Perched halfway across the span of a pedestrian bridge inside the Japan Center mall, there’s a well-worn but charming restaurant where hundreds of tattered volumes of manga line the walls. In the kitchen, proud Japanese-American chef Mitsuhiro Nakamura spends three days preparing luscious pots of Shinjuku-style curry, to be ladled liberally over crispy chicken katsu and rice. Out front, his wife Yolanda takes orders and ferries plates of mentaiko spaghetti and okonomiyaki pizza to diners’ tables. 

Close your eyes and you’re not in San Francisco’s Fillmore district, but in a quiet corner of Tokyo. Since 1992, the Nakamuras’ On the Bridge has been quietly preserving the tradition of yōshoku-style cooking, a fusion of Japanese and European cuisines. On any given weekend, hundreds of shoppers walk past the faded green storefront without giving the place a second glance.

Venture inside, though, and you’re stepping into a time capsule.

This is just one of the countless delights of the Japan Center and Kinokuniya malls. Even if you’ve spent hours shouldering through the crowds of families and Naruto-obsessed teens, the winding walkways of the aging shopping centers always offer the possibility of an unexpected discovery to eat — perhaps a snack counter, where the food is too kawaii, or adorably cute —  along with a sprawling Korean barbecue restaurant favored by Giants star Jung Hoo Lee. There are shoebox-sized sushi places where sashimi slides by on conveyor belts, massive dining rooms where cooks set your food on fire just for fun, and elegant omakase counters that could go toe to toe with the city’s best. 

Still, this is a mall, and not every restaurant is a winner. To help locals and tourists find the best options for a quick lunch, family dinner, or group celebration, The Standard’s food team dined at every sit-down restaurant, counter-service stall, and line-inducing bakery in the Japantown malls. (To keep the scope of this feat within reason, we did not include restaurants located outside of the three mall buildings. We also omitted An Sushi, which is currently closed due to a change in ownership.) 

After eating pounds of sushi and too many bowls of rice to count, we sat down, debated, and ranked all 27 restaurants, taking into consideration quality, value, and atmosphere. 

Here, we present a list of every restaurant in the Japan Center malls, ranked from worst to best. 

Yama-chan specializes in takoyaki, a classic Japanese snack of fried batter balls filled with pieces of chopped-up octopus. A regular order (5 for $6.90) comes brushed with a Worcestershire-based sauce, squizzles of mayo, and a generous sprinkling of furikake and flakes of bonito. It also comes looking like an oversauced version of bad cafeteria meatballs. Visuals are one thing, but the texture of our order was also off, meaning the inside was molten hot, while the exterior was overcooked. While not inedible, these street snacks were one of the only dishes we declined to finish. First floor, Japan Center West Mall.

Japantown contains a group of older, interchangeable bento-box restaurants that seem to offer everything while excelling at nothing. Nande-ya falls to the bottom of the heap. The key clientele seems to be out-of-towners and deal-seekers attracted by the under-$25 dinner bento deal. Sadly, on a recent visit, the sushi rolls were gummy; the chicken karaage seemed to be mostly batter; and the milky ramen broth was overly sweet. The only bright spot was the chicken teriyaki, which had a glossy, perfectly savory-sweet sauce. First floor, Japan Center West Mall.

If you’re going to dine at Osakaya, do so during lunch. Then you can claim the $16.95 lunch deal, which lets you choose from main dishes like chicken katsu or ramen; sides like six pieces of California roll or a modest selection of sashimi over rice; plus a bowl of miso soup. It’s an abundance of food, and though nothing will blow you away quality-wise, it will at least fill you up. The outdated interior and kitschy decor aren’t likely to earn any points for atmosphere. But if you venture inside, you’re not likely to expect any in the first place. First floor, Japan Center West Mall.

Another one of the mall’s pan-Japanese restaurants, Kushi Tsuru’s tonkatsu curry rice bowl ($19.95) had a watery sauce that was less flavor-packed than other versions you can find at the mall. On the other hand, the wakame udon ($18.25) had a pleasantly sweet broth that we slurped to the end of the bowl. Then again, the main reason you come here isn’t the food but the vibe, which hits the right mix of old-school Asian decor and wood paneling. You’re not getting the best version of udon, curry, ramen, or sushi, but they play all the hits, and they do them quite capably. First floor, Japan Center West Mall.

This homey Japanese restaurant in a quiet corner of the mall feels like a grandmother’s living room: a tidy space with a few scattered tables, a smattering of wood-framed artwork, and a neat row of Kikkoman bottles. The laminated spiral-bound menu, however, could put The Cheesecake Factory to shame. It includes everything from nigiri and hamachi kama to sushi burritos and curry beef udon — a sign that the restaurant lacks focus and doesn’t specialize in anything. While the Rainbow Burrito ($19.99) made with tuna, salmon, and tempura shrimp was surprisingly good, more traditional Japanese dishes in bento-box format ($15.99), including miso soup and saba shioyaki, a dish of boiled and lightly salted mackerel, fell flat. Second floor, Japan Center East Mall.

Bright green, slightly bitter, and a favorite ingredient of performative males, matcha is now more of a meme than a flavor. Yet its popularity has led to three San Francisco locations of this cafe and dessert chain. We decided to go full bore and try the Maiko Special parfait ($9). By the time we received it, the soft serve’s signature swoop had melted away and digging into the depths of the cup to excavate bits of matcha cake, chestnuts, and boba (because they were out of mochi) was not a particularly pleasant treasure hunt. If you do go here, stick to the basics: a cone of matcha soft serve ($6.40). First floor, Kinokuniya Books building.

At first glance, K Dragon’s mix of sushi, ramen, udon, and donburi seems tailor-made for easy, mall-hangout fun. The youthful vibes — one wall is given over to stickies covered in testimonials and doodles — are another plus. But the execution leaves much to be desired. The garlic sausage ramen ($15.90) was umami-forward, but the shrimp tempura ($11.90) tasted bland, and the unagi bowl ($17.90) teetered too far toward the sweet side. Be warned: Service at this narrow restaurant can be plodding, and the menu retains that dreaded hallmark of pandemic-era depersonalization, the QR code. Second floor, Japan Center East Mall.

Follow the scent of sugary batter up to the second level of the Kinokuniya Building, and you can’t miss Sophie’s Crepes, which usually has a line of families and teens spilling out of its yellow and pink facade. There are sweet and savory crepes on offer (best to stick to the sweet), as well as gelato and sundaes. For a hit of nostalgia and a quick sugar fix, it will do the trick. But of the mall’s dueling crepe spots, this one takes second place to Belly Good Cafe and Crepes. Second floor, Kinokuniya Books building.

There is a stark difference between gummy, cold, premade onigiri and made-to-order ones that feature fresh, warm rice. Thankfully, the latter is what Kissako, a long-standing Japantown kiosk, is all about. Try a rice ball filled with spicy salmon ($3.75) or pickled mustard ($3.15), and rest assured that the ready-to-unwrap nori is kept in plastic so it stays crisp. For dessert, grab classic mochi with red bean filling. Given its location practically underneath the stairs, it scores pretty much zero for ambiance. First floor, Kinokuniya Books building.

Of the two conveyor belt sushi spots in the mall, Izumi is the more bare-bones with an interior that shows little regard for aesthetics. For solo diners or smaller groups, the best seats are at the L-shaped bar, where you can help yourself to plates of salmon nirigi and sauce-drenched rolls. With most dishes coming in at $6 to $10, it’s a cheap way to get your sushi fix — though, of course, this place won’t be winning any culinary awards. For larger groups, there are a handful of tables where your food will be delivered to you by one of the staff. But what’s the fun in that? First floor, Japan Center West Malls.

Hawaiian food isn’t exactly abundant in Japantown, which makes Paina Lounge a noteworthy presence here. Located in a street-side storefront off Post Street, the large, somewhat industrial dining room is best for group happy hours or a quick drink before your movie. Stick to the basics like Spam musubi (2 for $5) and bouncy garlic noodles ($16), and you won’t be disappointed — especially if you’re pairing your food with a tropical cocktail. One sip of the Pa’ina Colada, a piña colada riff served in a halved coconut with a mini umbrella, and you’ll be halfway to a tropical vacation. 1865 Post St., Kinokuniya Books building.

This small stand specializes in mochi doughnuts, those wonderfully dense, chewy treats made from rice flour. Available in flavors including black sesame, taro, mango, and matcha, Mochill’s $3 to $4 offerings stand out from sickly sweet, cream-filled chain doughnuts and make for a decent treat on the go. But for a quick, affordable snack, the mall’s own Andersen Bakery beats it by a mile. First floor, Japan Center West Mall.

Uji Time seems to have left its pandemic days set up as is, meaning you order and pay at a kiosk, and a stanchion prevents you from entering the interior space. Despite this little buzzkill, the choose-your-adventure soft serve ice cream, which was spiraled into the open mouth of a fish-shaped cone, spoke straight to our inner child. Fill your taiyaki with red bean or Nutella, then select your ice cream from a list that includes matcha, ube, or perhaps a seasonal osmanthus honey. Finally, trick it out with everything from Pocky sticks and poppy seeds to sprinkles. The starter cone (one flavor plus two toppings) starts at $7.95. First floor, Japan Center East Mall.

It should come as no surprise that a place like Belly Good Cafe and Crepes thrives in a mall chock-full of Labubus, Sanrio plushies, and Sonny Angels. The cuteness is the point. Contrary to the faded stock images plastered to the front of the counter, each of Belly Good’s thin crepe-filled cones, which almost all cost less than $10, is layered with your choice of ice cream, fruit, and delightful bits of cake, then topped with a sweet little animal face that’s (almost) too cute to eat. It’s a perfectly satisfactory treat that‘s equal parts affordable and adorable — and best enjoyed while window-shopping for a Hello Kitty keychain. Second floor, Kinokuniya Books building.

Yakitori Edomasa, a stateside spinoff of a century-old Tokoyo icon, arrived in San Francisco with a splash in late 2023. We had high hopes for the high-profile skewers, and while the soft-shell shrimp ($3.50) was delicate and the beef tongue ($7.50) strongly flavored, portions of hanger steak ($5) and cuttlefish ($3.50) were on the chewy side. Even the signature “heart stamina” trio (chicken breast, skin, and heart, $4) failed to impress. This is certainly not the best yakitori in the city, but with its curtained booths and dark interiors, it’s one of the more sophisticated dining rooms in the mall. Second floor, Kinokuniya Books building.

You‘re not coming to Suzu for the ambiance, although four clashing types of lighting do have a unique kind of appeal. What attracts diners — other than a location right next to one of the mall’s main entrances — are massive bowls of noodles quickly brought, still steaming, to your table. You’d be hard-pressed to find a better deal in the mall than an order of spicy miso ramen ($16), easily upgraded to a combo for $6 to include a rice bowl topped by crispy fried tonkatsu or chicken curry. First floor, Japan Center West Malls.

This lovely Korean restaurant is proof that Japantown rewards those who are willing to explore. Beloved by Giants outfielder Jung Hoo Lee (his photos (opens in new tab) are on the wall) but otherwise underappreciated, the surprisingly large dining room serves everything from sizzling barbecue plates with ample banchan and the kimchi-and-Spam noodle dish Army stew (opens in new tab) ($34) to the savory pancake-pizza hybrid known as jun ($28). Though slightly pricier than other spots around town, Seoul Garden provides a well-executed overview of what makes Korean cuisine such a joy. Don’t miss the fried chicken. Second floor, Japan Center East Mall.

With just six stools parked beneath a tight sushi bar, this teensy, funky omakase spot — located next to the elevator at the end of a corridor, separated from passersby only by a red stanchion — emulates the experience of dining in a Tokyo subway station. Initially opened by a chef named Wilson Chan in 2018, it’s a whimsical idea now run by two surprisingly stern guys. Diners can choose from three menus ranging from 12 courses ($95) to two dozen ($165). We tried the former, which is primarily nigiri; it’s good quality (it is Michelin-recommended, after all) and nearly everything comes garnished with an orchid. But with a zillion great omakase restaurants in town to choose from, the setting at Oma is definitely the best part. First floor, Japan Center West Mall.

With 22 meat options — including pork belly, beef bulgogi, spicy squid, and baby back ribs — Beque is one notch up on the culinary scale from nearby Yakini Q, the high-volume Korean barbecue spot across Post Street with long waits every night. Bonus points for the wide selection of makgeolli, the fermented Korean rice drink. On the other hand, it’s also several notches down on atmosphere, and often empty. All things considered, at $36 per person for dinner Beque is great for a date, less so for rounding up the gang for a raucous, all-you-can-grill party. First floor, Kinokuniya Books building.

Say what you will about the international chain’s theatrics, but the quality of the food at Benihana is quite good and, contrary to popular belief, the value is undeniable — particularly the $30 lunch special, which includes soup, vegetables, and fried rice along with a protein of your choice, such as shrimp or New York strip steak. You might be seated with a family celebrating a 7-year-old’s birthday, but so what? The hibachi is where the action is anyway; plus, there’s a full bar with crushable mojitos and hurricanes. If you’re not clapping after the acrobatic spatula tricks or the infamous onion volcano, then we don’t know what to tell you. First floor, Japan Center West Mall.

A Danish bakery might seem like a strange fit for a Japanese mall. But Andersen Bakery is known for selling some of the city’s fluffiest milk bread and solid Japanese pastries, including melonpan and colorful cake rolls. Best of all, everything is incredibly cheap. For less than $5, the curry pan makes an impressively satisfying snack, filled with rich ground beef curry from Curry Hyuga wrapped in a fluffy bun. You can skip the straightaway European offerings, but don’t miss the $5 egg sando. It doesn’t quite stack up to the 7-Eleven versions you get in Japan, but it’s a reasonable substitute and total steal. First floor, Japan Center West Mall.

With sparse decor and a limit to the number of people allowed inside, this bakery at a glance looks like it’s partially shut down. But don’t let appearances fool you: Owner Jina Kim is known for playful twists on Korean flavors, including an addictive injeolmi croissant ($6.75) — laminated pastry wrapped around chewy rice cake, then showered with nutty roasted soy bean flour called kinako. Other standouts include a black sesame cream puff ($5.50) and an over-the-top “banoffee” croissant ($8.50) stuffed to the brim with bananas and toffee, then topped with a swirl of whipped cream. A line often forms before the shop opens at 10 a.m., but on a weekday afternoon you’ll be able to walk right up to the front. First floor, Kinokuniya Books building.

There’s no quicker, tastier lunch to be had in Japantown than at this conveyor-belt sushi spot. Don’t look at a menu; just watch as the color-coded, clear-lidded plates slide by. California rolls and sashimi standards like mackerel and albacore alternate with raw oysters, cucumber salads, and the occasional slice of cherry cheesecake. Portions are conspicuously large, and most plates fall in the $5 to $10 range. In terms of ambience, Tenroku (opens in new tab) is more BART than bullet train, but of the mall’s two conveyor belt sushi spots, it definitely is the winner. Second floor, Kinokuniya Books building.

Kitsch might be one of the defining features of On the Bridge, with its display of plastic food models and what is easily the most literal name in the entire mall. What you’ll discover inside — other than hundreds of dog-eared (sometimes NSFW) manga titles — is a prime example of yoshoku-style fusion cuisine. That means dishes you won’t find anywhere else, including mentaiko spaghetti glossed with a piquant soy-based sauce and a dollop of salty cod roe ($17.95). For those looking for something more familiar, chicken katsu doused in a rich housemade curry ($18.95) is a standout, particularly when kicked up with extra spice. Webster Street bridge.

“Cheap” and “omakase” are two words that seem diametrically opposed, but Sasa offers a top-tier dining experience at a relatively affordable price of $98. The standard six-course menu offers an array of elegant sashimi and nigiri, and for an extra $35, you can purchase a supplement that includes premium ingredients like A5 wagyu, uni, and fatty tuna belly. Even not-sushi dishes like a marinated eggplant bite and an intensely flavored chawanmushi dotted with salmon roe make the list of highlights. Second floor, Japan Center East Mall.

This warm but modern ramen shop exploded onto the scene in 2017 and has amassed a dedicated fan base in the years since. It’s easy to understand why. Consistently delicious, relatively affordable, and always efficient, Marufuku is the platonic ideal of a mall meal. The specialty is Hakata-style tonkotsu ramen, made with thin noodles and a creamy pork broth that can be customized to your preferred level of spice. Then round out your order with appetizers like gyoza or a kaarage-topped rice bowl. Just know wait times can run long. Thankfully, tables tend to turn over quickly. Second floor, Kinokuniya Books building.

There are almost always people vying for tables at this udon spot, and for good reason: Udon Mugizo makes some of the Bay Area’s best udon. The pro move is to put your name on the Yelp waitlist, then go peruse the amazing Kinokuniya bookstore across the way. Once you’ve settled into a wooden booth, it’s hard to choose between the different iterations of slippery, thick, chewy housemade wheat noodles — all beautifully presented. You can’t go wrong with the cold and spicy nikku bukkake with shredded beef, chili oil, and a soft-boiled egg ($20.25). Even more popular is the creamy udon with mentai (cod roe), Parmesan cheese, and crunchy bits of tempura ($19.25). Service will be more competent than conscientious, but once you’re busy slurping noodles, you won’t want to be bothered anyway. Second floor, Kinokuniya Books building.