Yokai is known for their record playing ambience and the beautiful bar that serves so many types of Japanese whisky. If you go, choose to sit at the bar! It's where you'll see the dj aka the hostess and the beautiful speakers that are blasting jazz music throughout the restaurant. Also, talking to the bartender is always entertaining. The food comes in very small quantities at really high prices. So if you're hungry, drink a lot of water and eat slow. Or grab a snack before you head there.

Yokai, located in San Francisco's Soma neighborhood, is a great place to experience a unique blend of Japanese cuisine and industrial-chic ambiance and jazz music. The menu features charcoal-grilled dishes and fresh ingredients, while the bar program highlights Japanese whiskeys and gins. My girlfriends and I came here for dinner and ordered an array of delicious charcoal-grilled dishes, like wagyu, gyoza, and salmon belly skewers. We ordered some larger plates to share as well. Delicious food, the portions were small but it was expected of Japanese BBQ. It was expensive, but that's San Francisco!

Such a calming and sophisticated space! Absolutely loved the interior design and sound acoustics, everything was so tastefully done. The prices are steep and although the food was delicious, I highly would not recommend if you're vegetarian as there were very limited options (as to be expected for Japanese food).

Came here on a Thursday night with a group of friends and wanted to try everything on the menu. The restaurant is located on a corner of a main street and an alley. Once you enter, you're greeted by a host to your left who can seat you but if you're waiting for your friends to arrive, there is a bar to the immediate right where you can order drinks as you wait. Service throughout the evening was impeccable. Hands down some of the most professional staff I have ever encountered at a restaurant and they were warm and considerate from the moment they greeted you until the moment they said goodbye. Decided to go for the Chef's Choice which requires everyone in the table to participate as well -- everyone agreed. I could describe every dish in detail but this would end up being a very lengthy review. My recommendations from the night are the broccolini and Dungeness crab salad, king salmon belly skewer, blue lake beans (side), and the kakigori. The salad was well seasoned and nicely dressed. There was a good balance of ingredients in that dish. The king salmon belly skewer is so delicious. The salmon belly melts on your tongue--completely dissolves (in the best way). The blue lake beans had a nice crunch and texture to them and the xo topping was so flavorful. The kakigori was a really fun dessert to end the night because of the pop rocks in them but also...who can say no to shaved ice? The restaurant is on the pricier side of things in San Francisco. I think this would be a great place to bring a date or maybe friends visiting from out of town after seeing the nearby sights. Looking forward to trying other items on the menu in the future.

If you like Japanese vibes, good jazz music, amazing service and fusion Japanese food, this is the place to go! Pro tip: use the inKind app for 20% off! Sitting at the chef's table was also fun and you can request where to sit via phone call reservation. I think I had better Wagyu before (in Japan haha) so I would skip on the Wagyu skewer (pricey ). Instead, get a Wagyu uni toast for literally everyone on the table . The dessert is amazing. Recommend the yuzu kagigori shaved ice. It is a super fancy restaurant but I would come but just to order the dessert for $17.

This place from the moment you walked in is such vibe. The food is amazing but do keep in mind that the portion sizes are small. The only complain is that I wish I had more caviar in my dip. I love caviar and was willing to pay extra but didn't receive it. Amazing date night spot