zoku

The kushiyaki were very good.I would recommend the very basic of mono (chicken thighs with yakitori sauce), tsukune (chicken meatball with Japanese Tare) and any of the seafood kushiyaki options.we had the Hofstra (Hokkaido scallops) and evil (Giant shrimp)finished with dessert as well.the chicken thighs were very well cooked. they maintained their moistness even towards the very center of the chicken thigh. I suspect brining was done well. the scallops and ebi were well cooked as well. scallops weren't tough At all.everything was grilled on top of charcoal to give a good chargrilled taste as well.service was impeccable. the waitress took her time to explain everything in the menu top to bottom despite the busy full booked restaurant.This is a good place for a quick beer drink and date out for some quick kushiyaki date. The lightning is perfect not too dark and not too bright.

First time here, friend made reservations for 7:30pm, and we were able to get seated right away. Small location but it made the ambiance great. Ordered some drinks and food and they were all great! The only downside, which I think is pretty big, is that they ran out of chicken thighs. And when their popular items are the chicken thighs, it was quite disappointing not to be able to try them all. They said they had one left, my friends and I still ordered the last one, because we really wanted to try it, however I wished that we all could've had our own skewers to try. Maybe come for lunch? Everything we ordered though tasted amazing, but I would've wished our first time experience allowed us to taste their different chicken thighs flavors. Staff were friendly and accommodating. Plenty of parking outside, however there's meters for all of them from what I saw, come prepared!

If you're looking for a cozy Japanese izakaya with bold flavors, Zoku delivers. The decor is minimal, with subtle Japanese artwork, creating a simple but inviting atmosphere. Parking is available in a pay-by-space lot, so plan accordingly. You can also make a reservation, we were there on a Friday night and it was quite busy. We started with the Spicy Edamame, a classic done righ! Tossed in a flavorful spice mix that had a nice kick. The Momo Spicy (chicken thigh skewer with spicy mayo) was a highlight--juicy, tender, and perfectly charred, with just the right amount of heat.The Giant Ebi Mayo was another winner: huge, crispy shrimp coated in a creamy, tangy mayo sauce that made each bite addictive. Shishito Peppers were such a unique flavor. With matcha curry salt were a surprise hit, the matcha added an earthy depth that balanced well with the mild heat of the peppers.One of the best dishes was the Spicy Karaage, deep-fried chicken with a charcoal sauce. The crispy exterior had an incredible crunch, while the inside was juicy and packed with a subtle smoky flavor. Definitely a must-order.The only miss of the night was the Yaki Onigiri--a grilled rice ball with fish flakes. It lacked the punch of the other dishes and felt a bit dry and underwhelming. Probably safe to skip.Overall, zoku nails the izakaya experience with bold flavors and great execution. If you're into crispy, spicy, and smoky dishes, this spot is worth a visit. I will definitely be back to try the rest of the menu

I love yakitori and based on the reviews I was so excited to try this place...but it was overall a big disappointment... First off, it's nice they offer reservations around on OpenTable but once I checked in, the hostess who sat us down said we only had one and a half hours to eat due to other reservations....i was fine with that but it seemed kind of rude to say that off the bat, especially when the restaurant was half empty....not to mention the service here is extremely slow.... Then, a young looking waitress with pig tails came by and asked us if we wanted to start with drinks and appetizers. Those came out pretty quickly but I had to flag her down to take the rest of the food order and we ordered onigiri and a bunch of skewers.... Then skewers came out and the first chicken wasabi one was VERY raw inside....i showed the waitress and she took it away and apologized but it made us so wary of eating the other chicken skewers.... And what's weird is that some of the other chicken skewers were overcooked and super dry & not very tasty.... Then, I noticed the waitress immediately bring out onigiri to the table right next to us that had literally just sat down but ours NEVER came out and when I asked the waitress she said she would check on it but never came back to tell us what happened.... Which I think is that she mistakenly gave our onigiri to the table next to us.... It took another 20 min for it to come out.... And it tasted off...the outside wasn't very crunchy and inside was pretty flavorless....And then to make things worse, I overheard the waitress tell the specials to the table next to us but didn't bother telling us about it at all.... Overall, the food was not very good and service is awful...my hubs really liked the chicken wings and I thought the green tea brûlée was the best thing here but it looked gross and really should've been in a ramekin...I don't think I will be ever going back here....theres sooooo many other really good yakitori places in the South Bay....What a disappointment.

Great ambience, friendly staff, and delicious food, zoku is a great example of an upscale yakotori restaurant without the interesting meat parts. Prices felt standard, though you can definitely get cheaper skewers at other places. I really wish they had the interesting meat parts like intestine, heart, and liver. We ordered:* zoku Salad - 9/10: their take on a Caesar salad, I love Caesar salads so this was an easy win for me* Yaki Onigiri - 5/10: disappointingly cold somehow, just tasted like overcooked rice* Momo/Mune Wasabi/Mune Ume/Mune Honey Mustard - 8/10: all solid skewers, I would recommend substituting the chicken breast with chicken thigh since it's jucier* Wagyu Premium - 7/10: juicy and flavorful, though I'm not sure if it's worth the price* Colorful Potatoes - 8/10: went well with the chicken* Chicken Liver Pate - 6/10: weird shell thing on the outside of the liver, wish it was just in skewer formIf you're introducing someone to yakitori restaurants for the first time, this is a great place as an initial start. Once they get the hang of delicious skewers, I would recommend trying offal meats elsewhere.

High quality food executed well consistently in a quaint but busy restaurant.I've waited until we've made several visits before writing a review. I believe this is hands down one of the best restaurants in the Riviera. We've tried at least 40% of the menu and haven't been unhappy with anything we've ordered so far. Favorites include: tsukune, wagyu, spicy chicken momo, mushrooms, hotate, chicken soup, karaage, zoku salad, brussel sprouts, and raw scallop for food also a huge fan of the green tea umeshu cocktail!Interior is nice and clean and no issues with service from the wait staff. Skewers can take while to come out depending on how other tables order, if your order gets caught behind a big party, be prepared to wait a while for the food to come out.Additionally, I don't love that (for the most part) you'll need to make reservations in advance/plan around dining here. It's really hard to casually walk in for dinner as the wait times can be insane, even on random week nights.

While the South Bay now has a ton of great Japanese restaurants, but getting an Izakiya by the beach is a huge breakthrough. Was really looking forward to checking this place out, and it delivered...for the most part. We mostly loved everything we ate. However, you pay a bit more for some items that would be cheaper at other Izakayas. Some plates (like the shrimp) were a nice combination of size, flavor and presentation. Over items, like the wagyu skewer and the scallop skewer, fell very short and were pricey for what we got. Won't be ordering those again. However, we will go back--there are plenty of hits on the menu, and I want to see this place succeed in the long term.

Really good!I'm so happy there is another Izakaya place in South Bay, and so close to our place to boot.Everything we ordered was very good. I felt like their chicken dishes were cooked really well, although nothing was amazing or super unique, they were all very well prepared and delivered. Even their salad was yummy.Service was also very friendly and attentive. Everyone had a smile on their face even though it was pretty busy on a Sat night.Very clean and modern decor, we will definitely be back.

Everything was delicious and pretty unique!My favorites were the "tofu" cream cheese with honey and toast, the A5 Wagyu skewer (special), the giant shrimp, and the Hojicha Panna Cotta. We also loved the karaage, Zoku chicken thigh skewer, shishito peppers, happy hour chicken wings, and Zoku salad.I can't wait to go back to try the Shime dishes and more of the salads and desserts!

Limited menu options which was nice and made it feel more special. Ordered 5 of the chicken skewers each which was too much of the same thing even with them all being different. I would recommend ordering more of a variety so that was my mistake. Zoku salad- basically Asian caesar salad. Delicious!!!! Would order again!! Loved the crispy wonton crunchies and sliced carrots in it