Yakitori Toriman
| Cuisine | Japanese |
|---|---|
| Price | $$$ (31-50) |
| Rating | 7/10 |
| Last Visit | March 8, 2026 |
| Location | SFBA: Santa Cruz |
General Notes
Yakitori Toriman is a pretty famous yakitori place. They used to have a brick and mortar shop, but it closed a couple of years ago and now runs ad-hoc by a retired guy, who does pop-ups sporadically, around once a week in Santa Cruz. Especially considering that this was done as a pop-up, the food is pretty incredible, definitely worth a visit. I think Ippuku is still marginally better food-wise but I do like the vibes of this place -- we visited on 3/8 when the pop-up was around a bunch of breweries (The Apero Club), sat outside in warm weather with some beer, it was amazing. A little on the pricier side though for sure
Dishes Tasted
- ★☆☆☆ onigiri -- the onigiri is pretty meh, convenience store onigiri is definitely better. But it's nice to have alongside a bunch of meat.
- ★★★☆ beef -- amazing with a little bit of mustard, this was actually an off-menu item
- ★★★☆ pork belly + onion -- amazing with a little bit of mustard
- ★★★☆ tsukune -- usually not a fan of tsukune, but this meatball was surprisingly delicious
- ★★☆☆ negima -- this one felt average
- ★★★☆ inner thigh -- super juicy + tender
- ★★☆☆ skin -- not quite cooked uniformly, the skin was a little soft on the inside, could have been a touch more crispy
- ★★★★ gizzard -- probably my favorite of them all, the gizzard texture was perfect
