Best Japanese Restaurants in San Rafael

This was the best sushi we’ve had in the Bay Area. Bar none. Note: when we first seated, we were seated next to a family party that had a lot of active toddlers (the noise level was at times a bit disruptive.) Not sure if the acoustics might have been elsewhere in the restaurant. It’s still 5⭐️ from us!

We had a wonderful anniversary celebration dinner! The miso soup with mushrooms was delicious. The sushi rolls were some of the best we’ve had anywhere (dungeness crab, crispy spicy tuna) with high quality and super fresh ingredients. The crispy Brussels sprouts with mustard sauce were to die for and the Japanese fried chicken (a favorite from a prior visit) certainly didn’t disappoint. Excellent cocktails as well (Roka Old Fashioned with Toku whiskey for me, and Blood Orange Margarita for my wife). Topping it off was truly world class service - no less than 3 different staff attending to our every need, and water glasses were never empty something I find important but sadly rare even at otherwise great restaurants. Even the hostess who seated us was a cut above - courteous, efficient, informative. Highly, highly recommended!

We went for my wife’s birthday and had a very nice time. The food was exceptional and the wait staff was an orchestrated ballet of impeccable service. Everything from the appetizers, the main courses and the desserts were all rock solid. I expected at least one of these categories to be a little weak (as they are with most restaurants) and I was continually pleasantly surprised by the dynamic flavors and incredibly well-prepared, and well-seasoned food overall. My only critique would be that the broccolini was undercooked for my taste and a little too heavy on the garlic, and the porterhouse rolls were slightly disappointing — they were made of some kind of wheat dough with an added aromatic that wasn’t needed in my opinion. I was hoping for the classic buttery white bread porterhouse rolls! But if you are looking for exotic flavors, and open to things being a little different than expected, there’s no shortage of that at Niku. The ambience was modern, tasteful and chic. The music was a little loud, but that helped to provide a very immersive experience. After a few drinks you don’t notice as much lol. They have three different seating options: bar, tables, and chefs counter. This was not as clearly explained as it could’ve been on their website or on OpenTable. The pictures I found online didn’t give a clear enough idea of what the different seating options would look like, so that made planning a special occasion a little difficult. Otherwise, I couldn’t recommend this place enough.

Very healthy food in a comfortable environment. The bar is outstanding as are the servers. What more could you want

Went for dinner with family and everyone loved the food. Fish so fresh.