Advertising
You are not logged in

New York Magazine

Skip to content, or skip to search.

Skip to content, or skip to search.

Home > Restaurants > Yakitori Totto

Yakitori Totto

251 W. 55th St., 2nd fl, New York, NY 10019
nr. Broadway  See Map | Subway Directions Hopstop Popup
212-245-4555 Send to Phone

  • Price Range: $$$

    Key to Prices and ratings

    Upscale
    • Almost Perfect
    • Exceptional
    • Generally Excellent
    • Very Good
    • Good
    Cheap Eats
    • Best in Category
    • Excellent
    • Delicious
    • Very Good
    • Noteworthy
    • Very Expensive
    • Expensive
    • Moderate
    • Cheap
  • Reader Rating:

    9.0 out of 10

      |  

    1 Reviews | Write a Review

  • Cuisine: Japanese/Sushi
Photo by Shanna Ravindra

Hours

Mon-Thu, 5:30pm-1am; Fri-Sat, 5:30pm-2am; Sun, 5:30pm-midnight

Nearby Subway Stops

N, Q, R, W at 57th St.; 1, A, B, C, D at 59th St.-Columbus Circle; B, D, E at Seventh Ave.

Prices

$8-$20

Payment Methods

American Express, Diners Club, Discover, MasterCard, Visa

Special Features

  • Dine at the Bar
  • Late-Night Dining
  • Private Dining/Party Space

Alcohol

  • Sake and Sojou
  • Full Bar

Reservations

Recommended

Profile

Although yakitori means "grilled chicken" (usually on a stick), the time-honored working-class Japanese food that is the featured dish at this second-floor Midtown restaurant is taken beyond its usual place as street fare with the restaurant's use of premium chicken. Seated at the bar or at a row of small tables in one of two dining rooms, the predominantly Japanese crowd favors its grilling done in the traditional manner (i.e., not cooked all the way through). If rare poultry makes you nervous and you don't want to look like a timid American by ordering it well done, the menu extends beyond chicken kebabs, with noodles and soups, tofu skewers in a dark miso sauce, and a smattering of seafood. Most dishes seem designed for accompanying drinks, especially shochu and sake, which, for their part, can make negotiating the steep one-flight staircase down to the street something of an adventure as well.

Note

Reservations are only accepted for dining times from
5:30 p.m.–7 p.m.

Recommended Dishes

Chicken thigh and scallion skewer, $3; prawn skewer, $4; fish cakes, $7; seaweed salad, $8

Related Stories

Featured In

9.0 "Highly Recommended"
Average Reader Rating
on a Scale of 10
Write Your Own Review
100% Would you go back?
100% Would you take a date?
0% Would you take kids?
0% Would you go on business?
0% Would you go on a special occasion?
Food: 9.0
Service: 9.0
Décor: 8.0
Value: 9.0

Well Worth the Wait!!!

ywwan from 10003 | Posted on 11/26/05

Overall Rating: 9 (Highly Recommended)
Food: 9
Service: 9
Décor: 8
Value: 9

This is one of a few places in the city I will wait as long as it takes to get in. Go before 7pm and you are fine but otherwise, it can be an hour. Discreetly located upstairs, it has been a well kept secret by its mostly Japanese clientele for a long time. The menu is wide and varied but the skewers, served with brown soy-sauce are the highlight and of course, chicken (in all its parts)is the specialty of the house. You can even have chicken sashimi but I am not brave enough. Other favorites include the freshly prepared tofu, the broth with rice, minced chicken balls and scallions.

Read All 1 Reviews >>

Advertising

Latest News Near

Advertising
Advertising