{"id":419333,"date":"2026-07-31T10:59:28","date_gmt":"2026-07-31T10:59:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/419333\/"},"modified":"2026-07-31T10:59:28","modified_gmt":"2026-07-31T10:59:28","slug":"tokyo-chef-opens-ezo-omakase-in-santa-clara","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/419333\/","title":{"rendered":"Tokyo chef opens Ezo Omakase in Santa Clara"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"Chef Yuichiro Sasaki recently opened Ezo Omakase, a traditional Edomae-style omakase in Santa Clara. Courtesy Ezo Omakase.<\/p>\n

Silicon Valley has no shortage of omakase restaurants, but newcomer Ezo Omakase aims to stand out from the competition with traditional Edomae-style offerings.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think I\u2019ve tried every single omakase in the Bay Area,\u201d co-owner Darren Yu said. \u201cThere are some good ones, and the most Edomae-style that I\u2019ve tried (say) they\u2019re Edomae, but they\u2019re not really \u2026 They\u2019re just saying it to catch the market.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ezo Omakase quietly opened in May and is still in its soft-opening phase. Chef Yuichiro Sasaki, the chef of Sushi Punch in Tokyo, serves as co-owner and chief culinary officer of Ezo Omakase. Sasaki grew up in Hokkaido and has been a chef for a decade, specializing in sardine and monkfish liver. After opening Sushi Punch in 2019, he dreamed of creating another omakase restaurant in Los Angeles, but Yu convinced him to set his sights on the Bay Area.<\/p>\n

\u201cI ate in a lot of expensive sushi restaurants in Japan, and \u2026 I really think Sushi Punch is doing it right,\u201d Yu said. \u201cAlso the way Sasaki-san interacts with the customer is perfect \u2026 customers are having fun when they\u2019re eating at his restaurant.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"The sushi bar at Ezo Omakase in Santa Clara. Courtesy Ezo Omakase.<\/p>\n

\"\"Additional seating at Ezo Omakase in Santa Clara. Courtesy Ezo Omakase.<\/p>\n

In Edomae omakase, seafood is prepared through aging, curing or marinating (rather than plain sashimi) and served over vinegared rice. Modern interpretations of omakase that include ingredients such as wagyu are not in the Edomae style. Sasaki only uses wild-caught fish, with his apprentice selecting fish for Ezo at Toyosu Fish Market in Tokyo.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThe preparation is exactly the same to what I do in Japan at Sushi Punch,\u201d Sasaki said. \u201cJust the location is different, but (the) taste is exactly (the) same.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ezo Omakase, which seats 32, offers a 16-18 course dinner for $220 per person (plus a 20% service charge) with seatings at 5:15 p.m. and 8 p.m. Reservations are required and an optional sake pairing is available for an additional $80 per person. In addition to sake, expect Champagne, beer, wine and rare Japanese whiskeys.<\/p>\n

\"\"Kuruma ebi is air-freighted directly from Japan to Ezo Omakase. Courtesy Ezo Omakase.<\/p>\n

Ezo Omakase shares an address with new coffee shop Void<\/a>, which soft opened July 27. Ezo Omakase is the latest in a string of new Silicon Valley omakase openings: Sushi Adachi<\/a>, led by Masaki Sasaki, opened in Mountain View in March ($200 per person); Sushi Kinsen<\/a> debuted in Redwood City in October ($235 per person); and Ren Omakase<\/a> opened in Menlo Park about a year ago ($250 per person).<\/p>\n

Ezo Omakase<\/a>, 3540 La Rambla Ave., Santa Clara; 408-431-6639, Instagram: @omakase.ezo<\/a>. Open Friday to Sunday from 5-10:30 p.m. Seatings at 5:15 p.m. and 8 p.m.<\/p>\n

Dig into food news. Follow the Peninsula Foodist on Instagram<\/a> and subscribe to the newsletter<\/a> to get insights on the latest openings and closings, learn what the Foodist is excited about eating, read exclusive interviews and keep up on the trends affecting local restaurants.<\/p>\n

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