Hakata Yamaya

I feel indifferent about this place. A part of me enjoyed the bbq part, the other just felt the menu was so complicated to understand for a first timer.
The menu is a la carte. And if you want to do a combo, they require a minimum of 2 orders. We came in for dinner so the price is much higher than their lunch. You cannot order two different combos. For example, we ordered Combo B (good for two people; we had 4 people). We couldn’t order the cheaper Combo A, it had to be Combo B. That rule doesn’t make sense to me. Oh, And they give a tiny dish of kimchee and cucumbers. If I’m forced to order two fo the same combination, at least give me a good amount of sides since I can’t ask for more. So coming in for a casual dinner turned out to be over $ 130 bill.
Overall, it was good quality meat, but small pieces. The soup with all the intestine and veggies wasn’t so bad. I think that was what actually made us full. It wasn’t the meat, that’s for sure
I do appreciate the authenticity of JBBQ and their staff. I guess I just prefer KBBQ over JBBQ.

I love the Horumon and Cabbage lunch special! I think about it for weeks at a time before making the hour and a half long drive down here. The service could be better, but for anyone who loves Horumon their lunch special is a must! Disappointed that their lunch special prices went up so much, but I don’t come here often enough to really feel it.

Been here before, but it’s good to make a reservation. good food and everyone is nice, clean, fast service

That was awesome. You can enjoy Japanese Nabe and BBQ both together. None of the restaurant is doing this way. Fantastic restaurant. And then I have enjoyed last night actually first night for me and my friend. You would better go to enjoy this taste and year end atmosphere well. I highly recommend this restaurant for you.

Another solid Japanese BBQ place in the South Bay. It is located in the same plaza as Nijiya. This place is delicious offering beautiful cuts of marbled meat and amazing service.
So what is the difference between Korean and Japanese BBQ? I would have to say portions are much smaller here, there is not unlimited side dishes, and the meats are not seasoned with marinated soy sauce.
FOOD:
We got the set A which comes with several cuts of meat, nabe, kimchi, and your choice of soba or ramen to eat with the broth from your nabe afterwards. You have to order 2 minimum for a table, which is supposed to be good enough for a party of three. However, just my dad and I were able to kill the entire thing.
For meat options we got wonderfully thin sliced pieces of beef tongue. These were delicate cuts that weren’t seasoned but you can season it yourself with some salt and lemon juice. I devoured these immediately. We also got pork belly, kalbi, 3 different kinds of intestines, short ribs, and a complimentary dish of the chicken. Out of all these though I highly suggest the kalbi and pork belly. People are always hesitant to eat intestines because they’re intestines… If you like fatty cuts of meat, I say try it. They do take more time to cook because it’s thick and fatty. The meat is much chewier and it causes fire on the grill because of all the oil dripping. I have to admit, I am a fan of intestines but I refused to eat the liver. Only because it’s too gamey for me and they don’t even season it here other than a slight dash of salt.
The kimchi here was way too salty for me. I wasn’t a fan of this and usually I can eat plates and plates of kimchi but it was left untouch here.
What I loved the most was the nabe… OMG. It is seriously the perfect thing to eat on a cold day. We got ours with a salt broth which comes with pieces of intestines and lots of vegetables. You let the pot just boil on the side of your table, while you cook the meat. After a while, you see the broth just boiling and bubbling and that’s when you know it is ready to eat. The fatty pieces of intestines are incredibly chewy and it is just fatty deliciousness. I probably didn’t make it sound very appealing but it is SO good! Afterwards, they bring you your choice of noodles which you eat with the yummy broth. The somen was a great choice to eat it with because it got really soft and it absorbed all the flavors. Although I was so full, I was able to force myself to finish everything. No regrets whatsoever.
SERVICE:
Service here is amazing. Sometimes they are slow because it gets really busy but all the servers are so energetic and friendly. You want something? They bring it to you with the biggest smile on their face. I appreciate how personable everyone here is and it really seems as though they enjoy working here!
WARNING: You will smell like smoke when you leave here. Don’t wear your nicest outfits and don’t come here right after you take a shower :) lol

Came for dinner, first time trying this place. We don’t speak Japanese so we had a hard time communicating with our waitresses. However, they are extremely friendly, polite, and tentative. We manage to order all the good beef dishes and they were delicious. Also ordered assorted kimchi and bibibap rice. Definitely coming back here for their foods and service. Price is reasonable for the good quality meat they offered. Plenty of parking spots.

This is my long time favorite Japanese BBQ place… Quality meet and wonderful staff.
We enjoyed second dinner tonight here.
They stop offering 29^th meet day which is very sad though…
Thank you for wonderful food, Takeshi san, Masaki san and Carroll! You guys are best!!!

Was planning on going for lunch but the price $ 13.80?!? I think I would much rather spend the same amount for lunch at Kagura on Cabrillo Ave and get a really nice lunch at much nicer restaurant.

We have only had lunch here, many times. The food (lunch) is pretty good. Unlimited rice and mentaiko. I always have at least 2 bowls of rice here.
However, i will probably not come again because they increased the lunch price from $ 9.80 to $ 13.80 recently. That’s right, 40% increase. I have used up my Utopia voucher so I will not be getting them again. It’s simply not worth it any more. This is my personal issue so I will not off a star for it.

Highlights:
–the kalbi stew was delicious, sweet and savory
–Kiren served in iced cold mugs
–great selection of sake
–bibima rice was very flavorful with chunks of tender beef
–servers were super sweet and gave us free finger meat for making a reservation
Lowlights:
–not well ventilated, and it got SUPER hot
— the charcoal grill kept charring our meats because it would get too hot
— not a huge selection of meats (at least not the night we attended, and it was a Friday) — no Kobe or Wagyu
Overall– I liked it. But we’re moving from the South Bay, so if we were to drive all the way back from OC, we’d most likely go to a competitor Japanese BBQ… although that stew might beckon.

I love the lunch special with all you can eat
Rice and mentaiko !
Dinner pot also good
Yakiniki is good too

Hakata Yamaya is located in the same shopping center as Nijiya. My daughter and I met with Taku sensei. We were a party of 5.
The service was prompt and courteous. There were several girls who came to our table to ensure an optimal experience. We had yakiniku (harami and kalbi) which we cooked at the table. We also had the nabe. We had a great time here!

Hakata Yamaya is an ok restaurant with great yakiniku. Many of the negatives about this place have to do with the setting.
Pros: The service was very good, and someone was always making sure everything was OK. Our teas were always hot, as requested, and people were constantly switching out our teas so they were always perfect. It was a nice touch and it made me like the restaurant even more. The yakiniku at this restaurant is spectacular, and the portions are not too small. The mentaiko is delicious here, and very plump, unlike most places in the United States.
Cons: When we first sat down, there was water dripping from somewhere. There was a leak in the roof right above our table! We had to be moved to a different table away from the dripping water. During the meal, the smoke from the grill was blowing into our eyes. It is very hard to have a pleasant meal when your eyes are tearing up. The ventilation is not very good, and the restaurant is very smoky.
The good quality of the food and the great service here made up for the leaking roof and smoky atmosphere. I would come back here for the food, especially the yakiniku and mentaiko, but I would enjoy myself even more in an improved environment.

I go to Yamaya for lunch every week.
All lunch menu is about $ 15.00 and it is very good price, and you can eat Mentaiko and rice as many as possible!
Since I often go there, restaurants gave me desert free everytime.;-)
Servers are very friendly and always smiling! and good service and food is always great!
Mentaiko and Motsu-​Nabe is awesome!
Thank you always!

I have frequented this establishment over the years and generally the food is par or better. Its overpriced for dinner, but Japanese BBQ is most always expensive in that way. Lunch is a better value but today’s beef was fatty and chewy so I left a good portion of it uneaten. Overall the service is poor. The waiters are not attentive and do not even come around to check on your food or if you need more drinks. One waitress even served our food over the partition instead of walking around to deliver our food: a sure sign of laziness.
The verbal response today from a waitress was very disturbing. We noticed a couple next to us was being served desserts such as ice cream. Since our food was fatty and chewy and not edible, we had some room left for a finishing dish. When we asked, «could we order some ice cream?» and we were more than willing to pay for it, the waitress replied, «oh, that is reserved for our regular customers…» A bit dismayed about her response and not sure if she rudely replied correctly, we asked her again and she responded the same.
Simply said, if I was not a regular customer already, I sure won’t becoming back to attempt to be one.

Ever try Miyazaki Beef? It comes from Japanese Black Cattle that’s NEVER cross bred with any other breeds, even after a number of generations. It’s the highest quality beef in Japan, even higher than Kobe beef. It was not until 2012 that Japanese Miyazaki Wagyu was even permitted into the US.
The Japanese beef grading system checks the meat for marbling, color and brightness, firmness and texture, and for the luster and quality of the fat. I was rather surprised when our server Mari offered us a cut of the Miyazaki Wagyu at Hakata Yamaya. At the cost of $ 27 for a mere 6 pieces, I was rather hesitant to try it. Still, I could die tomorrow not knowing what it tasted like, so I took a leap of faith. From this point on, I don’t think I ever looked back.
A5 MIYAZAKI GYU
It’s the best beef I’ve ever had in my life. I paid careful attention and grilled the meat with precision. You’d be stupid to burn stuff like this. The beef has such a tender texture that it maintains a cherry red color. The fat is barely noticeable and that greasy flavor is non-​existent, almost to the point that each bite feels buttery. Once it hits the kisser, it literally melts in your mouth.
Hakata Yamaya is another solid JBBQ restaurant in the South Bay. The place was recommended by a buddy of mine that swore by the Superior Tongue and Superior Kalbi that’s served here. Both are rather scrumptious and worth some consideration. The portions are small, with the prices being average, but the going rate is rather competitive with what’s around the area. There are plenty of other meat options such as pork, intestines, senmai, harami, chicken, and liver, just to name a few.
We also ordered the Napa Kimchee, Yukke Jang Soup, and Sanchu. All necessary to pair with each slice of meat. The service is excellent and I don’t remember having an issue with flagging someone down for help. The venue serves as a drinking place as well, as they reserve your bottle of alcohol for up to 3 months. Another good indication to come back. Sake, Shochu (regular or cocktail), Ji Zake (fine artisan sake), Beer (bottled or draft), and Wine are all accounted for.
They’re also known for their hot pot soup, with the Motsu Pot Soup being the most popular. It contains intestines and vegetables, while the flavoring consists of either soy sauce, salt, or spicy. Additional toppings come separate via charge.
DESSERT SPECIALS
Since, most of you seem to have a separate stomach for it, check out the Crème Cheese Brûlée, Sweet Potato with Vanilla Ice Cream, Green Tea Almond Tofu, and their selection of Ice Cream and Sorbets. Remember, stressed spelled backwards is desserts, so keep that in mind next time you decide to skip the sweets.

Located in Torrance and pretty easy to find. The restaurant is on the right side once you enter the parking lot.
My wife wanted to come to Hakata Yamaya for her Birthday dinner so we headed up to Torrance. We we arrived it was medium busy for a Saturday night around 7 pm.
We were greeted instantly and the Hostesses gave us a tip for next time.
He said on weekends it’s better to make reservations.
After a few minutes of waiting we were shown to our table. The décor of this joint was very Japanese bbq looking. This was my first time to Yakineku so i was pretty excited but we didn’t come her to eat bbq we came for the Motsu-​nabe.
The tables are the typical bbq table with hot coals and gas under them so you can cook your meats. Now at first I never would want to come to a place were I have to cook my own food. I guess that’s an American thing. So my wife orders for the both of us because she’s Japanese and she knows whats best.
We ordered the Yamaya Special which is a Motsu Hot Pot and Japanese BBQ set. You have to order a minimum of 2 orders which is fine because we were hungry. Here is what it comes it Assorted Kimchee, Lettuce leafs, Tongue, Pork Toro, Superior Kaibi, Rib Fingers, Superior Rouse and for our Motsu Hot Pot we order Spicy Miso.
Now for me when reading this menu it doesn’t see that appealing but its best to stop being a little you know what and just close your eyes and eat it. I guarantee you will love everything.
So we ate the BBQ first and for some old reason I really liked the Stomach lining and Intestines. They were really good on the grill. They also gave us this dipping sauce and it tasted like kotajan, soy sauce, and tofu all blended into a paste. It was damn good. Then I tired the Kobe beef it was so tender and juicy mmm my mouth is watering just thinking about it. All of the BBQ was fantastic.
So while we are eating our Yakineku our Motsu is cooking away and the servers are periodically come over and checking on our dish. Once it’s really they serve you. I have had Motsu before but this one was really tasty. The Spicy Miso wasn’t too spicy and the dish was just wonderful. It’s kinda hard to describe how it was but you just have to try it.
Once you eat all the contents of the dish you have the soup base left over but tey don’t want to waste it so they give you the choice to have Ramen noodle or Rice in the soup. We choose the thick Ramen noodle. I really recommend the noodle its Oishi!
Since it was my wifes Birthday when she was using the bathroom I asked the waitress if they did anything for Birthdays and she said yes we will give you a free dessert. So when we were just about finishing up they came over with a surprise Cream cheese Brulee with a candle in it. I sang her the Pigeon songs Poppo Poppo. You know what i’m talking about.
So Overall this was the best Japanese place I have ever been to. I loved the food and the great service. High quality BBQ and reasonably priced.
Thanks Hakata Yamaya for the wonderful dinner and great B-​day Dessert. 5 Stars all the way Baby.
Love,
Matthew Y.

Oh man it’s a Japanese BBQ place :(
I didn’t want to smell like BBQ and I had my nice purse with me :(
Ordered kalbi lunch lunch special and yakiniku
Kalbi stew lunch special ($ 9.99): rice, miso soup, cabbage and mentaiko. It was surprisingly pretty good. The stew was kinda fatty but the meat nicely absorbed the sauce from the stew. The preserved cabbage was kinda good but I did’t really care for its ayce mentaiko because it was super salty.
Kalbi-​shio ($ 7.80)
Superior rouse-​shio ($ 9.80)
Chicken ($ 5.80)
$ 2.80 for steamed rice
We originally ordered a different meat but it was out. The waitress never removed it from the bill and overcharged us the meat plus another bowl of rice that we didn’t get.
I didn’t realize that until I got home and called the manager. The manager was apologetic. It was very hard talking to him but he was very nice. He offered to send a check since it was too late to fix the credit card transaction. The check arrived in 4 days and the amount didn’t include the tax but that’s good enough for me. It’s not a lot but I appreciate his effort in fixing the error. The mistake did’t affect the rating of this review because the manager handled the situation very well.
4 stars! I want to go back for more yakiniku and maybe its karaage.
Hakata Yamaya is yummylicious!

I came to this Japanese restaurant with my friend Lei B after hearing so much about their table barbeque and shabu shabu. The quiet atmosphere was home-​like and unassuming. The décor encompassed a list of all-​you-​can-​eat and specials, followed by rows of horizontal seating with a mix of tables and booths that stacked across the floor.
The Washugyu Sashimi ($ 6.80) came with a short stack of raw beef served with a small egg yolk on top. A crack of the egg yolk provided a nice blend of flavor to couple with the fresh, tender, and marbled sashimi. It was delicious.
The Yamaya Special Set B ($ 33) was assembled with Motsu Hot Pot and BBQ set that included beef tongue, pork, short rib, rib finger, rib eye, 5 types of intestines and organs, and ramen at the end. The meat was cut into delicate pieces that were easy to grill at the table. There was enough marble so that the meat did not dry out. In particular, I enjoyed the refinement of beef tongue, short rib, rib eye, and rib fingers. The delicious intestinal organs, or Horumon, were then cooked in the hot pot to thicken the broth. Servings were generous and they were chewy, juicy, and delicious. The broth at the end was then used to make spicy pork-​based ramen, and the egg noodles were chewy, delightful, and did a great job at soaking up the deep complex flavors.
As a side, the three servings of Kimchi were fresh, crisp, and well seasoned.
Service was consistent and our meal was nicely orchestrated. Overall, I loved all the BBQ items and the intestinal hot pot was comforting with lots of great textures. The ramen at the end was memorable too, but I wished they could refill the broth so it won’t dry out so easily. I’d be very interested in coming back to try other assortments of Horumon.

Whoa, I think I’ve just found a new go-​to place for a Japanese style lunch.
I popped into this small cozy place today in hopes of finding a good lunch special and I wasn’t disappointed. Although I didn’t try the barbecue because I decided to order one of the specials off their lunch menu.
For their lunch special, they offered 5 items and a lot of the items I had never heard of before actually. My server was patient in explaining each dish to me as I tried to understand what they were and he said that the popular dish was the first one on the list called the Washu-​gyu Kalbi Stew. He said it wasn’t really a stew but thought I would really enjoy it.
The other options did sound intriguing as well like the AYCE Karashi Mentaiko which is cod roe. I actually got a bowl of this with my Washu-​gyu Kalbi Stew combo and it was pretty tasty. I couldn’t see eating only this as an AYCE but as a side, it was perfect.
The Washu-​gyu Kalbi Stew was definitely the way to go! The beef was really, really tender that it practically melted in your mouth. It reminded a little of the flavor of sukiyaki with the broth being on the slightly salty and sweet side. I was blown away by this dish and would definitely coming back for it again.
If you get a chance to come in here, try the Washu-​gyu Kalbi Stew because it’s the bomb!
Service was good and wait staff were friendly with most of them speaking English really, really well even as it was obvious that it was their second language so I give them props for that because that’s the way to do it. ‘Murica!
Ambiance: ³⁄₅
Food: ⁵⁄₅
Service: ⁵⁄₅
Value: ⁵⁄₅