Best Japanese Restaurants in Walnut Creek

The food and service was excellent. The sushi nigiri, rolls and sashimi were nicely prepared and well sized! Wide variety of Japanese whiskeys and mixed drinks. Love the energy of this place, inside and out!

We went for my wife’s birthday and had a very nice time. The food was exceptional and the wait staff was an orchestrated ballet of impeccable service. Everything from the appetizers, the main courses and the desserts were all rock solid. I expected at least one of these categories to be a little weak (as they are with most restaurants) and I was continually pleasantly surprised by the dynamic flavors and incredibly well-prepared, and well-seasoned food overall. My only critique would be that the broccolini was undercooked for my taste and a little too heavy on the garlic, and the porterhouse rolls were slightly disappointing — they were made of some kind of wheat dough with an added aromatic that wasn’t needed in my opinion. I was hoping for the classic buttery white bread porterhouse rolls! But if you are looking for exotic flavors, and open to things being a little different than expected, there’s no shortage of that at Niku. The ambience was modern, tasteful and chic. The music was a little loud, but that helped to provide a very immersive experience. After a few drinks you don’t notice as much lol. They have three different seating options: bar, tables, and chefs counter. This was not as clearly explained as it could’ve been on their website or on OpenTable. The pictures I found online didn’t give a clear enough idea of what the different seating options would look like, so that made planning a special occasion a little difficult. Otherwise, I couldn’t recommend this place enough.

First time eating here. Had a great server, Robin, who was very attentive and made great suggestions . Food was excellent! I highly recommend this restaurant. I’ll be going back again, real soon!

Something was a little off. Not quite what I have come to expect from Sasa. Our waitress was very sweet but …. We got the wrong drinks served a few times and some of the dishes we ordered were missed in the initial order.

I hadn’t been to Benihana in literally 20 years, so I was pleasantly surprised that despite being such an “Americanized” version of Japanese food, it was well-prepared and the quality good. Cutting edge, nope, but delicious. The lunch specials were a bargain: less than $25 for soup, tea, fried rice, sautéed vegetables and an entree - my spicy grilled chicken was tasty indeed, and my companions steaks were grilled to perfection. And it was fun, the chefs truly put on a show - “Jazz” was our chef, and he was not only funny and affable, he did a phenomenal magic trick, that despite our proximity to him, no one could figure out just how he did it - amazing. Fun ambiance, good food, and all at a reasonable price is Benihana.