Chotto

Japanese Tapas!!! We came here for a birthday dinner and it was reallly good! I’m generally a fan of japanese tapas, so that’s not all too surprising. I would say that amongst the Japanese tapas places that i’ve been to around the bay, this probably walks the middle of the road — thus, 3 stars.
The best dish was the mochi for sureeeeeee! Not that I’m biased, but I would’ve been happy with just 5 orders of that for the night!
Service could’ve been better. but I guess with a group of 15, it’s a little more difficult to coordinate. Still, we had our water cups half empty for most of dinner.
They did have a pre-​set menu that was around ~$ 50, but with drinks, tax, and tip. it came out to about $ 95 per person. Pretty hefty for not get a lot of food. but you definitely get variety!

The food is amazing and the atmosphere is super cozy. I absolutely love the ramen and the mochi bacon. This is a go to place for quality ramen and other unique modern Japanese dishes.

The ramen here is killer (and spicy)! This place has a great vibe, friendly staff and excellent service. Great drinks too! Strongly recommend.

Bacon wrapped Mochi here is amazing! Highly recommended. My girlfriend and I are in the hunt for the best ramen in SF and Chotto is definitely in the top 3.
Ramen here has a unique touch with the cabbage — would come again.

This is my neighborhood deliciousness. I go about 3 x /​month and sit at the bar and chat with the manager, Adam. The ramen is stellar for this neighborhood joint, as are the skewers and the bacon wrapped mochi.

Excellent, spicy sushi, with special applause for the shrimp tempura roll. The skewered fish and chicken sticks were a big hit at our table as was the seaweed salad.
Not being a ramen afficionado, I was eager to try their version, but I’ve got to admit I was disappointed – skimpy on the vegetables, spicey broth, lots of noodles. This small little gem of a restaurant was a delight. Thanks Unilocal community for so enthusiastically recommending this attractive place to us!

Very tasty but portions are so teeny. My fave was the miso glazed cod special. The sashimi dishes were the least impressive, but there wasn’t a single dish that I didn’t enjoy!

I tried their food at «off the grid» and im so glad i did! The pork belly fried rice and pork belly mochi are so good! I’ve never had anything like it before!

Tried out this spot with some friends on Friday night and was very impressed! We had a reservation for 6:30 and at first I was a little skeptical since there were very few people dining, but my fiancé reminded me it was still early. Sure enough, the place filled up quickly! The food was great and the service was very good as well. We tried the bacon mochi that everyone seemed to love (i personally don’t really like mochi), the crunchy spicy tuna roll (omg yum), the gyoza (double yum — we ate two orders), edamame (good, but it’s just edamame), the japonica roll (omg…this roll was to die for. we ended up ordering a second one after we ate the first!), the hamachi crudo which was so delicious and fresh, and finally a special which was an eel dish with sweet potatoes. Everything was great and I would highly recommend this place to anyone looking for a fun dinner spot!

Was down in San Francisco for a Sunday in search of flavorful Ramen and chose Chotto as the destination. Parking was very limited as the Marina district gets quite busy in the evenings, so be prepared or come early.
Stopped into Chotto right as they were opening, we were only the second group to arrive. We started off with the Bacon Wrapped Mochi, which was a treat and had very unique textures as well as fantastic flavor.
I’m personally a huge fan of spicy so for Ramen I chose to go with the
Karamiso Tonkotsu. It was different to have to add fancier items for an additional charge, but they had a great selection for additions, half 6 minute eggs, tender and succulent pork, with broth that was extremely savory with nice medium heat to it.
All in all, the service and food were both good, if you’re looking for tasty Ramen while in San Francisco, Chotto is worth the stop.

Needed to refuel after a short 6 mile run to the GGB and back. Showered and walked downstairs. Reservation was for 7:15 PM. It took exactly 1 minute to walk from apartment to restaurant. We got the window table. Very lucky.
Marina holds fond memories of my early to mid twenties. Of course lots of walks of shame included, but mostly watered down bloodies on weekend mornings and girlfriends who cry outside bars because they got dumped again. I never thought of Marina as a food mecca. But that opinion requires 180 degree adjustment, as I have been observing in the last four or so years.
Izakaya, literately translates into «sit down sake place», which by the way, is a literal transaction into both Japanese and Chinese, holds special place in my heart. They are used mostly by white collar workers to hang out after a long work week, many tend to get drunk after, and I have seen many stumbled onto the subway, fall asleep in cart, fall off onto the floor, and lying drunk and in their own vomit. Very un-​appetizing if you think of all the terrible outcomes after drinking at an Izakaya establishment in Tokyo. Still, one must not underestimate the power of warm sake and cold draft beer, and the greasy yet grilled to perfection skewers that go so well with everything else. My love for Japan was transformative after visiting Izakayas, despite the occasional late Saturday evening subway aftermath I had to witness in Tokyo.
Chotto came to me by way of reading up on SF’s Izakaya joints but I had seen it over the last couple of years while we did the Marina to GGB run, it just that we have our favorites and it had not shown up on our radar until that evening. I had decided to introduce my girlfriend Pam to such delicacy.
A native San Franciscan, she’s always game for something new. So we tried chicken skin, hamachi collar, spicy ramen, spinach salad and hapa roll which comes with spicy tuna and butter fish. In a true Izakaya place, there would not be ramen nor sushi rolls. But this is not a strictly speaking Izakaya joint, it serves up variety of items that are a mixture of bar food and typical sushi joint food. You’d think the ramen would not be as good but you’d be wrong.
This place also has the advantage of not having to be the crowd pleaser like the ones you see in the Mission or the Avenues. It serves way better quality Japanese food, in my opinion, than many others, and it definitely has the service down to a T.
I must confess I have a renewed interest in exploring more casual dining establishments in the Marina. Twenty years have come and gone: there would not be any walk of shame going on in my foreseeable future, the food scene in Marina has grown on me, and I’ve been bored for a while now about the ins and outs of restaurants in the previously frequent neighborhoods. I can safely say, I’m bored no more.

My takeaway from Chotto: mouth-​watering skewers!!!
Chotto is perfect for groups. The dishes are meant for sharing and more people means more dishes you can try. Having a group for dinner helps offset the cost because the dishes can stack up and get expensive.
– Highlights –
— Skewers: We ordered the kama (duck breast) and tontoro (pork jowl). Incredibly tender and juicy. Both of the orders (two skewers each) came with a lemon slice and a spoonful of Japanese chili peppers on the side.
— Uni Groto: If you don’t like uni, you should still order this! The taste of the uni is mild enough that it sort of blends in with the creaminess of the parmesan. I’d suggest sharing this because the risotto can get heavy.
— Fried Calamari: The batter is light and crispy so you won’t feel guilty about indulging. The texture is similar to salt and pepper calamari at a Chinese restaurant.
— Gyuta Beef Tongue: The beef tongue was cooked exactly right. Not too rough and not too chewy. Additional sauce on the side spiced it up. They also included a lemon slice which I generously squeezed on.
I would not recommend the pork belly, the agedashi tofu, and the uni hotate. The pork belly was dry in the non-​fatty parts and hard to eat. The agedashi tofu was the least exciting dish we ordered. The uni hotate was fresh, but if I had the uni and hotate separately with wasabi and rice, I would have enjoyed it more. The scallops overpowered the uni and there wasn’t enough flavor in the sauce.
Overall, a good selection of drinks with sakes, shochus, beer, and wine with tasty skewers. I’d give it 3.5 stars since it’s a little pricey and I was only impressed with a few of the dishes that we ordered. Round up and it’s 4 stars on Unilocal.If you’re looking for a place to grab drinks with friends and small izakaya tapas, then make your way over!

Had a great experience at Chotto!
We shared the japonica roll and were really impressed by the clean flavor and quality of the seafood.
When I saw fried chicken thighs come out of the kitchen I had to order some, the seasoning was really nice and they were moist and delicious!
We each had a bowl of spicy ramen (with pork belly!) and were very impressed. The broth was rich and flavorful, the noodles nicely cooked.
The service was good but our initial server wasn’t able to recommend anything to us. I also wish they’d have some better beer or wine selections. But all in all really enjoyed our meal!

This place has been on my list since it opened for one reason. BACON MOCHI! The place has been open for over 4 years now and I finally made it. I really hardly come to this side of town.
The first dish that came to the table was a total disappointment. The gome ah salad had hardly any flavor at all.
Next, the beef bulgoigi. It was one of the best items. The Kim chi sauce that comes with it packs great flavor.
The BACON MOCHI Was awesome. Like rice candy and bacon. My dinning companion had one piece and told me that I could have the rest. It’s just not a healthy tasting dish.
It’s crispy, it’s fatty, it’s delicious.
The sushi rolls we had were good, nothing amazing.
The pot stickers were decent.
Tempura Mushrooms had a delicate flavor but were salted heavily.
But the reason I’m not going to go back, my idea of cleanliness and their idea of cleanliness differ. Everyone makes mistakes, handing a menu with food on it, I just don’t like that.

Tucked away in the Marina, this place could be easy to mix! Be patient when it comes to parking — only street parking available (free after 6pm) and if it’s during dinner time, you’ll have to drive around a few times before you find a spot. There is also a parking structure nearby if you prefer to park there.
Came here for dinner with a group of 7 and sat in the back in the little private room they had. Nice and private — but it got really hot towards the end of the meal! Maybe it was all the hot delicious food we were eating… We tried a little bit of everything! There’s a good number of tables and there’s also a bar area. If you plan to come here, I would make a reservation ahead of time.
Worth Noting:
— Bacon Mochi — a must try! Definitely really different and if you’re a bacon lover, order it! (well, even if you’re not, you should try it anyways).
— Agedashi Tofu — not as «soft» as I usually like it. It was a pretty firm tofu
— Brussel Sprouts — we didn’t order this off the menu but the server came by carrying this dish for another table and we wanted it cause it looked so good! It was definitely cooked and seasoned well.
— Miso Butterfish — Nice and tender! Miso didn’t seem like it was cooked with it, but more «sauced» on after
— Hapa Roll — YUMMY! That’s all I have to say.
— Grilled Skewers — pretty good, a little pricey though
— Anything fried… seemed to be fried with a really sweet batter! It basically tasted like funnel cake. (i.e. the fried calamari, fried enoki, etc.)
Would definitely come back here to try some of the other dishes.

Love this place. I say it’s 2 — not 3 — dollar signs. Both times I came here, I ate till I was full and paid less than $ 30 (no alcohol).
They have multiple small plates to share (or to hoard) and everything was exceptional. My two cents:
1. Ramen with miso tonktsu (not spicy): Good broth; not overly salty (which I find to be the case with most ramen). I liked the pork (note that it comes with only 1 piece), but not fall apart tender. Split this dish with a friend and it was very filling. Would order again.
2. Uni hotate: Enjoyed this quite a bit. The uni is so buttery, and the scallops aren’t too bad either.
3. Uni gohan: I originally came here with out of towners to try this uni «risotto». Our reservations were for 8PM on a Sunday night, and unfortunately they ran out by the time we arrived :(I promised to come back to try the uni gohan, so I came back the next week to try this much in demand risotto. This time, I called in advance and asked if they were already out of the uni gohan (nope!). The verdict? It’s delicious, but a bit ineffable. According to my friend who only eats bivalves: «It definitely tastes like there’s animal fat in this» (in a good way). Worth trying once.
4. Shiso garlic fried rice: Garlic pieces are definitely present, but it also tasted very buttery. Delicious, but I’ll probably pass on this one next time.
5. Ebi tempura roll: Just your standard dragon roll. My pescatarian friend (different than my bivalve friend) gobbled this one up.
6. Bacon mochi: Okay, it’s good. Worth trying once, but not phenomenal. Bacon is overwhelming and the sauce was too sweet for me. This bacon mochi reminded me of something my mom makes: pan fried day old rice cakes (minus the bacon).
7. Kani korokke: If you like crab and you like croquettes, GET THIS. Underestimated how good this would be.
8. Agedashi tofu: I was a little disappointed by this one. The tofu was a bit on the firm side and it felt like a light fry. You absolutely need to take a spoonful of the broth along with the bite of tofu (if you want really good agedashi tofu, try Sanraku on Sutter in the Tenderloin).
9. Kinoko: Tempura fried organic mushrooms with sweet soy. I’m guessing the seasonal mushrooms were beech mushrooms. They were really good. Comes with a slice of lemon and spicy Japanese seasoning
As you can see, in 2 trips, I tried many dishes (the only repeat was the uni hotate, which I will probably order again).

Little bit of this and a little bit of that. Chotto, an izakaya perfect for parties to enjoy drinks and small dishes without overkilling your appetite. Call it a date night or business. Whatever the occasion, bookmark Chotto for your next Unilocal experience.
Our menu consisted of hatake sarada, chicken karaage, tsukune, ibodai, hapa roll, japonica roll, karamiso tonkotsu ramen, Sapporo and Asahi beer. The chicken karaage stands apart from other Bay Area offerings. The batter and seasoning kicks! Hapa roll is a genius creation. All ingredients perfectly complimented each other and delivers a perfect sushi roll. Grilled salted butter fish on a skewer is simple as it gets. Simple is more that perfectly matched a cold draft beer at hand. Karamiso tonkotsu ramen hits the spot. A complex tonkotsu based ramen unmatched in the Bay Area.
Service is seamlessly orchestrated with little to no interruption, but with great attention. Parking may require a walk, but worth it. Enjoy the neighborhood marina while you’re at it.

To be honest, I’ve been sitting on this review for a while now, mostly because I’ve had the hardest time deciding whether to give four or five stars. It’s like that girl/​guy you’ve been seeing for the longest time — you really, really like them, but do you love them? It’s the exact same thing. Well, not exactly the same, but close enough. Kinda…
Unlike some of the Marina’s other restaurants, Chotto has substance (read: food) to match its good looks and trendy appearances. You know, like the aforementioned guy/​girl. I’ve ordered the ramen both times I’ve been here, but that’s not to say there isn’t anything else to choose from. Skewers, small plates, raw bar, fried/​grilled dishes, ramen… if anything, there are too many choices!
**Sorry, a few of the photos are blurry and/​or dark, they came off my old phone.
– CHICKEN KARAAGE — Ginger Soy Marinated Crispy Chicken Thigh…$ 7
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Though the order itself may not have been large, the pieces were pretty big. The breading was thing and well seasoned and the chicken was really juicy. Best of all, it didn’t seem all that oily. Delicious!
– BACON MOCHI — Applewood Smoked Bacon, Mochi, Nori…$ 8
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My favorite dish! The bacon was pretty meaty and I really liked how the mochi crisped up like the bacon. The sauce added some sweetness to balance the saltiness too. The best bacon mochi I’ve had in quite a while.
– UNI GOHAN — Uni «Risotto», Shallots, Garlic Parmesan Cheese…$ 12
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I had to get it after reading the description, but it needed a little polish. Not only did the uni get a little lost in all that risotto, but the risotto itself was a little overcooked. Has the potential to be awesome though.
– CHOTTO RAMEN — Karamiso Tonkatsu Ramen with Chashu…$ 12.75
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Pretty solid. The broth wasn’t as rich or well rounded as others I’ve tried, but it was still pretty flavorful. Adding Kimchee gave it a little more kick (+$ 0.75) but it’s not necessary. I just wish there was more chashu; it tasted so good!
As others have mentioned, prices are slightly higher than some of the city’s other izakaya (particularly with their skewers). However, it’s not by a budget breaking margin (unless you order a boat load) and they do have some HH specials. Even if they didn’t though, the food (and service) are worth it, as Chotto is one of the better izakayas I’ve been to. Parking could be easier though…
FOUR AND A HALF STARS rounded up!

I love izakayas! Small bites and alcohol?! Yes please!
I’ve had Chotto bookmarked for a while. On a random day in May last year, the roommate and I decided to check it out. Luckily for us, we went during happy hour, so we basically ordered the whole HH menu!
Drinks:
*Yuzu ($ 9)
*Chotto negroni ($ 8)
Happy hour:
*Edamame ($ 3)
*Tontoro ($ 2 each skewer)
*Tsukune ($ 2 each skewer)
*Koika ($ 5)
*Kara-​age ($ 5)
*Kappa maki ($ 5)
*Spicy tuna roll ($ 5)
*Teba ($ 2 each skewer)
*Buta belly ($ 2 each skewer)
*Gyu ($ 2 each skewer)
*Negima ($ 2 each skewer)
*Kamo ($ 2 each skewer)
Regular menu:
*Spicy miso tonkotsu ramen with tamago & kimchee ($ 13.75)
Food was delicious! I love skewers, so this was a deal for me! I was able to try almost everything. The ramen was okay. I’ve had better version, but I’m glad I tried it.
We showed up around 6p and were the only people there for a while, so the service was attentive. Food came out as it was ready, but not all at once which was nice. I like that our server kind of coursed everything since we sat at a two top.
Would definitely go back again. Especially for HH. For less than $ 90, we got all that food and two cocktails! Such a deal!

As good as it gets! I know there are so many Izakayas out there in San Francisco, but this one had some pretty innovative Asian fusion dishes as long as traditional ones.
The ambience shouts «dates!» There are a few tables for groups of 5 – 6, but most tables are for two people. The dimmed lighting gives an intimate feel to the restaurant.
On food:
In short, this is a very very reasonably priced restaurant given how good the food is. I’ve decided that this will be a fav spot of mine. The bang for the buck is impossible to beat.

— Wakamesu: I am a sucker for wakame salad with citrus ponzu dressing. At $ 5, this was a nice side dish to feel less guilty about other unhealthy food I was eating. :p
— Bacon mochi: Yes, please at every turn. Chewy mochi with nori and bacon, with soy sauce glaze. And the pricing? Only $ 8. Mmm!
— Uni risotto: This was okay, but not impressive. Creamy, check. Uni, check. But the dish doesn’t come together because it’s creamy on creamy. This is probably more on my personal tastes, though.
— Spicy seafood ramen: The broth was nice but the noodles could have been more springy. There is a lot of vegetables in the soup, too so it doesn’t feel cheap.
— LA Galbi: A respectable rendition of Korean ribs marinated with soy sauce + sugar.
Love. I am coming back, Chotto. お待ちくださいねん。