Okaeri Japanese Bistro in San Francisco

We had a great time enjoying the ambience and food at Okaeri. Decor is aesthetically pleasing and the food presentation and plating was wonderful. Unfortunately my husband was still hungry after his donburi and pot stickers, and I was still hungry after the omakase. The food was tasty but leaving slightly hungry after spending +$200 left more to be desired.

My group booked the private room and pre- ordered all the dishes for our party…and the Master Chef hooked up some of the most flavorful sushi that we ever experienced!Very authentic Japanese cuisine and sake, definitely a winner.

Ideally, Id give this place a 4.5/5, but Im rounding up.Okaeri Japanese Bistro is a hidden gem that deserves all the praise. From the moment you walk in, youre enveloped in a 4.5-star experience. The ambiance is a perfect blend of modern Japanese decor and a warm, inviting atmosphere. Its a welcome respite from the bustling Mission District. The restaurant offers a tranquil space to savor the culinary artistry.Speaking of artistry, the food was nothing short of phenomenal. I was leaning towards their $90 omakase experience but ended up choosing the 12-piece nigiri tasting menu for $60. Im glad I picked that option because it was very affordable for the quality and quantity of fish you get. Each piece was incredibly fresh and bursting with flavor. There were some miniscule inconsistencies with 1 or 2 nigiri pieces in terms of flavor, but it didnt take away from my overall satisfaction with the dish. The attentive service only added to the experience, with the staff knowledgeable and happy to answer any questions.Now, lets get to the highlights! The rock and roll – yes, thats the actual name – was a delightful combination of eel and avocado, offering a perfect balance of savory and creamy. The salmon rolls were heavenly, with melt-in-your-mouth salmon and a perfect amount of seasoning. But the true star of the show was the Hamachi truffle. The yellowtail was incredibly fresh, and the combination of seasonal fruit, garlic shoyu, and truffle made for an explosion of flavor in every bite.Overall, Okaeri Japanese Bistro is a fantastic restaurant that offers a modern take on traditional Japanese cuisine. The ambiance is stunning, the service is impeccable, and the food is absolutely delicious. I highly recommend their tasting menu.

Id have many more pictures of our meal if I didnt devour it so quickly! Every bite was delicious. The best sushi Ive had in the bay thus far. Out of everything we tried the heavenly salmon roll was the best roll. The sauce was amazing. The Unagi was the best Nigiri we tried. It was charred to perfection. The oysters were extremely refreshing.This place was also pretty affordable . Considering got a bottle of sake the price came out to be about $90-$100 per person. Id say stick to picking from the menu versus the chefs omakase. You end up with way more food and bang for your buck. The place itself was nice and excellent service. Reservations are a must.

Everything was amazing, I would absolutely eat here again. The agedashi tofu and the hamachi truffle were my favorite, highly recommended. The nigiri fish was also really good but the sushi rice was a bit warm.

The sushi here is high quality and very well prepared. We had the omakase and it was very good despite being relatively affordable for an omakase in SF. The egg in the Chawanmushi was very delicate and the dashi broth they used is very tasty.

We popped into the restaurant for lunch on a weekend shortly after opening. I made a reservation just in case but walking in it was clear that that was not necessary.The host sat us at a table of our choice by the window and we took in the ambiance of the restaurant: a lot of light wood and open space that gave it an airiness. Good ambiance for what was going to be a light lunch.We ordered the Agedashi Tofu and Scallop Skewer to start. No issues there. Was quite good even, although I had expected a slightly heftier portion of scallop. The adedashi batter was light which complemented well with the sweet dashi broth (maybe a tad too sweet) it was sitting in. A good start.The rolls and nigiri on the other hand was a bit disappointing. We ordered the “Rock and Roll” (a staple of western sushi joints with unagi, avocado and the unagi sauce) and “Salmon Lovers Roll” (salmon California roll topped with Salmon). For nigiri we had agitate again (scallops), the Salmon Toro Zuke (salmon belly lightly charred), and bincho “albacore tuna).The fish they use for the nigiri was clearly high quality: nice cuts and well prepared. The rolls were also more or less fine.The glaring issue that knocked the foundation down for all the sushi for me though was the rice. The rice was pretty bad..For sushi rice, which often serves as a constraint to the fish or a built in palate cleanser, this rice was heavily marinated. Yes— the traditional nigiri style is with rice vinegar and maybe a smidge of mirin. The issue here was that the rice was so flavored that it kind of overpowered the fish. Beyond that, the rice was also so mushy that it kind of blended into one carbohydrate ball. Really disappointing.

Had a really nice time. Service was fast, knowledgeable, and overall excellent. Food was amazing. Opted for a collection of rolls, hot starters, and Sashimi tasting that gave us a nice variety. Especially loved the Heavenly Salmon Roll, it was one of the best rolls I have ever had.

Decent sushi but the service could be better. We got one of our rolls forgotten by the server who just brought a check in the middle of the dinner. I love the interior though, it’s very modern and the atmosphere is nice. We were sitting at the bar, so we could watch the work of chefs. If you are going to check this place out, better reserve a table through Open Table. It’s almost impossible to get sitting just by walk-in, especially on the weekend.

Made a reservation for a Friday night and had a peaceful experience. The ambience is clean with traditional Japanese elements, and still modern music. I ordered the Sake Oyako Donburi and it was some of the freshest seafood I’ve had in the Bay Area. I also ordered the brown rice tea which wasn’t too hot and comforting. I’m looking forward to coming back to try the omakase.