Japan has long been my top two favorite countries in the world… the other being my beloved Italia. Thankfully, I live in a city home to the first Japantown in the Western world since the 1800s. With literally hundreds of Japanese restaurants in the Bay Area alone — and California being home to the largest Japanese population in North America — I could easily compile a top 50 or top 100 Japanese eateries in the Bay Area.
But best to keep it bite-sized since there’s always more where that came from. Soon I’ll write about the latest wave of handroll bars, but here, I explore five new (as of this year) Japanese spots: two izakayas, a soba house and a takeout katsu and sushi bowl spot.
Read the rest on Substack: Japanese State of Mind: 5 Notable New Japanese Eateries