50 Best Japanese Restaurants near Mill Valley

“excelente comida, maravillosa atención. lo recomiendo al 100%“

“fresh always my go to .. wonderful“

“Honestly really great sushi very fresh and delicious, the salmon felt like it melted in your mouth and the umnekyo was the perfect kind of sour. Stopped by on a whim and delighted to have discovered it! Very reasonable pricing and extremely fast and friendly service too!“

“Been here many times. I prefer this place much more than the other Japanese spots in Mill Valley. I lived in Hawaii for 10 years and have a high standard for Japanese food. They offer more options and everything I've ordered here is delicious. Will continue to come here. Their wine and sake selection is much better as well.“

“𝑀𝑦 𝑛𝑒𝑤 𝑓𝑎𝑣𝑜𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑒 𝑝𝑜𝑘𝑒 𝑏𝑜𝑤𝑙 𝑠𝑝𝑜𝑡, 𝑑𝑒𝑙𝑖𝑐𝑖𝑜𝑢𝑠, 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝑠ℎ, 𝑓𝑜𝑜𝑑. 𝑌𝑢𝑚𝑚𝑦 𝑡𝑒𝑎𝑠. 𝑓𝑟𝑖𝑒𝑛𝑑𝑙𝑦 𝑠𝑒𝑟𝑣𝑖𝑐𝑒. 5 𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑟𝑠.“

“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!“

“What a treat! Highly recommend“

“I love Yoma cafe, the food is amazing, great price, the owner is always so welcoming and nice to everyone.“

“Best Japanese Curry in town !“

“This place has officially ruined ramen for me. Because if I go somewhere else, I’ll compare it to this place, and just be like, “Damn, I should’ve just gone to Taniku Izakaya instead.”
Perfectly cooked noodles in a flavorful broth, both the crab and the pork that I have gotten have been amazing. They can adjust the spiciness on the broth if you can’t handle too much spice, which is nice. The portions are generous, but not so huge that there ends up being a huge bowl of broth even after you finish your noodles. Delicious gyoza, as well.
It’s a nice, cozy, hole in the wall spot.“

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

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

“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“

“There's no place like Moku. You can come here to celebrate and/or to lighten your mood, the vibe is so versatile. The food always comes out hot; I love that the specials reflect seasonality and freshness. The service is also superb, you'll feel right at home :) Highlyyyy recommend <3“

“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.“

“My favorite sushi spot in the city, and the service is fast and friendly!“

“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.“

“Good takeout sushi option with reasonable prices. The restaurant closes pretty early and have a small staff, which can lead to longer waiting times- so have that in mind when ordering. The food was great and the ingredients had great quality.“

“We had such a wonderful time! The atmosphere was very friendly, and the chef was incredibly outgoing and engaging. He gave vivid, detailed explanations of each piece of sushi — including which part of the fish it came from and how it was prepared — which made the experience feel extra special and educational.

One unique touch was the in-house special drink designed to transition between the appetizer and the sushi course — such a thoughtful detail! Since it was our birthday, the restaurant even surprised us with a hand-drawn birthday card. Super cute and such a lovely gesture!

Constructive feedback:
1. It would be great if the reservation time could be extended to 2.5 hours. Things felt a little rushed toward the end.
2. It would also be nice to have a choice between water and hot tea as a default beverage option.

Overall, a fantastic experience — we’d definitely come back!“

“Great sushi place on Polk. Nice bar counter seating. A few other tables. Intimate setting. Food is fresh and innovative. Great wide selection of different fish to choose from. Sushi chefs are informative and friendly. Only downside is parking is difficult in the area. Take Uber!“

“awesome service and amazingly fresh sushi! open from 4:30 to 9:30. on Geary near masonic“

“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.“

“I have been meaning to write this review for years. Apologies for Jimmy and Ron for not writing it sooner.

First, I have to write about the people because they are the reason I love and will always love Kibatsu. Then, I'll write about my favorite dishes and the food.

The People:
I have been going to Kibatsu since 2014 so 12 years now. Before Kibastu, they were Sugoi Sushi in the Mission. I discovered them because they did catering for University of San Francisco. My college roommate and I befriended the young sushi chefs that came to the university, hung out with them once the sushi bar had officially closed and they encouraged us to come visit their Sugoi Sushi location.

Eventually we did and it became our Friday or Saturday night routine. Sometimes, we would splurge and go during the week (which for us as college students was a lot). But we loved them. Calvin, Ronald, (so sorry, I am totally blanking on the third guy's name but I see his face in my mind!) and Jimmy. The first three were the sushi chefs and Jimmy was the waiter - he always made room for us and always saved us our favorite booth in the front of the restaurant, closest to the windows. He remembered our classes and asked us how school was going. He always treated us to on the house mochi ice cream after each dinner. We would spend hours and hours there, camping out and chatting or doing our homework in the mood-lit, rustic, tastefully interior-decorated intimate setting, amid the hubbub of conversations and people enjoying the sushi. I remember Sugoi and those times really fondly - it was our safe space, our home away from home (dorm). Other times, we'd bring our friends. I can't even count how many people I and my roommate recommended this place to or brought there.

Then after we graduated, in 2018, they moved to the Haight and invited me to their opening night omakase which was a gift to everyone they invited. How sweet, thoughtful and amazing is that? Between Sugoi and Kibatsu, my partner and I met and Jimmy always remembers my partner and his two boys and asks about them when they're not with me. The boys love it here because of the large portions and how nice everyone is.

On my birthday this year, I decided I wanted to spend it at Kibatsu and Jimmy (who is now a sushi chef!!) and company went out and got me a birthday cake and brought it out before the rest of the dessert as a surprise. I almost cried. This is why I love Kibatsu and those who work there.

The Food:
The starter we always go for is the tataki dish which is albacore with delicious fried onion. The gyoza is always also a great way to go. We always get the omakase which is a true omakase with the different small plates, sashimi and nigiri. I love the salmon and umimasu nigiri as well as the negi salmon. Something special that Kibatsu does is they always surprise you with little gifts from the sushi chefs. For this past new year's they surprised us with a whole tray of steak and jumbo shrimp - a gift on the house. Their kindness never ceases to surprise us!

So there are some of our top favorites food wise and why Kibatsu has a special place in my heart. I hope you go and I hope you love it as much as I do. They work really hard, are so extremely kind and deserve the best.“

“We narrowly missed a 45 minute wait here last week for my birthday dinner. No problems sitting at the bar - service was quick and wonderful. The sushi here is incredibly fresh and thoughtfully designed. I loved the super nova roll and the ocean roll, my partner liked the special roll. We were offered the typical (complimentary) wasabi and the fresh wasabi. My partner said the fresh is much better and worth ordering. We found the prices here to be reasonable especially considering the quality. We can't wait to go back!“

“these purple rice yogurts are SO GOOD. We tried the original one first and then loved it so much we ordered 4 more - one more original, two mango, and one matcha. They taste a little sweet, a little sour, and have the perfect about of chewy texture served cold. Comes in a cute reusable container with a straw. Definitely coming back here for these again 😍“

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

“woah. i dont really say real deal but real f***** deal. well balanced. superb quality. exceptional service and presentation. clean flavors. first time I have actually been left utterly speechless. 5 stars. 5 forks. whatever. this place is the jam......“

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

“Great food & ambiance! Ron & Jennifer have done it again! ❤️“

“What a great evening we had at this wonderful restaurant! The food is so fresh and tasty and the staff are kind and welcoming and really nice to chat with. Everything we had was great, but I loved my Gold Rush roll - soooooo delicious! Can’t wait to come back next time I’m in SF!“

“Akari’s fixed seafood and meat menu is incredible. The fish is fresh, featuring Hokkaido scallops and uni directly from Japan. Pacing and portions were perfect. While the decor could be warmer and more curated, the food quality is amazing. A must-visit—we will definitely be back soon!“

“This is the BEST Shabu restaurant I’ve ever been to. I traveled all the way from the East Coast to go here. The meat quality = unmatched. The ponzu dipping sauce = fire. This place is basically a mouth orgasm. Go here. You won’t regret it!“

“Great food and great ambience � � love it so much“

“It has been so long since I’ve had a sushi dinner this great. Every cut of fish was so fresh and tasty. The service was incredible. I loved how knowledgeable and tasteful the staff and chefs were. I absolutely recommend coming here if you love nigiri and sake. All the food items were great. The sake flight was such a fun experience. Definitely will be coming back!“

“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.“

“Excellent food, excellent service. We loved it. We had Shrimp Tempura Roll, Sexy Roll, Edamame, Miso Soup, Kirin Beer. Can’t wait to go back again.“

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

“friendly service and tasty food“

“The best sushi meal you can get for around $100 for two people in sf! The staff is so nice and welcoming and you can’t go wrong with any of the nigiri - the salmon, ocean trout, soy marinated tuna and scallop are my faves. The double tuna roll and baked scallop rolls are also unreal“

“Delicious food and friendly staff“

“Kitchen-made gyoza not from a box; fresh-grilled Unagi and just honest home-style Japanese food from a local family-owned restaurant. Doesn't get much better than this!“

“Outdoor patio seating is available for all dog-lovers to enjoy their Sushi 🍣/ Ramen🍤🍜. And please ask staff for some water for the lovely ones🐶🐱 if they are exhausted from their walk. 😘“

“Editing this review because we were refused service because “dining is closing” at 2:19 for a 3 pm closing. I was offered takeout, but that was not possible for us. I can only assume the server didn’t want to stay 5 minutes past 3:00pm. left a very bad taste. One of my very favorite Ramen spots. Not only is the Ramen varied and inventive, but they also offer some other side dishes that you don’t see everywhere else. I particularly like the Japanese pumpkin tempura. They also have a variety of fairly priced sake’s.“

“Had an incredible omakase experience at this fantastic restaurant. Walked past then in on a whim and was immediately welcomed in and rewarded with an amazing variety of fresh, delicious fish, served with great skill and knowledge of what their customers need to try. Could not have been happier with our experience at Ariake. Excellent service to boot. Go here, you will not be disappointed!“

“Great place food is super salty tho.“

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

“What an amazing place for sushi. I was town and a local suggested this place an I was not let down. I started with the spicy garlic edemame which he's a great kick of spice. I them had akani red tuma dashing and a flame roll. The sushi was perfect and the spice of the flame roll was squelch with my Nigerian sake! I could eat at the this place daily.“