuzu, ginger, and mustard. Without the help of these sauces, the Yaki Niku was bland and sorely needed some seasoning. The sauces themselves were nice. The Duck Breast skewer had 4 pieces of meat with the Yuzu Pepper Paste off to the side and it packed a surprisingly powerful punch of flavor. I loved the tangy spiciness but be warned, you have to absolutely love pepper to enjoy this dish. The asparagus was fine as far as grilled vegetables go. Overall, the experience was wonderful. The decor was nice and intimate with gentle lighting to set the mood. This is still a bar though so the atmosphere was lively and energetic. The service was a little inconsistent. The food came out quickly and they took away empty plates pretty fast as well. They were just a little slow refilling waters but trust me when I say the food is absolutely worth it. A delicious find for date night! read more

Robata Bar - Intimate Decor - Japanese Near Me - Santa Monica, California

Is robata bar opened back up or opening soon? My favorite happy hour ever :( i use to come 3 times a week!

Sat at the bar. No wait on a Saturday night right before the end of happy hours menu. I took advantage of the happy hours prices and got my order in within 10 minutes (thanks for the great service!). I ordered quite a number of small plates and skewers. My favorites were: miso sea bass, chicken with wasabi and pork. The sushi variations that I got had too much sauce to taste the actual fish so I'd recommend sticking to the skewers. read more

This place has great sushi! It's authentic Japanese sushi which is hard to find in LA. We had just the right amount for two relatively hungry people. We had three appetizers which were small but very good. The appetizers were the mushrooms (3 large mushrooms) which came on a skewer. They were a little spicy but very fresh and soft. The Eggplant was a small dish, only two pieces but very tasty due to the special sauce. The hummus was bland and the pita chips had too much oil and were fried. The main course we had were the katana rolls which were mixed shrimp and salmon, excellently made and paired well with soy sauce. we also had the crispy rice spicy tune which was amazing! There were about 8 pieces per order. The food was filling. We didn't have sweet desert but the chocolate cake looks good (neighbors had it) The outside is nice and cozy with fire lamps to keep you warm. The service is good, hostess is nice and welcoming. There are two Tvs inside you can catch games! Definitely will be coming back here again read more

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I ran into this place because of Pokemon go haha. Plus my friend and I were craving something Japanese, some beer, and a good happy hour place as well The place is a little small but has both in door and out door seating. It is more like a Japanese bar/lounge. They have a bar seating where you can get a drink and also watch how they grill some of the food. Their service was really good. We were checked on to make sure everything was good and if we wanted more. The food was amazing. I ordered their Robatayaki and beer. Robatayaki is a style of Japanese comfort cuisine, an ancient style of Japanese cooking with skewers over an open flame. What I got was the chicken heart, chicken tenders with wasabi, chicken meatballs, and asparagus wrapped with filet mignon and foie gras. As for the beer it wasn't that special because we just got what happy hour could give us haha. Overall I liked the place, the service was good, and the food was awesome. I would recommend this place to everyone and I look forward to coming back and trying out their other selections. read more

Robata Bar - asparagus wrapped with filet mignon and foie gras. - Japanese Near Me - Santa Monica, California

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Cute, fun little place with some great dishes. The posiitves: ***Overall tasty, quality food. ***A week after going there, I am still raving about (and craving some more of) the yellowtail with chili paste on crispy rice...YUMMMMMM!!!! ***The chocolate volcano was a knock out too! Definitely finish with that!!! We may come just for that some time. The negatives: *** Service felt a little rushed (food came too quick). ***Some of the dishes were mediocre (the asparagus was too salty and while the filet mignon with foie gras was good, it was not worth the price). ***The price is a little high for what it is (about $40-$50pp), but that is expected at any Roku owned establishment. *** the saki was not cold enough read more

I have been to Roku many times in Pasadena, but this was my first time in any of the chain elsewhere. We walked into the Robata Bar on this holiday weekend Saturday night and it was fairly empty. We were told that Roku next door was jamming, but here it was a little sleepy. The food was good, but the skewers were overpriced. I had the chicken and green onion and rib eye, and both were at least a buck overpriced. Quality was good, but not so great that it was worth the extra $. Sushi was good, typical Roku quality, which is always high. My biggest problem, and the reason for the Meh, 2* rating, was the service. It was just... odd. They brought a few things we didn't order, and didn't bring some that we did. We requested a roll done a certain way, and they brought it out the wrong way.. things like that. Mistakes that a place like Roku should not be making. When I got the bill, I noticed one item that we had not ordered was on the tab. It was the one that just showed up, and we sent it back because we did not want it. So they took it off the bill and the waitress came back and said that that had been removed and they had taken care of a few other items. Except that they had not. The bill was the same, except for that the one item we had not asked for and did not eat was removed. The roll they made wrong, still on there. The sushi they brought instead of sashimi, still on there... Ill go back to Pasadena, but not to the Robata again. So, Meh, I've experienced better. read more

Happy hour review... HH menu 5-7, seven days a week? Yes! My friend suggested we try this place. On a Saturday night at 6, we were quickly seated. The HH menu has an extensive list of food items (most for $5) and some drink options, too. We each ordered a trio of robota skewers. I had the chicken meatball (great), chicken with green onions (nothing to write home about) and an eggplant (delish). We followed that up with edamame, spicy tuna roll, albacore on crispy rice (so good, had a second order) and the Rock shrimp tempura ceviche. To finish, the perfect mini dessert of lava cake with a tiny scoop of ice cream--just enough to cap off the meal without feeling like you overdid it. Totally hit the spot! Full price menu is significantly more, but can't beat the HH. In the words of the Terminator, "I'll be back." read more

Awesome cocktails with great service. Try out the pearl and campfire old fashioned or get sake with your squad!

This place is absolutely stunning, beautiful decor, great food, beer and vibes on tap. What more could you ask for! Aubrey is also the best!

Happy Hour Review: I think it was yellow tail with crispy sushi rice that was really delicious so we ordered a few more of those along with some skewers (3 for $5). All were great accept White chicken breast and Salmon. There were a bit on the dry side. With 3 jack & coke, plus several happy hour dishes, the bill came out to $112 with tips. A bit pricey to become regular IMO. read more

Robata Bar - Liver,chicken green onion,shishito, white meat chicken & salmon - Japanese Near Me - Santa Monica, California

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Robata Bar was fantastic. Alec at the bar and Ish on the grill was excellent. Highly recommend trying anything Alec and Ish recommend and sitting by the bar. You are in for an experience in all the best ways. The Momo Nashu was a personal favorite for a fruity drink. The grilled avocado, cauliflower, and jidori chicken were all great off the menu. We'll definitely be coming back read more

Great place for a drink with some food and happy hour. Really enjoy the place. One of my favorite happy hours in Santa Monica. Kat, Ken and Toshi are great! read more

Great sushi, skewers and great atmosphere!!! If your looking for a great hangout spot right near Santa Monica peer, you found your spot, you have outside seating, ocean view and even a romantic seating, GREAT spot, a must. read more

Their happy hour is incredible. The prices are very reasonable for a nice assortment of sushi, sashimi, Japanese favorites, salads, and of course skewers (Robata)! The house salad was fresh with the most delicious ginger soy dressing. The waitresses and bartenders are just as amazing if not better. They were so nice to us. We came for three nights on our visit to Santa Monica! Definitely a great find! read more

Robata Bar - Oyster sliders! - Japanese Near Me - Santa Monica, California

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Poor service and rude staff, feels like they don't care if thEy have customers at all. First the time writer told me to leave then the manager. If you are closed, close the doors. Seriously poor experience and very bad service. read more

Yummy but no Cell reception in the back booths. I couldn't get texts from my friends meeting me there. Food and service was good - went there for happy hour. Their infusion drink was very impressive with the dry ice and orchid bloom! read more

I've only been here for happy hour, which is a steal for dining in Santa Monica. The skewers are so good! Chicken liver, hearts, and balls, yum! The libations look tasty as well, but I'm always all about the food. They have some delicious sashimi, cut rolls, and crispy rice dishes on the HH menu as well. I usually don't mention a restaurant's service unless it's really good or really bad. For Robata Bar, I somehow end up with the same server every time, and she's wonderful. Stephanie is such a sweetheart! She seems genuinely happy to be there and eager to please, and always gives you a heads up on ordering a last round of happy hour stuff before they have to shut it down. Good looking out on our wallets! read more

Good food and even better service. We sat at the bar with a few friends and had a great time catching up and watching the game. Get there in time for their happy hour and try as much as you can. Their sashimi is fresh and the bartenders are always friendly and accommodating. The Japanese whiskey selection is pretty good as well. read more

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Came here at 10:30pm Saturday night they told us I think it's last call for food but let me check so they checked and said I guess you guys can order you guys have 10 mins it took them 7 minutes to give us our menu and 15 mins to bring our drinks. Horrible service. Employees here hate there job and there life Food was ok not great over priced and I would never come Here or recommend anyone to come here read more

Great experience! Food was amazing. Service, Kat, was super friendly and helpful. The variety of the menu and the freshness and flavor of the food will make you want to come back again and again. read more

Robata Bar - Japanese Near Me - Santa Monica, California

An excellent selection of Japanese pub food... from the Yakitori ( one of the best I've had) to the nicely prepared Sashimi. May cater more to American palate but still a great place for Japanese comfort food. Courteous and friendly service. read more

would DEFINITELY give more than a five star if I could! GREAT experience! food was AMAZING! service was AMAZING! absolutely a PERFECT night! was too busy eating that I completely forgot to take pictures of all the food that came out. I would definitely recommend this place to everyone. environment is also very cute. hope to go back soon :) read more

It's a Friday night and Robata Bar is... not packed. With the hassle they gave me to make a reservation, I was positive that the place would be hopping with beautiful people. Quite the contrary. The tables were empty and now I know why. People have finally caught on to the fact that this place is ridiculously overpriced for the "bites" of food that they give you. I mean, its embarrassing. Not one morsel that went into my mouth was divine. Not even after two bottles of sake. And I was hungry when I left.. 200 bucks later. Perhaps one of the more irritating factors was that every time I tried to order something, the waitress tried to get me to order something else. She was pushy and rushed us into finishing our meal. With a half empty restaurant wouldn't you want all the flesh you could get to inhabit the window tables? I just don't get it. Save your money and go somewhere fun with good food. This is a complete waste of time. read more

Very interesting concept of ordering per skewer. Most of the stuff was very yummy. My favorites of the night were the rib eye skewer, shishito peppers, and the absolute must try is the yellowtail dish that is topped with peppers! -1 star because we order several things at different times and each time, a few minutes later, we were told they were out of it. It's nice to know that they use fresh ingredients and that's why they were out, but it was just weird that we were told multiple times about the kitchen being out of certain items. Most of the time the server is aware of it when you order and gives you a heads up beforehand. It was just a bummer because we came there for the chicken hearts and the wings and they were out of both. read more

Small, dark wood, dim lighting, intimate - all the potentials for a sexy spot. Waitress was young and very friendly - we let her choose her menu favorites to bring us! I was there on a Thursday night at 8. Food came out quick - felt VERY rushed. Crowd was very, um, Westside (Lots of Aging Hipsters filled the bar). The manager, with a smile on his face, rushed us seconds after we paid the bill stating he really needed the table. Granted, there is limited tables, so, ok...we left. I went home that night with the WORST stomach ache and bloated tummy!!! read more

I honestly don't know why it's taken me so long to write a review about another IDG restaurant. Maybe it's because I just assume that they know I'm their biggest fan...maybe I think everyone already knows just how good they are! In any case, every manager I have ever met at any of the IDG restaurants has been among the sweetest and most generous and genuine people I've gotten to know. One person in particular has gone above and beyond to make me feel special on every occasion. That would be Nash Yoshimura. Unfortunately, Nash just left the company to go back home to Japan. I will miss him tremendously but wish him a peaceful and prosperous new life! Back to the restaurant...I recommend everything on the menu! How's that? I especially recommend the happy hour, as it's the best deal in Santa Monica. It's GOOD quality food for great prices. If I wanted to talk about my favorites, it would take forever. Just go there! Like right now! As for the rest of IDG's restaurants (Sushi Roku, Boa, Delphine, Riva Bella, etc. etc. etc., they're all freakin' amazing!) I've known the owners, Craig Katz & Lee Maen, for about 20 years, and this type of success couldn't happen to 2 more incredible people. They were just years ahead of their time, even when they were just promoting little bars in Hollywood. They are brilliant and humble and I thank them for bringing Sushi Roku into my life :) Kudos to the whole clan...servers (Stephanie, Tiffany, Leslie), bartenders (David Horowitz), managers (Nash, Jeff, Russel, Christian, Joe...) The Cardenas Brothers, blah blah...you get the point. I love them all! read more

Happy Hour by the beach, what's there not to like? I would say that the happy hour menu is not a big feast. It's meant to be tiny bites of food while enjoying the company of others. The happy hour there is good for socializing but not good if you are looking to eat. Although those tiny meals do pack a delicious bite- I would not go there if I was truly starving. On the bright side, Robata Bar is also owned by Sushi Roku which is right next door and you can order anything off of the regular Sushi Roku menu as well. So for that I gave this place 4 stars! Side note: I would not however do happy hour here with more than 4 people as the venue is small. Keep it at 4 or under and it should be an enjoyable space for everyone in your party. read more

The manager here is an total jerk. We experienced it, we even heard it from the bar tenders. I liked the staff, and the cocktails are good, but we will never go back because of the management. We were in on a late sunday evening after a movie. We just wanted drinks. I mean, we were going to spend at least $50 on drinks. The place was EMPTY, except for the 6 seats the call the "bar". So, no big deal, right? We could sit at the sushi bar, or at any of the tables. We could have been served or got our own drinks and sat down -- we didnt care, we just wanted to spend money. The bartender told us we couldnt sit at the sushi bar for drinks, but we could sit at a table. So, we sat at a table. Then we waited... finally the manager told us that if we werent eating we could only sit at one of the six seats that were already occupied!!! Now mind you, it was 9pm on a sunday night and the place was empty! Every single table was empty and the sushi bar was empty... and to make matters more frustrating: the only place you could drink in this bar was taken by the few patrons who were eating! The only option in this empty bar was for us stand. We werent going to stand for that. So.. we went up the street.... We had two fantastic rounds of well prepared cocktails at the amazing and enchanting Anisette Brasserie! It is only half a block away!! At Anisette Brasserie they treated us like stars; their drinks are super well made by pro bartenders... and they happily accepted our money. http://www.yelp.com/biz/anisette-brasserie-santa-monica read more

My girlfriends and I stopped by after a nice workout in Santa Monica- so we were a bit under-dressed and ready to gobble up the cute waitresses but they were so thin and young- quite hot but not very promising on flavor so... we opted for: salmon and shrimp skewers shrimp tempura lamb chops fillet mignon eggplant with miso sauce asparagus hot green tea cucumber special drink and sake... It was all Delicious, fresh, presented nicely, sauces that accompanied the skewers were explained... and that's all folks! Prompt service, no attitude, fresh food, seasoned and cooked well on those grills... ( I am not an Izakaya connoisseur) read more

Great place. The staff is really friendly, especially our server who was completely charming. The food is pricey, but delicious. To start, we had the special with the white fish ceviche (awesome), the tuna tartar (awesome x2) and a mango/salmon dish. We also had several robata skewers. I highly recommend the shiitake stuffed with minced chicken and the Chilean Sea Bass. The chocolate volcano cake was a nice complement to the meal. For drinks, they have a wide selection of sake as well as Japanese and domestic beers. They do not take reservations and there is no pretense. Just good food in a relaxed, comfortable environment. --- Take pretty much any Big Blue Bus to downtown Santa Monica or Metro #720, 920, 20, 33, or 534. read more

I saw the sign as "Robata" and thought it was an extension of the restaurant next door. The fam came here since the sister restaurant had a line. Something odd there were booths there and we mentioned we were eating dinner with our family and they asked if we wanted to sit at the bar? I don't think the teenagers can sit there? It seems as a way of putting customers at the bar thinking that we would not spend money. Not cool, I spent hella money in here too much! $160 and we were still hungry! I had a feeling this place would be overpriced the minute I opened the menu and it said they were in Vegas hotels. So yes this place is pricey! Although there is a nice ambience, I would probably come back or happy hour only. We were still hungry so we decided we'd rather go grab food nearby even after we finished here. read more

Must go to Happy Hour, 5-7pm! 1 beer, 6 skewers, and a California roll later... $21. Such a steal! And delicious. Service is bit on a slow side, but it's worth it for a $20 meal. I recommend the wasabi chicken skewer if you like wasabi! read more

AMAZING! We came here for my birthday this year and had a wonderful experience with both our service and our food. We tried numerous sushi rolls and nigiri, but the best part were the skewers! I highly recommend the salmon skewers with the home made pesto sauce, they were hands down the best skewer we tried out of all of their skewers available. read more

Where Vegas meets Santa Monica Beach. It's a hype and groovy place to meet friends, have drinks and or dine. So Yakatori is the opposite of sushi. Sushi being uncooked and yakatori being cooked. These are the two variations food is prepared in japan's fine dinning traditionally as I understand. It's small dishes, kinda like Tapas. It's really cool and different. Happy Hour is a great time to try something new at a great price.; read more

It was a little spendy and the service was slow but the sushi was so good and our waitress was so sweet that will definitely come back again. read more

Happy hour 5-630pm 7 days a week. A bit short, but a great deal if you can catch it. We didn't try the drinks (were pretty liquored up after our 1 drink at ma'kai), but the food we had was all very delicious. Crispy rice with tuna was awesome and even tho they only give 2pc, heck it's only $5! In fact, all their happy hr items are only $5 (food + drink) which makes this place a really good deal! read more

This place is right next to their other business which makes sushi (Sushi Roku). They were almost closing when me and the girls came here for a bite and did not turn us away. I ordered a dragon roll which was really good! however, i wish i had known the price before i ordered it. it was $21 for 8 pieces! i kno dragon rolls tend to be more of the expensive side but geez $21?!?! I would have ordered something more to my price range. I knew this place was expensive but I would like to still maintain a budget when goin to a nice place. In every sushi place, i have to have green tea. Thier green tea was ok. I think it needs more of the tea flavor. The ambience is really nice. looks more like the fusian asian restuarants. The waiters/waitresses were friendly and attentive. I think when i was trying to check in and asked them what's the name of thier place, that might have made our waitress know to be more attentive....or that could be how they really are. I need to go again to see. read more