Shinya Shokudo translates to "midnight diner" in English and is the name of a well-known Japanese manga (there's also a Netflix show with the same name). It's an izakaya-style spot located in Belltown and offers a variety of shareables. We made a reservation on Monday at 6:45pm for a party of five and were seated right away when we arrived. We ordered a lot of dishes to share between the five of us. We ordered the wagyu donburi and salmon donburi, the creamy udon, and a bunch of skewers such as garlic beef, pork, chicken heart, chicken wing, and shishito peppers. The donburis were solid (I preferred the salmon) and the sauce from the creamy udon reminded me of fettuccine alfredo sauce. The garlic beef had a lot of garlic which I liked, the shishito pepper was nicely charred with a good level of spice, and the chicken thigh was sweet and tender. For drinks I got the yuzu mojito ($13) and the strawberry gin ($13) which were both really good. They only had three cocktails on their menu but the ones I had were really easy to drink. This is a good place to order a bunch of different food and try a little bit of everything. It's best shared with a lot of people and is a fun place to eat alongside some beer or any drink of your choosing. read more

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Solid Izakaya place that every local I know recommended. Everyone also only ate these #goodeats pretty much lmao. Not sure what that says about the rest of the menu. Service was quick although it's odd that they have table numbers and then didn't know which table to bring the items to. Pretty clean restaurant tbh, more longways so no super large tables, I'd say you can bring a group of 8 or so and chat comfortably. Wagyu tataki donburi Gizzard Skewer Creamy Udon read more

Shinya Shokudo - Wagyu Tataki Donburi Mentaiko Creamy Udon - Izakaya Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Fun yakitori place in belltown. Ordering items can be done through QR code, and the service is overall very good as the servers come over and refill water/ remove dishes pretty frequently. The food is pretty good! Good selection and plenty of options. When I went my friend and I opted mostly for yakitori items. Some of the portions are a little small but it's worth ordering a lot and just sampling a bit of everything with friends :) read more

Shinya Shokudo - Izakaya Near Me - Seattle, Washington

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The service was really good, friend waiters and great atmosphere, however their menu options were very limited and I was expecting more not to mention that half of the stuff was sold out so we couldn't even order. And I'm not much of a drinker and they didn't have any options except soda. I wouldn't really go back but I encourage you to try it out! read more

Shinya Shokudo - Izakaya Near Me - Seattle, Washington

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For the visual hype, Shinya Shokudo was kind of a letdown The free tea promo was cool since one review counted for the table so that was where the positives start and end The tobiko creamy udon didn't really have any flavor, the tobiko was the only chance of salt but even that was rare and looked like it was only there for color The wagyu tataki donburi elicits tender cuts of beef, but each piece was chewy and wasn't uniformly cooked, some rare, some medium, and versions pinks without a rhyme or reason since the pinwheel of meats didn't pan out. All the sauce sank to the bottom so you didn't get any real flavor complement until halfway through, so bad presentation and taste But they're open late so maybe their izakaya fare is better? But you're better served finding alternatives read more

Shinya Shokudo - Izakaya Near Me - Seattle, Washington

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I don't usually leave reviews but after dining here I must share my thoughts. For starters service was rather slow. Ordering is done on one's smartphone so the only interaction with the server is when you first enter and seated, bring you water and serve up your orders. The food was good but some of the raw dishes were somewhat bland. Ambiance was nice with some Japanese songs being played. I don't think I'll be back whenever I'm visiting Seattle again. read more

Came here again after an amazing experience the first time and I love this time even more. The sukiyaki was so flavorful, sweet, and had plenty of delicious ingredients. The gyu-don and skewers were also amazing and had an amazing marinade on them. The part I couldn't forget however was when we were paying, the waiter noticed we didn't really eat a skewer and asked us why. We replied saying how we ordered it but didn't realize that it was chicken hearts and had difficulty eating it/we didn't enjoy it (by no fault of the restaurants, just due to our own tastes and not properly knowing what we ordered) and they offered us a refund for it. We vehemently refused but the waiter was so kind and kept offering us it. Service here alone is so kind and considerate, I would highly recommend. read more

Shinya Shokudo - Sukiyaki - Izakaya Near Me - Seattle, Washington

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Very disappointing yakitori. Service was quick. Place was decorated nice and seemed semi spacious. Food was not it. Not much to say but don't come here for yakitori. If you're going to come during the weekend recommended to make a reservation, we got lucky to be seated quickly. Pictures of the food look amazing but does not represent the taste. read more

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easy to order! meat is yummy BUT the star of the meal was the wagyu rice bowl. SO GOOD OMG. love love loveeeee!!!!! our friend fell in love with the $5 udon bowl cause the soup was nice and sweet. dont forget to come for happy hour ;) i got the yuzu mojito! read more

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My party had about an hour and some change to burn before heading to an escape room, so we ate here. Food: 3.5/5 I wish they had a larger selection of food. With that said, my food, and the food my party ate tasted good. I recommend the udon. Service: 3/5 Did not feel personable. We got our food but the staff didn't really engage with us. Because of this, we didn't feel welcome. Ambiance: 5/5 The restaurant itself is clean and the bathrooms are spotless. All in all, this place gets 4/5 stars... would recommend. read more

It's a cool spot located on the corner of 3rd and Battery St.. The atmosphere is nice and there's plenty of space. We initially thought they would have the AYCE option here, but it's only available after 9 pm. We ordered a few things to share and were pleased with most of the items. The hot pot dish was good to share, and so were the skewers. A couple of the skewers needed a bit more seasoning/salt to it. The service was prompt and attentive. read more

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Food tastes unseasoned, overcooked, and has a terrible aftertaste. Low quality or bad meat used in the skewers. No Smokey flavors at all that charcoal grills give. Squid tasted fishy. Overall, I would avoid. One star for the flat tasting coke. read more

Shinya Shokudo - Izakaya Near Me - Seattle, Washington

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Shinya Shokudo is a beautiful izakaya resturant located in Belltown. There's lots of street parking nearby. Best part is that they are open for 4th of July! I was surprised to find so many restaurants closed today. The interior is also very nicely decorated. My boyfriend and I got the small dish set + rice bowl and an unagi bento. Both were very delicious! The small dish set came with salmon, seaweed salad, tamago, scallops, chicken and takoyaki. I'm glad we got a rice bowl to go with this. The unagi bento was definitely my favorite though! It comes with some tamago pieces. I would definitely want to try their izakaya skewers next time. Also a plus, their green tea is super yummy!! read more

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This place had a pretty good happy hour deal that you should check out if you live in Seattle! Service were awesome. Food was ok to me. I know udon is supposed to be plain but everything was plain and they charged for salt so I'm not sure how to think about that. (But after all it just my opinion) i will definitely come back for their super cold beer and awesome service tho. read more

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Great food and drink options! Staff is amazing, and awesome hours! This location is much better than the Tukwila location. Just have more selections which is always a plus! Can't wait to come visit again! read more

3.5 really...very small skewers, quite tasty and authentic Japanese yakitori which is nice to find in Belltown. High quality. No white wine so my wife was disappointed. Server was friendly. Make sure you have a phone handy as that's how you order here. read more

Seattle doesn't have great kushiyaki places in general, so I guess this wins by default. But it's very disappointing because the food was not great and way overpriced. Save your time and money and go to other places in Seattle. AMBIANCE - 2/5 The interior is spacious and well designed. However, the surrounding neighborhood is sketchy and there were so many flies inside! I counted 5 flies at once just around our table. They even had to use the electric fly swatter, which was loud and killed the ambiance. NEGIMA (CHICKEN & GREEN ONION SKEWER) - 1/5 We ordered 2 plates (4 skewers in total for $14). One plate of negima was completely missing the negi - the green onion skewered between the chicken. How could there be a huge consistency problem like this, especially when our two orders are grilled at the same time? Our server evidently noticed the problem as he hesitated for a moment looking at the skewer missing green onions, but decided to serve them anyway without saying a word. Oh, also the tare sauce lacked flavor and there wasn't a hint of grilled charcoal flavor that there should be. Not worth it! CHEESE TSUKUNE (CHICKEN MEATBALL) - 1/5 For $7 for one skewer, I'd expect the meatballs to at least be decently sized. However, it turns out it was 3 very small meatballs. At least it had more flavor than the negima, but it was still lacking compared to other izakayas I've tried. $7 for 3 small meatballs. 3 small meatballs. $7. Not worth it! read more

Shinya Shokudo - Negima - Izakaya Near Me - Seattle, Washington

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This is a cute restaurant that's a bit away from downtown streets about 15min walkable. the plates are small and the salmon I thought was delicious. the wagyu with egg plate was absolutely not worth it. you get about 7 pieces of meat, and it was rough, not tender at all, and would hardly pass for good meat let alone wagyu level. for 25$ that seemed like robbery. I wouldn't exactly recommend this place given its price point and quality. the girl math in me is saying go to japan and eat this for 5$ lol read more

Shinya Shokudo - Izakaya Near Me - Seattle, Washington

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Came here for the Wagyu Tataki Donburi and the Uni Donburi. Sadly, the uni was sold out, but I got to try the Wagyu Donburi and was impressed. The meat was medium rare and tasted delicious with the runny egg yolk. In the beginning, it might seem like there isn't much flavor, but the sauce is at the bottom of the rice so remember to mix everything throughly! When you dine in, they'll ask you to scan a QR code at the table to place your order. Staffs are super friendly. read more

Shinya Shokudo - Izakaya Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Delicious food and fast service. I really enjoy the combos and udon.I really enjoy the happy hour! read more

Shinya Shokudo - Izakaya Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Pretty good food, came here twice. I think it's hard to find yakitori places so this is the place to go! We came here at 9 for the AYCE on weekday. It was full but no line. Great ambiance for a date or to just do a fancy dinner. But obviously more pricy, which is normal for yakitori. read more

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Tried their AYCE for the first time. $35 and you get your choice of small plates and skewers for 90 minutes. I really liked their small plates. We tried their oyakodon, beef udon and karaage bowls. Loved the oyakodon and the beef udon. Flavorful, warm, entree quality. The Karaage don and the oyakodon has a lot of rice so keep that in mind when ordering. The beef udon is a good sampler size w not too many noodles. The Karaage was super crispy and tender but the curry rice under was a little too sweet for my liking. I also enjoyed their salads, tamagoyaki, takoyaki, seaweed salad, and tofu dish. All good sides. One thing that I wasn't a huge fan of was the skewers. Can't quite describe it but the skewers feel a little bland while being salty at the same time. They also tend to be a little dry. If I had to choose one of my favorite skewers it'd be the chicken thigh. Other than that I think I would stick to the small plates. read more

Been here a few times, pricing has always been reasonable, meats perfectly grills and seasoned. Had to come back for their AYCE on a Friday. It was their first night and still working out the kinks but service was great! It was $30 for AYCE and 50% off alcoholic beverages... what more could you even ask for! There were some other cut available for a couple dollars more, but still reasonable. I will say, order your first round and then have your 2nd round ready to be ordered when you get your first plate. The grill is small and maybe they'll bring in another once this catches on. I did see they updated their menu to include some appetizers and a slight price increase, but I would still say totally worth it. read more

My wife and I have lived in Belltown and have walked past this place dozens of times. Yet, we never bothered to go in, and didn't bay an eye when we moved out of the neighborhood. Well, that was a shame and a regret packaged in one. I went to Shinya for a Yelp Elite event and their food was spot-on with generous portions. Here are my recommendations: The beef tendon skewer was AMAZING. Holy crap, it was so juicy and cooked to perfection. Beautiful pieces of meat that were delectable and so good. I even saved one for my wife and just reheated it in the microwave, and it was STILL so good. The shishito peppers were also really nice and simple, and I would recommend them if you're looking for a veggie option. It was charred nicely and seasoned very well. The chicken skewer was decent. Great flavor, but a tad bit dry. Still great nonetheless. The takoyaki (octopus balls) were also really nice! It wasn't really crispy, a tad bit soggy, but the sauce and the octopus itself was great. Overall, if you're planning to go out on a nice date or meal and willing to spend a bit of money, this place is a great option in the Belltown area! There's so many other skewer options that I'm dying to try. It's a shame that my wife and I never did when we lived 4 blocks away, but it's never too late. read more

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I'm sure the food here is great :( Unfortunately I didn't get to try it. I hate giving less than stellar reviews but I just had never experienced being completely ignored before. Came in here with my group of five around 9:15. The host seemed very confused. We were seated after some confusion, and then completely ignored for a good 20-30 minutes before anyone even acknowledged us, my group got impatient and left. It seemed like there was no one attending our section. The drinks and food looked and smelled good though. read more

I made reservations here for his birthday dinner.. and overall experience wasn't great We ordered a bunch of skewers, a salad, the cold appetizer dish. The salad was drenched in dressing--one of his absolute biggest pet peeves. When we normally order salad at an American place, we'll usually order dressing on the side, but at Asian places, we never have to, because usually the dressing is light and perfectly dressed. Not the case here.. We got most of the skewers with the tare sauce.. and it was just too much and too salty. The sauce was just overpowering all the meats.. we probably should have just done the sea salt on half of them. The only saving grace was that the wagyu skewer was delicious.. that was probably our favorite. But everything else was just okay. read more

Shinya Shokudo specializes in yakitori and kushiyaki dishes, as well as other modern Japanese cuisines. The ambiance is very cool and inviting. The space is ideal for parties of 2-4. The skewers are between $5-12 but you do get 2 skewers with each order and it can quickly add up. Expect to spend at least $25/person. The price is a little steep than what I think it should be worth. Most of the dishes are designed to be shared. The meat quality is good but not the best. The beef I tried were slightly hard to chew and included a lot of fatty chunks. The oden udon was my personal favorite out of the dishes I tried. It's very hearty and filling. I recommend making a reservation as it can be busy. The service was prompt, and the servers were friendly. In terms of the skewers, there are a lot of meats and veggies to choose from so there's usually something for everyone. read more

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Rounding it up from a 3.5 Food is standard good. Hot, fresh, flavorful. I wish that some of the meat skewers would be more hand picked as a lot of the beef meat were not swallow-able. I chewed for what seemed like forever, and had to give up. Surprisingly, the chicken was not dry! So that was a bright side. Price is a little bit high for what it is. For so many competition in the area... tonkatsu curry should not be $17.00. I would much rather go to Nana's near by as they have a far more superior ton cut and flavor, and curry too. Also got the mentaiko udon. Also for $17, seemed to cringe when the small portion came. Needs to be catered to bar food at bar prices. Service was friendly and quick. Tho they did forget one of our items, they quickly corrected that, apologized and got our fresh food out. Ambiance was pretty :) very well decorated. Clean. Lemon water is always a nice touch. I really hope they do a small price adjustment for such small portions. read more

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This place was so disappointing! My husband and I love yakitori, and we were so looking forward to it. The grill didn't seem to have charcoal, so the skewers were lacking in that smoky flavor. Some of the textures were off-putting, either from poor quality meat or poor cooking. For example, the chicken skin skewer is normally a favorite because of the crispy texture, but here it was undercooked and mostly rubbery and flobbity. Beef was so tough to chew that we couldn't finish it. The curry was also disappointingly bland, too rich and sweet. The worst thing about our experience was the service. You order from a QR code. It was hard to get attention for things like water, and then they pour you the tiniest cups. The server seemed to have no clue which skewers they were bringing us. First he told us that he was delivering two plates of beef tongue, one with salt, and one with sauce, but we had only ordered the beef tongue with salt. Then he looked at our receipt again and said uhhh, that one is actually duck. There was a general lack of care. At the end of the meal, our server asked if we wanted boxes for our leftovers, and we said yes, but then he never came back again with them. It felt that way from the moment we walked in and it took forever to be seated or even acknowledged, and then again when we waited what felt like forever for water, only after we flagged someone down to ask. For the price we paid (about $100 for 2 people), I expect way better. read more

Everything was great! We were confused by the ordering at first but did like having pictures and descriptions for all the menu items. read more

Shinya Shokudo - Garlic skewer and waygu skewer - Izakaya Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Below average and overpriced izakaya. Yakitori meat was way overcooked. No chili powder (had a mix). Soba noodles served with soy sauce (no dashi, no rice vinegar, etc.) Tamagoyaki felt blend and supermarket level. Staff was super nice (a big plus). Maybe got spoiled by SoCal Japanese food. read more

The food could have been better; perhaps we should have waited for happy hour and opted for the all-you-can-eat option. We were visiting from Vegas and decided to try this place based on its great reviews. When we arrived, there were open tables. Although we had a reservation for 8 PM, we asked if we could be seated early. We understood if it wasn't possible, but the Yelp waitlist showed a zero-minute wait, so it didn't make sense why we had to wait. There isn't a traditional server here; you place your order via QR code. After confirming our order, 35-40 minutes passed with no food arriving at our table. We flagged down a staff member who discovered our order hadn't gone through due to a glitch, despite it appearing on his iPad. He apologized, and we said it was fine since we weren't in a rush. As someone who works in the food industry, I wanted to give them the benefit of the doubt. However, how do you let a table sit for 35-40 minutes without checking in or confirming their order? The manager noticed we hadn't received any food but didn't apologize or offer any compensation. She then asked if we could move to another table to accommodate other reservations. This seemed impolite, especially since we hadn't been prioritized or adequately served. The staff member we flagged down was nice and polite, but the manager failed to engage with us and deescalate the situation, which could have prevented this negative review. If she had taken the time to acknowledge us, I wouldn't be writing this now. We ordered a decent amount of food and typically tip 20%, but given the poor service, we decided not to tip for the first time. Maybe our disappointment affected our perception of the food, but please improve the service. read more

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My boyfriend booked a reservation on a Valentines Day at Shinya Shokudo. When we arrived we were kindly seated to a our table, but due to it being Valentines Day Shinya Shokudo had a higher number of reservations which meant we only had 90 minutes to order and eat our food. I didn't mind it at all since that was plenty of time for my boyfriend and I and we also ended up being there about 45 minutes. The interior of Shinya Shokudo is wonderfully decorated and had some music played in background while you eat. For food, My boyfriend and I ordered the Appetizer Sampler, Mentaiko Creamy Udon, and Curry Katsu Donburi with a Passion Fruit Soda to drink. Firstly, I would like to start off with the Appetizer Sampler. The Appetizer Sampler consisted of takoyaki, karrage, seaweed salad,scallops, salmon, and rolled egg omelette. The appetizer wasn't that appealing to eat as the seafood offered didn't look and taste that high quality and they were all so so tasting. I most likely won't order any of appetizers again as I wasn't so impressed by them. The Mentaiko Creamy Udon was creamy, yet lacked a lot of flavor and was a bit watery. The dish itself was good, but wasn't the best dish I ordered and comparing it to other restaurants where I've ordered it needed more seafood to give a more complex umami taste. I certainly wouldn't order it again because of its lack of flavor. Although I was quite disappointed with those two dishes, the standout dish has got to be their Katsu Curry Donburi. The Katsu Curry Donburi offered the right amount of unami, crispiness, and most complex flavors. This was my favorite dish! I would certainly recommend this to anybody. Overall, Shinya Shokudo is just alright. read more

Shinya Shokudo - Appetizer Sampler, Curry Katsu Donburi, Mentaiko Creamy Udon - Izakaya Near Me - Seattle, Washington

A friend recommended this restaurant for good small eats, and I gotta say, it's a great place to get together with friends for delicious food! The location that my group and I went to was located in Seattle. It's located on the corner of 3rd Ave and Battery St in Belltown. There's only paid street parking around the area that could be difficult to find. My boyfriend and I had to park a couple blocks away which wasn't too bad. My boyfriend and I got a ton of different foods to share and try! We got their Mentaiko Creamy Udon, Gyu Don, Sasami (we thought it read 'sashimi' LMAO), and Garlic Beef. The udon, omg, was soooo good! It was super addicting to eat. I loved the entire dish. The gyudon was good too! Lots of flavor within the beef that soaked into the rice, but it doesn't top the udon at all. The skewers were okay; wasn't too amazing. I felt like they were a bit tough. My friends got a ton of food too! One friend didn't realize some of the skewers came as two sticks so he double ordered a ton LOL. The Wagyu Tataki Donburi looked delicious! Will def try this next time. Great place for groups and small eats! But the total price definitely adds up very quickly as each skewers ranges from $5-9 for either one or two sticks. read more

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I'm so upset with this restaurant my son has celiac disease and fet so so sick if he has gluten. We always go to restaurants and bring his foot from home. When I called thw restaurant we had a reservation I asked do they have gluten free he said NO so I said me and my husband will buy food can we bring a.snavk for my son he said NO wow !!! I was excited to go eat there abd we had to cancel and not go if love to gear from the owner they were not nice caring or professional. I don't recommend them read more

I came here during a promotion where they were doing all you can eat yakitori for $35.99. The promotion was only for certain times so we were here on a Saturday night. They also had late night happy hour which was 50% off all alcohol. For the price we paid I think it was super worth it! We were able to get 3 skewers per person per round as well as unlimited side dishes like karage, tofu, and takoyaki. I was definitely full when I left. It did take some time for the skewers to cook so we weren't able to eat super fast (in the AYCE fashion) but right when we finished our round, the servers were picking up our next order. Even though it was pretty late at night, there was still a decent amount of people there. It seems like a fun late night dinner/drinks spot! read more

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I visited as a part of the yelp elite promotion. We tried a few items like the wagyu skewers, the chirashi bowl and some cocktails. I think the food was pretty good here, I would come back if I were in need of a late night spot! read more

Shinya Shokudo - Izakaya Near Me - Seattle, Washington

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Flavoring - 4/5 Meat Quality - 4/5 Service - 4/5 Ambiance - 4/5 I got the Sukiyaki, Oden, Takoyaki, and a few skewers (couple beef and chicken). Everything had a good blend of sweet and savory bringing out nice flavors that were simple to eat. The skewers had a nice grilled taste to every bite that elevated the quality of the meat and flavors. Overall, great dining experience, solid food and solid service...Will definitely come back again to try some of their other dishes. read more

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The oden with udon was my favorite dish. Simple and light, with lots of ingredients and variety :) I also had the beef tendon, shisito pepper, and momo skewers. I think they were good, but not something that blew me away! I thought the chicken was tender but the beef was a little chewy. Maybe I got a bad piece. I also thought they could've been warmer, considering it's just coming off the grill. I'd also recommend trying the skewers with just sea salt as opposed to the tare, which overpowers the taste of the meat sometimes. Overall it was an enjoyable meal but wouldn't go out of my way to come back. read more

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Came here for a Yelp event tasting menu, but also decided to order more foods to try and I'm so glad we did! Everything came out super quickly, so we didn't get a chance to savor the food as much since we were sat at a tiny table (my only "complaint"). I highly recommend getting the wagyu tataki donburi, which has tender cuts of wagyu atop a bed of seasoned rice, completed with a perfectly runny egg yolk for added creaminess. Some of my favorite yakitori and kushiyski were the pork neck (very fatty, so beware), chicken thigh with salt, and chicken cartilage. The premium skewers come with only 1, but if you plan on ordering a bunch to try, then I'd recommend only ordering 1 of each item as it does add up in price and quantity. Also, they have a promotion going on where you can get free black/green tea if you write a Yelp review so don't miss out on that! All in all, a great meal and I can't wait to come back! read more

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