If I can give 10 stars I would. Everything is on point here from deco, drinks, service and food! The Waygu tartar was to die for. It is impossible to describe how good it taste. It melts in my mouth but the after taste lingers with rich flavor. Born marrow fried rice is so good. A couple of people at our table did whiskey pour from the hollow part of the bone, they drank from the bone. Fun experience! You have to use the bathroom. The toilet is automatic. The censor sense the movement and open it automatically. it is also tasteful done! Hope I can go back soon. read more

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Impeccable service and palate pleasing food, all in an upscale ambiance...make a reservation today! read more

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Overall everything is good, from the service to food and the ambience, highly recommend it, and prices are good for the kind of services.

We have visited their Rowland Heights location and it's always been great but Pasadena is just such a better experience ! The food is always incredible but what truly made a difference were Melissa and Helena . They are incredible and made our experience truly unforgettable. We hope to be back soon ! read more

Had a great omakase experience on our last night here in SoCal. Celebrating our anniversary. We were lucky to have Elaine as our host that evening. Me and my wife had a great time with Elaine walking us through every dish. Her service was 5 star. There are so many options with restaurants in LA. But I will definitely come back to Yakiya next time we visit. read more

An exceptional dining experience, my husband and I enjoyed on a Thursday evening. We had a reservation and were seated right away. The menu is progressive with many small flavorful courses. Our server Logan was wonderful. He prepared each cooked course and explained the dishes to us. He was very attentive. We also had six different drinks off the cocktail menu, each crafted with specific ingredients highlighting Japanese flavors. I highly recommend this restaurant for an elevated dining experience. read more

I usually don't do reviews but I cannot believe the amazing service we received at the Pasadena location. We came here with my sister and my GF for her birthday and we had an amazing time! TJ and Micheal were so accommodating and went above and beyond to explain each dish to us as we are all foodies wanted to know the origins of each dish. We will definitely be coming back! read more

My first time here. The ambiance is very elegant and modern. Our server Michael made our experience even better, was very professional and had good customer service. Loved every dish that was given to us. Michael was very good at explaining each dish read more

Had a free evening to grab a drink from their bar. They offer a variety of unique cocktails from their drink menu and got their Old Fashioned which was delicious. The bartender was very friendly and had a fun time chatting with him! read more

The food the super and ambience is a plus me and my husband went for out anniversary. The food was amazing the service was super would recommend for everyone who want to enjoy a relax dinner read more

Ambience was lovely and the food courses were tasty and complementary with a yuzu theme. Went there for my birthday and they helped me celebrate with a little Japanese whiskey shot in bone marrow. read more

Too much meat and not all of it is good. The shiitake mushrooms are just for display and presentation - I don't get it. I thought everything presented on a plate should be edible. The Beef Tongue here is the worst because of how thick they slice it and how little they cook it. It's a lot of Show. It's all about taking pictures but the taste of the meats just doesn't live up. Some of the Wagyu cuts were delicious but I would rather go to a place where I can choose what I eat. read more

Great service by our server and bartender Conrad. Plus all 3 managers worked just as hard and frequently checked up on our table and cleaned up empty cups/plates and asked how everything was going. Our waters would be filled instantly before I even notice and the napkins folded when I came back to my seat from the restroom. Every food item was described and explained to us and we also got a special bday dessert with our family member's picture on it! All their food & drinks were so good! Not too loud, clean and spacious with indoor and outdoor seating. read more

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Honestly I was blown away by the food, ambiance, and service! I have driven by the location for months and love the exterior aesthetic. The interior of the restaurant is beautiful but truly the pre-fix menu is the star. The quality of dishes and the amount of courses is a steal for the price. Our server was thoughtful and was on top of every detail. Loved our cocktails. I will recommend you to everyone because there's nothing like this in Pasadena and the SGV. I'll be back soon. read more

Me and my boyfriend went here for our 3 year anniversary and it was all around amazing!!! The ambiance was beautiful and very romantic, the service from all staff was incredible. The food itself was immaculate!! Best high quality food and experience I've ever had at a restaurant. The portions were small but yet sooo good and enough courses to fill you up by the end of it. What really made our night was our server Jordan. He constantly made sure we were okay and was very professional and clean when serving our food, cooking our food (he cooked everything on the grill for us and all we had to do was watch and enjoy!) and presenting it. He answered all our questions and he was even able to do a special request for me for one of the courses. I can't have raw tuna and he asked the kitchen to cook it for me so I could still get the full on experience! My favorite part was the end, during our dessert course. Jordan made us a specially made edible sign that had our names saying happy anniversary and it was such a pleasant and thoughtful surprise. I'm definitely coming back again :))) read more

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Great food, but they rushed us. We finished the whole course in 20-30min, with plates still left over from the previous course.

Great experience for dining! Good quality of food and excellent services! I will bring all family back again!

One of our favorite gathering place. Food is delicious, servers are amazing. Knowledgeable about each dish. Very high end Ambiance.

Portion sizes are small. Not a good value for the price. The dessert is mediocre and uninspired. Food comes out before drink orders were even taken. I had to ask the server to pause our courses until our drinks arrived. The meal is unevenly paced. The bone marrow rice course could've benefited from being paired with the egg course. Many of the dishes lacked seasoning and salt. The restrooms are unnecessarily complicated and causes a queue. They have bidets installed with no explanation on which button is used for the basic flushing feature. For reference, to flush, use the button on the far left that has an icon that looks like a fan. The server was nice. The outdoor patio was the highlight. read more

I really enjoyed this restaurant and appreciated all the nice touches. The staff was very accommodating to my party since we had 2 pregnant ladies, and had to make several substitutions. The taste of the food was delicious, and all the flavors just mixed well together! I understand they are new at this location, so I think they can only get better from here. read more

Wow. it really is spectacular. We had the best meal & service at Yakiya Pasadena. The flavors were amazing & worth everything paid. We should have ordered a whole bottle of the wine instead of the 4 glasses. read more

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We only had their food at the BEST OF restaurant event and thought enough of it to write about it! The staff was so dedicated and eager to share their dishes. read more

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Amazing! I highly recommend this restaurant! The food, the service and the ambiance... worth every penny!

This restaurant is at most decent. The food is good I guess but it's really about the experience. This place is made for people who live for posting junk online even though no one cares. The service is good and theres a lot of parking. I don't think id ever come back but it's worth a try. Also don't listen to these fools about the bone marrow shot, never let another man funnel your girl a shot. read more

Yakiya is the perfect date night experience! It's about 2 hours for $128 per person with top quality meat. Jordan was our server & he was extremely attentive, friendly, & accommodating. He honestly made the experience more enjoyable through his friendly interactions. The environment is modern, sleek, & trendy. Alfredo made tasty cocktails, but the pagoda which is more citrus forward and night in roppongi which is a sweeter mezcal drink. Def recommend & am excited to come back here again!! read more

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Came here with my partner for some drinks at the bar and had an amazing experience with the whole staff, especially Jason, our Bartender and Jordan the assistant manager of the restaurant. Jason was great at frequently checking in and recommending drinks and food and even made his own special cucumber martini after my girlfriend told him that she liked cucumber drinks. Jordan was great at constantly checking in on us and making sure we were okay and satisfied with our orders. The ambiance was nice and calm which is surprising knowing that they were having an unusually busy night, just shows how well they can accommodate to everyone without seeming stressed. Very happy to see they've updated their menu with new drinks/foods/a la carte items. Last time we came it was solely the full course menu but being able to have options especially at the bar was a great experience! Highly recommend trying Jason's special cucumber martini, the potstickers, bone marrow rice and oysters. The oysters were a new thing on the menu and a great deal for 6 fresh oysters! I prefer my oysters a little salty so I did ask for salt on the side but still great otherwise :) Huge thanks to the whole team for an amazing night! read more

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New location in Pasadena and really nice. The food always delicious and strongly recommended! read more

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Went here for their soft opening and it was amazing! Beautiful ambiance and drinks and the food was also to die for! Jordan our server was fantastic. Professional and charismatic and really made this dining experience the best! read more

Had a great anniversary dinner experience here on 10/23/24 which, incidentally, appears to be the same as another reviewer. All the other reviews here previously were pretty accurate. While the portions are small (envision one or two bites each) you're getting about 12-15 plates brought out. One towards the end was a very rich tasting rice plate. If you're looking to get stuffed and have a huge appetite, I could see someone possibly still being hungry? But we were quite full. I would not want any additional dishes or food. Big shout out to the staff and servers. Presentation was nicely done and it's evident they have gone through training and know what they are serving. Interestingly, there is a connection with the Panda Express ownership and they seem to take good care of their workers. This is good because the workers are appreciative, and it shows in how they take care of their customers. Helena was our hostess/server and we have only good things to say about her and her friendliness. The ambiance is extremely nice. If you ever ate at the restaurant previously in this location you'd have no clue that a build your own pizza place was once here. Normally I might question this type of high end restaurant in this location but the owners have a pretty good track record and are good neighbors to have in the community. I hope this place thrives. It is pricey. Check with the set menu prices before you come so there's no sticker shock. Once you get that out of the way you'll enjoy a good expereince. read more

Unfortunately, I would not recommend this restaurant. Overall, the experience fell far short of expectations, particularly given the steep $128/person price tag. First and foremost, the food was enjoyable. I liked the variety, presentation and flavors. The ambiance was pleasant. This location is fairly new, and the interior decoration reflects that. The major letdown was the service. From the moment we arrived, the staff seemed disorganized. Ordering drinks was a circus show. Depending on which waiter we asked, they may or may not have the bottle of sake on the menu. Being a coursed meal, we asked for a list of the dishes because it was difficult to hear them when they were presented. Our waiter said they had one, but never came back. Our bill was incorrect. We were charged 2 bottles of sake instead of the only 1 we got. Our receipt only has 2-line items. How do you mess up on that? With so many excellent dining options available, I expected a lot more. Sadly, our experience at Yakiya was a disappointment. Save your money and opt for a restaurant that truly delivers on both flavor and service. read more

Wow! What a nice addition to Pasadena. Come here for the food and the experience! Our main server was great, explaining the dishes and grilling for us. There's not too many places where you can taste through various cuts of wagyu, so that's certainly a nice thing about this spot. The only downside was the assistant manager maybe? who took our drink order (wore glasses, didn't catch his name) He took my husband's drink order and it didn't come until we were almost done with our meal and that was after asking him twice. All in all, a nice addition to town, esp for special occasions. read more

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This was such a great experience, and we really appreciated how attentive the service here is! The environment is calm but buzzy, and we had so much fun trying different items on the menu! Would definitely recommend. read more

I loved the one in Hacienda and was excited for the Pasadena location to open since it is closer to where I live. New restaurant looks great and food and service was amazing as expected. They recently opened for weekend lunch, but I wish they would be open for Friday lunch also since it would be nice to go when the kids are in school. Highly recommend! read more

Same food as Rowland Height branch. But very bad service here in Pasadena. First time I need to cook the meat by myself in Yakiya. And I need to rush multiple times for my cocktail, even extra sauce. Not a right service for a two persons $400 meal. Go Rowland Heights, never Pasadena. read more

Food and service were amazing. The entire experience, wait staff and ambiance is so great.

The service from greeting to seating, and then serving and cooking were all good. The full dinner is well tailored and food quality is very good. All 4 of us were very happy overall, and agree the price is reasonable. Except that, the ambiance at that night was terrible. The pop music they play is inappropriate, completely destroying the atmosphere. Plus, there was a party of over 10+ who made outrageously loud noise, therefore making it twice worse. Unless they make some good changes, we probably don't want to go there again. read more

Was very excited that they opened a Pasadena location! A bit pricey but the food and experience was great! The meat was amazing and the service was perfect. I would probably only come for special occasions since it was about $128 per person before tip and tax. I thoroughly enjoyed my meal and would definitely come back! read more

Food, service, everything was great. We just got back from Japan and we were craving just this sort of experience. Authentic and tasty. TJ took excellent care of us throughout the meal. read more

Food experience was excellent but noise level is very, very loud. A very interesting presentation of different types of beef and other dishes - quite tasty. read more

Nice atmosphere, great food for the price and location. Some of the best whiskey collection available at the bar as well.