Top Japanese Restaurant in Saratoga
Dan Izakaya Restaurant
1306 Saratoga Ave, San Jose, CA 95129, United States
Dan is my default Japanese Restaurant in San Jose. The sashimi salad has tons of fish and is large enough to be a meal in itself. The clam ramen is flavorful with actual real clams in it. The agedashi tofu is perfect here - nice crisp on the skin, but silky tofu inside. The servers are really nice and are always ready to refill your water. Dan is always busy, but it is not difficult to get a reservation.
Hachi Ju Hachi
14480 Big Basin Wy, Saratoga, CA 95070, United States
Reviews complaining about the food seem to want or expect just Americanized teriyaki bentos and giant slabs of fish atop tiny balls of plain rice. Ive eaten Mitsuwa sushi and I think its terribly unfair to compare 88s sushi to Mitsuwa sushi. I wouldnt even compare Mitsuwa sushi to Nijiya sushi, let alone the sushi here.I was pleasantly surprised to see a lot of dishes that arent on Americans radar but that represent a homey style of Japanese cooking. It reminds me of this other homestyle Japanese restaurant I loved in the South Bay, whose owners unfortunately retired without selling the business (where it might have gone on to become terrible), or some hole-in-the-wall family restaurants in Little Tokyo and Little Osaka in SoCal.Hands down the unanimous best dish was the agedashi san pin. We love agedashi doufu and this version that adds daikon radish and eggplant was amazing! I dont even like eggplant but I liked the eggplant in this. I already love daikon but eating it hot and lightly fried was seriously next level daikon.Some of the steamed and broth items might be too gentle for an American palate, but I really liked them. I could see these being really comforting when sick (not that you should dine out when sick!). The sake broth was strong enough to make me tipsy so Im not sure you should order it for kids even if you can.The layout of the private room looks cool. There is a pass-through direct to the kitchen with a live wood counter that seems like it would be fun for a small party and feel like you were being served by your very own private chef.Chef Suzuki is such a sweet, cute little old guy, who gives off a grateful air toward his customers, like hes following his passion and just humbled that people like to eat his food. Im impressed by how long hes kept the place running, based on the dates in the graffiti on the walls by happy and full customers. The sous chef was young but competent and the waitress was attentive.When we went there werent many others there. On weekend nights the entire Saratoga area seems to have lots of near-empty restaurants. I really hope all the businesses are fuller on the weekend. It would be a shame to survive the pandemic and restaurant-pocalypse only to shut down later.The mackerel box sushi was great. It was a bit salty but thats how mackerel is served, to cut the oiliness of the fish. Also I felt it was a nice counterpoint to the less assertive broth-y items we ordered.The other sushi was good, bite-sized and more authentic than your typical AYCE fare. I would say I wasnt expecting the sprinkle of salt on every piece. The only other place Ive experienced that at was terrible. But here it wasnt heavy handed. I also thought there was the perfect amount of wasabi on every piece.The sushi doesnt rival my favorite SoCal sushi bar Sushi Gen, but it is some of the better sushi Ive had in the Bay area (we havent been impressed with the sushi in SF compared to what we were used to in LA and NY). I did think the sushi might not be able to be replenished fresh daily when Saratoga is not so busy during the week, so maybe we have to come back on a weekend night to fairly assess.We will be back for omakase night or whatever its called if we can figure out which Thursday its on (it says every other Thursday but didnt specify which Thursday that was).
Masu Japanese Bistro
14510 Big Basin Wy #6, Saratoga, CA 95070, United States
Had short trip to saratoga, ate dinner in this japanese restaurant. The food was good, and the service was excellent.
Suro Sushi Bar & Grill ( BAR OPEN LATE )
1102 Saratoga Ave, San Jose, CA 95129, United States
Its extremely expensive, but if you want Korean-style Japanese food in San Jose, the food quality and service are truly superior to most Japanese restaurants in Korea. The price is a bit expensive so I cant give it 5 stars.
Hokkaido Ramen Santouka
Inside Mitsuwa Marketplace, 675 Saratoga Ave #103, San Jose, CA 95129, United States
Great ramen place. This place is inside a complex with Japanese grocery store, book store, desert places and few other eateries. The ramen was tasty but the seating area was limited, given the long queue at the restaurant.We really enjoyed the spicy miso ramen. Very flavorful and tasty. We had to wait around 35 minutes to get the food served. Unfortunately, it serves no vegetarian options.
Kuma Sushi
1600 Saratoga Ave #119, San Jose, CA 95129, United States
Most noisy Japanese restaurant I have even been. Food is average, but the customers here are screaming and laughing which makes the place just not qualified for dining in.
Takoyaki Yama-chan
675 Saratoga Ave, San Jose, CA 95129, United States
What a let down. The management or owners of this location need a refresher course at Yama-chan academy. First time I came here, the Okonomiyaki equipment was down, fair enough, it happens. Decided to stop by again and was happy to hear they were serving it so I order one and an order of Takoyaki.First the Takoyaki was the Negi (green onion) version but I thought they gave me the wrong order because there were no green onions. I go back to the counter and tell them so they take it back and return it with an excessive amount (you had that feeling it was a vindictive amount) and you could tell they were prepped a long time prior because the ends of the cuts were already partially dried out. The Takoyaki itself was good enough.The Okonomiyaki was a failure. Lets start with the cabbage, either lazy prep, lack of pride, or poor training. Its supposed to be shredded, what I received was larger pieces of chopped, undercooked cabbage (when the pieces are too large they dont cook properly and become nice and tender). The rest just wasnt a cohesive dish that wasnt bound together like it should be. What a disappointment.I know what this companys product should taste like, Ive had it several times in HI and they make it well. This location, but in the same category, youd think it was made by some other entity. Thankfully theres a great place in the south bay for Okonomiyaki which Ill go to, its more expensive but worth the extra cost over this. I hope Yama-chan can address the product quality and serve what I know they are capable of.
Udon Mugizo
1072 Saratoga Ave, San Jose, CA 95129, United States
This place was awful from the moment we entered the door. Unbearably loud music, coupled with a few other annoyances, makes this a place I wont go back to.A friend of mine, and I, used to enjoy Ringerhut, which was at the same premises, before Udon Mugizo bought the place. We had remembered a nice, quiet Japanese diner with reasonable prices. The new establishment, Udo Mugizo, was none of that.The music was unbearably loud from the moment we walked in until the moment we left. It was this thumpa-thumpa-thumpa pop that we measured at an average of 80 decibels using my phones decibel app. And, it spiked well above that to 95! We had gone out for an evening of talking and eating, but we got no talking done. It was just too darn loud to hear each other. We could barely hear the wait staff. We asked them to turn it down, and they politely took our request to management, but we must have been outvoted, because the music never went down. Everybody in the place was yelling, but I dont blame them, because you had to be heard. Trouble is that that only added to the noise.Right in the door, the hostess talked so fast we could barely understand her. When we asked her to slow down, she aid, oh sure, and continued to talk a mile a minute. When we asked for a table for two, she told us to enter a phone # in her ipad and said theyd call us when a table was ready. Nice tech, but not the way I would have handled it. I think a classier thing to do would have been to say, theres a 15 minute wait. Youre welcome to wait here in the lobby, or, if youll give us your phone #, wed be happy to call you when a table becomes available.They charge $2.50 for tea. Not a sin, but many of us assume that tea is complementary at Japanese restaurants.The food was good, though my curry donburi was saltier than I like it. That item is only $6, which is a great price. The udon was $15 on up. They also dont have any wheat-free noodle soup dishes, which is difficult for someone like me whos allergic to wheat. I knew, going in, that it was an udon place (which is wheat noodles), but usually places like that offer soba, which is buckwheat noodles (which I can eat -- buckwheat is not wheat -- its a separate, gluten free grain).Theres a special place in hell for patrons who give money to restaurants that blast their music. Loud music is for bars, night clubs, and restaurants with dance floors (which this place didnt have). My advice to management is to turn the music way down and switch to jazz. If they want something Japanese, theres nothing wrong with Keiko Mitsui or Kitaro.My ears are still ringing and Im sick to my stomach from the noise.
Hashiri Bettei Kaiseki Aoki
14417 Big Basin Wy, Saratoga, CA 95070, United States
Starstruck ?THIS MEAL BLEW ME AWAYWe have several high quality kaiseki options in the Bay Area and I have been to many of them including Michelin star Wakuriya & Kenzo Napa as well as Redwood City's Ranzan & Ogiku.Kaiseki is a Japanese-style of menu less well known here and featuring multiple cooking techniques with an array of dishesPlating and presentation play an important part but it's always the unique food flavors, seasonal cuisine, and cooking techniques that showcase the very best of kaisekiI was familiar with Chef Aoki and Yuko from their former establishment Ramen Saryo Hachi so came in with expectations of a solid mealThe brightly lit, brand new establishment with a gorgeous wood table 9-seating area, however, allows them to truly shine and to reach their full potential of which I only had an inklingEach dish is meticulously crafted and the flavors and presentation are a level above anywhere I've had. Chef Aoki speaks minimal English but Yuko's explanation of every dish combined with the thought and decision behind them not only is educational but significantly enhanced my enjoymentThis type of dining may not be for everyone given both the price point and duration (1 seating nightly, ~2.5 hours) but for me, it is my best meal of 2023. I left delightfully surprised and happy and if that's not the very best dining can be than I'd rather not share? December Kondate $280pp ~ IWA 5 / Dashi with Wild Sea Kelp / Crab with Uni Caviar in Kombu Gelee / Wild Blue Fin Tuna and Wild Akashi Sea Bream / Matsutake Owan / Karasumi with Olive Oil, Tai Nikugori, Radish Yuzu Persimmon / Eel with Pinot Noir Salt / A5 Hokkaido Wagyu Filet Shabu Shabu, Maitake with Egg Yolk Ponzu / Tsusahime Rice with Soy Marinated Ikura, Braised Mushrooms, Japanese Pickles and Akadashi / Persimmon, Muscat Grape, Chestnut / Warabi Mochi with Okinawa Black Sugar / Matcha Tea?Hashiri Bettei Kaiseki Aoki (Saratoga, CA)Credit cards are accepted and dining is indoor only. Reservations required on Tock
Leichi
246 Saratoga Ave, Santa Clara, CA 95050, United States
The core of relationship is when each other feels to say thanks. This Japanese restaurant is my first time in Santa Clara. But, I suggest you try lunch or dinner here. You will never regret. Most likely, Japanese food is a little sweet since cooks put sugar into the food. But, I guess this restaurant puts less sugar into the food. I want to confirm when I visit again. My friends who joined me for lunch loved this place. They are good at Japanese food. I spent money for my lunch, but I feel I have to say thank you for the food. Then, this is the core of successful relationship between store and customer. Thank you.