Ippuku
The yakitori list runs thigh oyster, tail, neck and shoulder, so somebody in the back is breaking down whole birds. The grill is binchotan.
Why go
The MICHELIN inspectors gave it a Bib Gourmand and described what the skewers do: those specialty cuts, plus breast rolled with shiso and salted plum, all arriving juicy and beautifully seared, fresh off the binchotan.
1 The entrance is deliberately low-profile, so low that the guide warns you will walk past it. It is a $$ room doing $$$$ butchery.
Order this / avoid
- Order: the odd cuts first, because they are the reason to be here. Then the panko-breaded oysters,
crisp on the outside and with a creamy interior,
and the fresh yuba with ankake sauce and wasabi.1 - Avoid: walking past the door, which the guide warns about in as many words.
What locals & experts say
- MICHELIN Guide California, Bib Gourmand:
Yakitori is the big draw here.
1 - The same inspector, on the room:
With its low Japanese-style tables, extensive woodwork and enormous selection of sake and shochu, it feels like a slice of Japan transplanted into a corner of downtown Berkeley.
1
Good to know
- Booking: recommended. Downtown Berkeley on a weekend fills up.
- Timing: dinner, and it runs late.
- Getting there: Center Street, two minutes from Downtown Berkeley BART.
Verdict
should-visit — A Bib Gourmand on a Berkeley yakitori counter that sells thigh oyster, tail, neck and shoulder, which means somebody back there is breaking down whole chickens and using the parts most kitchens throw at stock. The grill is binchotan, the guide says so, and that is the reason the skewers come off seared rather than steamed. There is a long sake and shochu list to drink through, and the price band is $$, which for this much technique is the argument. Held below must-visit because the guide is the only witness this entry has.