Sometimes, when I’m in a Murakami-esque mood, I just want to sit down at a big oak table, have a cold beer, listen to some nice jazz, poke my brain and dive into some izakaya style munchies. For a city with a Japantown, San Francisco doesn’t have much to offer in the way of Japanese bar food. Great sushi spots can be found tucked away in those special alleys, but Japanese comfort food is few and far between.
But head out far west, where California Street ends, and you’ll find a spot that Murakami would enjoy. Tucked on the edge of Outer Richmond’s Chinatown, Oyaji delivers the goods when it counts. Come here for the kushiyaki and chase after that perfect ramen bowl elsewhere. (Cannot believe that SF still doesn’t have a decent ramen spot.)
I tend towards the grilled meats and intestines. The cold appetizers are good, but some are hits (like the vinegared seaweed and the monkfish liver) while others are definite misses (the raw squid with fermented soybeans).
The food triumphs and on certain nights, among the fog and hills, the atmosphere here just doesn’t get any better.