PABU Izakaya in San Francisco

Very very good Japanese fine dining. I came here with a group from work at first we had problems finding places in the bar but we had a table booked for a later time. Wine and food is simply very very good service. Yes, very nice and friendly as well. Atmosphere is very nice. We were all very happy with the food and drinks - will be back!

Ideally, Id give this place a 4.5/5.My friends and I went to Pabu on a Saturday to try out their SF restaurant week. They had a happy hour going on till 5:30 pm, and they also had a half off menu (only on Saturdays) so we ordered a few items from those menus in addition to the restaurant week prix-fixe menu. In hindsight, it was a mistake. Even though their restaurant week menu has a lot of shared items for the table, its still plenty of food to fill you up.The moment you walk into the restaurant, you are greeted with a sleek and stylish ambiance with a buzzy and energetic atmosphere. The restaurant is designed to evoke an old-world Japanese feel, with warm lighting, wooden accents, and a minimalist aesthetic. The spacious dining area provides ample room for both intimate gatherings and larger groups.The service at Pabu was amazing - the staff was very attentive and knowledgeable. They were quick to refill drinks and clear plates, ensuring that we had a seamless dining experience.As far as the food goes, everything was really good except the meat. All the seafood items we ordered were fresh and delicious, but the short ribs we got were underwhelming. It was very chewy and had a dominating burnt smoky flavor, which took away from all sweetness of the juices.Chicken karaage was soggy and also not that great. The eggplant dish was okay. We couldnt really taste the eggplant much.With that being said, Pabu made up for all of it through their seafood items.Inari was very light and delicate and had notes of sweet, savory, and umami flavors.The hamachi was fresh and delicious, and the portion was very generous.Yakisoba noodles were delicious. The noodles were cooked well. They had a slight bite with a tender and satisfying chew. The noodles were evenly coated in the sauce, ensuring that each bite was bursting with flavors. The sushi plate had fresh and thick pieces of fish. We wanted to try their other nigiri options, but we were struggling to finish all the food that we got.The black cod was also delicious. It had caramelized skin, and it was buttery and melt-in-your-mouth tender with a slight flakiness that provides a delicate contrast.The chocolate dessert we got was the perfect way to end our dinner. It was very creamy and rich in flavors and had us craving for more.

Came here for a date night and was seated at a table that was still wet from being wiped down. Took a while for a server to come take our order and our drinks came a bit late, but the food was very good. I especially like the lychee martini and chocolate custard.

🤩: amazing cocktails🍹and freshness of fish🍣😐: at this price level of a sushi and izakaya, I would expect more than the above goodies. At least not the normal shoyu, wasabi cream and type of rice.🐔Chicken tsukune and 🐮beef tongues were average - no surprise😯 Cooked black cod fish 🐟with clams was savory 🙂!Just for experience is great - restaurant is nice and tons of interesting cocktails, good service overall, but not the hostess - the way of serving the guests, so so.

Pabu is one of the tastiest sushi restaurants in San Francisco. Upon arrival, the atmosphere is more trendy and feels like fine dining compared to other sushi restaurants. Everything was delicious aside from the uni, which had a slightly odd taste. I recommend ordering uni from Santa Barbara if you’re looking for the best uni that also doesn’t break the bank. Service was excellent and servers came to check in on us frequently. If you sit at the bar, the chefs may throw in a complimentary snack! Overall, the price point is on the steeper side but the quality of the ingredients and attention to plating make up for that.

Revisited this place and upgrading my review to 5 stars. It was much better this time. 👏👏The cocktails were great. The fish quality was so so. The ice cream and sorbets were excellent. We spent $400 for the 2 of us so I expected to be wowed. I was whelmed.

I loved everything about this meal from beginning to end. For starters we did the house made pork gyoza along with thr wagyu and shrimp skewers. Fantastic! We also ordered a few sushi rolls which were melt in your mouth delicious. Our drinks were also strong and tasty. I highly recommend this place for a date night! Its on the pricey side but so worth it.

It’s Michael Mina’s empire, so you are waiting for something, if not special at least not your daily isakaya.I get it, it’s not easy to stay original and pioneer, well Pabu does not achieve a B- here.To easy and unfortunately not working blend, truffle in June… come on! Also the service is really really really not there. I even felt uncomfortable when a person came to ask me how I liked my food, without I traducing himself, was closed to answer “none of your business”.

Dishes, sake, service all excellent. We will be back. Dragon Roll is outstanding. Seating layout, acoustics and atmosphere make a large space feel comfortable and having a quiet conversation is quite easy even when the restaurant is very busy.

Good food, service not so good they took time to get our drinks, instead of one guy there were 3-4 and it was sort of a mess.Nice restaurant for after business have a beer or something to drink.