Kappou Gomi

I love Kappou Gomi and have never had a problem with the service as others have mentioned in their reviews. The sashimi is wonderful and I always get something new and different every time I go. Get the chef specials. Never disappointed.

The wait staff don’t speak or understand English very well, so that can be challenging. We ordered the chicken noodle soup and it was okay. Very bland broth with real chicken pieces in it.

Too expensive! The food servings are so small & too expensive… it’s a ripoff ! I wouldn’t recommend this restaurant to anyone. Food isn’t that good… they serve you so little you won’t even be able to taste the food!
If you want to get robbed legally try & eat at this restaurant & you’ll know what I mean! Server was ok but not so friendly.

Yes, the place is definitely authentic but not very attentive nor friendly.
It was my 2^nd time eating here and I thought the 1^st time wasn’t bad after trying their sashimi. The presentation was over the top, just looking at it makes me drool (I’m a sucker for that). BUT the service was unworthiness…
Let me start by telling you my 2^nd experience of eating there. Sat down to go through the menu (they categorize each fish/​meat/​seafood by group, which is a little different as to your usual Japanese restaurant), took the waitress 20 minutes to finally come over to take our order. My friend ordered a bottle of beer and I decided I would just go with hot tea, the beer came after 5 minutes but my tea was never bought out. We waited for about an hour to finally order our food because there was only 2 waitress (one older, one younger) and they were busy catering to the other parties until we finally waved them down to take our orders. The younger waitress seems like she’s got some kind of attitude problem, she was very impatient to explain to my friend what some of the items were on the menu (cause it was his first time there) and told us she’ll be back after we made up with our minds on what to order. Did I mentioned it’s been an hour and I still didn’t get my hot tea!!!
Long story short, this place is good with their fresh cut sashimi but keep in mind their price is not your average $ 10 -$ 15 for a 5 piece. My friend ordered 2 different kind of sashimi (salmon and amber jack) which costed him $ 45 not including tip. Portions are very small, you will probably need to order 2 – 3 items on the menu in order to be comfortable (not full), my friend and I end up going to dessert and ordering ramen bowls afterwards.

A very extensive menu of primarily fish dishes. Everything was fine, but neither the quality or quantity was quite what I hoped for at the price point.
Service was attentive, but the restaurant was a bit too quiet when I was there, which made conversation awkward.

Don’t come here expecting dragon rolls and teriyaki chicken. The menu here is quite different from the Americanized Japanese fare. There’s a ton of fish dishes here so it’s best if you have a palate for fish.
The menu is really overwhelming. There are many different kinds of fish but they do have chicken, pork, beef etc.
It’s best if each person orders 2 – 3 dishes each as they are quite small generally.
I got a dish with a lot of roe and daikon. I really wanted the ikura but the portion size is so small.
The beef dish I tried was quite good but they had a lot of vegetables like lotus root and cucumber that I was less a fan of.
The black miso cod was quite good and I don’t even like fish. The portion size was also quite small.
The flounder tasted like shredded chicken — is that how flounder is supposed to taste?
This restaurant is not a place I can eat at regularly because I don’t really eat fish but my friends liked it for the most part.

Quality of food is soso. The only memorable dishes were salmon sashimi and the udon.
However service was ridiculous. Our main server was very rude to us the entire time, felt like we are begging for food.
The other two servers were very nice however.
Please closely monitor the quality of service, it made our dinner very unpleasant.

Kappou Gomi started my love of sashimi. The sashimi here is fresh, the quality amazing.
Besides having sashimi, the menu offers a variety of ways a certain item can be done. Grilled, salted, steamed, and other ways of preparation. Everything is done perfectly well, and presented nicely. It’s traditional Japanese cooking, so don’t expect rolls or bento boxes. I like to think of Kappou Gomi as a place to satisfy your palate versus just satisfying your hunger.
However, portions are small and the prices are a bit expensive.

One of the best Japanese restaurants in the city in my opinion. This place is cozy and authentic, and has all kinds of unique Japanese dishes that you won’t find at your usual joint. Every dish is well put together from the freshest ingredients, to the delicate and thoughtful presentation… and great portions. The quality of sashimi is top notch. Grilled mochi, a must try.
Not your typical Japanese restaurant so I wouldn’t come here expecting sushi rolls. Great place for a fancy dinner with the family or close friends.
+1 homey/​romantic/​cozy ambiance

If you come here expecting rolls tempura-​blasted from the inside out and more, kindly GTFO and find that atrocity at a carnival.
Kappou Gomi is the best authentic Japanese restaurant in SF Bay from the superior menu offerings, elegant presentation, to the traditionally cautious service.
Food:
— Shoo if you’re looking for a value California roll combo with over-​mayo-​ed Walmart greens, it pretty much translates so at the door.
— Elaborate menu that includes a comprehensive list of fish available with a variety of cooking styles for each, highly recommend the ebi here, and regular uni instead of steamed
— Regular menu also includes delicately made appetizers, dishes, stews and premium shabu shabu
— Daily specials menu with exotic fresh imports of the day, highly recommend the cherry salmon if available
— Aside from a small case of too-​try-​hard on some dishes with a bit of over-​powering marinate, everything I’ve had here from side vegetables to key fish players have been delicately prepared to perfection
— Real wasabi available at $ 4 a side
Pricing:
— Reasonable for the quality
— Much better than those surprise heart attacks you get after a mysteriously determined «high-​end» omakase price-​tag elsewhere
Setting:
— Smaller occupancy but not claustrophobic like most other hyped up fall-​out-​shelters you call popular restaurants in SF
Service:
— Cautiously cordial. Similar service attitude you see around Japan.

This is one of the most legit Japanese restaurants in the city. They have a lot of the staple dishes from Japan that is executed to perfection. Even something as common as Udon noodle is legit: you won’t find the typical Udon that you can buy from a Japanese market or get at other restaurants. This place is pricey though if you want to order several items. We ended up spending $ 60/​person for a meal that wasn’t filled with a bunch of exotic things.

I did so want to love this place and even brought friends here to experience it together! However, I think we were all a little disappointed.
I should have known that the dishes would be smaller and that we should have ordered more to share but that’s also something about which you would expect the server to inform you. Anyway, the service was… Efficient. Quick, curt, unhelpful. When we asked questions about the menu, the replies were read off the menu and did not increase our understanding of the menu items or guide our choices.
In the end, we all ordered a few dishes including two salmon dishes, two udon bowls, and the uni jelly dish. My companions thought the salmon dishes and the udon were okay so I’ll only write about the uni jelly dish I had. I wanted to enjoy this dish as uni is one of my favorite things to eat and I had been craving it for a few weeks before coming. However, as I was eating, I found a hair in the dish after a few bites.
It was difficult to let anyone know as no one came by to check on us after giving us the food (delivered at radically different times). I ended up walking the dish up to the kitchen to explain the situation. The staff didn’t charge me for the dish but I would have rather been able to finish the dish or tried another as there were other things on the menu that I would have liked to try… But then again, after discovering the hair, my appetite had diminished…
Overall, the service, ambiance, and the food were pretty average… With the exception of the hair. Eeps!

Serving probably the best and freshest sashimi in San Francisco, Kappou Gomi offers a dizzingly long menu of traditional style Japanese home-​style small plates. Their menu consists of about one to two hundred small dishes such as multiple different raw fish, grilled, or simmered preparations for sea bream, tuna, salmon, yellowtail, fluke and more, as well as larger clay pot or hotpot dishes.
The best way to enjoy the meal is to come with a small group, order a bunch of preparations, and share. The sashimi is arguably the most luxurious and tasty thing on the menu. There are also some meat dishes such as duck, beef, or pork.
I also ordered a hotpot shabu shabu to round out the meal. It was simple, delicious, and just enough food to make me full. I enjoyed the ponzu sauce more but the sesame sauce was just as good.
There isn’t a cocktail list or edamame or gyoza or sushi, but this is not a regular sushi bar. It’s better to think of it as an izakaya style or sashimi and shabu shabu restaurant. But that doesn’t change the fact that all the food here is delicious.

A friend highly recommended them to us. After reading all the Unilocal reviews, we were a bit concerned.
Well…I can only speak for ourselves. Everything that we ordered were delicious on many levels… the presentation of every dish was scrumptious.
The lady who greeted us when we walked in (assuming she is the owner) was super nice and upon seeing that there are 3 of us, she moved a «reservation» sign from a table to seat us.
It’s been a long long time since we last dined at a Japanese restaurant that gave us the same sense of satisfaction at the end of the meal…
We will be back!

This is my new favorite Japanese restaurant in the city. Located right on Geary, it’s easy to miss as the sign’s a bit discreet and if you blink you can completely miss it! They don’t serve your typically sushi face. In fact they only serve sushi and do not have any bento boxes (they even have a sign that states that).
The quality of food is fresh and has great variety. I honestly am not a sushi connoisseur but I know that I was eating some above average sushi. I definitely had to rely on some of my friends to help choose what dishes to order but nothing that we had disappointed.
I would highly recommend getting a reservation but be forewarned there is a minimum spend/​person if you go down that route. However the food is so good and so much to choose from, you should have no problems hitting the minimum!
You must try this place!

WOW. And not in a good way.
I called to make a reservation, and the server said minimum $ 30 to spend. Totally fine. When we got there and were seated though, she said actually it’s $ 30 PER PERSON since it was a reservation. Oh, okay. That’s something you might want to specify the first time. She talked to her manager (owner?) and said they could make an exception, probably because the restaurant was empty except for two other tables.
That same server had QUITE an attitude, and kept leaving the table abruptly when we were trying to put in our order or ask questions.
FYI — this place has good sashimi, but they don’t have rolls, so don’t come here expecting that kind of sushi (and no, that is NOT why I’m giving it a low rating).
The most ridiculous part of the night was when my clay pot came out. On the menu, it says (various vegetables) and seafood or meat. So, I ordered the clay pot with seafood.
A TINY clay pot comes out ($ 15.50) with ONE piece of crab, one piece of pumpkin, about 10 edimame beans, two other vegetables (literally one bite each), and two pieces of some sort of meat. I called the server over, and asked what that was, and she said lamb. I told her I ordered it with seafood, not meat. She said «The menu says ‘seafood and meat,’ so that’s seafood and meat.» I said no… the menu says seafood OR meat. She mumbled something, «seafood and meat…» I said I don’t eat meat, which is why I specified that I specifically asked for seafood from a menu that gives the option of seafood OR meat. We stared at each other for what felt like 5 minutes.
She walks away, comes back with chopsticks, and picks out the lamb from the broth.
Problem solved!

I do want to like Kappou Gomi. I really do after I learnt that they are not your regular Japanese restaurant but a «kappo ryori» restaurant. There is no clear-​cut definition of «kappo ryori» as it can encompass both simple and sophisticated Japanese dishes cooked the traditional way. The menu is extensive and overwhelming and can be daunting to those who are unfamiliar.
After a meticulous perusal of the menu (the servers were of no help), we decided on four small plates and finishing off with one of the larger one-​pot dishes. The curt and unfriendly demeanor of our server ruined our dining experience. Her «don’t eat here if you need to ask questions» attitude was appalling. I would admit some of these entrees were new to me and I was hopeful to make this a learning experience as well. I asked if the hot pot came with rice, only to hear her snap back in an abrupt and condescending tone of voice «It comes with NOTHING!» We would have walked out if not cuz that was our last entrée.
With a huge menu, there were inevitably some hits and misses and some in betweens:
HITS:
IKA AE ($ 9.50) was a beautifully simple and unique way of tasting opposing textures of ika (squid) and uni (sea urchin). The distinctive chewiness of squid was in stark contrast to the smooth and velvety texture of uni. It was a real treat for my taste buds. I would die to have the recipe for the special sauce! The chef also added small portions of eggplant, tomatoes and watercress for good measure.
The luscious MISO GRILLED GINDARA (black cod) ($ 9.00) was nicely done. It was easily the piece de resistance for the evening. The skin was crispy and the meat had all the umami flavors you can get from a fish. The miso glaze, sake and mirin added some sweetness while the fish had its natural buttery texture. The meat was flakey and had a melt-​in-​your-​mouth quality.
IN BETWEEN:
HORAKU EGG CUSTARD ($ 14.50) is a seafood egg custard uniquely served in a clay pot. The seafood was nothing special… shrimps, scallops and crabmeat. Some clams or shellfish can eliminate the boredom. Unlike chawanmushi, the texture was not as smooth but in fact heavier. The ingredients were interestingly placed on top of the custard rather than inside maybe for better flavor but this was somehow lost on me. I have to say though I did like the kabocha (squash) and edamame added into the mix.
MISSES:
The salt grilled AYU (sweetfish) ($ 13.50) was elegantly presented with its head and tail pointing up like a TV antenna. I may not know how to grill a fish to perfection. I may not know how to create an umami-​rich crust and crispy skin. But I do know when its head and tail are insanely salty. I do know when my mouth gets so overwhelmed with salt that my blood pressure hits the roof! As to why this happened that night made no sense to me. The rest of the body was fine… only the head and tail.
I love TAI CHIRINABE ($ 35.00), a one-​pot dish filled with a clear simmering broth boiled in kombu (kelp). It was then placed on top of a burner. All ingredients were raw and separately plated. Chunks of tai (sea bream) took center stage and were delicately dropped into the pot with sides of tofu and an assortment of veggies. The pot was kept simmering throughout the entire meal. The tai looked fresh enough but the broth was bland and pretty tasteless. It wasn’t the best tasting ponzu either. My taste buds at this point could have possibly been killed by the earlier overdose of salt from the fish!
I have mixed feelings about this place, as there were as many hits as there were misses. So 3 stars for the food but sadly I needed to dock 1 star for the dreadful service. Would I go back? Good question as I am still intrigued by the extensive menu and subtle flavors of some of their entrees.
Ganbatte kudasai! (Please do your best!)

If you are Japanese or have a Japanese tongue and will to pay good money for it, this is the place for you. Homemade pickled vegetables and the best sashimi from Japan. Harumi-​San is the wife of the chef and will treat you more as a friend rather than a customer. Great selection of fine sake.
Do not come here if you want a California roll, please don’t insult the chef!
サンフランシスコベイアリアの第一の和食のレストランでしょう。本物の日本の手づくり漬け物やなべ、とさしみがありえない美味しい(´3｀)発見して、1ヶ月毎週来てしまった！デコレーションは季節のように変わります。食べ物のディスプレイはいつもキレイに美味しい。おすすめは鯛散りです。

Kon’nichiwa, koreha konran no menyūdesu.
The English menu that Kappou Gomi gives you might as well be in Japanese because it is very confusing to navigate. But patience, young grasshopper. For delicious Japanese Homestyle Food awaits you for when you unlock the secrets of the menu.
*The key is to just choose 2 – 3 dishes per person.*
Everything was top-​notched and reasonable priced. Everything was very delicate, and you can find these little intricacies in each dish. It wasn’t just sushi and teriyaki and all those cliché Japanese things. It was really like eating at home… if your parents are Japanese… and they’re really talented at cooking.
The Ama-​Ebi ($ 15) was a showstopper. Three pieces of sweet delights delivered to your table from Kami’s favorite kitchen. The gooey-​yet-​firm texture was infused with the aroma of fresh sashimi and a hint of sweetness. As an added bonus, they fry the shrimp heads for you afterwards. This might be a bit of a culture shock to some of you, but believe me. The Fried Shrimp Head was Off The HEEZY (get it? haha)
Other dishes were also beautifully presented and equally pleasant. Get the Oyster Clay Pot if you need a dish that is a little bit more filling.
Kappou Gomi can look pricey at first, especially when everyone is getting multiple dishes. But at 2 dishes per person (around $ 50), you can sample 4 delicious delicacy and leave pretty satisfied. As long as you don’t have the appetite of a Sumo Wrestler that is.

Funny that even though we were one of three tables they kept turning people away who didn’t have a reservation. We were there for 3 hours and still the tables were empty.
I guess it was nice of them to let us in without a reservation.
The presentation reminded me of Wakuriya. But every dish tasted the same. Some daikon radish, some sunomono. Even though I had different fish like the maguro, sea bass, and mackeral. The flavors all run together because they are all marinated with miso and a quail egg.
The good news is that this place would be half the price of Wakuriya.
The bad news, like I said, is that every dish tasted the same.
Even the uni with jelly was bland. I just peeled away mine like a piece of Kraft cheese.
Also, given the amount of empty tables why was it so hard to get more tea, or small plates to share our ankimo?
And when customers did come in 3 hours later, they would ask us to shut the door since we were closest to it. I’m not kidding when I say I had to get up 4 times which interrupted my meal. Why can’t you close the door? Its your restaurant and your customers. If I’m your new employee then you owe me a paycheck.