Yuji

Very intimate setting (sushi bar style seating only of about 10 chairs), a few seatings available per night & pretty strict menu (no substitutions unless you inform them several days in advance). I overheard another diner sitting next to me inquire with the chef about substitutions & heard the response. Most items are prepared in advance & the meal is paced accordingly. They have a sake pairing available but we did not partake. The meal & tip are paid in advance via Tock. Everything that we were served was delicately prepared & delicious! Our favorites were the uni & ikura over Chawanmushi & Wagyu beef, which was melt in your mouth buttery texture.Service & descriptions of each item were very good.There's some street parking & the garage lot across the street, if you don't take an Uber.

A beautiful and delicious meal that is thoughtfully executed.This small restaurant is located on the 2nd floor of the strip mall, right above Fermentation Lab (across the street from Peace Plaza).We came here with no expectations. The tasting menu is incredibly affordable, given how much others charge. The great thing about the menu is that Chef Yuji makes all the dishes himself. It feels personal and warm.We also got the sake pairing and it was phenomenal ($78 per person).The menu our night was really tasty and felt perfect for a cold winter night. It's simple but elegant, and filling for me.Some highlights were the smoked duck. We also got wild hamachi, which was buttery (you usually get farm raised at other places). the egg custard was super good and warm, with a surprise fish. The home made truffle salt was incredible. He happen to have a bit of extra white truffle and decided to use it. The Japanese wagyu was mouth watering. The crab rice was delicious. And the matcha dessert was perfect!You can tell Chef Yuji really cares about his craft and puts a lot of thought and care into everything.We paid about $500 for 2 tastings and 2 sake pairings, plus extra gratuity.We loved it and plan to go back since the menu changes.

One of my favorite dining experiences in the city that has flown below the radar for far too long. Kappo yuji is an intimate traditional Japanese restaurant that serves an array of dishes cooked in different ways: raw, fried, grilled, etc. If you like omakase but want to take a detour and still have that same quality of ingredients, this is a great place to go to.I've been here around 3x and the menu has changed seasonally. Some of my favorite dishes that I've had include the seiko kani, which is a delicacy basically a female Japanese snow crab with a lot of roe, their grilled sea bass, and an uni soba dish. Yuji has never failed to impress me, and get me rather full. Every time I've underestimated the set menu and always order extras and end up stuffed.It is also a set menu worth the price at around $160, quite comparable to most set menus in sf, but in my opinion more worth it due to the intimate small seating setting and quality ingredients used. Conveniently located in Japantown but easily missed in a humble no sign entryway. Parking is easy in the japantown plaza lot.

Great omakase experience!! We visited Yuji on a whim, with little to expect since it was a last-minute plan. Overall, it was a nice experience, from the food to the service.It was a little difficult to find initially - I think it'd be useful if they had some info about how to find their restaurant on their Tock reservation page. I learned after scrolling through Yelp a bit to look for signage directing you to IchiPub - they're on the second floor!They're open only from Thursdays to Mondays, and their seating times are at 5 PM / 8 PM. Bookings are on Tock, only up to parties of 5. Inside, they only had about 9 seats overall. Total per person came out to $218.60 per person, after 20% service charge, taxes, and $5 order fee for their omakase experience.~/ F O O D /~Some standouts: the assorted sashimi, chawanmushi, wagyu, and matcha pudding! Every single piece of seafood we had tasted fresh. I loved how well all of the flavors for each item paired together. The chawanmushi had a lot of depth, and the wagyu literally melted in my mouth especially. Honorable mention for the crab miso cream sauce that comes with the spring roll, too! :)I wasn't the biggest fan of the clay pot rice or the monkfish liver at the beginning. The monkfish had a pretty strong taste that left a lingering flavor in my mouth even after we left. The clay pot rice was good and it was cool watching it be made in front of us, but once mixed together we didn't taste much of the crab that was put in.All in all, it was a pleasant, intimate experience! You could tell that the chef was really passionate about his work, and the server that worked alongside him was super friendly too.

Food was good but with this price I expect at least one amazing dish, which I didn't find...Yuji is a super small Omakase place in Japantown with just 9 seats. The menu composed of mostly cooked dishes with 1 sashimi course (was hoping for more). My favorite was the chawanmushi (super soft egg, blends so well with fish roe) and wagyu (perfectly cooked). The spring roll (?) with mabo sauce is very creative. Didn't like the sashimi as much, fish are rather on the leaner side. The steamed fish tastes good but is a little overcooked imo.So overall pretty good, but probably won't visit again.

YUJI has completely blown me away--it's honestly on another level.The food here is elite, and I think it's officially surpassed all other SF omakase spots for me. It's not super traditional, which might throw some people, but the mix of raw and cooked dishes just works. Every bite feels like it's been obsessively crafted, and the progression of the meal keeps you guessing in the best way.It's pricey, but wow, it's worth every single penny. Shockingly good. Like, Michelin-star-good--does it have one yet? If not, it's only a matter of time. YUJI is a must if you're serious about sushi or just want to experience something truly special in the SF dining scene.

My second time, first time was Oct'22. Meal was incredible and so thoughtfully executed, excellent service. Photos don't do the beauty of the presentation and taste justice. Highlights for me were the baby eel appetiser, the black cod with truffle, the wagyu and the clay pot rice. Incredible flavors!

Visit to Yuki in early May. Yuki is an omakase of kappo style. The experience is not focused on nigiri like many omakase in SF but on various cooking techniques. It's different and very good.The restaurant is in Japantown but not easy to find. It's upstairs from another restaurant with little signage. The restaurant is tiny. A counter, no tables, and no room to move around. I usually like intimate Japanese restaurants, but this one is really small. Maybe because of this, all the guests tended to whisper around the bar.When I went, there were 10 dishes on the menu:* appetizers: marinated baby eels / uni tofu / goma-ae / firefly squid with mustard miso vinegar* dobin mushi* sashimi moriawase: sayori, kinmedai, bluefin tuna (chutoro, I think)* grilled Chilean sea bass with sansho leaves sauce* tai shabu-shabu* chawanmushi* Japanese wagyu sukiyaki* shirauo tempura* truffle zosui with blue crab* matcha creme bruleeIt's a nice and well-balanced menu.Lovely appetizer platter to start. Different textures between the baby eels, uni tofu, and the refreshing crunch of goma-ae (green beans here).The Chilean sea bass was very good but slightly overcooked. The tai shabu-shabu was a pleasant surprise.The chawanmushi is topped with ikura and also has some mushrooms in the custard, which was nice.The Japanese wagyu is very good, but the sauce (egg yolk-based) should be lighter and in smaller quantity so it doesn't overpower the wagyu. The dish is sprinkled with truffles, but they had little flavor, unfortunately.Shirauo (young sweetfish) tempura was good and delicate.The truffle zosui, a kind of rice soup, is the last dish before dessert. Surprised to see a second dish with truffle. The dish is made with crab, but the amount used for all the guests is too small to really give flavor. The dish was a bit bland and ultimately disappointing.Overall rating: 4.5/5.0

We had the pleasure of dining at Yuji two months ago for my birthday dinner. The overall dining experience, food quality and presentation, ambiance, and service were excellent. The tiny, intimate restaurant seats nine patrons along a curved chef's table. Chef Yuji was a delight to meet; a real funny and nice guy. The menu rotates, but each course showcases a different style of cooking, such as cold appetizer, soup, sashimi, grilled fish, simmered dish, fried dish, meat dish, rice/soup, and dessert. My personal favorites were the grilled sea bass with yuzu miso sauce (meaty, flavorful), chawanmushi (velvety smooth with a play on different textures from ikura and shrimp), and wagyu steak (tender, fatty, and delicious). The omakase course was $158 per person, which is reasonably priced for a quality Japanese restaurant in San Francisco. Online reservation via Tock was an easy process, and you prepay the meal by credit card with 20% service charge. Any add-ons you have on day-of such as supplementals or drinks, you would pay separately in person. Cancellations with full refund allowed up to 3 days in advance.

Since I've last visited in 2022, Yuji has really improved quite a lot, and it shows great value and an unbeatable experience locally. Located at the top floor on the corner where Ichi-pub was, Kappo Yuji is a very hidden and snug bar with only bar seats and (possibly a private room, which I saw out the corner of my eye). Upon entering, you'll be greeted by your host and seated at the bar where the chef will serve you from.- Assorted appetizers -Marinated baby eel - very tasty, slightly larger than the noresore I'm used to, so it was quite more substantial of a bite. Served with a tasty sauce and grated gingerUni tofu - soft, slightly subtle flavor of uni Gomaae - green beans with sesame sauce, slightly crunchy vegetables with a plain sesame sauce. Refreshing, subtle, and balanced. Not as sweet or salty as some of the others I've had -- usually spinach.Firefly squid - One of my favorite seasonal fish is firefly squid, its always served with a sort of mustard miso vinegar sauce, which combines the perfect balance of savory, sweet, spicy, and sour.spot prawns w/ caviar - I personally am not the biggest fan of prawns, so this being a small bite really helped quite a bit, and it was surprisingly good. Similar milky/creamy texture you'd get from ika. Also quite sweet.- Soup -Claypot in Soup (Dobin mushi) - I really liked the presentation and flavors of the soup. There was a couple clams inside that you could eat if you prefer. I really enjoy dobin mushi with a few mushrooms inside, perhaps when it's the season.- Assorted sashimi -Today's fresh fish - saury, otoro, and kinmedai (?) were all very fresh and tasty. The saury had a bit of a crunch to it, like a satisfying snap. The otoro melted like butter. The kinmedai with a little bit of wasabi was just a perfect bite-- second only to the otoro wrapped in shiso leaf, flowers, and the rest of the fresh wasabi. The Shiso leaf, shiso flowers, and fresh wasabi were all presented very well with the sashimi.- Grilled Fish -Grilled Chilean sea bass - very tender and juicy fish the sansho leaves sauce didn't really give me any sansho flavor, just a sort of miso glaze. Served with half a pickled lotus root (not my favorite), and a roasted and chilled shishito pepper. - Warm dish -Tai shabu, red snapper shabushabu - this was a new dish to me at Yuji, definitely one of the more inventive presentations, with a sort of tea candle below what I assume to be an essential oil burner. It definitely worked as intended, and the fish quickly cooked was nice and tender with a little bit of a tangy flavor.- Warm dish -Chawanmushi - I always love a good chawanmushi, and this definitely hit the mark. Topped with a good amount of cold ikura, making the chawanmushi just the perfect balance of temperatures -- the hot and cold contrasting with each other was appealing to me. I also love that it had a good amount of ingredients inside, not just an 'egg custard' as most others will make.- Chef's special -Japanese Wagyu Sukiyaki - This has to be the thing that will have me coming back again and again. Chef's use of a whipped cream canister to aerate his sukiyaki sauce & egg yolk creates such an intriguing texture and flavor to this dish. I wrapped the meat around a small bundle of green onions, a few bits of truffle, and dip it in the sauce - the PERFECT bite. Absolutely my new favorite sukiyaki in the west.Supplemental wagyu nikuzushi - Equally as delicious, the wagyu nigiri with a little bit of truffle. If I ever win the lottery, I'll be having a whole tray of these.- Deep fried dish -Chiayu Tempura - young sweetfish, wrapped in a shiso leaf, battered, and fried. The fish itself was quite tasty, you can eat the whole fish without worrying about bones -- although, its head is quite bitter. Perhaps just not to my taste, I think it's perfect otherwise, with a dash of lemon and matcha salt.- Rice and Soup -Truffle zousui -- Truffle porridge with a bit of crab. Also quite tasty, and filling. It's a nice and simple way to end the meal. A bit of a twist from the usual ochazuke I've normally seen, especially after a tempura course.- Dessert -Matcha creme brulee - simple. Tasty.