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Elegant table beautifully lit by sunlight - Nisei, San Francisco, CA
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Nisei

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Visa Dining Collection

$50 and over
Japanese
2316 Polk St, San Francisco, CA 94109-1822

Make a reservation

2 people
7:00 PM
Booked 7 times today
Experiences are available.

About this restaurant

  • Good for special occasions
  • Innovative
  • Fancy
Nisei presents a contemporary approach to Japanese American cuisine by combining deep Japanese flavors, refined cooking technique, and Northern California's finest ingredients. The restaurant is a personal reflection of Chef David Yoshimura's unique experience as a Michelin starred chef and second generation Japanese American, or Nisei.

Nisei can accommodate most severe allergies with advance notice, however due to the nature of the tasting menu format, we can not meet all dietary restrictions or aversions. In order to maintain the spirit of our cuisine, the following items can not be removed: Salt, sugar, soy sauce, and egg cooked into items.

All Experience prices below reflect a 20% Service Fee and 8.63% SF Sales Tax applied to the base price of each experience. This Service Fee goes towards paying our employees a livable wage as well as providing health insurance.

Why they're an Icon

Executive chef: David Yoshimura

  • Award icon
    MICHELIN 1 Star2024
  • Award icon
    MICHELIN 1 Star2023

From the OpenTable editors: Come to Chef David Yoshimura’s MICHELIN-starred spot for one of the city’s most innovative tasting menus. He expertly fuses Japanese techniques with Northern California ingredients to create bold, modern dishes that could include anago (salt-water eel) with fiddleheads or crispy kakuni (pork belly) with snap peas and ramps, paired with clever wines and sake for a singular dining experience.

Additional information

  • Dining style
    Fine Dining
  • Price
    $50 and over
  • Cuisines
    Japanese, Contemporary Asian, Japanese Speciality
  • Hours of operation
    Dinner Wed–Sun 5:00 pm–9:00 pm
  • Phone number
  • Payment options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Dress code
    Smart Casual
  • Private party facilities
    For parties of 6 or more, we offer seating in our private Kimono Room. For inquiries regarding groups of 12 or more, or if you desire a tailored private dining experience, kindly click the link below, and we will promptly get in touch with you to curate a memorable evening.https://www.restaurantnisei.com/privatedining
  • Award-winning
    1. MICHELIN 1 Star 2024
    2. MICHELIN 1 Star 2023
  • Neighborhood
    Russian Hill
  • Cross street
    Polk Street
  • Parking details
    Street Parking
  • Additional
    Beer, BYO Wine, Cocktails, Corkage Fee, Counter Seating, Full Bar, Gender Neutral Restroom, Non-Smoking, Wheelchair Access, Wine

Experiences

  • Day in the Life of Chef David Yoshimura

    $660.00 per person

    Prepaid

    Multiple dates available
    Experience a day in the life of a restaurant owner with Chef David. Start the day off with a visit to the Farmers' Market, sourcing ingredients and planning the menu for the evening. Return to the restaurant and put on an apron where you'll be cooking along side the professional chefs at Nisei. After a day's work, enjoy the fruits of your labor with a sit down & enjoy a complementary full tasting menu from Nisei to you. We also encourage you to invite a guest to dinner to be able to share the dining experience. Ticket is good for one person only !
    Day in the Life of Chef David Yoshimura Photo
  • Late Spring Menu at Nisei

    $286.80 per person

    Prepaid

    Multiple dates available
    The tasting menu at Nisei features the pinnacle of Japanese American cuisine and is a personal expression of Chef David Yoshimura. Nisei combines the finest ingredients of Northern California and Japan to create a truly unforgettable experience. Guests can expect 13 courses with over 18 bites total, with options for supplements. Please allow at least 3 hours for the dining experience. The price of this experience reflects a 20% Service Fee and 8.63% SF Sales Tax. This Service Fee goes towards paying our employees a livable wage as well as providing health insurance.
    Late Spring Menu at Nisei Photo
  • Xander Soren Wines & IWA 5 x Nisei Dinner

    $540.00 per person

    Prepaid

    Jun 26, 2025 only
    7:00 PM
    Join us for a one of a kind collaboration dinner featuring the most sought after sake in the world, as well as one of California’s brightest new stars. We are thrilled to welcome Xander Soren for his first public wine dinner featuring library wines and a special new bottling coming out just this year! Joining Xander will be IWA 5, the sake project from Richard Geoffroy- the 5th of 6 ever Chefs de Cave at Dom Pérignon Champagne. *Due to the unique nature of this dinner, we are not accommodating any dietary restrictions or food allergies.* The price of this experience reflects a 20% Service Fee and 8.63% SF Sales Tax. This Service Fee goes towards paying our employees a livable wage as well as providing health insurance.
    Xander Soren Wines & IWA 5 x Nisei Dinner Photo

What 103 people are saying

Nisei reviews from people who’ve dined at this restaurant. Based on recent rating.

Overall ratings and reviews

Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

4.7
4.7 based on recent ratings
  • 4.6Food
  • 4.8Service
  • 4.8Ambience
  • 4.4Value

NoiseModerate

Loved For

  • San Francisco

    Innovative

  • San Francisco

    Good for special occasions

  • San Francisco

    Japanese

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews
Nisei offers a "fantastic food" journey through a "wonderful experience" of Japanese and Asian-inspired dishes. Chef David's creativity shines in every course, creating a "spectacular experience." The attentive and personable staff, thoughtful sake pairings, and elegant ambiance make it a "highly recommended" dining destination for special occasions.
103 Reviews
  1. Victor

    New York City1 review

    5.0

    Dined 1 day ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Amazing experience, top notch quality and food. Definitely will look to visit for a special occasion

    Is this helpful?

  2. Lawrence

    San Francisco Bay Area12 reviews

    5.0

    Dined 5 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    High end Japanese meal was expensive but worth it

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  3. Karen VIP

    San Francisco Bay Area9 reviews

    5.0

    Dined 6 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    A very memorable and unique experience at Nisei. All the staff were friendly, welcoming, and well versed in explaining every dish. I love how the ambience wasn't too uptight despite it being an upscale restaurant. It's spacious, but also intimate at the same time. It's perfect for special occasion or just a night of pampering yourself in the city. Chef David came out to introduce himself and checked in every so often until the last dish was served. He was personable and humble. I feel that dining isn't just about the food, but it's how I feel in the 3.5+ hours there. I felt that my feedback was heard and that really elevated the experience. One thing that I was slightly confused, but not sure if this is the case with all SF restaurants is that there is a 20% service charge automatically added to the bill which is not counted as gratuity. Of course I gave gratuity for the wonderful service, but I had to ask if it is separate from the service charge which they explained that it is.

    Is this helpful?

  4. Mary

    Los Angeles2 reviews

    5.0

    Dined 7 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Nisei was a wonderful fine dining experience. They run a top notch restaurant. The flavors, the wine pairing/sake pairing and the service are simply outstanding. Highly recommend!

    Is this helpful?

  5. Lisa

    San Francisco Bay Area9 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on May 21, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    This was an amazingly well curated, vibrant experience featuring some of the best of the AAPI creators in the Bay Area- truly a wonderful experience! Thanks Nisei and Team!

    Is this helpful?

  6. Sam VIP

    San Francisco Bay Area12 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on May 11, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Excellent experience! Fantastic food, amazing service, and great ambiance

    Is this helpful?

  7. Linda

    Los Angeles1 review

    5.0

    Dined on May 2, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Delicious, thoughtful, beautiful courses. The sake pairings complimented the dishes for an outstanding meal.

    Is this helpful?

  8. Birke VIP

    San Francisco Bay Area20 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on April 27, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Stupendous dinner! Loved sitting at the counter, beautiful presentation of each course and the best duck I have ever had. Drinks from next door were very good. The only negative would be the dessert which was inedible. Very bad with an unpleasant flavor combination. Luckily the rest of the meal made up for it.

    Is this helpful?

  9. Frank VIP

    Berlin6 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on April 27, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Had a wonderful anniversary dinner at Nisei, the food was spectacular, and the service next level. I noticed a button coming loose on my suit jacket, the staff took my jacket and sewed it back on. We can’t wait to return with friends.

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  10. hans

    New York City3 reviews

    4.0

    Dined on April 21, 2025

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 4
    Food and Service was excellent. We will come back again

    Is this helpful?

FAQs

Nisei is rated 4.7 stars by 103 OpenTable diners.

Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.

  1. Home
  2. United States
  3. San Francisco Bay Area
  4. San Francisco
  5. Russian Hill

Make a reservation

2 people
7:00 PM
Booked 7 times today
Experiences are available.
Google Map for Nisei

2316 Polk St, San Francisco, CA 94109-1822

Additional information

  • Award-winning
    1. MICHELIN 1 Star 2024
    2. MICHELIN 1 Star 2023
  • Cross street
    Polk Street
  • Neighborhood
    Russian Hill
  • Hours of operation
    Dinner Wed–Sun 5:00 pm–9:00 pm
  • Price
    $50 and over
  • Cuisines
    Japanese, Contemporary Asian, Japanese Speciality
  • Dining style
    Fine Dining
  • Dress code
    Smart Casual
  • Parking details
    Street Parking
  • Payment options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Additional
    Beer, BYO Wine, Cocktails, Corkage Fee, Counter Seating, Full Bar, Gender Neutral Restroom, Non-Smoking, Wheelchair Access, Wine
  • Phone number
  • Private party facilities
    For parties of 6 or more, we offer seating in our private Kimono Room. For inquiries regarding groups of 12 or more, or if you desire a tailored private dining experience, kindly click the link below, and we will promptly get in touch with you to curate a memorable evening.https://www.restaurantnisei.com/privatedining
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