Kibatsu
San Francisco
At a glance
Reviews
Decent omakase experience. Some of the best bites included the king crab, scallop, tiger prawn, uni fried rice and toro with caviar and uni. They also have a selection of sake to go with your food. The place is rather small but you are able to make reservations online. Be careful though because they tried to refuse payment by credit card and were only accepting Venmo or third party apps. Just seemed strange since we held our reservation with a credit card and we weren’t informed of the payment policy until after our meal. We also weren’t offered anything à la carte after the meal and I was curious about the fried ice cream dessert. Kind of ruined the experience, but the food was otherwise good, just not sure about the price point
I'm still not sure what to think about Kibatsu. Fantastic atmosphere, and it serves some unique dishes (like shark skin), some high quality fish dishes, and some basic dishes along with some (somewhat weird...) fusion Japanese. It is very inconsistent in quality and feels like it keeps some of its true gems only available in the expensive Omakase route ($120 or $150). The regular menu is limited, and is almost entirely fish based, yet some things that are only being served as part of the Omakase menu (like the wagyu dish, or the crab soup), are true gems and would be incredible if were included in the menu. I also have to call out that this place let us know, well into the meal (so too late to change our minds) that their credit card machine is not working that evening, yet somehow they had a pre-printed paper with their owners personal venmo info available, which felt very pre-planned...
Super nice cozy vibes, love the decor of this place! Mid to low light, great for a romantic dinner with good food! Although it is not the best sushi in town, for a little above average price you're getting some good stuff!
