There is a new izakaya in Oakland that pays homage to grilled chicken (yakitori) called HINA YAKITORI. Owner Jonathan Moon has brought on Tommy Clearly, previously at Tori + Salon in Tokyo, and Ippuku and B-Dama in the 510. There is a limited number of whole chickens they break down each night and cook over binchotan. You can look at an early sample menu here. The soft opening is still under way, so when they run out, they run out. Open Wed-Sat 5:45pm-9:30pm (for now). Via Scoop. 4828 Telegraph Ave., Oakland, 510-593-2004.
Opening today (April 19th) in the former Oscar’s in Berkeley is SWEETGREEN, a fast-casual place focused on serving seasonal, fresh, and healthy food. They strive to take an active part in contributing to and investing in the communities they serve. In Berkeley, they aim to revitalize school gardens in the neighborhood and have an ongoing partnership with Edible Schoolyard. Sample dishes include their vegan umami grain bowl with portobello mushrooms and roasted organic sesame tofu from Hodo Soy, a falafel and feta dish using local feta, a salad with roasted chicken from Mary’s, and more—and everything is reasonably priced. Open daily 10:30am-10pm. 1890 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley.
Smoky time at Hina Yakitori. Photo via Facebook.
