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Mon., Wed-Sun. 5:30 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.
"This place is awesome. If you want to have a good time here, sit at the sushi bar. Gan San will probably hook you up with free sake. When my…" read more »
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I have often lamented the lack of a true yakitori here in San Francisco. And truth be told, we only have two izakaya in the city; O Izakaya which is close to me in Japantown and Sozai, in the Inner Richmond. It took me a long time to get to Sozai because of its location. I'm sorry it took me so long to get there and I genuinely wish it were closer, despite some minor shortcomings which I'll touch upon later.
But first, the sake. We each ordered a sampler, giving us six different tastes; Yuki no Bosha, Dassai Nigori, Tama no Hikari Yamahai, Take no Tsuyu, Urakasumi, and Tengumai. They were all distinct and enticing, but the Yuki no Bosha was the smoothest and easiest one to get in trouble with. In ordering a lot of food, we were grateful that the owner guided us through the menu on what to order.
We started with an assorted Sashimi platter as we were there the only night they serve sushi. The pieces were not cut perfectly, but the fish was fresh and good. Next came oysters and we loved the presentation; a bit of tobiko and a side of ponzu granita. This was delightfully innovative for the oysters, which were of great quality. A whole sample of yakitori came next; chicken gizzards, hearts, livers, thigh (negi-ma), and meatballs (tsukune). Not quite the quality of Shin Sen Gumi (my favorite in the state), but very respectable.
Our next offering was a slow cooked pork belly shichimi which was out of this world. So tender and rich and very, very satisfying. Lisa always has to try whatever uni is on the menu, so a single nigiri order arrived. Ankimo was next in the offering and I'm sorry to say this was not of great quality. It seemed a bit on the grainy side for my tastes. Some vegetables were recommended and the grilled Japanese eggplant were a pleasant surprise. Grilled to give a sugary, candied exterior, it did not hide the succulent eggplant creaminess inside.
Seeing how much we were enjoying the evening, the owner sent out a treat, the name of which I know not; squid brains in fermented squid gut sauce. The squid was tender enough, but the sauce was a bit too overpowering for me.
We finished up with dessert; a sweet-ish unfiltered sake (came in a frosty, pin, bottle) paired well with chocolate ginger cake and green tea tiramisu. Now I was reluctant on the tiramisu; making it with a green tea flavor seemed rather contrived but both Lisa and I were pleasantly surprised. It was not as kitschy as I thought it would be. The chocolate ginger cake, on the other hand, was superb; decadent hint of ginger in the redolent rich chocolate. Not too dry, not too sweet, and although garnished with a berry sauce, would have been better with simple whipped cream.
On the very minor downside to the restaurant, it is far from elegant. The tables are close together and the bizarre selection of 60s music in the background can occasionally glare a bit loud. But I don't need elegant or appointed to enjoy good food and the service was exemplary. And the good news is that just a day or so before, Eater announced that the Sozai owners and the chef from O Izakaya are going to get together for a third venue in the Mission. Hoorah!
Pics on the blog: http://www.feast-blog....
We were first introduced to Sozai at the Green Festival a couple of years ago when we tasted their edamame hummus with wonton chips. I love edamame and I love hummus. So this was just great together. It's so creamy and the wonton chips provide the perfect crunch. I've actually tried making it at home but it just doesn't taste the same. The texture is off too but maybe that's just my stupid Magic Bullet.
Last Sunday, bf and I wanted an early dinner so we headed over to Sozai at 5:30pm and got parking RIGHT in front of the place. Gil the owner was there serving us and it was like we had rented the place out, great service. We got our usual hummus but we also tried their oysters which are $1 each with a purchase of an alcoholic drink from 5:30-7pm. I loved the fresh, delicious, briny oysters as I slurped them down my mouth.
Next we tried the Abalone Steak tapas which was small and forgettable but the Deluxe Sashimi (20 pieces) was so good! I've tried plenty of sashimi combos but they never include uni. Sozai's fresh fishes of the day listed uni and it was also served in my Deluxe Sashimi! :) For dessert, I recommend the Green Tea Tiramisu.
Sozai is a great place to try unique Japanese tapas. They don't serve sushi rolls but that won't matter if you like raw fish. Their sashimi will fully satisfy you as will their selection of sakes.
People thought this was:
Went here a while ago for a group gathering. I really like Japanese food, but Sozai was mediocre.
My fiancee loved the pork belly. I don't know if it was coincidental or not, but he was very sick later that night and the next day (I don't eat pork and I was fine). Again, possibly a coincidence, but he wasn't in contact with anyone else who was sick.
On the bright side, the staff was nice without being overbearing. Also, the reviews here seem to be pretty split, so maybe it's all a matter of taste.
It's possible I'm biased because I am a sucker for small plates, but I love the skewers (especially the fried stuff) at Sozai.
People thought this was:
Sozai is a small "Izakaya" (Japanese pub) that my fiance and I noticed in the Inner Sunset while walking off our stomach-bursting Park Chow pancake breakfast a few weeks ago. Although it was closed, we peeked in, read the menu and decided to stop by when we had the chance.
Reviewing Japanese restaurants is a difficult process for me because I grew up with a doting Japanese grandmother; her home cooking is sorely missed and it remains top dog on my Japanese scale.
That being said, I appreciated Sozai's small-town and pub-like atmosphere. They have taken the time to become experts on sake and their commensurate food pairings. Their sake knowledge is so good, that they could probably triangulate the origin of a sake just with one whiff of a bottle. That's impressive.
Food. Well, here's where my 2 star rating comes in. I recall when I was little going to a Japanese restaurant with my grandparents. My grandmother did not like the food, and she looked at me and said,"shall we go there?" as she pointed to the McDonalds across the street. Sozai brought back that memory.
We ordered the Gyoza and as they came to the table, they looked good and fresh. But, when we bit into them, a burst of water poured out of them. Grandma used to cook Gyoza with scallions for flavor; these Gyozas were packed with vegetables that out-weighed the volume of meat. It was obvious - and to other well-seasoned cooks- that when these were cooked in the pan, the water from the veggies would deluge the flavor. Therefore, the gyoza tasted like water and very much without flavor.
Secondly, we ordered the Kobei beef skewer. Now, when you hear the words "Kobei beef," your expectations inflate a little right? I mean, if I see that Kobei beef is on the menu and the price is relative, I expect something delicious...the best of the best...no points for second place type of Top Gun dish. What we got was a different story. Remember when your Mom would come home from work all pissed-off and in a hurry to get something on the table for dinner? The meat on the skewer that we chewed, and chewed, and chewed, and chewed, and chewed, reminded me of that experience. The meat was TOUGH and most of all, it was flavorless. Look, I'm no foody, but some seasoning in the kitchen is allowed.
One more item was the salad of greens with Strawberries. That was just it: it was just a salad of greens, strawberries, and balsamic vinegar. Why do I spotlight this one? Because Gordon Ramsay tears a chef a new one for the same dish here:
http://www.youtube.com...
I walked out of there 80 dollars poorer, hungry, and let down.
People thought this was:
Food: 4.5 stars
Service: 4.5 stars
Value: 4 stars
I found Sozai Restaurant through my Yelp friend. It is a small family-owned Japanese Izakaya style restaurant in the inner Sunset District. We arrived at 5;30 and there was only one table.
The waiter, who is the son-in-law of the owner, was polite and friendly. He patiently explained the food on the menu and showed us how the rice was processed differently to produce different types of sake. We ordered a set of sake flight ($13), which came with three different types of sake in three small shot glasses. Among the three, I liked the Tengumai Jikomi Junmai Yamahai the most because it was milder and less sharp taste. In the middle of the dinner, the waiter gave us two free glasses of sake. It tasted very mild comparing to those in our sake flight.
Since the restaurant is Izakaya, we got to try out varieties of small food. We started with two mild appetizers - Hamachi Belly Salad, Organic Citrus ($10) and Salmon Ceviche, Endive Cups ($7). The salmon ceviche was good and refreshing. Hamachi belly salad looked pretty but the taste was just average, a bit bland. We will skip it next time.
Then we ordered Roasted Garlic and Avocado Tempura, Green Tea Salt ($4.75) and Homemade Squid Legs, Shiokara ($3.50). Both dishes were yummy! Tempura is a very common dish in Japanese restaurants, but I have never tried garlic and avacado tempura. They didn't disappoint me. The raw squid legs in the shot glass and its special salty sauce was also very unique. Since these two dishes had stronger flavors, they worked great with the sake.
After the starters, it was time for the grilled food. The Chicken Gizzard ($4) was good but it was a little tough to chew. Hamachi Kama ($12) is the dish that I always order at every Japanese restaurant. But I was a little disappointed of this one. It only came with one small piece which was way too expensive for that price. Even though it didn't taste bad, I would not order again next time. The Eggplant, Sesame Miso ($4) was quite good but not enough to wow me. The Kurobuta Pork Belly, Shichimi ($7.75) was awesome and worked perfectly with the sake. The meat was tender and juicy. It is a must-try!
The portion size in Izakaya are typically small. So after eating all the above, we were not quite full. So we ordered a bowl of the Salmon Skin and Garlic Fried Rice ($5) as an "after sake" dish. It was surprisingly good! The crispy salmon skin and the shoyu fried rice was a kick. We loved it and it ended our dinner perfectly!
Overall, we were very happy with Sozai although some of the dishes were quite expensive. It is a perfect place to grab small food and to try out different sake. It can be a great dinner restaurant too, but you have to order many dishes to fill you up and the bill will be quite expensive. There are many other small food on the menu that we want to try and we will definitely go back for another occasion.
People thought this was:
Great neighborhood spot. I live on the block so I had to give it a try.
Lots of Sake, lots of authentic japanese meals. I only got a plate of cheese and veggies, but the other people in the place looked satisfied.
This nice little spot provides a pleasant dining experience.
I like the music selection too, and the owner is a really friendly individual.
My buddy and I went here around 9:30pm just because we were in the mood for some sake. When we got there, it was pretty quiet which was nice for a change of pace. We ordered two flights of sake and a variety of food. The sake was pretty good. I am far from an expert at sake but I must say I enjoyed being able to sample the different kinds that they offered. I must say though, that their best drink was the sparkling sake. It's quite pricey but definitely worth it. The food was pretty average with some outstanding items. The kobe beef wrapped in enoki mushrooms was not good at all. The sashimi was average at best except for the salmon which was excellent. We ordered some fried chicken which went very well with the sake.
Overall, I don't recommend this place for dinner but it's a nice place to just grab some sake and small foods.
People thought this was:
Came here on a Friday around 6pm and the place wasn't too full, which was great because the place isn't too big so at least we didn't feel cramped. But there were a fair amount of people there for the happy hour.
The owner was very nice, attentive and willing to explain what's on the menu and recommends what sake goes with what dish.
Since this is an izakaya, we were able to try many of the items. Some of the ones that stood out for us were the grilled squid legs, mozzarella stuffed jalapenos, edamame hummus with wonton chips, avocado and garlic tempura with green tea salt, curried scallops, sea bass with mango salsa and of course their oyster shooters. The kobe beef dish that we got was okay but it was a little on the chewy side.
The menu is huge so it's hard to decide on what to get. Ask the owner for recommendations or just order the items with the stars since those are the recommended ones or their specialties.
After dinner, the owner came up to our table with a big ass bottle of sake (I think it was the Take no Tsuyu Junami) which we ordered earlier with our dinner from his recommendation and in my head I was like, "I think he's gonna try to sell us that big ass bottle and it's hella expensive", but he poured up 3 shot glasses and said it was on the house which I thought was really cool...especially the fact he took it with us! I was kinda hoping for the free glasses he was giving other customers but the shot was better anyways.
I'd give this place 4 stars for the food, but 5 stars because of the service.
...oh and don't get too carried away with ordering a lot of dishes. It all adds up in the end and when the bill comes you'll be like =0 ...oops
People thought this was:
So this is one review I hate to write and feel a little guilty because Sozai's owner was such a nice guy. We spoke with him a bit and he seemed to really have a passion for creating an authentic Izakaya atmosphere. The menu looked great and I saw many things that I have not seen on most Japanese restaurant menus. Everything that we ordered although presented nicely had small portions and was bland. Japan is know for their simple tastes, but not No taste. I have to admit we did not eat the Sashmi or have Sake, which both looked impressive from the look of the menue but for a place that boasts Izakaya food this place leaves a lot to be desired. I feel bad because when the owner asked us how everything tasted we were all said "it's good" when we were all thinking "meh."
People thought this was:
Came here tonight for dinner with my co-workers and enjoyed some delicious dishes: chicken meatballs, yakitori chicken with green onion, yakitori kobe beef, kobe beef koshiage, hummus and wonton chips, and tri-color croquettes. All the tapas were good and interesting to try! Portions are small but perfect to share among a few people.
Service here was also friendly and the owner was a nice guy and definitely took care of our group.
Space in here is small but you can make reservations on Open table.
Would love to come back here soon, I am fortunate to work so close by!
People thought this was:
Finally got around to trying this corner joint in the inner Sunset. They got some great stuff that fits the bill of an izakaya/yakitori food establishment.
Sampling of:
Skewers (2 per order)
* Shishamo ($5) - Grilled smelt with their eggs busting out. Good, but a bit pricey for only two pieces.
* Chicken Hearts ($4)
* Chicken Gizzards ($4) - I'm a fan of the texture of gizzard.
* Yaki Pork Tenderloin ($4) - Grilled pork is always good, it's grilled fat after all!
* Negi-ma "Chicken & green onions" ($5)
Additional goodies:
* Tri-color Croquettes "breaded, deep fried potatoes" ($7.75) - Served with a tonkatsu-like sauce. It's different because they use different kinds of potatoes.
* Roasted Garlic, Avocado Tempura, green tea salt ($4.75) - My absolute favorite of the bunch. I've had deep-fried garlic before, but not with a batter. And the deep-fried avocado is completely new to me too. So good, and so perfect with just a touch of the green tea salt. (Where can I get me some of that?!)
* Salmon Ceviche, Endive Cups ($7) - Comes in an order of three and beautifully presented with three types of caviar - black, orange, and yellow. There's a bit of a sauce on it as well.
* Dynamite "Grilled scallops & mushrooms with masago aioli" ($7.75) It's a tasty dish, but you definitely see the fat separating from the mayo. My friend thought it was good until I told him what the sauce was made of and he had to stop. Maybe he felt his arteries clogging.
* Tuna Carpaccio, Garlic Chips ($9) - A creamy sauce covers the tuna, which was something I enjoyed. The garlic chips, which are deep-fried garlic slices add a nice crunch to it.
Overall, there were some exceptionally great dishes that are unique and worth checking out. And there are few that are typical and boring. The food was good though, but it was a bit expensive compared to other similar establishments I've been to. When I return, I'll skip the skewers and go for the other small bites that are stand out as being different. And I'll definitely get more of the deep-fried avocado and garlic! Yum yum!
Service was good - our waiter routinely filled our water and tea, and was 'extra' friendly. Then again, he asked me if I was going to yelp them, so I think that might explain the extra attention. He also gave me his business card for his 'other' business.
They have an extensive sake list with suggested food pairings, but we were just there for the food only.
(Pics posted!)
People thought this was:
Sozai has flavor, it also has variety. Sure, it's a little on the spendy side, but that's tapas for you. Bottom line, Sozai is a great spot for a date.
Why? I think it has something to do with the homey elegance it provides. There's a selection of jazz playing from an iPod, ruffled blinds pulled up unevenly against the windows, a small bar seated directly across from the chefs. The extensive food and sake menus beg you to be adventurous, while providing convenient asterisked selections of specialties and favorite.
Still, there were both hits and misses. The standouts were the pork belly (super tender, juicy, crusted in char and dusted in spices), the lamb chops (two large chops, moist, tender, and full of flavor), and the japanese squash (with almost the consistency of boiled egg yolk, very rich, a great side dish).
The dishes we could do without were the kobe beef with onions (wasn't as tender as I was expecting, a little dry) and the salmon ceviche (bitter, very small cuts of salmon, would rather have had salmon sashimi).
There's also an issue of sticker shock. With a sake flight and six entrees between us, the bill came out to near $40 a head. Still, it was a great experience and I look forward to trying out other things on the menu. Being served by the owner is a charming plus.
People thought this was:
Service was wonderful! Food was good, I didn't find it to be anything spectacular. Over all the experience was pleasant! We ordered a number of items:
Shitake Soy Sauce
Jalapeno Mozzerella Skewers
Salmon Ceviche
Spicy Lotus
Green Tea Flan/Red Bean Ice Cream
Our favorite was dessert. Was so delicious! Everything else was yummy but average. Nice family owned location. Great variety of spirits and sakes. Owner is a cool guy.
I would suggest the spicy lotus for anyone looking to try something new. I would defn. go back but not somewhere I could see myself craving to return too.
I liked the idea of a an Izakaya, different from the majority of japanese offerings in the city.
A bunch of coworkers from out of town were in town, and they decided to go to this place with the help from some locals (I think). We went for the pre-dinner izakaya menu.
I was really disappointed. We had like 16 people and so we ordered what seemed like the majority of the stuff on the menu. My wife and I just stared at each other politely as we tried each dish. They ranged from bad to average.
The service was pretty poor too, despite us being probably 50% of the people in the restaurant when we sat down.
I love izakaya style, but there's a lot better places in town than this one.
People thought this was:
WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!
I REALLY wanted to like this place!!!
FOOD
The food was pretty greasy, overly salty in some places, way under salty in others, fish was not so fresh, special flavoring (like Yuzu) was way too understated, and the meat was overcooked. :(
LiKeD
The one thing I liked was the breaded jalapeno with mozzarella and spicy sauce. The pepper was very juicy and the taste was excellent, though very spice (I like that though).
SAKE
No booze for me. However, they take Sake seriously here and is the thing to get... should make the food seem much better.
REST
Staff / owner - really warm! Great people... which makes it more of a bummer to have to say the food was not so good.
COME BACK?
I hope this was a one off scenario, or that they chef was just drunk on Sake... the menu is engaging and I would love to see the product match up to expectations.
People thought this was:
We came to try this place for dinner on a previous weekend, but I neglected to write my review until now.
The co-owner and waiter, Gil Payne (Mari Takahashi is his wife), was very friendly and attentive. He acknowledged us as soon as we came thru the door, while he was attending to another table. It's amazing to me how he can manage the 'front of the house service' (welcoming guests, answering questions about the menu, taking the food orders, bringing drinks, servicing the tables, adding the bills, etc.) all by himself.
Anyways, let's start the review of the food. We tried the following items:
Kushi-yaki chicken sampler (6 grilled skewers):
- chicken, chicken & green onions, gizzards, hearts, liver, and meatball. no surprises, standard fare, all good.
Kushi-age sampler (4 deep fried skewers):
- Kobe beef w/green onion - nice flavor, but a little tough.
- Salmon - a moist square of fish, with a tartar sauce made w/chopped egg whites. - It's okay. The sauce was a little watery. The egg whites were chopped coarsely, so the few odd pieces were noticeable. A finer cut on the egg whites and a creamier sauce would've been ideal.
- Yellow onion with a cocktail sauce on top - sweet, perfectly cooked.
- Mozzarella and jalapeno with a sweet sauce - surprisingly not spicy, I liked this one.
Tri-color croquettes (3 types of potato: regular, purple, & sweet potato) - very plain/ unremarkable, potato puree patties that have been deep fried. I prefer the ones served at many restaurants in Japantown.
Salmon ceviche served on endive leaves - 3 per order, each topped with different colored tobiko (green, orange, black) - I really liked this dish.
Sesame crusted seared tuna - sliced rare tuna, another good dish.
Edamame hummus (puree) with wonton chips - it's a very nice starter, but for some reason it came out last. The "hummus" was delicious and the chips were hot (just made) & crisp.
2 bowls of miso soup, and a teapot of genmai cha.
The specials of the day included Japanese samosas ($3), which Gil was very nice to offer us a complimentary taste. These were dumplings using a Gyoza wrapper and filled with the familiar curry potato mixture.
We wanted to sample as much as possible, so our table was barely able to hold all the dishes that we had ordered. Afterwards, we were so full, that we decided to skip the dessert this time. It can get expensive after you add all the small plates. We'll definitely be back one day, to try more dishes and the desserts.
Happy hour specials include $3 small plates (posted inside, written on a small blackboard with neon markers), and a pitcher of beer for $8.
Currently, there are several new Izakaya places in SF that are really good, like Halu. So, I'm giving Sozai 3.5 stars this time.
People thought this was:
I was disappointed when I didn't see sushi rolls on their menu. after reading the reviews I guess they only serve it on Thursdays. I think it's overpriced, I left unsatisfied. Food was average - I wouldn't recommend the kobe beef steak at all. I did enjoy the tuna carpaccio, the fish was fresh. I also tried the grilled squid legs w/mayo which I liked too. The place is tiny and all the tables were really close together, which made me feel cramped. But I think this place will be great to come w/friends for some drinks and snacks.
People thought this was:
When we came by for dinner several weeks ago, we didn't know if the place was open. There weren't customers and the lights were of. Well, it was open, just dark. Strange. Lights did come on about half way through our meal.
Anyway, we were here for the food so we ordered away. Curry puffs, agedashi tofu, grilled squid legs, Kobe beef steak with caramelized onion, Kurobuta pork belly and tuna carpaccio. Unfortunately, nothing stood out as being really good. The squid legs were probably my favorite, with a nice grill flavor. The agedashi tofu had a rough texture inside and hubby thought the tofu was off. The carpaccio was ruined by the sauce. The beef was on the tough side, though the onion flavor was nice. The curry puffs and the pork were just average. There was nothing I would order again. They didn't even get the tea right. We waited 10-15 minutes to get the tea as we were told the water wasn't ready. That was totally fine, except when it finally arrived, it was lukewarm. It's too bad because I had high hopes for this place.
Service was alright. It did feel awkward at times. It was interesting that at the end of the meal, we weren't asked if we wanted dessert. We were asked if we wanted the check. We did, and then we went to Andronico's to pick up dessert. Turned out to be the best food we had that night.
People thought this was:
Not bad for what it's supposed to be: expensive Asian fusion. A nice once-in-a-while treat, but I always leave not feeling quite like I got the value I paid for...
FOOD: Quality was excellent, everything was made with the freshest ingredients, from the spinach gyoza to the avocado tempura to the miso-glazed roasted eggplant (drool). So yes, this place does offer lots of veggie options (yay!) but not to fear meat-eaters - my brother said the tonkatsu & kobe steak were pretty good too. Oh, and the green tea panna cotta is EXQUISITE. However, true to fine dining's stereotype, almost everything is also in painfully small portions (dessert came in a shotglass). Definitely not a go if you're a hefty eater.
PRICES: Hmmm upscale Japanese-ish fusion normally calls for a higher price tag, so I expected to shell out $75-$100 to have a decent-sized meal. However, since it was also my brother's birthday, and we were giving them quite a bit of business for just two people, I also expected that they would give us a little... shall we say incentive to come back? Like at least complimentary dessert (Roy's did that for us).
AMBIENCE: Much nicer on the inside than the outside. Wide windows lets all the passer-by's watch you while eating, which may be distracting for some people. The restaurant is definitely not very big, so I recommend bringing a date but not a big group.
PARKING: Actually not that bad around these parts. And if you're taking your lady on a date, rest assured that you won't need to make her walk too far...
Correction:
I have received emails from the owner.
"We do not use ANY MSG, period. Never have and never will."
"The pork belly is never cooked from a frozen state."
Visited on Saturday, 3/7/09, @ 8:00pm. 1st time. Found this place through my college alumni… Read more »
So disappointing. I'd been looking forward to trying this place. It was a disaster. We opted for the introductory menu ($35) which had about 8 different items. However, when they came out they were all HALF portions, which was not disclosed. It was so little food! And, it was not good. Medoicre, but not great. Certainly not worth $35. We had a dining certificate as well. When we were brought the check, we were given the total but not the breakdown. When we asked for the break out, we found they'd already added tip! That is fine, as the dining coupon allows for that, but to give us the credit card slip and not disclose that is dishonest. We went down the street where my husband had a taco as his was still hungry.
Wow...Oh My God...
So, you know when you go to a restaurant, and a dish impresses you so much that you dream of eating it again that night? You know when you go to a restaurant, and the service was so personable, so great, that you feel like you have a new friend?
That is what happened when I went to Sozai to celebrate a friend's birthday a couple of days ago.
First off, Gil and Mari who own the place are super nice, friendly, and knowlegable about sake. Who doesn't love sake? Especially cold sake? Oooh, try to sparkling sake! Gil was just superb and made our group feel so welcomed.
Second, the food was absolutely amazing. The dish that stood out for all of us was the Pork Belly. Oh My God. The pork belly was amazing - so much so, we probably had 12 orders of it for the table, and there were 9 only of us (well, they were appetizer size, so we had to order more!). The texture was soft and warm with flavors of grilled and pulled pork. We could not stop talking about it, even after we had dessert! In fact, you can not go wrong, if you order anything from the menu with an asterisk (**) as they are the restaurant's recommendations.
But, please don't go there looking for sushi. This place serves Japanese/fusion food appetizer style. Kind of like tapas for Spanish food, or dim sum for Chinese food. All the dishes are on the small side, so that you can try many of the different dishes.
The place was pricey, I'll admit. But the service and food deserved every dime. I'll recommend Sozai to everyone I know.
People thought this was:
We signed up for Beginner Sushi class and showed up yesterday.
Mari is a great teacher, and taught us to make a bunch of different kinds of rolls. She explained to us everything that was involved, and threw in some interesting history as well.
I don't eat seafood, so I made a bunch of veggie rolles. Mari snuck in a skewer of chicken and some other special stuff for me and it was Fing awesome! Thanks for accomodating!
At the end of the lesson, I had made like a dozen rolls, and I'm not sure if it's me or what, but they tasted great.
Bring some tupperware to bring your food home in - saves paper. The class schedule said 2 hours, but after eating some of our stuff and some beers we were out in 3.
http://www.marisfood.com
People thought this was:
So I just ate here for the first time like 15 min ago.
These guys know their stuff. Funny we were…
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After almost an entire day of spring cleaning, Eugy and I agreed that we should treat ourselves to a really yummy meal. When he said "let's go to an izakaya", I was hesitant. I wasn't really in the mood for a lot of drinking and mediocre food, surrounded by a bunch of noisy people who had done a lot of drinking. I wanted really yummy, filling food. But after some thought, I gave in and we headed over to Sozai.
The best way I can describe this place is quaint restaurant serving really delicious izakaya type food. This place is by far what most would consider a true izakaya. This place is just too cute and clean to be an izakaya.
Apparently, Eugy has been here before, but said he was too drunk to remember what the food actually tasted like. So he was a bit excited to come here sober. hah...
We walked in and picked a table and sat down. Gil politely greeted us and started us off with some drinks. Echigo for Eugy. Choya umeshu on the rocks for me. A little chitty chat and then on to the ordering!
We ordered:
Negi-ma - chicken and green onion were grilled to perfection
Kurobuta pork belly, shichimi - this one is definitely my favorite. You can't go wrong with grilled pork belly
Tofu, Tare - simple grilled tofu. simple and delicious.
Kurobuta Pork Filet Katsu - I usually like really thin tonkatsu, but this was thick pieces and even though they were fried, the meat was still really juicy and delicious.
Roasted Garlic & Avocado Tempura, Green Tea Salt - Eugy LOVES green tea salt now. I love anything with green tea salt. The garlic tempura was awesome. Gonna try that at home.
Curried Scallops Masago Aioli - not really my thing. good, but over curried.
Sake Steamed Clams - REALLY awesome... The sake sauce was sooo good...
Steamed Buttery Mushrooms with soy sauce - who doesn't love anything in butter and soy sauce? Come on.. You know you do.
Gil was a pleasant host. His wife, Mari, the executive chef is adorably cute and what a great chef she is!! Everything was yummy. Gil helped to guide us along the menu and made some great recommendations. Thanks Gil!
And at the end, he said, if you guys order dessert, I'll give you a shot of shochu on the house. Normally, I don't like green tea flavored desserts and that's mostly what they had on the menu. But Eugy likes to drink so I thought I'd order the dessert and take one for the team. ;)
I ordered the matcha panna cotta. It came out with chopped kiwi on top. I am a new found lover of matcha flavored dessert. This panna cotta was so yummy. And the kiwi on top gave it a nice touch. Just wonderful. And at the very end, Mari sent out two of the biggest strawberries I've ever seen in my life. She said she picked them up from the Alemany farmers market. They were huge and very sweet. VERY VERY good. Thanks Mari!
This place is a definite rotator.
People thought this was:
Let's c, the service was pleasant, food just ok...split bottle 4 champagne $45 minimum little hefty for this type of place...zucchini over cooked, everything we ordered was average, I guess I was expecting more from a restaurant that was rated highly from yelp and citysearch...maybe just a bad night?
People thought this was:
Sushi night at Sozai is back, But now on Thursdays. The rolls are fresh and taste great. Sake select is awesome with the sushi. Sozai also has sake a food pairings every couple weeks, so you have to check out the website from time to time. Food pairings are great, sometimes that have guest chefs from different restaurants in the city come and do the pairings and also different sake and beer coming in to present there products. If you want to learn about the food your eatting the the sake your drinking, those days are the best days to come in. come check it out!!!!
People thought this was:
I went to Sozai once again and i was not disappointed. Mondays are their sushi night and it was… Read more »
'i really enjoyed this japanese sushi place, they had great spicy tuna rolls"
"i cant believe san tung didnt have spicy tuna rolls, thats my favorite asian food"
"i dont see what the hype about kappa is. when i asked them to make me a spicy tuna roll, they just glared at me and walked away."
real people, real reviews. thats what yelp is. but like everything in life, you need to research the source of the information you are getting.
i have nothing againist spicy tuna rolls. i actually do like them. HAHAHHA *cough* bryan k *cough* but they do not belong in a high end sushi houses omakase............
and more importantly, sozai is not sushi. not all japanese restaurants are sushi houses.
koreans dont eat kalbi every night.
this is a great addition to the sunset. i can not say enough good things about this place. great food, great people behind the place.
though izakayas are not in my rotation enough, this place is definately gonna be one of my 'set places.
the chicken hearts were to die for. wow, never had such good chicken heats before. and yes the fongerssss is right, the chicken with green onion. wow.
salmon skin, garlic, shoyu fried rice?!?! yeah, it was good.
i must note, as i said to both mari and gil in my buzzed state, i came there after a few beers at park chalet and i know i eat spicier and saltier than most..... soooo when i said i felt a few items were undersalted/seasoned, namely the edamae hummus, you have to take it with a grain of... SALT !!!!!
meh... ok...... but i can not stand behind this comment without going there 100% sober and trying everything again......
well, you dont have to twist my arms......
WHO WANTS TO JOIN ME!??!?!
4.5 rounded up cause gil and mari are just good folks. they dealt with my drunk ass?!?!?! you know they good folks.
People thought this was:
This place markets itself as the first Japanese tapas bar in the city. There may be a reason there is only one in the city -- it makes more sense to go to a standard sushi place and get veggie tempura or some teriyaki if you want small plates.
We ordered the buttered mushrooms (button, shiitake and portobello mushrooms steamed in tin foil), the sweet fried chicken (fatty!) and three sushi rolls. It's too bad sushi is not this place's wheelhouse (they only serve it on Thursdays) because it's the only thing worth eating. So, with 2 beers priced at $7 each, our bill was freakin' $50 bucks! For a hole-in-the-wall joint, that's a ridiculous price to me.
The service was nice, although the server charged us for two spicy tuna rolls and when I pointed it out to him he said he already knew -- but decided to give me an incorrect bill anyway??? That seemed a little strange to me, but oh well. I'll be back at Jimisan next time.
People thought this was:
Cute place! Fun, casual place for a classy, tasty meal! If you like Izakaya style food you definitely gotta try this place. The manager, Gil, is so awesome - very nice, funny and friendly. His wife is the amazingly creative chef of this place. Gil speaks fluent japanese btw =)
I organized my friend's birthday here for a group of 8 and despite the small size of the restaurant, Gil was very accommodating, they had our table ready for us when we got there. We ordered a ton of small dishes and he threw in a few extra on the house. My favorites were the Salmon Seviche, Sashimi Scallop Carpaccio, Suzuki (Bass) Mango salsa. We also tried the kobe beef which was okay, not as "melts in your mouth" as it should be. If you like sweet drinks you definitely have to try the lychee sake, it was soooo good. They have a pretty good sake selection here.
Overall, the service was good and the food was fun to try.
People thought this was:
I was pretty disappointed. Although the service was good. The food was average. The kobe beef was way over cooked. We ordered chicken skewers and we accidentally given skewers with chicken heart, chicken gizzard, and chicken liver. My family thought we'd be good sports about this and try it but it was completely disgusting. Their tuna tartar was good..but that was about it. I've definately had better.
People thought this was:
I first met the sweet and personable owner Mari at our event at Therapeia Spa where she personally prepared hand rolls and served edamame hummus to our Elite. With a successful catering company under her belt, she had just opened Sozai 2 months before. I finally got a chance to dine at Sozai with a group of 9 yelpers over the weekend and now I have a favorite Izakaya restaurant in SF!
A tiny and casual spot in the Inner Sunset, we were taken good care of by Mari and her partner Gil, both who served us throughout the night. We let Fong, the regular among us, order for our group and everything was tasty. The standouts were the Kobe beef tataki, kurobuta pork belly, sake steamed clams and kabocha chicken stew. These plates were superb. I really enjoyed the grilled skewered chicken hearts and gizzards - don't be turned off, it tastes much better than it sounds. The sake we had went also well with our dishes. Though Mari intentionally lightly salts everything, I never felt the need to add any. Every bite was very flavorful.
The girls decided to order dessert - of course - but we were a little disappointed. The green tea panna cotta was too firm and the macha powder took away from its sweetness. Next time, I think I'd like to try the macha affogato with lychee ice cream.
A great spot for groups, so you can try many different dishes. Our bill came out to $26/person, which was incredible. Just make sure you get reservations, because this is a popular spot, for good reason.
People thought this was:
Easily the BEST IZAKAYA IN SF. O izakaya is good, and hime is ok, but this is the least pretentious, and MOST tasty of all of them. Izakayas, above all else, SHOULD NOT BE PRETENTIOUS. In japan, they're the equivalent of pubs in london. and they have very good prices, esp for the sake.
Mari, the chef-owner, knows what she's doing, and makes super tasty food, true izakaya style. Gil, the manager is always friendly, honest, and well meaning. He is very willing and able to educate the uninitiated about the sake on their menu, as well as the delectable drinking food (read: true japanese tapas). I've never had a bad meal here. After some time working the kinks out of the service side of things, I have to say they have the system working now.
The uninitiated among you might wonder what an Izakaya is. Izakayas are the pubs in japan where you eat and drink with your friends. Typical izakaya food includes yakitori (grilled chicken skewers), skewered grilled food of all sorts (kushiyaki), chicken karaage (fried chicken), fried food of all sorts (agemono), and various other things. Most of the food is COOKED, so don't think it's gonna be sashimi, or raw fish sushi.
Things to order when you go:
1) Kurobuta Kakuni Kushiyaki (Stewed kurobuta pork belly, grilled on a skewer with shichimi chili pepper seasoning). This is fucking PHENOMENAL. The pork belly is made chinese style, so it's at least fried (to reduce the fat), then stewed in a big chunk. Then put on a skewer and grilled to perfection. the thing tastes like marshmallow pork, with the fat melting in your mouth. One of the most amazing things I've ever eaten in the city. Very rich, very fatty, and VERY tasty. be forewarned.
2) kushiyaki (grilled skewers) of chicken hearts, chicken gizzards, chicken with green onions (negima). These are all very well marinated, and well flavored. THe chicken with green onions is way better than their standard yakitori, so I totally recommend it. THe chicken hearts are my favorite in the city (compared to Espetus' chicken hearts), and I highly recommend them.
3) Kobe beef tataki. Straight up and tasty. Quality kobe style beef, seared on the outside only, and served raw on the inside, and cold. Sliced thin, with a ponzu sauce. The key here is beef quality, and it's awesome here.
4) sake steamed clams. Fresh clams steamed with sake and onions. Simple fresh ingredients are the key, and it's perfect.
5) chicken karaage. Well marinated dark chicken meat (thighs probably), fried perfectly. Another standard, perfectly done.
6) kurobuta tonkatsu. Not much to say here. perfecly breaded and fried kurobuta pork chop. you can't lose with a kurobuta tonkatsu.
8) hamachi kama. Hamachi (yellowtail tuna) jaw. MARINATED hamachi really makes this dish stand out from others in the bay area. Not your typical hamachi-kama shioyaki (Salt grilled) like you usually see. The marinade makes this go perfectly with sake or beer.
and if you're not full by the end, they have japanese classic post-sake food too, like Ochazuke (fresh green tea poured over steamed rice and fish), and some decent desserts.
As for sake, I have gotten the Dassai daiginjo twice, and it's a very good price at only about $35 for a 750 mL. The Suigei (drunken whale) is a good standard, and cheaper, which Gil remembers fondly from older times (ask him about it).
They carry Sapporo beer on tap, and a few others I can't remember (I always drink sapporo with izakaya food).
The menu changes, but the dishes I've mentioned here should always be on the menu. You guys HAVE to try this place out.
People thought this was:
Izakayas are born out of Sake shops so it's a great sign that co-owner Gil Payne went to the dude who wrote the book for SF on the subject, Beau Timken (True Sake owner), to outfit him with an array of premium sake menu offerings. I'm a little gun-shy of new izakayas after a disappointing experience at J-Town's new, trendy, "over-inferior desecrated," O Izakaya Lounge, but have restored faith after a memorable experience at the understated Sozai. In fact, O Izakya should hire Gil and Mari to remake their joint.
First of all Gill and Mari are the best hosts, encouraging an intimate experience with a wood, soft-toned interior matched by interesting tapas-sized plates with vivacious tastes. No worries if an Izakaya newby, Gil will make you right at home by questioning what your tastes are for Sake, to which he will match with appropriate flights (three glasses with producer name). He'll give you a short history of Sake and then move on to offer you food suggestions. Quite often people make the mistake of confusing Izakayas for Sushi bars, and though it's about warmer, small plates, one can still get their hankering for fish with a sashimi plate. Or do a salt-lick.
Some of the highlights:
Tuna Tartar plate; the Wasabi Humus; asparu wrapped bacon; green bean fritters; oysters from Miyagi or Pt. Reyes drizzled lightly w/ yuzu; sake steamed clams; shiitake shoyu; and top everything off with the green tea panna cotta. Was expecting more from the vegi gyoza, a bolder flavor to balance the lightness of the vegetables-perhaps some chopped smoked tofu. But everything else was perfect. Grilled lamb chops with shiso pesto looked awesome. The grilled mackerel at the next table looked delicious. It was downed by a table of young hipsters in ten minutes.
I appreciate the fact Sozai emphasizes use of farm-fresh ingredients and shop local when they can. It's also nice that they took a space in a less-than-optimal area, overdone with restaurants, and with their own magical twist made Sozai a friendly, low-key, relaxing joint to hit.
People thought this was:
I miss the Izakaya in Los Angeles and so we decided to hit up a Izakaya joint in SF. Recently we have been disappointed with the food in SF not living up to the places in LA and being way overpriced... until now.
We walked into Sozai on a Friday night and made easy reservations through OpenTable. We were greeted and seated promptly. We order our old favorites from So Cal and were very pleasantly surprised by all the flavor and execution. The owner was extremely gracious and informed us of an amazing sake and even let us sample it. YUM! We had the pork belly which is to be ordered by all and they have great grilled rice balls. The only thing that was missing was the tebi sake... what is izakaya without chicken wings? But that was the only disappointment of the night. I have become a believer and know that I will be giving Sozai a lot of business in the next few years. I can't wait to come back!
Good wine (sake) and beer. Food unmemorable.
I WOULD NOT recommend or repeat.
I stopped by after dinner out with friends just to see if it had possibilities for a group visit. I'm sorry to conclude that it doesn't offer much besides a good selection of draught beers and sakes. It isn't expensive, but it isn't particularly satisfying, either.
I sat at the counter with another couple sitting at a table. Mari and a couple men were cooking/prepping behind the counter, with one waiter not particularly familiar with the menu/sakes, and Gil who hovered and made his intrusive presence only too well known (he introduced himself and shook my hand twice).
I tried the aforementioned Edamame Hummus and was unimpressed. It might be worth another go solo, but is not worth trying with others and risking a poor experience.
People thought this was:
Although the sake flight paired impeccably with our food, I don't think we would come back, based on the DAT menu. We would recommend it for good sake but not really for the food. I would give it one more try before I make final judgments.
People thought this was:
This was amazing!!!! BUT not cheap since you are paying by the plate, but the price was worth it. Go with friends, but be warned things can get pricy. You can cut down the cost by trying their specials first.
I have never had a Izakaya (Japanese Tapas) place before and I am amazed. My wife and I came Sunday night for an anniversary dinner (she is a lover of small plates, tapas, and appetizer). Happy hour on early Sunday is already enough for me to earn all the stars it possibly can! On top of that, the food was new, innovative, and very good. We couldn't try everything on the menu and will surely return once my wallet has healed.
Service was good, friendly, and helpful for us new Izakaya eaters. Did I mention his name was Gil?
There was a small group sitting near us, trying out the spot for the first time and they were not fully aware that this place is priced per small plate. They were shocked when they ordered something to see such a small plate come out. Lesson = be prepared for small portioned but amazing plates.
This will be the newest member of my personal favorite list!
Sozai ya is a cute Izakaya spot in the Sunset District. They have pretty good happy hour deals. Only hot sake and select beer is part of the happy hour but the food and price is very reasonable, especially for the quality of the food. Sozai-ya has a good list of cold sake, which I usually drink. The wait staff speaks fluent Japanese and English and are very friendly which help makes your experience all that much better.
If you are in the mood for Izakaya I would recommend checking out this place.
Fun, super-friendly, casual environment.
We went as a group of eight and ordered 15+ tapas. All were very delicious... some of the highlights:
- Fresh baby oysters
- Kurobuta Pork Belly
- Grilled Lamb
- Chicken karaage
- Edamame Hummus
- all their sake selections :)
Gil (owner & waiter) was very friendly and attentive. He came over to our table several times throughout the meal and even had few drinks with us. Great experience overall!
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