PABU Izakaya

The omakase was incredible. All the dishes were well presented and delicious. The timing of everything was perfect and the amount of food left us very full. The staff was very attentive and friendly.

We LOVE the happy hour here, we’ve been 3 times in the past year and always get the same thing - salmon hand roll, the fried chicken, and the Kanpai drinks. Our servers have always been friendly and the restaurant has great decor. Perfect place for a date night and highly recommend paying with InKind for a discount.

​An Unforgettable Birthday Celebration at Pabu ​Pabu is, without a doubt, the best Japanese restaurant in San Francisco, and my recent birthday celebration there proved it. From they moment we walked in, we were treated with the utmost respect and courtesy. The staff went above and beyond to make the evening special, providing attentive, thoughtful service that made us feel genuinely cared for. It's a level of hospitality that is truly rare and made a huge difference to our experience. ​The food was the highlight of the night. Every dish was an exquisite masterpiece, showcasing flavors that were both delicate and profound. The quality was simply unmatched. Knowing that they fly in ingredients from Japan several times a week, I can now understand why the seafood and other components tasted so incredibly fresh. ​If you're looking for a top-tier Japanese dining experience, whether for a special occasion or just a fantastic meal, Pabu is the only place to go. I can’t recommend it enough.

I had a fantastic dinner at pabu last week. I learned they just premiered a new spring menu, and my experience was even better than the one I had a year ago. The duck gyoza was a highlight as well as the “ricearoni” fried rice. I would definitely come back for lunch just to try everything again

O.M.G. My taste buds are in heaven!l from bite one! I ordered the omakase. I almost didn't! They just had a price increase to almost $200 and I was warned it is a LOT of food. But I thought, 'when in Rome!' And don't be deceived, 6-7 courses in THIS omakase is a whole lot of food!!! The nigiri sampling was only one course! Right out the gate, the warmth and energy here is palpable from the sweet hostess well welcomed me up my fabulous bartenders Matteo, Diego, & Carlos. Carlos made me refreshing nonalcoholic bursts of flavor between courses to open my appetite when I let him know I don't drink alcohol. Each was delightful and tart! Matteo went above and beyond to attend to my dietary preferences. Diego checked in on me regularly to ensure timing of all courses, smily Luis and his team of runners did a great job of explaining all dishes, and the chefs delivered the extraordinary! Talk about great teamwork though? Everyone here worked tender together to execute a perfect all around experience! My meal started with the Toro & Caviar Tartare. Truly undeniable flavor! So decadent! Perfect hint of fattiness. The caviar was exquisite. I felt like I had gold melting in my mouth! I added a bit of tamari to the seaweed accent and I enjoyed that along the way! Next I moved on to the panko crusted dungeness crabcake. I should say I'm not the biggest fan of crabcakes but as far as crabcakes go it was good. The sauce was very flavorful. Had a subtle kick but not spicy. Definitely needed the citrus/lime on top. I'm for sure not disappointed. I think anyone who loves hush puppies would love this! The miso broiled black cod was next in line. Yep, unbelievable! First bite was sweet and literally melted in my mouth! Utter perfection! So tender! And I loved that they left the skin at the bottom. So great! I asked them to keep a very slow pace so I could bask in enjoying every course and they have wonderfully done that. I'm at the just over one hour point as I round our third course. Course 4: Their nigiri course was so fresh and flavorful! The time under the individual pieces was a bit too cooked for my taste but I appreciated that it was minimal. The golden eye snapper and otoro fatty tuna definitely stood out! The third round of nigiri was the best. The sweet shrimp was so meaty and delicious! I love the uni and enjoyed it here though it was a tad fishier than I'm used to. I did enjoy the seaweed wrapped rice under it. The salt water eel was the best one had with a surprising and subtle sweet undertone. The 5th course, MEN aka Main , was Motoyaki Lobster Spaghetti with udon noodles. This was again unbelievably good! Perfect zest. A very mild peppery kick as you dug further in. The udon was so soft and buttery with a perfect hint of lime. Entering hour 3 with the 6th course, yakimono. Matteo was amazing at tailoring this exactly to my liking. Exemplary customer service was a "yes, let's try it!" attitude! Loved the grilled daikon and sauce that adorned the meat. I'll not a desert girl but the matcha ice cream atop the cake was a nice touch. The sauces all around here are magnificent. No wonder I saw so many guests doing happy dances as they ate! I'll add about the neighborhood, as a single woman traveling, I really wanted to pick a place that felt situated somewhere safe and this was it! Not only did I feel safe outside but these guys had me laughing all the way out. Such an outstanding experience! I highly recommend! Nice lil perk I stumbled on... download the InKind app and pay with the app and you'll save $50 with check total over $150! Just be sure to tip on prediscounted amount.

Amazing sushi and good service. Pricey but worth it. Especially the fatty blue fin tuna sashimi and the una love were amazing. But everything I ordered was extremely good. Quality is excellent and def worth the price.

The food, service, and atmosphere were all stellar! Bobby and Brad took the time to explain the decor was themed after the “kill bill” movies. The service was impeccable for a Friday night(or any night). Our waiter Sergio was on top of every little detail from clearing our empty dishes, filling our water and drinks, to explaining each dish. Brad was very knowledgeable about all the wines and Bobby checked in on us to make sure everything was perfect! We will definitely be back and bring all our friends from Sacramento! Thank you Bobby and staff!