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    Tenkyu

    3.9 (196 reviews)
    ModerateSushi Bars, Japanese
    Closed 5:00 pm - 9:00 PM

    Tenkyu Photos

    TENKYU ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Moderate noise
    Good for groups
    Dogs allowed

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    Recommended Reviews - Tenkyu

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    Our family favorite! They have a fun little room for private celebrations and the service is great. They are always willing to customize any roll. The sushi is so fresh and The chef is very creative!

    Teriyaki chicken bento with sashimi and tempura. Rock and roll roll
    Frank R.

    I was craving sushi on a Wednesday evening around 8ish. So many places were getting ready to close and some I just didn't feel like making the drive. Then I remembered one of the bartenders across the street from Tenkyu ordered from there and it looked amazing. She was very happy with the freshness of the sashimi and the rest of whatever it was she had. So I went, placed my order for a chicken bento with sashimi and a rock and roll roll which was the eel. Since it was a 15 minute wait I went across the street to said bar and said bartender was there :) Took my meal home and I'll tell ya, it was pretty damn tasty! The sashimi was so fresh and tasted soooo good! The tempura was delicious. The chicken was a little dry. Honestly I was a little disappointed with the unagi roll. It was way smaller than I expected and I really didn't get much of a taste of the eel. The inside itself looks very interesting. There are the dining tables, then it looked like there was a sushi bar in the back to the right and also right in the middle a sushi boat seating area? I'd love to try that! Bottom line, I was in the middle here with my review but it won't stop me from going back and trying more.

    Seared Tuna
    David K.

    This place never disappoints. Everyone is always super kind and friendly. The music and everything is very relaxing and soothing and modern. Definitely a secret gem.

    Mmm
    Veda F.

    I love dining here. They are open for dinner feom Tues - Fri. I'm told the hours were never updated after COVID. The sushi is made fresh with expertise. I like the fresh salmon which has a mild, fresh flavor. I also like to try the Udon noodles and rice bowls. I've been coming here for years and I hope Maronite's remember this wonderful sushi restaurant.

    Ikura and Sake Maki
    Ambar C.

    I love Japanese food, and I was really excited to try Tenkyu because it was recommended by a friend. Unfortunately, the lack of flavor and freshness of the food outweighed the great location, vibe, and staff. I do not recommend. Tenkyu was empty when I walked in. It took a few minutes for the staff to see me from the back and seat me. That said, they were very helpful and friendly. The staff immediately got my drink order and gave me some tea, which was the highlight of my meal. The tea was good and definitely flowing. I started with an appetizer. The ebi shumai were cold in the center, which was off-putting, but not enough to send back. I hoped the sushi would be better. It wasn't. I ordered a basic Sake Maki (salmon roll) and Ikura nigiri (salmon roe on rice). The seaweed wrapper was... not good. It was rubbery and tough to eat. It kinda upset my stomach. The rice was stuck to the inside of it and not the usual sushi rice I'm used to. Feeling bummed about the sushi, I hoped Tenkyu would redeem itself with warm food, so I ordered the tonkatsu appetizer. The meat was tough to chew and totally lacking in seasoning. The breading was also flavorless and falling off, and the katsu sauce was bland (and sparsely drizzled). Street parking on fourth is tough, but you can sometimes find a spot right in front. The ambience is nice. Fun, loungy music. Nice decor. Private tables and a long, U-shaped sushi bar with lots of porcelain cats waving. There's also an alcohol bar at the front. I can think of lots of other places in San Rafael/Marin to spend $40 and enjoy pretty great Japanese food. I'm bummed.

    Avocado Maki, Sweet Potato Makisweet

    The food here is SO good and SO fresh! I mean, look at this presentation. 10/10 I wish I lived closer.

    menu page 2 as of 9/12/23
    Jessica R.

    The couple (they seemed like a couple) working here were very friendly. The food was great, fresh, and not skimpy on avocado. Portions seem relative to price (Alaska was ~$10, Tenkyu was ~$18) & fair compared with other locations in the area (which can be difficult to tell because online, some menus haven't been updated for 2+ years). I saw they had a sushi boat-style table with a chef in the center who makes fresh dishes to grab (I love those), but when I asked about it (such as if they have that active during the lunch hours), they said maybe next year. The overall city on a Sunday night lacks visitors, so I'm not surprised this place was also empty. In fact, I didn't realize they stayed open an extra 15 mins for us to pick up our order. That was very kind of them and unexpected. (Closing hours online were off by a whole hour.)

    Nigiri Special
    Barry B.

    This restaurant offers fast service and good value for sushi. Good nigiri assortments too. Definitely coming back

    Tempura Banana
    Jonathon Q.

    Quality and serving size for the rolls is not favorable. The overall taste was good but not worth the price we paid. Staff was very nice and waited on us efficiently. It was a Saturday night around 8:00. The fried banana was good and the edamame was done extremely well.

    Mackerel
    Vuyelwa W.

    Tenkyu is a great sushi find in San Rafael! The price earns it an extra star. I ordered the Grilled Saba Mackerel lunch special and it came with a salad and rice and miso soup! Service was good. Booth I had was close to the window and great space within the restaurant including a sushi bar with seating all around it . Food was pretty good ! Will be back and try some more of their menu !

    Christine R.

    Hubby brought me here on a date almost 20 years ago! I really wanted Sushi Ran in Sausalito, but I didn't want to come across as high maintenance cuz I'm not. Also, he would've ran for the hills if he knew how I ate LOL! It's only because most of my Chinese peeps own such sushi joints, so it's not quite Chef Kusakabe authentic. And I speak Mandarin to them as a test. We haven't dined here in a long time, and I wanted to bring our teenage son here to tell him the dating places mommy & daddy frequented along this stretch of downtown San Rafael like the pool hall across the street (now Tam Commons). Let's just say, our teenager didn't care & wanted to be on his phone while we paid the bill. The sushi here isn't stellar, service is still friendly...that's about it. FYI, the sushi boat only operates on Fridays & Saturdays now. These days, it's not cheap to feed a family with a hangry teenager. Sushi to Dai For or Kamikaze are other go-to sushi places in SR, except there's no boat and that's okay!

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    2 years ago

    Place was super good miso was seasoned great and the sushi was fantastic I also loved the ambience would definitely recommend!

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    Marujun Japanese Cuisine - Sushi roll, Queen: unagi, hamachi and sweet sauce

    Marujun Japanese Cuisine

    4.8(47 reviews)
    1.1 mi

    We visited Marujun for the first time at 6:30 pm last Thursday night. We made reservations for the…read moretwo of us via phone (couldn't do it online for the same night) after reading reviews that said they could be crowded. The restaurant is in a nondescript pocket sized strip mall. I had my doubts, but felt we were transported somewhere else as soon as we stepped through the door. We were welcomed and seated immediately. The menu is extensive, mostly sushi and sashimi dishes. We ordered exactly the right amount for the two of us, including a special appetizer of a shrimp custard (yum), tempura shrimp (two shrimp, crispy, dipping bowl with a side of spicy daikon we could add). I ordered the Hakata Mizutaki hot pot with chicken and cabbage. My wife went for the Queen sushi roll with unagi, hamachi and sweet sauce and a small 2-piece sashimi plate. For dessert we ordered another special, a sweet potato custard that came with a generous scoop of the creamiest vanilla ice cream I've ever had. The presentation for the dessert was so special... it came in a lidded lacquer box (see photos). After recently eating in a terribly noisy restaurant, we appreciated that the sound level here was very low, making conversation easy. Our server was gracious and attentive (filling our pot of tea with hot water, and then pouring the tea for us). All of the food was fantastic. The total with tax and tip came out to $135 for two people. That's probably on par for the quality of the food, but steep for us, so this will become more of a "special treat" dinner place for us. But we do want to return to sample more dishes.

    This dining experience puts other 5-star restaurants to shame. The attention to detail is…read moreincredible. First, it is small and in a strip mall next to a Smoke Shop, but don't let that fool you. Reservations are suggested, but seating at the small sushi bar is saved for walk in guests. If you have a handbag, it's placed in a canvas tote or basket so it doesn't have to be hung over the chair or on the floor. The playlist is perfect! I rarely notice music unless it's excellent or horrible or interferes with conversation. This was extremely well done--not too loud and not intrusive but a great vibe. The restroom was also nicely appointed and spotless. Service was friendly, efficient, and everyone seemed happy to be there. The tables were spaced so that servers could move around without having to worry about diners and guests didn't feel rushed or crowded. The spacing also provided for more privacy for conversations. Everything was delicious! From the red miso to sashimi to nigiri to the rolls. The presentation was amazing and the food was even better. Much of the fish is flown in from Japan daily and the rest is just caught. We ordered more dishes than we usually do in two different evenings out! It was that delicious and fresh. There is no outside dining and no takeout. Dinner only and limited seating. The focus is on a high quality, attentive enjoyable experience and they don't disappoint.

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    Marujun Japanese Cuisine - Reception area

    Reception area

    Marujun Japanese Cuisine - Gyutan (Beef tongue)

    Gyutan (Beef tongue)

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    Fukusuke Japanese Restaurant - Complementary from the Chef.

    Fukusuke Japanese Restaurant

    4.4(297 reviews)
    2.5 mi
    $$

    What a gem of a restaurant! I can't believe tonight was the first time we tried Fukusuke, but I am…read moreso glad we did. It is a cozy, family run restaurant with wonderful fresh sushi. We had miso soup, and tried the dan-san roll and a California roll- all were delicious! The restaurant isn't fancy or stuffy, just wonderful food, and wonderful service. If you're lucky, you'll have Hitomi as your waitress Please also take note of the adorable frog decor! We will be back very soon!

    This was easily one of the worst restaurant experiences I've ever had. When we arrived, there were…read moretwo empty tables available, yet we were offered the only table by the door -- the exact spot I had already said we did not want. That should have been the first red flag. After being seated, we were completely ignored. No placemats, no water, no greeting -- nothing. We had to ask just to be acknowledged so we could order, and even then the staff acted like we were an inconvenience. What made it worse was watching them clear two other tables, seat new families there, and fully set those tables up -- all while we were still sitting there with zero service. It was obvious we were not a priority at all. The only moment anyone looked our way was when we finally got up and walked out -- and not a single person attempted to apologize or stop us. That level of indifference says everything. Absolutely unacceptable service. We will never return.

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    Fukusuke Japanese Restaurant - Mama San's cute drawings and frog theme

    Mama San's cute drawings and frog theme

    Fukusuke Japanese Restaurant
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    Unagi Don Combo w Sashimi

    Kuma Cafe - Boba Drinks , snow shaved ice , poke

    Kuma Cafe

    3.8(107 reviews)
    0.1 mi
    $$

    2.5 STARS kuma cafe…read moreis a small cafe serving quick bites and boba, conveniently located in downtown san rafael. even though it's in downtown san rafael, i've never had trouble finding street parking nearby. since you order on a tablet, there's not usually anyone behind the counter until the food comes out. it seems like there's only one person working, so it can sometimes take a bit for things to come out. i usually order online for a quicker pickup, although it's slightly more expensive. there are a few tables inside, but it's really a to-go place. - egg sandwich w/ salad (2.5/5): i love japanese egg sandwiches, so i really wanted to try this! the sandwich had a good kewpie mayo flavor, and it was slightly sweet. i enjoyed the flavor, but the sandwich was too wet and messy to eat. some of the mayo was dripping out of the sides. there were also small bits of tobiko and cabbage. it wasn't a big sandwich for the price, but it did come with a salad that was topped with a good sweet and creamy dressing - spicy tuna sandwich w/ chips (1/5): literally like canned tuna with some spicy seasoning, although it wasn't super spicy. it also had some thick slices of cucumber and red onion. the chips were kind of stale, and they tasted like they were supposed to be ruffles or lays salted chips. this was pretty disappointing, and i'm not sure why it cost that much - poke (2.5/5): pretty standard, and an okay portion for price. they offered all of the basic ingredients and different kinds of fish. my bowl didn't have a lot of fish in it, but they did give me a lot of tamago (sweet egg), which made up for the lack of protein. i ordered the soy house sauce, but it reminded me more of a bright ponzu. honestly, the ingredients didn't really taste the freshest, but i thought it was fine and the best food i tried here - jasmine rose milk tea (1.5/5): strong rose flavor! it was still pretty sweet at 50% sugar, and it got overwhelmingly sweet by the end. i usually finish drinks, even if i don't like them, but it was hard to finish - sando brown sugar milk tea (4/5): my favorite milky drink i tried! it had a pretty good black tea and chocolate malt flavor. i really liked the crunchy texture of the malt topping, although i think it could've used a little less malt and more drink. i thought this was very unique! - lychee dragon fruit (4/5): like a light lemonade! i didn't really taste the lychee. the dragon fruit flavor was subtle, but it was definitely there, especially at the end with all the dragon fruit bits. it came with lychee jelly, which made the drink pretty sweet - fizzy yuzu (4/5): literally a yuzu soda, which was tart and citrusy. it was a little too sour for me at first, but the yuzu flavor was great. i actually really liked the kiwi popping boba, which added some sweetness to the drink and curbed the tartness. the kiwi popping boba did taste like kiwi, and it was so unique! - momo peach iced matcha [seasonal] (1/5): the worst drink i tried... there was so much peach jam that it tasted super sweet, and the jam didn't even have a strong peach flavor. the amount of jam also made the drink extremely goopy, even after mixing, and i couldn't taste the matcha at all. i didn't finish this drink the boba here was inconsistent - sometimes it was soft and chewy, and other times, it was on the hard end. for the drinks that came with a topping, they didn't let me sub out the topping with something else. i would've had to pay for an additional topping in order to change it. overall, i'm not really a big fan of kuma cafe, but there aren't that many options in san rafael. compared to oddcha, i think kuma cafe offers more unique asian flavors, like dragon fruit or yuzu. when i'm working near downtown, i'll still stop by to get my boba fix but will head somewhere else for lunch.

    Such a cute little shop! When you walk in, there's a self order touchscreen right by the entrance,…read morewhich makes things super easy. The lady working there (an older woman) was just the sweetest. She greeted us with a big smile, welcomed us in, and even thanked us for stopping by. It really made the visit feel extra personal. We tried a few drinks: the Mango Fresh Milk with boba was light, refreshing, and not overly sweet which is perfect for a hot day. The Iced Matcha with boba was smooth and flavorful; I loved that it actually tasted like real matcha. I did ask for less ice, which oddly came with an extra 85 cent charge, but honestly, it was still worth it. My daughter got the Kuma Blue Cloud Raspberry, which was creamy, fun looking, and caffeine free! It's definitely a nice spot to grab a good drink and relax for a bit. The only downside is that they don't have a public restroom, which was a little inconvenient. Still, we'll definitely be back for more drinks and that friendly service!

    Photos
    Kuma Cafe - Menu

    Menu

    Kuma Cafe
    Kuma Cafe

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    Tenkyu - sushi - Updated May 2026

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