Ai Ki Ya

Good food, beautiful atmosphere, and the service were outstanding ask for Poe!! I would definitely ask Alaska snow bird roll.

I haven't been to such a great restaurant in such a long time. Unassuming on the outside, it's actually so cozy inside. I won a giveaway voucher and had no issues using it here. The interior and ambiance is so nice. True izakaya feel. It gets pretty busy as well so I recommend you come early. For the food, we ordered Tako yaki - 4/5 good!Yakitori combo A - 4/5 also good! Steak was a little tough but still not bad Pork katsu curry - 5/5 amazing! The curry itself has large chunks of meat!Hakata Motsu Nabe - 3.5/5 this was ok, too much cabbageSushi generation - 5/5 so fresh! Get this!Crab cream croquette - 3/5 I would skip this next time but only because we ordered too much and this didn't stand out too much. Mostly just cream.Everything overall was really solid. We were very impressed with the quality and how fresh all the food was. Will definitely come back! This is a hidden gem!

Ai Ki Ya feels like a great place to get a light meal or small plates. The food itself could have been a bit better in my opinion but it's a quiet spot with quite a bit of seating and lovely decor. The price point is a bit more expensive but in Midtown, NYC it's considered normal unfortunately. The service was fine, they checked in on us regularly but it wasn't busy when we went. Beef Tongue Don: This was probably my favorite dish that I tried here. The beef was well marinated and seasoned making every bite of this don a mini explosion of flavor. However, the flavor seemed to lack depth. It tasted a bit like sweet ponzu but that was it. This was a very filling bowl though and a great option to try. Chicken Curry: The curry was a bit lacking. I couldn't tell what it was missing but I feel like Golden Curry could achieve a similar if not better flavor. The crispy chicken was definitely the highlight but with just four pieces, it felt a bit underwhelming to even celebrate. Miso Soup: This was complimentary. Not too bad. Leaned towards being saltier.

Walked in around 10pm on a Tuesday. The place was a little empty, slowly filling up by the time we left before midnight. The interior of the space is really well done. I felt like I was transported to Japan. Many of the staff also seem to be Japanese or have some sort of background affiliated with Japan. I overheard one of the servers say he learned something in Japan then came to the US. The ambiance here is great.4/5 Sashimi combo - the sashimi cuts are THICK. These are the thickest cuts I've seen anywhere. There's a slight fishy taste so not the best quality I've had but pretty good! Their salmon is wonderful. My date and I had mixed reviews on the fish that was seared. We both liked the raw part of the fish and thought the lemon paired well with it but the texture of the seared part was too much of a contrast to the raw part. 2/5 Soy milk hot pot - we ordered a one person portion. It was huge. it took awhile for this to be brought out, then the broth needed to boil, the soy milk poured in and boiled again before we could eat. The portion comes with one bowl of rice and one scoop of ice cream (at the end). We didn't eat any of the rice with the hot pot, but with the sashimi actually. The flavor of the hot pot was on the lighter side and the soy milk did not especially come through. None of the ingredients were especially big hitters either. Would not get this again but I am interested in trying some of their other hot pots. *The ice cream that comes with this is matcha and it is really good. Our server said they bring it in from Japan. I knew it tasted different! The tea flavor really comes through compared to matcha ice cream here which are more creamy.The wall art of the buff beer hung right over our table. I was first amused by it and pointed it out to my date. Then he wanted a beer so we each got one not sure if that was subtle marketing but it worked on us hahhaDropped a star because the food could have been better but the ambiance and service were wonderful.

Last night my friends and I had dinner here, and we had a great time! The staff are very accommodating, and the food is great! It is a quite restaurant, and we had lovely conversations there. The Yuzu cheesecake is very special. I'll come back again.

They've got everything from cold and hot plates to skewers, sushi, ramen, donburi , hotpot and many more. It's the perfect spot for lunch or dinner. Plus, the vibe is great, and the service is top-notch! Located in Midtown and close to the subway--definitely worth a visit!Featuring:-Soymilk Nabe-Alaskan Snowbird roll-Sashimi Platter-Spicy Miso Ramen-Grilled Mackerel-Salmon Tataki-Beef Sirloin w.Oba & Cheese-American Wagyu-Beef Short Rib-Chicken Breast & Chicken ThighFollow @spinx17 for more NYC food recs!

Easy to grab a walk in table for a big party. They have a big menu with lots of Japanese food options. The cotton candy sukiyaki was fun looking but I didn't think the cotton candy added anything to the meal besides aesthetics. Nothing else stood out as especially outstanding, but this is a decent spot for a big group if you're in the area. It's a little pricey for what you get.

Food was delicious and satisfied my cravings for a cozy Japanese meal. The restaurant gave a late night izakaya vibe which was very casual and cozy in my opinion. Every skewer was great but I'd recommend the short rib skewers if I had to choose one.

Food was pretty good and service was pretty good. Food took a little but to come out but not a huge deal. The skewers were nice but I think my least favorite was the chicken gizzard it was just over cooked and rough to chew. The sausage and chicken meatball were nice though! The potato salad was creamy and a nice palate cleanser from the oily skewers. The beef tongue had a nice texture and seasoned nicely. The ambiance was nice with the decor and TVs not too loud.

Ai Ki Ya in KoreatownI have mixed reviews about the place. Let's start with food.Ordered three dishes:-Tako Yaki-Salmon Avocado Roll-Deep Fried Skewers (Beef, Chicken, Shrimp, Meatball, Sausage)The tako yaki was delightful. The fried octopus filling was not dry and it was crunchy on the outside. Garnishes on the top was a very nice combo to the dish. The roll was pretty good. Each piece was pretty big and filling. As like the other dish, the garnishes really helped pull the dish together.The deep fried skewers... do not get this. You are required to get 5 skewers at minimum to place the order. The menu I had had no picture of the food so i went ahead and ordered what sounded good. My mistake here, the size and flavor. The skewers are just unflavored with the smallest possible bite of food. With how much I paid the total bill, the skewers didn't make the total price worth it. Spend the money on a nice roll or little dish instead, this was a a total waste of like 1/4 of the bill.Generally, the restaurant was quick to attend you considering how small and crowded it was for a Saturday night. Food came pretty quick and had a very nice aesthetic, as well as the restaurant.Would I go back again? Absolutely but not for the deep fried skewers. Other dishes were amazing and looking around there were a lot of good-looking foods I would want to try.