The best Japanese restaurants San Francisco

Marufuku is a popular ramen restaurant in Japantown, with a very chic, designer Japanese setting, which has even opened other outlets in North Cal (in Oakland and Cupertino in particular). Two star ramen on the menu: the authentic Tonkotsu Hakata ramen, featuring a milky, umami-rich pork broth simmered for hours, with fine artisanal noodles. And Paitan ramen with white chicken chashu, seasoned boiled egg, green onions, kikurage mushrooms and bean sprouts. Excellent izakaya appetizers and quality sake. Delicious and affordable.

Elegant decor for this high-flying Japanese restaurant, which takes you straight to the Japanese archipelago with two swipes of its chopsticks. You first pass through a small, relaxing courtyard, then take your seat in the wood-panelled interior room, where each table is separated by panels that allow a certain intimacy. The à la carte menu features exceptional dishes in the purest Japanese tradition, combining simplicity and freshness. Skewers and sashimi are particularly good. One of the best Japanese addresses in town.

Sanraku is one of Nob Hill's top sushi spots. You can eat there while watching the chefs create their wonders at the bar. If they are not too busy, they will even be happy to chat with you and share their knowledge. The decoration is a mix between contemporary Japanese-inspired posters and old-fashioned American furniture. For those who are allergic to raw fish, the udons, special lunch menus, and the donburis (fish or meat on a bed of rice) are excellent and more economical. A very good address

In Japantown, which is bursting with good addresses, this restaurant is very much in the Japanese spirit. Take a seat at the bar, equipped with screens, to order your sushi. We recommend tempura rolls, California-style dragon rolls and lobster rolls. Get ready, they're delivered by a little electric train that runs along the bar connected to the kitchens! When it arrives, it rings, and don't forget to send the wagon away!

This establishment opened in 2015 and decorated with a Michelin star in 2016 offers to discover sushi made following the traditional technique known as Edomae. At the helm is Chef Jackson Yu who has been practicing this traditional cuisine for nearly 20 years. The fish comes from the Tokyo fish market every day (!). Two menus are served each evening, composed by the chef, who suggests you let yourself be guided in this culinary experience, no à la carte dishes. But you will have understood, everything is gathered to spend an exceptional moment.

In a pretty impersonal room, you will be used as excellent sushi with good value for money. The card is varied and the prices are really interesting. You can also eat good udon soups or good grillades grill. A good address for an economic lunch and also the advantage of being a block of the Golden Gate Park and its large museums and gardens.

In Japantown, restaurants are plentiful. Only one stands out for its playfulness: Tenroku. Slip onto a stool at the helm of this restaurant, and watch the circular conveyor belt parade sushi made by the minute. This gustatory duck fishery is color-coded for price: green, red, white, black and so on. Everything is spelled out on the menu in front of you. The sushi prepared is quite simple, even the more expensive ones, but the experience invites you to try new dishes quickly, and the atmosphere is popular and pleasant.

In Japanese, Kui Shin Bo means "person who likes to eat". This restaurant in the heart of Japantown is a great address for epicureans who want to try excellent sushi and ramen. The special rolls are particularly creative and ultra gourmet. You can also opt for even more exotic dishes, popular Japanese specialties on the menu, delicately presented: donburi (a kind of chirasi with lots of ingredients), soba and udon noodles, okonomiyaki (savory pancake) and other exquisite Japanese dishes. A very fine address.

In this elegant Japanese restaurant of wood and raw concrete design, you sit at the counter to watch the cooks prepare sushi and take your time choosing a sake, the bottles of which are displayed in the background. The menu changes daily according to fish arrivals, but guarantees a wide selection of sashimi, nigiri and chirasis. On the small plates, the Tombo tatai of just-seared Hawaiian tuna served with a spicy bouquet of black radish and chrysanthemum leaves is divine, as are the special rolls.

Located in the heart of Japantown, this ramen house is famous and crowded, so remember to make reservations for evenings and weekends. The star of the menu is the Hinodeya Ramen, a noodles soup with bonito (tuna), kombu and scallops. You can also add pork cha-shu, soft-boiled eggs, dried seaweed and green onions. Vegetarian ramen is also popular, with soy milk, sesame and spinach noodles, a creamy soup that can be topped with a tofu cake, pepper, fried kale and shitake mushroom. A must try!