Izakaya Shodai — Restaurant in Oakland

Update:

Came back again and the udon tasted even better than the first time! Got to try the wings this time which were superb, they also changed their potato salad to a perfectly breaded potato croquette. Uni was on the menu, so we got some nigiri’s as well as topped it on our udon! Their clam risotto was also super unique and had a ton of texture. Another big surprise was the crab cake sushi roll which was a deep fried sushi roll stuffed with real crab meat, and they do not skimp on the crab! Overall another amazing experience again and I cannot wait for the full menu. —— They say good things are worth waiting for and I waited all year for izakaya shodai to open, and it did not disappoint!

Gorgeous modern interior inside with plentiful seating. Soft opening so menu is more condensed but gives a good idea of what to expect from this establishment.

I tried the mentaiko udon, beef tongue skewer, tuna tataki, and was also given the curry fries on the house. Fav was the beef tongue, proper cut with a perfect smokiness to it since it was grilled over charcoal, just salt and pepper is the way to go! Mentaiko udon did not skimp on the mentaiko, most places just add a creamy sauce to cover up the fact that they don’t have enough mentaiko, whereas shodai is generous with it. Noodles had a perfect bounciness to it, only slight miss is it was a tad oily, but otherwise delicious and came with a side of potato salad. Tataki was seared to perfection with great sauce and flavoring. The curry fries were also good, I think it might be better if the curry was on the side for dipping so the fries can retain its crispiness; but it was refreshing to see a dark curry dish whereas most places usually serve light curry.

Cannot wait to come back and see what else is to come. Had a chance to speak with the managing partner Andy, and there are definitely some additions to the menu that I will for sure want to be the first to try (hello...

This place is a must-visit in Oakland!! The food is out of this world amazing!! We just got back from 3 weeks in Japan, the nigiri and sashimi were on a par with the best we had in Japan. The chicken thigh skewer was hot, tender, juicy and had a fantastic smoky flavor - straight from the grill, as it was! The owner is super friendly (served us complementary drinks and some appetizers to celebrate their soft opening). If you are looking for high quality Japanese cuisine in Oakland you must try...

Been waiting for them to open ever since they put their sign up! Definitely gonna be a regular! I tried their ceviche, nigiri, beef tongue skewer, and mentaiko udon. The beef skewer and mentaiko udon were phenomenal. The skewer was perfectly cooked, crispy exterior but not overcooked on the inside, best thing i had there. Mentaiko udon had insane amount of umami per bite. Only constructive feedback would be the ceviche was quite strong in taste in profile as...