Opening night! Outstanding yakitori omakase (reasonably priced at $150), designed by Master yakitori chef Yoshiteru Ikegawa of his famed restaurant, Torishiki, in Tokyo. In the Grub Street article today, "Food & Wine calls him the world's greatest yakitori chef." The omakase is supposed to be similar to the one in Torishiki. Go soon; Ikegawa san was here tonight. One of his chefs from his Tokyo restaurant, Yoshiteru Maekawa san, who prepared my omakase, will be in charge here. Go before reservations become very difficult. Excellent service Highest recommendation : 10 calendars Going again soon. Can't wait. read more

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This was definitely one of the best dinners I have ever had in New York City. I've lived here for many years and food is my vice. This month alone, we've been to Le Bernadin, Momofuku Ko, Jean Georges, and Per Se. One of our good friends used to run a concierge service and got word that Torien opened up. It was difficult to get reservations, because although it has only been open for a month, it's become incredibly popular. However, it was worth the wait to find an open slot. It's a chefs table, similar to momofuku ko, Chefs table at Brooklyn Fare, and Atera. The chefs cook yakitori in front of you, so it is an immersive experience. You eat different parts of the chicken--my favourites were the knee and shoulder! Everyday, the menu changes based on what meats they get in. The food was magnificent. It was BETTER than my experience at any of the chefs table restaurants I have ever been to, including Momofuku Ko! One of the employees there, Hoby, used to work at Sushi Nakazawa in DC. He was so knowledgeable about everything food and alcohol related. At the end of our meal, he gave us some sake to try. We usually don't drink alcohol, because we simply aren't used to drinking it (we never used to drink and now that we started, we haven't acquired the taste for it). He explained the nuances in the beverage and found us something we absolutely adored!! As much as the food and the experience was incredible, I can't say enough good things about the service. Hoby is a gem. The chefs are incredible. The manager was so kind. This was the BEST service I have EVER experienced at ANY restaurant in my entire life. I want to express the magnitude of this statement by mentioning that I am very well travelled and have eaten at over 20 3-Michelin star restaurants worldwide (and at least 60 2-Michelin star ones). This place is incredible. Thank you for one of the best meals we have had in a long time! read more

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I went here for the Michelin star. Everything was tasty, fresh, and juicy, and the service was pretty good, but I can't help but question the price tag. My husband and I spent 598 dollars total for two (gratuity was included). We each had a glass of wine and a beer + our meal. Surely chicken can't be worth that much? I'm shook. I'll be eating packaged ramen for the rest of the week. read more

Incredible dining experience. From the moment you walk in it feels like you've been transported to Japan. The service is incredible and the food is even better. Just be prepared to try different parts of chicken than you're used to -- I came in very worried about eating chicken heart but it ended up being one of the best parts of the meal. Highly recommend - especially for any fan of Japanese cuisine and culture. read more

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Clean decor and service. The food on the other hand is average. It's good but nothing deserving of another trip back. What lacked in the food was creativity. While there should be a dedication to providing "authentic" yakitori experience, there should also be a reason for a diner to look forward to going back for. At Torien, everything I had felt familiar and slightly less impressive than what I had elsewhere. read more

One of the best yakitori I have tried. From start to finish it was a treat, master chef and hat off to this place. Everything is perfect and meticulous, bravo. read more

The food is so good. Love the Yakitori omakase. We thought it's a Yakitori house , so I brought my son and my niece together. I can't believe they all finish them. They love Torien. So amazing read more

Service was great. Ambience was nice. Food was mediocre, plain, cheap ingredients, and nothing memorable. It was nice to try out merely for the experience but wouldn't come back or recommend to friends. Also my zucchini was burned and bitter - I'm not sure if they really didn't notice or purposely flip it to hid the charcoal side at the bottom. read more

Cooking is good and service is impeccable. However the menu is pricey considering the ingredient is just mediocre: broccoli, chicken breast and radish. The experience is great but it simply doesn't match 200$ per person. If you'd like a genuine yakitori experience it's worth a try but it's definitely overpriced. read more

Torien - Japanese Near Me - New York, New York

This yakitori spot is among the finest I've visited. Although it leans towards the pricier side, it's completely worthwhile. It's my favorite choice for special occasions, celebrations, and when I have guests to impress. read more

We've been wanting to try Torien for awhile because we love Torishin and thought it would be nice to try a new yakitori place. The atmosphere and food were both really great and met our expectations. All the ingredients were so fresh and each skewer was delicious. Highlights were the thigh, kawa, quail egg, and one of the specials that had egg and caviar. The oyako-don and ramen were both delicious too! Surprisingly the dessert which was a chestnut mont blanc was SO GOOD - maybe my favorite. The sake and drinks also met our expectations. Overall though it was quite expensive - way more than we pay at Torishin and we still prefer the taste and menu options at Torishin. Definitely recommend it for a special occasion and to try it at least once! read more

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Incredible. We arrived a little early for a 05:30pm reservation and killed time at Tom & Jerry's (cash only) bar until the doors opened. Everyone from front of house to the chefs preparing the meal were absolutely wonderful people. My fiancé and I have done plenty of omakase meals before in Portland and stupidly set our expectations slightly lower than the places we had eaten at before (Nodoguro, Le Pigeon), but we're absolutely blown away by all the dishes prepared for us. We would 100% return for the exact same meal paying the exact same prices; it was that good. Thank you all for your incredible work at your craft, we cannot recommend this place enough! read more

Torien - Japanese Near Me - New York, New York

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The food at Torien is quite good. It's high quality. Unfortunately there were a few things that stop me from giving an unconditional positive review - this is a weak 4 star experience, definitely not a 5-star experience. First, the food. Everything is pretty strong. Our 14-course menu came with three veggie skewers, seven poultry skewers, and four assorted others like fried tofu, pickled veggies, etc. The veggies were just ok - okra and brussel sprouts were two, and to be honest it's hard to make them stand out. The chicken and duck yakitori were excellent. The knee and duck breast in particular stand out as extremely strong, but each was very good. The fried tofu also stands out as an excellent item. I drank umeshu with the meal, and it was high quality. The negatives: The wait time is... really quite long. It took 2.5 hours to get through the omakase. When each course is a single small skewer, it's tough to wait 10 minutes between each course. The restaurant is only about 20 people, and it really seems like they should be able to move a bit faster. It detracted from the experience a bit. This may seem like a small complaint, and it is. But it gets at the other main obstacle: price. With a few drinks each, an optional dish added, and a mandatory 20% service charge, my meal was more than $500 for two people. That's very expensive... And that's fine! But if you're charging that much I'm going to have Michelin star expectations for the service and the food. And based on that tough standard, I'm not sure Torien really succeeded. The food was strong, but I'm not sure it was $500 Michelin level of good. The service was a bit slow. Overall I had a pleasant night with a very good meal, but I don't think I'll come back. There are better meals in this price range with a higher standard of service. A weak 4-star review. read more

I loved Yakitori in Japan, and the experience I/we had yesterday was a reminder of how great simple foods can be delicious with the right people behind the heat. If this place is even within striking distance of good within the OG in Tokyo, Torishiki, man, if I ever make it back, will give them my money for this food. We got to our reservation 15 minutes early and were able to seat us. The Started with a duck confit appetizer, followed by thigh, shoulder, pearl onion, heart, yukon gold potatoes, neck skin, a mashed potato/egg, shittake mushroom, wings, quail eggs, shin w/whole grain mustard, meatballs, paitan ramen and we added the esophagus and liver. There were many ~17 swings and zero misses, here. My personal favorites were the esophagus (if you can divorce the idea of the anatomy, it was fantastic), thigh, neck skin, shin, anything with egg and paitan ramen--so basically, everything. The eggs--whether in the mashed potato bowl, the ramen or the quail eggs, all with that distinct orange yolk that I have only consistently see in Japan--all fantastic. All pieces of the chicken pieces had intense flavor and great char. But that ramen--that ramen--one of the best bowls I've had. A simple, savory and smoky flavor of the broth with firm noodles--I wish I could order that separately. Service was attentive, but not overbearing. Minimalist and sleek decor. Watching the chefs fan the smoke when grilling the proteins was a nice extra during the experience. And, the toilet seat opens up when you enter the bathroom! Yeah, this entire jawn is expensive, but if you're even remotely interested, enjoy the adventure. read more

Wonderful yakitori, and awesome tea menu. In an ideal world I would live a Japanese neighborhood where I could go to an izakaya that serves this every day after work (for less than $50 because we're dreaming). Favorite bites were the chicken thigh and chicken breast skewers. Liver skewer was meh. read more

Food [5/5]: Each skewer was cooked perfectly. Superb use and timing in the cooking of each cut with bincho. The grated radish they give as a palate cleanser - amazing idea complimenting the dinner for a high end yakitori restaurant. Both rice dishes that you can order from the menu as an additional item were well seasoned and balanced as well. The order of meat coming out had no set order. I would notice parties who come before getting dishes that I myself have received already and vice versa. Service [3.5/5]: It was a little hectic when I dined with a fellow chef in the city. They had a huge party in the back which diverted resources and also caused the ambiance in the restaurant a little too loud. Other than that it probably would have been better if the party never dined during that time. Ambiance: Pretty relaxed, a lot of parties coming in as a solo diner to groups of 4-5. The pace just depends on how fast you eat. Price: $150 - worth it for the quality and technique in serving the Jidori chicken. Conclusion: Highly recommend the dinner here. The best yakitori in the city without a doubt. Definitely worth the price and the experience is great as well. read more

5 stars for service For almost $200 per person, you get 2 tiny pieces of eggplant, one shiitake mushroom, dessert with mostly whipped cream, and parts of chicken that can be bought at whole food for less than $5 (except heart and neck skin, but I doubt they cost more than $10 for each person)...so shame on me of not reading other people's reviews. If you want to get ripped off, this is the place to go. Oh, i think I'm gonna quit chicken for a week. And my partner got stomach flu read more

$$$$180pp + COVID recovery charge. Hands down the best yakitori I've had. The skewers have a unique smokiness flavor from the charcoal which is shipped over from Japan. The charcoal grill worked its magic especially on the veggies. The broccoli tasted nothing like the broccolis I've had before. Service was very attentive. read more

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My first time trying yakitori omakase and it was a blast. My family loved taking vacations in Japan so had many fond memories of eating yakitori with my dad late in the evenings. All seats are at the bar so you get to watch your food being made. Needless to say, every course was top-notch. My favorites skewers were chicken thigh, wing, and quail eggs. It is omakase so if you have any dietary restrictions or things you know you don't like make sure to let the servers know in advance. The chef was very kind and accommodating to change my cartilage to shitake mushrooms even I told them kind of late. There are four non-skewer dishes: a tofu dish at the beginning, shiso and mandarin orange shaved ice in the middle, a rice/noodle dish you can choose from, and dessert in the end. The chicken omelet rice I got was just perfect - running eggs, juicy chicken, charred scallions with umami soup. I know it is a luxury and definitely can't come here too often but overall a very worthy experience once in a while! read more

Torien - Chicken omelette rice - divine - Japanese Near Me - New York, New York

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I think it's the best Yakitori I ever had in the city. However, I do find the price a bit too steep for the food. Yes, it's quite tasty, but $250-300 all in per person for chicken skewers is a bit too much for me. read more

Great ambiance, and service. I really enjoy most of the meats. The grill veggies are done very well, very juicy better than I had expected. I just wish all the chicken dishes had a little more flavor to it. Everything is very mild and light. read more

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Absolutely some of the best yakitori ive ever had. Extremely well prepared and carefully thought out menu. Chefs and staff are incredibly friendly and professional. Omotenashi in nyc at its best. Everything was delicious but neck skin stood out of the crowd. You won't be disappointed. read more

Amazing yakitori experience. Dinner is omakase style, everything they serve is cooked to perfection. Great serves also, perfect for celebrating something special (or good food). read more

So I made a reservation and had to cancel because of a stomach ulcer (had to go to hospital) then they charge me $700???? Wtf this place is such a scam read more

I recently came here for my birthday dinner and I had a wonderful experience. Everyone here was so pleasant and made me feel like the guest of honor. I've never heard of or had yakitori omakase before so I figured why not? It's my birthday and I should treat myself. I won't go into the individual skewers. Instead I'll note the standout ones. This isn't to say the ones I don't mention were not bad, it's just some were better. One thing to note, if they run out of something, you will get something else. Not everyone gets the same things. Most of the items are the same, but some might be different depending on what's fresh. Brussels sprouts - delicious. Same for the mushroom skewers. Wings - absolutely delicious too. I admit it didn't look like much when I first got it, but it was so good. I think this was my favorite skewer. I also really enjoyed the heart and gizzard. The neck was also really good. I loved all of the special salts for dipping. That was unique. I just wish they were a little better in explaining to us to use that since they didn't mention it at first. To clean your palate, they have radish for you. You can also ask for refills. We also tried some of their add on's. The night we were there, it was the Tori Chazuke and the Soboro don. I would give the Tori Chazuke a pass. It wasn't memorable and didn't taste like much. The Soboro don was good, but also didn't wow. I was really hoping they would have the ramen add on, but alas, they didn't. It also looks like they raised the price of the add on's from opening until now. If it wasn't for these add on's and not meeting my expectations, I would give this place 5 stars. I would say come for the experience. I wasn't as wow'd as I thought I would be. Trust me, I love a great skewer, but I've had better in terms of some of the pieces in NYC and also in Japan. For example, there was a random little Japanese grandpa outside of the Fushimi Inari gates grilling skewers on a makeshift stand. There was a line of school children waiting so I had to get in line too. That was the best skewer I've had in my entire life. The skewers here were great for the most part, but was lacking something. That said, the overall dining experience was great in terms of service, ambiance and food combined. It's great to come here with someone special, to experience what omakase is like, especially if they don't eat sushi or if a trip to Japan is not possible. Time to make a trip to their sister restaurants in Japan to compare. Thanks for a lovely birthday meal and for your hospitality. The friendliness and sincerity of the workers here was truly Japanese. read more

The yakitori looks amazing and I would love to dine here, but alas am unable to solicit any response to a courteous single seat inquiry via email or DM. Have any other solo diners had the same experience? read more

Great service + atmosphere + presentation. All of the dishes tasted great, however... Considering that the bulk of the meal was made up of chicken (which is a very low cost ingredient), including parts that typically no one wants like heart and gizzard, I feel slightly ripped off. And, the lack of a "star" dish leaves me feeling a little unfulfilled at this price range. read more

I had a fantastic meal there. Service was very gracious and the food was amazing. The special charcoal gets so hot that all the chicken skewers I had were so juicy and flavorful. It's my favorite place for yakitori in NYC by far. read more

I just finished dinner at Torien with my husband and it was fantastic. The meal was spaced out perfectly and each bite was better than the last. The same selection was great and the staff helped us choose two different sakes to enjoy throughout the meal. The service is top notch and the attention to detail is exactly what you would expect, even down to being handed a hot towel when you return to your seat after using the bathroom. I highly recommend giving this place a try if you like yakitori as it will probably be the best you've had (at least here in the states). There are a few bites that are a bit more for the adventurous type (chicken heart/gizzards) but those were as delicious as the rest. My husband even had to order seconds of the crispy chicken neck. We ended up chatting with the staff and chefs long after the meal ended, and they are super friendly. We will definitely be back for a repeat meal! read more

This is an amazing restaurant. The food is exquisite, the chefs are great at interacting and the service staff is 5 star. The resturant's ambience is amazing. What stops the 5th start - there is no liquor on the menu and you can not BYOB liquor. I know that this in a NY State issue, but to not be able to enjoy a Japanese whiskey while dining here is a real shame. read more

Amazing service and a truly beautiful place. Decor and furniture simply gorgeous. The staff was extremely attentive and super kind. The food was ok but I didn't walk away feeling the rush or need to come back. Nothing really stood out and I struggle to point to a skewer I'll remember or crave. I can't say it was bad but I simply expected more and the hype may have been at fault there. I won't return again & will continue to be a regular at the other 2-3 venues I've been frequenting over the last 10 years. I'm sure Torien will get better with time however and wish them only success. read more