YAYOI

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 TOJIChicken cutlet simmered in sauce and eggTERIYAKI SALMONStir-fried salmon and regrables with teriyaki sauceWAGYU YAKINIKU JUJapanese style American wagyu beef served with rice abd miso soup VEGGIE GYOZA

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!

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!

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.

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.

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

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