watasi ha takoyaki yori yakisoba no hou ga suki desu ga, kinou no takoyaki ha oisikatta desu.

は marks 私 as the topic of the sentence: As for me...

So 私は sets up the speaker as the person whose preference is being discussed.

A very natural way to understand the beginning is:

• 私は = As for me / I

In Japanese, は often introduces what the sentence is about, rather than marking the grammatical subject in the same way English does.

This is a very common comparison pattern:

• A より B のほうが ... = B is more ... than A

So here:

• たこ焼きより = than takoyaki
• 焼きそばのほうが = yakisoba (more / rather)
• 好きです = is liked / I like

Put together:

• たこ焼きより焼きそばのほうが好きです
  = I like yakisoba more than takoyaki

Even though English says I like B more than A, Japanese often builds it as:

• Compared with A, B is more liked

In B のほうが, the の connects the noun to ほう.

• ほう literally means side or direction
• In comparisons, A より B のほうが... means something like
  the B side is more...

So:

• 焼きそばのほう = the yakisoba side / yakisoba rather

You do not usually drop this の here.
It is part of the standard comparison pattern.

This is one of the most common beginner questions.

In Japanese, 好き is grammatically closer to an adjective-like word meaning:

• liked
• pleasing
• something one is fond of

So the thing that is liked is often marked with が:

• 焼きそばのほうが好きです = As for yakisoba, it is what I like more

This is different from English, where like is a verb and takes a direct object.

You may sometimes hear を with 好き, especially in casual speech, but for standard textbook grammar, が is the expected particle.

が here means but.

So:

• 好きですが = I like ..., but ...

In this sentence, it creates a contrast:

• The speaker prefers yakisoba to takoyaki,
• but
• the takoyaki they had yesterday was delicious.

This is a very natural Japanese way to say:

• I prefer yakisoba to takoyaki, but yesterday's takoyaki was delicious.

Also, ですが sounds polite and smooth.
It often feels softer than a blunt English but.

Here, の links 昨日 and たこ焼き.

• 昨日 = yesterday
• 昨日のたこ焼き = yesterday's takoyaki / the takoyaki from yesterday

This の is working like an apostrophe 's or a noun modifier in English.

Other examples:

• 今日のニュース = today's news
• 日本の文化 = Japanese culture
• 友だちの車 = my friend's car

So 昨日のたこ焼き is simply the takoyaki from yesterday.

Using は makes 昨日のたこ焼き the topic of the second clause:

• As for yesterday's takoyaki, it was delicious.

This works well because the speaker is now contrasting two ideas:

1. I prefer yakisoba
2. but yesterday's takoyaki was delicious

If you used が instead, it would sound more like you are specifically identifying yesterday's takoyaki as the thing that was delicious, rather than presenting it as the topic of the clause.

So は fits the contrast and flow very naturally.

Because the speaker is talking about a specific takoyaki from yesterday.

• おいしいです = is delicious
• おいしかったです = was delicious

Since it refers to what they ate yesterday, the past form is needed.

This is the past polite form of an い-adjective:

• おいしい → おいしかった
• polite: おいしかったです

For い-adjectives, the past form is made by changing:

• 〜い → 〜かった

So:

• おいしい → おいしかった

Then add です for politeness:

• おいしかったです

A few more examples:

• 高い → 高かったです = was expensive / was high
• 寒い → 寒かったです = was cold
• 早い → 早かったです = was early / was fast

Yes. Very often, Japanese leaves out 私 when it is obvious from context.

So this would also sound natural:

• たこ焼きより焼きそばのほうが好きですが、昨日のたこ焼きはおいしかったです。

Japanese often omits subjects and topics when they are already understood.

Including 私 is not wrong at all—it just makes the speaker explicit.

In the pattern A より B のほうが..., A is the comparison standard and B is the side being judged as more something.

So:

• たこ焼きより = than takoyaki
• 焼きそばのほうが = yakisoba is more...

If you reversed them, the meaning would reverse too.

For example:

• 焼きそばよりたこ焼きのほうが好きです
  = I like takoyaki more than yakisoba

So the order matters a lot.

Yes, historically and literally, ほう means something like side, direction, or way.

In comparisons, it does not usually need to be translated literally.
It functions as part of a set expression:

• A より B のほうが ...

A natural English translation is usually just:

• B is more ... than A

So while ほう literally has the sense of side, in practice you should learn this whole pattern as a comparison structure.

Yes. The sentence does not say the speaker dislikes takoyaki.

It says:

• in general, they prefer yakisoba
• however, the takoyaki yesterday was tasty

So the nuance is:

• Generally, I like yakisoba better than takoyaki, but that particular takoyaki was good.

This is a nice example of how Japanese can contrast:

• a general preference with
• a specific experience

Not in exactly the same place.

This sentence uses が to connect two clauses within one sentence:

• ...好きですが、昨日のたこ焼きは...

You could split it into two sentences and use でも at the start of the second one:

• たこ焼きより焼きそばのほうが好きです。でも、昨日のたこ焼きはおいしかったです。

That means:

• I like yakisoba more than takoyaki. But yesterday's takoyaki was delicious.

So:

• が = clause connector inside one sentence
• でも = often used at the start of a new sentence or statement

Both can express contrast, but they are used differently.

No, not exactly.

好き is usually treated as a na-adjective or adjective-like noun.

That is why it behaves differently from English like.

For example:

• 焼きそばが好きです = literally closer to Yakisoba is liked / I am fond of yakisoba

This is also why particles like が appear with it instead of the sentence being built like a normal action verb.

So even though we translate it as like, it is not a verb in Japanese grammar.