Ippuku

Cuisine Japanese
Price $$$$ (51-100)
Rating 8/10
Last Visit May 18, 2025
Location SFBA: Berkeley + Oakland
General Notes

I had one of the best experiences with yakitori that I've ever had at Ippuku. Everything about the yakitori is so well executed. The charcoal flavor that's imparted is perfect. The crispy skin, the tender / juicy inside, and the flavor of the tare. My favorites were the beef tongue, chicken skin, and thigh oyster, but honestly everything else was pretty excellent too. They have a lot of other offerings on their menu too, but the yakitori is definitely the highlight, I'd recommend focusing on that if you choose to come.

They also have three types of seating:
- standard booth seating -- this is exactly what you'd expect
- "tree house" seating -- this is a small, somewhat enclosed / private seating arrangement for up to 2 people. Warning: you'll be seated side by side facing the walkway and very close (it's pretty cramped). This is also the seating I had; I went with my gf and I enjoyed the coziness / intimacy.
- counter seating -- right in front of the yakitori grill. The yakitori grill emits a LOT of smoke so I wouldn't recommend this unless you're ready to take a shower immediately afterwards and you don't mind getting your clothes smoky.

It's definitely on the pricier side, good for a special occasion. It can be a little hard to get reservations for this place.

Dishes Tasted
  • ★★★☆ cabbage + spicy mayo starter -- It's a free starter that they give to everyone, it's basically a wedge of raw cabbage, served with a spicy mayo and topped with some togarashi, sesame seeds, and other crunchy things to add some texture. It actually tastes pretty amazing considering it's just raw cabbage and spicy mayo.
  • ★★★★ (various) chicken yakitori -- we ordered the omakase kushi and a few others separately (thigh oyster, skin, heart, gizzard). They were all good but my favorites were the skin and oyster! Super tender, well balanced flavor, and the skin really crisps up perfectly.
  • ★★☆☆ Bacon Wrapped Mochi (bekon-mochi) -- pretty good, but the mochi is a touch too soft for my taste and it could use a little more juiciness / flavor from the bacon.
  • ★★★★ Beef Tongue (gyu-tan) -- this was INCREDIBLE. So juicy and flavorful; the charcoal flavor really shines through.
  • ★★☆☆ Yaki Onigiri -- grilled rice ball with tare; decent but not particularly noteworthy
  • ★★☆☆ Negi Yaki -- scallion pancake with toppings. This is like okonomiyaki, except with just a ton of scallions and not much else (no filling). It's solid but not particularly noteworthy.
  • ★★☆☆ Uni Carbonara -- This was one of their spring specials. Udon, cream sauce, and some uni dolloped on top. Decent but not particularly noteworthy, as with most Asian carbonara it doesn't really bear much resemblance to actual carbonara, in my opinion