Iki Omakase
Japanese restaurant · Palo Alto ·
Modern omakase with Edomae-style sushi and counter seating
Modern omakase with Edomae-style sushi and counter seating
"A prior omakase project from the restaurateur, located in Palo Alto." - Dianne de Guzman
"Iki Omakase is one of the many places in Palo Alto serving expensive fish. At the eight-seat counter, you’ll get so many courses of expertly prepared uni, octopus, and torched toro you’ll lose count (on our last visit we tallied 24, which were tasty but very filling). The $195 dinner is the most intimate sushi experience in town, and they take their sushi seriously—you could hear a pin drop in the stark, black and gray space, so prepare to whisper with your date or risk the entire room knowing about your upcoming DMV appointment." - julia chen 1, ricky rodriguez, gabi moskowitz
"Iki Omakase is one of the many places in Palo Alto serving expensive fish. At the eight-seat counter, you’ll get so many courses of expertly prepared uni, octopus, and torched toro that you might eventually lose count (on our last visit, we tallied 24, which were delicious but almost overly filling). The $195 dinner is the most intimate sushi experience you can get in town, and they take their sushi seriously—you could hear a pin drop in the stark, black and gray space, so prepare to whisper with your date or risk the entire room knowing about your impending DMV appointment next week." - Julia Chen
"Palo Alto now has an 18-course omakase spot focusing on Edomae sushi, which is a technique dating back from the Edo period and involves cooking or curing fish. The restaurant is dark and dramatic with an almost completely black interior. " - Ricky Rodriguez
"Debuted on Wednesday, January 17 in Palo Alto, the new omakase serves Edomae- and “Bay Area-style” sushi that blends pre-refrigeration curing methods with modern, local sensibilities. I note that chef Jiabo Li—formerly of Sushi Hon and Michelin Guide–listed Sato Omakase—relies on aging techniques such as marinating fish in sea kelp and dry-aging, paired with his six-year-aged soy sauce and vinegar rice, with an emphasis on balancing those three elements to create a distinctive presentation. Fish are sourced from Japan and include selections like anago (saltwater conger), akamutsu (blackthroat seaperch, prized and expensive like uni and caviar), and shima-aji; supplements are limited to three items that bring luxe ingredients such as akamutsu and uni to an 18-course menu. Li is also developing personal dishes such as tako yawarakani (soft-braised octopus), for which he massages the octopus for hours before low-temperature cooking with a special sauce learned from his mentor and adapted to his tastes. The program mixes tradition and contemporaneity—wagyu is offered as the restaurant’s “modern approach”—and the beverage program currently emphasizes an extensive sake list curated with sake sommeliers and the Sake Lab (including Bay Area-unique bottles and a nonalcoholic sake), with plans to add wine, Champagne, and nonalcoholic pairings in the future. The dark dining room pairs a dark-stained, salvaged Redwood counter from Bay Area Redwood and custom furniture against dramatic black walls, reflecting the partner’s definition of iki as “refined elegance.”" - Dianne de Guzman