$100 gift certificate for Ippuku Restaurant.

Enjoy a tasty experience at this yakitori and izakaya style Japanese restaurant in Berkeley, named as one of the top 100 Bay Area Restaurants by SF Gate. 

Izakaya is Japan’s answer to the tapas bar or gastropub: a casual joint to go after work for strong drinks, small plates, and a chance to unwind with friends. 

It's easy to think you're in Japan when you walk into this izakaya with 24 spigoted bottles of shochu in the bar, intimate tables and gauzy bamboo screens. In between the bar and the open kitchen in back are two rows of partitioned booths so you always feel as if you're at a private party. Chef-owner Christian Geideman stays true to his vision, which is why you'l find chicken tartare and just about every other part of the bird: thigh, skin, liver, gizzard, tail and breast cartilage. There's also exceptional bacon-wrapped mochi balls, fried chicken nuggets, and local sea urchin with ponzu. Don't pass up the ramen or the organic Straus ice cream. 

Located at 2130 Center Street (between Shattuck and Oxford) in Berkeley across from the downtown BART station.