Izakaya Tori in Tampa - Phone Number, Reservations, Reviews

This place was packed with patrons! Parking is few and far between. Wide selection of Japanese and Asian fusion dishes. Visit here.

Atmosphere was awesome! There were things on the menu I was surprised to see like the toro and wasabi tako. Sushi was great and the tonkatsu was ok.

Had such an amazing experience here. Super friendly and ATTENTIVE staff! Even on a slammed Saturday night during happy hour we got everything we wanted within seconds. (Not exaggerating) the food was phenomenal. This place has all the amazing vibes of an izakaya restaurant but it's alot more affordable than the ones I've been to. From out of town, but will definetly make time to come back in the future.

Wow! I am So glad we found this on our drive thru the city of Tampa! Small little place that is packed with people and flavor! Great service, great prices, and yummy food. We had appetizers, sushi, the beef rice bowl and steak and sea bass skewers.

Fast service. Wish I was hungrier to try their tuna toro sushi but I came for ramen and yakitori. Decent prices.

Sushi was good! The environment was better!

absolutely life changing. the quality and service is phenomenal. I 100% recommend the passionate salmon roll if you like sushi, beautiful presentation and an even more beautiful taste. I felt as if I ascended to the heavens after the first bite of that first roll. 10/10, recommend everything I ordered. Thai tea, hot green tea, edamame, geso (fried octopus), seaweed salad, gyoza, the monster roll, miso soup, ginger salad, the tonkatsu ramen, the passionate salmon roll, and the green tea (matcha) tiramisu. all 100s out of 10s. Just wow. absolutely life changing.

Everything was delicious and we had a really good time! 100% recommended!

Food here is always very fresh, authentic, and very tasty. There's a lot of choice for everyone. Service is superb and prices are fair.

Dined in, great food, super packed but waiter was very attentive regardless. Bar seating, parking was tough but the food was worth it!! Will return soon.

Simply amazing! A new favorite spot. Originally came for the ramen and it was good but everything else was amazing. The sushi and seaweed salad were some of the best I’ve ever had.

This was my second time here. The ambience is unmatched. Food is solid. I was hesitant to get skewers I had the first time for the price, but it was something I kept thinking about months later. The ramen was really solid, pretty good honestly. The tempura was very filling with generous portions and really crispy. There was a good bit of wait for dinner, so go well beforehand.

I’ll prefix by saying my review is coming from someone whose been to Japan 3 times back to back. The ramen was good but nothing like the motherland. The misohot ramen was flavorful, but I wish the broth were heartier. The medium fat taro tuna was mid in my opinion. My gf only enjoyed it when dipped in soy sauce. The place was very packed with a 45 min wait. While waiting I had a lychee cocktail which was spectacular. Definitely worth a visit overall.

The food was amazing but unfortunately there was a roach that had crawled next to me and some other patrons. Really disappointed because this is the best sushi restaurant in Tampa but this experience left me feeling disgusted. The owner squashed it and didn't even disinfect the wall.

This is by far, the best Japanese food restaurant in Tampa. The only issue is that they don’t take reservations but, you can arrive early, sign up and wait around for a table. The longest I’ve waited was about an hour on a Saturday night. It is worth the wait, though.

Not kid friendly and the food was overrated. The corner they placed us in with our kid was filthy and there were ants crawling on the table and wall. Def never recommending or coming back.

Love this place great food and service.

Fresh nigiri sushi. Highly recommend the yellowtail jalapeño carpaccio, the shiso Rangoon, and the guydon! Will be coming back here regularly!

Having dinner at the bar and feeling like I'm in a real izakaya is one of the things I enjoy most when I go. The sushi is very good, and they always recommend new and tasty experiences!!! Highly recommended.

The food size is very small for what it's worth, especially since it was just okay. Then you receive the food on cracked plates. I also received a random piece of oyster shell in my Kimchi Udon with no remedy offered. For customer service purposes, I would have expected a small discount or another order to replace my dish. I'm glad I don't have any allergens.

Great experience for a fun evening out! The food and service were good. There were many different drink options to try and the meals are easily shareable for a group

Overall good experience. Have had the luxury of having Izakaya in Vancouver, Hawaii and San Francisco. This isn't quite up to any of those cities but it does scratch the itch. The Good: The shiso Rangoon was amazing, gyoza pretty good, and miso soup was well done. The OK: Honor roll was prepared well but lacked any amazement value. Black dragon as well was fresh but did not stand out. For sushi, there are many more at the same price or cheaper available. The meh: The skewers, overall were seasoned a bit too light, and typically over done. The chicken gizzards where little chunks of chewy charcoal, the Japanese sausage were more like little Smokies from the supermarket than kurobuta. The bacon wrapped asparagus would have been a winner if not cooked to burnt bacon crisps and soggy strings of asparagus. Pork belly was also overcooked to the point of rubber. In summary, there was enough that went right and tasted well done that the poor excuse of grilled skewers only tempered my expectations for a return trip. If the grillsmith puts a bit lighter hand on the skewers, this would have been a wonderful meal.

Nice atmosphere and friendly staff but the ramen was really subpar, especially for $17 a bowl. My wife and I try to visit new ramen places frequently. Out of the 50+ we’ve been to the last few years their tonkotsu landed near the bottom. Noodles were overcooked/soggy and the broth was plain/flavorless. Meat was okay but slightly overcooked. Perhaps this is more of a sushi restaurant than a ramen one.

Really cool atmosphere! Apparently Kaiji Tang, my favorite voice actor had come here before. Awesome food, the only thing I didn't like was the fried rice, it wasn't very authentic in my opinion. Other than that, great overall!!

One of our favorite spots in all of Tampa Bay. Their food is incredible and service is always great. I love to order their ramen and spider roll.

Amazing food. Really authentic. The only thing is there are a lot of tables and the space is very crammed in there. Great happy hour!

Great Japanese food. Best miso soup I’ve had outside of Japan.

Truly authentic Japanese with great food, great service. The vibe and the seating is a let down, but you can overlook if you're only there for the food!

Charming casual restaurant with sushi that is delicious and won’t completly destroy your wallet.

Always delish. Large menu. Great atmosphere. Always good service. Love coming here. It is one of out top 4 fave spots ans we go at minimum once a month, sometimes over 4 times month it's so good. Love the rolls the skewers, the fried rice, gyudon,and everything else we've tried.

Great Customer Service and Food! I called when they opened to ask about reservations for 5-6 people and was informed that they only take reservations of six or more. I explained I wanted to eat there for my birthday and asked about the best time to come. They said that 5-7 is really so we headed over later, unaware of exactly how far it was as we're from northeast Florida. When we got there we were told that there was a long wait for 4 people (2 couldn't make it so no reservation) and that we could get on the wait-list but it was unlikely that we'd be in on time. Obviously this was upsetting news, so I told them that I was disappointed in their policy and would discuss with my party our next steps but to keep us on the wait-list. we decided to get take out and drive 45 minutes back to the Airbnb. BUT!! When I went back inside, the host said we were next! I don't know if this was coincidence but it did feel like they cared about our experience. The food was amazing! I'm sure it would have been fine to go, but it was so hot and fresh! The beer was good too. I tried a Yuzu import with pork skewers and agedashi tofu (my personal favorite). we all shared the rest of our foods and everything I tried was dang scrumptious. I can see why they were PACKED all night! Left very satisfied and full. I definitely recommend this place if you're in the area!

Staff is great, vibes are great, can be a little pricey but it's worth it!!!

Food was amazing...love the vibe

We recently discovered this restaurant and have to say it is the best sushi/sashimi restaurant we have ever dined in. The sashimi is so fresh and mouth watering and they give you very large slices compared to other places (though you do pay slightly more than other restaurants). We love the atmosphere as it is very Japanese, though they could play Japanese music to make it very authentic. The reason I gave a 4 star on the service is because we were told our wait would be about 10 minutes and they would text us when ready. We waited in our car because the lobby was packed, and after about 20 minutes decided to check inside. They said they had texted us 15 minutes earlier. I did not have any text messages from them, but they got us seated pretty quickly thereafter.

One of the best sushi experiences you’ll find outside of Japan. Flavors are fantastic. Fish is incredibly fresh. 100% must if in the Tampa area.

Rolls were very fishy. They look pretty

A true gem! Superb quality of food - some of the tastiest outside of Tokyo.

Our kids took us here for Father's Day. If there is a negative, it's just that the place is very small inside. The food is amazing and the service is very fast. If you don't like waiting to be seated, you should go somewhere else, but if you do, you'll miss a really good meal.

This place is fabulous. Authentic, trendy, creative, delicious. You're going to want to try everything, and you should.

Update April 2021: Another great experience here. Tasty food at a reasonable price point, top notch service. We had not been here since it changed name, look, and menu. Excellent, efficient & friendly service. Interesting choices on the menu. The geso (fried octopus) was our favorite. Solid Covid precautions (tables spaced, masks, even hand sanitizer at the table)

Everything was amazing! I've been wanting to come here since they opened and it finally happened! Probably some of the best ramen I've ever had. The sushi was fresh and visually appealing. Happy hour prices are good

loved my experience food was amazing staff and atmosphere was ok def a language barrier but still decent service

Great spot to take someone for business or a date. The unique atmosphere makes it feel like you’re not in Tampa anymore. The service is always on point but it’s the food that will keep you coming back. The Japanese scallop skewers are a must when you visit! Their sushi is always fresh and well portioned.

This place was phenomenal. I had the beef curry and was floored by the flavor. Also had the single order fish skewers. The Chilean sea bass is highly recommended

Added to favorites! This place is awesome very busy but worth the wait. I suggest getting a lot of little plates and sharing everything was amazing!

Worthy of all the wait and hype!!! Amazing restaurant!!! An unplanned evening with my girls turned out awesome, thanks to Izakaya Tori. There was an expected wait of 20-25 mins on a Friday night. But we could order drinks while waiting and the fun started right then! The most popular drink amongst the girls was the Yuzu cocktail!! Such a refreshingly flavored drink, thoroughly enjoyed it! It was our first time here and thanks to Reid, we ordered some wonderful options and enjoyed them all. Thank you Reid! The best dish that was repeat ordered was the Yellowtail jalapeno carpaccio. Each bite of this dish was so spectacular!! We just couldn't get enough!! We also enjoyed some skewers, some nigiri, and some rolls. -The Izakaya special roll was great, we liked it better than the recommended Honor roll. -The salmon nigiri was good, the spicy salmon cups were meh.... - The Thai tea was great, Yuzu cocktail was fantastic, the grapefruit cocktail was average, nothing special about it - For dessert, we had the Matcha tea tiramisu. We enjoyed it. All in all, we had a great time! We've recommended this to our friends and are looking forward to hanging out with a larger group and sit down by the Japanese floor seating!

Love the atmosphere here, it really felt like we were in Tokyo. Authentic, dark, great decor. Great value as well, their sashimi combo dinner had 4 pieces for each fish (and they were huge) which is amazing as everywhere else does 3 and you have to fight with your hubby for the third of the best ones lol. The pics are of the combo and the seafood ceviche which was fantastic as well. We will be back!

As authentic of atmosphere as you can hope for. Sushi is really good. Service is solid. Parking can really suck though. Dining room is not large, so usually a wait during peak times.

I like this place is good it’s got a wide variety of things but notably is a bit of a tight squeeze with minimal parking

I ordered ikura, fatty tuna and some skewers and it was CRAZY good. The ikura is particularly great here, like they season it themselves with sweet soy sauce. It was perfect and really sets it apart from other places that serve roe. I can’t wait to come back but parking is so awful. There’s very few spots and it’s a pain to get into, which kind of discourages me from visiting more often.

Great food and atmosphere! Will go back!! [Update] The first review was in January, and I came back here about a month later. However, despite ordering the same dishes, the quality was much lower than my previous visit. And service was really disappointed. About an hour later, the waitress asked if I wanted dessert while I was still eating, I said No, and she promptly brought the bill. I don't think spending $130 for a meal for two is extravagant, but I don't believe it's so little that we should be kicked out in an hour. and a few tables were still empty .

The service was very quick and we ordered several dishes and split them amongst everyone. I recommend the gyozas, tempura, Japanese beef curry, and mushrooms! Too bad they were out of shiso rangoons. Next time we visit friends in Tampa we will come here again!

Awesome food, fair priced, fast service. I wish we would have taken some pictures but will definitely order again.

Food was so good! Great service and friendly staff, and a beautiful atomosphere. Would definitely recommend and will be going back!

Lunch vibe is different b from dinner vibe. Or the vibe ran over to the other location.

Super fun place for a friend's night out! Tastey finger foods, small plates, pork tonkatsu and beef bowl were delicious! Hot sake and japanese beer on tap! Amazing prive points! Can't wait to try more

I so wanted and expected to love this place based on the many rave reviews and word of mouth. We went here for Valentine’s Day and were surprised at the mildly disappointing experience. Service was good given that the restaurant was busy for Valentines Day. The ambiance of the restaurant was cool. It’s cute and has fun decor. Nothing went terribly wrong, but the food we received lacked depth of flavor, while simultaneously being very salty/saturated with soy sauce. I believe we got a couple of cocktails, ramen, skewers, guacamole, and a sushi roll. None of our food or drinks were outstanding in any way. For the price, the food was really not great or authentically Japanese, and the portion sizes were on the smaller side. Parking was horrible, but it would have felt a lot more worth it had the food been delicious. It took about 15 minutes to find a spot anywhere nearby that wasn’t a tow zone. Overall, I’m sure some people really like this kind of food and the atmosphere is pretty nice. Izakaya Tori is overrated for sure though. This was one of the most mid restaurant meal experiences that I’ve had in a long time.

Food was nice！customer service was ok.

I took a friend out to dinner and we tried many different plates. The bluefin tuna sampler, chicken skewers, tuna avocado roll, and yellowtail carpaccio were incredible. Service was quick and helpful with ordering. Get here early for dinner or you will likely have to wait.

Great Japanese "street food" restaurant, reminiscent of the quick Tokyo street houses. Also in the same style, this is not the place to leisurely dine all night...tables turn quickly. Food comes out quickly. Nice selection of Sake, Japanese beer, cocktails, etc. Decent food...the Chashu in the Ramen was a thick cut of melt-in-your-mouth pork belly with a hint of char from the grill. Spectacular. We will visit again.

The food was very good. It was pricey, but I expected that looking at the menu beforehand. The mail issue I had was after waiting 40 minutes to be seated. we ordered out food, and as soon as it all arrived, they asked us to move tables. I would have been fine with waiting longer, but they did not plan for a large reservation that was made and so my group was made to suffer the consequences. They asked us to move to the Japanese seating. Where we were expected to remove our shoes and sit on mats. This made the whole experience a pain, and some of my group left. The manager gave us a free drink. But the mood was soured.

Amazing food, place was buzzing! Thank you Izakaya

Awesome place! Unique way to serve skewers of all kinds! Fast and tasty!

One of the best places to get ramen in Tampa. Parking is small so get there early.

Visited this place every other months.

First time going and went for the happy hour which isn’t a deal at all, 20 to 50 cents off the regular price items. Food was mediocre at best, lots of frozen deep fried foods that aren’t made in-house. Happy hour is really bad. Don’t know what the regular menu is like…Probably won’t go back. 80 bucks for a couple beers, frozen fish balls and few meat skewers. Meh…

Worst experience I've had in a restaurant in awhile. Almost 50 minutes after I sit down and only after I say something, am I finally told the crab for the roll I ordered is defrosting. Was there for an hour and had a chicken skewer and a beer and that was it the whole time. Meanwhile, people who came in say after me were served whatever they ordered. I hate reviews like this but because no one even bothered to apologize or say anything else, thought I'd share.

Great little sushi bar, service was great, food was great. I had the Sushi Lunch Box A

Great food. Great service. And a lovely atmosphere. Bit of a wait depending on when you come in. But worth it.

Great tasting fresh sushi. Wait time can sometimes be long.

After returning from Japan, I had this nostalgic feeling that no other restaurant fullfield. I am now in love with this place. It is the best sashimi I've had since returning from my trip, not only in size and ammount of serving, but flavor as well. They have yuzu and plum wine! Plus, draft asahi and other sake cocktails. So far, the most authentic experience to a Tokyo Izakaya. The music the decorstion, everythinf. Sitting in the Japanese room is ideal for family, especially with kids. Please be mindful and wear socks if you plan to reserve this room ;) I am already planning my next visit!

Pretty ridiculous prices paired with shrinkflation / portions made this restaurant pretty awful Legitimately, I wouldn't recommend this joint compared to better food that Otsuka Ramen provides The atmosphere feels gimicy if that's the main draw; just go somewhere else.

A favorite when I stop in Tampa for a weekend. Get there during happy hour for a 10$ sake and less than 5$ meat skewers! The double tuna is my favorite roll.

This place has great Sushi but it's a shame I came in @ 2:30 they close @ 3pm and reopen @ 5 but the host would not seat me...this is the 2nd time this happens she's an Asian young lady and not @ all friendly actually very unpleasant, unfortunately while she is there I will not be coming back here!!

Great menu, great food..Loved it

One of my favorite place to eat in Tampa. Every time I have friends visit Tampa, I would take them here. Food is always consistently amazing. Only downside is hard to find parking. Mentaiko fries is a much order dish.

If you really like Japanese food, sushi, and a large selection of appetizers then you will love Izakaya Tori. Try their special fries and meats on sticks. Small but cozy place. You will probably have a waiting line on weekends.

Everything was great other than the overcooked grilled octopus. Too rubbery. Otherwise we really enjoyed our time here. Enough to still rate 5 stars! We will be back.

The best ramen I have ever had. Everything was amazing. I will be back

Excellent service ‼️‼️ Great staff 👍🏾 Amazing food 👌🏾

Lunch special item got bill for dinner price

Busy the night we went but service still went quickly. I forgot photos, enjoyed street corn, Brussels sprouts and shishito peppers on skewers and Ramen.

Only one star missing because some ordered items took longer to get to the table because of some confusion. Beyond that everything was amazing! Makayla was our server and was very inviting and on top of things we requested or needed. Food was FANTASTIC. The amount of team work you can see the floor staff use was phenomenal!

Unassuming from the outside, but inside...the atmosphere is wonderful, the serving staff was friendly and attentive, and the food was out-of-this-world. Though we placed a large order, everything came out quickly and was so amazing. This was my first experience here, but it won't be my last!

This place is the real deal! Everything we ordered exceeded our expectations!

Yuri's, an adorable Japanese tavern, serves up incredibly fresh and mouthwatering sushi. Each piece is expertly prepared with a balanced portion of rice, ensuring a healthy and satisfying meal. Of the three rolls I've tasted, all have been absolutely delicious, but the standout is undoubtedly the Izakaya special roll. Whether you're a visitor to Tampa or a local resident, this place is a must-visit. You won't regret giving it a try and might even find yourself becoming a regular patron!

Great food, great service. Crowded but little to no wait time and fast service. Enough options to either eat health or to have a cheat meal. Will come back!

Visit here at the minimum once a week amazing staff and amazing service. Best sushi in Tampa in my opinion. I have tried to go to multiple others because typically Sunday was my day off and they are closed and nothing is close. Love the staff and food.

The grilled eel and sushi meals were both wonderful!

Food was amazing, ramen broth had so much flavor. Chicken fried rice was insanely good. Best sushi we’ve had.

Great and fun meal with my dearest friends and well worth the cost although it was extremely and fairly priced.

Food and service was great, we got lucky getting a table right away because usually there’s a wait to get a table.

Usually come on Monday night but alway have to waited 20 -30 mins and they don’t take a reservation for the group under 6 people ( we have 4 or 5 ) . The food are good and service friendly

Thr food and service was first rate!

Great authentic place, food and service was amazing.

First time here since a friend took me, the staff are so kind!! The food was AMAZING!! :D I got the creamy kimchi udon noodles and mushrooms!

The best Japanese restaurant in Tampa. They always have fresh special items to offer. The giant oysters were so sweet and delicious. The fatty tuna melted on your tongue. I can never get enough of this place.

Simply excellent. Extremely authentic. True blue fin tuna specials!

My favorite place to go for lunch. Affordable price and excellent foods

Really cool place. Delicious ramen and sushi. Beautiful inside.