Best Japanese Restaurants in South San Francisco

Our chef, James, was THE BEST CHEF WE’VE HAD in a very long time! He was friendly and fun! The food was delicious, as always. Thank you for another memorable dinner experience! We will be back!

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.

The omakase was fabulous! Great chef at this izakaya! See my Yelp review!

I got the omakase and it was amazing, will be coming back with new people to share in the experience!

Our favorite sushi restaurant in the Bay Area—You don’t even have to ask if they have real crab because that’s all they have! They also have Hamachi cheeks, lobster, and O Toro. We also love the hamachi crudo appetizer. The staff are super friendly and efficient.