Osaka Japanese Restaurant

I am rating the wront restaurant. Please disregard. This is a mistake. Do not read this review. Sorry.

Pros: Food

Cons: Service

Posted 07/04/08

We stumbled upon this gem in the phone book, checked out their menu online and have been ordering for home delivery ever since. We can't believe our luck. Everything we've ordered is delicious and fresh tasting. We love Osaka on Fillmore! If it was a little closer to where we live, we'd be in there all the time.

Posted 04/19/07

I adore this restaurant! Friendly and inviting staff and owner, the sushi is VERY fresh and always good quality- not a common thing in San Francisco now that sushi is so popular. A great place to go after shopping or after work with friends. While I have never been to Japan, I get a sense that the food is authentically Japanese- that is certainly in the atmosphere as well. Try their sake too. I have never been disappointed here and highly recommend it.

Pros: friendly staff, great sushi and Japanese dishes, great area

Cons: small, not romantic, limited selection of Japanese beers and sake

Posted 02/28/07

If I had to live on one type of cuisine, it would be sushi. if I had to eat it from one restaurant in SF, it would be Osaka. The fish is fresh and delicious. The cuts are generous. The owners are welcoming, friendly and like to have fun. They treat their customers very well, especially those of us who are regulars. I love this place. I found it living up the street, now I live in South Beach and drive across town (past many other sushi spots) to get there.

Pros: Fresh fish, friendly owners

Cons: parking I guess

Posted 01/28/07

You can have the freshest sushi with the best service at Osaka!! And, the menu is terrific; I have tried almost everthing on the menu and would recommend it all. It's a great place to go for a fresh meal in the summertime or a cozy, warm place in the winter. Don't forget to have the FRIED GREEN TEA ICE CREAM, it comes with a raspberry sauce- TO DIE FOR. Also, I can't say enough good things about the service!!

Pros: Service and freshness

Cons: none

Posted 01/08/07

10 years in counting and Osaka is still the best. It truly is the freshest fish I have had and the staff is the warmest with a great sense of humor. Every time I have tried something new and have never been disappointed. It is hard to pick just a few dishes, but the ultimate favorite is the Sesame Albacore. It melts in your mouth. You won't find many trendy roles that you see in a lot of other sushi places, but you will find innovative top quality. Be adventurous and ask the chef to surprise you. It's worth it. We come for celebrations, to impress our toughest critic friends or just to have a quiet, delicious experience at the bar and it is always a great time. Reyna the owner is a hoot!

Posted 11/02/06

My friend and I dropped by to try this place on Friday night. We're both big fans of Asian food, especially Japanese. No waiting to be seated. The waitress was nice and service brisk. Osaka's menu features typical Japanese fare, actually quite extensive and reasonably priced. We started with a selection of sushi and sashimi, freshness was acceptable. Moving onto tempuras, found the batter a bit heavy. Teriyaki courses were nicely done and well flavored.
I would go back if I was in the area and wanted a quick fix of Japanese food.

Pros: Quick seating, extensive menu

Cons: street parking on fillmore might be challenging, but lots available in the area

Posted 09/09/06

I have had sushi in probably every nice sushi place in this city. Osaka definitely has the freshest fish, the friendliest staff, and they deliver! They'll even bring it out to your car if they're not too busy. Try the Balboa or the Kamikaze rolls (my favorite) and the spicy scallops are to die for!

Pros: Staff, Sushi, Delivery

Cons: NO PARKING

Posted 08/13/06

i tried it during lunch time which was not a lot of people, i don't think the japanese food are tradition, cause i heard the chef and the waiter spoke chinese instead of japanese and food combine with american style in it.
ex: my rice bowl came with cheese

Posted 07/22/06

For over a year, we went to osaka at *least* once a week. Since changing jobs, we are only able to go about once a year. Even still, we are made to feel like honored guests. The food is always top quality, creatively prepared and served with love. Our usual favorites include, Sesame Albacore, Grilled Oysters (in season) and Spicy scallops. Other items we enjoy are Spider Roll, Salmon Skin Roll and Green River Roll. If you like pickles, theirs are the best. And for a special treat, get the Tempura Ice Cream!

Posted 04/21/06

I was very impressed with the customer service at Osaka. We were seated half an hour later than our reservation but not because of the staff but just because some other customers were taking their time. Instead, the staff basically rearranged one whole corner of the restaurant and pulled tables from other side just to seat us asap. I have never seen people go to such lengths to accomodate customers. We continuously received apologies from the staff and were given complimentary appetizers plus they threw in a little something special for the birthday girl. The food was delicious and the tempura dessert is a must! People weren't kidding when they said the customer service is wonderful.

Posted 02/24/06

I love sushi. Yum yum to my tum. Not too bad here but a little pricey. There is better. Service was OK but what's to expect on a Friday night. I wish they had more of a selection of little plates. More yakitori type dishes. Where's the FUGU?

Pros: Orange Slices, Smiles

Cons: Waitresses, Some Dirty Plates, Distinct Odor

Posted 08/17/05

I live in the area and decided to try Osaka on Fillmore because ALL my neighbors kept raving about it. To my delight, the food absolutely exceeded my high standards and expectations for Japanese food (sushi & cooked dinners). The fish was absolutely fresh, grilled meals had unique sauces with just the right amount of seasoning, and the specials had a wide range of appetizers to appease any type of eater. The sesame albacore tuna is a MUST-HAVE! To top it all off, the service was FANTASTIC. I was warmly greeted, promptly attended to during my meal, and sincerely told to "have a nice night." What a wonderful experience.

Pros: sushi, cooked food, service

Cons: none

Posted 03/07/05

After 9 years in SF I have visited numerous sushi places to find one better than Osaka, but I cannot. It is still the best. Always fresh, warm and inviting. Not a bad thing on the HUGE menu. Some musts: Sesame albacore app, Green River Roll, dynamite, rock n roll, any fresh sashimi (tuna, himachi..), Udon soups and even cooked dinners. You cannot go wrong and everyone is pleased. I bring everyone I know here and they all love it. Plus the staff is the friendliest in the city. I cannot say enough!!!
Your most loyal customer
Jill

Pros: fresh, friendly, variety

Posted 01/27/05

I've been to Osaka dozens of times and I love it. The atmosphere is cozy (not too fancy, not overdone, but homey and subtle) and the food is always great, the fish always super fresh and the people, no how busy, are always friendly. Such a solid place. Love it.

Pros: fresh fish, friendly service, cozy

Posted 01/12/05

I read lots of good notes about this place and when I visited I was not overwelmed and not dissapointed either. It is somehow old, design is past and food is ok. In a city like San francisco there are a lot of good sushi places that are better but still go check them out

Posted 09/01/04

GREAT! My nigiri sushi was very fresh and cut generously, and the service is also a standout. Everyone was so friendly (even when I had walked in 15 minutes before closing). I had tea before even asking for it. New favorite place. Can't wait to try all of their unique rolls!

Pros: fresh, friendly service

Posted 08/09/04

Nice clean-fresh-generous portions of sashimi.
generous portion of crab & avocado in the california roll.
the dynamite roll is fantastic.
You have to try the garlic tuna appetizer.
I have been there 2 nights in a row now just for that & the ebi cucumber salad.
They serve till 11pm-even during the week-great!

Posted 06/14/04

One of the best Sushi places in the city, generous portions, reasonable price, fresh fish, good service, tasty and cozy.

Posted 03/10/04

The food is fresh and delicious, portions generous, and service gracious... Very deserving of the accolades heaped upon it by citysearch reviewers. The "nameko" soup was outstanding, "b-52" and "dynamite" rolls were great, as was all the nigiri sushi we ordered.

Pros: delicious sushi,, gracious service,, generous portions

Posted 02/25/04

This is my new favorite sushi restaurant in the city! Ate here on a Monday night and it was great. The sushi is fresh and the slice sizes are generous. Service was quick and the value was great! Definitely check it out if you are looking for sushi on a budget that doesn't skimp on quality.

Pros: Fresh fish, Good service, Great value

Posted 10/19/03

Vacationing in the Bay, we were met with an overwhelming amount of dining choices. On a tip from a hotel employee, we selected Osaka. The experience was wonderful as we dined on some of the best sushi and Japanese food I have ever had. The staff was extremely friendly and sociable. We left full and happy, so much so we visited again the following day!!! All of the food was very fresh and tasty!!! Let the food speak for itself!

Pros: Excellent Food, Superior Service, Friendly Atmosphere

Posted 08/23/03

I've been going to this restaurant every other week, for the last 1 1/2 years. I can honestly say that each dining experience includes TASTY portions of sushi, DELICIOUS cooked foods, and a YUMMY tempura ice cream!! The Black Cod dinner is out-of-this world! All this is brought to me by smiling faces AND a good reasonable bill.

Pros: food, service, reasonable prices

Posted 07/21/03

Tasty sushi - the cuts of fish are slightly aggressive in size, not exactly traditional, but satisfies a hungry appetite. The seaweed salad and tempura vegetable portions are big as well. Salmon teriyaki and unagi clearly grilled over nice hot fire, very nice subtle charred taste. Sushi chefs are friendly. Table service is very prompt, but could be friendlier compared to other sushi joints. Prices are definitely reasonable for quality and quantity.

Pros: good sized portions, tasty grilled seafood, reasonable pricing

Cons: service lacks smiles

Posted 05/21/03

great, solid japanese cuisine - we had a wonderful cold soba noodle appetizer with really fresh sushi. not only was the food good, the service was EXCELLENT. for the money, you're not going to get anything better than this!

Pros: FRESHNESS, reasonable prices, good value

Cons: no parking

Posted 02/05/03

Everytime I eat at Osaka, I can faithfully depend on getting yummy food brought to me by awesome chefs, servers...and even the owner themselves!! This family owned restaurant has THE BEST ahi-tuna, GREAT sauces for the cooked food and DYNAMITE sushi!! All this for moderate prices. As a native San Franciscan, I can definitely declare it the best in town!!

Pros: inexpensive, food, service

Posted 09/01/02

I live near Osaka and just happened to stop in last night for a quick bite. I was thoroughly impressed. The sushi was delicious and so fresh. The kani was real, tender crab, and the rolls, salad and edamame were all top quality. My friend and I had tons of sushi, and the bill only came to about $30 for the both of us. Osaka is a great, casual sushi place...I can't wait to go back!

Posted 08/19/02

The best in the city that I've tried. Pretty much everyone that works there speaks Japanese so it feels very authentic. The fish quality is always excellent and the nigiri is mostly fish, not rice.

Posted 08/05/02