An easy-to-miss message on the window whispers to arriving carnivores that they’re home and makes bold promises for the night that later seem like understatements.
Welcome to
marbled heaven,
smoky bliss,
fleshy enlightenment,
meat nirvana.
On the eastern edge of Hacienda Heights, across from the aged mall where Marty McFly reached 88 mph in a DeLorean, Yakiya is the unincorporated community’s hidden steakhouse treasure.
Tucked into a shopping center near a med spa, a Daiso variety store and a Panda Express since late in 2016, Yakiya gained a little notice during the heart of the pandemic from our former restaurant critic, Brad A. Johnson, who raved about its decadent bento boxes to go, but this was different.
This was Yakiya’s Japanese barbecue omakase service, a prix fixe marathon of meat, much of which was cooked for the four of us at our table by our waiter. It delivered more small courses than anyone cared to count once our waiter/cook delivered rounds of Suntory Whisky and sake because the bar was overwhelmed by a large party.
We easily hit 20 flavors from the yuzu juice palate cleanser to start and the sesame ice cream to finish, and several courses inspired debate about what was the best taste of the night.
The two tartare preparations took an early lead. The A5 tartare was our first hint that we were in for an adventure; my wife loved that one. But it quickly was topped for me by the rib-eye tartare with a quail egg that we mixed in and scooped onto a beef tendon puff.
When we reached the black Angus tongue, my wife missed the description and said how much she enjoyed it … until I pointed out it was the dish she’d insisted she’d skip. (She once had a similar encounter with Oaxacan fried ants at Michelin-starred Taco Maria.) But with the encouragement of the two women at the table next to ours — “Eat the tongue. Come on, it’s so good,” one pleaded – she soldiered through and clearly liked it more than she’d admit.
Jaws dropped when a tray with four cuts of steak landed on our table and the marbling both glistened and teased as we waited for it to hit the grill. All four impressed, but the standout was the thin slice of rib-eye cap that packed a robust flavor with what appeared to be only salt and pepper seasoning.
In many courses, Yakiya takes something familiar and elevates it. That alone made the visit worth it, but we correctly sensed the meal still was building to a culinary crescendo.
The high notes opened with my favorite, the bone marrow rice with prime filet mignon, something I’ve never seen offered and now will seek elsewhere in vain (or, at best, will find with lesser results). As the filet cooked, the marrow was ladled onto and mixed into the rice, where some pieces formed crispy chips; I was served last in our group and my patience was rewarded with more of the crunch than the others.
My friend, whose birthday we were celebrating, pushed away the end of his rice and looked ready to tap out for the night, but then we were presented with thin, long cuts of A5 wagyu that would give The David marble envy. Our waiter/cook took one at a time and spread it on the grill for a flirtation with heat. He then rolled it as it kissed the grill a little more before he nestled it in a bowl with an egg mixture.
Maybe there was a touch of sea salt and the egg added a little sweetness, but the wagyu needed nothing. The precision cuts were so loaded with fatty goodness that they could have melted, though I wasn’t patient enough to test that and devoured my piece in three bites.
A few vegetarian-friendly courses somehow sneaked onto our table, and their exquisite presentation almost served as an acknowledgment that they weren’t what drew us in but they still could look (and taste) great.
All the other touches, including impeccable service and the unnecessary apologies (and drinks) because a busy night led to a leisurely pace, contributed to easily the best of the thousands of meals I’ve had in Hacienda Heights. OK, I grew up there, and we had nothing close to Yakiya in my time — though I’d still take my grandma’s refried beans over it in a heartbeat and World’s Best Pizza has more than lived up to its audacious name for decades.
The closest I’ve come to Yakiya in a Southern California dining experience is Trust Kitchen (nee Playground 2.0) in Santa Ana and its Ultimate Steak Night. The cuts delivered are similar in quality and delectability, but the restaurants are wildly different in approach.
A night in Trust Kitchen is communal, and banter flows across the 18-seat counter. Yakiya is designed to be quieter — the large, boisterous group dining when we did notwithstanding — and more intimate with individual tables. Trust’s all-inclusive $225 price is eye-popping initially, but it’s refreshing to know the generous wine pairings, taxes and gratuities are already part of the deal. Yakiya’s $128 prix fixe charge seems like a relative steal, but ultimately that’s just the start if cocktails are involved and once a tip is added.
One of our biggest surprises of the night was the revelation that Yakiya is part of the Panda empire — as in Panda Express, Panda Inn, Hibachi-San, Raising Cane’s and Pieology — though certainly at an elite level. And our waiter/cook said a second Yakiya location – this one in Pasadena – is in the works.
The biggest shock, however, is Hacienda Heights actually is more than the hometown of Stacy Ferguson — the singer Fergie to those who didn’t go to Wilson High like her — and adjacent to where some of “Back to the Future” was filmed.
Apparently, it’s the home of meat nirvana.
Yakiya
When: Three seatings every day at 4:30 p.m., 6:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m.
Don’t miss: Bone marrow rice with prime filet mignon
Cost: The beef tasting dinner menu is $128, plus drinks, tax and tip; a kid’s meal is available for $28
Information: 626-581-0080; yakiya-us.com
