Tori Jiro

We've been here a bunch of times. We like to eat at the bar and have always gotten outstanding service. Diners who want to try the grilled offerings should be aware that the skewers are sold as individual offerings. This means you should be prepared to share multiple ones or get one for each diner, if sharing isn't your thing. This also means it might get a little pricey. Caveat emptor and all that.That being said, the flavors are really solid, but simple. For the skewers, most things are seasoned with salt and the smoke from the charcoal. Some items are glazed (tsukune, unagi) or some with wasabi or yuzu kosho. The tsukune come with a tare (sauce) with the option of adding a raw egg. You can use this sauce with the other items if you really feel you need extra sauce in your life. Soy sauce and ginger are also available with some items. When in doubt, ask!There are other standout items as well. We had the grilled scallops and grilled squid on our last visit. The scallops come on their own little grill, flames and all. If you are not great with your chopsticks skill, maybe get that before you have a lot of sake. The bar offers a strong sake list, in addition to beer and Japanese whiskeys. You can get the whiskeys in highball form (whiskey+soda water+lemon twist). The curry on offer is pretty standard Japanese curry (think S+B or Vermont), but goes well with the fries and on rice (yes, you should add the fried chicken :) ). For the ramen, I tend to stick with the salt flavor broth in the thick version. I like that when I've gotten delivery they pack the noodles separately from the broth and toppings so nothing sogs out.My only quibble is that a lot of times when I want to order some of the more esoteric chicken part offerings (skin, liver, gizzard, heart, cartilage) they are out. They did have the gizzard engawa on my last visit (sort of a firm bit near the end of the gizzard). The texture was fantastic and it was very well cooked. I wish more people wanted to order these parts so they would be in stock more often. This is the only reason I'm giving 4 rather than 5 stars.Overall, we love this place and look forward to going back!

I came here by myself around 4 PM the other day when nobody else was in the restaurant. The decor and ambience is pretty cool. Very hipster, modern, a good blend of East and west. By the different dried fruits sitting in jars at the bar, it looks like they probably have a very good drink menu too. I was also thrilled with the service. The waitress was attentive and made sure that my water was filled up. The food arrived quickly.That's kind of where the positives end. The actual food was quite terrible. I thought that the tsukune was undercooked and maybe even raw. When it hit the table, it was lukewarm inside. The shoyu ramen was one of the worst ramens I've ever had. The corn was straight out of a can, you could still taste the water from the canned corn. Ramen noodles were not very chewy. The broth was under salted and uninspiring. Did they even put any soy sauce in the broth to constitute a shoyu?The fried oysters were decent, but kind of pricey. Overall, I am disappointed by the food, but even more disappointed by thepotential this place has. The chef was raking coals over what looked like a pretty authentic Japanese robata grill. This place has the infrastructure to do so much better.

I came from California. I stopped by at Tori Jiro for dinner yesterday (Monday's evening). We sat at the bar, the waitress, Miew, served us.She was knowledgeable about food and cocktail. She recommended each items with her smiley face. I could feel her great service minded. Food & cocktails were great, delicious. Highly recommended !!

We stumbled upon this gem when we were on our way to Taffer's Tavern, and it was an exceptional find! When we got in at 4:30, it was empty still but it filled up pretty quickly. Our bar tender, Alec, was amazing! We tried the Sakura-Rita, the Chameleon, and the Kikusiu. All the drinks were great. We were on our way to dinner, but we had to try the spicy seaweed salad since I had not tried this before and it was fantastic! We can't wait to come back to try out the rest of the menu.

We've tried almost every spot in Arsenal Yards, and this was one of the last ones to eat at. . . I don't think we'll come back. I lived in Japan for many years, and I loved yakitori spots. The offerings and food here are very authentic. So, authentic that they have Japanese portions (aka teeny tiny!). My husband has eaten ramen all over Boston and said this one was meh. He prefers Sapporo Ramen in Porter Square or at Umi in Waltham. The portion was very small, he said, like a "kids' size." I got the tsukune and the eggplant - fine. They seem to charge for everything, even a dipping sauce. It's odd. The gyoza was cooked in an interesting way, but for $12, hmmmm, not amazing. The one thing I did really like was my son's Shrimp Tempura roll, but again, it's just overpriced compared to so many other spots around. Maybe it's because of the ambience. . . the restaurant is cute. The service was very attentive. But, we went next door to Roche Bros to get candy for the movie after, and both my husband and my son went for something savory because they were still hungry.

Our food was delicious! The yellowtail sashimi melted in mouth and was so good I asked for a second order! Staff was friendly and checked up on us frequently. Some hiccups with service but they were very nice and doing their best. The portions of food are quite small so you will have to order a bunch of things. I recommend getting dessert, we also wanted the crispy rice and ice cream but they were sold out.I would definitely return!

As authentic as being in Japan. Phenomenal food, would love to come back. Starters: Chicken thigh yakitori, gyoza, skewersMeal: Curry rice chicken karaage All of the order was fantastic - the curry rice chicken is a must try and liked the music as well playing in the background. Overall a nice find in Watertown and a favorite in the Yards now forsure.

Came here for yakitori and most dishes weren't available so ended up getting their ramen and sushi which tasted alright. We did get the chicken thigh skewer and pork belly skewer which were flavorless. Would not recommend. First and last time I will be visiting this place.

Super cute and chic Japanese bistro restaurant. I enjoyed the Nigiri sushi ( standard sushi), spicy tuna hand roll with some yakitori flank steak,chicken wing and chicken thighs. And I had cucumber salad and the sliced beef... delicious! Everything was light and fresh that matched perfectly with my aperol Spritz Would totally come back here again.

Great service and great food. Sat at the bar for a quick bite to eat, loved the presentation of food and hands off the remainder of the service was. Table seared mackerel with blowtorch, which was a great experience. Overall food presentation was well thought out and meticulous. Chill ambiance for a relaxed afternoon. High recommendation for anyone in the area that loves sushi done well, and would like to just enjoy their own time or the time with their friends/guest they come with, with minimal interruptions.