I couldn't say why it's taken me so long to write about Oak & Coal, but this place is amazing. It's been a while since I've been back but if anyone is wondering, they have an entire bar area built out and the bartenders are fantastic. All the cocktails here are delicious and the bartenders are all extremely talented. For drinks aside from any classic cocktail, the Shishito Sour on the menu is delicious. With the current bartenders they have, this place is easily one of the best bars in the OC. Now regarding the food, this place is a wonderful place to grab a bite. The food is definitely a modern twist on Japanese Iyazaki and there's not a bad thing on the menu that I've tried. We came here during dinner and they do have a yelp check-in so please be aware to check-in as the waitlist can get long especially on the weekends. The location itself is pretty small and all the servers are super sweet and managing tables as best they can. For food I really enjoyed the tuna poke, pork belly skewers, waygu skewers, and chicken karagge. From previous visits I can say there's really not a bad dish on the menu, though their daily specials can be hit or miss. If you are really hungry and want to fill up, the garlic noodles here are super good and a great way to add in some carbs if you didn't want to order a bunch of skewers. Definitely add this place to your list if you haven't been, and especially if you're on the search for a great cocktail bar. Since the pandemic all the good bars closed, and now Detention also closed to become a membership only lounge, so this place is easily the best cocktail bar I've been to in the OC right now. read more

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I have exactly one regret from my experience at Oak & Coal ... and that is that I didn't take any pictures of the food!! Gah!! 8 of us were in town visiting and we found this place on Yelp! We went family style and it was fantastic. Our server was extremely helpful. Food and drinks were fantastic and came out timely. Everything really was fantastic. Simply put, we'll all loved it! read more

MUST eats: - Wagyu beef skewers (oh my godddd) with the yuzu sauce - Unagi on crispy rice - Pork Belly Skewers Purty good: -Salmon Crudo -Shishito - tasted zesty and very light! - Ube banana pudding - Shishito Sour cocktail Not bad, but save your appetite for the other yummy things: - The Not Your Average Miso Soup - The egg was perfectly soft in this and i liked the mushrooms! I just think the other menu items are super tasty and I wish I had saved room for those instead! Service was great and we really enjoyed our meals! Parking was also pretty easy to find, but we went at an off hour around 9:30 pm (we were told last call for food is about 10:30 as an fyi!). There are a lot of two top tables, a sushi bar, and a giant bench in the middle of the room. A separate room for the bar, which was really nice because it was separate from our dining experience. They do not take reservations and only take walk-ups. You can put your name on the waitlist up front. :) Recommend this place and would come again. read more

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YUM!! Received a gift card and I used it that very night and already want to go back. We sat in the back which I highly recommend if there is space. The service was so great from seating to check. The food tastes even better than it looks and I loved my gimlet! Will be back soon! read more

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My girlfriend randomly found this spot so we went to go try it. It's in a low-key plaza, but walking in, the interior was well decorated. They seated us to the bar room inside and it was entirely a different vibe. The dim lights, the of shapes of the tables and R&b music made it feel like it was another nice date. The service was good. The waiter was knowledgeable about the menu and what was popular there. His recommendations were right on. We first ordered the drinks: Hennessy pineapple and some tequila mix drink. The cognac drink was bomb! It has a good mixture of sweetness and boldness. It was strong, but it didn't taste that strong. 5/5 my girlfriend also enjoyed her drink too. We then ordered the salmon and it was alright. It tasted basic and not memorable. 3/5. It something that most sushi spots have. My girlfriend and I loved the fried peppers though. It was spicy yet savory. The garlic aioli sauce tasted bomb. I really like the sauce and it complemented well with the spicy umami kick from the peppers. 5/5 As for the waygu skewers, I will honestly have to give it a 3/5. It didn't taste as good as it was written in the description. Kinda salty and dry. The texture of the meat was not tender enough for me probably because I prefer my meat medium rare. That one thing that got me good was their famous stir fried noodles. I initially thought it was basic and uncreative, but after taking my first bite, i ended up taking more and more bites. It was addicting. The mushrooms added a nice earthy flavor the the noodles. The shrimp was juicy and well seasoned. This dish hit the spot. 5/5. I'm glad we came to this spot. I'm usually pretty picky when it comes to trying out new restaurants, but this place is worth it. Overall, service is good, food is good, and the place is nice. Will be down to come back again with friends. Got try more food. read more

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Came here around 9:45pm (as a last minute plan I might add) for a friend's birthday dinner this past Saturday. Luckily for us there was no wait and were seated right away in the back room / speakeasy "Oak Bar". This has been in my bookmarks for a while now so I was excited to finally try it out! It's pretty dark inside - good for date night vibes or GNO - with a small gold lamp for some visibility at each booth. I believe it's only booths and bar seating in here. Our server Steven was friendly and accommodating + knowledgeable of their cocktail menu. What we ordered: ~cucumber sunomono ($7) - 5* - garlic pickled cucumber, korean chili, sesame ~oak elote ($11) - 4* - 2pcs; sriracha mayo, togarashi, lime ~garlic noodles ($26) - 3* - wild shrimp, bonito sake butter, shimeji mushroom ~miso black cod ($24) - 5* - pan glazed, on bed of cucumbers, sesame ~ponzu prime NY strip ($30) - 5* - 6 0z, shimeji mushroom ~salmon crudo ($24) - 5* - king salmon, ponzu, togarashi, micro cilantro ~seared hamachi ($26) - 4* - pepper crust, chili soy, garlic asparagus ~brussel sprouts ($12) - 5* - blistered, bonito flakes, spicy mayo ~bacon wrapped asparagus w/ miso - 2 skewers ($12) - 5* My favorites were- +miso black cod: buttery soft and melts in your mouth +ponzu prime NY strip: cooked to a perfect medium rare and the mushrooms complemented it well +salmon crudo: we appreciated the big pieces of salmon +brussel sprouts: CRISPY AF just how we like it! Can somebody tell me how I can get my brussel sprouts to this level of crispiness at home??? Everything else was ok! I mean, if you mess up things like cucumbers, corn, or yakitori I really wouldn't have anything else to say lol. I'd skip the garlic noodles and if you're ordering the miso black cod then you don't have to order the side of sunomono cucumbers because the cod comes with a lot of them. Prices are adequate with the exception of the corn and salmon crudo which is a bit overpriced imo. I'd probably come back to try the tuna tartare, bao buns, some other skewers, and ube banana pudding if it's still on the menu. read more

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This place was a super cute and quaint restaurant. It has very dim lighting and can get pretty busy in here! Behind the main restaurant is like a speakeasy style bar with very cute decor and you can get food back there as well! Everyone was super nice and accommodating to us since we started in the front while waiting for a spot at the bar. We only grabbed a couple of drinks and bite for a night cap. The unagi crispy rice was actually really good, the unagi was warm and very soft with a nice thick cut, while the crispy rice was crispy and hot and so good with the eel sauce. Agedashi tofu had alot of sesame oil in it which i didnt mind at all and its like almost a soup with a couple tofus. Aesthetically this place was so well designed down to the plating! The drinks were good but strong which wasnt bad haha. I want to come back and have dinner here and try some more items! read more

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Intimate setting with solid small plates. Detailed breakdown below: **Service, 5/5** Very friendly staff~ **Decor & cleanliness, 5/5** Gorgeous small venue with dim lighting. **Price & portion, 3/5** Pretty pricey for the portion size. Everything was delicious, but there are more affordable yakitori places with more variety on their menu (try out Shin Sen Gumi yakitori). **Presentation of the food, 4/5** The pork baos were very pretty but inconvenient to eat because they added sauce to the outside of the buns. The poke was also gorgeous but the portion was surprisingly small. **Taste of the food, 5/5** - Salmon and yellowtail poke: Lots of familiar flavors that balanced each other really well, all on a perfectly crispy wonton skin. - Pork baos: Tons of flavor and also well balanced, even if very messy to eat. - Pork belly yakitori: Definitely my favorite dish of the night! Perfectly salted, great smokey flavor, and the fat was rendered just the right amount. The big pile of miso on the plate didn't do much for the dish though. read more

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Nice ambiance (lighting), interesting menu well prepared. Small and easy to get to. One down-side: it's really LOUD!! read more

Interesting intimate modern yakitori place, with a somewhat secret bar inside the restaurant. The food was flavorful but I would say everything was a tad bit too salty.. and expensive for what it is. The salmon crudo had a good amount of pieces but the texture wasn't fresh, so it was a bit disappointing. The garlic noodles were not garlicky and it looks like they used instant ramen noodles, which were soggy and overcooked. The lamb and pork belly skewers were delicious though. But overall, just over priced. Cool place to try but unfortunately wasn't worth it. read more

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Everything is delicious every single time. Love the cucumber starter, the wagyu beef skewers, garlic noodles with shrimp and definitely use the sauces!! The yuzu is good on everything! Service is awesome and this place just hits right -every single time. read more

Best date night spot in Costa Mesa. Food is incredible. Sit at the bar and ask for Steven. Then, thank me later!

Came here on a Friday night, we had a large group of 8 people with a few kids. Oak and coal has a good vibe to hang out for drinks. There's even a bar side in the back. Service was good, staff were friendly, that's about it for the good. Food wise we had to say other wise, the food here was not good at all, everything was salty. If you like salty food, then this place is for you. The best was the chicken karaage and the cucumber. The waiter hype us up with the clams, so we order 2 dish of it, and it came out so salty. All the skewers were salty, the garlic noodle was salty. I guess you can drown yourself with the beer to cleanse the saltiness. Food was nothing special. The total bill was $800, and we all agreed to give this place 2/5 stars for the food. We definitely won't be returning here. read more

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Modern yakitori restaurant with an elevated twist. You have the option to sit in two different sections. The bar and dining area are separated for two different vibes. This is a great date night spot to grab some food and drinks. The skewers were grilled perfectly. The pork belly was probably my favorite out of all the items we tried, but the wagyu was a close second. A bit pricey for yakitori, but I enjoyed the meal and would say it is definitely worth a try. read more

Oak & Coal - Japanese Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

First time here, went to the speak easy bar part of the restaurant. The bartender and the servers were amazing. The food was so good. We had the wagyu skewers, salmon sashimi, karage and the udon soup. Everything was amazing and the service was good. I would come back again. read more

Mediocre yakitori. I had high expectations due to the Yelp ratings. We walked in as a party of 4 and were seated at the picnic table in the center of the restaurant. The Long bench made it hard to get in and out. Would not recommend wearing a dress. The place felt so crammed. It was loud. Music blasting and people loudly talking. We could barely hold a conversation. The food was mediocre and most were overly salty. Pretty expensive for what it was. Service... they tried to be attentive but pretty forgetful. We had to ask a few times for the hot sauce (not free!). Would not return due to the small space and subpar food. read more

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Busy spot with lots of great food. I highly recommend a reservation for quick service.

I was looking for a nice loungey bar:restaurant for drinks where we wouldn't have to yell over the music or people and happened upon this sweet place! We had gone to ruin bar and pie society prior and those speakeasy type bars were way too crowded and loud we had to walk immediately out. Soo glad we did cuz found this awesome new bar! They just opened their connecting bar which has different vibes from their restaurant- nice dark intimate with great drinks , music and table plus bar seating! We came after 9pm on a Saturday night and was pleased we could get seated immediately (still too new I think) but it was fantastic! Service was very kind and attentive and FAST. Food was yummy and fresh! And loved the cocktails. Highly recommend the shishito sour AND karaage (the fire option was too spicy for us soo I would just get regular version). read more

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I'll start with, do NOT underestimate the desserts. Both options of the salted caramel gelato which was perfectly salted, and the truly unique one dessert. Wow. I will be coming back and trying very cocktail on the menu that also looked phenomenal. Each portions was flavor packed, pork was a little dry. Shrimp was great, always a hit or miss at some places. Vibe was lit we were there pretty late and it was getting louder which is fun. Nicely lit, and interesting service staff. Fish tasted nice and clean as well. Overall really cool place I hope it stays around. read more

I enjoyed the 3 dishes I ordered. Miso soup- so good and cozy to eat on a cold winter day. Hit the spot. Pork Belly- so juicy and crispy. Very flavorful. Will come back just for this deliciousness! Miso cod- yummy. The cod melts in your mouth and I love the crispy and refreshing cucumbers underneath. Will definitely be back for more! Two thumbs up!! read more

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Oak and coal is my favorite place in OC. The back room is where it's at. Great ambiance, excellent food/drinks and unmatched customer service. Have not had a dish I didn't like. The Brussels sprouts, spicy tuna don, yellowtail and salmon poke, bao buns, and whiskey sour are staples. read more

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The most american looking japanese restaurant i've seen. Priced higher than typical yakitori but still well prepared. It's a juicy steak on a stick. The dishes were served at a consistent pace. The restaurant is split into two rooms -- one being a low light bar and table setting and the other being more rustic with a view of the kitchen. read more

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Overall had a fantastic and memorable experience at Oak & Coal! Dined in on a Saturday night around 8:30pm by way of a friend's recommendation. Our group of four dined in the new (1.5 weeks fresh when we visited) Oak Bae room which was poppin! The first dining room is a casual eatery type that has a modern Japanese aesthetic and a lively atmosphere. Attached to the first dining room is the Oak Bae room which has a dimly lit trendy upbeat atmosphere. Our small but mighty table of four what seemed like everything on the menu. As we stared at the lengthy menu, whatever screamed out to us- we ordered! A few but not all of the items we ordered: salmon and tunu poke bowl, tuna don bowl, shishito peppers, bao buns, chicken skewers, wagyu beef skewers, karaage, and lemongrass chicken dumplings. As a group, we concluded that everything tasted delicious and the tuna don bowl and bao buns were extra delicious! I'm still thinking about those bao buns. Wish we would have ordered the broccholini but there's always next time. The service was beyond amazing. Our server was extremely attentive and interactive to our needed and always made sure our water was topped off. The owner, Jeff, spent some time with us and our experience that much more memorable! I'm thrilled about this Costa Mesa gem, I can't wait to be back! read more

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Our favorite date night spot! The service is great every time, and the waiters take their time with you every time yet service is quick. Pork belly is definitely a favorite if ours but we are making it a mission to try everything at least once. The only thing I have not been a fan of was the eel but that was just personal preference as I found it very sweet. read more

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Definitely recommend for anyone in the area looking for a quick but delicious bite to eat. Food came out fast and customer service was on point. They were so friendly, funny, and had great recommendations on the menu. The yakitori was hot and delicious. They were also big mouthful sized pieces. Not the itty bits you get at those fancy cocktail parties on toothpicks. These were hefty. Garlic noodles were standard fare but the ube banana dessert was great. Totally recommend for anybody who is a fan of taro/ube. It was very rich and creamy, and probably diabetic. Good for sharing though. Inside is pretty small but the wait time goes fast. Our 40min ETA was actually like 15min. Parking was almost full but shouldn't be a problem. read more

Oak & Coal - Menu 5/6/2022 - Japanese Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

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Looking for a date night spot or upscale dinner spot? Look no further - Oak and coal has your back. Shouting out Addison for sure for giving us great service at the bar tonight. He really held it down with his recommendations and his really tasty drinks that he made for us. We got the Maui mai tai and the Sunday funday. Mai tai is rum based and the lilikoi foam is exceptional. If you like foam in your boba drinks- this is not a cocktail to miss! The Sunday funday is tequila based topped off with ginger beer and other ingredients but the dirty cherries that come on top are just the perfect touch. Shouting out the manager Haley for making the service impeccable. I would seriously come back here just because they made us feel so welcomed and honestly the bomb food is an extra bonus. Now on to the food- The star of our food picks were the wagwu skewers. Delicious, delectable and all the synonyms of that word. They literally were the perfect texture and weren't chewy at all. The green sauce that accompanies it is tasty as well. But if you put too much or ask for extra on the side it can get salty so just a heads up! I would definitely order this again although it seems pricy I feel like the quality of the meat from Snake River is top notch. If you're looking for a raw fish recommendation- the seared hamachi is super good. The asparagus and chili soy sauce dip was a personal favorite of mine. The brussel sprouts were really delicious with the aioli that came with it. Crispy and pan blistered I believe. The shareable baos were delicious. Really soft bread and the chashu pork inside was an okay amount but always wishing for more. Lastly we ordered the fire version of the chicken karaage which was delicious but definitely spicy. I loved it but that's because I love spicy so if you're not into that- maybe opt for something else. Their chicken karaage is not fried and also not battered but it's note worthy to try it because it was flavorful. ORDER THE UBE BANANA PUDDING! Don't hesitate as I was so delighted to end my meal with this. It is definitely shareable and the perfect sweetness! Things on my noteworthy to try list because there will be a next time for sure: -Edamame Hummus -Miso Soup and/or Garlic Noodles -Salmon Crudo -Charred Unagi -New Zealand Lamb Chops -Wagyu Donburi read more

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A little disappointed. While the quality of the ingredients was decent, everything lacked flavor and felt overpriced. It felt like I was eating good meat cooked over heat with no seasoning. Btw, they don't have happy hour here anymore. :( Snake River Farms Wagyu Beef- the meat was very tender and juicy, but was under-seasoned. Even with the wasabi salt on the side Chicken karaage- similar to the beef kushiyaki. Juicy meat but had no flavor. The batter was also VERY light. We got these two dishes and the ozeki one cup sake. The bill came out to be around $50, which felt overpriced. read more

Oak & Coal - Snake River Farms Wagyu Beef (3) - Japanese Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

This hidden gem is a must try! We ordered the entire menu... JK I wish I could have because the food was so yummy. We had: - Pork Belly Skewers - Shrimp Skewers - Tuna Yukke - Seafood Garlic Noodz Every single thing that came out was delicious. I love that I've found another great place to go to for Japanese inspired tapas. My favorite was the Tuna Yukke... I could've easily ordered another one to have for myself. The garlic noodles was a very generous portion and not too garlicky where you will sweat and smell like garlic if you hit the gym the next day. Some restaurants overdo it and it's too much. We had enough scallops and shrimp in it and it was very tasty. Only reason why they didn't get 5 stars was because the service was great but because so many people were helping us our orders were confused and we were constantly being asked questions while trying to enjoy our meal. I know it's weird to say that they were too attentive but in a way when there are too many diff servers asking you things and taking your order things either get missed or confused. I do recommend this place 100% and would come back again. read more

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This place was okay. Pretty expensive and you won't get full unless you're ordering noodles or something with carbs. -We sat at the bar and the service and dark ambiance in the back was great! -Bartenders know what they are doing. - Salman Crudo-delicious -Brussel sprouts-descent -Lamb chops were okay - Portions are smallll read more

Oak & Coal - Lamb chops-okay - Japanese Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

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The ube banana pudding is amazing. I had to order a second one bc I shared my first one.

Small restaurant located in a random plaza. Service was great. Only complaint is that the waitress let us know about their special after we already ordered. Dumplings and bao buns were delicious. The chicken was alright, I've definitely had better kushiyaki. Food was overpriced for bite size options. It was loud and difficult to hear the person speaking to you, so the ambience was a good 2/5. It's a good find if you're looking for something light and quick. read more

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My favorite spot in town by a mile - specifically The Oak Room. Great vibe...date spot, business, the boys etc. It all works. Addison is the homie and make killer drinks! Also amazing to see how hands on Jeff (the owner) is. Big-time quality control. Lastly, the Salmon Crudo is unreal (as is the rest of the menu), contrary to what the woman said in her review earlier today. I constantly order it. Extremely consistent. Buttery and melts in your mouth. Love that this is my spot and it's a few blocks away from the pad read more

Decent small spot for Yakitori. Seating inside is fairly limited but was able to get seated quickly. The menu offers some good go to's for appetizers, veggies and a variety of meat skewers and also an option for rice bowls. There's a full drink menu that you can also order from. I actually enjoyed the seafood and apps more than the yakitori. I ordered the wagyu and the bacon wrapped asparagus with miso and felt like they were overly salty. Other than that the service was really good and multiple staff members would check in on our table multiple times. I would recommend the garlic noodles. They come with scallops and shrimp and also the lemon-grass dumplings. read more

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Our dinner was excellent, we had their premier dishes including the garlic shrimp noodles, pork bao buns, and the special steak lettuce wraps. The garlic shrimp was plump and juicy, there were the right amount of spices and oil, the pork bao buns had the right sweetness and the steak was tender, but could have gone without the rice. The service was great, I assume we had the manager who was very efficient. Overall, great date night spot if you were also looking for libations. read more

We found this resturant on Yelp. We are all about the samplings that shareable and appetizer menus bring and Oak & Coal did not disappoint. We started with the spicy yellow tail and salmon hand rolls that were creamy and tasty, we then moved to the salmon crudo, loved it. We actually added a bowl of steamed rice to have on the side. We shared the seafood garlic noodles and loved it so much we could have kept going. We decided to finish the meal with the Ube Banana Pudding,.... OMG! The pudding was a phenomenon all on its own. We had drinks, I will say the drinks are quite pricy for the amount for the amount you get. But still tasty. We will be returning. read more

Oak & Coal - Ube banana pudding - Japanese Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

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The food and service is incredible. The experience of food is outstanding. One of the best restaurants in CM

My friend and I absolutely enjoyed our 1St but definitely not last time at Oak & Coal. The place was amazing, food was incredible and the service perfect. Bonus treat was seeing Jeff who is responsible for such an outstanding place. Can't wait to go back! read more

I was really excited to try this place. And seeing that it had a 4.5 stars on yelp it seemed like it was gonna be great. My husband and I went on a Friday night. It was busy. We signed up for a waitlist and chose bar. They sat us in the back room " bar area" not the bar at a small table right by the bar. We ordered the chicken dumpling which the sauce was not very good then we ordered the chashu bao buns and the unagi sticky rice. Ordered the sauces and was very disappointed. The pork buns were good. Place was super loud couldn't have a conversation. Staff were great and friendly and service was good. Bummed the food wasn't as great as reviews mentioned. read more

Hello tasty food! What an experience. I'm obsessed with going here. The fusion is firing. The Wagyu beef Bao, not your average Miso, Karaage, pork skewer and Brussels. If they still have the Korean taco special. Taste them all!!! Then finish it off with the caramel sea salt gelato. These are all a great first journey. Really the whole menu is amazing! We've tried almost everything. I keep going back for more and to see what could possibly be the next special. Their flavors are top notch. The Karaage is excellent! It has all the qualities and flavors you'd expect. I don't usually eat chicken and I had to taste it. The kids ate so much we ordered more. The Beef Bao taco I would recommend eating as soon as it comes out. It is best hot. And you will want to eat it again and again. Between the pickled onion and the jalapeño it really rounds out the taste. The Korean Tacos, Hello, get these while they still have them. The green onion, beef, rice, beautiful lily pad like butter lettuce along with the fiery sauce. This was a wow special. I would recommend to order slowly so you can taste as things roll out. Otherwise the flavors are not as deep and rememberable. The Brussel sprouts, their play on roasted Brussels was full of flavor pop. I popped a little lemon with the sauce and wow. Delicious. So the not your average miso, well there are days when I could just get this. It has a beautifully poached egg, noodles, mushrooms, seaweed, and tofu. Savor this before you dive in to something else. The whole bowl really opens your eyes to wonderful unexpected complexity and textures. The kiddos love this too! What a spot! I'm so thankful for it being here. I could go every day! read more

Oak & coal from the parking lot you're like what am I getting myself into, but once you're inside the vibes are higher. The service was amazing the team was all so nice and friendly the waiter did an amazing job at recommendations, and the food was out of this world amazing. I was on a date so I didn't take any pictures. But the boa buns were so good, and the snake river kushiyaki was amazing! Like 10/10 would go back. Also the little bar area in the back was so cute, didn't eat back there but the whole place was such a vibe. read more