Exploring the Bay Area

Aburaya  Don’t overlook Aburaya; it’s a popular, lively, and informal spot to indulge in incredible Japanese fried food, particularly fried chicken but also fried tofu and cauliflower, for low prices situated right in downtown Oakland. They also serve fantastic sandwiches and a variety of appetizers and desserts with their signature izakaya-style Japanese flair. It’s a smallish restaurant that is teaming with life and modern decorations, and so many people have already discovered and fallen in love with its magic. It’s no secret that you can get an affordable, delicious, and substantial meal at Aburaya, and the long line proves worth the wait. Offering so many ways to customize your fried chicken, it’s a gluten free kitchen including barbecue sauce and garlic miso seasoning. This small café draws inspiration from Japanese tradition and cranks food out quickly to satisfy the hungry masses that assemble there to enjoy these tasty dishes in a modern, fun setting. You can pick the ...

    Party Sushi As you may know, I’m the kind of person who likes good, inexpensive Japanese food. I’ve had a lifelong love of sushi, and living in the Bay, I’ve come to appreciate the many restaurants that approach serving Japanese food with a little bit of authenticity and a little twist of their own, making food that tastes great but doesn’t cost a fortune. Party Sushi is certainly one such restaurant. Party Sushi offers in-restaurant dining, takeout, and catering.  It’s a small restaurant with a cute, cozy feel, but a menu that’s anything but small—we had no trouble finding all our Japanese favorites and more, with many interesting and unique options, including their awesome specialty rolls. They keep costs down and customer satisfaction high, all while making do with limited space in their rather intimate dining room. The sushi chef stands in a corner behind the counter, carefully (even lovingly) preparing each order. I find the staff here to be genuinely friendly an...

  Sobakatsu You might wonder what it takes to get normal people to form such a long line outside a small soba shop in Japantown. You see, people wait in a long line to take one of the eleven seats at the two four person tables and the three person bar inside San Francisco’s very own traditional Japanese soba specialty shop, Sobakatsu, which is part of the historic Japantown and one of its attractions. Sobakatsu is just a small shop, and the kitchen, with its many stations for preparing hot and cold soba and frying side dishes, takes up half the space. Inside the kitchen, two experienced chefs work meticulously, nonstop, to keep up with the high demand. They don’t offer takeout or to-go orders; everyone must eat at one of the provided seats. While it may be small, this cafe is renowned as one of the very best places to experience quality Japanese soba in the area. Their soba can be served hot or cold with a number of side dishes, including some popular fried tempura. The soba is glu...

  Asaka Sushi and Bar Asaka Sushi and Bar is a cute little Japanese restaurant in North Berkeley that creates great food with good service. It's a wonderful place to bring family and friends to enjoy a truly amazing meal. Food  Proudly using only natural, organic, and local ingredients, Asaka Sushi and Bar distinguishes itself in terms of quality as it pursues providing North Berkeley with interesting, modern, and authentic spins on Japanese cuisine. With lots of gluten free items and menu items that don't utilize raw fish, this long menu has a large appeal. The food here is delicious and hard to dislike.  Menu Highlights  The menu includes hot and cold appetizers, like Hamachi Capriccio, Cajun Tataki, Edamame, Chicken Karaage, and Beef/Vegetable Gyoza. They also serve a variety of salads from the House Salad, to the Wakame Salad, the Sashimi Salad, and the Tempura Salad. If you want noodles, they have several types of udon....

Sumo Roll I think I may have just stumbled on another great affordable sushi place that can accommodate my need for low prices without making me miss out on my Japanese favorites! Sumo Roll is a place that does it all, proudly serving Japanese and Japanese-inspired cuisine for prices you can afford in an environment that embraces a Japanese aesthetic. It embraces both coziness and curiosity, frugality and quality, and best of all, traditional recipes and modern tastes. The result is a uniquely enjoyable dining experience that reminds you of Japanese culture. The ambiance here alone makes it a great place to grab a bite alone or chill with friends.  The decor, complete with some tastefully chosen Japanese artwork, pairs nicely with the soft Japanese music to give off an old-fashioned Japanese vibe. The service is friendly and goes at a nice, leisurely pace. Consider your time here and abbreviated trip to Japan that will allow you to escape the daily grind back in California. And the...

Araki Sushi Araki Sushi brings affordable, authentic Japanese flavor to downtown Palo Alto. Despite its small size, it is a powerhouse that cranks out delicious meals for a surprisingly large crowd of loyal patrons. But despite its apparent popularity, it maintains a humble, customer-focused attitude. The service here is good, and the prices are a good deal for the product provided. Every last detail is considered here. From the nice pieces of Japanese artwork on the walls that give the restaurant character, to the attractive plating of the food, to the reasonably priced combos on the menu, to the balance of savory flavors in the food, everything here is done deliberately and with care to create the ultimate cozy Japanese comfort food feel. As soon as I tasted the warm miso soup, I was hooked. The crispy, meaty fried gyoza here are to die for, but the fresh, soft, and buttery sashimi was as impressive. Meanwhile, the teriyaki chicken was cooked perfectly and smothered in a delightful t...

Kamado Sushi Kamado Sushi is a moderately upscale Japanese restaurant in Berkeley.  I came because it was highly recommended by a friend who adores Japanese food and has tried many of the Japanese restaurants in the area, only to note that, although it is a bit expensive, this one stands out. Ultimately, I did not end up disagreeing; the food was top-quality; the environment was extremely pleasant, and the service was fantastic.    The restaurant embodies relaxation and elegance. It is a small and peaceful restaurant that features comforting instrumental music, big windows overlooking the Berkeley cityscape, and a Japanese aesthetic. You can choose to sit at one of the tables or at the bar, and either way, your dining experience will be amazing. The menu they bring to your table is extensive, covering many famous Japanese dishes like sushi, sashimi, sukiyaki, teriyaki, katsu, udon, soba, and more over several pages. They also have a drin...

Matsuyama Shabu House Walking around San Francisco's historic Japantown, I made a surprisingly delicious find: Matsuyama Shabu House. This small restaurant specializes in Shabu Shabu, the Japanese traditional hot pot dish. They honor and balance both Japanese culinary tradition and modern tastes. Walking in, you will see an elegant dining area decorated in comforting warm tones and wood paneling, a red marble counter that goes in a semicircle, and three wood table tan booths next to windows that overlook Japantown. Each seat has its own heating system for preparing the hot pot in front of you at your table. The windows overlook San Francisco, but it starts to feel as if you are in Japan. Matsuyama Shabu House offers some luxurious and expensive menu options but also an $18 weekday option that lets you sample this amazing restaurant for less.  I have now twice sampled the exciting $18 weekday option, which allows you to pick a base, some meat, and other hot pot components. I prefer ...

Manpuku Manpuku is a delightful, small restaurant located on the corner of Ashby and College Avenue in the Elmwood region of Berkeley, dedicated to serving affordable and delicious Japanese cuisine. The extensive menu is filled with classic Japanese favorites, each served at a very reasonable price. When you arrive, you have a chance to examine this menu, which has a large variety of different types of sushi, sashimi, curry rice, ramen, and udon, among other popular Japanese appetizers and entrees (they have bento boxes, or the meals can be ordered a la carte). Then, you can place your order and pay at the register. Once you have done this, you may take a seat in their small restaurant, and they will bring your food to you. Either that, or you can select a ready-made meal out of their cooler or their food warmer and take it to a table inside the restaurant to eat. There is also the option of takeout. Despite the low prices, this restaurant consistently provides a top-quality eating exp...

Kui Shin Bo Kui Shin Bo, which translates roughly to "glutton," is a small sit-down restaurant in San Francisco. It is located in the corner of a small mall in Japantown. It seats only about seven parties at once in its small eating area, which is cutely decorated with Japanese art in frames and has dark blue Japanese flower wallpaper as trim; not only that, but the walls to the small eating area were sectioned off by wood paneling and lit by Japanese light fixtures. This gave the restaurant a very quaint and had a traditionally Japanese feel.  Despite its small size, it has one of the most extensive menus you will see. It is a great place to look for Japanese dishes that are hard to find elsewhere, like okonomiyaki, shabu shabu, or sukiyaki. They also serve a variety of noodle dishes (many types of ramen, soba, and udon dishes), sushi (traditional maki and nigiri, modern rolls, and sushi burritos), sashimi, teriyaki dishes, yakimono, and tempura, among other things. Everyth...

Oori Rice Triangles Oori is a very small restaurant. In fact, it is more like a stand. It has no seating at all. You come in, order and pay at a kiosk, and then wait as they prepare your order in their small kitchen. There is standing area where you can eat, or you can carry out your order.  The fact of the matter is that this adds to the appeal of Oori. It is fast, simple, and tasty. Nothing more. The simplicity of the restaurant helps it maintain low prices for the food. Customers rotate quickly through the business and often come back for more. Oori has cornered the market in Berkeley for freshly prepared rice triangles. They have grilled salmon (pictured above), short rib, spicy ahi tuna, chicken teriyaki, spicy pork, spicy shrimp, unagi, tofu teriyaki, tofu kimchi, spicy kimchi, pickled plum, spicy tofu, and rice only triangles. All are made with same basic method, which wraps a healthy amount of filling and a rice triangle in crunchy seaweed.  These toppings can also be...

Sushi Arashi  Sushi Arashi is one of downtown Mountain View's best restaurants. It serves a variety of Japanese dishes, including sushi and sashimi. I like to start my meal with some of their warm and savory miso soup. It's very inexpensive but very satisfying.   Ordering the sushi or sashimi is a safe bet here. You can trust this restaurant will have fresh and yummy fish every time. They also have quite a few vegetarian rolls. Whether you prefer nigiri, makimono, or sashimi, you will be delighted by the number of options offered. The sushi and sashimi are served with their slightly spicy wasabi, quality pickled ginger, and umami soy sauce.  I have also sampled their udon and found it more than satisfactory. The thick, doughy noodles went perfectly with the thin and salty soup they were swimming in. The meat and vegetables balanced each other out perfectly in the udon dish that I sampled. Not to be ignored are their teriyaki dishes. The teriyaki glaze/sauce they use...

MJ Sushi MJ Sushi is an attractively designed restaurant that has a modern and sleek appearance-- and a modern and sleek take on Japanese culinary tradition!  You can order your favorite Japanese appetizers like edamame (soybeans), gyoza (Japanese dumplings), chicken karaage (fried chicken), tokoyaki (deep-fried octopus). They also carry miso soup, seaweed salad, and a house green salad.  I strongly recommend starting with some of their miso soup. It is warm and perfectly seasoned with salty dashi, tofu, and seaweed. I find it to be both hearty and light at once; hefty enough to take the edge off my hunger, but light enough not to spoil my appetite.  Its savory flavor is wonderful for getting my palate ready for the main course. For the main course, they offer beef, chicken, and salmon teriyaki meals, which have Japanese barbecue sauce and are served over a bed of rice. These are viable alternatives for those who do not care for fish or raw fish. They are filling and tas...

Nijiya Market Nijiya Market is a chain of grocery stores that specialize in Japanese groceries. They have lots of things that are from Japan and are hard to come by in this country.  Their frozen section is full of ready-made Japanese foods, like yakisoba and gyoza. Everything is authentically Japanese because the store only features Japanese brands of Japanese food. They have an ample selection of Japanese breads and pastries. This includes milk bread and anpan (bean-paste stuffed bread), among other things. All the baked goods are arranged in an appetizing fashion, and there is an impressive number of them. They also carry Japanese mochi.  They have all types of Japanese sauces and condiments, mostly from Japanese imported brands. For example, they have Japanese soy sauce, ponzu sauce, and teriyaki sauce. These flavors are hard to come by in these parts, so it is very nice to find them here in California.  They sell specific cuts of meat for Japanese cooking, like suki...

Kansai When it comes to a cool, modern Japanese restaurant in the Bay Area, Oakland’s Kansai is the place to go! As Kansai’s delicious Japanese food and low prices are no secret, the restaurant is always buzzing with people. The tables fill quickly at all hours of the day, and the restaurant draws families, groups of friends, and couples alike. With the constant chatter of the guests and the popular music playing on the speakers, it’s a laid-back but lively environment, one that invites you to have some fun with the people you came with. It’s a sit-down restaurant where you order from a server at your table, but the demeanor is casual and fun. No one needs to dress up or behave formally. The servers there seem to make an extra effort to be friendly and likable, and they tend to know the menu pretty well. I think a few of them know who we are by now because we are always coming back. (I think it’s nice how they tend to remember their frequent customers like that.) Despite always being ...

Tsuruya This small and homey Japanese restaurant is a specialty shop with only has a few items on the menu. It specializes in ramen served in a warm, savory broth. There are two types of noodles, skinny and thicker. They have pork and chicken options as well as mild and spicy items. The food is hearty and satisfying, warm and comforting. They also have some nice appetizers that are not to be overlooked. The karaage and the edamame are very good!  The food is also served in an aesthetically pleasing fashion. The plates and bowls are a beautiful type of Japanese ceramic. The ramen and toppings come carefully arranged to be as appetizing as possible. Gluten free noodles are available upon request. 1926 Shattuck Avenue, Berkeley, CA, United States, California

Onigilly Available in San Francisco and Palo Alto, Onigilly Japanese Kitchen serves freshly prepared onigiri. Order and pay at a kiosk and wait for the staff to assemble your order. The service is fast. These triangular treats make perfect snacks on their own, or you can order enough for a meal. They are relatively inexpensive, yet surprisingly yummy and satisfying. There is an assortment of available fillings, including my favorites: salmon, spicy miso beef (pictured above), and unagi. The fillings are sandwiched between two triangles of fresh white rice and wrapped in crunchy nori. Onigilly also carries poke bowls and some interesting desserts and sides, including tempura shrimp, chicken karaage, miso soup, and cheesecake. 

 Marugame Udon Marugame Udon is a restaurant that provides hungry people who are craving a flavorful, hearty Japanese meal instant gratification! With several locations in the Bay Area, including one in Berkeley, Palo Alto, and San Francisco, Marugame Udon is a wonderful chain that serves satisfying Japanese food. The menu includes several different flavors of udon, rice bowls, and tempura. All of these dishes are assembled on the spot behind the counter when you order them.  It is a restaurant where you place your order at the counter, and the food is ready to be plated as soon as you order. Once you order, you can watch them prepare your meal right there (the ingredients are ready and freshly prepared in house). You can pick out your side dishes: tempura, gyoza, or other fried options that really compliment the dishes. Of all the options, my favorite is the gyoza, which are perfectly crispy and packed with flavor.  After you've placed and customized your order, you will...

 Kura Revolving Sushi Bar Walking into Kura Revolving Sushi Bar is like a small trip to Japan. When you walk in, you will be greeted "irasshaimase" by a welcoming staff. The restaurant is brightly lit and immaculately clean. The restaurant has two conveyor belts: one that revolves around the restaurant and one that brings food directly to your table. The revolving conveyor belt carrying a line-up of delicious options through the restaurant offers a fun and family-friendly dining experience that is rarely seen in these parts (revolving sushi bars are more common in Japan). Each table or seat along the bar is equipped with a high-tech touchscreen menu that allows you order what you would like, including items not offered on the main conveyor belt, and the second conveyor belt that brings whatever you order on the touchscreen (which is a feature that I believe to be more or less unique to Kura Revolving Sushi Bar). Every little detail is thought of and made cute. When you first ...

Moshi Moshi Lunch: Monday–Friday, 11:30 am – 1:30 pm. Dinner:  Monday – Saturday, 5:00 pm – 8:45 pm. 2092 3rd Street @18th Street San Francisco, CA 94107 415-861-8285 This Japanese restaurant has an extensive menu full of delicious items. I highly recommend trying it; I frequently come back for more!  When it comes to their sushi and sashimi, the fish is always extremely fresh. When this fish is paired with freshly prepared, crunchy nori and perfectly seasoned Japanese rice, the combination is incredible. The flavors and textures balance each other perfectly! Every detail is thought of, right down to the delicious soy sauce, ginger, and wasabi that comes free with the meal. I love the tekkamaki and the fire lizard the most, but be sure to come back to try the many different types of rolls on the menu--they are all worth trying! You also might enjoy the combo zuke don (pictured below), which features their fresh fish and good rice.  They also use their perfectly seasoned J...