Craft Izakaya
99 Krog St., Atlanta. 470-355-9556, craftizakaya.com. $$$
Jey Oh, the young sushi chef who has brought new life to old-timey Sushi Huku, tries his hand at a different kind of Japanese dining.
An izakaya is, essentially, a glorified bar with a boisterous menu of tasty bites to stopper up the booze. The food — presented on a multi-page menu filled with glossy photos — is legit, with a few far-out challenges. But there are enough easy-to-like dishes for folks new to the charms of an izakaya.
Try a dish of takoyaki — crisp batter balls filled with bits of chewy octopus. Then sink your chopsticks into the grilled yellowtail collar, which is as good as any in town. Add some assorted Japanese pickles and skewers of charcoal-grilled chicken, pork belly, beef tongue or duck. But save room for Oh’s excellent sushi bar creations.
Barkeep Nate Shuman does a bang-up job with Far East creations and classics alike in a bar that faces the as-yet unfinished interior of Krog Street Market. It’s the hippest construction-zone watering hole in town.
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