Kitsho
- Hours:
Mon-Fri 5:30 p.m.-9:30 p.m.
Sat 5:30 p.m.-10:00 p.m. - Price Range: $$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Private Lot
- Attire: Casual
- Good for Groups: Yes
- Good for Kids: No
- Takes Reservations: Yes
- Delivers: No
- Take-out: Yes
- Waiter Service: Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: No
- Good for: Dinner
- Alcohol: Beer & Wine Only
60 reviews
Sunnyvale, CA
"I'm SURPRISED that this spot is at a 3 star. I'm sorry, but I've been going to Rokkos for 3+ years now. I'd say 4 even. The service isn't…" read more »
140 Reviews for Kitsho
I have to say they have one of the best nigiris in the south bay area.
Hot food and Americanized entrees are not recommended.
- Cold sake in the sake kettle is what I expected and yes I got it.
- They have the real wasabi, grated fresh. (I wonder if you have be a regular to get this service, or just an extra charge?)
- Tamago, in MHO, is the best in the south bay.
- Yes, the Chinese waitresses needs be retrained, and improve communicative skills.
Best sushi i have ever had.
A friend, who is a regular, invited my significant other and I to dine out yesterday night. We sat at the bar and gave into the wild imagination of Howard (chef and ownerof this place), sake and Japanese beer.
Nigiri kept coming, hands were dirty, shot glasses were always full and so were we after 2-3 hours of the most gluttonous dinner I've had in years.
Yes, couple of times we wanted to stop, but our weak protests were sigle-handedly ruled out by a drop of another luscious looking nigiri with a shiny and fresh slice of ..sardine, fatty tuna, Spanish mackerel, clam, sweet shrimp, unagi..you name it , we had it and- it was delicious!
Our self-induced euphoria was interrupted by a tiny shit of paper - receipt. It came out to $480 for 3 people.
yeah..
Kitsho, my new place to experience sushi like no other. I came here to have Howard serve me whatever sushi he pleased. Anything that was fresh, enticing, and new that he thought I would enjoy. And enjoy I did.
I came here with a buddy who was in town for business and wanted to eat sushi. What place would I choose? Searching through the Yelp archives led me to Kitsho, a small establishment in Cupertino.
I made a reservation but it wasn't needed once we got there since there were empty seats at the bar. My buddy decided to not be bold and go the a-la-carte route, while I said "Bring it on!" and chose the omakase.
A sampling of what I had was:
Baby Hamachi
Hamachi
Kampachi
File Fish
Tuna
Toro
Pen Shell
Barracuda
Sardine
Japanese Bluefish
Butterfish
Japanese Red Snapper
Quite a selection Howard gave me. There were more items, but alas, I cannot remember. All due to my poor recollection of names, not due to the fact that each piece of sushi wasn't memorable. I will definitely come back to let Howard select for me whatever he believes is the best product of the day. Truly was a great experience to have and I was delighted to sample other fish I had never tried before. My buddy was happy with the a-la-carte items he chose and said he would come back to Kitsho if he were back in town again.
Overall: 4.5 (Only because several of the nigiri had way to much wasabi which gave me that watery eyed/sinus burn feeling)
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Being brown in a Japanese restaurant is vaguely degrading but I like the abuse. Sadomasochistic sashimi notwithstanding, I pretty much like this place. It's considerably brighter than the usual dubious sushi haunts I seem to frequent, the veritable 'dives' of the raw fish set, and the locals are divided between perpetually confounded Asiatic refugees and the typical cherub faced, slap happy others. Service also runs the gamut, ranging from unnaturally attentive and cheery to condescending and bemused. Relatively standard Japanese hospitality, a tiny step behind outright arrogance.
On paper, the omakase is definitely an exciting proposition; it's just that the neurotic misanthrope in me wonders as to the process involved in 'chef's choice' options. Sometimes the selection is transcendent, other times it's simply mystifying. Needless to say, I have yet to learn the secret handshake.
It's pricier than the norm but there are a few ways to veer around that, granted you're not the hedonist I seem to be. What drew me initially to this place was the homemade tofu, the sweet egg custard and the really amazing hamachi. Stick to a few fan favorites and Kitsho will pass muster, no regrets.
The only problem is that the Japanese haven't quite finessed the art of dessert. There's not a decent fourth course for miles, unless you actually like that green tea abomination, so prepare your mouth for the enclave of stinky fish it's damned to transform into.
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Why hello Kitsho! How are you doing? Have you been here this whole time?? Alright....now I know and knowing is half the battle on hunger!
Went here the other day and oh boy! Place was packed and the line was ready for me. So....a small wait later I get to my table that kind of looks like sushi boat.......and if you know me, I'm not the most nimble person in the world....well.....I hadn't started drinking yet so I wasn't. The waitress was really nice and explained that because it was a Friday night that sushi might take a while. Makes me think I should have gone to the counter instead but the party that I was with wanted more than sushi...oh well.
The tempura, teriyaki, and saba was good.....the portions were smaller but the quality was much better than I had anticipated. I rather liked the agedashi tofu..I order it every where I go. There was better than most. A relative wait later I got my sushi...did I mention I order the sashimi omakase....oh yeah!!! OMG...it was good, it was great...I would imagine it's heavenly when ordered from the counter though. Next time....oh yes, there will be a next time. I shared with the others....especially after seeing their faces.....I'm always a sucker for daggers thrown at me or those puppy dog eyes.....ARG emo! Anyways....I kept the one piece of fatty ass tuno for myself.....I'm not that generous.
;P
who wants to go next time and sit at the bar??
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I tried the Omakase in June 2008. I do not like it at all. The fish was cold and had no taste to it. My hubby and I paid $125 and all we got was some cheap fish. I will never come here again.
Kitsho has been a family favorite ever since it opened 10 years or so ago. It's definitely a place we try to go to for special occasions. The sushi is great and they have a wide selection of appetizers that are a little bit more "authentic" than at a regular Japanese restaurant. The only complaint I would have is regarding the service. The waitresses tend to be rude when they are in a rush and there was one incident last year which made us avoid the restaurant for a few months. We normally sit in the Japanese tatami room and they have a certain $$ amount that you need to order there, I believe it was $500. But for a large family occasion with food and sake, that's pretty easy to reach the minimum amount. They also "require" that you order from the Japanese appetizers section along with sushi. The problem with that was... my sis-in-law was pregnant at the time and could not eat half of the stuff on that "required" menu. So, we asked to see the regular menu so that she can order a chicken teriyaki. According to the waitress, that was not allowed, against the rules. Dude... I understand that we need to order a minimum amount, but if a customer cannot eat half the stuff due to medical reasons and the rest of the party has already been drinking sake and ordering tons of sushi, don't you think that rule should be broken? That left our evening a little bit on a sour note especially with my mom defending the reason why we needed to order of a separate menu. Even with that incident, we still enjoy going to Kitsho and when someone asks me where I would recommend, this place is usually in my top 3 of "authentic Japanese" cuisine.
I lived for a few years in Japan and my love for sushi is extremely high. That said, of the sushi restaurants in CA that I've tried, Kitsho is in the inner-circle of the finest...I LOVE this place; I'm consistently blown away by the selection, freshness, and quality.
However, don't expect to get out without doing some $$ damage!
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It isn't often I'd give a 5 star recommendation to a restaurant. The sushi Is THAT good. Let me elaborate.
I've been hankering for some sushi for the last few weeks. While I've been eating ramen, udon, and some yummy cooked stuff at Yume-ya, my heart cried out for some good raw fish. I consulted yelp, *thank you yelpers* and decided this was where I was going to get my fix.
Boyfriend and I visited the establishment on a Wednesday evening. The restaurant had no wait, but it was full at 7:30, which is a very good sign.
Pros: Sushi Omakaze. I must admit I ate fish that I did not recognize, but every single piece was awesome. The fatty tuna was divine, the variety was great, and the quality was super. Boyfriend insisted we order chawan mushi since few bay area japanese restaurant serve this - and it was delicious. The egg custard had just the right lightness, the broth was delectable, and it didn't feel dense like the one at fuki sushi (also a good establishment).
It's a great sign of a thriving business when you can't find parking on a Wednesday evening at 7:30. The chef and the staff are Japanese, and you see actual Japanese people eating the food. The service was attentive, and there were a lot of options on the menu.
Cons: We also ordered a tempura appetizer, but it wasn't anything spectacular to write home about. One thing I liked was they served us two servings of tempura sauce so that I didn't have to reach over to use boyfriend's serving. I thought that was nice.
And lastly, the cost of the meal was not cheap. Granted, the food was superb, but the omakase is $28+ and up, and a 2 item bento box ther costs about $20 for dinner. But for a nice special occasion when you really want sushi, it was great.
Bottom line: Want REALLY REALLY good sushi or sashimi? You NEED to go there. Period. Plus, it's easier to get a table here than Gochi.
Sit at the bar and ask for the omakase. Then prepare yourself to have your mind blown. The fish is super-fresh and absolutely delicious. They have particularly good hamachi which I am sometimes tempted to sell my soul for. My husband is a "white guy from Jersey" and he loved everything they served him- even if it had 8 legs, and stared him in the face while on the plate. Now if that's not a sign of good sushi, I don't know what is. ;)
Once we went two days after our wedding, and when the sushi chef found out, he whipped out the best sake in the house and toasted with my husband.
Damn good sushi. Potentially free sake. Go here.
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On Andrea T.'s advice I ordered the sashimi omakase. I'm fairly adventurous with food and like a surprise so it was a good idea. That said, none of the chef's selections were new to me except the semi-cooked geoduck with a hint of lemon. It was a pleasant surprise...chewy and "crunchy" with a sweet ocean-y flavor. Other pieces included fatty tuna, red snapper, maguro, hamachi etc. All of it was fresh and enjoyable. I savored every piece because just like the selections, the bill for this dish is also a surprise -- it's basically whatever the chef decides. After tax and (full 20%) tip it came out to about $44, reasonable for the quality and quantity in my opinion.
My only nitpick is that interior decor and seating arrangements could be better and service was a tad slow (but friendly!).
I really need to come back here and try more sushi. I came here for lunch the other day with my boyfriend, but I wasn't in the mood for sushi, so I ended up ordering the 'not really Japanese' food items such as spicy chicken teriyaki and an order of tamago. I requested the the chicken and salad have their sauces on the side (I'm weird about sauces) and they did so, which made me happy! The spicy sauce was a little sweet, tangy, and spicy. It was a good complement for the chicken pieces. The tamago was shaped different than most places, and it had maybe 90% egg, 10% rice, which was great, and different than your typical sushi place that has more like 60% egg, and 40% rice. I had a bite of my boyfriend's hamachi and while it wasn't as cool as we'd like it, it was smooth, tender, and fresh.
Will be back to try more of the real sushi!
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I agree with Bradley O. Sit at the bar and say "omakase onegaishimasu" and trust the sushi chef. It was a most excellent experience. I had fish I've never had before. My co-worker was looking up the names in google on his blackberry to figure out what we were eating. EVERYTHING I had was delicious. Each piece of nigiri was a delicate balance of flavors and some of the cuts of fish were generous enough for three pieces of nigiri at other sushi restaurants.
It was a bit expensive but I would say it was worth it.
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When I am craving for sashimi or chirashi, I go to this place and order omakase. It is a really clean and nice restaurant if you appreciate the quality of food. Besides, it's closest Japanese restaurant from my place.
Service here really sux. Hubby, baby and I waited came in, and they said they had a table for us. They had 3 empty tables that needed to be bussed, so we thought it would be quick. 15 minutes later, nothing had happened; they came by and said they still had a table for us but the wait for the sushi was very very long, e.g. no sushi. 8 o'clock on a Thursday! I was so annoyed; they had plenty of time to give us this the heads up, but for whatever reason didn't.. I noticed others had left so had a feeling the waitress just forgot, but given that I was holding a baby, would have appreciated the heads up versus dealing with a hungry little one and wasting my time.
Don't forget to ask for the REAL WASABI. Accept no substitutes.
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1 Previous Review: Show all »
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05/27/2008
Kitsho's Omakase = OMG-se
Kitsho is quite likely the best sushi I've ever had. Certainly the best… Read more »
Shoot this place was expensive!
The chicken teriyaki was like $20. But it was so worth it! My boyfriend was the one who ordered it and I ate almost as much of it as he did. The chicken was unlike any other teriyaki chicken I've had. The chicken tasted freshly grilled and I really felt like it was a higher quality chicken than most other restaurants. It also had this spicy, unexpected kick to it.
I ordered the chef's sashimi platter and I really wish I didn't. From the reviews that I was reading, it seemed like two of their highlights were the fresh food and their authentic Japanese dishes. The fish was very fresh but some of the ones that the chef picked was kinda ehhh. I don't know, lately a lot of people have been telling me that I'd be getting worms/parasites and what not from eating raw fish. (My boss goes "that's why people invented fire to cook the fish not eat it raw.")
With our meals, they gave us salad and this noodle cup thing that was really good! The salad dressing was super good I'd come back just for that and to try some of their more authentic Japanese dishes this time around.
Like someone said in a previous review, you KNOW this place is good if half of the people eating there were actually Japanese!
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Pros: Usually extensive special sushi menu, easy to access location (close to Lawrence Expressway & 280), clean and well-lit venue, fish generally fresh.
Cons: Service is always a miss - slow and sporadic, quality relative to price and portion isn't that good, recent bad experience below.
I just ate here tonight again for about the fourth time and this will be the last time. The rice was overcooked and old in the first course of nigiri. The rice was overcooked in the second course. The server was aware of this when I pointed this out - unacceptable for a place which specializes mostly in sushi. My past three experiences food-wise were good but the service always lacks. Have to give them 2 stars for not being able to cook rice - come on!
Comparatively would rather eat at Tomi in Mountain View or Kuni in Cupertino - both much more consistent.
I am a big fan of their lunch combos -- great value (vs dinner) for my favorite Japanese food in the area. I usually get the fish, chicken, tempura, sashimi and salad for $14. The service is good and consistent.
in a nutshell: the food is good. the service sucks.
my dad arrived first. he sat down and wanted to move. ok my dad is picky. its his birthday. whatever. he said it was too cold. he wanted to move. the hostess/waitress's response was 'oh but i am so hot' ... wtf. cant she just keep that to herself?
i had some communication problems with our waitress. i could tell she wasnt japanese. chinese. we want onigiri. and yaki onigiri. she asks us if we want the salmon in both. i said we want the salmon onigiri. she said it comes in two each. do we want both salmon. i got confused. i said yes salmon and how about seaweed. she said it comes wrapped in seaweed. ok ... forget it just make it all salmon. when it came, as expected the yaki onigiri didnt have a flavor. and the onigiri was salmon.
most of the food took a while to come. the sushi took a good 30 minutes. in japanese cuisine i know they serve the cold food first. typically sushi comes first. not here. all the hot food came first. then last the sushi. then we wanted to order more sushi. she told us that we shouldve ordered it all at once. well but we didnt so what can we do about it? she told us it was going to take 25 minutes. we were like ok. she came back and said 30 minutes. we were like ok. it was almost as if she didnt want us to get it. it was really bizarre.
the piece of spicy scallop sushi i got was pretty good. shishamo was good. grilled cod was also good. my dad ordered a clam soup. there was also some confusion ordering this. something about miso, not miso, sake, no sake, to share, not to share. anyways my dad said it tasted like soy sauce soup. knowing his tendencies to exagerrate we all tried it. and yes it tasted like soy sauce. we had to send it back.
the place was pretty much packed all night. but that is not a good excuse for crappy service. the waitresses were running around frantically all night. they looked stressed and it was kinda stressing me out. as a restaurant you probably want lots of people, a full house all night, on a random wednesday night. but get the wait staff to support. get the sush chefs to support it. or people will hesitate to come back. even if the food is good.
This is the best sushi restaurant in the world. These people here giving it one or two stars must be eating in a parallel universe. There is nothing stale at this restaurant. Sit at the counter, let Howard take care of you, and quit complaining about the price. You want cheap sushi, go to Costco, or one of those places where it goes around in a little wooden boat. Consider ordering a premium sake--he has gingo and dai-gingo, and in season he has unpasteurized. UPDATE: I just noticed that google maps doesn't show the correct location. The restaurant is actually on Richwood between Miller Ave. and E. Estates Drive. It's basically about 100' from Miller on Richwood.
This is a true hole in the wall, tucked in that awkward space between residential housing, a gas station, and the edge of a shabby run-down plaza. The interior is very low key cozy and they play cutesy instrumental Japanese music that feels admittedly homey.
They keep their orders simple (no dragon or spider rolls) but the sushi is incredibly fresh! They also have a nice selection of fish (though I hear all the goodies are on the Japanese menu). My friends and I shared a set of nigiri -- not only does the fish melt in your mouth but the rice is quality as well. Having only been here once, I feel this restaurant has much more to tell. And after establishing such tasty first rounds, I do believe venturing out to more exotic items is in order.
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Was in the mood for sushi and got some takeout from here. The assorted sushi combo ($15.99) came with 6-7 sushi pieces, a tekka maki roll, and a sushi with a huge piece of cooked egg on top. All the fish tasted fresh and my teeth could cut through the sushi pieces easily. The tuna piece had a couple of small fatty veins in it so the cut wasn't perfect but wasn't a big deal.
Service was nice, polite, and prompt from the Japanese waitresses.
The place itself looked decent and clean, perhaps a bit ordinary. Kitsho is located across from the old Vallco mall (now Cupertino Sq) but on a side street off Stevens Creek so you can easily miss it if you didn't look down the side street. Parking seemed easy in the parking lot in front and with street parking.
Bottom line: I liked this place and definitely would come back.
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Someone told me this place was filled with Japanese people at lunch so it must be legit.
True. It was filled with many Japanese people.
Unfortunately they all looked like they fought in WWII and their idea of good food was some sort of fibrous vegetable followed by a chaser of prune juice.
Service was slow and the udon dish I got was nothing special.
The amaebi was good but they forgot my fried head until the end of the meal.
Bastards.
It was weird though, all the old guys kept giving us dirty looks. Like they were bitter about something the USA did to them back in the day. I wonder what that could've been.
Fusion.
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So one of the guys I work with used to be a sushi chef. Yes, he's Japanese. I'm sure he appreciates always being asked, "What's the best sushi place?" But what the hell, I asked anyway.
His advice? If the name of a restaurant includes the word sushi or they have a sushi boat, it's probably not that good (Sushi Zen is one exception I know of). And he recommended Kitsho.
It was in an odd location, but we got there. No pretentious atmosphere, which was a relief. We ordered a few familiar rolls and chef's choice of the freshest sashimi. All excellent! Nice balance of vinegar and sugar in the rice (rolls) and the sashimi was super fresh.
Good place to start if you're new to sushi, just don' t order anything too crazy.
Just ate here for the first time tonight. The quality, taste, and appearance of everything was truly excellent. We are so excited to find this place! I would rate this as a medium priced restuarant, and very good value for what you will spend. The staff are very polite and gracious. We took a 2 year old, who also enjoyed the environment. She was welcome there (and very well behaved).
Nothing atmosphere, but excellent sushi. I always get the regular chirashi-- flavorful bed of sweet rice with a generous selection of sashimi (alwahys includes 2 types of tuna) and that good egg thing. It also comes with miso soup, a salad and an appetizer of veggies and marinated noodles all for $14.
The service is very pleasant, and they have a good chilled sake list.
100 review 4 star average can't be wrong...right?
Right. Well for the most part anyway. Was a little apprehensive after reading some of the 1-2 star reviews, but figured the majority ruled.
Lunch here with a Yelpy gal pal. Lots of options. Sashimi, lunch boxes, udon, tempura, other items I don't know how to pronounce.
Got the lunch box with a spicy tuna roll & chicken teriyaki. Side of sake sashimi, 2 pieces which was something like $3.00.
Box came with salad and rice. Cute preso in the box. Small little shrimpy accent thing. Sake sashimi was fresh and yummy, and thinly sliced as others noted. A little pricey at $1.50 per piece for how small the fish was...but it was very fresh. Tried my friend's tuna sashimi and it was not as good as the sake, too mushy. Strange shade of hot pink.
Tempura was yummy (I snitched one off gal pal's plate) yet typical. Chicken teriyaki was good, I think pan fried, and I liked that the teriyaki wasn't too saucy. There was some fat on the chicken which I found unusual from my experiences. The spicy tuna roll however, I did not love, they cooked the tuna from what I could tell, and I don't really like cooked tuna at all. It was left behind.
All in all a fairly typical Japanese lunch experience. The restaurant itself is pretty cute, a little tucked away to the side off Wolfe, inside is nicely decorated, service was friendly and fast....can't complain at all about the restaurant itself. I just am not a huge 'traditional' Japanese lunch gal, as I'm a confessed roll whore.
I'll be back with other lunch friends & coworkers who might want to try it, but I wouldn't come here with my husband by choice. And I might get the udon next time.
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Liz Li was my Yelper in command on this trip! http://www.yelp.com/us...
Unfortunately, I fell into the "caveat" paragraph of her review: I was one of the sashimi folks. Their tuna was this odd pink. Odd, I tell you!
Come here if you like cooked/fried Japanese food. Not if you like the raw stuff. Like raw stuff? Sushi Tomi in downtown Mountain View will do the trick.
But for this trip, we had a lovely group, and everyone left in good spirits. So if you're in the c-town area, Kitsho is a respectable choice.
This place is simply horrible. Don't believe the 4-star average.
Instead of writing out a review, I'll just give you the rundown
Service: Slow and VERY unfriendly
Food: not fresh (stale) and not well prepared
Ambiance: Good (the only thing)
Portions: Small
Price: Too much considering the small portions and bad food
Also, everyone who says that there are a lot of different types of sushi, are also wrong. The menu is very limited and anything not on the menu was far more expensive than anything on it.
I usually don't say this, but you should avoid this place.
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Many of my Japanese friends claim that this place has the best sushi in the Bay Area. Since I have yet to try every reputable sushi restaurant in the area, I can't say it's the best ;).
However, it does rock.
The Hamachi melts in your mouth.
As for other stuff - the homemade tofu is REALLY tasty. It's not on the menu, so you have to ask for it specifically. The saba, splendid. I always like their katsu because it's done right. It's not Japan quality, but it's pretty good. I'd definitely come here more often if I could.
Kitsho is a great little Japanese restaurant tucked behind a gas station in Cupertino. You'd never know it was there because it's not visible from either of its major cross streets.
I usually have the sushi or sashimi whenever I go. It's always fresh and delicious. It's definitely my favorite place in the South Bay for sushi.
I've been numerous times for both lunch and dinner and I would have to agree that the service can be slow and not always attentive. I actually know one of the waitresses because I was her daughter's teacher, so I get little freebies now and then, but the service remains the same. I don't mind the slow service because I enjoy a leisurely lunch and dinner, but if you're in a bit of a hurry, you might get annoyed.
Glistening... sweet... fresh... I'm in love with Kitsho's sushi. Talk about expanding the Bay Area sushi curriculum, this place is loaded with fish I've never heard of and now have found a special place in my sushi-loving heart. The sashimi omakase is amazing, and totally worth it (it varies depending on selection, and starts at $28; today it was $32, for about 13 pieces of sashimi, including oo-toro, chu-toro, shima-aji, tai, so forth. Uniqueness marks this omakase).
If you grew up in the Bay Area and are familiar with the glory days of Ikenohana, this sushi-ya's owner made his mark first at Ikenohana; this added expectation and history for me when I made my visit to Kitsho today, and the legacy that Ikenohana once had continues on today with even higher levels of quality at Kitsho. Will definitely be coming back and making this part of my new eating traditions!!!
Remember the omakase!
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My finance and I have been going to Kitsho for years and have been fortunate to have Howard guide us through the evolution of our sushi palette. I won't bore you with that journey but will highlight some of the more memorable dishes Howard prepares. Here they are, in no particular order...
Seared Toro with finely minced ginger and Ponzu: Unctuous in the most positive sense of the word.
Homemade Tamago: Slightly carmelized, sweet, juicy... no one else comes close. This is a must have!
Homemade Ikura: Shoyu, saltwater explosion
Quad of Uni: Uni from San Francisco, Alaska, Santa Barbara, and Japan (with boyish glee, Howard describes the Japanese uni as ice cream!) FIRST NOTE: Many people struggle with the idea of uni. Mostly because there are many bad experiences to be had with not-so-fresh urchin roe. However, if you are going to give uni a real chance, this is definitely one place to do it. SECOND NOTE: It is easier to enjoy something that is new to your palette if you have a sense of what you will be tasting. We have a natural gag response to unfamiliar tastes... can't help it... it's genetic. So when you try it, think creamy and silken with an ocean essence.
Spicy Tuna: Not your usual clumsy mayo and Sriracha mixture.
Homemade tofu: this is a trio of fresh tofu served with a sauce made of soy, bonito flakes, and scallion. Yum! Howard also makes his own miso and neto.
**Sawa Kani: I had wondered what happened to these incredibly tasty, fried, mini crabs dusted with sea salt and served with a lemon wedge. Howard broke it down for me. It turns out some restaurant in L.A. served them up dead and raw, resulting in the deaths of two customers. When the FDA caught wind, they put a stop to any and all shipments. No more crunchy little crabs. So sad...
Omakase: This is what you come to Kitsho for! Yes you will pay... but this is no different than any other sushi restaurant of this caliber. It is well worth it if you are seeking new experiences. For example, this was the first place I ever had mantis shrimp. It turns out that mantis shrimp kill their prey by delivering a punch to the head with one of it's namesake appendages. The punch has a force equivalent to a .22 caliber bullet. Yes, Mr. Mantis, you may be tough, but I am now eating your tail!
I'll stop the list here. It is actually much longer, but I would not want to deprive you of the joy of discovery. I'll end by simply saying:
l love fresh. I love variety. I love adventure. I love Kitsho.
Happy eating!
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First of all - Howard, the chef, is incredibly skilled, funny and charming. His mannerism is of a typical sushi chef whom I'm fond of chatting with.
FOOD: 4.5 stars
The chef''s omakase sushi *at the counter* is outstanding. For roughly $75/person, you'll experience a heavenly course of nigiris.
As we were seated, Howard overheard us talking about how we liked "shiromi" / white fish, and he made sure we got some. A LOT of it. I can't remember exactly how many pieces were served (at least 20 different kinds), but we were painfully, but not regretfully, stuffed by the time we left. The last four pieces of different toros - I had to skip the rice. (Which was okay, because I wasn't 100% fond of the rice.)
In addition to the more or less familiar selections (shako, mirugai, hotate, maguro, aji, toro, tai, kanpachi, hamachi, sayuri, uni, etc...FARM and WILD), we were given some rare fish that night. For example, a kin of blowfish or kawahagi. With another kind of fish (can't recall the name!), Howard asked me where in Japan I was from and once I told him, he grinned and said, "I bet you've never had THIS one before then." ...I hadn't.
Anyway, he kept on surprising us, one after another. He even took out a thick "Food Dictionary" so we could look up the names of the fish.
My other personal notes:
- Shako was never my favorite fish. That's not the case anymore.
- Uni from Hokkaido is addicitvely sweet.
- Tai from New Zealand is distinctively different from any other.
- I love tamago.
Their homemade TOFU and MISO pastes (two kinds - shiro and aka) are excellent. The soft tofu and the miso soup make perfect complements to sushi. At lunch time, they serve the soup w/udon as a "nikomi udon". I drool just thinking about it.
A recommended side dish (otsumami) is the SPICY FRIED GOBO. It's warm and soft with a bit of a kick. It should go very well with beer.
NOTE: They don't take reservations for counter seats. So get there early and claim your spot - right in front of Howard. Also, avoid MONDAYS.
TRUE STORY: I had a nightmare that night where I was sitting at an AYCE sushi bar and had to continue eating and eating and eating... That's how much sushi we had consumed.
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Howard the sushi chef knows what he's doing. Fish was fresh, and he had a selection from Japan and the U.S. Two types of uni - yum!
Best omakase I've had in the Bay Area. I'm still disappointed that good sushi is so hard to come by in Northern California though.
This place is pretty decent and good for groups. My absolute favorites here - homemade tofu and seaweed salad. Their sushi is good also. The service is so-so, depends on the night.
Kitsho is the absolute best for authentic, high-quality, Japanese-style sushi. Howard, the owner, does a phenomenal job and imports only the freshest seafood and ingredients.
I've been eating here once, sometimes twice a week, for almost a year and I've never had a bad dish. If you're looking for your favorite designer roll (i.e. dragon, caterpillar, or dynamite roll) you'll want to look elsewhere--that's not their style.
For the most adventurous sushi experience, sit at the sushi bar and leave your ordering to Howard. Just make sure to cut yourself off because he'll keep the sushi coming ;-))
HINT: If you decide to sit at a table, be sure to ask for the Japanese menu, as well. There are many more dishes on it.
Enjoy!
I am kind of picky about sushi.. so I was pleasantly surprised when I actually liked it. I think the one thing that the person I went with emphasized was.. you must sit at the sushi bar and you should really only get their sashimi. Which means.. if you're not a fan of raw fish.. you could be dissapointed.
The service is iffy. Sometimes the waitresses and sushi chef is attentive.. sometimes they ignore you for a few minutes.
If you do love sashimi.. I would suggest chef's choice for sashimi or omakase. Think about it.. he knows what is freshest and best. I also tried the baby hamachi which wasn't on the sashimi list and ankimo (monkfish liver).. excellent as well. For ankimo.. they give A LOT!! The sweet shrimp (amaebi) is also very good. They deep fry the head.. so if you love that.. then it's awesome.
I thought this would break the bank but.. it was pleasantly less than $40/person. Now.. if you're only eating sashimi.. that's a steal.
I would strongly suggest going. If you're in the mood for tasty raw fish.
Yummy!!! A friend of mine wanted to grab some dinner and we were both craving sushi. After talking to a friend, he recommended this place. After talking to some other friends, they wanted to come as well.
It is a bit hard to find, as it is somewhat in the back away from the main street.
We ended out starting with a few appetizers, the tofu, hamachi kama, soft shelled crab.
I got the omakase, which was pretty good. I'm not really a sushi expert, so I can't really say much, but I really liked my food. Some of the fish to rice ratio was a bit off (the fish pieces were big) but the fish was very good. The tamago was really good! It was in layers and not just one big chunk of scrambled egg like at some places.
I kind of wish we sat at the sushi bar, I was late, so my friend got us the table.
Our waitress was extremely friendly. The restaurant was not huge, but it was a fairly good siz