Kigawa Bistro — Restaurant in San Leandro

We arrived for dinner on a Monday evening and had to wait a few minutes for dirty tables to be cleaned up before being seated by a lady. We were placed on the other side of the counter, and promptly ignored for another 15-20min. :( Ultimately, another couple who arrived after we did had their order taken first, which was a bummer.

Another employee (a man) eventually took pity on us and grabbed our orders, but apparently didn't seem too familiar with the market pricing ("MP") of some of the fish (specifically, neither "uni" nor "toro" have their prices listed on the menu) and informed us that the uni would be $22/$24 for 2 sashimi depending on whether "San Babara" (per the sign, but I'm assuming from Santa Barbara) or "Japanese" in origin, and that the toro was $15. With this information, we ordered a Chirashi Don ($23), a Hamachi Don ($23.50), and a toro sashimi.

For the most part, we loved our fish! It came served atop a bed of ice to keep it nice and hydrated. The hamachi was a winner, as well as the tuna in my chirashi. The salmon was decent, but the amberjack and other white fish in my chirashi were a little more chewy and just OK.

We still felt a little hungry after our bowls, so we added on an additional Dragon Roll ($14.50) to fill up with. Texture was good and the flavor wasn't anything to write home about, but decent and filling overall.

We love fish and enjoyed our meal, but were disappointed to find at the end that we were charged $16 and change for our toro sashimi, with the staff adamant on not honoring what they told us before. Ultimately, this price difference wasn't killer, but it was still a bit of a disappointment in our experience of this joint.

At least the lady came by often to fill up our tea after we'd gotten our orders, I guess. I'm not sure if service is hit-or-miss on different occasions, and whether our one server was just one-off uninformed, but I'd probably give them at least one more chance for their...

Under-rated japanese restaurant. This is your "close to home cooking" type of food. You would wish you could have it every day.

As many have highlighted, the ambiance is great! The color scheme is easy on the eyes. There are plenty of decor to keep your mind occupied while you wait for food. The main dining area can roughly occupy 30 max. That's smaller than most sushi restaurants. Luckily, they have an outdoor dining option that started at the height of covid. My first visit here was because my wife and I really needed quality time outside of the house at that time, and they were able to provide that experience. The impromptu outdoor patio still looks like in need of improvement, but it kept them going through the hardest part of covid. And I'm glad they're still around. Fried dishes are crisp. Raw fish have their distinct taste individually and do not just taste "fishy." The unagi don came with a sunny-side up fried egg, sweetened by the unagi sauce, and also seasoned with furikake. The Sashimi 15-piece they served us came in a decorative stand and had a bonsai tree with it. Much more impressive than a sushi boat or any plate. Of the times visited, I've been surprised by their food's taste and quality. I would definitely recommend coming here. But don't crowd or flock. Parking is very limited and is relative to their...

Let me tell you about this restaurant. I will go over the pros first The ambiance and set up is great. Led lights, tvs, dishes, cooking area, and painting style. Looks great. Parking was easy and great location. And that's all it's got going.

Cons. We got our salad and soup fast. Then after 2 of my rolls of 3. And my brother beef and chicken teriyaki. But the last roll took 20 plus mins to get to us. A communication should of happen on the time. The design on the 3rd roll is beautiful and amazing. But, that's all it's good for. The roll was over cooked and didn't tell you what was in it. Just stating. Mix fish. Just give explanation of what fish. That's a misleading thing there.

The rolls were ok but something you get at Safeway sadly. And my brothers chicken and beef teriyaki. Was bland and seem like they just threw salt and pepper. And overdid it on the teriyaki sauce.

Overall it's a good ambience and good staff. The two things that they can approve on to make it better is there food quality and the communication to customers of if time will take on a roll to be made and they can surely make it up to a...