Yakinori - Japanese Kitchen — Restaurant in Birmingham

I just had a meal with my friend at YakiNori, and as always, I really enjoyed the food. It’s my go-to spot whenever I’m dining out—the sushi is always fresh, the gyozas are absolutely delicious (highly recommend them!), and overall, it rarely ever disappoints.

However, this time my experience was a bit different. I was served by a new staff member I hadn’t seen before, and unfortunately, I found her behavior uncomfortable. She stood too close, repeatedly invaded my personal space, and even touched my arm while speaking to me, which made me feel quite uneasy. Additionally, the food took longer than usual to arrive, and when it did, it was slightly cold—something I’ve never experienced at YakiNori before.

I want to stress that I truly love YakiNori and regularly visit both this location and the Selly Oak branch. This is the first time I’ve felt disappointed, and it’s solely due to the service. I hope this feedback can be taken constructively, as I’d hate for something like this to affect my experience at a place I really enjoy. Please consider offering further training to ensure all staff maintain respectful and professional boundaries...

My visit to Yakinori Birmingham was nothing short of a major disappointment, primarily due to the appalling hygiene practices. While waiting for my order at the counter, I watched the team preparing food, and what I saw was shocking. Several staff members weren’t wearing gloves while touching, cutting, and preparing fish and sushi, then immediately handling sauces, plates, and cutlery without washing their hands.

Even worse, a team member who was wearing gloves used them to prepare fish, then proceeded to touch the spoons offered to customers without changing gloves. This blatant disregard for basic hygiene raised serious concerns about the safety of the food being served.

To add to the disappointment, my order was underwhelming. The chicken slices were meager, there were barely enough noodles, and the dish was drowned in sauce. The portion size and balance were completely off.

With such poor hygiene and disappointing food, I would strongly advise against dining at Yakinori Birmingham. You can never be sure where those hands have been before they touch your food, and that’s not a risk...

[Date of visit: Nov 22nd] This place opened back up in Birmingham and I was really excited to hear that so I headed down with a friend and a partner, whilst my friend didn't feel sure about ordering food my partner and I dove in. He had the Yasai Tofu kokonatsu which packed bold flavours and a strong punch. I had a bento box as I was excited to have one again after the years and it did not disappoint. The cauliflower was crunchy and spicy which made for a delicious pairing. The eggplant was soft to bite and the pumpkin croquette was sweet and both paired amazingly with the slightly sweet but savoury sauce on top. The sushi was fresh and vibrant and the inari pockets were delicate and sweet filled with soft pillowy rice. I wasn't sure what the seasoning on the rice at the bottom component of the box was but it was super tasty and added a more savoury flavour to the rice and the edamame had the correct texture and feel to it, a staple component of a bento box that you can't go wrong with. A good variety of food that leaves you full especially for what...