New Japanese Izakaya Style Restaurant Opens in Mountain View

Ever had pizza at a Japanese restaurant? You will at Gochi's.

The second restaurant in the South Bay offering the Izakaya, or tapas-style, dishes of Chef Gen Motouji opened in Mountain View on August 23 at 1036 Castro St.—next to Peet's Coffee—and it's worth the trek across El Camino Real for.

But don't come if you expect sushi because aside from some sashimi, you won't find any other raw fish.

Instead you'll eat braised, grilled, sautéed and steamed items cooked by Motouji, a 28-year-old former Japanese professional athlete with a lot of creativity and skills off-the-field. Motouji hopes to offer between 150 and 200 menu items of finger-licking bites size options—that's half of the options from their sister location at 19980 Homestead Rd. in Cupertino, which offers nearly 400 items.

According to Motouji, he's still working on incorporating the gluten-free and vegetarian options to the Mountain View menu. (Click here to see page one and here to see page two.)

Currently, Gochi's won't open for lunch in Mountain View since they may not be able to accomodate diners one-hour lunch break. However, stop by for diner Tuesday through Friday 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday to 5:30 p.m. until 9:30 p.m.

At the Cupertino location reservations are required. Not yet in Mountain View, so stop by before its too hard to get one—your palate will thank you.