Cuisine:

• Japanese
• Fast Food and Hamburgers
• Sushi bar

Miso Izakaya Description:
Chef-owner Guy Wong, still in his 20s, is a study in cultural integration. He grew up in Sandy Springs, and graduated high school in suburban Atlanta. He went off to Japan to study cuisine, and brought back to Atlanta the concept of the izakaya, a type of Japanese pub where small plates, convivial after-work conversation and drinks are the bill of fare. He likes to say that sushi is half of Japanese cuisine, and izakaya is the other half. So there is very good sushi to be enjoyed along with saké and cocktails based on shochu, a grain-based spirit (cucumber and lemon grass is particularly refreshing). The small-plates dishes change fairly regularly, but anything based on seafood is first-rate. The ebi mayo presents fried shrimp piping hot on a bed of fried noodles that seem like straw, with a spicy tobanjan kewpie mayonnaise. The sweetness of the shrimp contrasts beautifully with the sauce. The tonkatsu is a thin pork filet presented sandwich-like in a bun that also is made in-house. Ginger scallion lobster comes neatly arranged under its shell, the succulent morsels sweeter than candy. Yes, there's a salad with a carrot ginger dressing that makes a mockery of the indifferent greens presented in most Japanese restaurants. And miso soup made on the weekends comes with chunks of blue crab warmed in the broth. There are a few quite good wines that respect these flavors.


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