By Ryan Raphael
The sign out front of Halu lets you know up front that it is “A Different Japanese Restaurant,” but you can’t really know what to expect without stepping inside this tiny Inner Richmond izakaya. Halu feels like a secret hideout, time warp, and rock ’n’ roll museum all rolled into one. Once inside, you’re greeted with a deliciously smoky haze from the grill, upbeat classic rock on the stereo, and a kaleidoscope of Beatles and classic rock memorabilia.
When husband and wife Shigemi “Shig33” and Mieko Komiyama — who immigrated to San Francisco from Japan nearly 30 years ago — decided to open a Japanese restaurant in the Inner Richmond in 2008, they completely ignored their friends’ advice to open a sushi restaurant. While we San Franciscans now have our pick of sleek izakayas around town, these Japanese casual spots to drink and eat grilled foods were an unfamiliar concept at the time. Shigemi and Mieko loved the food and energy of izakayas, and wanted to create a happy environment to go along with the experience. Mieko told me that Halu was a result of their “artist dream.”
The couple have formal Japanese culinary training, but art and music are so important to them (Shig currently drums in the surf rock band the Shitones, and formerly played with Hot Tuna and John Lennon’s Plastic Ono Band) that the restaurant also became an extension of their other passions, too, including their rock memorabilia and art collection. The Komiyamas have been collecting since they were teenagers in Japan. Some of their most prized items on display include Fillmore concert posters and an original Beatles drum set from a customer. Even Shig’s chef station is surrounded by collectibles: above him a shrine of Beatles lunch pails and toys, while a Beatles clock keeps time. Shig and Mieko have created one of those establishments so imbued with personality and spirit that even after the first visit you’ll feel like you’ve spent time with an old friend.
