JAPAN VIBES IN JAKARTA!! Looking for legit Yakitori and Izakaya in Jakarta? We got you covered, meet this relatively new spot Yabai Izakaya in De Ritz building, Menteng area.

AnakJajan have visited Yabai Izakaya twice and the food left us a good impression, so we are excited to show you this new gem.

Located in Menteng area next to Maple and Oak, Yabai Izakaya has a great Japanese vibes with sliding door and Japanese menu writing on the walls. The outdoor area looks very cozy with bamboo ornaments.

Sometimes it’s the simple things that count, AnakJajan really appreciate the fact that Yabai plays chills Japanese song resulting a more enjoyable eating experience, it makes a pleasant way to escape Jakarta’s hustle and bustle.

The concept of Yabai Izakaya is a Neo Nippon with Japanese comfort food like Kushiyaki, Donburi, and Japanese Tapas (no pork, no lard). As for drink, they’re specializes in infused Shochu and Japanese cocktail ‘Shochutini’ to make the dining experience more complete.

Yuzu 21 Days Shochu IDR 58k
Let’s start with the drink, this is Mr. Jajan’s fav. He enjoyed it so much from the first visit, he reordered it again on the second visit. The Sochu is infused with yuzu for 21 days. It was quite strong but very refreshing with citrusy touch of yuzu.

Matcha Creampie Shochutini IDR 68k
More on the creamy and sweet side, martini drink mixed with matcha and vanilla cream, smooth and creamy but strong enough.

Pacific Scallop Guratan IDR 58k
For starter, we got their best selling item Pacific scallop with crabstick, soy wakame, white cheese. The presentation looks very tempting and instagrammable, it tastes as good as it looks too with subtle creamy cheese and a bit of crunch texture from tobiko & panko.

Skewered/ Yakitori: Tsukune IDR 20k, Kawa IDR 13k, Gyu Karubi IDR 24k, Momo Negi IDR 15k, Gyu Enoki IDR 22k
If you need one reason to visit Yabai Izakaya, that would be their YAKITORI. Their Yakitori game is strong. Grilled over charcoal until nicely charred, beautifully seasoned, cooked nicely, sooo good we can easily say that it’s one of the best in town. Best paired with drinks.

You can choose shio (salt) or tare (sauce) seasoning on the skewer. For Kawa or chicken skin, we highly recommend you to choose shio seasoning to get crispy skin.

Momo Negi is chicken and spring onion skewer, imagine the taste of juicy chicken thigh plus spring onion in between with beautiful glaze of sweet salty tare sauce charred over charcoal grill, what’s more to love?!

Our top favorite Yakitori there would be their Tsukune, tender meaty grilled chicken meatball served with omega egg yolk and shoyu, try dipping the meatball in silky egg yolk sauce, it’s to die for! The Gyu Karubi & Gyu Enoki were also scrumptious, tender and juicy best with tare seasoning.

Salmon Dynamite Bowl IDR 88k
Perfect for filling quick lunch/ dinner consist of savory fried rice topped with aburi teriyaki salmon, gochujang mayo, tobiko & spring onion.

Norwegian Salmon Teriyaki IDR 128k
Grilled teriyaki glazed salmon with kabocha puree, edamame in dashi butter, watercress salad. Mr. Jajan’s favorite, we ordered this on our first visit and it left a deep impression. The salmon was cooked nicely with beautiful pink in the center and tasteful teriyaki glaze on top. To make it more satisfying, we highly recommend you to eat it with Gohan/Rice IDR 10k and Onsen Egg IDR 8k.

Karubi Kakuni IDR 148k
Slow cooked for hours, their braised beef shortribs is served with braised daikon, sticky garlic & ginger glaze. It was well marinated and sooo tender, you can easily cut it with fork. Yumzie!

Matcha Tiramisu IDR 50k
For sweet ending, their sweet creamy Matcha Tiramisu is nice to try.

Overall, great Japanese vibes, beautifully cooked delicious food, Yabai Izakaya is easily one of our top favorites when it comes to yakitori. It is indeed the place to go for munch, booze and chill.

Address:
Yabai Izakaya
De Ritz, Jl. HOS Cokroaminoto No. 91
Menteng, Central Jakarta
Instagram: @yabaiizakaya
Opening hours:
Sun-Thurs : 11:00-23:00
Fri-Sat : 11:00-24:00

Map:

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