Where To Have A Unique Dining Experience In SF - San Francisco - The Infatuation

"What makes Showa one of SF’s most distinctive dinners isn’t just its katsu-focused tasting menu with fried bluefin and panko-encrusted chunks of pork—it’s the full-on ritual. It begins with the staff emerging from gossamer noren to usher you to your seat where a platter showcasing a martini glass of lotus sprouts and a mini-cloche hiding beef tongue is already waiting. Each of the 12 courses arrives with a similar flourish: grouper and pork katsu are carefully placed on delicate golden wire racks tableside, and between bites, you’ll be invited to smell roasted sesame from what can only be described as a spouted sniffing jar. It’s one of our favorite ways to spend a few hours and $150 in the city. Reservations open up on Tock 30 days in advance at 12pm. Since there’s only one seating per night (and no solo reservations allowed), they tend to go fast. Try checking daily for any cancellations." - julia chen 1, lani conway, patrick wong