SAGA Kitchen — Restaurant in Alameda

I'm giving 5 stars to raise the avg score. This place is about 4.7 in my rating strictly speaking about the sushi.

This is not the high profile Omakase places like Utzutzu in the area but quality comes pretty close, not requiring weeks in advance reservations for $100+ per person menu.

Comparing quality to local places in Alameda such as Yokohama, Yojimbo, Sushi House - SAGA has chutoro, ottoro, negitoro and offers uni for topping in Kaisen Don and Omakase that the other three don't have. So definitely one scale higher than those places.

I've also noticed they ferment the sushi longer (granted it was intended) than other places. Hence the texture could be more mushy, but I enjoyed this. Some of the most innovative Omakase places I've been to experiment with different days of fermentation and allowed for tasting to compare the texture of the same fish meat. So I've learned to appreciate the difference in that sense.

Within the same league as SAGA, there is Hashigawa in the area. They have better aesthetics on the sushi but that's pretty much it. It's 4.3 on my scale because I prefer more fermentation. I find SAGA to be more unique and the 20% off first 5 order promotion through the app gives me better bang for the buck. Like the other reviewer said, it's a gem in the neighborhood for sushi lovers if they are consistant with the quality.

I also saw others ordering sushi + ramen, or karaage, etc. So you get more options. I'm skeptical of places doing too many things outside of their specialty, but at least the ramen and fried menu looked enticing enough. So I'll be trying that combination out next time (hopefully by then they can fix the issue with applying the promotion code on their app).

Update 11/14/2021 - Been here now 3 times. Beats all competitors in Alameda in every aspect. Rice is better, fermentation is great, sauces are good and their Omakase menu was best bang for the buck Ive seen in the area. Prob now the best Sushi place in Alameda in it's league.

Their Tonkotsu Ramen broth was flavorful and love their packaging separating soup from the noodles and chashu. Their curry goes great with rice and Tonkatsu was thick and well fried.

Will continue exoloring their...

Poor service and organization, dirty dishes, mediocre food, and an owner who won't take responsibility for mistakes. They need to shape up on basics before trying to be trendy with a robot server that doesn't work. Check out the other 1 star reviews and expect long wait times.

My mom and I ordered the Negi Hama roll and White Tiger roll for lunch today, and they wouldn't take our order at the counter. Okay, no problem. We scanned the QR code at our table, but had to go back in to order anyways since there wasn't a cash option.

Just ordering shouldn't have so much unnecessary struggle, but we were still in good spirits. That is, until we waited over 30 minutes with no word on our food. Not to mention how their food delivering robot was stuck at the door repeating "something's in my way!" for at least 15 minutes. I watched an adjacent table wait that entire time for their dim sum, which was trapped inside the robot. Staff and the owner were inside but no one did anything about it.

We watched others who had come long after us get their food, so my mom decided to go in and ask about our order. When the owner finally brought our sushi out, there was no ginger, a sauce dish had an old piece of dried scallion stuck to it, and the White Tiger roll ($17!) was missing an entire ingredient (no avocado). My mom asked for chopsticks, and was understandably frustrated about the overall poor experience (she could have handled her temper better as well). The owner retaliated saying this is a no-service restaurant, and that we could either sit and eat our food or get a refund. We ate our incorrectly made food and watched him serve other tables at the "no-service" restaurant. I regret not opting for the refund.

Advice for the owner:

1. Put up signs explaining how to order and what to expect. Have more patience for the elderly locals in Alameda.
2. If you make a mistake, apologize and try to make things better instead of blaming the customer. We understand how busy the lunch rush can get; we just want to be treated like human beings.
3. If you see your robot struggling, help it! It's not as cute when it's repeating its distress calls...

So, I live just a hop, skip, and a jump away from this sushi joint, and I've swung by a few times before. But today, man, I woke up with a serious sushi craving that just wouldn't quit. It was a lazy Sunday afternoon, and I figured, why not treat myself?

I decided to go all out and ordered the salmon and avocado roll, a spider roll (because who can resist that crispy soft-shell crab?), some miso soup, and a special sushi piece loaded with uni, ikura, and toro. Let me tell you, the sushi here is legit! The rolls were huge and packed with the freshest ingredients. Every bite was like a little party in my mouth. But the real showstopper was that special sushi piece. The uni, ikura, and toro combo was out of this world! It tasted like it was plucked straight from the ocean.

The only thing that was a bit of a bummer was the miso soup. Don't get me wrong, it was still tasty, but I was kind of bummed that it didn't have the usual tofu and seaweed that I've come to love.

Now, I placed my order through DoorDash, and even though the app said it was ready, I had to wait a few minutes when I got there. No biggie, though. I got to chill at the bar and watch the sushi chef do their thing. It was like watching an artist at work. Plus, the staff were super friendly and made me feel right at home.

The vibe of this place is pretty sweet, too. They've got plenty of seating inside and out, and the interior is just so dang cute and cozy. It's definitely the kind of spot where you could hang out and enjoy your sushi without feeling rushed.

All in all, even with the minor hiccup with the miso soup and the short wait, this sushi spot is a total gem. The quality is top-notch, the portions are generous, and the service is on point. I know I'll be coming back whenever that sushi...