What a pleasant surprise this restaurant was in Pickering! I had wanted to try Yakyoto for some time after seeing several YouTube videos recommending it, and it definitely didn't disappoint. It was a little confusing at first, as I had never been to an all-you-can-eat, cook-it-yourself restaurant before. Once we got the hang of it, though, it was a lot of fun. The proteins were delicious and came in very generous portions. I would have liked to see a few more vegetable options, but there was still plenty to choose from. The service was excellent, and we had a great time overall. I think two people is a perfect number for this type of restaurant, although I imagine it could get a little more chaotic with a larger group--especially when everyone is cooking at the same time! Overall, we really enjoyed the experience and would definitely recommend giving it a try. read more

Just 30 minutes from Toronto, Yakyoto Grill in Pickering is a must-visit for Japanese BBQ (YAKINIKU) lovers!! The King Kalbi short ribs are juicy and flavorful, while the Tsubo Harami (marinated beef in ceramic jars) is unbelievably tender. They also serve fresh seafood, crispy fries, and the perfect desserts -- from housemade gelato to every flavor of Melona bar. Friendly service, cozy atmosphere, and top-quality food make this one of the best Japanese grills in the GTA. read more

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Great AYCE BBQ place similar to Gyubee. Not related to other restaurants. In comparison to the other bigger brands they have very similar variety and quality food. The quality and seasoning of meat were great. The spicy shrimp was lovely. The miso salmon was nice and soft. The same clams were lacking a little flavour and there were no vermicelli. The fries, takoyaki, wings and cheesy corn were great. I was surprised to see takowasa. It was not bad but could use more of the crunchy veggies and more wasabi flavours. The bibimbap was meatless and could use more sauce but the rice and egg was perfect. They offered a good Melona variety. The creme brulee was ordered to torch and came in a legit ramekin but I wished the sugar crust was thicker. Great service and environment. I did find the seats a bit cramped especially when sharing the middle booth. We were reminded of the 1.5hr last call and 2hr seating limit a few times though. And also reminded that if we cannot finish the food that we should set it aside... Overall, happy to see a nice AYCE BBQ place make it further into Durham! read more

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We came here to celebrate a birthday. I recommend making a reservation as the restaurant is not very big. This is all you can eat Japanese bbq. Mon- Thurs Adults $41.99, Child (5-10 yrs old) $19.99, Infant (0-4 years old) $3.00. Fri Sat Sun and Holidays: Adults $44.99 Child $19.99, Infant $3.00. You have a Japanese style hibachi grill to cook your food. They have a good ventilation system to keep your clothes from smelling like bbq. The menu is well thought out and organized. For protein you have beef, pork, chicken, and seafood. There's a section for vegetables, side orders, and tempura, soup and rice. My favourites were the takoyaki, bimbimbap, shrimp tempura, sweet soy short ribs, prime kalbi, pork belly, and cheesy butter corn. For dessert you have choice of Melona ice cream bar (limit 1 per person). I recommend getting the ube flavour. Excellent place for Japanese bbq and glad there's one in Pickering. The service was friendly but I find the cooked food orders took too long to come out. We had to follow-up many times. I will definitely come back to eat here. read more

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I came here with a group of eight for my husband's birthday and it was really easy to make a reservation over the phone for the long weekend surprisingly. After seeing so much of the content on TikTok of people coming here and raving about that all you can eat we finally decided to try it. Fortunately, I wasn't disappointed the food here was fantastic and it was really good quality meats as well as the fact that they're off menu items such as the pierogi chicken wings were my favourite thing. I ate that night. They had amazing takoyaki as well and their furukake fries was delicious I was Almost more impressed by those items than the actual Japanese barbeque meat portion. For dessert, you can get unlimited crème brûlée, which I actually really enjoyed because I thought it was very delicious and the tops were very crunchy and hot and the bottom was perfectly soft. Or you can get gelato one per person which they ran out of or Malona bars and it came in an assortment of flavours and that is also one per person. They do have a two hour seating limit and at around the one and a half hour mark they will let you know last call for food from this table so the staff was very nice and friendly and because it was my husband's birthday they gave us complementary New York cheesecake we were even able to take it home because after such a long meal, we couldn't really eat it so they let us read more

Yakyoto - Japanese Near Me - Pickering, Ontario

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Fun experience and the food was tasty but it will be a one and done for me. For the cost and to cook it yourself anyway you could do all this at home. We did find it a challenge to remember what we had ordered that we liked on the meat side of things so going in with a plan and a list would help but that's on us. The service was decent but we had to ask more than once to bring us more to our table even though it was obvious we were almost out and they were walking by seeing that. The atmosphere of the restaurant is very nice and it was all clean so that was a plus. We had a party of 4, if you have more than that you'll find a bit of a disconnect due to the set up. Overall I'd recommend giving it a try at least once then decide for yourself. read more

Yakyoto - Generic house Sake - Japanese Near Me - Pickering, Ontario

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I finally got the chance to try Yakyoto Japanese Grill and Bar, a relatively new place in Pickering, offering All-You-Can-Eat Japanese BBQ! Yes, yes, yes! Their lunch menu has a wide variety of foods, including meats, seafood, vegetables, and more. Lots of choices, too many for us to try even one of each. Our meal included three cuts of beef, two cuts of pork, chicken, shrimps, Edamame, and more, with Melona bars for dessert. If you're unfamiliar with this type of restaurant, there's a gas grill in the middle of the table. Most of the food is served raw and you cook it yourself. It's fresh and delicious! We really enjoyed this meal and were stuffed! Welcome to Pickering, Yakyoto! I'm sure we'll be back! read more

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Amazing new Japanese/Korean BBQ location. I really love the decor here. It's very comfortable, spacious, and clean. Awesome vibes and I can see having a small or large gathering in this space. Their grills are brand new and work very nicely. Even heat and great exhaust system so you don't leave smelling like BBQ. Soft opening menu looks really great. They'll likely add more items as they gear up for the grand opening. My favorite items are the enoki mushroom, the marinated short rib, and takoyaki. The short rib marinade is something the owner came up with and it's quite addictive. We easily ordered 10 portions of it. The garlic shrimp was also popular at our table. The kimbap is adorable. It's white rice with veggies and a yolky fried egg (just the way I like it). It's perfect to mix in your choice of sauces and meat. I love that they have lettuce, kimchi, garlic, and the Korean gochujang sauce so you can make a ssam (lettuce wrap). It's much easier to eat all this meat when you have veggies with each bite. I don't leave feeling too heavy. My only suggestion is to maybe provide ssamgjang since they already have the gochujang available. I bet they could mix a fantastic one in house and it would be easier for dipping. Service is fantastic too. We came at the soft opening so they were still in training, and we can tell that they really care about a good experience. The owners checked in a few times with us and were asking for feedback. I can tell they want to be successful and provide Pickering with an awesome new restaurant to gather at. I'm really excited that this place has opened up here. Everyone's gotta come try it out and support local! Can't wait to come back! read more

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Fun experience that's finally come to Pickering! BBQ table grilling your own food! We visited in the summer after seeing Yakyoto on our way to an appointment in the same plaza. First off, this is table grilling. This is a very popular "entertainment meal". The food is AYCE (all you can eat), and comes raw in little trays. You'll also be given metal tongs to cook with. Food wise, it seems like they don't season the meat at all, not even with a little salt, resulting in very bland food. They did provide a shaker jar of multipurpose seasoning, but the flavour obviously would not permeate the meat. This is not what I'm accustomed to, I've never seen a shaker jar at the tables before at other bbq places before, they are always seasoned beforehand. The service was friendly and the decor was very pretty and modern. read more

Great to see this type of restaurant in Durham Region however the value just isn't there. $41 is not reflective of the quality of food. Customer service is great, staff are friendly and the place is very clean, but for almost $50 a person I would rather go to Gyubee in Scarborough because the quality and selection of meat is much higher. read more

Five stars! My son and I have a tradition of coming to Yakyato every month for some bonding time over great food, and we look forward to it every single time. The meals are always incredible, but the service is really what makes the experience stand out. The staff are so attentive and genuinely care about our experience, making a point to check on us regularly without being intrusive. Plus, the kitchen is incredibly efficient--our food is always delivered super fast. It's the perfect spot for an amazing meal. read more

First time being at this Japanese bbq. We came for my dad's birthday and my parents were amazed at the quality of the beef. My first impression when I entered this place was that it was warm and welcoming. Staff is friendly and nice and kept checking on our table to see if there is anything to add or grab. They even thank the customer for coming and ask for their feedbacks which I can tell that they value our experience and opinion. This place has a unique layout and style. The resturant is cleaned and we didn't smell like we had bbq when we left. The sweet soy marinated short ribs and the sake clams are bomb. Recommend for everyone to try! They even have Melona in pistachio flavour, something really different that most bbq don't have. Would definitely come back! read more

Yakyoto - Beef - Japanese Near Me - Pickering, Ontario

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Really good establishment especially because in Durham we don't have many of these spots. You either have to go downtown or Scarborough. I love how it's affordable and definitely worth the money. I would recommend going during lunch time!! read more

Yakyoto - Japanese Near Me - Pickering, Ontario

Found this place by accident and excited was able to get AYCE Japanese BBQ in Durham. The service is very quick and the meats are deliciously marinated. The pepper short ribs are definitely great. It is a quaint place and love the decor read more

Finally a kbbq spot in Pickering. Good quality food and service. Had to wait some time to get seated, place is a little smaller /on the crowded side, but everything was clean and aesthetically pleasing. Would return. read more

We went for lunch to celebrate my son's birthday. Food was fresh and excellent! I would recommend this restaurant! read more

Let's just say you need reservations. Visited this place at 630pm on a Thursday and the place was only 25% filled. The remaining 75% of the restaurant was empty and no one was waiting in the lobby. We had a small party of 5 and were told that we would need to wait approximately 1 to 1.5 hrs before we could be seated. Good luck to this restaurant that turns away customers when they clearly had tables open. read more

Amazing place. Found it by accident and so happy to find a local gem. All the meats were great. The pepper short ribs were my favourite. The tako wasabi was interesting and definitely an acquired taste. The staff was very sweet and prompt in service read more

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One of the best AYCE place I've been to. The beef was high quality, highly likely one of the best beef I had at a AYCE place. I especially loved their marinated short ribs and sake clams. You can taste the strong sake flavour in the clams. Their shrimp and crab meat tempura was also great, we had many orders of it as it was crispy and the batter was not heavy. Service was great! The server kept checking up on us to make sure everything was good and made small talks as well. Would definitely come back again, once they get their liquor license. read more

Yakyoto - Menu - Japanese Near Me - Pickering, Ontario

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Finally!! Someone opened a Japanese grill AYCE in Pickering/Ajax!! Went to their soft opening, and I was very impressed!! Ambience: the place is very nicely decorated, spacious and minimalistic! You can tell they have put in a lot of thoughts into design. Food: they are not fully operational yet, but I really enjoyed what was available, especially the marinated short ribs. I was informed that they will have their liquor license soon, and add even more items to the menu. Service: Excellent!! The servers seemed a little inexperienced, but they were super friendly, especially the owners! 10/10 would recommend and come back for more!! read more

This place is a great AYCE for Durham. It has everything you want for Japanese bbq. The meats were great and great quality. Their sides are also great. It is however a little expensive. $43.99 per person but I guess that is average for AYCE BBQ. Service struggled a little bit with our bbq igniting but other than that everything was great. I would definitely come back again. read more

Yakyoto - Japanese Near Me - Pickering, Ontario

Their service is great also the food is great too what i like is the Bibimbap kimchi while other dishes are cooking. The Ambiance is great too so yeah.. read more

Yakyoto - a plate of food on a table - Japanese Near Me - Pickering, Ontario

Food was amazing. We had the lunch option and even though the selection is limited, every order was delicious. Service is top notch! Shoutout to Aiden B who did an amazing job making sure our table was taken care of. We celebrated a birthday and he helped set up the cake so the celebrant can blow the candle. He also changed the music to play a happy birthday song! He really went above and beyond! Thank you! Definitely going back with our family and friends! read more

The food was very good, 1 rst time trying pork belly, not disappointed. The service was fast for the most part, had to get up twice to get service, but place is small so was not a big deal for me. Waiter apologies profusely for the lack of service and was attended properly after wards, so all in all a very good place to eat if a bit pricey, would definitely recommend! read more

I love that place. The food was amazing and the service was excellent. The ambiance is superb. I highly recommend this restaurant. read more

Yakyoto - various dishes of food on a grill - Japanese Near Me - Pickering, Ontario

So happy that Pickering finally has an all you can eat bbq place. The food was amazing, great service, beautiful renovation with super comfortable seating. The best part is the ventilation is done extremely well where you don't walk out with that bbq smell in your hair and clothes that you usually get at other places. Highly recommend to give this place a try! read more

Delicious, not comparable to gyubee but better than gyu hito & def needed in durham. Service was friendly

it was our first time to eat at Yakyoto. the food is not good. we ordered tempura and it's uncooked. They replaced it, but its the same uncooked . Its not worth the money. We should have gone to Gyubee in Scarborough Never go back again read more

I will start off by saying that I was extremely excited to have an AYCE Japanese BBQ finally open up in Durham, but only to have the worst experience. Had a reservation for 4 people at 7pm on a Friday night. Arrived on time, and it took a while, maybe 10 minutes before any employee acknowledged us and the people waiting in front of us as well. Once someone finally came, we let them know we had a reservation and they said they will be back. Upon returning, he tells us that they cannot find our reservation in the booking system, and I then show him the reservation confirmation email, as well as the reminder text message I received an hour before our reservation, where I also replied to confirm we were arriving. We then waited another 20-30 minutes before being seated. We followed the employee to the table, where he was only setting up two plates, and I reminded him we were 4 people, and so we had to wait another 10-15 minutes as the table he brought us to, could only fit 2 people. Once we were finally seated, we let him know we would need a few minutes to look over the menu to decide what to order, and he said he would be back soon. The server did not return for another 20 minutes. We ordered a lot of items, as we were pretty hungry and excited to try out the food. In addition, we ordered a Sprite, Coke and also asked for spoon and forks for those who did not know how to use chopsticks. The food and sprite arrived after 15 minutes, and I reminded the server that I also ordered a coke, and also asked for utensils. He returns to let me know that they actually do not have coke, and they also don't have spoons. We also realized that the food that arrived, wasn't everything we ordered. We assumed the rest would be arriving shortly, but it never came. We reached a point where we didn't have any food to cook, and we were just eating rice. No server or employee even came to check up on us, or see if we wanted to reorder food. Finally, after 30 minutes a server comes over to ask if we want to reorder food. We let him know that we didn't receive half of the items we ordered, and we want to make sure we weren't ordering on top of food that is still to come. He let us know that they actually ran out of a lot of the food items, so maybe that is why it never came. We asked why we weren't informed of this when originally ordering, and he just laughed nervously. We asked what was not available, so we know not to order it or expect it to come - he said he's not sure, and that he will only know when he inputs it into the system. So we decided to just reorder everything we originally ordered, hoping it would come. At this point, we are just disappointed and truly not having a great experience. We had piled up our empty dishes at the side, and no server decided to take it until we actually asked them to. We asked to speak to a manager, and we were also told there wasn't one working. We also realized there were people who were in the waiting area, who started complaining as they were not approached and decided to leave. Another server approached our table and indicated that despite our poor experience up to that point, she would ensure that going forward she made things right. Unfortunately, we never heard or saw her again for the rest of the night. The original server from the beginning of the night comes back to our table, to acknowledge that he knows we were upset and that they did not expect to be so busy and in result, ran out of food. We regularly go to Scarborough to eat at Korean BBQ or Japanese BBQ restaurants, and I don't think I've ever been told they ran out of food. The service would definitely need to improve, as well as forecasting the amount of food needed instead of disappointing excited customers. read more