Dancerobot — Restaurant in Philadelphia

So we went both on opening night, and then the following Saturday night. I would say the dishes and experience we had opening night were better than the most recent, although both were yummy! First night, we had the bell pepper, kare pan, nasu dengaku (Squash), Takoyaki, and squash, then the blueberry lemon curd soft serve, and brownie soft serve for dessert, which were all delicious; and lowkey better than most of the stuff we got on Saturday, as we didn’t really have notes for these dishes! On Saturday, we got the kobachi (seasonal vegetables, no notes, delicious), gyoza, mackerel, cream pasta, wagyu roast beef, and the pork katsu curry w/ cheese, as well as the brownie soft serve for dessert again. These dishes were mostly a bit underwhelming unfortunately.

Again, I was pretty impressed with the seasonal vegetables! they were all seasoned well and each had their own unique flavor, and they were all delicious. The only dish on saturday we had no notes on (:

The gyoza were mostly not very crispy, as they soaked up the sauce underneath, but that was not much of a concern for me. I was more concerned with how it tasted mostly of the oil they fried it in, and could barely taste the filling. Still yummy, but not impressed ):.

The mackerel was delicious! I personally love mackerel so I loved this, but im not sure it was anything special in terms of flavor, but it was executed and cooked well with the ginger and radish. However maybe a bit salty for being a standalone dish without rice on the side.

The cream pasta was one of my favorites, I loved the flavor, but the pasta was a bit undercooked for my taste. Maybe I just don’t like al dente? But I wished it was a bit softer or chewier, as it had a bit of that undercooked pasta graininess in my opinion. But again, flavor was great!!

The roast beef was underwhelming unfortunately, the flavor was there, but it came out a bit cold and chewy. I can understand the chewiness due to the cut of meat, and we were explained that it is meant to be a bit room temperature since it is thinly sliced and meant to be reminiscent of deli meat? But I do believe it would be much more enjoyable if it was at least warm, since the restaurant itself is pretty cold and the meat went from “room temp” to just cold fairly quickly. However, the ,miso mash with the dashi gravy were delicious.

The katsu curry was good, but again, not mind blowing. The crust was falling off the meat a bit which I didn’t mind much but again, the flavor was not mind blowing to say the least, but still yummy! We added the cheese, but I feel it didn’t add much as it was only in the top center layer of the rice. It had a nice creaminess in those areas, but I think it needed more to have a full and intentional feeling effect.

For the dessert, it was definitely way larger on opening night but that’s not a gripe for me as I was very full by the end of Saturday haha. However, I feel like the first time it was creamier and thicker which I enjoyed, and with the brownie soft serve there was much more of that miso caramel, and a more pronounced and salty flavor on the brownies which I really enjoyed. Second time, there was way less caramel, and less saltiness on the brownie, as well as less sesame flavor on the brownie, which I was a bit disappointed by, as I thought the first time was perfect and I missed the saltiness and sesame flavor I experienced the first time.'

Overall the dishes and cocktails are very solid, but in my opinion (maybe just personal taste) there could be some improvements on some of the dishes (:

Service and vibes were great although a bit loud but that’s to be expected in a packed restaurant haha. No notes on...

I was really looking forward to trying this place because of the rep that royal izakaya has. The service was super attentive and I like what they did to the interior (altho I'm not really sure it screams izakaya at least in the dining room close to the entrance). It's nice but it's like a lot of restaurants in the city and if you told me this place served American, Italian, or other European food I would believe you.

My server, Emma, was knowledgeable on the menu and I overheard her saying it was her first "real" day of service so that's good. She was super nice and attentive. One runner explained what the dish was that came, another did not altho I would say my first dish (kare pan) is probably much more unfamiliar to Americans so that's fair. I liked the Kare pan and the beef curry inside was good. The outside flavors were a bit subtler. It was a good size considering its 15$. I didn't think it was that spicy tho typically Japanese curry isn't anyway.

The Hamburg steak had good reviews and was recommended to me, and the portion was good altho I prefer to have it with some rice typically. Might not be a problem if you order the recommended veggies on the menu but yeah. I thought the demiglace wasn't that flavorful and the ratio was lacking (very thin amount on the plate).

The matcha spritz was refreshing altho not very matcha-y and more light and the yuzu stood out more. I still enjoyed it but wouldn't consider "matcha" as the highlight.

Everything came out in a reasonable amount of time but I was there around open. I will give this place another shot once it's established itself a bit and try maybe some other dishes. I liked the karepan so I'd recommend sharing it between two people as an app and ordering...

My wife and I had the chance to check out Dancerobot on opening night. From the moment we walked the energy was electric, neon accents, wood paneling, and a moody palette made the space feel like you were stepping into a time capsule. One of the best parts? Jesse Ito himself was at the door greeting people. Super warm and welcoming, you could tell he really cares about creating a good experience. Now, let’s talk about the heart of it all: the food. The katsu curry was the absolute star. I would’ve taken a gallon of that curry sauce home if I could. The chicken was juicy, perfectly breaded, crispy on the outside, and just melt-in-your-mouth tender. One of the best I’ve had. The hamburg steak was right up there too, perfect seasoned and tender; the demi-glace sauce was rich, balanced, and packed with flavor. Then came the Wagyu roast beef, which was so buttery and tender it barely needed chewing. I dipped the roast beef in the leftover demi-glace and it was so good I almost cried. Maybe an option for a side of Demi-glace? Drinks were solid too — creative, not overly sweet, and super well-balanced. No complaints there. We tried a wide range of dishes, and while Dance Robot stays true to its izakaya roots with small plates, the portions felt way too small, especially considering the price point. Maybe it was just opening night jitters or the crush of a packed service, but several dishes came out cold as well which was a bummer, but when the food hit, it hit. All in all, Dancerobot has a ton of potential. The space is beautiful, the staff is great, and there are some seriously standout dishes on the menu. We’ll definitely be back and next time, I’m ordering double...