Nanaya Japanese Kitchen

One of the surprise-hit openings of 2020, Nanaya pivoted from izakaya to comfort food right before pressing go. The menu is mostly Japanese with a few imaginative dishes that fuse old Southwestern dishes with Japanese. Fry bread with miso-yuzu marinated beef. Elote slick with Japanese mayo. Chef Spencer Shin cooks with precision and intention. Tempura-fried ribs(!), become tender inside yet armored in a crisp sheath thanks to sous vide and frying. Ground pork in gyoza burst with flavor. Even a simple chicken ramen is creamy and memorable. The owners, Eddie Chow and Akira Nakasu, have scattered experience in East Asia — and some major plans for bringing new concepts to the Valley.