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A cozy, authentic izakaya found in the Lower East Side, Yopparai is a good spot to snack on some well-executed Japanese food while drinking from an extensive sake selection. The vibes are calm, and Yopparai is fairly quiet. You'll hear smooth jazz play in the background while folks go about discussing their day. They have some tables where you can take off your shoes and sit on some pillows. There is an extensive sake selection and a scattered variety of Japanese food to pair. The sushi here is fairly solid, but I think the best item is the tempura, which is fried with an incredibly light batter and flavorful dipping sauce.
Incredible cozy Japanese spot serving delicious fresh seafood and perfect tempura. They have a couple tables of more traditional seating where you take off your shoes, but there is also regular seating at the bar or a couple tables at the front. Def recommend coming with a reservation bc the place is pretty small. I came for dinner on Saturday with my aunt and we ordered: Chawanmushi (egg custard w salmon roe on top)- 5/5 perfectly silky and savory from pops of roe. The slices of yuzu helps cut through the saltiness. Hotate Butter (grilled scallop)- 5/5 the butter soy sauce is incredible! Scallop is really tender too. I ended up dunking the rest of the squid in this sauce. Ika Ichiyazuke (grilled squid)- 4/5 chewy and tasty with the ginger. Assorted 5 types of tempura- 5/5 came with shrimp, eggplant, shiso leaf, salmon, and squid. The salmon tempura was tender and juicy while being perfectly crispy- my favorite! They also serve it two ways, either with dipping sauce that has ginger and scallions, or simply with salt and lemon. 8 types of sashimi- 4.5/5 so fresh! Came with 2 pieces for each fish. My favorites were the amberjack and the salmon. We also got a hot green tea and hot sake carafe. Both were good, especially on a cold night. Service was very attentive, and the ambiance is cozy. They were unfortunately out of the homemade tofu, so I would definitely consider coming back to try that.
Dim lighting, intimate setting and food is pretty good at this upscale Japanese izakaya. We (3 couples) went for dinner on a Friday evening and tried a bunch of different dishes. We ordered a couple special dishes of the night, Braised Beef Tongue and Pancake. The tongue was flavorful. We also tried the Chawanmushi topped w/ Salmon Roe which is one of my favorite, it was so good. Karaage was alright, Grilled Scalloped in Soy Based Butter Sauce was delicious. The Grilled Miso Marinated Black Cod also my favorite of the night as well. The Tsukune Chicken Meatball Topped with Raw Egg Yolk was tasty. The Assortment of 8 Types of Sashimi, although fresh but small cut. Overall very decent food and good service.
What I love is the intimate space and sake options. What I want to love is the food, it's a bit inconsistent. Most times the fried food is drowning in oil and is unpleasant to eat what little or humongous cuts of vegetables may be hiding in there. Other times the fish is mild in flavor (even those that are supposed to pack a wallop of flavor). I do love that the uni is always fresh and perhaps that's all I'll return for. Overall a good Japanese eatery for a change of pace from the abundant food varieties around.
The restaurant is very cute! It's got a cozy Japanese style and we were lucky to sit in the "private booth". It was such a good experience. Food was delicious. Everything we ordered was very good. However they added up to the bill quickly and we spent over $100 each. The service was just okay. Water wasn't a standard thing here and no one offered to add water throughout the meal. Also we weren't given instructions on how to cook the hot pot and ran out of the fire so we asked for more fuel. The waiter was quite rude about it and said "this is the last one I'd give you".
I came here with the a friend earlier this week, and all in all, it was a very nice experience. I definitely appreciate the traditional seating, although can be a bit awkward with taking off your shoes and getting settled in the seat. The food was also really good, very fresh. The only downside is that it was a bit pricey for the portion size we got. That being said, we got a good selection of dishes to share (the 6 kind sashimi, the wagyu beef roll, the special okonomiyaki, and a special seaweed appetizer), which was satisfying for the two of us. The wait staff were also friendly and attentive. All in all, it was a great atmosphere and the food quality was very nice, albeit a bit pricey.
Came here randomly. Made a reservation 2 hours before. The food was good and the ambiance is nice. Service was good. And food was excellent. Besides the plain squid. Everything was great. The dessert was okay. We ordered the mochi ice cream and the macaron hojicha thing. Will definitely come back here. But expect the bill to be pricey. The chicken meatball is meh. Based on reviews I expected it to be great. But other wise everything else was great.
My experience eating at Yopparai was quite pleasant. We were immediately seated at 7:15pm with a reservation for 7:30pm and were instructed to take off our shoes so that we could sit at the dining area. We ordered the Tsukune (Homemade Chicken Meatball Topped with Raw Egg Yolk), Hotate Butter (Grilled Scallop in Soy based butter sauce), and the Ika Ichiyazuke (Grilled Whole Marined Squid) for the appetizers. They were all around $16-$18 each, which is honestly not too bad for the quality of the food that was received. We also ordered the 10 piece chef's choice sushi for $85. The Chicken Meatball was really delicious. On the perimeter of the dish was this chopped radish-textured formation that was coated beautifully in this soy-based sauce. It was the perfect amounts of sour and savory. We had to mix in the raw egg yolk with the meatball and it tasted absolutely amazing. I could not stop eating the Hotata Butter scallops, the butter mixture was so rich and flavorful, and the added lemon juice complemented the scallops and the sauce perfectly. The scallops were also extremely tender and flavorful, and they even put salt on the side to add an extra zing. The grilled squid was also extremely appetizing and delicious, and they gave an extremely generous amount of squid that was addicting to eat. Lastly was the omakase-styled sushi part of the dinner. They gave us generous amounts of fish ranging from salmon roe, botan ebi, yellowtail, tuna, chutoro, salmon, fluke, and uni. Each piece was curated beautifully and was an absolute pleasure to eat. Overall my experience was great and my stomach was pleasantly satisfied at the end. We also got the Yopparai Partfait at the very end, which was $12 for vanilla ice cream, a ton of whipped cream, sliced bananas, strawberries, and cereal. It was a perfect way to end the dinner and the night.
Ambience was very cute! They had us take our shoes off before we sat in the booths. Portions were quite small, we shared these items amongst 4 people which came out to about 50 per person but none of us were full by the end. I think this review is largely driven by how much I liked the pork belly and karaage (which I would consider coming back for) The pork belly was a little bit of both sweet and acidic and mind-blowingly tender. It is very fatty which also makes it pretty fatty. I think it would have been very nice with a bit of rice The karaage was probably the best karaage I've tried in nyc. It was crispy, super flavorful and incredibly juicy. The yopparai chirashi was also quite good, I liked all of the components and the rice was good (a little chewy, not too sticky). This was probably the largest item and maybe could have fed one person Anago chirashi was solid but nothing too special. Probably wouldn't order the beef tataki, daikon salad, or pickles again
Wasn't sure whether I wanted to give this place 3 or 4 stars but I rounded up because of the service and ambiance. It is a bit pricey but overall had a good experience. My favorites were the grilled squid and the 5 kinds of tempura. I ordered the fish hot pot for myself as the entree but wish it came with some sort of rice or that the portion was a bit bigger. My friends got the house chirashi and it was great. The fish was fresh. We ordered a bottle of sake for the table to share and the cost came out to almost $100 per person. Pricey but overall a good experience!
Are a reservation for two for the streetside outdoor seating with the kotatsu table to keep warm. It was definitely cozy with the kotatsu but a bit awkward with people walking by and having to take shoes on/off and go into the restaurant to use the restroom. Definitely a cool experience though. We ordered: - two types of sake (unsure which unfortunately) - nukazuke - karaage - agedashi tofu - kakuni (pork belly) - hotate butter scallops - 6 pieces sashimi - 6 pieces veggie tempura Our favorite item was definitely the kakuni -- we wished we'd ordered another serving of those instead of the sashimi. The karaage was incredible -- such delicious meat and the breading was so light. Probably the best agedashi tofu I've had and that's one of my favorites to order at Japanese restaurants. The scallops were delicious but the portion was a bit disappointing -- the total amount maybe equalled two whole small scallops, sliced up. Veggie tempura was definitely good but not groundbreaking. Sashimi was good quality but nothing better than what I've had at other quality sushi joints. This was definitely a fun (and pricey) experience. No regrets (except not ordering more pork belly) I'd maybe return if they changed up the menu significantly, otherwise there are plenty of other izakaya to check out -- the food here is good but expensive so you may get equal bang for your buck elsewhere.
Awesome izakaya! The food is really awesome. Highly recommend the uni flight (if it's available, dunno might be seasonal), wagyu, and pretty much anything on the special menu. Outdoor seating was nice too. Enclosed tatami "booths". In the summer, it can be pretty stuffy though.
have been in search of a fire izakaya spot so decided to check this place out. will say that right off the bat, great hospitality! we had a table reserved outdoors in the kotatsu but it ended up being a lot colder than we expected so they were able to seat us indoors. we got a variety of dishes and the flavors were all very traditional. top pics were the tsukune, tempura, and kakuni. rice balls were a bit overcooked and some of the flavors were a bit too mild, especially id you are pairing with alcohol. as far as what i want in a go-to izakaya spot i'm not sure it checks all the boxes as there aren't a ton of options on the menu. however, the hardest thing to stomach is the price. you will inevitably hit the 150$ mark for two and you may not leave with a completely full stomach. i would say this is more of a spot to come to focus on drinking and share a few appetizers while youre there rather than have a full meal.
1 year ago
Really great. The fish quality was incredible. Pretty expensive but for the whole experience and taste of the food: definitely worth it. The atmosphere and decor here is awesome. It's nice and quiet so easy to talk with a group. Many tables are separated with walls so your group has almost its own tiny room. Tables require you to remove your shoes and provide slippers for any bathroom trips you may want to make. It's an awfully fun time. Absolutely delicious. read more
Grabbed a same-day reservation for dinner on a weeknight. Tatami tables are cool (though our area had a bit of a musty smell). I tried: + Mushroom tempura (special) + Black cod + Gyutan - beef tongue + Washu gyu tataki + homemade pickles The beef tongue was my absolute favorite. Enjoyed just about everything except the tempura - it was good, but would try other tempura next time. Also, everything was on the smaller side (appetizer sizes) so just keep that in mind. Great sake and great service. read more
A cozy, authentic izakaya found in the Lower East Side, Yopparai is a good spot to snack on some well-executed Japanese food while drinking from an extensive sake selection. The vibes are calm, and Yopparai is fairly quiet. You'll hear smooth jazz play in the background while folks go about discussing their day. They have some tables where you can take off your shoes and sit on some pillows. There is an extensive sake selection and a scattered variety of Japanese food to pair. The sushi here is fairly solid, but I think the best item is the tempura, which is fried with an incredibly light batter and flavorful dipping sauce. read more
2 years ago
Incredible cozy Japanese spot serving delicious fresh seafood and perfect tempura. They have a couple tables of more traditional seating where you take off your shoes, but there is also regular seating at the bar or a couple tables at the front. Def recommend coming with a reservation bc the place is pretty small. I came for dinner on Saturday with my aunt and we ordered: Chawanmushi (egg custard w salmon roe on top)- 5/5 perfectly silky and savory from pops of roe. The slices of yuzu helps cut through the saltiness. Hotate Butter (grilled scallop)- 5/5 the butter soy sauce is incredible! Scallop is really tender too. I ended up dunking the rest of the squid in this sauce. Ika Ichiyazuke (grilled squid)- 4/5 chewy and tasty with the ginger. Assorted 5 types of tempura- 5/5 came with shrimp, eggplant, shiso leaf, salmon, and squid. The salmon tempura was tender and juicy while being perfectly crispy- my favorite! They also serve it two ways, either with dipping sauce that has ginger and scallions, or simply with salt and lemon. 8 types of sashimi- 4.5/5 so fresh! Came with 2 pieces for each fish. My favorites were the amberjack and the salmon. We also got a hot green tea and hot sake carafe. Both were good, especially on a cold night. Service was very attentive, and the ambiance is cozy. They were unfortunately out of the homemade tofu, so I would definitely consider coming back to try that. read more
Dim lighting, intimate setting and food is pretty good at this upscale Japanese izakaya. We (3 couples) went for dinner on a Friday evening and tried a bunch of different dishes. We ordered a couple special dishes of the night, Braised Beef Tongue and Pancake. The tongue was flavorful. We also tried the Chawanmushi topped w/ Salmon Roe which is one of my favorite, it was so good. Karaage was alright, Grilled Scalloped in Soy Based Butter Sauce was delicious. The Grilled Miso Marinated Black Cod also my favorite of the night as well. The Tsukune Chicken Meatball Topped with Raw Egg Yolk was tasty. The Assortment of 8 Types of Sashimi, although fresh but small cut. Overall very decent food and good service. read more
What I love is the intimate space and sake options. What I want to love is the food, it's a bit inconsistent. Most times the fried food is drowning in oil and is unpleasant to eat what little or humongous cuts of vegetables may be hiding in there. Other times the fish is mild in flavor (even those that are supposed to pack a wallop of flavor). I do love that the uni is always fresh and perhaps that's all I'll return for. Overall a good Japanese eatery for a change of pace from the abundant food varieties around. read more
7 months ago
The restaurant is very cute! It's got a cozy Japanese style and we were lucky to sit in the "private booth". It was such a good experience. Food was delicious. Everything we ordered was very good. However they added up to the bill quickly and we spent over $100 each. The service was just okay. Water wasn't a standard thing here and no one offered to add water throughout the meal. Also we weren't given instructions on how to cook the hot pot and ran out of the fire so we asked for more fuel. The waiter was quite rude about it and said "this is the last one I'd give you". read more
I came here with the a friend earlier this week, and all in all, it was a very nice experience. I definitely appreciate the traditional seating, although can be a bit awkward with taking off your shoes and getting settled in the seat. The food was also really good, very fresh. The only downside is that it was a bit pricey for the portion size we got. That being said, we got a good selection of dishes to share (the 6 kind sashimi, the wagyu beef roll, the special okonomiyaki, and a special seaweed appetizer), which was satisfying for the two of us. The wait staff were also friendly and attentive. All in all, it was a great atmosphere and the food quality was very nice, albeit a bit pricey. read more
4 years ago
Came here randomly. Made a reservation 2 hours before. The food was good and the ambiance is nice. Service was good. And food was excellent. Besides the plain squid. Everything was great. The dessert was okay. We ordered the mochi ice cream and the macaron hojicha thing. Will definitely come back here. But expect the bill to be pricey. The chicken meatball is meh. Based on reviews I expected it to be great. But other wise everything else was great. read more
4 years ago
My experience eating at Yopparai was quite pleasant. We were immediately seated at 7:15pm with a reservation for 7:30pm and were instructed to take off our shoes so that we could sit at the dining area. We ordered the Tsukune (Homemade Chicken Meatball Topped with Raw Egg Yolk), Hotate Butter (Grilled Scallop in Soy based butter sauce), and the Ika Ichiyazuke (Grilled Whole Marined Squid) for the appetizers. They were all around $16-$18 each, which is honestly not too bad for the quality of the food that was received. We also ordered the 10 piece chef's choice sushi for $85. The Chicken Meatball was really delicious. On the perimeter of the dish was this chopped radish-textured formation that was coated beautifully in this soy-based sauce. It was the perfect amounts of sour and savory. We had to mix in the raw egg yolk with the meatball and it tasted absolutely amazing. I could not stop eating the Hotata Butter scallops, the butter mixture was so rich and flavorful, and the added lemon juice complemented the scallops and the sauce perfectly. The scallops were also extremely tender and flavorful, and they even put salt on the side to add an extra zing. The grilled squid was also extremely appetizing and delicious, and they gave an extremely generous amount of squid that was addicting to eat. Lastly was the omakase-styled sushi part of the dinner. They gave us generous amounts of fish ranging from salmon roe, botan ebi, yellowtail, tuna, chutoro, salmon, fluke, and uni. Each piece was curated beautifully and was an absolute pleasure to eat. Overall my experience was great and my stomach was pleasantly satisfied at the end. We also got the Yopparai Partfait at the very end, which was $12 for vanilla ice cream, a ton of whipped cream, sliced bananas, strawberries, and cereal. It was a perfect way to end the dinner and the night. read more
2 years ago
9 months ago
3 years ago
Ambience was very cute! They had us take our shoes off before we sat in the booths. Portions were quite small, we shared these items amongst 4 people which came out to about 50 per person but none of us were full by the end. I think this review is largely driven by how much I liked the pork belly and karaage (which I would consider coming back for) The pork belly was a little bit of both sweet and acidic and mind-blowingly tender. It is very fatty which also makes it pretty fatty. I think it would have been very nice with a bit of rice The karaage was probably the best karaage I've tried in nyc. It was crispy, super flavorful and incredibly juicy. The yopparai chirashi was also quite good, I liked all of the components and the rice was good (a little chewy, not too sticky). This was probably the largest item and maybe could have fed one person Anago chirashi was solid but nothing too special. Probably wouldn't order the beef tataki, daikon salad, or pickles again read more
Wasn't sure whether I wanted to give this place 3 or 4 stars but I rounded up because of the service and ambiance. It is a bit pricey but overall had a good experience. My favorites were the grilled squid and the 5 kinds of tempura. I ordered the fish hot pot for myself as the entree but wish it came with some sort of rice or that the portion was a bit bigger. My friends got the house chirashi and it was great. The fish was fresh. We ordered a bottle of sake for the table to share and the cost came out to almost $100 per person. Pricey but overall a good experience! read more
1 year ago
5 years ago
Are a reservation for two for the streetside outdoor seating with the kotatsu table to keep warm. It was definitely cozy with the kotatsu but a bit awkward with people walking by and having to take shoes on/off and go into the restaurant to use the restroom. Definitely a cool experience though. We ordered: - two types of sake (unsure which unfortunately) - nukazuke - karaage - agedashi tofu - kakuni (pork belly) - hotate butter scallops - 6 pieces sashimi - 6 pieces veggie tempura Our favorite item was definitely the kakuni -- we wished we'd ordered another serving of those instead of the sashimi. The karaage was incredible -- such delicious meat and the breading was so light. Probably the best agedashi tofu I've had and that's one of my favorites to order at Japanese restaurants. The scallops were delicious but the portion was a bit disappointing -- the total amount maybe equalled two whole small scallops, sliced up. Veggie tempura was definitely good but not groundbreaking. Sashimi was good quality but nothing better than what I've had at other quality sushi joints. This was definitely a fun (and pricey) experience. No regrets (except not ordering more pork belly) I'd maybe return if they changed up the menu significantly, otherwise there are plenty of other izakaya to check out -- the food here is good but expensive so you may get equal bang for your buck elsewhere. read more
Awesome izakaya! The food is really awesome. Highly recommend the uni flight (if it's available, dunno might be seasonal), wagyu, and pretty much anything on the special menu. Outdoor seating was nice too. Enclosed tatami "booths". In the summer, it can be pretty stuffy though. read more
have been in search of a fire izakaya spot so decided to check this place out. will say that right off the bat, great hospitality! we had a table reserved outdoors in the kotatsu but it ended up being a lot colder than we expected so they were able to seat us indoors. we got a variety of dishes and the flavors were all very traditional. top pics were the tsukune, tempura, and kakuni. rice balls were a bit overcooked and some of the flavors were a bit too mild, especially id you are pairing with alcohol. as far as what i want in a go-to izakaya spot i'm not sure it checks all the boxes as there aren't a ton of options on the menu. however, the hardest thing to stomach is the price. you will inevitably hit the 150$ mark for two and you may not leave with a completely full stomach. i would say this is more of a spot to come to focus on drinking and share a few appetizers while youre there rather than have a full meal. read more
2 years ago
Food: 3.5 stars Overall, the food is good, but I don't think it matches the price. We ordered black cod (4.5 stars), sashimi (4 stars), beef tartare (I didn't really like it, but my husband did), and tuna sushi (3 stars). Service: 4 stars. The service was pleasant. Ambiance: 3.7 stars read more
4 years ago
Good food, small portions, EXPENSIVE pricing. Food was good! We got an assortment of dishes (portions are on the smaller side for sure), but the two winners were the miso black cod and the tuna (toro) roll... Also enjoyed the wagyu roll as well but definitely wasn't worth $25 The ambiance of the restaurant was very nice though. It was an intimate space with limited seating. I appreciated that - the noise level never got overbearing like so many other restaurants. Recommend counter seating - we got to sit next to each other but also interact with the chef on the other side. Expect to spend ~$50 - 75 per person all together. read more
Came for a friend's birthday, ordered a variety of dishes since nothing on the menu was of substantial size. All their dishes are small-medium, not for sharing amongst 5 people. Their raw fish selections were fresh and sweet. The quality was on par with the price tag but some dishes were decent, not sure I would pay a premium. The service there was nice, often came to refill the water and checked in on us. I would recommend this for an intimate couple's evening out, but not for a party or big group. Although, I appreciated the quality of the fishes I still walked away hungry and the total bill came out to be about $400. read more
Nice cozy spot. Came for little night cap after dinner, intensive sake list! Also got some small bites - House Smoked Cod Roe - just like regular cod roe not smoked... meh. Cod Milt - interesting to have it in NY, pretty delicious! Botan Shrimp - pretty good usually my favorite sushi/sashimi piece. read more
5 years ago
Yopparai is the place to go if you're looking for a top tier lux izakaya experience. They have a broad menu of sushi, sashimi, hotpot, noodles, etc. When our party of four arrived, we were seated indoors in a traditional Japanese zashiki. Our waiter was very helpful and explained all the items on the menu. We ended up ordering... Shrimp tempura - 4/5 Loved how it came with a lot of shrimp Pork belly hot pot - 3/5 Not my personal favorite. Flavor only really came from the soy sauce Tempura $32 set - 5/5 probably my second favorite! The shrimp tempuras were huge! Definitely recommend if you want to try different seafood tempuras other than shrimp Miso black cod - 4/5 the fish was very flaky and soft. Paired well with the pickled radishes and carrots Grilled squid - 3/5 squid was nice and tender but was lacking in the sauce department 6 type sashimi - 5/5 highlight of the night! My absolute favorite piece was the scallop! Overall, Yappori is a great place to try if you're willing to spend a little extra on Japanese food. If you're not sure what to get, I'd say get their noodle dishes, tempura or the sashimi! read more
Great food, great hospitality. Thanks Kaito san for being a great server during my dinner there. I like how they put thought after with each and every dishes, simple yet delicious. Unlike other izakaya, this one is actually quite child-friendly to my surprise. My favorite dish is actually the cooked rice with salmon and salmon roe, along with ebi shinjo. Its different than the other Ebi Shinjo that I had at Kyoya but its still good. Scallop butter is good for the show but I guess I would skip it next time. A great dating spot! read more
Very nice, very authentic Japanese place. Nothing that really made me jump out of my bar seat but good ambiance and good food. Small portions which could've been expected but still wanted more. The highlight was the chicken sausage without a doubt. Should've just gotten 5 of them :) Washu beef was solid - bear in mind it's cold though. Beef tongue was good. Usually not a fan but was quality here. Anagram (eel) was very bland. Wouldn't recommend. Stew was minuscule but cute. Wouldn't go crazy ordering it tho kind of useless. Miso black cod was great. Always a go to for me and didn't disappoint here. Got a few more things but forgot. Sake was good too and presentation of it was very unique. Service was also good and waitress was very nice. Overall, Michelin Star place so had to try but not crazy about it. Quality for sure but nothing too exciting. read more
Had a great dinner here! Staff is super friendly and attentive, I love the private Japanese booths where we take off our shoes. I recommend getting the special fish collar, wagyu beef, shrimp tempura and chicken meatball , scallops, the black cod sushi pieces were amazing as well! They have such a great selection to choose from! Sashimi is super fresh too, I can't wait to go back and try the omakase next time! read more
4 years ago
2 years ago
Everything was amazing, from the food to the service. Made a reservation for the booth, with Zashiki seating (there's an opening under the table for anyone who wants to put their legs underneath) Food: Miso soup was a little bland, the shrimp head miso was very flavorful, strong taste for seafood fanatics. 8 piece sushi platter had a wonderful spread, on a bed of ice to preserve the fresh taste. Tuna was exceptionally tender. Wagyu roll was a fun thing to try, with the cucumber cutting through the savory meat. read more
Love this izakaya! They have an extensive sake selection and you can always ask for recommendations from their staff. The one we had was Oze and it was on point. Love the yuzu cocktail also. Really warm and welcoming and great date night vibe. read more
8 years ago
2 years ago
I came here tonight to celebrate my friend's pre-birthday dinner along with her peeps. The restaurant is conveniently near the Delancey Street station less than a 5 mins walk if you got long legs like moi lol How awesome that the restaurant is located inside an apartment building. I pulled and pushed the door then I realized it was a sliding door...duh haha! A few people greeted me and I told one of them my friend's name for the reservation. She pointed towards the back which I saw seats by the counter...phewww luckily a table for 8 to my left. Space is quite tight as we were seated by the kitchen so the food is piping hot when it gets to our table. Our server was just a bit too fast in clearing the dishes for the next course. At the corner of our table, there was plenty of space for our server to stack bowls and plates for all our dishes. Drinks: The birthday girl ordered their only cocktail on the menu...Yopparai Cocktail (2) Kokuryu "Black Dragon", Fukui region 6oz (1) Shiragiku "White Chrysanthemum" Nigori, Okayama region. 12oz (1) Note: For sake, our server came over with a basket of sake glasses for you to pick. Food *sharing is caring* Oden - Assortment of 5 items (1)...I really like the Mochi Kinchaku mmm ::sad face:: I wasn't done eating it and my bowl was taken away from me Today's Specials - Washu Gyu Tataki (1)...I thought my friend didn't eat hers yet so I placed one on her plate and now she can have two...I didn't try it because the beef looked too red for moi Homemade Yudoufu (2)...mmm this dish was very unique which came in a wooden box while the flame underneath was heating the tofu and the sauce to pour onto these delicious mouthwatering tofu man Otoro - super fatty tuna (2)...my friend ate mine because mama don't like raw food Today's Specials - Sanma Shioyaki (1)...I tried a little bit of the grilled mackerel but way too many bones for me Karaage (2)...the first order had only 5 pieces then the second order was more...definitely one of thee yummiest fried chicken mmmm Kakuni (1)...woah baby thick pieces of the pork belly...mama love meat...come into my belly haha Miso Black Cod (1)...I am not a fan of seafood but this dish was really yummy and the crispy skin mmmm Jidori (1)...I prefer gizzards over liver anytime so everyone can try more pieces since I am not putting that in my mouth Butakushi (2)...Oooo mama love pork belly especially the fatty part...I was engaging in everyone's conversation than in one second I noticed the fatty part of the pork belly was taken away from me...oh no miss don't mess with me...I snatched that baby from my plate and ate it Gyutan (1)...No way am I eating beef tongue Hotate Butter (2)...beautiful presentation and it was quite yummy as I am not a fan of scallop as well Kurobuta Tamago Toji (1)...it was yummy and our third dish with pork belly hehe Yaki Onigiri - sea urchin (2)...my first experience with sea urchin...thank god it was that slimy texture that everyone loves...mmm I do like rice cake and these babies were very crunchy Yaki Onigiri - spicy marinated cod roe (1)...definitely has a kick to your palate...spicy but tasty mmm Today's Specials - Smoked Duck (1)...another yummy dish Lastly Inaniwa Udon ***seasonal item*** (1)...a little sweet for me but it was good Overall it was a yummy experience for authentic Japanese small bites. I definitely came here with an emptied stomach lol Note: Please don't clear the dishes so fast just ask if we are done since it happened twice to me. read more
Yopparai is a tiny Japanese sake bar and restaurant in the LES. They are famous for their Oden (traditional Japanese foods simmered in dashi). Their food is very good to excellent and the service was great! The ambience is calm and demurred (we were the loudest ones there). K and I were here for a friend's birthday. The six of us sat at the largest table in the back (table for 8). We ordered the following. Nigori sake (unfiltered sake) 12 oz- this was great because it was smooth, had a silky-milk mouth feel and packed a punch without tasting like a higher alcohol content. Otoro- the fatty tuna slices were satisfying and rich. It was delicious and pretty. The chef topped each slice with gold flakes, making this dish even more decadent. Smoked duck- this was perfectly tender, had a fatty duck skin layer and delicate smoked flavor. Yudoufu (Hot homemade tofu cooked with negi and shiitake in a wooden box)- I loved the presentation and taste of this dish! The tofu was placed in a wooden box with a fire in the lower compartment. The view of the tofu, Japanese leek, and broth was not beautiful but the combination had such a depth of umami flavors. Everything was perfectly cooked: the silky housemade tofu, the crisp sweet leeks and the savory broth. It was one of my favorite dishes. Gyu-Tataki (Lightly roasted Washu beef with ponzu dressing)- this was like tender beef sashimi. The beef was seared ever-so-lightly so you could barely see the cooked outer ring. The ponzu sauce was a citrusy slightly sour soy sauce. Oden Mori of 5 items- Egg, daikon, bean curd, mushroom and taro cake simmered in dashi broth. This was excellent. It looked ugly but I loved the soul warming rich flavors from the dashi. Everything was perfectly cooked. My favorite was the daikon and gelatinous taro jelly cake. Karaage (Japanese fried chicken for $12)- this was such high quality fried chicken. It was so light, perfectly seasoned and the chicken was very juicy. It was a thousand times better than the karaage I had at a restaurant in St Mark's (and costs $3 more). Hotate Butter (scallops cooked in butter)- the scallops were fresh, briny and buttery. One piece was little overcooked but the flavors were just right. Butakushi (Kurobuta fatty pork belly roasted)- fatty roasted pork belly. This was so good that we reordered it. Gindara (Black Miso Cod)- this was seared so it had a crunch and was so tender. The miso added so much delicate rich flavors. I wished I had one to myself. Kakuni (Berkshire pork belly simmered in sweet dashi broth)- This was ok. The flavors were great but some pieces were tough. The best pieces were the ones with a chunk of fat. Kurobuta Tamago Toji (Kurobuta pork belly simmered in dashi broth with soft scrambled egg)- this was delicious steamed egg with ground pork belly with a dashi broth. It was savory, slightly fatty and very tasty. Jidori Liver (roasted chicken livers)- flavorful and tender. Good if you like liver. Gyutan (thick-cut Washu beef tongue prepared in Sendai style)- This was cooked medium rare. I liked the tender beefy crunchy beef tongue but some cuts were tough. I also like beef tongue well done. The medium rare beef after taste was not so good. Inaniwa Udon- udon in chilled savory sauce topped with tiny tofu and shiitake. This was savory and delicious. The tofu was silky, the udon was perfectly cooked. The udon also helped round out the meal so we all left full. Sanma Shioyaki (grilled mackerel)- this was flavorful and perfectly grilled. Onigiri (Crunchy grilled rice cake) topped with soy sauce - this was rice seared so it forms a delicious crunchy layer. Onigiri (Crunchy grilled rice cake) topped with roe- this was the better of the two onigiris. The salmon roe offered a tiny vesicular crunch compared to the crunchiness and stickiness of eating a seared layer of rice. It was a delicious fun meal! You could taste the high quality ingredients and the care the cooks took to make each dish. I would order the onigiri with salmon roe, the tofu, beef tongue, oden, and pork belly yakitori again. instagram.com/snackchatnyc read more
5 years ago
Reservations recommended. Intimate private seating booths. Traditional style food and service. Expensive prices suited for a special occasion. Food are art pieces to discover and enjoy. Most portions are small, gives room for their dessert. Food reminded me of omakase appetizers and platters. Would recommend the washi beef tataki if you like raw beef, sushi is decent, hotpot is an interesting experience. Lots of things to try. Beautiful seating areas. read more
5 years ago
A nice cozy izakaya/restaurant. Reservation was easy to make online. Service was great too but our server forgot our second order for toro... which was ok. Food were great too, but the portions are a bit too small. But oh well, it is in New York. read more
2 years ago
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49 Clinton St
Ground Floor
New York, NY 10002
Lower East Side
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(212) 777-7253
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http://www.yopparainyc.com/
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