Came here with a group of my girl friends for a bday dinner. Lived the ambiance and staff were accommodating. My favorite was the sweet shrimp and order the lychee serbet - it's yummy !
Small plates = more things to try = a happy Francie! We ordered: - yuzu ceviche: yuzu flavor wasn't dominant but the fish was fresh and herbal and the accompanying chips were homemade! - crab and corn puffs (set of 3): these were huge puffs. I'm not a crab fan so I can't report on their quality but it came with an interesting sauce - mushroom risotto puffs (set of 3): also huge. I felt these were heavy, cooked in a slightly rancid oil, and out of place on the menu - okonomiyaki pizza (6 slices): so unique and yummy. Thin crust but generous toppings. - pork special (3 pieces): the description said "melt in your mouth" but it must have been an off day because it was slightly overcooked and chewy, but the sauce was on point - unagi clay pot small: perfectly crispy rice and eel. Comes with dashi broth you can mix - I did half and half to try both the crispy rice and comforting soup - lychee sorbet dessert: so light and refreshing - hojicha creme brûlée: the perfect "not too sweet" with crunchy sugar topping Logistics: - indoor seating only, beautiful traditional decor. Not sure if there was floor seating available but there was definitely "American" chairs and tables available - moderate amount of strip mall parking outside - reservations recommended - 90 minute table limit - great for groups of 2-3 as many dishes came with 3 pieces
Took my mom to dinner here! It gets really busy, so I highly recommend reservations. FLAVOR (4.2/5): 1. TORI KARA AGE: The karaage was crispy and flavorful! It comes with lemon, but I wish it also came with a mayo-based sauce. 2. RISOTTO KOROKKE: The risotto was a nice take on asian fusion! The mushroom flavor of the fried rice balls melded nicely with the shiso-pesto sauce underneath. It's a little heavy, so be forewarned. 3. UNAGI MESHI W/DASHI: This dish was my favorite!! The rice at the bottom is super crispy, so you get a nice blend of textures with the softness of the eel. You must get the dashi - when poured on top of the rice and eel, it all becomes even more flavorful. 4. HAMACHI: The hamachi was super fresh, definitely recommend. SERVICE (4.5/5): The service was good! AMBIENCE (3.5/5): Depending on where you sit, the ambience can feel more casual or intimate. I think the tatami area would be a nicer experience, but it's luck of the draw since you can't really pick where you want to sit. TAKEAWAYS: I really liked Gochi! They passed the mom-test (my mom has notoriously high standards for eating out). Their Unagi Meshi w/Dashi was the highlight of the night! Definitely recommend.
Gochi is one of my few favorite izakayas in the bay! Came here on multiple occasions over the past few years and they never disappoint! I usually try to make a reservation via Yelp as they can get quite busy, but if you can't get one, I recommend going right when they open and usually, you should be able to get a table! ~The Food~ We've tried quite a few of their dishes, but these are some of our favorites/go-to's! - Tako Garlic Meshi: Our absolute favorite dish here. The rice is SO crispy on the bottom of the claypot and the butter goes so well with the crispy garlic and tender octopus. This a must-order for sure! - Age Nasu Tofu: Fried tofu and eggplant dish that is sweet and savory; a very comforting dish that pairs well with rice! - Sakana Iroiro Salad: A great starter/salad that has a generous assortment of sashimi! Great dish to share, as it's quite refreshing! - Gyutan Shioyaki: The slices beef tongue is grilled to perfection; Each piece is so tender and salted perfectly. We also tried the Mentaiko Pizza, which actually wasn't our favorite dish here. The amount of cheese on the Pizza felt a bit excessive as the crust was pretty thin, so we probably won't order their pizza again, but for anyone who loves cheese, this might be a good choice! ~The Experience~ Service and staff is always great, and the vibes of the restaurant is quite cozy! Can be a bit pricey especially since each dish is not huge, but I think it's worth it for the quality of the food! Most dishes here have never disappointed us! Will continue to be one of our go-to places!
Had a lovely birthday dinner here! Every single dish we ordered was sooo good and well made. For two we got: - Agedashi tofu: delicious appetizer to start the meal, crispy on the outside and soft on the inside - Okonomiyaki pizza: the texture and flavors of this was so perfect, such a unique dish - Unagi meshi: I love both crispy rice and unagi and this did not disappoint- recommend getting the dashi broth along with this to accompany the dish - Beef tongue: a bit chewy (which is to be expected with beef tongue), but very flavorful and juicy. I do wish the portion was a bit larger given the price though - Hojicha creme brulee: this was a seasonal menu item, surprisingly not too sweet! Very cute presentation as well My personal favorites of the night were the ononomiyaki pizza and the unagi meshi, but everything really hit the spot. The menu was so large and had such a wide variety of options (it was so hard to choose what to order) that I'm already itching to return and try more items. Service was wonderful, very attentive and gave great advice as we were choosing what to order, and even gave us the dessert on the house since we were celebrating a birthday. It was a little noisy and packed inside the restaurant, but it didn't take away from the meal experience at all.
Food is great here! So many options and all so flavorful. So I thought this place was more like a small eats tapas like place, but I was wrong. Portions here are HUGE. Our group definitely ordered way too much hahaha, but who doesn't love more food? The service was okay--our group was kind of big so I understand it might be overwhelming for the waiter but he seemed super annoyed to be serving us bc we had so many orders lol. Ambiance was great! We came when dinner opened and the restaurant filled up pretty quickly.
Food (4/5) Food was delicious! I would have liked a little more seasoning for my claypot rice however. It was a nice, comforting hearty meal. I've been here before and enjoyed the hamachi carpaccio too :) Price (4/5) On the pricier side. My gindara meshi/black cod small claypot rice was $37, my friend's tori soboro meshi/braised ground chicken small claypot rice was $26, and my other friend's tempura udon was $16 (this was the most fairly priced). Keep in mind that the dashi soup is an additional $2.5. We also ordered curry korokke ($10.5), which my friends enjoyed. Wait Time (4/5) Made a reservation several days in advance via Yelp for our party of three which was easy. We arrived on time and were seated promptly. We were told on arrival that our reservation was limited to 1.5hrs. One of my friends did have to wait a while for her udon while my and my other friend's meals were already arrived, so that was odd (I assume udon is usually quicker, but she did order the tempura udon?). Ambiance (5/5) Cozy interior, about 10+ tables for parties of 2-4, and three larger tables for parties of 4+ with tatami seating. It was pretty warm inside. Service (4/5) Everyone was pleasant and nice but it did take us a while to flag someone down when we were trying to ask about my friend's late dish. It also did take a while for us to get the check. No other concerns. Parking/Access (5/5) Located in a strip mall, there's plenty of parking available with no time limits. Most of the other businesses are closed for dinner time at least (the pool shop, key shop, FedEx). Probably wouldn't come back again since this was my second visit and there are other more affordable restaurants in the area with more exciting choices in my opinion. But definitely worth a try!
Gochi Mountain View like it's counterpart location is unassuming and tucked away in a strip mall. It has enough parking, but can be difficult to locate due to it's dim signage at night. Love tapas and was happy to celebrate a birthday here with a large party. Tako Salad - mixed greens with chopped octopus and an ume vinaigrette. A regular size is a good sharing size and enjoyed the balance of the dressing, the ume flavor wasn't too strong. Sashimi Moriawase - assorted sashimi of octopus, salmon, red snapper, yellow tail, amberjack and mackerel. Enjoyed the offering and was given 3 slices of each. The only con was that my mackerel pieces had bones, 2/3 had bones that I had to pick out carefully which wasn't very pleasant as they were small and thin. Out of all the fish the salmon, yellowtail and amberjack were best. Kamo Yuzu - duck breast smothered in a fresh salsa, I did not have this, but typically would prefer sauces on the side anyways. Ika Maru Yaki - perfected grilled squid, with a great smokey flavor, served with mayo and lemon Gyutan Shioyaki - grilled beef tongue, super tender and perfectly cooked, these went fast! we ordered another Sirloin Steak - steak sauteed in soy garlic brandy and topped with scallions and garlic chips. did not have this, but the table ordered two! Tempura - light tempura breading, fresh ingredients and perfect cook. good mix of shrimp and veg like carrot, sweet potato, shishito and broccoli Kaki Fry - deep fried oysters, these oysters were big and so juicy! the panko coating held everything together well with a satisfying crunch. delicious! Buta Meshi - pork belly clay pot, we had the staff mix the dish for us and the crispy rice from the bottom of the pot was so delicious! a filling and satisfying dish! big pieces of pork belly throughout. We didn't finish the dinner with dessert and had brought our own cake. However, I think there is a charge if you want to cut the cake and need plates/utensils. We sang happy birthday, for the novelty and photos but were too full for the cake. The staff asked us multiple times if we were cutting our cake there and we declined twice. However, they were lovely enough to give our birthday person a free dessert on the house, a lychee sorbet which the birthday person enjoyed! Price is typical for tapas and making a reservation at this location is so, so much easier.