We called to ask if they could accommodate a table of 8 30 minutes prior to our arrival. The staff were super friendly and did their best to do so in a small and cozy restaurant. Don't come hungry! The restaurant serves small bites meant to be eaten with beer, so it will get pricey if you order a lot. Skewers are all grilled fresh and service was quick. My favorites were the beef tongue, kalbi, scallops, chicken wings, and garlic pork belly. The miso pork belly was spicy! A little too spicy to enjoy. We had the special, an assortment of sashimi including otoro which was fresh and tasty. I thought the squid appetizer was just ok, not too flavorful. Overall a nice experience, but I wouldn't recommend for large party. The bill came out to about $50 per person after tip and most of us were not satisfied. I would be willing to come again as a splurge date night though.

Best place to try yakitori in the south bay, i have been to many places in the LA area but nothing beats this one. Chicken liver and gizards are always my favorite items, it compliments with Sake. The meat is evenly cooked and well seasoned and all skewers are served with salt or the sauce.

Super good yakitori. All of the food was so fresh and cooked so well. The chicken breast was so juicy and tender. All the different seasonings were great. Prices good for what you're getting. Great service as well. Small location so make a reservation or be prepared to wait for a spot at the bar.

Vibe: Cozy chill atmosphere Food: Unagi skewers with poached egg 4/5 -very umami Bluefin carpaccio 3.5/5 - dont get it if you dont like onions (green onion, red onion, fried onion). Large slices of fish that serves 2-3 people Chicken thigh 4.5 We got both the garlic and sauced chicken. Overall very juicy and has some parts of chicken skin which enhances the flavor Beef tongue negi 3.5, large slices love the green onions on Oroshi kalbi skewer 2.5 - not as flavorful as we thought it would be Hotate scallops 4 - good quality can taste the light smoky charcoal flavor, tasted even better with the lemon. Yaki onigiri with ikura and salmon 2.5/5 - I wish it was crispier - I liked the shishito leaf - Not enough filling Service: service is good you might wait a bit for the food but i think the quality makes up for it. Very solid. Would come back again.

Monkfish Liver 5 soft, pasty, sour sauce, seaweed Diced Duck Steak 3 sous vide duck breast, seared on grill, red wine sauce, not juicy, medium flavorful Ayu Sweet Fish 1 grilled tiny whole fish, bitter Chicken Gizzard 3 crispy chewy, salt Chicken Liver 3 soft, slightly bitter Kalbi 3 too chewy, medium flavorful Beef Tongue 5 chewy, tender, flavorful scallion sauce Scallop 4 medium rare, not sweet enough

We came to Gaku after multiple recommendations, and we agreed that it's the best yakitori we've been able to find in south bay/peninsula. There's limited seating so it's best to come early or call ahead to reserve. We came in at 6pm on Friday and no wait for bar seating (tables were full). But it's comfortable at the bar/more space than you'd think and a lot of fun. Staff were so warm and helpful - they walked us through the menu and how to order skewers by checking off the items we wanted. Our favorites were the large intestine, pork belly and liver - so flavorful. Between two hungry eaters, we ordered around 8-9 skewers each plus rice bowls and drinks. Yakitori is generally more expensive - came out to around 100$ each incl tip - but well worth it. Already can't wait to go back!

One of the best places on the Bay Area for Yakitori. Frequent patron for at least the last 8 years, and service is still top notch. Food is consistent in quality and taste from the charcoal grill. The servers time different parts of your order to ensure the best experience, with thoughtfulness of ramen as the final course to fill you up. Skewers: kalbi, hearts, liver, mushrooms. Faves: liver and mushrooms. Kalbi is a great 2nd place tender and flavorful... but it's because it's kalbi and always tender. Menu items: duck breast- yes it's pricy, but I rarely see delicate tender duck breast cubes on the menu. Rice onigiri...perfectly crisped and lightly seasoned. Ramen: good finisher, filling, broth is average. Clams: as expected. Boiled and in dash broth. Good warmer for the tummy as an appetizer. Music is still on par, and a great place to get drinks, and well made yakitori.

Came to Gaku for yakitori with a group of 5 people and we ordered a bunch of skewers to share along with some appetizers and rice. The highlights were the yakitori of course - we loved the negi beef tongue, oroshi galbi (with grated radish with ponzu), and pork belly! We also ordered some apps and dishes to share - the hamachi collar was unfortunately cold when it got to our table and more steamed than grilled. There wasn't much flavor and really let us down. We also got the otoro sashimi (5 pieces for a little under $50). The fish was very fresh but not as fatty as I usually see, it was closer to chutoro. Overall we found the non-yakitori items to be just ok. For pairing with the skewers, would highly recommend getting ontama rice (rice topped with a poached egg with kombu sauce & scallions). It's simple but so good and great to complete your meal.

Tried this place, after hearing so many great reviews about their Japanese skewers! The skewers pictured are: - Garlic chicken thigh (this was ok, the pieces were not consistent in terms of meat) - Garlic pork belly (‍my favorite, a must try. very tender and perfect seasoning) - Miso kalbi or kobe-style beef (another favorite, so soft and tender!) - Plain onigiri - Salmon & ikura onigiri (this was ok, not a lot of salmon in it and was mostly rice) - Silky cold tofu (very refreshing and a solid choice for an appetizer) Overall this was a very solid dinner spot! Service was fast! This restaurant was very intimate, cute, and had a great ambiance