The food is authentic and delicious. The grilled Kobe beef is a 5-star. The restaurant is quite small but the setting is not cramped. Will definitely come back read more

The food is ok, but the waiting time is too long for the dishes. From 1 dish to another it took about 15 minutes to served. Extremely not satisfied with their service. Not recommended though. read more

Reviewing the limited lunch menu. I loved the food. Some might think it's bland but I see it as homestyle Japanese food. It's simple and light, but there are a lot of elements to it. I had the hokke (dried atka mackerel grilled with salt) that comes with rice, miso soup, and a few sides (some pickled). I didn't feel overly full after this meal but left feeling satisfied. Also, our waiter overheard that it was my friend's birthday so he brought out a bowl of ice cream with a lit candle for all of us to share. What a nice gesture! The menu says tea is $2 and does not come with refills. We had tea with refills and we weren't charged for it at all. read more

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It's still "Soft opening", "sorry, but we might be a little slow due to understaffed in the kitchen, hope you don't mind...", which the host lady told us as soon as we went in. And their PHONE# on yelp is wrong, you might want to call 1(408) 824-9052 instead for reservation. Authentic, Good Sake Collection, Luv every dish - well presented and tastes delicious, just not so surprised by their Chawanmushi. Recommend: Omakase Appetizer Trio (always good to have surprise, right?) Kalbi Grill Kamo Kunsei (smoked duck) Hope i can try their handmade soba next time (was out last night:() read more

Leichi is our favorite Japanese restaurant in all of the Bay Area. Their food is quality (which is important for good Japanese food- especially raw) and their price point matches what they have to offer. It's not cheap but you get delicious high quality food. Though some of their dishes may seem small or light, this is the authentic Japanese portions and you won't leave hungry if you get the appropriate amount. Service is great and reservations are recommended especially if you want to reserve a table. It's pretty small in there so not recommended for big groups. read more

Who said looks do not matter? All it takes it's to visit Leichi to see the way the dishes are presented; it looks classy and elegant, matching the quality of the food. After a few times here I can tell how solid the food is; you'll never regret spending your hard earned money here. Try the Roasted Duck Smoked hickory with balsamic vinegar and the Home Made Fish Cake (Satsuma Age). This place is not cheap, make sure you are aware of it (a few small fish cakes were $10.50) but as I said you won't regret -- as long as you appreciate upscale Japanese food. read more

All the grill dishes are served raw and the guests get to cook them ourselves on a hot stone. It's pretty entertaining. Food tasted great. First time I had a steamed sushi box. Try it, very interesting and tasty too. It's a very low key restaurant with limited seats. Very quiet. Ideal place for a nice and comfortable date. Not great for bigger parties or loud groups. Make a reservation ahead of the time. Waitress and chiefs are all very polite. Will visit again. read more

Given its high ratings, I wanted to check this place out while I was visiting so I made reservations for dinner. The restaurant is small and cozy. It is a nice place for a relaxing meal. The service was attentive and polite. For the food, I thought it was okay. Some dishes were executed well while some were disappointing in flavor. Given the prices here, I didn't think the food impressed me enough for me to recommend this restaurant. read more

Food: I am going to then a 3 stars. Interesting and new combination. Good to try something out. However the steam uni rice taste quite bad. The uni is bitter. Taste quite bad. Service: BAD - or I would say way lack of staff. We waited 90 minutes for 7 orders. Normally this would take less than 40 minutes to serve if you dine in other Japanese restaurant. Basically after they took your order, they will NOT come check in with you during your meal. No tea refill and they barely have a moment with you. And you basically just sit there for at least 5-10 minutes between your orders. Dining environment: 2 stars. They have a tiny space and don't have proper HVAC. Therefore, if someone ordered a stone grill order, the smoke will fill the entire restaurant. You are basically dining in the those smell the entire time. Anyhow, this is a big disappointment, because of the service and consider the amount of time we wasted on waiting for food. I will not recommend anyone to go there in the future. read more

Dinner is wonderful. We ordered smoked duck, cold soba, hot soba, grilled cod with miso, Thai Snapper sashimi, chawamushi, and cold tofu. We were 100% satisfied. Every dish was so great. read more

Leichi is not only my favorite Japanese restaurant (outside of Japan) but it is my favorite restaurant in all of the Bay Area. Lunches are very reasonably priced (13-14 dollars for Fish, perfectly cooked rice, miso soup, pickles and a small dish; 16 for Chirashi bowl; 24 for the Premium Lunch Special which is my girlfriend's favorite and really showcases the wide variety of ingredients and styles that Leichi specializes in), filling and delicious. They have a very unique sake selection as well (with tasting options). While the lunch menu has a very traditional and home-style feel, the dinners at Leichi are a perfect blend of izakaya style small dishes with beautiful presentation. They also have a unique sake menu with an option to do tastings of different breweries. While Leichi does have seasonal and special menus (yes, they sometimes have a full tasting menu of just Fugu / Blowfish), my absolute favorite thing is the handmade Soba noodles. If you go for lunch, oftentimes you will find the chef rolling out the dough and chopping the noodles by hand (a really fun process to watch). If you go for dinner, you have to place an order for the handmade Soba noodles (they are great cold or warm, I prefer cold but its really just a preference thing), preferably early in the meal as they do run out of noodles. Tip: Make reservations as it is a small space and it gets busy (especially for dinners or lunches on the weekend). read more

An authentic Japanese restaurant that if you love handmade tofu, yuba, or soba, you should definitely give it a try.

Love the unique more bland style! It's so rare in the States to experience such style. Reminds me of my hometown's cuisines.

One of our favorites for izakaya and soba. First time we came for izakaya and their soba was sold out, so we reserved the soba the second time when we reserved the table. Sooo good. read more

How could I have forgotten to write a review for this place. Hole in the wall-ish in the corner next to a random liquor store. Or is it a random restaurant next to a liquor store. Either way, not where you would expect a restaurant of this caliber. To be honest, I have had better, but in San Jose area? Hard to find a place like this. I am so glad I was referred here by a friend. Very small place so you will most likely have to make reservations otherwise, you might have to wait a bit. Food was above par compared to 90% of the other Japanese restaurants in bay area. I am a Japanese food junkie and everything from plating, presentation, uniqueness, authenticity, and quality meets or exceeded my expectations. Amazing list of sakes to compliment your meal. We had the sesame uni, smoked duck, wagyu kalbi stone, scallop octopus ceviche, and assorted sashimi. From beginning to end. Every bite was as enjoyable as the last and memorable as the next. I will definitely be coming back here soon to try some new dishes. Bit on the pricier side, but you get what you pay for. If you are going to complain about price, you can always go to tomi's for all you can eat $20. If you let price get in the way, it will only ruin your meal. Be happy while you enjoy each and every bite. Otherwise, it would be a waste. Next time I will have to try the handmade soba noodles. Oh another thing. Don't go eat at a tapas restaurant and expect large portions. -__- duh read more

Very unique and authentic. Fresh ingredients and well prepared dish. Not something you can find elsewhere easily. However, portions are tiny, not enough to really enjoy it. The level or value are just not quit there. If the taste is more sophisticated, it's ok to be this small of portion. I am more willing to spend $500 at Plumed Horse , or $400 at Alexander's , than $150 at Leichi read more

This place is definitely a place for kickbacks and drinks! So, basically for older adults, coming back from a long day at work or just hanging with a long time buddy of yours. If you are in your teens, maybe not the place to go with your friends. But they do offer amazing food if you decide to try it out anyways. Workers are nice and the place has a good vibe! PS I recommend the udon. read more

Came here for lunch. Got the Chirashi. Fish didn't look fresh. Prob should have sent it back. Got sick! Won't be coming back. read more

Leichi - Japanese Near Me - Santa Clara, California

Girlfriend chose this place for dinner, everything was phenomenal! The dishes that stood out the most were the Smoked Duck and the Scallop with Brussel Sprouts. Those were my highlights since I haven't had those dishes in other restaurants and Leichi does an amazing job with them. But if you're coming for the first time, I would recommend the Grilled Stone Wagyu. A fun experience cooking your own food and the meat quality is mouth watering. read more

This tiny Japanese spot still has the old neon Hoshi sign up on the building, so keep your eyes peeled if you're looking for it. We sort of lucked out, coming in last minute on a slow Saturday night before Easter. We called right as we were leaving and they told us they'd be closing the kitchen early but they could hold a table for us if we were there soon. We arrived around 9:15 and perused the small menu and made our decisions. There were only 3 other tables seated at the time with 2 empty and only one person seated at the bar. Space is very limited so I imagine making a reservation is usually recommended. Price for portion we did think it was a little spendy, most dishes with fish or meat were ~$12+ and their appetizer dishes were in the $6-10 range. We decided not to order anything too exotic as we wanted a lighter meal. We shared a mango spring roll which wasn't amazing but had great flavor from the dipping sauce and shiso leaf inside as well as the spicy edamame to start. For the main event I opted for their tempura soba, and totally lucked out because they only make 10 orders per day and we literally got the last order. The tempura batter was light and crispy, not at all greasy like at some places... the shrimp itself was super tender and well cooked, and I liked the variety of veggies it came with (eggplant, squash, shiitakes, sweet potato and shishito peppers). My main squeeze ordered the grilled salmon belly and miso soup. Definitely have to say for a little $2 miso it was delicious and surprisingly had lots of really great mushrooms. The salmon belly was grilled to perfection and as expected had a good ration of fat to muscle, which was extra tender and very flavorful. Expect for dinner to be upwards of $50 for two people if you have a super huge appetite. Service was friendly and accommodating for such a last minute reservation and I'd happily go back for another order of that coveted handmade soba. read more

Leichi - Handmade cold soba, tempura. Only 10 orders/day! So good! - Japanese Near Me - Santa Clara, California

So good! The quality of the fish is amazing, great sauces and flavors. The thin udon dipping noodles were so fresh with ridiculous texture! The sauce might have been a bit salty but its not soba so you just dip and eat - if you leave it in it gets a tad salty but so good nonetheless! The ambiance is very Japanese - cozy, small, dim lighting. Good service, sushi bar area was nice. I got the: - miso cod: very tender and flavorful, must try - tako wasabi: strong wasabi flavor with mild other flavors and FRESH octopus - mini chirashi: the fish melts in your mouth, must try - cold dipping udon: texture is so great, the freshest noodles Special uni, wagyu, eggplant: not a huge fan as the sauce was a little bland and the meat wasnt seasoned either - just go for the seafood! read more

I have had some trouble finding good restaurants in the Bay Area, but this place is relatively pretty good. A little over priced for what you get, but if you like fish, their salmon sashimi is fresh and their black cod is really good (definitely the best thing I ate there). I would skip the scallops (a wee bit fishy). The restaurant is very small though so make sure that you make a reservation at least 24 hours ahead of time! read more

The Grilled Black Cod is amazing. The Salmon Belly was not it at all. It seems to be pretty undercooked and had very strong stench from the fish. Service was prettt good though read more

Superb authentic Japanese food! Excellent quality, amazing flavors, beautiful presentation, and great service. We loved it and will come back again! read more

My new favorite japanese tapas in the Bay Area! Highly highly recommend: cold udon, chicken cartilage, and pressed sushi. They also use fresh wasabi which is a plus. Oh and not to mention very reasonable sake price! read more

Japanese cuisine also demands respect on every level due to their artful style and elegance. Having said that, this restaurant customer service made us turn our heads to the exit door. Made an online reservation on Yelp 15 mn prior to our arrival, showed up on time and waitress couldn't find it on her iPad. She had broken English going on, told us to wait so then she walks around asking others about god know what. Meanwhile while standing around waiting for a table, she goes serving people, than we kept waiting and waiting. About 10mn later, some bus boy comes of the kitchen with two menus and made us sit at the counter. I find the host and asked her how come she left us hanging and why we were getting a counter while we had a reservation (and while two other tables were open). She said she already had reservations for those tables and that was all she had. Now, I ain't upset about the fact that they don't have table. I am upset because as a host os 3 stars restaurant you just dont tell your damn patrons to stand around like idiots while you go "find out" what happens then send us a us boy to force us to sit down at the counter. Communication level zero. My date and I left, never got to taste the food, went to blow 300 at Ozumo in Santa Row instead on sushi and Sake. Will I recommend this place for customer service? Yeah, go ahead but bring your own chair and patience, food will taste great i bet afterwards. Hope this restaurant owner reads this and realizes there's more than food, culture and taste in serving good food in restaurants. There's also manners and respect for your clientele. Make us boomerangs, not garbage. read more

The sanitary condition is worrying, there is dust everywhere, and there are many flies in the outdoor dining area. The food itself tastes good, but it cannot make up for the hygiene problem. read more

Definitely need a reservation for this place. The place is pretty small and the outside wouldn't make you think that they serve good food. But they have really, really amazing dishes! My favorite would be the grilled salmon belly, it just melts in your mouth. The service was also great and very friendly, will definitely come back! read more

Tasty and fresh, but tiny portions. The perfect number of people to come is 2-3. If you have 4 ppl then one person doesn't get to try the dish unless you specifically request they add an extra portion to eat di$h. I expected tiny portions for Japanese tapas and had half a sandwich before heading here for dinner - I still left hungry. The most unique dish we had was the SESAME PASTE TOFU WITH UNI. It was a block about 2"x2" I also enjoyed the SASHIMI especially the mackerel. The chef's omakase appetizer was just okay although the duck was great. The homemade SOBA with only 10 portions available per day was good but not that special to me. The Pressed Sushi was good and the most filling out of all of the dishes we ordered. We left pretty hungry by the end of the meal and spent $160 for 4 with no alcohol. read more

This is a review for lunch. The food was good. We ordered both 1&2 lunch specials (noodles), grilled salmon, and both types of hamburger steaks. They were short of servers, so the service was slow, but she was taking care of the hall well enough. They are pretty booked for dinner, and less for lunch. Lunch has less variety on the menu, which figures why lunch is less booked. I guess most pictures on Yelp are from dinner. During lunch on weekend, they should keep more than one waitperson in the hall. We made a reservation, yet they kept us wait for 15+ minutes while the table was already open. We still gave them 4 stars since things were clean and food was good. read more

Izakaya style with several traditional hand-made dishes not commonly seen in the Bay Area, such as the sesame tofu and soba. Like any tapas places, dishes come in small portions but every thing is tasty and well-presented. It's truly a unique place for the ones who worship authentic Japanese food! read more

Leichi - Grilled Ika Mentai - grill squid on a hot stone on the table. - Japanese Near Me - Santa Clara, California

Freshly made soba noddles!! Fresh sashimi and the pumpkin potato salad were my favorite. I wished service was a bit faster but they were a packed house when we got in at 730pm. We didn't finish until 945pm. Dishes came out with nice presentation and the waitresses worked hard and let us know that it will take a bit longer but hopefully in time they will get more workers to help. read more

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This place is really good. Quality presentation. Quality fish. Quality service. Will definitely visit again.

Our favorite spot for real Japanese food. High quality, cozy and delicious. Their staff are very nice and helpful all the time.

I went there with my coworkers for lunch. It wasn't crowded at all. like the food, but it is quite expensive. They use handmade Japanese plates. read more

Leichi - Japanese Near Me - Santa Clara, California

A very neat Japanese restaurant with a big menu of different types of Japanese food. We really enjoyed the A5 steak and their sashimi

Leichi took over the spot where Hoshi used to be. Strange though that they never replaced the Hoshi neon sign. It is a small place, with around 8 tables and 6-8 sushi bar spots. Reservation is recommended for weekend. It serve izakaya type Japanese food, so if you are familar with the likes of Tanto this is the same type of food. Being a izakaya means we can try different types of dishes. We had a few items this evening, and almost everything was good. Grill Kobe beef - grilled over hot stone. the last place we had something similar was in Wakuriya. They serve small pieces of American Kobe and you cook them over hot stone. make sure you don't over cook it. it is very tender. Grill Salty Scallop - similar idea, but i think might be a bit salty despite the name Chicken Karaage - nothing special Beef tongue tataki - closest you will get to french kissing a cow. the texture is more chewy than one would think. I actually enjoyed it but DW had reservations. Appetizer omakase - 3 different appetizer, we got snail from Japan (it is surprising good!), duck sushi (very tasty), and Goma Tofu (which is more chewy like mochi, or shall i say, gu-y) We also have steam sushi eel. A bit more expensive version of unagi don but much tastier. there is no excessive amount of sugary sauce like unadon. not sure if it is worth $15 though. The black cod was also good, but I don't think I have ever had bad black cod before. The smoke duck (kamo kunsei) is very unique, like someone misplaced duck breast in a smoker. must try. and then we finished off with crepe with green tea ice cream, very good also. I think Leichi really did well, they are not just another "me too" izakaya but they do offer a unique menu that will bring something new and tasty to your culinary experience. The bill came out quite high as we really stuff ourselves with 10+ items. I think next time we can skip the karaage, eel, beef tongue and it will be more reasonable. we also haven't tried their sushi/sashimi which we will look forward to next time. oh and they ran out of uni, how can they run out of uni when we got there at 6:30pm? read more

Started out slow with service and the limited lunch menu. So wifey wasn't happy. BUT once the food arrived our experience turned around. Had the udon beef dish and was memorable and the sashimi over sushi rice and also a treat. Location from 20+ yr city snobs was underwhelming by Lucky but hey, the ambiance inside was simple and worked and food was the focus and a winner. read more

Well... remember your table will be given away after being late for 18 min without getting any notifications from the restaurant and you will have to wait for another 2 hours. read more

The quality of the ingredients is good, but the food is just OK..Expected better for the $$$ we paid. Feel like they need more servers and stone plates...The first one we got cannot even grill and the 2nd one we got is still broken, but in a better shape. They told us it's easy to break and that's the only one they have, but for the tables came right after we requested to change the stone, they got unbroken ones. Maybe we have only two people, but they have 4 and need more space for the meat?? read more

Leichi - The first stone we got... - Japanese Near Me - Santa Clara, California

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