It smelled good. I don’t know if it tasted good. Front of house was not managing the situation on a Saturday night. We arrived 5 min before our reservation time at 8pm only to find no hostess for at least 15 min and a backed up queue. Another patron had to tell us who to talk to. The hostess was super amicable but basically didn’t have the appropriate tables for anyone’s reservations. I left after 30 min bc tables with rsvps before ours still hadn’t been seated. I felt like the restaurant either sat a walk in 8 party group when they shouldn’t have, and then didn’t kick them out after a time limit (if there is one.) don’t bother on a busy weekend. Go somewhere else.
Yuliya Rashkovskaya
?full stars for an amazing happy hour experience?I cant believe this spot has open tables when we came in at 530 to catch their happy hour.Everything was absolutely delicious, my favorite was the crab sunomono and the wagyu skewer. The pork kimchi and gyozas were also very tasty.The dishes that I thought were good but nothing to write home about were the fried chicken skin and agedashi tofu.Service was spectacular and the music and overall vibe was great. 10/10 will come again!For 3 people we paid $188 with tip, which included 2 cocktails.Vegetarian options: There are some veggie dishes on the menu, nuts it's predominantly meat based.
Very cute restaurant with attentive service. The food was pretty good-- recommend the crispy cracker with spicy tuna, karaage chicken, and the short rib, chicken thigh, mushroom and shisito pepper yakitori. The sake/sochu cocktails were also very good. The only item that was bad (really bad) was the scallop wrapped in bacon. It was undercooked, and the scallop was of poor quality. Had the texture of rubber. Had to spit it out in my napkin. It almost ruined an otherwise pretty good meal.
Really great place and such delicious dishes! Everything ordered was so scrumptious and delicious and fresh! Only thing is one of the wait staff isn't as friendly, always seem to have a bit of a cold shoulder/ attitude. But the food, it's all about the food!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 3
N J (nj)
I recently dined at Noren Izakaya, and it was an exceptional experience. The food was truly amazing, showcasing authentic Japanese flavors that delighted my taste buds. The staff's exceptional service added to the overall enjoyment, making it a memorable visit. Five stars without a doubt!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Yvonne N.
We came here as a group of 7 to celebrate a birthday. As such, we got to order basically everything from the menu. Service was friendly and attentive. We even got to drink with the owner who is super cool. I liked pretty much every dish we had but really loved the following:- gizzard: perfectly cooked with middle portion removed - meatballs: juicy, tasty and likely the best meatballs I've had. Yes...even compared to the Wagyu meatballs from other steakhouses. It's THAT good...With the yolk sauce. I also had what is now my favorite cocktail made of yuzu goodness. This is a fun spot with good drinks and great food. Will definitely be back!
Georgia Frank
One of our favorite places to go for Traditional Japanese Yakitori. Noren Izakaya is truly a hidden gem. Located in North Beach they are open only for dinner, but don't skip this place especially if you love Japanese food. The menu is small but Traditional & tasty. Small plates & skewered meats cooked over special charcoal are the stars here. Some of our favorites we always order here are the chicken heart, gizzard, short rib beef , wagyu beef, & gyoza. This trip we also tried the new salmon dish with truffle oil simply delicious. They were so sweet to give us the most decadent little slice of cheesecake for desert.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Gyoza, Wagyu, Spicy Cracker, Short Rib Skewers, Wagyu Beef, Beef Short Rib, Yakitori, Gizzard, Heart, Truffle Salmon
Jessica T.
Delicious smokiness wafts through the air from this cute izakaya from a block away. I usually don't pay much attention to the sound tracks at restaurants but they were on point that night! The skewers were all good, with bacon mochi winning the favorite award for me. It's pretty hard to find a good bacon mochi actually! Wagyu and the chicken meatball with the egg yolk sauce tied for second. We also had shitake, Berkshire pork belly, and beef short rib. The chicken skin dish was like chicharron but unfortunately was too salty for my taste. I bet it would've been good as a skewer though! Gyoza and the spicy cracker were just ok.
The kushiyaki here is out of this world - every skewer is cooked to perfection, bursting with flavor, and leaves you craving for more.The variety of choices on their menu ensures there's something for everyone, whether you're a meat lover or prefer vegetarian options. The attention to detail in their presentation is commendable, making every dish a visual treat.The service is top-notch; the staff is attentive, knowledgeable, and always ready with great recommendations. The ambiance strikes the perfect balance between trendy and comfortable, making it an ideal spot for both casual hangouts and special occasions.
Victoria Huang
Food was tasty, but very expensive. Like not tasty enough to be that expensive. Don't expect to be full for less than $50 per
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Heart
Julia A.
We just had the best time at Noren Izakaya!All our dishes where surprisingly cute, well presented and delish! The place is clean as a pin, the decor is charming with an array of paper lanterns that had me rethinking all my lighting shades at home.I loved the low key disco energy music ! I know hard to believe :)) Such a fun place and the staff was beaming very helpful and sweet. We are thrilled it's so close too!
alicia teo
Delicious skewers, slightly pricey.
KT Kat
This place was delicious! I loved coming here and enjoying the atmosphere, and their skewers and gyoza were so tasty! I’d highly recommend trying this spot in the city.
It smelled good. I don’t know if it tasted good. Front of house was not managing the situation on a Saturday night. We arrived 5 min before our reservation time at 8pm only to find no hostess for at least 15 min and a backed up queue. Another patron had to tell us who to talk to. The hostess was super amicable but basically didn’t have the appropriate tables for anyone’s reservations. I left after 30 min bc tables with rsvps before ours still hadn’t been seated. I felt like the restaurant either sat a walk in 8 party group when they shouldn’t have, and then didn’t kick them out after a time limit (if there is one.) don’t bother on a busy weekend. Go somewhere else.
?full stars for an amazing happy hour experience?I cant believe this spot has open tables when we came in at 530 to catch their happy hour.Everything was absolutely delicious, my favorite was the crab sunomono and the wagyu skewer. The pork kimchi and gyozas were also very tasty.The dishes that I thought were good but nothing to write home about were the fried chicken skin and agedashi tofu.Service was spectacular and the music and overall vibe was great. 10/10 will come again!For 3 people we paid $188 with tip, which included 2 cocktails.Vegetarian options: There are some veggie dishes on the menu, nuts it's predominantly meat based.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Shishito Pepper, Wagyu, Thigh, Spicy Buta, Yakitori
Great
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Very cute restaurant with attentive service. The food was pretty good-- recommend the crispy cracker with spicy tuna, karaage chicken, and the short rib, chicken thigh, mushroom and shisito pepper yakitori. The sake/sochu cocktails were also very good. The only item that was bad (really bad) was the scallop wrapped in bacon. It was undercooked, and the scallop was of poor quality. Had the texture of rubber. Had to spit it out in my napkin. It almost ruined an otherwise pretty good meal.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 5
Fantastic food at fantastic prices.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Meatball Skewers, Gyoza, Short Rib Skewers, Spicy Buta, Yakitori
Really great place and such delicious dishes! Everything ordered was so scrumptious and delicious and fresh! Only thing is one of the wait staff isn't as friendly, always seem to have a bit of a cold shoulder/ attitude. But the food, it's all about the food!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 3
I recently dined at Noren Izakaya, and it was an exceptional experience. The food was truly amazing, showcasing authentic Japanese flavors that delighted my taste buds. The staff's exceptional service added to the overall enjoyment, making it a memorable visit. Five stars without a doubt!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
We came here as a group of 7 to celebrate a birthday. As such, we got to order basically everything from the menu. Service was friendly and attentive. We even got to drink with the owner who is super cool. I liked pretty much every dish we had but really loved the following:- gizzard: perfectly cooked with middle portion removed - meatballs: juicy, tasty and likely the best meatballs I've had. Yes...even compared to the Wagyu meatballs from other steakhouses. It's THAT good...With the yolk sauce. I also had what is now my favorite cocktail made of yuzu goodness. This is a fun spot with good drinks and great food. Will definitely be back!
One of our favorite places to go for Traditional Japanese Yakitori. Noren Izakaya is truly a hidden gem. Located in North Beach they are open only for dinner, but don't skip this place especially if you love Japanese food. The menu is small but Traditional & tasty. Small plates & skewered meats cooked over special charcoal are the stars here. Some of our favorites we always order here are the chicken heart, gizzard, short rib beef , wagyu beef, & gyoza. This trip we also tried the new salmon dish with truffle oil simply delicious. They were so sweet to give us the most decadent little slice of cheesecake for desert.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Gyoza, Wagyu, Spicy Cracker, Short Rib Skewers, Wagyu Beef, Beef Short Rib, Yakitori, Gizzard, Heart, Truffle Salmon
Delicious smokiness wafts through the air from this cute izakaya from a block away. I usually don't pay much attention to the sound tracks at restaurants but they were on point that night! The skewers were all good, with bacon mochi winning the favorite award for me. It's pretty hard to find a good bacon mochi actually! Wagyu and the chicken meatball with the egg yolk sauce tied for second. We also had shitake, Berkshire pork belly, and beef short rib. The chicken skin dish was like chicharron but unfortunately was too salty for my taste. I bet it would've been good as a skewer though! Gyoza and the spicy cracker were just ok.
Restaurantji Recommends
The kushiyaki here is out of this world - every skewer is cooked to perfection, bursting with flavor, and leaves you craving for more.The variety of choices on their menu ensures there's something for everyone, whether you're a meat lover or prefer vegetarian options. The attention to detail in their presentation is commendable, making every dish a visual treat.The service is top-notch; the staff is attentive, knowledgeable, and always ready with great recommendations. The ambiance strikes the perfect balance between trendy and comfortable, making it an ideal spot for both casual hangouts and special occasions.
Food was tasty, but very expensive. Like not tasty enough to be that expensive. Don't expect to be full for less than $50 per
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Heart
We just had the best time at Noren Izakaya!All our dishes where surprisingly cute, well presented and delish! The place is clean as a pin, the decor is charming with an array of paper lanterns that had me rethinking all my lighting shades at home.I loved the low key disco energy music ! I know hard to believe :)) Such a fun place and the staff was beaming very helpful and sweet. We are thrilled it's so close too!
Delicious skewers, slightly pricey.
This place was delicious! I loved coming here and enjoying the atmosphere, and their skewers and gyoza were so tasty! I’d highly recommend trying this spot in the city.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Edamame, Gyoza