Chotto

Chotto is my favorite Japanese restaurant in San Francisco. I usually know what I want to order and I do not miss: bacon mocchi, edamame, ramen and gyoza.

I love the ambiance, it's quiet and you can always find a table. I usually go there with friends and we share a couple of small plates. Check it out, it's great!

I was craving ramen and saw this place was close by.
The waiter suggested the hamachi special - wow so fresh and big portions.
Miso ramen was filling and ramen was al dente - broth a little bland but side kimchi helped out.

Recommended!

2.5 stars. I was here two years ago in 2014 and it was quite good. But this time the quality of the dishes were much inferior than the first visit. So beware of the yelp reviews that are before 2016.

DECENT DISHES:
Gyu Chan - grilled skirt steak. Standard not anything special.

Agadashi Tofu - I like the sauce but the tofu tasted a bit cooked from tofu from the supermarket. Large portion.

Wakamesu salad - pretty good with wakamesu seaweed and cucumber.

DO NOT ORDER:
Chicken liver poppers. The fried skin is super soft. This one really makes you feel like there is little preparation between the liver and what you are eating. Pretty thick. Very strong liver taste. Would not recommend from a perspective of a Chinese person who lived in France, where liver is served correctly.

Mushroom tempura - very soggy tasting. What happened to the fluffy tempura that Japanese is known for.

Valentine's Day dinner was very tasty!

I was definitely expecting to be more amazed by all the foods that are offered here, but truly, they were nothing out of the ordinary.

I would probably say that the Bacon Mochi and Yuzu Ponzu calamari seemed to impress me the most.
- Bacon Mochi: A crunchy and gooey consistency with incredible flavors.
- Yuzu Ponzu Calamari: Sauteed calamari mixed with mushrooms and enhanced with a flavorful butter sauce.

The gyoza, agadashi tofu, and kushiyaki skewers were just average. I wasn't the biggest fan of the homemade sauce that was used for the skewers and ended up taking as much of it off as I could. As for the sushi rolls, they were very flavorful and fresh. We tried the Ebi tempura roll and crispy spicy tuna roll. I really enjoyed the ebi tempura roll, however the crispy tuna roll was way to battered for my liking.

I really liked the atmosphere and service at this restaurant. It's not to big and has a very modern like feel to it. All our questions were answered to the best of the waitresses knowledge and she was always coming by to check up on our table.

I think this place definitely deserves a trip back because there was just so much more on the menu that I'm needing to try. In all, I thought this place was very reasonably priced for the amount of food we ordered. I did not leave with an empty stomach :D

Needed to refuel after a short 6 mile run to the GGB and back. Showered and walked downstairs. Reservation was for 7:15 PM. It took exactly 1 minute to walk from apartment to restaurant. We got the window table. Very lucky.

Marina holds fond memories of my early to mid twenties. Of course lots of walks of shame included, but mostly watered down bloodies on weekend mornings and girlfriends who cry outside bars because they got dumped again. I never thought of Marina as a food mecca. But that opinion requires 180 degree adjustment, as I have been observing in the last four or so years.

Izakaya, literately translates into "sit down sake place", which by the way, is a literal transaction into both Japanese and Chinese, holds special place in my heart. They are used mostly by white collar workers to hang out after a long work week, many tend to get drunk after, and I have seen many stumbled onto the subway, fall asleep in cart, fall off onto the floor, and lying drunk and in their own vomit. Very un-appetizing if you think of all the terrible outcomes after drinking at an Izakaya establishment in Tokyo. Still, one must not underestimate the power of warm sake and cold draft beer, and the greasy yet grilled to perfection skewers that go so well with everything else. My love for Japan was transformative after visiting Izakayas, despite the occasional late Saturday evening subway aftermath I had to witness in Tokyo.

Chotto came to me by way of reading up on SF's Izakaya joints but I had seen it over the last couple of years while we did the Marina to GGB run, it just that we have our favorites and it had not shown up on our radar until that evening. I had decided to introduce my girlfriend Pam to such delicacy.

A native San Franciscan, she's always game for something new. So we tried chicken skin, hamachi collar, spicy ramen, spinach salad and hapa roll which comes with spicy tuna and butter fish. In a true Izakaya place, there would not be ramen nor sushi rolls. But this is not a strictly speaking Izakaya joint, it serves up variety of items that are a mixture of bar food and typical sushi joint food. You'd think the ramen would not be as good but you'd be wrong.

This place also has the advantage of not having to be the crowd pleaser like the ones you see in the Mission or the Avenues. It serves way better quality Japanese food, in my opinion, than many others, and it definitely has the service down to a T.

I must confess I have a renewed interest in exploring more casual dining establishments in the Marina. Twenty years have come and gone: there would not be any walk of shame going on in my foreseeable future, the food scene in Marina has grown on me, and I've been bored for a while now about the ins and outs of restaurants in the previously frequent neighborhoods. I can safely say, I'm bored no more.

Not gonna lie, when I heard there was a good ramen place in the Marina I literally laughed out loud.... ya was like, that's not possible.

BUT, I was pleasantly surprised. The miso tonkatsu had a good balance of flavors and textures and was presented well. Tried the spicy tonkatsu and it had great flavor as well. It wasn't spicy spicy where your tongue was gonna fall off but had a slight heat that had great flavor.

We also got the bacon mochi, like how is this so good?! Great texture and crunch, great flavors and beautifully presented.

Ill definitely make another appearance.

Fridate on Izakaya dishes.

My date pulled out his magic tricks during the dining and I was charmed. It brought me back on my first date with him and how he just took out magic cards, to my surprise. It's his hobby and it put a smile on my face not knowing what's up his sleeve and what's next. Dating experience 101: never stop flirting and put some spunk into the dynamic. It takes two to tango. Otherwise, the magic fizzles.

Back to the dining...The highlight in taste was their squid in ponzu sauce. It was flavorful and delightful to the soul.

Sushi rolls are of the norm. One must order up their uni hotate, which is of scallop sashimi topped with uni. Bite-sized and surely a delight on the palate to savor over!

Dimly lit setting that suits the ambiance of dining!

Warm sake went down smoothly.

Service was up to par.

Favorite spot for izakaya lovin'!

Went with here friends so we got the chance to order a variety of dishes. I thought that the food wasn't bad, but for the price I think I could get better food in the area. Overall a pleasant experience though.

We first ordered bacon mochi, uni gohan, karaage, yaki onigiri, beef tongue, along with a yuzu cocktail and a "manga" mojito cocktail.

We were looking forward to the bacon mochi, since others had mentioned that it was really yummy in their reviews, but we thought it was okay. My friend really enjoyed the karaage, but again I thought that you could get the same quality karaage at any decent izakaya or ramen shop. The Yaki onigiri included two onigiri's, one soy and one plum flavor. The plum flavored one was really good, but the soy sauce one wasn't one of the best soy flavored yaki-onigiris I had. The uni-gohan was very rich and delicious though. Both the cocktails were great (do recommend getting one), though the "manga" mojito one was a bit on the sweeter side. I thought the beef tongue had an amazing texture and would order this again in a heartbeat!

We were still hungry so we ordered more~~ We got the Hapa roll, lemony Brussels sprouts, kakuni pork belly, and the kushiyaki sampler. The lemony Brussels sprouts sometimes got pretty lemony! The pork belly was possibly my favorite dish though. The pork belly wasn't too fat, and there was a great balance of meat and fat throughout each generously sized piece. The hapa roll was okay. The sampler was a good deal, as we got duck breast, negima, gyu, and tontoro. We thought all of the sticks were yummy except for the duck breast, which was somewhat tough to chew and had an interesting flavor.

I had a nice experience eating here, but there wasn't anything that stuck out to me that would make me want to come back, except for the beef tongue. Out of the dishes I ordered I would look especially forward to ordering the yuzu cocktail, kakuni pork belly, and the beef tongue again.

A decent night out overall!

Love this place. I say it's 2 -- not 3 -- dollar signs. Both times I came here, I ate till I was full and paid less than $30 (no alcohol).

They have multiple small plates to share (or to hoard) and everything was exceptional. My two cents:

1. Ramen with miso tonktsu (not spicy): Good broth; not overly salty (which I find to be the case with most ramen). I liked the pork (note that it comes with only 1 piece), but not fall apart tender. Split this dish with a friend and it was very filling. Would order again.

2. Uni hotate: Enjoyed this quite a bit. The uni is so buttery, and the scallops aren't too bad either.

3. Uni gohan: I originally came here with out of towners to try this uni "risotto". Our reservations were for 8PM on a Sunday night, and unfortunately they ran out by the time we arrived :( I promised to come back to try the uni gohan, so I came back the next week to try this much in demand risotto. This time, I called in advance and asked if they were already out of the uni gohan (nope!). The verdict? It's delicious, but a bit ineffable. According to my friend who only eats bivalves: "It definitely tastes like there's animal fat in this" (in a good way). Worth trying once.

4. Shiso garlic fried rice: Garlic pieces are definitely present, but it also tasted very buttery. Delicious, but I'll probably pass on this one next time.

5. Ebi tempura roll: Just your standard dragon roll. My pescatarian friend (different than my bivalve friend) gobbled this one up.

6. Bacon mochi: Okay, it's good. Worth trying once, but not phenomenal. Bacon is overwhelming and the sauce was too sweet for me. This bacon mochi reminded me of something my mom makes: pan fried day old rice cakes (minus the bacon).

7. Kani korokke: If you like crab and you like croquettes, GET THIS. Underestimated how good this would be.

8. Agedashi tofu: I was a little disappointed by this one. The tofu was a bit on the firm side and it felt like a light fry. You absolutely need to take a spoonful of the broth along with the bite of tofu (if you want really good agedashi tofu, try Sanraku on Sutter in the Tenderloin).

9. Kinoko: Tempura fried organic mushrooms with sweet soy. I'm guessing the seasonal mushrooms were beech mushrooms. They were really good. Comes with a slice of lemon and spicy Japanese seasoning

As you can see, in 2 trips, I tried many dishes (the only repeat was the uni hotate, which I will probably order again).

To be honest, I've been sitting on this review for a while now, mostly because I've had the hardest time deciding whether to give four or five stars. It's like that girl/guy you've been seeing for the longest time - you really, really like them, but do you love them? It's the exact same thing. Well, not exactly the same, but close enough. Kinda...

Unlike some of the Marina's other restaurants, Chotto has substance (read: food) to match its good looks and trendy appearances. You know, like the aforementioned guy/girl. I've ordered the ramen both times I've been here, but that's not to say there isn't anything else to choose from. Skewers, small plates, raw bar, fried/grilled dishes, ramen...if anything, there are too many choices!

**Sorry, a few of the photos are blurry and/or dark, they came off my old phone.

-- CHICKEN KARAAGE - Ginger Soy Marinated Crispy Chicken Thigh.....$7
(http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/chotto-san-francisco#uTVpKFrCzHT1aQdDwTy7jw)
Though the order itself may not have been large, the pieces were pretty big. The breading was thing and well seasoned and the chicken was really juicy. Best of all, it didn't seem all that oily. Delicious!

-- BACON MOCHI - Applewood Smoked Bacon, Mochi, Nori.....$8
(http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/chotto-san-francisco#YHAUDSVV97bRgWxRK9__yw)
My favorite dish! The bacon was pretty meaty and I really liked how the mochi crisped up like the bacon. The sauce added some sweetness to balance the saltiness too. The best bacon mochi I've had in quite a while.

-- UNI GOHAN - Uni "Risotto", Shallots, Garlic Parmesan Cheese.....$12
(http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/chotto-san-francisco#LMRoGmjXuBzSGY5yDMP-jQ)
I had to get it after reading the description, but it needed a little polish. Not only did the uni get a little lost in all that risotto, but the risotto itself was a little overcooked. Has the potential to be awesome though.

-- CHOTTO RAMEN - Karamiso Tonkatsu Ramen with Chashu.....$12.75
(http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/chotto-san-francisco#YpFwNrNy32bC2_Lh5e8hBA)
Pretty solid. The broth wasn't as rich or well rounded as others I've tried, but it was still pretty flavorful. Adding Kimchee gave it a little more kick (+$0.75) but it's not necessary. I just wish there was more chashu; it tasted so good!

As others have mentioned, prices are slightly higher than some of the city's other izakaya (particularly with their skewers). However, it's not by a budget breaking margin (unless you order a boat load) and they do have some HH specials. Even if they didn't though, the food (and service) are worth it, as Chotto is one of the better izakayas I've been to. Parking could be easier though...

FOUR AND A HALF STARS rounded up!