Hina Yakitori, SF Japanese restaurant, closing at end of August

August 6, 2023

Hina Yakitori, an acclaimed Japanese restaurant in San Francisco, has announced that its final night of service will be Aug. 31, nearly four years after it opened.

In a post on social media Friday evening, the restaurant announced its closure “with mixed emotions” and welcomed patrons to experience one final month of chef Tommy Cleary’s yakitori tasting menu and Justin Chin’s beverage pairing.

“As we look to our future, we know Hina’s story needs to come to an end,” the post read. “Please come celebrate our journey, take part in our collaboration dinners and help us end with a bang!”

Cleary originally opened Hina Oakland in 2016 and started its San Francisco restaurant in autumn 2019, billing it as the first omakase-style yakitori restaurant in the Bay Area. The restaurant, at 808 Divisadero St. near Alamo Square, holds just 12 seats around a counter with a set 15-course, $110 tasting menu with Tokyo roots. “Hina” means “chick” in Japanese, which the website says represents Cleary’s “continuous pursuit of growth in his culinary journey.”

The restaurant’s operators told the Chronicle that while they are sad Hina Yakitori is closing, they want to ensure the closure doesn’t add to the city’s “doom loop” narrative.

“We have a new project in the works for the space with Chef Tommy at the helm and will share more on that as we get closer,” they said in a statement. “As a team, we are all optimistic about our city’s future. It is, and always has been, one of the most beautiful cities in the world, challenges and all. Go out and enjoy your city, support the small businesses, go to parks! We’ll see you again soon at 808 Divisadero.”

Reach Laya Neelakandan: laya.neelakandan@sfchronicle.com