Our story
Inspired by the many distinct Izakayas in Japan, we're keen on creating a dining experience that balances comfortable service and well executed food - striving to create that home-away-from-home. Kiri (霧) translating to fog in Japanese, is a tribute to our city San Francisco.
Brian Ishii
A 5th generation San Franciscan Japanese American Chef. Ever since he could remember, he has been wanting to become a chef. After graduating High school, he attended CCSF Culinary arts and Hospitality. Ishii has worked in a plethora of restaurants in the city - in addition for being a part of the opening team of critically acclaimed Omakase restaurant Kusakabe, heʼs also worked at San Francisco favorites such as Anchovy Bar and most recently as the Sous chef of Rintaro.
His personable and charismatic nature makes everyone in his vicinity rally to help him achieve the goal of making good food and making people feel comfortable. With a strong emphasis on education, Ishii plans on making Kiri a place where people on both sides of the counter are fed. He loves cooking, and he loves being around food.
Brian Jackson Lee
A 6th Generation Chinese American who has deep roots in San Francisco. Lee got his start at Starbucks during college, and realized his affinity for hospitality when he only wanted to work on register. After jumping around cafes, He honed his skills at The Coffee Movement where cafes could be more than just good coffee.
During the pandemic, Lee picked up Japanese, but it quickly became more than a hobby - In 2022, Brian left for Osaka, Japan where he lived for over a year. During his time there, He passed the N2 Japanese Language Proficiency Test. When he wasn’t studying, he spent his free time eating at new restaurants and pubs where food was delicious but genreless; hospitality attentive, but informal. The seamless marriage of the two was something Lee felt compelled to bring back to his home in San Francisco.
With dreams of opening up his own restaurant, he applied to Izakaya Rintaro, where he met Brian Ishii who at the time, was the sous chef. Both Lee and Ishii hit it off and proposed opening a restaurant together, where the elements of Japanese pubs are transformed through a distinct Asian American lens.