Wakuriya

Melvin Dizon

Wakuriya is a restaurant that is forward-thinking, serious, and well-established. They manage to effectively merge a profound reverence for the kaiseki heritage with a touch of modernity. This is primarily due to the fact that there is just one chef working behind the counter, Katsuhiro Yamasaki; the dining room is expertly managed by his wife. Every month, diners can look forward to a fresh and improved cuisine that showcases the unique flair of the chef with the finest ingredients from Japan and California. The courses are presented in a creative and distinctive manner, such as a silver spoon cradling bits of poached lobster served with dashi gelée, a soft-boiled Jidori egg, and fried kombu. Even though this establishment is not a sushiya, the sashimi selection is top-notch all the same. Find the same degree of skill in the steamed Alaskan black fish topped with fluffy grated turnip, as well as in the shirako tofu that is topped with kabocha squash tempura.

Elizabeth Yeh

This is my absolutely favorite Kaiseki in the Bay Area, also the only Michelin Star restaurant that I keep coming back to. My review is a little bit overdue (the last time I dined in the restaurant was 2019 but I did order takeout dinner during 2020), but I really want to share my experience. This restaurant is hard to get a reservation, the process is to call at midnight and leave a message on reservation detail. If you're able to secure a reservation, the restaurant will call back the next day to confirm. For all the times I have been here, I have never been disappointed by the food. I could really tell that the chef puts a lot of thoughts into each dish. Each dish was so intricate and so fresh. Their service was also exceptional. Their menus refresh from time to time, but I always get their Sake Flight! My favorite is their fruity Sake Flight. I can’t wait to come back and dine at this restaurant soon!

Brittney Pan

Finally got in here again. Mostly as good as before. Overall I will say it is 3.8. First dish is sushimi grade shrimp and scallops. They are pre-flavored. You can eat them like sushimi or put them on the hot stone. Personally, I think just eating raw is good enough. It offered two egg dishes. One is steam egg with fish and the other is stir fried egg with mushroom over rice. I think one egg dish is enough. The whole set I think is missing fried stuff like fried fish or veggies. Most disappointed dish I think is the beef. It is very soft but no beef flavor. I think a little rock salt will bring out the flavor more. Most impressed dish is the fruit dessert. I am not a fruit fan so it is a surprise. The milky sauce made the desert a whole. It is light and you want to have more. Overall, a good dinning experience.

Stephanie Kua

Traditional Japanese Kaiseki set course dinner for less than $100. It's a great value when you calculate the ingredients and the cost of labor. The place is run by a husband and wife team. The husband is the chef and the wife is the front of the house, including acting as a server. The food is inventive and consistent. My favorite are the appetizers, especially the foie gras. The pineapple sorbet with shiso palate cleanser was perfect balance of tart and sweet. I'm not a shiso fan, but they used it perfectly to provide just a hint of it. The lobster paired with truffles was great. The only pain is the reservation. You have to call at midnight, exactly one month in advance. It takes forever to get through. Once you're Conference , it's a old fashion voice mail machine and you just leave a message with your name, phone number and how many in your party. They will call you back in a few days to let you know if you were lucky enough to get a reservation. Don't get me wrong, it is completely worth it.