Chef
Tommy Cleary
- Discipline
- Chef
- Based in
- San Francisco, California, United States
i. Biography
Tommy Cleary works in a narrow register of yakitori where repetition, timing, and restraint carry the weight. As chef at Izakaya TBD in San Francisco, his profile is shaped by omakase-style yakitori and high-end yakitori, a lane that asks for precision at the grill and consistency across service. The craft here is not broad; it is focused, and Cleary’s career has stayed inside that focus.
The Climb
The foundation of this yakitori work was set at Hina Yakitori in San Francisco (2019–2023), where Tommy Cleary held the role of chef. That period established the mechanics behind his approach: pace, attention to detail, and the discipline required by a format that gives little room for drift. In yakitori, the value is often in what gets repeated cleanly, and that is the structure his early years built. From there, the progression stayed inside the same craft. Today, Tommy is chef of Izakaya TBD and yakitori chef of TBD. The continuity matters more than reinvention: the titles point to the same grill-centered discipline carried forward into a new room, with the same specialty still defining the work.
Today
At Izakaya TBD in San Francisco, the present tense is defined by fire, pacing, and the controlled architecture of omakase-style yakitori. Tommy Cleary’s role sits close to the grill, where the smallest adjustments affect the whole service. For this kind of cooking, the format is the point, and the role asks for the same exacting attention that has marked his path so far.
Recognition
The craft distinction attached to Tommy Cleary is omakase-style yakitori and high-end yakitori. Taken together, the career path and the language around it point to a chef staying close to a single discipline rather than spreading outward. In yakitori, that kind of focus is legible. Tommy Cleary’s trajectory in San Francisco has stayed centered on the grill, and that consistency gives its shape.
Profile updated August 2026
FAQ
Asked of Tommy
Where did Tommy Cleary work before?
Tommy Cleary's earlier career included Hina Yakitori.
What is Tommy Cleary known for?
omakase-style yakitori.
