Izakaya Ittoku sits right on Mass. Ave in Cambridge's Porter Square, having moved there after starting out across the river in Allston. The move came with an expanded menu, but the format stayed the same: a casual Japanese eatery built around sharing plates among friends, family, and coworkers.
The kitchen works across several cooking styles. Robata means food grilled over open flame, the method behind the yakitori skewers sold per piece. Teppan dishes are cooked on an iron griddle, including Omusoba — pork yakisoba noodles wrapped in an omelette — and Tamago-Yaki. Appetizers run from Takoyaki and Kara-Age to Unagi Kabayaki and the seared Ittoku Steak, while the raw side covers nigiri, sashimi, and maki. A full sake list, along with Japanese beer and shochu, rounds things out.
The noodle dishes and robata-grilled items in particular have developed a following, carried over from the restaurant's earlier run in Allston at similar prices.
The kitchen works across several cooking styles. Robata means food grilled over open flame, the method behind the yakitori skewers sold per piece. Teppan dishes are cooked on an iron griddle, including Omusoba — pork yakisoba noodles wrapped in an omelette — and Tamago-Yaki. Appetizers run from Takoyaki and Kara-Age to Unagi Kabayaki and the seared Ittoku Steak, while the raw side covers nigiri, sashimi, and maki. A full sake list, along with Japanese beer and shochu, rounds things out.
The noodle dishes and robata-grilled items in particular have developed a following, carried over from the restaurant's earlier run in Allston at similar prices.