Yakitori Edomasa traces back to a small food stall started in Tokyo in 1924 by Masaji Watanabe. The restaurant's San Francisco location preserves the original counter from that stall era, and seating is built around it.
Chicken is the only protein on the menu, prepared whole-animal style so that breast, thigh, wings, heart, and skin all end up skewered and grilled rather than discarded. Mise en place is hand-prepared through a laborious daily process. A set menu built around the yakitori opens with a paitan broth and moves through a stacked rotation of chicken skewers, including a meatball skewer finished with fresh wasabi.
Chicken is the only protein on the menu, prepared whole-animal style so that breast, thigh, wings, heart, and skin all end up skewered and grilled rather than discarded. Mise en place is hand-prepared through a laborious daily process. A set menu built around the yakitori opens with a paitan broth and moves through a stacked rotation of chicken skewers, including a meatball skewer finished with fresh wasabi.