PABU Izakaya

Cuisine Japanese
Price $$$$$ (over 100)
Rating 3/10
Last Visit Aug. 12, 2025
Location SFBA: San Francisco: Downtown + SoMa
General Notes

Ended up coming here for an onsite dinner because our original reservation at a nearby restaurant (International Smoke) got borked, and we had to make a last minute pivot. It was very nice that they were able to accommodate such a large party on short notice (45 people at 6:30pm on a Tuesday), and the service was excellent. The food itself was somewhat unspectacular, especially considering the price. Overpriced and definitely not worth the money, even though the food itself was decent. The vibes of the place are nice but a little loud unless you're in one of the private rooms.

Dishes Tasted
  • ★★★☆ Vegetable Fried Rice -- garlic, tamari, scallion. I was pleasantly surprised at how good this was considering it was purely vegetarian.
  • ★★☆☆ Broiled Black Cod -- saikyo miso glazed. Compared to other black cod that I've had, this wasn't as good, it didn't have that same juicy savoriness that I would expect. The flavor was solid though.
  • ★★★☆ Maitake Mushroom Tempura -- pretty yummy, well fried, tasty dipping sauce
  • ★☆☆☆ Fried Chicken Karaage -- not a fan of this, too strong of a ginger flavor
  • ★★☆☆ Miso Caesar Salad -- romaine, arugula, saikyo miso. Nice flavor
  • ★★☆☆ Tuna Poke -- tobiko, negi, crisp wontons. The wontons are excellent, the texture and flavor of the poke is a little odd though