I did not completely get dancerobot’s concept, their web site describes it as “’80s-inflected Japanese izakaya” and the press articles running up to its opening describe it with variations of “Neon-lit ’80s Japanese izakaya”.  Other than the entranceway being papered in old anime and movie posters and the website looking like a Macintosh computer screen, if Mac screen’s had neon colors back in the 80’s, it is unclear how this restaurant relates to the ‘80’s.  Certainly, the dimly lit Victorian style bar/restaurant space has no neon lights.  dancerobot serves yōshoku style Japanese food, which is a style of Western-influenced cooking which began back in the mid-1800’s (not 1980s). The dishes are European dishes re-interpreted for the Japanese consumer, usually featuring Western-ish names.

The Cheesy Mentaiko Ommelette, which is an egg folded around Cooper sharp cheese with Mentaiko mayo on top of the egg, was good, but the cheese had such a strong flavor the Mentaiko was overwhelmed.  The Saba Shiovaki, grilled Norwegian Mackerel, was an excellent expertly grilled piece of Mackerel. 

Currently reservations are unavailable, so we got there at the 4pm opening hoping to grab some bar seats.  When we rolled up at 3:50, there was already a line of like-minded people, and we were lucky to get the last two seats at the bar.  A lot of dancerobot’s hype is due to it being the new restaurant from the team at Royal Izakaya and Sushi, but the stated concept seems to have gotten lost in the execution and food is good, but not yet living up to the hype.  We had a few dishes and then went to South Gate to finish our night of eating.

The Dumplings:  The Ebi Chili Gyoza are pan-fried flat dumplings filled with chunks of sweet fresh shrimp, served in a puddle of vinegar flavored soy sauce.  Separately the dumplings and the sauce probably would have tasted excellent, but when served together the dumplings got sodden in sauce, which becomes overpowering, and the gyoza wrappers lost their crunch.  This dish would have been much better if the sauce were served on the side for dipping.

Sorry the photos are pretty bad, dancerobot is dimly lit so it is hard to take photos

The Age Takoyaki was the best dish we ate at dancerobot.  These octopus balls are prepared with a sauce of brown butter and fish sauce and are adorned with caramelized fried shallots and bonito flakes.  The funk from the fish sauce and the crunch from the fried shallots were the perfect complement to the creaminess of the interior of the fried balls.  Each of the Takoyaki contained a generous portion of slightly chewy octopus. This was a great dish.

The Location:  dancerobot is on the 1700 block of Sansom street, in Philadelphia’s Rittenhouse neighborhood.