The restaurant is very detail-oriented. Is this the best Japanese food I have ever had? Probably not; will i come back very often? I don't know about that. However, I still loved being there and I have the urge to write and share about my experience. Nice presentation with just a simple bowl of Omaze Don--hot miso soup, separated rice and other ingredients, as well as an instruction on how to eat it. It was a very comforting meal. Their bathrooms are one for female only and the other for both genders since female bathroom usually has a longer waiting time. How considerate is that!! And they installed Toto washlet in the bathroom. It was a lovely experience overall. I'm very glad i walked in. read more

YAYOI - Japanese Near Me - Palo Alto, California

Came here on a Friday afternoon @ 7 pm. Was decently busy, not packed, didn't have to wait to be seated either. There's an online menu that you can order from. Ambiance was good, nicely themed. I got the Tonkatsu set with the upgraded miso soup (with clams). The food taste-wise was decent, would not say it's the greatest, but it's not bad. I noticed the clam soup however had broken/jagged-edged half shells within. Don't get me wrong, I love clams and have seen my fair share of empty/broken shells, but the proportion was a bit too much in this soup. Maybe I just got unlucky this time, but I do wonder how they are prepped. read more

YAYOI - Pork Katsu - Japanese Near Me - Palo Alto, California

Just left the place and I have to say I was disappointed. The server made sure we ordered more expensive items and stated we didn't want certian ones because they are boiled where the other more expensive ones are fresh. Definitely felt like a upsell and not realistic. Mostly their math isn't right on tipping. I was thrown by it when I went to check out. Each percentage you select are a decent amount higher then reality. Make sure you select custom and not fall for what they plug in. Completely off. read more

First time trying this, I got the hitsumabushi with unagi, the food came out a lot bigger then I thought it would be. The dashi with wasabi mixed in made the experience very interesting and the food was very favorable. The service was overall very good and they checked up on us often for refills. People saying the food tasting mediocre I don't see it but maybe it's what they are ordering but this experience with the hitsumbushi made the whole dining experience and felt like I was in Japan, thanks for the great experience I really enjoyed the dining experience and food! read more

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The place seems nice, but someone in the kitched was hacking up a lung the whole time we were there, being concerned about illness we asked the waitress about it, she said she would check and came back that the guy had allergies.. That's BS, the dude had major bronchitus of some sort, and was coughing to loud and violently that he should not have been working. My wife and I were really grossed out by it, so we left and ended up eating at the Chinese please a few doors down. My advice to the owners, is if your employee is that sick, send them home. We don't need another ground zero! read more

Came here for lunch. Had the Karage chicken. Very flavorful. Great portions. Overall great ambiance and kind staff. Only wish they were a bit more attentive but overall would love to come again. read more

YAYOI - 903. "To go" Kara Age - Japanese Near Me - Palo Alto, California

We ordered: *Katsu Toji *Baby Scallop and Masago Hand Roll *Spicy Salmon Hand Roll *Asari Sakamushi *Matcha Iced Milk This spot has a large menu, which means it's a great spot that has something for everyone. read more

YAYOI - Asari Sakamushi - Japanese Near Me - Palo Alto, California

(Downtown Palo Alto) Food: Namban (9/10)- Egg-coated fried chicken steak, topped with sweet and sour sauce and homemade tartar sauce. Chicken was not too crispy but no complaints because the dish was flavorful combined with the salad. Miso soup is on the moderately good side. Needed more flavor. Overall the entire dish is filling Teriyaki salmon (8.7/10)- stir fried salmon and vegetables with teriyaki sauce. Very satisfied with the dish but small salmon portion size which is my only complaint for the price. Salmon was cooked well Chicken katsu(9/10)- chicken was cooked well and was crispy Chicken katsu toji ju (7.5/10) Chicken was not crispy. Maybe it was made that way because of the eggs on top but not really a big fan of this dish Ambience: spacious. Great for small to large groups Service: server was kind. Would ask us if we needed water Price: on the pricier side but food is flavorful Parking: side parking read more

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Food - 3/5 Had the Wagyu Niku Udon, very average. Service - 3/5 Menu was flipped to an open page already and just put on the table as if we were at Denny's. Friendly servers, but not a lot of attention to detail. One of the servers was very clumsy when bringing the food to our table and one bowl nearly spilled on my husband. Ambiance - 2/5 For a downtown Palo Alto restaurant, I expected better. This place was dirty. I got rice stuck to the bottom of my shoe right as I sat down. The table was dirty, the menu was dirty, the dishes were dirty, the beer bottle was dirty, and overall the vibe was very meh. The Christmas tinsel hanging from the wall looked tacky. Overall 2.7/5 read more

YAYOI - Wagyu Niku Udon - very meh - Japanese Near Me - Palo Alto, California

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I have a soft spot for YAYOI since I've eaten here for the last ~10 years--while the prices have increased a lot over time, the quality of the food has been consistently good, though not mindblowing. Some of my favorites are: beef sukiyaki, hitsumabushi (eel), and niku udon (less now that Marugame is across the street though...). A bit expensive for what you get, but at least it's pretty reliable. Service used to be pretty minimal interaction with people--I thought it was neat that you ordered on a tablet and it updated with the status of your food (confirmed, being prepared, served). Now they operate like a typical restaurant, no tablets anymore. Restaurant is located on University Ave so lots of foot traffic. There are usually other people in the restaurant, but I typically get a table with no or minimal waiting. The place is pretty spacious and they have bidets in the bathroom! I also have to thank YAYOI for inspiring me to learn how to make oyakodon--it's so delicious and while I can't make it like they do, YAYOI is expensive enough that I'd rather make my budget oyakodon at home :') read more

YAYOI - wagyu sukiyaki and hitsumabushi - Japanese Near Me - Palo Alto, California

Convenient location right in the mall. Food is ok service is good. They just refilled my tea I had the belly pork sauce. I really like the salad. Large portion yummy dressing. Miso soup is good and they serve with rice and ocean salad. Pork is a bit salty with lots of onions read more

YAYOI - Japanese Near Me - Palo Alto, California

Overall: C // 3 stars I remember when I first tried this restaurant when it opened I had strongly negative memories; given that a lifetime of seven years have passed and I no longer remember what those exact memories were and being bored of all the other options in Downtown Palo Alto, I figured it would be a good time to retry this place. This time around, I went for the Yayoi Gozen, which I was quite satisfied with -- it featured food from an abundance of categories from fried to raw to grilled to slow simmered. The best way to describe the feeling is that it is reminiscent of airplane business class food where it conceptually sounds nice, looks good from afar, and tastes reasonably good if I were in the sky. However, the food also gives off the vibe that it was assembled in an assembly line, which makes some ingredients, particularly the greens, not integrate as one cohesive dish. The salmon sashimi color is a bit off, and the cooked salmon could do better refinement on the cooking. That said, this restaurant has an expansive menu, and it seems to be better than I remember, though I don't think it would be my first choice given the plentiful Japanese options around. Food: -1 Presentation: +1 Price: E Atmosphere: E Service: E Menu: +1 Insta/Yelp/Beli/TikTok: @amei_eats read more

YAYOI - Japanese Near Me - Palo Alto, California

The food was pricey but not fresh. I guess the only good thing was the mochi. I don't really like both rice bowl read more

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First glancing at the menu, everything seems to be ordinary with a variety of different fried (katsu) items. What caught my eye was the beef sukiyaki, which I thought was a bit price ($34), but decided to try it anyway since it was unique. The "wagyu" beef was very tender and easy to eat. It also came with other toppings like udon noodles, tofu, a few shredded pieces of carrots, shiitake mushrooms, napa cabbage and other noodles. On the side, came with miso soup, seaweed salad, and under cooked egg. Service was excellent and the restaurant was very clean. read more

Brief Summary: - Ordering is done by the kiosk. The staff also helps to input the order if you request a paper menu instead of - Indoor seating - An elevated casual dining atmosphere that is also feels welcoming for families with children The restaurant has a calming interior, where the ceiling is tall with adequate lighting, there are dozens of booths, and even a table that could sit more than 10 guests. Since it was just the two of us, we had the choice of sitting near the windows or inside the restaurant. I chose the place away from the windows because it was a hot day, didn't want to sit under the sun and lose my appetite. We both ordered the same dish, which is the gozen lunch box. I noticed that in the gozen I can get a taste of the main dishes in the restaurant, for example the wagyuu sukiyaki. Even though I have a feeling this would take a while to prepare the wait time was not long. My favorite was the salmon in a teriyaki styled sauce. I wasn't expecting the salmon exterior to have a nice crisp. I also loved the renkon radish that was with this salmon dish. Another favorite was the tonkatsu. Crispy and meaty, and the slices were cut into nice bite size pieces. Generally I thought the portions of each plate were perfect to enjoy without getting too full near the end. While I just mentioned this, this is a lot of food for one person. I eat a lot, so this would have been at a normal amount. However, my relative, who has an appetite similar to the majority, she handed some of their pieces to me. read more

YAYOI - Japanese Near Me - Palo Alto, California

Great location on university ave but food was a bit lacking. I walk by this place a lot and decided to finally give it a try! Came here on a weekend for dinner and there was still plenty of seating. Service is mostly done via a touch screen machine at the table and food came out pretty fast. We got the salmon carpaccio, a matcha, the tonkatsu, and the sukiyaki. The salmon carpaccio was a pass for me because the fish did not taste fresh. The sukiyaki was decent. The matcha had a very artificial taste and I would not recommend. The tonkatsu was good initially - the edge pieces were tender and fatty. However in the middle, it was pretty dry. Overall I was not impressed with the food. read more

YAYOI - Salmon Carpaccio - Japanese Near Me - Palo Alto, California

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I've been wanting to try Yayoi for the longest time and this location was so disappointing. Tonkotsu Ramen only had no condiments in the bowl. For $20 all we got was noodles, broth, no green onions or egg, and ONE dinky slice of chashu! I ordered the chicken katsu bento for myself, and a piece of hair was in my salmon salad...when I told the waitress what happened she just said sorry and didn't offer to replace it or knock it off our bill. Very disappointing experience esp when this is in Palo Alto! read more

We ordered grilled fish and it smelled bad. Had it taken off our bill but my family member got diarrhea from eating it. The udon and appetizers were fine. Also the service was very slow for a Saturday afternoon at 4pm - there were only 2 parties at the restaurant. We had trouble getting the attention of the wait staff. read more

Yayoi offers such a classic traditional quiet Japanese meal, very clean and calm ambiance. Japanese inspired interior with wood/bamboo designs. Ordered is done through a touchscreen, so could be a little tricky to navigate - nice that it shows the status of your meal. Ordered: Wagyu Sukiyaki (4/5): A bit sweet for me. Came with miso, an egg, two sides, and a serving of rice. Sides are limited including seaweed salad and pickles, but other sides are at additional cost. Good serving of the wagyu, and the cost accounts for the high quality meats. Service was very nice and quick. read more

YAYOI - 956. Wagyu Sukiyaki - Japanese Near Me - Palo Alto, California

The food was great, our sever was kind and helpful, the inside is nice and relaxing with coming music. Our sever even helped me to say Gochisōsama deshita. Highly recommend. read more

My friends wanted to catch up with some Japanese food . The quiet and conversational ambiance allow us to chat while enjoying our food . Interior design is clean and reminds you of Japan . Touch screen can be hard to find things on the menu . The teishoku set menu side dish is defaulted seaweed salad . You have to pay for extra sides . Pickles are free. Food was hearty and delicious . I ordered the chicken katsu toji. Chicken katsu was crunchy. The egg added that extra layer of comfort as you chew. Staff was great with the service . Dishes we ordered : CHICKEN KATSU TOJI Chicken cutlet simmered in sauce and egg TERIYAKI SALMON Stir-fried salmon and regrables with teriyaki sauce WAGYU YAKINIKU JU Japanese style American wagyu beef served with rice abd miso soup VEGGIE GYOZA read more

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Came here with a few friends and was fairly disappointed. Service was good until the food came out. The servers placed our food at the very end at the table expecting us to pass it back to the person who ordered it. I ordered the wagyu yakiniku and was fairly disappointed by the dish. The salad was good, the "wagyu" tasted like choice grade meat and was not tender, and the miso soup was very watered down. Their matcha was also watered down and the matcha flavor was very weak. Overall was disappointed by the food and not worth the price. read more

Very pleasant surprise for a mall restaurant. We were craving traditional Japanese, and we got lucky that we were already at Hillsdale shopping on a weekend afternoon. Not busy and seated right away. Customers order through a tablet at the tables and food is served by waiters/serving robot, which keeps service fast and efficient. We ordered: Yayoi Gozen: seemed like the best value. Came with four dishes-- sweet/savory beef slices, cooked salmon, pork tonkatsu, and salmon sashimi salad-- rice, and seaweed salad. Tonkatsu in particular was savory and tender. Hitsumabushi: eel over rice that can either be eaten dry or with a dashi broth. The eel was cooked well and very tasty. Definitely try eating the dish both ways! read more

YAYOI - Japanese Near Me - Palo Alto, California

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First time at YAYOI was with Mom on Sunday, January 19, 2025. She chose for us to check out this place because she saw that they serve sukiyaki, which she was craving. After finding street parking about a block away (Like most downtown Palo Alto places, they do not have a private lot), we arrived at around 5:40 PM sans reservations. The brightly lit restaurant had several available tables, so we were seated without delay. The venue was clean and tidy on the night of our visit. Immediately, we were introduced to the touch screen menu through which customers are encouraged to place their orders at the comfort of their own tables. The germaphobes in Mom and me were not going to touch that apparatus, so we were given traditional menus and gave our orders to a waitress [who entered each item through the tablet]. Below are what we ordered: Hot Tea (Pot for 2-3 for $6) - We chose the Matcha Genmai Cha. While it was flavourful and beautifully green, I didn't taste the roasted popped brown rice as much as I wanted to. For the price, the pot was quite small as well. Whipped Matcha Iced Milk ($4.25) - Nice. GYOZA ($8.50) - Good. CHICKEN KATSU CURRY ($21.90) - Probably one of the heartiest chicken katsu curries that I have ever had. The poultry serving was very generous (big and thick) and was fried to a golden crisp. The curry sauce was thick and dark. You will not leave hungry if you order this dish! WAGYU SUKIYAKI ($32.70) - Mom really enjoyed this bowl of American Wagyu beef hot pot with assorted vegetables. I initially thought that the price was extremely steep, but just now, as I have been writing this review, realized that the beef was wagyu, one of the most expensive meats in the world. YAYOI left a great first impression on Mom. She found the place to be upscale, venue-wise and with their menu offerings. We just were not fans of the tablet menu and ordering. read more

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This is probably our favorite Yayoi in the Bay Area. Plenty of options for different dietary needs with plenty of vegetarian options as well as a lot of hearty meat dishes for meat eaters. Service is quick and ordering is done through the digital pad at the table. Restaurant is clean and well kept. Plenty of street parking though it can be a little challenging during peak dining times. We particularly like the vegetarian gyoza and vegetarian ramen, the sukiyaki is great as well. read more

YAYOI - Japanese Near Me - Palo Alto, California

My sisters and I tried this place hoping for the best. Despite an extensive menu the food was mediocre to meh I had several small plates including natto, the clam miso, edamame and white rice and my sisters ordered gyoza, natto, rice and the pork tonkatsu meal. I am guessing the 'health' part of their menu meant little to no salt or any flavorings. The pictures on the menu looked amazingly delicious but IRL the meals and plates were very disappointing. Still the service was great with only three tables to attend to. I highly doubt any person with experience in Japan and Japanese food prepared these foods. I think if this spot were to succeed they should consider having a total taste makeover, reduce their novella menu and concentrate on developing authentic umami and food presentations. Wonderful location so rent must be sky high. I think I know why the cheap but extremely limited noodle place across from them had a line. read more

Yayoi is casual Japanese dining but has a diverse menu of common eats! Service was very prompt & automated with tablet ordering with photos and descriptions a in the menu. We ordered pork katsu and sukiyaki both were good, not amazing but filling and delicious. The sukiyaki was a bit sweeter than expected but all the sides were delish. The pork chop was good & had a fun sesame garnish that we used a mortar and pestle to grind down! read more

YAYOI - Beef 956. Wagyu Sukiyaki - Japanese Near Me - Palo Alto, California

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Compared to the Cupertino location, I felt this place exceeded in service but underdelivered in quality of food. We had intended to order on the kiosk but a nice lady came out to take our order and we placed our order with her, so that was a pleasant surprise. Staff was welcoming and quick to take your order, bring out your order, and provide more hot tea. However, there was a lot of mix ups with things we didn't order being brought out to us, and missing drink orders upon our entree coming out. I was very surprised by my one piece of chashu for the tonkotsu ramen lol. I liked that the sesame oil wasn't too strong in my broth, though. Other than that 1 piece of chashu, I added in a (poached) egg, with to me felt like it provided the broth with more flavor. I was not a fan of the noodles, particularly because I like the thicker ones - but to each their own. My husband felt the pork katsu entree he ordered was pretty bland and a bit dry, and not as crispy as he'd like for it to be. Restaurant was spacious for being in DTPA so we had no issue moving around. However, I thought it was redundant to have the door opened with the AC being on in the restaurant because there were a few instances where we had to shoo the flies away. read more

Been to YAYOI at the Hillsdale mall (as well as one in Taiwan). The Palo Alto location has more menu items than the Hillsdale one. We were seated quickly when we arrived on Saturday. I appreciate YAYOI for its Japanese comfort foods. This time, we ordered the Katsu Toji and added on the Ikageso Karaage, the Chicken Katsu Toji, and the Chicken Katsu YAYOI Gozen. We all enjoyed our meals. read more

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Came during lunch on a weekday and was seated right away. We were given a tablet as soon as we were seated and I love this concept. We can peruse the menu (with pictures) and ordered at our own leisure. Gone are the days when you had to flag down a server or wait forever to put your order in. We ordered the Omaze Don, Wagyu Yakiniku and Salmon Carpaccio. Everything we ate was so delicious and flavorful. The Omaze Don was similar to a Korean Bibimbap, a lot of various toppings mixed together with rice. It was very tasty and filling. The Wagyu Yakiniku was so flavorful but a bit greasy for my liking. It didn't stop me from finishing my plate though! The salmon carpaccio tasted sooo fresh and very well seasoned - would definitely order a plate for myself! When you're ready to checkout, you check out on the tablet and pay at the front! The whole process from start to finish was so seamless and made for a pleasant experience! read more

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This is the only place in Northern California, that I'm aware of, that makes a Hitsumabushi. It's not a super high end place but the options are decent. The hitsumabushi was so good that I learned how to make it myself at home. If you like an unagi don you must try this dish, it's significantly better. Yayoi is now a must stop for me anytime I'm in the Palo Alto area. read more

So glad the waiters are back! Best Sukiyaki in town. Yayoi in downtown Palo Alto has vastly improved. They finally ditched the mandatory ordering tablets and brought back human servers! The vibe is instantly warmer and the service is so much better and more personal now. I came in specifically for the Double Wagyu Sukiyaki and it did not disappoint. The meat quality was superb, tender, and flavorful, and the entire set meal was filling and delicious. This is easily one of my favorite spots for a reliable, high-quality Japanese meal. Highly recommend checking out the "new" old service style! I look forward to coming back soon read more

We stumbled to this restaurant while at the Palo Alto Art and Wind Festival. Since the other places on University were quite busy, we decided to try this Japanese Restaurant which seem to have openings. The ambience was airy with a lot of light in the space. The table were booth and tables with partitions for privacy. Once situated in our table. Ordering was done by using a computer tablet. It was easy and cut down on time. Since we were having only a late snack, we opt to share a side order of gyoza and curry pork katsu rice. For drinks, we ordered a sake and Diet Coke. Food came quick and the presentation was nice. The gyoza was nothing special and appeared a little under cooked. The katsu was good, tender and flavorful. Unfortunately, for the price point and value, it did not match up to my expectations. The food is not bad, but to pay this amount for katsu is definitely over priced. Maybe it's because we are in Silicon Valley. Who knows. Don't get me wrong. The food is good, but not for the price point. read more

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Pop in here every now and again when I'm craving some Japanese cuisine. Human-less ordering system with touch screen menu built right into the table partition.Pretty cool! Semi private both style seating and larger tables for fams and groups. Food is very good with decent portions. 3.8/5 for pricing. Little on the high side. Great service! read more

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I am in disbelief at the University Ave tax!! This is a fast food chain. It should not cost 40 bucks per person. Food tastes like food though. read more

YAYOI - Japanese Near Me - Palo Alto, California

Cheap frozen flavorless and dry pork in their tonkatsu toji for $26.80 - for this price, Yayoi is insulting American customers and assuming they cannot tell the difference. Below average miso soup, can buy better instant miso soup at Nijiya. Food quality that would not fly in Japan. read more

YAYOI - Tonkatsu Toji - Japanese Near Me - Palo Alto, California

Japanese food is generally quite good, but there is also a lot of Japanese food that is not quite so good, and unfortunately much of Yayoi's menu is dedicated to serving up the latter. I received a meal with miso soup to start, and the main dish was pork cutlet (katsu) and tempura prawn cooked in an omelette. The fried stuff was great, but the omelette was swimming in dashi (?) broth, and the sauce was quite overpowering, in addition to making the cutlets soggy. Then there was rice and seaweed salad on the side, which was nice. In general, I think they are taking an authentically Japanese approach to comfort food, and haven't adjusted to American portion size norms. I would review this place as 3.5 stars, but I rounded down to 3. Next time I will just get the plain katsu, and I might revise up the score. read more

YAYOI - Pork katsu, prawn tempura, omelette in broth. - Japanese Near Me - Palo Alto, California

Fast service but food is definitely degrading. I will still go bc it's nice to have no wait time at downtown Palo Alto! read more

YAYOI - Japanese Near Me - Palo Alto, California

I come to Yayoi at least 2-3 times a month for the past year since I live in the area. While it's on the pricy side (but everything is in Palo Alto), I can rely on its consistency when it comes to their food quality, portion and service. Food: 5/5 Yayoi food is pretty consistent. I've ordered so many things from their menu. Karaage, Oyakudon, Katsu don, Wagyu Nabe, Sukiyaki, salmon don, etc. It's always hot, freshly cooked, and big portions. I also like the fact that it has Japanese dishes beyond just ramen and udon (which is popular and plentiful in the bay), but other stuff like rice dishes and Japanese hot pot. Service: 5/5 You order on the tablet, and you can see when things come out. It's nice that you can also request water, extra plates, to go container, etc on the tablet, making the process efficient. The staff is always courteous and helpful! Ambiance: 5/5 I enjoy its quiet but conversational ambience. The interior is always clean, warm, and playing some nice jazz music. It's a comfortable place to wind down and eat after work with warm inviting lighting. Good first date place or if you're looking to eat solo or if you want some good comforting Japanese food. Highly recommend and will come again (and again and again) read more

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There's really not much of a service aspect. You walk in, they point to a table, you walk yourself over to the table, order from a screen at the table, they bring out your food, and then you pay as you walk out where they will pressure you into paying 18%+ tip. Where was my service lol. Felt like more of a fast food experience. Food was average but overpriced small portions. Still hungry afterwards but somehow already racked up a $70 bill. read more

YAYOI - Japanese Near Me - Palo Alto, California

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