Yopparai

I love that this restaurant is run by actual Japanese staff and the food is very authentic and delicious. I got the private tatami room in front and the ambiance was so lovely for a private date with quiet jazz music. A warning though - the portions are very small for the price you pay. If you want to leave full - you're going to pay around at least over 150 per person or so. I don't remember the exact names or prices of what I ordered but I'll describe them and their prices.I ordered their smoked mentaiko (you need rice for this one otherwise it's a little too salty- which is expected with mentaiko), miso cod (amazingly delicious), raw squid with sea urchin (20 dollars for about 3 quarters size of a portion), 8 types of sashimi (80 dollars for 16 delicious but small pieces), uni and ikura chirashi (45 dollars m/p), two bowls of white rice (5 dollars each), scallops in soy butter. I'll be honest I don't think I would have been full without getting the rice. But everything was top quality and nice for a special date.

A cozy, authentic izakaya found in the Lower East Side, Yopparai is a good spot to snack on some well-executed Japanese food while drinking from an extensive sake selection.The vibes are calm, and Yopparai is fairly quiet. You'll hear smooth jazz play in the background while folks go about discussing their day. They have some tables where you can take off your shoes and sit on some pillows. There is an extensive sake selection and a scattered variety of Japanese food to pair. The sushi here is fairly solid, but I think the best item is the tempura, which is fried with an incredibly light batter and flavorful dipping sauce.

Incredible cozy Japanese spot serving delicious fresh seafood and perfect tempura. They have a couple tables of more traditional seating where you take off your shoes, but there is also regular seating at the bar or a couple tables at the front. Def recommend coming with a reservation bc the place is pretty small.I came for dinner on Saturday with my aunt and we ordered:Chawanmushi (egg custard w salmon roe on top)- 5/5 perfectly silky and savory from pops of roe. The slices of yuzu helps cut through the saltiness. Hotate Butter (grilled scallop)- 5/5 the butter soy sauce is incredible! Scallop is really tender too. I ended up dunking the rest of the squid in this sauce. Ika Ichiyazuke (grilled squid)- 4/5 chewy and tasty with the ginger. Assorted 5 types of tempura- 5/5 came with shrimp, eggplant, shiso leaf, salmon, and squid. The salmon tempura was tender and juicy while being perfectly crispy- my favorite! They also serve it two ways, either with dipping sauce that has ginger and scallions, or simply with salt and lemon. 8 types of sashimi- 4.5/5 so fresh! Came with 2 pieces for each fish. My favorites were the amberjack and the salmon. We also got a hot green tea and hot sake carafe. Both were good, especially on a cold night. Service was very attentive, and the ambiance is cozy. They were unfortunately out of the homemade tofu, so I would definitely consider coming back to try that.

I came here with the a friend earlier this week, and all in all, it was a very nice experience. I definitely appreciate the traditional seating, although can be a bit awkward with taking off your shoes and getting settled in the seat.The food was also really good, very fresh. The only downside is that it was a bit pricey for the portion size we got. That being said, we got a good selection of dishes to share (the 6 kind sashimi, the wagyu beef roll, the special okonomiyaki, and a special seaweed appetizer), which was satisfying for the two of us. The wait staff were also friendly and attentive. All in all, it was a great atmosphere and the food quality was very nice, albeit a bit pricey.

The restaurant is very cute! It's got a cozy Japanese style and we were lucky to sit in the "private booth". It was such a good experience. Food was delicious. Everything we ordered was very good. However they added up to the bill quickly and we spent over $100 each. The service was just okay. Water wasn't a standard thing here and no one offered to add water throughout the meal. Also we weren't given instructions on how to cook the hot pot and ran out of the fire so we asked for more fuel. The waiter was quite rude about it and said "this is the last one I'd give you".

Dim lighting, intimate setting and food is pretty good at this upscale Japanese izakaya. We (3 couples) went for dinner on a Friday evening and tried a bunch of different dishes. We ordered a couple special dishes of the night, Braised Beef Tongue and Pancake. The tongue was flavorful. We also tried the Chawanmushi topped w/ Salmon Roe which is one of my favorite, it was so good. Karaage was alright, Grilled Scalloped in Soy Based Butter Sauce was delicious. The Grilled Miso Marinated Black Cod also my favorite of the night as well. The Tsukune Chicken Meatball Topped with Raw Egg Yolk was tasty. The Assortment of 8 Types of Sashimi, although fresh but small cut. Overall very decent food and good service.

What I love is the intimate space and sake options. What I want to love is the food, it's a bit inconsistent. Most times the fried food is drowning in oil and is unpleasant to eat what little or humongous cuts of vegetables may be hiding in there. Other times the fish is mild in flavor (even those that are supposed to pack a wallop of flavor). I do love that the uni is always fresh and perhaps that's all I'll return for.Overall a good Japanese eatery for a change of pace from the abundant food varieties around.

Ambience was very cute! They had us take our shoes off before we sat in the booths. Portions were quite small, we shared these items amongst 4 people which came out to about 50 per person but none of us were full by the end. I think this review is largely driven by how much I liked the pork belly and karaage (which I would consider coming back for)The pork belly was a little bit of both sweet and acidic and mind-blowingly tender. It is very fatty which also makes it pretty fatty. I think it would have been very nice with a bit of rice The karaage was probably the best karaage I've tried in nyc. It was crispy, super flavorful and incredibly juicy. The yopparai chirashi was also quite good, I liked all of the components and the rice was good (a little chewy, not too sticky). This was probably the largest item and maybe could have fed one personAnago chirashi was solid but nothing too special. Probably wouldn't order the beef tataki, daikon salad, or pickles again

Came here on a whim because I had time to kill before going to a show nearby. So glad I stumbled in. The atmosphere is fantastic, the staff is extremely friendly, and the food was incredible. I had oden, a special. I've never had fishcakes like that. Their pickled veggie app was also incredible. I don't usually repeat restaurants when I visit New York City, but I am planning on coming again the next time I take a day trip.

Food: 3.5 starsOverall, the food is good, but I don't think it matches the price. We ordered black cod (4.5 stars), sashimi (4 stars), beef tartare (I didn't really like it, but my husband did), and tuna sushi (3 stars).Service: 4 stars. The service was pleasant.Ambiance: 3.7 stars