YAYOI Palo Alto

Really liked it there. It might be a bit on the expensive side, but everything was tasty. I loved the side pickles

I ordered Ton Katsu. It’s $26. I was hoping to get a thick cut Ton Katsu, like the tasty one in Japan or Hawaii, but no. It took a while to get my food and the Ton Katsu wasn’t even hot. It felt like it’s been sitting there for a while. The food didn’t taste good either. The tableware they used was plastic. This place is definitely way overpriced. We’ll never come back!

I had lunch here with my family today, 12/6/25 around 1-2pm. I ordered the miso katsu and liked how it came out. The server said to be careful to my toddler sitting next to me as my order is hot. After I had my toddler settle down with his food, I had mine. I had a first bite on my miso katsu maybe 3-4 minutes after my son’s food came out. When I had the first bite, it was so hot that it burnt my lips and tongue. I wish my server did let me know how hot can it be because from the outside, I didn’t even see any steam coming out of it and just took a bite. When I let my server know, she didn’t really do anything and went and talked to her co-workers. Since I didn’t hear back from her until we asked for a check, I asked her if she did let her co-workers know about the issue and oh wow, her response was “since our food is cooked at the moment, it can be hot.” Do you think I don’t know? Of course I know ALL food can be hot. What I am saying that it was burning hot that it burnt my lips. We dine out always and never had this kind of thing happen. Do you think I have no idea that food is cooked at the time? What a response to somebody who’s lips and tongue are burnt? Overall food was good and the ambiance was okay, but the server’s reaction& response ruined everything.

My go-to spot! I absolutely love the concept of ordering from an iPad—it's super quick and efficient, making the whole dining experience seamless. It’s also in a great location in downtown Palo alto, so you can walk around after your meal! I can proudly say this place has the best chicken karaage I've ever tasted; it's perfectly crispy and packed with flavor. The service is outstanding, with quick and friendly staff always ready to assist. Beyond the karaage, all the food is fantastic. I also highly recommend the ramen and sushi bites; both are consistently delicious and satisfying. Whether you’re looking for a quick meal or a leisurely dining experience, this place never disappoints. Highly recommend!

We were happy to know there is no need to wait on Saturday night, however most of the tables were occupied. The ordering process helps to focus on carefully choosing what you want without being rushed, there are tablets near each table to go through the menu and order more when needed. The food is good overall, a good choice for different Japanese dishes, snacks and drinks, feels authentic. Staff is good and polite.

Love this cute restaurant in Palo Alto! It’s a chain so you can find the same menu in their other locations. You can order food digitally from the table and get paid with the iPad. The menu offers wide range of dishes at economic price.

Every meal is a kid meal here. And no this is not normal even in Japan. You have to order 2 sets per person to be full because the portion is so tiny. In that sense the food here is way over priced. We went straight to another restaurant after finishing here because of the portion here. Food tastes okay.

Spacious self-serve spot for comfort Japanese cuisine. The Wagyu Sukiyaki was the perfect meal for a cold day. Food comes out fairly fast.

So glad the waiters are back! Best Sukiyaki in town. Yayoi in downtown Palo Alto has vastly improved. They finally ditched the mandatory ordering tablets and brought back human servers! The vibe is instantly warmer and the service is so much better and more personal now. I came in specifically for the Double Wagyu Sukiyaki and it did not disappoint. The meat quality was superb, tender, and flavorful, and the entire set meal was filling and delicious. This is easily one of my favorite spots for a reliable, high-quality Japanese meal. Highly recommend checking out the "new" old service style! I look forward to coming back soon

Convenient location right in the mall. Food is ok service is good. They just refilled my tea I had the belly pork sauce. I really like the salad. Large portion yummy dressing. Miso soup is good and they serve with rice and ocean salad. Pork is a bit salty with lots of onions

Overall: C // 3 stars I remember when I first tried this restaurant when it opened I had strongly negative memories; given that a lifetime of seven years have passed and I no longer remember what those exact memories were and being bored of all the other options in Downtown Palo Alto, I figured it would be a good time to retry this place. This time around, I went for the Yayoi Gozen, which I was quite satisfied with -- it featured food from an abundance of categories from fried to raw to grilled to slow simmered. The best way to describe the feeling is that it is reminiscent of airplane business class food where it conceptually sounds nice, looks good from afar, and tastes reasonably good if I were in the sky. However, the food also gives off the vibe that it was assembled in an assembly line, which makes some ingredients, particularly the greens, not integrate as one cohesive dish. The salmon sashimi color is a bit off, and the cooked salmon could do better refinement on the cooking. That said, this restaurant has an expansive menu, and it seems to be better than I remember, though I don't think it would be my first choice given the plentiful Japanese options around. Food: -1 Presentation: +1 Price: E Atmosphere: E Service: E Menu: +1 Insta/Yelp/Beli/TikTok: @amei_eats

Brief Summary: - Ordering is done by the kiosk. The staff also helps to input the order if you request a paper menu instead of - Indoor seating - An elevated casual dining atmosphere that is also feels welcoming for families with children The restaurant has a calming interior, where the ceiling is tall with adequate lighting, there are dozens of booths, and even a table that could sit more than 10 guests. Since it was just the two of us, we had the choice of sitting near the windows or inside the restaurant. I chose the place away from the windows because it was a hot day, didn't want to sit under the sun and lose my appetite. We both ordered the same dish, which is the gozen lunch box. I noticed that in the gozen I can get a taste of the main dishes in the restaurant, for example the wagyuu sukiyaki. Even though I have a feeling this would take a while to prepare the wait time was not long. My favorite was the salmon in a teriyaki styled sauce. I wasn't expecting the salmon exterior to have a nice crisp. I also loved the renkon radish that was with this salmon dish. Another favorite was the tonkatsu. Crispy and meaty, and the slices were cut into nice bite size pieces. Generally I thought the portions of each plate were perfect to enjoy without getting too full near the end. While I just mentioned this, this is a lot of food for one person. I eat a lot, so this would have been at a normal amount. However, my relative, who has an appetite similar to the majority, she handed some of their pieces to me.

Great location on university ave but food was a bit lacking. I walk by this place a lot and decided to finally give it a try! Came here on a weekend for dinner and there was still plenty of seating. Service is mostly done via a touch screen machine at the table and food came out pretty fast. We got the salmon carpaccio, a matcha, the tonkatsu, and the sukiyaki. The salmon carpaccio was a pass for me because the fish did not taste fresh. The sukiyaki was decent. The matcha had a very artificial taste and I would not recommend. The tonkatsu was good initially - the edge pieces were tender and fatty. However in the middle, it was pretty dry. Overall I was not impressed with the food.

My friends wanted to catch up with some Japanese food . The quiet and conversational ambiance allow us to chat while enjoying our food . Interior design is clean and reminds you of Japan . Touch screen can be hard to find things on the menu . The teishoku set menu side dish is defaulted seaweed salad . You have to pay for extra sides . Pickles are free. Food was hearty and delicious . I ordered the chicken katsu toji. Chicken katsu was crunchy. The egg added that extra layer of comfort as you chew. Staff was great with the service . Dishes we ordered : CHICKEN KATSU TOJI Chicken cutlet simmered in sauce and egg TERIYAKI SALMON Stir-fried salmon and regrables with teriyaki sauce WAGYU YAKINIKU JU Japanese style American wagyu beef served with rice abd miso soup VEGGIE GYOZA

This is probably our favorite Yayoi in the Bay Area. Plenty of options for different dietary needs with plenty of vegetarian options as well as a lot of hearty meat dishes for meat eaters. Service is quick and ordering is done through the digital pad at the table. Restaurant is clean and well kept. Plenty of street parking though it can be a little challenging during peak dining times. We particularly like the vegetarian gyoza and vegetarian ramen, the sukiyaki is great as well.

I am in disbelief at the University Ave tax!! This is a fast food chain. It should not cost 40 bucks per person. Food tastes like food though.

Very pleasant surprise for a mall restaurant. We were craving traditional Japanese, and we got lucky that we were already at Hillsdale shopping on a weekend afternoon. Not busy and seated right away. Customers order through a tablet at the tables and food is served by waiters/serving robot, which keeps service fast and efficient. We ordered: Yayoi Gozen: seemed like the best value. Came with four dishes-- sweet/savory beef slices, cooked salmon, pork tonkatsu, and salmon sashimi salad-- rice, and seaweed salad. Tonkatsu in particular was savory and tender. Hitsumabushi: eel over rice that can either be eaten dry or with a dashi broth. The eel was cooked well and very tasty. Definitely try eating the dish both ways!

First time at YAYOI was with Mom on Sunday, January 19, 2025. She chose for us to check out this place because she saw that they serve sukiyaki, which she was craving. After finding street parking about a block away (Like most downtown Palo Alto places, they do not have a private lot), we arrived at around 5:40 PM sans reservations. The brightly lit restaurant had several available tables, so we were seated without delay. The venue was clean and tidy on the night of our visit. Immediately, we were introduced to the touch screen menu through which customers are encouraged to place their orders at the comfort of their own tables. The germaphobes in Mom and me were not going to touch that apparatus, so we were given traditional menus and gave our orders to a waitress [who entered each item through the tablet]. Below are what we ordered: Hot Tea (Pot for 2-3 for $6) - We chose the Matcha Genmai Cha. While it was flavourful and beautifully green, I didn't taste the roasted popped brown rice as much as I wanted to. For the price, the pot was quite small as well. Whipped Matcha Iced Milk ($4.25) - Nice. GYOZA ($8.50) - Good. CHICKEN KATSU CURRY ($21.90) - Probably one of the heartiest chicken katsu curries that I have ever had. The poultry serving was very generous (big and thick) and was fried to a golden crisp. The curry sauce was thick and dark. You will not leave hungry if you order this dish! WAGYU SUKIYAKI ($32.70) - Mom really enjoyed this bowl of American Wagyu beef hot pot with assorted vegetables. I initially thought that the price was extremely steep, but just now, as I have been writing this review, realized that the beef was wagyu, one of the most expensive meats in the world. YAYOI left a great first impression on Mom. She found the place to be upscale, venue-wise and with their menu offerings. We just were not fans of the tablet menu and ordering.

I come to Yayoi at least 2-3 times a month for the past year since I live in the area. While it's on the pricy side (but everything is in Palo Alto), I can rely on its consistency when it comes to their food quality, portion and service. Food: 5/5 Yayoi food is pretty consistent. I've ordered so many things from their menu. Karaage, Oyakudon, Katsu don, Wagyu Nabe, Sukiyaki, salmon don, etc. It's always hot, freshly cooked, and big portions. I also like the fact that it has Japanese dishes beyond just ramen and udon (which is popular and plentiful in the bay), but other stuff like rice dishes and Japanese hot pot. Service: 5/5 You order on the tablet, and you can see when things come out. It's nice that you can also request water, extra plates, to go container, etc on the tablet, making the process efficient. The staff is always courteous and helpful! Ambiance: 5/5 I enjoy its quiet but conversational ambience. The interior is always clean, warm, and playing some nice jazz music. It's a comfortable place to wind down and eat after work with warm inviting lighting. Good first date place or if you're looking to eat solo or if you want some good comforting Japanese food. Highly recommend and will come again (and again and again)

Yayoi is casual Japanese dining but has a diverse menu of common eats! Service was very prompt & automated with tablet ordering with photos and descriptions a in the menu. We ordered pork katsu and sukiyaki both were good, not amazing but filling and delicious. The sukiyaki was a bit sweeter than expected but all the sides were delish. The pork chop was good & had a fun sesame garnish that we used a mortar and pestle to grind down!

Compared to the Cupertino location, I felt this place exceeded in service but underdelivered in quality of food. We had intended to order on the kiosk but a nice lady came out to take our order and we placed our order with her, so that was a pleasant surprise. Staff was welcoming and quick to take your order, bring out your order, and provide more hot tea. However, there was a lot of mix ups with things we didn't order being brought out to us, and missing drink orders upon our entree coming out. I was very surprised by my one piece of chashu for the tonkotsu ramen lol. I liked that the sesame oil wasn't too strong in my broth, though. Other than that 1 piece of chashu, I added in a (poached) egg, with to me felt like it provided the broth with more flavor. I was not a fan of the noodles, particularly because I like the thicker ones - but to each their own. My husband felt the pork katsu entree he ordered was pretty bland and a bit dry, and not as crispy as he'd like for it to be. Restaurant was spacious for being in DTPA so we had no issue moving around. However, I thought it was redundant to have the door opened with the AC being on in the restaurant because there were a few instances where we had to shoo the flies away.

We stumbled to this restaurant while at the Palo Alto Art and Wind Festival. Since the other places on University were quite busy, we decided to try this Japanese Restaurant which seem to have openings. The ambience was airy with a lot of light in the space. The table were booth and tables with partitions for privacy. Once situated in our table. Ordering was done by using a computer tablet. It was easy and cut down on time. Since we were having only a late snack, we opt to share a side order of gyoza and curry pork katsu rice. For drinks, we ordered a sake and Diet Coke. Food came quick and the presentation was nice. The gyoza was nothing special and appeared a little under cooked. The katsu was good, tender and flavorful. Unfortunately, for the price point and value, it did not match up to my expectations. The food is not bad, but to pay this amount for katsu is definitely over priced. Maybe it's because we are in Silicon Valley. Who knows. Don't get me wrong. The food is good, but not for the price point.

Been to YAYOI at the Hillsdale mall (as well as one in Taiwan). The Palo Alto location has more menu items than the Hillsdale one. We were seated quickly when we arrived on Saturday. I appreciate YAYOI for its Japanese comfort foods. This time, we ordered the Katsu Toji and added on the Ikageso Karaage, the Chicken Katsu Toji, and the Chicken Katsu YAYOI Gozen. We all enjoyed our meals.

Came during lunch on a weekday and was seated right away. We were given a tablet as soon as we were seated and I love this concept. We can peruse the menu (with pictures) and ordered at our own leisure. Gone are the days when you had to flag down a server or wait forever to put your order in. We ordered the Omaze Don, Wagyu Yakiniku and Salmon Carpaccio. Everything we ate was so delicious and flavorful. The Omaze Don was similar to a Korean Bibimbap, a lot of various toppings mixed together with rice. It was very tasty and filling. The Wagyu Yakiniku was so flavorful but a bit greasy for my liking. It didn't stop me from finishing my plate though! The salmon carpaccio tasted sooo fresh and very well seasoned - would definitely order a plate for myself! When you're ready to checkout, you check out on the tablet and pay at the front! The whole process from start to finish was so seamless and made for a pleasant experience!

Yayoi offers such a classic traditional quiet Japanese meal, very clean and calm ambiance. Japanese inspired interior with wood/bamboo designs. Ordered is done through a touchscreen, so could be a little tricky to navigate - nice that it shows the status of your meal. Ordered: Wagyu Sukiyaki (4/5): A bit sweet for me. Came with miso, an egg, two sides, and a serving of rice. Sides are limited including seaweed salad and pickles, but other sides are at additional cost. Good serving of the wagyu, and the cost accounts for the high quality meats. Service was very nice and quick.

I love this place! I like all their Japanese offerings. It's a solid place to get Japanese food. I usually get the salmon ikura don or the stir-fried pork belly and both are good. Their raw fish can be a little pricey but I feel that is expected for Japanese food. The service is fast. I don't feel like we ever wait too long for our food. You can order on the iPad, which I appreciate, and see your order move through here queue. For payment you pay at the counter. The interior is nice. There's table and booth seating. It's decorated in warm wood panels and feels clean and new, and warm and friendly. Parking: There are many parking garages in Palo Alto so it's not too hard for us to find parking

Cheap frozen flavorless and dry pork in their tonkatsu toji for $26.80 - for this price, Yayoi is insulting American customers and assuming they cannot tell the difference. Below average miso soup, can buy better instant miso soup at Nijiya. Food quality that would not fly in Japan.

Fast service but food is definitely degrading. I will still go bc it's nice to have no wait time at downtown Palo Alto!

This is a nice place for a quick lunch or dinner for Japanese comfort food. You wait to be seated but order through a tablet which was quick and easy. I ordered the Chicken Katsu Curry, a classic comfort food. The chicken came out piping hot and incredibly crispy! The curry is vg which I appreciated as I can't eat beef and most places pre-batch it. It's such a classic and will always be so delicious. The food comes out quickly. We arrived 30 min before closing (7:30) and left right at 8pm!

Japanese food is generally quite good, but there is also a lot of Japanese food that is not quite so good, and unfortunately much of Yayoi's menu is dedicated to serving up the latter. I received a meal with miso soup to start, and the main dish was pork cutlet (katsu) and tempura prawn cooked in an omelette. The fried stuff was great, but the omelette was swimming in dashi (?) broth, and the sauce was quite overpowering, in addition to making the cutlets soggy. Then there was rice and seaweed salad on the side, which was nice. In general, I think they are taking an authentically Japanese approach to comfort food, and haven't adjusted to American portion size norms. I would review this place as 3.5 stars, but I rounded down to 3. Next time I will just get the plain katsu, and I might revise up the score.

Came here to celebrate my sister's birthday during Stanford admit weekend! All the sushi was so fresh. The omaze don was a hit.

Pop in here every now and again when I'm craving some Japanese cuisine. Human-less ordering system with touch screen menu built right into the table partition.Pretty cool! Semi private both style seating and larger tables for fams and groups. Food is very good with decent portions. 3.8/5 for pricing. Little on the high side. Great service!

We've been to the Yayoi in Hillsdale, and both locations are great. You order from a tablet and they bring out the food to your table. They have great meal sets, and tasty barley tea. Worth checking out if you want some good fresh Japanese food.

There's really not much of a service aspect. You walk in, they point to a table, you walk yourself over to the table, order from a screen at the table, they bring out your food, and then you pay as you walk out where they will pressure you into paying 18%+ tip. Where was my service lol. Felt like more of a fast food experience. Food was average but overpriced small portions. Still hungry afterwards but somehow already racked up a $70 bill.

Decided to try this in the states. I enjoyed it in Japan. The set with the salmon, natto & a variety of other things I can't recall was delicious. The fried chicken wasn't crispy & really not hot temperature wise. Service was fine. There were flies flying around since they had the front door open.

Came here because all the other Asian restaurants around had a long line or were busy. Figured to give this place a shot and will never return. The food tasted like airport food where it's severely overpriced for totally lackluster cafeteria food. The veggie meat dish we ordered was mostly cabbage and carrots with a tiny of amount of very thinly sliced meat. The eel hand roll somehow tasted like it was pre-made and the whole thing was microwaved for a few seconds before serving. I usually can't finish my meals and have leftovers but I left this place still hungry with a fat hole in my wallet. I hope this restaurant gets replaced with something better.

Chicken Katsu Toji 3 simmered egg Mix Toji 3 deep fried pork, 1 shrimp, beef slices, simmered egg, salty Miso Pork Katsu 2 no egg, too salty Salmon Sashimi 4 fresh, slice too thin

Love this cute restaurant in Palo Alto! It's a chain so you can find the same menu in their other locations. You can order food digitally from the table and get paid with the iPad. The menu offers wide range of dishes at economic price.

Strolling through this part of Palo Alto in early October on a Sunday evening, decided to stop here for dinner. Service was surprisingly awesome by everyone. The ambiance was also nice as the restaurant included good lighting that wasn't sterile. All the tables had little walls for privacy, but not overly tall like cubicles. So why 3 stars? The food and the price point didn't quite match up. There were 2 sets ordered, each with different components. They can be described as upscale bentos as they were priced between $32 to $40. Presentations were lovely, but both sets were overly salty and drenched with sauces. I had ordered a side of clam soup, which was the best item I ate. The salmon capriccio was another tasty app. Other than that, leftovers were taken home and diluted down for another meal. I can't say that I'd come again since there are many options up and down this street. Keep up the great work with the excellent service, consider not using so much salt and sauce, let people taste the naturalness of the food. #39/2023

We came here on a Saturday evening around 6 and the space is pretty big. It was busy but there was still plenty of spaces left available as the restaurant itself was quite large (well larger than I thought it was!) You order through a tablet that they provide and then the food comes via a robot (or a human!). To be fair, I liked the humans better. Overall, my review is that the food is good but it is quite pricey. We ended up spending around $40 per person (we got 2 apps + 2 drinks as well) Wagyu Sukiyaki: this was my favorite out of the things that I got to try (from other people's plates). It was slightly sweet, the noodles were bouncy, the meat was delicious. It was well balanced. Wagyu Yakiniku Ju: I ordered this and it was good. The wagyu was slightly tender (don't expect much! this is american wagyu - NOT japanese wagyu!) but the sauce/marinade was delicious. It also had a great meat to rice ratio. Usually, they tend to pile up the rice and give you a thin layer of meat. Hitsumabushi: it is WAYYY smaller than you think it is, ok? So do not be too disappointed! Still fairly filling but really all bark and only small bites. YAYOI Gozen: the two people on our table that had this enjoyed it. I do think it is quite a bang for your buck if you want a little sampler. Takoyaki: where is the octopus??? Is there an octopus shortage I didn't know about??? It's mostly batter but I'm not complaining, I LOVE the batter, but just a warning! Use a microscope to find the octopus!

Lots of bones found in the unagi don we ordered through DoorDash (picture shows only bones found in a small section of the fish). We paid over $30 for this and can't believe that's the quality we get.

Fairly confused at the negative reviews of this place; perhaps people don't know what a "teishoku" restaurant is, which is -- set meals served with rice! not a sushi place, not a ramen place -- RICE. And this place delivers on that for real. There's a lot of set menus including a bento of chicken served 4 ways, unagi over rice, wagyu beef over rice, and yes even some sushi items, but if you're at a teishoku place, order a teishoku meal set! I ordered the chicken katsu toji-ju, which is a chicken cutlet served in a piping hot dashi broth and this thing. was. DELICIOUS. admittedly on it's own it's a bit salty, but that's why you have the rice!! Combined, it made for a hot, tasty, luscious meal, especially when accompanied by pickles and spicy pepper. I also had the carpaccio appetizer, which was free with check-in, which was a tasty appetizer but overall the meal was significantly better than it, so I wanted to put that first and foremost. My only gripe is with the sides - I ordered spicy garlic and pickles and the portion for both is like... extremely small - honestly after paying $20 (the spicy garlic was an additional $0.50 for like, half a teaspoon of said condiment) for a meal, the sides should be the least likely place to skimp on. The pickles especially because they balanced out the heavy-fried-cutlet-simmered-in-dashi main. Overall not a terrible mistake but a misstep for sure. Either way, they have a huge selection of teishoku meals so short review only, but I'll be back for sure. --- sweet: delicious chicken set meals! love the pickles and the high quality rice. bitter: skimping on condiment sides

The genuinely felt like what I envision a restaurant in Japan to be like. The inside is adorn with pretty minimalistic decor which gives a clean feel. And all food is ordered from the ipad through a very streamlined process--there was almost no interaction with the server and the food came quite quickly. The food had an amazing presentation, with seperate dishes for miso soup, condiments, and the main. I got the Tori Mabushi and my friend got the Ton Katsu (each $20-30). What made the experience unique was the beautiful layout of dishes---I loved the kettle-like dish for the dashi and the set just to grind the sesame seeds. That being said, the portions were not very generous, and the flavor wasn't special. For the price, I was expecting more. Overall solid place, and nice experience, but we likely wouldn't go back.

We came here on a weekday evening for dinner. There was no wit and we were seated immediately. All the ordering is done through the iPad (including closing out the tab), though you have to pay at the host stand. We ordered: - 934. Veggie Gyoza(VG) 6pcs - They were delicious - crunchy yet juicy in the inside. - 1405. Takoyaki - the takoyaki was also pretty good but I felt it needed some more sauce as the sauce was a bit scarce. - 926. Chicken Katsu Curry - it was delicious and filling! I liked the flavor of the curry and the chicken was nice and crispy! The food also came out in a timely manner! Overall, I liked my experience and will be back in the future to try more items on the menu!

I really enjoyed my experience at YAYOI! I was searching for a teishoku style meal and it was exactly what I was looking for. It was really popular on the Sunday afternoon for lunch but we were still seated quickly. I ordered the hitsumabushi which came with a cute little laminated instruction card. It was marinated eel over rice served with toppings and dashi broth. My friend ordered the mix toji and 6 pc salmon sashimi. The mixed toji was katsu, wagyu, and shrimp. We enjoyed every part of our meal. The service was good too, the kitchen was short staffed on that day so food took a bit longer to come out but we enjoyed our meal regardless. I would come again to try all of their other dishes for sure at any location.

Food is delicious here and they have plenty of high chairs for the kids! You can order on the iPad and not talk to anyone if you don't want to everything we had was delicious! My daughter has two orders of the udon! the wagyu was delicious and the curry was yum! Also the chicken 3 ways was so good! The decor was nice and modern. Interior is spacious! Perfect for families!

I visited Yayoi with my girlfriend a few weeks ago for lunch. The place wasn't busy, so we were seated right away. They have ipads at every table, so you use that to order food. Please note that you also have to request water using that iPad. Once you place your order, the server will bring out all your food. We weren't super hungry, so we got one entree each. My girlfriend got the salmon salad, and it was okay. The salmon slices were very thin, and the salad was lacking in flavors. I tried their miso katsu (I believe). The flavors were there, but the katsu was soggy. The service was a bit disappointing. We were seated at a table that wasn't clean, and our server barely cleaned the table. When the host tried to clean the table, the server stopped her.

Great spot for pork cutlet and warm Japanese style comfort food. Pros: + Easy waitlist and seating system done on iPad + Ease of ordering through iPad, no need for servers + Pay at the counter, so no need to wait at table + Spacious seating Cons: - None What We Ordered: + Tonkatsu Teishoku Set; 5/5 + Baby Scallop & Maguro Hand Rolls; 5/5 + Chicken Katsu Curry; 3.5/5 BABY SCALLOPS & MAGURO HAND ROLL is always a fave of mine to order at Yayoi. If you like spicy mayo, try this dish. TONKATSU TEISHOKU SET is great if you're looking for a whole meal. It comes w/ a tiny seaweed salad, miso soup, bowl of rice, and a side salad w/ sesame dressing. The pork is juicy, and the breading doesn't hurt the insides of my mouth. My partner ordered the CHICKEN KATSU CURRY since he's a big curry guy. Rating it a 3.5/5, he felt like it was good, but he's had better. It wasn't remarkable for him. Would come back...to order the same things.

I love the set-up. You'll be quickly seated and complete your order via touch screen. It has pictures of everything and it queues up the price as you order. You'll have a chance to make adjustments before you send your request into the kitchen. From there, you sit back and wait for your food. I have not tried everything on the menu, but I have tried a sample from every portion. The sushi is good, especially as an appetizer. They don't have a wide enough selection to make it a sushi only night. I like the Yayoi as I end up with a selection of items. Don't forgot to add some tea onto your order. Service is limited since you do all your ordering via screen. That being said, there is staff available and ready to help and/or answer questions. They are also pretty quick from when the food is ready to when it is delivered to your table. Needless to say, I recommend!

Let's just say the photos look much better than the reality. The food was just okay. It didn't taste bad, but was just overpriced for both the quality and quantity. Specifically, I wouldn't recommend the sashimi or Katsu items here. The salmon sashimi was so thinly sliced and almost looked like smoked salmon. It didn't taste very fresh either. The Katsu looked oily and was not crispy due to the grease. We did, however, enjoy the chicken karage. It was well seasoned with generous chicken pieces. Check in on Yelp to get this free appetizer! The ambiance is mixed - half of it feels very "Japanese inspired" with wooden tones. The other half feels messier / not so clean. The bathrooms were gross. The good thing is that service was fast and friendly. That said, I can't see myself coming back here anytime soon.

Came for lunch on a Sunday and we were seated right away. But the place was pretty full. Everything was order through a tablet. It shows the progress of your order and if each dish is being prepared or ready to serve, etc. The food came out pretty quickly and everything was delicious! It really hit the spot! The only downside is it is on the pricier side especially for sometimes smaller portions. I would definitely still come back though! The rice bowls here really hit the spot!

Always well prepared and tasty dishes. Simple menu with healthy choices. Good service and modern ambiance.

Sadly the service and food quality has taken a dive. Asked for a minor menu adjustment and the abrupt answer was "NO". Hoping that the food competition nearby will inspire improvement. Otherwise the outcome will like be more sad.

+ Extra star for kids menu that got the kids excited! - Unfortunately rest of the food is just ok with salmon on top of my salad a bit on the smokey side. I think the kids enjoyed their simple food with pudding being their end goal. Loved the variety of the kids meal and good price. We told them to finish their food before they can get to dessert. And finish they did! Executive Summary: + Kids meals are complete and only $10 so excellent value (5/5) + No frills and no pressure kiosk ordering (5/5) + Good/fast service and ambiance reminds us of Japan (5/5) + Mix toji is something we don't get elsewhere but I find the pork cutlet a bit tough (4/5) - Chicken katsu Yayoi Gozen comes with overly sweet sukiyaki and salmon on the salad is a bit thin (3/5) - Salmon sashimi is so thinly sliced that my daughter is eating 2 pieces at a time (2/5) Gotta keep in mind this isn't your standard sushi and bento box establishment. Instead of bento they call their combos Gozen. I will return for the kids menu, skip sashimi and Gozen. Maybe I'll try the curry katsu next time.

Food was bad. Salmon don was the worst I ever had in any Japanese restaurant. Service was close to none. You need to go to front desk to check out by yourself, but they surprisingly recommend a tip of at least 18% of after tax bill amount. Crazy place.

Came back here again and I might say it is very expensive for just ok food so overall it is not the best place to go

Finally writing a review for one of my FAVORITE Japanese food places in the Bay Area. Yayoi specializes in Teishoku style sets and offers a variety of unique and authentic Japanese dishes that I haven't been able to find elsewhere. Among my favorites: Chicken katsu curry: one of the best curries I've ever had, and the chicken is perfectly fried and crispy! Highly recommend Gyoza: perfectly fried and super delicious, although I think these aren't made in-house. Highly recommend as an appetizer though! Niku udon: one of my favorite things to order, especially if I'm not feeling rice. Their noodles are cooked perfectly, and I love how they give you a soft poached egg + a generous helping of noodles and high quality beef Nanban: fried chicken covered with an unique white egg-based sauce. Definitely worth a try! Beef sukiyaki: generous portions of beef, tofu, udon + yam noodles, and Napa cabbage, although a bit too salty for my personal liking Miso katsu: super flavorful and delicious miso sauce, although it can be a bit too savory and the meat can be a bit tough. I love how it comes with a soft poached egg and miso soup Salmon don: super fresh, sashimi grade salmon with a generous bed of rice and sliced fried egg Yayoi gozen: highly recommend this if you want to try a little of everything! Comes with salmon salad, katsu, salmon teriyaki, and beef sukiyaki Lychee sake shots: only $3.50 for a drink that's the size of a double shot! Such a good deal