kokekokko in little tokyo thoughts?

[alkylyou]

friends,
i'm having a party for just under 10 tonight and want to grab yakitori.
i've heard this is pretty good, especially since we're all close to little tokyo.
thoughts? any other suggestions?
is there a good izakaya close by?
thanks for the help!

[kevin h]

I was at Kokekokko about a month ago with a so-called VIP, and had a great experience. The food overall was superb, and I was even able to try some of the "secret" non-menu items.

However, the place is well known for its subpar service to the uninitiated, as alkylyou mentioned. I'd try to go with a regular if possible.

Full report: http://www.kevineats.com/2009/04/koke...

[alkylyou]

update:
our party ended up hitting it up wednesday night. here's a few thoughts.
they definitely play favorites. i'm japanese american and i don't speak japanese. i was with a party of 7 other people, all "hakujin" which meant that our table was largely overlooked.
the really disappointing part of having such a large party was that we asked for a table and made it clear that we were in no particular rush, but the wait staff insisted on moving people around in the middle of their meal, which made us feel absolutely terrible.
there were a few high notes though, all of them having to do with their food.
i can understand why people love this place so much.
everything we had was delicious and they even made us the famous "medium rare" chicken breast, which i thought was great.
anyways, i'd give it a strong 7/10 and would go back.

[ronnie_gaucho]

Izayoi is the best Izakaya in Little Tokyo if you decide not to have kokekokko

[Peripatetic]

There was a "downhill alert" thread a few months ago -- has it improved?

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/591416

(I haven't ever been there myself.)

[troublemaker]

If you're going on a busy night like Friday or Saturday, get there early, otherwise the good pieces of chicken (like heart, liver, etc...) will run out.

Don't expect quick service. They'll take their time cooking it and because of the small area where they do the actual grilling, exude patience.

Though if you have a party of 10, I would say you're almost better off going to Honda Ya Izakaya nearby off Alameda. It's a better drinking/eating atmosphere for large parties, and you get options other than chicken.

[troublemaker]

Should also note that Honda Ya, like Kokekokk,o does their yakitori over bincho charcoal.

Izayoi has the overall better izkaya food, but they cook their skewers over a gas grill -- a travesty, as far as I'm concerned. Haha.

[ronnie_gaucho]

I used to eat there with my business partner 2 times a month for about 3 years. VIP course only

It's the best yakitori in Los Angeles

[Ciao Bob]

I am Fan!

[ns1]

I think the general consensus is that it's overpriced and they play favorites, so if you're not a regular GTFO

shin sen gumi is a fantastic yakitori, and there's a few izakaya options near by (hari u lala, izayoi, one more that I can't remember right now)