Izakaya Tori

Easily our favorite sushi spot in Tampa. Take this with a grain of salt I'm not an expert on Japanese culture: but izakaya roughly translates to "stay-drink-place" so think pub. Great atmosphere, usually crowded (for good reason), and great drinks/food. This is great spot to bring out of town friends or family who like Japanese, post work snacks and drinks, or a first (or in my case like 35th) date. Happy hour is from 5 to 7 Monday - Saturday. They've got drinks and apps on there. Haven't had anything here we don't like. Sushi is 9/10, sashimi is great, the miso soup is some of the best imo, all their hot dishes like the ramen and katsu are awesome. Hard to beat a Kirin draft, a hot sake, and a sushi roll or 4 after a long work week. The only downfall: this place is no longer a secret and they do get BUSY, expect a wait most evenings/nights, but service is very solid and they do their best to accommodate without rushing anyone. It is worth the wait.

TLDR: Overall I think this was just an off night for the restaurant. I see the potential but a few things just fell short. I wanted to give Izakaya 5 stars, but this particular trip just didn’t live up to the expectations. They told us a 15 minute wait. After 20, minutes we were called, but told it was a mistake, then had to wait an additional 10 minutes. We placed our order, most of our food came out pretty quickly, but we noticed after about 20 minutes our Ramen never showed up - they forgot about it and it came out literally a minute after we asked. The food: We order the fries, the Mexican roll, one chicken thigh skewer, the Beef Guyadon, and the Tonkatsu Ramen. Fries, Sushi, and Guyadon (rice bowl) were delicious. Fries were crispy and seasoned, sushi was simple but clean, and the Guyadon had great umami and sweetness from the onions. The bad: The chicken skewer had 0 salt. It was juicy and tender but there wasn’t one ounce of salt added. The ramen: this was the biggest let down. After the anticipation of waiting, we were presented with a bowl of noodles with zero presentation considered. The pork belly was cut to resemble bacon and didn’t have that extremely tender and soft texture expected. Everything else was just already mixed together and hidden under the broth. It felt like upscale packet ramen with ingredients added.

Disappointed after seeing they had a 4.7 rating. Salad was pretty good, dressing was very good. The Ramen was pedestrian, more than enough noodles but they tasted a bit over cooked and the broth was a little flat. The pork belly over rice with bokchoy (Donbury) was pretty dry and flat tasting, nothing memorable. Definitely park in the rear of you do come!

Izakaya Tori has been talked about a lot since opening and I finally had the chance to make it over and see what it was all about and dang it didn't disappoint. First off they nailed the atmosphere and the decor is perfect. The staff is amazing super fast service and everyone is very friendly and helpful. Then there's the food the sushi is very high quality with a lot of options you can spend a little or a lot here they have an extensive drink list with many Sake options. Beyond sushi they have many traditional and Japanese inspired dishes. I highly recommend making your way here if you can!

First off, reservations are highly recommend but they only take with parties of 6 or more. We got the sit down table and you have to take off your shoes before seating. Parking is a nightmare because it’s small and limited to just the parking lot in the front or back. Anywhere else and you will get towed. It’s not too large of a space so it gets crowded fast and the bar seating is definitely tight. Lychee Sake: 3/5, good but too sweet. Couldn’t finish it. Skewers: 2/5, we got the NY strip and pork belly but it wasn’t anything special. Chicken bites: 2/5, not much flavor Gyudon: 3/5, sauce was overpowering. Ramen: 4/5, probably the best thing there and that’s not saying a lot. Creme brulee: 1/5, it was green tea which I didn’t know. Flavors were lacking. Our server was tentative and staff were very nice and helpful. Overall, it’s not what I thought it would be. I wouldn’t return. It’s definitely a one time experience.

Prepare to wait to be seated even with a reservation. We were told we might lose our table if we do not get their on time. We had to wait 30 mins even though we did. They are usually extremely busy. The food however kept coming fast. The server was patient explaining various dietary restrictions and options. The lychee cocktail is a must try. The tangerine sake was very smooth as well.