50 Best Japanese Restaurants near Emeryville

“great food & great service!“

“I heard about this restaurant through Forum on KQED this morning. I promptly took my family there for lunch and it did not disappoint!
The ordering process was self service which was not very clear. We ordered two chicken breast katsu and one curry rice plate with katsu. We were served with water first and the curry rice plate came out soon after. The delicious pork katsu was declared excellent. Our chicken katsu came afterwards and it was SO good. The katsu were served with the best cabbage salad I’ve ever tasted, just right dipping sauce, crispy marinated daikon and sushi rice. And then, there’s the katsu- lightly battered, flakey with juicy insides- the best I’ve tasted outside of Japan. The $24 price is a lot for lunch but it is a copious amount of food and well worth it.“

“A good place to taste Korean and Japanese cuisine with a twist.“

“Excellent noodle restaurant, very good thick tasty broth and lots of veggies!“

“What a treat! Highly recommend“

“It’s a small and cozy izakaya, perfect for dining alone or with a small group of 3–4 people. I ordered appetizers from the special menu. First up: Mentaiko Zucchini (so delicious! The very first bite was refreshing, followed by the rich umami saltiness of the mentaiko. A little dip in Karashi mustard made it even better—definitely a must-try! Highly recommended).

Next was Kuramaebi, tiger prawns deep-fried tempura style and topped with tartar sauce. After that, I ordered Ba-ra Kushiyaki and Kobe Kushiyaki (served 2 skewers each). I especially enjoyed the Kobe—it was grilled perfectly and went really well with Shichimi Togarashi. If it had the same green onion topping as the Ba-ra, I think it would have been absolutely perfect.😋“

“The best omakase and multi-course dinner I’ve ever had. We came to celebrate our anniversary here and a great time. The atmosphere was perfect and the food/fish were literally hands down the best I’ve ever had. If you want high quality omakase where every bite is the perfect blend and diversity of textures and flavors you must go here.“

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

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

“Omg! The Ribs are amazing!“

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

“Amazing, amazing, amazing!!! Perfection. The attention to detail and the warm service was great from the jump. The entire 17 course meal and sake pairing was one of the best meals that we've ever had. I don't say this lightly, it was flawless.“

“had a great experience here at the counter with a group of 6. not too busy, and they cooked the meats for you to perfection. i thought the meal was done well, would’ve preferred more seafood / seasoning, and definitely greasy so had to replenish the banchans a few times.“

“Great food and great service“

“One of the most delightful spots in SF. Given how incredible the quality of their food is, they could charge more if they wanted to, but they keep it cozy. The Toro Uni Ikura mini-don is worth flying across the country for. The nigiri omakase is massively underpriced and incredible. The tri-tip katsu is light tapas fare (instead of a huge filling portion) that tastes better than what I had in Tokyo. Strong recommend.“

“Randomly stopped by this place. Just to get Miso and couldn’t stop ourselves and ordered some sushi.. Food and atmosphere were amazing!! I believe somebody heard that is my birthday and brought for me ice cream!! It’s was cherry on top! Definitely coming back!!! 💗💗💗💗💗🥳🌸“

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

“Reservations were a little hard to get, but the experience itself is great. Good food, although a bit heavy (as one would expect from fried food, with several meat dishes). The food is aiming to give an authentic japanese experience, and the staff were extremely nice and friendly.“

“Good for lunch. Really value for your money. I had the sashimi lunch set and my wife had the chicken wing and salmon sushi set and both were really fresh and good. Will definitely come again ! Weekdays - reservations not really needed, but I've come by on weekends and you should make reservations.“

“Every single dish at Oken is incredible and I rarely say this about any restaurant. I'm afraid to post this review to alert others of the awesomeness of Oken but the chef and the Oken team deserve the praise and awareness of the phenomenal restaurant experience which they have created.“

“This place is a gem. Stumbled in here when HK lounge was too full for lunch. It was deserted when we came in and the prices were a little high, so I was a little apprehensive but let me tell you what, this place is phenomenal. Staff is very kind and the food was fantastic. Each cut of fish was so good and melted in your mouth. Lots of effort was put into the plating. We came for lunch and had the salmon chirashi bowl and the bento box. We will be back. And soon. Also they have live blue fin tuna cutting.“

“My friend and I came for lunch, and we had a lovely afternoon. I got a poke bowl that was fresh, filling, and flavorful. My friend had a gorgeous sushi roll and miso soup. I ordered the house sale hot, and she got hot tea. The service was prompt and friendly without being overbearing. The overall vibe was popping over to a friend’s house and they just happen to have banging Japanese food. It was also a great value. I plan to come here again for sure.“

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

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

“Best Omakase in town.“

“I've been a fan of Kibatsu since their early days when they first opened Sugoi! on Valencia. Over the years, they've expanded to three locations and consistently deliver exceptional sushi and Japanese cuisine. Their food never disappoints—trust me, it's worth the visit every time.

In fact, I once dined here 8 days in a row because I just couldn't get enough! If you're unsure what to order, I highly recommend trying the Omakase—you'll be glad you did. Some of my favorites include Ponzu Walu, Walu, Amaebi, Wagyu, Uni, Umimatsu, Kimedai, and countless other delicious options.

If you're craving top-quality fish and authentic Japanese flavors, Kibatsu is the place to go. Don't miss out!“

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

“I just moved back to the city not too long ago and the vivid memory of having bone marrow ramen popped up in my head. Before I went to the location over in the Sunset district. When I went to Google the spot, found out there was on SOMA. Went over there on my lunch break and it was just as amazing as before. I didn't grab the bone marrow add-on this time. Huge regret. However, still delicious. This is one of the ramen spots I'd recommend to friends to go to. Now that I know the SOMA location is a choice, I will stop by every so often to get my fix.“

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

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

“Sushi bar runs by Chinese? Why not?
The origin of sushi has to trace the sushi’s roots back to China—and even further, to Southeast Asia. The earliest form of sushi, called narezushi, was a method of preserving fish by fermenting it with rice. This technique likely developed in the Mekong and Irrawaddy River basins and was adopted by the Baiyue people of southern China. The Han Chinese documented it as early as the 4th century BCE.
So yes, Chi ese gave sushi the practice beginning.

Twice we dined here, savoring sushi not from a Japanese bar, but from a Chinese family’s hands—gentle, precise, and quietly proud. The flavors whispered of history: from riverbanks in southern China to the bustling streets of Edo. Sushi, reborn and reimagined.“

“Outstanding personal service. Sushi Burrito (several to choose from) are my favorite, Miso Soup, and a Beer or Sake. I recommend that you come and get some 🌯“

“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.“

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

“Intimate sushi and Japanese restaurant. The handrolls are delicious, crispy and subtle flavor. The fish is fresh (key to good sushi and sashimi). It's definitely higher level Japanese restaurant. And the servers are attentive and very friendly. They gave my toddler special attention and kept him happy ( no small feat). Definitely a premium sushi and sashimi restaurant at a reasonable price.“

“The ramen tastes very good, the soup base is rich and the noodles taste great“

“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.“

“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.“

“Great fried chicken, and my friends food truck is there!“

“I was actually jonesing for some good Japanese curry when we were searching for a place to eat.. I decided on Fumi because the Japanese curry before the ramen lol must be good if it’s first right? It was perfect and the ramen was really good too. I definitely recommend this place for doing “simply” delicious.“

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

“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.“

“We were on our way to SF MOMA for Ruth Asawa, but we were really hungry. Thankfully Japanese House was close by. We were offered tea by the very welcoming host right as we sat down. We ordered the Dragon and Tsunami Rolls, both were good, with the Dragon being my favorite. We also had the Chicken Katsu Curry which was flavorful. All in all a very satisfying experience.“

“9 items 🍱 bento & udon are awesome 👏“

“Every roll was fresh, beautifully presented, and full of flavor. The staff were welcoming and attentive.
In the end they offered me plum wine but I asked for ice cream and they accommodated.
I’ll definitely be coming back!“

“We booked an early 5:15 pm reservation and arrived 10 minutes before but had to stand in line along with all those that had show tickets before being seated almost 15 inutes later. Maybe Yoshi's will consider a separate line for dinner only guests? Our 2 year old guest wolfed down the kobe beef kabobs! So tender and flavorful. Then he grazed on his very generous kid's meal of soba noodles, tempura, chicken teriyaki and rice! So happy! Adults enjoyed tempura calamari, the Japonese, Jack London and Warrior rolls along with hamachi nigiri. Fish was fresh. Sadly we had to ask for soy sauce 4 times before a staff member brought to our table. Then we were served an order of what the staff member called hamachi nigiri but it was ikura so we had to call attention to getting the incorrect item. The tatami room was a nice experience, especially for our 2 year old guest. Seemingly private.“

“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!“

“First time here and probably last time too. I hella liked how the inside was decorated reminded me of a restaurant in Japan. Kinda disappointed though. I hella love sushi. But the sushi selection was small. Nothing caught my eye. The only thing I did enjoy with my meal was the ikura. The waitress’s don’t even check up on you to see how your doing. We we’re seated all the way in the back. I asked for more water and it never came. And for those 2 reasons I won’t come back.“

“We are regulars here - absolutely delicious, always fresh, and decently priced to-go sushi options! Not to mention super friendly and kind service. Recently they threw in an extra toro nigiri (for free) with the cutest note written!! Can’t recommend Itani Sushi enough :)“

“Until we get Japanese 7-elevens, I believe this is the closest we will come to authentic egg salad and fruit sandos. I’ve read about their lines, but we were lucky enough to stop in right at opening on a Holiday weekend and didn’t have to wait at all. Bonus, seating was available too. They have daily specials that were very tempting, but we stuck to the classics. 10/10 would come again.“