Yakitori Kona sits in a small, cozy room in Virginia-Highland, built as an izakaya cocktail bar by the creator of MF Sushi. Culinary director Hugo Valdez, who previously cooked at MF Sushi and Craft Izakaya, compiled a menu centered on grilled skewers alongside sushi.
The skewer list runs from chicken heart and eel to eggplant, with fried chicken skin skewers seasoned in lemon pepper togarashi and local Springer Mountain Farms chicken worked into several dishes. Appetizers include a seaweed salad and shishito peppers with carrot ginger dressing.
The bar program, created by James Wampler, leans into playful riffs on classics — a lychee martini built on shochu called the "Yes, Yes You Do," and a blackberry daiquiri finished with goat cheese foam called "Live a Little" — alongside sake, wine, and beer.
Regulars talk about the bartenders and cocktails as much as the grill, and the room's hospitality and fresh ingredients come up often, even as portions run small against premium pricing. The Infatuation gave Yakitori Kona an 8/10.
The skewer list runs from chicken heart and eel to eggplant, with fried chicken skin skewers seasoned in lemon pepper togarashi and local Springer Mountain Farms chicken worked into several dishes. Appetizers include a seaweed salad and shishito peppers with carrot ginger dressing.
The bar program, created by James Wampler, leans into playful riffs on classics — a lychee martini built on shochu called the "Yes, Yes You Do," and a blackberry daiquiri finished with goat cheese foam called "Live a Little" — alongside sake, wine, and beer.
Regulars talk about the bartenders and cocktails as much as the grill, and the room's hospitality and fresh ingredients come up often, even as portions run small against premium pricing. The Infatuation gave Yakitori Kona an 8/10.