The Wild — Restaurant in San Francisco

The Winter’s Journey

The wifey and I had a phenomenal time celebrating our anniversary with Gozu. I want to take a moment to thank the staff who went out of their way to not just provide us with a beautiful exploration of the versatility and nuance of A5 wagyu, but that they sincerely ensured we were personally cared for and our anniversary became a special memory to be cherished.

And a thank you to: Chef Zimmerman @chef_zimmerman Pastry Chef Lieuw @onebakersjourney

As you walk into Gozu, there is a moment of excitement rounding the first corner and seeing the dining area. There is a beautiful bar surrounding an intimate kitchen where the chefs are busy at work - centered around the heart of the room, a beautiful flame 🔥 with sizzling food above it, filling the room with a savory aroma as you are enticed to your seat.

As we are seated, the staff quickly helped us become comfortable, Abigail offered my wife a purse hook, and made sure we had what we needed to be settled for the evening. The room is mostly decorated in dark decor allowing your focus to remain on the chefs thoughtfully creating. We chat about our upcoming meal, asking about the fish we are excited to see dry-aging.

We preordered a whiskey tasting, and my wife ordered a glass of sake to begin our evening. We also did opt to enjoy the offered additional tasting of wagyu toast +$40/p. (More on that later, but tldr; definitely worth it. One of my favorite tastes of the night).

Before each course I’m given a whiskey pairing, along with a beautifully detailed history of each whiskey by D; not simply the origin and flavor but the passion behind the craft that has gone into every sip. These shared moments really bring my thoughts into the nature of Japan as I enjoy imagining the views from the Mars distillery high up in the snow-capped Japanese Alps. This gentle vision filled me with snowfall and images of a glacial river flowing through, which set the scene as I taste each dish. While given a journey through several pairings, the Mars label stood out for me - as that snow-filled visage was the perfect backdrop to the warm fire and depth of flavors in each bite. Particularly the wintery final dessert where I swore I heard the wind of the mountains swirl past me as I took my last. few. bites.

The first course opens with a beautiful canapé trio. We watch as the chef puts the details of each flavor together with care. We are thrilled to taste the intricate creations as they fill us with flavor, the delicate crisp juxtaposed against the deep burst from the roe allows our tastebuds to focus in on the complexity we can expect from each new creation.

My wife’s favorite course (and a very close second for myself) was the Kaluga Caviar. The oyster was swimming in a beautiful velvety cream sauce that coated the inside of your mouth, while the black caviar rested atop, enhancing the flavor with an earthy taste as the yang to the oyster’s yin.

While every dish was extraordinary, including the Wagyu Teishoku, a wonderful excursion of flavors paired with a wagyu skewer; my personal favorite was the milk bread toast topped with uni and wagyu. The meat 🍖 held a nostalgic taste to my Charleston southern roots. A deep savory flavor profile that melted the frost from my mind with a roaring flame. It demanded my attention while the sweetness of the bread gave feather to the ferocity.

We both order tea as we recover our senses. Enjoying a green and a red tea that we share. 🍵 The tea warms us like a soft blanket, snuggling us in as we find each others warm hands.

The final course, The Baked Alaska, is the perfect ending to the winter’s journey. A delicate dessert nestled at the edge of a deep caramel pool. Thoughtful lighting above interacting with beautiful lines across the mirrored sauce, allowing the function of warm lighting to create beautiful form on our dish. Pure dazzling art, creating a union reminiscent of Frank Loyd Wright and his clerestory windows. The perfection of the dessert fills your final goodbyes with an...

I seldom write reviews but my experience at Gozu was just so disappointing I wanted to write to get this on record. My boyfriend and I went to Gozu to celebrate his birthday- I let the restaurant know of the event beforehand. We get there on time, and had to wait around 15-20 mins to be seated. While waiting, the hostess doesn't come over to take our coats or offer drinks- an inattentiveness that will prove to be a hallmark of the evening. Eventually we manage to catch her attention and check in for the second time and deposit our coats.

We get seated and the night continues. My boyfriend chooses the wine pairing while I get wine by the glass. I asked the server some recommendations to start my meal and he said he will send the sommelier over. 10 minutes later he checks in and a sommelier has still not graced us with their presence. He goes away to look for someone again. 5 minutes later, another server comes- all they know is I want a white. Rather than ask my preferences or what I wanted with dinner, they just bring me a glass and pour an unknown wine.

Now, getting into the food. So check this out, the wagyu beef restaurant doesn't even serve any wagyu beef for 2/3 of the courses (lol). Majority of the menu uses beef tallow as the wagyu ingredient instead of the actual beef. Ok, its an expensive ingredient, let’s see how they treat the actual beef part of the evening. This included three wagyu beef skewers: first was decent, second was an incredibly fatty cut of the steak (not the marbled fattiness wagyu is famous for, but the cap fat portion) and the third was an unbelievable and frustrating MEATBALL. Yes the wagyu beef restaurant decided to not only serve a meatball as one of the only courses that used the star ingredient, but they used it to end the wagyu course!

During all this my drink has run out, the staff has not checked in if I want another glass of wine for three courses. My boyfriend finally flags down the sommelier to bring me something. I request a glass of red, and find the first disagreeable. The somm then brings me another glass that ends up being 10 dollars more expensive then anything else on their "by the glass" menu without any sort of warning or advisement.

We get through the dessert, pay the bill and are now leaving. Nobody comes to give us our coats back and usher us out the door. Yup, we had to fish for our own coats out of the coat closet.

To summarize, my boyfriend and I felt neglected by the staff on a day that was supposed to be special, the food didn’t celebrate the ingredient it claims to, and frankly I have never felt this disappointed by the service and food at a restaurant that demands...

In the heart of San Francisco's culinary landscape, Gozu emerges as a beacon of gastronomic excellence, a temple devoted to the art of waygu. As one crosses the threshold, the promise of an extraordinary experience hangs in the air like the delicate aroma of smoldering binchotan.

The fireside tasting menu is nothing short of a culinary odyssey, each course a carefully orchestrated symphony of flavors. From the first morsel to the last, the waygu takes center stage, its marbled perfection transformed by fire and finesse into something transcendent. Each bite is a revelation, a testament to the cattle's pedigree, the sustainable practice and care to present the best in product and service.

The attention to detail is mesmerizing. Like watchmakers assembling a fine timepiece, the station chefs work with surgical precision. A glistening orb of caviar is placed with reverence, each component finding its home on the plate with purpose and intent. The cleaning of vessels between courses is not mere housekeeping, but a ritual that resets the stage for the next act in this gustatory theater.

As the courses unfold, the staff weave a narrative around each dish, their words as carefully chosen as the ingredients. Their explanations elevate the experience from mere consumption to education, each plate a delicious lesson in culinary artistry.

The hosts move through the space with the grace of ballet dancers, anticipating needs before they arise, their attentiveness a perfectly choreographed dance of hospitality.

A carrot botanical tea serves as a palate cleanser, its earthy sweetness a counterpoint to the rich umami of the waygu. This interlude is a moment of reflection, a pause to contemplate the journey thus far.

As the meal draws to a close, a playful nod to childhood appears: a PB&J-inspired bite-sized dessert. This clever denouement brings the experience full circle, linking the sophisticated present to comforting memories of the past.

Gozu is more than a restaurant; it is a stage where ingredients become performers, chefs are conductors, and diners are the fortunate audience. It is a place where the ordinary is transformed into the extraordinary, where each visit is not just a meal, but a performance worthy of a standing ovation.

In the competitive arena of fine dining, Gozu doesn't just participate—it rewrites the rules. It is, quite...