Top 10 Best Japanese Restaurants Near Pleasanton, California
We know finding the best SF Bay Area Restaurants Where They Cook In Front Of You can be difficult, so we put together this detailed list of the best of the best so you can make your decision wisely. Each of these amazing restaurants offers a wide variety of cuisine, from Hibachi-Style Japanese food to delicious steak houses that can’t be beaten. We are truly blessed to live in such an amazing area. This list of delicious restaurants is ever-changing and expanding, so please check back often. If you find another location that should be listed here – or one that should be removed – please let us know!
1. Kimono Restaurant | 6770 Santa Rita Road, Pleasanton, California 94588, (925) 737-0138
About: Kimono Restaurant opened its first location in 2015 in Benicia, and then in Pleasanton in 2019. Their mission is to provide hibachi favorites like freshly-grilled Hibachi Steak, Chicken, and Shrimp, as well as sushi and sashimi for discerning parties. Besides the freshness of ingredients, what sets them apart is the entertainment, with grill chefs who create masterpieces right in front of you, all with flashes of style and grace that are sure to make any date night a memorable one. A hotspot for families, friends, and coworkers, this modern take on Japanese cuisine is sure to impress.
Cuisine Offered: Traditional hibachi cuisine including Steak, Chicken, and Shrimp as well as fried rice and vegetables. Also a plethora of sushi, sashimi, and other hand-made appetizers. Complementing the cuisine is a full bar captained by a professional mixologist creating amazing cocktails that are sure to blow your mind.
What Makes them Different: It’s gotta be the hibachi grill manned by their renowned chefs. The Steak, Chicken, Shrimp, and Vegetables are grilled right in front of you by highly skilled and enthusiastic chefs who entertain while grilling in traditional Japanese style.
2. House of Kenji | 1335 N First Street, San Jose, California 95112
(408) 4538127
About: House of Genji is a restaurant that serves a variety of lunch and dinner dishes as well as beverages. The restaurant, which has been open since 1971, specialized in Japanese food. It offers a wide range of beef, chicken, and seafood options. In Silicon Valley, the restaurant caters to both families and business clients.
Cuisine Offered: House of Genji menu includes soups, salads, appetizers, desserts, side dishes, and entrees. Succulent shrimp, filet mignon, and beef and New York steaks are also available at the restaurant. Fried rice with carrots, onions, and eggs is available.
What Makes them Different: House of Genji is an iconic restaurant in Silicon Valley that has been serving exquisite food for over 30 years. Their chefs use only the finest ingredients to prepare your meal right before your eyes on their Teppan grill, it’s no wonder why so many people continue coming back.
3. Kiraku | 2566 B Telegraph Avenue, Berkeley, California 94704
(510) 848-2758
About: Kiraku strives to provide an authentic izakaya experience, unlike any other Japanese restaurant in America. Kiraku aspires to promote the wonders of this method of dining to as many people as possible by mimicking the style of a popular modern izakaya in Japan. Kiraku, which literally means “to relax,” opened in July 2011 with the goal of easing the stress of everyday life by providing beer, sake, small dishes, and a welcoming ambiance in which to enjoy the company of others. When you sit down and are given a warm oshibori towel, it will instantly lift your mood and set the tone for the rest of your visit.
Cuisine Offered: A hidden gem in the heart of downtown, this izakaya style Japanese tapas restaurant features locally sourced ingredients and is perfect for those looking to try something different.
What Makes them Different: The chef is passionate about cooking and hopes to bring the flavors of Japan, in particular izakaya-style dining which he loves so much from his home country, into a new setting. With French training as well since 18 years old Daiki has been making dishes with local ingredients for patrons who are looking forward experiencing something different than what’s usually offered around.
4. Wako Japanese Restaurant | 211 Clement St, San Francisco, CA 94118 (415) 682-4875
About: The Richmond District is located in the San Francisco suburbs. Wako Japanese Restaurant is a sushi restaurant located on Clement Street, widely known as second Chinatown. It first opened in 2014, and the Michelin Guide awarded it its first of four straight one-star ratings in 2016. It’s a small restaurant with only 22 seats (8 at the counter) with a soothing interior design that incorporates a lot of wood. Locals make up the majority of the clientele, and many people come here to celebrate special occasions.
Cuisine Offered: Wako Japanese Restaurant serves traditional and fashionable Japanese food. The menu is diverse, and each item is presented in an original and artistic plating way. The restaurant prepares modern meals while maintaining the originality of the food, resulting in an unique dining experience. Customers can choose from 9 to 11 different food courses, all of which go well with sake, wine, and beer. The inside is well decorated, with wood-furnished tables and Japanese-themed wall art. Wako serves traditional Japanese cuisine that can be shared with family and friends.
What Makes them Different: Wako’s restaurant is the place to go for a classic Japanese experience. For 22 years, they’ve been serving up quality food in an exciting Teppan style while maintaining high levels of service.
5. Benihana – 1737 Post Street, San Francisco, California
(415) 563-4844
About: Benihana in San Francisco, located in Japan Town, boasts a famous blue tile roof and Japanese castle-like architecture that is popular with both locals and tourists. While shopping at Peace Plaza mall, look through the enormous glass windows to see teppanyaki cooks in operation at the grill. Enjoy a large range of domestic and imported beer, wine from around the world, and specialty cocktails in the Benihana tradition at the newly refurbished cocktail lounge and sushi bar.
Cuisine Offered: If you’re in search of a great restaurant with an authentic Japanese flair, head to Benihana. The chefs cook their food right before your eyes on black teppanyaki grills and prepare exquisite cocktails using fresh ingredients from around the world!.
What Makes them Different: Guests are seated at communal hibachi grill tables in groups, where their personal chef will perform the ancient art of Teppanyaki. Watch as chefs slice and dice, preparing a meal that will dazzle the eyes as well as the taste buds, whether choose mouth-watering steak, tender chicken, or succulent seafood. Guests can also enjoy sushi and sashimi prepared by a talented sushi chef and indulge in our famous, award-winning signature hot sake or a specialty cocktail.
6. Lolinda – 2518 Mission Street San Francisco, California 94110
(415) 550-6970
About: Lolinda is a unique Argentinean steakhouse in San Francisco’s Mission District that blends Latin American tastes with California influences. There are both indoor and outdoor seating options, making it a great spot for date nights or unexpected company visits to town, as well as two full bars.
Cuisine Offered: Latin American, Spanish, and Argentina-inspired cuisine. Seven distinct varieties of grass-fed, grain-finished beef cuts ranging from short ribs to blood sausage cooked over a wood-fired grill are available. Ceviche with a few vegetarian options including pastel de choclo (corn-crusted squash with onions, raisins, and olives) and platano al horno (ripe plantains with queso fresco, and jicama salsa). Artisanal cocktails, piscos, tequilas, and a wine list that includes sherry and port from Portugal, Spain, Chile, and Argentina. A fantastic assortment of European and South American beers is available.
What Makes them Different: Offers a variety of meats cooked to perfection over the asador (grill), as well as ceviche, empanadas, specialties, and grilled skewers. The restaurant has a range of meeting rooms & event spaces, with the largest able to accommodate a maximum of 220 for a banquet and up to 350 guests for a standing reception.
7. McCormick & Kuleto’s Seafood & Steaks 900 North Point Street, San Francisco, California 94109 (415) 929-1730
About: McCormick & Schmick’s has strong roots dating back to 1974, and has a long history of serving amazing seafood, steaks, oysters, and beverages with exceptional service in exceptional locations. Chef-inspired cuisine, award-winning happy hour, vibrant bars, hand-crafted Mixology, and world-class private dining event venues have made them famous. What makes McCormick & Schmick’s the iconic and successful business that it is today is the combination of an open imagination and a reverence for tradition.
Cuisine Offered: With a commitment to freshness, the menu features seasonal seafood, exquisite steaks, and signature oysters. The menu incorporates regional tastes, farm fresh products, and local and sustainably sourced ingredients wherever possible, from their seasonal Wild Isles Salmon caught off the coast of Scotland’s Shetland Islands to their Hawaiian Seafood overnighted from the Honolulu Fish Auction and Wild Pacific Northwest Salmon pulled from pristine river waters.
What Makes them Different: McCormick & Schmick’s is the perfect place for a nice, casual dinner with family or friends. They offer an exclusive selection of signature oysters sourced from their own private beds as well as plenty more dishes to choose from including steaks and soups.
8. Brasas do Brazil Brazilian Steakhouse 1631 Willow Pass Road, Concord, California 94520 (925) 822-3474
About: The Brasas do Brazil Brazilian Steakhouse is an upscale, stone-accented restaurant with grilled meats served tableside & an assortment of fresh salads.
Cuisine Offered: The Brasas do Brazilian Steakhouse is an authentic Brazilian steakhouse that specializes in grilled meat cooked the authentic way – over an open flame with natural charcoal. It is the finest all-you-can-eat buffet with continuous table-side service.
What Makes them Different: The Brazilian cowboys serve the client slices of meat from their skewers – steak, chicken, pork, and lamb. This service style is known as rodizio and is quite popular in Brazil. A colorful and delicious salad bar with a variety of salads, vegetables, and greens; as well as cured meats and aged / imported cheeses adds to the wide range of meats.
9. Fog Harbor Fish House – Pier 39 San Francisco, California 94133 (415) 969-2010
About: The Fog Harbor Fish House, which is ranked among the top 5 restaurants in San Francisco on Yelp, offers the perfect San Francisco waterfront dining experience. Take in breathtaking views of the San Francisco Bay and Golden Gate Bridge while dining on sustainable seafood and meats fresh caught that day.
Cuisine Offered: With menu selections like Garlic Roasted Dungeness Crab, Fish N Chips, Steaks, Cioppino, and our Award-Winning Clam Chowder, Fog Harbor Fish House offers the ideal San Francisco waterfront dining experience. Every table on the second level of PIER 39 offers excellent views of the San Francisco Bay, including Alcatraz, the PIER 39 Sea Lions, and the Golden Gate Bridge.
What Makes them Different: Fog Harbor Fish House is a waterfront restaurant that specializes in a variety of seafood dishes, including their award-winning Clam Chowder and Garlic Roasted Whole Dungeness Crab. Diners may enjoy the beautiful sights of San Francisco Bay while watching the chefs prepare freshly caught fish and bake traditional sourdough bread every day, as voted Best Scenic View in San Francisco.
10. Hana Japan Steak & Seafood 235 University Avenue Berkeley Marina Berkeley, California 94710 (510) 848-8515
About: Hana Japan Steak & Seafood has been providing Teppanyaki cuisine since 1979, and is a family-owned and managed restaurant in the Bay Area.Diners may take advantage of birthday discounts when they visit with groups of four or more. The restaurant is one of California’s finest teppanyaki style steak and seafood Japanese restaurants, located in the beautiful setting of the Berkeley Marina.
Cuisine Offered: Teppanyaki-style dishes are the specialty of Hana Japan Steak & Seafood. The cuisine includes grilled seafood options as well as alternatives for landlubbers. For a delectable dinner, try the hibachi salmon or the restaurant’s popular New York steak. A salad with its distinctive organic Hana dressing, steamed rice, and seasonal veggies is included with dinner selections. Gluten-free and vegan meals, as well as a kid-friendly menu, can also be found on the menu at Hana Japan.
What Makes them Different: Teppanyaki grills are used to prepare food in front of guests for a memorable dining experience. Its objective is to offer guests with special moments by cooking delicious meals for them at their table, sharing in the fun and connection
Are You Looking for an Exciting Night of Delicious Japanese Food and Amazing Entertainment?
If you’re looking for the perfect place to take your family for food, fun, and entertainment Kimono Restaurant can’t be beaten! Join us today and experience the Kimono difference. We have a passion for Teppanyaki cuisine and love how it mixes delicious eats with entertainment. First and foremost, we start with the highest quality, freshest ingredients then prepare them right in front of you on our hibachi grills. This preparation is where the entertainment comes in, as we hire the most talented Teppanyaki chefs to chop, flip and generally impress you with an array of tricks to take your eating experience to the next level. With locations in Benicia and Pleasanton, visit us today for an amazing experience!