Shin-Sen-Gumi Yakitori -Gardena

This is hands down the best ramen place I have ever eaten and ever will. Shin-​Sen-​Gumi has set the bar so high that no other ramen can compare. There is usually a wait to get in, which comes to no surprise — they are just that good. While waiting, you have the option for you and your party to select your ramen choices on a paper if you already know what you want. You can customize the thickness of the noodle, the strength of the soup base, as well as choosing your add-​ons to your heart’s content.
The staff is active and the restaurant maintains a very Japanese appeal from the greeting upon your entrance to the loud, bustling atmosphere of happy customers.
No other ramen will ever meet my expectations, thanks Shin-​Sen-​Gumi!

The place is pretty casual. I went with my boyfriend and the staff shouted «irrashaimase», which is a way of saying «welcome» in Japanese — I totally loved it!
We started by ordering the chicken thigh with onion, which was tasty and not too salty.
The chicken meatballs were my favorite — it reminded me of the pork filling with scallions in a pork dumpling, but made of chicken. Many other yakitori places that I’ve tried this at, I found the meatball to be tough, but the ones here were perfectly moist.
I also liked the chicken skin, but it could’ve been cooked a little better, so that the middle was crispy and not just the outside.
The chicken gizzard was a little over salted and a bit too chewy for my liking.
Overall, I would say that it was a really great experience. In part, because of their food, but mainly because they had impeccable service.

It’s good! Really, really good. But can’t give it a 5 star because Torihei is still my favorite. There is almost always a wait and the line usually starts even before the restaurant opens.
It’s very loud in here but pretty typical for this kind of restaurant. The dishes are best paired with some ice cold beer so you’ll see lots of tables with pitchers of beer. Love their chicken wings!
Tip: skip getting dessert here. Instead go next door to Kansha Creamery for some good ice cream!

Awesome place! This place isn’t your typical Japanese joint! Right from the start they have a little warning sign that says «sorry we don’t serve ramen here» which I think represents the vibe from this restaurant.
The moment you walk in you are greeted (more like shouted at) in Japanese. We were sat and we ordered bunch of food! They are served on skewers so the portions are small. We came during happy hour so it was affordable.
The vibe to this place is just unreal. Everyone having a good time even the servers! They talk to each other in Japanese even though one was white and other was Hispanic. So crazy!
If you’re in for a little something different, then you must try this place.

This is our favorite yakitori place in southern California. There is also a Shin Sen Gumi yakitori branch in Fountain Valley as well that is similarly good. The place gets pretty busy on the weekends, so it’s better to arrive early. It is laid out in a typical yakitori style with a single charcoal grill area where one cook grills all the yakitori options. When you enter, you are greeted in the typical loud fashion by everyone in the restaurant.
Most of the yakitori options are very good. Particular favorites are the chicken gizzards, pork intestines, chicken meatballs, pork belly and chicken thigh with green onion. There are also a variety of bacon wrapped options and a variety of beef options.
The cream crab croquette is a particularly good side dish, much better than the typical potato croquette. It is creamy with a hint of crab, with a crispy panko crust. We tried the takoyaki which was only okay. We would skip this next time as there are better takoyaki offerings elsewhere.

This is THE place for yakitori in Los Angeles. From the same people that brought you Shin-​Sen-​Gumi Ramen is their Yakitori offering. It’s a bit of a drive and the wait can be FOREVER, but the food is worth it. They’ve got a great selection of food, great Kirin beer to go along with it as well as a few select hot plates you can order from the kitchen. I definitely recommend the chicken kaarage here; juicy and moist, chunky, and extremely crispy. They also have good lunch specials if you’re in the neighborhood and are much less busy. Do bear in mind though that their lunch menu is decidedly smaller.
The yelling can get a bit too much sometimes and the place sometimes can make you a little claustrophobic because when they get busy they’ll pack you in like sardines. Because of that I think the max you should bring to this place is maybe a car load of people (think more 4 than 5). If not you’re going to be waiting a VERY long time.
I also wouldn’t recommend coming here on a very empty stomach here because a few sticks of meat here and there combined with some alcohol can run your tab up quite a bit.
Despite all that If you go with a couple friends for a late night or a regular dinner you’re going to have a good time.

This was our the last stop en route to the airport so expectations were low but in our minds we definitely wanted to finish on a high.
Yakitori was my go-​to dinner during my few weeks in Japan a couple years back. There’s something about barbeque meat and an ice cold beer; so carnivorous and satisfying. Only the Japanese are somehow able to make this into a delicate affair.
We didn’t know what to expect coming in as we were perplexed how there was a waiting list at the door for a restaurant seemingly in the middle of no where (a chain restaurant too). But our options are limited as it is in the middle of nowhere so we dove in.
This place is loud and not somewhere you would want to hold a genuine, heart to heart conversation. The staff seemingly yell out randomness in Japanese frenetically one would wonder how their vocal cords held up. Yes, it can get noisy and annoying after a while so don’t plan on staying too long.
However, if you can look past all that what you have here is some incredibly delicious food on skewers. Some of the best I’ve had anywhere including this cuisine’s motherland of Japan. Every piece of meat, seafood and vegetables well seasoned, perfectly charred and absolutely divine. The food was so complete and well rounded I have absolutely not a single criticism. Some of the stuff like beef, pork belly and pork intestines are outright addictive and should come with a warning label to avoid over-​consumption.

I loved every single shin-​sen-​gumi place I have tried until this place.
I do love yakitori and beer food but maybe not for a full course dinner. Yakitori is grilled food on a stick and each stick price ranges from $ 2 to $ 6 dollars. You can eat the food on the stick with some vinegar cabbage with some draft beer. Each stick come with 4 1″ inch pieces.
We ended up coming here for dinner and we order a lot of food because we didn’t think we can get full of the food on stick.
My biggest complaint was the EXTREEMELY LOUD STAFF who has to yell every single thought in Japanese. No exaggeration, it was the most uncomfortable food experience I have ever had. Every single 5 – 10 seconds at least one person was yelling something in Japanese, whether its from welcoming new guests, for check, new order, good byes, anything that they’re thinking about they SHOUT it to the whole restaurant. If one person shouts a chain reaction starts and the rest of the crew shouts the exact same thing. I have been to plenty of Japanese food places, from sushi, to bars and this staff was extremely over the top with their shouting.
This place is extremely small as well so as they walk behind you they just shout the same time over and over the whole time you’re there.
Everyone was clearly overwhelmed with their shout level and you couldn’t even communicate with your friends because the servers and cooks are literally shouting the whole time.
The food came out to $ 30 a person without any drinks.
The food on the stick is something I recommend for a late night snack. This is not a place to come talk with your friends because your voice will be dominated by the whole staff shouting in japanese throughout your whole stay. The only yakitori i liked was the enori mushrooms.
We ordered a huge range of yakitoris — enori mushroom, chicken gizzards, lamb, chicken with green onion, steak, pork belly, pork and sweet potato. All the food was medicore, bland, and lightly toasted and greasy. Not a place to enjoy a meal.
I highly highly recommend for you to bring your ear plugs.

This place is Good!
the yelling seems to have gone down a bit.
they used to yell at you all the time.
hopefully they have mellowed out a bit.
a little pricey but good over all.
good happy hour.
I recommend.
not good if you are a vegetarian.
good if you like meat on a skewer.
come check it out for lunch or dinner or later.

Sorry KKBQ, i’ve got a newfound love for Yakitori! This place is amazing and the staff is great. You get a real Japan-​vibe, especially with the robust ambiance and loud chatter. (So it may not be the best place to have a deep or personal conversation with someone, ha!)
I have only been there in time for dinner but the usual things I order are the Chateaubriand steak, Pork Belly (The Sakura Pork Belly is also good, but for pricing purposes this broke college girl has to make her sacrifices), Kobe Beef, Filet Mignon, and Takoyaki (which is probably the best i’ve ever had, tbh).
I’m from the SFV so this place is definitely worth the drive and I always look forward to having it whenever i’m around the area!

Wow! Loved it here! What a fun place that serves good quality yakitori and a place with incredible energy, liveliness and stellar service from the entire staff. Everything, and I mean everything was excellent. We enjoyed high quality, tasty karaage chicken, takoyaki, filet mignon, finger steak, jumbo shrimp (outstanding presentation) and grilled chicken (best with wasabi jalapeño paste and oil) to name just some of our favorite selections. Service is on point, prompt and extremely friendly. You are greeted with a loud «irrashaimase» welcome upon arrival and high energy continues to flow throughout the restaurant and all during your meal hearing the entire staff enthusiastically yell out orders and thanking customers as they leave. They offer a robust menu of yakitori, appetizer selections and specials each evening. Perhaps they could offer another sparkling wine other than the cheap Rotari but despite that, dining here is a must and a guaranteed fun time. Wait time may run long since this place is popular but it’s worth it. You won’t be disappointed!

We have been to Shin-​Sen-​Gumi Shabu Shabu a few times, that’s why I wanted to try this place too. Went on a random Thursday night, called in advance to ask how long was the wait, they said the counter was open, but they don’t take reservations. Ok, no problem we waited about 3 minutes, got seated at a table in the far back, they wouldn’t let us sit at another empty table in the middle, we had no idea why??? Later on some ppl were seated there, thought they said NO reservations at this place??? Obviously that table was reserved for some dining ppl they knew! Very UNPROFESSIONAL indeed!!! NOT happy at all!
As usual we started off with 720ml Tokubetsu Junmai cold sake. Liked the complimentary cabbage salad, very refreshing.
Yakitori we tried:
scallops, jumbo shrimp, chicken neck skin, chicken gizzards, Kobe beef, fatty beef, quail eggs, bacon wrapped Chinese chives and asparagus, shishito peppers and fried tofu.
Loved the jumbo shrimp, huge shrimp, fresh and meaty, so good. Fried tofu was very tasty too. Others were OK, not flavorful enough, maybe that’s why they recommend use that green pepper with vinegar.
Regular dishes we tried:
Albacore tataki, salmon carpaccio, fried potato, soft shell crab and soy ramen.
The raw was fairly fresh, soy ramen was not good at all, the broth was very bland, potato and soft shell crab were OK.
Hubby wanted to try Chawanmushi steamed eggs, our sever forgot to put the order in, this dish takes 15 min. to make, we were finishing our meal very soon so we just canceled it, hubby was very disappointed!
Minus the missed order, service was on point, attentive and very polite. But we didn’t like the food too much, everything was a bit bland, had to use that green pepper on everything, it felt like I was eating that green pepper the entire meal.
So this restaurant didn’t work for us, the food was just alright, and we weren’t happy about not being able to sit at where we wanted even though they said it was a first come first serve restaurant and it was NOT!
NOT coming back! Sorry but NOT sorry!

We have been to Shin-​Sen-​Gumi Shabu Shabu a few times, that’s why I wanted to try this place too. Came here on a random Thursday night, called in advance to ask how long was the wait, they said the counter was open, but they don’t take reservations. Ok, no problem we waited about 3 minutes, got seated at a table in the far back, they wouldn’t let us sit at another empty table in the middle, we had no idea why??? Later on some ppl were seated there, thought they said NO reservations at this place??? Obviously that table was reserved for some dining ppl they knew! Very UNPROFESSIONAL indeed!!! NOT happy at all!
As usual we started off with 720ml Tokubetsu Junmai cold sake. Liked the complimentary cabbage salad, very refreshing.
Yakitori we tried:
scallops, jumbo shrimp, chicken neck skin, chicken gizzards, Kobe beef, fatty beef, quail eggs, bacon wrapped Chinese chives and asparagus, shishito peppers and fried tofu.
Loved the jumbo shrimp, huge shrimp, fresh and meaty, so good. Fried tofu was very tasty too. Others were OK, not flavorful enough, maybe that’s why they recommend use that green pepper with vinegar.
Regular dishes we tried:
Albacore tataki, salmon carpaccio, fried potato, soft shell crab and soy ramen.
The raw was fairly fresh, soy ramen was not good at all, the broth was very bland. Grilled potato and deep fried soft shell crab were OK.
Hubby wanted to try Chawanmushi steamed eggs, our sever forgot to put the order in, this dish takes 15 min. to make, we were finishing our meal very soon so we just canceled it, hubby was very disappointed!
Minus the missed order, service was on point, attentive and very polite. But we didn’t like the food too much, everything was a bit bland, had to use that green pepper on everything, it felt like I was eating that green pepper the entire meal.
So this restaurant didn’t work for us, the food was just alright, and we weren’t happy about not being able to sit at where we wanted even though they said it was a first come first serve restaurant and it was NOT!
NOT coming back! Sorry but NOT sorry!

i really like it here! they have a great selection of skewered meats, chicken, shrimp and veggies. its quality is well known, so there’s often a solid wait outside. once inside, it’s friendly and inviting!
But most of all, it’s really loud! Louder than truck traffic! Louder than your boyfriend’s snoring! EVEN LOUDER THAN TYPING IN ALL CAPS!!! What are the chefs and waiters yelling at each other? Probably, «I can’t hear you – it’s too damn loud in here!!!

Authentic yakitori but also have grilled pork and fish and wagyu. The chicken liver is done right – creamy. The chicken gizzard, heart, skin, wings were all very good. Cannot go wrong with the yakitori. We had salmon belly and the skin was crispy and the meat still moist and tender. Also had the okonomiyaki and croquette – not quite authentic, a bit different, but still good and would order again.
Many have complaint about the noise and I believe its because people are not drinking enough. I looked around and not many people have drinks on the table. It’s yakitori. It’s suppose to be casual and a bit smoky and you’re suppose to drink! Sorry, I had a drink — I was loud.
Service was a bit lacking as our waiter was slow to refill water/​tea but the food came as ordered. The chefs don’t speak much English so if you want some chef-​interaction, go to Benihana. Otherwise, stay, order some weird stuff, and if the chef likes you, he might give you a recommendation.
Expect $ 50-​$ 60/​pp with drinks. Go early. Go with people you like. Order weird stuff. Drink sake (hopefully nothing made in ‘murica). Bring a DD. Best yakitori short of going to Japan.

Don’t get me wrong the food is good but why 3 stars you ask? Because the portions are tiny, the food takes foreverrrr and I never even got all of the food that I ordered. You will not be full of you order less than 8 skewers for yourself, unless you eat very little in general.
I was very happy that it was warm in here because it is freezing out and they have a small bench and no heaters for the sad cold souls who wait for their names to be called.
It is very LOUD up in here so don’t come here on a romantic date. Come here if you’re hanging out with someone who you already spend a lot of time and already caught up. Don’t plan on having a deep, moving conversation about your life with anyone here. You should be doing that at a café or something.
The service is pretty good. They try to be attentive and check up on you. They yell once again when you ask for the check. So look forward to that I guess.
Plenty of free parking. Yay~
Might be back might not.

Take advantage of the happy hour — Good selection at good prices
Menu: Good choices on the. Lots of option. my favorite is Kobe beef and chicken liver
Décor: Very clean and tasteful. They are busy so make the reservation. Try the ice cream from next door while you are there
Staff: Courteous and friendly — Stuff is loud so be ready for that
Did not like: Nothing to complain about. My favorite Yakitori in LA
Will go back: Yes
Recommend: Yes

Trying to find a place to eat on Christmas Day is significantly less impossible now, thanks to all the Asian places in Gardena. Of all the Asian places, Yakatori with happy yells is by far the most festive.
They were out of a lot of stuff on the holiday, but what they had was great. Quail eggs, for example, are always amazing, but they’re that much better when they’re wrapped in bacon. Roast Garlic goes great with everything on the menu.
I love the texture of Chicken Cartilage, and I love it skewered AND fried. The Fried Baby Octopus is another not-​too-​greasy option if your craving batter.
The Pork Belly and Beef Tongue are classics — no meal feels compete without them.
The Sausage is kind of generic, but it goes well with really juicy Shiitake Mushrooms and medium-​rare Flap Meat.
Intersperse all that with bites of crispy Rice Ball. It also contrasts really well with chicken skin.
I love Shinsengumi Yakatori, even when it’s not a holiday. They keep it simple, and what you see is what you get. Their warm-​and-​noisy casual atmosphere is welcoming, and what you get is the freedom to sit back and savor each skewer. Just don’t forget to wash it down with beer.

Really wanted to give this place 5 stars, but I’ll have to give it 4 instead. I feel if I go here a few more times, I’ll truly be able to give it 5.
Here are my thoughts written in a pros and cons
+ REALLY GOOD
+ REALLY REALLY GOOD
+ LOUD NOISES
+ LOTS OF CHOICES TO CHOOSE FROM
+ GOING A BIT DEAF
+ DID I SAY REALLY REALLY GOOD YET?
— But seriously it was really loud
— a bit expensive on some items
— felt cramped
Overall it was an amazing experience. i love these types of restaurants where you feel so emerged in the restaurant. I felt the owners of this place did a real great job with making sure you felt welcomed in this environment.

As I walked into this restaurant, I was greeted by chants and greetings by the entire staff. Shin Sen Gumi –Yakitori, (there’s so many versions), is the closest to going to Japan, without going to Japan.
Lots of skewers to choose from, and each are cooked really well. It does crowded, and they do run out of certain items (which is a sign that they do really care about meats and there is high demand). I would definitely recommend ordering a different variety of items. Don’t limit yourself to one type of meat!

Why are there so many 4 and 5 Star reviews?! I think I was robbed of the original experience I was supposed to receive. I also never received the complimentary salad/​cabbage. Well that’s a shame.
About 10 minutes or so after putting my name and party number on the list, the hostess came out and informed me that the wait would be too long and recommended we go to their sister restaurant (hot pot next door) and that we would be able to dine there with the full menu from the yakitori restaurant, however, we would have to purchase a hot pot. I’m thinking to myself… if I wanted hot pot, I would’ve already been over there. But we decided to go next door any way and only because my friend said he would pay for the hot pot.
The food was good, what struck me as memorable was the Chicken Skin, Soft shell crab, Scallops, and Chicken Meatballs. The Chicken Meatballs were the best. Everything else was good, but not mind blowing for the hype and price this restaurant was offering.
The shabu shabu we ordered was just okay. Quite bland actually.
Our server was nice but the food and everything was coming out very slow and at an uneven pace.
Being my first time, this place was okay but I think next time it’d be better to eat at the actual restaurant. I don’t think I was able to fairly judge this place but not even the food blew my mind. Oh well, nice try. It’s a shame it was so disappointing.

First I was afraid, I was petrified. Never had gizzards before.. try the first bite it was crunchy. By the next few minutes I already ate 2 skewers of the gizzards! That’s some delicious gizzards there.
They have great lunch specials and their Angus beef/​steak bowls are so good! I come here often with my coworkers for lunch and dinner. Great atmosphere but at dinner time they are loud. Screaming greeting customers in Japanese. It gets a little annoying and it’s hard to have a conversation. It’s a small place and because of the bbq, it can get hot and stuffy in there at times. But the food is very good. So good food wins! Lol

I cant review on as much thing as i usually try this time but the things i did try i really enjoyed.
I went with the ramen soup, chicken meat balls, chicken skewers, and the gyozas all of these items where good the flavor was there. I really liked that the items are small because you can try alot of items, even though that wasnt the case for me yesterday :(
I will be back an next time i will be looking forward to trying alittle more of everything

Loved all the yakitori dishes! I tried the chicken meatball, chicken gizzard, pork with shiso and ordered more chicken meatballs! They are so moist and addicting. The cabbage they give you in the beginning made me feel healthy, with it being lightly soaked in ponzu and a little bit of spice (yuzu kosho). The salmon bowl was small but tasty, and the mentaiko rice ball was a highlight (mainly because of my love for burnt rice and the texture of the rice ball overall).
The atmosphere is a little loud, but the bustling energy is exciting.
Definitely coming back here for the yakitori! There is usually a wait to eat here, but worth it!

Two words… Yum-​mo! Popped in for a yakitori lunch and I know for sure I will return again. Today’s lunch was a variety of grilled deliciousness… chicken thighs, asparagus, mushrooms, onions, shrimp, chicken livers, chili peppers (spicy yes!), all perfectly grilled and very tasty. I couldn’t get enough of the spicy yuzu sauce and the seasoning spices.
Loved the fun and active atmosphere, service was swift and friendly.
I noticed some of the other meals seemed to look better than the one served just before it and made a note to try the salads and bento or bowls. Can’t wait to visit again soon.
It gets busy at lunch time and I hear dinner is even busier… but the food is so fresh and delicious, it’s worth it even if you must wait.

The first thing you will notice about Shin-​Sen-​Gumi is how freaking loud it is. A cacophony of loud Japanese, drunken patrons, and the slight crackle of the grill provide an atmosphere that’s uniquely it’s own. It’s almost so loud you can barely hear yourself talk. Shin-​Sen-​Gumi has various locations and each serve different types of Japanese food (ramen, yakitori, shabu-​shabu). This particular location featured yakitori, The wait time on a Saturday at 9:00pm was around 30 – 40 minutes. Parking lot is large but can filled when it’s busy. Definitely avoid weekends or prime dining hours, as they don’t flip tables fast here.
You order your food on a piece of paper similar to a sushi bar. It comes out on tiny skewers containing 3 – 5 pieces of grilled protein. The flavors were excellent throughout, the grilled Kobe style beef and pork belly were the real winners. Although it was $ 10 for two tiny kobe skewers, it was well worth the delicious juiciness. Bill usually ends up around $ 60-​$ 70 for two people without drinks. It can get pretty expensive for anyone with a monster appetite.

What da heo??? It’s 6PM and there is already a wait?! Well I’ll be damn! This place MUST be legit!
Okay, so like what everyone said. this place is loud! Like. really really loud. Screaming at the top of their lungs loud. So this wouldn’t be a good place to have a conversation. But you don’t come here to talk. You come here to GRUB! Do your talking while you’re waiting for a seat or after dinner. You will have lots of time to talk while waiting. about an hour long wait. lol. But once you’re seated, be ready to chow down!
Food: Ordered some salmon onigiri, prime beef skirt, chicken meatball thing, chicken skin, pork belly, and flap meat. Holy damn the food was good! All the food was cooked to perfection. Everything just melted in your mouth. So so so good!
Got a pitcher of beer on the house. woot woot!
Sat in the bar area. Luckily no one was sat on the left side of me or I would probably keep elbowing them.
Service: Everyone is friendly and attentive. All the waiters speak Japanese. So I was a little overwhelmed with everyone speaking Japanese. Luckily my friend speaks Japanese well enough to communicate with them. lol
Parking: Parking lot is pretty small. And after 7 the parking lot was pretty packed.
Price: Pricey. So I’ll be back on the next payday. ;)
The Wait: Like I said, its about an hour wait. The place is pretty small. But don’t worry. It’s definitely worth the wait!
They also run out of meat. So I would recommend coming early. Wait no. Don’t listen to that! Be very very very late! lol.
Will I be back? HELL YEAAAHHH! This place is bomb! Gotta try the other meat! And if you speak Japanese, I’m bringing you here too! loll!

Small place, but it’s delicious!!! I remember the good old days, when they used to have a line during lunch time to get seated. But, ever since they extended the restaurant, there is hardly a wait. If you sit in the «original» side, you are seated in a small smoky dining area, with wood chairs. You can see the chefs cook your skewers. It’s definitely worth seeing and experiencing. (Although you smell like food all day long, which might be good. Haha). The «new» side is newly renovated with nice chairs and furnitures. I love having the chicken skewers. My favorite is the skewer plate with chicken meatball and thigh. I think that the meatball is juicy and flavorful. The plate also a comes with salad, soup, and rice with chicken. It’s also very affordable and not too expensive.
This last time I came here, I had the pork belly bowl. The pork belly was nicely seasoned and juicy. They added a little spice to it, so it evened out the flavoring nicely. You can also have the option of adding the egg. I think I might skip the egg next time as it was a little too runny for me. But, overall, I loved the bowl. And, next time, I am going to have a hard time deciding between the bowl or skewers.
They have a few deals during certain days, so definitely come during those days for a better deal!

Being a fan of Japanese food and of bbq skewers, it is surprising that I only discovered Shin-​Sen-​Gumi Yakitori recently. It’s even more surprising because I’m such a fan already of their sister restaurants Hakata Ramen and Shin-​Sen-​Gumi Shabu-​Shabu.
I was hesitant at first thinking this place might be expensive but boy was I was wrong. I was so impressed with their very affordable lunch options. There combos are $ 8.50 to $ 11.00 and come with rice and miso soup! My friend got a Shin-​Sen Gumi combo plate and it had 2 skewers of bbq chicken, fried chicken and fish! It was one impressive and tasty plate!
Their combos are amazing but their specials are something not to be missed! The day I came they had a lunch special menu with baked curry rice, seafood fried noodle and chicken and onion egg bowl. I tried the baked curry rice and was presented the most delicious baked bowl filled with eggplant, chicken soboro and cheese with poached egg!
The prices are excellent! The food is excellent! The quality is excellent! I definitely will be back to try out more of their dishes.

My anxiety level shot up high the minute I walked into this establishment. This place is LOUD and PACKED! We were greeted by the entire staff in their native tongue and as loud as their voice boxes allowed. Wide-​eyed, we took the open seats at the counter. Whew! No wait.
We perused their menu while getting startled every now and then with the yelling across the restaurant. I think they just yell out the orders while the main chef/​grill master throws down the yakitori. This is a pretty accurate method, as our orders came out timely. Everything we tried tasted yummy! They started us with complimentary cabbage salad, then we ordered baked muscles and gyoza for appetizers, we tried some yakitori tofu and beef filet, and shrimp tempura. They have limited items on certain skewers, once they run out it’s off the menu. For dessert we ordered their crème brûlée. This is not their specialty as I’ve had much better elsewhere. The top was way too burnt.
I remember seeing they have a happy hour pretty late as well. Sometime during my dinner, I began to have fun and less anxious. I have never been to Japan but I imagine many restaurants are like this. Talk about casual-​not-​at-​all-​fancy-​dining! Overall I enjoyed this experience. It was different and definitely not what I expected. The yelling and the sound level never mellowed out, it remained the same all throughout my stay but I ended up having tons of fun here! Will return again.

~~~“Irasshaimase! Welcome!~~~
My friend and I decided to check this place out since I’ve never been here. Also, my favorite ramen place is still Shin-​Sen-​Gumi Hakata Ramen. I must warn you that this place is extremely LOUD. Definitely NOT for intimate dining. All night long, customers are given greetings & words of appreciation shout outs in Japanese. It’s best to make a reservation. We got lucky and walked in on a Tuesday night.
1.) I LOVE small bites, à la carte, and tapas style dishes. A variety of savory eats?! Yes Please!
2.) My FAVORITE place to sit is at the counter, where the magic happens! Oh Yaya!
We ended up at the counter, seated next to Henry-​san, a regular here, and his female guest. He had noticed it was my first time here as we were looking over the menu. Right away he humbly mentioned he wanted my first time here to be special and ordered additional dishes and drinks to try. He even bought a round of drinks for the employees! I was told it was customary in Japan to do so.
Yakitori –meats and/​or veggies on a skewer.
They are evenly cooked using charcoaled wood, which enhances the flavor. I’ve tried using charcoal wood at home and boy, it ain’t easy getting it started & keeping it going!
Here are the following items we devoured:
Complimentary cabbage salad in yuzu citrus dressing.
Special Heart (chicken) $ 2.75 x 1
Cartilage (chicken) $ 1.95 x 2
Pork Belly &1.95 x 2
Beef Tongue $ 2.35 x 2
Quail Eggs wrapped w/​bacon $ 2.75 x 2
Gizzard Skins $ 2.50 x 1
Asparagus wrapped w/​bacon $ 2.50 x 2
Ginkgo Nuts $ 1.75 x 1
Shishito Peppers $ 1.25 x 1
Shiitake Mushrooms $ 2.50 x 1
Roasted Garlic Cloves $ 1.75 x 1
Kani Cream Croquette (crab) $ 5.25 for 2pcs
Kinoko Salad $ 5.75
green salad w/​mushrooms
Onigiri umeboshi x 2
rice balls wrapped w/​seaweed, plum seed
Comps from Henry-​san:
Charteaubriand Steak (Limited) $ 8.50 x 2
Beef Tongue $ 2.35 x 2
Another round of Sapporo Biiru
Everything we tried was very delicious. I’m glad we got to try the chateaubriand steak… it was sooo good!
My overall experience here was exciting! I can imagine myself in a small hole-​in-​the-​wall yakitori joint in Japan with great vibes.
Thanks to both my buddy for bringing me here and Henry-​san for this unforgettable first time experience! Kanpai!!**