Comparison of Bay Area's Two Legendary Izakaya Spots 🏮

Rintaro Just from the number of photos, you can probably tell which one I prefer 😉 Their oden is outstanding—house-made stuffed shiitake, fish tofu, purple sweet potato fish cakes are all unique. The daikon (radish), which everyone raves about, was just okay—basically stewed radish, something you could make at home.💕👌 Rintaro’s dishes give off a thoughtful, sincere vibe. Even a simple vegetable salad stood out with its mix of bitter microgreens and grassy freshness, paired perfectly with hazelnuts, duck breast, and kumquat—all harmonizing beautifully. The yakitori quality is solid, though the chicken oyster wasn’t as tender as I’d hoped. After trying Torien in NYC, I feel like the Bay Area still hasn’t quite nailed yakitori yet.🙌😍 Ippuku A pretty average izakaya—nothing blew me away, but nothing was bad either. For yakitori: chicken skin and gizzard were good, chicken heart was a bit tough, and chicken oyster was out of stock.😂👍 The Bay Area has plenty of great izakayas, and if you’re just after yakitori, Kokko is also a decent choice. Ippuku didn’t have any standout appeal… except for the Japanese-only menu at first glance, which raised expectations only to leave them unmet 😅 Edit: It’s been two years since I last went to Kokko (and I haven’t been back since—not because of the food, but due to a poor dining experience involving customer harassment of waitstaff and unpleasant encounters in the parking lot). Proceed with caution if you go… #BayAreaEats #Izakaya #Rintaro #Ippuku #JapaneseFood #Yakitori #Oden #FoodComparison