I didn’t like the food that much. The karaage was not crispy and drenched in a sauce. The rice and fish was way too salty. The dishes lacked balance in general.
The music was loud at some point, service was good though. Nothing spectacular. I did not understand the presentation of the staff nor the takeout pizza at the end.
Would not recommend
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 2
Service: 4
Matheus F
I went to the listening room on July 20th.
Despite having a reservation, we were seated at a table that did not have enough sitting space. I didn't want to ruin the night, so sat on the sofa side with my friend. After trying to get the waiter's attention for half an hour without success, we decided that was too much and left.
Service: 1
Rach
My brother and I came for the Izakaya Prix Fixe dinner while visiting from Canada. Absolutely a wonderful time. The food was great, the eel was probably my favorite dish. I dug the decor, like the dBA monitor on the wall. We had looked at the vinyl selection prior but it truly was a joy to decide something on a whim and guess the other guests music choices. I could probably go on for ages how wonderful the team is for indulging my brother and I! Much love to both Davids and Denandus (sry for spelling).
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Birthday Pizza
Rahul Chaudhary
Don’t believe the low ratings, this is the most unique food experience in New York
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Taylor Alexandra
This restaurant/staff/experience is all incredible and should be a “must do” on any NYC restaurant list. They accommodate vegetarian diets and allergies - include a note in your reservation. The food is incredible!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Avi Bortnick
Went to the upstairs "listening room." Ended up disappointed. I've concluded it's impossible to have an actual Tokyo style listening bar in New York. But it's not the fault of this nicely designed little space. It's the fault of Americans, who can't speak softly and end up shouting over the music. It didn't help that the music was the usual lite-house wallpaper. But still. It would help if the space had acoustical treatments. As is, it's really just your usual bare wall/ceiling bar with nice lighting, a glowing macintosh amp and wood-cabinet speakers. The place should consider having an actual listening night where patrons are instructed to speak softly, like in Japan.
Atmosphere: 3
Service: 5
Alli Macmann
The music choices are so fun, and the food so spectacular. The perfect experience to add to a fun gathering or date- the staff celebrates well and have great personalities. I hope I can return soon.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Mary R.
Absolutely phenomenal experience! The hostess at the restaurant upstairs was not as welcoming but the staff downstairs completely made up for it. The kindness and hospitality were something my partner and I really appreciated. The food? Was outstanding. Every course was perfectly plated and full of flavor. My favorite plates were the cold ramen, mushroom tofu and the crusted filet mignon. The steak was succulent! I went 6 months pregnant and they catered to me completely. Made sure to not serve me any raw food, and just super polite and understanding. This has been one of the best restaurant experiences I've had thus far!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Birthday Pizza
Marc Wallenstein
There is practically nothing Japanese about this place. It is not an “homage” to a Japanese sound bar—it is a loud, noisy, cacophonous American college party. I appreciate the attempt, I really do. But playing the music loud doesn’t make it a sound bar. You need someone who can sound mix, not just DJ. The levels were all over the place. The staff were hardworking, but the feel was New Jersey, not Tokyo. The menu upstairs left a lot to be desired. How about a few more decent sakes by the glass? The two options available were mediocre. I imagine the tasting menu downstairs is a fun experience, but I’m not sure I’m inclined to try it after my time upstairs. Please hire Japanese staff or at least people who have lived in Japan.
Very fun atmosphere, great staff and food. Had a good time chatting with staff and patrons who were happy to talk in the bar's quite intimate setting. My party had some complicated allergies that the chef dealt with seamlessly without interrupting the experience. The lighthearted nature pairs well with the high-class cuisine. Definitely sit at the chef's table bar seats so that you can watch the chef work (and maybe pester him with the occasional question, which he was happy to answer.) We got lucky and went on a monday, which is the only day of the week that their phenomenal sake sommelier works there. If you can go on a monday, try to.
Vegetarian options: Chef asked about vegetarian restrictions and allergies at the door, and was happy to accomodate swaps to his course menu to make everyone happy. The pair next to us was vegetarian and the food looked just as good.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Christen Tien
really disappointed with our experience here. the coursed dinner was hardly Japanese and definitely not an izakaya. the main course was ribs, green beans, and slaw... felt almost as if they ran out of food and gave us whatever they could find left. the listening experience was also odd since we wrote our song choices on the chopstick sleeve and the selection was a few popular artists per era, but none that were even japanese either. just feels like this could have been thought out more and at least been japanese food. it feels insulting that they are even claiming to call themselves an izakaya and anything related to tokyo
Zachary Holland
I am not one to typically write a review but had to after the disappointing experience I had at TRB.
The first two dishes were delicious, igniting my excitement for what was yet to come. What we were served afterwards was incredibly disappointing and utterly unacceptable for a restaurant of this price range. Did anyone in the kitchen bother to taste the main course? It was BBQ ribs, green beans, and potatoes that could pass for a high school cafeteria meal, and that’s being generous.
The dessert truly frustrated me as well. It looks like a misguided experiment gone wrong. The dollop of ice cream was the only redeeming quality.
Looking at some of the past reviews it does appear that others had a tasting menu that was much more fitting and exciting, but ours seemed to have been created without thought.
Brandon Danial
Great concept, but very poor execution.
On paper, it sounded awesome: a pre-selected tasting menu and the customers pick vinyls for the dj to spin? Sign me up.
Unfortunately, TRB fell short in every regard.
The atmosphere is fine, but the upstairs area seems like a better vibe overall.
As for the record selecting process, I was very disappointed. Maybe it was wrong of me to assume they'd be spinning Japanese vinyls, but the fact that there wasn't ANY japanese music was a letdown. Instead, they offer a short list of the biggest songs from every decade. Seems a bit misleading the way it's presented online. From their website - "An homage to the jewel boxes of vinyl in japan". Except instead of Tats Yamashita and YMO, we get Justin Timberlake and Lizzo. Cool. Also, you write your song choice on the small paper slip of your chopsticks. Is that supposed to be cute, or is the $$$$ restaurant really cutting corners like that?
The food was the strangest part. I feel like there was potential, but the meal derailed fairly quickly and only got worse. The first half was fine - some unique japanese dishes that were well-plated and tasty. But the wildest dish was the barbeque ribs. It literally looked like something straight out of a microwaveable tv dinner: ribs with roasted potatoes, green beans, and coleslaw. What an awful dish. I have no clue how it landed on this tasting menu. It didn't feel like there was anything cohesive or deliberate about the courses that were served.
The dessert was also a huge L. It was unappealing to every sense - taste, touch, visually, emotionally (yes, this dessert inflicted emotional damage on me). It was actually funny the way you could flip it in the dish like a big, frozen-solid biscuit from the freezer section of Whole Foods. We saw the people at the table next to us do the same thing.
And just to round out this weird experience with a kick on the way out, as a "special thanks", the final item was a mid slice of pizza in a to-go box. Not even the homeless man down the block wanted it, he literally whipped it into the street. Maybe we were unlucky with our tasting menu, because other reviews online looked much better.
Very baffling and disappointing experience. Especially for the astronomical price. It presents itself as an "izakaya" - it is not. It presents itself as a "Japanese record bar" - it is not. More gimmick than authentic. I won't call it a scam, but it's not like that's a far-off description. Maybe tourist trap is more apt. Worst food experience I had during my visit to NYC.
I didn’t like the food that much. The karaage was not crispy and drenched in a sauce. The rice and fish was way too salty. The dishes lacked balance in general.
The music was loud at some point, service was good though. Nothing spectacular. I did not understand the presentation of the staff nor the takeout pizza at the end.
Would not recommend
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 2
Service: 4
I went to the listening room on July 20th.
Despite having a reservation, we were seated at a table that did not have enough sitting space. I didn't want to ruin the night, so sat on the sofa side with my friend. After trying to get the waiter's attention for half an hour without success, we decided that was too much and left.
Service: 1
My brother and I came for the Izakaya Prix Fixe dinner while visiting from Canada. Absolutely a wonderful time.
The food was great, the eel was probably my favorite dish. I dug the decor, like the dBA monitor on the wall.
We had looked at the vinyl selection prior but it truly was a joy to decide something on a whim and guess the other guests music choices. I could probably go on for ages how wonderful the team is for indulging my brother and I! Much love to both Davids and Denandus (sry for spelling).
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Birthday Pizza
Don’t believe the low ratings, this is the most unique food experience in New York
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
This restaurant/staff/experience is all incredible and should be a “must do” on any NYC restaurant list. They accommodate vegetarian diets and allergies - include a note in your reservation. The food is incredible!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Went to the upstairs "listening room." Ended up disappointed. I've concluded it's impossible to have an actual Tokyo style listening bar in New York. But it's not the fault of this nicely designed little space. It's the fault of Americans, who can't speak softly and end up shouting over the music. It didn't help that the music was the usual lite-house wallpaper. But still. It would help if the space had acoustical treatments. As is, it's really just your usual bare wall/ceiling bar with nice lighting, a glowing macintosh amp and wood-cabinet speakers. The place should consider having an actual listening night where patrons are instructed to speak softly, like in Japan.
Atmosphere: 3
Service: 5
The music choices are so fun, and the food so spectacular. The perfect experience to add to a fun gathering or date- the staff celebrates well and have great personalities. I hope I can return soon.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Absolutely phenomenal experience! The hostess at the restaurant upstairs was not as welcoming but the staff downstairs completely made up for it. The kindness and hospitality were something my partner and I really appreciated. The food? Was outstanding. Every course was perfectly plated and full of flavor. My favorite plates were the cold ramen, mushroom tofu and the crusted filet mignon. The steak was succulent! I went 6 months pregnant and they catered to me completely. Made sure to not serve me any raw food, and just super polite and understanding. This has been one of the best restaurant experiences I've had thus far!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Birthday Pizza
There is practically nothing Japanese about this place. It is not an “homage” to a Japanese sound bar—it is a loud, noisy, cacophonous American college party. I appreciate the attempt, I really do. But playing the music loud doesn’t make it a sound bar. You need someone who can sound mix, not just DJ. The levels were all over the place. The staff were hardworking, but the feel was New Jersey, not Tokyo. The menu upstairs left a lot to be desired. How about a few more decent sakes by the glass? The two options available were mediocre. I imagine the tasting menu downstairs is a fun experience, but I’m not sure I’m inclined to try it after my time upstairs. Please hire Japanese staff or at least people who have lived in Japan.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 2
Service: 3
Coolest place
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
Great ambiance and people
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Very fun atmosphere, great staff and food. Had a good time chatting with staff and patrons who were happy to talk in the bar's quite intimate setting.
My party had some complicated allergies that the chef dealt with seamlessly without interrupting the experience.
The lighthearted nature pairs well with the high-class cuisine.
Definitely sit at the chef's table bar seats so that you can watch the chef work (and maybe pester him with the occasional question, which he was happy to answer.)
We got lucky and went on a monday, which is the only day of the week that their phenomenal sake sommelier works there. If you can go on a monday, try to.
Vegetarian options: Chef asked about vegetarian restrictions and allergies at the door, and was happy to accomodate swaps to his course menu to make everyone happy. The pair next to us was vegetarian and the food looked just as good.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
really disappointed with our experience here. the coursed dinner was hardly Japanese and definitely not an izakaya. the main course was ribs, green beans, and slaw... felt almost as if they ran out of food and gave us whatever they could find left. the listening experience was also odd since we wrote our song choices on the chopstick sleeve and the selection was a few popular artists per era, but none that were even japanese either. just feels like this could have been thought out more and at least been japanese food. it feels insulting that they are even claiming to call themselves an izakaya and anything related to tokyo
I am not one to typically write a review but had to after the disappointing experience I had at TRB.
The first two dishes were delicious, igniting my excitement for what was yet to come. What we were served afterwards was incredibly disappointing and utterly unacceptable for a restaurant of this price range. Did anyone in the kitchen bother to taste the main course? It was BBQ ribs, green beans, and potatoes that could pass for a high school cafeteria meal, and that’s being generous.
The dessert truly frustrated me as well. It looks like a misguided experiment gone wrong. The dollop of ice cream was the only redeeming quality.
Looking at some of the past reviews it does appear that others had a tasting menu that was much more fitting and exciting, but ours seemed to have been created without thought.
Great concept, but very poor execution.
On paper, it sounded awesome: a pre-selected tasting menu and the customers pick vinyls for the dj to spin? Sign me up.
Unfortunately, TRB fell short in every regard.
The atmosphere is fine, but the upstairs area seems like a better vibe overall.
As for the record selecting process, I was very disappointed. Maybe it was wrong of me to assume they'd be spinning Japanese vinyls, but the fact that there wasn't ANY japanese music was a letdown. Instead, they offer a short list of the biggest songs from every decade. Seems a bit misleading the way it's presented online. From their website - "An homage to the jewel boxes of vinyl in japan". Except instead of Tats Yamashita and YMO, we get Justin Timberlake and Lizzo. Cool. Also, you write your song choice on the small paper slip of your chopsticks. Is that supposed to be cute, or is the $$$$ restaurant really cutting corners like that?
The food was the strangest part. I feel like there was potential, but the meal derailed fairly quickly and only got worse. The first half was fine - some unique japanese dishes that were well-plated and tasty. But the wildest dish was the barbeque ribs. It literally looked like something straight out of a microwaveable tv dinner: ribs with roasted potatoes, green beans, and coleslaw. What an awful dish. I have no clue how it landed on this tasting menu. It didn't feel like there was anything cohesive or deliberate about the courses that were served.
The dessert was also a huge L. It was unappealing to every sense - taste, touch, visually, emotionally (yes, this dessert inflicted emotional damage on me). It was actually funny the way you could flip it in the dish like a big, frozen-solid biscuit from the freezer section of Whole Foods. We saw the people at the table next to us do the same thing.
And just to round out this weird experience with a kick on the way out, as a "special thanks", the final item was a mid slice of pizza in a to-go box. Not even the homeless man down the block wanted it, he literally whipped it into the street. Maybe we were unlucky with our tasting menu, because other reviews online looked much better.
Very baffling and disappointing experience. Especially for the astronomical price. It presents itself as an "izakaya" - it is not. It presents itself as a "Japanese record bar" - it is not. More gimmick than authentic. I won't call it a scam, but it's not like that's a far-off description. Maybe tourist trap is more apt. Worst food experience I had during my visit to NYC.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 1
Service: 2
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