Clarissa L.

I'd give it a 3.5, really. Friday night and it was pretty empty when we stepped in! Good: Bacon wrapped scallops, yum! Ika (squid) was not bad, some parts weren't as tender as I'd have liked it to be, some parts were pretty good. Yakitori was good, standard fare. Mushroom tsukune, not bad. Onigiri Bonito was not bad too.. Deep fried quail eggs. Fried pretty nicely, too much yolk for me, but it was not bad. NOT good: Agedashi tofu, kind of disappointing, really. Tofu used was NOT very good. I had a much yummier time at Yume-Ya, perhaps their take on food is different. Or we should've ordered other stuff. Service was very prompt and very attentive, props to them!
(3)
Jessica C.

Went to Saizo today with fellow yelpers Henry L., Laurie K., and one non-yelper HT since I felt like having Japanese homey style food. I ordered the Ten Joni Tempura? I think that was what it was called. It was basically shrimp and vege tempura donburi with a raw egg cracked on top of it to cook on the hot rice. Delicious. It was the perfect blend of savory and texture. I would get it again in a heartbeat. The curry udon that Laurie got looked delicious as well. I would definitely want to go back to try the dinner menu since it's a variety of different things.
(4)
Winifred X.

Saizo, Tanto, Gochi, and now the new Gombei in SC... these are all excellent JP comfort food places. I went there tonight (Sat. night @ 8pm-ish), the places wasn't too crowded so we were able to get seats right away. food -- pretty good in general, I will only review the items we ordered. -- my fav. tonight is the "Mountain Yam salad w/ plum sauce", this dish is excellent, light and crispy mountain yam on a bed of greens, tasty yet refreshing plum sauce makes the dish stand out. (one doesn't see mt yam dishes very often in the bay area) -- grilled chicken skewer w/ citrus-tangy-pepper sauce -- grilled tuna w/ green onions both of these are just Ok in my opinion. I probably wouldn't get them again, especially the tuna is a bit tasteless. -- Ikura Onigiri -- warm, toasty... though my friend tells me that the grilled version is the best, will try that one next time! -- tuna tataki with bonito -- pretty good, light and refreshing sauce flavours it. overall, not too big of a crowd, attentive service, and yummy mt. yam salad, but disappointing grilled skewers. price/value -- 6 dishes (2 servings each except the Mt. yam salad, came out to ~$55, a bit pricey, but probably on par with Tanto and Gochi. I have yet to try the newly opened SC Gombei (which is a slightly different kind of food, not tapas, but set menu/entrees)
(3)
Jing G.

First time here, definitely not the first time eating at an izakaya.. Cute little place.. standard Japanese bar eats. We got a variety of fried and grilled eats. I liked the iidako and the hotaru ika. This is my first time in an izakaya in California.. I did enjoy the variety on the menu, lots of things which I would eat in Japan but never did find in most restaurants in New York or Philadelphia. Good service.. For a Tuesday night, it was busy. Being in Sunnyvale, it closes really early for an izakaya.. which is kind of sad for us. Also it's not open on Sundays. Also, for whatever reason, the Iichiko bottle they sell here is Iichiko Seirin, not the 'regular' one.. the alcohol content is a 20% as opposed to 25% in the regular. I was thinking that the bottle looked different and it tasted a bit too light....
(3)
Aldo H.

Had dinner here 2 Fridays in a row. Sampled mostly yakitori the first time, and small plates the second time. Skewers: - Sausage - Fried beef tongue - Fried pork - Grilled pork belly - Grilled enoki bacon - Grilled oyster bacon - Grilled scallop bacon - Grilled shitake with minced chicken - Grilled rib eye Small plates: - Gyutan: grilled beef tongue - Tori Karaage: curry deep fried chicken - Torikawa: deep fried chicken skin with ponzu sauce - Sunagimo: chicken gizzards with garlic sprouts - Oyako ochatsuke: salmon and salmon roe rice with tea - Yaki Onigiri: grilled rice ball - Bonita Onigiri Concluded that I didn't quite dig either the yakitori or small plates. They were good, but not a single dish knocked me out. Though for my SO, the butabara (grilled pork belly) and torikawa did. But he's not picky about his Japanese, so I'll take him to Sumiya or Yume-Ya instead :)
(3)
Susy C.

I came with a large group of people for a birthday dinner. We took up 3/4 of the restaurant, and this is a small place mind you. being the avid yelper i am, of course i did my research! i always follow Ken K's reviews on Japanese food. the waitress warned us that the wait for food will be very long since we were such a large group, and suggested we start off with appetizers, maybe a salad and then split skewers. i ordered: tako wasabi. VERY GOOD. I highly recommend it. small bits of raw octopus diced up with a slice of lemon and a plethora of FRESH REAL wasabi on top. mmmmm so delicious, i want some more right now! iwashi nan ban. deep fried sardines with a vinaigrette. i don't know when sardine season ends, but i know i like sardines! the vinaigrette was light, not too tangy. it was topped off with slices of red bell pepper and onions. this was also quite good. NOTE: one order of skewers is only one actual skewer. order in pairs! as for the skewers i ordered: bacon wrapped enoki mushrooms. - i love bacon. i love mushrooms. what could be a better combo than this? fatty goodness that is bacon embracing the chewy deliciousness that is enoki mushrooms. the bacon could have been grilled a little longer i think, but it was still a good skewer. unagi kimo (noted in Ken K's review) - grilled eel liver. i know it sounds a bit intimidating and scary, but you only live once. I LOVE THIS STUFF. I can't even describe the taste, but it was grilled perfectly. I also ordered this jalapeno popper type thing just for kicks. it was stuffed with soy cheese. it was okay, but nothing mind blowing. I did get to try some other skewers that other people ordered. beef and chicken - ehhhh.. come on. it's izakaya, be a bit more daring and dive into the specialties. grilled salted squid legs were okay, a little too rare in the middle so it got hard to bite. i was also impressed with their sake selection. i personally know the company that distributes to them, and they are highly selective of whom they do business with. IMPRESSIVE!! give the dewasansan and matsumi okuden a try. i wish they carried running springs! NOTE: This place is not good for large groups. It's more of a kick back, drink heavily and munch on good skewers type of joint. We had to go to In & Out across the street afterwards. =X BUT! I am definitely coming back.
(4)
LKT T.

I used to like this place but then they changed their menu. We don't go there anymore. Not as good as it used to be.
(3)
Serena H.

I've been here a few times; surprisingly this place has never been crowded. This is an authentic Japanese tapas restaurant, the yakitori. Being authentic meaning they have tasty stuff that the real Japanese people will love but uncommon for Americans, things like beef liver, beef tongue, pork belly with lots of fat. I have to be honest, although they are authentic; they are not the best yakitori I had. But they do have the best O chatuzke, which is my favorite! The restaurant is very simple, no fancy Japanese decorations, but comfy for hanging out with friends or just a simple light dinner. They also provide all kinds of soju, sake and other alcohol drinks. Great for groups too.
(4)
Martha T.

Not very many Japanese tapas in the area. I tried about four, and I would have to rate this as an 'A-OK." Cannot compare to Gochi. All the tongues, bellies, skins, etc. taste pretty much the same as all the the other places. Nothing stands out to me except the beef Kim-chi. I had some of my friends and had to order myself one :) If you are looking for a Sushi joint, this is a NO NO. They have a wide variety - too much in my opinion. One of those menus where I can look at for a good ten minutes and still cannot figure out what I want. A cute little place if you are not too hungry. Order sake and you'll have a great time :) But make sure you bring your wallet because the tapas can add up. FYI: If you have trouble finding this place, its right next to a huge dollar store.
(3)
Aubrey C.

DISCLAIMER: Review only for lunch I'm sure their tapas are good, but I've only been there for lunch, which is only decent. In fact, most of their dishes for lunch don't have that much food for the near-double-digit prices. Chicken karage is a bright spot though -- tasty, and fried just right. I also can't comment on the desserts -- twice they've mentioned green tea mochi, but they were out both times.. a bit suspicious. Anyway, you could do worse for lunch, but as far as Japanese food, there are better places in Sunnyvale, such as T.G.I. Sushi.
(3)
John G.

Most of the things I tried here were not bad. The pork belly skewers were really good, really tender meat it's as if it melts in your mouth. The bacon wrapped scallops were also good. They used the same meat as the pork belly but cut thinly. I would try this place again
(3)
Evan M.

Saizo is really a 3.5 for me--there was a lot of good, but nothing totally blew me away. The salads (beef, tuna, seaweed) were all really good, though weren't very generous with the meats. The tuna and beef each had yummy mayo sauce on top. You gotta love what you can do with mayo! We also had a bunch of different grilled and friend skewers. These were kinda hit or miss. The pork belly was good, but the first time we got it the pork was overcooked and not at all tender. EPIC SADNESS! The second one however, was right on the mark. All in all in was lotsa good with a little bad. The good stuff: Beef tataki salad Spicy tuna tataki salad Pork belly skewer Lamb/garlic skewer Fried quail egg skewer Pork cutlet & asparagus Bacon wrapped enoki The less good stuff: Squid legs - chewy and meh Beef tongue - very beefy and tender, but just wasn't special Lotus root w/ cod roe - interesting, but a bit odd
(3)
Nick N.

My first izakaya restaurant experience happened during our honeymoon in Vancouver, where they have a chain called Guu which is Guuuuuud. For the uninitiated among you, Izakaya is basically Japanese Tapas or Japanese Dim Sum, depending on your cultural orientation. (or maybe Tapas is Spanish Izakaya?) Anyway, think small plates that pair well with beer or sake. Bring a couple friends and order 5-6 plates. Share and drink and enjoy your company. Rinse and repeat until satisfied. A good time will be had by all. Highly recommended are the stewed pork and Yakitori but seriously it is all good in that oh-so-Japanese way studied perfection.
(5)
Stanley C.

SAIZO is a wonderful little Japanese tapas restaurant, located in Sunnyvale. If you're looking for sushi, this is not the place to go to. If you're looking to try bite-sized delicacies, come right on in! SAIZO is downright authentic Japanese, which is a blessing, since it seems like every other Japanese restaurant in the Bay Area is run by non-Japanese (not that they don't taste good, but you know what I mean...) Come to SAIZO for a wonderful and adventurous dinner. Instead of the usual Japanese fare of sushi, ramen, or bento boxes, we had some delicious bite-sized Japanese tapas. The food was definitely exotic, including raw octopus in fresh wasabi, pork bellies (most popular dish at SAIZO), beef tongue, bacon-wrapped shitaki mushrooms and scallops, duck slices in miso sauce, crispy chicken skins, and salmon roe rice balls. If you're looking for exotic foods, SAIZO is the place! In my opinion, Japanese tapas taste better than Cuban/Spanish-styled tapas, so give it a whirl!
(4)
Jen C.

A solid 4-star izakaya restaurant. aside from the mexican chefs behind the counter, it feels like a place right out of japan with its chic decor, artsy style, and obviously, delicious food. it was a quiet wednesday evening dinner, perfect for some good conversation over a great meal. if you've never had izakaya before, i definitely recommend the experience. it's basically japanese tapas, best when consumed with sake or huge Asahi. all the dishes are small yet filling. Must orders: pork belly skewer, fried tofu, scallop & bacon skewer Pretty good: rib eye skewer, grilled squid skewer Meh: Chicken wings, grilled rice ball (we ordered the wrong one) I wanted to order the ochazuke but my friend explained that that's considered "hangover food" and not appropriate for our dinner. i guess i can come here next time for that.
(4)
chris s.

The butabara - tender juicy square morsels of pork belly that will literally melt in your mouth. Fried chicken skinz - delightfully crunchy and delicious. reminds me of chicharones. ribeye - grilled to a medium rare perfection. the sauce was sooo good i wanted to lick the plate clean. bacon wrapped scallops - the bacon gave the scallops a nice kick of flavor and the whole thing pretty much melted in my mouth all in all, i give this place 4.5 stars. this place can get pricey! so pace yourselves!
(4)
Vince C.

Wanted to give it a 3.5 star review on my 5th time back. I ordered the teriyaki beef bento. Miso soup hit the spot on this day. Refreshing and tasty. Ordered the teriyaki beef -medium it was tender and cooked just right. Teriyaki sauce was very good. Wish there was more to help with the white rice. The "sides" carrots and sweet peas were chilled and very tasty and offered nice contrasts to the teriyaki beef. The carrot was on the sweet side but not too sweet. The sweet pea had the good snap when you bite into it. Teriyaki sat on a bed of cabbage. That absorbed the teriyaki sauce well. Definitely will come back again.
(3)
Ted W.

I had the unagi liver don and I can say is ewwwwwwwwww. Seriously, why serve that? Who even likes it? I'm not sure what I was thinking when I ordered it, but I guess I just wanted to try something different. To be fair the non-liver unagi was good, but it wasn't anything special. I'll have to try something else next time I come here.
(2)
Mariko F.

The incredible smell of the grill hits you the moment you walk in and you are immediately transfixed by the open kitchen area and the food that is being cooked there. I love this place. It's incredible. And i don't say that with a lot of places. This places is getting its stars based on food and service, but mainly the food. The only reason that they aren't getting 5 stars is because they don't take American Express and close at 9:30pm. Otherwise, it's fantastic. If i could give half stars, i would give them 4 1/2 stars. (5 stars is reserved for total perfection.) Although they serve the standard Japanese dishes like sashimi and udon, I suggest you go with the other stuff. Don't worry if you are a little scared of the menu, just take a deep breath and order what looks good to you. But order the dishes from the grill. I'm not saying that the standards aren't good - I'm sure that they are - but if you find a place where they make the interesting stuff well, why go for the standards??? The smaller dishes are small and go for about $2 - $4 a piece. Depending on the size of those things order anywhere from 3 - 5 per person and you should be set. Think tapas. If you are Japanese, you will feel right at home here. The patronage and (most) staff are Japanese. That says something about the quality of the food. My suggested food items: Kalbi - BBQ ribs. I know, it doesn't sound Japanese at all, but they are and they are fantastic. Yakitori - literally translated "fried bird" and it's a chicken kebab style thing. It's great. Karaage - deep fried chicken. now i know that this is generally a very simple dish, but the seasoning that these guys put on it is fantastic. Pork Belly - only if you like really juicy, fatty pork. it melts on your tongue... sometimes even on your plate. Long story short, this place is fantastic. I love it and I want to work my way through the menu. I think that might take a while but I am seriously considering going back tomorrow night.
(4)
Tuan T.

Fast seating. Food came out fast. Chicken & onion rice plate was not the greatest. Chicken was dry & hard to chew. Spicy Tuna salad was small. maybe 4 to 5 slice of tuna. Small portion of salad. Had better food else where. Not the place to go if youre starving & looking for a new place to stuff your face. Sadly i will not return to this place. Food was not that great and a bit over priced.
(2)
Joe H.

This place is my 2nd stop of the try-all-of-the-Japanese-tapas-place experience. I really enjoyed it. I called them to make a reservation around 4pm, and sure enough no one answered the phone, at 5:20pm, I gave up. Called back at 6:15 to find that they were already fully booked! what! can't even spare 2 chairs and a table!! luckily my "partner in crime" called around 6pm, and got us 2 seats at the bar (which is much better! you get to see the chefs in action!) Menu was not complicated, just enough choices to break your bank :-D I wanted to try everything!! We ordered grilled squid, yakitori 2 flavors, spicy tuna salad, grilled black pork and hamburger steak meal. Everything tasted so flavorful and fresh! I enjoyed the black pork dish, some people call it Kobe beef of pork, it was tender, moist and very Kobe like. The hamburger was "different" :-P On a funny note, they messed up our grilled squid order, we ALMOST got 2, but being a good guy (yes I really am), I told them that we've already got one( I showed them the pictures I took on my phone), they realized that the squid we got was the wrong kind! it was meant for some other table, so they got our squid instead. Service, food and atmosphere are all excellent. No complains, oh well we spent $70 just two of us, but that was expected.
(4)
Tom B.

Ok, so Miyake made me a little weary of Mexican guys cooking Japanese cuisine, but I have to give these two guys credit where it's due. There was one Japanese chef and two Mexican sous chefs working the mini-kitchen behind the bar. As the night wore on, the Mexican chefs ended up cooking the majority of the dishes. So if you want more authentic preparation, I'd come earlier in the evening but team Mexico wins my applaud. Beef Tataki Salad was fresh and a good starter. Followed it up with Ochazuke (Salmon and Salmon Roe) and a great comfort soup. Butabara (Pork Belly) was quite yummy then again when is fat ever not yummy. Continuing the love for fat we tried Torikawa (Fried Chicken Skin) which should anyone screw up, God have mercy on your soul. The Tomato and Beef skewer was a new twist. I'd recommend this place for an after work hangout; however, I'd say it is a bit overpriced for the quality of the food. If you're a local, I'd recommend trying this place out, but if you're taking out of towners for their only Izakaya meal then I'd take them over to Tanto instead. PS. The Sake was a bit tame. Then again this coming from two Asians who drink like they're Irish.
(3)
ClosetDork ..

Still in the spirit of looking for Sumika ver 2.0 we stumbled across Saizo's Yelp page. They served yakitori, so we took the leap of faith and hit up this place on a weeknight. The overall experience was OK, I would've given it 4 stars had Sumika not already been in the picture. But it is, and it sets the highest bar possible and Saizo unfortunately fell short of expectations. All but two of our dishes were not bad - including pork belly yakitori and rice balls with roe (ikura onigiri). The seared salmon was a wee bit too much on the 'cooked' side (too much searing?) and the bacon-wrapped enoki had a curiously peculiar smell to it. No more attempting to find Sumika ver 2.0.
(3)
Joe L.

We had lunch there today. Wife ordered the $12 lunch special which consisted of Grilled Salmon, Deep Fried Chicken nuggets, simmered Tofu and rice and miso soup. I tried a bit of everything. The salmon was done just right, the chicken was crispy outside and tender and juicy inside, probably the best chicken I have had for years. Too bad it was not my order. I ordered their Ribeye with onion sauce $9.80. It was pretty disappointing. I ordered it medium rare. The steak came out with the right cooked-ness, but it was not even lukewarm. I wondered if the steak was frozen to start with. So it was not even warm after it was cooked. Another problem was that the onion sauce was cold. I thought if they at least boiled the sauce before dumping on top of the steak, it would give me an illusion of a hot steak. The customer at the next table also had the same problem. She complained to the waitress and asked if the meal was freshly prepared because the steak was cold. The waitress took it back and cooked the dish again for her. I thought about the same, but I never like my steak well done. So I just ate my cold steak. If I were to review my own order only, I would probably give them a one star. I have heard that their dinner is like Gotchi Tapas. I will update the review after I've tried their dinner. Cash only at lunch time.
(3)
Bruno G.

Our last experience here was 4-5 years ago and food was excellent. Since then the menu has changed substantially but the quality of the food is still top-notch! The focus now is more on seafood with a very interesting and diverse selection of items. Service was friendly, courteous and prompt. Will definitely return again soon!
(5)
Miss H.

I have been missing and craving Yakitori Totto in NYC as of late, so decided to look for something comparable locally. No luck so far. This place just didn't cut it. Meh, ehhh only so so food. I came primarily for the yakitori and was really disappointed. I wouldn't make a special trip for this place. The food was either overcooked or poorly seasoned. The search continues....
(1)
beverly l.

I love Gochi and Tanto, and see a lot of comparisons between those restaurants and Saizo by past reviewers. While they all do Japanese izakaya (really well) I'm not sure how fair it is to compare. Tanto and Gochi have a far more extensive/elaborate menu, while Saizo is far more focused with a yakitori specialty which I think allows them to kick out fewer, but in many cases better quality dishes. Came here last night, and everythings was great. All of the meats were cooked to perfection. I'm used to yakitori being a little tough, but everything here melted in our mouths. They were so tender, juicy, and flavorful. My meal last night: Skewers: Chicken/Shitake - good Pork belly - melt in mouth delicious Bacon wrapped oysters - great flavors. table favorite. Bacon wrapped scallops - good, but not as flavorful as the oysters, and I personally have never liked the mouth feel of scallops. Fried beef tongue - really really soft , melt in mouth delicious. Fried quail eggs - also good. Tempura Tori Karaage - we couldn't taste the curry at all, but it was the best chicken karaage I've ever had. So juice, so tender. It just fell apart. Loved it. Ochazuke Salmon and salmon roe - with all the meat dishes this was a really refreshing and delicious dish. 1st runner up to table fave.
(4)
Cindy N.

It had been over a year since I'd been to Saizo so I was happy when Pat N. picked this as our lunch spot. I arrived just after 12 and was able to be seated right away. In fact, the whole time we were there, the restaurant was only about 50% capacity, so perhaps Saizo has lost it's popularity as a lunch spot? I used to always get the lunch special, but today I opted for the Ten-don. It was good, but not the best I've ever had. There were 2 shrimp, a piece of broccoli, a carrot, a slice of pumpkin, a shiitake mushroom and some onion for $9.25 so it was enough to fill me up, but I felt like the batter was a little on the thick side and was drenched with too much sauce. It came with a side of miso soup and some pickles which was a nice touch. I don't think that Saizo had necessarily gone down in quality, but certainly my expectations and standards have changed since my first review. Hoshi will still be my first choice for a Japanese lunch.
(3)
Eating And Living Well U.

Yelpers have left me astray. Lots of 4 stars??? WHAT? First off, I would have given it ONE if it were not for my standards. I only give 1 stars when the place is a chain and cooks worse than I do. Second, the atmosphere of the place was just plain and boring. The walls are white and there are no decorations really to speak of besides a cloth of some japanese like art. On top of that, we ordered the japanese chow mein and the chicken with special onion sauce w/rice and miso soup. So I get my dish before my date and he sits there for a good 20 minutes and we are like what's going on?? What kind of place forgets someone's meal and gives one meal and then forgets the other person's? So it was very embarassing because I didn't want my food cold so I started eating while he just looked at me. At least he got a chicken skewer to somewhat get him going. The chicken in my dish was dry and the sauce was too overpowering that it was not good. It came with cabbage which didn't have any flavor besides oil. The pan fried noodle my date got also lacked any flavor besides a burnt smokey flavor. He said he would not order it again. We also got their soju beverage. I got the mango passion one and it was pretty good though a little bit watered down. My date got the mint one and it was too strong in taste of soda. I don't really like soda. All in all, would not go there again. Very disappointed with the service and food.
(2)
Dave K.

Saizo is probably the best izakaya place I've had in the Bay Area. There, I've said it. Although, I've been told not to give my final vote until I try Gochi. I went here with some friends a couple of weeks ago. If you want to go here for dinner on just about any evening, you need to reserve. Rare is the occasion when a group can walk in and get a spot. The place is cozy but wide open, so it's actually one of the rare places that's good for both mid-sized groups and small intimate couples. There were 6 of us in the group. The best thing about izakayas are that you can try a veritable cornucopia of dishes with a wide arrange of tastes and preparation methods. We had everything from soba noodles to yakitori to to grilled black cod to squid. Seriously I think we had 12 dished between 12 of us and not a morsel of food was left. We ended the meal with yaki onigiri, which was seriously the best I've ever had. Unfortunately because it's been a few months, I can't remember details. But i remember that I loved everything and I took pictures, so take a look at the photos section. I definitely have to come here again.
(5)
T R.

I went here based upon the great Yelp reviews. Would I go back? Probably not. If you are looking for a cozy Japanese place that is more on the authentic side, this place is for you. If you are looking to go somewhere where they serve bentos, sushi rolls with trendy names, skip this place. This place is not for you. They are located on the El Camino in the Longs Drug strip mall, across from the new Chocolate Sushi restaurant. I went here today for lunch. They serve a simple menu. Main dish plates, dons (entree over rice), udon/soba noodles. That is what their lunch menu consists of. You will not find sushi rolls here during lunch. I ordered the tempura udon. It was good, but not OMG good. The price was decent at $8. Not bad. The service was good, too. TIP: If you decide to come here, make sure that you bring cash. They only accept cash during lunch. And then for dinner, they will take cards so long as your total is over $20.
(2)
Sushi S.

Getting full izakaya-style can be very expensive.
(4)
Horace K.

We came here to celebrate Jeffrey C.'s birthday (happy birthday, dude!) and pretty much went to town on their selection of yakitori. I like that they have a number of things on the menu that they don't have at Sumiya in Santa Clara, like the bacon-wrapped scallops (which were delicious), the garlic lamb skewers (which were also delicious), and the grilled eel liver (which we didn't get to try because they had run out, boo). They also have an entire menu of breaded and deep-fried skewers, which Sumiya completely skips out on. But to be frank, while the deep-fried skewers were good, I still like the grilled ones more. I felt like the breading masked some of the flavor of the ingredient, whereas grilling actually brings it out. The restaurant is immensely difficult to find. Their sign is unlit, and it's sandwiched between the brightly-glowing signs of the adjacent shops so it's easy to pass by it at night. We must've circled the lot two or three times just looking for the place. Between Sumiya and Saizo, I'd have to give the nod to Sumiya for several reasons. Main reason: better food. Also, even with a full house, Saizo just seems a little lonely. Sumiya may be cramped and smoky, but it manages to pull those off without being stifling. Your mileage may vary, though; this is coming from someone who loves living in a crowded, busy city! Saizo still is a good restaurant, and my preference for Sumiya certainly doesn't preclude a future visit to Saizo, especially if I'm looking for more variety.
(3)
Tetsu N.

Saizo is one of the best Japanese restaurants in the South Bay. It's hard to pick an absolute favorite with great Japanese hangouts like Sumika, Sumiya, Tanto, Gombei, Hatcho, Hoshi, and others. Like these other restaurants, Saizo is as authentic Japanese as you can get. With Japanese cooks and waitresses, and a popular hangout among the expats and chuuzai based in the Bay Area, you're walking into a typical Japanese Izakaya that you'd find all over the place in Tokyo. The decor is on the darker side, and the place is fairly small, maybe seating 30 or 40 people. The kitchin is half outside, and partially in the back, but the cooks are working in the outer area most of the time. They have fire-frilled food on cast iron racks making for some excellent grilled food, and they are fairly creative with their Izakaya type small dishes (Tapas to all you Bay Area connoisseurs). One of my favorite tapas dishes here is the fried chicken skin in ponzu sauce. It's not healthy, and it sure isn't filling, but it tastes oh so goooooood. I would never ever go here and not order this little gem. Everything else is pretty standard Izakaya fair with a few additional creative items. Expect to pay a pretty penny here for dinner. If I eat here, it's never as bad as Hatcho or Hoshi, but it's easily $50-$70 for a good variety of food.
(4)
Gabriel G.

Food was great and service was as well
(5)
Kate B.

My friends and I have been coming here for years now and we still come back at least once a month. Generally, we like to order a large bottle of sake and drink what we can and then drink the rest when we come back the next time (they will hold it for you- but don't wait too long to come back, sake DOES go bad and they will not serve you old Sake even though you paid for the bottle). Food items we usually ALWAYS order (because they are soooo delicious): Spicy garlic edamame (just thinking about it makes me drool) enoki bacon skewer iidako (baby octopus skewer) chicken karaage Spicy tuna salad age dashi dofu ika ichiya (grilled squid- so good with a little squirt of lemon...) salmon onigiri For main entrees: cha soba- great summer option kitsune udon - that's my winter option kakiage udon (i really like their udon broth!) tuna or the unagi ochazuke are both tasty and light options My husband loves the nabeyaki udon, menchi katsu, ochazuke, and the katsutoji. Dinner can sometimes get really crowded, so even for us regulars, we always call ahead- Naomi is so sweet! The goal is to go for an enjoyable, lengthy dinner and drinks- not the place to rush in and out of. :)
(5)
Albert H.

My wife and I have been a customer of Saizo for 4+ years. Recently (2 weeks ago) the restaurant changed their menu which specialized in fish, so no more yakitori, noodle, and other dishes. Overall the new menu is OK, a bit confusing on who/what they want to be and how to juggle a new menu with a single cook (went from 3 to 1 cook). I wish them the best, unfortunately we probably will not return for a while.
(2)
Bill M.

Yume ya was closed so we went to saizo. This is my forth te here but probably my last. The pike, negi hamachi, black cod, white fish tempura were all bland. My sons 14 dollar hamburger teriyaki burger (bun less) was good, and so was the salmon teriyaki. Nothing really bad, but nothing memorable either. Expensive too.
(3)
Sophia C.

Just tried this place for the first time a week ago for lunch, and my hubby and I really enjoyed it! I'm glad that it's not your run of the mill sushi joint, and the large Japanese clientele during lunch was a good sign. We both had the lunch special that day which was good, and we saw many people ordering the rice plates or combos. It all looked so good that we said we'd definitely be back in the near future!
(4)
Shu Han C.

Ever since Sumiya got burned down we haven't been able to find a suitable replacement for our izakaya food fix. The Tanto at Sunnyvale seems to have better food selection than Tanto at San Jose, but the gyutan is still a far fetch from Sumiya's. As result, we braved the Friday night Pre-Thanksgiving traffic rush on Stevens Creek and headed into Sunnyvale for this restaurant called Saizo. As seasoned foodies, we made a prima donna mistake of not calling ahead for a reservation. And of course, all tables are reserved; we even had to wait 30 minutes to sit at the bar. It never makes sense to us when a waitress walks up, sees you eyeing the rows of empty table, and still manages to say "sorry, no more table tonight" with a apologetic yet straight face. She says the tables are all reserved. Reserved all right, except that the guests with the reservation show up 1 hour after, and sits down at the empty table right in front of the standing people who's been waiting that whole hour. There is defnitely some cultural nuances behind their reservation policy. We ordered edamame, chicken skin with ponzu, yakitori, grilled gyutan, butabara, scallops wrapped in bacon, enoki wrapped in bacon, grilled veggies, yakitori, geso, and a big carafe of hot sake since it was freezing outside. The butabara is very very good - the fatty pork is cut thick into cubes then grilled; how the lean meat turned out so tender (not dry) and the fat melts in the mouth is beyond me. I was never able to duplicate this at home. Damn. The enoki mushroom wrapped in bacon is 2 pieces per order, and bigger than Sumiya's 3 pieces per order, but the mushrooms isn't as well cooked according to J. The gyutan is seasoned well, but still not as juicy and tender as Sumiya's morsel-styled skewer. God I really miss their gyutan by now! The chicken skin with ponzu is crunchy and light. The paper-thin cucumber slices garnishing the bottom of the plate is slightly tart, but neutralizes the greasiness of the chicken skin. Perfect ensemble. The patrons consists of mainly Japanese business men, some Korean men, and couples. They seem to order more booze than food as the night wears on, some of which dashes outside to smoke every 10 minutes then dashes back in to drink. Being that drinking and smoking go hand in hand in these establishments, that California anti-smoking law must be a doozie for these hard-core barflys. A lot of patrons ordered yaki onigiri, but we missed Tanto's version so much we didn't order one. Maybe next time. We left strangely unsatisfied ... wanting ... wishing .... that Sumiya would reopen soon ...
(4)
ju C.

The food here was all just OK, very average. I've had better izakaya. Enough said.
(3)
Pauline P.

I and other 2 colleagues got there for dinner around 9:20pm so we didn't wait in the line. What I like here is not only the food, but also the pottery they use. you taste not only the good food, but also enjoy the art of Japanese cuisine. the only thing I am not so satisfied is the chicken skewer with plum sauce. price reference: we ordered 5x3=15 skewers 1x3 Agedashi tofu ( l love the small pottery bowl for the agedashi tofu, I hope I can buy one!) 1 fried noodle, one beer, one samon salad. total is around $78
(4)
Andrew Y.

I almost came to this place again until I read my fiance's review below and realized damn I've been here before ... and it wasn't all that great. nothing stood out for me at this place, and the food simply was a notch below the other japanese tapas places that we go to. whew, good thing I read through the reviews first. almost, ALMOST was about to go again.
(2)
chib y.

The new menu makes Saizo like a different restaurant. It might be a bit confusing but they have a lot better quality fish. Sake steamed Kinki was very yummy. It got a bit more pricey but mainly because most dishes are with fresh fish. I wish they kept just a few of the good skewers even as a plate of 4-5 skewers. Perhaps, they can get them back sometime.
(5)
Ronald M.

Izakaya is supposed to be a social (drinking) outing, so take your time and let the pork belly, chicken skin, bacon wrapped oysters, stuffed shitake mushrooms soak all the sake and Yebisu beer in. Inside is relatively small, we got in before the dinner rush, otherwise, get a reservation. They serve sushi, but it'd be blasphemous to order it here. READ 'tapas', small plates, don't come here if you expect huge portions. Bacon wrapped oysters and the chicken skin were solid choices. Pork belly a little crisp, but otherwise mouth-melting. Eat it fresh and don't let it sit. Bacon wrapped scallops left a lot to be desired. It needs more scallop. Chicken-stuffed shitake mushrooms have a more mushroom taste than chicken. Spongebob Awesomeness: 3.5 - 4 krabby patties + at least one more visit to try more stuff.
(4)
Selina C.

Wow those tiny tapas can really add up... mosty mediocre fare that didn't seem right for $60 worth of food/service for 2 people for dinner. Service was decent. I sat at the bar but would've preferred the table. Bacon wrapped items were disappointing. Tried many dishes but nothing really stood out except I believe a taro soup. I'd go here once just to experience a tapa, but not more than that.
(3)
Jen D.

Came in around 8pm on a Saturday. We were sat immediately. Good. Ordered: Kurobuta Miso - This was ok. Nothing special. A little chewy. Pork Belly Yakitori - This was my favorite. These square juicy morsels of pork belly melt in your mouth. Chicken and Green Onion Yakitori - Nothing special. Pretty standard. Asparagus wrapped with pork katsu - DAMN GOOD!! Grilled beef tongue - really good and huge pieces Chicken gizzards with garlic sprouts - I don't eat gizzards so I was just picking at the garlic sprouts. SO GOOD! 2 orders of chicken skin - Um. Yeah. Fried, crispy skin goodness. Cha soba - GREEN TEA SOBA!!!!!!!!!!!! And a few onigiri. I love onigiri. To top all that off, the guys had a bottle of iichiko and I had choya on the rocks. My usual. It was a good night. The food was good. The service was ok. But the food was good.
(4)
Nicole P.

Sorry Saizo, but I have to take at least one star away from my previous review. I've been there 3x for lunch now, and sad to say, it was barely mediocre. The last time I went for lunch, I ordered the ton katsu - fried pork cutlet. It was greasy and far too much of my portion was just plain fattiness, and not actual meat. Sorry, can't say I'll go back again.
(2)
Petra S.

I'll give this place back 1 star since I liked the little dishes even though the wait in between was ridiculous.
(4)
Eme L.

Wanted to go to Tanto after a late movie, but they closed at 9. Oh well. Did a quick Yelp search and ended up at this place. From the outside, it's pretty non-descript - would certainly have passed it if I was specifically looking for the place. Service is fast and friendly, but the food is just ok. We had: tiny octopus, oysters wrapped in bacon, rice ball w/ ginger, tuna yaki. All ok, but nothing memorable. Since they are open fairly late (until 11pm on Saturday), I could see us coming back just because of that.
(3)
Coco L.

This is for lunch review.. not impressed with the food or service, their tea was good...but It was a slow day, they had 3 tables (including mine) 3 waitress, and there was hardly any service Had their lunch special- grill fish, seafood potsticker, and tofu. the grill fish was no wider than 2 of my fingers and shorter than my hand (and I have small hand) Curry duck soba noddle wasn't too good either.. For this price, go to Tanto or Gochi...
(2)
Carolyn P.

My first time here and it was a hot day so I had grabbed a bottle of ice tea from my fridge and as I was waiting for a waitress to bring water or anything she came up to me and said no outside food or beverages. It was such a stupid thing to say as I was thirsty and obviously no water had come. She then said she would get water. She could tell she pissed me off and tried to be nice afterwards. Menu was lame and food was nothing worth coming back for again which I wont.
(1)
Oyster H.

It's all about the pork belly. Awesome. Everything else is decent but not spectacular.
(3)
Brian F.

I had the opportunity to eat here and last night and I must say I was impressed. Its not as good as gochi, but it is different. Spicy Tuna Salad - This was awesome, it was a mixed green salad with Tuna Sashimi in it and a cremy mayo hot sauce. On top of that it had avacado in it too...yum! Hamachi Sashimi - I personally love hamachi and the fish here was high quality and very tasty Pork Stir Fry w/ Kimchi - This was very tasty and actually had the perfect amount of spice to it. Not as good at Tanto, but pretty good still. Rib Eye Skewer - O WOW, this was really good, I want a whole steak cooked like this. The sauce was yummy and the steak was medium rare. Perfect! Chicken Breast Skewers w/ Lemon Yuzu Pepper - The Chicken itself was good, but the seasoning on top was a little too in your face. It wasn't bad, but I don't think I'd order it again. Beef Tongue - It was peppery and absolutely delicious. Salmon Onigiri - This was decent, not great and not bad. A little too salty. Overall this place is great, the atmosphere could use a little more light, but I'm guessing that they were going for the dark theme.
(4)
Alex P.

The Pork Belly was the only exceptional thing here. Everything else was average or slightly above average. The service was kind of spotty but on the plus side, there weren't huge lines/waits like at Tanto or Gochi.
(3)
Scott L.

First off, thank you all for the great pics... especially Joe, as we also like to sit at the counter. It's like "dinner and a show" up there. Most want to sit at the tables, but we love the counter. DINNER REVIEWS - No lunch yet. Now to the sake, yummy, reasonable variety. The sample set is good too. Of course the sushi isn't here for olympic sport but a good pairing with Saizo's food. Probably better than most we've tried. [Note to Yelp programmers: Pls consider adding Sake and other ethnic drinks to the Alcohol tabs on the review page!] For the food, if you like Tapas style (and are OK with the higher prices- "fair warning" ) dishes, then you'll love this Izayaki fare. We've tried much of the menu, and the chili stuff's good but I dare only take a small portion if at all (my pallate/stomach issues, not Saizo's, lol). Some of the items can be rich and not very good for you, but that's why they're so good. Right? Just don't go here expecting sushi/sushi boats. LOL More detailed review to follow shortly. Second warning: If you have a hearty appetite, and big eyes as you're at the counter looking at all the food being cooked...it can get expensive. ;-( Service: Can be sloooooow. I'm noticing this is not unique to Hoshi's, Saizo, etc.
(4)
JJ G.

This place is so invisible but it turned out to be an OK place They serve all kinds of skewers, which are so not healthy but tasty However, the menu kinda gets boring after you have tried all the skewers and there really isnt anything healthy, except the salad and I am never a big salad fan So once in a while I may come here to unhealthy myself but most of the time while I am craving izakaya, I will still go to Tanto
(4)
Jaymes H.

Bacon wrapped scallops and pork belly appetizers were good, though VERY small. I really enjoyed the pork belly, it was tender and quite flavorful. The fried chicken skin is nice and crispy. The rib eye with onions and duck soup with soba were both quality entrees. All in all, a good meal, if overpriced.
(3)
Bekki L.

I've had this izakaya tagged in my bookmarks to visit ever since we moved to Sunnyvale, yet somehow never managed to "find it" Last night the place closest to us had a full house, so we called Saizo to ask exactly where they were. Turns out they were right between dd's Discount and Spice Hut in the same plaza, but b/c those two stores had neon signs, we've never noticed Saizo's discreet signage... we're idiots... The first thing we noticed when we stepped in was the smell of grease-- the bar overlooked the grill and deep frying area. Since we sat at the bar, I wondered if I smelled like the kitchen by the time we left. The upside for sitting at the bar is that we were right next to where the waitresses took orders and had excellent service, while some of the other patrons had a hard time flagging down the staff for beer, etc. What we ordered in the order of appearance: - Satoimo, just like I remembered from childhood :-) - Dengaku, the thick miso sauce was more like plum sauce, kind of weird - Buta kimchi, they didn't use thin sliced pork belly like other places that serve buta kimchi-don, was okay. A bit too spicy to eat on its own, but good w/ the onigiri - Harumaki salad, it's more like a spring roll with shrimp and soft shell crab roll wrapped in mixed greens and soy paper wrap, we liked it very much. Though besides the ingredients called out on the menu, we also found mixed sashimi pieces in there. We had witnessed a disagreement between the chef and his helper as he prepped this, and wondered if we got some extra stuff we weren't supposed to (shrug) - Renkon, the preparation with chicken breast didn't do much for me. It's really hard to top Gochi's renkon and shrimp dish... - Ikura onigiri, decent. I sort of wished we got the yaki-onigiri, which are only served plain - black sesame ice cream, 2 scoops served with a swirl of molasses was the perfect dessert to top of the night. Highly recommended While we didn't order any, the bacon wrapped scallops on the the grill and grilled cuttlefish looked very good. We'll have to come visit again
(4)
Shing W.

Had the yaki udon and nyumen. The nyumen was soggy and overcooked, not much soup left. The menu said shrimp, chicken, and vegetable and it end up with amount considered garnish of each. Yaki udon has overcooked strips of steak that's also garnish amount, and it took them a long time to prepare both. Most importantly they neither taste good nor are fulfilling in size. It would be considered 2 stars for a fair price (i.e. $6-7 each) but with just these 2 noodles and nothing else end up costing $21.50 after tax, that deserve only 1 star.
(1)
Shayne T.

limited menu...cash only at lunch...
(2)
Bonnie n.

extremely disappointing experience. I wanted to try out this place because of other yelpers reviews.. i felt like it was way overrated the wait for my food was long, and when i finally got my food. it definitely wasn't worth the wait. my friend got mad at me because i had suggested the place and it sucked.. booo...
(2)
Kim L.

I wanted to get my grub on and a friend recommended this place. He mentioned something about chicken skins, I just had to try it for myself. The chicken skins were super crispy and taste a lot like pork rinds. It was pretty darn good! But the best part of dinner has to be the pork belly! This stuff is to die for!! Its packed with flavor that just melts in your mouth! Yummmy! We also ordered some duck curry udon the curry was nice and thick. Very delicious! I didnt really care for the bacon wrapped oysters, but the bacon wrapped scallops were good. I would definitely recommend this place but it can get pretty expensive because the portions are very small. My bf was still hungry after dinner.....hahahaha
(4)
Richard T.

Pork belly skewer + rib eye skewer =D =D =D tako wasabi, sashimi, everything here is pretty good. The small dishes aren't particularly cheap, but everything is pretty unique and tastes pretty good. The only thing I wouldn't get again is the eggplant stuffed with sweet miso and chicken. It was too small and wayyyy too expensive for the 2 small pieces. Order the sake sampler as a good complement to your meal. I also loved the duck with cold noodles. It's really small servings here so make sure to order plenty.
(4)
Jim C.

Nice place for Japanese small dishes but the food doesn't live up to a 4 star rating on Yelp - not even close. All the dishes were rather average when we came here for dinner. Agedashi tofu - fried, okay Veggies (yasai) - very small plate - asparagus/peppers/mushrooms - mushrooms and peppers were good but asparagus was overcharred Beef wrapped around onions - imagine a mini stalk of scallion wrapped tightly by a piece of beef. Beef didn't have much flavor. Yakisoba - the only dish that I thought was very tasty. But oily and ordinary. Black cod grilled in sake - wasn't tender/flakey like other places and sake flavor was too strong Chicken wings (teba) - grilled, ordinary. Not much extra flavor. Oyako - rice with broth and salmon - broth was tasty, tiny piece of salmon with not too much flavor, bowl of rice, side of seaweed. Okay. Yaki onigiri - turned out to be a plain traingular ball of rice wrapped in seaweed. No flavor at all beyond the seaweed. I could have just gone to Ranch 99, made some rice, and wrapped it around seaweed. Service was friendly, accomodating, and nice... when you could get the attention of the 3 waitresses because they were rushing around to cover all the tables. Surprisingly crowded place for so-so food. Bottom line: Just OKAY. Yawn, Maybe we didn't order the house specialties but I'm sticking with Tanto and Gochi.
(3)
Anna H.

Another one of my favorite japanese izakaya places. I like this place just as much as tanto. Very similiar food, great ambiance and usually we get a table right away. You do have to come earlier or later to beat the crowds. It is kinda hard to find if its your first time. Favorites: Agedashi tofu, garlic lamb, chicken skewers, Corn/shrimp fritter, Torikwawa and pork belly yakitori. yumm!
(5)
Jenny K.

i'm really really into my japanese tapas. one of my favorite meals in the world. i can close my eyes and taste it... after i read a review that said that saizo was the closest thing to furaibo (WHICH I LOVE IN LA), we decided to try it. it was THE BEST JAPANESE TAPAS place i have ever been to in the bay area. you can already tell how authentic a japanese place is by the number of actual japanese people who are there. you don't need reservations on a monday night (7:30pm) but i did notice people coming in after 8pm.. it was filled when we left. that meal was extra delish!! saitoimu -- simmered taro. looks like fish balls. tasted sooo yummy in a light broth. hamburg steak with ponzu sauce.. i almost ate the whole thing cuz my mom and bro didn't eat the red meat. more for me!!! curry soba in a light broth flavored with the correct amount of spicy-ness. it had veggies and chicken too. you would not know that it was curry-flavored if you looked at it. nasu miso -- two long pieces of eggplant with minced ground chicken meat on top. kalbi -- soft, cooked just right with great flavoring salmon-cha...fish over rice with a light broth that you pour over it i had asparagus covered with pork in fried tempura batter. nice but i wasn't really into fried stuff tonight. aji tataki -- tuna tataki with slice green onions, ginger. okay, so my favorite dish of the night was the hamburg steak. bro was saying that several of us were full but that i was the most stuffed cuz i ate sooo much. heehee.. guess i'll have to still try gochi so i can compared. but SAIZO is the best japanese tapas place by far that i have ever had in the bay area. ya..it's a bit pricey but that's what you can expect from japanese tapas...not something you have daily. Mmm...
(5)
Anita L.

It has taken us forever to find this place. Recommended to me by a Japanese acquaintance, we've driven around the area many times, but not intentionally looking for it so we've not found it. However, this time we went with the intention of looking and it was tucked in the corner far from sight. A Japanese tapas and sake restaurant, Saizo has a wonderfully 'adult' atmosphere, yet, comfortable even with children. Everything has that modern teak look and the staff was very friendly and helpful. We settled on many little dishes and as we were starving, waited helplessly while our food was being prepared. Spicy tuna salad was a delicious start with chunks of raw fish nestled in a bed of baby greens with a chili mayo (I'm generally not a mayo fan) dressing. This place serves mainly fried and grilled dishes. The "gyu negi" -- beef rolled around scallion on skewers were outstanding. The little guy insisted that they were his and we had to order more. Soft shelled crab tempura was average as were the fried scallops which were stringy. The fried shiso (perilla) leaves wrapped chicken was delicious as the flavor of the shiso leaves added such an aromatic finish to the dish. We also sampled agedashi tofu (fried tofu), fried lotus root with chicken and a seasonal fish called "ayu" which was I'm sure was an acquired taste. The little guy had the fried tofu udon which was really good. My only complaint is that there was just too much fried food on the menu and if not careful, it could overpower the entire meal. Even though we only had 3 items which were fried, at the end of the evening, I just felt like the grease had overtaken my stomach. Next time, we will stick with more of the robatayaki (grilled) stuff instead. PS: Please excuse the poor quality of the photos as I always take them using my cell phone.
(4)
Robert D.

This is the most authentic Japanese restaurant I have been to since leaving Japan. It reminds me or rural cuisine. Granted, the seats are higher and the squid isn't moving around on the plate, but all in all it was a great dining experience. The sake prices are somewhat high. But, you get what you pay for here. You can't get this stuff in the states. This is real Japanese sake. I just wish they had some Yamaguchi prefecture apple sake....Mmmmmm
(5)
Tal K.

Folks, this is not a sushi bar. I wish Yelp could erase every bad review this place gets because it's not a sushi bar. Not all Japanese food is sushi, this place is a pretty traditional Izakaya (Japanese version of tapas/pub food). The food and service are wonderful! Highly recommended for both lunch and dinner, especially if you're the adventurous type!
(4)
Jonathan C.

Came here for lunch one Friday afternoon. The menu's nothing to write home about for lunch, relatively standard fare in terms of items available. Your run of the mill teriyaki, hamburg, katsu, udon, soba, etc. Regular, if any, Japanese lunch fare, disappointing for an izakaya. Although, however, I did notice they have gyutan available. But eventually, what caught my eye, was an unagi and unagi liver don. Unagi liver seemed interesting, it was something I never tried before, so I ordered. The food was slightly on the salty side. The saltiness of the unagi and unagi liver was slightly overpowering. The mix of the plain rice and the unagi seemed to not mesh well together, either. Both seemed to have separate tastes, the strong taste of liver with the blandish taste of rice. But by itself, it was quite good, except for the saltiness. Will have to retry for dinner, but may strike this place off of the current obvious picks for lunch rotation. Will go here again if requested though. Service was good though. No issues there. 3 stars - Decent food, but nothing too brillant. Just another area izakaya, so far.
(3)
RJ P.

Outstanding - I really love this place. Great menu, awesome food, reminiscent of the food you will find in Japan. I've had dinner here more times than I can count and never left unhappy. My personal favorites: Tako Wasabi and sake sampler. Enjoy.
(5)
Pramida P.

Saizo has always been one of my favorites but never got a chance to write about it. The various grilled chicken skewers, the yakitoba noodles and the udon - all very yummy and delicious. I hesitate experimenting with seafood I'm not used to and cant comment to that much but I'll guess that they are delicious just based on my experience with the other food. It is worth stopping by and checking this place out! A must try!
(4)
Lawrence T.

What a delightful place. On a cold night we decided on a whim to eat here and were lucky enough to get the corner of the bar. Everything was booked and a reservation is a must. I wanted to try some different stuff and the chili edamame was the ticket. Yummm! Also had the beef tongue, nice and tender and the tenderloin salad was just as good and quickly shared and devoured. It was fun sitting at the bar because you can see the chef with iron fingers pick stuff off the hot grill. All our little plates were well presented and tasted delicious. We are definitely going back to try more of the menu.
(4)
Alice L.

Just had lunch here for a friend's belated birthday luncheon. I decided to try their ten sura soba since I've not had cold soba for sometimes now. The tempura batter wasn't as light and airy; it was more on the oily, greasy side. I know it's fried but it could have been less oily. The soba noodle was good. The dipping had a lot of bonito flavor which was tasty but there is definitely a lot of MSG in the dipping sauce because my mouth is dry and that's what happens when I eat MSG. Good sized portion. Price for lunch ranges $10-$15. The place is small and it does get crowded during lunch. They do take reservation so that's a plus. The staffs there are friendly but don't expect them to check up on you other than giving you your check. I might go back to try their donburi. I still miss Maki in the city - yummy home cooking.
(3)
Janice C.

Came here with a couple friends for dinner on Thursday Night. Service - Was mediocre. We got our orders pretty quickly but the girl who ordered the noodle soup got her order last so she was just watching us eat the whole time =/ We also waited a while for the waiter to come by with the check. They however, did refill our teapot often. Food - We ordered a couple of small plates. The one I liked best was the Pork Belly as it was flavorful and tasty. We also ordered the Agadashi Tofu (which came with one piece only!) and it was a bit bland and dry. The bacon wrapped scallops was also pretty tasty. Pricing - This feels to be on the pricier side for the portion size.
(3)
Chuck N.

Japanase Tapas! Maybe not the world's greatest, but they do have a large selection. I believe I tried the following dishes: bacon wrapped scallops - yum pork kimchi stir fry - very good, extra tasty bacon wrapped enoki mushrooms - i've had better of this mushroom cow tongue skewers - way too chewy, hard to swallow deep fried baby octopus skewers - not that great minced meat with cheese baked skewer - eh, nothing special grilled pork belly - tasty, fatty though grilled tuna - very good pork wrapped tomato - yum, it popped in my mouth like a gusher beef tongue plate - slightly better, but still too too chewy hamburger steak - it was just hamburger with veggies and noodles. not good. i think i'll try the two other japanese tapas places (gochi and ....?) next time service here was also poor, the waitress couldn't recommend nor explain a single tapa to me! topped off with steaming sake
(3)
Ling H.

This place was hard to find in the dark and in the rain. Situated right in between Spice Hut and the Dollar Store, there were NO signs anywhere. Thankfully my friends knew exactly where it was because I drove by it twice :( ------------------------ Drink: Grapfruit-hi was a soju soda drink that tasted a little on the watered down side. For $5.50, it was refreshing and had chunks of red grapefruit for you to munch on after you finish your drink. Yum! Grilled Pork Belly- One of the best skewers here. It was lightly grilled and tasted pretty awesome with just the right amount of fat and very tasty. I would definitely recommend this. Note: You only get 3 pieces though. Pork Kim chi stir fry: One of the best dishes here. The kim chi was surprisingly fresh tasting and light and the slightly charred pork went very well with the kim chi. A definite must order. Grilled Garlic Lamb Skewer: This was cooked very well, and the taste of the lamb was not gamey at all, but if you're sensitive to the taste of lamb, that might be another story. However, I've tried lamb several times and I didn't find the taste to be bad whatsoever. Grilled tuna skewer: This would have tasted better if the tuna was grilled for a shorter time frame so it was still a little raw like ahi tuna is cooked. It was a new experience to try tuna grilled until it was cooked. Deep fried Baby Octopus: The octopus was cooked well and still had a slight bite to it, but a little too greasy. Enoki mushrooms with minced beef skewer: If you like Enoki mushrooms, this is a great, light skewer. However, I could not taste the minced meat inside. Bacon wrapped Scallops: This one was ok. It just tasted like bacon, but the scallop was cooked well and not dry in the least. Pork wrapped tomato: This one tasted like cherry tomatoes on a skewer. I didn't even taste the pork =| Deep fried beef tongue: This was my LEAST favorite dish out of everything I tried. It tasted VERY fatty and not in a good way. I could only take one bite. Beef tongue plate: Thin slices of grilled beef tongue was a little too tough, but well seasoned and tasted a LOT better than the deep fried yakitori version. But not one of my favorite dishes. Hamburg Steak Entree: This dish was a little too salty, too oily, and too mushy for my liking. It didn't seem like my friends enjoyed it much either. --------------------------- All in all, a decent place for yakitori and Japanese style small plates. It wasn't busy on a Tuesday night, so it's great for hanging out and catching up with friends. The food is just ok.
(3)
Minnie L.

After my disappointing experience trying to get a table at Yume-ya, we were running out of options for a table at 8:15pm on a Friday night. We thought of Saizo, and decided to give this place a try. Pros: The waitresses were friendly. The decor is nice. They have a super nice tansu chest right next to the front door which my husband and I think would make a super nice play area for our cats. Cons: They still charged for tea, but at least this time I knew ahead of time so there was less of a shock. We ordered 2 orders of their chicken liver yakitori, 1 order of their chicken breast with their special sauce, an order of their duck breast, simmered black cod, and an egg dish in a pot called nabeyaki tamago with crab meat. Even though they have priced it competitively for the area, I was very disappointed in the size of their simmered cod dish. There were 4 small pieces in there. While it tasted fine, it wasn't super amazing. The sauce they put on top of the chicken breast tasted off. Perhaps it just wasn't to our taste. We found the liver to be rather bland (again it might be the sauce used). Nothing in this restaurant screamed delicious. Bottom line: The meal came to $48 before tip. We didn't order any alcohol. I think while this place has their customers, they are very far behind their contemporaries in the South Bay. I need to be more proactive going forward to make reservations.
(2)
Debbie S.

What could go wrong when ordering a chicken teriyaki and gyoza for lunch? Well, Saizo got me good when I ordered these 2 simple dishes for a "to go" lunch today. I never heard of this place, but I was doing an errand in the shopping center they are located in and decided to grab a "to go" lunch here. The waitress was very nice & accommodating (gave me water as I waited for my order, etc.) and it seemed like a popular spot. The wait time for the food was reasonable and I took my nicely wrapped items to eat back at my work. To my surprise when I opened up the 1st container back at my desk the gyoza was burned on one side - and not the nice burn, but the burn that tastes bad! And it was for all 6 pieces - there goes $6 down the drain! I figured "whatever, I'm too hungry" plus I still had my chicken teriyaki meal left. I opened the 2nd container and I couldn't even figure out what type of meat I ordered! That was $8.50 down the drain too! Everything was burned and the meat was hard - the bad hard and the bad burn! Two coworkers couldn't believe how badly burned both of my dishes were and told me to go back and return it. They wouldn't eat it either! If it wasn't for the distance to drive back, as well as me being 31 weeks pregnant and I was too hot & tired to get back into my car (plus I didn't get a receipt when I paid!), I would have gone back to get my money back or at least ask for another set of food. I would never have kept the food if I saw this at the restaurant. So, I'm sharing this horrible meal experience with all of you (along with photos!). And, to make a note to self - always check your food before leaving a restaurant! I think they gave me the food because I was a "to go" customer. I won't give this place a 2nd chance though and hope no one goes through the same experience as me.
(1)
Susan H.

This place is a joke! The food is average at best. Servings are tiny, but the prices are HIGH! They don't even give you salad or soap with your Soba noodles. I ordered the tenzaru soba and it came with a single serving of cold buckwheat noodles, a small piece of: 1/2 of a shitake mushroom, carrot, bell pepper and 2 small shrimp. All that for $11! Was still hungry afterward so I ordered the fried tofu and it came as a 2" x 2" cube for $2.25. The waitress was a joke too. We asked her for iced water and she totally forgot even though there were only 3 tables occupied at that time. They take CASH ONLY too make matters worst, but does not have a very visible signage pointing to such. Needless to say, we will never go back there again!!!!
(1)
Jennifer W.

Izakaya dishes got bought home to eat. Bacon wrapped mushrooms and bacon wrapped scallops were the best. The beef tongue was a bit tough, and the pork belly was pretty tasty. Also, had tempura and rice balls with mentaiko and salmon. Pretty average...Overall, better then the last time I tried it. So, thats good....It still doesn't beat some other izakaya places though.
(3)
Eric L.

I usually come here with coworkers for lunch and the food isn't bad, but a bit on the pricey side. The cold soba noodles are good and it's similar to what you can find in Japan. I tried the hamburger steak before which was nothing special, and I also tried their tonkatsu which was terrible. The tonkatsu was dry and the meat was tough. It tasted like leftover, re-fried, pork. For the prices they charge, I would expect a lot more.
(2)
Daniel L.

Having been going here for years for their consistently delicious small Japanese dishes and nice selection of sake. Solo dining is also nice at the bar. Lunch specials are typically good and well priced.
(5)
Vivian J.

I went her for lunch with some girlfriends and just loved the food there. They were not too crazy busy for a Friday and decided to the the lunch special for $11.50: Teriyaki Chicken Salmon salad Miso soup Tempura Rice It was YUMMY!!! Everything tasted really fresh and good portions of everything. The place is not very big so may need to get there earlier. We arrived at 11:45 so no problem for 4. Service was very quick and loved the green tea! It is a bit dark in there but decor was fine. The menu does have tapas style dishes so you can go and share some dishes as well. Great Japanese place for lunch or dinner!
(4)
Long D.

Their saving grace here is the pork belly.....absolutely delicious, melt-in-your-mouth, straight-to-your-hips guilty pleasures. Everything else was just okay. Compared to other yakitori-type Japanese joints, I found the food rather bland here. And overall, just not as good. Decent though. Many of the tapas had nice textures but the flavor or seasoning was lacking. And as others have stated, no sashimi here....not even a couple selections of tuna, hamachi, or salmon sashimi or tartare.
(3)
Rizzel M.

This was my first time trying Japanese tapas and it's definitely NOT your korean owned sushi restaurant. When we were ordering and naming each skewer we wanted, it felt like we were ordering the whole menu! Here's what were ordered and my personal rating for each: - Pork belly: Must try! So good, it melts in your mouth. - Ribeye: Order - Chicken: Order - Bacon wrapped scallops: Order - Fried sweet shrimp: Pass, unless you like eating one giant shrimp on a stick - Rib eye with green onion: Mehh, the plain one is better - Bacon wrapped oysters: Pass. Oysters taste better grilled. - Fried shrimp dumpling: Mehh. - Fried pork cutlet: Order, but be warned. It tastes like any other tonkatsu minus the sauce. We also ordered one small plate and one entree: - Fried chicken skin in ponzu sauce: Definitely PASS! It just tasted like it was fried in really old oil. We didn't even finish this, wasting our money. We could spent it on more orders of the pork belly. - Ribeye in onion sauce: Definitely order! Ask for a medium-well and you'll get a perfect medium cooked steak. If you let it sit and cook longer on the hot plate, it will be the perfectly cooked medium-well steak. There are so many menu items that require return trips, so keep an eye out for an update! But overall, I'd have to say Saizo is definitely worth a try. Based on the food alone, I would give this place only 3 stars, but I thought to give it an extra one for being a real AUTHENTIC japanese restaurant. For those looking for specialty sushi rolls, don't come here because you won't find any.
(4)
Eve K.

3.5 from me. Seems decent in general for lunch but my item was above average. Highlights: - Ambiance: makes me feel like this place could be in Japan. Super small thin space with just a few tables and a good amount of Japanese patrons. - Extensive lunch menu: I knew there wouldn't be sushi or small plates from the reviews, but I was impressed by the bunch of entrees, dons, and even better udons and sobas they had. Things like unagi and livers don and curry udon I don't see every day. - Hamburg steak: went on the yelp recommendations and really enjoyed it. I was worried only having wood chopsticks to eat a hamburger type patty but that was an unfounded fear. The meat was so tender that only a little motion of my chopsticks sufficed to grab me a bite. I loved the great combination of savory juicy meat, the chilled shredded daikon radish, and the citrusy soy sauce. It came with a bunch of plain shredded cabbage which might bore many, but I'm not a dressing girl and enjoyed it with the excess slightly sweetly sour yet a bit salty light Japanese hamburger sauce. - Big tea cups: based on the places I've visited lately, this seems to be the new trend. The mini tea cups seem to be old school and slowly being replaced with bigger ones that can hold more tea per serving. Lowlights (my flip side to highlights): - Random location: in a big strip mall right before you get to In n Out if you are traveling south on El Camino. Thanks yelpers for telling me to be on a lookout for DD's Discount, as that's one of the establishments on the sign out front. - Cash only at lunch: again was warned by the wonderful yelpers that you all are, but just something to be prepped for in this age of plastic. - Curry udon: my friend got this and I tried a bit and both of us found it to be just ok. Big bowl and soft warm noodles but the soup was a bit like a watered down but slightly congealed curry. I liked the hamburg steak a lot but not sure if the place made enough of an impression on me to be back for dinner. I might just try to make it. ;-) I adore Gochi and most people found that to be better so we'll see if I give it a try... Time will tell!
(3)
LeeLee C.

Tugged into an assuming corner, Saizo has quite a menu for grilled food on skewer. 3.5 star. We tried a few items: -grilled mushroom with stuffed meat: OK, but not too stand out. -pork belly: indeed the best among all, i love the smokiness on the flavor! -chicken gizzard with garlic sprouts stir fry: OK, the sprouts are soft -bacon wrapped tomato: ok, wish the bacon is a bit more crispy -sweet shrimp: good size, grilled with sea salt, tasty! -rice ball with spicy cod roe: this is not the grilled rice ball, it comes out OK, wish the rice is more tightly packed -grilled squid leg: juicy with good texture. Only complain is that I don't like the wasabi on top, not sure what to do with it. -grilled lamb with garlic: it comes not what i expected. I was thinking mashed garlic marinated on lamb, instead, the skewer has garlic pieces on it. The lamb tasted sweet, must be marinated in sake before, the texture is soft but doesn't have too much garlic flavor. -Tonnyaki with miso sauce: A traditional item. Like the crunchy texture of tonnyaki but don't like the miso sauce at all. It tasted dark and garliky but less miso flavor. They are a bit limited on dessert options, at the night, they only had sesame ice cream, $5. We passed. The service on the other hand was not bad, because we came on a slow rainy night. Both of the waitresses were very polite and enthusiastic.
(3)
Richard R.

What can I say, I am hoping to become a yakitori connoisseur one day. Until then, I will say that this place is my favorite so far. What is there not to love? Different types of grilled meats, seafood, and soup dishes that would make any foodie fall in love. Among my favorites are their Pork Belly, and Bacon Wrapped Enoki Mushroom. If thats not your cup of tea, they have many other dishes to accommodate you. Steaming fresh hot bowl of Udon and Ramen noodles, even the not so common Soba: a cold noodle dish that may look unpleasant from afar, but can only be appreciated once one has tried it. I would say the only thing bad about this place is the parking, this plaza gets pretty busy and it can be a pain to find parking sometimes.
(4)
Wendy K.

Excellent lunch place. I always come after the lunch rush, so service is good (better be if I'm 1 of 3 people there, haha). The lunch menu is limited to a few cooked items such as udon and tonkatsu. The fried fish is good too. Everything I tried was really fresh. The 5th star is reserved for dinner. I haven't gone yet but the menu looks exciting!! I love tapas and this one looks promising!!
(4)
Noby T.

I've been to there almost once or twice a month. This time, we, four were there for lunch. I ordered grilled fish (sanma) with some rice and soup because I know this is open-grill restaurant and grilled dishes are rather good. But the wait person recommended soup noodles after a couple of minutes after the orders. She told they were waiting for rice cooked and it would take time. And noodles would be earlier fixed. The recommendation was almost out-of-questions ! So we changed our orders to noodles. Then after 10 or 15 minutes later, they served rice with some dishes to next table. So cooked rice was earlier than our noodles !! Another 5 or 10 minutes, at last our needles were served. Then how can we imagine what she said to us while we were pointing cups of rice on next table ? "We can serve additional rice if you like.", she said. Actually the soup noodles was OK.
(2)
Kenny J.

Mmm..I love izakaya. Come here with a bunch of friends and prepare yourself for a nice leisurely dinner. Make sure they're not too picky, as this is not your typical Japanese fare. We ordered tons of dishes between the eight of us. It was my roommate's birthday, and he doesn't eat out often, so I thought it would be pretty fun to go here with a bunch of our friends from the gym. I can't remember the names of them, but here are a few I really liked: 1) Chicken skin - OMG THIS IS SOOOOO GOOD!!! :D Keep in mind that each piece will take off exactly one year from your life expectancy. Totally worth it though. I'm not kidding. 2) Corn and shrimp fritter - Battered and fried. Mmmm....:P 3) [veggie] wrapped with pork - Pork = POWER. duh Most dishes were just ok I suppose, but it really is fun to eat izakaya with a bunch of friends. The sake samplers are interesting as well. I liked the mirror of truth and the farmer's daughter. lol! something like that. Some of them were kinda foul, so beware. A friend had picked up a cake, and they happily served it for us later for a plate charge of $1/person. Not too bad I guess. Make a reservation, because this place is small. Also, when we went their sign was not lit and it's pretty hard to find. Across from Wells Fargo and next to the some large discount store.
(4)
Denise L.

This is a tapas-style restaurant, so be prepared to sample many dishes! Although all the dishes are great, I would stick to the yakitori (grilled) items, which are fantastic. My favorites are: - beef with onion - chicken with green onion - pork with cherry tomatoes - asparagus with bacon - fried salmon - fried scallops TIP: For a full meal, make sure you order at least 5-6 yakitori items per person.
(4)
Ken P.

I am a huge fan of Japaneses tapas and this place did not disappoint. I can't say its the best I've ever had but the best I've had in the area. I found this place because it was still open at 9:30pm and Bun Chuon was closed. The place was fairly empty but the waitress was very nice and I found that a big plus. the place had great ambiance. Pork belly skewers is amazing as previously stated in most of the reviews. I would recommend it here. The bacon wrapped tomatoes was actually really good. It was small, sweet tomatoes and it was one of my favorites here. The ribeye steak was decent but I wouldn't order it again. It came pan fried with mushrooms, bean sprouts, green onions and I think it was the better part of the ribeye plate. The hamachi wasn't the freshest ever. This also isn't a sushi spot so don't expect it to be top notch. The bacon-wrapped scallops was good but wasn't anymore amazing than ones I've had elsewhere or even made myself. The spicy chicken was really dry. I was not a fan of this and I reccomend not ordering it. It was spicy, but the spice had an off taste to it as well. The chicken skin was as good as chicken skin can get and as healthy as chicken skin can be. I felt so guilty eating it but an occasion splurge is fine.
(4)
Ida C.

There are several well-established izakayas to choose from in the area and Saizo is without a doubt my favourite. In fact, I'm kind of surprised I haven't already written a review of Saizo given I've been coming here for at least 4 years and whenever my good friend Mr. Pho pays us a visit from Baltimore, he requests we celebrate with sake and skewers at Saizo. Service is usually very efficient but on nights when they're slammed, you might need to wave someone down (but it's not difficult to get someone's attention). By now, I rarely even look at the menu and always order the following: 1) Spicy tuna salad 2) Bacon wrapped enoki mushrooms 3) Bacon wrapped tomatos 4) Curry Chicken Karaage 5) Grilled Beef Tongue 6) Hamburg 'steak' (very much like salisbury steak) with onions/veggies and ponzu sauce 7) Pork Belly with hot mustard 8) Sake flight One time I brought coworkers visiting from Germany here for a business dinner and one of the local guys taught them how to do 'sake bombs'. I nearly died of embarrassment and am glad the staff didn't kick us out. On a bright note, that experience has resulted in some type of notoriety amongst the staff b/c after that incident, upon walking through their doors they now seem recognize me immediately, point me to the table I've reserved, smile and say "Hello, good to see you again!".
(4)
Jamie T.

Get the pork belly, bacon wrapped scallops, bacon wrapped oysters, rice ball, and green tea soba noodles!
(3)
Claudia P.

I liked the skewers they have here. I also tried the curry udon, but it wasn't spectacular. Overall, good service and good food. I will go back again.
(4)
Caroline L.

Uggh, pretty disappointed...probably a 2.5 star. Deduct a star for sloooooooooow service. We got there at 6pm and we opened the door and were promptly kicked out because "they weren't opened yet". Why can't they just let us sit down instead of waiting outside in the cold. Boo. The food took forever to come too. None of the food really stood out. The black cod tasted odd, rib eye yakitori was tough, pork belly was super fatty, just not that good at all. The only things that I thought was good was the homemade gyoza. Sad. Dinner for four came out to close to $130, not very cheap either...fiance hated it...won't be back anytime soon! The portions weren't that good either...I was hungry a couple hours later...Gochi is better...
(2)
Kristina T.

Stumbled upon this place because our first choice was closed. Without much expectations, the food here was pleasantly surprisingly good and it was great to know that this place closed so late (11pm!!). The service was awesome and I waitress told us that she was such a regular here that she just ended up working at the restaurant!! Top Recommendations: - Pork Belly - Bacon wrapped tomatoes - Fried Chicken Skins Pass: - Hamachi
(3)
Sabrina A.

The little space is located in a strip mall, I don't mean to lower expectations but here I was pleasantly surprised by how cute the interior was. The interior is simple, clean, rich dark woods, a high bar to sit at in front of the chefs and about 15 tables at most. It's small but inviting, clean and chique. The waitress was quiet but attentive. She even saw our table was a bit crooked and she fixed it! Everything came promptly, she had a smile and was really a sweet waitress. The other staff seemed friendly and nice as well. I ordered the hamburg steak. It was for sure a fair amount but I just found it lacking. The hamburger was juicy and flavorful but the mushy stuff that goes over it is a little bland, too mushy and really didn't do anything for me. It came with miso soup which was really warm, slightly salty and in general good. Rice was standard, but good. I also tried the pork belly, it was ok but not amazing. Perhaps I'm just not a fan of this particular type of food? Hmm, I'd come back to try other things but I wasn't overly impressed. *Free tasty tea.
(3)
Veronica S.

First and foremost, it is hella dificult locating this Japanese tapas place at 9 o'clock PM. One night after work, my BF asks me out to dinner and when I ask him where we were going (to make sure I don't over or under dress), he tells me it's a surprise. So we drive to the location using his car's GPS. Couldn't find the place! So I ended up needing to call them because I was hungry and he was too. The lady who answers the phone had a very thick accent and somehow was vaguely able to tell us where exactly they are. Since I live in Sunnyvale, I thought it shouldn't be difficult to find them. So finally at the strip mall by CVS and still cannot seem to spot the signage! I was swearing to my BF telling him that I would know of a place because I refill my meds at that CVS branch. My BF tells me he's read about it in the newspaper and wanted to try it out. I call the number again and voila! We finally find it. Step in the restaurant - empty. This place is a small restaurant but the first thing i noticed it the fact that it appears clean. Staff welcomes us (since there's basically no one else to attend to) and seats us. The menu is pretty impressive. My BF was more impressed. Oh but it's not his review. We ordered the pork belly (killing me softly, as I call it because it is,anyway, belly), bacon-wrapped oysters (to die for), bacon-wrapped scallops (i love this one), quail eggs, the crunchy chicken skin with ponzu sauce and cucumber, and some other yummers. Their food is delicious! Yum, yum, yum. Our orders arrived one after the other and who knows why they're so quick...I really don't give a damn. There's a couple of guys who appear to be their cooks, right by the bar. I think they basically make the food. So you see it being made. I would recommend this place for groups of friends who like Japanese food but not necessarily expecting sushi, smaller families as their seating isn't that much. There.
(3)
Steven H.

Short update but I came back and the food was just as good! The butabara (pork belly) was still melt in your mouth good. You cannot pass up on the pork belly, fried chicken skins, or whole grilled squid when you come here.
(5)
May D.

Love love Saizo! it's always busy but who cares! It's small, great tasting japanese food but a little pricey though. Well, it's yummy here and owner pays attention! Kampai!
(5)
Jessica T.

food is ok for something a little more expensive than the average izakaya type place. pros: traditional foods, japanese cooks and servers cons: limited selections, pricy, ok food, kinda slow, $1 extra for tea and hard to find. small place too. late dinner at 9:30pm with 3 other tables. table for 2 ordered chasoba $10ish, nabeyaki udon $13 , and gyuutan (beef tongue)$11 & asked for hot tea $1. gyuutan: 6 small pcs with lemon wedge barely enough for each pieces. so delicious. you can see the grill marks on them. chasoba: presentation was nice, but it's not worth the $10 when you can make it at home for less than $10. they were super stingy on the wasabi too. nabeyaki udon: this one was just ok. broth was plain katsuo flavor. 3 small pcs of chicken, onsen tamago, very little shimeji and red seaweed. served in single serve claypot. it's hard to find with tiny sign so it's around bonchon across from olleh sushi between spicehut and dollar tree next to wellsfargo. for good tapas, try Dan in saratoga, tanto sunnyvale or izakaya in sj. dan imo is the best one, but dohatsuen in palo alto is good too. lastly, the waitress didn't tell me tea would be extra. $1 is nothing, but it'd be really courteous if she told me before confirming. i don't understand why charge for tea if it's a staple at asian places and if it's cheap.
(2)
Zoe H.

Came here for lunch on a friend's recommendation, and surprisingly, there were hardly any people there. But maybe it's no surprise, as their menu for lunch only had 5 choices, each at a heavy $17-18. I chose option A, which came with little small plates of various items, including a small bowl of sashimi, a bowl of rice, and miso soup. My brother chose a grilled saba lunch that also came with miso soup and a bowl of rice, but both our choices I feel were not worth the $17-18. While the quality of the food was excellent, I would have rather gone elsewhere as the prices made me cringe and lack of variety during lunch disappointed me. I likely won't be coming back here for lunch, but maybe I'll consider dinner, as I see good reviews about their dinners here.
(3)
Rose R.

My friend recommended this "basket" lunch place. I've been there for lunch a few times. Food is fresh and tastefully arranged. I also liked the friendly and attentive service. Location is convenient because there's a big cvs and a Korean fried chicken place next door where I can bring beer and take-outs home after lunch, and voila, happy dinner served.
(5)
Gary C.

Honestly I am surprised to see so many low rating reviews. I've been to Saizo numerous time, it's basically my "go-to" restaurant now if I can't decided what to have for dinner, or if friends/family are in town and they want to try some authentic japanese food. I believe "authentic" is applicable because I've brought my friends who went to Japan, and also Japanese friends who were born in Japan, to this restaurant. They all claimed that it tasted extremely authentic and comparable to the taste back in Japan. This restaurant is somewhat hard to find. It is at the corner of a shopping center and it is right next to DD-discount, same center as bonchon chicken. It is a family restaurant. Normally there are 2 waitress and 2 chefs in the open kitchen. They are all very friendly. They have great sake selection, if you can't decided which one to try, try their sake samplers. I tried both sake samplers and my they all taste great and great match for their cuisine. My favorite is the Kokuryu, I order a glass of that everytime I dine here. I would say this restaurant is somewhat between an izakaya and a family restaurant. Yes, their food come out slower than other japanese restaurants like Tanto... En... Gochi... Sumiya... Ironiya and etc. But you will be surprise by the quality of it, the effort that the chefs puts into the cuisine. For example, try their braised whole fish like Kinki, Cod or what ever is in season. It is cooked to order! Their menu changes somewhat everyday, depending on the specials or what is in season. They really specialize in seafood (Especially fish) so that's what I usually go for. Their grilled menu isn't spectacular but they are decent. I recommend their Sashimi Moriwase (sashimi sampler), Hamburger steak, whichever braised whole fish that is in season, and whatever special appetizers they have that day. I've posted some pictures to yelp before for reference. I had lunch there once, it also impressed me about the amount of work put into the lunch. I ordered the special which consist of numerous delicious plates. So, if you have 1 to 2 hours for dinner, give this restaurant a shot. And check out the pictures that me and the fellow yelpers uploaded. One more thing, they close at Sundays.
(5)
Eric C.

My wife and I absolutely love this place. We come here for dinner at least once every other week. If you want authentic homestyle japanese cooking this is the place to go. As other reviews have mentioned, it's a mom and pop shop with one waitress so service may be a bit slow when there's a crowd but the quality of the food and service trumps everything. There's a core set of dishes that's available everyday and then depending on what the chefs pick up at the market there are a few new dishes here and there. Our favorites: Shumai Hamburg steak Katsu toji Koji Chicken Croquettes Zosui Sashimi Moriwase
(5)
Barbara C.

Surprisingly good. Everything was fresh and handmade. Will try their dinner menu for next visit !
(5)
Mage L.

They don't have an online menu anywhere, but from the other Yelp pictures I thought they had bacon-wrapped scallops. I was really in the mood for bacon-wrapped scallops, so I stopped by for lunch today. Unfortunately their lunch menu only had 5 items on it, and nothing about scallops. I asked if it would be possible to order a scallop appetizer and they said no. From the 5 options, I picked what I think was called "Daisen Ton", which was basically a sashimi bowl. It came with a small salad and miso soup, and also a tiny bowl with a slice of cucumber, radish and carrot in it. I have no idea if the tiny bowl with 3 slices was a decoration or if I was supposed to eat it. They also gave me hot green tea, which was refilled throughout the meal. The sashimi bowl was really good, though I couldn't identify half of what was in it. It was a bunch of raw things on a pile of shredded radish and ginger, with some rice at the bottom. It ended up being a pretty massive lunch, and I didn't even try to finish the rice and radish at the bottom. For $18 that's a bit expensive for a lunch special, but they certainly give you enough food for it. It can be a little bit intimidating since half the menu is in Japanese, and all the servers and customers were also Japanese. I don't even think they have forks or spoons here, so if you're not already familiar with Japanese food, this isn't a place for beginners. The food here is good though, and I might come back at dinner sometime to see if they offer scallops at that time.
(4)
Emma G.

Well we were just turned away for not having reservations which was not mentioned here on yelp that it is required on Fridays. Mind you there were only two occupied tables and there were no one waiting outside nor there was a big crowd in the parking lot. We would have been done eating by time our table was needed. Very poor service and bad impression. Don't turn away hungry customers when 90% of your tables are free
(1)
Eye C.

I miss the yakitori skewers they used to offer a few years ago. However, I still love Saizo for the fresh fish they offer and the exquisite Japanese dishes that you won't find at most other Japanese restaurants. Come here if you want an authentic Japanese food experience without having to fly to Japan. This is a mom-and-pop shop, so the service tends to slow down a lot when the place is packed, and the prices are a bit on the high end. Don't come here if you only want an entire meal consisting of sashimi (they have some options) or grilled skewers.
(5)
Emcee K.

Saizo is the little restaurant that people seem to have forgotten. Come back! It's still good. Try the seafood! The first time I came here was several years ago and the line was out the door even on a week night. Everyone came for the skewers and grilled items back then. Things have changed quite a bit. I recently returned with my husband and a couple of friends for dinner on a Saturday night. It wasn't very busy at all, so it's good bet when you find yourself without a reservation on a weekend night. While grilled items are no longer the star, seafood definitely shines. The food is decidedly more traditional in taste and presentation than most local izakayas; go in with that expectation and you won't be disappointed. We ordered too many dishes for four people from all parts of the menu. Here are our recommendations: Sashimi platter (large) - It may be pricey, but if everyone in your party is a fan of sashimi, this is a pretty safe bet and worth the money. This comes with a copious amount of fresh seafood; all of it is pretty good. Scallops are the standouts on this plate; almost candy-like. Broiled saba - The preparation is simple, but they make this oh so well. I'm looking forward to ordering this again on our next visit. Hamburg steak - This is a very traditional Japanese preparation and will satisfy meat lovers. My mother-in-law is Japanese and this is very similar to her version. Braised kinki - This is also a traditional preparation and presentation. At my in-laws, this is something that is made on special occasions, like New Year. Ginger is a very prominent flavor in the braising liquid. It is served along tofu. It takes a while to make this dish, so order it early in your meal. Cozy would be the word to describe Saizo. There are a few tables across an open kitchen, and it almost feels like you're eating in someone's home. If you have a baby like we do, no fear. While the place is small, there is ample room for a stroller. While service is a little on the slow side, it is polite and prompt. This place is a great neighborhood joint and I'm looking forward to frequenting Saizo more often.
(4)
Kae T.

Never coming back again. I had the most unwelcoming experience at this restaurant. Service: They looked scary to us. No smile, no eye contact, and minimum voice volume. As soon as seated, we felt uncomfortable as if we had done something to them...IMHO, if restaurants make customers feel like this, they are a total failure no matter how good the food is. Food: The quality was ok, but too expensive for the portion. FOOD WAS TOO SMALL. But honestly, I can cook similar Japanese food as a Japanese-born person. Not worth it. Is this a joke? Again, never coming back.
(1)
Vivek P.

Excellent, authentic Japanese cuisine from a guy who's lived in Japan for 24 years since childhood! Honestly, there not many good authentic and delicious Japanese restaurants in the Bay Area. The essence of Japanese cuisine is in the care the chef makes on his choice of fresh ingredients and the temperature at which they are prepared. Plus the originality from region the chef is from. Try Saizo!
(5)
C K.

We went there for dinner and the food was pretty good. The items I remembered were the sashimi appetizer, the beef tongue, grilled sardine, and stewed fish. It was a solid dinner and we all left satisfied but there was no hankering to go back. Overall, decent food and could be a repeat possibility but not very likely.
(3)
Grace L.

Mm that lunch special: new surprises every day, sashimi always great, and walking distance to Bon Chon afterwards if you're still hungry (don't judge - girl likes to eat).
(4)
Camery V.

Cute little mom & pops restaurant. We ordered 3 tapas and a lychee hi and oolong hi ball. The drinks were good. We ordered the duck breast, which had a soy/ginger flavor. We also ordered the mussels with sake broth and it was so so bland. Last dish we ordered was the hamachi Kama. My bf said it was a bit too salty and not as tender. The only dish I really enjoyed was the duck. Service was great and very attentive!
(2)
Erica S.

Came here for lunch with my former violin teacher. Turns out they no longer offered home cooked lunch menus, like my favorite: Japanese-style hamburger with grated daikon and ponzu. Instead, their lunch menu was very limited, fancy and pricey. I tried their daily special which included bite size portions of: - assorted sashimi - grilled rib eye w/ ponzu sauce - grilled mussel & baby scallops with garlic butter - mizuna & mushroom - agedashi tofu - romanesco salad Also included rice, miso soup, and tsukemono (Japanese pickles). It was like a mini kaiseki as it included grilled, raw, sauteed, and fried items. Although it was $18, it was worth it as everything tasted authentic and presentation was great......on a nice obon (tray) with real chopsticks in a paper chopstick holder. That's what I love about Japanese food....presentation. They serve good rice too! When I eat a whole bowl of Japanese rice, it's good quality rice! Service was excellent.
(4)
Fatima B.

great service! I had thee best & freshest sashimi platter here! grilled beef tongue was incredible. sake flight was on point as well. definitely going back!
(5)
Cynthia C.

Not sure what happened to this place. But they no longer serve yaki tori! It's just a regular japanese restaurant now. We came here on a Saturday and there was no one there! This place had huge lines before. Also their prices went up for smaller portions of food, pretty weird. Won't be back here again.
(1)
Michael W.

Here are my notes from the few times I have dined here: Uzura quail egg fried - okay flavor, very hot BBQ lamb very salty Yaki onigiri burnt taste on outside and a bit salty on the outside no flavor inside Beef tongue is good flavor but a bit too thin Yellowtail sashimi is not bad Sashimi selection is very limited Mango juice drink taste watered down
(3)
Elizabeth T.

I would rate them about 3.8 if I could overall but I bumped them up since I do enjoy coming here from time to time. Overall, most of the various skewers I have had here before are good, but not as good as Yakitori Kokko or Sumika ( yelp.com/biz/sumika-los-â€¦ ) If you do find yourself here, I highly recommend the Duck Curry Soba Noodles. It's really the main reason I keep coming back. Their Butabara (pork belly) is also consistently good every time I ordered it (yes, it is possible to mess up on delicious pork belly). On the other hand, I would skip on the yakionigiri and save that for a trip to Inshou ( yelp.com/biz/inshou-japaâ€¦ ) in stead.
(4)
Susann M.

I'm not sure why the rating is low. I used to go here once a week and it's so good. Esp the price. All grill Japanese sticks were perfect and I would spent $50 for dinner of two grown adults but we eat like table for 5. Usually other Japanese izakaya type would easily cost $120 and up for is. But hey I still have to try new spot by Winchester blvd n Payne ave. You know where I'm referring to hahahaha :)
(5)
Allister D.

Walking into a room surrounded with busy business suited people and eating classy Japanese food is exactly what I stepped into today. ( I imagined yakitori places in Japan to be like this.) The waitresses are greeting with their smiles as I make my way in. The lady pulls out a seat for me at the bar. NO SUSHI'S HERE. The bar is intended for you to watch the chefs do their work as they mold, fold, fry, bake, toast, and whatever else. I notice the fresh vegetables, a chef marinating the meat on the skewers, and most excitingly, the executive chef sprinkle poppy seeds on the seaweed salad. The lunch menu was a pre-setup already so that is the only thing you CAN order. I decided to grab the most expensive thing on the menu ($12.50 for LUNCH) which was BBQ short ribs and beef tongue. For my side dish, a cold tofu with slices of freshly peeled ginger on top with some onion chives. The tofu was so soft, I couldve sworn that was tapioca pudding BUT THIS WAS SIMPLY AMAZING. I had a bowl of rice and some cabbage salad to pour over my short ribs. OH and dont forget the miso! The meat on the ribs were super juicy and fell of the bone! Their marinade was amazing!!! The beef tongue wasn't too chewy which is great and was grilled just right. Together, once I started mixing my food and doing my thing, I started to think why the hell haven't I gone here yet? damnit its not fair LOL... Overall, the service is friendly and they dont try to boot you the hell out to prepare for their dinner course. The chef's are easy to talk to and very talented. The seating arrangement wasn't anything too special accept the furniture probably consisting of mostly wood. I loved the yakitori bar though! Yeah that was a cool scene. I will be returning shortly
(4)
Cindy T.

We walked in around 9pm on a Friday and the place was packed. There aren't many tables since the place is tight. They offered to seat us right away at the bar which gave us front row seats to all the grilling! I think the waitresses and the chefs could be more cheerful and smiley. The silent treatment and seriousness was starting to wear off on us. On the brighter side, the decor is simple, yet cozy. It's dim but has the right amount of lighting. Now on to the food...the menu is quite extensive and offered a good variety. Yaki onigiri (a pair of rice balls with miso sauce) - not the best. Nabeyaki tamago (egg omelet in a clay pot with eel) - light, fluffy, tasty! 2x Agedashi tofu - (one giant cube of fried tofu in dashi broth) - cute, the tofu sits in a tiny little bowl. 2x Yuzu (chicken breast with yuzu-citrus pepper) - citrusy, tasty, I love yuzu! 2x Yakitori - chicken with green onions - okay. Butabara (pork belly) - crispy, tasty, fatty, melts in your mouth. Lamb (honey marinated lamb with garlic) - pass. 2x Enoki bacon (mushrooms wrapped in bacon) - just okay. Kaki bacon (oyster wrapped in bacon) - comes in a pair, definitely my favorite of the night! Not only did we leave with a full tummy, but we left with that smoky smell that sticks to your clothes and hair.
(3)
Geoff G.

Sadly, it looked like Saizo had recently fallen from grace. It is an izakaya restaurant and one would expect the menu to contain several pages of small tapas style entrees. As I entered the restaurant, the server was quick to point out that the sheet of paper sitting on the counter is now the restaurant's new reduced menu. One sheet of paper? She explained there would no longer be any skewer/yakitori in the menu. "Do you still want to eat here?" was her question. Since I had driven a long way to get to Saizo, I opted to stay. I recalled all my favorites that Saizo once had like yakitori, butabura (pork belly), unagi kimo (eel liver), ika sugatayaki (grilled whole squid with grated ginger), yaki onigiri (grilled rice balls). bacon wrapped scallops, grilled beef tongue, grilled geso (squid legs) etc. They were all gone! Unfortunately I started off the evening on the wrong foot. I ordered the braised karei (sole), which turned out to be a big mistake at least for that evening. The fish not only smelled fishy but was also rancid and the meat mushy to boot. The lady owner took it off my check with no questions asked. The downside was I avoided the entire fish section as a result (can you blame me?) without realizing that fish took up one third of the entire menu. Later I felt I really missed out after I found out from another yelp review that their main focus was now on fish like it was a trade off for the deleted items. Thank God everything else after this took a turn for the better. A healthy choice was the traditional "takiawase" of the day. For that evening, taro, bamboo shoot and fish cake were simmered in dashi (Japanese soup stock) so as to bring out the light, sweet and subtle flavors of the ingredients. The next course was not as healthy since it involved deep frying. Geso Karaage (fried squid legs) were delicately battered and lightly fried to form a crispy outer crust and the squid legs remained soft and less chewy inside. Personally, I would rather have grilled squid legs as they would be less greasy. The highlight of the night was zosui, a Japanese rice soup made from precooked rice and water. A hot bowl of zosui is very comforting especially when the weather is cold or when you feel under the weather. It did hit the spot for me even though I was not sick. Saizo's zosui had crab, sansai (mountain vegetables) and organic eggs. It was a great way to end dinner after a dismal start. I hope the owners can iron out the kinks and resolve whatever predicament they are in as I certainly like to see the skewer/yakitori reinstated back in the menu. The taste is authentic and so is the homey atmosphere. The servers are helpful and attentive and the owners are pleasant, hardworking and honest people. I wish them continued success.
(3)
Alice W.

One of my favorite lunch spots. The portions are just right for a lady but maybe not the gents. =) Their Menchi Katsu is pretty awesome and Curry Duck Udon. I wish their kimchi pork had more pork and a little less kimchi. They're daily lunch specials are also pretty tasty. A good lunch spot but I haven't had a chance to try the dinners yet.
(4)
Yun C.

I've been to Sumiya in Santa Clara and Sumika in Los Altos, so I decided to try Saizo to satisfy my skewer cravings tonight. The restaurant was not as crowded, loud and packed as Sumika and Sumiya, so it was a plus, the food came out fast..unlike the other two restaurants..another plus and the prices were actually lower ...extra plus!!! We ordered: 2 Butabara (pork belly) - yummy, the fat melts in your mouth...sweet! 2 yakitory (chicken) - yummy too 2 chicken with green onion - yummy 2 rib eye - succulent 2 garlic lamb - awesome! 2 chicken breast with wasabi - dry and yuck, PASS!!! 1 fish cake stuffed with mozzarella cheese - ok, interesting concept :) 1 yasai (a skewer of asparagus and green onion, a skewer of peppers and a skewer of mushroom) - we loved the mushroom, hated the peppers 1 Beef Tongue - bf thought it was good, I thought it needed more flavor (it was just salty) 1 Kimchi stir fry with pork - awesome with rice, otherwise would be salty 1 Curry fried chicken - bf thought it was ok, I wasn't impressed, PASS!! 1 (Drink) Plum wine with soda - yummmmmmmmyyy!!! 2 steamed rice Total bill: about $72 + tips. We were full..and we had leftover ....will come back for more food but will do a better self control in ordering (can't spend $70 every time we go out right???!!) Note re: Service: they were pretty attentive at first (restaurant was pretty empty) but it was so long to get the check as the restaurant was getting crowded.
(4)
Schelly Y.

I decided to finally try this place out and I was disappointed. I tried the tempura cake over rice which was kind of a greasy pile of mush. I did not see much in there besides a few slices of onions, carrots, mushrooms, and pumpkin. It seems like a lot of people come here for the tapas so maybe I should come back for dinner. Service was not too great. I asked for water and it never came.
(3)
Sooyun C.

I wouldn't recommend if you have a huge group full of hungry people. I went as a party of 3, and we were pretty full by the end but the portions are pretty small. Just a heads up! Finding the place was kind of hard... Maybe because it was at night? We wasted about 10 minutes circling around because we had some trouble finding the sign. Look for spice hut! Saizo is right next to it. We ordered: onigiri (salmon roe) eel, cucumber & seaweed pork belly japanese porridge assorted sashimi (large) I usually don't like eel but it was soooo goood here!! It didn't have the usual really fishy taste that I've had at other restaurants. Sashimi was probably the best dish; fish was super fresh and there was a good variety. Overall everything was really good! I also don't have any complaints about the service. The lady who served was super nice!
(4)
Mel Z.

I was unimpressed by many of their dishes. We went there because the other Japanese tapa places are non-surprisingly full on a friday night and this place still had lots of opening. Out of the dishes/drinks we ordered, I enjoyed the hamachi sashimi, lychie sake and the citrus sake a lot. Their sashimi's very fresh. I used to think the pork belly was good, but this time it tasted a little dry too me. The miso blackcod was too bitter tasting. The chicken skewers we ordered were average. Price is on par with other yakitori places, although the quality of food is one notch below. I would only come here as a third choice.
(3)
Tak K.

Their selection of fish dishes more than compensates for the recent reduction of selection in skewers. I have been to this restaurant for many times when I want to entertain close friends or someone whom I want to get close to. Unfortunately, they recently announced that they no longer carry their wide selection of skewers. So when they said that fish dishes would be more focused, I was in doubt: would they be able to compete against other Japanese restaurants this way? So my wife, her friends, and I went to this place with my newborn daughter. Waitresses gladly accommodated my daughter's space. BGM was audible, but not disruptive. The lighting was just bright enough without eyesight going to lights. Perfect for having a casual atmosphere. Their tofu and seaweed salad was an improvement over what they served several years ago. At that time, their dressing was too salty, even for my Japanese tongue. Because they added a little more sweetness and sourness to the soy sauce-based dressing, and also because they added more dry vegetables (i.e. alfalfa), the overall taste got milder and easier to eat without worrying about the saltiness overload at the bottom of salad bowl. My wife liked it so much, and asked me to order the second serving, which went pretty fast even after the first one. Kaisen mori (assorted sashimi served in bit size pieces) employed quality fishes. Salmon had more pungent flavor than the ones I have had at other reputable places. Ikura was smaller but not in its concentration of goodness within. Quantity might not be enormous like other places, but quality compensates for its price ($15). Braised Menuke (ocean perch) had a good taste of the combination of snapper and flounder. Since the dish came with the whole fish, I attached into a collar and head. Both had expected concentration of flavor that desired me more for such meat. One might ask what concentration is consisted of. It is the sweet soy sauce based sauce that covers relatively large amount of surface area, and chewy yet juicy meat of well-activated muscle. For $24, that 10 inch fish dish was a good deal. Graded ginger finely accentuated the sauced meat. Their homemade shiokara (salted squid with guts) had the distinctive flavor of organ without tasting overly sweet or salty, which often is contributed of preservatives. The addition of grated radish at the end of a small round dish helped me finish the dish. You see, too much of such distinctive character would leave a bad aftertaste. Adding grated radish neutralized such flavor to help people complete. Porridge with crab, mountain vegetables, and organic egg had such a good combination of characters thanks to lightly-brothed rice. Along with pickled plum tea over rice that my wife had, that rice dish was a great ending to our colorful meal. Waitresses were attentive to our needs, and dishes we ordered arrived in a timely manner. So despite less selection of menu, Saizo should be able to retain its reputation. Hopefully though, the lack of skewers will be temporary.
(5)
Dimplesz D.

Great cozy japanese resto in sunnyvale, a little pricey though. I love the food but I must admit not a lot to choose from. I go to saizo once or twice a month
(4)
Keiko S.

I remember when Saizo first opened. We flocked there for dinner at every opportunity we had. Years later, I still frequent this restaurant, but more often for lunch. While I've never been hugely dissatisfied with the food or service here, there are many other Japanese restaurants in the area now, and some of them, like En and Gochi, outshine Saizo. The daily lunch special is a steal, and my crowd likes the wafu-hamburg and kakiage don/udon. My staple order is the nabeyaki udon, which is certainly not the best I've had. I need to move on to something else. I haven't been back for dinner in a while, so the menu might have changed, hopefully for the better. From what I recall, it is an authentic menu, and the food is decent. We used to end our meal with an onigiri or ochazuke. The place is small and gets cramped during the busy hours. CASH ONLY. SUM: A safe option if you're looking for an authentic izakaya.
(3)
Joseph H.

Not coming to this place again. Nothing good. Everything bad, not terrible, but bad. If you have to, eat the shrimp dumplings.
(1)
Kai Y.

I have been to this place a few times long time ago. I just remembered they have tapas-styled Japanese items, some of them were quite delicious. I also remembered this place wasn't the cheapest, especially if you ordered sake. We decided to give it a shot again after a while. We ordered some fish dishes, some small grilled dishes and some fried items. They were fine, though nothing too mind-blowing. It wasn't too expensive, but it's not cheap, either. However, I still would like to try some other dishes on the menu, so I might come back for more.
(3)
Carol L.

Saizo is definitely a solid izakaya restaurant. Saizo serves traditional Japanese small plates and skewers. It is less like Gochi (fusion tapas) but instead much more similar to the style of Tanto (traditional tapas). We ordered pork belly*, lamb garlic*, enoki bacon*, grilled squid in sauce*, rib eye wrapped around green onion, agedashi tofu, grilled eel, grilled beef tongue, and yaki onigiri. The starred items are the ones I would definitely recommend, the others were pretty good, and the yaki onigiri is a pass. Note that when you order at Saizo, ordering and pricing is normally per skewer or per piece. For example, if you have 3 people, you will need to specify 3 lamb garlic skewers or 3 agedashi tofu (unless you're splitting). Pictures: yelp.com/biz_photos/xoU4â€¦ Note: Saizo is crazy hard to find, as it does not have a well-lit sign. It is in the shopping center across Remington from In N Out, right next door to the Spice Hut.
(4)
Theodorus H.

WARNING! I came here to try their famous skewered pork belly, but guess what I got yesterday, "I'm sorry, we don't serve skewers anymore." So disappointed, ended up by ordering the Japanese "porridge" (which I think it's more like rice and soup, but it tastes quite good, though) and the grilled whole squid (little bit too dry and tasteless, had to dip it to the soy sauce). Anyway, the food are overall OK, but don't expect me to come again unless you bring back those skewers.
(2)
Juliana C.

Food: Harumaki salad - Super good! A cross between a Vietnamese spring roll and a sushi roll. Really liked this! Deep fried quail eggs - Not a standout, but still really good. Pork Belly - OMG, so melt in your mouth delicious! Layers of soft fat, meat, and crispy skin somehow managed to feel light and not like you're chowing down on pure fat. Curry chicken karage - I was pretty stuffed when this came out, so I thought it was good but not great. I think I prefer regular chicken karage. Rice ball - I usually am not impressed by these (tried them at Gochi, Tanto, etc.) - they just taste like rice to me! Saizo's, however was smoky and crispy on the outside but soft on the inside. Really had its own flavor going on! Buta kimchi - The only dish I hated. Tasted like SALT and only salt. Got a few other items as well as a sake flight but I don't remember the specifics. The server was super nice and accommodating. The only real downside was I smelled as smoky and flavorful as the food when I walked out. :/
(4)
Enza P.

My boyfriend and I came here on a Friday night. For drinks, we ordered a series of sake, which came in 3 for about $9. We also ordered a pint of beer to wash the sake down with. The sake wasn't bad, it was easier to drink with beer by my side. We ordered 2x of 6 skewers = 12 skewers total. We had bacon wrapped mushroom, minced chicken in shitake, hamachi, chicken & green onion, and 2 other things. I thought I ordered pork belly, but we ended up getting some kind of beef delivered to our table. We just ate it anyway. It was actually really good, whatever it was! The skewers here are good, but in comparison to Sumiya, it's not as good. I feel like Sumiya's meat is really well-seasoned and has a light sauce, while Saizo drenches the meat with sauce and the meat is more plain. Normally, I love sauce, but I think I would have enjoyed Saizo more if their meat was seasoned a bit more. Don't get me wrong, the skewers are still yummy. The service overall was alright, nothing special. The pricing I thought was really fair. My bill was $50 total with tip. If I didn't order sake and beer, it would've been $40 for everything, which I am willing to pay for Japanese tapas! I kept eyeing the guy next to our table who had a really delicious looking soba dish. My boyfriend and I plan to come back to try more things on the menu. Although it's not as amazing as some other Japanese places, it's still yummy and I am a fan. Other places are always insanely packed so it's nice to come here last minute without a reservation and have a relaxing, quiet meal.
(4)
Pauline N.

Not as good as I remembered how good this place was 4 - 5 yrs ago. I used to come here at least twice a month. Parking was easy, service was standard, seats were comfy. We ordered a lot of food, everything was average, nothing memorable, nothing spectacular. However, I remember the miso/sake seabass/cod was very poorly done, it was literally very bitter.
(3)
Lorrie M.

Came here for dinner one night because my friends kept telling me that they liked this place better than Gochi and Tanto. Curiosity got the best of me so I decided to order seriously almost everything off the menu. I got a variety of different skewers, some raw fish, some cooked items like beef tongue and kimchi pork and was sad to discover that most of the items I ordered, although they looked tantalizing, didn't really have much flavor. For example, kimchi fried pork is one of my favorite Japanese tapas dishes, its usually spicy, flavorful, and fatty which gives the perfect delicious combo. The kimchi at Saizo just didn't measure up to the job and it seemed like they might have also forgotten the salt. The skewers were good but not great, they weren't anything special just regular cooked meat some of which should have been marinated or maybe was ... again lack of flavor perhaps? I must say the raw sashimi was good, but then again I thought this was more of a yakitori / tapas place ... I wouldn't mind too much about coming back but would probably select carefully off the menu next time.
(3)
Stephanie W.

Good food, was WAY understaffed on a Tuesday night. Pork Belly skewers: MUST. GET. We ordered two! Rice/broth bowls: Could have done without. We got the one with the ahi tuna, delicious, but feeds about one (if hungry), and wasn't necessary. Stick with the skewers! Chicken skin: Not as good as expectations, you can still taste all the fatty :(
(3)
Mike S.

A couple of nights ago I ventured out to Saizo with Ramen Boy and Will. Still rather new to Japanese Tapas and Izakaya restaurants, I found this place to be much tastier and mouth pleasing than Sumiya. Saizo place is a bit hard to find and somewhat hidden (gem), which makes it very easy to miss and drive by, as I did twice that night! Be warned there is no well light sign, which makes it even harder to spot out. I honestly can't remember all the dishes we ordered, but we did order over $100 ( static1.px.yelpcdn.com/bâ€¦ ) worth of food. :) I will give mention to the ones I remember and still drool about even after a couple of days have passed by. Grilled Pork Belly Skewer ( static1.px.yelpcdn.com/bâ€¦ ) - Simply amazing, this quite possibly is one of the greatest things I've ever tasted. Juicy and tender pieces of delicious meat lightly grilled to perfection and that just melts in your mouth. On the down side it is quite fatty, but perhaps that's what makes it taste so good? Just like Snapple, this skewer must be made from the best (phattest) stuff on Earth! Fried Chicken Skin in Ponzu Sauce - So crunchy and delicious, totally reminds me of eating fresh tasting pork rinds. If you are a fan of Pork Rinds, then you will love this dish! This dish is the furthest thing of a healthy choice, which probably why I enjoyed it so much. :) Shrimp Dumpling ( static1.px.yelpcdn.com/bâ€¦ ) - Yum, I love shrimp dumplings! But then you slightly deep fry it to give it that extra texture on the outside, making it extremely scrumptious. I want more! Rib Eye with Green Onion - The meat was tender and cooked perfectly at medium rare, and the onion added that nice extra kick of flavor. The sauce they cover this skewer with is freaking delicious. Chicken Onion Yakitori ( static1.px.yelpcdn.com/bâ€¦ ) - A solid choice that gives you the best bang for your buck. This chicken like kabob has that same delicious sauce and onion as the Rib Eye. Bacon wrapped oyster - You take a juicy oyster and add one of the world's most wonderful foods in bacon and you get this master piece. Life just doesn't get any better than this skewer! :) Summary (4.25 Stars): A wonderfully small Japanese tapa/skewer restaurant which delicious dishes to please any stomach. Portions are on the smaller side but that's normal for a tapa restaurant. It does allow you to order tons of wonderful dishes to experience. P.S. Thanks Will for taking pix of the food that night! :)
(4)
Ronny D.

Took my white friend here because I wanted to freak him out a bit. Ordered a bunch of good stuff, he ate them all like a champ. Pretty empty at 7 pm on a Tuesday. It was just me and my buddy, and a table of 3. Service was solid. The atmosphere was pretty cool. Pork Belly was my favorite. Deep fried oysters were good as well. Beef Tongue tasted like great beef stew Lamb and the Yakitori were both meh. The only one that my roommate couldn't do was the fried chicken cartilage. I really liked that one as well...but a small plate of chicken cartilage should not cost 8 bucks. That brings me to the reason why this is a 3 star instead of 4 or 5...the portions were way too small for the price. With tax and tip, it was a $60 bill for 2 people, and we were just barely full. Not knocking on the food, I really liked the food, but I just don't see myself coming back here a lot, knowing that I can get a much better meal for $30.
(3)
Natalie Y.

This place is okay. I will give the positives first: 1) The chicken skin is really good. Very crispy and flavorful. 2) The chicken Karage is pretty yummy too. It has a slight curry flavor although I'm not that much of a fan 3) Rib-eye and pork belly is decent. 4) Opens late! Ok now on to the negatives: 1) do NOT order the chicken skewers. I got the one with plum and the other with pepper. The texture of the chicken is so dry and hard that I did not even finish my skewer. 2) Bacon wrapped Oysters. I love bacon, and I love oysters. But this is just mediocre. Bacon is chewy, and the oysters doesn't seem fresh 3) Yaki onigiri. Kinda mushy. Was expecting it to be more crunchy on the outside.. This place is just mediocre. I prefer skewers from Sumika or En. The pork belly is not yummy enough for me to choose Saizo over the other two.
(3)
Tung L.

Not sure how many menu do they have, but i got a two sided paper menu. The food was on point along with good portioning. But next time i will ask for a different menu.
(4)
Derek S.

Saw all the reviews on Yelp and figured this place must be good. I was expecting a tapas/ Japanese Dim Sum kind of joint. The wait staff seated our party of two at the bar as they claimed that tables were reserved for parties of 3+... Ordered a few tapas: Fried Beef w/ Onion Skewer, Grilled marinated lamb with lemon, Tuna w/ Garlic Skewer. All were delicious but rather small, like a snack at ~$3 per skewer. Soba w/ Tempura - ~$12 - 3.5 stars - Soba tasted alright with a healthy helping of assorted tempura. This also came with a side of wasabi, cut up green onions, and shredded seaweed. Chicken Teriyaki Dinner - ~$12 - 3 stars - They used chicken breast on this one. I'm a fan of dark meat due to the tenderness and more flavor. - Teriyaki sauce was a little too bold and salty for my tastes. All in a all a decent and unique Japanese restaurant. Service was good. 3.5 stars in my book
(4)
Michelle C.

They've changed their menu, and a lot of our favorite dishes aren't there anymore *sad face*. I haven't actually tried the new menu, but my husband, sister and brother in law have and they were quite disappointed. Someday, I'll try it for myself, but I already know I'll miss the usual stuff we order.
(3)
J S.

The food is quite flavorful and they have a nice variety of authentic Japanese dishes, izakaya style. The staff works very hard and I love Naomi who does it all - she is the hostess, waitstaff and often times helps cook. Wish I could come more often but always find it a treat when I get to done here.
(4)
Sharon T.

I usually hate food that comes on a stick. Even if I order a corndog, I have to get the tiny corn dog bites like the ones they have at Wienerschnitzel... sans stick. There is a FAT difference between processed foods like corndogs VS yakitori and tapas style restaurants though, and I can easily make an acception for food that is genuinely GOOD. "Hello?!?? Grilled chicken skin??!" - yeah, you had me at "Hello"... like this: fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihdâ€¦ Their pork belly, chicken skin and most everything else my friend ordered was devoured quickly. Their sake flight samplers are also a great way to taste new types, and being someone that doesn't agree with sake too much, this stuff was awesome! I think we had the fruity/floral flight... and for once, sake did not taste like socks to me. I keep telling my friends how I'll take them here, but I keep forgetting it exists because of it's location in a strip mall... for a hole-in-the-wall restaurant, this place is a definite stand-out... I just wish I didn't spazz out and forget every time I'm driving up and down El Camino looking for something to eat. =/
(4)
Christina J.

Another truly authentic izakaya restaurant in the south bay, which should be reviewed in comparison to its peers (i.e. Sumiya, Gochi, Tanto Sunnyvale, Tanto SJ), so small tapas portions are the standard. It's dim and polished inside and tends to get a bit noisy. Be prepared to expect a reduced quality of service if you don't speak Japanese, but hopefully you're too buzzed on the beer/sake to notice. ++ | Ochazuke | Pour soup from an adorable teapot over a small bowl of rice. Sprinkle in green onion, wasabi, & nori seaweed to taste. There's even ume-flavored tsukemono on the side. The flavors & presentation are perfectly reminiscent of Tokyo <3. Try the one with small fish, which has a touch of sweetness and something like a small peppercorn(?) for a surprising twist. Salmon is decent too, it comes with the skin on & is a bit saltier to complement the white rice. ++ | Spring Salad Rolls w/Soft Shell Crab | A Saizo fusion creation that was worth the gamble. I'm not big on fusion, so it means a lot that I approve of this. It's girly -- layers of spinach and spring greens wrapped around fried soft shell crab & maguro, topped with green tobiko & red onions, & set in a shoyu-based dressing w/the slightest drizzle of mayo. -- Buta Kimchi (Stir Fried Pork & Kimchee) It sounds good and is at the top of the Stir Fry selections, but don't get it!!! Kimchi isn't Japanese for a reason... it was over fermented & paired with a juicy bits of pork that were stir-fried to shriveled dryness. -- Yaki Onigiri (Grilled Rice Balls) This is usually my favorite, but it was terribly prepared here. It LOOKS good, but lacks the imperative crunchiness to the crust, had a mediocre sauce that i'd expect on dango, and had too great of a rice : surface area ratio. I've had festival food that tastes better than this!!!! Worth a Try: Yakitori = not as good as Sumiya, but above average. beware the dry chicken breast. Grilled Black Cod = buttery and soft; i didn't like it but my table mates did.. a LOT Grilled skewers and little dishes: $83 dinner sans drinks for 3 not very hungry people
(4)
Veronica S.

I was very impressed with the food at Saizo, but I must admit I was very skeptical when I couldn't find this place but all I could see in the plaza was a huge dollar store. Finally, in a little hidden corner between the dollar store and a take-out place, is Saizo. Saizo is very clean and cute inside. There are many ways to go about tackling the menu. We decided to start with some skewers to share, order 2 more dishes to share, then go around and order 2 entrees to share. The skewers were delicious, but beware, there's only 1 skewer per order. My favorites were the pork belly skewer and the scallops wrapped in bacon. As for the dishes, the smoked duck slices were great. The sashimi salad was ok, not bad but it's nothing that special. It was more of a mixed greens salad with a few slices of tuna sashimi topped off. The udon noodle soups were pretty good here, very chewy udon and yummy soup! The portions are a bit smaller than I am used to having but I guess this is typical of authentic Japanese portions. Very enjoyable Japanese izakaya dining and I can't wait to go back!
(4)
Henry L.

Ordered the Hamburg Steak (not the donburi) for lunch today and it was yummy! It looked rather suspect when it came out... there was a bunch of finely chopped daikon and ponzu sauce on top and a side of chopped lettuce. But surprise! It was yummy! The ground beef is tender, juicy and totally falls apart. Too bad there isn't more cuz I could've eaten a lot more of it... maybe 2x the portions. So I ended up eating the lettuce that had been soaking in the meat juices and ponzu sauce just to get full. Next time, I think I need to get appetizers. Oh, and our dishes took a little while to get to our table -- they weren't terribly busy so I'm not sure of what was going on.
(4)
Fion S.

12/21/20007 Went to Saizo again last night. It's goooood! We had some cold sake and some skewers such as lam and garlic, chicken wrapped with basil, jalapeno with chicken and cheese ball, some grill dishes like beef tongue (yummy), chicken gizzards stir-fried with garlic sprout and finally oyako ochatsuke (salmon and salmon roe rice with tea with every ZEN presentation). You got to have that!! And my neighbor Japanese guys have their own bottle of sake in the restaurant - very Asian. 12/14/2007 My colleagues and I always go there for lunch. The place is full of Janapnese office people - that kind of tells you if the place is authentic or not. Well, I love the place. Try their hamburger steak during lunch, so juicy and soft. They are actually a sake and yakiniku bar at night time. Really elaborate drink and tapa menu. You will not get disappointed. However, make sure you make reservation on weekends.
(5)
Mike F.

This place can cook. The grilled black cod was awesome, its natural sweet buttery flavor combined with a powerful seared grill taste made for a knockout dish. There are many other nice dishes. That said, there are other Japanese small dish places that rank higher. ~ Soba noodle dish had mushy noodles, weird. Soba is ususally of such a firm character it can stand alone, the shining star without adornment. ~ The sake I had was rather non-smooth. At $10/small, the resaturant could've ruled this one out. Perhaps, the "apple" flavor won out over the overall rougher character of this wine. ~ The workers were very busy and weren't able to attend sufficiently to the diners even though their hearts were there.
(4)
Kit W.

This place is great for both a quiet meal with a significant other and another couple, or a perfect place to kick back after work with sake and coworkers. This place is really cozy, so get there before 7, because people tend to stay all night. I have only spent a few weeks in Japan, but Saizo is the closest I've found to being there without having to pull out my passport. Vegetarians, be warned, there ain't much for you on the menu, but the manager was really nice and extremely helpful once we explained that I'd forgotten a food friend was a veggie. My bad, but she really helped out. I very much like the Burobuta (pork belly, melts in your mouth but is 60% pure fat...) the fried sausages (what isn't better friend?!) and ... well, pretty much everything. All the skewers I tried were great. Chazuke makes a great finish. I am a sucker for fried noodles, and the yakisoba is great. If it's your first time there, don't hesitate to ask for suggestions and order off the specials, usually they're quite tasty.
(5)
Zeke S.

I think I do need to give it another shot, maybe at dinner time instead of lunch. The menu looked like an authentic non sushi real Japanese everyday sort of food type place. There were plenty of Japanese folk in the place. And yeah, even though the cook was Mexican, there was a Japanese guy standing relatively near him, that's gotta count for something, right? They seem to everything looking in the positive except that I think they may have tried to go eco friendly on the tempura... and by eco friendly, I mean I think they may have just let it sit in a vat of lukewarm oil outside in the sun rather then deep frying it. I have never had tempura in my life that was more of a greasy sloppy goopy mess. So the place looked like the food was better than my one pretty bad meal, so I am gonna give it 3 sloppy pieces of shrimp out of 5 and try and get back there for a follow up meal.
(3)
foodie g.

Dun remember much of my experience here. Food is pretty good. But i've tasted better. Traditional, boring menu. Not comin back.
(3)
John C.

Our cousin Brian took us out for dinner here for dinner last Friday. The restaurant is located next to a popular Spice Hut and closed down Albertsons. Once you're inside the up beat energy and buzz of the place takes over. We started the meal with two different flights of sake. This was an excellent tasting of the subtleties of sake flavors. We ordered a large selection of tapas. Some highlights were the deep fried chicken and the stuffed mushrooms. The eel tempura was surprisingly light and sweet. We a very good meal and will return now that we know where it is.
(4)
Mavis G.

I come here for the variety of yakitori and other Japanese appetizers at night only. They are all very good and the dinner can get expensive fairly quickly. I have tried the hamachi special several times and it was fresh and delicious every time. With a bunch of people, I've tried their other stuff which to me is just average. I have not been here for lunch so I've no idea what the menu is like and if the price is cheaper or not. But I like this little izakaya!
(4)
Steve U.

If you want to experience the true Japanese taste and style, Saizo is the place. The place reminds me of the small sushiya in Shinjuku and Shibuya. it definitely satisfies your craving for Japanese cuisine. For a simple meal the "tapas" style servings of chicken, fish (sanma), tempura are tasty. Soba and Chazuke (rice with tea) hits the spot. It is a small, restaurant located in typical non-impressive strip mall environment. One downside, it can be very expensive.
(4)
Jensen L.

I tried this place a couple weeks ago and spent about 45 minutes waiting outside. Once inside, the food was pretty darned good. Do yourself a favor and treat yourself to the pork ka-bobs. They are loaded with fat but they are incredibly tasty! The wasabi chicken was a nice treat... as well as the noodles (beef, IIRC). Warning: 3 people = $150 if you eat a lot
(4)
David J.

I am definitely a fan of Saizo for lunch (dinner not so much). It's about as authentic as you can get in these parts for Japanese lunch with mostly Japanese speaking patrons usually on either side. Specials are usually good, but the beef tongue and ribs is my standby. Big downside for me is they don't take credit cards at lunch.
(4)
Kathy T.

This place is great! It is definitely authentic Japanese food owned by Japanese people. Not your typical Japanese sushi joint with rolls drenched with toppings and sauce (not that I don't enjoy places like that or anything) but this place has real Japanese food. No sushi and the food is full of fresh flavors. The food is cooked fresh and you can see them preparing it in the same room you are seated in. Everything on the menu is promising. They have daily specials that are always on hit.
(4)
Matthew D.

This is a decent enough yakitori joint. Overall the food was very tasty, it was just too expensive. Atmosphere of the restaurant is good, very quiet and low key. The staff is also very friendly. By far the best dish we had was the bacon wrapped scallops. The price was just way too high for the portions. Even the cheapest dives in Tokyo will give you more bang for your buck, and you can't convince me that chicken is somehow twice the price here. Good: Atmosphere Wait staff Bad: Very limited menus Expensive Small portions
(3)
Tomomi S.

Another good place to go for lunch or dinner when I am craving good non-sushi Japanese food. Saizo is very popular among my Japanese friends. Quality of service and food is always consistent, well, so far for me. I usually have "Oroshi Hamburg" dish.. Very good. "Oroshi" is grated Japanese radish, and "Hamburg" is like a personalized meat loaf. It is usually ground beef (and pork depending on the place) shaped in a flat oval and cooked on a pan. It is usually soft and light in texture, not tough or chewy. Then, put Oroshi on the top of Hamburg and there is this special soy based sauce drizzled over it. Hmmm YUM!!! Just like the way my mom used to make it back home! This Oroshi Hamburg comes with mound of thinly julienned cabbage and miso soup and bowl of rice. Very yummy, healthy and filling meal after all. Daily special is also good for its price. It could be crowded around lunch time so get there earlier (around 11:50) or a little later to avoid the lunch crowd.
(3)
dominique l.

it's been quite awhile since i've been to this location, but i'll review it out of my memory! this place is small, and the day i went it was very quiet and not too busy. we ordered a variety of skewers which were good (but i do prefer to go to sumiya for these meat type skewers), but was set this place apart was their fried chicken skin dish! so bad for you, but it was very good. they served it with cucumbers or some sort of vegetable to make this greasy dish taste more refreshing. we also had this soft shell crab spring roll which was sooo good! me and my boyfriend loved it the most. it basically was like a vietnamese spring roll, but had fried soft shell crab in it and was served with some sort of vinaigrette, i believe it was yuzu based. anyways it was a good amount of food and expensive ($60-ish excluding tip) i don't know if i'll come back again for the skewers, but i would for that soft shell crab spring roll!
(4)
Lynn V.

I usually come here about once a month or else I will find an excuse to come here with my BF and celebrate! I love the beef tongue, tomato wrapped bacon, pork belly, baby octopus, OMG CHICKEN SKIN, and yakisoba! We usually spend about 50-60 for the both of us, but its worth it!! Gosh I want some chicken skin right now.....
(5)
Theen-Theen T.

Authentic and tasty. Best thing is the food is not overly salty. If Saizo wants to maintain business against the newer Izakaya's, a bit of improvements is needed. Can use more care on oil blotting of fried dishes. Grilling is not thorough enough for some dishes.
(3)
patricia n.

*argh* my sis beat me to the review. defeated. anways... here's my side of the story. LOL it is always my greatest pleasure going out w/ cindy N. (aka my big sister from another mother) i wanted the hamburger steak so we decided on the last split of a sec to go out to Saizo. i was very surprised at how "empty" the place was. ETA restaurant 12:10pm on Tuesday like really.... is it the economy??? my meal of the day (and always just all so good).... hamburger steak with ponzu ($9.75+tax) the meal comes w/.... 1) a bowl of rice 2) miso soup 3) a lil salad next to the hamburger its hamburger, with daikon raddish on top. its meat but not heavy. the daikon w/ ponzu makes it a tad tangy yet refreshing. i jst don't know how to put it into words buti ts goOoOoOd. (i personally like it more than teriyaki style) boy i came out with a fully belly!! money well speant
(4)
Kwun H.

went there again last week. just want to add a couple more recommended dishes: - enoki w/ bacon - grilled unagi - the skin is crunchy and the meat literally melts in the mouth. i will never get enough of this.
(5)
Ken K.

Been here once for lunch and once for dinner, but honestly lunch is nothing really to write home about, as the true gems of this place are dinner only. For lunch I had the cold soba. Was disappointed when I saw the chef (the Mexican guy who really knows his way around the grill) took out a pack of dry soba imported from Japan to cook, but was pretty amazed at the overall technique. He knew when to stop cooking, turn off the heat, dunk the hot cooked noodles into ice and water to firm it up (and to make the noodles toothsome), and pretty much nailed down the technique so it came out excellent. But bottom line is that the lunch menu overall is ho hum, as tasty as it might be. No Bay Area izakaya will serve dinner fare during lunch. That applies also to Tanto and Gochi. Some of the small dishes during dinner are great hits. The beef stir fry was fantastic (forgot the name and details) but the gems are the skewers/yakitori. Grilled unagi liver is a favorite, actually tasted pretty good. This is probably the only place where I've seen temari style sushi, which is instead of an ellipitcal/ovular shaped shari rice ball, they make the shari perfectly round and cut fish in such a way that it molds around the sphere. Try it with maguro, hamachi. Quite unusual but very tasty. Another way to enjoy sushi.
(5)
Jake S.

Positives: Tasty food Some exotic stuff Negatives: Too expensive for what you get... which is very little. Service was not very good. Very rushed, shorted me $10 on my change No credit cards accepted unless you spend at least $20
(2)
Kaz S.

When did I go? Tuesday, 1pm. Food: 4 (Medamaburg don= 5 stars), Quality:5, Portion:3.5 (I supersized mine) Atmosphere:4 (Not a big place, relatively small) Price:4 (out of 5 stars) I've been here several times and it's good! The latest thing I had here is the "Medama-burg don ", a japanese hamburg steak over rice in a donburi(japanese bowl). I would give this Medama-burg don a 5 star right away. The japanese hamburg steak(ok..imagine this like a big fat hamburger patty.) is very juicy and the sauce they put on top of it is very good. And for those who know a little japanese might be saying, why "Medama"? (Medama = eye (eye ball) and is referring to sunnyside up. ) Bingo! So you'll see a sunny side up right in middle of the 'hamburg steak'. The difference between the Hawaiian loco-moco and this is the sauce and the patty. I love it and I highly recommend this Medama-burg don. The miso soup they serve here is a bit too sweet for my taste but as it's a white miso, it should be sweeter than the red miso or the "awase" miso which is the mix of red & white so there's nothing wrong there and it's just the way this miso is supposed to be. The dishes they serve the food is pretty. Even the soy sauce server on the table is a real thing and not some cheap plastic server. The price was reasonable and most my Japanese friends like this place. I recommend you trying this place out if you like authentic Japanese cuisine. p.s. Spice Hut(Indian fast food) is right next to Saizo. Spice Hut is one of my favorite Indian Restaurant (4 out of 5 stars) as it's fast, inexpensive and authentic. If Saizo is packed, try Spice Hut! Highly recommended.
(4)
Madelyn Y.

3.5 stars for Saizo. Only because I have a couple favorite Izakayas in mind already that are that much better than Saizo. Dined with a couple of friends at this restaurant sandwiched between a dollar store and a neoned-out eatery so just pay attention that Saizo's frontage is more discreet in the shopping plaza. The service was very good and the waitresses made some great recommendations. However the food was being served at a slower pace then I'm used to. The setting is really cozy and could be a nice romantic, yet casual, spot. We had the Spicy Garlic Edamame, Steak Tataki Salad, Kim Chi Pork, Grilled Duck, Tempura Softshell Crab and a few skewers. The edamame and salad I'd definitely order again but I think the other dishes were only just "ok." I'm not a big fan of skewers anyway but I'd say Saizo is worth a try because a lot of yelpers seemed to enjoy it and the restaurant was pleasantly full but not overwhelmingly crowded so they definitely have good patronage.
(3)
daniel j.

I went here for a business lunch on Friday. Generally, this place is as "izakaya" which means "drinking establishment". The dishes they have are not sushi, but more of japanese comfort food that accompanies a heavy night of drinking. They serve small dishes and skewered items. However, the lunch does have some of the same menu items. But I opted for the tonkatsu. I had the tonkatsu w/ponzu sauce, cabbage, rice, shredded daikon, miso soup for $10. It was the best tonkatsu that I ever remember having. It comes out hot, fried, and doesn't have that strong pork taste in it. The ponzu sauce (citrus) along with shredded daikon gives a perfect dipping sauce for it. With rice and cabbage and the soup, it makes for a perfect lunch. I need to try this place for dinner and I'll update.
(4)
Mercy B.

I'm still on my quest for a birthday dinner - and I wanted Japanese! So, we ended up at Saizo - a very cozy, out of the way restaurant that you could easily pass if you weren't looking for it. Because we didn't have reservations, we sat at the bar. This is our second visit, and we weren't disappointed. We ordered the sake sampler A (very yummy, but we preferred the B sampler that we had on our first visit). The vegetables in the stir fry pork were nice and crisp. The soba tempura was delicious! The wait staff was friendly and responsive and kept our tea cups and water glasses full. There's so much variety on Saizo's menu - we'll definitely be back to sample more - and it will be definitely before my next birthday!
(5)
geoff c.

We went there for lunch on Friday, and both my wife and I had the special. Fairly solid offering. The salt and pepper chicken was very good, but could have been warmer. Ebi furai was perfect. But the piece of fried tuna with soy cheese was kinda gross. Mostly it was the fault of the soy cheese. That could have been left out completely and the dish would not have suffered. The wait staff was very fast and friendly. I'd give 3.5 stars if I could. We've been to dinner here before, and will have to come back again. I do remember the reservation process being slightly boned though.
(3)
Ta G.

Thank you Yelp for helping me find this place! I LOVE Japanese food - especially Japanese tapas! This is an authentic Japanese tapas restaurant owned by Japanese. And... we were surrounded by Japanese customers! That is a sign. =) We ordered: Agedashi tofu (1 pc) - I liked this a lot. They tofu was very crispy on the outside. My bf thought this was just ok. Rib-eye skewer (1 pc) - this was okay. I can probably make this at home so I'd skip this and order something more interesting. Mushroom filled with ground chicken skewer (1 pc) - I love mushrooms. Yummy. Fried tuna filled with soy cheese (2 pc) - This was my favorite! This was sooo good. They give you yummy ponzu sauce to dip it in (don't forget to mix in the mustard). Miso-flavored beef cooked in a claypot - The miso flavor is definitely more mild. The beef was very tender. I liked this dish, but my bf didn't like it all - he only likes miso in soup. Overall, I really liked this place. Service was very fast, the food is very fresh, and everything neatly presented. Japanese tapas add up - our bill was $27 including tax + tip. When you order skewers, it only comes with one. But I will definitely come back.
(4)
Swirls L.

Came on a Friday night and got seated at the bar since we had no reservations. I thought that was kind of strange considering 3/4 of the tables were empty. When the bar filled up, others without reservations were turned away.... Eventually the tables filled up, but I guess you should call ahead of time. My bf and I shared the Spicy Tuna Salad and we both loved it. The spicy tuna melted in my mouth and the salad dressing had a kick to it. There was even a whole sliced avocado sitting admist the fresh salad greens. Yum! Definitely recommend getting this dish if you are a fan of spicy tuna. I also had the salmon ochazuke. My only complaint with this is that the salmon piece they gave me was tiny, basically two bites worth. However, the ochazuke was delicious--the broth was not just plain green tea, but tasted savory and cleansing at the same time. Mixed in with the rice, salmon, umeboshi and wasabi, it was just the comfort food I needed. Haven't tried the tapas yet, but will definitely be back.
(4)
Emiko M.

Very good and decently priced. For the 4 of us on a Sat. night around 8pm, we didn't make reservations but were seated right away (I think we got lucky). The place is very small so reservations are probably a good idea. We ordered a lot of food, including the Minced Chicken Miso salad, Eel Tempura, Yakitori, Gyutan (Beef tongue), Yakisoba, Grilled Rice Balls, Miso Pork and Veggie Stirfry, Tempura Soba, Deep Fried Amaebi (Sweet Shrimp) and drinks. For 4 people, it came to about $25/person. Not bad! The lemon-hi drink is good, they give you half a lemon to squeeze and add the juice yourself. The Tempura Soba was entree sized, I didn't expect so much food to come in that order. Everything was very good, but the only reason why I took a star off was because service wasn't so great. Honestly I expected more, and even when we were speaking Japanese to the waitresses we had to flag them down several times to take more orders to bring us our bill. Once we did get their attention though, service was good. I recommend this place for a unique and different Japanese dining experience.
(4)
David O.

Everyone else has already discussed how the food is good and that it is a great place to eat. The only two things I have to add are that the sake sampler is delicious - we tried sampler C and had 3 excellent sake's for 11$. And the butabara (pork belly) really is delicious, you should eat it. Oh and it is easy to drop 100$ on two people, but worth it.
(4)
Gabby H.

This is a legit Japanese spot, and you will know as soon as you walk in because you will see real Japanese people eating there! I've been here a number of times, never ordered the same thing, and I'm always happy. I always go when I am in the area or I am having a day when I am particularly missing the motherland. I like to bring friends here to show them what the real stuff is supposed to taste like, and it's a no brainer when I'm with my fellow Japanese friends. It's a very wallet friendly place . If you don't go you are missing out, period! :)
(5)
Melissa L.

I went to this place the first time with a friend of mine and she said it was really good. I had these deepfried crab and cheese thingy that was so good. I wish I could remember what it was called. I also liked the steak and green onion yakatori. The pork belly was really good. also.
(4)
Christine V.

PORK BELLY SKEWER. TONKATSU, and SOBA w/ TEMPURA!!! ME OH MY 2 large sakes bottles later...$99..quite expensive on a Monday night but I think next time we will know what to order. Tempura was lightly battered, just how I like it.
(4)
Dietrich H.

It's a nice little place for lunch. I wish I could say I've tried their dinners, because from all you Yelpers, it sounds like it'd be awesome. For lunch though, I wasn't wowed. It's definitely cozy, and the fills up really fast (so get there earlier), but the food, while very good, just didn't do it for me. It's a place I'd go to, and I wouldn't mind going there, but I'm not going out of my way to go there, if you know what I mean. It's not cheap, but it's not expensive. I don't know, everything about it just makes me want to label it average. I've been here a couple times, I've had the beef tongue special, and their soba noodles with chicken (I think). I walked away content... both were done well, and tasted just fine. Next time, I'll try the Medama-burg. It definitely looks awesome, but until then, Saizo, as good as it was, it wasn't great. It's just average.
(3)
Hollita P.

This is place is fun and different. It's one of those small dishes, but try many dishes kinds of places. My friend chose this place for my birthday dinner. I had a promegranate sake, which was yummy. Everything we tried was quite tasty. It's a little bit difficult to decide what to order and how much to order, but it's a good place to have a few drinks and have a few yummy bites. I might recommend planning on getting something to fill you before or after. Heh. I'd go again though. It's that cool.
(4)
anthony c.

I've been here twice now. This is a great place to go with friends if your looking for a quiet atmosphere. Really good Japanese bar food and they also have traditional dishes. It's one of the best Izakaya's around.
(4)
Scott B.

I've been to Saizo for dinner three times now. The food here is excellent. Everything I have had off of the normal menu has been great, and the specials menu is usually good as well (it seems to rotate at least monthly, if not weekly). Although it's not very glamorous or unusual, one of my must-have favorites now is the yakisoba, which tastes perfect. Prices are pretty reasonable for the quality, but if you completely stuff yourself with food and/or alcohol, expect to pay for it. I just had an extremely filling dinner for two with three of the larger dishses and two drinks, and paid only $35 with tax and tip. Other nights when I've had many small dishes and more drinks got into the $50+ ballpark. The one downside here is service. The servers are always very polite and apologetic about being behind, but they really need to hire one more. I've been on a Monday, a Friday, and a Saturday, and it was slow every time because there's two servers trying to handle over a dozen tables as well as eight spots at the bar. If it weren't for this issue, they'd get five stars. Every time I've been in there they've been busy. On one peak night I ended up at the bar, and on the other I had to wait. On the Monday I was seated immediately, at the second to last table. Reservations are probably a good idea during the peak.
(4)
Anna H.

Saizo is indeed a bit tricky to find. It's in the same complex as Long's, just after the In 'N' Out on Remington. I enjoyed the food. I recommend the Morokoshi Age (deep fried corn & shrimp), Ika Fry (deep fried squid), and udon. This is not a place for cheap eats, but the prices are definitely better than Tanto. My one and only complaint is the long wait for our food. I did not think that deep frying some squid could take so long. It took us nearly 30 minutes to get our first dish -- of sashimi! It's not like you have to cook the thing! The pacing of the dishes was quite sporadic. Sometimes we found ourselves waiting 10 minutes before the next dish came out. The tiny restaurant was packed, but mostly because everyone was waiting around for their food. The restaurant filled up at around 7:45 pm, and I did not see a single new patron the whole time we were there. We were there for over 2 hours! Tip: Grab a table before 7:30pm, or who knows when a table will open up. I'd eat there again, but only after I grabbed a burger from In 'N' Out first.
(4)
Adrian A.

I normally go to Saizo during lunch hours and would either opt for that day's special or duck udon. They have a lot more choices (esp. fried and grilled items) at dinner time and the ambiance is also very different. Its chazuke and onigiri are delicious.
(4)
Jason F.

Best Japanese, and my favorite lunch place. Perfect lunch special: perfectly cooked fresh piece of steamed cod (~4oz) in a light soy sauce, grilled chicken, bowl of rice, seaweed salad, and miso, $12. Their cold tofu appetizer ($2) is delicious with fresh chopped herbs.
(5)
Jane L.

The udon had a delicate touch and was perfectly delicious. My dining companion and I got into a fight over it. Their grilled eggplant were not salty enough. Their marinated sake cod had an oddly fishy, salty taste to it. Grilled green onion wrapped in beef impressed my dining companions. One of us loved the seaweed and tofu saIad for its healthy, freshness. Chicken karaage weirded me out as I could still see some of the ?residual chicken feathers (looks like hair--eyew!!). That's it, I'm done trying new dishes at this place. I'm just sticking with the udon from now on. Well, I have a short memory and tried the chicken-miso in lettuce cups. Much too much miso overwhelming the small bits of chicken. My dining companion couldn't stomach it. Also tried the curry, duck udon. It was so-so. 7/07 update My ever optimistic side finally turned up another great dish here! I mean this place is frequently packed and it is an all Asian crowd. I figured I must be ordering the wrong thing! Get the bacon wrapped scallops. At least one skewer per person. I keep sharing one skewer and regretting it as there are two scallops per skewer. It is hard to go wrong with bacon wrapped scallops, but the sauce they drizzle on it is really nice, too! And their grilled mackerel is delish! Take home message: *nabeyaki* udon, grilled mackerel, and bacon wrapped scallops are true winners here! And the waitresses here are really nice.
(4)
Atsushi M.

This izakaya was recommended to me by my sister. I would definitely recommend this restaurant to people who enjoy the whole izakaya experience. We ordered maybe 7 plates including udon, kimchee pork, yakisoba, fried chicken, yakitori, some other things and ended the meal with yaki onigiri and rice balls. We also had a lemon hi-chu and shared a large beer. I would say everything was delicious except for the yaki onigiri. My dad makes this when we BBQ at home so maybe I'm spoiled and my opinion is slightly skewed, but I did not like the yaki onigiri at Saizo at all. Remember to order lots of different plates! Don't be like the couple who sat next to us who ordered a single udon dish for each. Probably Japanese owned and the waitresses were Japanese.
(4)
Jessica H.

I've been here several times for lunch since it is near the office. The food is consistently good! I usually order the Japanese hamburger which is delicious. The Agedashi tofu is really good as an appetizer as is the hijiki(seaweed) salad with tofu. I recommend trying the grilled skewers too, the pork belly is melt in your mouth good! This is the kind of food that goes well with a glass of cold Asahi. The restaurant itself is small, on a strip mall next to dd discount and an Indian fast food place. On most weekdays, it is pretty busy during lunch hour though its still possible to get a table without reservations and it is mostly filled with silicon valley types and/or japanese businessmen.
(4)
Cheryl P.

Headed here for lunch today since we wanted something quick off campus. Bad idea :( I ordered the Katsu-don and he ordered the Udon. Both were drowned in onions. I think my entree had more onions than rice! Service was a little slow but our waitress was nice. Came back to the office needing 10 mints just to mask the smell. Oh the sadness...
(1)
Judy L.

Just had lunch there. We ordered Today's special which's a combo with teriyaki hamburger, fried shrimp shumai, and cold tofu, and Oroshi Tonkatsu. Today's special is good, but the pork of tonkatsu is too dry, and not tender enough. If it's more juicy and thicker, then it would be great.
(4)
Dave B.

A specialized style of Japanese small-bites tapas, not really my kind of thing. The skewers were pretty good.
(2)
Matt W.

The spicy thuna salad is overpriced $12 for a lot of salad and not a lot of thuna. The yakitori are good but really small, next time I will cross el camino and go to the chocalate sushi.
(2)
Katherine P.

This place gets four stars because while the food was great, the service was very slow and we had to wait for a table. Even though there were a lot of open tables with supposed 'reservations', I never saw the people show up. Last night my boyfriend and I decided to try this place. The last time we attempted to try it, the restaurant was closed (it was a Sunday). The place has a nice ambiance, it's small but still roomie, cozy, and its not overly boisterous. The lighting is just right, not harshly bright, not overly dim. I wouldn't recommend groups larger than 4 or 6. If the serving staff know you, they're very nice to you it seems. They weren't particularly nice to us, but it was our first time, so they probably didn't care. Now onto the food! We ordered some sashimi (yellowtail and tuna), ume onigiri, stuffed jalapenos, the tuna steak, and the chicken onion. The sashimi was delicious, fresh, and pleasant to the palate. The onigiri was as expected, large and warm. The jalapenos, man, these were SPICY! Normally stuffed jalapenos are not too spicy, but these ones, the seeds were still in the peppers and the melted cheese and hot meat inside combined for a searing time! Even my boyfriend, who is Korean and a super spicy eater, was surprised. The tuna steak was seared but a little bland and lacking in quantity. The chicken onion was a bit salty and unusual. It was grilled chicken covered in a ground onion sauce. The thing that my boyfriend and I liked about the menu was the fact that there was a lot of different food items to try (including fried things, which we are suckers for). One thing I will try the next time we go back is the cheese and tomato spring roll. What a random sounding combination!
(4)
Kim N.

I believe the chef here is another out of the "Tanto" school of cooking. The lunch menu here is larger than Tanto and Gochi and they usually have an array of lunch specials. I had the grilled saba which was excellent. For dinner however they're menu seems a bit smaller than the other izakayas but they do have sushi and what they have is quite excellent. The space however is tiny so it's not a great place for a big party unless you plan it out well.
(4)
Coo L.

This place is a gem. It's hidden in a stripe mall where other crappy restaurants are located. I'm so glad I found it through yelp. This small restaurant serves not only the traditional Japanese food like sushi, udon, don, etc, but they also have excellent grills. Because they're tapas, you can try many varieties of skewed items without breaking your bank. It's much more affordable than Tanto, which I also like. Besides tapas, their tofu & seaweed salad is a must-try. It was so tasty and the portion was so big. The agedashi tofu was good too. But don't go there for lunch. They have very limited choices during lunch time. Only full entrees are available (no tapas) and therefore they are relatively expensive.
(5)
Sherry Y.

Although you might end up smelling like burnt wood after you walk out of the restaurant, but I still have to give this place 5 star. I was there for dinner and we ordered mostly yakitori. But everything we ordered was delicious. I especially recommend the pork belly skewer. I'm sure it's super fattening, but it's definitely worth the extra 30 mins on the treadmill.
(4)
Nupur K.

I am in love with this place. Everything is perfect, the food, the service, the ambiance. I am no expert when it comes to Japanese food, but I've been told by those who are, that the food here is pretty authentic and what you would find in Japan. My husband and I probably visit once in 1-2 weeks for dinner. The food has been consistently awesome. The butabara (pork belly) is amazing, as is the hamachi sashimi and beef tataki salad. I love the flavor and the heat in the garlic edamame. Another couple of favorites are the unagi ochazuke and the stir fried crab and cilantro noodles. The only thing that we found a little iffy was the tempura udon, because the tempuras were a little too oily. The waitresses at this place are amazing and always remember us as regulars and give us those little extras that make our dinner even better.
(5)
Ken T.

Saizo is one of those Japanese places that offers a Tapas type of menu in addition to your standard teriyaki bento boxes. The menu features a variety of different skewers, grilled or deep fried. The ground chicken stuffed in shiitake mushrooms skewer is quite tasty. We tried the sardine and vinagrette appetizer -- I recommend it only for those who don't mind the fishy taste of sardines. The udon we ordered was tasty, though the serving a bit on the smaller side. Also, though I didn't try any alcoholic drinks, they also offered a variety of soju mixed drinks. Can't comment about the bento boxes cuz we haven't tried them yet.
(4)
Miss Y.

I love their beef salad a lot. the beef is medium rare and the flavor is exquisite. The pork belly was delicious as well. But somehow I don't enjoy their service as much. You don't feel that warm welcome feeling as much... maybe because I am not a Japanese?
(4)
Chung N.

Delicious Japanese fare. They're not much into nigiri and rolls, but things like noodles and stir fry. It's hard to find at night, but it's located right next door to the Spice Hut. View my photos from this outing here: photoblog.com/chunkielovâ€¦
(4)
Cathy Y.

Ok, I debated between 3-4 stars for a good 10 mins and went for leniency. :) Granted I haven't had yakitori in the bay (torture indeed), this place isn't bad. It's clean and doesn't make your hair smell like bbq after the meal. We've only order 2 kinds of skewers, not enough sample size to really tell good or bad. But its chicken skin, pork belly and bacon wrapped oyster is delightful. I wouldn't mind going back again to try out other stuff.
(4)
Chacha M.

Too bad there aren't so many places like this! The Izakaya/tapas style manu allows you to try out many small dishes to accompany your drinks, and Saizo's menu is pretty cool as in a Japanese Izayaya. My fav pieces are, Fish nimono, Fried Jalapeno cheese, Fried Oyster, and ochazuke. They have a good collection of sake, kushikatsu (skewed fried stuff).
(5)
Cheryl S.

I really like the atmosphere, sake and food at this restaurant. I always feel very welcomed here. I particularly enjoy sitting at the bar to eat and drink sake. This is one of my favorite restaurants in the area.
(5)
Linh L.

The closest that I've found in NorCal to Furaibo. Their skewers are pretty good, but call to get a reservation because this place gets PACKED. It's tucked away in a stripmall next to a DD's Discount, so keep your eyes peeled because people often get lost. I recommend the green onion wrapped in ribeye steak meat...yummy!!! :-) I've had the donburi's here before, too--pretty decent as well.
(4)
Rob C.

disappointing. heyday musta been long ago. tried the yakitori ($1.50) nothing special but inexpensive, tsukune -- terribly bland, katsu -- so boring with kagome sauce, lamb -- so so, butabara pork belly --only one passable. somehow just not good: flattop grilled, no smoked flavor, a lot different compared to sumika. grilled onigiri not really crisp, not enough shiso. izakaya dishes small selection.
(2)
Andrew H.

Saizo is a Japanese izakaya--meaning a place where you can order bar type foods: yakitori, fried quail eggs, salty grilled fish cake, yakisoba, grilled squid. Basically lots of small plates of food that go impeccably with their large beer and sake selection. They also have fantastic noodles, and are one of the few places in the area that serve ochazuke (rice with fish and a green tea based broth). And of course, you can get some yaki onigiri (grilled rice balls) to finish off your meal. Their service is great, and everything is cooked and served with incredible care. My girlfriend and I love to sit at the bar and watch their talented cooks (it's always the same crew of three) dance around each other while madly preparing food. We've ordered a large portion of their menu and never had anything that wasn't delicious. The interior is very nice looking, you'd never guess from inside you were in an awful looking Sunnyvale strip mall. Come here with some friends, order some booze, and start ordering down the list of grilled and fried skewers. You'll have an awesome time and a unique Japanese dining experience. If you find you enjoy izakaya type foods, also try Tanto in San Jose and Sunnyvale (we like the San Jose one more) and Oyaji in the city.
(5)
Jane J.

It was Tuesday and was not crowded, maybe half full. The food was ok. The waitress seemed too busy for us since she gave us the index finger instead of perhaps 'one moment'? Very slow service. Next table a party of 6's water glasses were nearly empty. Note to owner: hire a faster and a more multitasking waitress.
(3)
hsiao c.

Calls itself Japanese tapas and sake place. I still have not tried their sake, but have eaten there twice. Once at lunch and once at dinner. The lunch special I order had a nice fish soup, some sushi and nato. For dinner, we orodered Ochazuke, which is rice with broth, as well as grilled lamb with garlic, fried mushroom with ground beef and fried asparagus with some meat. All are well done, a little under season, but does allow the pure flavor of the food to shine through. A little difficult to find, look for the Albersons and then walk toward Spice Hut. It is next to Spice Hut. --- Update: Went back recently to try more of their sake/bar food. They have a 2 types of 4 sake sampler, perfect for people like me who cannot make up my mind:) I have the most traditional items: beef toungue, oyster with bacon, yakitori, rice balls with fish shavings. All items are good, the oyster with bacon was sort of a let down because I have very high expectation for the dish. Cost adds up quickly even though each item is only $2-$3 dollars, but each item is literally a snack and I needed at least 4-5 snacks to fill me up:) Albertson closed, so look for spice hut:)
(4)
Sherri C.

Of all the izakayas I've been (very happily) trying out, Saizo doesn't earn the highest marks; however, the udon and lunch specials are quite good. The location is boring and restaurant interior rather sparse, but I wouldn't hesitate to go there again if someone else suggests it.
(3)
Chi-Chong s.

Pork bellies mixed with sapporro and sake samplers......heaven!!!!!!
(5)
David L.

This place would have gotten 5 stars except for the wait.... the place is sometimes empty and if you dont have a reservation, you still have to wait 15 minutes!!! At the end of the 15 minutes they seat you in a table that was empty in the first place!!! The skewers are great, my favorites are the pork belly, bacon wrapped scallops and quail eggs.... also their udon is very good although the portions are a hair smaller.
(4)
Scottie H.

Make a reservation for a nice table. Order the sake sampler to find a new favorite. Order more than one of the things you know you'll like - small plates! My favorite last night was the cabbage and mushroom side that came with the salmon dinner - surprising and fresh.
(4)
Christina R.

A lot of people have pretty much given you the native's take on this place. As a out-of-towner, my take on this place is it's a fine place. I loved the pork belly (butabara) for it consistency and richness, and maybe traditionally the Japanese don't do anything to season it because it has so much fat on it to begin with, but some hint of sweetness would have topped that dish off and took it to the moon for me -- a warning though; don't overdue it on the pork belly; you will regret it. The Torimiso Salad was also amazingly good, although I wished they had put more carrots on the plate and a bit less celery; the carrots bring out the flavor of the Torimiso mix. I HATED to cow tongue. Maybe it's a me thing, but it was like eating a wad of liquified drain gunk that had been breaded and fried; not even the sauce could save it. The bacon wrapped shiitakes were amazing (but what wrapped in bacon, other than tongue, isn't?). The garlic lamb skewer was so flavorful and seasoned very well. The bacon wrapped oysters (kaki bacon) were really good, with the soft taste of the oyster juxtaposed next to the bacon. The rice balls were ok, but they were, you know, rice balls. Of the two squid dishes, I recommend the grilled squid in sauce over the regular salted squid. The tofu seaweed salad was interesting, if you like to just eat bland super soft tofu, and the dressing on it was so watery that it didn't stick to the tofu well enough to create a flavor party at the mouth level, but the type of seaweed they use in that salad is really awesome even though the dish itself is just mediocre. Saizo also does some high end Sakes that went over exceedingly well with our party of 10. Be prepared to pay for value, however. Saizo does two samplers so you can find your favorite without breaking the bank. Their Soju mixed drinks are also divine -- I polished off both a Grapefruit AND a Lemon Hi, but I would definitely recommend the Lemon high for its taste; it was delicious. The only drawback to this place is it's size and staff. If you want to try some of these amazing dishes, it is best to come with a group of people, but make sure to book a reservation as seating is VERY limited. Our party of 10 had to take up a quarter to a fifth of available seating. Further, the dishes were a little slow to peter out, we couldn't get the table teapot filled but once in a blue moon, and I couldn't get another drink or a glass or water to save my life once the waitress had taken our first order. At the end, when the check came out, the only other drawback was that everything on the check was written in Japenese characters, which none of us at the table could read; a little hard in terms of accountability. And, for parties of six or more, be prepared for added gratuity, even if you can't get a damn drink when you want it -- and the gratuity was calculated on the total and not the sub-total. I wasn't paying the bill, so I didn't raise a stink, but had I been paying the bill I might have shown my lawyer side and asked for a recalculation. Overall, good food but the service could definitely be improved. I understand a party of 10 isn't easy, but avoiding the table when I am parched is unacceptable! One more server in this place would probably help things out a LOT!
(4)
Tim L.

What can I say, another solid Izakaya Japanese Tapas restaurant. I have only been here once so i haven't tried that many dishes. In general their skewers were good, however the star at this restaurant was the bacon wrapped enoki! Damn.. Crunchy meat on the inside, bacon fat infused enoki with the crunch of the mushroom still maintained! Love that. check it out. Gochi is better.
(4)
Paul C.

Went on a friday night, showed up 10 minutes after opening and took the last table. Get reservations if you want to go on a weekend night. Our table just happened to be next to the door, and on one of the coldest nights of the year, that wasn't fun. I can see how you could miss this place, it's in a strip mall next to Spice Hut. Being in a strip mall, parking isn't a problem. On my friend's recommendation, we started with the Spicy Tuna salad, which was excellent. Tuna just melted in your mouth, the salad greens were very fresh. Ordered a wide variety of dishes, I remember the oysters with bacon to be especially tasty, the Yakitori was excellent, and the beef wrapped around green onion just a bit overpowered by onion. I tried the softshelled crab, my first time with softshell crabs, and I'm not a fan. I'll have to try it cooked more conventionally to see if I like it or if it's Saizo's method I don't like. The beef tongue was very good, cut wafer thin. I tried the grilled pork belly, it was fatty (well, duh, it's pork belly) but oh so good with whatever sauce was on it. Frankly, aside from the crab, there wasn't anything I didn't like. I'd happily go again, but I'll make reservations next time and take a counter seat over that table by the front door.
(4)
Jenny L.

This is the perfect place to unwind in the evening for Japanese tapas. Try an assortment of grilled, deep-fried, and skewered items such as the black cod, black pork, pork belly, duck, enoki mushrooms wrapped with bacon, yaki-onigiri rice balls, and the list goes on. Be careful with the hot mustard as it has the effect of a yellow wasabi. If you're stomach isn't feeling well enough to try beef tongue and eel liver, try the torimiso lettuce cup minced chicken salad and ochazuke, which is a rice porridge with tea. Bring your friends, especially if they are Japanese, and try as many of the small plates as you can.
(4)
Hugh D.

A wonderful dining experience. Different and authentic. Noticed that the specials menu in English was shorter than the one in Japanese, so we asked our server to tell us what offerings the English menu was missing and she obliged. My partner tried one of those special, though the server warned us against it, and he loved it. If you're an adventurous sort and don't speak Japanese, you might do the same. The pork belly is amazing!
(4)
Naomi F.

I went this place for lunch today. I had Oroshi Wafu hamburg (Japanese style burger with grated radish sauce). It was sooooo good and authentic. I was checking what my neighbors are eating... Kakiage don looks good, too
(5)
Andrea H.

This is the place to go to enjoy authentic Japanese food izakaya style. The ingredients are fresh. Iwase Nanban, veggie salad with crispy fried sardine in vinegar dressing, is especially good. You can feel the contrast between the cold veggie and the hot 'just fried' sardines. Gindara is also good. Basically all their grilled and skewered items are delicious. During lunctime, they have lunch special for $10.50, with rice, miso soup, 2 main dishes and 1 side dish. The lunch special menu changes everyday ... grilled stuff, stir fried stuff, stewed stuff, sashimi, you won't get bored with their offerings!
(4)
Rachel R.

What a delightful, cozy, home-style Japanese restaurant! I am a fiend for sake, and loved both selections we tried here (Akitabare and Dewazakura Dewasansan) -- the large size is more generous than at other restaurants. My husband enjoyed the maguro (tuna) special and the lettuce wraps he ordered. The only disappointment was that they have no ginger. On our second visit, our party enjoyed "beef wrapped around green onion", crab tempura, one of the udon bowls, and the clay pot with chicken, vegetables, "and more" (we kept joking about what the "more" was). I hate when reviews mention being the only white person in some restaurant (we live in a very multi-ethnic place), but I found it remarkable that of the six tables within listening/viewing distance, we were the only ones ordering or speaking in English. The menu is available in both English and Japanese. Vegan Report: Saizo offers very little for vegetarians and even less for vegans. The waitress knew enough to inform me that the marinated taro root used fish broth. I ended up with the garlic edamame (really garlicky and really messy), pickled vegetables, and grilled vegetable skewers. On my second visit I had regular edamame, the Hijiki seaweed salad (which was surprisingly filling), the grilled vegetable skewers again, and a bowl of rice.
(5)
David H.

Yum, yum, yum! My brother came down from the city to have dinner with us and we decided to try Saizo. Good choice as we had a great meal. We were seated promptly (weeknight so not too crowded) and looked over the menu before ordering. We had the grilled fishcake, stuffed shiitake, shumai, fried tofu, bacon-wrapped scallops, and bacon-wrapped enoki. Everything was very tasty especially the bacon-wrapped items. I mean, come on, bacon with anything will make it taste good! The only thing I didn't care for was the grilled chicken with ume sauce. Either too much sauce or tasteless chicken, I can't quite decide what was wrong with it. Maybe it's because it wasn't fried. We'll definitely be going back to Saizo and trying the other bacon-wrapped items.
(5)
Helen H.

I have been trying to find a chicken skin dish that would satisfy my craving, so I was super excited to see that Saizo offer such dish & many people have raved about it, plus I also like that there are a variety of dishes to choose from. At first taste, it was good, what fried dish doesn't taste good? but after a couple of pieces, you taste more of the bitter taste that come w/ over-frying & the ponzu sauce was too overpowering, I start to miss the grilled version served at our old favorite restaurant in LA, it was crispy on the outside & soft on the inside, the different textures really made the dish so much better. We also ordered fish cake w/ cheese, a variety of chicken dishes, the liver, ground chicken, w/ shitake mushroom and w/o, fried beef tongue, there were all just okay, I probably wouldn't care to order them again, our favorite of the evening? the pork belly, which was very delicious, I melted on the table after having the first bite, but had to stop on the second piece b/c it was just so sinful! my highlight of the dinner was actually the kitsune udon. Next time I might just have this for dinner, but the price was very reasonable & since there are quiet a few dishes I haven't tried yet, I would go back.
(3)
clip b.

A Japanese Restaurant without Sushi. That's like a German Restaurant without German Chocolate Cake. Bliss!
(5)
Jennifer Y.

I went there for a good-bye dinner for a friend just a couple days ago. It's a quaint place, on a corner of E El Camino, next to Spice Hut. The noise level in the restaurant is a little on the high side since it's so cozy. My friends tried a variety of the skewers. The yakitori chicken skewer is good but safe, and the pork belly skewer was fatty and savory. I tried the chicken with yuzu and pepper, and found it to be too spicy, but my friend who likes spicy just ate it right up for me, so to each his own. I've never had ochazuke before, but it was really good here! (Ochazuke, for those who are unfamiliar, was described to me as tea-soup, and is rice served with a tea-broth, dried seaweed, onions, wasabi to taste, and some pickled vegetables). I also liked the fried chicken skin, which was very crunchy and tasty, especially with cold beer. The fried kim-chee and pork was also very good. I'd definitely come back to try more plates. =)
(4)
thomas w.

i went there last night with 3 friends. we ordered what seemed like the entire grilled menu (bacon scallop, garlic lamb, rice balls, pork belly, rib eye, miso chicken, pike). i liked everything except the beef tongue. but that's just me not being a fan of tasting things that can taste me back. i won't talk about the grilled stuff, since it's in all the other reviews. but i will talk about the udon (egg on top). i haven't had udon quite like it. i think they put taro in the soup, so it's got a nice thick texture. the udon had a very yummy chewyness that's best described as very Q.
(4)
Yenly M.

This place hit the spot after a chilly and windy evening at Great America. Prices are typical of izakaya. The nasu miso (eggplant with minced chicken) is the highlight of everything we ordered. The simmered taro is light. Funny thing is it looked like fish balls. Torikwawa (deep fried chicken skin with ponzu sauce) makes indulging in really bad food feel so damn good! Can't go wrong with spicy garlic edame. The tuna salad is pretty big portion for a tapa place and is refreshing. The grill duck didn't taste too heavy either. Only "eh" dish is the grilled pacific pike. Not sure if it's an aquired taste but it had a bitter after taste. It is definitely a good place for a light dinner sharing with friends and lots of sake and beer involved.
(4)
Jenny O.

It's an izakaya, so it has lots of sake and small plates (but there are entrees you can order too). The majority of the small plates are grilled or fried, but there are other types of food to get there as well. It was the first place I tried hamachi sashimi (since tuna and salmon were always my favorites), and I fell in love with it. Their onigiris are good, and I really like the one filled with salmon roe. I also quite like their tomato and cheese rolls that you dip in some salt. I just tried their garlic edamame, which is edamame that's heated up and covered in this garlic paste that I squeezed some lemon juice on, and it was fantabulous! The only thing to watch out for is that the place is pretty small, so there have been times I've had to wait awhile. Make reservations if you want to plan ahead, but seats at the bar do free up regularly.
(4)
Jan S.

The best izakaya-style Japanese restaurant in the Bay Area. If you are looking for sushi you will be disappointed (they don't have any). However, if you are looking for a great culinary experience that is best shared with at least 4 people around the table, Saizo is the place to go. It is our favorite place to go when we have friends visiting from out of town. Izakaya-style means small dishes aka Japanese tapas. Since they serve the dishes as they are ready, it is best to order a good number right at the beginning and share them among the members of your dinner party as they are being brought to your table. Most all of dishes we're tried have been great. We always start dinner with the spicy edamame. If you plan to go there for lunch, the lunch special will never disappoint you.
(5)
Bennet A.

truly mediocre. i have had better izakaya elsewhere.
(3)
Karen L.

I was a little disappointed with this place as I had high expectations from some of the rave reviews. Granted the place isn't crowded and is cozy, the food was hit or miss. Items that stood out in my mind were the Yakitori, Pork Kimchee Stir Fry, and the Pork Belly. These were rich in flavor and the meat was cooked perfectly so that it had the maximum amount of juices and tenderness. The rest sort of failed to impress me. The Baby Octopus was a little greasy, but the batter had a nice sweet light taste. The Deep Fried Beef Tongue, yuck, tasted like tongue. The grilled Beef Tongue tasted better but was a bit chewier. Some of the grilled skewers were decently priced for $1 but some were like $3.50. Take for example the Bacon Wrapped Scallops, I felt like all I got to taste was the bacon and not the scallops and you only got two small pieces. Same with the Pork Wrapped Tomatoes, only tasted the cherry tomatoes. The Tuna and Green Onion Skewer was overcooked, it would probably taste better if it were seared. With came in with a far amount of people so it gave us the opportunity to try a lot of their dishes. Many were bland. They do have a good selection of grilled and fried skewers, but the menu didn't have a great selection of other foods. The waitress was friendly, but she jumbled our orders all together so it was hard for us to tell which was which that we ordered. To end on a plus note, their cocktails were pretty good though.
(3)
pinky W.

i love chazuke and i think by far they serve the best best chazuke ever! we also tried a few different things, onigiri, morokosho, tsukune stuffed shitake mushroom, bacon wrapped scallop, all very tasty... but grilled chicken breast and black pork i thought it was just soso.. will definetly come back again!
(4)
Orie M.

A quaint little izakaya type restaurant located in a plaza on El Camino Real. I had dinner here for a birthday get together with 3 of my girlfriends (4 people total) and the tab came out to $104.00 plus tip. That was for about 8-10 dishes plus dessert and 3 glasses of beer. We made reservations even though it was a Monday night, so we didn't have to wait- plus there were a few open tables anyway. The service is decent, and the waitress was patient to take our order even though we were still narrowing down our choices and took a little while to get the order together. The food was pretty good, although not out of this world spectacular. I like the spicey tuna salad, the nagaimo salad, the gyu tan, and the mentaiko onigiri (this one has fish egg in it). The atmosphere is pretty casual, and it feels comfortable enough to chat and relax.
(4)
Tif W.

Just when I thought there would be no restaurants left to be impressed by, there was Saizo. I saw the reviews on Yelp, called to make a reservation and it was a good thing that I did. Although the place didn't look packed, many of the seats were already reserved on a Friday night. We managed to get bar spots for two. The last time I had izakaya style food was in Hong Kong , I didn't think I'd find similar places in the South Bay. I couldn't stop ordering because the menu had so much variety. The food was incredible!!! We had grilled chicken skewer (forgot the name, starts with "y". Spicy and tender), grilled pork belly (delicious), fried quail eggs (not that impressed), crab tempura (which my friend enjoyed, I'm not much of a seafood person), rice balls (spicy cod and salmon) and shitake mushrooms stuffed with minced meat. We shared food between the two of us, each had a drink and the bill ended up to be 35 bucks, which wasn't bad at all. The service was great and the servers were attentive. Strong drinks, good food and nice atmosphere. Although the place was full, it wasn't crowded. They did not overpack people like some other popular places. I'd recommend this place for dates but you might smell like bbq afterwards. I can't wait to go back!!!
(5)
Tim L.

Saizo offers a solid izakaya dining experience. However, since the place is small, during peak dining hours, the service tends to get really slow given the limited number of cooks and waiters. The food was decent, but I felt that everything was just plain salty. I think there are better alternatives for izakaya in the nearby area with faster service and more variety on the dinner menu. However, if you're looking for a decent meal with a small group of friends in a small and cozy venue, Saizo may be right up your alley.
(4)
Dune N.

Great dinner menu with so much variety! No sushi though. Their tuna salad is delicious and huge. And the spicy garlic edamame is a favorite of mine. I get it everytime I go there.... except lunchtime when I found out that they have a different menu for lunch. That was disappointing, so you should definitely check this place out for dinner!
(5)
Raj K.

This is one of my fav Japanese restaurants. I love the skewers. People are nice and friendly.
(4)
Daniel C.

My favorite izakaya in the area. All the food is solidly prepared. Their ochazuke is very very tasty. A dependable place.
(5)
Seri T.

i was looking forward to eating here, but i have to say that i was not impressed. maybe i was just expecting something else. we got a bunch of their skewered meat, some salad, some beer, some onigiri but nothing really stood out as excellent. the spicy tuna salad was the closest thing to that, and even that had the overpowering spices to kill the taste of the tuna and veggies. the yaki-onigiri was okay, the skewered meat was also okay. the yamaimo salad was pretty good. they only had mango or green tea mochi ice cream for dessert. where's the ice cream and cake and purin and anmitsu?! i think it's more of a business men type of place so it just wasn't what i was had in mind. i like the menu selection at tanto better. it's more homey. prices were decent... maybe a little on the high side for the portions you get. service was pretty good, they kept out tea cups full.
(3)
Robin M.

me: dude i ate at Saizo last nite, i almost **zzed in my pants friend: haahahahahaha friend: that good eh? me: yelp.com/biz/saizo-sunnyâ€¦ me: ya me: its like sumiya but has different stuff too friend: tell me you wrote that in your yelp review me: hahaha me: i should me: the bill came out to 55 dollars, got chicken skin, pot stickers, soft shell crab tempura, 2 ribeye skewers, 2 battered stuffed portabella mushrooms, 1 chicken and onion skewer, 2 miso soup, 1 pork belly skewer, edamame, 2pints sapparo, 1 coke, and then an order of mochi green tea ice cream drizzled with some sweet sauce me: i left a 10 dollar tip cuz it felt so glorious after eating there friend: haha, nice, not a bad deal me: i plan on going here at least once or twice a month friend: hahaha nice, lets go next week me: fo sho
(5)
Toshi K.

I use this cozy restaurant pretty often. It serves more current Japanese dishes compared to other 'Sushi' restaurants.
(5)
Amy C.

If you like Tanto, then you're likely to like Saizo as well. (If you haven't been to Tanto, you should give that a try too. I suggest the one in Sunnyvale over the one in San Jose.) The sake selection is better here. They have a tasting flight of sake or you can order off of the sake menu. The ochazuke (kinda like rice in a light broth) is better than anywhere else I've tried (particularly the one with tai (snapper) cured with konbu). Another favorite: the deep fried chicken skin in ponzu (don't knock it till you've tried it!). The robata (grilled) items are good but not spectacular. They can end up a bit over-cooked. The yaki-onigiri (grilled rice ball) is way better at Tanto. Saizo tends to have less of a wait, so it's a better bet than Tanto without a reservation. It's a great izakaya place to get something a little different from what you'd find at Tanto.
(4)
J S.

ok, maybe i'm weird or something but i wasn't exactly blown away by the food here. it wasn't bad just not THAT good. i sampled a lot of their dishes- all of them tasty. i was pretty bummed out when they fried my saba. i've never had fried saba before. i've always had it broiled. anyway, the saba was no good- it lost all of its yummy oil when it was fried. booo.
(3)
mike k.

great food but please get a sign that lights up in the night. it's not very well placed given the quality of the food (i think it was between a dollar store and a fast food pizza place). i thought my GPS was nuts when it told me 5 times i've reached my destination... that said, i'm a returning customer! gotta have them pork belly skewers again.
(4)
Julie H.

Good Japanese tapas place. I moved up here from Orange County and have been spoiled by the Japanese tapas places there. This one is comparable. Black pork in miso sauce was very good. So was the lotus root with cod roe and grounded chicken. Udon's cooked to perfect consistency. Mackeral needs improvement - too dry, not worth the $10 per serving. Agadahi tofu was excellent. I think they use San Jose Tofu Co as supplier.
(4)
Yan Biao B.

Aibo eat. Aibo like.
(4)
John Y.

I love Saizo! Small plate Japanese and plenty of variety for sake tasting. Don't go for lunch because they don't serve the tasty small plates, but rather default to a rather bland normal japanese menu of bentos and udons. Dinner's where it's at! Try the butabara (grilled pork belly), kaki bacon (bacon wrapped oysters), and the spicy garlic edamame. Those are must gets. Honestly, everything is good!
(5)
mike h.

Of the three main izakayas in the Sunnyvale area, Saizo is probably the one I like the least. That's not to say it isn't good, I'm just not a big fan of having a lot of grilled and fried items, but not much else in terms of variety. Great place to come for a beer and some fried/grilled food. They don't handle big groups well, which is unfortunate, because the line for this place builds up pretty quickly. Service is random -- sometimes the waitress comes by to ask for more orders, other times, one must flag them down to get plates cleared and orders taken. It's an open kitchen, so at the end of the meal, your clothing will smell of Saizo's cuisine.
(4)
Mitch S.

Authentic, delicious home-style cooking. If you have dined in Japan and eaten real Japanese food, this comes closest to the real thing. I usually eat a meal, not izakaya-style so I can't comment on the tapas, however, the menchi-katsu, hamburg-steak and tonkatsu are all very authentic and tasty. The daily lunch special is usually some sort of omakase that happens to be very good that day.
(5)
Kanane J.

Note: I've only eaten here for lunch. (Also, it's cash only for lunch.) I've eaten here a few times and the food is really delicious authentic Japanese food. The service is fairly fast and attentive and the dining room is attractive (albeit a bit small). I've had grilled saba (mackerel) here twice, once as part of the daily special and once from the menu (where you get saba shioyaki with hiyayakko, cold tofu, another personal favorite). The food is served very much in the Japanese style, with a number of smaller dishes (including rice and miso soup, of course). I highly recommend ordering the special - it changes every day and has never failed to please. We liked their food so much that we wanted them to cater our wedding, but sadly their kitchen is too small and they can't cater for groups larger than 50. But the manager was extremely courteous and helpful in discussing options with us.
(4)
Ryo S.

Great place for both lunch and dinner. Prices are reasonable too. There are a lot of Japanese people eating at the place and for good reasons too. =)
(4)
joce t.

darnit, this place was dissappointing. A few friends raved about Saizo so we went in with high expectations. We ordered a little bit of everything... bits from the grill, pan fried dishes, noodles, etc. I must say 9 out of maybe the 10 dishes we ordered were TOO salty. I had to order extra steamed rice just to balance everything out. Since almost every dish was almost inedible (for my taste), I'm not even going to try and remember the names. However the one dish that was actually a hit was the spicey tuna salad. But then again I guess it could be difficult to make a salty salad. Probably will not be returning any time soon.
(2)
Vivien W.

I am so proud that Sunnyvale has its own izakaya style Japanese pub! I just had dinner here with a friend and the skewers were delicious--yakitori, shiitake mushroom with chicken, buta bara (pork belly--the best) and veggie. We sat at the bar, and the smells wafting over from the grill were so tantalizing that I wanted to ask the cooks what they all were! While the skewers were good, I found the pork marinated in miso broth and the Japanese chow mein (the Japanese names elude me right now) to be mediocre. Ditto for the Pomegranate Sake cocktail. But the menu boasts a ton of grilled/fried items and soba/udon/somen dishes to try and sake flights, too, so, I will definitely be returning. Thanks for the tip, Rachel!
(4)
Jay H.

I went to Saizo after reading all the recommendations on Yelp and I must say that it lived up to its expectations! It has an extensive menu of small dishes (grilled, deep fried, skewers, etc) that you can pick and choose from. We ordered a varied selection from all over the menu and they were all delicious. They also have a great selection of different sake cocktails, premium sakes, and sake flights. I went on a Friday night and got the last seats at the bar, so it's probably a good idea to make a reservation if you want a table. I'll be back!
(5)
monkey l.

you could probably drive by saizo a million times and not notice that it's there because it's nestled in the corner of a shopping center. once inside, though, we found saizo to be packed and were lucky we made reservations. everything comes in small portions, so we ordered double of almost everything. the soft shell crab was a pure delight, and everything was so innovatively prepared with the classic japanese ingredients (for example, they had lettuce wraps with miso stir fried chicken) and very tasty. this is definitely not standard japanese fare, though. the only thing i'd note is that the bill for 6 of us came to about $200 (sake included), and i'm not sure that everyone was full. i'd save saizo for special occasions, given how it was a little pricey.
(5)
calivanilla c.

when the patrons around you are speaking in japanese, you know you've found a legitimate japanese restuarant. it's not your usual rolls/sashimi type place - although the hamachi they had on the menu was AWESOME - like buttah. the service was attentive & prompt, prices were decent, and the menu options were appetizing. a gem of a restaurant.
(5)
Chris F.

I've been here a few time, and usually order the tonkatsu, which is always perfectly cook. I had the chicken-katsu, which was not as good as the pork but still good. They have an extensive list of grill items, the grill duck was great, it was soft and full of flavor.
(4)
N V.

I tried this place after hearing some good reviews from my Japanese coworkers. My fiance and I came around 6pm on a Friday and it was completely empty. We were told we had to sit at the bar because ALL the tables were reserved. I highly doubt that but whatever. Checked the menu out and order like 10 items. Sorry, I don't remember all the names but do avoid the Black pig marinated in miso grilled, lacking in flavor and just plain, not worth the $7. I did like the Spicy tuna salad for $12 and this other dish where they pour tea/broth over the rice with unagi $9. We had a short chicken skewer for $3! Definitely not worth the money since it didn't taste anything special. When we were done, about 40 minutes later, only half the restaurant were full. Plenty of tables open. Overall, I'll keep searching for the right Japanese tapas restaurant. I've been spoiled by the restaurants in Japan. Service was good but of course, we were the only one there for awhile. Total bill was about $70 for two.
(3)
Tenshi T.

This is one of my favorite izakayas. It's a small place so its better to make a reservation. Sitting at the counter is fun because you can watch the chef's cook. They have the best yaki-onigiri (grilled rice balls) in town. The shitake tsukune and curry karaage are my favorites. You have to order a lot to get full but at least you get a variety of tastes that makes dinner time fun.
(4)
cynthia l.

i went there for lunch after hearing a lot of good reviews on this restaurant. tried their lunch special ($10.50) which has teriyaki chicken, tuna / yellowtail sashimi, cold tofu and miso soup. they were fantastic. it's a good place to see the chefs cut and cook. they take cash only during lunch. a bit pricey for lunch special. however definitely will go back to try their dinner.
(4)
Bamboo G.

pretty good
(3)
Mahesh S.

Discovered this place 2 years ago. Have been there numerous times since then. Reminds me of the food I ate in Japan as a tourist although Saizo's menu is not as extensive. Things to try include Tako wasa(bi) (A), spicy garlic edamame(A+), Harumaki salad(A), Gindara (grilled cod marinated in sake) (A), yakisoba (Chow Mien), tori karage (fried chicken) (A+, my favourite, guys will love this), gyutan (grilled beef tongue, my wife loves this) and finish the meal with Una(gi) ochazuke or Cha-soba. I usually get a beer and the sake sampler. If I go as part of a group, we get a pitcher of beer and sake. This is my favourite izakaya here.
(4)
Bao L.

Overall, I was pleasantly surprised by Saizo. Food was well prepared. Service was decent even when the restaurant was full. I wouldn't be writing home about the Soju - Mango Passion cocktail. The saitoimu was so popular that they ran out by 8pm. The Mt. yam salad with plum sauce was refreshing, but a bit too sour. Also, the Mtn. yam was served raw so be careful if you are allergic to raw taro, etc. Miso flavored duck had an interesting crisp texture. The pork belly was sweeter than what I have usually encountered, but very soft. The Chicken Saizo skewer was tender and well balanced. It is a good place to chill. A bit on the loud side, so be aware if you are planning to go there for a business meeting or first date. Reservation is definitely a good idea even on the weekdays. Only complaint is that their black and white sign does not really stand out very well so may be hard to find for first timers.
(4)

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Address : 592 E El Camino Real
Sunnyvale, CA, 94087
Phone (408) 733-7423
Click To Get Directions

Opening Hours

Mon :11:30 am - 1:00pm

Specialities

Takes Reservations : Yes
Delivery : No
Take-out : No
Accepts Credit Cards : Yes
Good For : Dinner
Parking : Private Lot
Bike Parking : Yes
Wheelchair Accessible : Yes
Good for Kids : Yes
Good for Groups : Yes
Attire : Casual
Ambience : Casual
Noise Level : Average
Alcohol : Beer & Wine Only
Outdoor Seating : No
Wi-Fi : No
Has TV : No
Waiter Service : Yes
Caters : No

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Saizo

592 E El Camino Real, Sunnyvale, CA, 94087

Saizo Menu

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