Friday night dinner, we talked about 20 places, could not make up our mind. Found ourselves at the Arsenal restaurant farm, Anne and literally just walked by this place, and it looked interesting. Incredible menu, very unusual for a Japanese restaurant to have curry fries and skewers with five different ingredients! Had a lovely Sapporo beer, Moy Roll, fabulous dumplings, seaweed salad, curry fries, it was outstanding! The service was amazing, they kept sending another person over to us to check on us and we were out of there in 35 minutes lol. One of the best meals we've had recently. And under $80, including tip with alcohol! read more

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Yakitori liver (5) was lovely and creamy. Tori jiro roll (24) was a little salty and not really very special -- could've been crispier. For the price, I'd skip this Curry ramen (16+4 for karaage) had great rich broth and generous noodles and toppings. The noodles weren't amazing, but it was quite filling for the price. This would be fine if you lived in the area, but not worth a special visit. read more

I'm really glad to have a ramen option in Arsenal Yards! We started with the tako wasa, which was unique and very tasty. It has a strong wasabi kick, so be prepared if you're sensitive to spice, but I really enjoyed it. The ramen itself was solid and satisfying, though not particularly memorable. The pork was tender and well-cooked, which was a highlight of the dish. However, the broth was a bit underwhelming and could have used more depth and flavor. The competition is strong being near a vibrant Asian dining scene. read more

Tori Jiro - Pork Chasu Ramen - Japanese Near Me - Watertown, Massachusetts

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The quality of the food is great but the flavor is interesting... I got the beef tongue skewer and it tasted like propane, it was just not great. The pork belly was the same situation and extremely fatty. Not sure what I was expecting. The ramen is alright, you can definitely find better. The quality of the nigiri is fantastic and would highly recommend. We are glad we tried this restaurant, but we probably won't return. read more

Ordered a few items I've not had here before- the karaage chicken was delightfully light and not as oily or dense as some other places make them. The scallops were also impressive- served sizzling in butter on a shell over a flame. The Taiyaki was also a standout. Tori Jiro salad with sesame dressing is a favorite here. We also enjoyed the other dishes- chicken and steak skewers, shishito peppers, salmon don, and fried oysters. read more

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I love Tori Jiro's curry ramen. I've been back for this dish at least five times. Vibes are great inside, slightly upscale Japanese design but mostly casual atmosphere, but limited seating. Was cute eating on their small outdoor patio during the summer. Service is always great. read more

Tori Jiro - Curry Ramen - Japanese Near Me - Watertown, Massachusetts

Celebrated a dear friend's birthday here. Planned a little surprise for him for them to bring out a birthday dessert fruit tart that we had brought over earlier and they brought it out after we finished dinner and it all worked out well! We ordered a few each of the yakitori skewers - chicken thigh, breast, lamb chop, zucchini, eggplant. The hubs got the spicy salmon sushi, I got the veggie katsu curry and friend got the pork ramen bowl. Food was good, and service was good too! We sat by the cool art wall. Overall good experience here! read more

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Torijiro is known for their delicious skewers, but their ramen is also really good (and super well priced!). I got the oyster mushroom, pork belly, and momo thigh and they were all so tender, juicy, and delicious. The ramen, at only $14 with no add-ons, was well portioned and had plenty of noodles, chicken, and toppings. The shoyu soup base was very flavorful. We also got two appetizers. The cucumbers were fine but the pieces were cut way too large so the sauce flavor didn't really soak through well. The chicken karaage was average and there were only 6 pieces. The overall service was good but it did take a while for the skewers to come out. I would definitely come again, especially for skewers! read more

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Eh, Tori Jiri is good but not great. Had sushi (average) and ramen (also average). Thought the wait staff wasn't super helpful and rushed us. The restaurant is hard to find - it's got a non descriptive wooden door next to Roche Bros. Lots of other Asian restaurants in the area that are much better. read more

More than just a Ramen place, variety of Japanese cuisine: that said, I had the Tonkotsu Ramen, enjoyed it. Wife had said appetizer and seaweed appetizer, and a miso bowl soup. Pretty delicious shared meal. read more

I came here by myself around 4 PM the other day when nobody else was in the restaurant. The decor and ambience is pretty cool. Very hipster, modern, a good blend of East and west. By the different dried fruits sitting in jars at the bar, it looks like they probably have a very good drink menu too. I was also thrilled with the service. The waitress was attentive and made sure that my water was filled up. The food arrived quickly. That's kind of where the positives end. The actual food was quite terrible. I thought that the tsukune was undercooked and maybe even raw. When it hit the table, it was lukewarm inside. The shoyu ramen was one of the worst ramens I've ever had. The corn was straight out of a can, you could still taste the water from the canned corn. Ramen noodles were not very chewy. The broth was under salted and uninspiring. Did they even put any soy sauce in the broth to constitute a shoyu? The fried oysters were decent, but kind of pricey. Overall, I am disappointed by the food, but even more disappointed by thepotential this place has. The chef was raking coals over what looked like a pretty authentic Japanese robata grill. This place has the infrastructure to do so much better. read more

We stumbled upon this gem when we were on our way to Taffer's Tavern, and it was an exceptional find! When we got in at 4:30, it was empty still but it filled up pretty quickly. Our bar tender, Alec, was amazing! We tried the Sakura-Rita, the Chameleon, and the Kikusiu. All the drinks were great. We were on our way to dinner, but we had to try the spicy seaweed salad since I had not tried this before and it was fantastic! We can't wait to come back to try out the rest of the menu. read more

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The service was swift, friendly and vibrant! Automatically we felt so welcome and they amplified our energy in wanting to have fun in exploring their menu which always makes us want to order more food and drinks! All the servers hit our table at some point to assist. They moved us to a bigger table as soon as we finished ordering for 4 of us. The ambiance was beautiful with bold, giant murals on the wall. They had really cool varieties of aged and new Japanese whiskey displayed all over the bar. The drink menu was also so diverse and I commend the mixologist who came up with drinks I don't typically find at Asian restaurants in Mew England! They weren't your top, cliche cocktails, so I very much loved that. We ordered a bottle of sake for the table to share in addition to our specialty cocktails! We all loved our selections. The food is what we really came for, though and it was such impeccable quality of great Japanese classics found on Japanese menus in the Northeast. The beef Tataki, Haruma roll, A5 Wagyu, the mango roll (I think it was the Tropical roll but I could be mistaken), lamb chop and Yakitori sticks (super tender meats) were our favorites. We enjoyed everything, though! We will definitely be back for the other menu items! They ran out of gizzard and beef tongue, so we need to try those! read more

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Cocktails are great looking and delicious . Taste of Variety of appetizers we have eaten been satisfying combo of structure and flavor. read more

Tori Jiro - Eggplant Okra Pork Belly Unagi Eel - Japanese Near Me - Watertown, Massachusetts

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I came from California. I stopped by at Tori Jiro for dinner yesterday (Monday's evening). We sat at the bar, the waitress, Miew, served us. She was knowledgeable about food and cocktail. She recommended each items with her smiley face. I could feel her great service minded. Food & cocktails were great, delicious. Highly recommended !! read more

Tori Jiro - Lychee Matini - Japanese Near Me - Watertown, Massachusetts

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As authentic as being in Japan. Phenomenal food, would love to come back. Starters: Chicken thigh yakitori, gyoza, skewers Meal: Curry rice chicken karaage All of the order was fantastic - the curry rice chicken is a must try and liked the music as well playing in the background. Overall a nice find in Watertown and a favorite in the Yards now forsure. read more

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We've been here a bunch of times. We like to eat at the bar and have always gotten outstanding service. Diners who want to try the grilled offerings should be aware that the skewers are sold as individual offerings. This means you should be prepared to share multiple ones or get one for each diner, if sharing isn't your thing. This also means it might get a little pricey. Caveat emptor and all that. That being said, the flavors are really solid, but simple. For the skewers, most things are seasoned with salt and the smoke from the charcoal. Some items are glazed (tsukune, unagi) or some with wasabi or yuzu kosho. The tsukune come with a tare (sauce) with the option of adding a raw egg. You can use this sauce with the other items if you really feel you need extra sauce in your life. Soy sauce and ginger are also available with some items. When in doubt, ask! There are other standout items as well. We had the grilled scallops and grilled squid on our last visit. The scallops come on their own little grill, flames and all. If you are not great with your chopsticks skill, maybe get that before you have a lot of sake. The bar offers a strong sake list, in addition to beer and Japanese whiskeys. You can get the whiskeys in highball form (whiskey+soda water+lemon twist). The curry on offer is pretty standard Japanese curry (think S+B or Vermont), but goes well with the fries and on rice (yes, you should add the fried chicken :) ). For the ramen, I tend to stick with the salt flavor broth in the thick version. I like that when I've gotten delivery they pack the noodles separately from the broth and toppings so nothing sogs out. My only quibble is that a lot of times when I want to order some of the more esoteric chicken part offerings (skin, liver, gizzard, heart, cartilage) they are out. They did have the gizzard engawa on my last visit (sort of a firm bit near the end of the gizzard). The texture was fantastic and it was very well cooked. I wish more people wanted to order these parts so they would be in stock more often. This is the only reason I'm giving 4 rather than 5 stars. Overall, we love this place and look forward to going back! read more

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A plus was that I was able to get seats fairly quickly on a busy Friday night. Ambiance: slightly dark, loud, but chic Drinks: the waitress did not know much at all about the drinks. I asked her which was the purple, popular drink, and she had me order the incorrect one which was not very sweet or light. When I asked again, she did not know what I was talking about but I saw others in the restaurant with the drink I was speaking about. Food: tapas style, but it adds up quick. I felt like for the value and service, it wasn't great. The octopus balls were great. read more

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Came here last minute on a Friday evening and was seated basically right away! It seems like this place is well-known for its yakitori dishes, but I ended up getting their curry rice with chicken karaage. It was pretty solid actually, but I wish there were more vegetables or chicken karaage. I also ended up getting a drink here which was very yummy, I believe it was called the rising sun. The Rising Sun was really pretty and aesthetic looking. The drinks here are strong! My friend got the Tokyo Tea and she agreed; we ended up actually getting the Nori fries to share because of this. The Nori fries were just average in my opinion, they could've added much more Nori seasoning. We also got the Ika Karaage, which was crispy and delicious. Overall, I'd come back to try their yakitori dishes and Japanese sodas since they looked really good, but just a bit overpriced since they seemed small. read more

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Been looking forward to try this place for months, but the experience was underwhelming. The main issue is the food quality, the service was actually really great. Tried the Shoyu Ramen and not only was the meat like cold turkey meat from school lunches, but the broth barely had flavor and there was a ton of diced raw onion in it. Yakitoris were okay, don't get the Yuzu Pepper Chicken one. The Ika Karaage was by far the best one. Drinks were just okay. For the price point, the food should be a lot better. read more

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If you are coming here for the Yakitori and other Japanese dishes then this place isn't too bad. Unfortunately we weren't huge fans of the chicken broth-based ramen here. Parking is pretty abundant so worry not about driving here! Items we ordered as of 4/2022. - Pork Belly Yakitori - $4.5 each - This was great. Loved the char flavor from the grill! - Gyu Sagari - $5 each - The beef wasn't too bad. Wasn't impressed with the sauce however. - Fried Oysters ( KAKI ) - $12 - If you're an oyster lover then get this! Perfectly fried and went really well with the mayo and lemon. - Shoyu ( soy flavor ) clear base Ramen - $13 - Okay so this was our first time trying a chicken based ramen.... and it was kinda meh. My brain just snapped to "chicken noodle soup" and I couldn't shake that taste. The noodles themselves were perfectly cooked so no complaints there and it did taste a lot healthier than your typical pork based ramen. I just felt like something was missing. Also their "chicken char-siu" was essentially sliced chicken breast. Definitely not my favorite ramen. Overall I think we would have had a much better experience had we skipped the Ramen and focused on the Yakitori and other Japanese dishes. We may give it another try next time but I would definitely give the ramen a pass. read more

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Super cute and chic Japanese bistro restaurant. I enjoyed the Nigiri sushi ( standard sushi), spicy tuna hand roll with some yakitori flank steak,chicken wing and chicken thighs. And I had cucumber salad and the sliced beef... delicious! Everything was light and fresh that matched perfectly with my aperol Spritz Would totally come back here again. read more

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The food was excellent. I would have given them five stars if it hadn't been for the service. Delicious ramen, with different broths you could choose from. Definitely get an egg in your ramen (or more than one). Also order the scallops. Best scallops I've ever had. Exceptionally fresh. Re service: There was a manager looking guy that wasn't super nice regarding a trainee and seemed to be giving preferential treatment to some tables, according to my boyfriend. read more

Tori Jiro - Scallops - Japanese Near Me - Watertown, Massachusetts

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Decided to come here spontaneously on a Wednesday evening and made a reservation for two for 6:30pm. All the tables by the wall were taken, but we were given a high-top by the window. The restaurant never completely filled up, and we noticed two different parties come in, sit down, then leave without ordering. We got the Kikori Kitty and LeCHe High cocktails, which were tasty. They accidentally made my LeCHe High into a martini, which I didn't mind. For food, we got two Chicken Breasts with yuzu pepper, four Gyu Sagari, Takoyaki, and Curry Rice. Split between the two of us, we were definitely full. The meal ended up being a little more expensive than I'd expect but the food and drinks were delicious. I would definitely come back again to try more of the menu. read more

Tori Jiro - Japanese Near Me - Watertown, Massachusetts

Really expert techniques used in a variety of dishes in this relatively new joint in the Arsenal Yards development. Started with the poached okra, which was a cold dish. The sauce on top was bit too sweet, but the balance between tenderness and crispness of the okra was impeccable. How did they do that? Move to the chicken momo yakitori on a skewer. The meat was nicely seasoned, and juicy and tender, and just a touch of smokiness flavor. Moved to a variety of fried dishes. First the Ika Skewers, which are small mini squids (the ones with the small tentacles) skewered and deep fried. Extremely tasty, with an appropriate amount of cookedness for the squid. Then the Takoyaki octopus balls, which contained some starch (something like a fried potato texture) surrounding a few bits of octopus. The octopus was ever so slightly overcooked but the starch texture was nice, delicious, and creamy and rich. The outside was appropriately crispy, though I ate it too late after it was put on the table. The star was the chicken kara-age, essentially battered fried chicken; the meat succulent, the outside crispy, and accompanied with the appropriate mayo. The accompanying salads with yuzu dressing were a nice touch and provided some vegetable balance with the meal. Speaking of vegetables, more skewers (eggplant and okra) were ordered; both were excellent in cook and texture. The cook on one of the eggplant pieces was charred beyond my preference, but others might find it okay. There are makimono and other sushi options (somehow missing from their general website). The makimono yellowtail was excellent, the seaweed wrapper nicely soft but not too soggy, and the yellowtail was tasty without being too fishy. Perhaps the rice could have used a tad of work - not sure if it was too stiff or something, or maybe even a tad bit too gooey. The weakest of the meal was the dessert, which consisted of some fried rice mochi cubes with a side of two scoops of ice cream. The ice cream tasted more generic, and the cubes were too sticky. But the techniques on the savory dishes were equal to what one finds in solid Japan. Lucky to have this here in the Boston area!!! read more

It's not everyday that you find a cool yakitori spot in the US - especially in this area of Boston - so I was super excited when I saw Tori Jiro open a few months ago. I've been meaning to stop by since then, but apparently they're actually still in a 'soft opening' phase (according to their website), and their hours are quite limited at the moment, so it was a lucky moment when my schedule finally worked out for a weekday dinner with two of my friends. The interior looks amazing - clearly newly renovated (or built?), with a very chic/modern aesthetic - and when we arrived, all of the tables along the walls were busy. The three of us got seated at a large table, and we were joined later by another group of 4 at the other end - but it's definitely large enough that this didn't really bother us. We ordered a bunch of skewers down the menu - (would recommend this strategy - just to get a taste first before deciding which to order more of!). To be honest, nothing we ordered was short of delicious, but particularly memorable were the hanger steak - expertly cooked to melt-in-your mouth - the chicken meatballs, and the pork belly. We also had the chicken karaage which was also amazing - nicely fried without being too heavy, and the meat was so tender and juicy that we ended up ordering 2 plates! The accompanying mixed greens salad was also so delicious that it's worth a mention - fresh veggies with a perfect amount of a sweet dressing that just perfectly complemented the heavier, more savoury tastes of the meats. Gyoza was nice, too, but for the portion size and price I'm not sure if it was necessarily worth it, especially with so many other fantastic choices. My sole complaint was just that the service was quite slow and our servers were not the most attentive - it took ages for us to order, to get our food, to ask for the cheque, etc. That being said, all in all, everything was extremely delicious and inexpensive; and, even though their menu isn't the largest, there's definitely so many great choices, from skewers, shared plates, or even ramen (which I'll have to try next time!). I'm already planning my next visit :P read more

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I was excited to try this place out at Arsenal Yards since I've heard and seen a lot of good reviews and tasty pictures, but unfortunately, I was not impressed. I came here on a Friday night for dinner with a few friends. The table we were seated at had pipes dripping from above, so they allowed us to move tables since it wasn't too crowded yet. We ordered a variety of items from ramen, skewers - thigh & pork belly, appetizers - gyoza, karaage, calamari, and curry rice. Everything we had was good, but nothing stood out to be super amazing taste-wise. I definitely preferred the shoyu ramen since it had more flavor, but the shio ramen was light and refreshing. The crispy skin on the gyoza was different, very soft and thin. The karaage and calamari were crispy but lacked flavoring. Overall, Tori Jiro is good, but I would recommend trying out another restaurant in the area. read more

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I hate to say that I am spoiled, but I think i'm spoiled since I lived in NY for most of my life. The yakitori places in NY, especially around St. Marks really spoiled my taste buds. Tori Jiro is good but I believe there is room for improvements. One of our yakitori dishes were still cold in the middle (I assume they prep the skewers and refrigerate them). Friendly service and a nice addition to the Arsenal Yards complex. However, for the Boston area, i prefer to eat at Ittoku. read more

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Our food was delicious! The yellowtail sashimi melted in mouth and was so good I asked for a second order! Staff was friendly and checked up on us frequently. Some hiccups with service but they were very nice and doing their best. The portions of food are quite small so you will have to order a bunch of things. I recommend getting dessert, we also wanted the crispy rice and ice cream but they were sold out. I would definitely return! read more

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Went to Tori for the first time with friends. Upon entering, the host was very pleasant and seated us even though we did not have reservations. The inside of the restaurant had a great ambiance and was beautifully decorated. I had high hopes for the food but was a bit disappointed. We got a variety of items including: Pork belly Pork jowl Tsukune with egg told and tare dip Taki Wasa Ima skewers Chicken thigh and breast skewers (non pictured) The food was a bit salty for the most part. There was nothing special in taste and the price was a bit high. I was also not very full by the end of the meal although I spent a good amount. read more

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Had ramen and lichee martini and the flavors were amazing, service was great. Cozy vibes and not too busy during weekday lunch however I did get a reservation just in case. Would definitely recommend for ramen and drinks. Will be trying sushi next! read more

Tori Jiro - Shoyu Ramen (Soy Flavor) - Japanese Near Me - Watertown, Massachusetts

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Don't hate it but don't love it either. The waiter was very nice but the food was average. Yakitori: We got the chicken thighs, meatballs, and zucchini. The meat was tender and juicy but no carmelization. It was drenched in the sauce afterwards but it basically all tasted the same. Definitely not worth $3-4 per stick. Curry Donburi: The flavor was ok but it was lukewarm. Also the rice was not hot and had a shiny appearance as if it was sitting out for a while. Ika Karaage: Probably my fav dish in this meal! It was very crispy and tasty. Takoyaki: This was good too, maybe second favorite. I know they just opened so I'd be willing to try it again. But as of this first encounter, nothing special and definitely does not compare to the yakitori places I've grown up with in NYC/LA. read more

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This place is okay. They serve only ramen on chicken broth. The place is small you have to make a reservation otherwise you most likely will not be seated. The first time I came there with my friend everything was okay, the only problem was our server, he was rushing us even tho the place was almost empty. Right after we finished our ramen he brought us our check, however, we did not ask him for a check just yet. We told him that we want dessert, and he made a face and left. The second time we came there we were a party of 6. This time the server was good, he was friendly and he did not rush us. However, in the end, they messed up our checks. I do not know what is going on with their service but be aware that you either will be rushed like me the first time or they might mess up your checks. The food was good. read more

Tori Jiro - Shoyu - Japanese Near Me - Watertown, Massachusetts

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We've tried almost every spot in Arsenal Yards, and this was one of the last ones to eat at. . . I don't think we'll come back. I lived in Japan for many years, and I loved yakitori spots. The offerings and food here are very authentic. So, authentic that they have Japanese portions (aka teeny tiny!). My husband has eaten ramen all over Boston and said this one was meh. He prefers Sapporo Ramen in Porter Square or at Umi in Waltham. The portion was very small, he said, like a "kids' size." I got the tsukune and the eggplant - fine. They seem to charge for everything, even a dipping sauce. It's odd. The gyoza was cooked in an interesting way, but for $12, hmmmm, not amazing. The one thing I did really like was my son's Shrimp Tempura roll, but again, it's just overpriced compared to so many other spots around. Maybe it's because of the ambience. . . the restaurant is cute. The service was very attentive. But, we went next door to Roche Bros to get candy for the movie after, and both my husband and my son went for something savory because they were still hungry. read more

Servers can be trained a little better. They need to be more attentive and offer more suggestion instead of being hands-off. Food was good, typically yakitori type. Spicy seaweed salad was different, haven't seen it before. I liked it! Pork belly skewer is a must but I wish they would have some dipping sauce. The drinks list was impressive for an intimate place. I'd come back to try other dishes if I'm in the area again. read more

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Great service and great food. Sat at the bar for a quick bite to eat, loved the presentation of food and hands off the remainder of the service was. Table seared mackerel with blowtorch, which was a great experience. Overall food presentation was well thought out and meticulous. Chill ambiance for a relaxed afternoon. High recommendation for anyone in the area that loves sushi done well, and would like to just enjoy their own time or the time with their friends/guest they come with, with minimal interruptions. read more

What drew us in was the cool exterior. I'm a sucker for good ramen so we figured why not. We are seated almost immediately. The staff was super friendly and made us comfortable. The food came out fast and we were pleasantly surprised by the quality of the ramen even though it's presented very simply. Great taste and a good size portion, not too much and not too little. The Japanese sodas were kinda fun too. Worth a try for sure. Will definitely be back next time I'm in the area. read more

My family and I visit this restaurant frequently. we love this place so much the we drive over an hour to dine here. Tonight however was a different experience. After making the drive down we were greeted and sat. Once the waitress came over with water she told us the kitchen is closing at 9 tonight just to let you know with the current time being 8:55pm. clearly not wanting to be a bother we decided to leave. when leaving I asked could you please update your website due to the site saying open till 10pm and we just drove an hour to eat here. The waitress said oh we'll have a seat I was only saying that because we were slow and wanted to go home. Mind you their were other's currently dining at the time. If you didn't mind serving then why even say you are closings in 5 minutes. read more

Our visit encompassed welcoming staff and tasty food. The menu has a plethora of authentic offerings, as well as delicious cocktails - my Lycheetini was 5 star Lunch time was perfect, no need for a reservation. Something that was a pleasant surprise, were the French fries - not sure if that's Japanese but they were AMAZING! I'd highly recommend and would visit again. There are two parking garages nearby, very rare is there parking in front. read more

When I heard that they were opening a Tori Jiro in Massachusetts I was so excited to try because they only had it in NY before. I finally got to try this MA location and to my surprise it wasn't as good as the NY location. The price was pretty pricey and the quality of the food I would say 6/10. The food during the first round came out very slow and the second round it came out so quick. It was nice to try this location out. read more

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