Just last month traditional Japanese cuisine was added to UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage list and while California boasts a whopping 4,000 Japanese restaurants, there will be even more Japanese food to discover starting later this month. Mark your calendars; from January 18 - 26 a carefully curated list of ten San Francisco restaurants will celebrate the first ever Japan Food Festival by offering innovative and authentic dishes each featuring special Japanese ingredients. 

At Amethe ingredients featured include sprouted black sesame paste and mulberry tea and they will serve Shiokoji Cured Ocean Trout Mi-Cuit with Trout Caviar and Aonori as well as Broiled Alaskan Black Cod and Shrimp Dumplings in Shiso Broth. 

Anzu will offer a jewel-like dish of Beets Three Ways and the ever-popular Misoyaki Black Cod and will use a premium green tea and creamy sesame dressing. 

Using sweet potato powder and green tea powder, Brasserie S&P has created a delicate plated dessert with Hana Green Tea Mousse, Purple Yam Genoise and Candied Purple Potato. 

Chottowill serve both Vegetable Ramen with Kinoko Mushroom Pasta and Beef Tongue. The restaurant will utilize mixed grain Konnayaku noodles and sesame oil.

At the Ferry BuildingDelica will offer two drinks, an unsweetened brown rice drink “Gen-My” as well as Hiko Mago Junmai Ginjo-shu sake. 

Incorporating red beans and pickled burdock, Izakaya Roku will offer Isobe Fried Burdock Root with Dried Bonito Flavoring and Bamboo Shoots and Squid with Spicy Miso and Yuzu. 

Kyu will serve Beef Tataki and Seafood Salad using pickled cucumber with hot pepper and sumo miso. 

AtNojoyou’ll find Gyoza with Baby Broccoli, Ginger & Chile-Black Sesame Sauce in addition to their stellar Nojo Fries. They will be using sprouted black sesame paste and aioto, a kind of shredded nori seaweed. 

To make the Ramen Burger at Nombe, the restaurant will use both shio-koji, a salt fermented rice and rice ramen noodles. 

Onigillywill serve two kinds of onigiri or rice balls, Konnyaku Okara Kinpira and Spicy Norit Tsukudani using okra konnyaku and masa premium. 

Additionally on January 16 and 17 Onigilly will offer customers free garlic edamame with their orders from 11:30-1pm, as will the JapaCurry truck on Mission Street (January 16) and Sansome Street (January 17).