IZAKA-YA — Restaurant in San Jose

I thought that because it was crowded with 3 parties waiting on the railway inside that it was gonna be a great bento box. I was so disappointed. I also thought it was gonna be authentic Japanese food. It wasn’t. The bento box was $15 base for 1 side or meat item and with tax $17 plus change. I have had much more food for $17 bento boxes. I was hungry after I finished the tiny side of salmon. It was done well. The sweet sauce was good on the salmon. The thin fried 2 shrimp tempura and veges were few. The sauce or tempura sauce was fine as it’s normal. But the side salad was really bad…just iceberg lettuce, tiny red cabbage sliced on top, 6 strings of pasta with mayo (who puts that on salad and it’s so unhealthy and unsavory), and 1 plum tomato. The worst part was the dressing which was like tahini with sesame seed ground up and mayo with salt. That was the worse Japanese bento box dressing I ever had. Thick w mayo and a weird taste with my few pieces of lettuce w cabbage and mayo drenched 6 strings of pasta. Weird. I only ate it bc I was starving and I was not about to waste anyone before getting to my hotel in Oakland from San Jose where the restaurants were closing by 10pm. The piece of salmon was actually the smallest piece of salmon I ever had in a bento box. It was like 2 oz maybe. Still really hungry after that. The miso soup esas also very tiny. Usually if you get take out you get a bigger container but this was the tiny one (see pic). I should have just gotten the bento box from the neighboring Japanese place that had less people Joduku Sushi. Next time bc I won’t be returning to this place. And the waiter got mad at me for w waiting to sign my receipt inside the seating area bc that’s where the waitress took my to go order bc I didn’t have time to wait for a table in the cold and she didn’t ask me to wait by the railway but I still gave the waitress a 20% tip for a take out dish of $3.50 bc I have been a waitress and it’s nice to get a tip even for just a takeout. There’s better deals for $17 bento boxes. And I washed the take out containers to...

I initially came here after reading a couple reviews pointing out that Japanese businessmen passing through via the San Jose airport tend to come here. I wanted to try a new sushi/Japanese restaurant and thought the supposed level of authenticity would be a nice treat for my wife, who has been to Japan twice and loved the food there. When we stepped inside, it broke her brain a little; apparently, it also LOOKS just like a restaurant in Japan. True to the reviews, there were a number of customers in suits and a lot of Japanese was being spoken by both the staff and the clientele. The food was VERY good and has held up on subsequent visits. They have the freshest and best-tasting fish of any sushi spot I've been to and other menu items offer a similar level of quality. The menu has expanded since our first visit, but had remained authentic. I really appreciate this place for having a menu that is not super westernized with bizarro items like sushi rolls that contain fruit and spicy peppers. The restaurant is very small and snug and it's worth noting that it does share it's external entrance and restrooms with the business next door, which is a bit disorienting on the first visit. There's a large free parking lot and I've never had a problem...

A true Izakaya, this is the original and still the best Japanese bar food you will find. While many will stick with what they know, be adventurous here as you'll always be rewarded! I personally never pass up the Tori Kawa (skewered chicken skin) that's super crispy and tasty, the Okonomiyaki (Japanese pancake/omelette with everything in it) that'll fill you up and leave you wanting more, and of course their sushi.

Now, you'd ask, why not go to a proper sushi place? Well, while you might find a cheaper place that has marginally fresher fish, Izakaya has the best prepared nigiri in the US. The rice is warm, slightly sticky and fluffy with just the right dab of wasabi to match the delicious fish on top. While I always go for the hamachi or salmon, I haven't had bad sushi there, ever.

Update 3/26/22: Delicious as ever they've reopened their dining room and it's great to be back at the counter! Had the curry and rice along with some Buta Okonomiyaki while the wife munched on some of their fantastic sushi. Definitely the best all-around Izakaya in the Bay, as it forgoes the overpriced trappings and instead channels the same temperament of its...