50 Best Japanese Restaurants near Albany

“lovely place to sushi. The food is very delicious. The fish is very fresh and they have a great variety. Have many species sushi rolls, nigiri and appetizers you must to try. We sat at the bar. Chef Jackie made all our food and explained each fish to us. The potato toro tartar special recommended by the waiter, very delicious. The service and atmosphere were amazing. serves were fast and waiter was nice too.I had a wonderful experience and will definitely coming back. I recommend this place to everyone!“

“Had a great lunch. Bento 🍱 boxes and sushi 🍣“

“Great food and quick service! A must try place if you’re in the area!“

“I really like the sushi rolls and the calm atmosphere at Sumo. Hot tea and miso soup to start on a rainy evening. It was my first time having the GoGo roll, with shrimp, avocado, cucumber and DF asparagus... give it a try! The baked scallop roll is a warm savory treat as well.“

“I always get the vegetable tempura it comes with rice and we also get the California sushi rolls it’s always fresh and delicious best sushi and Japanese food I think it’s family run everyone there is very nice high quality ingredients and food you won’t be disappointed

Kid-friendliness: My son n had fun he’s 6 years old they have television and music very nice atmosphere“

“What a treat! Highly recommend“

“I went to KEN for my birthday and it was absolutely phenomenal. The fish was delicious; so many new flavors and combinations; the chef was superb - talented and entertaining, with great attention to detail. The service was impeccable. I cannot say enough good things!“

“Best Japanese Curry in town !“

“awesome a must try, this is a hidden gem“

“Excellent Japanese cuisine, service and staff are wonderful and helpful“

“If you want the freshest fish downtown has to offer.... go to Sanraku“

“The exclusivity and attention to detail in this culinary haven were unparalleled. From the moment we walked in, it felt like an intimate gathering of food enthusiasts. The chef's omakase menu was a mesmerizing journey through sushi perfection, with rare ingredients and artistic presentations that left us in awe. The personalized service and wine pairings elevated the experience to new heights. The ambiance exuded sophistication and exclusivity. While it may be "Friends Only" in name, this is a destination worth befriending for an unforgettable dining experience.

Parking: Hard to find a street parking in the evening“

“The food was very delicious. The sushi, the beef ramen and the eel rice dish were all excellently made, and the staff was also very friendly. Highly recommended if you are looking for a reasonably priced yet high-quality Japanese restaurant.“

“We tried both Happy Hour and dinner in one visit—two very different experiences. Overall, the food was solid. The beer was nothing special, but the cocktails were great. Happy Hour is a better deal, while dinner prices are on the higher side.“

“Every single meat cut was cooked to perfection!! The menu is also designed very balanced, with vegetables and steamed eggs between meat courses to balance out the flavors. Chris helped us grill the meat and he’s such a delight to chat with!“

“Eating is a kind of happiness, taste is a kind of interest“

“I've ordered delivery from here 5 times.
Solid food (except the one time I had a scale in my sushi roll). Not bad service (wish they'd be more accommodating with requests). Takes too damn long to make (~80 min ETA every time on DoorDash).

Prefer Sushi Shio. every. single. time.

P.S. will add more photos of the food if I ever order from here again.“

“Probably the best meal I’ve ever had, super fun, exciting, every bite was perfect. Intimate and fast process“

“My partner and I went here for dinner tonight for a belated celebration of our anniversary - I’ve been eyeing this place for a while, and it was easily worth the wait!

The service and ambiance was among the warmest & friendliest I’ve experience in SF (and I eat out a LOT). Lots of small details in the decor and presentation that really elevated the experience and transported us back to Japan - even to the presentation of the check.

Our favorite courses were the caprese-like tofu, uni toro ikura handroll, and tonkatau pork loin. The ume sour and dessert were also delicious!!

Highly recommend and I’m excited to be back soon :)“

“Quasi-private dining experience with exquisite omakase curated with top shelf fresh seafood run by a single chef and a single waitress/hostess. Impressive culinary arts in whimsical and small dining room. Wagyu beef topped with caviar and gold flakes nigiri for the win. Improvements could include more familiar Japanese beers and sake along with allowing customer to choose tip percentage based on quality of service. (I’m not a fan of flat 20% no matter what for service fee). All in all, great dining experience and worth revisiting!“

“Best authentic Japanese restaurant in town.“

“An amazing experience! We had an idea of what we wanted, but Jenny steered us in a BETTER direction. Everything was so fresh, tasty, and presented beautifully. What made it even more special was the service we received from Jenny and Astrid. We cannot wait to come back!“

“Always come here for their Oxtail Pot, highly recommended for any soup lovers! Nigiris are great but not that overwhelming. Compared to other Omakase places in the city, I feel that the rice is typically too seasoned with soy sauce so might be a little salty. Wouldn’t recommend the squid karage as it’s too greasy (from multiple experiences). Anyway still loving their warm, romantic vibe overall! Great for dates or catchup with friends.“

“Quality is key with any meal. Roger-San is all about quality. Sit at the bar if you can!“

“Great food and great service“

“Best chicken katsu sando in SF, maybe even in the US! Soft bread, and the patty is made of chicken thigh chunks neatly organized into a perfectly shaped patty that is crispy and juicy. I must’ve eaten it 20+ times by now.

How this little gem ended up in this random location is beyond me, but no use asking questions. Just have to embrace it!“

“Be it the service, ambience or the quality and taste of the food, this restaurant is truly amazing. We went there for our last evening in San Francisco and were extremely impressed.
Besides that, our server was extremely nice and accommodating and made our stay there even better.“

“Exceptional service. Delicious, artfully presented omakase at a reasonable price point.“

“My partner told me about this place after seeing buzz about it on TikTok. We both wanted to try it and so we dined in on a Friday night. The restaurant offers outdoor heated seating, but we opted for indoors since we brought our baby. Fortunately, the wait was not too long because it sure turned frigid fast.

As other reviewers mentioned the restaurant is quite cozy. They also have a communal high table. We were seated near the window with a high chair. We ordered the frozen beer, potstickers, chicken karaage, maguro bowl and mentai spaghetti for dinner. For dessert we had the apple tart and the Hokkaido cheesecake.

We loved the cheesecake and the spaghetti. While the other dishes were solid, the spaghetti and the cheesecake were the stars! Looking forward to coming back to try the champignon pasta.“

“Super delicious 👍 I never eat Japan food super good like this before.“

“This place is amazing. The ramen quality is very consistent here. But the curry rice plate is okay. This is a true gem amongst the many mediocre ramen shops in the bay area. This is a place I'm willing to drive to just for ramen even if it is in the city.“

“Good food, great, friendly service. Going to a new restaurant with young kids can be a bit harrowing, you never k ow how kid friendly the atmosphere will be. The server could not have been nicer. Chicken Katsu was some of the crispiest I’ve had!“

“The sever handled a busy store opening by themselves serving very well. At least 10 tables. He would constantly check in on us. Give us descriptions of each item he served. The skewers were amazing like always and loved the ginger hot sake! Definitely will be back“

“Jo's awesome. We had a great experience. Highly recommended for birthdays or just being together 👯‍♀️💯👍“

“The atmosphere and presentation of the food was extremely chic! The meal was delicious!!“

“This is a great spot! The service was great and very fast. The person serving us was very nice and attentive. We had the karage and sushi combo which came with more fish than we were expecting! Everything was very fresh and nicely presented. They had a lot of different seating areas -- it was two of us this time but would be suitable for bigger groups too. I always love getting an Andes mint after dinner too:) Definitely recommend and will be coming back!“

“I cannot say I had a bad experience. Everything was my favorite“

“Nigiri combo is excellent! I can’t wait to try the sashimi combo next. I came just before they were closing for lunch and people were steadily coming either to pick up or eat-in up until their closing time. It seemed they were regular customers who are keeping this place a secret and happy to say, I am on it already. Can’t wait to go back.“

“It has a very interesting menu, I really enjoy the food.“

“Delicious food and friendly staff“

“The ingredients, the flavors, they're all top-notch.“

“Wanted to grab some grub after work and this bento spot has been on my bucket list for a minute. It was also on the way home and I was hungry so here I am.

I ordered the chicken katsu bento and the salmon in truffle soy bento. I also ordered an iced matcha latte. The bentos were soo good! I also really liked how well they were plated. I took my bentos and ate it at home. There is very little seating inside however there is a park nearby where you can sit and enjoy your bentos. As for the matcha drink, it was solid

The service here was good too. The staff is really nice and very open to answering any questions about the menu. You can call in and order or you can order inside on their iPad.

This is definitely a spot I recommend checking out if you're looking for high quality bentos. Try it out if you like. :)“

“Incredibly fresh fish and superb attention to detail. Great experience overall.

Dietary restrictions: Waitress asked if we had any allergies or food restrictions when we placed the order.

Kid-friendliness: Our 5 and 6 year old kids were welcomed. They dropped a ton of stuff on floor but waitress was kind and gave us new utensils.“

“I have experienced many different types of sushi hand roll bars and this is one of my new favorites. The location is perfect , right in the heart of Jack London Square and the food was amazing. They have some really cool drinks if you’re into content creation and overall it’s just a cool place to catch up or go for date night !!!“

“Truly excellent place that has been here in the neighborhood forever. We've been coming here or getting orders togo for a decade and it's been the same folks running it the whole time and they are superb.
2025 update - still going strong. great food and great service!“

“Sushi was great and Ti the owner was very generous.“

“Tempura, so crispy. Miso cod, sake toro. I also would like to to recommend the different tastings like the nigiri tasting, the sashimi tasting and also the salmon tasting. They also have raw oysters presented in Japanese style, so good.“

“Very beautiful!!!! Vale a pena conhecer“

“Very good meal, service was great, I'll definitely be back.“

“Nice little spot! Emphasis on little. Went in, was the only diner for a while until a few other folks came in. Sat at the counter that had a convenient foot bar. Staff was attentive. The music was really calming too.
Ordered the duck breast ramen for 1$18 and it was so good! Great flavors! Was so excited to eat, I burned my tongue a little🥲 Didn’t try any sushi, but if you’re looking for a ramen fix, you won’t be disappointed!“