cant really mess up soba! no complaints here. i finished it all!…read more service was a little lackluster. pretty casual spot for a lunch or dinner.

The food was okay, the service was absolutely awful, and the space felt packed…read more Took forever for a waiter to come by to take our order. We had to wait for them to come and help someone else out so we can flag them down just to take our order. They also forgot one entree (which they comp'd us for at least) but 3 of 4 of us had our food and waited for our last person's meal. The water they gave us was not cold so expect room temp tap water. The tonkotsu ramen was more bland than anything. It tasted water down and the two chashu slices were super small and thin. Very disappointing meal. The chicken katsu curry was at least slightly better and had much more flavor. It was oddly in a bowl so everything just gets soggy and turns into one pile of mush. The ambiance was ok. Felt normal-ish but it did feel small and packed. We felt too close to the table next to us as there wasn't much separation. Overall, would not recommend.

don't even know where to start. This place completely blew me away…read more First, the service. Irene made this entire experience unforgettable. She was so warm, friendly, and genuinely helpful. It honestly felt like we were ordering with a friend who just happens to know the entire menu inside and out. She gave amazing recommendations and even told us she makes the hot sauce from scratch (which... you can taste the difference). That level of care really set the tone for the whole night. Now the food... not a single miss. Seriously, not one thing we didn't like. We went with the Ultra menu ($108), which includes lobster, and it was 100% worth it. For broths, we chose the Tom Yum and Tonkotsu. Both were rich, flavorful, and perfect in completely different ways. The meat selection was incredible, especially the wagyu options, they literally melt in your mouth. You can tell the quality is top tier. The flame-torched wagyu nigiri was absolutely out of this world--perfectly balanced and paired with a wasabi powder that elevated every bite. We also had the hamachi cloud, which was so fresh, flavorful, and had the perfect crunch--such a standout dish. And the spicy clams? Easily one of our favorites. Super fresh, super tasty, and packed with flavor. Beyond the food, the entire staff made us feel genuinely welcomed, which made the experience even better. The location is perfect. It's right in the center of Japantown. Inside they have a bar where you can sit and talk with the servers face-to-face. And it's a great spot to people watch while you eat. I truly cannot recommend this place enough. Between the incredible quality, the variety, and the next-level service. This is a spot I'll be coming back to again and again (and yes, I'll absolutely be asking for Irene).

Had a really nice, spontaneous lunch at Matsuyama Shabu House in Japantown. We stopped by on a whim…read moreand were pleasantly surprised they had a lunch special, so we grabbed seats at the bar and went with the set meal. It was an easy, comfortable way to enjoy shabu shabu without overthinking it. I didn't go in with high expectations for the fatty beef, and the meat quality itself was just okay, but it actually worked well with their sauces. Everything came together nicely, and it made me curious to come back and try their more premium cuts. I'm sure those would be a noticeable step up. Service was kind and attentive. We left feeling satisfied and relaxed, and overall it was a solid lunch experience, especially for a casual stop in Japantown.

TLDR: When you're at the heart of Japan town, you have to embody the nation in all the good ways…read more Kui Shin Bo, embodied the nation's backbone of being average to above average in multiple things. This place covers many of the basics (rolls, ramen, tempura, yakisoba, teriyaki, unagi). I really only see it as a jack of all trades, but a master of none. It doesn't mean that this restaurant has no place in Japantown, but it doesn't inspire confidence when it's located in an isolated region of the mall with less foot traffic, while its competition on the other wing has lines longer than the location's capacity. Black Garlic Ramen: It's always a mystery to me how black garlic improves a bowl of ramen. My expectations, however, remain the same. How thick is the broth? How clean is the broth when consumed? What is the quality of the chashu? Do I get enough noodles? I think the best part of this meal was the amount of soup they give, and the chashu was very good. It sucks that the chashu is tiny, but they did very well. I feel that the noodles were those wholesale ramen noodles that were portioned, and the garnish was fine. The broth was okay, 3.5-ish stars in terms of taste. Dynamite Roll and Volcano Roll: I think it's a problem if I have trouble identifying which is which. I can tell you that both are good enough to try, and the Volcano Roll comes with raw fish. Both come with a good crunch and a good sauce, but like most Japanese places that lean heavily into the rolls, good luck finding out what you ordered and what you just ate. Ambiance: Very classic Japanese. They're really at their best to convince you that you're in Japan. It may get tight during a busy day though. Service: Standard. You order, your water gets refilled, you pay, you leave.

Amazing service and amazing food…read more This was my second time visiting Kui Shin Bo and it's great every time. We received great service, constant water refills, and our food came out quick. I ordered the chicken katsu and beef teriyaki, which is served with rice, miso soup and salad--the perfect balance, and a bit of everything. The chicken was very crispy, the beefy teriyaki had a nice smoky flavor to it, the soup was nice and warm, the rice paired well and the salad was fresh and tasty. My sister ordered the Crispy Chicken Chili Creamy Ramen. I had some of her ramen and it was delicious as well! The overall, restaurant itself is a bit small but the food makes up for it. I would definitely return!

Overall, this is a decent restaurant. One of its biggest selling points is its location on the…read morebridge in Japantown, which offers a unique dining experience. The menu leans more toward Western-style Japanese cuisine, with a large selection of pasta dishes as well as a few rice bowls. I ordered the omurice, oyako don, and a pasta dish. Unfortunately, they had sold out of pasta, so they substituted soba noodles instead. The prices are a bit on the expensive side, but the portions are generous, especially when it comes to the amount of meat, so it still feels like good value. That said, I found the chicken to be a little tough. On the bright side, the takoyaki pancake was surprisingly good. Although the restaurant is somewhat pricey overall, the ingredients are generous and satisfying. My only real complaint is that it's almost impossible to find a server whenever you need one. 中規中矩的餐廳，在日本城的橋上是一個很不錯的賣點，食物比較偏向歐美風格的日本食物，很多義大利麵的選擇，還有些丼飯的選擇。我點了蛋包飯、Oyako Don、義大利麵，不過麵都賣完了，他們用蕎麥麵給我做。價格感覺有點偏貴，不過肉都放很多，很實惠，但是雞肉偏硬。另外，它的章魚燒餅還不錯。儘管整體價格偏貴，但是食料挺紮實的。唯一的缺點是永遠找不到服務員。

It honestly hurts my heart to leave such a negative review because the staff here seemed kind,…read moreattentive, and genuinely proud of the food they were serving. I did not come in with especially high expectations given the lower reviews, but this spot had been on my list for a while, and I still wanted to give it a fair try. The location is definitely appealing. It sits right on the bridge you cross while shopping around Japantown, so it naturally draws you in. We were seated pretty quickly as a small party of two, but after that, the pacing slowed down. It took a while for our order to be taken, and the food took about 20 minutes to arrive. I ordered the creamy mentaiko pasta, which is a dish I usually love and also enjoy making at home. Unfortunately, this version really missed the mark for me. The pasta itself tasted like basic boxed pasta, and the sauce had an odd consistency. Instead of being creamy and coating the noodles, it was served more like a thin soup. The mentaiko flavor was also very minimal, so the dish lacked the rich, savory flavor I was hoping for. Overall, I really wanted to like this place, especially because the staff seemed so sincere. But based on the food and overall experience, I unfortunately would not recommend it to anyone looking to try new spots in Japantown.

It was another one of those cold, foggy afternoons, so my family and I decided to check out…read moreMuguboka for a late lunch / early dinner over the weekend. Located in more of a residential area, the restaurant was quiet and filled with mostly locals. It was hard to choose what to order without going overboard, but we ultimately decided upon the kimchi pork soup, bibim naengmyeon, and bulgolgi, which was served alongside a colorful spread of banchan. Our server also brought some rice to enjoy with our bulgolgi. The food was prepared quickly and served piping hot - the soup was still bubbling, and the bulgolgi was sizzling on its ceramic dish. Every dish was excellent. The kimchi pork soup was spicy and sour, and it quickly warmed us up. The bibim naengmyeon was cold and refreshing - the perfect balance to the hot kimchi soup. The bulgolgi was probably everyone's favorite dish because the meat was tender yet nicely charred and flavorful. Each dish went together so well, and our server was impressed how we devoured everything. We'll be back soon to try the other menu items.

I love this neighborhood Korean spot. Always friendly and always delicious…read more I love their spicy beef soup. They are always very attentive, I've often been brought extra banchan when I would be getting low. This is my go to korean restaurant. Usually I go off peak time so it's pretty empty in there but it can fill up on certain days and times. I'd recommend this place in a heartbeat

Casual shabu spot on Filmore with variety of meats. 4.75 stars…read more Food: 5. Service: 5 Atmosphere: 4 Cost to worth it rating: 3 Opentableable: no Return worthiness: yes Highlights: - Multiple quality versions of beef. 4 diff wagyus and others as well. - Wagyu sampler for 2: plenty of meat with 4 diff versions. Some had more fat and meat flavors that others but all were great and thin slices. - All you can eat version with variety of different meats outside of the Wagyu - Liked the soy based sauce and adding the chopped fresh garlic - Can add seafood like large prawns or fish - Each person can get their own burner - Lots of different broth options from the simple seaweed to a spicy miso. - Sake options are great - Veggie platter comes with bok choy, napa cabbage, 2 types of mushrooms, tofu, and noodles (glass and udon-like). - Atmosphere: simple no frills with few individual tables and others with paper dividers available to segment areas along with bar height like area towards the front - Nice owner who is the passionate about what she does Lowlights: - Need to call to reserve and I'm an online reserver - Wanted more but the over ordered but was so good got super full

Cute little place just a block from Japantown…read more They have AYCE or a la carte. We opted for the a la carte and ordered the All About Wagyu for 2 which was perfect. Service was excellent. Looks like its a small mom and pop place and they were very nice and accommodating. Would definitely go back. Reservations recommended. Street parking only.

Super generous! Very friendly! Fresh fish! Will absolutely be getting take out from here again…read more Thank you thank you! :)

So disappointed by this shop. I live in the neighborhood and kept hearing rave reviews about this…read moreplace. My family and I decided to order 3 bowls of sukiyaki. The young girl working at the shop mentioned she needed to check if they had "enough" to serve me. She came back and said that there was enough for three portions. Great! When I arrived home each bowl looked different, and hardly had any meat in the bowls. The first bowl had plenty of food, and the consecutive two were practically all rice. I felt deceived. These kind of business practices are duplicitous and make me untrustworthy of the business. I returned to the shop seeking a resolution. The two young associates mentioned "they didn't make the food." As a response to my upset to their deceptive business practices. Which is obvious. They offer me a different portion from their fridge. Which shows me that all of the "fresh ordered" food is stored in a fridge pre-portioned. Ultimately I am refunded per my request, but I won't return given the awful experience. Additionally the restaurant is always cramped, full of empty boxes, and all the signage is scrapped together from old cardboard.

I've had this place bookmarked for a long time, so I was excited to finally try it when I was in…read morethe area! Parking was rough since World Cup games were already playing, but I finally found a spot 2 blocks away in a residential neighborhood after circling for 10 minutes. I was studying the menu the day before (as one does), and my eyes zeroed in on the Ginza Mystery Box ($69.99). My friend and I decided to share it, and it wasn't too hard to split in half with the even number of sashimi. I would've been full if I ate it all myself, but alas, we both ordered an extra roll lol Spicy Negi Toro ($20.99): I love toro, and this item had an asterisk that it was recommended. Very fresh toro, not too spicy, and I inhaled it. The rolls were on the smaller side but still quality. It was a packed house so service was a little slower, but my friends and I didn't mind since we were catching up anyway. The lighting is pretty dim once the sun goes down if you like that moody vibe. I will be back to try their bluefin zuke don ($31.99)!

overpriced, relatively small portioned food/sushi (if you wanted to share). food beyond sushi were…read morea huge miss, taste and temperature wise. i really was craving sushi/japanese food but i left feeling deeply unsatisfied after dining here. my context: i was craving sushi, and when we came, it happened to be really cold and windy, so i was looking for da fish and some warm/hot food. not food review: service is fine. it's serviceable, everything except getting bill came in a timely manner. however, ambiance is poor. even though it was freezing, they still propped the door open, letting in so much cold air and wind. as well as bathroom door lock is broken which detoured me from going to the restroom. finally even after dining (mind you, we ordered two "hot" foods), my companion and i still FELT COLD internally and externally which soured my mood further. food: with said context, my biggest gripe is that ALL of the hot foods, were NOT HOT. they were lukewarm at best even though i spent max 30 seconds taking pictures. the miso soup, the rice, beef, UDON SOUP, was all BARELY warm. i could not believe myself when eating them. what was more unbelievable is the taste and quality. taste was a mixed bag, soup was too salty, beef had no flavor depth; unfortunately, my favorite was the tomatoes as it was the only item that retained heat from the juice. i will also say that the quality of the "steak" was also very mediocre, tough to chew. they did not ask how cooked we wanted- hence it being a medium, which is too tough in my opinion. the fish on my platter were all fresh and fine. my favorite was probably the shrimp/ebi as it was springy and good in texture. however the rice was too firm/hard to my liking, it is not reminiscent of actual sushi sticky rice which dulled my sushi eating experience. finally, i feel that the portion for the food DOES NOT match the steep price tag. i understand japanese/sushi can be expensive and san francisco can be expensive, i get it, but still. again i dont mind spending money on good food but i left here filling my stomach with such unsatisfying, pricey food that left us STILL feeling COLD, and this did not justify its costs. when reflecting on this dining experience, i unfortunately do not agree with yelp's high rating of this place. i'm curious its that high because of that "mystery box" aesthetic photo op (imo) or that it was just me and my companion had an odd one outs experience.