A nice casual family friendly restaurant located inside Hillsdale Shopping Center. Lots of families dining here with a decent variety to choose from. We were seated relatively quickly. Ordering is done via tablet, be sure to add in your free tea when you place your order! We went with the Wagyu Yakiniku Ju which came served on rice, with some pickled veggies, a salad, and miso soup. It was very filling, definitely large enough to share if you're not super hungry! We also got the agedashi tofu and karaage, both very delicious. Having a restaurant like YAYOI is a nice alternative to food court dining without getting too fancy. read more

YAYOI - 908. "To go" Wagyu Yakiniku ju - Japanese Near Me - San Mateo, California

One of my favorite places to eat. I always get the Omaze Don. If you're a fan of salmon, natto, okra, grated yam, and season with a runny egg over rice-- GET THIS. It's my go to. I also do get their iced matcha (no milk.) I've had matcha most of my life b4 it go a bit popular and I can vouch with how rich their matcha is. The service is great, normally you'll have a lil robot deliver your food. I haven't came here when it's busy, most of the time I get here where the ambiance is pretty decent and quiet. I love eating here lol. read more

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Service was pretty quick and there was plenty of seating/no wait, but the food left something to be desired. I met up with a friend here and this restaurant seems VERY kid-friendly. I kid you not, literally every table had a small child present. You place your order via a tablet and it comes out shortly after. I ordered the salmon teriyaki entree ($30.50). It came with a bowl of white rice, miso soup, seaweed salad, complimentary pickles, and another side salad. Food is a bit pricey for what it is. I got 3 small chunks of salmon and the lotus roots it came with tasted as if they were cooked, then frozen. It wasn't crisp like fresh lotus, which is a bit disappointing considering I love lotus root! I did like the Japanese dipping mayo, but overall, quite saucy and I'm sure it wasn't the healthiest option considering all the sugars in the various sauces. I think there's MUCH better Japanese options (esp in San Mateo - it's literally a mecca for Japanese restaurants). However, if you want to dine out with your young children, I can see the appeal. I probably wouldn't come back on my own accord though. If anyone wants $5 off vouchers, let me know because they handed us a couple of coupons after we got the bill!! read more

YAYOI - Japanese Near Me - San Mateo, California

Came here on a Saturday around 6 when we didn't want to wait for a table at cheesecake factory after waiting for 40 min. Yayoi was very empty so we got a table quickly. Compares to Cheesecake Factory , it was a great place to meet up with friends to chat since it's not busy or crowded. It's our first time there. Food was ok but small for the price, so it's not worth it. Chawanmushi was not smooth and there was only 1 chicken in it. Chicken teriyaki was good and crispy. Not the normal kind. Takoyaki was normal. But close to $10 Salmon & Ikura don was very small for $27.50 Sukiyaki was nothing special for $33.50 Don't think I'll come back since it's way too expensive for mediocre food. read more

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Ate at Yayoi twice this week. They use tablets and we place our own order. The kids get a kick out of the robot server I like that they don't charge for tea. The derp fried octopus kegs were quite good and came with a bit of salad. Pork and vegetable gyoza was good too. My granddaughter loves the udon. I was pleasantly surprised at how good the food was for a mall restaurant. read more

YAYOI - Udon - Japanese Near Me - San Mateo, California

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Came here on a Saturday afternoon right before dinner time, and it was mostly empty surprisingly. After a brief walk around the mall, Yayoi filled up pretty quickly afterwards though! * I ordered chicken cutlet with egg. The portion was small, and the flavor was decent. The rice and the chicken were both slightly dry. There was some arugula and carrot shreds on top, to add some color to the dish. The egg and onion were cooked through. Having just come back from Japan, perhaps my expectations are too high. However, it's worth mentioning staff were *exceptionally attentive and friendly. There were only a few other parties at the time, but waitstaff was constantly nearby to provide help. They kept our waters filled constantly, which I was super happy about (it was a hot day). read more

YAYOI - Oyaku Don - Japanese Near Me - San Mateo, California

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If you're looking for a place with Japanese comfort food, this is your spot! The location we went to was inside Hillsdale Mall, so this makes a great meal after shopping. I loved the Teishoku meal sets because it reminded me of the ones we got in Japan. The fish is very fresh, the meats are super tender, and overall really nice hospitality. So whether you need a place for a quick lunch, dinner date, or just to satisfy your Japanese food craving, bookmark YAYOI! * Salmon Salad * Wagyu Sukiyaki Teishoku (highly recommend!) * Chicken Katsu Curry (highly recommend!) * Karaage Teishoku * Ikageso Karaage * Shima Hokke Teishoku (highly recommend!) * Saba Shio Teishoku (highly recommend!) * 3pc Salmon Sashimi * 3pc Gyoza * Takoyaki * Salmon Carpaccio * Wagyu Niku Udon * Assortment of 5 Sushi Bites (baby scallop, spicy salmon, spicy tuna, ikura, eel) * Matcha Tiramisu * Matcha Warabi Mochi read more

second time here, but general quality dropped a lot and probably won't come back again. price increase is ok, but the the amount is so little, an 28 dollar set meal only 3 pieces pork belly just kinda ridiculous. the miso soup without miso. read more

YAYOI - miso soup - Japanese Near Me - San Mateo, California

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Generally bad service and they close earlier than advertised. Also the food has gone downhill compared to before, they overhauled the menu for the worse. read more

I enjoyed eating the food here because the portions are easy to finish and the meals are balanced. We ordered the tonkatsu nabe and the wagyu niku ju for lunch. The tonkatsu nabe came with soup, udon, vegetables, dumpling, pork, tofu, mushroom, rice, and miso soup. The wagyu niku ju came with rice and miso soup. However, each meal was about $35 which seemed steep for what we were getting because there very little meat and mostly vegetables and/or carbs read more

YAYOI - Tonkatsu Nabe - Japanese Near Me - San Mateo, California

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The price is a bit high, but finding a delicious Oyakodon in the Bay Area is quite rare. Aside from the YAYOI chain, the only other option is Papasan in Fremont--most other places just serve a basic chicken and egg rice bowl that lacks flavor. The restaurant is tucked away in a corner of a shopping mall, which is nice because there's no need to wait in line. However, the overall food prices are quite expensive, especially considering the portion sizes are very small. On average, each meal costs around $30 after tax. The environment is clean, and the food is delivered by an adorable robot, which adds a nice touch. The service is decent--nothing extraordinary, but acceptable. If you're really hungry, this place might not be the best choice. But if you're just looking to enjoy some good food, it's definitely worth a try. 價格有點偏高，但是在灣區能找到好吃的親子丼，除了YAYOI連鎖以外，就剩下Fremont的Papasan，其他都只是雞肉蛋飯而已，一點都不入味。 餐廳是隱藏在購物商場的角落，其實不用排隊的部分是挺好的，但是食物整體價格真的貴，尤其是餐量真的太小太少，平均餐點售價都在稅後$30上下。 環境是乾淨，送餐還是可愛的機器人，其實整體是不錯的。服務部分，也是中規中矩。肚子很餓的人，不建議這家；但要只是想要享用美食的話，非常歡迎進去試試看。 read more

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Haven't been here for lunch and wanted something warm! I ordered the spicy miso ramen and tea. Tea was delivered to me by a robot. Ramen was prepared and delivered to me within 10 minutes. The broth was delicious and the noodles were delicious. Granted the meal was $18.75 but the ramen was very small. I was able to finish my meal within 15 minutes. Ambiance is very clean and modern . read more

This is a dine in restaurant located at one end of the mall, across from Cheesecake Factory. We came by for lunch on a Tuesday as a group of 8 and we were seated right away. They only have a few high chairs available but they can also give these cute little booster seats for the toddlers. You order via an iPad - they had initially only given us one for the entire table and we had to request a second one to make things more efficient. They have a pre-fixed kids meal here which comes with shrimp tempura, karaage, plain udon noodles in soup, pudding, sweet corn, edamame, and your choice of drink (orange juice, apple juice, etc.) This is actually a really good variety of food for the little ones and I was happy with this option. For my main, I decided to get their waygu nigu udon which comes with a raw egg on the side. I mixed the egg into the soup and everything was super delicious - umami, warm, and comforting. It wasn't too heavy either - I ate the entire bowl and didn't feel overly stuffed. The kids were fascinated with the robots that would deliver the drinks to your table so it was like lunch and a show for them. To check-out, you have to go to the ipad at the front of the restaurant to pay. This wasn't clear to us as none of the staff had mentioned it so we were waiting around for a while after our meal for them to bring us the check and it was only after we asked our waitress for it that she told us about the process. read more

So... food qualty is okay to good. Here and there as good as some other Ramen places I usually go to - but have gotten a little tired of. Kid got a tonkotsu, karage, edamame. I had the vegetarian ramen, gyozu and a matcha latte. By and large, good - but also not really gourmet-level, or anything exciting/special... portion-size okay... ...and for that, I think this is way too expensive, frankly. I knew that going in, and wanted to try it out anyways, so that would have cost one star, maybe. ...but I deducted an extra good star for the gimmicky robot and the default 18% tip. So... you're trying to act trendy by running a robot - which supposedly should save manpower, not neccessarily a goal I think I need to applaud - when I go out, I want to be serviced... and then on top of this and the high prices, you're defaulting in an 18% tip with the 15% intentionally made cumbersome? Does a part of the tip go to the mechanics and staff keeping the robot running? Or is that covered by the higher prices? I kinda thought the deal was we'd be giving up human service in order to pay less? Sorry, not okay. read more

Dropped by after a day of shopping and was happily surprised by how good this place was. We ordered the Wagyu sukiyaki and the pork katsu with curry, and both dishes were amazing. Everything was flavorful, well cooked, and nicely presented. Even the gyoza stood out, crispy on the outside and juicy inside. The food came out fairly quickly, and the dining area was clean and well kept. read more

We were there on a Sunday evening. The place was fairly busy, and the staff has kindly provided us table quickly. Even though there were quite people inside, it is not load and it was very pleasant. The have these fancy iPads at the tables to order good. It is very easy and convenient. I love when technology is being used right. They also have this robot that delivers plates and food to tables, very very cool. I ordered chicken katsu. It was good but not great. The rice was very tasteless, and the chicken plate was pretty small. The sause next to chicken was delicious. The miso soup was also delicious My wife ordered wagu sukiyaki. She did not like the food because it is too sweet. Although, when I tried, it was quite tasty. I think they should write somewhere that this plate is sweet, with a lot of sugar ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Overall, I was quite happy with my food, and I would like to go there again, but my wife may not want to. We will see read more

YAYOI - 956. Wagyu Sukiyaki - Japanese Near Me - San Mateo, California

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So so so so good. It feels like I'm in Japan. You order at the table on an iPad and it tells you the status of every dish you ordered from preparing to served. The Omaze Don tastes great, so much umami. But if you're picky about textures, stay away from this one because it's all about ooey-slimy-ness. I loved it though. It was peaceful, not too loud, and service was nice and prompt. You pay at the cashier on your way out, not at the table. read more

YAYOI - Omaze don - Japanese Near Me - San Mateo, California

food is tasty but the ramen soup is nit hot enough, just warm. There should be an option to get it hot. Service is not good. We waited for our water - asked for it 3 times but didn't get it until the last time when we asked again before leaving. The place was jot even busy. read more

I loved this place ever since I tried it in Manila, the food is just flavorful and memorable enough to be one of my favorite restaurants to visit really. So when I found out that it exists here in the bay area, I had to go. And this did nottt disappoint. Just as flavorful and memorable as the day I last had it Service isn't extraordinary, but they got the job done anyway, so that's great as well. The place isn't the same level of fancy-ness as its Manila branch did, but hey, that goes for any US counterpart for any internation place. read more

YAYOI - 911. Miso Soup, Oyako Don, 594. Matcha Iced tea - Japanese Near Me - San Mateo, California

I passed by this place many times, and today, I decided to order takeIout. The restaurant was very nice and not too busy. The server was friendly and welcoming. I ordered the Chicken Katsu, which didn't take very long to cook. The food was very good!! The portion was nice size for the price paid, and they only accept credit cards. I would definitely come back again. read more

YAYOI - Chicken Katsu - Japanese Near Me - San Mateo, California

ayoi used to be one of our favorite Japanese restaurants--especially the original Palo Alto branch, which was run by Japanese managers (though I'm not sure if that's still the case). The Hillsdale location was never quite on the same level, but it's been steadily declining over the past couple of years. The Sukiyaki Beef was chewy and sliced too thick for our taste, and the Saba Shio came out overcooked. The rice was somewhat clumpy and lacked the light, distinct texture that's such a hallmark of good Japanese cooking. Even the plating felt careless--something rarely seen in good Japanese restaurants. Japanese food shines through its simplicity--when ingredients are fresh and the preparation careful, even the most straightforward dishes can be extraordinary. Unfortunately, Yayoi Hillsdale doesn't reach that standard and instead reminds me of American diner food. read more

I've been here twice now, both times there was no wait for a table. You usually order on an iPad, they have great free tea, if you're lucky the robot will bring out your food. Some of the best chicken katsu I've ever had, I love the variety of food on the menu, and great presentation. This place does not feel like you're in the mall, feels like a clean and modern restaurant. read more

YAYOI - 905. Chicken Katsu - Japanese Near Me - San Mateo, California

A Japanese place located in the Hillsdale mall. Due to the cold weather, I was craving ramen so finally got my fixed! You get seated with a tablet to order food and beverages and the waitress will serve your food. When you pay, you also get up and go to the front of the restaurant to pay. I wished they had explained to me how the process worked. In addition, the ramen unfortunately had limited toppings (one chasu and spicy paste with green onions). I would have paid to add a soy marinated egg, so I'm docking a star for the limited toppings and less than ideal service. read more

YAYOI - 972. Tonkotsu Ramen - Japanese Near Me - San Mateo, California

It's been a while since I visited YAYOI, so I decided to go back for a quick dinner during my weekend shopping trip. We were seated right away and prompted to order on the iPad. They have a good amount of options to pick from but I knew I wanted their chicken katsu gozen set meal and some extra salmon sashimi. Food came relatively quickly on a robot server. Everything was presented well and looked really appetizing. The salmon sashimi was surprisingly more delicious than I thought- it was cold, fresh, and slightly sweet. I enjoyed the set meal for the most part, but my two gripes with it were tiny portions for the price (nearly $30 for the set, it came with 2 pieces of katsu, one tiny cooked salmon, 2 pieces of salmon sashimi on the salad, and some overcooked "wagyu" beef) and that 3 out of the 4 dishes were cold if not slightly lukewarm. Needless to say, we were still a little hungry so we ordered the deep fried squid legs as well. Those came piping hot and delicious, so no complaints there. We also ordered their spicy tonkatsu ramen to go. Even though it was good, I just can't understand the tiny portions and big prices. Overall, the food and quality was pretty authentic to Japanese cuisine. I remember why I don't frequent the restaurant after this experience- it's a shame the portions are lacking because they charge a pretty hefty price. read more

YAYOI - Japanese Near Me - San Mateo, California

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Japanese comfort food style, service is limited but it's actually very convenient. Food is good quality. It's a family friendly and fast food kinda meal place. read more

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This restaurant was inside the mall and we came in here to eat before shopping. It was very clean and we were seated almost immediately. The food was good and flavorful. The portions were a bit small for the price unfortunately, but it was still good. It was cool because they had robots serving the food. read more

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This place is crazy good and they are busy busy. We arrived Friday my son I for dinner, got ourselves on the wait list, I think we waited a good 25 mins, but so did everyone else. It is worth it. It's awe some, they have the cutest kids menu, with juice, jello, udon noodles, and an appetizer ,with a side of corn and edamame, if you get lucky the robot delivers the food to you if it's a big order. Everything is done via ipad, you don't really speak to the servers, they are there mainly to clean your table, and also if you need side stuff like forks, water etc. So this is not the place for service but more delicious food, and a good environment, it is always amazing, great quality and taste!!! Huge Win! We ordered the kids meal, and I ordered the sushi (clam in a delicious sauce and spicy tuna) and also then the noodles, chicken in a curry broth, delicious! read more

YAYOI - Sushi with scallops - was delicious - Japanese Near Me - San Mateo, California

I love this food.Because how feeling japan. The only service provided was food. The atmosphere was that the store was empty. read more

YAYOI - Japanese Near Me - San Mateo, California

Located in the Hillside shopping center, Yayoi features a variety of delicious Japanese teishoku sets, from grilled salted mackerel (shio saba), to crispy and juicy pork tonkatsu, to wagyu sukiyaki. The sides are delicious too, such as the delicate and flavorful chawanmushi. Highly recommend Yayoi! read more

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The food was good! Can't say too much about the service. Our only interactions with staff were when we were seated and when we paid; they have those robots who serve the meals and you order everything (even additional utensils and water through the iPad). The meal was nice and warm and comforting, came with free pickled cucumbers that I personally wasn't a fan of. It is a bit pricey, but I'm not complaining, since I still enjoyed my meal overall. read more

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Wanted to try something new so we crossed the bridge to go to this mall and found this place It was slow since it was Wednesday which we love it! Service was great. They use robot to deliver food and drink as well. Omaze Don was not up to our liking but we glad we tried it..... the rest was very delicious. Restaurant look nice and clean as well as bathroom read more

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We live next door and go here all the time love the food and customer service this review wasn't long enough lol read more

YAYOI - Japanese Near Me - San Mateo, California

Better than I expected! The food was pretty tasty and service was great (both the human and robot server!). The iPad that you order on was pretty nasty though, and I don't love the price for the quality so docking it down to 3 stars - not bad but not going to be seeking it out either. read more

YAYOI - Nasu Miso and Saba - Japanese Near Me - San Mateo, California

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I ordered their DX tonkatsu ramen. It was decent and came with 1 slice of chashu pork with the option of adding more chashu (and spice) for additional charge. Broth had flavor but clearly wasn't memorable as I dined here yesterday and have already forgotten what it tasted like . In my opinion, there are better ramen places elsewhere but for a quick bowl of ramen after doing some retail therapy, it's not bad. Overall I give this 3.5/5. Service was okay. We had a small mishap that could have been handled better. Toward the end of our meal, a dish arrived at our table that we didn't order so we flagged a waiter down to inform them. The waiter didn't try one bit to hide his annoyance as he said, "if you didn't order it then why did it show up on your tab?"Turns out another table was accidentally assigned the same table number as ours so their orders were being sent to our table. While this was clearly a mistake, the waiter could have been more graceful about it. Though he did come back later to apologize for the mishap. We also had another waiter would go around and refill my friend's water (and from what I can see, other tables' water) to the brim but mine halfway. Each time. Like, why? Lol It was so odd that I couldn't help but laugh lol. Service: 3/5 Ambiance was fine. Place seemed clean. 3.5/5 read more

YAYOI - 1416. DX Tonkotsu Ramen - Japanese Near Me - San Mateo, California

*Parking: Located inside the Hillsdale Mall, so plenty of free parking. *Experience: Was seated immediately on a Wednesday night. We were given an iPad to order and got the two most popular items. Some of the food came out via robot delivery while some were delivered by an actual human server. The odd thing is we had to go pay in the kiosk in the front and there were a couple parties in front of us waiting to pay. We also tipped 18% even though we got practically no service. *Food: I did not like the wagyu sukiyaki as it tasted like cheap can broth and overly cooked toppings. The Hitsumabushi was better but nothing extraordinary where I would come back for it. read more

YAYOI - Japanese Near Me - San Mateo, California

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This place is perfect for a smooth sit-down experience for a big group, or by yourself! came in on a Saturday with a group of 5 at around noon, and we were seated immediately. The dining space is very roomy with plenty of booths, aisle tables, and window spots available. The food is simple, delicious, and well executed. I really like how you can monitor the cooking status of your dishes right on the ipad given to you when sitting down. This system is super flexible and allows you to add on more dishes if you want throughout the meal. I think this is a great experience for big groups because you can always add on more apps if you guys need more food. It's also a nice experience for introverts eating alone because you're not forced to interact with anyone if you don't feel like talking because a robot will deliver your food to you :) Sometimes retrieving the food from the robot is difficult due to the seating arrangement of some of the tables - e.g. my group of 5 were grouped around a booth, so only the people on the outer edge had access to the robot. However, since they sit facing away from the walking aisle, it was a hassle to get up, go around the chairs, and carefully pick up a big plate of food and give it to the person who ordered it. One of us almost dropped an entire plate of food because he's not very good at handling trays, but he had to because he was the one that could access the robot. I think some human attention to bigger groups may be helpful. Other than this, I think the food was quite good and my group had a nice time dining here before continuing our activities at the mall. I'd recommend a visit if you're in the area! read more

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I think that this place was pretty good. The menu had a good variety of food from ramen to rice plates. The place itself is open to the mall. So it could be loud if you sit towards the back area. So it was our first time here, we waited about 15 minutes for a group of 5. After we were seated the waiter just sat a tablet down on the table and they also pointed at a QR code and walked away. So we weren't sure if we were supposed to order on the tablet. We figured it out. No one came to ask us anything so we didn't interact with anyone, they inly showed up to bring out the food. But some tables had a robot server. We had to put in an order for water they didnt come and ask is if we wanted drinks while we look through the menu. We had to ask for individual plates for our appetizers because there wasnt any table set ups. Anyways the food was pretty good but wasn't anything extraordinary. I ordered a Salmon and Ikura Don, which i like. My Partner ordered a Salmon Don. Everyone liked their food. I would go again but i just didn't like how the service is ran. It could be better. read more

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We stopped by here on a Sunday for a quick lunch. Not sure why the ratings for this place are so low, the food, service, and ambiance is an easy 4 for me. Granted we love Japanese food especially bento/lunch set places. We were quickly seated by the staff and ordering was a breeze with the tablet ordering system they have here. The staff was super helpful to clarify what menu items were vegetarian or could be made vegetarian. There are also surprising number of vegetarian options on the menu here for a Japanese restaurant, usually most items will contain dashi (bonito/fish stock) for flavoring. My partner and I shared some vegetarian items including the vegetarian gyoza, the vegetarian ramen, plain curry rice. I also had the beef sukiyaki set and an order of the chawanmushi. The food came out hot and tasted great. The standouts included the veggie gyozas which were crisp on the outside with a flavorful soy/veggie filling that we liked. The vegetarian ramen was also very good, the soup wasn't too oily/rich but still had plenty of flavor, and the noodles were cooked with the right amount of chew. The sukiyaki base wasn't too sweet and was deliciously umami. Unfortunately the chawanmushi was only okay, it could have used a little more salt or stock. Overall a great place to go if you have a family with different dietary restrictions, there's something tasty for everyone. read more

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Sometimes, you find a restaurant that hits the spot. Not too fussy, has the right items, and just fits you. Hanging out at Hillsdale on a rainy day, this was that place for me. Friendly service, a ramen that suits my preferences and a good karage make this a Good rating for me. The karage was fried in a certain way that was pretty good, but I have had better. The ramen, pretty good but lacked some typical free additions ... ultimately if they satisfied those factors, i think it would be Great but they did not. Still worth trying for sure. read more

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I come to Yayoi at Hillsdale all the time -- it's one of my favorite spots. They have so many options, so there's always something good to try. Ordering from the iPad is super easy, and the robot that brings out your food is always a fun touch (especially for the kids). It's also very kid-friendly -- they have high chairs and the whole setup makes dining with little ones a lot less stressful. Only downside is there's no Wi-Fi, which would be nice to have, but honestly the food and experience more than make up for it. Definitely recommend if you're in the area! read more