HRD Smokin' Grill - 532 Green Street, San Francisco

I consider Yakko Japanese Restaurant to be one of the best places to eat sushi within the Castro district, if not the entirety of Mountain View, California. Sure, it offers most of the staples that you're likely to find in a Japanese place, such as tempura, edamame, gyoza, yakitori, sashimi, teriyaki, the sushi boat, etc. However, all of it just seems to taste better when it's served by an impeccable wait staff. Every waitress I've encountered at Yakko has had an excellent attitude and was knowledgeable about every aspect of the menu. I never would have tried their Rainbow Roll, my new favorite dish consisting of avocado, crab, and five varieties of fish; if "Lisa" hadn't recommended it to me.

While I said that the dishes are similar to other Japanese eateries, I have yet to encounter another one that regularly involves jalapeño peppers; Yakko has seven different signature rolls that contain jalapeño peppers. While some customers may not like their food spicy, I just can't bring myself to turn spiciness away. I will confess that Yakko's prices may turn away some penny-pinchers as its menu is a tad more expensive than other places in the area. With that said, Yakko does offer Happy Hour sake for $1.99, as well as an excellent lunchbox special ($11 gets you two rolls and three meats).

Now that I've discussed its excellent food, let me address more about Yakko itself. The restaurant was designed to be bright and inviting, and while you might think that leads to constant noise during busy periods, the seating arrangements and barriers were properly planned out to mitigate most such noise. Also, while Yakko markets itself as a Japanese restaurant, most, if not all, of its employees seemed to be Korean. Some purists of Japanese cuisine may have an issue with this, but it doesn't really bother me.



What's for dinner tonight? Maybe barbecue or Mexican or maybe Asian. The next time this dilemma arises, go for all of the above. That's right, a restaurant that offers all of these choices and even some fusion dishes. HRD Smokin' Grill in San Francisco near North Beach is the perfect place for barbecue and asian fusion dishes. 

HRD Smokin' Grill is the dinner side of HRD Coffee Shop. Opened in 2013, it offers a variety of dishes including Korean, barbecue, burgers and Asian fusion. The restaurant is open from 5pm til 10pm Tuesday through Sunday. It is in the bustling North Beach area near Chinatown. It has also been featured on Food Network by Guy Fieri. 

HRD has something for everyone's taste buds. Whether it is traditional food for the not so adventurous or something different for the foodie who wants to experience it all. They have barbecue platters for those who want traditional food and there is also the pulled pork taco. For those who want to try something a little over the top, HRD starts small and moves up with the more exotic. For those who are just a little curious about the other side of normal cuisine, there is kalbi Korean short ribs or one of four Korean bibimbap dishes. There is also the chicken pineapple taco. For the more adventurous,there is the customer favorite kimchee burrito. HRD makes their own kimchee and it is in several of their dishes. The burritos can also be made "wet" meaning there is Japanese curry added. The kimchee burrito comes with chicken, pork or tofu and is the perfect mix of Mexican and Asian fusion. The restaurant also offers side orders ranging from french fries for the more traditional to wasabi apple coleslaw and kimchee spicy rice for those who want flair.

Visit HRD Smokin' Grill today and experience what customers say is one of the best restaurants in the city by the bay.