WakuWaku

The food is just ordinary I would say. It was our first time here. Better food served just outside on the food court. Service was excellent, prices little on higher side. But they have nice bar on the side. Great place to have a date. Also they have those Japanese rooms, but it should be reserved in advance and I believe they cost fee.

The delightful freshness of the ingredients truly elevated each dish. The flavors were a harmonious blend, creating a memorable dining experience. The ambiance enhanced the overall enjoyment of the meal. It was a pleasure to savor such expertly prepared food.

This was such an experience. We sat at the bar and it was so intimate and the food was DELICIOUS!!! We had teriyaki chicken and salmon. (Omg so good bro). We also had the Takowasa, it was amazingly tasty. I recommend coming here, and if you want drinks, I suggest getting the izakaya penicillin. It has a smooth taste with flavors of lemon and ginger. It’s refreshing and is a great palate cleanser. This place deserves all the love that it brings with food. Thank you and please take this recommendation and enjoy the food, made with care. 🫶🏽

We got a variety of skewers, cabbage, rice, spicy ramen, and sashimi. Everything was good but not great. Our server also wasnt the best and took until the end of our meal to get our drinks

I went here long time ago. A pretty chill izakaya place around Japan Village. Overall it was great but slightly pricy. I’ll say just simply get want you like!

I love this place!! I am not sure why the ratings are a little low but everything is really tasty! The food here was on small plates but they were YUMMY! Sashimi was fresh, fried chickens were juicy and steamy, and the short rib special was tender and delicious. Our server was very friendly as well. We also had happy hour beer which was only 6$ for draft. Great deal! We will come back.

We come here every month for the delicious skewers and gyumaki. The chicken skin and sasami ume are our top favorites. Wintertime, nabeyaki warms our soul! It's in a convenient spot where we can get Sunday lunch then grocery shop at sunrise Mart. They have a great selection of fish and so many skewer options for everyone. I miss Japanese izakaya food and WakuWaku always delivers the best dishes to relieve my nostalgia. I look forward to tasting new and amazing food the creative chefs make as well as the skewers that go great with their exclusive list of sake and cocktails/beer. It's a great place to bring friends, eat sweets and drink!

Got myself the Gyu Maki and the Beef Skewer. For just $18 I was really impressed. Everything had a great amount of flavour, and the service was fantastic. Will definitely be coming back.

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

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

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

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

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

I've been meaning to try this place despite the mediocre reviews here. The sushi place that I usually go to was packed so came here instead. There were a lot of people here on a Saturday afternoon which seemed promising but I was wrong. We ordered a bunch of yakitori, fried fish bones, seafood tempura, pressed salmon sushi, daikon radish salad. The yakitori was lukewarm and there was no charred flavor to any of the skewers. The chicken skin skewer was fried too much that it stuck to the stick and we couldn't eat any of it. The other skewers (beef and okra, duck) were average at best. The daikon radish salad was really good and refreshing and the only dish we enjoyed. Seafood tempura was not good, batter was soggy, shrimp overcooked and it was lukewarm when we got it. Pressed salmon sushi was a letdown as well, salmon was not fresh and rice was mushy. The worst was the fried fish bones which was advertised as being crispy like rice crackers which they absolutely were not! It was so hard I almost hurt myself biting into it. The fried items here are terrible and everything else is below average. The service was friendly and nice but the food was just not good. I would not come back again.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I came here on a whim for lunch and very happy I did. The lunch menu had a lot of options available. The employees were very attentive and the service was quick. The food was light and left you feeling satisfied. I had the salmon teriyaki lunch special.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Food was fresh! I loved the chirashi don! Will definitely go back. Wait staff was attentive and checked on us often. Atmosphere reminded me of Japan.

I have had low expectations for the restaurants in industry city ever since visiting the Hometown BBQ there's. On this particular day, my bf and I were looking for something a little more upscale so decided to give Waku Waku a try. I was in the mood for izakaya bites and decided to get their seared scallop yakiniku as an app. It's a must try, with some standout smoky, sinewy scallop meat. I had the Salmon Ikura mini donburi and was expecting the salmon to be marinated. To my suprise, the salmon lacked any marinade and was half cooked. The half cooking ruined the fish for me but dipping it into soy sauce made it more enjoyable. Not a bad experience, but nothing special or noteworthy. It's a cute restaurant with a traditional izakaya interior and mediocre food.

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

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

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

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

This spot is in a cool Japanese market place and the food was good for some quick lunch, not overpriced and cooked well. The service was good also no complaints about that, I will come back with a party to sit traditionally in one of their private rooms.

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

Yuck. All of my food had a weird aftertaste, and this place is terrible for vegetarians. Most of the dishes with vegetables are not vegetarian, so I ordered a skewer of shishito peppers to have something before my "entree.". It had three peppers on it, for $3. Then, my tofu teriyaki was just three cubes of tofu with bottled teriyaki sauce, a single, lukewarm piece of carrot, and a small piece of broccoli, also lukewarm. I have had better and cheaper food well, anywhere? I left feeling really cheated and disappointed, especially after schlepping so far for something so mediocre. Avoid.

This place was surprisingly good considering it was 30 minutes right before the restaurant was about to close. We ordered a bunch of dishes including the wasabi shumai, corn tempura, pork katsu, chef's choice five skewers, and fried chicken. Everything tasted very good and we were stuffed. The born tempura was something that I never had before. The fried chicken portion was huge.

Came here for lunch at 12 on a Wednesday. The waiter was polite and friendly . Explained to us they have a staffing shortage and that's why there's no bar tender and no drinks yet. Food was delicious. The sashimi platter was small but fresh. Will definitely eat here again in the future !

Came here as two hungry people and ordered a few things. Tl;Dr: get the corn tempura, gyu maki (beef wrapped with mochi rice), marinated cucumbers and chef choice skewers. Food came out fast and we almost ran out of space in the table for food. The chefs choice came with cartilage, shrimp, shishito peppers, scallops and mushroom. Appetizers: we ordered the corn tempura, gyu maki (beef wrapped mochi rice), sakamushi clams, crispy garlic potatoes and marinated cucumbers Corn tempura: it was fluffy and crunchy. Sucker for corn so this hit the spot but the matcha salt was a tad bit too salty. Gyu Maki: soy beef wrapped mochi rice wasn't as chewy as I hope for mochi rice but this dish really hit the spot! The beef was flavorful and sweet. The rice was a slight bit too soggy but still good. Sakamushi clams: couldn't taste the sake, and it was very mediocre. Crispy garlic potatoes: very filling and the potatoes resembles home fries that paired well with the spicy cod. Marinated cucumbers: this was probably my fave dish out of everything because it was just perfect. Tasty and refreshing. It's like msg coated cucumbers but better.

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

Had a surprise birthday here and could not have been more happy! The food, service and atmosphere was truly a 10/10' experience. For a party of seven, ordering was easy and collaborative which made it more fun! Food comes out as you submit the order, so if you do want more as your eating you can do that! We had so many different things that were all really good but some that stick out are the black cod miso, eel over rice, lamb chop, hot pot & panko fried skewers. The drink menu here is also really fun taking some classics and re-designing them with Japanese liquors. The dining areas are semi-private but there is also a bar you can sit at as well. I will definitely be back to try more things on the menu.

I came here for lunch right when they opened at noon. Our experience was quite disappointing to begin with, as several items we tried to ask for, they said the kitchen was "still working on," so we couldn't order it. Maybe you would have better luck for dinner once they've had more time, but I feel like a restaurant should be prepared to serve folks at lunch time. Maybe that explains why we were also the only patrons at a prime time. On to the food we actually could get. We ordered the chicken heart, beef tongue, wagyu and shishito pepper, squid legs, and pork gyoza. The skewers and gyoza were all good but nothing better than average, except for the beef tongue which was tough and not enjoyable. The ambiance of the restaurant was also strange. The Japanese decor was very charming, but the vibe was ruined by them playing mismatched 1950s music overhead and the kitchen blasting Latin jams. Overall, I was really excited to try another izakaya spot, but would not return or recommend.

Nice menu selection, decent decor, affordable. Definitely recommended for those days when you are craving Japanese food. Doesn't appear to have rolls of any type but a decent sashimi selection.

I should've checked yelp before coming here. We wanted a sit down place in Industry City and love Japanese food and have enjoyed food previously in the Japanese Village food court so decided to try this for dinner the other night. The host was kind and checked in with us but our server rushed us and was a bit gruff for our liking. We ordered a few skewers, sushi and a couple of other things and although everything was edible, nothing was actually very good. We didn't finish our dishes, normally we bring leftovers home, as we hate to waste, but no one was going to eat this food. Also I saw the chef, or one of the chefs in the kitchen (it's open) on his phone multiple times why prepping food, I'm unsure if he washed his hands after touching his food and handling food either.

Not that good at all. The price on the menu seemed decent but you get what you pay for. The ramen noodles were over cooked. Some of the yakitori wasn't even cooked thoroughly and wasn't even hot. Waiters prioritize paid drinks first(which came out immediately after ordering) even thought we asked for a glass of water several times to two different waiters, one we had to ask again after several more minutes. I don't think I'd trust this place enough to try anything raw. The space overall seems dingy.

Came in on Saturday for a small lunch before heading to the other spots in Industry City for more snacks. No reservation around 2:00 and was able to walk in and grab a table for 2. We got some yakitori to nibble on: Tsukuni w/ egg yolk, chicken, pork belly, beff, hotate scallop and enoki mushrooms. Everything was tasty but not very flavored as I'm used to at other yakitori spots. They were also promoting some shochu so we had two glasses which was lovely! Tasted extremely clean. Fun spot in IC and can't wait to visit again.

We really enjoyed the Chef's Choice Yakitori, every piece made us dance a little in joy. They were perfectly seasoned and perfectly cooked, and the flavors were delicious. We highly recommend getting the Yakitori here!! We were less impressed with the Washugyu steak. It seemed like just a regular steak- not especially soft, tender, or marbled as we had expected for the cost. It also came almost fully cooked, to our surprise, and putting it on the grill felt like we were just reheating it at the table. In terms of spacing, the restaurant is very well socially distanced with glass panels in between if you're in the more open area. We were seated by the bar and we basically had the whole area to ourselves.

This is good place to have friends and family, the food and the service was fantastic we had great experience , the food taste and as wow indeed good love to come back again and sont need to go anywhere else its right by our neighborhood, the chef did great job on food and services was great

They have a variety of menu here and It is cheaper than other Izakaya. I'm going to visit again :)

This is a big izakaya restaurant next to Japan village. It offers covered outdoor seating and indoor. I had beef teriyaki, chef selection of yakitori, chef selection of kushi-age, fried jack mackerel, crunch, cabbage for food and yuzu-hoji hot toddy, mulled sake for alcohol. Overall experience was good, service was great, and drinks were great! The fried jack mackerel was the best out of the ones that I've tasted from the restaurant. The food overall was OK and can use improvements, that's the reason behind the 3 stars.

I came here on a Sunday for lunch and was able to be seated right away. This is located in Industry City so there are also a lot of food options nearby! The ordering method is quite simple: you order your food by scanning a bar code and are taken to a website where you add the items to cart and pay right away. Personally, I thought the process was fast and simple, but perhaps others may not prefer this. Since it was quite empty, the meals came very fast. I would say that the meals were more or less what I expected regarding the taste, but nothing made me think "wow, this is spectacular." I ordered the Unaju (eel over rice), but I felt a few items my friend ordered could have had more flavour to it. I'd say this is a restaurant you could stop by and try if you're craving a nicer sit-down Japanese restaurant. Items are quite limited on the menu.

Food and service were exceptional. Would definitely recommend to anyone with a large gathering of friends. I could easily spend hours here.

You had me at $3 pork belly yakitori. Wakuwaku is a sit down restaurant in the Japanese village of Industry City. While other eateries within the village are more confined within it, Wakuwaku has its own entrance, space, bar, and restrooms. I had it on my radar for a bit and glad I finally hit it up. It came hungry and it did not disappoint. I got a wide array of stuff, some excellent, some I'd skip again. The main thing is everything is so well priced. Some more than others. Started with the potato salad and cheese wontons. Potato salad wasn't anything special, but the cheese wontons were solid. The potato salad, even at $4 I'm not sure I'd get again, but the amount of cheese wontons you get for $6 is a steal. We got the pork goyza for $8. Probably would skip again. They were good, but nothing special. The stars of the show were the previously mentioned, $3 pork belly yakitori and the Ika Murayaki. The pork belly yakitori came with four juicy pieces on a skewer, it can't be beat. Ika Murayaki is a whole grilled squid in a yakitori sauce. Wow! It was phenomenal and at $11 it's a no brainer. The drinks are where the business makes its money. They're more on par with other Brooklyn restaurants, so don't expect any deals there. Still, they're well made cocktails, good foreign beers, and a nice selection of sake. If you're visiting industry city, Wakuwaku is definitely a must try.