Yakitori Haki @ Cheras — Restaurant in Kuala Lumpur

Yakitori Haki in Cheras presents itself as a casual Japanese eatery with a variety of comfort dishes. On my visit, I sampled the pork katsu, fried shrimp, and miso soup. The prices are reasonable, making it accessible for regular dining, and the menu offers a fair selection for those seeking familiar Japanese flavours.

The pork katsu arrived with a decent golden crust, though the seasoning felt restrained. The fried shrimp had a light batter, but again, the taste leaned towards the bland side. The miso soup followed the same trend—gentle on the palate, with only a mild umami presence. It was as if the kitchen was consciously cutting back on salt and seasoning, which could be a deliberate choice to cater to elderly diners or those preferring milder flavours.

While I understand the intention, my personal expectation of a good Japanese restaurant goes beyond just serving the classics—it’s about delivering simplicity with depth, where quality ingredients and precise cooking techniques elevate even the most basic dish. Unfortunately, here, the flavours didn’t quite shine through, and the overall dining experience felt somewhat flat for me.

That being said, Yakitori Haki might still appeal to diners who prioritise lighter seasoning, a quiet setting, and fair pricing. It’s not a bad spot for a simple meal, but if you’re looking for robust flavours and a memorable taste of Japan, you might find yourself wishing for a bit more intensity and refinement...

Sigh. Traveled more than 20 km to come here, super excited to try this place. Cosy Yakitori place with good selection of items on the menu. I ordered quite a lot, intending to try as much.

On the surface its getting me excited. Really wanted to enjoy it but I did not. So here are the issues:

service super bad. We were left abandoned at a corner. Ignored by servers. Asked for sweet shoyi didn't arrive. Tea only gets refilled when I walk halfway thru the shop and requested. food preparation forget to put ingredients. As you can see one of the ramen picture. It's suppose to come with 3 slice of chashu. Came without it. Only after we asked, they brought 3 piece to dunk it in. Yakitori chicken hard as rock. Chicken wing was bitter with lots of burnt parts. my kaisen don. Really not worth it. Should look into price adjustment. Expected a bit more from an rm98 per bowl of kaisen. Menu showed everything to be far larger relatively. At places like Zento you get Uni, scallop and a lot more for far lesser. I gave it a shot but wasn't too happy.

But they did few things right. Good stuff: fried prawn was good. Large and majestic. tongue Yakitori was good done...

We have done alot on researching yakitori restaurant before coming. this was my first choice to start my yakitori journey but the google reviews stopped us from trying as I have seen alot bad reviews on their services. So before coming here, we have been to few Yakitori restaurants including Itsumo Yakitori. And finally we decide to give it a try at Yakitori Haki today.. and another big reason to bring us here is that this restaurant is serving Uni which is something I wanted to try for so long.

We made reservation at the same week (Friday 18/11 6pm slot) with reserved of Uni as well. The staffs are friendly and the service is good. Nothing bad happened like the bad reviews that I have seen over here.

The uni is super fresh! The otoro is fresh and nicely served.. totally worth the price. We have ordered alot yakitori as well... the chicken tail is nice,, but the chicken skin would be better if it is more crispy. The yakitori price is quite cheap actually as compare with Itsumo (average rm7-8 per stick).

Overall the experience is good.. food serving is quite fast. total bil around rm350/2pax..definately a good place to chill out with ur mate. Good place for...