Moku Yakitori-Ya

This yakitori hole in the wall is such a cozy neighborhood gem! We came on a rainy Friday around 6 pm and were seated immediately. We liked sitting at the bar to watch the chef cook all the skewers, and the stickers, surfboard decor, and music created a chill "underground" ambiance. Everything was perfectly cooked and well-seasoned, and the smoky flavor from the charcoal grill was nice and aromatic but not overpowering. The meats were so tender with my favorites being the Hokkaido scallop and chicken gizzard. The beef tongue, squid, chicken thigh with green onion, and smoked salmon belly (it was cool to get this cut) were great too! From the non-skewered part of the menu, we loved the fluffy and chewy kira mochi and crispy maitake tempura. We sprinkled some matcha salt, pepper, and Togarashi spice for additional seasoning. Our server was so kind and gave us a fun complimentary skewer of candies for dessert. I can't wait to come back and try the pork belly, octopus, and more!

True local spot, you know the place is going to be on the list of go backs, when you're having shots of sake with the owner and server! Mushrooms, hamachi collar and meatball skewers were a few of our faves, The vibe was chill and reminded me of cozy spots in Japan where you can strike up a convo with the table next to you.It checks all the boxes for a relaxing night out!

Cute and cozy yakitori place that mainly consists of a long bar and two tables that seat 6 each in the back. My friend and I ended up sharing a table with another party since we were 2 and 3 people. The food was good overall and very filling with just a few skewers, although some items seemed a bit too burnt. I did find that I kept wanting water, needing to flag down the waitress a few times to ask for more. I would just end up drinking the small cup of water in just one big gulp, so I wished they could offer a bottle to just refill on our own.

On a chilly Friday evening, after a nice little volleyball open gym, I decided to go to this restaurant. I had joined the waitlist for a party of 2 around 7:50 and the wait ended up being ~30 minutes. Upon entry we were greeted by the cozy environment and the eccentric server. With too many great options available, I asked for the advice of those sitting next to me, at which point they replied saying that everything was good. So, with no help, I ordered a number of options. They came out after a little wait and were all delicious. I would get the pork belly again and the flavor on the unagi was great. I would definitely come back again; I just wish it wasn't so loud, so that I could fully engage in conversation. Otherwise it was a great experience with great people.

Came to Moku Yakitori-Ya at 7pm to celebrate a friend's birthday on a Thursday, and we were lucky to snag the last table at the very back of the restaurant. We've passed by many times in the past and have always wanted to come try it out because it always smells AMAZING just walking by the outside. It's really dimly lit inside and has a great neighborhood hole-in-the-wall atmosphere, and the walls and densely decorated with posters and art. The waiter was super friendly and you could tell that there were a lot of regulars that come often by the way he would recommend them new specials or ask about something they had mentioned before. He checked in often and service overall was great!We definitely wanted to try everything on the menu and started off with some beers; the lucky cat yuzu ipa, and a calpico rice lager that was on the specials menu. Each was $11, and both were delicious - I'd love to know where I could buy more of the calpico beer. Bincho Tataki ($19): smokey, a little fatty and melt in your mouth fish garnished with the perfect mix of chili crisp, green onion and white onion. Momo Chicken ($10), Buta Bara ($8), Hokkaido Scallop ($11), Sunagimo Gizzard ($9): all of these skewers were amazing in their own way, and seasoned to perfection. My favorite is definitely the hokkaido scallop, which was just so tender, sweet and flavorful. There's some seasonings at the table you can use to dip the skewers in too if you'd like, though they were all already so flavorful from the smoke and spices that it came with.Tako Wasabi ($9): we were curious; this is raw octopus cut up in to pretty small pieces that had an interesting mix of somewhat slimey exterior with chewy and chrunchy interior. The wasabi taste wasn't super strong or spicey, and the sweetness of the octopus really shines. Everything we had here was delicious, and I'd love to come back to celebrate another occasion! Definitely on the pricier end, but the atmosphere, service and food make it all worth it. Highly recommend checking it out!

Came to this place today and found the menu is totally changed. Very disappointed. No more lamb. No more Abalone. Price is higher too.

Chef Richard was great, he knows how to grill yakitori well!!! Come here for the underground-surfer-yakitori-bar-vibe. I told them they need more surf boards hanging off the ceiling to complete the look! :) We ordered the beef tongue and it was really moist and flavorful. Smoky ambiance but the flavor is definitely in the air. My wife loved the pickled veggies including the ginger which happens to be baby ginger (that's why it's so damn flavorful)! They had sparking sake which we loved, nice and smooth.We'll definitely be back!

Delicious variety of skewers along with a nice gritty atmosphere. It seems like the menu gets changed up quite a bit. There are no physical menus, so just take a picture of the chalk board to decide what you want to eat. We got a variety of skewers. And they were all pretty amazing. The kiri mochi was so chewy and gooey, but the sauce it came with was not great. It was a bit too lemony. We also got pork belly, chicken gizzard, beef tongue, scallops, chicken thigh, okra, shitake, and oyster mushroom skewers. Everything came out so quick and grilled so well. The scallops had a nice crispy edge. Beef tongue was tender, and pork belly was crispy and moist. But the most scrumptious dish of the night went to the grilled saba. It's dry aged and marinated. So it's such a flavorful, oily bite. In the end it came out to be about $50 per person for 3, so it's not a cheap meal, but it's good.

An old Japanese-style izakaya in the heart of SF, like the ones in Japan, has a living menu on a board hanging on the wall. Everything must be ordered from that menu and that menu only, which is one of the reasons I'm not a big fan of these types of places. That being said, we enjoyed the different tastes and textures the menu had to offer and the graciousness of our host and server.BB

Good quality food in a quaint environment. The couple running the show were friendly and helpful. Everything we tried was good but the steak yakitori and karage stood out.