New Oyaji Restaurant
| Address: | 3123 Clement St, San Francisco, CA 94121, USA |
| Phone: | +1 415-379-3604 |
| Rating: | 4.2 |
| Working: | 11AM–2PM 11AM–2PM 11AM–2PM 11AM–2PM 11AM–2PM 12–2:30PM 12–2:30PM |
Location
Photos 100
Reviews 5
MI
Michael Wang
Another random dinner came up and 5 years after my first visit, Im back at Oyaji. With years of Yelp training, Im not better suited to give a more in depth review of this spot. Oyaji is a small Japanese restaurant in the Outer Richmond that serves up sushi, ramen, and other small tapas. Now if youre coming from out of the city, be prepared for a drive because this place is deep within the city. Being that it is SF, parking is pretty much going be whatever you can find on the street. Oyaji is authentic, dont get me wrong. It is Japanese owned and run, and I thought the food was decent enough, but not to the point where it warrants an hour drive to eat here. There are enough spots within the city, and throughout the Bay that can give Oyaji a run for its money. Nonetheless, if you do decide to come here, especially with a large party, then be sure to make a reservation beforehand. For large parties, they have a little area on the side with a long table that is able to seat around 12 people. Now as far as the food goes, I had an eclectic selection of things to eat. From what I could remember, we ended up ordering: - Tsukune - Yakitori - Gyu-tan - Oyaji Beef - Vegetable Kushiyaki - Chashu Ramen - Uni Hand Roll - Spicy Scallop Hand Roll - Asari No Sakamushi - Cabbage Roll - Sakanano-arani - Spicy Tuna Roll Of course, a meal wouldnt be complete without some pitchers of beer and bottles of sake. Right off the bat, I would recommend not going with the ramen and Oyaji beef. I thought that the ramen broth was on the bland side, and the chashu was a tad too dry. For $11, you can definitely get better ramen at any dedicated ramen shop. With the Oyaji beef, it tasted reminiscent of kalbi, but with much less flavor. Once again, for the price, I thought that they could have put in a little more beef, and a little less onions on the plate. In contrast, I thought their uni and spicy scallop hand rolls were very good. The seafood tasted incredibly fresh, and the spicy scallop had just the right amount of flavor. Oyajis gyu-tan was also cooked pretty nicely. It wasnt over done, and had a nice little chew to it. Sprinkle a little lemon juice on top and you have a perfect dish. All in all, Oyaji isnt a bad restaurant at any means. Sure, they do serve up some mediocre dishes like their ramen (which you should avoid ordering), but there are some very good dishes as well. Price-wise, this place is pretty decent. For a party of 11, considering the number of dishes we ordered, only came out to $55 a person. Thats pretty good considering I had a bowl of ramen to myself. My only reservation is that this place is just so far out of the way, and for those who dont live around the area, it is quite the journey to get here.
A
A Private User
The food gets FIVE STARS, for sure. I have not tasted Japanese food outside of Japan that was this good. My ex is Japanese and we used to eat here all the time because we lived close by and he worked there for a small stint. Be prepared, though for most nights at peak and even not so peak times you WILL be waiting as this place is that popular. Three stars must be taken away though because of the owner/sushi chef, Hide. He is a total jerk... especially when hes drunk! Hes always drinking, then late at night he staggers from table to table "greeting" the customers. If you have a lot of girls at the table, hell never leave you alone! He makes ecchi (perverted) comments all the time and has made quite a few comments to me in Japanese about certain body parts (I speak Japanese, so either he doesnt know I understand him, or doesnt care.) He has also flirted with female friends who I took there. As I mentioned before, my ex used to work for him. The guy is a total mean jerk to his employees and gives them no respect. Some other friends of ours were a bf/gf couple who waited and waitressed there. They also told me horrible stories of how they were treated by Hide and eventually forced to quit as he was totally unfair and unreasonable to them. The employee turnover rate in that place is INCREDIBLE, despite the salaries being a bit higher than at other restaurants. No one can stand to be around Hide so everyone quits. The name, "Oyaji" means "Old man" in Japanese, and the word has a very derogatory connotation to begin with. They should call it "Dirty old man" instead! I dont care if a restaurant has great food or excellent ambiance or even if I have to wait 30 + minutes for a table. If any staff members do not work towards creating an environment where every customer can feel comfortable and happy and if the managers/owners have NO respect or concern about the well being of their employees, that is a SUPER star-killer to me.
RO
Roy Chi
Oyaji has always been on my list of must-try restaurants for a while now -- so I really wish I could say that I loved it, or even liked it -- but honestly, it was just okay. --------------------------- FOOD: Chicken Karaage = Highly recommended by Yelp, but was way too tough and too bland for me. The chicken tasted a bit old, giving it that jerky-like toughness that is every fried-chicken-eaters nightmare. One slice of lemon was not enough to bring any memorable flavor whatsoever. Asparagus Beef Skewer = Pretty horrible. The beef was way too tough and overcooked. The tiny asparagus was engulfed by the disproportionate amount of tough, chewy beef. Chicken Yakitori Skewer = This was okay. The chicken was cooked to a medium -- not too dry, but not really that moist either. Braised Pork Belly = The one redeeming dish of the night. The braised pork belly here is pretty damn phenomenal. Extremely tender and flavorful, with plenty of fat to go around. Ankimo = Good, but nothing great. Pretty average ankimo -- I wish it had more of the rich liver flavor. The spicy sauce on top took away from the ankimos natural umami. Miso Steamed Cod = Decent flavor, slightly overcooked. Albacore Nigiri = Good -- a little tougher than that at better sushi joints, but still had a lot of the fatty flavor. Scallop Nigiri = Good -- soft and tender. Hamachi Nigiri = Decent -- nothing special. --------------------------- Oyaji is mostly just an average, forgettable experience -- the sushi was okay and the robata grill items were quite horrible. If not for the braised pork belly, Id probably consider Oyaji as one of the worst Japanese restaurants Ive had in SF.
AA
Aaron L
Really great place for the local neighborhood. One of the few Japanese owned and operated Izakaya Restaurants in the city. Food overall is good. sashimi is fresh and the kitchen sends out tasty food as well. The reason I like it so much is because: 1) It is within walking distance of my house. 2) They open until 2AM on the weekend 3) My kids like their food 4) They have kid plates, bowels, cups and utensils 5) Family owned 6) Food is good (they also have imported Japanese fish options!) 7) Good selection of Daiginjo sake
BR
Brian Connell
Hide is the man!!! Once upon a time, my Masu was #1 in this place, back on Scott St.... since Im moving back to SF, could it be again? Hide, beware, youre going to need to up your Tenzan inventory!!!! :) Brian-San will see you soon :). And seriously, if you like authentic Japan and a genuinely great sushi chef and place, youll love Oyaji! Lived in SF for years and this is the only place to go! O-toro anyone?
