been meaning to try noren for like 5000 yrs and it was worthy. was super easy to book a resy for 5 last minute for a Friday 7pm dinner. Must get: the curry(order the onigiri to have some rice with it), honestly all the skewers (meatball, short rib, pork belly, chicken thigh were favs), and baby octopus. Our last few wagyu skewers took a while to come out bc it hit peak hour at ~8, but our waitress was super friendly and communicative. will be back for the truffle hamachi:D

What a pleasant surprise this place was being that it's essentially in my backyard! I went a few days ago with my boo on a date as per his recommendation and I was not let down! We got a slew of the skewer delights and forgive me for not taking pictures before it was swallowed down by the delicious drinks they also serve here. We got chicken thigh, breast & heart (surprisingly my favorite) we also got the wagyu, sausage, short rib and meatball skewers. Everything was swathed in a hearty drippy sauce and the sausage ones came with this dollop of sweet horseradish that was divine! As I said the drinks were so delicious, I had a yuzu highball & my guy had a yuzu michelada that we ended up switching :p beautiful presentation and honestly anything with yuzu, I'm throwing my life on it so I was happy that it was such a main here! With that being said, the decor is cute and the booths/seats are separated by artful linens so you get a little private retreat from others as you scarf down the food. The bill came out to be a bit pricey even under happy hour (which I believe is 5-7) and the portions were quite small but the quality and cleanliness of the food is worth it.

Had this place bookmarked and finally had a chance to try it! We came at around 5:30 on a Sunday because we saw on Yelp that they did HH from 5-6, but when we got there they said it's only Monday - Saturday so that was a bit of a bummer but we still had a great time! We opted to sit at the bar and all the workers and the owner were incredibly nice and engaging throughout our entire meal. We ended up getting a bunch of drinks and skewers :) I started off with the sake flight and they were all so good! (We ended up getting a bottle of the junmai daiginjo) for food, we ordered the spicy cracker, Tori karaage, gyoza, tail skewer, gizzard, meatball, short rib, tongue, scallop, wagyu and pork belly. Everything was really tasty but our favorite was definitely the tongue and the wagyu! As with most izakaya places, we ended up spending a pretty penny, but I would definitely come back especially to try their happy hour!

I am always coming back here whenever I am craving Japanese Yakitori. I came on the night of the Super Bowl to escape the crowds but watch the game and enjoy some good food. They had a Super Bowl happy hour menu going on and now a permanent happy hour menu which approachable pricing. I've had almost one of every single skewer and my favorites are: - chicken heart - chicken gizzard - pork belly - bacon mochi - wagyu My favorite cocktails are the Myuru (fresh lychee and fresh ginger) and the Gureihaundo (grapefruit, yuzu flavor) which they now have a pitcher option for. Would definitely come back with friends or even a date night!

Noren offers small shareable plates and various proteins/veggies on a skewer. We ordered the Gyutan Curry, which had great flavor and tender beef. The Tori Karaage was lightly battered and the chicken was not overly dry. We ordered the chicken wing, bacon mochi, pork belly, kalbi, chicken thigh, shishito pepper, and mushroom skewers. All were tasty, but my favorite was the mochi bacon. The restaurant is on the smaller side, so reservations are definitely recommended. Parking is quite difficult, especially on a weekend as it is located right in North Beach. I absolutely loved that their cocktails were made with fresh juice and no artificial sweetener.

So pleasantly surprised and happy about the find in north beach neighborhood. Cute place and it was easy enough to get reservations on Friday night. They do have a Yelp waitlist too if you're not a planner. Skewers were all great especially the short rib and wagyu. The chicken thigh was the most disappointing and needed more seasoning. The onigiri was a stunner and a definite again next time. Don't skip on the chicken karaage as it was nicely seasoned and perfectly fried. The dessert was yuzu or matcha tiramisu. Unfortunately that was a skip for next time at $9 and mostly just cream. Price was reasonable. Service was warm. Location is great for going out afterwards too.

Our family had an enjoyable dinner at Noren Izakaya in Russian Hill / North Beach. My sister found this place on Yelp. The reviews were generally spot-on. The food was pretty solid and service was great. I also loved the vibe. We parked for free nearby on Powell Street, next to Washington Square (yes, we found a space on that tiny strip). There was almost no wait for our party of five on an ordinary Sunday around 6:20pm. We didn't have a reservation. However, I recommend making one. You can book reservations for Noren Izayaka via Yelp. We got lucky and arrived as soon as a similarly-sized group was leaving. We just had to wait for their table to be cleaned and set up for us. The restaurant and bar were moderately busy during our visit. Noren Izakaya has a more limited menu than I'm used to when it comes to izakayas. For example, they don't serve any sushi or ramen. Here, the emphasis is on skewers and small plates. The menus we received had 20 different kinds of skewers ($2.50-9.50 each), like Berkshire Pork Belly and Kurobuta Sausage (pork), and a dozen small plates ($3.00-12.00 each), like Kani Sunomono (red crab cucumber salad with ponzu jelly) and Crispy Chicken Skin. Here's what we got: Yakitori (Japanese chicken skewers) * Thigh x2 ($4.75 each) * Meatball x2 ($6.25 each) - served with Jidori egg dipping sauce Vegetables * Cherry Tomato ($3.00) Meat & Seafood * Beef Short Rib x2 ($4.75) * Wagyu x2 ($9.50) - with wasabi * Bacon Scallop x2 ($6.50) * Bacon Mochi x2 ($5.00 each) Small Plates * Miso Soup x2 ($3.00 each) * Edamame ($5.00) * Agedashi Tofu x2 ($8.00 each) - fried tofu with bonito flakes * Tori Karaage ($10.00) - "old school style" fried chicken with tartar sauce * Gyutan Curry x2 ($12.00) - slow-cooked beef tongue with daikon in curry (available on weekends only) * Yaki Onigiri ($4.50) - grilled seasoned rice ball with tare sauce In general, everything was tasty. There wasn't a single thing we were disappointed with. The skewers tasted hot and fresh off the grill. Since the individual portions are small, you have to order several dishes per person to get full; part of the nature of kushiyaki (Japanese skewers). According to the menu, Noren Izakaya grills their kushiyaki over bincho-tan, which is traditional Japanese white charcoal. Also as the menu points out, you should season your skewers with shichi-mi togarashi (Japanese seven-flavor chili pepper spice mix) and sansho (Japanese pepper similar to Sichuan pepper). Small bottles of both are available at every table. My favorites and recommendations are the Chicken Meatball, Beef Short Rib, Bacon Scallop, and Bacon Mochi skewers and the Tori Karaage, Gyutan Curry, and Yaki Onigiri small plates. The Chicken Thigh skewers and Agedashi Tofu are good too. I think the Chicken Meatball skewers are one of Noren Izakaya's signature items. Not only are the meatballs plump and flavorful with wonderful texture, but they're served with a Jidori egg dipping sauce. Jidori eggs are eggs from Japanese free-range chickens that are fed a vegetarian diet. Noren Izakaya serves the eggs with yolks intact. You beat and mix the egg(s) into a sauce yourself. The yolks we received were bold yellow-orange in color and tasted delectably rich. The meatballs had an appetizing char on the outside too. The Beef Short Rib and Bacon Scallop skewers were terrific. The Bacon Mochi skewers were interesting, in a good way. I wasn't sure bacon and mochi would work together, but they did in a more savory, less sweet way than I was expecting. If you're familiar with tteokbokki (Korean rice cakes), this reminded me of bacon-wrapped tteokbokki, except the rice cake here was a lot softer and suppler. While the Wagyu skewers were fine, the other skewers were better, especially for the price. The Wagyu was tougher than I expected. The wasabi they served with it was "real" wasabi, not the paste that's typically served with sushi. It's hard to go wrong with the Tori Karaage. It's an ideal app to share. We liked the Gyutan Curry so much, we ordered a second bowl. It's a hearty, filling curry with high-quality ingredients. The beef tongue was tender and succulent. The Yaki Onigiri really hit the spot for me. The rice ball was nicely grilled and seasoned. Noren Izakaya serves their onigiri unwrapped, which makes for a unique presentation. It was served with a few small yummy pieces of tsukemono (pickles) on the side. Service was fantastic. Our server was friendly and on top of everything. My niece accidentally spilled some miso soup. A young worker was quick to come and help us clean it up. The restroom was clean. I really dig the restaurant's "retro Kyoto" atmosphere. It's an izakaya with a hip ambiance. At the bar, they were playing interesting adult (but not explicit) anime. On the speakers, they were playing city pop -- Japanese pop music from the 70s/80s. I love city pop so I approve. Noren Izakaya opened in March 2019. It replaced Sushi Hunter.

Noren is a hidden gem in North Beach and a must-try for those seeking affordable yet high quality izakaya. The restaurant has a cozy/chill atmosphere perfect for small to medium parties. Not a single item we ordered disappointed. All the meats were tender and dishes were well seasoned. We didn't expect much from the bacon mochi skewer but found ourselves mind blown by the flavors and textures. Another dark horse was the yaki onigiri, a grilled onigiri drizzled with a sweet soy glaze. We had an enjoyable first experience at Noren and see ourselves coming back time and time again with friends and family. I can't wait for my next visit!