The San Francisco Bay Area has many restaurants to choose from. One little gem is Yojimbo which has unassuming Japanese cuisine in Alameda. Alameda is a city near the major metro markets of Oakland and San Francisco. It’s a great location with great restaurants, friendly locals, and inviting beach. I’m guessing the name of the restaurant was adopted from the Japanese film of the same name directed by Akira Kurosawa (If you haven’t seen any of his movies, you should).
Yojimbo is a Japanese restaurant located in a hidden spot. If you walk down the sidewalk and you’re not paying attention, you’ll miss where the restaurant is. When you walk inside the restaurant, you’re always warmly greeted and service is friendly and efficient.
PORK RAMEN
The boyfriend and I opted for the pork ramen with a miso +spicy soup base. The bowl consists of ramen, egg, assorted veggies, and a garnish of seaweed. The standout of the dish would have to be the pork (extremely flavorful, tender, and juicy). When they bring the bowl to you, you’re also astounded by how huge it is! This can feed two people without a doubt. For me, ramen bowls always tend to be a tad bit too salty, but I did like the overall flavor of this and whenever you add a soft-boiled and ooey-gooey egg, I’m sold.
They have a couple of other soup bases you can choose from and if you’re not into spicy foods, you can omit this option.
SUSHI COMBO A
We also got this sushi combo which includes California rolls, choice of Tekka Maki (tuna sushi roll). You can also opt for salmon. Also included are some assorted pieces of Nigiri (thin slices of raw fish pressed over vinegary rice).
The sushi here is fresh and I would highly recommend coming here for the many different options included in the menu. The spider rolls (deep-fried soft shell crab, with avocado and cucumber are really good).
Another recommendation would also be the bento boxes. The teriyaki bento box is humungous! This can literally feed 3-4 people. It’s super tasty and really filling.
In my opinion, I wouldn’t recommend the Tonkatsu dishes. For some reason, this lacks some flavor and is just blah.
Overall, if you’re looking for unassuming Japanese cuisine, check this place out if you’re in the East Bay or Alameda area.
Yojimbo is open Monday-Saturday from 11:00AM-9:00PM and closed on Sundays.
1221 PARK ST.
ALAMEDA, CA 94501
For more information about me, you can go here.