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    Niku Steakhouse

    4.3 (1k reviews)
    Ultra High-EndJapanese, Steakhouses
    Closed 5:00 pm - 9:00 PM

    Order Niku Steakhouse Takeout or Delivery

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    Jessica O.

    Came to celebrate my brother's graduation from his master's program and Niku is the perfect spot to treat someone to an amazing experience. We sat at the chef's counter so we could watch them prepare every dish and grill some beautiful steaks. Service was exceptional, from the moment we checked in at the front desk, the team made it a point to congratulate my brother. They remembered his allergies from my OpenTable comments and let him know that he could have everything on the menu. We ordered the bone marrow, beef tartare, ribeye, 3oz of the off-menu A5 wagyu, broccolini, and the hojicha dessert. Everything we got was a hit! Loved their take on avocado toast as the first bite, we knew the meal was going to be amazing from the first bite. The beef tartare was the best I've ever had and I've never had bone marrow that I didn't enjoy. This version was delicious with the toppings of short rib pieces that were balanced with the pickled bits and mustard seeds. Both appetizers were must gets for us! The ribeye came out overdone, and luckily it came out again shortly from the kitchen along with some on the house pickled veggies. The second time the ribeye came out was the perfect medium rare. The meat quality was delicious, the ribeye was tender and marbled very nicely. The A5 was an 11/12 on the wagyu marbling scale and it was truly a treat, 3oz for the two of us was definitely enough. I loved the fresh grated wasabi and the pickled veggies to cut through the richness of the meat. Dessert was fantastic, and I can't finish this review without shouting out their cocktail menu! The two drinks I had were super delicious and I would come back just to explore more of their drinks. It's a special occasion spot and worth it to experience at least once!

    Complimentary dessert
    Kelly N.

    Honestly the sides were the stars! We've been eyeing this place for a while but never pulled the trigger until I wanted to use my Chase Reserve dining benefits. Reservations open 30 days in advance and they fill up quickly! The restaurant isn't that big so it makes sense. I made my reservation the morning it opened for a standard table and any time between 6pm-7:30pm was already taken. They do offer alternative seating like counter seating, bar seating, and high top tables. The restaurant is very sophisticated and has a dark sleek modern vibe. The staff were very friendly. We had: - Bone Marrow: Bone marrow is just so good! - Crispy Pig Ears: perfect blend of crispy, salty, and sweet. - westholme wagyu tomahawk: This was decent and a large portion for 2, but we weren't amazed. - Koshikari rice: definitely a splurge for a small portion of rice with a piece of crab on top, but it was good. I would seriously considering coming back just for the bone marrow and crispy pig ears.

    Jessica L.

    They have 1 Michelin star and they are worthy of it. We had an excellent dinner. We chose the chef's counter seating which was fun to be right next to the action. Everything was excellent: service, food, ambiance. The entire experience was 10/10 from start to finish. Each dish was perfect but the agnolotti pasta dish was 12/10 for me. It's been days since I had it and I can't stop thinking about it!! Maybe the best pasta of my life so far? Get the wagyu brownie. I highly recommend this spot.

    Complimentary Avocado Toast
    Carol H.

    I came here with my boyfriend and had a great dining experience at Niku Steakhouse, made even better by the excellent service from Kelvin. He was attentive, friendly, and really helped make the meal feel special. We ordered the mushroom, pig ear and potato, and the iron steak. The mushroom dish wasn't quite to our taste, but everything else was absolutely amazing. The pig ear and potato had great texture and flavor, and the iron steak was cooked perfectly.

    Crispy potatoes
    Tiffany C.

    Came here for a special occasion and ordered a couple of things: market vegetables, Parker rolls, beef tartare, crispy potatoes, flat iron, and the A3 wagyu. Market vegetables were too sour for my taste. Ordered it to pair with all the meat to offset but it ended up being too fermented to enjoy. Parker rolls were good but nothing extraordinary. Unfortunately the beef tartare tasted too gamey for me. The A3 wagyu was not worth its price tag. It was quite hard to chew and didn't stand out at all. At the rate of this review, I should've given it two or three stars but what's saving it and pushing it to four stars are the crispy potatoes and the flat iron. I will never forget those potatoes. I never had anything like it, and it completely blew my mind. The texture, flavor, and balance of the sauce was really out of this world. If you come, you must order this dish. Also, the flat iron was amazing. We ordered it medium rare, and it was cooked pristinely. Very soft and buttery texture with just the right amount of salt. Overall, I had a fine experience. Probably wouldn't come back just because I don't think the price tag is worth it. Definitely an upscale restaurant with attentive service, but I'd probably put my money somewhere else.

    Jazzmine M.

    Nike Steakhouse is a bustling restaurant with elevated decor and a cool ambiance. Service was attentive and friendly and despite how busy it was, we had no trouble connecting with our server and the manager was very hands on and did a great job assisting the staff. Food was amazing, definitely recommend the pig ears and chawanmushi

    Wendy T.

    One of the best steak in my life! Today we learned a new up and coming cut called flat iron which is the shoulder blade of a cow and there's only 6 slices per cow. It's part of NY and ribeye and we had it med rare and it was heavenly! They use real Japanese binkotan charcoal and maldon salt - perfectly cook and high quality meat. We LOVE the pigs ear! Crispy salty sweet goodness! It's one of the highlights of our meal. The crispy stacked potato with puree beans was good, the mushrooms was charred but it was just okay. I would try the bone marrow and beef tartar next time. The shaved ice coconut with pudding on the bottom and crunchy fruit bits are very refreshing and unexpectedly good!! Simple but all the flavors came out well in unity. Our server Daniel was very helpful and really enjoyed his service. Another note was they let us picked the knives and that's such a unique experience! It's aestheticly pleasing and tastefully tantilizing A++!!

    Sue L.

    Made a reservation for counter seating on OpenTable a couple weeks before to celebrate my husband's birthday. We specifically chose this restaurant since they were on inKind. They are a 1 star Michelin restaurant and right next to the Butcher Shop, which we have been there twice for their delicious smash burger. I'm glad we made a reservation because it was packed on a Monday at 6:30 PM. I really like the ambience inside. My husband specifically wanted counter seating because he wanted to watch the chefs cook. We ordered different dishes, such as Pig Ears, Tsukune (Japanese chicken meatballs), Potatoes, Parker Rolls, and a New York steak. My favorite was definitely the Pig Ears as it was chewy and extremely savory. The other sides didn't wow me since the flavors tasted very average. We really enjoyed the steak because it melted like butter after each bite. We order drinks, and I did enjoy my Yuzu Shiso. I'm glad we were able to stop by and check this off our list. I wished I liked the food more but it is what it is. Our server was nice and friendly, which made our experience enjoyable.

    Ian L.

    Everything here was delicious, especially the appetizers. The tartare was my favourite in particular, the combination of textures and flavors worked so well. I got the short rib, which was absurdly rich, but that's as expected. My one complaint is that between the appetizers and the mains, my table waited over an hour without much update. The food was good, but the service makes me hesitant to come back.

    Pig ear
    Jennifer C.

    We came here for our anniversary on a Sunday evening at 6pm. Reservations for the restaurant come out 30 days in advance on open table and we were able to book our reservation pretty easily. Walking in, the restaurant is designed a warm ambiance. You feel a little cozy in the restaurant. Plenty of seating and bar seating options. We got the crispy pig ears, short rib Wagyu, bone marrow, and the crispy potatoes. We really were not expecting the portions to be so big. We were left full and satiated and didn't have enough room for dessert! My favorite dishes were all of them to be honest. The potatoes were perfectly crispy and the sauce it came with helped balance the heaviness. The Wagyu was cooked to perfection, it melted in your mouth! The pig ears were a nice snack- very crispy and the sauce it was coated with balanced well. The bone marrow was balanced with some mustard seeds and fresh grapes with offset the heaviness from the marrow. Overall, we had a great experience! Do note though- the dishes were a little more on the saltier side

    Flat iron
    Erik V.

    I highly recommend! It was a great experience. They are known for their steaks but I was definitely more impressed by the various "side" dishes. My favorite dish was the bone borrow dish. The tartare was very unique and worth trying as well. We also had the flat iron, potatoes and pound cake - all tasty. They also gave us a small mini app before the dishes we actually ordered. The interior feels very classy - you can see the chefs grilling the steak and they have a wall of wines on display. The staff were very friendly. My partner and I celebrated an anniversary and they wrote a cute note for us so we appreciate the thoughtfulness.

    Prime ribeye
    Ally L.

    To start off, I was very pleased with how accommodating they were with our 2 year old. We were hesitant on doing date night here at first, but we didn't feel uncomfortable in anyway. I enjoyed the elegance of the restaurant yet still being casual enough with music in the background and lots of conversations flowing around us, so if my daughter dropped a fork or something, all heads would not turn and look at us. My overall favorite dish was the crispy potato Wagyu fat with chickpea miso. It was absolutely perfect. The crispy layers of the potato and the smooth chickpea miso were delicious. I even ended up smothering the chickpea miso on our ribeye. Overall great experience, attentive service and ample parking, which is a huge plus in the city.

    Grilled Brocolini
    Alex O.

    5/10 Overall. We came with very high expectations. Unfortunately these expectations were not met. Of course the staff was excellent as you would expect from a restaurant on this level, but the food was honestly underwhelming. We ordered the following and this was my opinion: Beef Tartare 7/10 the yolk made it memorable and crispy beef tendon was an amazing touch. The Pea Agnolotti 7/10 was very buttery and rich, just a very small portion. Salmon which was a 7/10. Crispy skin but not as much flavor as I expected. The 14 day dry aged ribeye 6/10. Ordered medium came out rare and dry! Very bland no juices! The staff noticed and asked if they could reheat it for us which we agreed. (How a steakhouse of this nature gets that wrong in the first place is beyond me) After the steak was brought back it was very good. 7.5/10 after reheated. Now here is the real problem. We ordered the "Waygu Tomahawk" 3/10. This was almost $300 and we asked for this cooked medium since you want ot render the fat on a large fatty steak like this. When it finally came out (very long wait time) the steak was cooked to the proper temp, but absolutely bone dry! Not a drop of juice in the plate or the meat itself. To the point I had to ask my party if I was over criticizing it. To my surprise the entire party agreed with my observation. We all we very disappointed with the what they call the "Westholme Wagyu Tomahawk". I have eaten at many nice steakhouses and honestly if that was wagyu it was the lowest grade possible. They should not label it a Wagyu. I dont even know if it would pass as prime in my book. Extremely disappointed in this dish For sides we enjoyed the grilled brocolini 7/10. Nice and charred and went well with the miso and furikaki. The dinner rolls 6.5/10. A little dry as well. Good flavor. Lastly we had the crispy potato cooked in wagyu fat 9/10. This was my highlight of the night. Amazing flavor and not greasy at all. Light and crispy! Overall I was so excited to come here but left very disappointed. I am starting to leave hobest reviews as we are fortunate enough to eat at many high end restaurants and I know what to expect. I give this a 5/10 overall with a lot of room for improvement. The side dish was the start of the night and that is simply kot enough from a nearly $1k dinner.

    Tomahawk

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    Niku Steakhouse Reviews in Other Languages

    Ask the Community - Niku Steakhouse

    Is inKind still accepted here?

    Yes, I used it here 2 weeks ago.

    Is this kid appropriate? I have 7 and 17-year-old boys.

    Yes and no. If your kids like steak and aren't picky eaters, then yes! But this restaurant is more of a date/night out type of place. There really isn't a dress code (although most dress up)

    Can we request steak be cooked medium ? Thanks :)

    They ask how you would like your steak cooked. We requested medium rare, but I am sure they will cook it to your liking.

    How early in advance can we book reservations?

    30 days in advance

    Vaccination card required?

    I just went at the end of August and I wasn't asked for it.

    Reservation needed for chefs counter?

    Reservations are strongly encouraged for all dining options as it is popular and dining space is extremely limited. Being opened for 4-5 hours each evening (depending on the day), with dining options taking approximately 90-120 minutes depending on… Read more

    Where is counter seating? Is that the chefs table or the bar?

    Chef's Table is the counter. Best seats are the beginning of the counter.

    How much is corkage fee?

    $40 per 750ml bottle

    Is it safe to park on the street? I have seen a lot of news about cars get break-in. Please let me know so we can plan our transportation how to get there. Thank you

    It's usually fine. Take precautions by not leaving any bags visible in the car and if you can, leave the back seats of your car down to show there's nothing in the trunk. Welcome to SF.

    Tiene valet parking?

    No there is no valet parking

    I'm unable to make a reservation for a party of 1 through their website/Resy (2+ only). Is it possible? Or do they not accept parties of 1

    I've encountered this at restaurants. Perhaps go sit at the bar. It's fun when you are dining solo.

    I read on the website that you need to be vaccinated in order to dine in. Is this correct?

    Yes, proof of vaccination is checked by the host.

    Are they still offering the Imperial Wagyu Tomahawk steak for 2 people?

    Yes- and it comfortably feeds 3 if you're also ordering starters and sides

    Still offering your burgers?

    Hello Tammy, thanks for your question. Yes we have the Niku burger on the bar menu (available for ordering at our bar seating only)

    Is the bar open for drinks ahead of a dinner service?

    Yes

    How much is the bar tasting menu?

    I believe it is $85 If you can splurge get the Japanese A5, I know many people get tempted with the tomahawk for quantity but go for the quality if you can... This is the best steaks in the Bay Area period.

    Are the small plates meant to be shared?

    Yes but easy to finish on your own. We ordered 5-6 sides to share among 5 ppl.

    Is there valet service?

    Nope

    Is it better to sit at the bar or dining table?

    It depends what you mean by the "bar". If you mean the bar where the bartender is in the front then I would prefer not to sit there since it is closer to the door and away from the cooking. However, there is a section of the dining room that is bar… Read more

    What is the attire?

    San Francisco dressy /causal. Shorts would look out of place

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    This is the fourth holiday season in a row I've gotten our prime rib roast from Olivier's, so I'm…read morelong overdue for a review. The quality is always on point (you get what you pay for) and the process is easy to preorder. The main thing to plan for is the long wait in line to pick up your preorder. In prior years, I've usually picked up on Christmas Eve and the wait can exceed 90 mins to 2 hours depending on when you arrive - this is the case even when you doorbust at opening time. This year, we picked up on the 23rd and arrived around opening time, and it only took 30 minutes. There are also very high quality pantry goods to peruse and purchase, including pasta, mustards, spices, tinned goods, etc. Onto the meat: I preordered late this year so got 21 day aged prime rib roast (would usually aim for 45+ days), but honestly it was hard to tell the difference. I ordered the roast pre seasoned, cradled and tied for ease and it was very high quality, easy to cook and delicious. Shoutout to the very friendly and hardworking staff at Olivier's - I see yall fighting for your lives trying to control that line every year (lol). Thank you for your service!

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    Olivier's Butchery
    Oliver's Butchery, get off the fence and check them out for yourself. They have a wonderful selection.

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    Oliver's Butchery, get off the fence and check them out for yourself. They have a wonderful selection.
    Brucato

    Brucato

    4.6
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    Love this spot! A…read morefriend introduced me to this amazing distillery and restaurant. I had a flight of their amaros and loved them all, followed by some excellent cocktails that highlighted their products. Dinner menu is designed for sharing/family style. Everything was delicious and creative. We started with their crispy chicken skins, a bitter lettuce ceasar, octopus salad, and their duck confit with a surprising corn couscous. Our server was excellent, with full knowledge of their spirits and lots of guidance for tasting. Loved the bright comfortable dining room, with a bit of vintage flair.

    We were blown away by every bite and sip! First of all, the waitstaff were so kind to seat us in…read morethe back room when we arrived and couldn't easily squeeze into the main dining area with one of our party in a wheelchair. Very much appreciated that accommodation. Everything on the menu sounded delicious and tasted even better. There was a special with homemade focaccia, ricotta, pesto, and eggplant + tomato tapenade. I could have eaten a bowl of every ingredient individually, and together they were even better than the sum of the parts. We also had the curry chicken croquettes, citrus caesar, confit octopus, and gnocchi - all fantastic. And the drinks - next level. I had the Sam Fernando and it was dangerously drinkable, I had to order a second. My partner's Bird of Paradise bamboozled us with its clarified coconut milk - so wild to drink something CLEAR that tasted so much like a piña colada! Our other two party members had NA drinks that were also nuanced and delicious. I will very eagerly come back whenever I have the opportunity!

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    Distillery
    Distillery
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    The fruitvale cocktail

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    The fruitvale cocktail
    Miller & Lux

    Miller & Lux

    4.2
    (485 reviews)
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    Came with a group , we all enjoyed our meal, appetizers were mostly cold items (shell fish)…read more Someone was hoping for calamari or something cooked. Presentation on all meals were nice. Steaks were cooked perfectly service was good. Wasnt blown away by the meal but was very good. Would recommend

    The menu reads like a greatest hits of comfort food - steak, burger, truffle fries, mac & cheese…read more But there's a recurring theme here: a shocking fear of salt. Filet Mignon is Medium Rare Perfection... Beautiful pink center, warm red ring, crust that had a nice sear. The Bordelaise sauce was rich, slightly sweet, and had that deep red-wine reduction thing going on. But the steak itself had zero salt. The sauce tried its best, but a steak shouldn't need to be drowned to have flavor. M&L Burger. Juicy, But Also... Juicy? That's It. But again: no seasoning. The beef itself was bland. There was a bacon jam or sauce on it that added some smokiness, but when I took a bite without it (just to test), I was met with... nothing. Just wet, unseasoned meat. Parmesan Truffle Fries were legit, crispy, hot, tossed in enough parmesan and truffle. The portion was huge (feeds 2-3 easily). Black Truffle Mac & Cheese. First few bites? Creamy, luxurious, black truffle shavings. But by the fourth or fifth forkful, it got heavy. Missing acid. A little hit of something sour like lemon, would have saved it. Also, the pasta was overcooked. Peaches & Crème Tart was Aggressively sour. The peaches were fine, but the yuzu sauce underneath was so overwhelmingly acidic that it felt like a prank. My face scrunched up like I'd bitten into a live battery. The crème was there somewhere, but it got completely bulldozed. One bite was enough. I left the rest. My dentist would approve. If you do go, order the fries, bring your own salt grinder, and skip the tart unless you enjoy punishment. Service was great btw.

    Photos
    Such a fun bar to wait for your table.
    Such a fun bar to wait for your table.
    Amuse-bouches
    Amuse-bouches
    Brussels Sprouts, Mashed Potatoes, and Truffle Mac & Cheese..

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    Brussels Sprouts, Mashed Potatoes, and Truffle Mac & Cheese..

    Niku Steakhouse - japanese - Updated June 2026

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