Jeff S.
Yelp
I came into Yakitori Kona on a whim. I came out here by mistake and wandered around a for a minute. When I realized where I was (an area I visited as a 23yr-old on a bar-hopping venture), I instantly remembered some fun stories that I simply cannot share here. However, as I wandered around, I found myself gravitating towards the Japanese-esque decor. I really quite like the dark-alley look that the bar exudes while being a prominently placed corner bar.
Oddly enough, with the interesting variations between high-end and back-alley bars and restaurants in this little corner of Atlanta, the general public seems to range from absolute vagrant to college students to business people. It's a really interesting combination of people from many different backgrounds- which speaks to Atlanta's population.
Anyhow, the bar itself is dark, but has easy-going rock, pop, and "oldies" playing at a medium level while the cooking equipment gives off quite a bit of sound since they use wood charcoal for their stove and a professional kitchen hood (fan and exhaust).
The back walls and all above the bar are lined with bottles of interesting liquors, shochus, wines, and all manner of things of niche value.
The dark-stained countertops and tables add to the darkened theme. The low lighting lanterns keep everything you NEED to see we'll-lit and they have plenty of light behind the counter.
The drinks are their specialty. They use "clear ice" that they chop into usable blocks for drinks. I had the "Live A Little" (rum, lime, bananaberry, and goat cheese foam) as my final drink before departing. So we'll start at the end. I quite liked this drink and was surprised at how mild it actually was while still being intoxicating. The garnish of a fresh, juicy, and sweet blackberry was delicious. The mint leaf was mostly for looks, but if you drop it into your drink and muddle it around a bit, you get a nice little lift to the flavor. I also finished my meal with the "crunchy hand roll" which was fresh, super crunchy, and very flavorful with the fresh fish inside it.
I had their pork belly, dark chicken meat, and shishito pepper skewers as my main dish. They were very good- with soy sauce. Otherwise, they were just mediocre. The salty soy sauce brought out the meatiness of the pork belly and the rich charcoaled meaty flavor of the chicken very well. I can't really recommend their dipping sauces at all. I tried the meat with the spicy Korean ketchup, and the other two, but honestly- all of them made my shishito peppers and chicken taste like cheap hotdogs fresh off the grill (not something you want). I started my meal with the Takoyaki (with which the sauce - on it -worked very well) and they used Kewpie mayonnaise + what I'm assuming was a type of barbecue sauce. It had a tiny little spicy kick and the octopus inside was cooked almost perfectly. 90% of the octopus popped when biting into it. They could have (maybe) been a bit more piping hot- for those looking for the ones that basically burn your mouth into oblivion, but honestly, they were the perfect temperature for popping the whole thing in your mouth instead of taking bites. I did both. Both are good ways to eat takoyaki.
Prior to my meal, I ordered the "Highfalutin Sour" (Michter's Rye, lemon, pecan orgear, Strega, and Angostura Bitters) which was sour, sweet, but with a nice bite. It was a good start to a good small-bites-meal.
I SPENT $129 (including tip) on just me. So, this place is kind of up-there on being expensive considering the type of foods they serve.
However, everything was good (aside from the dipping sauces), the customer service was good, and the bar crawlers were the type you can have conversation with, without having to worry.
Definitely give Yakitori Kona a shot. They're new, they're aiming for quality, and I think they deserve their corner spot.