Restaurant Yatsuhashi Is Amazing!
Saturday night a friend and I went to Yatsuhashi, based on the recommendation of my hair stylist- Don Ho who has his shop in the New Otani Hotel, above the Starbucks. I trust this gentleman as he has been in Little Tokyo for ages, and I asked him where to go that was a little upscale, had good steaks, etc. He recommended Yatsuhashi, which is a restaurant I had been wanting to try as it just looked interesting- you have to walk down a steep set of stairs to get into it.
The restaurant was in the heart of the “Tofu Festival” zone, and when we arrived at 8pm as all the tofu vendors were closing, it seemed like we were the only people in the place- and it is a big restaurant. Sushi bar, Tappan tables (Benihana-style cooking at your table), a large “regular” dining area, and several private rooms were all empty. We chose to sit at sushi bar and had some great food for under $35 total- yes, that is right (but I was not eating quite as much as usual). The sushi chef was a very friendly gentleman who spoke very good English and helped us with our selections. It turns out he used to be the sushi chef at the New Otani Hotel and he knew Don Ho (hair stylest).
They said the place is packed for lunch and dinner on weekdays, so if you are going to try it, make a reservation. But again, it is very big and kind of dark, making for a nice romantic atmosphere.