Robataya Ny
“Kamameshi with salmon & salmon roe-definitely order one (designed for two) or you probably won't get full from the other food.”
“The miso gindara, rib eye cooked rare, and grilled sea urchin are my favorites!”
“The kamameshi was a perfect bowl of rice topped with bursting bits of roe & salmon chunks.”
Robataya Ny
Takes Reservations: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
Good for Kids: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
PokéStop Nearby: Yes
Price range.
$$$ Price range $31-60
8 reviews
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I had the good fortune to come here twice in the same week and decided it deserves a review since I ate the entire menu.
First, I came for a Valentine's day date; Chinese Valentine's day. We had the 6 course omakase and an order of lamb cooked robata style.
The first course was the tofu with two different types of salt which you choose to flavor was a nice start and had great flavor to start.
Next, the sashimi was also prepared well and tasted fresh.
After that, grilled veggies which had a great flavor especially the mushrooms.
Fourth, we opted for the whole fish to keep the meal light and it was delightful and light.
Fifth, the salmon kamameshi. This was spectacular and definitely lived up to the hype!
Sixth, for dessert we had the green tea tofu and the red bean paste and brown sugar dango type dessert. I liked the tofu the best; she preferred the red bean and dango which had a more traditional Asian flavor profile.
I also had a 7 person 8 course omakase. EPIC!
The courses were different from the 6 course
Here the fish was mackerel which was really delicious and had an excellent fatty fish texture as a white fish.
Washu beef. If you don't do omakase this beef dish is a must order. Or steaks were cooked perfectly and are both tender and juicy.
For dessert there was green tea and seaseme ice cream in assorted combinations along with tofu and green tea syrup. I actually like the seaseme flavor of the ice cream as it was unique.
The robata here is excellent but what really makes this place is the wonderful staff from our server russell to or chef for the night who hales from Osaka.
Let me start off by saying the food was good, but our first impression was quite poor.
M and I have only been to robatayaki restaurants in Japan so I had high expectations for a fun night sitting at the counter. When we arrived early, we waited on the side even though there were spaces available at the counter. This was strange but it gave us time to observe the chefs. They looked like they hated life and had no shame in showing it. I took a picture of the entire space and was shocked by the death glare from the chef when I put my phone down. Please see attached picture cuz I am not even kidding about this look. It was kinda funny to look back and find this gem.
We asked to sit at a table since it was so awkward at the counter with the chef's sitting quietly and not engaging with any of the diners whatsoever. Table service started off shaky but was great as soon as the confusion of switching from the counter was cleared. We still got the omakase style menu but the food was brought out from the kitchen instead of the chef's counter. M preferred this since he was pretty sure he saw one of the chef's injure his finger and continue to handle food. He noticed that he was inspecting his finger and picking at it and after dabbing it on a napkin, he asked the hostess to take it away. We let her know but he was still working without any bandaid or anything when we left.
Some of my faves were the avocado potato salad, asparagus wrapped in fish cake and rice cracker, homemade tofu, shimeji mushroom, and the sweet potato.
Overall it was a good experience at the table but you don't come to a robatayaki restaurant to sit at a table. It was sad to see the chefs so unhappy to do their jobs especially when they are literally on display.
High quality fish and seafood. However it is way too expensive for what you can get at other Japanese restaurants.
I think their grilled fish during dinner is really yummy but not worth the price you pay. If they scaled back the prices of their food, I think more people will actually come back and dine here. But considering the competition of other good Japanese restaurants in the area, I don't think it is worth it.
That being said, I really enjoyed their ikura-uni Don during lunch. It came with a small salad and miso soup. But was $10 more expensive than places that serve the same thing, at similar quality. I think that's why, while the restaurant next door was packed, robataya was nearly empty.
I definitely don't recommend coming during dinner. Last time I was here, my friends and I spent $70pp, between 5 people. We all left hungry and with more to be desired. To be very honest, I'd rather pay a little more and eat somewhere way better, i.e. Omakase .
Other than the enjoyment derived from watching the cute (but extremely bored looking) chef hop around the countertop in his ankle socks*, Robataya was a complete disaster. The servers there were some of the most clueless ones I've met. They seated us 30 minutes late, forgot one of our orders, gave us extra items, took forever to bring me a replacement tea after accidentally taking it away…the list goes on. I've always experienced top notch service at Japanese restaurants. And this is run by the Ootoya folks. What happened guys?
PROTIP 1: if you come in a large group (aka more than 3 people) do not sit at the counter. Request seats in the back instead. For counter seats you may end up waiting for half an hour to get the whole party seated. Also the arrangement makes it very awkward for food sharing.
PROTIP 2: dishes are served tapas style, and it ain't cheap. If you're looking to stuff your face, go slurp some ramen at Misoya.
PROTIP 3: if you want a better meal in general, go across the street to Cha-An.
PROTIP 4: the kamameshi rice dishes were meh. Their apps were surprisingly good. Get the cold tofu or the yellowtail sashimi with grapefruit. It's very fresh.
PROTIP 5: as others have said, this is a great date spot. The dining experience can be drawn out so if you're ok with spending 2-3 hours sitting there chitchatting while your food is served in-between this can be a fun spot.
*I felt like a complete creeper staring at the chef slicing and dicing the whole time, but there was literally nothing else to look at. Plus he had nice hands.
The reviews on Yelp was what drew me to this place. It was getting late and I wanted Japanese. Specifically, I just wanted a rice bowl. Which I should've got… the instant regret I felt after….
-Black cod was not of a flaky texture.
-Brussel sprouts were TINY and tasted half cooked.
-Were we missing half the zucchini? Because even though they were sliced, it doesn't look like some of the photos I see on Yelp.
-Grilled pumpkin was way too dried out. Imagine putting dehydrated baby food into your mouth. Pumpkin is still my favorite so I tried to bear the dryness.
-Gyu filet was tender. Yes it is quite small. Yes I understand it's a izakaya, but $35 for a portion smaller than my hand is a bit absurd…
I wouldn't recommend. Definitely sticking to some of the other spots I've been to in St. Marks.
The food at Robataya is not bad, but it's definitely not something that I'd highly recommend people to come here for, rather, you come and sit at the counter and enjoy a dining experience where professional Japanese chefs sweat their muscles out for 2 good hours and cook you fresh seafood, meat and veggie, and hand you their finished products via a long stick while their hands are shaking.
Whether you are here alone or with a friend or two, I'd recommend you definitely order a whole fish, and maybe a prawn or crab leg, along with a veggie or two, and a pot of eel or salmon roe rice. Drink selections are great, lots of good beers and sakes!
I came here with a reservation. I noticed that a lot of people came here with reservation. They gave people a warm towel to clean your hands when you sit down. For us, we were lucky to sit where the the guys grill in front of you. We got the pork belly, steamed egg, grilled salmon, crab, washu beef and daikon salad. The pork belly was delicious. It was tender. The steam egg was soft and smooth. The grilled salmon tasted fresh. It was smooth. The crab was ok for me since I'm not a super big fan of crab leg. The washu beef was cooked the way we order but it was blend. They need to put more pepper. The daikon salad was refreshing. Overall, it was a nice experience.
It was about five years ago that I went to this restaurant with some old college friends. It's a quiet, low key place that has booths. One of the drinks comes in a small cube-shaped glass that almost looks like it belongs in a lab. It's filled to the brim.