Yakitori

Reviews

Name: Justin Trabert 
Occupation: Was Director of Events, now speaker and presenter on social protocol and the history of etiquette and fine dining, artfulmatters.net
Lives In: N/A
Restaurant Pick: Yakitori Sake House
Reviewed: Yakitori Sake House

Situated in a quaint shopping plaza in Boca Raton, this intimate Japanese restaurant offers a variety of Asian infusion delights that will be sure to satisfy even a novice sushi patron. Those who are clever enough to dine early might be able to snag a complimentary self-park space in the plaza lot and then take advantage of Yakitori's wonderful Happy Hour special menu pricing that includes a wide range of appetizers, entrée and most importantly . . . drinks! Not an early bird diner, no worries, but do be warned that parking is limited, so be prepared to pay for valet; its only $5 . . . not so bad compared to some other places. A causal laid-back atmosphere, with indoor and outdoor patio seating, and friendly staff welcomes guest to come in and enjoy themselves without pomp and circumstance and feeling rushed through dinner and out the door. But, if you are looking for a romantic place for two, this is probably not the place to be. Small and intimate can also result in tight seating and sometimes a loud surrounding. Televisions are located on almost every wall, so sports loving fans might be in heaven, but it can be distracting to conversation and a real date buzz killer if they pay more attention to the T.V. than you. The establishment is clean and comfortable, but is starting to date itself. They will definitely need a décor updating as the water bubble feature, light pendulums and chandeliers are teetering on typical Japanese restaurant cheesiness. The spicy tuna biscuit (spicy tuna served on a bed of crispy rice and topped with jalapeño) has just the right amount of kick to its freshness and is a definite appetizer must order. Arrive hungry as the portions are nicely sized and rice is always very filling. Get a little adventuresome and try some of their unique sushi roll combinations and wash it down with sake for the full experience. Sushi can be intimidating and the menu is extensive, so big they actually are in the process of restyling their menu from a huge clunky and very heavy book to a more user-friendly version, so make sure you ask your server for suggestions and ask questions if they don't offer them up initially; the staff is friendly and accommodating, but might not take the time to go over the menu with new sushi patrons. Pricing is reasonable, but as in all sushi restaurants, the rolls can go down fast, especially when you are in a group, which can lead to a pricey bill in the end. Keep track of your orders as they are requested as to not get sticker shocked in the end. Overall, Yakitori is a stand out Japanese restaurant providing fresh and unique sushi rolls with a friendly relaxed atmosphere that has me wanting more.

Name: Ed Murphy 
Occupation: Construction Executive
Lives In: Fort Lauderdale
Restaurant Pick: Cafe Vico
Reviewed: Yakitori Sake House

Anyone who has been to this plaza knows how difficult parking can be so we opted to go straight to the Valet, which turns out to be directly in front of the restaurant. Walking up to the restaurant entrance we immediately noticed two outdoor patio areas, the larger of the two is covered patio area. The smaller area was empty as it was uncovered and raining on this evening. We were seated immediately and sat next to one another on a banquet facing the restaurant and sushi bar. Our waitress immediately responded to our table taking drink orders and providing oversize red menus. The multi-faceted menu had many styles of Asian cuisine. Our appetizers of Lobster & Shrimp dumplings were perfectly cooked as well as the flavor of the ceviche was fresh and flavorful. We ordered a traditional Pad Thai but with the twist of Lobster rather than beef, chicken or vegetable. It turned out to be a delightful and delicious surprise. The Seafood Clay Pot came out steaming hot with a variety of vegetables and seafood which included scallops, shrimp and calamari. The waitress encouraged us to have dessert explaining that the green tea cheese cake was a signature dish. We ordered that along with Molten Truffle Chocolate Cake. Both were scrumptious to the point that we finished both desserts. During our ninety minutes at the restaurant we found that many arrived for Saki and Appetizers while other patrons stayed for full dinners.

Name: Andrea Juncadella 
Occupation: Creative Recruiter
Lives In: Miami
Restaurant Pick: Farinelli 1937
Reviewed: Yakitori Sake House

On Monday afternoon at around 1PM, we pulled into a shopping mall/plaza, but a very beautiful one: quintessential high-end Boca Raton shopping mall. It took us a little bit to find the actual place because it was a quite hidden within the mall's maze, but found it after analyzing the directory within the pavilion a bit further. When I first arrived, I was pretty excited because sushi is one of my favorite types of foods. We walked into the restaurant and it was definitely a bit dark. We were seated instantly as there weren't many people there. The décor was interesting; I definitely got nightclub vibes due to the very dim lighting, eccentric paintings on the wall, florescent purple & pink light features, and a fish tank. It's a sushi restaurant, so there's always got to be a fish tank. At that point I instantly realized: this is definitely better suited as a dinner spot, not lunch. The menu was extremely extensive and a little confusing. It felt like it started over 4 times over - starting with appetizers, main course and side bites, repeating for about 4 pages. It was a menu going through an identity mid-life crisis. It was hard to choose and decide in which direction to go in because of that. First things first: cocktails. They had a pretty widespread cocktail list and Yakitori is supposedly known for its extensive sake selection so I was excited to order the first, and probably most popular, cocktail on the menu: Peachy lover. This was supposed to be made with peach schnapps and a specialty sake spritzer. They didn't have that specific type of Sake which was pretty disappointing seeing as how it's a Sake house, but ok. Instead of the bartender providing with a replacement suggestion, they just had me improvise and make my own drink similar to what I presumed the original would've been like. They brought me my "cocktail" in a wine glass, no ice. For a second I thought they had mistaken it for someone else's glass of rose. But nope, that was my improvised "peachy lover". I had to ask for ice and the drink tasted awful. Off to a rocky start. Moving on, after some tough time reviewing the extensive menu and with very little guidance from our server, we decided to place two appetizer orders: a duck wrap( duck meat, mixed green, cilantro, avocado, cucumber, hoisin sauce, wrapped with rice paper) and a beef short rib BBQ skewer. Both plates came pretty quickly. The duck wrap was good; the duck was nicely cooked and had a good marinated flavor. The beef short rib was OK, the meat was a bit chewy and hard to eat where short rib should be soft and tender. Next came the entrees. I ordered the Hard Rock roll which consisted of spicy tuna, avocado wrapped in soy paper, topped with rock shrimp tempura and sweet mayo sauce on top. My boyfriend ordered the sweet and sour chicken on the lunch special menu. I was utterly disappointed with my roll unfortunately. Visually it wasn't appealing at all and looked sad with a pale coloring. The spicy tuna didn't feel like real spicy tuna but some kind of imitation alternative and the rock shrimp topped above was anything but rock; it had very little flavor and no crunch whatsoever. The sweet and sour chicken also wasn't cooked or fried properly. It lacked crunch and the flavor was dull. Cafeteria food, at best. Lastly, dessert. You can't go wrong with fried ice-cream, right? Well you can when you order it at Yakitori during lunch. They brought us a massive ball of ice-cream that was coated and fried in barely cooked batter - it too lacked the crunch that you expect with fried dishes. Was their fryer not working that day? Who knows? Lastly, we were brought the check and I would have to say, probably the highlight of the experience was when the server brought me a Styrofoam cup-to-go to put in my barely touched cocktail. Loved the gesture because who doesn't want a roadie to go, I just wished I would've liked the cocktail, but I took it home anyway with a smile on my face.

Restaurant Information

Location: 271 SE Mizner Blvd. Boca Raton, FL 33432
Parking: Lot
Phone: 561-544-0087
Website: www.yakitoriboca.com
Restaurant Owners: Tina Wang, Jason Zhang
Executive Chef: Jason Zhang
Pastry Chef: N/A
 

Type of Cuisine: Authentic Japanese Sushi and Asian Fusion
Signature Dishes: Out of control roll, Sexy Lady roll
Vegetarian Options: Yes
Alcohol Served: Full Bar
Corkage Fee: $20
Bottle Limit: N/A

Restaurant Hours: 
Monday – 11:30AM-10:30PM 
Tuesday – 11:30AM-10:30PM 
Wednesday – 11:30AM-10:30PM 
Thursday –&11:30AM-10:30PM 
Friday – 11:30AM-11:30PM 
Saturday – 12:00PM-11:30PM 
Sunday – 12:00PM-10:30PM

Meals Served: Lunch and Dinner
Prix Fix Menu: N/A
Take-Out: Yes
Delivery: Yes
Average Dinner Price Range (per person, full meal, tax, 20% gratuity, w/o alcohol): $30-$40
Average Lunch Price Range (per person, full meal, tax, 20% gratuity, w/o alcohol): $15-$20
Payment Options: do you accept credit cards and if so, which ones? Yes, All
Accept Reservations: Yes
Need Reservations: No
How far in advance do you require reservations be made: 24 hours ahead

Accommodations for Children: Yes
Dining Style: Casual
Disabled Access: Yes
Restaurant Size: 65 inside, 65 outside
Accommodate Groups: Yes
Private Dining Room: Yes
Tables with Scenic Views: No
Outdoor Dining: Yes
Entertainment: No