Yakiniku Shodai

Start off 2025 with one of my best meal in 2024 .My close friend bring me to his favorite restaurant in sf and I don't doubt it at all after an amazing experience I had. First I arrived on a weekday when they are slower which I would prefer because the chef here is really attentive and generous. So if possible you should come on a slower day and be seated with chef Chris The restaurant is spacious. They have both counter and table seating.Yakiniku Shodai is a omakase beef restaurant that will provide you variety of wagyu beef from US , AUS and of course Japan and cuts such as tongue , harami, short rib , sirloin etc.They offer you 2 menu the smaller one call shodai tasting menu and bigger one call shodai set. And yes you can order different menu . So , Me and my wife did that and the chef accommodate really well. But if you a beef lover I really recommend go with the shodai set. First they will serve you pickles and then start first bite with beef tongue and it probably the best beef tongue I ever had.All the beef was really tender juicy and flavorful with different topping that chef put on. In the middle of the course they actually serve you seasonal seafood to cut off the rich ness of the beef also. Which I think was a great move!!!!!!Speechless, to all the beef I had and so generous with truffle also. Finishing the corse with frozen yogurt. This is the first time for me to do beef omakase cooking piece by piece in front of me and I will definitely come back here. Thank you my friends who are the foodie and yakiniku shodai for give me one of the best experiences.

Do not make a reservation here. Its over priced and they have a ridiculously strict policy. Take your business elsewhere.Booked a Valentine's Day dinner but got sick from a work trip that same week. Called to cancel within 40 hrs and not 48 hrs. They said I can reschedule once or pay a $100 cancellation fee, per person = $200.Zero flexibility. Zero consideration of the customer experience. Zero chance of ever getting my business again.Also - their policy on OpenTable says they allow reservations to be rescheduled twice but they would not honor it.

Celebrating the Christmas season with our party of 12 friends and family at Yakiniku Shodai was beyond great -- it was truly exceptional!It wasn't just the amazing food but really, it was an overall memorable experience provided through Chefs Andy and Chris and their awesome staff.Stepping into Yakiniku Shodai, it had a modern Japanese style with a main counter seating that included the embedded grills which Andy and Chris demonstrated their skills while educating everyone about the different beef and seafood delicacies that made up the Tasting Menu and Full Set. They also both had incredible senses of humor and played off each other throughout the evening -- it's hard to remember when I've that much fun or laughed that hard at a restaurant!The namuru of kimchi, pickled cucumbers and seasoned bean sprouts were fresh and delicious starters to whet our appetites as we started with a delicate cut of poached beef tongue (Australian wagyu) served in a comforting broth and topped with seasoned and green onion slices. The outer skirt steak (Australian wagyu) was beefy and grilled perfectly--as were all of the cuts that followed--and complemented by the homemade BBQ sauce that it was coated in before grilling. Dipping in the fresh lemon juice for the last piece cut through the richness but wasn't necessary.Some grilled fresh zucchini and sliced mushrooms served as a nice palate cleanser before enjoying the grilled slices of short rib (US wagyu) that were topped with dried, seasoned kelp strips or wasabi that provided unique textures and flavors. This was followed by rib fingers (Australian wagyu) which was meat in-between the ribs and they had a great texture and flavors from the BBQ sauce.Then came another highlight of a whole Hokkaido scallop that was seared and served on nori -- it was like butter from the sea.I didn't think this would be topped, but then we enjoyed the Japanese A5 olive wagyu served nigiri style and topped with caviar and truffle shaved right in front of us--an incredible combination of unique flavors. The tasting menu's last course was the oyster blade (Japanese A5 wagyu) that was very thinly sliced, kissed on the grill, and served with their BBQ sauce and topped with some wasabi--it was beautifully marbled and so rich!Some of our party added on the tenderloin (Japanese A5 wagyu) which was served a little thicker and bathed in a butter garlic sauce after being lightly grilled and placed on top of perfectly steamed white rice. Another remarkable bite that was challenged by another add-on of the yakishabu striploin (Japanese A5 wagyu) that was served with a mix of egg yolk and shaved truffle which melded together to form another unique creamy umami delight. Our meal was perfectly complemented by a dry yet slightly floral cold sake and Suntory beer, along with a less sweet frozen yogurt to end the meal on a refreshing note. This is a really long review because the food deserves it--it was that good--and because Andy and Chris deserve it for bringing Yakiniku Shodai to life after the pandemic and creating a truly unique and remarkable dining experience. We look forward to celebrating with them again hopefully in the near future!

Amazing Yakiniku place! All of the meat was super nice and mouth melting. We had a server who would explain to us all the dishes and where they came from which is also quite cool.

This was easily on of the best meals and dining experiences I have ever had the pleasure to enjoy. Chris was fabulous and so knowledgeable and engaging. We cannot wait for our next visit to the city to dine in our new favorite spot. The ambiance and vibes were the perfect way to finish a Saturday night out. Until next time! This is Luxury!

Such a delicious dinner! So much delicious wagyu and different parts of the cow. My partner said it was the best preparation of wagyu he's ever had which is probably not an overstatement. Everything was cooked perfectly right in front of us. Also cool seeing the raw meat and all the gorgeous marbling before it went on the grill. The counter seating works great for this style of restaurant, and our chef did a great job juggling the cook for us and the people kitty corner to us. The egg yolk for the rice dish at the end was such a beautiful color. We splurged on the set menu and think that was ultimately the right choice. I think if you're considering doing any add sort of add on to the shorter tasting menu, then you might as well just switch to the set since the add on cost can be pretty pricey and the set probably includes what you want. Definitely recommend this restaurant.

Mouth watering, delicious Japanese style grill wagyu in San Francisco. I enjoyed the experience, the chef was great and cooked the pieces well. I got the shodai tasting set, the cut was pretty good. My favorite is the Australian wagyu thick cut. The only downside is that it's on the expensive side with tips and tax, the total came out to be $200. The meat quality is good, I wish the quantity is more.

Amazing. Words can't describe the attention to detail in this meal. Each course is crafted and cooked in front of you. The amount of wagyu we got to taste including how they tell you where each cut of meat comes from is amazing. The price is well worth it. It's intimate and you get to have a private chef in front of you.

This was my first Yakiniku experience so I'm really glad I was able to experience it here before my Japan trip! I came here last night at 7:30 pm with my partner and his father to celebrate a late Father's Day dinner. We arrived a bit early and got seated immediately. The restaurant was decorated with modern decor and aesthetically beautiful wall paintings. It made the ambiance look so clean and pristine.There were two set menu options, a tasting menu and a "full version" of the tasting menu. We all decided on the tasting menu and we were so satisfied at the end of our meal.The set came with some complimentary sides like kimchi, pickled cucumbers, and seasoned bean sprouts. Whenever our side dishes were empty, it would be replenished immediately by our chef without asking.Our chef would present each piece of meat, explain the pairing of ingredients it was combined with, and prepared it on the grill right in front of us before serving it to us. It was giving "Omakase" style which I absolutely love. All the Wagyu pieces we ate were all so delicious! There were multiple cuts of Australian, American, and Japanese Wagyu. My favorites would have to be the Australian Beef Tongue, American Short Ribs and the Japanese A5 Oyster Blade. Each of these had its own unique fatty flavor that melted amazingly in my mouth. I was so happy and full towards the end. The frozen yogurt was a nice refreshing finish for dessert. It was the perfect touch to end the night.

Came here for a weekday dinner and did the shodai tasting menu! You get to try a little of everything - liked all the meats they grilled and they were generally all very tender and flavorful. I think the ones there were thin sliced were the best including the beef tongue. It is quite pricey though so I wasn't completely full by the end. Still it was a nice experience overall and it was fun to watch them cook for you. The staff was very friendly and great in explaining all the dishes and answering all our questions