Teppo is a relic, a cool, sleek, romantic relic of the days when people actually traveled to Lower Greenville for more than cheap beer and a chance to hurl on someone’s lawn. Indeed, it feels very out of place: cleverly seasoned yakitori dishes, fresh sashimi, and authentic specials rarely found in other Dallas restaurants.

There’s even a suspicion that Japanese language menus promise something more than the English. Teppo oozes confidence, both in approach and atmosphere. Guests here know their Japanese cuisine and have trouble abiding novices or inebriates staggering in from neighboring dive bars. Chefs along the line expect their customers to understand the evils of a California or Philadelphia roll and try beef tongue or sawagani, those crispy little whole crabs instead.

The ambience is subdued—lots of wood paneling and earth tones. The vibe belies all the traffic- and beer-related carnage outside. Poor little sophisticated Teppo has watched as the neighborhood withered into a post-teenage, drunk-on-light-beer-or-sweet-and-sour-margaritas wasteland. Well, there are a few worthy neighbors—including The Libertine. But Teppo simply belongs elsewhere.