Binchoyaki Izakaya Dining is located in what used to be Sacramento’s Japantown. It is on 10th Street off of W Street. A friend and I recently went to lunch at the fairly new restaurant. Tip: Keep in mind that both 10th and W Streets are one-way streets.
The restaurant is not large, but it is larger than I thought it might be. We arrived right around noon and every seat was taken, but we only had to wait a few minutes to be seated. Binchoyaki Izakaya is not someplace to go for a late lunch – Tuesday through Saturday they are open from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Binchoyaki Izakaya is a modern Japanese style BBQ restaurant. Its cuisine is based on a style of Japanese cooking utilizing Japanese charcoal and a grill. The chef uses a paper fan to control the cooking temperature of the grill.
There is a huge vent over the grill whisking away the smoke, and diners sitting at the counter when dining can watch the chef work his magic, fan in hand (free entertainment!).
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After looking over the menu and asking the waitress a few questions, we settled on the Binchoyaki “Set” which includes three assorted meat skewers and potato salad ($16) and the Tempura ($13) to share. Included in the price of lunch is salad, a bowl of miso soup, and sticky white rice.
In addition to the printed menu, there is a chalkboard on the wall that lists the “specials”. Our waitress did not mention this to us, but when I did spot the chalkboard I noted that several of the dishes were already crossed out.
I also remembered seeing on the Binchoyaki Izakaya website the note that “We prep daily with limited quantities…”, so dining earlier is probably better than later.
We both enjoyed the salad, and the bowl of miso soup was very tasty. The sticky rice was “sticky” so I had no problem eating it as the rice stuck to my chopsticks. I did not know what to expect as far as the Japanese potato salad went. It was good – and tasted just like potato salad.
All three meat skewers were expertly seasoned – but on the small side. While sharing them between the two of us worked just fine – someone with a hearty appetite could easily eat all three skewers.
The tempura was also very good, and had a nice assortment of veggies as well as shrimp.
The dessert options sounded wonderful but there was no way either of us could eat dessert. Maybe another time.
My friend observed that Binchoyaki Izakaya would be a good place for “date night”, and said that it was someplace she would definitely take friends in the future.
As for myself, I plan to go back to Binchoyaki Izakaya for dinner as the evening menu consists of varied small plates. It would be fun to sit at the counter and take advantage of the free entertainment!
See related post: Sacramento Must Try Restaurants
Comments on Binchoyaki Izakaya?
Have you been to Binchoyaki Izakaya? Do you have a favorite dish you would recommend? Do you agree that Binchoyaki Izakaya is a Sacramento Must Try Restaurant?
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