Yoshi's Jazz Club & Japanese Restaurant
Categories: Jazz & Blues, Japanese, Asian Fusion [Edit]
Neighborhood: Western Addition/NOPA1330 Fillmore St
(between Eddy St & Ellis St)
San Francisco, CA 94115 (415) 655-5600
- Hours:
Mon-Wed 5:30 p.m.-9:00 p.m.
Thu 5:30 p.m.-10:00 p.m.
Fri-Sat 5:30 p.m.-10:30 p.m.
Sun 5:00 p.m.-9:00 p.m. - Price Range: $$$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Street
- Attire: Dressy
- Good for Groups: Yes
- Good for Kids: No
- Takes Reservations: Yes
- Delivers: No
- Take-out: No
- Waiter Service: Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: No
- Good for: Dinner
- Music: Live
- Best Nights: Thu, Fri, Sat
- Happy Hour: No
- Alcohol: Full Bar
- Smoking: No
- Coat Check: Yes
102 reviews
Neighborhood: Union Square
"Thank you Annemarie Domizio... Anzu is awesome! I went to Anzu for Valentines Day. I begin my dinner with a blood orange mimosa that tasted…" read more »
250 Reviews for Yoshi's Jazz Club & Japanese Restaurant
The Atmosphere:
Cavernous. I miss the warmth of the Yoshi's in Oakland.
The Music:
Went to see Cassandra Wilson earlier this year.
Cassandra was radiant, she's a WOMAN.
The sound was great - better than Oakland + the seating arrangement was less confusing.
Have to go back for the food... then will share more...
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Review for restaurant only.
The space is big and gorgeous. High ceilings w/ exposed airducts and very contemporary but still warm and inviting. Service was really professional and super attentive w/ someone always coming by to check on us, fill drink glasses and change out used dishes. So price is our only complaint. I mean, the food's good, but $20 for a few chicken strips (and DARK meat at that) and $18 for fish jaw? All with the same puny accompaniment of side veggies/mushrooms. Sushi and rolls are good but nothing super special for the $$$. The chocolate mousse dessert was off the hook though and totally enough for 2 to share.
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A lovely place with urban modern setting, nice ambiance, hippy & stylish at the same time. A beautiful Zen garden under neat the widely staircase to the glass window lounge on second level. Plenty of the Zen lantern-like lightings through out the main dining room.
I love how they have the lounge on the second level only 1/3 of the restaurant, giving guests harmony feeling & an open space to the main dining room. All long dining tables on the main level are divided with a beautiful straw drapes, modern chandeliers, giving guests a privacy & yet, you still be able to see out to the window and everything that happening at the bar & of course, the performances.
The bar: a beautiful long & curve around right under neat of the second level, has a crowd that mix of stilettos to Hardy T-shirts, from the latest piece at Kitson to the nicest silky ties.
We were here for a private party, and decided to dine here before the party started. They offer a great selection of smaller plates, sushi, house special rolls, and exquisite selection of Sakes. Remember this is a trendy fusion place, so you probably shouldn't go for Sashimi or any traditional dishes but rather small plates and rolls. You would enjoy it more. Price point is on an upscale side!
From the host, to the waitress & servers, everyone was very nice & attentive to our table. I guess we got lucked out ;-)
Knowing this spot is famous for Jazz & definitely a great gem in this neighborhood. What a great combination of Jazz & sushi? Who would have thought of that but chef Shotaro Kamio & his team.
Note: Ladies, you will not have to get in line here for the ladies room! They have about 12 stalls here!
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*This review is for the Jazz Club only*
I've been wanting to try Yoshi's SF since it opened, so when a coworker had an extra ticket last night I jumped at the chance.
It was a wonderful evening overall -- there aren't many good options for live jazz in SF (especially on a Wednesday evening).
First the positives...
The service was amazingly attentive throughout the concert. We never had to wait for our orders, and once they were placed the drinks appeared swiftly.
The space is well designed. Sound was great, setting was a good size (not tiny but still very cozy). I loved the booth tables, which we were able to snag since we got there an hour early. Much more comfortable than chairs.
The price was right. The concert space menu had food for pretty reasonable, and the prossecco I ordered by the glass was $9... not bad. Cocktails were more like $10, still decent. And because our friend was on the mailing list, we got the tickets for this concert for free. Score!
The not so good:
At the end our server forgot to pick up our check, so we were left waiting and then rushed out because they were trying to get the next seating in. Not a great wrap up vibe.
The performance was just okay -- but hey, it was free so can't really complain.
The seating is in demand, so we had to get there early. We saw people come in towards show time, and they were in less than ideal areas so schedule to be there ahead.
I definitely want to go back, but next time I will do more research on the musicians first. Would make for a great date night spot, and also nice for groups of friends -- especially groups of 4 since that's what the tables seat, and if it's a packed show you'll be asked to share any vacant spots.
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First off, I'm a huge Yoshi's Jazz Club Fan--I think they do an innovative and good job with the shows (esp at the OAKLAND venue) So for the price and the perceived quality of a grand restaurant like this, the food is absolutely not worth ANY hype.
Let's start with the service: It's cold, pretentious, and non-inviting at all. The servers and waiters, during my visit were completely jaded...like they hated their jobs. The menu is difficult to depict, and the waiter we had was quite impatient with our incapability to understand the fancy Japanese terms of the menu. Service is slow and a hassle. For a place at this caliber...seriously, the staff should be on point.
Now the food: NOTHING special. I think it's exact science that it's impossible to prepare fancy menu items for large restaurants. You just lose the quality in taste. The food presentation is pretty fancy, but no taste to back it up. DO NOT ORDER THE sushi sampler...waste of $50 or however much that was. The restaurant portion is completely gimmick. I would much rather hit up a local mom and pop eatery, then hit the JAZZ CLUB which IS an AMAZING venue.
SAVE YOUR TIME AND MONEY and do not eat at the restaurant if you want good food/service. It's only good for the novelty of eating at Yoshi's pre-show. Perhaps it wouldn't be a bad idea just to have drinks and appetizers before the show...but dinner...don't waste your time, unless some fundamental changes happens in the kitchen with the menu and price.
I give this place 3 stars because I only ate for dinner. Did not check out the Jam session in one part of the restaurant. I'm shure it was good because of the long line. The upstairs lounge looks appealing. Dim lighting with a nice blue halo lighting on the ceiling trim.
The Food was fine. The service was good. The atmosphere is good as well. High ceiling and the dining area was very captivating. Could not get over the style of the interior. It was definitely a conversation piece including the table we were eating on. The music within the dining should of been Japanese after all it's Japanese Restaurant rite? It could be considerable of being fusion.
Make reservations.
* Jazz Club Review Only *
Great venue, great music all the time.
The service is decent, at least everytime I've been there it's been decent.
The food is just okay for the most part, except, the "Chocoreti Keki" dessert is DELISH! The "Sweet Septet "dessert isn't all-that.
I was disappointed one night when I ordered a pot of tea, and it really tasted like they had re-used the teabag. $6 is already too friggin' expensive for a teabag in a pot of water, but I'd be damned if they're gonna give me a used one! (You know when tea tastes like a paper bag and not tea? YUCK) I guess it was just a mistake but no excuses. It's $6 for a teabag.
5 stars for the music.
4 stars for service.
3.5 stars for food and drinks.
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*This review is for the concert space*
I saw Royal Crown Review - a jump swing band whom I associate from my early days of swing dancing. After all these years listening to them on CD, it was a real treat to see them live and at Yoshi's new space in San Francisco!
For their show, Yoshi's cleared the main floor for dancing - yay! The floor was a dream. The space itself has great acoustics and is the right size for an intimate (but not cramped) concert experience.
Tip - get on their mailing list, they occasionally have free tickets available.
As for food, the appetizers were average. I tried the mixed sweet potato fries (sans garlic) that came with an odd flavored miso aioli sauce (btw, there is no ketchup on the premises) and the spicy tuna roll. Both were okay. For drink, I had a caipirinha ~ very tart (thought I was going to sprout hair on my chest)...not enough sweetness.
All in all, this is a great place to see a show. Look forward to going back again sometime.
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Who in the hell proclaims it's her birthday week? (already par down from birthday month because of my eyebrow rise) My good friend, Cordelia that's who (name changed to protect her privacy, hehe) =P
TM Cordy, "Party like a rockstar, Fuck like a pornstar" (Shopboyz, please don't sue me for plagiarism) :-x
Holy (Shit) Cow, Icon, Cat Club, Rye, Vessel, Apartment 24, Lincoln's Tavern all in a few nights. Dude, we ain't 21 any more. It's not cute getting groped by college boys, and I suck at Beer Pong!!! =(
For her birthday finale she picks Yoshi, not my first choice but it IS her birthday week. We "had" to get the semi-private room for a party over 12 and "required" a minimum of $900. = /
The novelty is adorable, we have to take off our shoes. *crossing my fingers* no one has athlete feet. Table is by the window with lots of natural light. =D
Sushi rolls - I didn't know Safeway was outsourcing their deli
Entrees - Beef - soooo salty! I guess Safeway had a sale on salt
Dessert - Coconut macaroons were the superstar
Our appetite - Still hungry, wanted to hop over to Popeye's
Total - $115 (I don't know if I wanted to cry, throw up or punch someone in the face) I opt to take out my wallet, didn't want to be a drama queen, you know what I mean ;)
P.S. We met Willie Brown and he is super cool like his suit. Dressed in a yellow tweed perhaps Armani suit. We took pictures and asked, "You must get this all the time" Willie states and I quote...
"I love every minute of it"
P.P.S. I was full of emoticon that night :-")
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We decided to go here for my GF's birthday last Sunday. Booked a reservation and all the stuff. You need to secure a cr. card for parties of 6+. The place itself is very nice, and for $12 you can park in the downstairs parking lot. NO validations. The area few blocks away from there is pretty ghetto (as evidence by a car with smashed window and another car that was raised up on two cylinder blocks and had no wheels...) So I would recommend either parking downstairs or make sure you have nothing in your car that friendly folks from Western Addition would like.
Our waiter seemed like a nice fella, but since we were not ordering $500 worth of food, he was talking to us in a very condescending tone. Although we got our food pretty fast, in between that the waiter was no where to be found. If you enjoy looking at a HUGE plate with tiny bits of food on it and paying $$$ for it - this place is for you. I've had better sushi on the corner of Hyde and Union for half the price. Anyways, food sucked and not worth even 1/3 of what you pay. Waiter took 20 minutes to get our check to us (I am not exaggerating) . And let's not forget that he got 20% tip that was included in the bill since it was 6 of us. Unbelievable!
The show was really good. Tickets are NONREFUNDABLE and there is a 1 item minimum. Yet again the waitress took her sweet time with everything. I got some beer and she did not give me a coaster. So I asked for napkins and got them...10 min before the show was over. Band was great, but again the service sucked.
I gotta give special props to the extremely friendly and nice black gentleman that stamps your hand before going into the jazz club. He was the highlight of the evening.
Overall - 2 stars. Skip the dinner in favor of something in the area. If you like Jazz, it is a nice place to go.
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We'd never been to either Yoshi's before going to the SF one to see the Yoshida Brothers perform. There were five of us on two very small tables in a cramped space, which was fine, once you positioned yourself right. We ordered a few appetizers and drinks - half the appetizers arrived with the drinks shortly before the show started, and by the second half of the show, the other half still had not materialized. We had a hard time flagging down our server, and by the time the remaining food arrived, we had to gulp it down and clear out so that they could seat for the second show. It seemed to confirm the other reviews that mentioned wait staff needs to improve. Other than that, it was a nice experience. It's a beautiful place, food's pretty good - a bit out of the way for us (East Bay folks) but overall, worth the effort.
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My bf took me to Yoshi's as a surprise date. We ate at the lounge instead since we had tickets to the 8:00 Mose Allison Trio performance. We had the sashimi combo as appetizer, which was melt-in-your-mouth-oh-sweetness good. The sashimi was very fresh and great choices too. We also had the Free Range Lamb Chops. It was very well made. However, this was where the service lacked. We were given chopsticks for our japanese menu items but when it came to lamb chops, did they really expect us to eat it w/ chopsticks? The waitress was MIA after all our dishes arrived and since we were under a time crunch, we decided to just eat it with chopsticks anyway. The staff could've been more careful about giving us the right utensils with the right type of food. We also had the Gindara Black Cod. The fish was very flaky but somewhat lack in flavor. It was quite bland to eat the fish by itself. We ordered more sushi when we were inside the jazz club. Honestly, I have to say that they were overpriced sushi. I could walk a few blocks down Fillmore and get the same thing for half the price. The whole atmosphere and decor of the place was very beautiful. Regardless, it was the experience that I enjoyed the most. I would definitely recommend to try it at least once, with the jazz show of course.
This is a great venue to see some fabulous musicians up close. It's a bit cramped to be sure, but very cozy.
I saw Steve Tyrell there, and it was great (although his guitarist was not that great). Get up front if you can, and be sure to be left of center for pianist performances.
They have awesome edamame and they make their own cracker jack. The drinks are great, and the service is quick.
Check it out!
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Same rating, new info. The Fillmore Heritage Center parking garage IS putting in a bike rack at some point. I made sure to ask about it and point out that all public parking garages are required to have bike parking as well. They're working on it. We'll see how that goes.
The service tonight was pretty terrible. It took 40 minutes after getting seated to have a waitress even take our order. Leaving us no time to finish our drinks before the set finished. Not a big deal except the next set was starting in 10 minutes and they wanted to hustle us out of there. I had to gulp my prosecco and hubby had to leave half his large beer.
So if you are picky about food/drink service you will be really disappointed here.
If you don't care as much, like I don't care, then the music experience is still pretty good.
***Tip of the Day: Join the mailing list and sometimes they give out free tickets to shows, like last night.***
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1 Previous Review: Show all »
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02/27/2008
I was really excited when Yoshi's opened in SF. I don't like a lot of jazz but the one I do like… Read more »
Well, we came to watch the Gerald Albright concert at the Jazz Club over the weekend. I could say that this Jazz Club in the Filmore area in San Francisco is also my best Jazz club in town (besides their Oakland Jazz club across the bay)... what can I say, it's also a world-class club... great ambiance... great sound system... almost identical with their Oakland Jazz Club. Parking is not a problem, as Valet parking or self parking is available in their garage directly beneath Yoshi's. Garage entrance is on Eddy Street (you'll see the Public Parking sign).
Usually on Tuesday & Wednesday nights, they have FREE shows (at the Jazz Club) for the not-popular performers... but this is only FREE & exclusive for Yoshi's email subscribers... so join their Email List :)
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Note: this is just about the restaurant.
After hearing from a friend for months about the restaurant at Yoshi's, I decided to check it out for myself. I went with two friends during Dine About Town (6/08), but from the looks of it, most of the items we ordered off of the special DAT menu are on the everyday Yoshi's menu as well.
The other two had already been to the bar, so we decided to just order tea at the table. For a Japanese restaurant they had a very small tea selection and the green tea we ended up ordering wasn't very good. I was able to move past this when my appetizer arrived. The kakiage (vegetable tempura fritters) were delicious. I'd only ever had tempura where the vegetables were dipped and fried individually, so I really enjoyed having lots of different kinds of vegetable strips in each bite.
If only my enthusiasm had continued with my entrée. It was chicken served with enoki mushrooms, asparagus, and a plum glaze. It was probably thigh meat, which I don't normally eat anyways, but it had the skin on and was very fatty. Plus, there were some green leaves sitting on top of the chicken that I thought I'd try (I'm working on being a more adventurous eater), that turned out to taste very soapy. Altogether, the dish, which wasn't big to start with, was pretty unpleasant and left me unsatisfied.
The meal was somewhat salvaged by the desserts. Two of us ordered the chocolate cake with beet ice cream (the cake was good and the odd-sounding ice cream was a surprisingly nice compliment) and the other ordered an apricot dish, which was also tasty.
The service was just as inconsistent as the food. Sometimes we were very well attended and at other times we couldn't track down our waiter.
Overall, the ambiance is lovely (though they could play more jazz music in the restaurant), but the inconsistency of everything else, especially given the high price of everything, would make me hesitate before going back again.
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Saw Bobby Hutchinson here. Sat on the right side of the stage as you walk in (so, stage left) and the acoustics weren't great. The drummer over powered the reset of the band.
Yoshi's JLS has better acoustics overall, and actually, I saw Bobby there about four years ago. That was a great show.
Back to SF -- the bar outside the jazz club in the lobby area is hip, the lighting is loungy, our server was accommodating and cool, and we all got a bit drank after the first show.
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I loved my first experience at Yoshi's. Even though it's not the Mothership Yoshi's, it's a great place nonetheless. We went for a show last minute just last night (The Eric Reed Trio) and just loved it. The theater is beautiful, cozy and modern, the lighting on the stage is great (not too bright), sound was awesome and the table service is delightful. She never hounded us once to "order more" or anything like that. Love that...she was just friendly and happy to be there.
We had some quick bites - steak salad (really good though the steak was warm vs. hot) and my date had sushi (I coudn't eat it but he was quite impressed.)
We're sooooo coming back.
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I've been wanting to try Yoshi's for a while, especially since they opened in SF. Now that I've been, I dont need to go again. Food itself was pretty good, 4.5 stars, but the portions were pretty small and WAY overpriced. The black cod was tasty, but not enough food for a main dish at $18. I think what you're really paying for is the insane amount of staff they had! I was able to count 12 chefs in the kitchen, and those were only the ones i could see. I think every table in the restaurant had their own waiter and chef. They were just standing around in the kitchen and chatting! For how many people they had on staff, the service was pretty bad and unfortunately there wasnt any live music (Sunday around 7:30).
It's not a good sign when you pay $40 a person and still want to go grab a piece of pizza after.
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Aliens. The Empire Strikes Back. Terminator 2: Judgment Day.
Like these movie sequels, the superior Yoshi's is the newer one across the Bay.
Food: 4 stars. Most of the dishes here are good, but they don't blow you away. My party tried the edamame with okinawa sea salt (addicting as usual), Ichiban sashimi (fresh and flavorful), yari ika "somen" (squid noodles with sea urchin puree - my least favorite dish), sake drunken prawns, dungeness crab nigiri (pretty good), japonese (spicy maguro and hamachi), spicy tuna maki, tanabata (hotate and ume salt wrapped with shiso seared salmon), and gindara "black cod" (miso marinated - my favorite dish). Marisa Churchill (formerly of Top Chef, season 2) worked as a consultant for Yoshi's and she left an indelible mark on the desserts. The mochi and ice cream, although a little dry, were better than most I've had, and the pineapple upside down cake was so good I didn't want to share it with anyone.
Service: 4 stars. Kudos to the hostesses for giving us the best table in the house (the glass enclosed private dining room) to celebrate my friend's birthday (although the table wasn't ready by time of our reservation). Service was otherwise smooth throughout the night. Our server was playfully sassy but was very helpful in guiding us through the menu.
Atmosphere: 5 stars. The cavernous space is a perfect place to host a large celebration. The atmosphere is lively, modern and trendy, with a young and beautiful crowd to match. The jazz club is sectioned off from the restaurant, just as it is at the Oakland location. The only downside is that the restaurant is not located in the best of neighborhoods.
Hits: Gindara "black cod," pineapple upside down cake, energetic atmosphere.
Misses: Yari ika "somen," worrying about your car parked on the street.
If You Like This Place, You'd Probably Like: Yoshi's Oakland, Ozumo, Blowfish Sushi to Die For, Sushi Groove South
The waiters at Yoshis need to be trained in basic customer service. For a place that appears to be upscale, it is surprising that the service is so ridiculous. Add that to the fact that the food is overpriced, and there really are no vegetarian options. As far as the food goes, if you're looking for Japanese cuisine, DON'T go to Yoshis. There are plenty of other options in the city. As far as seeing a show, the music is always great; however, even the staff selling the tickets is unhelpful and seem to know NOTHING about the shows.
Bottom Line: It is a large lounge and great for live music. But the staff is negligent, food and drinks are overpriced, bartenders can't even make a proper bellini.
Best bet: GO SOMEWHERE ELSE FOR THE FOOD!
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As you should know, Yoshi's is a common name within the Jazz community in the Bay Area. This is a really nice venue to catch a dinner and a jazz show. They showcase all kinds of jazz musicians and every once and while you should be able to see a big name performing.
My review is strictly based on Yoshi's, the Japanese restaurant. Once you walk in, you'll notice the modern interior with a mix of contemporary design. In a way, It feels overly swanky. Luckily, I came prepared with a corduroy blazer. The bad news is walking in with an appetite...
The menu choices are really slim. They seem to have more drinks than food. And EVERYTHING is really pricey. They have all the variety of fresh raw fish and your usual suspects of dinner items, but nothing that jumps out at you. You should always be looking forward to ordering and getting your food. I ordered a small plate of raw fish and had to pay $3 for a bowl of rice (I would have to take away a star, but just realized that we're in some rice shortage around the world...)
When I got my food, the server handed me a tea cup plate with bits (not pieces) of fresh sashimi. Man... what a joke! I was still so hungry, but I realized my tab was already $40. I decided to wait and seek help elsewhere.
To shorten my absolute negative review of Yoshi's, the Japanese restaurant, I simplified my argument in these key points:
- The atmosphere is not comforting or very inviting
- Nothing to order
- Everything is pricey
- The servers are lazy
- The food sucks
- For a restaurant that serves Asian food, charging for rice is like paying to breathe air... wtf?
Enough Said... =(
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Just had my very first experience at Yoshi's recently. It is so beautiful inside. The show we saw was a 10pm showing and in the middle of the week so the crowd was pretty sparse. But the performer was very very good nonetheless. One star off for our lame ass server who never served. This prompted my date to leave several times to get us (mainly him) drinks throughout the show. Except for him being completely wasted by the end of the show, it was a great evening. Tickets are pretty reasonable so I imagine I'll be back, but with someone else.
Yoshi's SF is a great, intimate old style Jazz club with a lot of modern interpretations of the classic Cabaret.
First, the design is well thought out, with really no bad seat in the house. There is the main floor in front of the stage with about 4 rows of tables in a fan shape around the stage, and 2 more elevated behind that, then there are upstairs 2 more rows with a great view to the stage, like Grand Tier seats at the SF Ballet. This is where I sat to watch Keiko Matsui on Father's Day.
It is a Cabaret style seating, so there are small round tables with 4 seats with each, A,B,C,D going counter clockwise from 9 o'clock to 3 o'clock. Lighting is excellent, with a spot light over each table so you can read the menu and eat. You can go on their website and see the table seating arrangements. Your seats are assigned when you book, first come first serve, so you don't have to rush in line, which is very civil and perfect for the smooth jazz lover, who likes things mellow.
The only drawback upstairs is if you are only 2, then you will share the small table with another couple, which is fine, but if you get seats A and D (next to the railing) then they will get B and C, which are behind the table and it maybe more difficult to see the front of the stage from B and C unless they scoot right up behind you. Our tablemates were nice and friendly, but were unhappy with the arrangement; fortunately for them, they found another table available.
Sound is excellent and the decor is simple and modern.
Unlike most larger concert venues, you can eat great food here. There is a large drink menu of sakes, wine, and drinks, and a "small plate" food menu. We went with Edamame (large bowl, heated and salted $5), Chicken Kara Age ($8), Nigiri Go (5 pieces of 5 different Nigiri, about 70% of normal size sushi $13), Miso soup $3 and a bowl of rice $2. Sapporo Draft was $6 and soda $2. Perhaps not great for a restaurant, but at a concert? A real treat to nibble edamame and sip a beer while waiting for your favorite jazz piano musician to appear.
Like the rest of the Yoshi's restaurant and the Filmore Heritage Square, the venue is elegant but simple, and caters to adult sensibilities, although kids of all ages are welcome to enjoy the music in a smoke free environment.
No green iridescent necklaces, not screeming pre-teens, no parking lot fights, no underaged drunken or drug induced stupors, no wave or rave, no smoke with a funny smell, just great music!
If you like good music, especially jazz, and Japanese sensibilities, and want to get in a joyous mood, go here. If you want to get crazy into an altered state, go to your favorite star-of-the-month concert at a baseball stadium.
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Warning to hungry jazz-lovers: You may have to share your cabaret table with others so don't order too much food. My dad and I ordered 2 drinks, edamame, a salad and a sandwich. Awkwardness ensued trying to rearrange our dinner when two randoms were added to our tiny table.
The table was barely big enough for each person's obligatory one-drink, let alone a spread of sassy asian plates. This must be why most people were eating in the restaurant and then moving to the theater.
Tiny tables aside, the venue is nice and modern, with fabulous acoustics. Most shows are moderately priced too. Get ready to drop an additional $30/person on food and drinks.
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I came to an interesting revelation the other night whilst sitting at Yoshi's taking in the painfully creepy crooning of one Kurt Elling. I realized that cheesy, pervy looking dudes with slicked back greasy hair just simply shouldn't mangle and destroy beautiful old jazz tunes. Just don't do it. Let me enjoy the beautiful sounds from the pros like Louie, Billy, Dizzy or Peggy instead of creepifying that time period of wonderful loveliness with your Costco sized Velveeta. Please. Seriously.
In spite of queasily dying in my own skin, I did enjoy Yoshi's. I didn't really know what to expect other than a martini, some possible Asian fusion food and a show. As for those things, well, you already know how I felt about the show, so let's move onto the rock solid, kick ass slightly dirty Belvedere martini with three olives that I enjoyed. Oh to the yum. Now let's talk about the sushi. It was dissolve on the tongue deelish and the miso marinated cod was pretty good as well. Their toro was also like buttah and yum, definitely a tasty adventure for my mouth.
After we nibbled at the bar, we headed in to see Pervo Montabon and yeah, not so much, but I do now know of a great place to grab some nibblies, a good strong cocktail and some entertainment. Also, don't bother with the wine here. I tried a Bordeaux and a Cab and they were both pretty bad and not cheap.
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I am not an alcoholic. I don't need to drink to enjoy myself. I know that drinking isn't the raison d'etre of Yoshi's.. But still, I'm disappointed that it took them 40 minutes to take my order, and a further 15 minutes to bring the drink. To make it all the more remarkable, it isn't as if they lack wait staff. There were waiters flying to and fro constantly, trying hard to avoid eye-contact with us. Our waitress even swooped by and said "I'll be right with you" twice, but she certainly wasn't by any conventional understanding of the phrase.. So there's obviously a management problem here, and until they fix it Yoshi's will only be so-so in my book.
Apart from the abysmal service, Yoshi's is pretty cool. Good atmosphere, good music, and usually a good-natured and enthusiastic crowd.
Come for the music, but don't come thirsty.
Once a restaurant passes the 100 review mark, any new reviews are basically meaningless. So why write? Because I have a vain hope that my review will become the gold standard by which all others will be judged. Failing that, then maybe I'll write something funny or charming and some yelper will so note it in the FUC tabs.
I had been to the original Yoshi's in Oakland years ago for lunch. It was uninspiring. The only interesting experience I gained was that I saw a judge I had appeared in front of many times wearing jeans. Dress shirt and tie on top, jeans on the bottom. Kinda like a mullet for the courtroom. Business on top, party on the bottom. Because my dining experience was so mediocre, I did not bat an eye when the new Yoshi's opened right down the street from me.
I decided to bring an out of town friend there last Friday. I explained how we had to cross the moat (Geary) and walk into the land of murders and scumbags (Western Addition). I had not crossed the moat for quite some time, and I was pleasantly surprised by how the neighborhood has transformed. (No thanks to you Ross Mirkarimi. Instead of doing anything for your district you are too busy getting into bed with Chris Daly on meaningless legislation.)
The restaurant itself looks great. The space is huge. We got there early so we could grab a drink. The downstairs bar was well stocked and the bartender took care of us right away. The have a nice selections of bourbons, which is always a plus. We were seated promptly at 8:30. Another plus. The food was excellent. I was a little disappointed with the size of the portions, but to Yoshi's credit, the waitress warned us ahead of time that the portions were small to medium. Plus again for honesty, a quality that is sorely lacking in many S.F. higher end eateries. (Hear that Delfina and Epic? You still suck monkey balls!)
We had the Spicy Dragon Roll. Excellent. The Spicy Tuna was a little weak. The Black Cod was tremendous. This is the one dish that I wish had a much larger portion. (Admit it, size matters.) I also enjoyed the Kakiage immensely. Also liked the Japonese. As we were eating, the show started. The music from the show was piped into the restaurant. I liked that. They also have flat screens set up so you can see the show.
What I did not like was the thin curtain separating us from the booth next to ours. Especially since one of the hosts was shamelessly hitting on the two women sitting in that booth.
Overall, definitely worth the expense...and it was way overpriced.
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not bad for a local like me. Service is wonderful........Food with cilents not bad. i would come here again.
Restaurant Only:
As soon as my friend said, "Let's eat at Yoshi's!", my stomach - my empty, no food having since 9am and it's now 530p, good food-liking stomach - seized and started to tremble. My stomach and I have experienced Yoshi's before. It was 2006, I was graduating, and I really wanted to see Goapele. It was a free ticket at the last minute and I was starving. My friends ordered. I tried different pieces of rubbery stuff. My stomach demanded that I stop, and so I did.
Back to the present...
My friend and I went into Yoshi's SF. The dcor was amazing: large space, beautiful wood, dark colors, light from the large windows, small yet roomy tables. The hosts were very nice. It just wasn't enough to quell the impending doom feeling my stomach had.
My friend ordered the Niman Ranch strip with a side of rice. While the portion was small, it was delicious. She ordered it well-done, but it came out medium. I didn't mind, then again I wasn't eating it. I ordered the salmon with the beurre blanc on the side. While the portion as small, it was not delicious. The sauted spinach was good and flavorful. The salmon tasted - I know this is weird - very fishy. Now, it could've been that piece, or the type of salmon, or the cut, or whatever. The point is the fish tasted nnot so good to be kind. Overall, I hated it. Plus the beurre blanc was not on the side, which created a sitcom moment:
Server: How is everything? Oh, did they put the beurre blanc on the side for you?
Me (pointing at some whitish sauce): Is that the beurre blanc?
Server: Yes.
Me: Then they didn't put it on the side.
[insert laugh track]
Wah wah waaaaaaaaaaahhhhh.
8 stars for dcor + 3 stars for the spinach +3 stars for the pieces of steak my friend gave me out of pity - 4 stars for the salmon - 5 stars for the server/diner sitcom - 6 stars for making me go to McDonald's to get a happy meal because I couldn't eat that meal and we had to get back to the film festival = 2 stars.
This review is for the Jazz Club only, as we did not eat in the restaurant.
5 star experience from beginning to end. Their website is well designed and user friendly and buying tickets on line and picking seats was easy. We arrived around 7:30 for the 8:00 show and tickets were ready at will call when we arrived with no line and we were seated immediately. The facilities are spanking brand new and gorgeous; it really was a different world compared to being outside on Fillmore St. Cocktails ($10) were well made, ushers and servers were very professional, the performance and talent (Kenny Barron Trio) was top notch and the sound was great. The show started at 8 and ended at 9:30pm, but l was having such a good time, I felt that it went by too quick!!
If I had to have one complaint, the 4 seats to a small table were a bit cozy, but the other 2 people at our table were very friendly and I enjoyed interacting with them...I probably would have enjoyed the seating set up better if I was with a date (as opposed to my mom). Next time...
Know Before You Go: There's valet service in front of Yoshi', there's a 1 drink minimum purchase for each person, and also, sitting in the front row might seem ideal, but there's about 3 to 4 medium sized speakers installed at different spots along the edge of the stage, and I wouldn't want to sit by them the entire night. If you must be in the front, go with the 2nd row.
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I was here for dinner first then the jazz show at 10. I've been to the Oaktown spot on numerous occasions and couldn't wait to try this place out. The restaurant is beautiful. Very nicely laid out and would be great for you and a large group of sushi loving friends. The blue tuna tataki appetizer was mouth-watering delicious even as I think about it now! Taste buds were delighted. Everything was fresh and high quality organic. There's also a sake bar upstairs where you can look down into the open kitchen.
The jazz performance was hypnotic! Since this spot is newer than the Oaktown one, there is no history to the place. The venue is new and I'll be coming back depending on who's scheduled to play. It's just missing the fedora hat, warm sultry jazzy feel of the other spot.
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Yoshi's was awesome. I had gone to the one in Emeryville a million years ago. The pork ribs were so yummy, as the edamame with garlic, and there can be no wrong done with so many sake choices.
The waitress was perfectly nice, not in our face, trying to get us to scarf down our drinks and take away our plates.
Definately a great place to go to for a date, or a nice dinner. I didn't get to stay for the show, but I defintately would like to next time i am in the area.
As far as sushi restaurants go, this is not one of my favorites. Expensive, bad lighting, poor table selection by the host staff. I know they have to make a lot of money to pay for this space, but it's one to miss...