Leichi is a hidden gem in a Santa Clara strip mall that feels way more refined than it looks from the outside. The cozy space is perfect for a date night or a small group, with easy parking and the option to reserve ahead. The staff is friendly and the service efficient. Standouts are the house-made specialties—the ginger ale, silky pudding-like tofu, and refreshing cold-dipping soba. Don’t miss the comforting salmon ochazuke, perfectly crisp tempura, scallop with uni, fresh mini chirashi, and the hojicha panna cotta to finish. Everything here is a win.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
James Park
Authentic Jappon foods. Recommend it.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Stefan Manea
It was a little disappointing. They do not make much effort to enhance the taste of an ingredient. For example, if you order salmon roe, that's all you get, raw salmon roe and that's it. I've had it in other places with some toast and butter, for example, but not here. Also, nothing comes with a side. You get exactly what it says on the menu and nothing else. The beef tongue, for example, was just that, nothing to accompany it. Same for the grilled black cod. There is no way you will remember this place for a dish as everything is just bland. You cannot say that the scallops were special, or the eel, or the uni etc. because they are just plain, served raw, nothing special. The specialty of they day, when I was there, was a small bowl with very little rice, 4 scallops, some salmon roe and some uni. It was good, but not that special. At the end, after I paid, I was rushed to leave as the waiter told me that the next reservation is waiting to be seated and they need to clear the table. Overall, I think it's over hyped. I tried it once because of the reviews, but I will not come back.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 2
Dave Cheung
This is one of my favorite places for Japanese food, tapas style. Their menu is great, and their food rivals Japan. Highly recommend if you want special Japanese food (other than sushi, ramen, and Bento boxes.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Annie Chang
TOP 5 restaurant in the bay area. High quality food, very tasty. Make sure to have a reservation though, as they have limited space.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
吳隆暉
The food is okay but the portion is way too small, also the service was terrible.
I ordered a Hokkaidon, which is only an extremely small bowl of raw seafood and rice. But it took them more than 30 minutes to serve, and I had to keep reminding the servers until they finally took my order seriously.
At the end, it took us another 20 minutes to have the check and to get the hell out of there.
10 minutes of eating, 90 minutes of waiting. Terrible experience. Won’t visit again.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 2
Service: 1
Athena Pappa
I love this little spot. Best accidental find ever.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Jeff Lin
Great food and service but I’m also noticing black strings in my takeout as other people have pointed out
Xinyuan Niu
Phone is not responsive at all… super disappointed
Kyou Sho
It was pricey, but I think it is typical for the quality of food that you get. Definitely make a reservation because the venue is small. I would have preferred a bit more privacy between the tables, but I understand it's hard because, again, the venue is small. I took my date here, and was conscious about the other party sitting 5 inches away from me while I was trying to have more intimate conversation
Food is delicious but there’s always some black strings in our take out(experienced multiple times already)
Albert Le
Amazing food. Portions are on the smaller side, making it more of a tapas style place, but that just means more variety!
Tianshu Fan
Okay food but overpriced. Server forgot one of our dishes and ended up waiting over an hour for it… Server also tried to kick us out right after we paid. Unbelievable.
Kenny H
Grilled salt salmon is the best lunch option in town! I am surprised there is such an authentic Japanese restaurant nearby the area. Their lunch menu definitely features some of my favorite item including grilled fishes.
I have tried grilled Hokke and salmon, however, salmon is my favorite. It comes with three different side dishes. Best of all, the soup that it came with was NOT miso soup! Finally a refreshing change.
At night time its a traditional Japanese izakaya.
J H
Awesome and fresh Japanese restaurant. There were a lot of items I got to try that I’ve never really seen before. Like the Yuba and Salmon with Yum. Both had interesting textures and were cold dishes. I didn’t expect that, but it was a pleasant surprise.
The sashimi was amazing. If I were to rank them, I would put the yellow fish at top and then salmon and mackerel to follow. The other 3 were also great but I liked those ones more.
The duck soba was complex. It has a smokey flavor to it along with the fatty taste of duck. Highly recommend this dish.
The restaurant is on the smaller side, and it can get a bit loud and crowded in there. The wait can be really long so it is best to reserve through Yelp ahead of time and even reserve earlier than your eta. You can show up for a time, and still be waiting since it is that popular.
Leichi is a hidden gem in a Santa Clara strip mall that feels way more refined than it looks from the outside. The cozy space is perfect for a date night or a small group, with easy parking and the option to reserve ahead. The staff is friendly and the service efficient. Standouts are the house-made specialties—the ginger ale, silky pudding-like tofu, and refreshing cold-dipping soba. Don’t miss the comforting salmon ochazuke, perfectly crisp tempura, scallop with uni, fresh mini chirashi, and the hojicha panna cotta to finish. Everything here is a win.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Authentic Jappon foods. Recommend it.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
It was a little disappointing. They do not make much effort to enhance the taste of an ingredient. For example, if you order salmon roe, that's all you get, raw salmon roe and that's it. I've had it in other places with some toast and butter, for example, but not here.
Also, nothing comes with a side. You get exactly what it says on the menu and nothing else. The beef tongue, for example, was just that, nothing to accompany it. Same for the grilled black cod.
There is no way you will remember this place for a dish as everything is just bland. You cannot say that the scallops were special, or the eel, or the uni etc. because they are just plain, served raw, nothing special.
The specialty of they day, when I was there, was a small bowl with very little rice, 4 scallops, some salmon roe and some uni. It was good, but not that special.
At the end, after I paid, I was rushed to leave as the waiter told me that the next reservation is waiting to be seated and they need to clear the table.
Overall, I think it's over hyped. I tried it once because of the reviews, but I will not come back.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 2
This is one of my favorite places for Japanese food, tapas style. Their menu is great, and their food rivals Japan.
Highly recommend if you want special Japanese food (other than sushi, ramen, and Bento boxes.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
TOP 5 restaurant in the bay area. High quality food, very tasty. Make sure to have a reservation though, as they have limited space.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
The food is okay but the portion is way too small, also the service was terrible.
I ordered a Hokkaidon, which is only an extremely small bowl of raw seafood and rice. But it took them more than 30 minutes to serve, and I had to keep reminding the servers until they finally took my order seriously.
At the end, it took us another 20 minutes to have the check and to get the hell out of there.
10 minutes of eating, 90 minutes of waiting. Terrible experience. Won’t visit again.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 2
Service: 1
I love this little spot. Best accidental find ever.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Great food and service but I’m also noticing black strings in my takeout as other people have pointed out
Phone is not responsive at all… super disappointed
It was pricey, but I think it is typical for the quality of food that you get. Definitely make a reservation because the venue is small. I would have preferred a bit more privacy between the tables, but I understand it's hard because, again, the venue is small. I took my date here, and was conscious about the other party sitting 5 inches away from me while I was trying to have more intimate conversation
Restaurantji Recommends
Food is delicious but there’s always some black strings in our take out(experienced multiple times already)
Amazing food. Portions are on the smaller side, making it more of a tapas style place, but that just means more variety!
Okay food but overpriced.
Server forgot one of our dishes and ended up waiting over an hour for it…
Server also tried to kick us out right after we paid. Unbelievable.
Grilled salt salmon is the best lunch option in town!
I am surprised there is such an authentic Japanese restaurant nearby the area. Their lunch menu definitely features some of my favorite item including grilled fishes.
I have tried grilled Hokke and salmon, however, salmon is my favorite. It comes with three different side dishes. Best of all, the soup that it came with was NOT miso soup! Finally a refreshing change.
At night time its a traditional Japanese izakaya.
Awesome and fresh Japanese restaurant. There were a lot of items I got to try that I’ve never really seen before. Like the Yuba and Salmon with Yum. Both had interesting textures and were cold dishes. I didn’t expect that, but it was a pleasant surprise.
The sashimi was amazing. If I were to rank them, I would put the yellow fish at top and then salmon and mackerel to follow. The other 3 were also great but I liked those ones more.
The duck soba was complex. It has a smokey flavor to it along with the fatty taste of duck. Highly recommend this dish.
The restaurant is on the smaller side, and it can get a bit loud and crowded in there. The wait can be really long so it is best to reserve through Yelp ahead of time and even reserve earlier than your eta. You can show up for a time, and still be waiting since it is that popular.
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