Yoda

Is Yoda worth booking for a special occasion in Yokohama?

Yes — and the answer is more obvious than you might expect for a tonkatsu counter. Yoda earned a Tabelog Award 2026 Silver with a score of 4.35, placing it among Japan's most recognised tonkatsu destinations. At JPY 8,000–9,999 per head for both lunch and dinner, it costs roughly what you'd spend on a mid-tier kaiseki set, but delivers something harder to find: a four-seat counter experience built explicitly around dates and solo dining, flagged on Tabelog as the leading recommended occasions. If you want a quiet, focused meal for two that feels considered rather than casual, Yoda is one of the few tonkatsu addresses in the Yokohama area that justifies that framing.

The Venue

Yoda opened on 10 April 2021 in the Newport Building on Yamashitacho, Naka Ward — a part of Yokohama that sits between the harbour and Chinatown, close to Nihon Odori Station on the Minato Mirai Line. Three years on, the 2026 Silver award confirms it has moved past the novelty phase and into consistent territory. Tabelog's Silver tier ranks Yoda 158th nationally among Silver-rated restaurants , a meaningful credential in a country where tonkatsu competition at the serious end is intense.

Four seats. That is the entire room. The counter configuration means this is not a venue for groups, business dinners with clients, or family celebrations. It is a venue for pairs or solo diners who want the full attention of the kitchen without the performance of an omakase tasting room. The atmosphere is described as a relaxing space with counter seating , which, given the scale, is not marketing language but a literal description of what you will find. Noise is not a concern here in the way it would be at a larger restaurant. Expect a quiet room, close proximity to the cooking, and little ambient distraction.

Sake (Nihonshu) is available to drink. Beyond that, the venue's full menu and any seasonal offerings require checking the website or Instagram directly, as Yoda explicitly asks guests to confirm current menus through those channels before booking. The restaurant does not accept phone reservations , booking is entirely online.

Hours and Timing

The service windows are short and specific. Wednesday through Saturday, lunch runs 12:30–14:00 and dinner runs 18:30–20:00. Sunday hours extend slightly: lunch from 11:00–14:00, dinner from 18:00–21:00. Monday and Tuesday are closed. There is no late-night window here , the last Sunday dinner service ends at 21:00, which makes Yoda a considered early-evening choice rather than an after-hours destination. If you are planning around a longer evening in Yokohama, book the early dinner slot and treat a bar or walk along the waterfront as the second act. The service window being only 90 minutes on most evenings also means the kitchen is focused and the pacing will move at its own speed , arrive on time.

Booking

Booking is rated Easy. This is a four-seat counter with reservation-only access through an online system, but unlike many small Japanese counters that require weeks of advance planning, Yoda's booking difficulty sits at the accessible end of the spectrum. Check the website and Instagram for current availability. No phone reservations are accepted. Payment on the night can be made by credit card (Visa, Mastercard, JCB, Amex, Diners), IC transit cards (Suica and equivalents), iD, QUICPay, or PayPay , a wider range of payment options than many venues at this level.

Getting There

Yoda is a six-minute walk from Nihon Odori Station on the Minato Mirai Line, and seven minutes from Motomachi-Chukagai Station. There is no parking on site, but paid parking is available in front of the building. If you are spending a day in Yokohama, the location puts you close to Yamashita Park and the waterfront, which makes it a natural anchor for an evening itinerary. For the broader picture of what else is worth doing in the city, see our full Yokohama restaurants guide, our full Yokohama bars guide, our full Yokohama hotels guide, our full Yokohama wineries guide, and our full Yokohama experiences guide.

How It Compares

Within Yokohama's recognised dining tier, Yoda sits in a different category from the sushi counters. Nakajo and Omino Kamiyacho are both sushi destinations that will appeal to the same diner profile , special occasion, small party, serious food focus , but they are not interchangeable with Yoda. If your priority is the cuisine format rather than the occasion type, choose based on whether you want tonkatsu or sushi, not on prestige signals alone. For yakitori at a higher spend, 1000 operates in the JPY 15,000–19,999 range, which is roughly double Yoda's price point. That is a significant premium, and whether it is justified depends entirely on your format preference. Ribatei and Rock'n Three (ramen) are lower-commitment options if you want something more casual in the same city.

For context across Japan's wider serious dining scene, venues like Harutaka in Tokyo, Gion Sasaki in Kyoto, HAJIME in Osaka, akordu in Nara, and Goh in Fukuoka operate in entirely different cuisine categories and price bands. Yoda is not competing with them on format, but the Tabelog Silver credential puts it in the same conversation around seriousness of execution. If you are building a Japan itinerary and want to understand how Yoda fits relative to international benchmarks, Le Bernardin in New York City and Lazy Bear in San Francisco are useful reference points for what a focused, small-format counter can achieve when it commits entirely to one thing. Yoda's case is that it has made the same commitment to tonkatsu at a price that remains accessible relative to its award tier.

Practical Quick Reference

Address: Newport Building 101, 25-16 Yamashitacho, Naka Ward, Yokohama. Hours: Wed–Sat 12:30–14:00 and 18:30–20:00; Sun 11:00–14:00 and 18:00–21:00; closed Mon–Tue. Price: JPY 8,000–9,999 per head. Seats: 4. Booking: online only, no phone reservations. Nearest station: Nihon Odori (6-minute walk). Payment: credit cards, IC cards, iD, QUICPay, PayPay. Non-smoking. No private rooms. No parking on site (paid parking available in front).

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