An Japanese, San Francisco

Reviewer: Foodnut.com An Japanese 22 Peace Plaza #510 San Francisco, CA 94115 415-292-4886 An Japanese Website

Why did we dine here? – An Japanese is a new Japanese Edomae-style Sushi restaurant in San Francisco’s Japantown, taking the place of crusty old Ino Sushi. It is run by the folks behind Koo in San Francisco’s Inner Sunset district. Hayakawa San and his wife run this small restaurant. Definitely and intimate affair here.

2015 has seen many new high end Japanese restaurants. Part of the dot com explosion? Be sure to try top notch Sushi Yoshizumi

Insider Tip – It is a small restaurant, so reservations are a must.

Cuisine – Japanese
Location – San Francisco Japantown
Opened – 2015

Service – An Japanese had surprisingly good service with the wife running around ensuring everything was going well. She kept the cups filled and dishes moving.
Verdict – An Japanese is a solid high end Japanese restaurant. Prices and quality are inline with the other high end places in the City. Come here for the Omakase and let the chef wow you. While we were not wowed, the food did hit the spot.

How does this restaurant compare to our journey to Japan earlier this year? Read our review of Sushi Kanesaka, Tokyo Ginza. That place is still on another level compared to An.

Is this restaurant worth a 5 minute drive? Yes. 30 minute? Yes. 1 Hour? Yes.

An Japanese Signature Dishes – Omakase, Sushi, Sashimi

An Japanese’s Menu focues on an Omakase $80 meal with cheaper Omakase Nigiri 12pc $75 and Nigiri 7pc & Kanpyo Make $50. They have an a la carte menu unlike several other high end Japanese restaurants like Kusakabe. Those with dietary restrictions can dine here as apposed to the more rigid places.

Website An Japanese Menu

An Japanese Food Picks:

Omakase ($80 per person) Consists of:

Zensai – Ankimo, Shrimp, ponzu jelly & Go-mae Spinach Salad – Simple start to the journey

Salad – Persimmon, Avocado Tuna Salad – Refreshing combination, California influence.

Sashimi – Sea Bream Japan, Blue Fin from Spain – Cleanly cut, fresh, nice.

Atsu-mono – Cooked Yellow Tail with Daikon – Good but not exceptional. Maruya had some better cooked dishes.

Soup – Matsutake (seasonal Mushroom) clear soup, tofu – Extremely Hot, subtle flavors

7pc Nigiri – Fresh ground Wasabi of course Included: Uni, Kampachi, Saba, Otoro, kohada, akami
Dessert – Spiked tangerine sorbet

Omakase Nigiri 12pc ($75 per person) Consists of:
Zensai – Same
Chef’s Choice of Nigiri (12pc) – Included Yellowtail, Snapper, Kampachi, Aji, Blue Fin, Clam, Giant Clam, Grouper
Soup – Matsutake (seasonal Mushroom) clear soup

Nigiri 7pc & Kanpyo Maki ($50 per person) Consists of:
Zensai – Same

Kanpyo Maki – Surprisingly Fab – Crunchy pickled radishes.
Chef’s Choice of Nigiri (7pc) similar to Omakase
Soup – Matsutake (seasonal Mushroom) clear soup

Chawanmushi ($8) came in a cool small pot. Fish eggs topped this egg custard. It had 2 types of mushrooms, scallop, and more. Fancy stuff.

Uni Nigiri ($8) from Japan – They use both Santa Barbara Uni and Hokkaido Uni, impressive. Smooth, tall, cool, could have used more Uni.

Amaebi ($5) was surprisingly good. Slightly chewy, comes with a deep fried head.

Nigiri Sushi Hokkigai ($5) East Coast, Surf Clam – Long Chewy, actually preferred the Mirugai.

Nigiri Sushi Mirugai ($8) Local, Giant Clam – Thin, slightly chewy, nice flavor profile.

Wagyu Nigiri Sushi ($8) Miyazaki, Japanese beef A5 was lightly seared and thinly sliced. Fatty essence made it smooth and flavorful. We will never forget eating Wagyu beef in Tokyo.

Boigai ($8) Sea Snail steamed in sake soy broth (2pc) – We had to carefully twist the meat out of the shell. The standout was the sake soy broth. We drank it down after eating the 2 snails.

OK: (Order if you like this dish)
None

Pans: (We would not reorder these dishes)
None

Do you agree with our review? Have you found other similar restaurants that are better?

Restaurant Map: