Unlike campus Japanese establishments, at Yakitori Boy, they let you bomb your sake and belt your tune in true Tokyo fashion. Fusing karaoke with “Japas” (Japanese tapas), this haven offers a Japanese solution for the tone-deaf. Take the elevator up to the second floor where you will find a maze of high tech private karaoke rooms that you can reserve ahead of time, equipped with an endless selection of songs in Mandarin, Japanese, Cantonese, Vietnamese, and under the foreign section, English. Just like the service in Japan, the attentive waiters are only a service button away, so you can get your Sapporo and hot sake in a flash without even screaming “Sumi masen!” (the loud but polite Japanese phrase uttered to get your waiter’s attention).
With peculiar '90s bikini models dancing in the background of your karaoke videos, you might think the food is just an afterthought. While they don't quite reflect the real tastes of Japan, these Japas still serve up adequate Japanese cuisine for Philly standards. Take your pick from a wide selection of sushi and yakitori skewers — the Japanese version of a shish kabob — and you’ll surely be delighted, especially after a slew of sake bombs. The yakitori section of the menu ($1.50-$7) lists everything from chicken & scallion to ginko nuts to teriyaki glazed eggplant. The wide range of sushi and appetizers, which includes shumai and gyoza dumplings ($5-$6) and grilled squid ($7), also follows the small plate philosophy. The Japas are reasonably priced, with most menu items under $10, but cocktails can add up quickly while the karaoke lyrics flow.
For those looking for a world apart from Philadelphia, head to Chinatown and become “lost in translation” at this karaoke wonderland. When you emerge from your soundproof room, you may feel the need to jump on the Yamanote line past Shinjuku to check out the Harajuku girls, but instead you’ll wake up to the reality that you still can’t find a cab in the City of Brotherly Love. How could Penn not have discovered this Tokyo gem earlier?
Yakitori Boy Bar & Lounge 211 N. 11th St. (215) 923-8088 Don’t Miss: Eggplant Yakitori Skip: Generic California rolls Bottom Line: A taste of Tokyo in the 215.
