Yakitori Kokko

Love taking visiting family to Kokko for special dinners! We made a reservation and got seated in the outdoor area. Heat lamps and no wind, you will forget you're outside! we got an array of skewers: unagi, shishito peppers, chicken hearts, pork belly, beef kalbi, chicken skin, and wagyu - $17/wagyu was melt in your mouth amazing, savored every bitesides/extras: takowasabi, edamame, chicken karaage, tako karaage, Takoyaki, unagi don highlight: unagi don and tako wasabi stomach filled up and bank account went down, was it worth it? yes! I loved the yakitori experience of eating and drinking with over conversation. Small plates are great to share and try a little bit of everything

Came here for a late Valentine's Day dinner with my husband, sister & her husband. We made reservations last minute and snagged a table luckily! We were seated outside but luckily they have outdoor heater lamps so you won't feel cold. They give you a 90 minute limit so make sure your whole table is here on time bc they will let you know when it's time for last order etc. Yakitori Kokko has variety of meat for you to try from chicken cartilage, beef tongue, chicken skin, meat ball, heart, chicken thigh etc. They also have seafood like scallops, shrimp, quail eggs as well. I wish they had more veggies though like shishito peppers is something I love but they didn't have it unfortunately on the menu. (Bummer!) We also had variety of starters as well. Just FYI - many of the portions are on the smaller side.Takowasa (octopus with wasabi sauce): It comes in a small bowl and was pretty yummy! The wasabi sauce is not too strong and I fairly enjoyed it! Nankotsu karaage: fried cartilage! It's delicious and crispy! Daikon salad: It was very refreshing! The sauce was house made and it was a bit sweet but delicious! Tori soborodon: Ground chicken with egg over rice. I thought it was okay, I don't think it was anything special. Everything was delicious but keep in mind, it's definitely not cheap. With all the yakitori we ordered, bunch of appetizers and few years came out to be $400.

Great Yakitori place, staffed w/ Japanese cooks and servers if you want that full Japan immersion. They have a nice interior where you can see the chefs from every seat and an outdoor area heated by lamps.Parking is rough and if you cant find anything in the small lot next to the restaurant you can drive up the street And park in the public structure about 2 blocks away.They have an outdoor patio that unfortunately the staff has to exit and enter the main door to get to. It is heated so don't worry on a cold night.Found some cool menu items here that are worth trying. They have hitsumabushi which is rice with a tea broth and unagi in top. It's a rare find in this area and we ordered it immediately, very good on a cold day. Next level would be Nagoya style Hitsumabushi to try the Unagi 4 different ways.A5 Wagyu Korokke: fried crispy potato ball with small chunks of Wagyu in it, would have liked some carrots inside as well but it was tasty and came with matcha for dipping. Skewers were all excellent, the skin especially was very well cooked aand crispy and soft. We've had it at some other places where it tasted more leathery.

Such a fun cozy spot! Pretty much everything was tasty so enjoy exploring the menu and following whatever your gut is telling you that day. The meats were all good, but my favorite might have been the eggplant. Service was pretty quick. Kind of in a random location but it's worth a stop.

The first time I visited 12 years ago, my now husband took me here and I can see why! I'm still coming here whenever we're visiting from socal. The food is always consistent, the waiters are kind and friendly and it feels like I'm back in Japan when I step into this little shop.I've tried a lot of things here, but my favorites are the gyutan, tori soboro don, takoyaki and nankotsu karaage. The gyutan is tender and never chewy. I also always do salt seasoning on my skewers. It's not common to to see Tori soboro don so I always grab it. I love the way the raw egg tastes with the ground chicken and rice. Nankotsu karaage is also something I don't see often but Kokko always does it well so I'm happy to order when I visit. I'll be back during my next visit!

My only picture was only a fraction of the meal but wow this yakitori spot is a gem. Food was fantastic. The chicken cartilage is very enjoyable if you prefer some crunch of soft bones. You can ask for kewpie mayo on the side as well if thats up your alley.The daikon salad was refreshing, craveable. Tasted slightly pickled or acidic. We had the intestine soup as well as the tuna cod roe soup, both of which were superb (dashi stock base). Some of my favorite skewers of the night had to be the scallop, crispy chicken skin (either flavor), gizzard. Frankly there is no bad choice... a great restaurant to try new cuts of meat since everything is seasoned and cooked to perfection.Service was quick and very attentive. We sat outside but the heaters kept the outside seating environment toasty!

Kokko has to be considered a institution in Downtown San Mateo right? I've been coming here for years, and it's still a super solid place. Flavors are great. Some of my favorites that I always order: Skewers: - Pork Cheek- Beef Tongue- Chicken Meatball- Chicken HeartDishes:- Ankimo (Monkfish Liver) - Tako Karage- Black Sesame Ramen All the salads are great also. I like sitting outside since it can be loud inside if you're trying to have a conversation. Service is always friendly.

My favorite Yakitori spot in the peninsula! Definitely make a reservation to avoid waiting. The food and drinks always hit the spot, and you really can't go wrong ordering anything. My favorites are:* takoawasa* pirikara cucumbers* nankotsu karaage (fried cartilage)* fried calamari* takoyaki* agedashi tofu* yaki onigiri* black sesame tan tan men* torisoborodon* okra* cherry tomato* shishito pepper* chicken liver* beef kalbiCalpico soju and beer is normally me/my partner's choice of drink with the food, pairs great with alcohol!

Amazing gem tucked away in San Mateo. This spot is a winner for yakitori and many other Japanese dishes. The yakitori was absolutely delicious, tender meats, super flavorful, and grilled to perfection. The chicken karaage was one of the best I've ever had. It was tender, crispy, incredibly well seasoned.Pretty much everything was a winner here.It gets crowded, so make a reservation.

I came by a second time and my experience here was equal or even better than the first! Great vibes and amazing quality food. The interior is similar to a Japanese restaurant, slightly dim and wooden panels with handwritten chalkboard menus. Tables sit smaller groups easily; if you have a bigger group you probably will need to wait a while. I personally like their menu ordering system of writing down the quantity of each item we wanted. Food comes out fairly quickly, at least the small appetizers first. Alllllll the food is delicious. From the shishito peppers to even vegetarian skewers. Bacon wrapped enoki is genius. Honorable mentions: takoyaki, beef tongue skewer, agedashi tofu. Price is slightly steep but I shouldn't complain because of how tasty everything is. My group of 4 ordered around 3-4 appetizers, ~5-6 skewers each, small rice dish, and a pitcher of beer. Total with tip was around $45. If you're looking for a fun casual dinner hangout, this is a good choice!