Whenever I visit the Boston area I need to drop by here to have some great food and drinks. A recommendation from a friend that will now have a permanent stop on my route when I visit friends and family as they enjoyed the food too! The skewers allow the group I'm with to share different tastes and preferences allowing everyone to enjoy something familiar and something new. The service is quick and efficient giving us time to catch up and chat but also have drinks and more bites coming in. The space is spacious for groups but also can be a good spot for date night without the pressure of being too intimate as a friday night date or gathering is the place to be. read more

This place is legit! Each skewer is cooked perfectly - whether it's the juicy chicken thigh, tender tsukune, or perfectly charred vegetables. You can tell the kitchen takes pride in technique and consistency. The menu offers a great variety, we were able to share and try many dishes! Service was attentive and friendly without being intrusive, and the pacing of the meal was just right. It's the kind of place you want to linger, order one more round, and enjoy the experience. If you're looking for high-quality Japanese comfort food done right, Yakitori Totto Boston is a must-visit. I'll definitely be coming back read more

Dined in at this location and ordered two lunch sets with a family member, plus 2 individual Yakitori skewers. The Totto Don set that I ate was okay. The included chicken meatball and breast skewers were overcooked and dry. The wing skewer was fine in terms of taste and more soft, but the size was slightly smaller than a usual wing. My family's Pork Cutlet Don set was better, but she said that the pork cutlet was also overcooked and too salty for her. We ordered two individual Yakitori, one Kalbi beef, and another Negi Pon pork. These two meats were great! Tender, juicy, and really good flavor. It surprised me how much better these individual sticks were better compared to our other food. The design of this restaurant is nice. Both outdoor and indoor were clean, well-lit, and spaced out. I also liked how it was set up so you could see the person cooking in the center. Service was also polite and fast. The lunch sets unfortunately did not leave a good impression on us, but the individual skewers did. I would say that if you eat at this location, their individual yakitori are the highlight, the best things on the menu compared to everything else. The main downside to that is that the price is kind of high for each skewer. read more

Came here while I was nearby the area for lunch and I was so glad we stumbled upon here! Parking was fairly easy, given the multiple free parking garages that were walkable distance. I started off with warm tea which was perfect for a semi chilly day. The tea went so well with all the meats and flavors. For hot appetizer, I got the Jidori karaage- perfect batter amount that wasn't too heavy and also wasn't too oily of a dish. The chicken was very tender. Would recommend ! For the skewers, I got the momo (chicken thigh), sorires (chicken oyster), negi pon (pork with scallion and ponzu), combo mombo (eel, shrimp, scallop), kalbi, hotate eringi ( scallion and king oyster mushroom). I would actually recommend trying all of them! They're great sharing dishes and it was so nice to try each one. I was pleased with all of the food we ordered and would definitely come back! read more

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Skewers were fine but a very salty Katsudon for my main. I couldn't even finish half and let them know the reason and was charged full price. Waitresses were hard to flag down or even find so I had to walk around searching to get my check after waiting a long time. Honestly I really wanted to like this place and even took time off work to drive across the city to Assembly Row but left sorely disappointed, frustrated, and feeling like my insides were crusted with salt. The ambiance is nice-looking but if the service and food is sub-par it ruins the experience. read more

Who doesn't like meat on a stick....? It's been a couple of years since i've been to this spot and I was shopping at assembly row one extremely hot and humid day so I decided to stop in. There is something so great about yakitori spots and this one, though very low key, had some great stuff. One of my favorites was the bacon wrapped enoki. It looked like there was only one person cooking and one server so service was definitely a bit slow despite there only being one or two other people in the restaurant. I wish it had not been so hot and me being dehydrated because I would have absolutely bought a highball. They go perfectly with meat. What I ate Potato Salad Jidori Karaage Skewers Hatsu (Heart) Sunagimo (Gizzard) Combo Mambo Garlic Beet Enoki Bacon Asparagus Bacon Harami Kawa (Skin) Pork Karashi Ton Toro Shiitake Mushroom $$ Service 6 Food 7 Atmosphere 7 read more

Yakitori Totto - Japanese Near Me - Somerville, Massachusetts

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TLDR: they have chicken tail! Nice spot for a date. Inside is fairly intimate with a smattering of drink options. Of course the real reason you're here is for the Yakittori. The grill can be seen and all the meats were deliciously seared. I really applaud them for having rarer parts of chicken like the oyster, tail and skin. read more

Great selection of sake, rice lagers, and other drinks. Tons of yakatori skewers to choose from. I especially love the mushroom offerings. The staff makes this place over the top. They are friendly and knowledgeable. If you aren't sure about what to order they are great at helping curate your order. read more

The best place around for yakatori. It is a small spot with a cozy atmosphere. The food is fresh and traditional. Yakatori is as close to yakatori we had in Japan as we can find. The cucumber salad sauce is just delicious. We bought a bottle to take home. read more

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We we're craving yakitoro and this place hit the spot. We went on a saturday afternoon and was seated right away. They had a great variety and the prices were reasonable. Staff was also really great. There is also free parking in the garage across the street. read more

Yakitori Totto - Japanese Near Me - Somerville, Massachusetts

Love that they have a large variety of cuts available, so you can find one that you really like. Everything was well crafted and tasted even better. Highly recommend for authentic Japanese skewers. read more

I really wanted to like this place, but I was pretty disappointed! The prices are excellent; most standard skewers range from $3.50 to $7 so you can try a lot of them. We did exactly this, but I did not find any skewer or appetizer particularly impressive. We decided to start with some appetizers which ended up being a good idea because the skewers came out slowly and we were really hungry. The takowasa ($9) had this crunchy, sweet green vegetable in it that overpowered the taste of the octopus and wasabi. Maybe I'm too much of a takowasa purist but I did not like the level of sweetness that the green vegetable added to the dish. We also got some agedashi tofu ($9). The layer of fried starch on the tofu was very thick, which turned into a stretchy, goopy mess once it soaked in the dashi for too long. It was a huge portion but the tofu itself wasn't very tender. We tried a number of different skewers, but most of them were coated in a similarly sweet soy-based sauce so they tasted very similar. My favorite skewer was the shishamo ($7). The fish were crisp and super charred in the best way possible. Another skewer that was more unique was the shishito tsukune ($6). I would recommend this skewer to anybody who likes stuffed peppers. read more

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What I liked about this place was that you could go as traditional or mainstream as you wanted with the menu items. While there were more traditional yakitori options like you'd find in Japan (such as chicken heart), you could also find more mainstream options like grilled chicken breast. We ordered a few items from the yakitori menu and liked how charred the food came. We also ordered a negi toro don, while rice heavy, we really liked the sauce that was used with the chicken and it was a nice side addition to the yakitori. While we enjoyed the food we ordered, the only item we were disappointed by was the salmon onigiri. Overall the salmon lacked any seasoning and the whole thing was super dry. There's a small staff here so while super friendly be patient as they are doing their best to get to all the tables. Overall the place felt big enough for groups while also having an intimate quiet vibe if you're looking for a more calm/quiet meal. read more

Double check your bill, especially if you have a large group. We were charged 3 extra alcoholic drinks that we did not order. When we told the waitress, she didnt bat an eye and was like oh ill take it off the bill. Not even an apology. They also forgot to make one drink and when we asked about it they were like "this drink takes longer to make". OK sure whatever. There was a piece of hair on the mentaiko onigiri. read more

Disappointing. Jidori chicken karaage was overcooked/ dry. Wagyu beef skewers ended up being too tough to chew. Gyoza was fine.

Good food with interesting flavours. Umm the chicken hearts were too chickeny- lol sounds silly when I say it but be warned it has a very strong flavor. Matcha dessert is pretty amazing. Lychee drink- fab!!! read more

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My husband and I eat here every time we are shopping at Assembly Row, and it never disappoints. Service is always really friendly and the food is great read more

After getting back from Hawaii where I had an absolutely stellar yakitori, I've been on the hunt for a good yakitori restaurant. While this place is good, it was nothing exceptional or somewhere I'd make the effort to visit. The service was good and servers were very polite. The inside feels a little small, but that in my opinion, it works well with it being a yakitori place. Roast beef don: It tastes exactly like it looks like. It was good, but nothing exceptional. Chicken thigh: It was good. Not dry at all and moist. Chicken heart: I'm a sucker for these more eccentric parts, so it was great to find this here. Chicken skin: This one is fried, not grilled. I knew there were two different ways that restaurants prepare and was hoping for grilled, but turned out to be fried. It's till good. One of my favorite skewers. Chicken oyster: Chewy and tasty. But I'd rather get thigh or other things. Chicken belly: Again, nothing super special. I really was hoping to have some of the bones, but they were out that day, so that was a bummer. Try this place if you want yakitori, because this is the best one I've found in the area, but it is not an amazing one by any means, so curb your expectations. read more

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Yeah, this place was cute with its interior. Stepping foot into the restaurant, you are immediately greeted by three yakitori chef cooking fresh yakitori skewers. It's hard not to get excited by that initial sight. The food itself, however, is another story. First off, you're paying quite a lot for very little. Each yakitori order is for ONE skewer, not for the entire set of four you see in my photos. If you go with friends, the price will easily stack up; aside from the appetizers and big dishes, none of the skewers are shareable. As for the flavor, each yakitori was just mediocre. While the chicken thighs were juicy, the outside was just too charred for my liking. I apologize in advanced if this how yakitori is traditionally served. However, even if you look past the burned outside, I still found it under seasoned, and the same went for the other dishes. Nothing really stood out in flavor; you're really just paying a lot for small portions of grilled meat and vegetables. Overall, great concept, but the food didn't blow me away. read more

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Agedashi Tofu 4/5 Jidori Karaage 4/5 Negima Yakitori 3.5/5 Sasami Yakitori 4/5 Negi Pon Yakitori 4/5 Totto Hanmaru Udon 4/5 ~First Impressions~ The atmosphere is very calm and on a rainy day, it was perfect sitting next to the window. The little light decorations and plants made it pretty soothing. The server was really nice and the waiters were kind. ~The Food~ I'm not usually a beer drinker and lean towards hard liquor. But this place was a perfect place to drink a nice cold beer on a rainy day with some delicious, juicy, tender, and scallion topped yakitori. The flavors weren't too strong and everything had a clean and savory taste. The udon was a great way to wash down the savory flavors with a nice warm and neutral soup. The karaage was also a nice addition with a different texture. Rotating through the karaage, yakitori, soft soy based tofu, and warm udon soup was a nice course. A perfect date on a rainy day. ~The Logistics~ There's some street parking in the area, but it gets pretty crowded depending on the time of day. There is also a parking lot not far from the restaurant. We came at a good time, right before the dinner rush and got lucky getting a seat. read more

Yakitori Totto - Japanese Near Me - Somerville, Massachusetts

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Very authentic Japanese yakitori. Great for business contacts from Japan to get dinner. read more

Yakitori Totto - Japanese Near Me - Somerville, Massachusetts

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This is one of our favorite places to eat. It's especially nice when it's warm enough to sit outside. We usually get the spicy pickles and tuna poke to start, a lively beginning, and then get veggies and fish on skewers and the mackerel which is always grilled perfectly. Our usual waiter is lovely. It's wonderful to have a cozy place like this for dinner. We drive up to Assembly Square just to eat here. read more

Aweome place to try some yummy yakitori! To drink, we got a hot green tea and a Korean mango rice beer (my fave). I know we're here for the skewers, but don't skip the gyoza! Our server told us that they're housemade, and these babies (as well as the dipping sauce they come with) are DELISH. Out of the variety of yakitori we tried, we especially enjoyed the skirt steak, eel, and chicken oysters. The One and Only (wagyu meatball) would have been great if the sauce hadn't been so spicy - this isn't mentioned in the menu. All of the meats were juicy and flavorful. Would absolutely return! read more

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1. If you want to fill your stomach, this is wrong place. 1 tiny skewer for $5. 2. This place is clearly understaffed. waited for 35 min for my food after being seated. 3. Basically no service. Everyone is speed walking all the time. 4. Found hair on chicken skin skewer. read more

This restaurant features a traditional Japanese Yakitori interior which is great. The servers were friendly and attentive, however, I'd have to say the food quality did not live up to par. I got the Ocha Zuke, which is essentially a huge bowl of rice with very minimal spicy code cod (which is not spicy at all) with a side of hot dashi broth that you can pour into your rice bowl for $13. It was flavorless and definitely not worth getting it. The skewers were decent, though I think they could be bigger given the price we are paying for and more flavor needs to be added. Food: 5.5/10 Service: 8/10 Experience: 7/10 Value: 5.5/10 read more

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Pretty tasty Japanese skewer place in Assembly! Stopped by with some friends and we tried a couple skewers, the oyako don, the udon, and the spicy cucumber and the eggplant appetizers. My fav was the eggplant appetizer. The texture of the eggplant was excellent and the dashi sauce was flavorful but not overly salty. The udon and oyako don were tasty as well but my wasabi chicken skewer was dry and underseasoned. The inside of the restaurant is nice. Their plates are v cute. When we were getting seated, they were very weird about us not having a reservation. One server kept repeating to the other staff that we didn't have a reservation even though the restaurant was almost completely empty. It was unwelcoming. The food came out quickly though, so we didn't have to stay for long. read more

Yakitori Totto - Totto Hanamaru Udon (right), Nasu Mizore Gake eggplant appetizer (left), Spicy Cucumber Pickle (top), and edge of skewer. - Japanese Near Me - Somerville, Massachusetts

I was very impressed with Yakitori Totto! We stopped by on a Wednesday night for dinner before going to see a movie. The food was delicious and it came out quick. I loved all the small plates that came out. We ordered the una-ju, jiddori karaage, negi pon, kalbi, and asparagus. This was more than enough food for two people. For drinks, I ordered what's the story Yakitori and it was delicious! The hakushika, junmai ginjo was really good too! The restaurant is small, but not too crowded with a very open layout. Our server was nice and offered takeout boxes for us, but unfortunately we couldn't take leftovers to the movies with us. I would definitely come back again! read more

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Udon was not good, chicken was waterlogged and crunchy. Kalbi skewer was ok. Food definitely not worth the price.

This place is truly amazing. We had one in New York, and when I found out they opened one in Boston, well, I've been here six times already. The skewers are cooked properly. That's the key word - properly. They are well-seasoned and cooked on a traditional Japanese robata grill over coal. There's an expansive set of grilled skewers: chicken, seafood, pork, beef, and a lot of vegetables. Pricing is reasonable for a spot like this, and there's a kickass drink menu, too. Finally, the dessert is something to write home about. Their "affogato" (made with matcha) is exceptional. Hieu, the manager, is approachable and friendly and is always smiling. Thank you for all of the wonderful experiences! read more

Yakitori Totto - Japanese Near Me - Somerville, Massachusetts

Really great food. Very different than a traditional Japanese restaurant. Love the menu. The dumplings are the best I've ever had.

The food was good. Be prepared so it's small plates like smaller than tapas. There was a large variety of types of food. The service was good. Oliver was really nice and helpful. Some foods had lots of flavor pop others not so much. But we would def return. read more

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Had a good time and good service at this place. Everyone was very kind in helping us out. We pretty much just ordered yakitori and it was good except some of the meats were a bit tough and hard to chew through. The takowasa also tasted more saltier/fisher than any wasabi flavoring. The eggplant yakitori was good though! read more

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Taken here by Boston area relatives. Food was properly cooked & seasoned, but might not seem so to people used to hibachi style Japanese food. The "Wagyu" beef was a bit chewy but acceptable. The chicken "oysters" were perfect! The rest of the party were very pleased as well. Desserts were very good! Staff was the perfect blend of unobtrusive, but magically appeared when something was needed. read more

Grabbed a quick meal last night. The menu options and the staff was friendly. That's where the positives end. I figured I would start with the tuna poke. What came out was a mush of avocado spread and tuna chunks. The avocado to tuna ratio was 10 to 1....can barely see or taste any of the tuna. The chicken don came next. It looks like an egg foo young had landed right on top of my rice. Whoever made it forgot to season anything in the bowl! The pickles on top did not complement the bowl at all. And the worst part of it all? The chicken they use in the don is dark JOINT Cartilage meat. Each bite is tough and chewy and not pleasant at all. Oi, this place needs to close down...what an embarrassment. read more

Yakitori Totto - Chicken omelette don - Japanese Near Me - Somerville, Massachusetts

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Great food and beer and sake. Its a nice restaurant in Assembly. The place is clean and the servers and waiters are great. read more

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My friend and I went here for dinner three months ago. The decor was really nice and they also have an outdoor patio. We ordered the yaki nasu miso dengaku, combo mambo, momo, tsukune, One and Only, shishito tsukune, and negi tori don. The yaki nasu miso dengaku was grilled eggplant with miso paste. It was good. The combo mambo had 1 piece of grilled eel, 2 pieces of shrimp, and 1 piece of scallop. The eel and scallop was delicious. The shishito tsukune was grilled shishito peppers stuffed with chicken meatball. It was savory as well. The momo (thigh) , tsukune(chicken meatball), One and Only(Japanese wagyu beef meatball), ton toro(pork neck) were decent as well. The only let down was the negi tori don(grilled chicken with scallions and poached egg rice bowl). The raw poached egg came on the side. I thought the rice bowl was pretty bland and didn't have much seasoning in it. I would definitely come back to try more grilled skewers. read more

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We ordered a couple of items, but nothing too memorable. For example, the hatsu/hatsumono, I liked the one that was juicier and didn't looked dried up. The maguro had a few slices of fish to dip. I like tako wasa, but definitely had it better elsewhere. Dangos were wrapped up in rice and wished I had some kind of garnish to go with it. The spicy karaage weren't very spicy, but it was good at first. Started tasting salty after awhile and again, wished I had ginger or something to help. The best part of Totto is their drinks, I had the Lovely Loner and the smooth texture and sweet honey was the first time I tasted perfection from a alcoholic beverage. The second best was the mochi ice cream, it came out cold and hard, which is nice because most places, you will see it already starting to melt. If you're catching a movie nearby and need a quick bite to kill time, Totto is definitely the spot to go. read more

great food and service! highly recommend. I have favorites I get every time and have not yet been disapointed!

One of my favorite spots in Assembly Row. Small place, but good food and amazing service. It is what you might expect, given the name. Grilled meat and fish on skewers. While the chicken and beef were very good, I found the seafood to be quite disappointing. The shishito peppers were like playing Russian Roulette. You never knew if you would get a spicy fun. Kind of fun actually. Service is super. That's the best part. The place is small but has an open kitchen. You can see the cooks putting your food on skewers. Really enjoyed the grilled beef over rice. That was my favorite dish. I highly recommend it. Putting a little Wasabi on the beef with a tiny bit of rice, was absolute perfection. Overall... Definitely worth going. Personally I love seafood, but here, it was disappointing in execution and freshness. The beef is great. Chicken and shishito peppers are top notch though. Service is on point. read more

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Ok first. This restaurant is literally across the street from me. I dunno why it took me so long to try. I love Yakitori. I am obsessed with it when I was in NYC and now. And I've got to say I was pleasantly surprised. Overall a great experience. The Yakitori was all really great. Great flavors. Amazing textures. The udon wasn't the best, but obviously at a Yakitori place, I should be getting the Yakitori. The dumplings were great. The chicken wings had great texture. The jowl was juicy. The eel was Smokey. It was a win. read more

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