Wow. Will definitely come back for more. Delicious food, atmosphere felt like an experience.
Tip: MAKE A RESERVATION!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Ying Zhang
Finally tried Izakaya Rintaro! Week night dinner at the counter for two. We treated ourselves to the early winter set menu and a bottle of sake which paired nicely with our savory dishes. I left very full, yet not heavy. Staff were attentive the whole time, and I noticed the management runs a tight ship here, all the staff know the menu well along with the drink menu as well.
This set menu was $90pp, definitely not a modest dinner. Let me break it down: - first course was the miso cod w/ sunomono. Light and refreshing. I liked the crispy cod skin. Good start but honestly forgettable. - Sashimi was next. Delicious delicious, and the accoutrements were artfully paired. They had fresh grated wasabi, pickled topping, and shiso, and recommended each for the three fish. My favorite was the bluefin tuna. Melt in your mouth quality. - hitokuchi oden was next. Oden is light and warm especially for a cold night so I appreciated it. They have handmade fishcakes which were alright, and my favorite was the daikon anyways. My friend was not a big fan of this one. - yakitori was prepared by the cook right in front of us at the counter so it came out super hot and fresh. It's more of a chicken sausage because they minced the chicken. Solid, can taste the charcoal flavors. - chicken katsu was delicious! Huge portion, I was pleasantly surprised they gave us all that katsu. There's surprise melted cheese inside too, and I thought it added another layer of flavor and texture. Crust was nicely crispy. Did not feel too greasy, the slaw definitely helped. - kake udon was our choice of main. The noodles has a great bite and even though I was already feeling full, I devoured this dish. The onsen egg here was stunningly prepared. Perfect, jammy consistency yet soft and delicate in texture. I'm still pondering how they made that. - dessert was the hojicha panna cotta and wow they did not disappoint. I loved the light hojicha flavors cutting through. The smooth panna cotta texture is so easy to eat, especially to top off a set meal. They also gave us some french pear jellies and meyer lemon jellies. These were nice and tart. My friend was obsessed with the french pear jellies.
I was wowed by three of the courses. Enjoyed two others. And could have passed on two.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
Carolyn Marie Santos
We got the Winter Set Menu we spent the extra $15 to get everything on thr set menu and it was worth it! Everything on the set menu was flavorful and will definitely come back. Since we were on our honeymoon we got complimentary Umai Fizz drink which was delicious, I had to order the full size. If in San Francisco this is a must go to place and getting the Winter Set Menu should be the first to try. Staff was amazing and explained every dish they served.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Asha Krish
Got the tasting menu. Food is excellent! Especially the tsukune and katsu. Service leaves a lot to be desired. No checking in at all, wasn't offered a another round of cocktails, we had to flag someone down and when ordered it was forgotten. Will go back and sit at the sushi bar and hope for better service!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 1
Kathryn Malone
Did the set menu. Each bite of food was good but nothing was mind blowing.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
Chris Moon
Great Izakaya. I would skip the omakase and order individual dishes.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Justin Wong
I celebrated my friend’s birthday here and it was great. We got the tasting menu and the quality was really good. Service was friendly and attentive. Love the interior design too.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Tish Bohr
Food was delicious and unique and cocktails, sakes and sweet mills were very tasty. I love that it’s mostly small shareable plates. I’m gluten-intolerant and they actually had quite a few food options that were already gluten-free or could be modified to be gluten-free and the staff were very knowledgeable and helpful with navigating those options. They even have a dedicated fryer for their gluten-free fried chicken wings and two gluten-free deserts, a panna cotta and a crustless cheesecake. The cheesecake was especially devine, with a light fluffy texture and slight extremely well-balanced sweetness. Ambiance was nice and service was attentive, friendly and professional.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Hilmar Koch
The food and atmosphere are wonderful and unique. Our main server somewhat uninspired, but others mostly made up for it.
They took off some of the popular item to be set menu only. There is many DON’T in the restaurant and the whole dining experience felt rushed. The waiter reminded us multiple times we have to get the order started or it will eat into our dining time… Then we waited very long between each dish… The value is extremely poor. We paid around $200 for a meal we could get under $100 in anywhere else in the Bay Area.
Mohsen Mirtaher
Good Japanese food but not the best tasting Japanese food in the city. The nigiri and grilled section of menu are their best offering.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
T Mart
I felt like I walked into a restaurant in Japan! Amazing tasting menu. The sashimi was so fresh and local. The sake pairing was perfect. John was super helpful. I can't wait to come back the next time I'm in town!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Assorted Fresh Fish Sashimi
Michael McGinley
Really amazing izakayaz for a very reasonable price point! Delicious food, amazing atmosphere and just a lot of fun!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Daniel Makharinsky
Possibly one of the best meals of my life - delicious menu, fantastic service and lovely ambiance. We sat at the counter and had a fantastic view of the team garden at work.
Wow. Will definitely come back for more. Delicious food, atmosphere felt like an experience.
Tip: MAKE A RESERVATION!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Finally tried Izakaya Rintaro! Week night dinner at the counter for two. We treated ourselves to the early winter set menu and a bottle of sake which paired nicely with our savory dishes. I left very full, yet not heavy. Staff were attentive the whole time, and I noticed the management runs a tight ship here, all the staff know the menu well along with the drink menu as well.
This set menu was $90pp, definitely not a modest dinner. Let me break it down:
- first course was the miso cod w/ sunomono. Light and refreshing. I liked the crispy cod skin. Good start but honestly forgettable.
- Sashimi was next. Delicious delicious, and the accoutrements were artfully paired. They had fresh grated wasabi, pickled topping, and shiso, and recommended each for the three fish. My favorite was the bluefin tuna. Melt in your mouth quality.
- hitokuchi oden was next. Oden is light and warm especially for a cold night so I appreciated it. They have handmade fishcakes which were alright, and my favorite was the daikon anyways. My friend was not a big fan of this one.
- yakitori was prepared by the cook right in front of us at the counter so it came out super hot and fresh. It's more of a chicken sausage because they minced the chicken. Solid, can taste the charcoal flavors.
- chicken katsu was delicious! Huge portion, I was pleasantly surprised they gave us all that katsu. There's surprise melted cheese inside too, and I thought it added another layer of flavor and texture. Crust was nicely crispy. Did not feel too greasy, the slaw definitely helped.
- kake udon was our choice of main. The noodles has a great bite and even though I was already feeling full, I devoured this dish. The onsen egg here was stunningly prepared. Perfect, jammy consistency yet soft and delicate in texture. I'm still pondering how they made that.
- dessert was the hojicha panna cotta and wow they did not disappoint. I loved the light hojicha flavors cutting through. The smooth panna cotta texture is so easy to eat, especially to top off a set meal. They also gave us some french pear jellies and meyer lemon jellies. These were nice and tart. My friend was obsessed with the french pear jellies.
I was wowed by three of the courses. Enjoyed two others. And could have passed on two.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
We got the Winter Set Menu we spent the extra $15 to get everything on thr set menu and it was worth it! Everything on the set menu was flavorful and will definitely come back. Since we were on our honeymoon we got complimentary Umai Fizz drink which was delicious, I had to order the full size. If in San Francisco this is a must go to place and getting the Winter Set Menu should be the first to try. Staff was amazing and explained every dish they served.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Got the tasting menu. Food is excellent! Especially the tsukune and katsu. Service leaves a lot to be desired. No checking in at all, wasn't offered a another round of cocktails, we had to flag someone down and when ordered it was forgotten. Will go back and sit at the sushi bar and hope for better service!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 1
Did the set menu. Each bite of food was good but nothing was mind blowing.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
Great Izakaya. I would skip the omakase and order individual dishes.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I celebrated my friend’s birthday here and it was great. We got the tasting menu and the quality was really good. Service was friendly and attentive. Love the interior design too.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Food was delicious and unique and cocktails, sakes and sweet mills were very tasty. I love that it’s mostly small shareable plates. I’m gluten-intolerant and they actually had quite a few food options that were already gluten-free or could be modified to be gluten-free and the staff were very knowledgeable and helpful with navigating those options. They even have a dedicated fryer for their gluten-free fried chicken wings and two gluten-free deserts, a panna cotta and a crustless cheesecake. The cheesecake was especially devine, with a light fluffy texture and slight extremely well-balanced sweetness. Ambiance was nice and service was attentive, friendly and professional.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
The food and atmosphere are wonderful and unique. Our main server somewhat uninspired, but others mostly made up for it.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 3
Avoid!! The experience doesn’t match the price.
Restaurantji Recommends
They took off some of the popular item to be set menu only.
There is many DON’T in the restaurant and the whole dining experience felt rushed. The waiter reminded us multiple times we have to get the order started or it will eat into our dining time… Then we waited very long between each dish…
The value is extremely poor. We paid around $200 for a meal we could get under $100 in anywhere else in the Bay Area.
Good Japanese food but not the best tasting Japanese food in the city. The nigiri and grilled section of menu are their best offering.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
I felt like I walked into a restaurant in Japan! Amazing tasting menu. The sashimi was so fresh and local. The sake pairing was perfect. John was super helpful. I can't wait to come back the next time I'm in town!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Assorted Fresh Fish Sashimi
Really amazing izakayaz for a very reasonable price point! Delicious food, amazing atmosphere and just a lot of fun!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Possibly one of the best meals of my life - delicious menu, fantastic service and lovely ambiance. We sat at the counter and had a fantastic view of the team garden at work.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
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