Kokekokko

IF YOU ARE STARVING AND EXPECTING YOUR FOOD TO COME OUT RIGHT AWAY, this isn’t the place for you. Be mindful that this is not like a fast-​food American restaurant. This is one of the most authentic yakitori joints in Los Angeles from what I know of. Yes, I’ve read and witnessed people complain about their service and the wait time… but if you just take embrace the pace (think of it as it’s part of the experience), enjoy your company while you wait for the yakitoris since it comes out one by one… and have few drinks, you will enjoy your time.
PARKING
They are located on the 3^rd floor of Weller’s Court. If you are very lucky, you might be able to find street parking but I highly doubt it. It does get crowded aroudn Little Tokyo. They do have a lot. Parking cost $ 10. You can get it validated but covers an hour? or two (I forget)
When you get seated, a server will greet you with a hot towel for you to wipe your hands (and face if you like) along with a small appetizer to start you off. They also put ginger and mustard on one of your plates.
FOOD
Chicken breast — The chef grills this meat in a particular way. I’ve never tried eating chicken medium-​rare. I’ve heard about Tomo-​san and his skewer-​grilling skills. Yes, I was skeptical at first but if he has a reputation his medium-​done chicken breast, I have to try it, right? It was real good… and tender.
Chicken Shin– comes with onion– much more chewy
Chicken Tail — softer but can taste bone
Chicken neck — also comes with onion. Much softer comparing to the shin & tail.
Special mushroom — enjoyed it
Fried okra — wrapped with chicken breast
Chicken wings
Also ordered their Saborro: Rice topped with minced meat with Quail egg on top, comes with chicken broth.
SIDES
Ask for yuzu & fresh wasabi. They do charge for each sauce/​dip but I think it is totally worth it and enhances the flavors of the skewers.
DRINKS
They offer house red & white wine but I would recommend you to either try their sake selection or bring your own wine. The beers they have on tap is Kirin or Asahi.
I am 6 months late on this review… and I recently heard that Tomo-​san left Kokekokko to return to Japan. Not sure if the restaurant will be the same but I would go back to see if their standards are up to par

Don’t come here expecting anything but chicken, and all parts of the chicken, yum!
Their new location is a little tricky to find since you won’t see it from the street, need to walk into the plaza and go up to the second floor.
The service is on the slower side, but we were okay with it since our party was planning to have a nice long dinner. We ordered just about everything on the menu, and here were my favorites:
— chicken thigh & meat balls — both juicy, and no one complains about it being a weird part of the animal
— gizzard — chewy but full of meat, delcious
— liver — I’m really picky about liver, since I don’t want it to taste too livery haha. This was perfect for me!
We ordered so much more, like the chicken porridge, veggie rolled in meat, etc. Fun experience with the only downside being uncomfortable seating (the large table they gave us was strangely shaped and bench seating, but we still stayed for over 2 hours)

Kokekokko moved about three blocks to the old Koshiji space. The new location is less smoky and has more spacious seating, but still has the same uncomfortable seats. There is also 2-​hour validated parking in the Weller Court garage. Because it’s easy to drive into an adjacent garage, be sure to enter on Second St.
They serve some of the best yakitori. The stand-​out items tend to come from the more peculiar chicken parts. So don’t buy the pre-​selected dinners, but order ala carte and pick the most adventurous items to reach the 5-​skewer minimum per customer. Not all skewers appear on the menu, so it is better to sit at the bar than the tables which makes it easy to ask the cooks about the off-​menu items. When busy, the bar tends to be reserved for regulars indicated by the black plates they receive rather than non-​regulars who get white plates.
My favorite sticks are generally the «special special heart» (the double special is not a typo) that has fatty and flavorful organ meat with texture from the heart valve, neck which was much meatier that you’d imagine, the «special heart» which was the normal heart but intricately rolled into a baby clam size and fattier, the thigh with onion, the shiitake mushroom stuffed with chicken meatball and topped with raw quail egg yolk and sliced green onion, gizzard skin which showed they pre-​cook the chicken to make it soft before charring it on the grill, regular heart, and the firm gizzard. When given a choice, it was better to opt for salt seasoning rather than sauce or spicy.
Lesser sticks were okra, zucchini, wing, meatball, and quail egg. The liver is hit-​or-​miss because it is sometimes unevenly cooked or underseasoned. I like crunchy, but the tail was too bony and the shin had too much cartilage.
The side dishes are good, but don’t excel like the yakitori skewers. The smoked chicken had sliced breast and thigh on a bed of greens, but the meat was too similar to what I make at home on the outdoor grill. The chicken filled pot stickers had good texture and flavor. The duck thigh was fatty but not duck tasting.
The rice dishes were all very basic. The zousoi was a tasty egg drop soup with soft rice even though they called it porridge. The soboro was a simple ground chicken on rice that needed one more flavor. The average kapayaki was a rice bowl with spicy sliced chicken. The nori chazuke was a simple bowl of chicken broth, rice, and dried seaweed.
There were plenty of beers and sakes to select. I prefer the Shichiken sake because it was affordable and a good match with yakitori.
When busy, the service can be a bit dodgy. But when things die down, the staff is very friendly.

Came here for the first time
With my husband and a couple of friends, we loved the food and ambiance… Will definitely return

I just had dinner with my boyfriend here yesterday and we had a great experience at Kokekokko, as always! I’ve been coming here with my family since it was at another location and we’ve always had a great time there. I am very pleased with how they have kept the same food quality and customer service as the old location. The yakitori is always spot on. The texture of the meat is very tender and the Soboro rice is a must get! The new location is very clean and I love the interior design. The restaurant can get busy and the waiters can be overwhelmed, but they always make sure you are well taken care of!
I strongly recommend this place if you want to get excellent Yakitori! :)

Very good and fresh. Good for friends gathering.
At the end, don’t forget to order the chicken soup and soboro ~

There seem to be mixed reviews on Unilocal… and I’m here to set the record straight.
I visited for the first time last Saturday. Heard many good things and had somewhat high expectations.
It’s located in a shopping center with a parking structure on San Pedro St. for $ 7. Unfortunately they do not validate.
You can also drive around and look for street parking but don’t turn onto Astronaut/​Onizuka St. and it’s not a through street and you’ll have to make an awkward U-​turn to get out.
Showed up at 6pm right when they opened so we were seated right away.
Pros:
–The yakitori (chicken) was delicious. Breast, thighs, wing, you name it… they do it right
–Asahi draft beer available
–They have a special menu I had to ask for. They had chicken neck, skin, and shin. All were so good. First time having neck… delicious!
Cons:
–Service could be faster, but place was packed after 7pm. We received our initial order pretty quickly, but after ordering a second time, it seemed like it took a while.
–Menu is somewhat limited… was expecting more options.
–Gizzard skin… didn’t care too much for it, unless you like gamey and chewy.
That’s all I really have to share about this place. They do chicken right. And be sure to ask about a specials menu.
There’s a reason why the place gets packed… it’s good! So if you arrive around 7pm, expect a wait.

Food is good but service is slowwwwwwww:
–15 mins to receive menus
–20 mins to recieve drinks
–ran out of chicken wings mid way thru receiving our dinner.
New location but service is so baaaad!
I prefer the old location that had better service!
Don’t get me wrong I love Tomo but his staff sucks

It is only one place of Japanese BBQ chicken in Los Angeles so far and high recommend it to everyone.

I felt so adventurous coming here and eating some of their popular dishes. I don’t know how we came across this location but we happened to be walking around and decided to Unilocal and walked right in.
They only had chicken everything that day which we were fine with. I couldn’t believe some of the chicken parts we were eating that were surprisingly good. We had their fried rice which was delicious topped with an egg. We had their wings, quail eggs, liver, and some other stuff that I couldn’t believe we had but do not regret it. If you’re feeling adventerous, try it out!

Desperately, dearly, intensely wanted to love Kokekokko. Reading Liz O.‘s, Unilocal!review, I knew this was someplace I had to try when visiting LA.
Things started off perfectly with the host offering us a detailed explanation of the menu, which wasn’t needed, but was appreciated. This attention to detail suggested we were in good hands.
Seats at the bar were offered and gratefully accepted since at any izakaya, sushi bar, or yakitori-​ya, this is where the magic happens. Except at Kokekkoko it actually happens a few meters from the bar. Never worry — a barman helmed the food delivery from behind the bar and all was good.
Space is large for a yakitori and service was pleasant, friendly even, which is sometimes hit or miss in a yakitori place. The servers were knowledgeable, friendly, and attentive. A pitcher of Asahi arrived almost as quickly as we sat down. Shochu flowed like water. Happy customers we were.
The spicy chicken appetizer was perfect. Just the right amount of tenderness and flavor and crunch from the accompanying scallions, sesame seeds, and other toppings.
When we ordered our skewer sets we were offered to cook them medium, medium well, or well done. Of course we asked for medium. Why overcook chicken in the hands of a master?
Everything sounds great, right? So what’s wrong? What’s wrong, sadly, is the yakitori. The very reason we go to a place named Kokekkoko («cock-​a-​doodle-​doo» in Japanese) is for the yakitori. Yet there wasn’t a single skewer in my 10 skewer set that I said to myself «now that’s how you make yakitori». Having eaten yakitori throughout Japan and frequently in NYC, I have a pretty high standard for this delicious street delicacy.
And that standard is — don’t overcook it. The liver was dry. The kawa (skin) was dry. The vegetables wrapped in chicken breast (the driest part of the chicken) was dry. If these were truly cooked medium, they would have been tender and juicy. Yet all of them were dry and overcooked.
Dinner was saved at last with their signature rice bowl, which was again perfection. We left happy, fully, and a little bit disappointed. At least I was. One of my dining companions, an LA resident, can’t wait to go back. My other companion, from Tokyo, was equally unimpressed by the skewers, but also happy and full.
This is a solid 3 star place, but with some attention to proper grilling times, we’red talking an easy 4 or 5 stars. Perhaps I was there on an off night. Sadly, as an NYC resident rarely in LA, I won’t have a chance to try again for a while.
Kampai!

I was saving my 400^th Unilocal revue for something special.
I live near Little Tokyo (in the Arts District) and I have passed by Kokekokko for years. I’ve been a bit intimidated because the restaurant seems so «Japanese.» I know a bit about Japanese manners and customs and I hate to make any slip that could be seen as rude. When I’m at a restaurant that is new to me, I like to watch others and do as they do.
When you add in the celebrity of Chef Tomohiro Sakata, it adds to my nervous apprehension.
Many people have seen the film Jiro Dreams Of Sushi. I believe that Tomo-​san is the yakitori chef equivalent of sushi master Jiro Ono.
I thoroughly enjoyed my experience here and I am looking forward to dining here on a regular basis.
The food could not have been better and the service was wonderful.
While walking over, I was thinking that I had heard so much about their chicken that maybe I would be disappointed. I eat chicken often, I wondered if I would notice the difference.
I did notice the difference. First, the quality of the meat is top notch — Second it is cooked perfectly. It made me realize how overcooked chicken is fairly standard in the U.S. and I believe that people (like my mother) generally overcook chicken. I believe that Tomo-san’s years of experience and knowledge of his product have made him a master of yakitori.
I enjoyed the quail eggs. The skewers with okra and thigh meat were excellent. I love okra and found this skewer particularly tasty. The skewers with chicken & eggplant were wonderful, so tender and juicy.
The place wasn’t packed while I was there but it was busy. I was very pleasantly surprised when Chef Sakata walked over from the grill with a smile and said to me «you’re food will be ready in just two minutes» and gave me a «fist bump.» He’s cool.

Two friends and I dropped in on a week night for dinner without much knowledge of this place. We didn’t make reservations and thus, sat at the bar. With the minimum 5 stick per person rule, I ordered quail eggs, spicy wings, wings, meatballs, and gizzard skins. All were ordered medium well (shoot, it is chicken!). We split a Wagamama bowl as well.
I enjoyed 4 out of my 5 sticks as the gizzard skins were chewy and kinda bland. I did really enjoy the smoky soy tones in the quality eggs and the juiciness of the meatballs. The Wagamama bowl was quite delicious as well– I wish I could make it at home.

While walking around Little Tokyo one evening, my Mother and I decided to drop into Kokekokko. It’s a Japanese Yakitori bbq house that was featured in the Anthony Bourdain’s program «48 hour Layover in LA».
Reading the bad experiences had by other Unilocalers, I think you will improve your chances of having a decent time here if you A) have no expectations and B) use some basic Japanese with the server/​maitre D, ie konichiwa (hello), arigato gozaimas (thank you).
I suggest to make a reservation in advance if you plan on coming here. While we were not starving to eat right away, we did wait 1 hour for a table. The waiting system isn’t very clear here. There is no waiting list for non reso people and the Maitre D doesn’t exactly give a whole lot of information about wait times or who will be seated next.
While waiting however it gave us some time to appreciate the architecture of setting. The wood tones and colours of the bar and other materials in the room are very easy on the eyes. The sound acoustics are soft, especially for a yakitori restaurant. The music is elegant.
Once you eventually sit down at a table or the bar, service is quite good. You recieve a hot wet towel serviette, but unlike other places where the server takes the towel away immediately after using, you keep this towel for the duration of the meal.
There is a rule you must order at least 5 yakitori kabobs per person. You are asked if you want the yakitori cooked medium, well or very well. They may take some time to get to the table, long enough to make you wonder if they are actually coming at all.
Good luck!

What I love most about LA is the food. Kokekokko brings the most unique and genuine yakitori dining experience in all of Southern California. The atmosphere is very laid back, fostering a great environment for bringing friends, coworkers, or business clients for a great night of drinking and an unparalleled food journey.
I usually order the heart, gizzard, liver, chicken breast, leg, wings, and the soboro rice. Can’t forget the sake too! I understand that most people wouldn’t eat chicken heart, gizzard, or liver. But trust me when I tell you that everything on the menu is amazing. The chef is very experienced and knows exactly how to make every single body part of the chicken taste great!

***Little Tokyo’s Longstanding Yakitori-​ya Specialist — Street Food Connoisseur Anthony Bourdain Praised Kokekokko in his show «The Layover.» Moved to the New Location in Weller Court, February 2015***
(Continued from previous review).
FOOD/​DRINK: Kokekokko has deep ties to a famed Yakitori specialist the Japanese call «Shinise» — a long-​established restaurant or shop in Japan that usually has generations of expertise behind it. The Master Chef, Tomohiro Sakata «Tomo-​san» rigorously trained at «Torishige» of Tokyo for several years before immigrating to the United States in 1983.
He might look a bit gruff and have a scary expression on his face while deftly handling the skewers over imported Japanese Binchotan coals (Hellishly HOT temperatures anywhere from 1,600−2,200 degrees that will make anyone look crazy or «intense»), but Chef Tomo is not just street-​smart, but college educated: He graduated from Rikkyo University, one of the top 20 schools located in Tokyo, Japan. (Some Japanese trivia: Rikkyo U. is one of the few Japanese universities to have an American style football team).
In 1983, Tomo-​san landed a position at Wolfgang Puck’s Asian Fusion restaurant, Chinois and worked there as a chef 4 years before opening Kokekokko in 1988. L.A. Times critic, Jonathan Gold published a comprehensive and relatively flattering review on Kokekokko in 1996.
Not much has changed since the early days of Kokekokko when it comes to food execution. I went to the old location on Central Avenue in Nov. 2014 and visited the new location a few blocks away in Weller Court twice at the time of this write-​up. Based on my numerous visits, it’s no wonder that Anthony Bourdain recommended Kokekokko on his L.A. episode on «The Layover.» See Youtube for a 38 second clip:
Suggested Menu Items For Kokekokko Beginners: 10-​piece Set of Skewers (for a large appetite); 5-​piece Set of Skewers (for small to average appetites); Small Soboro Chicken Bowl (you can split one with your companion (s) if you prefer);
Roasted or Smoked Duck (depends on availability).
There is a 5-​piece skewer minimum (pretty standard practice) and although you can order a la carte, the 5-​piece and 10-​piece Sets also come with Appetizer, Salad, and Soup.
My Favorite Chicken Cuts: White Breast Meat (Sasami done «Toriwasa style» — served partially raw like sashimi unless you specify well-​done);
Liver (I love ordering this medium rare to rare)
and Dango (chicken ball/​dumpling).
All three are included in both the 5 and 10 skewer sets and are available a la carte. Your preference re: level of doneness might differ from mine so be sure to specify with your server when he/​she takes your order.
Drink: A very good list of Japanese beer, hot and cold Japanese rice wine sake offered along with red/​white wines, non-​alcoholic sodas (Cola, 7up, etc.). Asahi draft beer goes for $ 4 a mug and is a popular choice. My favorite drinks are Hakkaisan cold sake (dry and elegant) and Kikumasamune (light cedar taste and slightly sweet).
On my 2^nd visit, I pretty much decided to visit Kokekokko several times a quarter so I decided to get a 1.8 Liter of Kikumasamune sake that they’ll keep on the shelf for me for up to 3 months. It’s a better deal to do this for $ 50 rather than buy several small bottles each time. If I invite a friend or two, I can share my bottle as I please.
LOCATION/​AMBIANCE: Situated on the 2^nd Floor of Weller Court next to Curry House restaurant. Interior is pretty much the same as the old location with wood panels, traditional and modern Japanese decorations, global pop fusion, and manga «animé» like posters adorn the walls (many of them depict the head chef and his staff in sendups of Samurai, Yakuza and Hello Kitty genres).
I’m not sure, but it seems to be at least 5% smaller than the old location, but the placement of the respective Women’s and Men’s restrooms are removed from the kitchen’s walkway and are hidden behind stylish tan Noren drapes.
For my opinions on Kokekokko’s SERVICE and PARKING TIPS, please see my previous review.

There’s yakitori… and then there’s kokekokko yakitori. I love how they moved everything from the previous location to this location. There’s something about sitting in a really Japanese atmosphere that makes all the food taste better. Surrounded by wood posts and sake bottles, the smell of chicken being roasted on an open fire, and seeing employees wearing uniforms that remind me of a time long before I or my parents were born, I feel as if I just transported to another time. The loud employees yelling across the restaurant to both coworker and customers alike make for a fun experience that goes past just food on a plate.

Finally. FINALLY they are reopened. And the new location is much better than the old.
First of all, you’re going to wait. For at least 15 minutes. Just be patient. Once you’re up to bat, you will be happy you stayed.
I prefer to sit at the counter and watch the magic of how raw sticks of chicken are transformed into deliciousness. And every time I’m there, I order a beer (not my drink of choice) because it pairs so well with the Yakitori.
My favorite things to order is the Wagamama bowl — which is just a touch spicy and delicious. And I always order extra of Heart, Liver, Thigh, Meatball and Quail egg.
The staff isn’t the kind of attentive a lot of people prefer, but I have no complaints. It’s delicious and a great spot to drink and enjoy surprisingly simple, yummy food.

Different location. Same delicious! (^_​^)
My #1 favorite restaurant in Little Tokyo just moved to the former location of the other yakitori joint– 2^nd floor of Weller Court! Apparently Kokekokko lost their lease at the old location. The other yakitori restaurant whose space it has taken over had a somewhat more upscale ambiance. But Kokekko has replaced that with their cozier style décor, bringing with it the counter, etc., from its former location.
Their yakitori is just as delicious as ever. The wait staff still leaves you feeling a bit neglected but, as was the case before, the cooks make up the service gap. [This is why it’s good to get a seat at the counter. (^_​^)] Not only are the cooks fascinating to watch, but they seem to care about whether or not you are taken care of, which I can’t say of some of the wait staff (not all — some are great).
My favorites: stuffed mushrooms (with raw quail egg), meat wrapped okra, and thigh.

If you like chicken and EVERYTHING about the chicken, this is a cool little Japanese spot you should try. There are chicken wings to chicken liver, heart, gizzard, and so on all on a stick! Great spot to hangout with friends and have a drink. The price is not too bad and you should definitely get the «wagamama» which is pork and chicken rice. They also give you a really good chicken broth soup that they make. The line could get long during dinner time so you should make a reservation or come early!