Who remembers Rachael Ray's $40 a Day?
HA! Good luck with a $40 budget for three meals in the Bay Area especially if you want Japanese food.
These days, $40 gets you an instagrammable plate of Pineapple Fried Rice at a very popular Thai restaurant (pre-tax and tip) so you'll be rationing a bag of crushed up Top Ramen for your remaining two meals.
BUT, if you know where to look, you can include a legit Japanese meal in your budget...though with inflation, it's probably going to be more like $60 a day.
Anyhow, if you're looking for filling and affordable dons and bentos with traditional Japanese offerings, Ajito is for you.
Ajito is only open for Takeout and Delivery (DoorDash+UberEats) - Weekdays: Lunch & Dinner, Weekends: Dinner. Last order taken 30 minutes before closing.
Not sure why there's several recent reviews for dine-in when their dining room has been closed the entire time since the pandemic began in early 2020.
M E N U
Prior to the pandemic, Ajito served izakaya and yakitori. They've since shifted to mainly dons, bentos, and sushi (nigiri + simple, traditional maki rolls). Kid's bento available that includes a toy.
***Check Facebook for Specials***
Everyday, Ajito posts their Daily Special Bento Boxes (A, B, and C).
For takeout, you can call in your order or place your order online via ChowNow. Beer and sake available for purchase in-store (not available for delivery).
For delivery, there's a $5-$6 markup for the bento boxes to offset the cut taken by the 3rd party delivery apps.
I've ordered twice during the pandemic; takeout and delivery (had a promo code to use). The cooked items in the bento boxes were served room temp.
F O O D
* Kaisen Bento: Assorted Sashimi Rice Bento w/ salad, fruit (2020 Pricing -$28.99, Current pricing - Pick-up $29.99/Delivery $34.99): https://bit.ly/3wIOlLs
***Previously a Daily Special but became a permanent offering.
The kaisen bento included two-three slices of sake, hamachi, hotate, saba, amaebi, kani, and tamago. Aside from the saba, that was quite fishy, and the slightly bitter uni, the other cuts were smooth and fresh. The amaebi heads were crunchy but not warm; seemed like they were fried ahead of time. The tamago was eggy with a slight sweetness. The sushi rice was sticky, slightly seasoned, and room temp.
Also, included was a garden salad with a tangy soy dressing, bean sprout salad, dashi braised eggplant, and cantaloupe.
* Daily Special C - Gyūtan Karē: Beef tongue curry w/ fried mackerel, shrimp, potato croquette, salad, fruit (Pick-up $19.99/Delivery $25.99) https://bit.ly/3wFPEMu
I'm a sucker for beef tongue everything so had to order this. The chunks of beef tongue were soft, tender, and beefy. The curry sauce was mild with a slightly sweet flavor. Total comfort food with the slightly sticky rice. However, I was disappointed that the curry sauce was chunky and gritty in texture.
Also, included was steamed broccoli+carrot, garden salad with a tangy soy dressing, bean sprout salad, wakame, and honeydew.
S E R V I C E
When I did takeout, service was all business.
There was a table blocking the entryway, and a service bell to ring.
A M B I A N C E
No dine-in; takeout and delivery only.
P A R K I N G
Easy parking, shared with Rose Market and a liquor store.
Overall, good traditional Japanese fare that's filling and affordable (if you skip delivery). Obvs, food quality will not be the same for takeout/delivery though but I appreciate Ajito doing what they need to do to keep their staff and customers safe during the pandemic. read more