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I've been to the one in Sunnyvale and it's a lot nicer outside and inside. This looks all shady on the corner of the plaza. Haha. Anyway, the inside is simpler compared to the other one.
I went here for lunch with a couple of people. Yes, I tend to drag people along with me to try places or take them to places they never eaten before and to try something new. Anyway, I was still expecting that they'd still offer dinner choices but they only gave us the a lunch menu. IDK. The lunch menu consists of ramens, udons, bentos, & rice bowls. Quick, easy, and simple for lunch.
-Kalbi came with salad, miso soup, and rice. It was bento style. The meat was soft and tender with a little hint of sweetness.
-Today's special, which has the hamburger steak with egg and came with udon, & salad. This was good. I didn't expect it to be but the sauce, which I think is some type of gravy, over the hamburger steak is good. The egg was a +1 in my book for this entree... I love egg!
-Pork and kimchi over rice came with miso soup & a salad. I'm not into pork but yum! Seriously, the pork slices were like melt in your mouth yummy. I had leftovers of this so I fried it, which became pork & kimchi fried rice, which was what I originally wanted but I guess that's only for dinner.
For 3 people, it was $29.54.
CLOSED MONDAY.
Lunch is CASH ONLY.
Dinner: VISA & AmEx.
I want to try this ramen that they had because the people next to me order it and it had clams so that sounds perfect! haha! I must come back for dinner though!
I thought I would try a new sushi place. This one had decent reviews. Then I saw the demographic when I walked in a realized why.
And I will admit that the last comment erred on being racist, but its similar to having someone tell you that XYZ Chinese food is fantastic and I should try their Chinese Chicken Salad. It doesn't add up.
Waitresses stood around talking literally 3 feet from us as we waited for one of them to split off and take our order. And then again when our tea and water glasses were empty. Their sashimi isn't fresh, and their udon is average. Nothing to write home about. I ordered a basic lunch special since I wasn't too hungry and I thought I had received a child size. The discrepancy of what you pay for and what you get is glaring.
I can't figure out yet if i really liked this place or not...but here's what we had and i'll figure out some random rating at the end...
Crab Croquette...yum...i am a sucker for anything crab...but a little liquidy in the middle for my taste...
Beef Tongue...yes, it's like eating tongue...fatty-ish texture and tasty, but only three small cubes per serving...i guess tongues aren't that big so the portion size can't be too superfluous...
Salmon Yaki Onigiri...the one that's pan fried...this was good..but unfortunately it kept reminding me of something i had eaten before that was even better...hey, life's not fair.
Some kind of Gratin...i think i remember it being good...but i guess it couldn't have been THAT good if i can't remember it...hmm...
Zaru Soba...this was decent but served at room temperature...i prefer it cold...the colder the better...
Vegetable Pancake...i really enjoyed this...served hot and chewy and ample size for our party of six to have more than just a sliver of taste.
There may have been more, but if i can't even remember them as i rack my brain, maybe they're better left unrevealed. Nothing was really bad, but i walked out of there still wondering if i was full, or if i just didn't want to look like a pig...but this is typical at tapas places when you go with friends and everyone has enough to taste but not enough to fill.
Overall, not a bad experience, but nothing to write home about. It sounds like the sashimi is the toast of this place...maybe i just had the wrong meal. I give it 2.5 stars but round it up to three because...well...because i'm feeling nice (?).
Happy Eating!
Oh Tanto...I heart u! Japanese Tapas yummy! The portions are small but that's what tapas typically are....small dishes. Small, scrumptious, succulent dishes. I ordered:
-Hotate Scallops
-Soft shell crab
-Salmon skin roll
-Chicken skewer with green onion.
mmmm mmmmm goood. My friend also ordered these mashed potato ball things, I wish I could remember the name but that was good too. We ended up spending about $30/ person which include a large hot sake and two other alcoholic beverages. So it CAN be pricey but the quality is amazing.
Minus one star because one time I came by when they were busy (they're always busy) and instead of telling us how long the wait was, the lady comes up to us and says, "sorry no seats, very very busy. here's our business cards" its ok Tantos....i think busy is good, faster turn around time with the fish= always fresh.
Went there for the first time on a Saturday evening, and so far I'm enjoying this place. it's a good sign when I'm reading the menu and already planning what I want to order for the next visit.
we ordered:
-crab croquette
-chicken & beef skewers
-potato taco yaki
-kabocha cheese yaki
-shrimp gratin (delivered to our table by mistake)
-garlic steak
potato taco yaki was very boring, it was just 3 balls of mashed potato with a chunk of taco inside. however, i think it's a creative way to reinvent taco yaki. Shrimp gratin really tasted like the mashed potato that i make for the holiday, mashed potato with cheese and sour cream (which in their case, it's japanese mayo). i have a love hate relationship with kabocha cheese yaki. i like the taste of it but it was a bit gummy. Maybe they need to add less cheese and more cream in there. I'm not a big skewer person, but the ones that i had were good enough to remind me of ones that i ate at those izakayas in Kabukicho, Shinjuku. Overall, it's a 3 stars for now till i give it another try!
Tucked away in the backside of a strip mall, my first reaction was uncertainty. With an unassuming exterior, I was starting to doubt Karen W.'s suggestion.
As we walked in, though, I was comforted by the familiar Japanese interior, complete with a sushi chef. Following her lead, my friend and I grabbed some seats at the sushi bar. Warning: the menu is overwhelming. With what seems like hundreds of options, it's hard to settle on just one choice. Usually, I would see this as a bad thing, but since this place serves dishes in Izakaya-sized portions, it's actually a good idea to get maybe two or three dishes per person.
After much deliberation (and Snow Miracle), the three of us decided to get five dishes, which was just the right amount of food. We got the Salmon Yaki Onigiri, Roe Yaki Onigiri, Grilled Hamachi, Uni Sashimi, and Hamachi Sashimi. The Yaki Onigiri is great for what it is, but could have used a little more filling. The level of yaki on the onigiri, though, was perfect. The Grilled Hamachi was incredible. Served with a healthy portion of mashed daikon and a lemon wedge, the hamachi really melts in your mouth. The right amount of daikon and lemon does wonders.
The sashimi here was surprisingly fresh. I did not expect San Jose to have such fresh seafood, but it did. My friend and I got the Uni Sashimi on a whim. Knowing how much freshness affects the taste of uni, and how restaurants usually up the price of uni, we weren't really sure how good it would be. Like I said, the seafood here surprised me, and I was more than happy to pay the market price for the fresh uni here. Like it should, the uni broke apart and engulfed my entire tongue with its rich flavor. Needless to say, my friend and I were not disappointed with the risk we took.
My favorite item of the night, though, was the Hamachi Sashimi. The dish arrived over the counter with five generous and select slices of hamachi. The cuts literally shone like gems against the light. Hamachi, toro, and uni are my favorite types of sashimi, so I was more than excited. Without any seasoning, I placed one whole piece of hamachi on my tongue. I was instantly taken down into the northwest Pacific and felt as if I was swimming among a school of hamachi. Looking to the hamachi on my left and my right, I silently saluted them and cried a salt water tear of joy.
I ate the melting residue of hamachi in my mouth slowly and appreciatively. With the last piece came depression as I knew that I wouldn't be able to afford hamachi this good at Tanto's rates for a long time.
Until next time, San Jose.
GET: Hamachi Sashimi
We were actually on our way to Saizo up until the hubby finally found out that they aren't open on Sundays. You kinda wonder why no one ever posted the hours for that place, given that it's so popular??
Anyway, onto Tanto..
From seeing all the great reviews, we deiced to try this place out instead.
Came right at opening and got seated right away and ordered the following..
-Agadashi tofu
-yaki-soba
-Crispy rice balls with salmon filling
-crab croquette
-various chicken and pork belly skewers, which the hubby wanted
The food actually came out pretty fast and it looked really good, however, to us it only tasted average. We felt the flavors were better at Saizo.
Of course, the waitress talked us into dessert. I got the vanilla ice cream with mochi and rice flower. BELIEVE me, this dessert is SUCH a RIP OFF. First off, you get about 4-5 tiny pieces of mochi balls and just a scoop of ice cream, drizzled in chocolate syrup. Not very authentic or Japanese. Green tea would have been better, minus the chocolate syrup and minus the overly expensive price tag of almost $7 bucks, if you round up. It wasn't too memorable or special.
The service however, was very impressive, fast, efficient and helpful. The food wasn't mind blowing or anything but still very decent and good, depending on the dish you get.
Another thing we didn't like was the fact that it was cash only and you had to spend over $30 to use credit/debit?? That's just insane, considering this type of place anywhere else would accept credit, for at least $15 or more. Luckily, there was a Walgreen's in the same strip mall and they have an ATM in there. So get cash BEFORE going inside, unless you're willing to spend a lot!
Yums.
Unless you looked this place up, there is no way you would have come across this gem. Tanto offers up a Japanese small plates, sushi and ramen. Friend and I were seated quickly at this small restaurant tucked away in the corner of a nondescript stripmall. The service was super quick during brisk business that night I was there. Friend and I ordered:
-saba shiyoyaki (good but there was no ponzu and grated daikon sauce like I'm used to)
-grilled eggplant special (basically half a ginormous grilled eggplant glazed with sweet teriyaki sauce comes at you)
-yaki onigiri (their famous rice balls with salmon)
-shrimp tempura roll (pretty good)
And the madness - pork belly yakitori, which was the most delicious yakitori I've ever had!
Friend and I chatted away while we slowly enjoyed our food. We didn't feel rushed or bothered by servers interrupting us. Dinner was great overall. Can't wait to come back and try the ramen all you Yelpers have been raving about.
I'm certainly disappointed and saddened that I have to downgrade Tanto/SJ. I used to love their tapas and clam ramen.
But the place has changed. The decor has changed, as well as the menu. And the staff, and possibly owners too. I only heard Korean spoken amongst the staff. Service is still good and prompt.
The most noticeable difference, however, is the food.
My beloved clam ramen is rather lifeless nowadays. The rich, flavorful broth which tasted like it was infused with sake is no more. It is now a salty cesspool of MSG. There's hardly any scallions. The ramen itself was chewy.
The pork belly yakitori was definitely better than the cow tongue as it was juicier and had more flavor. How can fat not be tasty, right??
I'd definitely suggest you skip the fried oyster, as they tasted like they just went from the freezer to the microwave. Poorly breaded, and grossly soggy.
Sorry Tanto, I doubt I will be seeing you anytime soon.
Tanto and Gochi are my family's 2 favorite restaurants in the area, and we try to eat each at least once a week. We love authentic Japanese Tapas places, and you don't have to look much further than Tanto for that!
I used to come here for lunch all the time. Their lunch specials are very reasonable! I used to get a grilled steak rice bowl which comes with salad and miso soup. Their lunch portions are very not unreasonable small or large, they are just perfectly filling.
As for dinner - my mother and I don't eat too much, 3 dishes are enough. My recommendations:
- Sashi salad. Best Japanese salad I've ever had. Tons of sashimi and fish eggs with a light drizzling of dressing.
- Salmon Onigiri. These are the best rice balls I've ever eaten, seriously! It's heavenly stuff... crunchy with a tad bit of dried fish and little tiny fish eggs on top, with just enough salmon inside... this more than substitutes for any rice dish.
- Hamachi Kama. Grilled fish collarbone. Basically the most delicious part of a fish, and the most tender and juicy.
- Grilled Steak! Mmm. Garlic and steak.
- Littleneck Clam Ramen. My favorite Japanese ramen since Ramen Halu changed ownership.
- I forgot what it was called, but it's fish and a thing of claypot rice. It comes with a whole fish and they separate out the bones of the fish, then mix it up in the rice for you. Delicious!
Usually I'd add in a little anecdote at the end about a specific experience here, but nothing unusual or out of the ordinary has happened to me here (which is why it gets -1 star). It's just a solid place with much better service than it used to have, and super delicious food.
This restaurant is absolutely AMAZING.
Whenever I come home from college in Los Angeles, my mom, my little sister, and I always make a trip to come to this little Japanese restaurant, and we always order the same thing.
The clam ramen is my little sister's favorite. It comes with a little seaweed rice ball too, which is good. The ramen is different than any other ramen I have had...and they are relatively generous with the clams as well.
The white tuna rice bowl comes with a salad and miso. They are VERy generous with the white tuna, as it covers all of the rice. Their tuna is seared on the outside, and is very fresh.
Finally, we always get the roasted riceballs with fish roe inside (i believe) And little dried fishies on top. These are my personal favorite, but they are pretty expensive.
Today, I decided to try something new, and ordered the special of the day instead of my usual white tuna rice bowl. The special was seafood donburi with udon on the side. The sea food donburi was good, but the udon was mediocre at best. I think that next time i will stick to my usual order.
Anyways, the restaurant is cozy and quaint, and they serve the food very quickly (: definitely five stars!!
Sashimi Salad. AMAZING.
The sashimi and the salad dressing and the addition of salmon roe to add a kick of saltiness is plain perfect! I get it everytime I come, it's a MUST.
Other items I have tried that are noteworthy:
Hamachi collar: so flaky, so delicious!
Lamb skewers: I usually hate green onion, but I wanted to demolish even that because the lamb seasoning juices were so iresistableeee.
Clay pot rice w/ fish (forgot the real name): the clay pot makes the rice sorta crispy, I love the crunch w/ the flaky fish mmmmmmmmmm.
Definitely small portions, but what do you expect from a pretty authentic establishment. Go on a weekday for better service, otherwise be prepared to wait for days!
I came here several weeks ago with good friends. They did most of the ordering, but all I remembered was that every dish was exquisite. I had been excited to try it since they had been remodeling for a while.
Salad good. Fish yum. Beef tongue fantastic. I remember we got some kind of ice cream mixed dessert that was great too. Man, next time I really need to order so that I can remember all that was great. Hrm... maybe it was all that sake I had that makes the memory all fuzzy. Maybe yes. That's it.
But the food was fantastic. I will be back.
In the same league of authenticity as Saizo, Sumiya, Gochi, Tanto Sunnyvale but Tanto SJ is the sole "homestyle" establishment, brightly lit, simple, & unassuming. The menu is a HUGE list of tapas. Since you'll need to pick 2 or 3 dishes/person before everyone starves to death, it's best to go with a friend who knows how to pull together a Japanese meal from its building blocks.
++ | Yaki Onigiri (Grilled Rice Balls) |
You MUST get this if nothing else. Try it and weep for joy. You won't find better yaki onigiri in the entire bay area. Extra props if it comes stuffed with spicy mentaiko (cod roe).
-- Yakitori
Dry and tastes like it's just been reheated. Go to Sumiya instead for better chicken skewers.
Worth a Try:
Hamachi w/Daikon
Buta Kabuko (Braised Pork)
Chazuke (Rice in a soup base w/salmon, spinach)
Shiro Maguro Nigiri
Best for a group of 2-4 persons. Non-Japanese speakers, please brace for the possibility of indifferent service staff.
I hate doing this but I have to. I say minus a star for the restaurant's inability to be consistent with my favorite dish. I ordered the Chicken Liver again and this time it came on a sizzling plate with guess what? Four pieces of liver! WTH? I mean I know how much chicken livers cost-about $2.50 the most/container in Safeway.
The first time I ordered the liver it came in a bowl and there was a substantial amount in the bowl.
It still was very tasty though but this time it was also very greasy-what happened?!
Great simple décor. This place is unlike any other Japanese Restaurants. They serve really unique… Read more »
i went there last Friday night since i had read all the AMAZING reviews.
first, were seated at a table but had to be moved quickly after 2 HUGE ugly bugs crawled up out of the woodwork (seriously, they were mini cockroaches). the waitresses were super apologetic and very obviously embarrassed but still....we were not off to a good start.
my hubby and i were in the mood for sushi so we ordered 4 rolls. they were all eh. ok. not great. not very fresh tasting either.
needless, to say...we were disappointed. maybe their non-sushi dishes are way better. either way, don't think we'll go back to find out!
The lady and I actually stumbled into this place by accident after trying to go to Zeni a couple doors down, and then realizing they were closed (this monday). This was our third attempt of the night- Layang Layang was also closed. we were starving and frustrated, so we just ran into the closest alternative.
All the sashimi i tried here was top notch (mackerel, salmon, tuna). Though the portions are definitely on the small side. The chicken liver was also excellent. I'd love to come back here to try some more of the unique dishes they have to offer....I was a bit apprehensive about ordering here because I'm completely unfamiliar with Izakaya (now I'm intrigued!).
Thankfully yelp has given me some ideas about what to try here. I will also make sure to drink some sake next time I come here, as it seemed like they had a few to choose from.
Went with my mom and brother the other day. I went before and it was decent. This time was okay as well. Pretty empty on a Tuesday night.
They got the dombination plate (lol) beef teriyaki/sashimi and ramen with clams. The combination plate was decent, for 17 bucks. The amount of sashimi they gave was nice, which would have been about 13 bucks by itself. 2 salmon, 2 hamachi, 3 tuna. The beef teriyaki was terrible. Tough and chewy... not cooked well at all. The ramen was good. I particularly liked the soup, as it has a really strong clam flavor.
I ordered:
fried oysters (5 for $8.50)
white tuna sashimi (6 for $11.50)
spider roll (4 for $8.50)
All were very good. The oysters were delicious and decently sized. I think all the sashimi they have is really good. quality. The white tuna was particularly good, just melted in my mouth. The spider roll... for some reason is ridiculously large. Ate two of the pieces in about 4-5 bites and the smaller ones in 2-3 bites. Really much bigger than it should have been... but it was still good.
I would order the combination plate just for the sashimi and just a bunch of small plates.
Came here for dinner w/the boys since they wanted to try sushi somewhere new. My take:
Rolls - decent
Cold ramen - sub par, strange mix w/the egg, sweet sauce deal
Hot Ramen w/pork & kimchee - ok
Udon - nothing special
Rice cake - bland
Service - a little rude
Their only + was the tea
I feel bad for Tanto. I feel like it gets a lot of bad reviews b/c people don't know what to order here. The first time my bf came here with his buddies, they hated it b/c they all ordered individually. It wasn't until I took him and showed him what and how to order did he finally like it. See, men - listen to your woman, it will pay off.
I have a set number of dishes I always order here and then I add on one or two new things to try. Tanto is an izakaya restaurant, which means it's Japanese Tapas. So know this and order family style.
Must gets:
Sashimi salad
Eel fried rice
Yaki Onigiri (although it used to be better - they seemed to have forgotten to season it for the last year. but still good).
Agadeshi Tofu
On rotation:
cheesy potato dish (forget what it's called)
garlic steak
miso bamboo and/or eggplant
If you order the must-gets, you can't go wrong with your meal. The food is good, the barley tea is good (although you DO have to pester them for a refill), and the conversation I have with friends here is always good. Maybe I like this place so much b/c I always have a great time with my friends. Maybe I just have awesome friends.
Some notes:
Their lunch menu is subpar and lunch is cash only. However, you CAN order from the dinner menu for lunch, they just don't advertise it.
If it's a Friday or Saturday, I definitely recommend a reservation.
So now you know what to get and how to order, and knowing is half the battle.
This place has many interesting food. It's pretty pricey for its portion, but you have to try it at least once. The other Tanto on El Camino has a more broader menu.
Ended ordering the following:
Seafood Pancake: don't recommend it - too think and there's hardly any seafood in it
Spicy Squid with Roe: remarkable!!!
Salmon Rice cake: very good, but could use more salmon
Sashimi Salad: Delicious, but could use more sashimi - dressing is great!
Hamachi Kama: it was okay, not salty enough and really small for $10.00
Fried Pork: pretty good, comes in a ponzu sauce
Tofu and Pork: not that great
Can't remember anything else, but a great place to dine. Might want to call in for reservation especially the location on El Camino. Walk ins can lead to a long wait.
I needed a place for a dinner with an important business associate to plot our plans for the next big thing and wanted something on a par with Kappo Nami Nami and Gochi not too far from downtown San Jose. I was not disappointed in my search for a high end izakakaya in Tanto.
I get the sense that they don't typically do "omakasei" menus. But after a bit of soft negotiation with our waitress and her checking in with the chef, they arranged something within our budget. I expected it to be more family style of various dishes casually prepared, but it was actually more of a fancy set course menu with two of every dish masterfully arranged.
Nice variety of sakes by the glass, carafe or bottle. Service was warm and accommodating.
Great Japanese Food: This place serves small authenticate, delicious Japanese food, sort of like dim sum style. I've never had sushi here and think you would not come here for that either.
My favorite dish is the tai meshi - red snapper on claypot rice. Optionally comes with dashi broth which I recommend.
The chicken gizzard is also quite tasty. 5.1
My friend and I came here for dinner tonight. It was OK.
I liked the roasted rice balls, and i think that was really the only thing i liked liked.
We got monk fish liver, which was rather tasteless. Then there was the yam pancake. Its wasnt what I expected. I expected something pan fried, but it turned out to be mushed yams baked in a little casserole dish. Not sure why its call pancake.
Then finally we got the apple napoleon for dessert, which is i think just basically two pieces of puff pastries with ice cream and apples and caramel sauce. It was OK... tasted like it should.
Found this on yelp and booked marked it to try the next time i was in SJ.
Went here tonight and it was delicious, authentic japanese izakaya food. Service was attentive. We went at almost 8pm and got a table right away although the place filled up very quickly after we showed up.
had:
Uni sushi $6.50 -tasty
grilled items:
chicken gizzard-good $2.00
beef tongue-$2.75 good but slightly chewy due to thickness of tongue
octopus legs in sauce very good @.50
kobe style beef -very tender $2.75
salmon and roe ochakaze in dashi yummy $6.95
hamachi salad-very good $13.50
overall very tasty and very well done. They are japanese owned with japanese folks in the kitchen so you know this is going to be really good! They have an extensive menu so there is a lot to choose from, we saw families getting noodles soups and bento boxes and just sharing everything. Fish was VERY very fresh. Another table got some kalbi in a stone pot thing that smelled so good but we were full already. The kitchen works very quickly and our food came out staggered but not too rushed.
A great place to try in SJ for izakaya!
We came here for a Friday lunch and were a little disappointed because our expection was all high after reading all these great reviews. The lunch menu was extremely limited and the food was no extraordinary in any way. We ordered lunch special and clam ramen. They tasted so so. We asked for dinner menu, which they passed to us. When we tried to order from it, we were told we couldn't do it. The waitress was in a hurry to get off her shift so she pushed the check to us without even asking whether we would like to have dessert. I expected it to be a lot better based on all the great reviews I've read here.
Wish I could write about the food here, but we never made it past the rude service. We left after being held waiting for a table, when there many tables open and no one else waiting. When we were finally offered a table, we were told there were no high chairs for our son. I held my son while my husband went to grab our portable high chair. While holding my son, one of the servers complained to me about my bag being placed on the floor under our table. If they didn't want us to eat there, they could simply have told us they couldn't accommodate a child when we walked in.
I have been to the older one on saratoga, but last friday we came here for my friend's bday. The food is good better than the one on saratoga, I think. The interior is also nicer.
Out of many dishes we ordered, I loved the yamaimo okonomiyaku (not sure what it's really called on the menu since I didn't order it. The texture is not a okonomiyaki at all, but very creative and taste like a pasty seafood taro patty. I grown up in Japan eating the normal kind of okonomiyaki so this is quite interesting for me.
Another good dish is the Natto yukke, however be warnned... natto are preserved beans made stinky and slimy so normally people won't like it right away. If you like Pe-dan or Cheese you should give a try though. It suppose to be healthy, too. Goes well with rice, but the flavor will decrease.
We got two kinds of ice cream for desert, they put candles on the mochi ice cream and once the bday girl blew the candles... hehe if you know what kinako is, you should know what happened. It was funny :p, but maybe not too funny for the guy sitting across from her lol. anyhow it tasted good, too.
I will go again for sure.
Authentic Tapas (Small dishes and drinking, which is what Japanese people do after work. This is not… Read more »
I've been to this one and the Sunnyvale location. While the Sunnyvale location is a bit nicer inside, it doesn't take away from the charm. It's a cool little place with good food. The first time I went here wasn't a particularly great experience, but it was good non the less. After trying a few things, I think it's pretty good solid place to have a meal.
I finally tried Tanto & enjoyed my dinner. We were there around 5:20pm on Sat 12/13/08 and didn't know they don't open until 6pm. That kinda sucks. I'm an early eater oh well.
We didn't have reservations so they seated us at the sushi bar. It was ok though since I got to see some of the food come out of the kitchen.
I read some of the Yelp reviews and knew what I wanted to try:
#138 Asari Ramen aka Clam Ramen. $10.50. It's ok. Maybe 6 littleneck clams and nice light broth w/ some ok ramen noodles.
#119 Yaki Onigiri - Roasted rice balls $6.25 for 2 balls. Nice crunchy rice w/ some hot sauce inside and green onions & some fish eggs on top. I liked the crunchy rice.
Spicy scallop roll $6.50 - 6 small pieces of spicy scallop roll - shared it so got 3 pieces. Not spicy at all. Still nice.
B. got Ika Mentaiko Yaki $7.50 - squid & spicy cod roe in a hot pot. He thought it wasn't cooked enough, but still liked it. He got an bowl of white rice that was extra $2.5.
Subtotal $33.25 + $2.75 tax = $36 before tip.
I'll be back one day to try bin toro maguro sashimi $11.50 & the Ebi (shrimp) gratin $9.50 that I saw many people order. The waitress said the shrimp gratin is better than pumpkin gratin $7.5.
Bathrooms in the back of the restaurant.
Lackluster experience compared to the Sunnyvale location.
Here's why:
-Seafood pancake, WAY too doughy
-Spicy tuna roll mysteriously came out as Spicy Hamachi
-Butter Scallops, were tiny and slightly tough
-Food presented on plates that are not reflective of the Japanese culture, I don't care, but the Sunnyvale location raised my standards
-Interior is lacking, cramped, felt sticky & dingy
-Finally, a silver Chinese style tea pot ON the table? WTF?!?! Tea was horrible too.
Could be b/c of of the recent familial separation from Tanto Sunnyvale? Either way, I won't be back.
The most authentic asian food I had while I was in SF was at Tanto's. Although, I'm not sure if that's saying much. The food was good, menu was authentic (kinda), staff was attentive, and even spoke Japanese, which is nice. Decor is even cool.
My only complaint is how the food was prepared. I think although it was a very Japanese restaurant, some of the food could have been prepared in a more traditional way. I love kabocha, but was bummed it was only served covered in cheese. Kabocha is a japanese pumpkin and tastes REALLY good without cheese and all the other stuff. Some of the seasonings were a bit american and not needed... the food is good enough alone!
Wouldn't mind coming back, but don't need to either.
Best restaurant ever. I was sick of going to Japanese restaurants that only serve ramen, sushi, or udon. But usually you find out why the selection is lacking when you overhear the waiters/cooks speaking Mandarin or Korean.
Tanto has a huge selection for dinner. I've ordered their unagi, snapper, and pork fried rice dishes. All have kicked ass- delicately flavored and not oily at all. The yellowtail with daikon is ridiculously tender and light...the more strongly-flavored daikon complements it perfectly. There's a beef dish that they cook right in front of you which is great. My only complaint is that the portion size was a bit small. The seafood pancake is spotty...I've had it few times and the amount of seafood varies...I think once I had more squid than batter...
The lunch menu is smaller and more bento style. However, quality of food is still the same. If you want even more selection than the standard dinner menu, come here with someone who can read Japanese. There's a separate menu. Honestly, I've never ordered anything bad from this place...and I believe I've ordered every non-fried item on their menu. The only drawback is that their small venue requires you to call ahead to reserve. I've never tried their Sunnyvale location...suppose I should.
Food: Unique and tasty
Service: Courteous and prompt
Price: Expensive (at least $20/person)
Tanto is undoubtedly delicious. The first time I visited I had the clam ramen at the El Camino location at lunch. Well, actually, I ate hubby's clam ramen because it was better than what I ordered. Lots of fresh clams and flavorful clam broth. An unforgettable experience, to say the least.
Dinner at Tanto is best with a group of friends so you can sample their delectable choices of japanese "tapas". I love the sashimi salad (topped with roe and assortment of sashimi slices), "hot pots" of anything and spider rolls (yummy soft shell crab). The garlic beef is just alright, in my opinion.
All the plates are original, authentic and decidedly delish.
I would give this place 5 stars if it didn't hurt the pocket so much - and portion sizes on the tapas (small), well, at least they are cute.
Very yum!
Try:
Agedashi tofu! (Amazingly done... the skin is JUST RIGHT!)
Scallop ramen
Yaki Onigiri!!
Sweet shrimp nigiri
Definitely approve of this place. It is a little bit pricey, but what awesome japanese restaurant isn't? :)
Great little place in sleepy Saratoga, for lunch or dinner. So much variety to choose from the menu, but we had:
salmon rice balls (the rice was a perfect consistency), sashimi salad (too little sashimi but the dressing was good), deep fried potato balls (surprisingly my favorite out of everything), a duck dish (undercooked), and their kimchi and pork ramen, which was delicious.
I don't think you can really go wrong here.
I hit this spot up with the eternally glamorous KZabo, Miss Hungary 2009 aka Lady GaGa II. So we were coming off of our last day on the pedi ICU and NICU, so we were tired and needed a post-call Japanese fix. The place is in a sleepy little corner of a shopping mall, but the decor is quietly understated, the service is good, although a little slow (this tends to be endemic of restaurants located in quiet little out of the way places - slower pace of life and all of that). The sushi was actually quite good, some of the best miso soup (very delicate, complex flavor, not too brazenly salty) I've had. The price is middling for sushi, but good when you adjust for quality and quantity.
The big thing is how good everything OTHER than sushi and sashimi is. Many japanese places just don't take advantage of the breadth and depth of the cuisine, but Tanto is a great, Japanese restaurant, rather than just a sushi joint. I would direct you to Fong L's stunning masterpiece of a review regarding specific dishes.
Overall, a go-to spot when I'm in the area.
All this family friend had to say to convince me to come here was "Yaki Onigiri."
The family friend just kept ordering and ordering and ordering to the degree that my dad had this "alright you're going crazy time to reel you in" look. He has many looks.
On came an onslaught of miso soup with clams, sashimi, a salad, eel fried rice in a stone bowl, two types of yaki onigiri, grilled hamachi neck, something that was like bing soo, and I'm pretty sure some other stuff but doesn't come to mind.
One sort of disappointment was the eel fried rice in a stone bowl. When I saw that I envisioned a ridiculously hot stone bowl with eel and eel sauce on top where you mix it at the table. The rice gets kind of crispy and the sweet sauce gets all nice and caramelized.
This was just fried rice with some eel / egg served in a cold stone bowl. What could have been greatness got reduced to a simple weekday after-work meal.
The yaki onigiri were pretty awesome. It made me miss the fan tuan served at 7-elevens in Taiwan. That stuff was amazing. It did annoy, though that a lot of my bits were mostly just rice.
I can't say that anything here beyond the onigiri were particularly unique amongst Japanese restaurants in general, but with that trend of the market being saturated with quazi-trendy establishments serving just rolls, I'm sure this would be refreshing to a lot of people (even though these sorts of places have been here long ago.) It was a good comforting meal with mediocre service which makes this a solid local haunt in my book, but not a place to drive across town for.
Hmm...I'm not sure if I ordered the wrong dishes...but Tanto just didn't tantalize my taste buds. Had high expectations based on all the great Yelp reviews...but was sadly disappointed. 8(
Assorted Tempura ($9.95) - awfully small portion for the price we paid. Nice and crispy and there was actually battered fish..but bland...I prefer the tempura at Yuki's.
Yaki Onigiri - Crispy rice ball (fried I think?) We wanted to try these since there were so many rave reviews about them..I just thought it was okay. Similar to sticky rice..with the crunchy outside..but the inside was rather bland. And don't force it..otherwise you might Yakky yourself!!
Tried a of couple skewers which ranged between $2-$3.75 per skewer..but talk about DINKY..geez...I've had pieces of meat stuck in my teeth after a meal that were bigger than these portions!!
Beef tongue skewer - tough and chewy as a MoFo! I swear I could've bounced that little sucker off the wall and it would've shot right back at me in the eye....
Chicken gizzard skewer - also tough and chewy..if I had on a baseball cap and glove you'd think I were chewing tobacco...8T
Beef skewer (Kobe beef style) - tough and chewy...am I starting to see a pattern here?
Spicy Yellowtail roll - this was the only thing the hubby and I enjoyed...lots of green onion and a good size roll of 6...but not spicy at all..
Red snapper over fried rice - Bland! Had bits of crispy rice and grilled snapper all tossed together with little bits of sweet, yet bitter, veges served in a claypot. We ate about 1/3 of it and to-go'd the rest..didn't care for this one..and at $18.50..what a waste!!
Sashimi salad - Tried this one based on all the Yelp reviews. The dressing was okay...tasted...umm...different...yeah..different. ..and it definitely didn't go with the sashimi...
All of the dishes above, including tip, came out to $85. I wouldn't mind so much if the food were good..but I feel BAMBOOZLED dagnabbit!!! I don't think we'll be returning....
We came here for lunch. Be prepared to have enough cash. They only take cc during dinner. Luh-ame.
Aside from that, the food and service is quite authentic. There's quite a few specials on the whiteboard that is in Japanese (ie. in English but no description). So if you want to be extra inquisitive, ask. I did for a few items before I made up my mind. I think I got something really generic - shrimp tempura with salmon bento. But the shrimp and vegetable tempura was done PERFECT. Crispy, not soggy, and not bland. I think most lunch bentos you can find for about $8-10. It's $15 here, pricier, but the quality is up a notch.
We also got their version of Salmon or was it Ahi Tartare? Cute presentation and really good. But if given a choice, I prefer Red Crane's version.
I want to give it another star, but the cash thing annoyed me. Lunch, dinner, what's the diff?
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