Izakaya Ju-Ku

Juku is great. It’s got a really traditional Japanese atmoshpere, complimented with authentic food. There’s rumors of it closing soon, which is a shame because the prices are pretty reasonable. You’re supoosed to focus more on the uniqueness and detail, so don’t trip too much about the portion sizes. I reccommend the takoyaki, karaage, tonkotsu ramen, udon, or kakifri. All of it’s good, especially if you get a Sapporo beer or gari gari sour. I’ve been many times already, but will surely go in one more time within the next couple weeks. The only reason for a 4 rather than 5 star review is because of the lack of other customers present. Fret not, however, they have the Japanese channel on with real Japanese music.

It’s a very «basic» izakaya, in that it serves very standard plates that you would see at Japanese restaurants, but none of the unique dishes with «frills» that the non-​Japanese crowd tend to go nuts over. Authentic and pretty good, but I could see why there are a lot of underwhelming reviews on here. The food itself was all right, but I feel like the menu lacked the variety I usually seek out at most Japanese izakayas around here.
Prices are fairly reasonable, though. This is one of those good «neighborhood» spots that I would visit more if I lived near by.

Maybe I over expected, I got a little disappointed about food in this place…
I would want to love this place, area, everything are nice, menu are nice, price are good too.
The yakitori taste wasn’t that good… And waiting for food was too long…

I had always been meaning to go there because of their Gundam models on display at their windows, but always forget about it until today. So, I decided to try a little array of dishes: octopus and kimchi salad, beef tongue skewer, shrimp skewer, curry ramen with corn, and this alcoholic lychee drink.
The «salad» and skewers were EXTREMELY salty — like have water ready on standby level of salty. I mean, there was plenty of octopus and kimchi with some heat for the salad and the beef tongue was cut to tiny pieces for you, but seriously, no one needs that much salt. Oh, and the size of the shrimps were just sad; they looked like pink worms.
Why 4 stars? Because their curry ramen is actually pretty damn good, and their lychee drink was refreshing with a slight kick. Also, their customer service is friendly and attentive, but it could have been because I was the only one around. Either way, they have a nice atmosphere going on with smiling staff.
Oh, but a note to the business owner: do something about the menus that look like children made them for you, and it would be better to take down all the little papers (with misspellings) on the wall and just use a whiteboard.
Anyway, bringing my ramen-​loving little brother here next time he is in the city.

The food and drink is satisfying, though I echo the other patron’s sentiment that it’s hard to scour the walls of your neighbor’s booth to see what else one might order. The menu items range from standard izakaya fare (skewers, ramen, pickled dishes) to… adventurous creations that I will probably never try. The drink menu is interesting to say the least (all kinds of home-​made soju and sake cocktails) and they do have good japanese beer. The prices are reasonable across the board — I never feel gouged. The service is excellent — friendly, just the right amount of chattiness, and professional.
The main downside is that they keep the strangest hours. Ju-​Ku is only open for happy hour and dinner, closing at 10:00 PM (11:00 PM on fridays and saturdays I think, though call to make sure). However, if they sense business is slow within an hour of closing time they will just shut down, or, worse, the staff will congregate at the bar enjoying food and drinks while I watch from outside. So I suggest that you call ahead, especially if you’re late for a reservation.
This is my neighborhood Izakaya and I’ll be damned if I give it less than 3 stars.

They are as Japanese as they can get.
They speak, write Japanese. They have very authentic Japanese menu. The place is really cute. The «lover’s booth» is cute n’ funny.
but the food… Cherylynn N’s review pretty much says it all.
I would want to love this place. But being Japanese doesn’t mean you can cook.
The pieces were so small and if you have actually made your own yakitori, you would know right away, small ones are super easily over cooked.
and all. of them were. over. cooked.
ramen was «meh», too. I don’t know where they get the noodle. noodle in ramen supposed to be «bouncy». It was a sad limp. and the soup/​broth was kind of sweet. and no, as a FOB Japanese, I don’t approve.

My bf and I randomly picked this place as our destination for a bike ride. It was a cold night and the restaurant warmed me up quickly. I have the ramen and my boyfriend had some meat on a skewer. He was very happy with the taste of everything, but left a little hungry. He should have had ordered rice to accompany it or more items.
The ramen was good, not the best I ever had, but the service was great and the waitress was very paitient at answering our questions

Came here because it was the closest izakaya to the Richmond playground.
This place is cute and laid-​back. Hand-​drawn signs are on the wall. Our waitress was eclectic and fun. The seats were good for an Izakaya, most of them were against the wall with a little curtain.
While the signs were cute, it’s highly annoying to find the other half of the menu plastered somewhere on the wall. These items that they offer are not on the actual menu and are advertised somewhere in different booths. I don’t want to scare all the patrons trying to get my face in their booth now.
Food-​wise, it is just nothing spectacular. We tried the 3 specialties: Squid salad, wasabi octopus, kimchee octopus. Squid salad tastes bought from some sort of store and a little high on the ginger side. Wasabi octopus is as nose burning as it sounds. Kimchee octopus was good though, spicy and sweet all at the same time.
Takoyaki is pretty much a rip off. They are half-​balls. The price you see is for 3 full balls of takoyaki because they are cut in half. Nice. I definitely feel cheated.
Their yakitori is pretty inferior to many places within a 1 mile radius to them. The beef was tough and oversalted without any sweet beef flavor. Beef tongue was good but not amazing. Bacon wrapped enoki was disappointing. I never thought I would be saying this but the bacon was overpowered by the enoki mushrooms. The best one we had was the bacon wrapped scallop but even that wasn’t anything extraordinary.
The redemption is definitely the drink selection. But I could always just have beer with my yakitori. My much better-​tasting yakitori elsewhere.

I was around the area and was craving some ramen and skewers. Decided to check this place out since we were just a few blocks away and they had happy hour till 8pm.
We ordered the tonkotsu ramen ($ 7.95) which is my favorite ramen. When my bowl of ramen came I was bummed out it wasn’t my top ramen type of noodles (i like my noodles with some curves) it was the straight noodle kind. I don’t mind eating the straight noodle type but this noodle was gross. The noodle tasted powdery and mushy. The noodles were so powdery that it made the broth taste like powder too. I’m sad to say this was probably the worst ramen I’ve ever had. I don’t think my standards are high either because I love the package ramen with the bag of msg flavoring.
Next, we had the omakase skewers which was 5 skewers for $ 10. I thought it was 5 skewers of your choice for $ 10 but then saw it said omakase. I was hesitant. did I want a surprise of skewers? We opted for the omakase, it was okay but nothing to rave about. We got Japanese peppers, chicken thighs, beef tongue, chicken gizzards, and chicken balls. I thought all the skewers were terrible except for the Japanese peppers tasting decent. Everything was over salted. I literally used a napkin to brush off the layer of salt. I thought they over salted everything so that we would down the beer and order more.
Next, our takoyaki came. Takoyaki is a ball of fried batter with octopus and it’s delicious when it’s done correctly. I’m sorry to say but once again this was the worst takoyaki i’ve ever had. The batter was soggy as if it was microwaved somehow. The topping was green onions instead of bonito flakes. Yuck…
Our last order was fried chicken cartilage (~$ 5). I thought this was the best thing out of everything. Wasn’t over salted or anything and had a great crunch.
We wanted to order more food but everything was a disappointment after disappointment. I don’t think I’ve ever been to an izakaya with such horrible food. I would give this place 2 stars because the food was extremely terrible but the server was nice. This was a place I wish I loved but just can’t. My date thought the best thing we ordered were the Kirin beers, which was delicious!
FYI: they have the Japanese toilets if you’re dying to use one!

This is definitely not the best Izakaya place I’ve tried. A bit disappointing since I had such high hopes.
The Tonkotsu Ramen was pretty good, strong broth but noodles could be better. At $ 8 a bowl, it’s a bit sparse on toppings with only one piece of chasu. Skewers were good, but don’t bother with the Takoyaki. My first time eating a Scotch Egg, doubt I’ll eat one again.

This place is awesome, I never meet kind of this style Izakaya!!! nice people cheap food fantasic service!!!
I do want to come again and very sure. Let’s goooooo.:*

For drinking may be a good idea, for dinner should be a mistake.
I came with friends and ordered pork Raman and some side orders; I ordered couple things but they don’t have it.
There is only One piece of pork in my order… If you want to get extra, $ 1.5 please.
The service is good, I guess I will only come for drinks next time.

This is a pretty rad place. Great sense of style, very homey, and welcoming. The staff is good, nice variety, and fairly priced.
Huge 12+ seating table in the center of the room, and intimate bench style couple seating by the windows. Small bar at the back, and plenty of four tops around.
Like another post has noted, this is an Izakaya spot, so if you’re looking for your California and Spider Rolls, head down a little ways to Minami at 20^th and Clement. If you’re confused as to what Izakaya is, just check the wiki, and know what you’re coming here for.
The food itself isn’t as well done as some other Izakaya in the city, but it also drops that «foodie» frou frou’ness of other places — it’s basic foodstuff that has been grilled or fried to go with your beer after a day of work.
So, yeah, come through for your Izakaya — it’s worth it.

Takoyaki — Delicious!
Tuna Croquet — Not really Tuna
Ramen — Weak (nothing in it, broth meh, noodles not bad)
Skewers — Not bad but kinda small
Garlic Karage — Pretty Good
Just get the Takoyaki! ITS DELICIOUS.

Not your everyday Japanese food but definitely deliciously salty and marinated izakaya food (small Japanese tapas) usually consumed with alcohol.
Surprisingly, I saw plenty of families with small children here on Labor Day (may be other places are closed).
Authenically Japanese, decorated with odd (but expected — common in Japan) animé figurines like gundam. A place to get:
Lotus root chips
Takoyaki (fried octopus balls osaka style)
charcoal grilled skewers — even novelties that are common in Japan including liver, heart, … also specials like kinoko mushroom wrapped in bacon
also deep fried skewers
small marinated, soy sauce

Having dinner at Izakaya Ju-​Ku is like forcing yourself to like someone.
He can have a lucrative career, be the sweetest guy in the world, and know all the right things to say at the right time… however, there’s just one teeny eeeny weeny problem: he looks like he fell down the ugly tree and hit e-​v-​e-​r-​y branch along the way down. In NO way am I saying looks are everything because they’re not but there needs to be some attraction right?
That’s exactly how I feel about Izakaya Ju-​Ku. I really wanted to like this Japanese-​owned Izakaya (Japanese Tapas) but I just couldn’t bring myself to. While the ambiance with old school private *coughAhemcough* curtained booths and Japanese bidet to keep them (I) cheeks warm were as cute as can be and the gracious service exudes true Japanese hospitality, the food left as much to be desired as Buck Tooth Yeti.
*Wasabi Octopus — $ 4.50:
*Lotus Root Chips — $ 4:
*Smoked Salmon Salad — $ 8.75:
*Takoyaki (Octopus) Balls — $ 5.50:
*Skewers:
–Chicken Hearts -$ 2.25/Skewer:
–Beef Tongue — $ 2.75/Skewer:
–Chicken Cartilage — $ 2.50/Skewer:
*Ika Sugata — Grilled Squid — $ 7.50:
*Scottish Eggs — $ 4.50:
*Kakuni — Braised Pork Belly — $ 7:
From the Costco-​like Smoked Salmon, Takoyaki Balls that sagged like an 80 year-old’s ta-​tas, Scottish Eggs with yolks so dry it crumbled into powder, to some of the Yakitori Skewers that tasted like an ash-​tray, all the dishes at Izakaya Ju-​Ku were sorely disappointing but expected given the reviews. The dishes were all 2 star worthy and edible after a squeeze of lemon and/​or a jump into the sauce pool; however, nothing was remotely good except for the Lotus Chips which is hard to mess up anyhow.
Looks may not be everything but personality IS and Izakaya Ju-​Ku has that. A generous 3 stars for now with hopes the kitchen gets major plastic surgery because as of now it’s straight tore up from the floor up. =X

Even though friends had warned that Izakaya Ju-​Ku wasn’t anything special, it felt like fate was compelling me to check them out for myself. After discovering our first choice for dinner was closed for the night, we slowly made our way down Clement St. in search of an alternative. Suddenly, we felt that divine intervention… in the form of a parking space right in front of Ju-Ku’s door. Considering how tough parking usually is around here, it’s like the parking gods were telling us where to go! Too bad they couldn’t help with our order…
— Assorted pickles (
)
My friend really wanted to try this one. Very simple (it’s just pickled vegetables), but they gave a decent variety and none of them were overly tart or pungent.
— Wrapped Mozzarella (
)
Not sure why, but I really wanted to try this one. It’s essentially like the mozzarella cheese sticks you find at Italian/​chain restaurants, but minus the marinara sauce and better. I wouldn’t get it again though.
— Taro Root Chips (
)
Our favorite of the night. They were lightly salted and tasted like slightly sweet potato chips, but not as greasy or oily.
— Takoyaki (
)
The most disappointing ones I’ve ever had. The taste wasn’t awful, but the texture and consistency were way too soft — instead of being nice and round, they sagged into domes.
— Scallops Wrapped with Bacon, Chicken Liver, and Chicken Gizzard Skewers (
)
The Scallops Wrapped with Bacon were tasty, but the Gizzards were a little tough. The Chicken Liver was pretty disappointing though — way too saucy on the outside, really dry on the inside.
— Chicken Heart and Pork Belly Skewer (
)
The Chicken Hearts were okay and the Pork Belly was pretty decent, but the latter needed a little more salt/​pepper.
— Beef Tongue Skewer (
)
Like the Chicken Liver skewer, the Beef Tongue had a little too much sauce and felt overcooked.
— Cubed Steak (
)
I feared it would be tough, but the beef was really tender and juicy and it was seasoned nicely. Easily my favorite out of the grilled items.
— Mini Scotch Egg (
)
Only my second time ever having a Scotch Egg (my friend wanted it) and I still don’t get the appeal. The breading wasn’t as oily as the first one I tried in Vegas, but there wasn’t much meat wrapped the egg.
— Tonkotsu Ramen (
)
You’ll always find better at pure ramen joints, but I liked this one enough. The accompaniments were pretty basic, but I thought the broth was pretty decent. It could have been richer/​fuller, but not bad at all.
To me, it’s surprising Ju-​Ku failed with items izakaya restaurants are supposed to be known for — skewers (and takoyaki). They don’t have to be amazing, but they really shouldn’t be your worst items either. TWO AND A HALF STARS is right for the food, but rounding to three since the service was friendly and attentive. However, with Oyaji and Halu in either direction along Clement, and Sozai not too far away either, I can’t see myself coming back again.

Izakaya Ju-​Ku is small and charming. We had the only large table reserved for our friend’s birthday. The staff was friendly. I thought dinner would be great. Nope!
#1. The restaurant offers a $ 15 AYCD for 2 hours. But they wouldn’t let our friends do the deal since not all 12 of us wanted to drink. Lame.
#2. About 5 of us wanted ramen and the waitress tried to argue with us out of ordering them. She insisted that the ramen will «take forever» to come out and we might as well order something else. Perhaps we should’ve listened. We were done with all other food and were still waiting for our ramen to come out. The tonkotsu ramen was very mediocre. There was not much flavor in the broth except for saltiness. Not worth the wait.
#3. The rest of the food was also mediocre. Chicken karage was too salty. The seared tuna was overcooked. The portion of the grilled squid was a lot smaller than expected. Of the things I tried that night, I only enjoyed the bacon wrapped scallop and grilled beef.

03.23.12 || bookmarked 11.16.10
This is a good place to gather a large group of friends for an evening to wind down (via sake) or to get rowdy (via sake bombs). You can choose the two-​hour all you can drink option for $ 15/​person per table. It’s a pretty good deal if you’re into sake (not like me) and can drink beer (not like me, who gave it up for lent).
I wasn’t feeling extremely hungry, and I was on a bit of a time crunch, so I just decided to order the tonkatsu ramen. The waitress warned the four of us who had ordered it that it was going to take a long time. I asked how long and she didn’t have an estimate. I figured that other people ordered it so I had to wait regardless, so went ahead with the order.
75 minutes later my ramen arrived. Huzzah. By then I was definitely starving, so wolfed it down and called it a night.
Good neighborhood place, but nothing to write home about or travel to.

I came here for lunch withy friend and we both got the tonkatsu ramen. It was a pretty decent bowl of ramen. Broth was flavorful but it felt like it was missing something. The chasu was so soft and tender it melted in my mouth. I would definitely come back here to try the other ramen. Service was very friendly as well, the waitress talked to us and asked us how we liked the food. For now I’ll give it 3 stars because it was satisfying. I can’t wait to come for dinner. :)
** everyday for lunch it’s a different ramen.