50 Best Japanese Restaurants near Saratoga

“This restaurant is truly an experience. You come here not just to eat, but to learn about the culture, the thoughtful preparation of each ingredient, and to enjoy the very best ingredients of the season. The meal is meant to be savored slowly.

Dinner runs from 6:30 PM to 10:30 PM with one seating only, and the door opens promptly at 6:30 PM. There is ample parking in the back, even on a Saturday night.

The environment is intimate and very homey. The only small note is that the music was a bit loud at times, especially since the hostess, Yoko, is very soft-spoken. Turning the music down slightly would make it easier to hear her explanations.

The evening began with a celebratory yuzu sparkling sake in honor of the New Year. The seasonal *Hassun* was my favorite course of the night. Served in an adorable ceramic fish, it was filled with auspicious New Year foods such as herring roe, chestnut, octopus, plum, abalone, konjac, kombu, and more—each cooked to its ideal texture.

The *ozoni* was Kansai-style, featuring mochi, yuba, and black cod, and was wonderfully warming and comforting. The sashimi course was exceptionally fresh, highlighting Aomori bluefin tuna, 明石鯛 (widely regarded as the best *madai* in Japan), and Santa Barbara uni. For winter, Hokkaido uni is not considered at its peak, making this selection especially thoughtful.

The wagyu course was simply divine—truly melt-in-your-mouth. The rice course followed with a generous bowl of Dungeness crab meat and ikura, paired with refreshing *tsukemono* and a clear seafood broth.

I absolutely loved the monaka dessert, and the meal concluded beautifully with a bowl of lightly whipped matcha.

Once again, this is an experience, not a simple meal. Come with an open mind, an appreciation for nuance, and the willingness to explore different flavors while immersing yourself in a meaningful cultural journey.“

“We had the Kaiseki experience at Hachi Ju Hachi, and it was exceptional. Our table was in a small room next to the kitchen, connected by an open pass-through where Chef Suzuki prepared parts of our meal and engaged with us throughout the evening.

Every course was beautifully presented and delicious. The smoked cod was a standout, even for someone who doesn’t usually enjoy cod. The aged gari, miso soup, and a snapper soup with matsutake mushrooms were all excellent.

Service pacing was perfect, and the whole evening felt calm, thoughtful, and memorable. Highly recommended.“

“I have known the Korean waitress since the E 3rd Avenue, San Mateo location days. Extremely friendly waitress. Food portion is always generous and decent quality. I have been to both locations but sadly, the San Mateo location doesn't exist anymore.“

“Good ambience, great food. Loved the family vibe. Feels like eating in a cozy eatery in Osaka.“

“Love this place, they have the best fried tofu and service is fast!“

“Amazing food 🍱 Great Service“

“Shabu Time is a fantastic choice for hot pot lovers! The ingredients are always fresh, and there’s an impressive variety of meats, vegetables, and broths so you can build your meal exactly the way you like it. Everything tastes great, and the customization makes it fun.

Pricing is very reasonable for the quality and portion sizes, so it always feels like a good value.

What really sets this place apart is the service. The staff is friendly, attentive, and quick to help, which makes the whole experience smooth and enjoyable. The space is cozy, so weekends can get busy, but it’s worth the wait. If you’re looking for a welcoming spot with fresh food and excellent service, Shabu Time is a must-try!“

“We dined at their SM North Edsa branch. Good food. 👌 Crews were accommodating. 💯“

“love this cute place . tempura veggies crunchy.all fresh , great service.“

“friendly staff, monstrous upon great broth“

“I love ❤️ to meet my friends here for private gatherings to plot steps fit really big and bold new ideas. My preference is for the 7:17 (give or take) omakase at the bar followed by a night meeting around a square or round table. Each person has two people to talk to at the bar (Me - Jeff- Elon - Mark - Lauren - Priscilla - Sergey- - Larry - Larry - plus 4 additional guests if others can attend - Camelia Me 12 Camelia Typically my wife returns home early by Lyft or Uber but I stay out later and sometimes overnight in Woodside at a suitable location.“

“Everything great except for the pork 😔“

“Sushi O Sushi is amazing!! We usually drop in for lunch and a couple times for dinner. We get the bento boxes with teryaki chicken, California rolls, and sashimi (tuna or salmon) the miso soup is great and the salad with that delicious dressing is perfect. We always stop here and you shoukd definitely give it a try.“

“This place is fantastic. Great food. Staff. It is located in boulder creek. I order the dragon roll. So yummm“

“Our first time here and everything was delicious! We had the garlic edamame, salmon express and the spicy tails rolls and the salmon with lemon dill nigiri. So good!“

“Just a random visit here and I will say they were one of the better sushi restaurants I have been to.

Their 3 roll combo is very reasonably priced with them also being quite good as well.
Their specialty roll that I got was fantasic albeit a bit pricy compared to the rest but still a good roll.

Would recommend for people near by for sure.“

“Back in Nov 10th, 2025, My takeout order missed the curry that's supposed to come with tonkatsu curry udon Bento. I called the restaurant to see what should we do and the restaurant staff said they will give us a free curry next time. Today, we ordered takeout again and called the restaurant to see they would honor that promise, and they did honor it.

Besides this incident above, we always get great service in the restaurant whether it's for takeout or dine-in. Their staff is friendly and treats kids nicely too.“

“Great food and the staff is friendly the environment is spectacular“

“Efficient service, delicious sushi and Saki.“

“I love onigilly and this place has made it accessible to just get one when I needed it. This would be more 3rd or 4th visit at this point. Last night while at Valley Fair I suddenly felt faint-ish from hunger/lack of food. We were at Men's Macy's to shop for my husband but I had not expected to be there that long. From a distance inside Macy's, I could see the exit to the mall (planning my escape route - just kidding). I knew a onigilly could solve my hangry problem. I actually was prepared to pay approx $10 for one as that was what I recall paying before....but it was surprisingly a good price at around $3.99 (so I ordered two, to give one to the hubs). And then I got a reward to claim so when I added that reward one of my onigilly was credited. That was a nice surprise. Besides the pricing the onigilly was yummy and the seaweed crunchy. I got the tuna. It was a good proportion of rice to tuna. The line wasn't that bad, one person ahead of me. It was at around 8 pm.“

“We went early as they opened and service was quick and straight to the point. The lady who helped was very helpful and efficient checking up on us.

The food was great and really enjoyed their sushi despite not liking seafood very much. My favorite entree from this is the Ton Katsu that includes Miso Soup, Salad and White Rice.

The atmosphere was great nothing too fancy but very authentic. The important part was it being clean and it very much was!

Highly recommend just make sure you arrive while they are open cause their hours are strict.“

“This was a lovely experience!! Celebrated our 8yr olds birthday here. The place is so welcoming and food was delicious! The sexy roll/ hamachi carpaccio , big bang were some of our favs. The staff from the chefs to servers made this a wonderful experience !!“

“Food is always fresh and delicious. There’s always a variety of specials every week besides their main menu items. It’s easy to place an order and pickup. Try it; it will become your main takeout restaurant like it has become ours!“

“If you are looking for the ultimate value-for-money sushi experience, this place is unbeatable.
The portions are incredibly generous, with each plate brimming with the freshest sashimi.
Side dishes are plentiful and delicious, making every bite feel like a feast.
The quality rivals that of high-end restaurants, yet the prices are surprisingly affordable.
It’s the kind of place that makes you wonder how they can offer so much for so little.“

“I went to try the new lunch menu at Tanto Izakaya in Sunnyvale that started last week. I’m a huge fan of Tanto and their authentic Japanese menu, so when I saw they had new lunch set meals, I just had to go right away. I tried the Bara chirashi set meal for $33 and while it seems pricy, it is worth the price due to the huge portions and I left feeling very full.

Times have changed, this is the economy we are in for prices. Portion wise, I think it’s even enough to share. Come hungry!

The presentation is like a chirashi bowl I had in Hokkaido earlier this year. If you love Japanese food, I highly recommend a try. Service is quite fast. I was the first customer at opening. They have been around 25 years, so the vibe is always good and nostalgic.“

“We went to the place with colleagues after work. First thing that i heard instead of greetings was that they are out of salmon.
Most of items in the menu (except for vegetarian) included salmon. Waiting time for the group of 10 ppl was expectedly long but the food was delivered at different pace for different people and while some finished eating others still wait.
The food was OK but nothing special. Sushi look like sandwiches with a lot of rice to make for the size. Not something that I personally like.
The place can benefit from some design to make it look more like a Japanese restaurant or dinner, Right now it looks the same as TOGO sandwiches next door.“

“the sushi was so delicious and very reasonably priced for the quality :) I loved all of their unagi rolls, especially the black dragon roll that has an entire eel on top! I also really liked the salmon sashimi, the 49ers roll, and the caterpillar roll.

the waiter was also so kind, we will definitely be back :)

I forgot to take a picture until we’d eaten almost the entire roll lol but the rolls and fish were so plump and so fresh!“

“Great menu and terrific service. You will not be disappointed!“

“place is awesome. quick and tasty“

“Great food and service as always“

“We have been ordering from Yoshi Sushi via Uber Eats. The food is very good even after delivery. Well, we live about 1 mile away so delivery is really fast. I forgot to take photos of the sushi but it is very good.

Will I buy from them again ? Absolutely !“

“The BEST!!! I went for happy hour, and it was so worth it!!! On weekdays Mikiya has happy hour during lunch, and after 9pm. I can get 4 plates of high quality beef and unlimited vegetables!! The appetizer section has my fav clams and octopus. They also have good fruits and curry wagyu, and fresh squeezed orange juice. Highly highly recommend, everything is good quality good value“

“YUM! We love Rokko! Lovely restaurant, great food and a wonderful staff. Happy we have this restaurant in DT Sunnyvale. 😀“

“A sub brand inside Fugetsu. They make all the rice balls and some bento.

Rice balls are good.. but they're missing the seaweed wrapper for some reason (compared to every other place including Clover Bakery next door) and the price is higher in exchange for more/better fillings.

Just ate the tonkatsu roll. Amazing. $5 well spent lol.“

“Fresh food and good taste. One of pocket restaurants.“

“First time trying this chain restaurant. Pretty good first impression with speedy service by the young and energetic staff. Food is ordered via the QR code and came out piping hot in a few minutes. Tasty dishes just be careful not to burn your tongue!! Reasonable prices. Can recommend.“

“Great food, fast service!“

“We were in town for a wedding. Late afternoon we needed a reservation for a large group for dinner. Kamakura was recommended to me by a local barista.\nThey had no problem accommodating us even on short notice. The food was excellent, the service was fast and the staff was very friendly! Great sushi, bento boxes too. They were also accommodating about my food allergies. I highly recommend them!“

“A very straightforward yakitori restaurant with some unique dishes they have per day, as well as available for takeout and doordash/fantuan. They have many different yakitori dishes to choose from, including beef and chicken as well as some vegetarian dishes too. Be very mindful of what you pick as each order is $12+ and only comes in two skewers each. I ordered the gyutan which was amazing and kalbi which also equally, maybe little less, as much. They also have many other skewrs too such as chicken and even vegetarian options. They also had a shrimp with mushroom that was fried that was okay. As well as the gaku udon with a very interesting noodle and broth, but I really liked the pork belly! I really like the other dishes they offered too such as Ochazuke, Hot pot, rice bowls, and even steamed clams! They also have a great selection of sashimi and sushi too. This is all with a very friendly service as well as instructions how to order the skewers if it's the first time here. But like I mentioned, each skewer is very expensive at $12+ so just be aware about what you're ordering. In fact, each item on the menu isn't designed to fill you up fully, so do order multiple dishes as you please. I estimate maybe around 7-8 orders of skewers may be enough for some? Although I don't want to see the end of that bill... They also have an extensive sake collection too that can be ordered cold or hot. Overall, this is a really solid yakitori place and wouldn't mind coming back here again if it was feeling a little spendy.“

“Presentation wasn't great but food was tasty. Price was reasonable. If owner is reading this. You can do so much better with proper bento boxes for your bentos. And sushi rolls on a round plate in 3 long rolls might not be the most eye pleasing.“

“Very delicious, very good, highly recommended“

“We had a great lunch, so yummy and fresh foods. We love the taste so much especially their garlic rice very recommendable to all of you guys who wants to try a japanese food that’s really satisfied your cravings, so come and dine in.“

“Got 3 types of okonomiyaki, yakisoba and curry katsu for a party of 5, more than enough food. Favorite okonomiyaki was the ebi (shrimp). Flavorful and not too heavy. The seafood one was a little too heavy with the amount of mayo added. The katsu and yakisoba we're alright. Service was good, friendly waiters! Wait on a Saturday night at 7 was around 15 min.“

“I never review restaurants but if you are reading this, I’m really hungry right now….and just wanted to share to my food people, that Kyoto Palace Japanese Steakhouse is the best Japanese restaurant I still have ever been to and my favorite restaurant growing up as a kid… #1 miso soup and salad are just never the same anywhere else..the same chef Jose that would make roosters with the scrambled eggs still works there over 20 years later..If I had yelp or seriously reviewed restaurants I would 10/10 them for never changing a single thing about this place. Just sharing for my food friends keep scrolling if you don’t care about this post 🙂“

“edamame is bomb and so delicious. and service is the best“

“Quality, fresh variety of raw sashimi. The Omasake Sashimi, Kaisen Don, and Golden Hand Roll options are showstoppers!“

“Se come súper delicioso en Akita-Sushi El mejor Sushi 🍣 de San Jose. Vengan con toda su familia, Aquí los esperamos.😊😊 Lli“

“Absolutely fantastic food and excellent service. We celebrated our Birthdays tonight, and the staff is amazing. Love their salmon sashimi and megura. Kyiv roll and honey walnut rolls were also delicious!“

“Great food and very tasty!! Staff are very friendly!! Highly recommended!!!“