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Date night. That’s what springs to mind when I think of Yatai, that deeply sexy Japanese eatery on Bree Street that brings a healthy dose of contemporary elegance and polished service to the notion of inner-city ramen in Cape Town.
It’s a moody space, all dark wood and leather banquettes, where you’ll notice the cocktail bar as much as the kitchen, and a pre-dinner Negroni is all but compulsory. And while ramen and cocktails have been the calling card of Yatai since it opened in 2024, the launch of a new menu expands the repertoire to offer a wide-ranging, yet upmarket take on Japanese izakaya-style cooking.
It’s a refreshed menu with more variety, more sharing plates and now sushi, delivering a wider sweep of Japanese flavours to the table.
Yatai is part of the PAN Collection Hospitality Group, whose Bree Street portfolio also includes Hacienda, IRON, Scala and Burger & Lobster. Behind the refreshed menu are consultant chef Rikku O'Donnchu and PAN Collection executive chef Justin Barker, who have broadened Yatai’s original ramen-bar focus into a more wide-ranging Japanese dining experience.
The biggest update is that the new Yatai menu introduces a revamped selection of small plates designed for sharing as an extended dinner (perhaps with a second Negroni?) or as a prelude to the ramen bowls. Order a few as starters, or a half-dozen for a sharing experience. It’s a natural fit for the space: this is very much a date-night destination, but equally suited to a group dinner built around cocktails, robata-grilled snacks and bowls of ramen.
Among the headline additions are small plates, from edamame beans tossed in kelp salt to tempura shiso leaves topped with chive emulsion. They’re delicate, but with an umami sucker-punch that’s a fine set-up for the evening.
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Gyoza of confit duck leg, with sticky miso and honey, are another standout, while a fresh take on robata (grilled skewers) is reason enough to visit. The beef wagyu with mirin reduction is perhaps the crowd-pleaser, but the standout for me is the yellowtail in black garlic and red miso vinegar. It arrives blackened, smoky and packed with flavour. This is line fish with attitude, and a must-order.
The new menu also now extends to sushi, and perhaps that’s no surprise given that sister restaurant Nikkei is right upstairs. Here, the rice is perfectly cooked and well-seasoned, and on the menu you’ll find everything from simple maki to open temaki hand rolls.
But ramen fans needn’t worry; they haven’t been left out of the menu update. Yatai’s signature kotteri-style ramen remains on the menu, but it is now joined by two new chintan-style ramen bowls, bringing a lighter, clearer and more refined broth. Choose between chicken shio and beef shoyu, both available in medium and large servings.
While Yatai’s prices match the polished service and stylish setting, the new menu includes a handful of good-value options for diners watching the budget. On Mondays, you can sample any medium ramen bowl for just R119, or there’s a good-value 20-piece mixed sushi bento box for R199, available Tuesday to Saturday from 12pm to 4pm. There’s also an impressive Yatai winter set menu special on offer: five courses for just R349 per person.
But deal or no deal, it’s a destination worth your time and money. In service and setting, it ticks all the right boxes, while the refreshed menu gives the Yatai chefs more room to flex in the kitchen, and diners more reasons to return.
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