Yahoo! - Recommended Restaurants: Japanese

Recommended Restaurants: Japanese

Price Guide: $ = less than $15, $$ = $15 - $35, $$$ = $36-$50, $$$$ = over $50

Price estimates are based on an average dinner for one, excluding drinks, tax and tip.
Listed restaurants accept major credit cards unless otherwise noted.
Symbols: L = lunch, D = dinner, BR = breakfast, B = brunch, R = reservations required, V = valet parking, W = wheelchair accessible, P = private room, BQ = banquet facilities.
Star Guide: 4 stars = superlative, 3 stars = excellent, 2 stars = very good, 1 star = above average. (Note: No stars will be assigned to a restaurant until it has been newly reviewed.)

Fujian: 1518 Bonanza Street, Walnut Creek MapIt!
(510) 932-0368
$-$$/L/D Tues-Sun/W
The menu at Fujian is as big as the restaurant is compact and comfortable, and there doesn't seem to be much missing from the whole range of Japanese cuisine, from soba noodles to sukiyaki and tempura. The tiny sushi bar is crowded day and night, and at dinner the kitchen offers grilled robata yaki, flavorful skewered meats and vegetables with various sauces.--Diablo
Hana Sushi Bar: 411 Hartz Avenue, Danville MapIt!
(510) 820-0670
$-$$/L Tues-Fri/D Tues-Sun/W
Small can be small or really small, and sometimes even really, really small. Hana is indeed a bite-size place for sushi, with ten or so seats at the counter and four tables. But the sushi is worth elbowing in for. For the raw-fish-fearful, beef or chicken teriyaki is always on the menu.--Diablo
Hayama: 3160-E Danville Boulevard (Stone Valley Shopping Center), Alamo MapIt!
(510) 838-7244
$/L Mon-Fri/D daily/W
Although the sushi bar is always crowded at this tiny gem of a Japanese restaurant, you might want to opt for a table. Once seated in the narrow and cozy room, you can let the wait staff cook your dinner for you right at your table: shabu-shabu, sukiyaki, or wasenabe. The lunch menu features both udon (wheat) and soba (buckwheat) noodles, plus bento boxes that come with soup, salad, rice, and tea.--Diablo
Miraku: 2131 N. Broadway, Walnut Creek MapIt!
(510)284-5700
$$/L Mon-Fri/D daily/W/BQ
The elegant simplicity of Japanese food and design come together at this family-owned, art-filled restaurant just off the main drag in Lafayette. In addition to sushi and sashimi, Miraku offers traditional Japanese dishes ranging from soup-like nabes to teriyaki, tempura, and noodle dishes. One of the real pleasures of the Japanese table is the kaiseki dinner, a multicourse feast built around the day's finest and freshest ingredients. --Diablo
Miraku: 2416 San Ramon Valley Blvd., San Ramon MapIt!
(510)284-5700
$$/L Mon-Fri/D daily/W/BQ
The elegant simplicity of Japanese food and design come together at this family-owned, art-filled restaurant just off the main drag in Lafayette. In addition to sushi and sashimi, Miraku offers traditional Japanese dishes ranging from soup-like nabes to teriyaki, tempura, and noodle dishes. One of the real pleasures of the Japanese table is the kaiseki dinner, a multicourse feast built around the day's finest and freshest ingredients. --Diablo
Miraku: 3740 Mt. Diablo Blvd., Lafayette MapIt!
(510)284-5700
$-$$/L Mon-Fri/D daily/W
This bright, comfortable Japanese restaurant benefits from a hillside perch above the busy thoroughfare, giving it the feel of a country inn. You can settle in at the sushi bar near the entrance or opt for one of the cozy booths. The menu is comprehensive, with just about every Japanese specialty available: teriyaki, tempura, udon noodles, and even shabu-shabu cooked tableside.--Diablo
O Chamé: 1830 Fourth Street, Berkeley MapIt!
(510) 841-8783
$$-$$$/L/D Mon-Sat/W
On a cold day--no, any day--duck into this intimate retreat from busy Fourth Street for the best noodles around, whether buckwheat soba or the fat white udon. Don't miss the fish specials either, or the blanched greens with sesame dressing. Chef David Vardy brings a high aesthetic and considerable prowess to everything he prepares. The wait staff will bring you beer or wine, but ask them about the selection of fragrant Japanese and Chinese teas.--Diablo
Sakura Japanese Cuisine: 3151-C Crow Canyon Place, San Ramon MapIt!
(510) 277-1628
$-$$/L Mon-Fri/D Mon-Sat/W
Sakura is a longtime favorite in San Ramon, with a traditional Japanese menu and a sushi bar that puts together intriguing specials based on what's happening at the fish market. Don't pass up the thick white udon noodles on a chilly evening, or share the shabu-shabu (paper-thin beef dipped in hot soup). They say the name comes from the sound the beef makes as it's dipped and dragged through the broth.--Diablo
Sen Dai Teriyaki: 101 Town and Country Drive, Danville MapIt!
(510) 837-1027
$-$$/L Mon-Sat/D daily/W
The teriyaki sauce at cozy Sen Dai is pungent--tangy and sweet--and is just as good with salmon or beef as it is in the classic chicken preparation.--Diablo
Tamami's Japanese Restaurant: 356 Park Street, Pleasanton MapIt!
(510) 376-2872
$-$$/L Tues-Fri/D daily
Tamami's looks like a neighborhood restaurant in Tokyo, with its front window full of plastic reproductions of the items offered on the traditional Japanese menu. How do they get that plastic to look like real sashimi? But don't worry, the food in this narrow storefront is real and reliable. A good spot before or after a movie or other performance at the adjacent Rheem Theater.--Diablo