i + sakaya = izakaya!

The name "izakaya" is a combination of the word "i" (to sit) and "sakaya" (sake shop), and these are popping up all over town. Recently, Izakaya Sozai opened in the Inner Sunset offering an array of traditional Japanese pub food, beer, sake, sochu, and RAMEN!


This most recent trip was two weeks in the making... AH, SL, and I were going to order our hearts out and take advantage of the informal liquor locker system at Izakaya Sozai (you basically order sake by the bottle, and if you have any left over... they'll keep it for you until your next visit).

As you walk into the restaurant, you immediately notice how small the place is. Though this results in a cozy and warm atmosphere, if lines are long, you immediately wish for a bigger waiting area. In fact, the front door/entrance is so poorly designed (frosted glass door opens into the restaurant, where no more than five to ten people can stand and wait in the way of the door) that we got door slapped about a hundred times by people trying to escape the frigid sunset night. Since we are here to talk about food however, we will let that slide.

On a positive note, I liked the fact that the kitchen was open, which had the added benefit of making the restaurant appear a little bit bigger. Moreover, the light from the kitchen contrasted nicely with the warm and earthy tones from the rest of the restaurant.

Izakaya Sozai Kitchen

Sake Locker!

As I mentioned earlier, AH, SL and I were super excited to get our ramen and sake on. Around 8:30pm, AH started sending us cryptic messages, which probably meant that he wasn't going to make it. We should have assumed it, but SL and I decided to order for AH anyways (in reality, we just used him as an excuse...), just in case he decided to show up... So here is what we got...

House Chicken Wings

The house chicken wings were definitely a winner. The sauce was sweet and tangy, and the chicken was tender and juicy. At the end of the day, I prefer the chicken wings from Shanghai House, but these were good nonetheless. Perhaps, we should have tried the dry fried chicken wings...

Nasu Dengaku (grilled japanese eggplant, sweet miso)

This was probably one of my favorite dishes of the night. The eggplant was smothered in the sweet miso and melted in your mouth. It was superbly prepared and was a nice balance between smokiness from the grill and sweet earthiness from the caramelized miso. This was a perfect starter to go with my Saporro.

Chicken Gizzard Yakitori

The yakitori wasn't a stand out, but was still good. It was simply cooked and met my expectations. On the whole, the crispiness of the chicken gizzards added some much needed textural elements to our dinner, which was welcomed. I might also mention that the yakitori complemented my beer the best!

Ritsu Tonkotsu Ramen

Some have touted that the Tonkotsu Ramen at Izakaya Sozai is the best in SF. I might have to agree. The broth was rather complex in flavors. You could definitely taste the richness of the pork bones and collagen-rich tendons, which made for a delightful experience. I haven't made up my mind about how this compares to Santouka... but it is definitely in the running for best in the bay.

Takoyaki (battered octopus with tonkatsu sauce)

These takoyaki were delicious hot balls of goodness. They were light, fluffly, and crispy. The bonito flakes and tonkatsu sauce added a nice balanced flavor. The only complaint was the lack of kewpie...

Sweet Butter Corn

As you all know, I love corn, so ordering the sweet butter corn was a no brainer. The corn was sweet and delicious and was perfect for adding into my ramen.

Buta Kakuni (braised pork belly)

The braised pork belly was also another standout of the dinner. It was accompanied by a small clump of spinach and a huge dollop of fresh wasabi. The pork was perfectly seasoned and cooked, and literally melted in our mouths. The glorious layers of fat and broth were the perfect combination that in my opinion defines umami.

Hamachi Carpaccio

The hamachi was fresh and had a nice spicy kick. It was simple and refreshing. It reminded me of the Goi Kampachi that I used to have with AK at Bong Su, which was a nice trip down memory lane.

Overall, this was a great and memorable meal. AH should be sad he missed out... hahaha. Next on our list is O Izakaya Lounge! We'll see how that stacks up.

Izakaya Sozai 4.5/5