Virginia-Highland’s Yakitori Kona makes sipping and snacking easy

ATLANTA - According to the official online Tokyo travel guide, an izakaya is something of the Japanese equivalent of a pub or tapas bar — the kind of place where friends gather to drink, eat, and catch up. And now, thanks to MF Sushi founder Alex Kinjo, Atlantans can enjoy the izakaya experience without needing to travel halfway around the world.

Yakitori Kona is Kinjo’s latest culinary creation, an izakaya cocktail bar which opened last fall in Atlanta’s Virginia-Highland neighborhood. Like the izakaya found in Japan, the Yakitori Kona team says it wanted to create a low-key, accessible spot for both neighbors and visitors to pop in for a cocktail and a bite to eat. Those drinks, by the way, are curated by James Wampler, who came up with a list of craft cocktails, wine and beer, and a true highlight of the Yakitori Kona experience: sake. In fact — as we learned this morning on Good Day Atlanta — Wampler is even a certified Sake Sommelier.

And then there’s the food, courtesy of culinary director and chef Hugo Valdez. Appetizers include seaweed and squid salads, with sushi appetizers including tuna tataki and yellowtail crudo. At the heart of the menu is a selection of skewers cooked on a charcoal grill imported from Japan, with proteins including chicken, steak, and lobster. 

Yakitori Kona is located at 1004 Virginia Ave Northeast in Atlanta, and the restaurant opens at 5 p.m. for dinner service every day except Mondays. For more information on visiting the restaurant and to look over the menu, click here.

Now, in case you didn’t know, today is International Sushi Day — which seemed like a perfect time to stop by Virginia-Highland and check out the place everyone’s talking about. So, click the video player in this article for a peek at our morning sipping and snacking at Yakitori Kona!