I Have Been to Every High End Japanese Restaurant in the Bay (Review/Ranking) – December / Q4 2025 Update
I Have Been to Every High End Japanese Restaurant in the Bay (Review/Ranking) – December / Q4 2025 Update
by NoodleThings
9 Comments
NoodleThings
With the holidays coming up, I wanted to get an updated version of this out so folks could make an informed decision on where to book a special holiday meal.
The review is currently updated for all higher end / chef driven Japanese focused restaurants in the SF Bay Area including new openings since the last version like the new An, Sushi Kinsen and more. If you notice any notable omissions, let me know n I’ll go there and update the doc.
One notable omission is Fu Hui Hua, I have left that off because they are going for a more Chinese experience even if there are things borrowed from their time in Japan. If I were to put it on this list, it would be at the top – I think it is the best restaurant here right now.
NoodleThings
Not to shill or anything either but if yall know anyone in Tokyo on 12/12, I’m also looking for someone to join my kurosaki lunch reservation lmao. It’ll be w kurosaki
SeldomWrong
This is an amazing guide, do you have one for New York? Have you been to Sushi Inomata in Saitama?
Bookandaglassofwine
Wow, I read the whole thing. Question: what omakase would you recommend in SF or East Bay that is under $200pp (excluding drinks)? Any under $150 worth mentioning?
betwizt
I’ve heard good things about Yoshizumi… the only one on my list to go
sheuv
Thanks for the guide–appreciate the detail! Small suggestion: Realize it might be a lot of work but I found myself hoping for a quick “last updated” or “last been” date for the entries. Saw that a lot of the descriptions mention a rough timeframe and wasn’t sure how often you update.
SaltWaterTafffy
aw man, sucks to hear the friends only has dropped so much. it was next on my go to list
runlikehella
Thanks for this guide! Curious, when you say that Yoshizumi has “modified edomae sushi for the American palate to great effect,” what do you mean by that? And how does it compare to places in NYC like Sushi Noz and Nakazawa (if you’ve been)?
geniespool
I haven’t had the chance to visit sushi shin the last two years, but I agree with your assessment from 2 years ago. Wonder what changed.
9 Comments
With the holidays coming up, I wanted to get an updated version of this out so folks could make an informed decision on where to book a special holiday meal.
Review here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1jHAZAxL2vURZOt4JCVbC1HlXx-58fVBLGAeqeu71-aE/edit?usp=drivesdk
The review is currently updated for all higher end / chef driven Japanese focused restaurants in the SF Bay Area including new openings since the last version like the new An, Sushi Kinsen and more. If you notice any notable omissions, let me know n I’ll go there and update the doc.
One notable omission is Fu Hui Hua, I have left that off because they are going for a more Chinese experience even if there are things borrowed from their time in Japan. If I were to put it on this list, it would be at the top – I think it is the best restaurant here right now.
Not to shill or anything either but if yall know anyone in Tokyo on 12/12, I’m also looking for someone to join my kurosaki lunch reservation lmao. It’ll be w kurosaki
This is an amazing guide, do you have one for New York? Have you been to Sushi Inomata in Saitama?
Wow, I read the whole thing. Question: what omakase would you recommend in SF or East Bay that is under $200pp (excluding drinks)? Any under $150 worth mentioning?
I’ve heard good things about Yoshizumi… the only one on my list to go
Thanks for the guide–appreciate the detail! Small suggestion: Realize it might be a lot of work but I found myself hoping for a quick “last updated” or “last been” date for the entries. Saw that a lot of the descriptions mention a rough timeframe and wasn’t sure how often you update.
aw man, sucks to hear the friends only has dropped so much. it was next on my go to list
Thanks for this guide! Curious, when you say that Yoshizumi has “modified edomae sushi for the American palate to great effect,” what do you mean by that? And how does it compare to places in NYC like Sushi Noz and Nakazawa (if you’ve been)?
I haven’t had the chance to visit sushi shin the last two years, but I agree with your assessment from 2 years ago. Wonder what changed.