The food was amazing and the staff is really friendly and attentive
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Chris Bourke
Excellent dining experience. Pricey but great food and excellent ambiance. Get a reservation in order to get a tatami mat booth otherwise you have to sit at the bar.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Stevie T
One uni cut into 5 slices... Where are the gold flakes?!? The $62 Yopparai Special Chirashi isn’t worth it. 5/10 It contains very little fish (mostly cheap, lean tuna and salmon) and only a small amount of uni. I’d pay a maximum of $32 for this. A photo from two years ago showed a much more generous portion of fish. I wouldn’t recommend coming here: the recession has clearly hit this place, and the dining room is uncomfortably warm. Also, avoid the $35 Pork Belly Hot Pot had 6 thin slices of pork, and the broth had no salt. 2/10
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 2
Service: 3
Kyle Liu
Positive: atmosphere. Negative: portion. Ok so this place is cute, good for an intimate date night or a place to grab a drink and bites after a full dinner, but not a good place if you want a fulfilling dinner. Izakaya with a steep price tag for dishes with portions that are small for ants. The place has a bar and Japanese style traditional tatami booth (shoes off), so pretty unique and a good place to have a conversation. This place is for someone with a tiny appetite or come hang out already full. We ordered a bunch of items from the menu, and each average costs about $25, but the portion for each was astonishingly small. We ordered the fish hotpot and we got literally five pieces of trout and a little bit mushrooms and watercress ($35). Oden tasted very good, but that small bowl (5 kinds) costs $21. Other food items all tasted alright, nothing special. We ended up spending over $100 per person, and had to go to another place to get more food because all of us were still hungry. So again, don’t come here if you want to get full, unless you want to spend over $250 per person. Good for a first date or business talk where you don’t expect to eat much.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 4
ケン
Forgot my card here, hope you kept it
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Alana W.D
So many great dishes at Yopparai. Some of my favorite dishes (not depicted) were the nigiri, kakuni, and chicken meat ball w/ egg. 🥹 I also enjoy the comfortable seating positions you can take on in the booths!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
itzelenaho
Yopparai, a hidden gem in the Lower East Side brings an authentic Japanese izakaya experience to New Yorkers. The intimate space features traditional tatami mat seating creating a cozy and transportive atmosphere for both sake lovers and food enthusiasts. Their exquisite menu is of authentic Japanese flavors from delicate to comforting to exciting items. Pair them with sake and enhance all those flavors. Dessert is just as delicious with traditional tastes. Whether you're after a unique date night or an immersive taste of Japan, Yopparai delivers an unforgettable dining experience.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
vivi Chanle
I was really looking forward to dining at this Japanese restaurant again, especially because of the unique tatami seating and beautifully styled interior. I had visited once before the pandemic and enjoyed a pork hot pot that left a great impression.
This time, however, I came to celebrate a friend’s birthday and was honestly disappointed. The prices were very high—over $500for four people—and none of us felt full afterward. The food was just average, and unfortunately not to my taste.
It’s a beautiful place, but with the current pricing and food quality, I don’t think I’ll be coming back.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 2
Service: 2
Yuri P
The vibe and food presentation are both stunning! The seafood donburi, named after the restaurant, is truly impressive—I’ve never seen such a generous serving in all of New York. It’s packed with fresh sashimi and delicious rice!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Chong Gu
Food was decent but overpriced. Went with 4 friends and it was more than 100 per.
Authentic and good quality, but the prices are high. Cheapest beer is $11 Sapporo. I think Sapporo price helps me benchmark a lot against different Japanese restaurants and this one of the highest
Weilin Fu
Animal very unfriendly, they must keep our dog in a dark place, make it very panicked. And ask us to leave
Atmosphere: 1
Service: 1
Jacob Hagerstrom
Went for a birthday and the experience was absolutely transportive. Start to finish every moment and every bite was amazing.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Joanna Ahlberg
Went for birthday. Had an amazing meal. And the staff was great. Made my birthday amazing
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
OM G
We came here last Monday, and the food was high quality—pricey for the portions but worth it. The place has a great authentic Japanese vibe. It wasn’t too busy, but with only one server, it seemed a bit overwhelming. Big shoutout to him—he handled everything so well! His service was super kind and welcoming. Can’t wait to come back!
The food was amazing and the staff is really friendly and attentive
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Excellent dining experience. Pricey but great food and excellent ambiance. Get a reservation in order to get a tatami mat booth otherwise you have to sit at the bar.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
One uni cut into 5 slices... Where are the gold flakes?!? The $62 Yopparai Special Chirashi isn’t worth it. 5/10 It contains very little fish (mostly cheap, lean tuna and salmon) and only a small amount of uni. I’d pay a maximum of $32 for this. A photo from two years ago showed a much more generous portion of fish. I wouldn’t recommend coming here: the recession has clearly hit this place, and the dining room is uncomfortably warm. Also, avoid the $35 Pork Belly Hot Pot had 6 thin slices of pork, and the broth had no salt. 2/10
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 2
Service: 3
Positive: atmosphere. Negative: portion. Ok so this place is cute, good for an intimate date night or a place to grab a drink and bites after a full dinner, but not a good place if you want a fulfilling dinner. Izakaya with a steep price tag for dishes with portions that are small for ants. The place has a bar and Japanese style traditional tatami booth (shoes off), so pretty unique and a good place to have a conversation. This place is for someone with a tiny appetite or come hang out already full. We ordered a bunch of items from the menu, and each average costs about $25, but the portion for each was astonishingly small. We ordered the fish hotpot and we got literally five pieces of trout and a little bit mushrooms and watercress ($35). Oden tasted very good, but that small bowl (5 kinds) costs $21. Other food items all tasted alright, nothing special. We ended up spending over $100 per person, and had to go to another place to get more food because all of us were still hungry. So again, don’t come here if you want to get full, unless you want to spend over $250 per person. Good for a first date or business talk where you don’t expect to eat much.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 4
Forgot my card here, hope you kept it
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
So many great dishes at Yopparai. Some of my favorite dishes (not depicted) were the nigiri, kakuni, and chicken meat ball w/ egg. 🥹
I also enjoy the comfortable seating positions you can take on in the booths!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Yopparai, a hidden gem in the Lower East Side brings an authentic Japanese izakaya experience to New Yorkers. The intimate space features traditional tatami mat seating creating a cozy and transportive atmosphere for both sake lovers and food enthusiasts. Their exquisite menu is of authentic Japanese flavors from delicate to comforting to exciting items. Pair them with sake and enhance all those flavors. Dessert is just as delicious with traditional tastes. Whether you're after a unique date night or an immersive taste of Japan, Yopparai delivers an unforgettable dining experience.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I was really looking forward to dining at this Japanese restaurant again, especially because of the unique tatami seating and beautifully styled interior. I had visited once before the pandemic and enjoyed a pork hot pot that left a great impression.
This time, however, I came to celebrate a friend’s birthday and was honestly disappointed. The prices were very high—over $500for four people—and none of us felt full afterward. The food was just average, and unfortunately not to my taste.
It’s a beautiful place, but with the current pricing and food quality, I don’t think I’ll be coming back.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 2
Service: 2
The vibe and food presentation are both stunning! The seafood donburi, named after the restaurant, is truly impressive—I’ve never seen such a generous serving in all of New York. It’s packed with fresh sashimi and delicious rice!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Food was decent but overpriced. Went with 4 friends and it was more than 100 per.
Restaurantji Recommends
Authentic and good quality, but the prices are high. Cheapest beer is $11 Sapporo. I think Sapporo price helps me benchmark a lot against different Japanese restaurants and this one of the highest
Animal very unfriendly, they must keep our dog in a dark place, make it very panicked. And ask us to leave
Atmosphere: 1
Service: 1
Went for a birthday and the experience was absolutely transportive. Start to finish every moment and every bite was amazing.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Went for birthday. Had an amazing meal. And the staff was great. Made my birthday amazing
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
We came here last Monday, and the food was high quality—pricey for the portions but worth it. The place has a great authentic Japanese vibe. It wasn’t too busy, but with only one server, it seemed a bit overwhelming. Big shoutout to him—he handled everything so well! His service was super kind and welcoming. Can’t wait to come back!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Ebi Shinjo, Sashimi Moriawase, Grilled Sakiyo-Miso Salmon, 和州牛たたき washu gyu tataki, Yopparai Special Chirashi
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