Yasaikushimaki Narutoya — Restaurant in Osaka

I visited this yakitori restaurant during my trip to Osaka. It was a place I had planned in advance, and I made a reservation through AutoReserve. However, the explanation on the booking site was a bit misleading — I only realized later that the reservation fee is non-refundable. That’s not the restaurant’s fault, but I would recommend trying to walk in instead, as the place wasn’t particularly busy and you might avoid the unnecessary charge.

The food itself was excellent — beautifully presented, flavorful, and cooked with care. We tried a variety of skewers, and each one had its own character. The drink selection was also great, with many types of sake and cocktails to choose from. We ended up having quite a few drinks and really enjoyed the overall vibe.

Most of the staff were friendly and welcoming, and the atmosphere was warm and relaxed. However, when it came time to pay the bill, we felt the total was higher than expected — it seemed like there may have been an extra drink and a few skewers added. Maybe it was a mistake, or maybe it was intentional — who knows. Unfortunately, due to the language barrier, we weren’t able to clarify or dispute it.

So my biggest advice: double-check your bill before paying, especially if you’ve had...

Was very keen to try this place but had a bad experience which I hope isn't indicative of how majority of locals are (it really put a damper on my impressions of Japan). When my wife and I arrived evening on 6/4/2018 there were eight seats available(a pair of Japanese left as we arrived). A  waitress told us that unfortunately all seats were reserved and we will need to stand at a narrow space if we wanted to eat. We clarified if there really wasn't any seats available and she said all reserved. So we gave her the benefit of doubt and took our place standing. We also realized that two girls next to us were foreigners  (Korean). While waiting four locals came in and only signaled to a waiter by hand for four ( no indication of any reservation) and were promptly seated. When the waiter noticed I was watching him he suddenly looked guilty. This was when I knew that they were deliberately making my wife and I stand & reserving seats for locals. Maybe I am naive to think this wouldn't happen in a major city like Osaka who has a bustling tourism Industry.  I do hope it is a once off and if not I hope that there is enough voice to stop this establishment from treating visitors in a...

Although I had a wonderful experience at this restaurant during a previous visit, I was deeply disappointed with the service this time around. Upon arriving at 5:15pm, despite there being available tables, a male staff member in a white shirt informed us that they were serving bookings now and asked us to return in an hour. We double-checked with him asking if he needs to take our name just Incase he forgot. However he said there is no need. Upon our return, another male staff member wearing a beige t-shirt was shockingly rude. He denied anyone telling us to return later, It‘s okay if he apologized that his staff gave the misleading information. But his attitude was very offensive and rude. As a returning customer who previously enjoyed dining here, this experience was disheartening. I regret to say that I will not be revisiting this restaurant in the future. This is not the way you treat your customers with this...