Yakitori West

Dined here twice while waiting for movies… we ordered combination of skewers thinking it was their specialty, but they were mediocre at best, and some had no seasoning…
Second time we ordered more traditional dishes including the ones other Unilocalers are raving about, but they were not much better than the skewers, and pricey…
They get their stars on helpful staff who had answered all of our questions both times and food presentation which made the dishes more appealing. Of note, I wish they dim the lights a bit as both times we felt like dining under car headlights…

This is my regular lunch spot, yes, I admit, I go therefor lunch at least 2 times a week. The lunch special is so good for both food quality and price! The only one point deducted was inconsistent /​slow service. However, I can deal with it as long as I go there early.
Dinner is a bit expensive.

First-​time visit and I love Yakitori West! Thanks to my Unilocal friend Loreto D., I decided to check this place out and meet one of my gal pals here for lunch last week! It is now my favorite Japanese place in Dublin and I can’t wait to go back!
GOOD TO KNOW
** Yakitori West is located in the Ulferts Center «Asian outdoor mall» in Dublin. Parking is busy during lunch time, so you may drive around for a bit.
** COME FOR THE LUNCH SPECIAL! 11:30 — 2:00 pm
Two item bento box combo is only $ 10! And three items is $ 14. Comes with miso soup, green salad with a delicious, creamy dressing, and 3 CALIFORNIA ROLLS! YOU GET A LOT OF DELICIOUS BANG FOR YOUR BUCK!
** KID-​FRIENDLY! They served my child with a special cute, plastic plate and cup! Such a nice touch!
** They close at the end of lunch and their lunch ends at 2:00 pm. They reopen for dinner at 5:00 pm.
FOOD — YUM! Generous portion & hella delicious
I ordered the two item bento and chose SALMON TERIYAKI and mixed tempura. Boy, was I happy to find out that their MIXED TEMPURA INCLUDES SHRIMP — EVEN FOR THE LUNCH SPECIAL! Woo hoo! It was like a bonus day. My friend and I thoroughly enjoyed our lunch!
SERVICE & SEATING — Very friendly and attentive. Even though it was a super busy lunch time, we were seated right away in a corner booth. Seating is avail on the perimeter of the restaurant in very COZY, JAPANESE– STYLE OPEN BOOTHS WITH BENCHES/​PILLOWS. We loved this feature and the nice atmosphere!
RESULT — MOUTHGASM! A super delicious food delight. So go, Go, GO to Yakitori West!
It’s worth it to go and seek out parking during the busy lunch hour for their lunch special and enjoy a delicious, relaxing meal that is satisfying, generously portioned, and a great value. I love it that $ 10 includes 2 pieces of tempura shrimp!
I CAN’T WAIT TO GO BACK! I’ll take my hubby with me next time. Yum yum yum…

I discovered this place on Unilocal!Thank you fellow Unilocalers for not disappointing me. Everything we ordered was delicious: onigiri, Sunumono with shrimp, eggplant, mushroom and shishito skewers, Sea bass, and the chicken wings! We definitely would order all of this again! We spent less than $ 50 for the 2 of us.
I had to knock off 1 star for slow service and because they forgot about our chicken wings and rice. No Filipino can eat a meal without rice. That was super difficult for us because we were so hungry. We ate almost everything before the rice arrived. Major fail on their part.
We would definitely come back here, but not during their peak time. Their service isn’t super great when they have a lot going on. I know our server apologized, but it happened on several occasions. If it wasn’t for the rice, it was for napkins, or missing our chicken wings. And, not to mention, it took forever to take our order!

This is one of my favorite Japanese restaurants in Dublin. The food is fresh and you get a lot for your money’s worth. I mean my goodness, for $ 10, I get a two item combo that comes with miso soup and a green salad. Now, I know that is pretty standard, but you get something else, three pieces of california roll.
Normally, when I go to a Japanese restaurant, I don’t really feel that satisfied because I can eat like a heffar, but this place does me right! When ordering the lunch combo, you get the miso soup first and the soup sometimes tells you what to expect in terms of the quality of the food. Well, the miso soup is hot and delicious!
For my two item combo, I got the salmon teriyaki and mixed tempura. I like how you the salmon piece is a nice size and not all small and dinky. Even the green side salad that comes with it is good. I love the dressing.
Anyway, hurray for a good Japanese joint in Dublin. I look forward to coming back here!

I came here on a weekend night with a Russian friend, and neither one of us had ever had this style of Japanese food served. We’d both had your normal Tonkatsu entrees and sushi, but not this Kushiyaki style of skewered meats grilled over imported Japanese super hot charcoal, nor some of the other tapas style small dishes served here. This was a great experience and not totally outrageously priced like some super high end sushi is. When we arrived, the place was half full and within 20 minutes, there were no empty tables! I think these were only 2 other non-​Asian people in the whole place besides us! Must mean it’s a good place and the staff spoke Japanese to the customers. You have the choice of traditional floor seating or normal western seating. Seating is a bit tight, but the place is small. We got a seat with a view of the guy grilling the meats.
As we started ordering, there wasn’t any language barrier, like at some Chinese places with dim sum. We started with the tasting flight of sake ($ 12), where you get 3 generous tastes of higher end sake. These were served cold, like all high end sake is, no cheap hot sake here!
For starters we had Buta no Kakuni, cooked black pork ($ 8), and the chicken skin skewer ($ 3) as well as the pork belly skewer ($ 3). We took our time and tasted sake and nibbled on our tasty appetizers. The pork belly was very porky tasting, I thought it could have used a little more seasoning maybe. The chicken skin wasn’t exactly what I was expecting. It was a thin ribbon folded and pushed onto the skewer and grilled. More surface area and crisper would have been better, I’s skip this one.
The Buta no Kakuni, cooked black pork, on the other had out of this world tasty! It came served in a small super hot iron pot, like a Sukiyaki, with 2 smaller serving bowls and spoons. The broth was like none I’d ever tasted, rich, complex flavors and slightly sweet at the same time with tender pork chunks and exotic mushrooms floating about. There’s something so civilized about eating small and sharing… it’s all about the taste, not about filling the belly like with a prime rib! Get this dish! The meat used may have been pork belly, but wasn’t all that fatty.
Looks like that tasting flight is gone, we better get another. The best tasting one for me with the most complex profile was the Dai Jinyjo, at $ 80 a bottle, I guess that’s why! They filled those glasses right to the top!
Next we had the skewered chicken livers «Kanzo» ($ 3), Octopus Balls (OK, that’s funny!) «Takoyaki» ($ 5), Agedashi Tofu, fried tofu ($ 6) and finally the Grilled large squid «Ika no Sugatayak» ($ 9). My Russian friend really like the chicken livers, as she grew up liking that, me .not so much. The Tofu was very good in a nice broth. The squid was delicious looking, but a little chewier than I would have liked. The fried Octopus Balls are a fave street food in Japan. These looked almost like a gourmet candy dessert when they arrived, but not candy like at all. Served hot, the plating was so interesting. Biting into one is get a warm gooey tasty feeling on my tongue along with the hints of octopus. I’d never had something like this before. My friend and I both decided it was sort of an erotic dish the way it feels and tastes! We skipped dessert as we were stuffed now!
We stayed almost 2 hrs. We didn’t try any of the sashimi or sushi offerings, and they looked well done as well. The sashimi plate at the next table looked like the chef has real knifeskills. The 10 piece nigiri platter for $ 17 looked like something I’d get next time, nice generous cuts of fish. This was a wonderful experience, eating small plates, tasting sake. We tried so many new things and the price wasn’t that bad at the end either. This may be a new type of Japanese dining for you, but give it a try!

We have been going to this restaurant for about 6 months now. But last night will be the last time I’ll step foot into this place. Let me start off by saying I love japanese food and I know fresh sashimi when I eat it. Most of the fishes here are good. But for some reason, we were always served bad Albacore. We usually order the Chef’s Choice sashimi. In the previous visits, I’ve commented about the Albacore not being fresh and yes, they did replaced it with a different fish. That’s the way it should be, right. But this problem persist almost every time we dine there.
Yesterday, we order the same dish. It was the chef’s choice of 24 pieces sashimi. Chef’s Choice means we have «no say» on what fish will be chosen; it’s the chef’s choice. Again, the Albacore was not fresh. It was like biting into a soggy slice bread. So I told the waitress that the Albacore was not fresh. This time the owner, who’s also the chef, came to chat with us. I’m thinking, great !! We can finally get to the bottom of this problem. As it turned out, it was a very unexpected reply. Especially coming from an owner.
After introducing himself, he said,
Owner: «…In addition to owning this restaurant, I’m also part owner of a fish delivery company. So our fish is always fresh. I know you guys always had problems with Albacore. I suggest you not order this dish. I can’t do anything about the Albacore»
I said: «Why don’t you taste the Albacore you just served me… and you’ll know what I’m talking about. I like Albacore and usually, fresh Albacore does not taste like this.»
Owner: «That’s just the way the fish comes. I can’t do anything about it. Especially because we are priced very competitive around here.»
I said: «Can you replaced Albacore with some other fish… anything but Albacore?»
Owner: «I cannot… We are priced very competitive and I cannot change the fish.»
I’m thinking… You are the owner… and you cannot improve upon customer’s complaint. You priced yourself as one of the least expensive restaurant but you serve fishes that’s not fresh. Where is the value and pride in your food? You are the owner. Have some pride in your restaurant. If the fish is good, why would a customer complain. This is time to self-​evaluate and take the feedback as ways you can improve. But this guy was very defensive about the his price and the fish.
Owner: «I’ll take the fish off and adjust the price for it. But next time, I suggest you not to order this dish in the future.»
WTF… What future… after this comment, there is no future. I’m not coming back because of the owner’s arrogance and defensive attitude. Chef’s choice is what «you — the chef» choose to put on my plate. If I had a choice, I would not pick Albacore from your restaurant to be on my plate. If I was the owner, I would definitely take customers comments as a way to improve the quality of my food and service. But this guy definitely thinks he is has no room for improvement.
It’s not about the $ 7 that you’re taking off my check. I can afford $ 7. It’s your negative and defensive attitude. I’ve been coming here at least twice a week for dinner. Sometimes three times because of lunch. Each of my meal is around $ 50. Do the the simple math. I drop at least $ 400, some month, $ 600 at this restaurant. But this bullshit remarks that I got from the owner will stop me from coming back. Your dumb remarks just cost you almost $ 5K a year. I can spend that money somewhere else. Somewhere where the fish is fresher and the owner is less arrogant.

I love this place !!!
Great food
Great service
Sashimi was the best
A must try !!!

Wanted to go to Thai Basil for lunch, but it was full. However, I was very pleased with my experience at this restaurant.
Setting: There’s tables in the middle of the restaurant, as well as bench pillows (no shoes allowed) on the right side. I personally liked sitting on the pillows because it feels more authentic Japanese.
Food: Delicious! The gyoza here was REALLY good, one of my favorites so far. Also, the lunch bento box was pretty big for only $ 10. There’s a bunch of different foods you can put into the bento, so it’s definitely worth it.
Service: The waitresses were really nice! They had a heavy Asian accent, but they were very good at serving my group of 9 quickly.
I’ll be back again soon!

My son and I came for lunch 10 minutes before noon. Place was almost full but there was one empty clean table. Yet it took them 15 minutes just to seat us. Another 10 before our order was taken. There was a family of 4 who was seated AFTER we ordered but received their meal before us. We were not served until 12:45 pm.
Waitress was rushed and trying but they seem
severely understaffed.
The food itself was decent and good value for price. I had bento box with chicken karaage and tempura mix — comes with rice, salad, 3 pieces of California roll, soup and tea. My son had salmon teriyaki appetizer (and some of my rice). Bill came out to be just ~$ 21.

Since my first visit to Yakitori West, I’ve dined in two additional times. Once for dinner and the other time for lunch. I’d say that if you are ordering specialty items such as yakitori or sashimi, those are 4 star worthy. However, the more typical Japanese menu items aren’t as great. The Salmon Kamameshi (iron pot rice) was a really small portion and only had little bits of salmon inside. For $ 15, not much value in mostly just rice and mushrooms.
The lunch bento box specials seem like a good deal. Two items for $ 10 and 3 items for $ 14. Add $ 1 if you want to upgrade any item to sashimi option of tuna, hamachi, salmon or albacore. Miso soup and salad are served with every bento box. I decided to get the teriyaki salmon with tuna sashimi. I regret not having to ask for the salad dressing on the side as they had drowned my salad with dressing. I ended up only eating half of it. The teriyaki salmon was overcooked, dry and also had too much sauce on it. The only saving grace was that the tuna sashimi was fresh. I was also one of the first lunch patrons right when they opened that Thursday. Thank goodness because my food came out someone quickly. I noticed that as the lunch crowd started to roll in around noon, it took a really long time for other tables to get their food.
More inclined to return only if planning to order yakitori and anything from the raw menu. Not too crazy about other cooked dishes here. Service is still pleasant.

Dropped by on a Saturday night. Place was very busy, but I was promptly seated and my drink order taken. I ordered a ton of stuff. Some of my fav’s include the sashimi and various skewers. I love Yakitori and usually hit up the spots in the South Bay, but having a great place in my hometown rocks!
If it’s your first time trying, definitely try the Sea Bass, tempura, and chef’s choice of yakitori skewers. Add in a bottle of hot Sake’ and you are in for a legit Japanese meal.
Can’t wait to return!

I was surprised to see this place opened for lunch so my bf and I decided to give it a go. It was fairly empty when we first went in but boy, this place filled up fast and a small crowd formed at the door a little while after that. This place definitely gives the small Japanese restaurant feel with the décor, seating (one side had the traditional style) and dishes.
One big bummer was that they weren’t serving any kushiyaki (skewers) during lunch and we planned our meal around those items; apparently they will be soon but not when we went since the grills weren’t on :(bummer (and we heard the table next to us get the disappointing news too). We ended up getting the mix fry, yaki onigiri (grilled… wut) and a oyako don.
Service was pretty fast and very friendly. First came the yaki onigiri and I think I loved the sauce way more than the rice itself. It was a giant rice ball and I definitely wanted to grab it in my hands to eat the way animé characters do… but… it’s only right to eat in a civilized way in public haha. The oyako don looked fairly impressive when it came to the table but was a bit deflating in taste. I would’ve liked the rice to not have been so mushy since it was a very saucy dish but eh. The breading on the chicken didn’t stay on at all and was pretty thick, egg was delicious with the sauce though!
As for the mixed fry, I loved the breading, not too thick and not too oily. In the mix, there were scallops (very rubbery and had a fishy taste to it, didn’t sit too right with me), calamari (yum!), prawn (double yum!), oyster (very sandy) and a white fish. I made the mistake of not check what they meant by white fish and took a couple bites before realizing I didn’t feel too good. Whoops! It was Halibut (after checking with the waitress). Thank god I only took a few bites or I would’ve needed my Epi pen. SAFE!
Final Thoughts: Price was average for Japanese food, will definitely want to come back to try the kushiyaki dishes. Will DEFINITELY make sure about the ingredients on the menu before pigging out next time :)

Wow, it’s been a long time since I’ve had such a great dining experience! High quality, delicious and fresh food, fast and friendly service. Place is small and popular so expect a wait.
Omg thank you for properly cooked chicken. The momo skewers and the chicken udon — chicken was tender and not overcooked. Udon noodles still had some chew and the broth was real chicken soup (a little oily though). Best udon I’ve had in a long time.
Chicken skin skewers, ask them to make it extra crispy.
Croquettes were also delicious, fluffy inside, creamy in flavor and light crispy outside.
OMG. Never expected such freakin fresh sashimi but it was so good. Salmon was so marbled, hamachi was buttery and melted in my mouth, everything was unbelievable. I was told the owners have a fishing company so they get the best stuff. I am a sushi lover, (I have a sushi list check it out) and this is hands down some of the freshest fish I’ve had in the bay, out in Dublin! Crazy.
Found my new go to spot when I make it out here again. Should just do dim sum at Koi Palace upstairs in the morning and then come here after!

I’m very impressed with this restaurant! I come to this plaza all the time and I’ve never really noticed this place, but we decided to give it a try today.
We came on a Saturday for lunch when it opened at noon, there was no wait but the restaurant quickly filled up within an hour.
For 2 people, we ordered hotate (scallop) nigiri, salmon carpaccio, hamachi kama, seabass misoyaki and the skewers: gyutan (beef tongue), momo (chicken thigh), butabara (pork belly), and hotate (scallop).
The raw: I wasn’t sure about ordering sashimi here because there’s no sushi bar and it didn’t look like a sushi restaurant, but their carpaccio and nigiri were extremely fresh!
The grilled: I loved the seabass misoyaki– it literally just melts in your mouth. The flavor was perfect and it is delicious when you eat it hot! The hamachi kama, however, was decent. They put too much salt on top, so it was really salty until you got into the inside.
The skewers: Every skewer we had was perfectly cooked and seasoned. I personally enjoyed the pork belly– there wasn’t a lot of fat on it. The scallop wasn’t fishy, the beef tongue was tender, and the chicken was juicy.
We wanted to try the uni & ikura don but they were out of uni, so we’ll have to try that another time!

The service was great, everyone was really friendly.
We had the tonkatsu don, seafood udon, and uni sushi.
Everything tasted fresh and portions were pretty large. I would definitely recommend!

Updated review — its been over a year since we ate dinner at Yakitori West. This time we pretty much ordered skewers for the entire dinner — taking a few items from meats, seafood, and veggies.
Chicken — They advertise that they use Mary’s Organic Chicken. We got a bit adventurous and got two orders of hearts and liver and four orders of thigh. I liked the thigh and heart the best — both were tender. Liver is a bit of an acquired taste — a bit richer and slightly drier on the insides.
Wagyu — Very buttery and tender, like eating chunks of really juicy steak!
Tako and Ika — Both of these are amazing on the grill, and well seasoned. I have a slight preference for the octopus — its a bit thicker so it can handle a good amount of marinade and the high temperature without overcooked. The squid was also super tender, but milder in flavor.
Veggies — The eggplant pieces had a nice, sweet Japanese Mayo. The shiitake mushrooms don’t need much — full of umami already!
A glass of the plum wine was perfect for this meal. Probably the only disappointment is the rice patties — a bit bland. A side of sushi rice would have been better. Quality-​wise, since the vast majority of the dishes were really good, I’m sticking with my 5 stars rating.

We came here with some friends on a Friday happy hour. We warned them about our two young kids, and that kids does not make for such a happy hour when trying to imbibe on some Japanese alcohol. They said bring them anyway.
We got there pretty early — about 5 and the place was half full. They gave us a corner seating area, which was laid out pretty cool. Their menu was all tapas style (or pupu as we call it in Hawaii). KFC, ahi poke, calamari, hamachi kama, sashimi… all very excellent. And if I remember correctly, awesome happy hour prices too.
What’s cool was our waiter let us order one last pitcher of Kirin even 5 min after happy hour closed. Now that was awesome. That was one of the happiest happy hours I ever had with my kids. Good food. Good company. Good prices.
Oishi!

(3.5 stars)
Curious about this Japanese restaurant located inside Ulfert’s Center, the potato farmer and I visited Yakitori this past Saturday night. I’ve never heard of Japanese tapas before — but I figured this could be a fun, new, and DIFFERENT adventure from the monotonous safety the potato farmer and I tend to prefer in our lives.
We walked in promptly around 5PM — the restaurant was virtually empty, with the exception of one other couple. The restaurant is divided into two sections — the «normal» seating area with tables and chairs and the «traditional» seating area where guests take off shoes and sit on pillows. Although, yes, while it does seem «cool» to sit in the traditional seating area — I simply can’t imagine how comfortable it could possibly be to sit on your knees/​behind for the duration of dinner time. As more couples/​groups trickled into the restaurant around 5:30PM, the potato farmer and I noticed that almost ALL of the groups who opted for the traditional seating area were families with children — no doubt a good «educational» learning opportunity for children. Ironically enough, most Japanese couples who walked in opted for the «normal» seating area.
Nevertheless, the restaurant itself is beautiful, as is the dining ware they provide (wooden spoons, intricate bowls, etc). The potato farmer and I had a difficult time choosing what to order, however, due to our confusion over the menu (a lot of choices with limited descriptions). Finally, we settled on two bowls of chicken udon, one yakitori (‘momo’), and one tuna sashimi. I attempted to order two of the ‘momos’ (one skewer for the potato farmer and one skewer for me) but the waitress didn’t quite understand, so we just opted to share the one. The chicken was cooked well, a little charred on the outside, and tender and juicy on the inside, coated in a «teriyaki» like sauce. The skewer itself was VERY small, barely enough to share — additionally, the potato farmer and I are not terribly keen on chicken, so while good, neither of us felt it was worth ($ 3) per skewer. The tuna sashimi, on the other hand, was VERY delicious — thick, fresh pieces of tuna, cut and presented beautifully. I regret not ordering more from their sushi/​sashimi menu. The chicken udon contained lots of small pieces of boiled chicken, udon noodles (a little too soft), pink fish cake (2 pieces), seaweed, and some green onions. I felt a little sick that day, so the udon worked wonders on my throat despite the fact that the udon was extremely SALTY. In the beginning of the meal, the saltiness wasn’t terribly noticeable (maybe I was a little distracted talking) but as I drank more and more, I realized how strangely salty the dish was. By the time the potato farmer and I both concluded that — yes, indeed, the udon was too salty — we had finished too substantial a portion to send the soup back.
The potato farmer and I stayed here for almost one and a half hours — this restaurant is very conducive for slow eating/​talking. Yakitori West is quite beautiful, and relaxing, We had no problems with the wait staff (aside from the small faux pas with the waitress). Overall, however, I didn’t find the restaurant’s food particularly enjoyable, with the exception of its sashimi.

With my first visit last month, I was told this place is owned by a fishing company. And with that statement from the waitress, the bar was set!
Now, I’ve been here a few times after work and I gotta say I love being able to relax with some great tasting food while waiting for that stupid freeway traffic to clear up. In other words, it sucks being on the 680 or 580 at 5pm! OK, back to Yakitori West and why I love this place:
+ Location and atmosphere +
It’s basically in the little Asia part of Dublin, and right next door to Kee Wah Bakery too mmm mmm! The dining area is fairly small, but ample in roominess. Along the side wall sits a set of traditional box seating for groups. They’re basically square booths. And word is, they’re not very comfortable. I’ve yet to try sitting there.
+ Japanese Tapas +
Man, where do I begin… So this place offers a wide variety of, what they call ‘medleys’. Medleys of beef, pork, seafood, chicken, seasoned veggies all prepared on skewers and grilled over charcoal. What have I tried you ask? Well, lets start with:
++ Goma Ae, boiled spinach with marinated sesame seed ($ 4): Loved it with everything I ate. It’s just spinach, but it’s boiled just right I guess.
++ Six piece sashimi ($ 9): Ours consisted of albacore and hamachi. They even gave us some extra pieces. I love it when places aren’t sheisty on fish.
++ Takoyaki ($ 5): Eight pieces, that were just ‘meh OK’. Nothing special, as I’ve had better. It was decent, but I just wasn’t impressed. They were kinda small.
++ Hamachi Kama, grilled ($ 8): One of the BEST hamachi kamas I’ve had in A LONG TIME. Maybe because it’s in season right now, but man it was grilled to perfection!
++ Ika Geso Karaage, the fried squid legs ($ 5): With a little bit of breading, this was a winner too! Not overcook fried, and was soft with every bite. I’d order this again next time.
++ Omakase Sashimi, chef’s choice B ($ 35): Albacore, octopus, hamachi, snapper, salmon! Each piece of sashimi just melted! This was so worth the price for fresh fish! And again, it seemed like we had extra pieces. Not to mention the slices were a good size too.
++ Tempura Udon ($ 13): The tempura was big and nicely battered. The soup was fantastic, as I recall being sick the first time I came here. This helped my recovery that’s for sure. And the noodles were also pretty firm and thick!
++ Green Tea Ice Cream ($ 3): Cakey outside! Loved it!
+ Service +
Excellent, no issues! Water glass filled when needed. They’ve always been nice and helpful to me from beginning to end.
Now just keep in mind, this place can get pricey if you don’t watch what you order. But to me, delicious tasting Japanese food simply comes with the price. I’ll definitely be back!