O Izakaya Lounge, San Francisco

- 88% 

all fish dishes were not fresh ; fried dishes were decent and drink prices reasonable ; service was attentive, but would not go back due to the poor quality and non-creative food. more»

Excellent service, saki, unique dishes and `` must try'' the Onion Rings! more»

Service and food were both excellent. more»

Cons : While the staff is friendly , unfortunately , I continue to be really frustrated with the speed of service ... The restaurant is understaffed so the service is slow ... worst of all is the drinks service is VERY slow. more»

The Scene The vibe in this spacious restaurant and bar can be listed somewhere between diner ( booths are large and comfortable ) , pub ( beer is a focus ) and hotel bar ( a full bar and flat-screen televisions dominate ) , with lounge-like appeal offset by a touch of the surreal. more»

Add the warmth of well-trained servers and the allure of sometimes exotic , sometimes familiar , but always delicious bar bites , however , and the experience can be transporting. more»

At O Izakaya Lounge, Chef Nicolaus Balla (see bio) is committed to using the finest local and organic ingredients whenever possible. His creations combine traditional Asian flavors with a contemporary and inventive flair. Menu specialties include Berkshire pork belly braised with house-made kimchee, Mendocino seaweed salad with mustard greens and umeboshi and saba with beets, cucumbers and freshly grated wasabi. O Izakaya also features a selection of over 20 different kinds of sake. Try the sake flight and see which ones you like, or sample some of our unique sake cocktails. O Izakaya Lounge is designed by Michael Guthrie, the creator of Tra Vigne, Bix and Spoon. Guthrie uses cork, bamboo, earth tones and Japanese sports memorabilia to craft a sophisticated sports bar atmosphere with 7 flat-screen TVs to keep track of the latest scores. Look closely and you’ll even find traditional Japanese baseball cards embedded in the custom wallpaper!