Enka Japanese Izakaya

This place is a beautiful hidden gem.The ambiance is perfect for date night or gatherings.The service was good as well. They checked in on us and could tell when we wanted to order more. The food was amazing! Our all time favorites are:- Salmon Skin - Fried Kawaebi was very well seasoned - Poached Egg Uni Shooter- Grilled MochiDefinitely end your meal with grilled mochi. It's wrapped with nori and tastes amazing. Gives it a warm comforting feeling. Will definitely be coming back.

Came here for dinner with a friend and it was a pretty decent spot for dinner! It's located in a more industrial area but in a plaza with plenty of parking, so it was very easy to access. My party was able to make a reservation via Yelp but since we went really early (like around 5:30pm), it didn't seem like it was necessary. However, once it was closer to 6 or 7 the restaurant became pretty busy on a Friday night, so I'd make a reservation in advance if you're planning to eat there during more prime dinner times. The restaurant had pretty simple and straightforward decor and had a good amount of seating. We ended up ordering a handful of items to share like the fried vegetable tempura, chicken thigh skewers, mini chirashi don, and yaki onigiri ochazuke. The breading on the tempura was a little on the thicker side, but they had a decent portion. Chicken thigh skewer were good, and the chirashi don was okay as well. I did enjoy the yaki onigiri ochazuke with salmon which was a special that night. Overall, would come back again for a meal!

Enka is an izakaya-style restaurant located in Sunnyvale specializing in small Japanese bites including skewers. We decided to give them a try since we weren't in the mood for sushi, but still wanted some Japanese food. Let's see how they stack up!FOODWe arrived on a Monday during happy hour. They have happy hours after 7pm on Monday, Saturday, and Sunday, with the end time differing depending on which day you go. We decided to try a bunch of different things to get a feel on how every tasted.From the happy hour menu, we got Side Tempura, Kaki Fry, and Kurobata Sausage. Of these three, I really enjoyed the Kaki Fry and I think it was the best, not just in taste, but in value. My subsequent visits to Enka will always have Kaki Fry! Very juicy oysters with very good crunch. The other two dishes were decent and just depends on what you else you are eating / drinking.We also tried the small chirashi bowl, Kamo, the chicken wing skewers, and the wagyu steak skewers. The Chirashi bowl isn't very large, and has 4 types of sashimi, two or three pieces each. The rice we saved to help pair with other dishes. Kamo, which is duck breast, was decent, but a bit on the pricey side. I'd try it at least once if it's your first visit. The two skewers were okay; cooked well and juicy, but nothing too spectacular. SERVICEGreat service. Staff will take your order when you are ready and was very responsive and also a bit too eager to recommend things off the menu as well as the best way to enjoy each dish. They came by to keep checking on us, and overall, I'd say their service was excellent!They do take reservations, so if you have a group, make sure you reserve in advance.COSTHappy hour prices are great, especially for what you are getting! Kaki Fry was $10 for 5 fried oysters, which is a great deal, especially of this quality. Anything off the happy hour menu is going to be good value, especially since it's still dinner time!Japanese skewers, no matter the restaurant, are usually on the pricey side, so I can't fault Enka for their prices on these. If you like skewers, I recommend ordering a few and then padding out your order with other more value-oriented selections to make sure you are full.SETTINGWhile this is izakaya-style, I wouldn't say it's like a typical izakaya. However, most of the seats are sectioned off from one another, so it's also very cozy. Great place for a date or hanging out with friends! Parking isn't an issue at this place since there's a very large parking lot.Overall, come for Happy Hour and enjoy good food and drink at great prices.4/5

We've started coming to Enka regularly for their happy hour, its become our go to local spot.Their fried items are just incredible, and the grilled mochi is always a absolute must.Our other favorites include the nonkotsu (best we've had), the fried oyster, and the fried salmon skin.Wash it all down with a perfectly refreshing suntory beer.

Enka was listed as a Bay Area "hidden gem" when googling local Japanese spots, and it did not disappoint. It was easy to make a next day reservation for lunch on Sunday, which is a huge plus! When you walk in, you're welcomed by friendly staff and we were quickly seated to our table. We had late lunch reservations, so the staff were transparent about their last call being at 2pm, and were more than happy to recommend some customer favorites. We ordered an assortment of appetizers, skewers, and grilled items, and each and every item was amazing. We got the fried oysters, grilled squid, wagyu steak with uni, agedashi tofu, chicken cartilage, grilled mochi, fried tempura, edamame, Takowasa, and umesuisho. And all of them were delicious. I'd order each of them again! There is ample parking in the parking lot too, so another bonus!

All food we ordered except for SASHIMI was good. Pretty authentic coming from a person who grew up in Japan. But the service wasn't good. First of all we had to wait even though we made a reservation. Didn't get to sit on time but I felt fine about it until their fan was broken. Things happen but they didn't really say anything about it until we tried to order more food. Was getting smoky, getting to our eyes so was very uncomfortable but still had to wait for food we ordered already. I heard they were giving out free stuff on house to another table but not to us and they didn't really apologize to us about the situation.

3.75? I think slightly different offerings than the usual Izakaya. The noodles and bottarga were really good. The shark dish (didn't like plum flavor) and fried fish (skinniest I've seen) were not great. It's a somewhat small menu. Service was fine.

Hidden gem alert!! First of all, they have happy hour from Saturday-Monday starting at 7pm! My partner and I stumbled upon Enka while looking for a dinner spot and we were pleasantly pleased. They're located in a plaza with lots of parking and, surprisingly, it wasn't busy on Saturday night. We were seated immediately and service was prompt and friendly. The Japanese interior decor made the place lively and comfortable. There were decorative folding room divider screens that were used to give each table some privacy. Food: - Kaisen Don: The assortment of Ikura, seaweed, scallops, uni, and crab meat on top of rice was delicious. Each scoop was flavorful and the seafood tasted very fresh. 9/10- Hot udon: The broth was extremely flavorful. The citrus helped balance out the saltiness of the broth. The grilled pork pieces left charred aromatics that lingered on every sip of the broth. The udon noodles were bouncy and the right amount of chewiness. 10/10- Kaki fry (fried oysters): I'm a big fan of raw oysters, but the fried ones usually puts me off. The fried oysters from here weren't bad, but for me it was the creaminess from the oysters plus the fried grease; was too much for me. Very crunchy 7/10- Tempura: Perfectly fried. Super crispy and light. The vegetables still had some crunch left to them and the mushroom was flavorful. 8/10- Grilled Mochi: Hands down my favorite. Someone wrote a review saying their gf would come back just for this and now I fully understand what they mean. The mochi was gooey on the inside and slightly charred crispy parts on the outside. Definitely an umami explosion from the seaweed wrap and the sauce glaze on the mochi. 100/10- Kurobuta sausage (not pictured): 10/10 delicious. Sweet and savory. - Wagyu skewer: Tender and juicy. Downside is you only get one skewer for the big price you pay. 9/10- Grilled Squid: Another favorite as well. You can taste the charcoal. Very umami. The squid itself was tender and not rubbery. A slight squeeze of lemon balanced out the saltiness alongside the creamy sauce. 10/10- Asahi: 10/10 went well with everything. Will be coming back soon.

It was Black Friday around lunch when I came here and I was trying to grab some grub before I went to Santana Row, so here I am. I ordered the wagyu bento box, kurobata sausage, and kaki fry. The kaki fry and the kurobata sausage was solid. The Wagyu bento box was very filling and was a nice savory way to start my day. Regarding service, the people were nice but I kinda got the feeling that I was being a lil rushed but maybe that's because I came at 1:30 and they close at 2:30... Anyways...The restaurant is kinda small but it wasn't crowded. The parking situation here isn't bad. There was a decent amount of parking available here when I arrived. Try it out if you like. :)

Came here on a double date and left stuffed! The service was impeccable and always checked up on our table constantly. My favorite dish we ordered was the grilled squid! It's a small restaurant so definitely make a reservation since it does get busy at times! Overall a great find and good eats!