🏯 Izakaya Kumade — Restaurant in Palisades Park

Izakaya Kumade has become a favorite spot for late-night dining, and there are several reasons why it stands out. First and foremost, the restaurant's late hours are incredibly convenient for night owls and those seeking a meal after a long day. It's always a challenge to find quality food late at night, and Izakaya Kumade fills this niche perfectly.

The menu offers a variety of delectable Japanese dishes. During my visit, I sampled the Takoyaki, Nagasaki Champon Soup, Seared Beef Sushi, and a Volcano Roll. Each dish was prepared with care and attention to detail. The Takoyaki, a Japanese street food favorite, was crispy on the outside and gooey on the inside, filled with flavorful pieces of octopus. The Nagasaki Champon Soup was hearty and comforting, with a rich broth and a generous amount of seafood and vegetables. The Seared Beef Sushi was a delightful mix of tender beef and perfectly seasoned rice, while the Volcano Roll offered a burst of flavors with its spicy sauce and fresh ingredients.

One of the unique aspects of Izakaya Kumade is its ambiance. The restaurant is styled to evoke the feel of a traditional Japanese izakaya, creating a cozy and authentic atmosphere. The wooden decor, paper lanterns, and intimate seating arrangements make for a charming dining experience. Adding to the charm is the unexpected but delightful touch of Korean music playing in the background. As a fan of K-pop, this was a pleasant surprise and added an extra layer of enjoyment to the meal.

The cost for our meal, which included the aforementioned dishes, came to $120 plus tax. While this might seem a bit steep at first glance, the portion sizes more than justify the price. Each dish was generously sized, and we found ourselves unable to finish everything in one sitting. This abundance meant we had plenty of leftovers to take home, making it excellent value for money. If you enjoy having a little extra to take home, you’ll appreciate the large portions here.

In summary, Izakaya Kumade offers a wonderful combination of good food, a pleasant ambiance, and the convenience of late-night hours. The menu is diverse and the dishes are satisfying, with flavors that cater to both traditional Japanese tastes and more adventurous palates. The restaurant’s unique blend of Japanese decor and Korean music creates an inviting atmosphere that enhances the dining experience. Although the prices are on the higher side, the generous portions ensure you get your money’s worth. Whether you're looking for a late-night meal or a place to enjoy a variety of Japanese dishes, Izakaya Kumade is a...

I just discovered this place after returning from Japan so, im going to be abit more critical on the food.

We started with spicy crab meat, It was the imitation crab meat, which was to be expected for the price.

Then my girls had the corn cheese, it was pretty good.

Then the yakitori assortment came out, i thought this was the best dish of the entire dinner. We each took pieces from each type, the only ones I didnt have a chance to try was the beef. Everything else was pretty good and very flavorful. Just got to watch out for the tomato one, it exploded in your mouth and the juices were burning hot, wasn't expecting that.

The next thing that came was the volcano and dragon roll. The volcano was really done well as it had real crab meat this time, which I was surprised with 😮. The dragon roll was kind of soso. I didnt like the sushi rice as it was very sticky.

The next thing that came out was the sashimi assortment, we got a small as the kids didnt really help us with it. They only like the typical salmon and tuna,they ignore all the other whitefish. We also got the handroll to me it wasn't anything to write home about.

The last thing was the wagyu beef sushi, I was really looking forward to this one and it came so late, right before we were all pretty stuffed. The same thing happened when we were in Japan and it was the best wagyu ever, I told my wife I would go back to Japan just for the waygu sushi...lol.

Ok so back to Jersey, this one was ok. It had more flavor of the burned sides and not enough beef flavor, also the ac was cranking so cold that this thing was already cold by the time it reached our table, it really killed it. I was really disappointed with it.

Overall the ambiance of the restaurant was nice, but the cold temp and high prices didnt hit the mark for me. For the price and 45 min drive... I wont be making the drive again. Our total bill including a 20% tip...

Honestly wanted to love this place but its pretty bad.

Like many of the other reviews, this place constantly doesn’t have anything available from rice to chicken which is 80% of the items on the menu.

Came here twice and left very disappointed in service and food quality.

First visit: we ordered sushi, chicken skewers, beer and the curry rice, after 15 minutes we asked about our beer not arriving (clearly forgot, but it happens) another 10 minutes go by they came back and said theres no more chicken… fine its no problem. - Another 10 minutes they said theres no rice… not sure how they don’t realize within 5 minutes. So ~30 minutes in were reordering again and they were able to substitute some stuff…. When it came it was COLD!

Second visit: went with a group of 6 and we each placed our orders and once most of our food came 40-50 minutes after ordering… we ask about the chicken skewers and employee says “oh its because of the different cooking times” … weird 6 small pieces of chicken takes so long to cook but sure its fine. Another 10 minutes goes by he comes back and says “WERE OUT OF CHICKEN”. Not sure how it took 1 hr to realize they were out of chicken… maybe if the staff came by and checked on the customers at all they’d notice we were missing food and water.

Staff made no effort to make it right and resolve the issue!

Like I said, wanted to love this place but honestly dont come here… looks cool but doesn’t justify slightly pricy…. Expensive…. Cold…. Food (if you even get/they have anything available)

Much better places available… someone in the reviews said Mcdonalds is better - its true, at least...