Yukchinhon Japanese in Portsmouth

We found the restaurant by chance as we were walking to Gunwharf Quays. We had the chicken karaage to start and one portion was plenty for the both of us. We then followed that with the beef short rib, which arrived on a sizzling plate along with buttered rice and a tasty soup. The bottle of Malbec was also excellent. Overall fantastic food and we’ll be back.

We arrived at 12:45 for our 1pm reservations. We found the place shuttered. At exactly 1pm a man arrived to open it up. At that point I was already on the phone to make reservations at a known Japanese restaurant we’ve been to before that we knew was good. I went in to inform the man that we weren’t expecting him to be opening right at our reservation time and we’ve made reservations elsewhere. He told me that’s fine. I got the impression it would have just been him running things. The place was small, just a bar with seating in the centre of the room. He was not at all prepared for us as the chairs were still on the counter and the place smelled of rancid deep fried cooking oil. So glad we didn’t risk our health eating here. So unprofessional to not be opened at all before our reservation time. We should have been sat down and ordering our food at 1pm!

The food was amazing, generous portions. We had two set meals and two main dishes in addition. The food was explained by very friendly and helpful staff An alternative to chopsticks was offered. Great variety in the menu. Highly recommend this restaurant.

Such an amazing experience with a bit of drama added. Our waiter was a delight. Adding to our evening with local historical info and very attentive to our needs. Thank you for such a lovely meal

Amazing experience, we hadn’t booked a table but the staff were so friendly and accommodating. The food was delicious! Would recommend the Hot Pot.

Really enjoyable meal. The salmon and surf clam sashimi were so fresh and presentation of all the dishes was beautiful. Prices are fairly high but more than reasonable bearing in mind the quality. Lovely friendly staff who explained all of the dishes. Will definitely return!

I’ve just come back from spending 3 weeks working in Japan. This restaurant is totally authentic, the staff are so friendly, and the food is 10 out of 10. I would definitely recommend eating here.

This is by far our favourite place in Portsmouth. The staff are so smiley and welcoming, atmosphere is great and the food is the best Japanese food I've had outside of Japan.

Amazing food and very authentic. Decor is beautiful and the presentation was very creative. Will definitely be back soon!

Being a great lover of Japanese food, we were looking forward to trying this restaurant, especially following the positive reviews. However, the food was very hit and miss. The beef tataki was very tasty and well prepared and the salmon sushi and sashimi fresh and flavoursome. However, the mixed skewers (yakitori) were poorly done - burnt, dry and with a surprising lack of flavour. The tuna sashimi and sushi was an odd colour, almost translucent, and looked and tasted a bit off. Worst was the Aubergine dangaku (nasu dengaku in most Japanese restaurants). This is supposed to have miso paste on it (a key ingredient) but was served with what tasted like a curry flavour - and no miso. It was pretty much inedible. When we explained this, the waiter said it was garlic butter and would replace the dish. However, they weren't able to do so in the end as clearly they didn't have any miso, which seems surprising for a Japanese restaurant. While they did not charge us for the dish, for me it is disappointing when a restaurant uses alternative ingredients to what is stated on the menu and doesn't tell you (presumably expecting that you won't notice). The restaurant is quite cramped and we were sitting at the counter, with only a narrow space behind us. Every time someone went past, we had to lean forward to allow them through. It was also cold inside, so we had to keep our coats on. Altogether, this didn't make for a very relaxed dining experience. Finally, it was pretty expensive for what it was, and the service was somewhat brusque. I feel that if a restaurant is presenting itself as a high-quality flavoursome experience, it needs to do much better. There are Japanese restaurants in Portsmouth with better food and more reasonable prices than this one. So, on this experience, I couldn't recommend Yukchinhon.

Fantastic food and exceptional service. The host was so thoughtful and really able to offer some great advice to those of us with less experience of Japanese cusine. Really reccomend you try it out!

We have a gathering of six at Yukchinhon Japanese Restaurant tonight, we all love this place, the food was great, very tasty and the service was great…. but they only got one 6 people table only, so recomment book in advance.

This place is an absolute gem. Incredibly good food and very polite staff. I had the udon noodles and the sirloin skewer. You won’t go to wagamamas once you have had this.

Overall the experience was ok. The food was ok, well presented but not the best I’ve had given the prices. The beef rib was tough and priced pretty high so a bit of a let down. The Katsu don was good and I would order it again if I were to go back. However, the restaurant was cold, I had to keep my coat on, and the toilet was a disaster (completely disgusting). The bill for two people with one drink, one starter and a main each was £84. I think there are better places to eat for this budget in Portsmouth.

We came here for a meal out after seeing it recommended as a hidden gem and it did not disappoint. The food was incredible, and you can tell the chef genuinely cares about what they're putting out. We ordered the "set meal" each, and were shocked at how fantastic the food was and how the courses came out. I cannot recommend this place enough: great food, lovely staff, fab cocktails, and it's reasonably priced. I will be back in the future for sure :)

Absolutely excellent food , so glad we ended up here for our anniversary dinner , every part of it was good . Well priced and an excellent atmosphere . Two guys eating at the front could have been quieter but the staff and food were superb .

The food was absolutely superb, the staff were attentive and so helpful. Definitely a must try if you're in the area, to be honest I'd come back to Portsmouth just to be able to visit the restaurant again.

Amazing staff, very friendly and great food. Will be visiting many more times. Thank you for my bubble tea 😊