Shokudou

I craved for Japanese food so I thought I give Shokudou a try. Well that place could make a name for itself but not for a Japanese restaurant. The few things that were Japanese, the Asahi beer which was very good, sitting at the bar and watching the sushi chef preparing the food and maybe the Japanese cartoon characters on the wall. The chef is trying to make the food Japanese but certainly has a long way to go. From the top The Agedashi Tofu, the tofu was alright but the soy sauce was so salty that it over toned the tofu completely. Also the bonito flakes were rather old and didn't crumble on the hot tofu. The miso soup, was bland and lacked flavor, almost they should use some of the tofu sauce and it to the miso soup to balance both out. Now to the rolls and maki, I stayed away from the nigiri. I tried the Spicy scallop, negi sake maki, hamachi avocado naki, spider roll and the golden dragon roll. The only thing that worked was the spicy scallop, it was well rounded yet light. The spider roll wasn't crunchy, the golden dragon roll could be alright but the slice of lemon again overtones the salmon. On the service, complete lack of attention of detail, all dishes came out at once , which is strange. Only one of the dishes had ginger, nobody picked up empty dishes, no followup, no attention to detail. And that makes it everything but a Japanese experience.

Cozy sushi in Bernal. Appetizers were standard but tasty- garlic edamame and shishito peppers. For mains, I got the chirashi bowl and chicken skin skewers. Others got the nigiri tasting and were happy. Delicious!

It’s a good stable family restaurant that serves the Bernal height resident. I wouldn’t consider it as an izakaya though, they are lack of that vibe. It’s kids friendly and the day we went, there are 7 kids inside the restaurant. Be prepared for a lot of screams and avoid dinning hour/Friday night if you are scared of kids. The food is decent, not the best I had in town but it is alright. We ordered cheesecake and they gave us ice cream on the house, so that was really nice :)

We walked to this restaurant because the Thai food restaurant had a long line. As you enter the restaurant, you would have to open the barnyard door entrance to the dining area. The restaurant is quite spacious and clean. This is an interesting family style restaurant with small plates (barbecue chicken and pork belly) and would not satisfy my large appetite. Some of the food (fried chicken karage, grilled butterfish and agadashi tofu) was okay in comparison to the other Japanese restaurants in the area, nothing extraordinary. The warriors sushi roll was good.

While I am happy to support small local restaurants, this was not a good dining experience. We ordered a wide variety of things off the menu but a lot of it fell short in flavor. In addition, everything was bone dry — the mune skewers were so tough, it wasn’t pleasant to eat at all. Same with the tonkatsu, incredibly dry. There were two things that really did it in for me though, and make me not want to return unless there’s a drastic overhaul: 1) the leaves in our salad were decaying and looked like they were on the verge of going bad. at the very least I feel I should be served fresh greens. 2) I nearly broke my tooth on the beef enoki skewer.. there was a bone piece in the beef. 4.6 star rating is not an accurate representation of the food/experience here. Nice friendly server but other than that, not much going for it.

With smartly decorated interior, this Bernal Heights Japanese izakaya / sushi bar / yakitori-ya is a welcome option on Cortland. The menu however lacks focus, reflected in the generally mediocre delivery on dishes. While agedashi tofu came well-crisped (a feat), the sauce too salty. The chicken karaage, far from bite-sized as it should be and smothered in an odd tapioca-like batter — sticky on the inside. The spider (soft shell crab) roll, had an odd funk — not sweet, but more attune to gym socks. Unfortunately, a place I very much wanted to love, but left a bit disappointed.

Delightful jazz instrumental playing. Miso and garlic edamame as appetizers. Very fresh rolls and chicken yaki. Really, really nice and relaxing atmosphere. Friendly unobtrusive waiters. Just an overall lovely experience.

Delicious. Highly recommend the hamachi collar, the bacon tomato, bacon enoki, and chicken negi izakaya skewers, and agedashi. A hidden gem in a quiet neighborhood. Lovely place to eat and reconnect with people.

The dragon roll was great. The salmon tasted fatty and smooth. The chicken karaage was also perfectly crispy and had good flavor. The butter edamame was very flavorful and good. The tofu had a good crisp and in a sauce that was pretty good. The restaurant is not huge but there is plenty of seating. The service was also very friendly and attentive. The parking is difficult and there is only street parking. The price was also reasonable.

Came here on a Thursday night. Got the enoki wrapped in beef and the sushi omakase. Everything was very tasty and reasonably priced. Service was quick and attentive. Would definitely go again when in the neighborhood.

Friends and I came here after watching the Valkyries game on a Sunday night. Many places in the Dogpatch area was closed by 9pm and we were hungry so we found this place opened till 9:30pm so we called to see if they'll still take us in if we get there by 9:15pm which they did! They had the table set up for us 6 and we ordered right away. They have a variety of skewers, nigiri, sashimi, and other assortments like chicken karaage etc for you to try. We also had some uni nigiri and it was sooooo good! We had some sake & beer as well. The only downside is parking is not easy in the area so definitely give some time for that.

We were walking the neighborhood and we found this cute little place as soon as you come in guided to a table you sit down and it's the typical fair cold on warm server. Kind of rushing you to place your order even though you sat down. When the food came out, it was pretty good. I was happy with the food a bento box in a roll. The miso soup was OK. The hot tea was just tea. It's just basic nothing really impressive here. Well, I'll be back probably not. I tried it once I didn't feel welcome so I won't be back. Is the food OK yes food is fine. I just didn't feel welcome.

Cute neighborhood sushi place in Bernal Heights. I came on a Tuesday evening and it wasn't very busy inside. Street parking is tight but not impossible. The tables are spaced out so it feels very comfortable. I got the chirashi bowl. It had thick cuts of fish and the portions met my expectations for the price. Service was efficient and friendly. It's not "Jiro Dreams of Sushi" but I would categorize Shokudou as a great spot to hit up if you're in the immediate area.

We randomly came to Shokudou on a Friday night since we were craving sushi. The ambiance is pretty simple; we were one of the only tables that late in the evening but still had a good experience. In terms of the food, I would say that their sushi is much better than their appetizers. We ordered the Cucumber Salad, Cortland Roll, Kani Rainbow Roll, Chirashi, and Chicken Karaage. I would actively avoid the cucumber salad; the sauce was strange and the cucumbers felt very limp. The chicken karaage was also just okay--it felt kind of fatty and oily. The sushi was yummy! I really enjoyed both of the rolls that we ordered. The fish in the chirashi was also great. The service was standard, and the prices seemed very reasonable. In general, I think it's a solid sushi spot if you're in the area!

4.6 stars is crazy. Don't think locals have been to the sone of the best spots in the city. Definitely chose this place for the stars but ya you'll get burnt from time to time -fooood- Chicken karage: yeah can't really go wrong with that. 4/5 Hamachi Kama: not much flavor, was really just fried fish. 2/5 Chicken skin skewer: this is the first izakaya ive been to where this dish was bad. Wasn't too crispy and wayyyyyyy too salty. .5/5 Chicken gizzard: good , cooked well but a little lacking in flavor. 3/5 Beef enoki: their most popular dish was a let down. There's a certain ratio you need to achieve with this or it just doesn't capitalize ingenuity of this simple dish. beef was also a little over cooked. 1.5/5 Toro gunkan: sounded better on paper. Just not the same without the saltiness from caviar. 2.5/5 A5 wagyu: just a couple of seconds to sear but no, overcooked. 1/5 Forgot that last one but wasn't great either way. Sushi is usually astounding for me so this was a big let down. Overall staff was nice, organized inside and nice restaurant with plenty of street parking, just the food was not there at all. Reading other reviews, does seem like a lack of flavor so heed my warning!

The rolls and miso eggplant were yummy! We were excited to see butterfish since we don't see it often, it was alright, but will pass next time since it was quite small and not as flaky and plump with how we like it at other places we've tried. Came in and got seated quickly since we came at opening, more groups came in shortly and the staff was really friendly. Side note: not on the staff, but a table across from us had a young kid who kept licking the cap of the soy sauce and putting it back on. But parents.... Please do better at helping your kids understand why that's not okay. if anything to take for that, I do hope that the restaurant takes notice and is frequent with cleaning things, we did also tell them as we left.

4.3 stars Friend and I stopped by on a Saturday afternoon to have their lunch specials. My friend ordered the Katsu Don (tonkatsu over rice) and I ordered the 2-item bento box with my choice of chicken teriyaki and saba shioyaki (fish). We were the only patrons inside the restaurant and service was minimal, but sufficient. The food took some time to come out but I presumed the dishes were made to order. The katsu don was a generous bowl, and my friend was very full. The bento box itself was not the typical bento boxes you see, but rather, it was divided in 3 compartments in which each one held the chicken, fish, and salad. Saba shioyaki was salted well and the teriyaki chicken was moist and flavorful. Overall, this was a good place to consider for lunch if you are in the area. Otherwise, the food was good, but not so much to go out of my way for.

The atmosphere inside, as the evening closes it's wonderful since the giant window gets a nice bit of sunlight, it's calm inside which is offset by three One Piece wall prints. One of them decided to splice one piece into "onep" "iece" which I found very avant garde. The takoyaki was great, hard to get it wrong but obvious when so Edamame was plentiful and garlicky, exactly what I expected from garlic butter edamame Our rolls were excellent, you can taste the quality is definitely above average Service was attentive, I enjoyed eating here and would be back if in the area, prices are a little up there but understandable

Walked into Shokudou without a reservation on Saturday night and it was no issue. The ambiance was upscale but with a rustic vibe. I quite liked the sliding barn door for entry - it reminded me of restaurants in Japan. Looking over the menu, it covers the gamut of popular Japanese fare from small bites to nigiri and sushi to donburi. Surely, you'll find something to suit your wants! My friend and I shared several small plates and a roll and it was just right for the two of us! My favorites included the beef rolled enoki, the agedashi tofu, and the Flame Otoro roll. The beef rolled enoki was composed of two skewers, each with three servings of marinated beef wrapped around a cluster of enoki mushrooms. It was super flavorful and juicy! Also a very generous portion for an izakaya skewer. The agedashi tofu featured the perfect juxtaposition between a crisp battered exterior and a soft silky interior. The bonito flakes added a nice salty touch which balanced the sweet tsuyu sauce. The roll featured generous cubes of otoro with even more tuna laid on top. The tuna on top is seared and then topped with some peppers and puffed rice. It was a fun mix of buttery, spicy, and crispy. Shokudo's ginger, specifically, was deliciously sweet and tangy. Dishes bringing up the back included the nigiri and the pork belly. For the nigiri, I felt like the rice was underseasoned across the board. The cuts of fish were generous though. I liked the Itoyori best which was a new fish for me to try. It was delicate but sweet. The king salmon was buttery as expected and the Hobo fish (another new bite for me) was a little too meaty for my liking. The pork belly skewer was flavorful but I expect my pork belly to be a little more unctuous and require a little less work to bite through. Dinner for 2 came to just about $80 before tip. I could see myself returning if I'm in the Bernal area!

Awesome one piece cutout on the wall! Great sushi selection, loved the otoro and the maguro sashimi and the skewers were great as well buta bara was tender and flavorful. Always gotta get the hamachi kama that was tender and melts in your mouth! Good selection of sake as well!

No wait on a Sunday evening. Hamachi Kama was large and really well cooked , I highly recommend this place for a hidden casual vibe. Edit: came back again on Valentine's Day. Very busy but luckily they had a spot open up for us. DELICIOUS!! Note to self: get the grilled miso eggplant again, that ish fireeeee

Cute neighborhood spot, but nothing truly stood out. Pros: + Service is friendly + Spacious seating + Parking was no trouble on a Tuesday evening What We Ordered: - 8 piece omakase; 3/5 + Tori Karaage; 5/5 + Buta Bara; 4/5 We all ordered a set of the 8 piece omakase. The two boys are not foodies so as long as they're fed, we're good. For me, however, the selection of fish was impressive, but taste was not there. Not awful, just didn't stand out. Lacking in flair. We also thought there would be a larger variety of skewers. It was heavily chicken and bacon wrapped skewers. Luckily, we found the pork belly skewer (BUTA BARA), which is under the HOT section of the menu, not under the skewers section. That along with the chicken karaage (TORI KARAAGE) was delicious. Good place if you're in the neighborhood. Otherwise, not worth trekking to. I'm glad I tried a new spot, but will not be returning.

Summary: Tasty izakaya with great value Details: I've been meaning to go to Shokudou for a couple years now, but wasn't really about the indoor dining scene during the midst (or even tail end) of COVID. Now that I've loosened up a bit about this, it was finally time to stop on by! I was pretty surprised to grab a table as easily as we did during prime dinner time, and wasn't sure if it was due to the crowds having died down over time, or just the location being a little tougher to get to, but not having a wait is always a huge plus. That said, a lesson I've learned the hard way is that reservations anywhere are always recommended if you can get one! Like Taniku, the thing you want to stick to here are their more standard izakaya fare: appetizers, skewers, grilled things, etc, which are all quite tasty, though every single grilled item we get was burnt to varying degrees, some more so than others. Fortunately, most didn't actually taste as burnt as they looked, but the bitterness was noticeable in some dishes. Sushi, on the other hand, I'd suggest skipping: it's fresh, so certainly not bad, and like the other eats, you're getting good value, but most of the pieces we got in our omakase weren't particularly noteworthy. Accessibility: While the neighborhood is less accessible with all the steep hills, Shokudou itself is at least on a fairly flat street, with plenty of space and accessible tables inside.

Shokudou is known for their skewers. The enoki and asparagus were good and decent sized servings. The karaage, was light and crunchy. The katsu was dry. I suggest order the more expensive rolls like the Flamed Toro instead of the less expensive NegiToro Rolls. Overall, it was a great meal but can get pricey. Be sure to check your receipts because they charged my table for miso soup but never brought it out. They can split cards (up to 3). They auto-grat for larger groups. When they did this, my tip amount was higher than my other friend even though my bill was smaller.

I enjoyed a few of the unique rolls including the flame toro roll recommended by the waitress. And I appreciated the quick and polite service. There were a combination of families (including babies and teens), and adult two tops, and overall feel is a casual local community restaurant. A mixture of Asian and Caucasian costumers. And a very young-looking but clearly skilled Asian sushi chef. Nice amount of light comes through the large windows in the summer evening. I was there with a friend and we were having a private conversation. Although the restaurant is all open, it wasn't so crowded where I felt uncomfortable having that conversation. Enough ambient (not too loud) noise helped keep it private. And the waiters were quick and too the point. This was my first time here although I live in the neighborhood. I will definitely come back again.

Best restaurant in Bernal heights in my opinion. Nice clean place with big windows and a nice bar. I've only been for lunch, but they have a great lunch menu and affordable prices

Omg the Bernal roll is the tastiest roll I've ever had! I'm a nigiri gal but my husband likes rolls. This blew my mind. Craving another!! Nice spot. Delicious salads and appetizers too.

Amazing! The fish was SO fresh, we felt guilty adding soy sauce. We had the Tuna Poke appetizer, Daikon salad with sweet chili dressing, a roll with salmon on top, and bacon wrapped mushrooms. All were fantastic. The presentation of each plate was lovely. My apologies for not taking pictures until after we started eating. LOL. We had never been to the Bernal Heights neighborhood in San Francisco. (We live in San Jose.) We would definitely come back for Shokudou! Great service. Family friendly, locals vibe.

This place is perfect for parties of any sizes. The staff were able to rearrange tables and got us seated fast-- surprisingly, we all fit comfortably! Both the rainbow and double hamachi rolls tastes fresh and were refreshing to eat. However, they felt pretty small and didn't come with much flavor besides the raw fish. The rice also tasted unseasoned and dry. It was quite disappointing. Although the rolls lacked in some qualities, I would come back (for sashimi)! If you're looking for a place that serves good appetizers and quality fish, I would recommend Shokudou. Hope this was helpful!

Based on the stars and a few of the reviews I was hopeful the food was going to be yum but I was wrong. Service was not good. There were only 2 servers and the place was busy. The sashimi and rolls were nothing special - flavorless. The Grilled Butterfish had a good sauce but not worth the $. The Hamachi Kama was the only thing we enjoyed. Our order: Double Hamachi roll Spider Rainbow roll Grilled Butterfish Hamachi Don Hamachi Kama Miso soup *Finding parking is difficult. The ambience was nice and simple. Unisex bathroom was clean.

Food is authentic, fresh and delicious. Quick delivery, great neighborhood spot. Highly recommended.

For the freshness of the fish, I would have expected higher prices. This spot was a great find for what it offered. Super fresh fish at decent prices especially for SF. We got the best deals from ordering sashimi platters and chirashi bowls. All the fish was fresh and not frozen. Also lots of different sake to try! Great spot

We got the sashimi special, nigiri (cannot think of the fish at the moment), chicken skin skewer, beef skewer and enoki wrapped with beef skewer. The nigiri was not very good, the sashimi was okay, but the main food that stole the show was the yakitori. My partner absolutely loves yakitori and the food was all so fresh, tender, flavorful and I wanted to order another ten skewers of the enoki wrapped with beef.... It's a beautiful restaurant in the quite side of the neighborhood. I like that there is an additional door so the door to enter/exit is not repeatedly blasting cold wind into the place. The grand pieces of One Piece art was a nice touch as well.

I have been wanting to try this restaurant for a while and I'm glad that I did. What was the most comforting to me was being able to eat a variety of meats with rice. The Gindara Misoyaki was my favorite dish because it was so tender and flavorful in the most perfect way. We also really liked the chicken wings and chicken skin. My favorite part about eating here is that you can either choose to eat a variety of skewers or order a larger meat to eat with rice. Portions are pretty generous, and it's nice, cozy, and smells good inside. I was pleasantly surprised and am excited to come back.

This is a hidden gem in Bernal heights! We had a wonderful dinner experience with great food. We will be back! First off. The staff was extremely friendly and had the right level of interaction and helpfulness. Second, the food is just great. We didn't dislike a single item we ordered. Its a very easy restaurant to for group sharing. They have multiple options for small plates, hot, cold, raw and cooked. They also have bigger plates if that is your preference. We ordered and loved all of these: grilled squid, pork Katsu, king mushroom, crispy chicken skin, beef ebook and chicken yuzo skewers, grilled asparagus, and fried tofu. Topped off with a house hot sake. We also had a toddler with us, and they were very nice about it (and had high chairs), with some easy food options for kids too.

The fish is so fresh and there was not one dish we were disappointed with. We had a large party of 8 to celebrate a birthday and the staff were so accommodating! We will definitely be back!

The husband and I have passed by this place many times and it always looked so quaint from the outside that we finally made a reservation to try it out. We came on a Saturday night and the place was busy but not crowded. We chose to sit at the bar because we like to watch our food being made. We started with the beef enoki skewers (my favorite item that night) and a chicken skewer, which was also good. We then had the nigiri omakase, which was okay although not particularly memorable. The fish was fresh but there was nothing very special about it. We were still hungry so we finished off with the grilled miso butterfish, which was like a meatier miso cod. I think I prefer the consistency of miso cod more though. Overall the place was good, and I particularly enjoyed the grilled skewers, which I would recommend trying.

Located in a neighborhood, parking isn't too bad but you can circle around the neighborhood to find this spot. We put out an early reservation for 5 for a celebratory dinner with friends. When we got there since they just opened we pretty much had the place to ourselves. They let us take another table for cake and gifts too and to decorate. The service was great, there was only one server for the entire place. It wasn't too busy for a Wednesday afternoon, some Walk ins and some people sitting at the bar area. We started off with some sake and the pairing was pretty good with the meal. We started off with skewers, I really enjoyed the beef enoki, fried chicken skin, pretty much any Or the meets wrapped around vegetables, edamame, and salads. I think we ordered pretty much all of the skewers, there was 5 of us and we ordered 4 and just split them up, it was enough because after the bbq'd food we got sashimi and seafood. The grilled hamachi was good, we got giant squid, uni, and 2 of the sashimi platters. They cut out 5 pieces one per person. We then ordered another sashimi platter too. We were pretty stuffed by the end and ended off the meal with some hot tea. Service was great, bathrooms were clean, it was an intimate spot with great food and perfect place to catch up. Would recommend if you're in the area for some Japanese food to enjoy!

Service is minimal unless you ask. It's a remodeled place with a variety of options. The beef skewers at $12 for 2 were a bit too cooked & a bit tough to chew on the texture with lots of salt. The hamachi roll was ok, but nothing stood out about it. Overall, it's an average place if you're in the area if you want sake and beer with high savory intake.

Great spot. Fair pricing. Would definitely come back. Think should come back with 2 other ppl to try more of their menu.

Lovely addition to Bernal neighborhood. Interior no frills, modern n clean. Food was fantastic, fresh out of the grill. Must try, favorites - Beef enoki skewers Charishi bowl - assorted fish , melt in the mouth, so fresh! Hamachi kama was flavorless for my taste, would skip. Definitely a regular to this place.

We came with no reservation around 7:30 on a Saturday evening and were seated pretty quickly. I didn't look at any pictures of the restaurant, so I was surprised to see they have huge one piece decorations on the wall. We ordered the beef negi, negima, gindara misoyaki, and a couple different nigiri. We waited at least 20 min to get the first of our dishes. We liked the chicken thigh skewers and especially liked the black cod. The sliced beef was pretty dry on the skewers. None of the nigiri we got was particularly good, but I guess this place isn't for sushi.

Stopped by this place for lunch over the weekend and the food exceeded my expectations. I saw they had a lunch special so we went to check it out and I picked their lunch set that came with a mini chirashi and butterfish misoyaki. The star of this meal was the butter fish misoyaki, it was soooo good. Perfectly seasoned and cooked, the fish was so buttery and flaky, probably the best cooked fish I've ever had lol. The chirashi was also really yummy too. Definitely will come back just to get the butterfish misoyaki.

Great food nice workers and they were very generous. The only thing that is not good is there time to get the food. I mean don't get me wrong it's the worth the wait but it takes a little long not that long just a little.

You really can't go wrong with yakitori -- Shokudou is located hidden in a neighborhood but parking was relatively easy to find on a Thursday at 7PM. I wanted to eat something small but heavy in flavor -- this was definitely the spot! The skewers were mouthwatering. I honestly didn't think the Beef Enoki would be that good but it was my favorite flavor of the night! The chicken thigh skewer was surprisingly so good, even though it sounds so simple. The charcoal flavor really hit the spot. The Hamachi Kama was tasty as well, the fish was packed with flavors and so soft and flaky inside. Absolutely love it! One thing that I really disliked was the cold sake called Sawahime Blue Label - 10/10 do not get cause the aftertaste was like rubbing alcohol Overall, bomb food! Cold sake was not the vibe

Became my favorite Japanese spots in the city!! Great selection of menu which includes skewers and sushi rolls. My husband and I came here on a Sunday night and there was no wait :) There isn't dedicated parking so prepare to spend a few minutes parking around the neighborhood. We were able to find parking just a couple blocks away. Food: my favorite dishes was the hamachi kama, skewers and the sushi roll itself! The Kama was huge and grilled to perfection. The sushi roll was so fresh and delicious. (They do not drown their rolls in sauce, which I love) Definitely coming back to try other dishes on the menu!

This is one of my favorite spots to go on a date or an intimate night with friends. The selection is superb and pretty much all the food is great. I love how the lighting hits into the restaurant and the open kitchen concept. It definitely fits the Bernal Heights neighborhood in San Francisco. My favorite thing was the Misoyaki black cod, but also the miso soup was really good and so was the sashimi. The restaurant gets packed so be sure to go early if possible. The selection of beers and Japanese beverages was also great. I love how I could explore something different on every visit. Fully recommend!

I went here with my friend 30 min before closing on Friday and we were still warmly greeted to the establishment. We were simply looking for a "late-night" snack near my friend's house and this seems to fit our criteria, in alignment with the hours of operation. We were warned the portions are small (which we were aware when we were picking a spot) and appreciated that gesture because there are some places that I had bad experiences just because it felt like a rip-off (aka restaurant not being clear in their expectations). As an izakaya with kushiyaki items, prices seem to be on the higher end regardless. We shared the seaweed salad and the beef enoki skewers. Seaweed salad was pretty ordinary flavor wise (to be expected), but above average in texture (there's a very slight crunch/chewiness compared to the seaweed salad prepared en masse that is more mushy. The beef enoki skewers are the popular item on the menu and we enjoyed it. It did need more salt, but the beef is very juicy, and pairing with the enoki mushroom, gives a nice crunch to the dish. It's a nice place to try, but I wouldn't recommend going hungry because it can get a bit pricey! Ambience is like a well maintained Japanese restaurant, a bit intimate so it's a nice place for a date as well.

The food was good. They accommodated our big family in a short amount of time. The restaurant had great decor and vibe. They're a bit pricey.

Located on the sleepy end of Cortland in Bernal Heights is a delightful delicious Japanese restaurant that serves up a mix of izakaya, sushi, entrees and appetizers! A group of 8 went out for my sisters birthday and everything was delicious! I think we almost ordered the whole menu, haha! Highlights were the pork katsu, chirashi bowls, the beef enoki skewers, and the crispy chicken skin. Service was good despite a short wait staff. Applaud them for getting us all our food in a timely manner :)

Great variety and high quality fish that you don't find in the average Japanese restaurant. Nice to finish the meal woth meat skewers. The grilled eggplant when it's charred so that the sauce is caramelized is our favorite.

The Japanese restaurant scene in SF is very competitive and since most outings to sushi/izakaya places run about $100, the standards are high. My friend and I came here on a Sunday night and we ordered a ton of food to share - mizuna salad, shishito peppers, gindara, nasu dengaku, sashimi, three of their special nigiri (Amber jack, sea bream and Arctic char), the beef enoki, tori Karaage, tori Kawa (chicken skin) and black sesame ice cream. A lot of the items were off - the gindara, tori Karaage and beef enoki needed salt; the tori kawa needed salt and pepper; the nasu dengaku was too salty; the sushi rice did not have any vinegar at all; and the sashimi slices were cut oddly. The fish itself was very fresh and the mizuna salad and shishito peppers were just right. The black sesame ice cream didn't have the usual strong flavor and was creamier than normal. With tax and tip, this was about $90 a person which is average for Japanese dinners in SF these days. They are a new restaurant and once they fix the flavor and execution issues, they could be good but not recommended right now.

making frequent trips to sf to shop for furniture and lights in the area...stopping by shokudou for lunch on a friday...fairly empty, but some customers...seated and lunch menu provided...pleasantly surprised by the reasonable prices...most items were under $20...lunch for two and taking a lunch a combination for $18 and a nigiri set $20 to start...requesting to keep the menu to order a 3rd meal to share after we started on our first orders...both lunches served with miso soup to start...lunch a arriving with a mini-chirashi bowl and a sweet glazed butterfish...chirashi bowl came with 4 basic slices of standard sashimi..the fish was fresh and just lovely...melts in your mouth...the butterfish was a great contrast with bold sweet and strong flavors covering the smooth velvety fish...very delicious...the nigiri set was also very basic, but fresh and simple...knowing we had room for more, ordered the katsu-don $17...sweet and savory flavor bomb...ultra thick cut of pork battered and fried covered by egg to soften the batter...really filling and big...overall, the food quality was excellent and prices were great...

I was excited to find a spot for yakitori, but unfortunately it didn't quite deliver. I miss all the amazing yakitori spots in NYC :( There were a few standout dishes though. I know people rave about the Sashimi here, maybe that's what we have to focus on if we ever come back. We came here for a weekday date night, and here is what we ordered to share: Nasu Dengaku (grilled eggplant, saikyo miso) $11 This was my favorite - came out piping hot and the texture was A+. Loved the flavors of the miso as well. Wish it came with 2 full eggplants instead of 3 halves. Gindara Misoyaki (grilled miso marinated local black cod) $15 This was good, pretty flaky and buttery soft. It came with a lemon, which made the whole thing/miso taste weird...I would recommend not squeezing that on there :( Agedashi Tofu $9 Another dish that was really good. Loved the thin but crispy coating on the tofu and again, came out piping hot. Negima Yakitori $8 Chicken thigh didn't have much grilled flavor nor did it have the right color. Not very juicy or tender either. Sunagimo Yakitori $7.5 Again, not grilled enough. I also wish they gave you the red pepper flakes and salt as something you can add yourself at every table instead of seasoning them in the kitchen. Bacon Wrapped Enoki Yakitori $7.5 This one also looked super light, it didn't look grilled at all. Missing the essence of yakitori in my opinion. Inada Sashimi $16 Ma Saba Sashimi $16 My husband ordered these from their Special menu - can't believe these were basically $4 for each slice. He says they were good, but nothing outstanding. Shiitake Mushroom Maki $6 Nothing really to say about these :( Unfortunately, all the portions seemed extremely small and overpriced. $150 for two (including two beers) on a casual night seems overkill.

COVID-19 TAKEOUT Starting the week off right...with sushi! And, of course supporting a new local business that just opened in the 'hood. Shokudou is a new Japanese restaurant in Bernal serving izakaya and sushi (Umi's sister restaurant). They're open for indoor dining and takeout only. No outdoor dining. No sure if delivery via 3rd party apps is in the works? Open everyday for dinner starting at 5 pm. M E N U Small menu of izakaya (Japanese tapas), Kushiyaki (grilled skewers), salads, sashimi, nigiri, simple maki rolls, and dons. No crazy, saucy American rolls. Japanese craft beer and sake available. I called for takeout and my order was ready within the quoted 15 minute time-frame. C O V I D - 1 9 S A F E T Y P R E C A U T I O N S * Staff wore masks properly. * Tables were spaced out more 6-8 feet. * Hand sanitizer available. F O O D * Takoyaki w/ octopus, cabbage, bonito flakes, housemade takoyaki sauce (4 pc-$8) While you only get 4 pieces of takoyaki versus the usual 6 or 8, they made up in taste. The takoyaki balls were warm and squishy with a custardy center. Each one had 1-2 pieces of tender tako. * Chirashi w/ assorted fish, tamago ($20) I needed something portable to eat in the car without making a mess so chirashi was the best option. Eight slices of fresh fish (very firm maguro, ora king salmon, hirame, and saba) laid over a bed of room temperature sushi rice. I really enjoyed the moist, sweet eggy tamago. Just a matter of preference but I like my sushi rice more seasoned. S E R V I C E Friendly, warm, and prompt. A M B I A N C E Minimalist and contemporary. P A R K I N G Street parking; relatively easy compared to other parts of the city. Overall, nice neighborhood joint in Bernal. If you live in the area and don't want to venture far for Japanese food, give this new business a try!

This has become our go-to local sushi spot. Been three times so far and both the food and service has been consistently good. At this latest visit we ordered the fried eggplant, grilled squid, negi toro maki and the deluxe sashimi combo. Our food came out super fast and was made to perfection. Highly recommend to anyone in the area looking for a sushi fix.

Staff was very friendly and attentive. We appreciated that they let us sample a few sakes before ordering and they even offered to move us to a bigger table once it cleared up. Small details like this made our experience much more enjoyable. Food was also amazing. We had an assortment of the skewers and the hamachi collar appetizer. The beef enoki, beef negi, and chicken thigh skewers were the highlights of our meal. Each skewer was seasoned well and had a nice charcoal taste from the grill. The Hamachi collar was delicate yet meaty and served on a bed of lightly dressed mizuna salad. We enjoyed the ambiance as the space was clean and modern looking. It wasn't too busy on a Sunday and finding street parking was manageable. We will definitely be back!