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We like our yakitoris with Sapporo-splattered floors and burnt tinfoil walls, but the owner of this Ludlow Street spot ain’t having it. A designer who has also worked with the Gap outfitted the narrow space with dark wood paneling, mirror inlays of sakura flowers, and comfortable brown-leather bar stools. The menu has grilled skewers like a heavily peppered black Angus beef in teriyaki sauce, capelin fish with roe, and kurobuta sausage, a baby bratwurst made from corn-fed pig and topped with mayonnaise dotted with fish roe. A dessert special consists of Jell-O stars made from osmanthus petals. And the chef gets still more fanciful in the full izakaya menu. — Daniel Maurer