Aku’s BBQ: This San Jose Pop-Up is All About Smoky Yakitori | Eater SF

"A yakitori and izakaya pop-up bringing flame-kissed skewers and grilled onigiri to breweries and wineries from Berkeley to San Jose, in operation since 2020. Equipped with a butane torch and a handheld fan, Alec “Aku” Ku chars scallops, beef, and chicken skewers over a charcoal grill, searing them quickly so they remain juicy and tender on the inside instead of drying out. He adds personal flair through his toppings and marinades — for example, a chicken thigh skewer made with Sichuan tare and balanced with a bright, spicy hit of yuzu kosho — and he sets the vibe by putting on a cooking-show-style performance with puffs of smoke and dancing flames. The operation includes a rotating izakaya menu with items such as yaki onigiri (a seared ball of sushi rice topped with tamago furikake and ikura, described as “a chewy umami bomb with a slight crunch on the outside from the scorched rice”), prawn toast (shokupan stacked with tiger prawns, Ora King salmon, cheese, kewpie mayo, basil, and green onions — fresh, rich, and showcasing a dynamic between crunchy toast and creamy topping), and seasonal offerings: Japanese beef curry bowls and Taiwanese lu rou fan in cold months, salads and fermentations in warm months. Ku tailors menus to events (for a hot, loud nightclub he served a bold, spicy smoked pork belly with pickled plums and grilled, pickled Jimmy Nardello peppers alongside a frisée salad for contrast). He started weekly yakitori pop-ups in 2020 as a way to feed family and friends during the pandemic while working other jobs, learned by cooking at places to gain professional-kitchen experience, and draws inspiration from watching Japanese cooking shows with his mom and from yearly visits to Taiwan’s night markets. “Yakitori is something I’ve made all my life,” says Ku, “My family loved to do backyard barbecues.” “The menu is a little bit seasonal and also depends on the mood that I’m in,” says Ku. “During the winter, I did a lot more hearty dishes, things that really reminded me of home.” In March 2025 he quit his most recent kitchen job to run the pop-up full-time, and he adds, “I don’t have plans on being tied to a brick and mortar any time soon,” says Ku, “I just want to be able to do this, but a little more sustainably on my health and the business — it’s a little bit of a pirate ship." - Octavio Peña