Robata Grill & Sake Bar

Reservation for a special birthday dinner.
Not acknowledged at all. Assigned the booth near the kitchen facing bored looking cooks.
Very long wait for food. We ordered miso soups and tempura appetizer. 2o minutes later the soup arrives. The sushi drags because «there is only one sushi chef and they didn’t expect to be busy on a Monday night».
I have always liked the sashimi here, the rolls are rather ricey and large. Very untraditional Japanese. Not a Japanese cool or chef to be seen in fact. Overpriced rolls and sake.
Server was sweet Caucasian but for the very slow service overall their shared tip was low tonight. I understand that the business is sold and transitioning. It would be fantastic to have an authentic Japanese sushi and tempura house to replace the current restaurant.

We always go for Happy Hour on Monday or Tuesday’s. The Food, and Staff are amazing! We learned this evening that the owner has sold Robata but it will still remain open as Robata after the ownership change.
It has been run by the same family for 10 years and the food and atmosphere is great.
Our favorites are the BBQ Rice Ball, vegetable tempura, chicken wrapped in bacon, and of course the California Rolls with Crab.
If you are near the Barnyard in Carmel you won’t be disappointed visiting Robata.

Love the food especially the ribs… Monday’s and Tuesdays are best because they have 50% on appetizers.

Stopped by on the way back from vacation for a quick meal. The food is overall ok. The sashimi we had (tuna and yellowtail) was decent quality fish. However, the filet mignon was a bit of a let down. However, hostess was extremely rude to our party. At one point she tried to walk into me even though there was nobody around and could have easily walked around, but wanted me to get out of her way. Our one year old son also was sitting on a chair at the adjacent empty table and she gave a quick disappointing glare and went to go pick him up without asking for our permission. Also on our way out there was absolutely no acknowledgement, thank you, smile or good bye. We could easily tell that she did not want our party there, and happily we’re not planning on returning.

Had a great dinner tonight. My husband & I ordered tempura & Maguro Tuna Sashimi. Both were beautifully presented.
Our server was the darling Motoko. She was so sweet and informative! From outside Toyko, she has so much knowledge and information about the food!
Will definite return. A super experience!

they’ve really stepped up the game since my last review. foods back to mind blowing perfection with a super on it staff. I’m a regular again.

Coming in and seeing the approaching-​30 drunk girls on the patio gave me the inkling that this may buck my previous experiences of Carmel dining: groups of old white people in sweaters at a dimly lit restaurant, trying to make their way through food that is not interesting enough to really be put into the regional style the place purports to serve (French, Italian, hamburgers, etc.). But, no: this is a «sake bar» that closes at 9 in a shopping center that would be a great place to mug people at 7pm because it’s so deserted.
The place was full on a Saturday at 6:30, so we were led to the end of the sushi bar closest to the toilets. The sushi chefs were all Latino. I don’t think I’ve ever seen that anywhere; even in Fresno. Not necessarily a negative thing, but it does make you question the training. The benefit of sitting at the sushi bar is that it allows you to see who dropped the plate, because they’re always dropping plates, and to hear the interesting dudes-​waiting-​to-​pee talk.
I came on a bit of a soup hunt, having seen the menu online with an udon option, and had expected more options would be available when we got there. Not the case. There is only one soup, and it’s $ 19. There’s a picture of a soup below my review that I’m writing, and I don’t know where that soup was when we came, because I only saw one, and that sure isn’t it.
Overall, the menu is somewhat similar to that of Harumi, but lacks… Well, it lacks a lot. There are fewer rolls, fewer Japanese entrees, fewer nigiri options, fewer sushi combo options, fewer beers, fewer teas, etc. It’s replaced with things like the «volcano,» which was described to me as «California roll with sashimi on top, drizzled with a spicy sauce». «What kind of sashimi?» «Sashimi… Tuna.» I had the pleasure of seeing this made in front of me, and that «spicy sauce» is that gross mayo they use in rolls sometimes and it’s not drizzled, it’s all over the fish.
And that’s unfortunate. I had two rolls, and although you could tell the fish quality was solid, they covered it all up as much as they could. I had a «fire roll» I think, which had spicy tuna with «cerrano» [sic]. The serranos were an interesting touch, and added a unique flavor to the spicy tuna, but the roll didn’t end there. Masago. I don’t mean the sort of light covering of masago you get at other places, but it was as though I had ordered the «masago explosion» roll, because that’s what it looked like.
The worst part about it was the construction of the rolls. The pieces were too large, but they were also falling apart. The latter is likely because of the rice. As soon as I saw them, I knew the rice was wrong. Someone here is being cheap and buying cheap rice, and that sucks, and that, alone, would make me never come here again.
But then my soup hunter’s $ 19 udon came out. I should mention that, among the spotty and confusing service, was the question for her, «Do you want a salad with that?» Now, to me (and her), that is actually asking «Would you like to add a salad for an additional charge?» She said no, but then kept mentioning to me that she thought it was supposed to come with a salad. Looking at the menu, it is supposed to come with a soup or salad. If I’m paying $ 19 for udon, you’re damn right you’re giving me a salad, so why ask? But we didn’t get the salad because the server would never stick around after the food came.
The udon also strangely came with rice, and you had the choice of regular rice or something billed as grilled rice. It turns out that’s just rice with teriyaki sauce on it. Gross.
But not as gross as that udon. I don’t know what the fuck was going on with that chicken. The soup hunter complained about it and said she wasn’t going to eat it. I insisted we take it home, and I tried it the next day, thinking her just picky. Again, I do not know what the fuck is up with that chicken, but it has this flavor that initiates a sort of immediate «nope» reaction from your body, as if it’s trying to instinctively protect you. She ordered it without shellfish because of an allergy, and was given mushrooms instead. Oh, no, that’s not it… I meant that she was given ALL THE MUSHROOMS IN THE WORLD in that soup.
The bill was disappointing. I got less food than Harumi, lower quality sushi than Harumi, an unhappy soup hunter next to me that would have been thrilled at Harumi, poorer service than Harumi, and paid more than I ever have at Harumi. And I had to drive an extra 15 minutes.
So, have it, sweatered old white folks. Enjoy your pinnacle of Carmel sushi. But, to anyone else, stay away.

One of our favorites. Great food, great service.

This is gorgeous appearing restaurant, the outside does not do it any justice. It honestly was as good as some places I’ve been to in Japan, appearance wise only. We arrived 5 mins prior to the lunch closing at 2 pm and they were very nice about it. Service was attentive and excellent despite our late arrival
Lunch specials are a phenomenal deal here. Most items are $ 12 for a full meal with apps. Overall the food was just ok, not mind blowing at a 3 star level but they more than make up for it in other areas. Salad was well prepped but oily and lacked any zest which could have come from ginger or orange. Sashimi was great but katsu don was overcooked and dried out. Brown rice sides were excellent and beef sukiyaki had deep flavor but was too salty. I will be back to try other items

Very beautiful interior decoration. The seaweed salad was very tasty and the sashimi deluxe was perfect for 2+ people. The sashimi was very fresh!
Service was normal. Noise level was average. This place is good for smaller groups or even eating alone.

This place offers variety of Japanese foods. The taste may not be authentic, but is quite good! Food prices are not expensive! The restaurant offers dishes for senior. I will definitely go back to this place if I go to Barnyard again.

I went with two other people on a Saturday night. None of us had been there in years– a decade? We had cocktails at the bar waiting for our third to arrive. We were seated when our friend arrived exactly on time for our reservation. Our waiter– Geraldo?– was outstanding.
We started with house salads– red leaf lettuce, julienned carrots and zucchini, with dried cranberries and crispy tempura garnish, and their signature house dressing (sesame oil and rice wine vinegar based).
We had the barbecued teriyaki rice balls, for which they have been known since I was a kid, and they did not disappoint.
The tempura appetizer was perfection, and the dipping sauce was a perfect complement.
We shared three different sushi rolls– the yellowtail was on point– and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. The Baja Roll should not be missed!
Again, the service and the food are outstanding, and the restaurant itself feels like a place out of time. I’ll definitely be back again soon.

Just passing through, I was trying to find some good Japanese food before I left California. I found Robata on Unilocal and decided to give it a shot.
It’s a solid Japanese place.
The first thing you notice about this restaurant is the atmosphere. The old wood of the northwestern style shopping center worked well with the Japanese decorations. The interior was quiet, intimate, and had a lot of private nooks for seating. It’s a good place for a date night.
Price is a little high, especially on their lunch menu. But they had all the classic Japanese dishes I was looking for. I ordered the Katsu Don which came out piping hot and in good time. The portion size was good and they took some risks on the dish that I hadn’t seen before. There were slivers of what I think was green onion on top which were spicy. They also had a beautiful looking pickled ginger rose that, while festive, soaked into the rest of the dish giving each bite of pork katsu a ginger flavor. I don’t know much about Japanese cooking, but I thought pickled ginger was supposed to be used as a palate cleanser. The katsu coating itself was a little soggy, but the egg was cooked all the way through. Overall it was a delicious dish.

I was in Carmel working on a friends network issue and on my way out I just had to stop here for dinner, it’s my favorite goto place to eat, and has been for years. I wasn’t dressed up and was a bit sweaty from running cables, so I was Hoping the patio wasn’t full and I lucked out.
The weather was perfect and the fire pit lite the area and reminded me why I miss Carmel so much, so relaxing vs the chaos in Silicon valley. I ordered my normal favorite dinner Sancho chicken and steak, BBQ rice ball you used to get soup and salad, and some of the older long time servers sometime give you both if they remember you, but I didn’t see anyone I knew working.
A few things I would suggest as Apps or Dinner
1. Nikumaki
2. Carmel delight
3. Mushroom madness
I like the Sancho chicken and steak dinner with an extra side of the white sauce for dipping, this time for some reason the chef put a sauce on my steak (Grrrrrr bad chef) next time I will send it back the steak is fine as is and cuts like butter don’t blow the taste with a sweet sauce.
I would love to open one of these in Silicon Valley, it’s missing a place like this

This place was excellent. Bf and I had the:
–Miso Soup (really fresh tasting, some of the best miso I’ve had)
–Hamachi Carpaccio (thin slices of yellowtail with ponzu sauce — melt in your mouth delicious, with a nice kick from single slices of jalapeño on top)
–Sushi Combo (tuna rolls, yellowtail rolls, and salmon rolls, all 6-​pieces each)
–Seabass Shiitake (seared seabass topped with sauteed shiitake mushrooms, thin slivers of ginger, with carrots and broccoli on the side, along with the…)
–BBQ Rice Ball (grilled rice ball with teriyaki sauce on it – too sweet, definitely unnecessary)
–Sake Sampler (three small cups of premier sake — the «Man’s Mountain Jizake» was my favorite haha)
The location is nice, tucked away in a lovely courtyard full of cute shops and restaurants in Carmel. The décor was really unique too, lots of wood and traditional-​looking booths with dim lighting. We had a small, romantic little booth to ourselves. The food was very good, though I’d say that the Hamachi Carpaccio was my favorite (I’m a sucker for anything with ponzu sauce). The only thing I’d say against them is that the service was fairly slow, though they were quite busy, so perhaps that’s all it was, but our seabass took a very long time (at least 20 – 30 minutes after the rest of our food) to come out. Also, we wanted to order the Mt. Fuji Lava Yaki, wherein you cook seafood on a hot rock, but they ran out of burners for the rock. So sad.

Located at the Barnyard, Robata’s traditional Japanese inn setting offers a unique ambiance with it’s rustic wood interior, low ceiling, and quiet grace. The authentic décor provides an inviting showcase for the fresh sushi, light tempura, and delicate morsels of fish, fowl, meat, and vegetables.
It prides itself in using only the finest and freshest fish and other ingredients. Among the most popular and highly recommended dishes is the Nikumaki — thinly sliced rib-​eye wrapped around green onions and broiled over an open flame, to your taste and served with special sauce.
Another favorite is the Spider Roll, tempura-​style soft-​shell crab rolled into makizushi is amaze-​balls!

You definitely get your money’s worth at Robata Grill. I ordered the ‘Seafood Tempura’ plate with a salad and their BBQ riceball as a side.
The salad was put together carefully with very fresh red leaf lettuce and julienne cut carrots. The sesame dressing was plentiful but a bit too tangy. It was a good starter. The riceball that accompanied the tempura tasted really good but it was almost cold when presented with the plate. The entrée was nearly perfect. The tempura batter is just light enough. The scallops were the star.
A fair value at $ 20, very fair.
My wife enjoyed her ‘Seabass Shiitake’ entrée. I tried a couple of bites and it was delicious. If anything maybe a bit too rich. She never got to the carrots unfortunately, the fish and mushrooms were that filling.
Our son had the Nabeyakuidon. He brought half home.
The ‘Spider Roll’ sushi roll was actually a disappointment. It was somewhat tasteless and was not evenly cut. It was rushed, something you don’t see often in a fine Japanese restaurant. We will consider this a one off.
I liked that we could see the chefs working as we dined. The dining room is darkened but the kitchen/​prep area is better lit. The chefs and line cooks work in a smokey haze and it adds atmosphere.
I can see returning because of the value.

Recently rediscovered Robata in the Barnyard Carmel. It was a favorite way way back and now has become our first thought when it comes to Japanese cuisine. The Barnyard is a wonderful backdrop for this rustic restaurant. I love the ambiance, so authentic and reminiscent of my travels to countryside restaurants in Japan.
Favorites at Robata:
(1) Sukiyaki, the quintessential Japanese hotpot meat and vegetable dish served in a traditional iron pot… the presentation was perfect as were the very authentic flavors. The husband was as happy as a clam at high tide since sukiyaki is his absolute favorite dish and it isn’t available at most of the newer Asian fusion restaurants in the Monterey Peninsula area.

(2) Katsudon, the ultimate Japanese comfort food. The panko– crusted pork cutlet was cooked perfectly and the sweet-​and-​salty flavors of the meat/​onions/​egg juices over the rice were amazingly delicious. Picked ginger was the ideal accompaniment. This dish was the best katsudon I’ve had in a while.
Service was excellent and the prices are reasonable. We are happy to have it back in our rotation for Japanese cuisine.

Usually only like to give good reviews but have to say something about Robata Grill. Very atmospheric dark woodsy place, we liked it maybe twenty-​years ago at our first time visit. Back again in 2015 found it less appealing mainly because of the food but also the grouping of small dark rooms became tiring to be in.
The food is not particularly Japanese.
The sushi we had, maguro and hamachi, the fish was cut too big and was separating between the layers of tissue and not very good looking. Ordered several Robata dishes like the steak, which we thought might be delicate morsels of prime meat instead came as very large chunks that were hard to chew (and no knife, just chopsticks).
But overall it was the dark, airless interior that got us down. It looks romantic in the photos but is less so when you’re trapped in a small dark room with lots of people. We would have preferred to sit outside had the weather allowed.

Had the beef tataki for an app. I think I’ll have to order 4 of those next time, as my dinner. It was sooo, so good! And, had the salmon salad for my dinner. Yeah… it’s a sushi place, but I had sushi a couple days ago and didn’t want to repeat myself. I’m so glad I did because I ate that entire salad, and it was big. The salmon was perfectly cooked, and the dressing was light and delicious.
I’ve had the sushi and sashimi here before, and it’s very good. They have unusual rolls and apps (like the Castroville ten) that you can’t find elsewhere. They also have a nice little selection of «vegetarian» rolls. Everything I’ve had here has been delicious.
I’d give the the place five stars, but I think they can work on their service just a bit, in terms of friendliness. Don’t get me wrong … the service is fine, and they are very efficient, but I just haven’t found it to be as welcoming as I’d like. That’s just a personal preference and opinion.