Top Japanese Restaurant in San Francisco
Ebisu Restaurant
1283 9th Ave, San Francisco, CA 94122, United States
Very good restaurant but not many seats. Even if we arrived at 5.15 pm on a Friday night, we had to sit for an hour.But food is excellent… a very good choice and prices remains reasonable compared to other Japanese restaurants in San Francisco.
Osakaya Restaurant
1737 Post St, San Francisco, CA 94115, United States
Osakaya is located in the West end of Japan Center. There are quite a few restaurants here, including Benihana - and there were a ton of people crowded outside of each one when we got here.My dad wanted to try a more authentic Japanese restaurant - hey, we were in Japantown right? - so we decided to try Osakaya. Their lunch sets were also the most intriguing after looking at the other restaurants menus, but - after eating there - I definitely can say that Ive had better experiences eating sushi at more Americanized places than at Osakaya.Chirashi bowl: I felt like calling this a chirashi bowl was kind of a joke. I understand that because its part of a lunch set, you dont want to go all out, but there was basically five slivers of fish on top of a bed of rice (and not sushi rice!) with some egg mixed throughout. The fish was relatively fresh, but Ive had better at other places. I would say the salmon was the best.Fried pork cutlet: The chirashi bowl came in a set with the pork cutlet along with a cucumber salad and miso soup. The pork cutlet was probably the best thing out of the lunch set. You cant really go wrong when you fry food, and I thought there was good flavor and a good amount of slices to the cutlet. The sauce that came with it had a spicy flavor, which went well with the cutlet. I would recommend this.Beef donburi: The beef is essentially beef teriyaki on top of a bed of rice with broccoli and corn. There was good flavor to the beef (the sauce really helped give it more flavor), but there was a lot more rice in comparison. After eating all the beef, we still had a lot of rice leftover.Mixed tempura: This was in a set with another chirashi bowl, soup, and salad. There were two shrimp pieces and four other vegetables. The tempura was fried nicely and had a good crisp to it. I thought it could do with a bit more batter, but overall I liked the tempura.Sashimi combination: I thought this was the most disappointing dish. Most sashimi combinations are pricey at other restaurants, but they contain a good amount of fish and rolls that will eventually lead to a full stomach. But this: 2-3 pieces of salmon and tuna, four nigri sushi, and 6 pieces of California rolls - this was pretty sad. My dad ate it all within a few bites and was still quite hungry. The fish was okay, but nothing too special. I would definitely avoid ordering this combination.Tuna roll: The tuna roll here tasted very similar to the ones my sister likes back in LA. Very simple - just seaweed wrapped around rice and whole chunks of tuna. The tuna tasted fresh and was overall a good roll.Service: The waitresses werent really efficient when it came to taking our orders and giving us refills on water. But they suddenly came alive when it came to giving us our bill.tl; dr - Maybe we should have stuck to ordering ramen. Overall, not a really fancy place to eat at. I feel like the food isnt that amazing, the restaurant isnt that awesome, and the service is just decent - its really not worth a second visit.
Sanppo Restaurant
1702 Post St, San Francisco, CA 94115, United States
This is my go to Japanese restaurant whenever I am in Japan Town. The food is better than average. Prices are reasonable for San Francisco. You need to pay for parking at the parking garage across the street. Service is good. It is a family friendly atmosphere but the tables are a bit sticky which is why the downgrade in the rating. But if you are seeking a reasonable price for Japanese food that is decent, you need to eat here.
HINODEYA Ramen Japantown
1737 Buchanan St, San Francisco, CA 94115, United States
Located in the heart of San Franciscos Japan town, this little gem of a restaurant offers a delightful dining experience. As you enter, you are greeted with a traditional draped entry and the hostess welcomes you with a drumbeat. The decor is simple yet stylish, featuring modern Japanese Kanji art. The seating area provides dividers, offering a degree of separation without compromising the overall ambiance. While it may not provide the complete privacy of a traditional Japanese restaurant, it does create a comfortable dining bubble.Ordering food is convenient, as you have the option to use your phone or a physical menu. We opted for the phone ordering system, which was straightforward and user-friendly. The restaurant maintains a high standard of cleanliness, ensuring a hygienic environment for diners.Now lets talk about the highlight of the experience: the food. This restaurant serves some of the finest Japanese ramen outside of Japan. We indulged in a variety of dishes, including spicy edamame, karage chicken, shishito peppers, vegan gyozas, and the creamy vegan ramen. Each appetizer was irresistible, with the gyozas and edamame being particularly noteworthy. The karage chicken and peppers were also delightful, especially when seasoned with a hint of salt, taking the flavors to a whole new level.The ramen itself was mouthwatering and delicious. From the perfect noodles to the creamy broth and meaty bamboo shoots, every bite was a delightful explosion of flavors and textures. We chose to add chicken and an egg to our ramen, and they were cooked to perfection. The chicken was tender and delicate, while the egg added a creamy goodness to the dish. To conclude our meal, we enjoyed a hot cup of green tea, which complemented the overall dining experience perfectly.One aspect that stood out was the exceptionally friendly staff. They made us feel welcome and attended to our needs throughout the evening. This restaurant is definitely a must-visit for ramen lovers in town. We thoroughly enjoyed our dining experience here, and we highly recommend it to anyone seeking a satisfying and enjoyable meal.
Okaeri Japanese Bistro
3515 20th St, San Francisco, CA 94110, United States
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.
Bamboo Restaurant
1441 Polk St, San Francisco, CA 94109, United States
MY FAVES AT THE END.If I could give this restaurant 10 stars, or had the understanding/authority to award a Michelin I would vote for them to enter and ascend.I’m $700.00 + in with this place! The money doesn’t matter truly, I’m just sharing to highlight that I keep coming BACK.My goodness! The consistency, flavor profiles, FRESHNESS, attention to quality and authenticity. I have never had a complaint and I’m a very attentive foodie.Another thing, the impression I have is from delivery ONLY. THAT SHOULD SPEAK TO THE INTENTION they put into their food.I have yet to dine-in and I’m always craving it. Wanting to share with my partner and refer to friends. The other day, I finally saw the little gem inperson and the chef and host were just casually maintaining the space.To the chef and crew, I hope you know how good your food is and how GIFTED you all are. May you continue to grow and serve us in the local community with the dare I say, some of the best food I’ve had in a long time.Okay, my favorite - all things seafood. These folks know their way around the sea!Walnut Prawns with BBQ Pork Chow Mein !Peking DuckFried bananaBamboo Wor Won Ton SoupCrab RangoonNiche/General Japanese craft
Sushi Goemon Restaurant
1524 Irving St, San Francisco, CA 94122, United States
Wow! I dont think i was expecting it to be this bad.We wanted to go to Izakaya for some ramen, but came here because they told us to f off. We should of just went home. I guess there was a reason that there were 3 Japanese restaurants on the same street and this was the only one that was empty.It seemed like a nice place so we went in. We wanted noodles so whatever.Two of my friends ordered the Gyoza+Udon. The broth was flavorless and the noodles tasted a little off. My other friend got Karage Katsu, which was gross and oily. On top of that the sauce they had for it was just vinegar. What is this? A Chinese restaurant?I ended up getting the Beef Sukiyaki which was like eating candied beef. It was way too sweet and the shitake mushrooms tasted like alcoholic! Does that mean they were fermenting? I have no idea.Next, we move on to the service. Which was horrible. I think they were understaffed, but the service was just too horrible to ignore. We sat there for a while and some old lady came to take our order. We ordered and waited 20 minutes before 2 dishes partially came out, which was the gyoza. Then the noodles came like 5 minute later. Then 5 minutes after that the Karage. Then about 5-10 minutes after that a different waitress comes over and asks me whats wrong.You know whats wrong? Everyone was done eating and I hadnt gotten my food. WTF? I got it and I ended up eating all the beef as to not waste too much food. It was just gross. Worst meal of my life. Goemon, I dont think Im ever coming back.
Kui Shin Bo
22 Peace Plaza #2, 22 Peace Plz, San Francisco, CA 94115, United States
I went here around late March. Was really excited to try out my first Japanese restaurant in San Francisco, but was disappointed. First of all, the service wasn’t great. We ordered our food and waited for about 30 minutes, probably longer considering the fact that customers who came after us even got their food before we did. We wait really long, and the waiter comes and tells us our order was somehow lost? He takes our order again and we again waited really long. My brother was quite ticked off, and he tried asking the waiter why it’s taking so long but the waiter seems like he’s avoiding him, and actually just walks past like he didn’t see. I understand dealing with angry customers can be tough (and my brother should’ve been more calmer instead of calling out to him about it) but ignoring is just rude, especially when you’ve messed up the first time. He gives us the food after an extremely long wait. To be completely honest, the food isn’t spectacular or anything. It’s not bad but not good either.
Sakana Sushi Bar & Grill
605 Post St, San Francisco, CA 94109, United States
Sakana is a low risk high reward sushi find in San Francisco. Not many sushi restaurants are run by Japanese folks but this is one of them! It’s usually Chinese or Koreans so this was a pleasant surprise. The lady serving us was nice and attentive as well. Overall a good experience for us.We have a thing for soft shelled crab and squid. They have a special going on for squid skewers but we went for the soft shelled crab and fried squid legs. The soft shelled crab was good and the dipping sauce compliments it well. The squid legs were alright - nothing great but nothing bad either. The omakase was the selling point for us. They offer 9pc for $35 AND it comes with UNI as well. $35 omakase sounds too good to be true right? Well I did say there’s some risk involved ?. A lot of reviewers highlighted the cuts and freshness but we found the color to be a little off today. Luckily, the flavors weren’t off. Some of the pcs have more wasabi than desired but this is a preference thing. We would definitely come back again for more.
PABU Izakaya
101 California St, San Francisco, CA 94111, United States
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.