Gotetsu - Kushiyaki and Sake House — Restaurant in Ventura

ちょっと! おもてなしじゃない! We were here 2 years ago and had a wonderful meal and experience and were really looking forward to coming back. Things have changed. The ordering system (download the menu and order through the app) absolutely gutted any human interaction. If you think you're going to get Japanese style hospitality here forget it. The owner and staff were indifferent at best and downright cold the rest of the time.

The food: Eggplant was way undercooked. Filet with shiso ponzu was perfectly cooked but had no shiso flavor. The pickles were superb but the owner told me they come from the Japanese grocery store, not house made. The jalapeño yaki onigiri? soggy. The chicken thigh with "citrus pepper" (yuzu kosho dumbed down for us) was way overcooked, dry and tough. The shiitake were the standout, a skewer of 4 meaty fresh shiitake, sweet/salty/umami goodness, so good we ordered a second skewer and it came with 2 mushrooms instead of 4 - diminishing returns! The icing on the cake is where you pay through the app and are forced to tip at least 18% (for absolute rock bottom...

Quick Summary Pretty cool to have a Yakitori place in Ventura at a central location. Street parking only. Food was decent (although a bit overcooked). Make sure you book a reservation because they are a bit shorthanded (it appeared to be 3 total staff members running the whole restaurant!)

Food- 4 stars Ordered the chicken skin, shiitake mushroom, Japanese eggplant, rib eye, chicken thigh with leak, squid and an assortment of specials. I liked the rib eye, chicken skin, and chicken thigh the most. The food was mostly overcooked but salted perfectly (the staff did seem overwhelmed).

They had Asahi, Sapporo and Suntory draft available, so it was great to have them along with our yakitori meal

Service- 5 stars The staff were attentative as they can be, as they appeared understaffed. Really appreciate all the hard work they put in

Bottom Line Book a reservation even during weekdays. It's awesome to have a yakitori spot in Ventura and don't have to drive too far if you...

My SO and I love this place. It's authentic and has great vibes. The chefs and owner are all kind and super friendly. My SO loves coming here for their specials (she loved the ramen nights) but they seem to do them way less frequently now (or shes having a harder time seeing the special nights on their instagram). Dont let that convince you that this place is bad! The skewers and other small dishes are all great. It's a great place to get some sake and authentic Japanese bar food that reminds me of our time in Japan. It can be pricey depending on what you order and there is such a wide selection. However, we can honestly say that we've been here dozens of times and everything has been great so far....