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Wow. What a place. 30 years living in NYC & we never went here? Huh? We discovered this place serendipitously, whew, after a few drinks at a pub near by and asking a group of people (Japanese) on the street which was the best place there. Here! they yelled. (Several of the restaurants on the street are owned by the same person they said but this was the best.) It's undoubtedly incredible. Cosy, cool and comfortable with the show going on in front of you if sit at the counter. The guys jump over the food balancing on their bare feet to retrieve a fish or vegetable, then jump back to their stool & proceed to cook it in front of you. I have never had Tofu this good, ever. Goma tofu Agedashi, melt in your mouth fried tofu but in a gelatinous liquid, weird but delicious. The fish was amazing. Unfortunately, the bad part is, $25 for one little fish with nothing else. OH dear. $17 for 6 small pieces of delicious sushi, imported from Japan. How do you eat here cheaper that's what I want to know? Really incredible place & tastes, wow.

I have lived in Japan and am happy to report that the food at Robataya is as close as you'll get to what you'd get there. Everything I ordered - the gindara, the kamameshi, etc. was perfection. My friend and I shared everything and each had a special sake from Nigata, Kubata. The entire bill for a lot of dishes came to $49 each including tax and tip. Very happy as a change from Sobaya.

The food is good, and its a really cool experience. Definitely worth checking out!

Possibly my favorite non-sushi, non-ramen Japanese spot in Manhattan. The food is incredibly fresh, simply prepared, and, if you sit by the chefs at the beautiful wooden counter, very amusingly cooked (the cooks occasionally "break the fourth wall" and ask you to applaud them). The robataya dudes even let you try out the wooden paddles that they use to precariously transport the raw ingredients to their tiny grills. The portions are small, but you're supposed to order a bunch of small plates, tapas-style. The non-robataya food is also great-- there's one pork soup/stew dish that was amazing.

Such a nice idea but two and one half small potatoes (1 1/2inchers) For a total of five grilled piece (they were cut in half) for $5.00 is just ridiculously expensive.