Kitchen Kura - San Francisco

If you're looking to experience something beyond sushi, check out this cozy homestyle Japanese restaurant. The space features only a few tables next to a small kitchen, creating a warm, inviting atmosphere that enhances the dining experience. The menu is simple: you can choose two main dishes for just $10, and it also includes soup, salad, and an appetizer. Overall, the meal is quite satisfying and affordably priced. Bring along some friends, and it really feels like enjoying a family-style meal at home!

Kitchen Kura has officially become my favorite neighborhood spot. It's only a block away from my apartment and serves up the best homey Japanese food I've had in a long time. Plus the service is super friendly and the prices are reasonable. You have a few choices here. You can go for the combo dinner set, which gives you a small appetizer, soup, salad, 2 choices of main dishes, and rice. There's a good variety of options. I highly recommend the hamburger steak with demi glace sauce. This is something only Japanese people do (as far I know) only serve the burger (w/o bun, lettuce and the like) but with a hearty savory sauce. It'd delicious! You can also go for one of the rice bowls. My favorite is the sukiyaki don. It's savory yet a little sweet. And I love love love the tofu with the meat. YUM! They also have a few okonomiyaki combinations. Since I make my own at home, I haven't tried it here. But they look more decent than most other places I've seen. But still doesn't look like what they serve up in Osaka. If you're looking for a simple meal with authentic flavors, definitely check out Kitchen Kura!

Food: Great. It's a pretty small selection compared to other Japanese restaurants. No sushi here sorry. But you can tell all the food had a lot of effort put into it. The dinner special is great. Green Tea, miso soup, steamed rice, an appetizer and two entrees for $10.50. Great deal. I had the Nanban chicken fried tofu. The chicken was great, way better than Kitaro/Kiki's chicken. The fried tofu was two huge pieces. I would of liked them in small portions then fried but good either way. Atmosphere: At first glance you might not want to go in, but please do. It's very homey. Although small it's a great place to eat. Service: The waiter we had was really nice. He put up with our unusual conversation at 8-9 at night. Everything came at a good time. He refilled out green tea with hot water. Everything was great.

I’ve never experienced 'homemade' Japanese food before, and it saddens me to think of all the years I missed out on it. This place is fantastic! The okonomiyaki made in the Kobe style is a must-try—please make sure to order it! The only downsides are the odd hours of operation and the very small seating area.

I absolutely love the food here! It's one of the best Japanese restaurants I've visited, especially for its homemade dishes, and the staff is extremely friendly. However, there's a major issue: it always seems to be closed. Every time I'm in the area and want to stop by, it's never open—today was no exception. Please consider extending your hours!