A must if you're traveling through San Jose and are craving an authentic izakaya experience! It's nice to hear servers and chefs speaking in Japanese. I highly recommend the okonomiyaki! -Not many Japanese restaurants have it on their menu.

You might get lost if you've never been to this area, but this shop is in the same entryway as House of Genji. Just enter the doors and it should be the shop to your left with a cramped hallway. There is also a parking lot just a few steps from the strip. Very very fresh ingredients!! The dishes are made on the spot, at the bar and it's such a delight. My mom and I came in on a Friday night around 9pm, but we called ahead and were told it would be a 30 minute wait - which turned out to be perfect because that was just about our commute, and by the time we got there, we were now first on the very long waitlist. Beat the line and call ahead if you're in the area! Our favorite dishes were the oyster shots ($5 each, must get) and nigiri pieces (sake and eel, each serving comes with 2 nigiri). Clams and skewers (skewers come as 1 each) were also great, as well as the mackerel. We picked a variety of dishes and they were all good - I might skip out on the soft-shell crab next time though, it was just a bit small for our preference. This is definitely a hole in the wall shop (albeit popular!), with quality ingredients and an extensive menu.

Yummy okonoyaki and spicy edamame This place is small so not suitable for gourd of 5 or bigger wait is a bit long too The parking is hard to find

My favorite hole in the wall Japanese izakaya! The authenticity is really there, I always feel like I'm back in Japan whenever I go to this place. From their extensive menu to the fresh, good quality ingredients for the price, you can't find any other than this one right here. You know the Japanese food is always going to be good when it's ran and owned by a Japanese family. I highly recommend getting their sushi boats if you're feeling adventurous and can't decide on what kind of sushi you want. For fried stuff, I really love their Nagoya fried chicken. It's perfectly seasoned and crispy with a slight soy sauce and zesty hint to it. For the perfect little treat at the end, you have to get their fried dorayaki (Japanese red bean filling pancake). It's like a deconstructed parfait. I highly advise you to come early because this place fills up really quickly.

What a cool little hidden gem! Seriously, if you did not know where you were going, you'd think you were lost. It's in the same building as House of Genji, just go to the left when you walk in. The fact that they close at 11 is a big bonus!!! I arrived late and after checking into my hotel, and running a few errands, it was 10 pm. Friendly greeting, I was given a seat at the sushi bar. I didn't want to eat heavy, though I could've because whatever was cooking when I sat down smelled sooooo good! I ordered an eel roll and a trio of sashimi: salmon, ahi, and I think hamachi...whatever it was, it was soooooo melt in your mouth tender! Everything was delicious and hit the spot! I also had a Sapporo draft. The staff is really friendly! I wasn't hurried, I felt I could've kept ordering but it was late and I just needed something to take off the hunger edge. Great place to come to! Not sure about the parking lot, so I parked on the street.

Izakaya is a pretty small and a bit cramped restaurant, but I did appreciate their food and service. It stays open until 11 PM on weekdays, so it's actually one of the rare restaurants to be open that late, making it a very decent choice. Their bento boxes are reasonably priced for the amount of food they come with. The teriyaki chicken was flavorful and delicious. The veggie tempura was crisp and freshly fried, and their sushi was also very delectable. The chicken katsu is also a very good option to order. I enjoyed the crispiness and flavor of the breading. The salad dressing was amazing - I don't normally eat salad, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. Their service was actually fast, and the staff were very attentive. They refilled our cups with water even before asking, and always came to our table to ask if we needed anything, despite the restaurant being filled with customers that evening.

Came here for our valentines dinner and it was such a good dinner. This place is small so it gets busy and wait is long but luckily we beat the rush and didn't have to wait too long to be seated. The service was really good and the waiter was very attentive to us We ordered sake and the waiter helped us pick between our options. I also got an oyster shooter which is one of their popular items and it was so yummy! It has a qual egg yolk inside that complimented the oyster very nicely. For dinner, we shared an appetizer and I learned the sushi bento box, which was very filling. All the sushi was fresh and the food came out really fast.

I came on a Friday evening with my partner for dinner. It was a bit confusing to get inside because they don't have their own door. You'll need to go through the restaurant next door's entrance, and this restaurant's door will be located immediately to the left. The interior is very small. Upon entering, the restaurant was full, except for 1 table. The waitress said the table was booked for a reservation, but still seated us if we could finish eating by then, giving us ~20-30 minutes to eat. We didn't mind at all and I appreciate her still giving us the opportunity to dine in. We ordered okonomiyaki, yakitori (chicken thigh and chicken skin), beef tongue, and a tuna makimono. I would skip on the yakitori; it wasn't as juicy and crisp as I anticipated. The beef tongue, makimono, and the okonomiyaki especially were delicious! Food came out promptly and the waitress checked up on us multiple times and even asked if we wanted to order more! It's a cozy place and we had a great experience here.

Date of Interaction: 2024-01-18 TL;DR: - Actual rating: 4.2/5 - Rounded rating: 4/5 - An intimate and authentic-feeling izakaya with a pretty decent Osaka-style okonomiyaki. Food: - Okonomiyaki (4/5): The okonomiyaki was served nice and fresh and had good flavor; while it felt a little bit batter-heavy for me, that might just be me finding out I like Hiroshima-style more than Osaka-style where the toppings are mixed together (essentially it was kind of like a giant flat takoyaki). The portion was also huge--big enough for two meals. I'll have to try the buta variety next time. - Saba Nigiri (4/5): There was a good balance between the savory richness of the fish's fattiness and flavor and the vinegar's acidity. The texture of the flesh also didn't feel frozen or "overcooked" by the vinegar. Service: - Attentiveness & Relatability (4/5): There was some miscommunication, as I ordered the fresh saba but was given the regular saba instead and later learned they ran out of fresh saba. I'll give them the benefit of the doubt on this, and the regular saba nigiri was still good. Also, the waitresses were super friendly and attentive. - Wait (4/5): They seem to expect reservations, but I came at a time that wasn't busy so was quickly seated. Food came out within a reasonably expected amount of time. Ambiance: - Space (4/5): The space is intimate with an interior that's nicely designed and aesthetic. The downside is that the intimacy of the space (it's smaller than I was expecting!) can result in people watching and waiting through the glass panes for a table to open up, which may feel a little bit uncomfortable for some. - Noise (5/5): I don't recall background music, but the restaurant fills up rather quickly so conversations are the ambient noise here, which I enjoy in a bustling dining establishment.