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Categories: Japanese, Sushi Bars [Edit]
Neighborhoods: Pacific Heights, JapantownSushi Boom II offers unique, delicious sushi rolls, fresh and flavorful sashimi and various traditional Japanese dishes at... more »
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Had lunch @ Takara (again). Several set lunch "specials" ... spell value.
Good service and always good food.
Takara is best at cooked food. (Tempura, Grilled Saba, Grilled Salmon, etc. etc. etc.) Yah, chawan-mushi is pre-prepared (but great ! ).... another LOL moment in reading another reviewer that believes this dish should be freshly and expressly prepared for them....HEY this is not Fleur De Lys. Perhaps they were thinking that their initials made of carved Shitake' mushrooms should be floating on the top of "their" chawan-mushi.
Oh, and the City is on a rampage for revenue, repeat inspections / visits (as in health & restaurants) help fund the many valued programs such as storing and providing security for the shopping carts of the homeless while they are under arrest or eating sushi.
90 is the score for Takara from the Dept. Of Health.
Yup, Takara is great. (but dunno why the shrimp in the tank outside the place always look like they… Read more »
What's wrong with you?
72?
That's Bullshit!!!
I walked out.
That's really bad score for Sushi.
100% Japanese restaurant goin' down.
Some thing must happen.
I really liked the place but not any more.
i won't go there until the number gets high.
So CLEAN UP!
If you take a seat in the dinning area, you'll be doomed.
because, .....
Basically, you go to a…
Read more »
My colleague was in town doing a gig in Walnut Creek. We already tried the Japanese fare there so I asked him to meet me in SF instead. I planned to try out Okina Sushi, then realized at their doorstep that they are closed on Tuesdays. Darn, yet again I had to pick a new place off the top of my head... and if you know me, there aint much on the top of my head. No fancy mobile Yelp so I used my car's GPS to help me find a place. The Takara name rang a bell, but I couldn't remember why. I'm having this memory problem recently.
Looking at Takara from the outside, my bad food warning light was flashing. It doesn't look good. But looking at the menu, it was filled with mispelled Engrish words... hmmmm, must be good then. We went in.
Typically I'll order a couple of items, get a sense of the food and what everyone likes, then continue ordering throughout the meal. We ordered the chawan-mushi, the nabeyaki udon, tonkatsu, and yamakake for starters.
Surprisingly the chawan-mushi came out first, in about 5 minutes. I looked at my buddy, he looked at me. There is no way chawan-mushi can be made in 5 minutes... yep, it was lukewarm like they reheated it. Nasty.
The yamakake and tonkatsu came out next. My friend loves yamaimo. The maguro looked old and tasted kinda fishy. My friend asked, "How can they screw this up?" Yuck. The tonkatsu was decent, not great, but the best thing we ordered.
The nabeyaki udon came out last. This is a standard order for my friend, so I wasn't surprised he ordered it again, even with it being rather warm outside. The udon was clearly the frozen variety. We didn't bother finishing it. Pffftt.
I told him, don't waste your belly space eating this stuff. So we closed out our bill and went out wandering Japantown aimlessly, looking for someplace else to eat. What a shame, 900+ Yelp bookmarks and I'm playing Russian Roulette with my stomach's happiness.
We ended up at New Korea House just to play it safe and not risk two bad dinners in one night... how sad is that, settling for Korean food in Japantown?
It's been 10 years since I was in SF but this place is still the real deal in Jtown. The patrons are mainly Japanese, which suggests authenticity. I come for the ochazuke (tea steeped rice) and the deep fried oysters. Yum! And the prices are a steal.
It's been 10 years since I was in SF but this place is still the real deal in Jtown. The patrons are mainly Japanese, which suggests authenticity. I come for the ochazuke (tea steeped rice) and the deep fried oysters. Yum! And the prices are a steal.
For what it is, it's very solid, and one of the best places in the J-Town center. Great bento box deals at lunch. Excellent dinner menu has combo dinners which come with chawan mushi, pickled veggies, soup, rice, and some kind of salad-y thing served with whatever main you get: fish, chicken, pork, etc, and dessert (ice cream or anmitsu). This is our go-to place for a very filling dinner. The sushi is also decent for J-Town. Takara is one of the few places in the center that is always busy, every day, lunch and dinner. As with everything else, they do close a bit on the early side. (For a full-on treat, get a massage at Sain Saine next door and a quick stop to Ichiban Kan or Harajuku down the hall before you actually eat.)
Give me some ventilation!
Better air circulation would help. The restaurant is clean, but somehow feels stuffy. Okay, not taking stars off for that. Just hoping the owners may take notice.
Been here dozens of times over the years. As far back as 15 years ago when the parents use to run the restaurant. I miss the father.
He's always recognize me and say hi when he would see me around Japantown.
Anyway, who I believe to be his children, or possibly their child and spouse, seem to now run it. It is as good as before. Being in Japantown, they have plenty of competition.
The food is always good, but if you go too late for lunch or especially for dinner, the tempura oil can be a bit overused. BUt it is still crispy
My friend thinks it's cooked earlier and microwaved for each order because the food comes so fast. I don't think so though. It always taste fresh.
The miso soup is always just right. Not too salty and just enough cubed tofu and seaweed.
Their nigiri seems and tastes that it's been professionally prepared, unlike mine. A lot goes into doing sushi right.
I nice side note: After eating, go in the hotel next door and view the small, but beautiful Japanese garden
Service was very friendly and the food was pretty good but it just wasn't anything special. We were here on a weekend evening and the place was pretty dead. All of us ordered dinners which were very generously sized. The appetizer custard that came with our meals was interesting. I didn't like it but others I was with really enjoyed it. My tempura was crispy and the prawns delicious and fresh. The green tea ice cream was fantastic.
Overall quite good but nothing really made it stand out to me.
You know that feeling you get when you're certain that you've found your one true love? Hell, I still haven't found that, but I'm pretty sure if Takara was a man he'd be my one true love...
I believe my search for the closest authentic Japanese food, service, and experience in San Francisco has been completed! This is near the real deal people. None of that dragon dog fire creamy blabbity blah rolls, crappy teriyaki meats, or large american portions.
I ordered the Chirashi sushi (roughly $17). It was a fairly good amount, with a variety of very fresh fish. I also ordered the negi toro rolls (8 rolls for roughly $7). They're small, but hey toro is expensive! The rolls just melted in my mouth. Just heavenly!
Even before the meal, they caught me off guard by bringing Chawanmushi (a steamed savory egg custard). OH MY! Just the way my mom makes it! You can't find this in a lot of places! They even brought out miso soup and a side dish of cooked carrots & konnyaku (a yam jelly).
For once I actually ate slow to savor the flavors and tastes of my meal. Pairing my meal with a cold glass of plum wine really topped it off!
The service was great here! Everyone was SOOO nice, and they even brought out a complimentary ice cream! As most people have complained about the service here, I'll have to let you in on something. In Japan, servers don't wait you every minute of your dining experience as they do here in America. And I think they've sort of carried on that cultural aspect here. They want you to enjoy the meal, so don't feel bad flagging someone down. In fact, I like not being bothered. Having little service here and there IS the Japanese way.
There was plenty of seating all around. And the atmosphere was relaxing, and quiet. The prices aren't the cheapest, but they're not overly priced. It's Japanese food, so don't expect gigantic portions! And best of it, if you parked in the garage, they validate!
Oh Takara, "Chou Oishikatta desu!!" You left my heart filled with warmth, and my belly full of delicious food! You're lucky because usually only my mom leaves me feeling that way.
P.S. "Chou Oishikatta desu" is pretty much equivalent to "Hella delicious!" :)
I think this place might have topped my list of "bad serviced restaurants" and I don't have too many on that list.
A group of us (3) were interested in this restaurant because it looked so busy and mostly Japanese ladies who were in line in front of us made us think it was more authentic than the other restaurants in the plaza. We walked in, the restaurant was busy in the front end and only 1 out or 4 tables filled in the back end. No one greeted. No one looked at us. No one acknowledged we existed next to the sign that read "Please wait here for hostess to be seated." A group of about 5-6 followed after us and were complaining of the wait and we were probably waiting for 3-4 minutes before they decided to leave. We probably should have done the same.
Sushi wasn't great. Food was not very tasty. Service sucked. A very rude waitress (older, shoulder length hair lady) exclaimed "NO!" when one of our party asked for a glass of water and kept walking by. At first we were shocked...maybe she said "I Know?" Apparently not...since no water came. The other waitress who took our order came back and finally brought us some water.
We came and tried Takara but I will never come back.
The service was so quick and the food so good I was done within 10 minutes after arriving. I had so much extra time on my hands I walked over to that dive Sebo (that made me wait an hour) for old times sake and stood outside.
They are nice too and they really like their customers. I love that.
Health department score - 74.
I was about to be seated, nice man asked for how many in party, and I told him.
I glanced at the green card and it said 74. I said, excuse us, we are going.
He said "oh you don't like that?"
I said, "No one with sense would"
Small, fresh, a bit pricey, tasty portions of perfection. We were hoping to catch another restaurant but of course, it was closed by the time we arrived. Staff was chill, fast, effin' efficient! Little wait time to serve, with appetizers arriving after the main feast... whatever. It's all good here.
Crazy tasty tobiko ;')
My never ending quest to find a good restaurant for dinner before show at the Fillmore brought me to Takara. The fish was fresh and pretty tasty but the overall experience lacked in a few areas.
We didn't run into the service delays that plagued so many other Yelpers but did encounter some god awful stench coming out of the kitchen. Seriously, this smell was so rank I wasn't sure if we'd be able to get past it and enjoy our food. I kept holding my tea up to my nose to distract me and it did the trick.
Our waitress also seemed less than patient with us when we asked for a few minutes with our menus. So sorry but sometimes old friends chat when dining out!
All in all, Takara isn't a horrible spot but with so many options in the neighborhood I doubt I'll be back. For now, my quest continues...
Well, since my boyfriend and I never actually ate inside, I can't comment on the actual quality of the food, but here's the reason why we didn't try the food...
We walked inside, ready to order some take-out, when we happened to glance over to our left and see the comments the health inspector had left in a report for this place. The third thing Takara was to do was to "clean up the rodent excrement in the kitchen." Note that that it didn't even look like they were suppose to exterminate the rodents, just clean up the excrement.
Suffice to say, it lowered our appetites and made us a wee bit nervous, so we turned around and walked out.
People here keep complaining about the health inspector score of 74, let me tell you a little background why this score is so low, they used to score around 92 in Takara but one time they had a pipe burst (not theirs but the building's) and flooded the place. This was just a few months ago. This affected their score and made it pretty low. I do not contest the other things that might have lowered their score but the place is not a 74, if you are really nit picky maybe its an 86. Take these health ratings with a grain of salt, our local Chinese restaurant 1 block from my apartment gets a score of 100, and believe me they do not deserve it.
Anyway the Japanese food in Takara is generally the best in Japan town, that might be a bold statement but in my opinion this is true, and I have eaten at all of them. I used to take Japanese classes near JTown and pretty much went to all of the restaurants in the area. Mind you the food in Maki is generally better and the sushi at Kiss Sushi is definitely at a different level, but mind you these two that I mentioned are significantly more expensive than Takara. If you compare Takara with the other places in JTown like Mifune, Iroha, Sapporo, Kitsune, those others who serve the "usual" Japanese American fare, then Takara is safely the better of the lot.
I suggest going for lunch since the Bento Box lunch is one of the best deals in town. They have really good tenpura, miso soup that taste authentic, the sushi is good (not the best) but as a general restaurant it is pretty good compared to the rest.
If you want really good sushi, go to a specialized sushi place, or if your thing is ramen go to a restaurant that specializes in ramen. It is pretty unfair to rate a restaurant with an extensive menu such as theirs and compare a specialized dish to a restaurant that specializes in that dish. But all in all, Takara is still the place to go in JTown if you want good Japanese everyday fare.
Don't believe me? I dare you to go to each of the "general" Japanese restaurants in Japan town and listen to the people speaking and figure out who is speaking Japanese. I will bet you that aside from maybe Tanpopo, Takara has the highest percentage of Japanese locals eating at a restaurant in JTown (Benihana being the lowest). This fact alone shows you something about a restaurant.
This place was alright. It was just your average Japantown restaurant.
The sushi was fresh though, which was much appreciated.
it was also a little bit expensive, but I guess all of the restaurants in that little complex are on the more pricier side because they cater to the tourist crowd.
I ordered the lunch box ($7.50) that includes tonkatsu, california roll, tempura, salad, rice, and miso soup. Everything tasted yummy, crispy, and fresh. The only complaint I had was that the servers pretended to pour more tea into your cup. Half the time they just added a tablespoon of tea which bothered me immensely because I like to drink massive amounts of green tea during my meals. I found myself trying to justify their actions, but I really just think they're a bunch of frugal fish.
We saw a movie at the Kabuki Theatre and afterward, we were craving sushi. Japantown seemed like the logical place to find it. So, we decided to try Takara.
The fatty tuna and spicy tuna were excellent. The fish was very fresh. We also ordered Sake Onigiri (rice ball) and it was good too. However, the menu was a bit overwhelming, there was a lot in it. What I was really looking for was a firecracker roll, but I was disappointed by their lack of variety when it came to the specialty rolls.
They were pretty busy, but we got our food in a reasonable amount of time.
My biggest complaint? The glass my Sapporo came in smelled like fish! Ewwwww!
Traditional Japanese nigiri sushi: 5 stars;
westernized ____ (fill in the blank) rolls: 3-4 stars;
cooked dishes: 2-3 stars.
If you love nigiri sushi (raw fish on a lump of rice), this place is great. See that tank of prawns outside the restaurant? Order yourself a amaebi (and ask for the shrimp head deep fried and served separately). This shrimp nigiri sushi is my favorite. Other nigiri sushi are also very fresh.
Today, the first day of eating as part of a conference began. I had high hopes and lofty dreams. The first plan was to make our way to Saigon Sandwiches to get the best banh mi on the planet and order enough to get us through lunch for the week (seeing as how hotel and conference related fare was expensive and not all that tasty). Unfortunately, we got there 30 minutes late (they close at 6:00 p.m.). So, we decide to just get something to eat instead and planned to visit 8 Immortals (Chinese Seafood place). On the way, we stopped and looked around Japantown and stumbled onto Takara. On the outside were reviews of the place and it had managed to become one of the 100 best in the Bay Area. We were intrigued, but I still wanted to go with our original choice. Well, we truck all the way over to 8 Immortals and they were CLOSED on Wednesdays. Doh!
So we make our way back to Takara. Our waiter was super nice and we opted to go with more of a yakitori experience here. We ordered everything that was available (e.g., chicken wings sold out) on the grilled menu. And I have to say, everything was just okay.
Sure there were a couple of stand outs. The black cod neck (though it looked burnt) was exceptional. The tofu and mushroom dish (not a grilled item, but I don't remember where it came from) was repeater. It was really soft tofu that was fried then placed in a thickened mushroom broth.
The eggplant with benito flakes had a unpleasant burnt taste to it. Everything else was just okay. On the good side, we did scare the waiter with how much we ordered.
D. and I were starving and almost desperate for a decent sushi place that wasn't tainted by the 1970's Disneyish Mall feel of the rest of Japantown. We had read about Takara on Yelp, but in our famished state is was difficult to locate it. We almost had to settle for less.....and I'm glad we kept looking.
The fish and rolls were well prepared. Fresh and well portioned. We had our usual springtime (warm weather regardless of season) cold soba and veg tempura-everything arrived from the kitchen so quickly our heads spun.
I'm nicking off a star because it simply wasn't "stellar". Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed myself, but it's got a ways to go before I feel that 5th star is really warranted.
What most impressed us were the prices, however. The service was warm and not at all wanting for more. We ate well for less than $50, and since we're both students this made the soba-sushi-tempura satisfaction all the more complete. We'll go again when we're in town.
Food: 3.5 stars
Service: 3.25 stars
Value: 2.75 stars
Honestly, this restaurant is just okay for me. Since it is in San Francisco Japantown, so the pricing is a little high. The sashimi on the Regular Chirashi ($14.75) was fresh, but not as good as the one I had in other Japanese restaurants, and the portion is small even I paid a little more to get a better one. One time experience is good enough!
It's good, but not as good as they claim they should get with the prices and amount of food given.
The portions are small. The service is bad. The food, actually isn't horrible-just not much given to base it on.
Note: I am commenting on the sushi bar only -- I haven't eaten in the main restaurant nor have I ordered from its menu.
Abe-san and Shin-san are two of the best sushi chef's I've encountered in San Francisco. Personable and accessible, they make hanging out at the sushi bar more laid back and less fussy than hanging out with the sushi chefs at, say, Blowfish.
Abe-san's cutting technique for sashimi guarantees that you feel like every bite is substantial (he cuts in thicker, shorter chunks than other chefs, who rely in thinner, broader slices to make it appear as if you've received more food than you actually have). The modest addition of clover sprouts and cuke slices to a sashimi plate makes the whole affair seem more well-rounded.
They also do a great job with nigiri sushi, particularly saba. Their uni is always fresh and vibrant with flavor. They also do a great job with unagi.
Another reason this restaurant is so terrific (from a sushi standpoint) is that you don't have to buy fixed slices of sashimi. For instance, toro is priced at 7 pieces, but you don't always want that much toro (or other cuts). It's nice to be able to say, I'd like 4 pieces of toro and 4 pieces of hamachi, without raising an eyebrow or getting that "we don't mix it up like that" look.
I highly recommend them for lunch, when you can get some personal attention (they close at 2PM for the afternoon, and won't seat you at the sushi bar after 1:30PM).
I went to Takara for sushi, and I have to say, they were pretty good at that. We got a spicy tuna roll and several different nigiri combinations, as well as edamame, and it was all fantastic. The rest, however, wasn't so great.
The restaurant smelled a bit funny and was very drab looking. It took a long time to place our order, get our food, and a ridiculous amount of time to get the bill. We wanted to reorder sushi but I feared it would take so long we opted just to leave. They also were quite slow to refill tea -- another waitress other than our own actually did.
If you don't mind the lax atmosphere, however, come grab sushi here. the maguro was to die for.
I will kill you all if this place disappears*
Simply authentic and amazing.
Expect a wait here, but only because there's only three Japanese hosts that run this family owned place in Miyako Mall of Japantown. When we went with my uncle, we had to hint subtly to him to stay and wait as he's usually the impatient one when it comes to restaurants. There was a young French couple waiting just after us and after 20 minutes of waiting, the girl was growing restless and left. Unfortunately for them, they missed on out this food and several parties were leaving at the same time this Sunday evening.
When we were seated, we were presented with menus and matcha green tea. We had the young Japanese waitress and after running back and forth trying to serve everyone, we finally ordered the iron pot rice set meal that consisted of steam crab, bamboo and mushroom rice (very much like the one I had in Asakusa, Tokyo) with a side of egg custard and sashimi, chirashi sushi, and tempura set meal. Okay, seriously the best Japanese I've had in the Bay Area (and yes, I have been to Japan from Tokyo to Osaka).
For our long wait, we got a complimentary ice cream (choice of either green tea, red bean, or vanilla) in addition to the two ice cream already included in the set meals.
My aunt was tearing up a bit afters from the tasty meal. Damn, it was good. And that's why Takara means "treasure" in Japanese.
*With sunshine and unicorns :)
A great place to come to when you have a bunch of you and you can get the most for your buck. I really like the custard stuff they give you in the beginning after you order a dinner, I LOVE IT.
The service is great, and they seem authentic japanese which is always a plus because then you at least have the idea that you're going to get somewhat good food. But Takara is solid, great japanese food. I suggest it for anyone who has a craving for good japanese food, an empty stomach, and want's the most for their buck.
[APPROVED]
This place is on the 2nd floor inside the "Peace Plaza". We ordered the seaweed salad, spinach, and gyoza for the appetizers. The gyoza presentation was great, the seaweed salad was quite large, lots of "value". The spinach was ok, nothing special.
My friend got a dish that ended up being a bowl of calms, crab, tofu, and other asian veggies. Looked great. I had normal rolls: rock'n'roll, spicy yellowtail. It was decent but not super mega awesome. I wouldn't go out of my way to come back...
The servers were very nice and attentive. Much appreciated. The menus weren't very clean and the atmosphere was kind of mall-like. For the money I think the interior could have been better.
I went here based on reviews and would go back again in the future.
Sushi Freshness: 8 (1-Won't eat; 5 - what you would find at Safeway; 10 - to die for). The sushi was fresh; much better than typical Japanese resturants.
Sushi Creativity: 5 (1- Typical nigri rolls; 5 - typical nigri rolls plus some unique ones; 10 - Many different rolls). If you are looking for exotic rolls, they dont offer much variety. More the standard offerings.
Service: 8 & 5 - Attentive and friendly service in the beginning. When it got crowded, they seemed to forget us and had to ask twice for the bill.
Cleanliness: 7
Overall: 8
Would recommend Takara. One advantage is that its not located in the J-Town food court, nor by some of the busier sections of the mall. I usually dont travel to that side by the hotel. Being located there they probably get a lot less foot traffic than other resturants on the other side. We also ordered some of their small dishes. Chicken kara-age, salmon and crab salad were also very good.
This might be my favorite Japanese restaurant in the city. Located in the mall in J-town, it is a little hard to find, but well worth looking. The people who work here are very attentive and extremely nice. Because this place is always so crowded, the employees really have their work cut out for them, but as they are running around they do everything with a smile.
I love the tempura udon here. The portion is so big so I never leave here hungry. My friend loves the cold soba too. Prices are very reasonable and the location is great if you want to catch a movie at Sundance Kabuki afterwards.
First of the customers to order. On Valentine's Day, the 3 combo order for $25 dollars. As the combo, I got : Beef teriyaki (was okay that day), Tempura (really fresh and can actually taste the vege not like other japanese places), and sashimi (thickly sliced and fresh).
I also order fatty tuna roll with onion in which I thought it was a handroll but came out to be tiny rolls. Was no complete satisfied. It was 7$ for 6 small diny pieces. The fatty tuna was actually thinly sliced. But I guess either than the 28.95$ combo that has fatty tuna rolls, you will not find fatty tuna in other foods that they have.
My bf on the other hand got tempura soba, he said it was good (:
I strongly recommend :
-the 3 item combo-$25 (the appetizer,steamed egg with mushroom, etc is tasty.) And meal = totally worth it. Comes with ice cream of your choice in the end
the $28.95 sushi combo
Fatty tuna roll, although expensive for the proportion you get, there is not much of fatty tuna sushi listed in their menu :( Sadly. But their fatty tuna really melts when it reaches the mouth. Hahaha
Definitely needa do this again!
Just recently had dinner here with one of my gfs and we love love sushi. we're both raw fish eaters and damn proud of it! I had asked her to come to JTown with me to explore it a bit & grab some yummy food..we yelped cheap good eats round JTown and Takara came up..it's in the same plaza that I get my hair done, so we decided to check it out.
They give you a wrapped hot towel to clean your hands with, nice touch. I had the green tea.
We decided on the Sashimi Moriawase $16.95 as that seemed like the best deal, plus an additional Shrimp Tempura Roll $5.95
When the food arrived, my very first thought was, "wow...those portions are TINY" and they really were. The cuts of sashimi were teeny tiny. so sad looking, they sat on a TON of stringy white radishes...probably in an effort to make the dish look bigger than it was. The sashimi itself was ok. I've had sashimi before where it just melts in your mouth, but this was just..ho-hum. passable.
The roll was only 4 pieces and they too were small, if you put the 4 pieces together, they were only about 2 1/2 inches long (IF that).
That's too bad that in JTown a sushi restaurant would skimp so badly on their portions...maybe that's why people think it's a deal...but your getting very little fish for a little amount.
not impressed
For about 3 years I worked very close to Japantown (lucky me!), so I would frequent it several times a week for lunch or dinner. Takara was usually my destination. I have been to probably 70% of the Japanese restaurants in SF and Takara is undoubtedly my favorite. It reminds me of so many restaurants I've been to in Japan. If you want authentic and tasty Japanese fare and excellent service, then come here. The bento boxes are perfect for lunch and the shabu-shabu, sushi, sashimi, and sukiyaki are all delicious. I've never had to wait more than a few minutes for a table, either for lunch or dinner. This place is kind of hidden away, which helps! They have a regular dining room as well as a sushi bar and tatami room for groups.
Takara is the (sake)bomb!
Sorry...I couldn't resist.
Hmmm...
Quiet lunchtime food
Box of bento and miso
Tummy is happy
Thus concludes my haiku for Takara Japanese Restaurant.
Overall, the service was right on key. From the host stand, to the server to the exit, everything was kept at a minimal noise level, and the miso was GREAT. Finding a good miso soup is so hard these days.
I had the chef make me a 6 piece lunch set and I wasn't disappointed. I love sushi but I love Nigiri more! Mmmm...I'll definitely be coming back for more and I'll get dessert next time.
Well, this will be a review for the Japanese cuisine primarily since surprisingly, I wasn't in the mood for sushi (WTF?!). Anyhow, I had a few things such as the seaweed salad, udon and donburi and they all were really good. Service was a bit mixed up but probably b/c my Nihongo is crap. They thought I said two when I thought I said "hitori"
Anyhow, once I got my order placed and the food started coming, I was definitely happy! The lunch combo I had was only $10 and it was plenty to make you stuffed. The tea is good too and all in all it's a nice spot that's a bit more low key since it's not in the main Japantown restaurant area towards the back/hotel.
Good for groups too and most of the clientele were true Nihonjins!
Really good, solid sushi. The atmosphere is nothing to write home about, and actually it was a bit gross... saw some flies hanging out on our table and the wall. But, the food made up for that.
I shared the spicy tuna roll, california roll, a vegetarian roll, gyoza.... and I had the albacore nigiri. The nigiri by far was my favorite item. The fish was really fresh.
Service was good, and our watiress was funny. The best part about going to the J-town mall is the parking lot. Really cheap rates.
This place is a solid 3.5 stars.
I've been a long time patron of Takara. Their dishes are good home style Japanese dishes. Their steamed savory egg custards are great and is included in dinner entrees. I think its egg, mushroom, and gingko nuts steamed in a little porcelain cup with cover. Their sushi is good, not exceptional, but a good consistent quality, as with their other dishes. Parking is relatively easy due to the mall. They also validate parking. Their menu hasn't changed much through the years and I think I've tried the vast majority of what they serve. I do go back when I'm in the area and in the mood for home style Japanese.
Takara is a great sushi place that has authentic dishes and a nice atmosphere. Situated inside of the peace plaza, you have to search around past many other sushi restaurants to find it. My pal Tiffany L. and I were seated right away on a Friday night and were quickly served.
The place is very casual and the prices are reasonable. We ordered a sashimi plate that came with rice, an egg dish, and miso soup for under $20. We ordered some small rolls on the side. I would recommend the soft shell crab tempura roll. It was very good. I also loved the little green tea ice cream that we shared at the end. It always tastes so good and cleans the palette.
I brought a few co-workers to this restaurant this passed weekend. Two of them have never ate Japanese food. I thought this place wouldn't scare them too much.
From the feedback I received, they enjoyed the food and was a great student with learning how to use chopsticks for the first time. The really liked the veggie tempura and the chicken.
I, on the other hand, have had this before in other Japanese restaurant. The place was in a secluded location which was pretty nice since it was quiet. The server was friendly and we got out food in a decent amount of time.
When i went to go pay, I accidentally wrote the total amount in the tip line and the front person caught it. Thank goodness he was honest or else the server would have just loved me. Hahaha!
Overall, my party enjoyed themselves as well as I so I'm giving this restaurant two thumbs up.
Yummm shabuu shabuuuuuu!
for 4 people (realllllyy hungrey people)
1 shabu shabu dinner
1 salmon teriyaki dinner
1 tempura dinner
= AMAZINGNESSSSS
Like everyone else has said, the people who work here are nihongin. So don't be weried out if they start speaking to you in japanese.
Also, for lunch Takara has some really good and cheap combination options. However, I would not recommend the sushi- go to Kushi Tsuru if you plan on having a sushi dinner.
Happy Hour Draft Beer $1.75!
Neighborhood: Nob Hill
99 cents beer & hot sake
Neighborhood: Excelsior
Neighborhood: Pacific Heights
Category: Japanese
Neighborhood: Pacific Heights
Category: Japanese
Neighborhood: Pacific Heights
Category: Japanese
Neighborhood: Pacific Heights
Category: Japanese
Neighborhood: Pacific Heights
Category: Sushi Bars
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