50 Best Japanese Restaurants near Mill Valley

“Ive been coming here for 16 years. Always as good. Best hamachi, uni, anywhere. There is no fresher, sor better ushi anywhere in the bay area. Exquisite, reasonably priced, generous portions. Simply amazing. !“

“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!“

“fresh always my go to .. wonderful“

“Wow! I'm from outta town-ran into this place at 230pm and of course it's dead, nobody there. Friendly guy greets me, I order the 3 choice hand rolls to go. Return in a few minutes, ready with a smile. Get home, unwrap... insanely delicious, great prep, super high quality. I should have tipped more. Next time! Thank you!“

“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“

“Best Japanese Curry in town !“

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

“Really just a phenomenal spot. Took a gamble the first time after a load out on the way to the airport; could really sit here and eat sushi all day. Very nice waiter/host that I remember both times - everyone was so welcoming. Local tofu appetizer was excellent. Every piece of fish I wanted more of especially the sea trout; exceptionally fresh and also well cut / not too large of a piece especially with the sashimi. Can’t wait to be back in the area so i can visit again“

“Every item we ordered was magical. Absolutely loved all their small tapas style dishes, scallops, yam, pork belly, chicken, beef. Scallop and sweet shrimp (ebi) handrolls were great. Fine dessert choice as well. Get there early as there was quickly a line out the door with 20-30 minute waits throughout the night after we arrived.“

“Best authentic Japanese restaurant in town.“

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

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

“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“

“Highly recommend this hidden gem!
We had a wonderful Father’s Day dinner here, and everything exceeded our expectations. The waitstaff and the friendly girls at the door who seated us were all fantastic—warm, attentive, and genuinely welcoming. Everyone took the time to explain the specials and answer questions, which made the experience feel personal and special. 
The portions were generous and the food was incredibly fresh and flavorful. As a nice touch, they even took a Polaroid picture of us with their own camera to commemorate the occasion—what a thoughtful gesture!
This was a great dinner overall, and we’ll definitely be back. Perfect spot for a memorable meal with family. Thank you to the whole team!“

“Delicious omakase! Really deserves to be a Michelin star again!! The ginger shoot was a cool touch and super tender. Great balance of nigiri and complementary appetizers and seared cod. Cute ambiance for our anniversary -- no reservation needed“

“Healthy, fresh meal. Filling, yet light. Felt kind of a splurge just for a casual lunch, so maybe come here with more dedicated time.

I finished the nabe just by myself. I got the pork one, and thought the meat was good quality. I wouldn’t say portions are big here. The flavors are also very light, even with the sauces. The mushrooms were not satisfying and we tasted more of the breading in each bite rather than the mushroom itself.

Our waiter was pleasant. Overall, the price of the meal was a bit higher than I expected for what we got (like $50pp). I feel like hot pot restaurants are cheaper and would offer ayce.“

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

“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“

“I don’t mean to exaggerate, but when it comes to both the food and the service, exaggeration almost feels necessary. Chris was phenomenal, and the food exceeded anything I could have imagined. This place is truly unexpected in the best way—just trust the experience. There really aren’t enough words to describe how amazing it is.“

“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.“

“Went for our wedding anniversary. The service was great. They took the time to introduce the menu items and explain the chef’s special for today. We got to try fish or parts of fish that we have never heard of before. Overall very good experience.“

“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.“

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

“I absolutely adore Lydia and Joe—they’re so warm and welcoming, always fun to chat with, and their food is DELISH 😍 I can’t get enough of the chicken curry and udon soup (add dumplings + all the toppings). Astonished that you can still have a full lunch near FiDi for $7, and it’s what I crave over any of my other favorites where lunch will run you $18++. Flavor per dollar cannot be beat anywhere else in SF.“

“Omg! The Ribs are amazing!“

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

“The food smacks and the music they play always slaps.“

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

“friendly service and tasty food“

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

“We celebrated the Mother's Day here. Limited seating and only seating per night. I and my husband were so surprised by the very tasteful decoration of the restaurant, fantastic service and out of the world food. It is even better than the one in Toyko which we made reservation months ahead. The portion is just perfect for us. I would recommend this restaurant to anyone. You have to try it to know what I meant.“

“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.“

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

“Came here for a dinner and tuna cutting and it was amazing. I didn't expect the tuna to be so large!

Good:
- Super cool explanation of how everything works and the chef adds some fun humor into it which makes it even more entertaining than the cutting already is.
- The buffet we had was so good, I loved the crepe cake dessert and grapes too, and there was shrimp, tuna, chicken, everything you could imagine
- The tuna was soooo fresh
- The staff were so kind and helpful!
- There was also a sake pairing and wine pairing which elevated the experience

Bad:
- Can be pricey!

Overall this was such a premium experience and so glad we got to experience it!“

“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......“

“ALWAYS a fantastic and tasty dinner. ☺️“

“The server was so nice and the food came out after 10 mins of ordering and the food was good and good portions. Recommended to get a drink of you're ordering food and apps. Cozy place in Geary. Loved the flavor on the K.O. ramen and the Kobe Ramen. The Curry Lamb rice plate was also pretty delicious.“

“Tried some of their dishes, desserts and drinks.

For the main course we ordered Taiwanese fried pork chop noodle, clams & salmon in creamy mentaiko sauce, fried calamari and cucumber beef roll. My favorite was the creamy seafood spaghetti. I love white based sauce pasta in general so I knew I’d like this one off the bat. The salmon itself was cooked perfectly and I was surprised at how big of a piece they gave us! They definitely don’t skimp on their seafood!

For drinks we ordered passion fruit green tea, Teawood fruit tea and iced bear milk tea. My favorite is the milk tea! Always love a good Chinese style milk tea, it’s smooth and rich and slightly bitter from the tea. Yum!

For desserts we ordered grass jelly taro ball sundae and traditional tofu flake in bucket. My favorite had to be the tofu pudding dessert! It’s one of my favorite Chinese desserts, love eating it as is without any syrup. The taste is very light and delicate.“

“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!“

“This is my go to Shabu place in Sf. The meat quality is top notch and paired with their special green sauce is amazing! That sauce is so addicting. I always get the all you can eat which you get your choices of unlimited carbs, veggies, and meat! Then your choice of ice cream if you still have room. This place never disappoints my appetite and would recommend everyone come and try it out! You won’t be disappointed.“

“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.“

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

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

“Food was good but a bit more pricey than other Japanese sushi restaurants in terms of quantity and price. The service is good. The waitress is very attentive. We were seated at the section separating from the main seating area which is close to the door, so it was a bit cold because of the wind on that day. Overall is good but not great but will come back once in a while! :)“

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

“We just moved into the neighborhood and have been trying out new local restaurants — and wow, we’re so glad we found this place! This was our second time coming in, and it honestly reminded us why we couldn’t wait to come back.
The food is fresh, flavorful, and clearly made with quality ingredients. You can taste the difference — they even use real crab, which is one of the many reasons we love it here. Everything we’ve tried so far has been delicious and perfectly cooked.
The service makes the experience even better. Kyle and Jennifer were both so friendly, attentive, and full of great energy. They really made us feel welcome. In the kitchen, Chefs Gary and Jimmy bring not only amazing cooking skills but also great humor and personality — you can feel how much they care about what they do.
There’s something about this place that just feels like home — warm, relaxed, and full of good vibes. It’s definitely become one of our favorite restaurants in the neighborhood, and we can’t wait to come back again soon!“

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