Die besten Izakayas in Kew Gardens

Yopparai is one of my two favorite Japanese restaurants in New York and I’ve been going there about 15 years. Yopparai (which means “a drunk” in Japanese because of its great sake list) is simple, excellent Japanese home cooking. The counter seats are for 2 people and that’s the best way to eat there if it’s just 2. The staff is outstanding and quality is excellent. They always have specials so it never gets old. My favorites are the sashimi sampler where the only use the best fish and great variety, karaage (fried chicken), kanuni (pork belly in dashi broth), tsukune (a chicken meatball patty topped with a raw egg yolk you mix together) and grilled squid! Love this place. Always feel like home!

This was the second time we’ve come to Wano for our Anniversary dinner. We were greeted by the host who said immediately said happy anniversary and sat us at our table. Our server was great, we got the Omakase for both of us. It was delicious! Course after course of fresh sashimi and sushi along with some cooked items like two different soups, two different courses on unagi (eel for those that don’t know), and anniversary glass of sparkling wine for my wife and an extra glass of sake for me and then dessert which was house made mango sorbet along with more sake! The last sake was Yuzu infuse and tasted like fresh citrus that was so flavorful I could have had a whole bottle! Thank you to the staff and chef at Wano, we had an incredible meal!

Cute and cozy ambiance with the dimmed amber lighting, decor, and miyazaki film playing behind the bar. Service was great, staff was friendly and fast. We ordered a bunch; we especially liked the okonomiyaki (pork here instead of octopus) and the rest of the apps/entrees were decent. We weren't too fond of the omusoba, it was sauced similarly to the okonomiyaki above but for this dish wasn't a good balance for us. The whiskey sodas were refreshing but on the weaker side. Overall would come back and recommend.