Izakaya by Yanaga Is the Rare New Restaurant That Feels Like an Old Favorite

Is it strange to say that the most notable thought I had when walking away from dinner at Kevin Yanaga’s brand-new Izakaya in Fishtown was that it felt like it had been there for years?

Some new restaurants exude an energy that’s palpable — an electric nervousness that infuses everything and can feel like buzz when it’s really only terror. Some are so adorable in their yellow-duckling newness that it’s tempting to forgive them almost anything. Others are exciting the way watching someone build a house of cards is — breathe wrong, and the whole thing might collapse.

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