The crowd was young & mostly Caucasian, like I mentioned before, the atmosphere was great! So I ordered some top of the line sake to start with while I checked out the menu. The staff was friendly & quick to assist you once you've made eye contact with them, what a great & efficient bunch of staff, from the front door security checking vaccination cards, to the host sitting you down, not to forget the amazingly friendly & quick to your needs servers & other staff at the establishment. Ryoko's had a 4 star rating with over 3000 reviews, so I thought I'd give it a go.
So I pulled up Yelp to see what was in the neighborhood on my way home on Nob Hill. This was quite a disappointment, as the staff & atmosphere was great, I was heading home but decided to splurge a little last night & support local business due to the pandemic. Try this place out if looking for some Japanese food or a late spot that open late or want a place to get drinks. My server was also really great and was able to pay on a tablet which made it super fast and seamless.
I did not have any bad things to say about the food tbh but I highly recommend the Hot Tail and the various nigiri (tuna and salmon and cooked shrimp). Not a huge fan, felt a bit sticky/ tacky like eating peanut butter when eating it but that is just my personal preference. Came with a fried head as well which was good. Honestly all nigiri was SOOO GOOD and FRESH!! I never had this fresh of a cut before. Imitation crab with mayo and cucumber with BBQ eel, avocado and tobiko on top Imitation crab with mayo and avo with tuna and salmon on top Marinated tuna in spicy mayo, shiso and cucumber Then head to the front to let them know you are there. NOTE: Use the yelp check in feature, this way you do not have to put your name on the list and will save you less time to wait. I would say this place is good for a party of 6 or under since this place is tiny and you sit pretty close to the tables next to you. They are also open late which I really enjoy. Sometimes they have them and sometimes they do not. They did have a live DJ playing music when I was there. I came here one time after a Warriors game and am coming here ever since. If there is one place I crave every time I want Japanese food, it is this place with out a doubt! This place is a small underground restaurant that gets super packed all the time.