Came on a Saturday afternoon. Love the decor and the katana sword when you first walk in. We got seated immediately. We ordered the crunchy cabbage, marinated cucumber, crispy garlic potatoes, mushroom Tempera, a variety of skewers including the washugyu & shishito and scallop bacon and pumpkin (you can choose fried or grilled, I chose grilled styled) and the champon noodle bowl. The food comes out very fast. The cucumber was alright though I was not a fan of the WakuWaku sauce overly sweet. The cabbage was delicious but lacked flavor. Huge portion though. Then came out the skewers. The pumpkin was cold. I wasn't a fan of the washugyu & shishito one. And the scallop bacon was just eh, didn't really notice the bacon on it. Everything tempera one were my favorite. I loved the potato tempera it was perfectly fried. Esp. with the spicy miso sauce, it was fire, I was dipping everything in it. And the mushroom was even better. Enoki mushroom was delicious. Careful with the chicken karaage it comes out HOT. Massive pieces so good and juicy. Great portion. The noodle bowl is bigger than your head so I advise to only get one if you're sharing portions. I like the flavor of the soup, very soothing. Good collagen boost too! Lots of seafood in it. Perfect soup for a cold rainy day like we experienced. Theres miso cod was good but have had better. Honestly everything was good. I would just not get the cucumber dish and the skewers we ordered next time. They have some also have tatami rooms if you want more of a traditional Japanese style like restaurant. Overall, good experience. I would come back and try the tatami experience just with avoid a few dishes. read more

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Wakuwaku is honestly one of the best parts of Industry City's Japan Town. It can get busy but usually it's pretty accessible, and not nearly as claustrophobic as their main dining hall. The food is good, above average and notable for the range they offer more than anything. The speciality here is the skewers, which range from organ meat to basic white meat. But they're always perfectly cooked and really satisfying, especially if you go in a small group. I'm also a huge fan of their nabeyaki udon noodle soup. The broth is SO. GOOD. It's above and beyond your basic udon soup, really flavorful and hearty -- I think it's the brown mushrooms. I'm not normally one to rave about udon, but it just really blew me away. All the ingredients are fresh and tasty, really, which also helps. read more

I can not believe the amount of times I have been to Japan Village in Industry City and I constantly skipped by this restaurant!!! It's very easy to miss Wakuwaku unless you're looking for it. Wakuwaku is a cozy and nice izakaya. There is a bunch of seating and two bars - which is cool. They have a variety of food - ramen, chicken or pork katsu, small bites such as yakitori and karaage. We ordered: - Panko-crusted, deep-fried cheese (which was my favorite and super delicious!!) - Tonkatsu - Corn Tempura - Homemade vanilla ice cream with matcha powder I consider this place a nice hidden gem in Industry City. read more

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Good Japanese food and lots of space, but can be tricky to find inside Industry City. On a random Saturday evening after a group hangout with some friends, we decided to wing it with two of our friends and their kids. We had never been to this restaurant, nor even heard of it, but, after seeing the number of customers come in to dine, we felt extremely fortunate to have gotten a table at 5:30pm on a busy Saturday night. It seems a majority of folks reserved their tables, but we were lucky enough to have been seated immediately as walk-ins. Honestly, on the cold, early evening that it was, this was the PERFECT dinner spot. The restaurants layout was very interesting as there are some tables right by the entrance, then deeper into it. If you walk by the restrooms, there's a whole "modern" section of the restaurant that doesn't even seem like it's part of the restaurant. As for the menu, it was very diverse and quite overwhelming actually. There were numerous Japanese appetizers and entrees consisting of yakitori, vegetables, seafood, meats, noodles, deep-fried dishes - you name the Japanese dish, they had it. Unfortunately, I didn't get to try much of the food, other than what I ordered for myself, since our friends and their kids had their own foods and we had ours, so my review is mostly based on the atmosphere and this one entree, which was the Nabeyaki Udon. The udon came with shrimp tempura, chicken, shiitake, fish cake, chinese cabbage, green scallion and egg. Oddly, the shrimp tempura was fully immersed into the udon soup, so it was very soggy. My preference was to have it on the outside or only partially submerged to keep it crispy at least Nevertheless, the udon was good, especially on this cold, freezing evening. With all that was happening around with our kids and also conversing with our friends, it was sort of challenging to focus on what I was eating, but, one thing I can say is that it hit the spot! Everything was good, not much to complain about other than the soggy tempura. What we did love as well was that the restaurant offered a kids meal set (Okosama) for $10 for kids 5 and under. It included onigiri, vegetables, fruit, kurobuta sausage, chicken karaage and a dorayaki dessert, which my son absolutely DEVOURED. It was a nice hodgepodge of things so that we didn't have to think too much about what to order for our kids. If we're in the area, we would definitely love to give them another shot. Like I said, unfortunately, I didn't get to try enough foods to give a more well rounded review, but nothing about our experience, nor what I observed, would tell me anything other than the fact that this is restaurant that serves very, very good Japanese food that is well deserving of repeat trips. read more

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We go to Japanese village a lot and I was always curious to get the sit down restaurant outside, so we decided to get Waku Waku. The staff was very friendly and courteous and the atmosphere in the restaurant was nice, and they had a sushi bar. My first choice was off of the sushi menu which eat unavailable to order when we went, so I ordered the salmon teriyaki. It was really delicious but I wish it came with some white rice. Still, it was cooked to be beautifully flaky and the sauce was very tasty. The dishes my partner ordered were more hit or miss, but we did also like the agedashi tofu! read more

Wakuwaku - Izakaya Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

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Visited on a Thursday night for a friend's surprise birthday dinner. Staff were nice and lovely - they were able to store the cake to keep the surprise. I felt that the overall experience felt a bit off. My water cup was cracked, which leaked every time I took a sip. The waitstaff had to check back and forth frequently to confirm availability of items, as several menu staples were out of stock. The sushi bar only had salmon sashimi. The bar was also unable to make certain drinks due to missing ingredients. My group stuck to drinks and tapas. I'd recommend the chicken karaage and the chef's choice yakitori - both were flavorful and well-prepared. read more

Very greedy establishment. They overcharge for any little thing in the "special" room. Food is basic and blame and no real good cocktail options. There are better options throughout the buildings, suggest you support them instead. read more

After hanging around Industry City, we were looking for a spot to eat. We wanted a more intimate sit down meal instead of the food court, so ended up here. The space is nicely designed like if you're in Japan including tatami tables for big groups , which is pretty cool. The two of us were seated at the counter with a view of the open kitchen. The menu ranges from yakitori to sushi to bentos. I opted for the Mini Salmon Ikura Donburi ($16) while the boyfriend had the Chicken Katsu Cutlet ($12). The chicken came first and my boyfriend was already halfway down before the salmon came, which I found strange. Why would something that requires deep frying take longer than something that's raw? Anyways, the food is decent. Nothing amazing, nothing bad. read more

Wakuwaku - Salmon Ikura Mini Donburi Bowl. - Izakaya Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

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Food was delicious! Unfortunately this was one of the worst service experiences I've had in years, enough to make me crack my yelp account open again. The service was essentially nonexistent-- after we initially placed our order, our waitress never came to check on us again. We had to chase random servers down throughout our meal to receive basic things like tap waters & sodas (came 40 mins into the meal). They also forgot one of our entrees, and because we had no staff tending to us we had to eventually get up to let them know. Even paying was a painfully slow process, and we yet again had to chase people down for both the bill then again to process it. We chose to pay in cash, and they were disatisfied with the 15% tip we left (pretax amt) and told us they "gave us the wrong receipt". it was updated with a mandatory 20% gratuity which we paid to the cent. All of this happened without an apology or explanation ever being given. It was entirely frustrating & compounded to quite an unpleasant experience, which is a shame because the food was really tasty! I totally understand it being a busy time, but recieving zero attention besides the initial contact point feels pretty ridiculous. On top of that, the mix up with the bill left us feeling strong -armed into giving a super generous tip for extremely lackluster service. This place needs to focus on training its staff to perform basic services. We didn't want anything more than simply what was ordered, but because we sat in the corner table we ceased to exist. A note for next time... read more

Service was great and extremely accommodating. We were a big party of 12 and they gave us the nice long tatami room Where we all Fit very well. Food was good, great selection something for everyone. Will be back! read more

Came here to try. My steak was done very well. Cooked well and the seasoning was pretty good. The miso was too salty so I skipped that. The salad dressing was good flavor but too much on the salad. The katsu was meh. But not a bad find read more

Wakuwaku - Izakaya Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

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This is a nice place to sit down and eat in industry city, located right outside of Japan Village. The skewers and fish were pretty good but I've had better. The chicken wings also tasted good but was a bit too salty. My favorite was the salmon ikura mini don, I would come back just for this. The waitress was very nice but service is kind of slow on Saturday. read more

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I've been to Wakuwaku a few times and always loved the food, so I brought friends for the first time--but the service was terrible. Our server (never introduced himself) was rude, snatched menus from our hands, and refused to accommodate a shrimp allergy with a simple substitution. He ignored us most of the night, took away our plates even though we were sharing food, and didn't seem to know how to use the card machine. The place was clearly understaffed, and the table next to us waited 20+ minutes just to pay. Great food, but the service completely ruined the experience. read more

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Came here on a Wednesday evening at 5pm and it was empty. We asked to be seated in a private room & they said no since we don't have rvsp unless we pay extra but the restaurant was empty. We opted out of that. Since it's greater than 6ppl in our party they wouldn't split the check so it's an automatic 20% gratuity added. Horrible service, I was not happy at all. Food sizes was such small portion. Some of us ordered 2-4 things per person read more

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Didn't even wait for our food. Service Was terrible. The two guys seating everyone are ridiculous. Dumb and dumber Though the location is good. Just very disappointed with service. Thirty minutes of our day waiting only to walk out. read more

Came here on a lively night out in Industry City. First time patronizing this place. Had some great food in the food court so wanted to see what Wakuwaku was about. We ordered various yaki skewers. Those were fine. Had gyoza which lacked the crispness of proper gyoza elsewhere. These gyoza were a bit rubbery. Strange. Cabbage salad is raw cabbage massaged or rested with oil. Just be warned. Crunchy yes but the big pieces feel too big, even with dressing to add flavor. We got tuna rice which was made with regular rice, not sushi rice. Soba dipping noodles were not firm. More soft. Cold udon was good if lacking in the accessory vegetables that go with it. Service felt a bit inattentive. Each time we had to flag people down for water, additional ordering, check, beer, more water etc. never asked how the food was. Would not come here again. Try the food court, Less expense but better quality. read more

The food here is excellent, the service is excellent and the ambiance is perfect. I love coming here for dinner or brunch on a lazy weekend. Walk around Industry city and go here for food and a drink. read more

My family and I came here on our first visit to industry city. It was a cold day, and we were hoping for some hot food to warm us up. Unfortunately, the service was incredibly slow. It was clearly not a good sign that we were not only waiting for a table, but waiting for someone to come over to seat us (as per the sign) for a little over 8 minutes. The restaurant wasn't full either, but given that it was a weekend afternoon, perhaps they were short staffed. We wanted to order as soon as we sat down, given we'd had time to look at the menu while waiting in the front. Second bad sign, the first few things we wanted to order (notably, the pork belly & short ribs) they said they had no more of. I almost wish we were told this before even being seated. We quickly scan the menu to see what else to order, but we were now about 20 mins in, and haven't put our order in yet. A few things, our server had to run back to the kitchen mid-order to check if they still had stock. We settled on a cold ramen bowl, some yakitori, and a Waku waku Champon (a warm ramen soup dish with thin pork straps, seafood, veggies, and mushrooms). Our selections were okay, nothing to write home about. (Maybe by that time, I was slightly irritated and hungry.) The Yakitori was small for the price ($3-5 per bite-sized skewer), but that may be the cost of Izakayas these days. If you are watching your budget, be aware, the tab adds up quick. read more

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So our favorite has to be the chicken teriyaki and ribeye teriyaki! Both were incredibly savory and moist, cooked perfectly and paired beautifully with a fresh bowl of white rice. The ribeye at 28 bucks was pretty expensive, but definitely tasted amazing and cooked perfectly medium rare with a good portion of fat to lean ratio! The miso black cod was also incredibly delicious and soft, highly recommend it! Our least favorite has to be the udon, which came with an over cooked egg and soggy tempura; I think it would have been better if placed on the side instead of in the broth. The chicken skin skewer are our favorite yakitori at Wakuwaku hands down. Just like Anya in Spy x Family, this place will make you say "Wakuwaku!" c(: read more

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Home to Japan Village, Industry City has your staple Japanese restaurants and stores; Wakuwaku is the Izakaya representation of Japanese cuisine here at the location. Taste: 3.5/5 Value for Money: 3.5/5 Ambience: 3.5/5 Service: 4/5 We had: 1) Saba Mackerel: Very salty and does not come with rice, recommend to have something to eat with (not for faint of heart) 2) kurobuta sausage: Like a sweet Asian sausage (adopted by Taiwanese sausage) great as a snack and with rice given the bold sweet flavours 3) Unagi Don: is what it sounds like, pieces of Eel on a bed of rice, rather standard 4) Seafood tempura: This one is a recommended item for those who like soft shell crab or want to try! 5) Nabeyaki udon: Good ol Udon, can't go wrong with this one here 6) Chef's choice of grill: I thought this would be a value play, not exactly given the choices, that said would recommend selecting the things you like! All in all, there's a lot of unpack here but you can't go wrong with the food when looking for a quick bite in the area! read more

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Was walking around Japan Village in Industry City, and this was one of the more spacious options for lunch. Separated as it's own restaurant to the side, this place offers plenty of seating and an extensive menu. After taking a couple seats at the bar, ordered the Saison they had in bottle ($13.50) as well as a sake ($10.50). Saiaon is not bad, tart and not too sour. The sake tasted like lemon drop shot; not bad. For food, ordered the Takowasa ($5) as a starter - a mix of wasabi and diced octopus. I like the wasabi mixture yet the octopus had a very firm+frozen taste. Main entree is the Garlic Shrimp & Broccoli ($12) - a generous portion of shrimp and broccoli swimming in a garlic sauce. Again, the shrimp didn't taste very fresh; the overall taste in the sauce was good however. Service is up and down. We got seated immediately but our entrees came at different times. Fine if in a pinch in the area. read more

Wakuwaku - Garlic shrimp broccoli - Izakaya Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

Yakitori was delicious. Absolutely love the negima and the pumpkin. Wide selection of sake is a plus. They even had the new Dassai Blue. Service was friendly. Ambiance is chill. Not sure why this place doesn't have more good reviews! read more

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Beautiful decorations Fast and friendly staffs Will come back again when I am available read more

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Located near Japan Village, we had discovered this place while walking around the outside of the main warehouse building. Although we went on a holiday, it was not too difficult getting seats as the restaurant was mostly empty when we had arrived around noon. The menu can be best described as the "greatest hits" of typical Japanese food which included skewers, deep fried skewers, cooked fish, sushi, noodles, and meat dishes. I'm not a big fan of this since I would rather places be the master of something specific, then the jack of all trades, especially when it comes to Japanese food. We ordered: * Chef's choice 5 skewers * Fried quail eggs * Fried pumpkin * Miso Black Cod lunch set * Crispy garlic potatoes * Uni Kroquette Every item was quite average, with my favorite being the miso cod. Nothing was bad, but the best way to describe this place is that it's just generic Japanese food without any spectacular fanfare. read more

I have always wanted to eat here since it opened. Yesterday, we finally dined here. Staff was wonderful, super friendly and attentive. Decor and atmosphere was nice. My sister & I were very disappointed with the quality of the food. I would not even call this place authentic, it was extremely mediocre Americanized Japanese foods. We ordered to share: 1) Draft Sapporo Beer, 2) Cheese kushiage (fried panko breaded cheese), 3) Corn Tempura w/ matcha salt, 4) Mushroom Yaki Appetizer, 5) Seafood Tempura (2 piece of shrimp, half a crab, 1 piece of shishito pepper), 6) Yakitori (we ordered: Hotate Scallop, Squid leg, Shisito, Enoki). Draft Sapporo Beer - This item ordered anywhere draft is always so delicious and refreshing! Cheese kushiage (fried panko breaded cheese) - This entree has 3 pieces of cheese. If you eat this right away, it was very delicious as it was crunchy on the outside & nice and cheesy on the inside. We liked this item, but it was nothing special. Corn Tempura (w/ matcha salt as a dipping condiment) - This item was ok. It was just basically corn & tempura + once you dip it on the matcha salt, it becomes salty corn tempura. This item was also not that special. Mushroom Yaki appetizer (marinated mixed mushroom steamed in a foil packet) - This item was one of the worst! We were so disappointed. It lacked flavor, where was the marination? It tasted like steamed mushroom and nothing else. Maybe add butter or something to this item to make it more flavorful. **I DO NOT RECOMMEND ANYONE ORDER THIS! Seafood Tempura (2 piece of shrimp, 1/2 a crab, 1 piece of shisito pepper) - this item was also very disappointing & one of the worst! I also do not recommend anyone to order this. It was soggy and not crunchy, and not flavorful. Yakitori (we ordered: Hotate Scallop, Squid leg, Shisito, Enoki) - One of the worst yakitoris I have eaten so far. They were all not grilled well & soaked w/ too much soy sauce/marination. It was so soggy and super salty. We are still very disappointed because we thought this izakaya would be authentic or at least close to it. I will stick to eating the food at the food courts. read more

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I visited with my friend for my birthday. She suggested Wakuwaku as it would fit my interests. As soon as we walked in, the feeling of being in an Izakaya was surrounding us. Seeing an authentic Japanese style tatami area definitely captured the theme. We were seated right away and handed menus. We ordered a lot of small dishes. Kurobuta sausages, karaage chicken, fried octopus, Japanese pickles, and mackerel sushi. The food came out fast (the mackerel took a little while), but did not come at the cost of quality or flavor. Everything was delicious and the fried items weren't oily. Once the mackerel sushi came, we were feeling full. However, the sushi was not heavy. The flavors were light and the real wasabi added a tangy punch to the palate. Overall, this place was fantastic! I will definitely come back again! read more

Wakuwaku - Kurobuta Sausage - Izakaya Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

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The service has no problem. My husband brought me here for date night, he said that he went here few years ago with his friend and wanted to go back with me. However the food is very disappointing, we picked out a few things and some asked for the waiter's recommendation. My husband said it was different than what he had last time, the food...I had no words for it...no wonder there's very little ppl on a Saturday night. I don't see it last long if it's not going to have any improvements soon. read more

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Found this Japanese restaurant in the Industry City and decided to give it a try. Got there at 6pm on a Sunday and saw a few empty tables but the receptionist said it would be about 45 minutes wait. I put my phone number down and shopped while I was waiting. Received a text message said the table was ready in 10 minutes which was not bad. Went back to the restaurant, was greeted with a Mexican waiter, who made my dinning experience unpleasant. I ordered a few things and he asked that was all I ordered? Then I asked him any recommendations, and he said he doesn't know what I like. His attitude was very rude, and when I said well I guess that was all I ordered then. Then he just said a bunch of skewers that he liked. I ordered a few. He never bought a hot water that I asked for, didn't bring the drinks we ordered, never stopped by to ask how was the food. A donburi took a long time to come, and when I checked with him, he said they are working on it in a rude manner while not all the tables were filled. To be honest, the skewers tasted good except the wagyushu beef and Okra, the okra was so old and unchewable. Other food feels like a food court type of food, nothing special. When we asked for a check, the Mexican server brought the check and stood right next to me with the digital machine looking at how many tips I will give. Well, I was nice enough to give him 15% which he doesn't deserve it. Will not go back again. Good servers really make a difference. I normally don't write review, but when I do, you know how bad it is. The two stars are for the receptionist and the skewers. read more

Wakuwaku - Wagyushu beef and okra, hotate scallop, pork belly, beef tongue - Izakaya Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

We had a birthday lunch here in the Tatami room 2d ago and what a great experience! Major upsides were the server was very attentive (kudos also to the support staff especially the elderly gentle Japanese gentleman who seemed like a manager), very gracious, the food was all very good, the Tatami room is superbly private (still good during peridemic), and everything was maintained and cleaned very well from utensils to room. The food is very good! We were a party of 8 so had a wide array from their famed yakatori (grilled meat skewers of so many varieties of meats and seafoods), udon (delish, suitable for kids), spicy ramen (unusually spicy, delish, wonderful), more grilled meats (all great), ice cream (all handmade indeed with particularly great flavors and the panacotta was so very enjoyable). No sushi, note, which was totally fine for us. A few downsides were big small on portions (quality over quantity), a sharp sign on which I scored my hand (this needs to be replaced!), the server gave huge unwanted pressure to have the kids all seated at all times which is unrealistic, and limited menu (though they do very well). We want to particularly praise all the staff, they're so super attentive including servers who weren't our primary one, but were always attentive and gracious. Truly they make this happen everyday so praise be to them. Overall, we'd come again for the same which was lovely, thank you to all the staff who made it happen! read more

I've been to Waku Waku a few times and it's always a nice experience. The wait staff is friendly and the food is pretty good. It's on the pricier side, but everything in Industry City is. There is a decent selection of vegetarian-friendly options on the menu, which is much appreciated. There are plenty of tables and bar seating inside and a "outdoor-indoor" seating between the building courtyard. read more

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This is my go to sit down place in industry city. It is kid friendly, food is yummy and they have Japanese beer on draft. I highly recommend getting the kid's menu set for your little ones - if they are into eating like the rice ball, fried chicken, fruit, hot dog and spring roll - they will eat this food. But the best thing is the parent have choices in cocktails, beers and sake!!! Oh yeah!!! We got chicken hearts, beef tongue and quail eggs - usual skewer fare. I got the salmon mini Don - yummy! Delicious read more

I'm giving a 2 generously because I've eaten here before and love the food. But today Nov 3rd, post marathon when IC was oddly empty and silent, we wanted to take two visiting friends to enjoy the food at your establishment. This was at 4:30pm and we politely asked for a Tatami space as the restaurant was almost empty. No, we did not have a reservation. We were a table of 5. The manager was called and we were told by the manager he could accommodate this, but only with a $40 up-charge. He would not budge on this. Sadly we left a place we have loved to eat at and bring friends and family to over the years. We went to Ishi Omakase Sushi in Park Slope, had a wonderful dinner and spent north of $800. Wakuwaku, please tell me how this policy is considered by you to be good business? We are five food lovers who will now never bring our friends or family to your establishment. So again, how is this a 'good business policy' for you. Sincerely, Disappointed in Industry CIty read more

Been hearing good things about this place, so me and my girlfriend went to check it out ourselves. Cute simple decorations felt like homely feel to it. Got greeted by the host and the manager. Super friendly that's a plus, they were nice enough letting us in a few minutes earlier before they opened. Unfortunately they don't have any happy hours, also They don't have any menus out. You just need your phone to get the menu from the QR code on the table. But the good thing is you could pay your check on your phone instead of waiting for a waiter or waitress to get to you We ordered a couple of things to try. - Fried Garlic potatoes (it has no garlic taste to it) - Hot green tea (free of charge/ free refills , but first round of the tea it had NO TASTE OF GREEN TEA . Tasted like flavor water. on the 2nd refill started getting the taste of the green tea itself ) - eel over rice ( on the menu it says it comes with 2 sides salad and pickle ginger, when i told the waitress she looks confused and told the manager to come talk to us. He told me that was ONLY for the lunch menu, but when i showed him the menu for dinner that's what it says comes with 2 sides. I also asked the waitress to bring more eel sauce she gave me soy sauce ‍. Is it possible to over cooked eel? Bc my eel tasted rubbery wtf ) - seafood tempura comes with soft shell crab, 3 shrimp tempura, peppers, it was eh not great great it's more like eh..) - cheese tempura - nabeyaki udon ( it was supposed to be chicken udon but my friend's chicken was under her udons. Who puts toppings under the noodles and not on top. Wtf so not worth it) - corn tempura (i gotta say it looks pretty, but it was more dough than corn itself. The matcha salt you taste salt instead of the matcha ) Overall we try it and hate it, everything about it. Definitely NOT COMING BACK. Everything we ordered was so disappointed. The food court inside Japan village would be alot better read more

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Came here after a meeting to treat myself. Spent $45 for a beer as it was the only thing that was good. I ordered yakitori-Chicken thigh, young duck, and pork belly. The chicken was undercooked and bland. The duck, was chewy and bland, and the pork, I was afraid to try. I watched the cook make the Yakatori and put it on the service shelf, but I didn't get it until 11 minutes after he dropped it in the window. Also ordered Short Rib Special (short rib over truffle mashed potatoes. The short rib came over, but instead of letting me know they can't do the truffle mashed, they sent rice and tried to offer potato salad as the replacement. I explained I wanted hot food and asked for the $8 crispy garlic potatoes. There was some pushback, but they eventually let me order it as a replacement. It was 4 slim potato wedges. (Barely makes up half a potato) this was $8. Are you kidding me? I barely ate the short rib as it was bland and fatty and room temp. I packed the rest of the food to take home and try to spruce up as leftovers as I already spent $40+. Definitely NOT worth the money. I left hungry, unsatisfied and disappointed. read more

Wakuwaku - Shirt rib, yakatori- chicken thigh, young duck and pork belly - Izakaya Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

Wakuwaku is a Japanese izakaya located in Industry City's Japan Village. Note that this is a dine-in only restaurant and they do not offer takeout. The restaurant is located away from the Japan Village food court and a good option if you can't find seating or don't want to be cramped inside that crowded food hall on a busy Saturday. The restaurant is cute and have private rooms for larger groups in traditional Japanese dining seating. The outdoor dining is very spacious as well. Wakuwaku offers contactless menu/ordering but if you'd like to order with a waiter, that is also an option. I opt to order on my phone by scanning the QR code at my table. Everyone at your table can also scan the code for the menu and add to the order. At the end of the meal, you may check out and pay online as well. It's a pretty cool option, especially for pandemic times. We ordered a salmon ikura mini donburi bowl, tuna mini donburi bowl, pork katsu cutlet bento lunch set, chef's choice of yakitori (5 skewers), clams, and grilled squid. The salmon and tuna mini donburi bowls are indeed mini and the rice to sashimi ratio is lacking. However, the fish was delicious. The chef's choice of yakitori skewers was disappointing. I should've selected my choices and ordered a la carte. Chef's choice were scallop, squid, chicken gizzard, tomatoes and brussel sprouts. I did not care for the latter two. However, Chef's choice changes daily and even with each order because I saw someone else order chef's choice and they got better skewers than I did! The kitchen was a bit backed up and everything came out sporadically, instead of all at once. Unfortunately, the squid and clams didn't even come after we've long finished our main entrees, so we cancelled them and paid the bill. Overall, I thought the place was just OK -- nothing impressive, especially for its price. read more

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Been wanting to stop by Japan Village for some time now to see how the food is and honestly, it's pretty average at best. The izakaya decor here is great - traditional with lots of space for people to drink and eat. The food here wasn't anything to write home about. The yakitori skewers were cooked well as were the fried skewers but let's face it, these kinds of foods can only taste so good. We also got the mini tuna don where was a bit disappointing for $14 per bowl as the fish quality was ok but they used regular white rice and not sushi rice. Service here is very good but prices are a stretch IMO. 2 people can easily spend $100 and leave hungry. If I'm spending that, I'd prefer to be on St. Mark's Place. Great to try once but not likely coming back. read more

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This place is so easy to miss, but I'm glad I was able to make it in for lunch. The ambiance of the restaurant was so lovely, with all the traditional Japanese decor, it made the experience feel super authentic. We ordered the Broiled Saba Mackeral from their lunch menu set and the Nabeyaki Udon. I liked how traditional the broiled fish lunch set was, and I think there are very few places in New York that will offer something as authentic. Also loved the broth of the Nabeyaki udon, and it felt like a very hearty meal. However, I think the service was a little lacking. It might've been due to the fact that I was visiting during lunch hours and they weren't as staffed, but for an empty restaurant, there were several instances where we had to call out in order to get the attention of a staff member. Overall I think this spot is a gem in industry city and I would love to visit again to order from their izakaya menu read more

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Lovely authentic Japanese bar foods in nyc Very hard to find at New York City I will be back again read more

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Came for early dinner on a Friday (before 6pm) and there was no wait time. There wasn't any outdoor seating available at the time we arrived, but the indoor area is super spacious and it has the dividers in between tables. Ordered a bunch of small plates and skewers. The takowasa, shiitake kushi-age, hotate scallop skewers, geso karaage, saba mackerel, seafood tempura and the duck yakitori. All the skewers were delicious! My favorite was the scallop. The fried squid legs with the kewpie mayo was a great deal and were delicious as well. The order came with like 6 big pieces and it was only $8!! Everything ordered was good except for the seafood tempura. DO NOT get the seafood tempura. The softshell crab was diminute and the 3 pieces of shrimp tempura were meh. The tempura batter was thick, dense and not crunchy. It was the worst dish of the night and the most expensive one, definitely not worth $18. Food came out fast and the service was great. I will definitely go back to try other dishes. read more

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wakuwaku was such a disappointment, especially for a place I went in randomly with no expectation for on a Saturday night. The location, space and staff were 5 stars. However, the food was so bad, we didn't even try to finish it after a couple of bites. Starting with the skewers, they were overcook and soggy, ingredients were not fresh. Then the corn tempura which was really interesting except for the fact that the corn was from a can, while the outside crispy the inside dough was not cooked fully. Next the seafood tempura, came with 3 shrimps and 1 soft shell crab, the tempura was done nicely but the problem again is the quality of the food, the shrimp and softshell crab were not fresh, it taste like it was prev frozen and then defrosted for a very long time where the texture had no elasticity. The only thing we finish was their Sapporo beer on tap. Would not recommend wakuwaku base off of this experience, so much more yummy food around the area. read more

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