"Walk into Rintaro and you’ll feel like you’ve entered a utopia where everything smells like sizzling chicken skewers and sweet umeshu flows out of faucets and waterfalls. The umeshu waterfall may not actually exist, but a trip to the Mission izakaya is still special . It becomes apparent the minute you sit in the serene, plant-filled courtyard or inside in a booth under arched wooden beams. Like the space, the Japanese small plates are transformative—and the best izakaya dishes in the city. At Rintaro, the shareable dishes are the main attraction. And you certainly won’t find sake bombs or rowdy groups throwing back soju cocktails here. Instead, you’re treated to gyoza with lacy skirts that resemble UFOs, and soft tofu that melts in your mouth. The larger plates, like hand-rolled udon and the juiciest tonkatsu ever, are just as flawless. And the little details are on point every time—chances are you’ll be thinking about the precisely stacked tower of sunomono, or the freshly grated wasabi that hits right in the nose, for days after dinner. Then there’s the yakitori. They’re all so damn good across the board that we often lie awake at night, contemplating how much money we’d pay to have one of the perfectly cooked skewers beamed across town and straight into our mouths. Rintaro feels like a sacred space for people dedicated to worshiping yakitori (a cult we would gladly join, theoretically speaking). There are plump king trumpet mushrooms that have a slightly smoky char from the grill, chicken oysters brightened up with a squeeze of lemon, and chunks of chicken thigh layered with onion. And the queen bee: the crispy tsukune that’s unbelievably tender on the inside, which tastes even better when you swirl it in the side of egg yolk and tare. A dinner at Rintaro means taking a night off from the sh*t show that is the outside world, entering a perfect little enclave filled with phenomenal yakitori, and physically feeling any lingering tension from the day leave your body by the time the meal ends. Which is why we come here for birthdays, special occasions with our parents, or date nights in the courtyard whenever we have the chance. Rintaro is the only place in town that feels so comforting, charming, and exciting at the same time. We’re lucky to have it right here in SF. " - Julia Chen
