I decided I wanted to celebrate my early birthday at Yakitori Yakyudori today with my family. We drove an hour away to go there. We ordered Yakitori, and Ramen. Ramen was delicious. Yakitori was what I looked forward to but it was DISAPPOINTING. Taste of the authentic Yakitori charcoal flavor was gone....and the most common Negima (chicken thigh with Tokyo onion) was no longer on the menu. I asked the staff regarding Charcoal and she told me the restaurant switched to Electric grill because it was taking too long to cook! What? You rather get faster service and sacrifice the taste? I'm disappointed that they are not what it used to be
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 4
AJ Fabian
Great place! My family and I enjoy everything, but the yakitori is quite overpriced.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Spicy Tonkotsu Ramen
Scott Watson
Best Japanese food and service in Convoy. Hope to keep coming for years.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Maddie Mackey
Really good. Quick service. Yummy specials! 10/10
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Alyanna M.
The yakitori here is amazing, everything was flavorful. We loved everything we ordered & even wanted to get more. I love the concept of ordering on the iPad, makes everything easier & you can just order as you go. It does get pricey though, the yakitori ranges between $5-$15 but most come with 2 sticks. For 2 of us, we spent a little over $100. All in all, I'd still come back every once in a while when I'm craving some yakitori!
Alexus J.
So I want to start with that the service was EXCELLENT! The people were very helpful and responsive. My problem is that they have significantly raised the prices to an outrageous amount. We went late 2022 and it was like 150$ with drinks (beer, tea, etc.). We went last night with my parents and it was 340$!!! We only had water and very general stuff. (Chicken meatballs, ramen, and about 4 orders of skewers per person). Sorry but we won't be returning solely because the price restructuring.
Jen B.
Food is as authentic as you can get for Japanese standards. The price of food is comparable to most restaurants. The staff are attentive and fast service. The restaurant is cozy and reminds me of a mom-and-pop restaurant in Okinawa. Next to the restaurant are shaved ice and Japanese desserts.
Chance S.
This is a true Japanese Izakaya. They have a large assortment of items, including Yakitori, Ramen, and more! Their service is impeccable, and the food is even better. I highly recommend this place to anybody!
Sherwood H.
I really dig the flavors. This is all kinds of comfort food for me. Spicy tonkotsu ramen with extra bbq pork. Chicken gizzard, pork belly with asparagus yakatori...'nuff said.
Sean Stamatelaky
Parking: The majority of the parking lot is under construction
I've heard things about yakyudori and I cannot confirm they're true. For a while, yakyudori was the top ramen spot in SD. I've never had theirs, opting for Mitsuwa. That got me thinking, if it was top ramen, how come I only heard about it now after Menya And Nagi have opened their locations in the US. I've had their yakitori before and the bill has lead me to shed a single tear. After my vacation to Japan, that tear became a full blown crying session. Is beef that expensive in America? Is this the price for happy cows from California? Yakitori in Tokyo is like $3 a skewer at most. I get that the conversion works for me as an American but a minimum 300% inflation? Make it make sense America. Anyway, back to the ramen... It was alright. I could see why it was the best ramen in San Diego because at that time, Sakura was Japanese only while Mitsuwa had quality issues. The next step was going for a little more high priced Japanese sushi restaurants over an Izakaya. As far as the ramen goes, the broth was flavorful and the noodles were nice and bouncy. However, I felt like the egg and the chasu pales in comparison to Menya or Nishiki. Again, before those two opened, it would've been the go-to but now I feel like it's a nostalgia menu item. It seems like yakyudori family of restaurants in SD have a loyal following, even spawning Ko-Li Bar next door. Still, some friends swear by it. They live and die on the hill that is yakyudori. In the famous words of Randy Jackson, "it's just not for me dawg." Side note: they have a Tokyo location which claims they're a San Diego ramen shop. Next time I'm in Tokyo, I'll try to visit for the culture.
Jennie N.
The food is good. The customer service is good. The food is served fast. This is a nice spot to try Japanese food
Calvin Dixon
Listen this the most quick fast fresh food we ever had we going back asap. That spicy soup is absolutely
Super convenient, the staff was friendly. I like mixing and matching food combinations.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Chicken Wings, Nagoya
Pauline T.
I've been wanting to try this place for a really long time as Im trying to find a go-to yakitori place in SD... sadly, I was disappointed as nothing was really special about this place. I don't know if it's because I'm spoiled but this place's taste does not compare to the yakitori I've had in Hawaii or even Rowland Heights. My boyfriend and I tried a variety of the skewers and all of them left us feeling meh --- it was salty, not marinated well enough, or just chewy. We also tried their ramen and I would go somewhere else for better ramen. Interesting take for this place to be pretty much self service in the sense that they give you an iPad and you place the order on your own. I don't think I'll be back which is such a shame because I had high hopes from reading the high reviews.
I decided I wanted to celebrate my early birthday at Yakitori Yakyudori today with my family. We drove an hour away to go there. We ordered Yakitori, and Ramen. Ramen was delicious. Yakitori was what I looked forward to but it was DISAPPOINTING. Taste of the authentic Yakitori charcoal flavor was gone....and the most common Negima (chicken thigh with Tokyo onion) was no longer on the menu. I asked the staff regarding Charcoal and she told me the restaurant switched to Electric grill because it was taking too long to cook! What? You rather get faster service and sacrifice the taste? I'm disappointed that they are not what it used to be
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 4
Great place! My family and I enjoy everything, but the yakitori is quite overpriced.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Spicy Tonkotsu Ramen
Best Japanese food and service in Convoy. Hope to keep coming for years.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Really good. Quick service. Yummy specials! 10/10
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
The yakitori here is amazing, everything was flavorful. We loved everything we ordered & even wanted to get more. I love the concept of ordering on the iPad, makes everything easier & you can just order as you go. It does get pricey though, the yakitori ranges between $5-$15 but most come with 2 sticks. For 2 of us, we spent a little over $100. All in all, I'd still come back every once in a while when I'm craving some yakitori!
So I want to start with that the service was EXCELLENT! The people were very helpful and responsive. My problem is that they have significantly raised the prices to an outrageous amount. We went late 2022 and it was like 150$ with drinks (beer, tea, etc.). We went last night with my parents and it was 340$!!! We only had water and very general stuff. (Chicken meatballs, ramen, and about 4 orders of skewers per person). Sorry but we won't be returning solely because the price restructuring.
Food is as authentic as you can get for Japanese standards. The price of food is comparable to most restaurants. The staff are attentive and fast service. The restaurant is cozy and reminds me of a mom-and-pop restaurant in Okinawa. Next to the restaurant are shaved ice and Japanese desserts.
This is a true Japanese Izakaya. They have a large assortment of items, including Yakitori, Ramen, and more! Their service is impeccable, and the food is even better. I highly recommend this place to anybody!
I really dig the flavors. This is all kinds of comfort food for me. Spicy tonkotsu ramen with extra bbq pork. Chicken gizzard, pork belly with asparagus yakatori...'nuff said.
Parking: The majority of the parking lot is under construction
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Spicy Tonkotsu Ramen
Restaurantji Recommends
I've heard things about yakyudori and I cannot confirm they're true. For a while, yakyudori was the top ramen spot in SD. I've never had theirs, opting for Mitsuwa. That got me thinking, if it was top ramen, how come I only heard about it now after Menya And Nagi have opened their locations in the US. I've had their yakitori before and the bill has lead me to shed a single tear. After my vacation to Japan, that tear became a full blown crying session. Is beef that expensive in America? Is this the price for happy cows from California? Yakitori in Tokyo is like $3 a skewer at most. I get that the conversion works for me as an American but a minimum 300% inflation? Make it make sense America. Anyway, back to the ramen... It was alright. I could see why it was the best ramen in San Diego because at that time, Sakura was Japanese only while Mitsuwa had quality issues. The next step was going for a little more high priced Japanese sushi restaurants over an Izakaya. As far as the ramen goes, the broth was flavorful and the noodles were nice and bouncy. However, I felt like the egg and the chasu pales in comparison to Menya or Nishiki. Again, before those two opened, it would've been the go-to but now I feel like it's a nostalgia menu item. It seems like yakyudori family of restaurants in SD have a loyal following, even spawning Ko-Li Bar next door. Still, some friends swear by it. They live and die on the hill that is yakyudori. In the famous words of Randy Jackson, "it's just not for me dawg." Side note: they have a Tokyo location which claims they're a San Diego ramen shop. Next time I'm in Tokyo, I'll try to visit for the culture.
The food is good. The customer service is good. The food is served fast. This is a nice spot to try Japanese food
Listen this the most quick fast fresh food we ever had we going back asap. That spicy soup is absolutely
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Pork Belly Yakitori, Spicy Miso Ramen
Super convenient, the staff was friendly. I like mixing and matching food combinations.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Chicken Wings, Nagoya
I've been wanting to try this place for a really long time as Im trying to find a go-to yakitori place in SD... sadly, I was disappointed as nothing was really special about this place. I don't know if it's because I'm spoiled but this place's taste does not compare to the yakitori I've had in Hawaii or even Rowland Heights. My boyfriend and I tried a variety of the skewers and all of them left us feeling meh --- it was salty, not marinated well enough, or just chewy. We also tried their ramen and I would go somewhere else for better ramen. Interesting take for this place to be pretty much self service in the sense that they give you an iPad and you place the order on your own. I don't think I'll be back which is such a shame because I had high hopes from reading the high reviews.