Okane — Restaurant in San Francisco

I took advantage of that fact that I was In the area for a nearby art exhibition last weekend to come and try Okane while they were still new, and hopefully, not too crowded. Coming in around 8pm without a reservation, my date and I were lucky enough to get seated almost immediately, at the last open table at the time.

Now, I've never been to Omakase, and I'm admittedly not a huge fan of sashimi. However, Okane has branded itself as an izakaya, and I ordered accordingly, for the most part::

Sake Lees Alaskan Black Cod - I use black cod as a baseline to judge izakayas by, and while theirs wasn't bad, it was lighter in flavor than I would have expected, and not nearly as melt-in-your-mouth tender as I would have liked.

Toriteba Karaage - A little bland on its own, but very flavorful when paired with the accompanying spicy mayo and shiso salt. But, I mean, these were just chicken wings. Sorry: expensive, chicken wings. For the same price, I could have gone to Hot Sauce and Panko and gotten almost 3x as many wings, that would have been both more flavorful and juicier.

Chawanmushi - A very, very delicately flavored chawanmushi, compared to the ones I've had in the past. Not to the point of being bland, but given the two things we'd eaten right before, it definitely was on the light side, comparatively.

Shinjuku Roll - By far the best thing we had that night, and the only thing I'd consider coming back here for. It's basically a California roll (with real crab) with a hefty portion of torched wagyu beef on top. The flavor of the California roll portion was a little more dominant than the beef, but you could definitely taste both. Pricey, at $25 for seven pieces, but more reasonable when considering the components than the other items were.

So, the problem with Okane isn't that the food is bad, because it's not. The problem is that, for the price (we ended up spending $40 per person after tax and tip) and the small portions, I'm expecting the food to be fantastic, if not stellar, and that, these were not. The value just isn't there. If you want a solid izakaya experience, you're better off going to Kiraku in Berkeley for something casual, or Izakaya Yuzuki in the Mission for something fancier.

Accessibility Info

Venue - It's a brand new restaurant, so accessibility isn't a problem, with plenty of space and accessible tables.

Bathroom - Single, private bathrooms, and...

Okane offers a nice change of pace from its Michelin-starred sibling, Omakase. Located right next door, Okane provides a more relaxed vibe for enjoying Japanese comfort food. Think shareable plates, creative rolls, and other Asian specialties.

The restaurant itself is intimate, with limited indoor seating, including bar stools. It creates a cozy atmosphere, perfect for a casual date night or catching up with friends. Reservations are recommended, especially on weekends, to avoid a wait.

Our server, Yui, was fantastic. He was attentive and friendly, even taking the time to chat with us about the menu and the nigiri as he was preparing them.

We opted for the nigiri combo, hamachi carpaccio, uni nigiri, and Wakadori Karaage (crispy chicken). The hamachi carpaccio was a bit underwhelming – the slices were thinner than we expected. We also had to request ginger (after our first few dishes), which seemed like an oversight.

The star of the show, however, was definitely the nigiri combo. Our 10 pc. nigiri combo included -

Hirame Shima aji Hamachi Salomon belly Kurodai Ikura Maguro Hokkaido scallop Japanese baracuda Toro with caviar

Each piece featured generous cuts of fresh fish. My personal favorites were the kurodai, salmon belly, Japanese barracuda, and the splurge-worthy toro with caviar. These were melt-in-your-mouth delicious!

On the other hand, the uni nigiri was a bit of a letdown. At only $18 for two pieces, it felt like a steal, but unfortunately, the uni itself wasn't as sweet as we'd hoped and had a bit of a fishy aftertaste.

The Wakadori Karaage was decent but a bit dry and could have used more sauce for the amount of chicken.

Okane is a decent choice for a casual Japanese dining experience. The fresh fish in the nigiri combo was excellent, especially some of the premium cuts. The service was friendly and attentive. However, a few minor stumbles with the hamachi carpaccio, uni, and karaage kept it from being a perfect experience.

If you're looking for a more relaxed take on Japanese cuisine with a focus on fresh fish, Okane is worth a try. Just keep in mind the limited seating and make a...

The service was very disappointing, it took over 10 mins to even get a look from anyone to get orders in. We overlooked it and decided to focus on the food. The first dish we got was the pork belly which was very bland and the fat had not disintegrated into the broth enjoyably at all. We were still hopeful for the next dish which was the hamachi crudo. I can see the appeal of this dish but it’s very basic and flavors have no complexity whatsoever. At least not for the price listed. We then each got the chefs choice nigiri and that was very well done and we both enjoyed it thoroughly. High quality selection of fish and seasoning was on point. We then had the beef sukiyaki which was absolutely delicious with lots of flavor within the broth and its base. Comforting bowl in winter time. We then decided to splurge one final time to give us one last impression by ordering the shibuya roll… sounded amazing but together the flavors did not complement each other. The fish was fresh, however the lemon was bitter and even seeds were present in the thin slices. I was disappointed with these flavors but found it but still ate it however the other person I was dining with could not eat it. Overall, a weird experience as there were ups and downs and for the price that was over 150 per person (leaving us just full enough) it did not feel worth it. If I had to go back or recommend this to anyone I would absolutely say to do the chefs choice...