Set into a tiny nook at the intersection of Virginia and North Highland avenues, Yakitori Kona glows like a little hunk of the binchotan charcoal that powers its Japanese grills.
The newest restaurant from Alex Kinjo, who also runs nearby Mai Kitchen, Yakitori Kona is a study in doing more with less. The bar and restaurant took over the minuscule space previously occupied by Callie’s Hot Little Biscuit, yet it serves an impressive array of cocktails and a surprisingly robust menu of mostly grilled items.
Saturated in black and red (representing charcoal and fire) and dimly lit with Japanese lanterns, the restaurant makes a powerful first impression.
Credit: Yakitori Kona
Credit: Yakitori Kona
The space is so small at Yakitori Kona that the bar and kitchen are one and the same. Still, the layout seems efficient, and the restaurant feels full and buzzing, even with only a few diners. As the night wears on and the place fills up, the volume predictably rises, and the service can slow down.
With its late-night hours (open until at least midnight) and kitchen limitations, Yakitori Kona is more of a drinking establishment that happens to have good food. The cocktails hold up their end of the bargain, with interesting options that feel creative without becoming overly esoteric. The drinks also come in a range of prices — a refreshing detail when so many other cocktail menus seem to price every drink at $18.
Some drinks use labor-intensive ingredients, such as the $20 Eh, What’s Up Doc, which has fresh carrot juice and a sophisticated coconut-washed tequila. The resulting cocktail, also flavored with ginger and honey, pings with energy, but is richly textured.
Credit: Yakitori Kona
Credit: Yakitori Kona
In contrast, the Monte Carlo is a simple riff on a Manhattan — made with Benedictine, rather than sweet vermouth. The three-ingredient cocktail, made with Bulleit bourbon, costs $13, an appropriate price for a drink that poses little trouble for experienced bartenders.
Another drink essentially is a classic daiquiri that has been topped with a luxurious but subtle goat cheese foam, which tastes much less weird than it sounds. And there’s a cocktail that is a bit like a citrus-forward pisco sour, using flavors of grapefruit, orange and lime.
In a more familiar vein are the Edge of the Barrel, which is a bit like a smoked Old-Fashioned, and a Japanese whisky cocktail made with ginger, honey and burnt orange.
Credit: Yakitori Kona
Credit: Yakitori Kona
Meanwhile, Yakitori Kona’s kitchen mainly produces three categories of food: grilled skewers, cold dishes and rice. Starters — including squid salad and the delightful Kona salad, topped with crispy chickpeas and pickled daikon, alongside other fresh veggies — are excellent.
But the skewers are the main attraction. Every skewer is grilled to order, so your results may vary, but they are terrific, for the most part. Juicier cuts of meat tend to do a little better over the searing hot yakitori, so dark-meat chicken tasted superior to white meat on our visits. Offal, such as chicken hearts, often is available and takes on excellent flavor on the grill.
While it’s hard to go wrong with any of the skewers, the seafood at Yakitori Kona really sets itself apart.
The eel is so savory and tender that it’s a wonder the meat doesn’t just fall off the skewer. And the lobster might be one of the best ways to enjoy the shellfish, with hunks of meat taking on a crispy exterior char while remaining tender inside. This version of lobster keeps the distinctive sweetness and succulence of the meat while adding texture and flavor through the yakitori process, and it’s far more complex, and tastier, than most broiled or steamed preparations.
Credit: Yakitori Kona
Credit: Yakitori Kona
The menu is split evenly between meat and vegetable skewers, and the vegetables get the same care and attention as any of the meat dishes. Recent options included cherry tomatoes, with beautifully blistered skins; a hearty Mexican squash; and tender local mushrooms.
Vegetarians easily can get a full, satisfying meal at Yakitori Kona, and the menu is gluten-free, except for dessert, the delightful stuffed “waffles” shaped like fish, called taiyaki.
In the face of quite a few limitations, Yakitori Kona is a triumph of coolness and creativity. It’s a place you’ll want to return to over and over again.
YAKITORI KONA
2 out of 4 stars (very good)
Food: grilled Japanese skewers
Service: efficient and friendly
Noise level: moderate to loud
Recommended dishes: squid salad, Kona salad, grilled shishitos, dark-meat chicken skewers, chicken heart skewers, eel skewers, lobster skewers, lobster shishito with lemon skewers, all vegetable skewers, taiyaki (stuffed dessert waffles)
Vegetarian dishes: seaweed salad, assorted Japanese pickles, Kona salad, grilled shishitos, seasonal selection of vegetable skewers, veggie Kona box, taiyaki
Alcohol: full bar
Price range: $$ (less than $50 per person, excluding drinks)
Hours: 5 p.m.-midnight Tuesday-Thursday, 5 p.m.-1 a.m. Friday-Saturday, 5 p.m.-midnight Sunday
Parking: free street parking and paid lots nearby
MARTA: no
Reservations: no
Outdoor dining: no
Takeout: yes
Address, phone: 1004 Virginia Ave. NE, Atlanta. 404-343-1653
Website: yakitorikona.com
About the AJC’s restaurant review process: AJC dining critics conduct reviews anonymously. Reservations are never made in their name nor do they provide restaurants with advance notice about their visits. Our critics always make multiple visits, sample the full range of the menu and pay for all of their meals. When reviewing new restaurants, AJC dining critics wait at least one month after the restaurant has opened before visiting.
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