Yakitori Taisho

No frills solid izakaya that has been serving up Japanese food and drinks for ever. The food is decent (not amazing) but the food and drinks are affordable. Plus the ambiance brings you back to sitting in a local izakaya in Tokyo. If you want privacy, big space and attentive service…go somewhere else. If you want to feel energy, eat decent food and drink with your friends, this is the place.

Larger than it looks Japanese yakatori grill and diner in St. Marks area. Loved the atmosphere sitting down across from the kitchen watching the staff work. Fire, fry, aromas swirl around as the cooks fly from one dish to the next and the servers grab and run. All of this creates a dynamic vigorous environment giving energy to this basement location. As for the food it's excellent this area is known for it's restaurants and they certainly deserve their spot. Nothing fancy or fusion just good traditional dishes executed at a high level. You will also find a nice sake and soju selection along with a few beers to compliment your food choices.

First time at this place and left satisfied:) Initially we tried Village Yokocho. I remember it was nice two years ago, but when I went back this time the place looked empty and dead. Instead, we tried Taisho and I'm glad we did! The potato fries and mentaiko mayo dip was so good. Warm potatoes with savory dip cannot go wrong. All our orders came out very fast which was nice. The staff members were very kind as well. Would like to go back for a chill sunday night drink!

This locale is a hidden gem. Food, service, and atmosphere are wonderful. I end up having 3 of the yakitori (skewers) for appetizer. Chicken heart, octopus, and squid. All wonderful choices. I was hoping for a plum onigiri, but they were out. Tried the salmon one, grilled, and was quite good. Had also the raw octopus on wasabi sauce, and tuna tartare. Although they were good, not what I expected. They were also out of the sake I was going to try, so I went with a sweet potato vodka instead. I was hoping it to be on the sweet side, but was dry. Still good. I would come back and try other items