Lika G.

Ken has the natural ability to make every customer feel comfortable and welcomed. Food obviously is delicious and by the end of the dinner I felt so good that I was teared up with emotion.

Ana T.

I came in 2022. It was very delicious, everything was fresh, and he explained each fish to us. It was a form of entertainment and I savor every bite of it. I would come again if i were to visit to sf again :) this was my first but one of my favorite omakase

Elaine W.

Went here for a solo dinner last night and had an amazing time. Chef Ken really stands out as a truly passionate artist who cares about investing in and perfecting his craft. I really enjoyed chatting with him during our omakase experience, and he was super friendly and open with everyone and curious to hear our thoughts. He talked about all kinds of things, from how his kaiseki background at Kusakabe influenced him in trying to bring balance to his menu (which he definitely accomplishes), to exchanging restaurant recommendations with us. This was definitely the best experience I've had in terms of connecting with the chef, and I would love to go back to see what he comes up with next as it's clear that he will create so many great things! I think the most standout pieces for me were the sanma bou-sushi (the shiny silver fish in a unique circular shape) as well as the "twoni" double uni which used a saltier/brinier sea urchin contrasted with a sweeter sea urchin stacked on top of each other! I think this piece really brought out the balance that Chef Ken was speaking about throughout the meal, and it was so good that I ordered a second one! One really unique thing about KEN was that afterwards, he took all the remaining fish that was not used that evening and created a kitchen sink roll for us to take home. It looked kinda wack because there were so many different types of fish slapped in there but it was absolutely delicious and probably insane value for money after already getting a fantastic tasting menu. I think this only happens for the last seating, so definitely try to book the 8pm seating if you can! While KEN was not my favorite omakase, it is one of the rare ones that I will likely revisit because the menu is a lot more thoughtful than others I've had (perhaps comparable to Noz 17 in my mind in terms of care of selecting the process of ageing or treating the fish prior to serving). I am so excited to see what other creations he comes up with in the future!

Olivier G.

Ken is a small sushi omakase on Divisadero St. The restaurant is simple and tiny, with just seven seats at the counter, which makes it quiet, and intimate. Chef Ken used to work at Kusakabe, another well-known omakase restaurant in San Francisco. During my visit, Chef Ken himself prepared everything for all the guests, so everyone shared the same experience. Most of his fish comes from Japan, and most fish are aged by the chef, for example, the otoro was aged for two weeks. Chef Ken also explained that he mixes two types of rice, koshihikari and sasanishiki, for his nigiri. Like most omakase, there is only one seasonal menu. Here is the menu from my visit in September 2025. 1. otsumami - shrimp with its blue roe, with heirloom tomato and sliced okra - shirasu (tiny baby fish) - ayu (Japanese sweet fish) - green tofu - croquette 2. sashimi - katsuo - hotate with purple cauliflower pickles - maguro (toped with nori paste) 3. zuke chutoro 4. shima-aji 5. ji-kinmedai (wild-caught Japanese kinmedai) 6. sanma (shiny silver fish) 7. otoro 8. chawanmushi with horse hair crab 9. small cold soup 10. kasugodai (sea bream) 11. sujiko (salmon roe) 12. kamasu (barracuda) 13. uni 14. handroll: tuna topped with karasumi (the Japanese bottarga) 15. kamameshi (a Japanese rice pot dish) with mushroom and tachiuo (beltfish). Soup made with yellow corn and miso on the side. Tamago on the side. 16. ice cream made of yuzu, peach and shiso leaves In the otsumami, the shrimp was served raw or lightly cured with its roe, which had a surprising blue color. The sashimi included two cuts of tuna: akami and one between akami and chutoro, possibly wakaremi. The nigiri selection was excellent. The otoro, delicious, was served jabara (snake belly), and Chef Ken explained the difference between jabara and shimofuri cuts. My least favorite was the sanma, as I'm not a big fan of shiny silver fish. Sujiko was interesting, it's salmon roe still in the sac, unlike ikura. The uni nigiri was a highlight: one piece from Hokkaido and another from Santa Barbara with long spines. After the handroll, we were also served several slices of the kombu used to make the dashi. Overall, the food and experience were great. Chef Ken is funny and approachable, and he takes the time to explain his preparations to the guests.

Daisy T.

I love trying different omakase restaurants in SF, and KEN is definitely a great choice! The chef was very personable and made the dining experience feel very personalized by asking each of us what our preference for wasabi levels were. The fish were high quality and I loved that there were a mix of textures, flavors, and temperatures between the courses. We opted for the ensui uni add on at the end, and the chef was very generous with the uni. There aren't many restaurants in SF that serve ensui uni, which is my favorite. Highly recommend!

Tammy H.

Chef Ken had a great assortment of fresh fish carefully selected and aged to perfection. I came when they first opened and the service and sequencing of courses has improved. My company was also A+ and loved all the fishes as well. If they have it, highly recommend chef's preparation of the nodoguro. The service was appropriately timed, the staff was attentive, and the GM, Ryan, helped us pick the perfect sake. One leaves full. Would definitely recommend this spot for omakase in SF!

Thien H.

Stellar. If I had a friend or two visiting from out of town, and they wanted an SF omakase experience, then I would take them to KEN. I love his vibes. He isn't too serious but he clearly takes sushi making seriously. It was cool to hear from the other people dining how they had been recommended to dine at Ken's from other local sushi chefs. His mentor still works in the city and he seems to know all the nice sushi places in town. His helpers are super focused and service is very smooth. The fish and rice were so good. I also like that he doesn't focus too much on one type of preparation. I've been to other omakase experiences where the chef goes too crazy with flavored salts, preseasons the rice with too much soy sauce, or torches the fish like mad. Instead, Ken's personal style is very balanced and highlights the quality of the fish. We celebrated our anniversary here and he made it feel truly special. I still have the menu saved :)

Priscilla W.

Chef Ken is such a funny and interactive chef who makes this intimate 6-7 person omakase dining experience enjoyable. Ken's omakase menu is nine course consisting of small bites, sashimi, two sushi dishes, steamed dish, hand roll, rice dish, soup, and dessert. Everything was very fresh and delicious. I'd say my favorite dish was the sashimi dish, which had bonito with dashi jelly, Hokkaido scallop with lime and cauliflower, and bluefin tuna with seaweed paste. The dashi jelly was interesting and unheard of, the scallop was sweet, and the seaweed paste brought some umami to the tuna. All the sushi were great as well, each bringing a different texture and taste. However, chef Ken used a lot of the same flavoring (sauce) on most of the sushi, so most had some baseline flavor similarity. The whole omakase experience is a mix of quality ingredients, balance of flavors, chef personality and interaction, and restaurant ambiance. Ken delivered all. As with most luxurious dining, Ken requires advanced online reservation (Resy) and has a 48 hour refundable cancellation policy. After 48 hours, it's a $150 charge per person.

Chris S.

The name speaks for itself. Ken- he's the man who's going to give you a memorable experience. Every piece of sushi is carefully handcrafted right in front of you, as it is a sushi bar seating area only. It's makes it better because Ken can relate to anyone. It's a little hard to find because there is no sign on the front but just be confident and walk in. The sake is amazing and Ken can give you the right advice on how to pair it with the sushi.

Hoyan L.

Second time back at Ken after our first visit in 2022, and the meal was still as incredible as the first time if not even better. We came back to celebrate my birthday (again!) and to see Chef Ken being a master at his craft is such a delight. We brought our own sake this time, and corkage fee is $50. Our omakase experience was relaxing, fun, intimate, educational, and delicious. My bf and I both strongly believe Ken is one of the best omakase in the city. Chef Ken's omakase ($225) is 16 courses, with a good mix of sashimi, nigiri sushi, non-nigiri, and hot food courses like the chawanmushi (loved it) in between sushi courses, kamameshi, and dessert at the end. Our favorite nigiri sushi of the night was the bluefin tuna otoro, amazingly melt in your mouth and incredible buttery flavor. But all of the nigiri pieces were individually great and aged/cured perfectly and served at the perfect temperature, the chutoro (emaculate), sabazushi (my first time having this and loved it!), sujiko (ikura that's still intact), bluefin tuna handroll, two-ni (two types of uni combining together sweet and briny), barracuda, and kinmedai. Perhaps my lesser favorites of the night were the salmon and the pot rice. There are a la carte items at the end if you're still hungry, and we opted for the sea perch, which was delicious. After dessert, Chef Ken had one last surprise for us, we were served with a sushi roll filled with various fish and tamago as a take home snack. We were already full, but ate the roll back home and it was so good we almost fought over the last piece! Some of the fun ingredients Chef Ken added to his menu was a palate cleaner, made with osmanthus tea and peach gum, definitely a nod to Chef Ken's cantonese roots from Hong Kong. As someone who also grew up in HK, I really appreciated that personal touch! With only 7 seats at the sushi bar, we both enjoyed the intimate atmosphere and the interactions with Chef Ken. I really think at some point in the meal, it felt like the world has quiet down and it was just me, Chef Ken, and incredible bites of sushi, and nothing else mattered. They also made my birthday celebration special with a candle, card, and a house made umeshu (plum wine). Needless to say, we loved our meal so much. We will be back soon. Chef Ken - add oil!

Joanna H.

Amazing service from the moment you enter the intimate restaurant to the moment you leave. We came on Sunday night at 5:30pm as that was their only seating for the night. The chef asked what we wanted to drink, any drink preferences, and if we had any questions. I let him know what flavor profile of sake I liked and he had his assistant bring two samples of two different sakes for me to try to decide which I liked best. We ended up going with the Kokuryu "Black Dragon" sake. Mildly sweet with notes of fruit, a clean and crisp sake. We appreciated being able to try a sample before deciding on a sake. Chef Ken checked in with each person to ask if we had any allergies before beginning the omakase. Throughout the courses, Ken thoroughly explained each dish in detail- the flavors, the way it was prepared, and how to indulge. His assistant made sure our tea cups were never empty or even close to empty throughout the meal. Ken let us know towards the start of the meal that if we feel like we're getting full, to let him know so that he can add less rice to our sushi. It was a nice touch because I was definitely getting full towards the latter half of the meal and asked for less rice. Love the customizability here. I also loved how intimate the restaurant felt, with only 7 seats total. It felt extra special knowing we were the only seating that day. On top of that, it happened to be Ken's birthday! How lucky were we to have chosen such a special night to dine at Ken. We were also there to celebrate my birthday and one other guest's birthday. Ken was decently talkative and made sure everyone felt comfortable and had fun. For our birthday, we got the special plum sake made by Ken which was absolutely delicious and a great way to end the meal. The meal was $225 per person and we thought it was worth it for how much food we got along with the impeccable service. Highly recommend!

Sidney S.

I've sat in sushi bars, really fine ones, and I know how hard this guy worked, how proud he is. I know you don't need sauce. I know he doesn't even want you to pour sauce. And I've seen customers come in and do that, and I've seen him, as stoic as he tries to remain, I've seen him die a little inside -- Anthony Bourdain Per his website: "Originally from Hong Kong, Chef Ken has over 20 years of experience as a sushi chef. In his early career, he worked in the restaurant scene in San Francisco including staging at multiple Michelin star restaurants. This led to his passion for sushi when he became a chef at Sushi Ran and then Sous Chef at Kusakabe, both working under Chef Mitsunori Kusakabe." This was an omakase experience second to none. Just six people, with Ken, eating for two hours course after course of wonderful and artful cuisine. The dishes will change of course, but this was a rare meal worth the hundreds of dollars that I paid for food, wine, sake, tip. I'd happily do this again, no questions asked. It's that good, that serene and calm, and yes, I never used sauce ;-) Highly recommended for a unique experience that is worth saving up for.

Midori L.

I came here for my birthday dinner back in March. Having tried a good amount of the omakases in San Francisco, Ken is definitely among the top few here! The fish was fresh and we definitely were full by the end of the meal. The chef was friendly and made conversation with us through the meal. The restaurant itself is cute and intimate. It only has a handful of bar seating, so be sure to book a reservation in advance!