It was such a treat to visit this lovely gem in San Leandro following our visit to a favorite Korean spa nearby. My friend Holly drove all the way from Sacramento so I was keen to make the trip special in every way. Conveniently located, the restaurant accepts reservations, and there is an option to be seated at regular tables or in a lovely traditional Japanese styled seating area, where you dine seated cross legged! The only hitch is if you do plan to enjoy this seating you must come with socks. Lucky for us, we were able to buy a couple pair of nylons to enjoy the traditional set up! For dinner, we chose the omakase option, which is the chef's choice of some of the most fresh delicate and buttery sushi I've had in a long time. The size of the nigiri was just right, proportioned well with not too much rice and garnishes where it actually made sense as an enhancement, versus a detractor from the freshness of the fish. I also took a chance to order an appetizer of fried chicken knees! They were tasty and exactly how you might imagine them as gristly chewy and very satisfying for an adventurous eater like myself! We finished our meal with a lovely mound of mochi! The staff was so kind and very accommodating, especially after learning my friend had traveled so far to dine with them. I will definitely come back and wish them great success as an exceptional sushi experience in their local area. read more

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Super friendly service. Easy to make a same day reservation on the 3rd of July. Can call or make a reservation online~ Small parking lot but abundant street parking around~ It's cute on the inside- it's like a building inside of this place hehe. It's a pretty big space~ We got a variety of things to try as we got there right before happy hour was over. We got 4 pieces of oysters- pretty tasty! Everything was great- from the smoked duck breast, lemon pepper Kama and the nankotsu. I wish there were some dipping sauce of some type for the nankotsu though! read more

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We celebrated my mom's birthday at Kaison Don, and it was such a wonderful experience! The atmosphere was welcoming, the waitress was informative and kind, and the food was fantastic. We ordered the fruity sake flight, which was fun to try and had a great variety of refreshing flavors. We also shared the sushi tray that's meant for 3-4 people, and it was the perfect amount for the three of us. We all left satisfied, and there were even a few extra pieces to take home! Everything was fresh, beautifully presented, and tasted amazing. It was the perfect meal to share while celebrating a special occasion with my mom and brother. We'll definitely be back for another family dinner! read more

Kaisen don - Sushi Tray B (3-4 people)* - Sushi Bars Near Me - San Leandro, California

Had a great experience here for dinner earlier tonight. The oysters were sweet and delicious, and the deluxe sushi combo nigiris were chefs kiss. No crowd on a weeknight early dinner, and I love that they open early for dinner and stay open late. Casual upscale vibes and very Japanese aesthetic decor. Will be back! read more

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Yelp find! Wanted to try a new sushi spot so we ended up here. They have a parking lot, but it's not that big. I live for the interior, very traditional with the sitting rooms and the decor. I can't lie I'm a sucker for a place with a full body mirror. I almost forgot. The AMBIANCE!! They only played hits. 80s hits, I had to pull out my Shazam. The restaurant is on the bigger side so you can prolly bring a good size party here. Terrific service, our server was wonderful aside from the fact that halfway through our visit she stopped showing up and I had to wave someone down multiple times to get assisted. All of our dishes were delish! I was hypnotized by the $1.69 oysters which were a delight! Quite creamy with a refreshing sauce. My sakedon was just as refreshing. The quality of the fish was amazing. My friend got the mushroom soup and she said it hit the spot. I'll definitely be visiting again in the foreseeable future. read more

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This review is for their mushroom soup, which is rich in flavor. I must say it's the best I ever had!!! The service here is top notch and you will not find a more authentic Japanese Sushi Restaurant in the Bay!!! read more

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AMAZING date spot! Bring all your dates here to impress them. Only if they're a fan of sushi. But actually, the menu is so big that I bet there's something for all the non raw fish eaters as well. So many options. A little overwhelming. BUT all the things we got were soooo good, I'd drop my panties for my date in a heartbeat (jk). We ordered: spider roll, deluxe nigiri set, and the toro don. To pair with the delicious food, we got some draft beer that were comp'd bc I there was only enough for 3/4 of a glass, the dassai sake flight, and ended up getting more dassai 39. Our waitress was so kind and patient. Thank you for the great service! We finally found our special sushi spot. We will definitely be back! read more

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Authentic, fresh, and different. Came by lunch hour on a Monday with my cousin, niece, and newborn nephew. We were able to sit at the traditional Japanese tables and I'll say, make sure you wear the right bottoms cause denim was not the best idea. The interior was amazing! You walk into a different world with the hardwood and aesthetics of a Japanese establishment. For drinks, we had some Asashi, a strawberry sake, and another sake. For food, we had a sashimi plate, salmon nigiri, and a beef bowl. Food items tasted fantastic! Drinks were refreshing! Our server was amazing! Having a little one being fussy near the end of our meal, our server was kind enough to warm up some water to dip a baby bottle to feed the nephew. The menu has a variety of items so that everyone in the group can try something to eat. Definitely can't wait to come back and try other delicious items. read more

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I finally had the chance to dine here, late on a Sunday evening after months of saying I would. It was definitely worth the wait! I really do love that Kaisen Don is open super late. It makes our late night sushi cravings satiable, with great quality fish too! We ordered the rice bowl with scallop, crab, ikura, and tamago. The scallop was incredibly fresh and very sweet. The ikura tasted like it was marinated in a yuzu ponzu- an umami bomb of savory citrus! The miso soup was very intriguing, it was packed full of noodles, tofu, mushroom, radish, and carrot! Delicious and filling. I really enjoyed how simple and refreshing the zaru soba was as well. Kaisen Don is a great restaurant for a late night date night. I will definitely be back! read more

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Great spot in San Leandro to grab some sushi :) Lunch quality today was good and service was fast and friendly. I enjoyed my salmon avocado roll. Limited parking with optional street parking. Beautiful decor. Thank you! read more

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I used to like this place so much that I bragged about it to all my friends. But I will not return after our last visit. Service was slow due to short staff. But It was the food that was disappointed. Soft shell crab - Came out with no sauce and mushy, not crunchy. Agedashi Tofu - almost like getting a bowl of tofu soup. Diluted dashi broth on top of the lightly fried tofu. Chicken Karaage: was alright. Blue Fin Tuna Don - I order this dish every time I visited Kaisen Don so I am pretty sure they gave me regular tuna. Although they charged me for Blue fin tuna. Disappointed. Sushi rice was yummy tho. Hamachi Kama - rotten fish. This is a big NO, imo. We never, seriously never, had spoiled Hamachi Kama at any of the Japanese restaurants, in and outside of the US, never, ever. We told our server to let the kitchen staff know. Our server came back and said he will remove the item from our bill. We also told him to make sure they don't sell this dish to anyone. We repeated three times to make sure he heard us too. Definitely not a $$$ quality type of food. read more

All the Sushi was very bland. The fish soup was hearty and pungent but needed salt. Even the wasabi didn't have a bite to it. Something seems off tonight. read more

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Pro Tip: You come here for the nigiri not the rolls. The difference in quality of the fish is noticeable. I would ask what fish is in season and order those as they are the freshest. With that said Kaisen don is located in a very unassuming area. The surrounding is filled with car dealerships and it can be easily missed driving by. I recommend driving a bit slow when coming closer to the restaurant. As for parking they have a small lot within the premises of the restaurant itself and have a decent amount of spaces. In terms of the interior it's very charming. You wouldn't imagine this interior with the very lowkey exterior. Depending on your group size you maybe seated tatami style seating with your shoes off. Its a very nice experience if you wanted a nice place to celebrate a special occasion. As for the food this was our first time with friends. They have a very massive menu and we ordered both rolls and nigiri. Based on my tip you can already tell where this is going. Their rolls were strangely not up to par and the amount of rice on the sushi was a bit sparse. The nigiri however was surprisingly really fresh. We ordered all the seasonal fishes and man they were good. It's comparable to a lot of nicer places we've dined at and more accessible. The price point however leans on the more expensive side, so if you are willing to splurge then you will have a great experience but if you're here for the vibes and rolls, its going to be a bit disappointing. Overall, I am definitely coming back despite the price just for the freshness of the fish alone. Looking forward to their live music nights as well and enjoying a nice date here once again. read more

Kaisen don - Kurodai Nigiri - Sushi Bars Near Me - San Leandro, California

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I already can't wait to come back!! We needed a place that was open late for dinner. Kaisen closes around midnight (really big selling point) and I'm glad we came! The space is super warm and inviting. It's big but cozy and they have traditional tatami seating if you wanted to try that, it was raining the day we came so that part of the area was closed. They have a pretty extensive menu and we tried a lot of it! Honestly I don't think you can go wrong with anything you order, everything was so fresh and made really well. My favorites were the spicy garlic edamame, fried oysters, lion king roll, bay scallop roll and sashimi platter. My friend had the beef udon soup which was tasty but the noodles were just slightly too chewy and the beef just slightly tough but still delicious! Service is spectacular. Very friendly and checked on us often. We finished dinner at around 1030 and we asked if they were closing soon but they said they close at midnight and to just enjoy our time. I loved that! read more

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Came here with a friend for dinner. I ordered the Sushi combo A, and my friend ordered the Sushi combo B. It came with a nice miso soup that had noodles in it. We also ordered the zucchini tempura which I really liked! My sushi combo was good. The sashimi tasted fresh and the quantity was good. read more

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We finally got around to trying Kaisen don for Valentines this year and we were sooo glad we did. The interior is so unique that I'd recommend having a meal here just to experience it. I'm not sure if they did this just for Valentines, but there was loud romantic music playing throughout the meal which was the most amazing ambiance. If this isn't the norm- please do this regularly! Parties of 6+ can sit at the tatami mats, so we were given a table by the window in the main dining area. It would be nice if they allowed smaller parties to book the tatami mats. I was super impressed by the menu. Don't be fooled by the normal menu listed on the website. When you arrive, they'll give you a lengthy specials menu filled with unique items. Overall, the food was good, the fish was fresh, and we would definitely go back. There were a few standout pieces of nigiri that would be must orders. But for San Leandro? The price was a bit higher than I'd value the food and location. Deluxe sushi combo (7 pc nigiri, negitoro roll) - Madai (Red Sea bream): one of the best pieces and the first time I've really loved madai - Kurodai (Blackhead sea bream): ok - Halibut: disappointed by how thin it was - Chu toro: one of the best chu toro I've had in this area. Really, really impressed - Shimi Aji: so good! - Ocean Trout Belly: good - Blue fin tuna: one of the best pieces! - Negitoro roll: this was just okay. The seaweed was a bit tough. - Miso soup: more like a vegetable noodle soup which was interesting. - Scallop nigiri: really good - Hamachi belly nigiri: not my favorite. Light and crispy. - Smoked duck breast salad: not worth $24. The smoked duck was dry and tough read more

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Came here on a date! The parking lot has a few spots, but it's on Marina across from the nike store. So kinda busy. The building is nice and when you enter it feels hella Japanese. The woman serving us was hella sweet and she recommended stuff on the menu. I ended up getting the ahi salad, which was hella good and she got the combo plate. Overall it was pretty good, price was a bit steep, but the quality is there. read more

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Came here to lunch with friends. Service and food still as great as before. The restaurant is always nice and clean. We tried a little of this and that. Everything was yummy and flavorful. My favorite was the fresh oysters. We also had to have hot sake. We had several orders of that. Still a place to return when in the area for sushi. read more

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Good quality, lovely environment, and delicious sushi! It was a little on the pricey side, but totally understandable given the quality. I like that they had a tatami seating experience but you need to meet the party minimum- which is 4 or 6! read more

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We finally found our sushi spot! If only it wasn't on the other side of the Bay... We came in on an early Saturday evening, around 6pm. Even though we had a reservation, there were still plenty of open seats. They also have a modified tatami seating for the "authentic" experience - modified being you can still sit with legs at 90 degrees vs. cross legged in a traditional tatami seating. The interior ambience was warm and inviting, with traditional Japanese aesthetics. The menu can be viewed via a QR code at your table, although I'd much prefer having a physical menu. They DO provide a paper menu, but it is not comprehensive. The food is AMAZING! We ordered the omakase chirashi and the deluxe combo nigiri. Rice and fish ratio is appropriate, and ingredients and garnished were considerately placed to accentuate the right flavors. Service was great. Staff was polite and attentive, and the food came out really quick. What really caught our attention was that the staff explained what each piece of fish was, and a recommendation on what order to eat them. This in and of itself is what separates a real sushi shop from the others, in my opinion. The only downside was the price. It was a priced like an upscale restaurant but felt more casual. Nonetheless, highly recommend and will be back again! This establishment gets to stay on our recommended dining options! read more

Kaisen don - Omakase Don(Daily item) - Sushi Bars Near Me - San Leandro, California

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Fun tatami seating, lots sushi combos, don, entrees. + Deluxe sushi combo ($46.99) 6 piece negitoro maki fatty and soft, 7 piece chef choice nigiri, all soft and yum. Pretty similar flavors and small but some with shiso leaf and other textures were nice. (7.8/10) Birthday celebration gave us cute mochi ice cream w birthday candles! Great service read more

Kaisen don - Deluxe sushi combo ($46.99) - Sushi Bars Near Me - San Leandro, California

Amazing food, atmospheric decor, and the staff are excellent. This place is a hidden gem. The staff are so attentive and pleasant. The owner, who is also the head sushi chef, is often there and is very serious about the hospitality. Sometimes he makes the sushi. He's so nice, he always makes me feel very welcome. I love the Japanese decor, the entry way is decorated like the entrance to a traditional Japanese house. The fish is so fresh. The sushi here is delicious read more

This is my updated review 3 years later. This high quality highly skilled restaurant is still blowing my mind every time. The interior is beautiful and traditional. It doesn't get too packed so it's a quick bite. The garlic edamame something me and my family recommend, as well as the nigiri plate. They update their menu frequently which is exciting. read more

Kaisen don - nigiri California roll Real crab* - Sushi Bars Near Me - San Leandro, California

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A solid 3-star Japanese restaurant in San Leandro. My husband and I came on a weekend Saturday for an early dinner and the restaurant was pretty empty. It feels like it will be more packed at night because they open late. Parking: private lot but not many parking spots. Ambiance: traditional spacious Japanese restaurant vibe. They have table seating and tatami seating for bigger groups. We saw a lot of family dinners when we were dining in so I think it's a popular spot for family gatherings in the San Leandro area. Service: 4/5. Service was above average. We were seated immediately and the wait staff gave us time to look through the menu prior to ordering. After ordering, the food arrived shortly. The wait staff checked up on us multiple times during dinner and we appreciate that the staff gave us the privacy to pay the bill by leaving us with the credit card machine. Food: 3.5/5. The Kaisen don was delicious. Portion size was adequate and the fish was fresh. We found the marinated ikura very unique. In addition we ordered 3 rolls which we find just mediocre. The sunset roll, the baked scallop roll and the marina roll. One roll was way too spicy, the other one was bland and the last one was a bit burnt for our liking. Price was expensive for the rolls but reasonable for the kaisen don. We will return for the kaisen don since the marinated salmon eggs are super unique but will probably opt out of their rolls in the future. read more

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Have been going to kaisen don for quite a while and it never misses! Sushi quality is always good! Kaisen Don crew always welcomes my boyfriend and I with open arms and has the best service. read more

Kaisen don - Spread - Sushi Bars Near Me - San Leandro, California

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I sat at the sushi bar. Service was excellent, lovely selection of cold sakes, fish was fresh, and the rolls were divine. 10 of 10 sushi experience. read more

For quite a while I had Kaisen Don saved as my go-to safe and tasty sushi spot. However, this last time I doordashed it and it was terrible. The real crab roll had crab that was going foul. We could not eat it. I had to request a refund from doordash. And the $35 Salmon Ikura Don had the thinnest pieces of salmon I have ever seen in a chirashi bowl. It was so deceptive because the pieces visually filled the top of the rice bowl, but when picking one up, was extremely thin. Big disappointment for one of my favorite spots seeming to go downhill. read more

Kaisen don - Salmon Ikura Don, 49er roll- not good :( Foul tasting crab and very stingy on the meat for the Salmon Don - Sushi Bars Near Me - San Leandro, California

We had a couple of sushi combos and ordered a handful of dishes. Each dish was quite small and the food was allright, not as fresh as I was expecting. The service was also quite slow. I don't think we will be back. read more

Came on a Sunday for lunch. Not sure if we came on an off day or something but Kaisen don was entirely empty when we walked in. Throughout our entire meal, there was only 1 other table. We ordered a few nigiris, a roll combo, the 49ers roll, hamachi kama, miso soup, and some appetizers like fried chicken knee cartilage, geso karaage, and agedashi tofu. The nigiris were fine but rice-heavy. The roll combo was probably the best deal for the price. We didn't really enjoy the 49ers roll, especially considering it was almost the same price as the roll combo and a lot less food. The fried appetizers were fine but oily. We didn't love the agedashi tofu - it comes in a broth which means it gets soggy quickly, but the broth was pretty flavorless and didn't add much. Service was friendly, attentive, and prompt read more

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I recommend this place if you're entertaining guests and want to go out for sushi- you can opt for the tatami mat experience where you take your shoes off and sit at the table. I've been here before for late night happy hour where you can get a really good deal on some yummy bites and drinks. This time I went with friends and we ordered different rolls and bowls. read more

Kaisen don - Otoro Toro Don - Sushi Bars Near Me - San Leandro, California

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*4.5* An upscale sushi spot open until midnight? Count me in! Stopped by Kaisen don for dinner around 11PM on a Tuesday and had my expectations blown out of the water. Although their storefront is an unassuming standalone building with its own small parking lot, the interior is anything but, featuring a blend of modern and traditional Japanese decor and architecture that whisks you into another world. Wood and bamboo accents are the name of the game here, present in everything from the tatami room to the crisscrossing beams of the restaurant's ceiling. I was one of only two parties enjoying dinner at the time, so there were no issues with service from my server Dong. To start, I ordered crispy salmon skin dish and gyutan, or seasoned grilled beef tongue. The fry on the salmon skin was quite thick and gave it a hollow sort of crunch that was immensely satisfying, but the salt factor and yuzu flavor that it came with made the dish a little overwhelming. The gyutan was on the chewier side but had a great charred flavor that was perfect with the green onion and lemon. My entree deserves a paragraph of its own and honestly a spot on my sushi HOF: the omakase bowl. When I ordered, Dong let me know that they were out of amaebi for the night and if a slice of A5 wagyu as a substitute would be an appropriate substitute, which I delightfully obliged. The hefty $59.99 price point was more than justified by the fish quality, which might actually be some of the best I've had to date. Out of the 12 cuts present in my chirashi bowl, the standouts were the sea bream, seared bluefin tuna, halibut (firm!) and amberjack. Each piece tasted like it was at the peak of freshness, and a few came with instructions to eat as is as they had been pre-seasoned by the chef accordingly. I will dream of this bowl for a while. I sincerely wish I could come here more often for casual dining but it unfortunately lies outside of my regular price range. However, there's no mistaking that I'll be back soon. Thank you! read more

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My boyfriend and I have been here twice now, with our most recent visit being this past weekend. This time around, we ordered the Croquette, Flamango Roll, Tempura Soba, and Toro Don. This was a lot of food for the two of us. We were there on Sunday at around 8:30pm, and the Croquette was part of the happy hour deal. The croquettes were warm, crispy, and soft, and I really liked them. The flamango roll was yummy. The mango added some sweetness, and the salmon tasted fresh. I ordered the tempura soba, and I liked it. The broth had a good flavor. The only thing I wished was different was how cut up the noodles were. Although it did make it easier to eat, I would've preferred that they weren't cut up into such small pieces. Taste wise though, no complaints. The tempura went well with the soba. Next time, I would love to try the cold soba. The staff was really nice. They came by to check on us a few times during our dinner. read more

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I know a Japanese restaurant is authentic when I see takowasa (wasabi raw octopus) on the menu and I always order it. One of my favorite dishes Their menu is so huge it's a bit daunting but everything we ordered was made with attention to detail and quality Everything was super fresh Prices can be high but you're paying for that quality Nice traditional Japanese decor and tatami seating Courteous service and she kept coming by to refill my tea Bonus points for being open until 1 am! They have their own little parking lot for customers and the parking spaces are huge You can trust my review cuz I'm a sushi snob. read more

Interesting!!! Love their menu and decoration inside. They also have parking on site. This place is a bit a pricey side but it's good quality. Nothing tastes fishy at all! Not sure if it's just me or not but even the soy sauce!!! It does not taste crazily salty like other spots. Service is very polite and fast. We ordered Estudillo roll, Sunset roll and Kaisen Don which were very tasty but small . Our imported beer and sake were really great as well. read more

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Kaisen Don has become a local favorite for my husband and I. The food is always fresh, the wait staff is very kind! The happy hour menu is pretty good and has decent prices. The inside of the restaurant though, is insanely cool, the traditional Japanese wooden decor makes it really pleasant to dine in. read more

A nice, cozy Japanese restaurant to get delicious Japanese food from! My friends and I stopped here for a dinner and we were able to make a reservation for here. For a Sunday at 5:00 PM, the restaurant was somewhat empty however more people came by throughout the night. We did family style so we ordered an array of dishes. My notable dishes of the night were the takowasa, kaisen don, and the estudillo roll. The takowasa has the perfect kick of wasabi and it was the perfect cleanser for in between meals; I've had some takowasa where it was not enough wasabi or it was too much wasabi to where I cannot enjoy it. The kaisen don was so yummy! From the plentiful ikura to the sushi rice, it was such a well balanced meal for all to enjoy, It also comes with a bowl of miso soup. The estudillo roll took me by surprise because I did not expect a lot of flavors from a sushi roll. All of our seafood tasted so fresh and for a reasonable price! Apparently, we also came during happy hour but there was no happy hour menu so we weren't aware of what we could've ordered. read more

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I felt like I was transported to Japan with the beautiful built restaurant and authentic interior. What's nice was that the food and service was equally good. read more

Kaisen don - Sushi Bars Near Me - San Leandro, California

We've been in twice now once at lunch and the other at dinner. Both times have been outstanding the staff is friendly and the fish is fresh and their rolls are unique which I really like their fish selection is vast and the cuts are good size. This place is on the pricey but absolutely worth it. We've also door dashed 4 times and the sushi shows up perfect. Don't forget the fresh wasabi, thank me later. read more

Kaisen don - Sorry forgot to take the before pic but as you can tell it was amazing! - Sushi Bars Near Me - San Leandro, California

We stopped by for a late Christmas Eve-eve dinner with family. The food is still decent. I liked the fried tofu. That was probably my favorite thing since I wasn't super hungry this time. The spicy edemame wasn't a hit with the family. My kids thought it was too spicy so I ate most of it and we didn't take any of the leftovers home. Coupons can't be used for groups, only for take out so I didn't need to sign up for their text messages. Service was fine, I didn't think they wanted to be there during the holiday season but they were nice. read more

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I would HIGHLY recommend KAISEN. DON restaurant. The food is amazing. Staff is super friendly, quick for service, and attentive. Atmosphere is calming, and they are open until midnight ! This is one of my go to spots. read more