Yayoi opened their first US location in Palo Alto on University Avenue serving up teishoku-style Japanese restaurant, which are set meals which typically includes smaller side dishes like rice, miso soup, side dish and pickled vegetables with the main course.
My friend took us here when we were visiting for a few days. I was pretty excited since I always love trying new food.
Interior
The interior is nice and large, so there are a good amount of seats. We found that a lot of young families were dining here around dinner time.
Ordering
We browsed through the menu and then we started playing around with the iPad, where you input your order. You do everything on here and it ensures your order is correct and maximizes efficiency.
We even ordered our glasses or water on it too. No need to wait for someone till fill up our glasses.
Dinner Sets
Katsu Toji Teishoku has pork cutlet simmered in sauce and egg. It comes with ice, soup and side dishes.
I ordered the Omaze Don with salmon sashimi, okra, tororo, natto, tomago, seaweed and ontama. You mix it all together in the bowl and enjoy.
It comes with rice, miso soup, and side dishes. It was a very delicious and clean meal. The natto isn’t for everyone as it is fermented beans, people seem to have a love/hate relationship with them.
Nasu Miso Teishoku has eggplant, pork belly, and veggies in a miso sauce. It is served with rice, miso soup, and 2 side dishes.
Final Thoughts
Overall, the portion were good and we were pretty stuffed. The meals were well balanced and I enjoy set meals and you get a little taste of everything. The service was pretty good and they don’t require tipping. I ended up tipping anyways since it was a good meal.
We rate Yayoi: 
Address:
403 University Ave, Palo Alto
Website:
http://www.yayoi-us.com/
