Shirube

Brothers Kodai and Yudai Uno brought their family's Tokyo izakaya, running since 1978, to Santa Monica in 2018, its first US location. A sword-wielding shogun mounted on the wall is the only overtly Japanese touch in a room of black walls built to keep the food in focus. Sit at the counter and dishes -- corn ribs in butter shoyu, seared mackerel, wagyu grilled over binchotan charcoal -- arrive in under ten minutes apiece, while a spinning machine turns out frozen yuzu mojitos. Six to eight plates is the right amount for two to share.