What other travelers are saying about Yatai Stalls
There are a number of stalls lined up along the canal. They all serve similar foods, ranging from onden to yakitori and ramen. It’s fast paced eating in a crammed space. A unique experience but not necessarily the most enjoyable. Food is just alright for the price.
I think it is okay to try one of these food stalls if you are a tourist. Just once though. But the very good ones have super long lines and the so-so ones are tourist traps. Why tourist traps? While you wait (in the rain when we went) they take your order and after about 20 to 30 mins waiting (this one was one of the so-so ones) you get to sit down and the food arrives when we sit and they were all cold already. And you can only order once while you were standing on line. So you eat these cold items while you look for condiments that were all empty… bill comes when you about to leave and it is close to Yen 3000 for some yakitori sticks and a side dish of grilled asparagus and mushrooms. Skip these stalls unless you enjoy standing on a line and get cold food at the end. There are plenty of izakaya in Nakasu just a few feet away from these very expensive and inconvenient yatais.
We enjoyed our dinner. We found the price reasonable, I recommend viewing the menus before you decide as they do differ in what they offer and the prices also vary. A couple were quite $$$. We chose a vendor and had ramen, beer, plus 2 x side dishes including steak skewers - everything was so delicious we couldn’t fault the food at all. Even though it was lightly raining it was still very enjoyable and a must do In Our opinion.
The food is average. Get cold easier due to the weather. It’s a fast pace eating, meaning that they expect you to eat and leave as soon as possible. The stall that we went required at least one food and one drink to be ordered. It’s quite expensive. Not value for money but it’s a good experience. Should try once.
The place is always packed with people. It makes sense that the stalls want to accommodate as many people as possible. Hopefully, more space could be given to the stalls so that more people can enjoy the wonderful food.