KAIYŌ Restaurant

Awesome Japanese-Peruvian fusion restaurant near Oracle Park!We came here almost impromptu on a Saturday when my boyfriend and I were originally just going to go to the rooftop but decided to also try dining at the ground-floor restaurant. I called at 8 PM asking for any open table and the hostess kindly accommodated us at the earliest time available. Drinks: The drink menu is COMPLETELY DIFFERENT FROM THE ROOFTOP! My boyfriend saw some drinks he wanted to try but decided to wait not knowing that the rooftop didn't have those drinks. I would definitely recommend ordering anything that catches your eye here even if you are going to the rooftop after. We both opted for chicha morada (a Peruvian purple corn drink), which was refreshing but a tad more sour than I prefer.Food: Lima Roll (5/5): The smoky flavor from the torching truly elevates the overall flavor of the roll! Highly recommend!Lomo Saltado (4/5): The beef quality was outstanding, though the portion size could be larger, especially for a "large shareable" dish.Yucca Fries (4/5): Served hot and crisp, with a delicious huancaina sauce on the side.Overall, we absolutely enjoyed the delicious dishes and ambiance, but we just wish we were aware of the menu differences between the ground floor restaurant and the rooftop bar. We definitely would love to come back for happy hour deals!!

Food was great. Service was great from host, waiter and waitress. Everyone except for their supervisor Adam. Unprofessional and rude not only to us but to his own staff as well. Micro manager with a lot of attitude. We want to come back for food but not when Adam is working. He kills the vibe. It's not that serious. Who gets mad on a slow tuesday? RelaxAside from that, the pasta with scallops was fire . Shoutout to the chef.

KAIYŌ is a Japanese-Peruvian fusion restaurant located on the 1st floor of the Hyatt Place Hotel in the SOMA. It's on the corner of 3rd and Townsend, across from Oracle Park. There isn't an obvious sign, so you have to keep a lookout for the entrance. There are technically two locations, the main Ground Floor restaurant, and the Rooftop. The rooftop has great vibes, with lots of seating options, music, and great views! They don't offer the full menu on the Rooftop, which is why we ate downstairs. We came here for a date night after work on a Thursday around 7:30pm. We showed up early for our reservation, but there was plenty of room inside for them to seat us early. The hostess was super friendly and greeted us with a big smile. We had a nice, quiet table by a window. There were only a few other groups in the restaurant, so it wasn't too loud or busy. Our waiter, Alejandro, was amazing. He was engaging, attentive, and very knowledgeable about the menu and cuisine! He helped make recommendations and answer any questions we had. What we got:-Kakka-Cha - Hakuto Gin, Kiyomi Rum, Plum, Peach, Piloncillo, Jasmine, Lime ($20)-Flor De Guisante - Matsui Japanese Gin, Pea, Green Apple, Purple Shiso, Chicha De Jora, Sherry, Citrus ($20)-French 75 - Japanese Gin, Japanese Mustard Honey, Lemon, Sparkling Wine ($18)-Pisco Punch - Pisco, Yuzu Cane Sugar, Pineapple, Lemon ($18)-Nikkei Oysters - Half dozen West Coast Oysters, Leche de Tigre or Rocoto Ponzu Sauce, tobiko, green onions ($24) - We went with half and half for the sauces. Both were really good, but I think I liked the Leche de Tigre sauce more!-Miso Corn - yellow corn, miso butter, togarashi, green onions, micro cilantro ($12) - This was a delicious dish! It came with 6-8 little riblets that were coated in a delicious miso butter. -Kaiyo Roll - red crab, wild atlantic salmon, asparagus tempura, garlic chip, avocado, tobiko, rocoto aioli ($20) - Huge, fresh, and delicious! Lovely presentation with a spicy mayo type dipping sauce. -Lomo Saltado - beef tenderloin, onions, tomatoes, papas fritas, served with a side of rice ($26) - This was the favorite dish of the night. The meat was tender, the fries were cooked perfectly, and the sauce was packed with flavor! The rice came on the side, but was also soft and a good way to soak up some of the sauce. Alejandro brought us a spoon to get the last of it because he saw how much we were enjoying it! -Crispy Brussels Sprouts ($10) - These were only ok. The flavor was great, but they were a little undercooked for what I would consider to be "crispy". I would consider ordering them again if I knew they'd be crispier. Overall we really enjoyed our first experience at KAIYŌ. There were a few dishes we would go back for specifically (Lomo), and look forward to checking out the rooftop during the daytime; especially during baseball season.Thank you again to Alejandro and the rest of the staff for creating a memorable and delicious experience!IG: @bbnem.eats

My family and I have enjoyed a sit down dinner in Kaiyo's groundfloor restaurant inside their private dining room. The space is beautifully designed and we love the custom wall art. The food offered in this space is different than the rooftop as we ordered family style. Food was great- we loved the Miso Corn and Miso Cod. The floor manager was amazing and hospitable. Definitely a must go!

I visited Kaiyō on a Saturday evening and was able to get a reservation the day of. The inside of the restaurant is so aesthetically pleasing and perfect for a night out on a date or with friends. The food was very fresh and tasty. The beetroot tartare was the favorite dish ordered. I also really enjoyed the asparagus nigiri. There are many vegetarian options here, which is always appreciated. Will definitely visit this spot again in the future!

Nikkei Oysters (4/5): $4per, came with 3 ponzu and 3 original (creamy) oysters, all oysters were sweetKaiyo Roll (4/5): Elevated California roll with salmon sashimi on top and a slice of red onion, fried garlic, and jalapeño for garnish. Miso cod (3.5/5): Grilled cod fillet with a side of bok choy and "house made" dashi brother poured over before served. Nothing special, on the saltier side. Mentaiko Scallop Udon (3/5): Creamy but lacked flavor, udon of choice was thinner and less chewy, scallops were small and over cooked. Would not order again for the price point ($28) Pros: Friendly service, seated quickly on a Thursday evening, wide variety of items on menu, new and clean restaurant Cons: No parking, food quality could be improved

The ambiance is great and so are the workers. Interior design is all good to make you feel like you're in a different area not in sf. However the food portions are small while served on huge plates, they are all shareables. Not sure if they planned to have such huge time gaps between food items but I had to wait 45 minutes for the pasta dish we ordered which made us just want to leave. We had to ask different waiters if our food was coming and same response, on the way... it definitely wasn't. The service looked disorganized because how many workers were moving around but people who sat after us were getting food first and people before us were waiting longer. No servers were checking on us after orders, simply get your order and only see you when they had food. I understand the place is relatively new so I can get past the inattentive service, but wouldn't that make them want to make sure food is on time and that nothing was wrong while being there? It's almost as if we ordered off a kiosk and then just sat and waited because how little interaction there was.

Wow I have found an incredible restaurant with the strangest fusion of twxed into ethically different cultures mixed into one. When my friend said it's a Japanese/Peruvian fusion I was weirded out a little. But since she was flying back to NYC the next afternoon I said why not. Since the restaurant was across the street from the ballpark please be aware that parking can be quite a problem. So plan ahead and keep and eye on the SF Giants schedule. I believe I did see a lot of full parking garages and one advertising $50 to park there. Even street parking (which we were fortunate to find one) was $10 even after 6 pm. We did not have a reservation but we were able to get a seat at the bar counter which was a little more fun interacting with the bar staff.This restaurant is quite small with about 10 tables and 10 bar seats available. It wasn't until I looked at the menu that I understood why. The dishes averaged the mid $20 per dish and with drinks it can get quite expensive. My friend and I decided on getting shareable dishes so we could try many of them and share our opinions on the food. So here is our order: Otoro sashimi, Botan Ebi Huicaina, Himachi Tiradito and Modern Sashimi. Since the dishes were of the colder variety, it didn't take long for them to show up. Service was prompt and professional as it should be.Bottom line, the food we ordered was super delicious. The Peruvian sauces and influences did enhance the flavor of the fish. The sashimi was super fresh and delicate to the palate. The one dish that stood out was the Hamachi Tiradito. It had this sweet mustardy sauce that you want to scoop up with your hamachi which totally blew my mind. It was so good we ordered a second helping with a side of extra sauce and all I can say is DAMN!!!As I said the final bill with tax and tip came to slightly under $200 but it was worth every penny. I don't think I will be visiting there frequently (though I should) but I will make it a special place to eat end truly enjoy good food. A couple of tips, if you sit by the bay, the front door is right behind you and it can get a little chilly, and always get a bar seat as the bartenders are really a fun bunch.PS: Bartender Aaron (hope I spelled your name right), I will bring the flourless chocolate cake for you and your crew in exchange for a free appetizer which will be soon. Cheers!

Delicious food, great cocktails, and wonderful service! Thank you for hosting our group.

If I could give Kaiyo zero stars, I would. This was, without a doubt, one of the worst dining experiences I've ever had; filled with disorganization and an owner who has absolutely no business running a restaurant.Let's start with the reservation process. You can't just book and show up--no, they make sure to throw up roadblocks like a ridiculous pop-up error warning that you cannot request the rooftop bar with your reservation, and oh, if you're late by even a second beyond 15 minutes, get ready for a $30 per person penalty. The irony? Despite arriving seven minutes early after traveling over an hour from the East Bay, we were still forced to wait 25 minutes past our reservation time before even being seated.While we waited, one of the waitresses was actually wonderful--she gave us a drink menu and told us we could place an order with her while waiting. Appreciative of this, we took a few minutes to decide and then went to order. But by then, a different waitress was at the front, and when we asked to place our drink order, she rudely dismissed us, saying we'd have to go wait at the bar instead. When I clarified that another staff member had told us differently, she flatly responded, "If that's something she told you, you have to take it up with her." What?? How is that an acceptable response from any service staff?Then came the dining disaster. 40 minutes after we should have been seated, no one had even taken our order. And when someone finally did? It was the owner himself, who turned out to be the biggest issue with this entire establishment.I politely shared feedback about the extreme delays and slow service, acknowledging that they seemed understaffed but pointing out that waiting this long was unacceptable. His response? "What do you want me to do?" Excuse me? That's the best he could come up with? I suggested that given the completely avoidable service failures, some kind of compensation would be appropriate, to which he begrudgingly comped our drinks (but not without attitude).But wait--it gets worse. Despite placing a simple order (miso corn and two vegetarian rolls), the miso corn never arrived. We sat there waiting for what felt like forever, finished both rolls, and still--nothing. I eventually asked him to close out our tab so we could leave, expressing my frustration that we literally did not receive what we ordered. Instead of apologizing like any competent business owner would, he decided to make himself the victim and snapped, "As the owner, I don't appreciate when customers come at me rudely."Oh, but the real kicker? When I went to pay, he held my card hostage, refusing to process the payment until he finished lecturing me about how he doesn't care what his own workers say. Let that sink in: The owner of this place straight-up does not care about his customers or his own staff.And the food? Well, based on the vegetarian dishes we were able to actually get, it was utterly bland, uninspired, and lacked any depth of flavor. This place prides itself on being Peruvian-Japanese, but from what we experienced, the execution was lackluster at best. 2/10 at most.Bottom line: Kaiyo isn't just a bad restaurant--it's a joke. Between the insulting reservation policies, the inexcusably slow service, and an owner who has the audacity to berate customers for politely giving feedback, I cannot urge people strongly enough to stay far, far away from this place. Spend your money somewhere that actually respects its customers, because Kaiyo clearly does not.Editing based on owners response: John, I left your name out to let you save face, but since you've responded dishonestly, let's set the record straight.I appreciate your attempt at accountability now, but in the moment, you blamed your staff instead of owning the situation. Before giving feedback, I asked if you were open to hearing it--you agreed. That you didn't like my feedback doesn't make it disrespectful--it makes it honest.Your claim that you asked us to leave is completely false. We were not rude, nor did we create a scene. It's disappointing that you'd fabricate details to invalidate my experience. I hope Yelp holds business owners to a higher standard of honesty.Despite the poor service, we commended the hostess in red for her professionalism, recognizing that she was doing her best under tough conditions. Your attempt to mischaracterize respectful customers as "entitled" only reinforces the real issue--your lack of accountability and professionalism.Instead of rewriting events to defend your pride, maybe focus on fixing what's actually wrong at Kaiyo.