Yakitori Izakaya Tec Chan

Although im posting this i heard they maybe closed now but I’m not sure…
Looking for a close nearby late night eat. I was pretty torn to give them 3 or 4. Here is y.
We order a good amount of food and well about most of it was good. The mixed sashimi actually had fresh fish, that’s amazing. Next was their Agedashi to happy, fu that was good as well, oh this place is making me they can’t go wrong. Right???
We couldn’t stop chomping down on the garlic edamame. Just the perfect snack. The soft shell crab was good and okay lol. Beef tongue was surprisingly juicy n not too chewy just right.
But what was horrible is the wait it took forever to get all of our food. It took them 15 minutes just for one miso soup. Our last dish was the worst wait we didn’t get it till 40 mins and it was the okonomiyaki. They were heavy handed on the sauce but other than that everything just how it should taste. Okonomiyaki is a Japanese pancake and is actually really good reminded me of osaka. But the wait… There was only two other parties so hopefully they improve on efficiency.
Definitely I will come back so that’s how I decided to give them a 4 but if the wait is the same like last time no more chances.

Ate here last night and were informed it was their last night in business! Super bummed because they had good ramen, were within walking distance of home, and were one of the few restaurants that actually stayed open late in the area. It was mentioned that another restaurant might pop up somewhere else, but we couldn’t get any more information than that. We asked when and where and the reply was, «It’s a secret!» Not sure what to make of that, but if they do come back somewhere, hopefully we have a way of finding out. Sad to see them go.

First time here, gotta say this is the best ramen around san diego, the prices were right, cuztomer service is fantastic definitely coming back!!!

For date night the bf and I really wanted ramen. We are from out of town so we both pretty much depend on other Unilocalers. We intended to go to izakaya masa but they ended up being closed. Bummer! So I Unilocaled another ramen spot near by and this place popped up. However, we had trouble finding it. The restaurant’s signage wasn’t easy to spot. But anyway we eventually found it.
Here’s a breakdown:
Ambiance: they had booths with bamboo curtains to separate one from the other which was nice. There is privacy for a more intimate casual dinner. Not like other Japanese places where guests are literally sitting elbow to elbow.
Food: the ramen was awesome!!! I got the tonkatsu ramen with extra pork belly. And my boyfriend ordered the miso tonkatsu ramen with extra pork belly and extra noodles. The miso ramen has a sweet savory taste compared to the regular tonkatsu ramen. I prefer the regular. Both ramen came with scallions, half of a soft boiled egg, pork belly, a choice of thin or wide noodles, ginger, bean sprouts, bamboo shoots and more! We also ordered a pork belly takoyaki. They didn’t really have much to choose from on their takoyaki menu. So we only got the pork belly. Which by the way is also delicious!
Service: now this where they fell short. There was only one server and one cook (that was visible. not sure if there’s was any more in the back) behind the counter. Service was a tad slow. The server didn’t come to our table unless we called her.
With all that said, we are still definitely coming back. We just hope that this place will improve their service in the future.

We came here for late night eats and the service was slow, but the food was fresh and delicious.
garlic edamame– served hot, not too salty, perfect amount of garlic and it was addictive.
pork okonomiyaki– pancake like– too overdone w/​sauce, too salty, but the pork was delicious (next time the chef needs to tone down the teriyaki sauce).
spider roll– soft shell crab, pretty good stuff with a bit of wait time.
agedashi tofu– loved the crispiness, perfect amount of sauce w/​daikon in every spoonful bite (tofu can be delicious)
mixed sashimi– everything was fresh, from the yellow tail, to salmon, tuna and some other white fish.
The yakitori is good, be adventurous and just try all the different meats.
This appears to be a family run joint. The service is super slow because there is only one chef and one waiter for the entire restaurant. With just 3 separate parties, in the middle of the night we were near falling asleep on the table just waiting for the food. Overall, still a good joint to hit up.

I have been trying to find the best Ramen places in San Diego and the Spicy Tonkotsu Ramen here is some of the best I have encountered. It was the perfect combination of spicy and savory with just the right amount of unami. I will be back for sure.

I wanted to try a different yakitori spot so decided to go further south.
Service was a little slow on the second half but the first server was great.
Drink of choice was Haikkaisan sake, fantastic as always. Can’t go wrong with this.
Takoyaki was great, crispy on the outside and super soft inside. Bonita flakes were dancing :)
Brown quail eggs were way too salty. Thumbs down!
Beef belly was fantastic, perfectly seasoned and very tender. Beef tongue was great, tender and cooked perfectly.
Chicken thigh and green onion, heart, liver were all delicious!
fried baby octopus was awesome, this item was on the special menu.
Okonomiyaki was by far the biggest disappointment. First for taking away too long and it is too doughy and under seasoned. This was actually the worst okonomiyaki I’ve ever had.
Overall the appetizers and yakitori’s were awesome but everything else was — meh. The combination of slow service on the okonomiyaki and the taste of the dish itself really brought the ratings down. Will I come back? Not for awhile
2.5÷5 — I would give a 2 but yakitori dishes were good so that earned a .5 point.

Yakitori is good. The beef belly and beef tongue is good. Talk otaku was more fried than others I’ve tried which makes t crunchy on the outside which is good. Had the baby fried octopus which was good as well. The okonomiyaki was disappointing. It’s huge but pretty bland. We had a bottle of hakkaisan which is expensive 32 $ but so yummy. We had to call the waitress over several times but they were nice people just not attentive. We also had the chicken liver, chicken heart and chicken thigh with green onion. I don’t really eat organs but my boyfriend seemed to like it.
Not sure if I’d return because they don’t offer too much yakitori — but not a bad place to go. There are a lot of better places to go in San Diego for yakitori.

It is not on Convoy or Kearny Mesa area, but it is as good as if it was there.
–Ramen is great
–Good priced combos on food and alcohol
–Great location in the heart of Hillcrest
–For a change, it is not in a sad Convoy area :)

I’ve decided I must try as many restaurants as I can before moving to LA in less than 10 days. Decided that a yakitori restaurant in Hillcrest is a must.
Will list from most favorite to least favorite of what I ordered tonight:
1. Beef Tongue skewers: These are the #1 beef tongue skewers I’ve had… in forever. I don’t remember the last time that it was such a perfect consistency and thickness. It even beats the ones at Yokohoma Yakitori Koubou! On the side there’s a small salty flavoring you can dip into, plus lemons to drip. Very good, would get again every time I’m here.
2. Pork Belly: Once again, these skewers actually beat the ones at Yokohoma Yakitori Koubou… because they are not as tough and more manageable to chew. Also a little more charred so maybe that adds to the flavoring. So good :3
3. Chicken thigh with green onions: Always love this combination. Although I wouldn’t say it’s the best chicken thighs w/​green onions I’ve had, it’s still good.
4. Spicy tonkotsu ramen: Prettyyy good, this one is better than the regular tonkotsu salt ramen because the flavoring is stronger and less bland. Surprising, because I normally find it difficult to find a place that serves well flavored spicy japanese ramens. So if you’re craving for spicy tonkotsu, this is the place to go! (One note though, the soup has a good amount of ginger in it… I personally love ginger so it didn’t bother me, but both my boyfriend & roommate disliked the excessive use of ginger. Keep that in mind!) However, definitely not the best ramen I’ve had in SD.
5. Asparagus bacon: Tasted okay, but this dish was never my most favorite. Bacon’s a little greasy and reminds me more of American rather than Japanese cuisine. But the asparagus is young & tender, not tough on the fibers.
6. Fried gyoza: Very average, nothing special. Would not order again.
They have happy hour before 7:30PM with Sapporo draft beer for $ 3.50. Also, the hot sake was pretty good at $ 4.50 for a large (shared between me and 2 others).
This was my first time sake-​bombing and it was fun ^^ Really makes the mood cheerful and a great way to hangout with friends. The sake was also way smoother hot than at room temperature, much more bearable :)
*Service: Too slow and forgetful, the waiter forgot to cook our pork belly TWICE… and we are always turning around trying to wave down the waiter to ask for something. Sigh.
I guess this place wasn’t bad, but I wouldn’t come all the way to Hillcrest again just to eat here.
Food: 3.
Service: 2
Ambiance: 4

You could smell the grilling going or even see it with your eyes (the smoke) as soon as you walk in to this place. Ordered to go and sat down to eat here on two different occasions. The chef, I believe a Japanese, always make your food on the grill with extra care. The kind of restaurant service you’d get at a typical good Japanese owned restaurant.
Waitresses are helpful and friendly.
Definitely try a couple items from the grill, or a lot of you’re with bigger group. They serve authentic Japanese food in my opinion.
Tried the ramen, different regions in Japan have their own recipe of broth. Not positive which recipe it is that they use for the ramen broth. Their broth is very rich in flavor and on the salty side. Too salty for me. Be warned if you prefer slightly seasoned food like I do.

Love the new Yakitori restaurant. For those you that didn’t know this place was another Yakitori restaurant with a different name. Not sure if there are new chefs but definitely with the new look and menu this place continues to be a great food spot.
Environment ⁴⁄₅: Kinda reminds me of Japan bar, except that you have a lot of space. Place wasn’t packed on a dinner weekday but I just think this may be a hidden gem that the public isn’t aware of.
Food ⁴⁄₅: Yakitori depending on what you like pretty much you can’t mess up a meat on a stick. But a nice item on the menu was Okonomiyaki (Japanese pizza). My first time trying it and I was impressed. Definitely will be looking for this on a Japanese menu the next time. A small tip, the Okonomiyaki is not Hiroshima style (meaning no yakisoba noodles).
Service ³⁄₅: fast food, and also fast waitress. Literally sat down left us and came back in 3 mins and asked us if we were ready to order. It wasn’t a busy night so why the hell were you rushing me and my girl.
Overall: Food is a little pricey but it’s always fun to eat at any Yakitori spot. It’s sad to see that this place really hasn’t become a hit spot but take it from the elites that reviewed this restaurant, this place is worth it.

I am going to give this place another try; I should preface my review with this information.
I have passed this place which is a block from my house, 472 times (at least). I was always curious, but it was looking in one night and seeing little booths with bamboo shades that could be pulled all the way down and isolate the guests in that booth, that made me REALLY want to try it.
I went here with my boytoy and offspring one night and we scored one of those sick A&s booths. Bonus! The menu was really cool, the yakatori is little dishes that you order a few of at a time and you keep ordering rounds until you are full. Some of the ones we tried were quail eggs (I had never had them before… interesting is all I can say), asparagus bacon (my personal fave), chicken meatballs, shitake mushroom, beef, and pork, and then the boy ordered some ramen. Now, I personally have never had ramen before that didn’t cost $.39 and require microwaving, so I was sooo happy I got to try the real deal! Honestly, we didn’t know which one to order and the waiter had some info for us and it was AMAZING! I would eat that anytime, anywhere. BOOM! Some of the yakitori was also really good and it was cool to try something new in general.
But here is my complaint. The yakatori comes out all sporadic and takes forever. There were three of us and we would get one plate with two skewers of quail eggs and then 20 minutes would go by with nothing. Then another one would come, and the same thing. That’s why we finally ended up ordering the ramen, because we needed some food and it had been forever. I am hoping it was a rough night in the kitchen and this is not the norm; THAT is why I am going to try them again.
Also, we ordered iced tea and asked for splenda, at which time the waiter looked at us like we were an alien and then came back with a bowl full of sugar and just left it. WTH! I don’t want sugar, I don’t eat sugar and could you at least tell me before leaving what I think is splenda BEFORE I drink it. Thankfully the boy got to it first and warned me. When I asked the guy when he came back what the deuce, he said, «oh, it’s Japanese tea so they don’t usually put splenda». Um yes, but we’re not in japan now are we slugger. We’re in hillcrest and when I ask for splenda; I expect what I ordered or a heads up at minimum.
It wasn’t a BAD experience per say, and as I said, I am really rooting for this place, so I will give it another go before I send it to one star suckville.

Yakitori Izakaya Tec Chan
SD: Hillcrest
9pm Thursday 12^th July 2013
Four Stars
I watched Mind of Chef with David Chang and had to eat ramen. I first went to Underbelly, but I wasn’t really impressed. Therefore, I stopped by this «new» place for more ramen. This place is the rebranded cheaper version of Raku. For a «new» place, the menus were kind of grungy (probably recycled from the former restaurant). My favorite line in the menu was «Charcoal Grilled Food Process may takes a little longer than other dishes.» I ordered a $ 4 Sapporo Draft and the Spicy Tonkotsu Ramen with thin noodles ($ 8.50). The beer was cold and ramen hit the spot. A nice spicy garlic filled broth complemented the al dente noodles and the simple toppings. The use of bean sprouts throughout the soup was a different but pleasurable experience. The lone waitress was nice and a hard worker. Overall, I enjoyed this seedy Izakaya.

Yummy!

Not many places serve food after 10 am in San Diego. Arrived here with some friends after spending 30 minutes deciding where to go.
Ordered some sushi and some skewers. The sushi rolls were pretty good. I was not expecting to much since it is primarily a yakitori resturant. I really enjoyed the beef tongue. Prices are reasonable but can add up if you order everything to try. This is a really good place to hang out with friends and eat a community meal.

Dined here with my fiancé, future siblings in law, and a friend this past Friday. We arrived at 7:00 pm and surprisingly, there was no wait and we were seated immediately. We ordered several yakitoris consisting of quail eggs, beef tongue, chicken gizzards, and shiitake mushrooms, a bowl of seaweed salad, edamame and shrimp shumai for appetizers, along with a few rounds of sake bomb. Delicious.
The service was outstanding; our server (I wish I had asked for his name) was attentive and checked on our table often to make sure we had everything that we needed. Kudos.
To end the night, I ordered their Spicy Tonkotsu Ramen with slim noodles and split it with the fiancé. Omg, it was so good! The broth was flavorful and the noodles were cooked perfectly. I definitely saved the best for last!
I can’t wait to go back!

Konbanwa, amiguitos! \(^o^)
I went to «Yakitori Izakaya Tec Chan» on November 13^th, 2012. It was Tuesday, so there were not many people, only four people including me and my American friend, inside of the restaurant. LOL The service was good enough because the waiter was not busy!!! (o;
Anyway, it was my first visit! \(^-^)/​This restaurant’s owner is Japanese. That’s why I wanted to try this place! I visited there when it used to be called, «Yakyudori» was owned by a different Japanese. So, these two restaurants are owned by different owners, but «Yakitori Izakaya Tec Chan» still has a connection with «Yakyudori».
Yes, the waiter recommended us to have some «yakitori (2 Skewers)» because their main menu/​food is «yakitori»!!! YUMMY! (^p^) So, we ordered «Beef Tongue», «Beef», and «Chicken Wings» and some appetizers! YUMMY!!! (^q^)
I recommend you to try these items–
APPERIZERS: Pork Kakuni, Deep-​fried Tofu, and Brown quail egg
YAKITORI (2 Skewers): Chichen Gizzard, Chicken Meatball, and Beef Tongue
OKONOMIYAKI (Japanese Pizza): Pork Mix w/​Mashed Yamaimo, Dry Shrimp, Tempura Crumbs, and Green Onion
Ramen (Pork Broth): Tonkotsu Ramen with Slim Noodle w/​Egg, Bean Sprout, Green Onion, and Pork
They have a secret dessert!!! () It’s «S’more». It’s a roasted marshmallow and chocolate sandwiched between 2 pieces of graham cracker… (^-^)b Try it! (^p^)
I am very picky about Japanese food. I always prefer to go to Japanese restaurants which are owned by Japanese make real Japanese tastes, NOT TOO Americanized Japanese food. This restaurant owner is Japanese, but I did not see any Japanese people there during the dinner time! ()
ENJOY! \(^-^)/​
DINNER
Food: 4.0 Stars (1=taste bad, 5=taste really yummy)
Service: 3.5 Stars (1=bad service, 5=great service)
Price: 3.5 Stars (1=very cheap, 5=very expensive)
Yakitori Izakaya Tec Chan Menu:
English and Japanese

Izakaya Tec Chan is located at the same spot as the old Hillcrest Yakitori Yakyudori & Raku…
This is a new spot, seemingly operated by Japanesed chefs, so… I do have high hope for the place…
The verdict (be sure to check out the pictures I posted):
For yakitoris, they are good… worthy of 4 stars (unfortunately others dragged them down)… I guess this contributes to their custom «binchotan» (special japanese charcoal) BBQ stove…
— Beef tougne is good, thick cut, juicy while not undercook
— Chicken wing is OK-​good, the skin side is crispy enough, yet the underside definitely need some «color», afterall, it is Yaki/​BBQ…
— Chicken heart is nice, juicy… but they can be filet/​cut thinner, or cook just a tad more if they decided to stay the current cut
— Chicken liver, smelt fish, tomatoes etc… pretty ok… good job…
For ramens, I ordered 2 bowls, different times, a bowl up front and then a bowl later on in the night; yet both of them suffers the same issue — «soups not hot enough». Otherwise, they are fine, noodles are ok «al-​dente», and the porks are appropriate… A-​OK 3 stars overall… but nothing to rave about…
For izakaya foods, we’ve got the «squid butter»… not impressive… check the photo… all that for $ 6.5…
For sushi rolls, good that we ordered it during happy hour… the $ 11 rainbow roll cost only $ 5.5… again, check the photo… fish are thinly sliced… and they called salmon /​albacore /​cooked shrimp /​avocardo… a «rainbow» roll??? *sad* (if this is just an effect of it being an HH item, then… they should just NOT do the happy hour!!)
We also ordered a «soft shell crab» roll during happy hour, but they missed the order… so it was reminded and delivered well after the happy hour… and it ended up looking and tasting pretty good… and it is also $ 5.5 (HH price)…
So, this is it… will I go back? hmmm… not likely… unless someone is twisting my arms…

We just had dinner here last night and really enjoyed the food and dining experience.
Fried Chicken Wings — Very crispy and flavorful. The wings were very meaty. A must for everyone to try.
Kakuni — this is a slow cooked pork belly. The portion was really generous. The pork was really tender and flavorful. Not too fatty.
Pork Katsu — this came with 2 sticks of pure heaven! They put porkbelly slices on a skewer then fried it with katsu breading. Our favorite item of the night.
Chicken with Green Onion — This was alright After having the fried chicken wings, kakuni, and Katsu, it was hard for this item to match the flavor. Cooked just right.
Asparagus wrapped with bacon — This was also very good. Bacon was crispy and asparagus cooked just right.
Tokayaki — The octopus was really flavorful and sweet. The breading complimented the octopus really well.
We found Izakaya Tec Chan much to be much better than Raku with more portions, flavor, and at a lower cost. We were fans of Raku but Izakaya Tec Chan elevated the bar.