Yakitori in Bright: Koji Bird’s Izakaya-Style Menu
- 19 hours ago
- 2 min read
If you’re looking for yakitori in Bright, or just a dinner out that feels a bit more lively than the usual booking, Koji Bird has quietly become one of the more interesting tables in town.
Set inside Reed & Co Distillery, Koji Bird is our take on an izakaya-style eatery: relaxed, a little smoky around the edges, and built for sharing.
That sits right at the heart of our yakitori-inspired menu.
For anyone new to it, izakaya loosely means a place to settle in with a drink. Which sounds about right. We’re not a traditional Japanese restaurant, and we’ve never pretended to be. What we are is a restaurant shaped by Japanese flavours and techniques - fire, smoke, fermentation, sharp pickles, crisp things, things on skewers - with our own Bright take on it all.
And no, a new menu didn’t mean getting rid of the things people would chase us down the street for.
The bread with our infamous koji cultured butter is still here. So is the Tonkatsu Sando. There’s Scotch Egg, tempura veg, tofu with XO sauce, and a pickle plate if that’s how you like to start.
Then come the skewers.
Chicken wing with ginger, lemon and sansho pepper. Chicken oysters with lemon. Duck tsukune with yuzu hot sauce. Pork tongue with pickled wasabi. Smoky, savoury, slightly addictive little things that are designed to be shared - though we won’t interfere if you decide otherwise.
And because food like this needs the right drink beside it, we built the Shochu Highball list to match.
Bright, fresh, crisp, and very easy to keep ordering, the highballs are there to cut through the smoke and keep everything feeling lively. Yuzu Chu-Hai, Apple Chu-Hai, Sunny Days, Sesame Chu-Hai — drinks that make immediate sense with skewers over fire.
Still hungry? Good.
That’s where the larger dishes come in: Fresh Water Trout, BBQ Koji Bird, and Koji Cow, all served with rainfed rice.
That’s really what Koji Bird is meant to be. Not formal. Not overworked. Just a good room, a table full of interesting things, and the kind of dinner that tends to stretch out in the best possible way.
So if you’re after yakitori in Bright, or just somewhere to eat well, drink well, and settle in for a while, we’d love to have you in.
Book a table for dinner, or walk in for tastings and drinks.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Koji Bird?
Koji Bird is Reed & Co Distillery’s izakaya-style restaurant in Bright, serving Japanese-inspired food, wood-fired skewers, cocktails, and shochu highballs.
Does Koji Bird serve yakitori?
Yes. Our menu includes a yakitori-inspired section with skewers cooked over fire, designed for sharing and snacking.
What does izakaya-style mean?
Izakaya-style dining is relaxed and social — food arrives in waves, drinks keep pace, and the table is designed to share.
What should I order at Koji Bird?
A very good place to start is Bread with Koji Butter, a few skewers, and one of our Shochu Highballs. From there, BBQ Koji Bird or Koji Cow will do nicely.
Can I just come in for drinks?
Yes. Walk-ins are welcome for tastings and drinks.
