Yakitori 39 — Restaurant in Teaneck Township

My wife recently developed a craving for yaktori since our visit to SF few weeks ago and we have been hunting for spots in North NJ. We tried Kumade in Fort Lee last week, which wasn't a real Yakotri spot. We found good reviews on Yakitori 39 so tried it out this weekend. First of all, be sure to make reservations to eat here. My wife and I tried a walk in yesterday, Saturday, at about 5:45 PM but was told we had to wait till 7:30 since we didn't have reservations. I guess they are thriving post COVID these days. It is also a relatively small capacity spot. We went back today, Sunday, at 5:30 (opening time) with a reservation and there were 3 other groups waiting to get in with a reservation for the open time. It's obviously a popular joint with food and alcohol on weekend nights. They don't seem to have a separate parking space, but it was not difficult to find street parking in the neighborhood. Service was bit worse than expected. I know they were busy, but the servers were bit bad with acknowledging when called on or when people were waiting to be seated. I wouldn't say they were rude, but they would just briefly say "give me a minute" and just walk away when I would ask for water or the menu. The menu is great and has a lot of regulars and specials. We ordered about 10 different types of Yakitori since they do not have any "assorted" or "combo" menu (which would be nice for first timers). Quality of ingredients were pretty good, and they cook yakitori right. You can smell and taste that charcoal scent you want from proper Yakitori, and we found all the meat were cooked just right to retain their juiciness. However, we found the food to be generally too salty for our taste. We ended up ordering tofu salad and a rice dish to get rid of saltiness. It's bit pricey for the amount of food you get. I generally like even 4 pieces on a skewer, but they mostly do 3 pieces. My wife and I paid $100 to get decently filled without ordering alcohol or desserts (we don't eat much and normally have hard time finishing 2 entrees in regular restaurants). This place is not bad, and I probably would have given it 4 stars if the food wasn't too salty. They have quality yakitori and I can see why others like this place so much. It may actually be the best option in the North NJ area without going...

I’ve never write online reviews, but the recent visit surprises me. I decide to share my story. I'm a big fan of Japanese food and its culture. I've visited Yakitori 39 several times. The food and the atmosphere was great. But this would be the last time I visit this place. What make a restaurant a great restaurant? Of course food is one of the reason that makes a restaurant great! Service in my opinion, is the most important aspect though. This restaurant continuously disappointed me with their poor service. I had decided to give it few more chances before.

Is it because I'm a Taiwanese who doesn’t speak Japanese? What I see is their humble attitude toward their Japanese speaking guest. The sudden changes in attitude is beyond my expectations, negatively, of course. I was extremely respectful to the waiters and waitresses. I said "thank you" every time when they serve my food. One rotten apple spoils the barrel, it's just sad and heartbreaking to see the service done by other hardworking waiters and waitresses got ruined by the few. There were four guests in our party. The person who arrived first had hot tea served on the table. Three of us arrived afterward, but I didn't expect they serve us hot tea right away. I understand it was a busy night. Here's why I am extremely disappointed with the waitress's service. My friend kindly asked for three cups of hot tea when that waitress wasn't busy, and that waitress gave him…. ONE hot tea, ONE!? There are empty cups on the bar that is beside our table within reaching distance!! Here’s more! Her face is telling us she's having a bad day, but if she brought her bad attitude into the restaurant. I called that unprofessional. She was smiling talking to other guest!! Her awful attitude toward us is really beyond my...

I have been to Yakitori39 many times over the past year or two and each time has been amazing. I am hard pressed to recall a better Yakitori restaurant other than in NYC, but Yakitori39's affordability and deliciousness should easily put them on the map for anyone looking for authentic Japanese cuisine in the greater New York region. While their menu is quite extensive (e.g. ramen, hot pots, etc), they are of course known for their skewered meats, which there are quite a few. Every order I have made for chicken, pork, beef, veggies, seafood cuts and even some hard to find items like tendons, hearts, etc were both grilled and flavored amazingly. This is the kind of place you should not hesitate to visit as you can't go wrong with ordering multiple skewers for a group of friends and cold beers. My only surprise is the lack of customers every time I visit, but hopefully that is only due to the mix of COVID-19 and winter. Lastly, there isn't really any parking aside from side street parking as it is located near an intersection.

Update: I have recently moved to the Los Angeles area and have already tried a bunch of yakitori places, but was disappointed when I couldn't find anything that was overall as good tasting at value. I really miss this place! Looking over some of the recent reviews, I find it a bit funny when a yakitori (basically a Japanese bar/pub) restaurant is not extremely clean or the air is too smokey from the chef using his fan to cook yakitori. This place is a gem in northern NJ and would love to hear what other yakitori restaurants in...