Japanese Food and Cooking

Lunch in the FiDi: Finding the Area's Best Midday Meals

Shabuway's Answer to Arnold Palmer: Half and Half Hot Pot

Shabuway recently opened its first San Francisco location and sixth overall in the Bay Area. Launched in San Mateo in 2004, the specialist of the Japanese hot pot style called shabu shabu opened subsequent locations in Mountain View, San Jose, Union City, and Santa Clara before venturing to San Fran ... More >>

Meat Week, Creamsicles, and Vegan Pizza Day, Hurrah!

​ OMG VEGAN PIZZA DAY IS TOMORROW! Get excited, guys. Here's the lowdown from my beloved Laura at Vegansaurus: 1. Beretta: Deal of the Vegan Pizza Day=broccolini, onion, ginger, olives, capers, and tomatoes, delightful vegan cheese. Plus, COCKTAILS. Love, love, love! 2. Patxi's: Buy one, get one ... More >>

Butter Ramen Is a Real Thing: A Japan Center Find

On a recent late evening in Japan Center, we ducked into one of the only still-open restaurants, Sapporo-Ya, for a healthy bowl of ramen. That plan was quickly foiled once we noticed an option called butter ramen, which should no longer be the secret domain of ramenistas. Butter ramen is exactly wh ... More >>

"Jiro Dreams of Sushi": Examines the Labors and Their Fruits

Hey, Ramen Lovers: Semi-Secret Ramen Pop-Up Hits Half Moon Bay on Tuesday

What: Ramen Night pop up in Half Moon Bay Where: Flavor Restaurant, 10151 Cabrillo Hwy, El Granada, CA 94019 When: Tue. March 13, 4:30-10 p.m. Cost: $24 for 3 courses, appetizer choice of ramen dessert The rundown: Since ramen fanatics will travel any distance to find a good bowl of ramen, i ... More >>

Izakaya Yuzuki: Painstakingly Crafted Japanese Food

Shuttered Namu Pops Back Up at Four Barrel

Kathy W.Namu's ramen.​What: Namu Pop-up Where: Four Barrel When: Fri., January 13 Cost: $25 The rundown: Namu left a hole in the Japanese-American-Korean food scene of San Francisco when it shut down on New Year's Eve. But don't worry, Japanese-American-Korean food lovers, Namu is back w ... More >>

Jeremy Tooker's 2011 Food Finds: Ramen Dojo, Super Duper, and Mission Chinese

​SFoodie is calling up food types around the city to ask them about their favorite discovery of the past year, whether it's new or ancient, an ingredient or a person. We'll be running their responses over the course of the next 10 days. Jeremy Tooker of Four Barrel shares with us his three favori ... More >>

2G Brasserie Has a Whiz at the Sushi Bar

​When 2G Brasserie opened at the back of Opera Plaza seven months ago, it had an intriguing menu and one of San Francisco's most respected sushi chefs, Masaki Sasaki, making nigiri. But Sasaki soon left to open Hecho downtown, and the restaurant's ambitions seemed to flag. (The ginormous restauran ... More >>

Ramen Week Revisited: Hapa Ramen Steps Up Its Game

Luis ChongThe new and improved Hapa Ramen.​SFoodie has been a fan of Hapa Ramen since its inception last year. Common in Japan, it's currently the only ramen street vendor in San Francisco. We've long adored Hapa Ramen's sous-vide egg, crisp and tender chicken katsu nuggets, and succulent pork ... More >>

Beyond Basic Sushi: Learn Sashimi Knife Skills at Delica

mikikoando.com​Sashimi Knife Skills at Delica Where: Delica, 1 Ferry Plaza (at Embarcadero), 834-0344 When: Sat., April 23, 5:30-8:30 p.m. Cost: $100 The rundown: Mikiko Ando, executive chef at Delica, brings over 20 years of finely honed experience to the sushi table. At this weekend's sashimi c ... More >>

The Most Americanized Sushi San Francisco Has to Offer

Lou BustamanteIs it a maki roll? A burrito? The sushirrito is ― well ― both.​This week's review was born out of a desperate curiosity to try the sushirrito. The day Sushirrito opened, offering a simple premise ― sushi burritos ― it was overwhelmed by swarms of FiDi diners. Was the sushir ... More >>

Drink 2011: Sake to Me

Who Makes This Sushi Roll?

Tamara Palmer​Sushi in San Francisco is not bound by tradition; a full palette of strange, rolled-up offerings await in the city's many Japanese restaurants. Can you name this wild sushi roll and the S.F. restaurant where this picture was taken? Answers in the comments below. Congratulations ... More >>

Oidon's Champon, the Un-Tonkotsu

Luis ChongDespite appearances, champon, a noodle soup with roots in Nagasaki, bears little relation to tonkotsu ramen.​Thursday, December 23, 2010 Luis Chong​Cold, wet days call for hearty comfort dishes. One of our favorites is a popular noodle soup from Nagasaki, Japan, called champo ... More >>

Unusual Warabi Mochi at Japantown's Kissako Tea

Luis ChongWarabi mochi, an unusual sweet at Kissako Tea in Japantown.​Next time you're in Japantown to enjoy ramen at popular Suzu Noodle House, do yourself a favor and stop by the nearby odd-looking little shop next to the stairwell. Kissako Tea offers some unique sweet treats ― check the d ... More >>

Ken Ken at The Corner: Gentler Broth, Tastier Pork

Luis ChongMiso ramen, $11.​Ken Ken's re-launch last night at new location The Corner attracted many Mission residents (and a few neighborhood restaurant owners) eager to sample the goods. Approaching the entrance on 18th Street, we spied Ken Ken's signature red paper lantern: We were in the r ... More >>

Fresh Eats: We recommend Reverie's pozole and Ajisen's ramen

Getting Schooled at Ino, and Other Acts of Discovery

guysketchy/FlickrChef Ino-san will check you.​We were about to put some gorgeously fatty ankimo (monkfish liver) into our mouth, but at the last second threw a sliver of pickled ginger on top. And that's where we went terribly wrong: We pissed off the chef. "No!" snapped chef Ino-san, his fac ... More >>

Spam Sushi's So Much Better When It's Warm

Hot, processed, and mighty good.​There are two things you need to accept ― believe in, really ― to enjoy the Spam musubis at Hawaiian Drive-Inn in the Excelsior. Number one: Spam tastes good. Maybe not on its own. Maybe not even fried with eggs and garlic fried rice. But fried, marinated in te ... More >>

Doggy Bag: Could JapaDog Find Love in S.F.?

A JapaDog stand in Vancouver.​Our favorite morsel from the blogs. Bun fusion: At Mission Mission, Burritojustice guest-laments S.F.'s lack of JapaDog, Vancouver's multicart street-food phenom, featuring hot dogs sexed up with maki fixins: teriyaki, seaweed, edamame, okonomiyaki sauce, grated ... More >>

Tonight: Mission Street Food Apologizes to Vegans

T. PalmerLung Shan's Vegan Delight is offered at every Mission Street Food meal.​Tonight's animal-free menu at Mission Street Food is a peace offering to local vegans, especially those who were ticked off by a recent carnivorous meal in honor of a vegetarian charity and by the departure of the bel ... More >>

Mysterious Hayes Valley Ramen Truck Rolls Out Tomorrow -- We Think

Shirohige Ramen-YaIs a ramen truck poised to hit Hayes Valley?​UPDATE 3:20 p.m.: Turns out Shirohige Ramen-Ya will debut this weekend, Dec. 5-6, not Dec. 3-4 as reported here. According to a late-morning tweet, tomorrow marks the debut of Shirohige Ramen-Ya, a San Francisco street-food ramen t ... More >>

Soon-to-Drop McSweeney's Skews Foodie with Chang, Farr, Roadkill

McSweeney'sChang stuffs something in his mouth besides his kitchen clog.​We're so excited about the upcoming star-studded 33rd issue of McSweeney's -- a.k.a. The San Francisco Panorama ($16), an esoteric, 320-page riff on the newspaper form -- mainly because roughly 5 percent of those pages wi ... More >>

Cop a Preview of Nombe's Mod Izakaya Dishes at Mission Street Food

Jesse Friedman/BeerandNosh.comMight be worth putting up with this.​Within weeks, Nombe, a joint venture of O Izakaya's Nick Balla (along with Mari Takahashi and Gil Payne of Sozai) promises to bring a blend of traditional and contemporary izakaya food -- Japanese tapas-like dishes that go well ... More >>

Yoshoku Rock: Italy Meets Japan On the Bridge

T. PalmerChef Mitsu's food has bite, too.​Crossing Japan Center's Webster Street sky walk, we've made mental promises to eat at On the Bridge (1581 Webster at Post) for so many years, it's embarrassing. It's always looked so bright and fun, and chef Mitsu Nakamura's menu featuring Japanese remixes ... More >>

Thawing Out with Sushi: A SFoodie Lunch Planner

​Friday, October 9, 2009 If you're anywhere near the Outer Richmond at lunchtime, chances are you're articulated extremities will feel as frosty as Otter Pops. Understandably, cold fish is a hard sell. But, suggests SF Weekly restaurant critic Meredith Brody, the sushi here is so good you mig ... More >>

Losing the Sea Legs: A SFoodie Lunch Planner

​Wednesday, September 2, 2009 Forget the corner deli and its grab-n-go boxes of California roll, the ones filled with that janky sea legs goo. Instead, scoop up something altogether more interesting, says SF Weekly restaurant critic Meredith Brody, in the fried shrimp cake, wasabi garlic pota ... More >>

Cooling Off in the Sunset, Finding Dodgy Glam in the Mission, and Going Euro in SOMA: A Foodie Day Planner

​Thursday, August 13, 2009 Let's do lunch: Who knows, might even be hot in the Sunset today. SF Weekly food critic Meredith Brody says cool off with vegetable tempura and cold zaru soba at Hotei (1290 Ninth Ave. at Irving). Drink therapy: No DJs tonight, but who cares? Console yourself with ... More >>

Noodle Theory fuses Asian noodles with quality ingredients and zesty spicing

The Five Best Meat Sushi Offerings in S.F.

Tataki's Early Bird is the best meat sushi roll in town.Where's the beef? Sushi rolls are not just for fish anymore. We've noticed a meaty trend in S.F.'s numerous sushi restaurants, and while it isn't always the best idea, these five sure hit the spot:1. Early Bird Roll (filet mignon, avocado, aspa ... More >>

Drink of the Week: The Knockout's Rootbeer Float

SF Weekly's Seven Day Dish

Best Salad Bar

Best Sushi

Fry Me a River

Grub

Best Sushi and Then Some

Moki's Sushi and Pacific Grill

Best Atmosphere at a Sushi Restaurant

Blowfish, Sushi to Die For

Best Sushi, Pool, and Keno

Peko Sushi

Heartless Beauty

Chaya Brasserie

Battle Sushi

Prosperity Gods Smile on Inner Sunset

The Zen of Grilling

The World of Sushi

In Quest of the Perfect Sushi

Dish

Shock of the Raw

Hanabi's sushi captures the pastel flavors of the sea

Rock Fish

Flying Kamikazes matches fine sushi with an AOR soundtrack

Up to Your Gills

All-you-can-eat sushi menus are a deal - and a distant second to ordering a la carte