Shogun Japanese Restaurant

My second time at Shogun wasn’t nearly as good as my first experience.
Food was OK but kind of overpriced for what it was. They couldn’t seem to clean up the tables in time that there were actually flies flying around due to the dirty dishes left on the tables. It’s not something you want to see in a restaurant that serves sashimi and sushi!
At the end, it’s sad but I guess I wasn’t all that surprised when the place closed down.

As of 12÷27÷208 Shogun is closed. We went by this evening and the windows are covered in paper.

Unfortunately the current owners have sold the business. I have not been to the restaurant since they changed ownership.

Me and my wife go here all the time with our daugher, we usually get the Dumbarton Roll, which is a really nice combonation, my wife used to go to this place when there was an old lady that used to own it, she said that when they reopened, it wasnt the same, but when we ate their we were hooked, We really enjoy it because we always sit in the corner and finish our meal in peace, usually its really quiet all you hear is them cooking in the back room like a bunch of oompaloompas, awsome food and great service.

I’ve been coming here for over a year now, the owners are really nice people, the service is good, the prices are low, and most importantly, the food is good! I would recommend this place to anyone and everyone! I don’t go anywhere else!

Dont belive the hype. This place was a little better when the original owners were runing the joint. The new owners dont really have a clue on taking the time to serve decent quality food. the cooked food like the saba, chicken, beef are well below eatible standards. Dont get the sushi here for sure if it contains fish (not so Fresh). And it seems like the Sushi Chef doesnt take any pride in the food he is preparing which is a very bad thing especially when the fish doesnt taste good to begin with. the thing that got to me the most is during dinner one of the cooks took out this big awful smelling trash bag from the kitchen right in the middle of this lilttle restuarant and out the front door… No Bueno

this place is mediocre at best. But considering it’s in newark, it’s not bad. I’m sorry — I don’t mean to sound like a snob, but this place is not near the caliber of the south bay and san francisco sushi places. It simply isn’t. The rolls may be good. But any sushi connoisseur knows that sushi is judged by eating the sushi not the rolls. Rolls are slathered in sauce so you can barely taste the fish. This place has decent rolls, but that’s it. And who was the wise guy who said that they serve korean food here? I didn’t see any korean food on the menu. it was ALL japanese.
Come here if you love rolls and good service. But quite honestly the guy who got the ROTD badge should have it taken from him. I was HUGELY disappointed. Sorry I don’t mean to sound bitter, but 4 stars usually means the restaurant is pretty good… right?

You shouldn’t judge the book by it’s cover. The place looks somewhat ghetto but the food is really delightful. They’re combination bento box is the best way to go price wise and food wise. The rolls are good but they can be pretty tiny. But the best thing about this place is that it’s only sushi place that i know that doesn’t close from 3:00 — 5:00 to pick up their children from school. lol. I’ve never been to it where it’s been really busy so that’s also a plus. No long waits and pretty fast service.

Great little sushi spot. The young couple that run it are very nice, and the guy makes it front of you. Tasted great! I come here for lunch or sometimes with my fiancé for some yumy vegie rolls.

OK so I was first introduced to Shogun Restaurant in 1999 by my aunt. I was hooked! How could it be bad!!! I was a junior in high school on a budget and the food was good plus it was at a price I could defiantely afford! I visited this lovely establishment religiously for about 3 years straight at least once every other week if not every week! After which I moved to Belmont, CA. and making the journey back to Newark for my Shogun fix was nearly impossible considering how lazy I truly get!
Fast Forward 2008… moved to Fremont, CA. with future Hubby. Low and behold my sister tells me that my Beloved Shogun had transformed to this wonderfully hip sushi spot under new management by this lovely young couple. OOOH MY GOD! I AM BACK IN LOVE WITH SUSHI AT SHOGUN!!! Before it was a good place to get a standard bento box meal BUT NOW!!! NEW INNOVATIVE SUSHI ROLLS much like the upscale over priced sushi chains but BETTER! Very affordable! It’s a small place but it works! The couple who runs the place now is very sweet. And now they know me since I went there on friday for lunch with my daughter, saturday for a early dinner with the siblings and ordered to go on my way home from work on monday! I’ve eaten at a lot of sushi places but this places feels more comfortable and laid back. A vast improvement from the previous owners!!!

My mom was sick and really wanted Miso soup. So I gave this place a try. It is ran by a nice couple who were very quick and courteous. I ordered the unago roll special, a bento box and of course, miso soup. My mom loved the soup, the roll was awesome, one of the best I had. I will be coming back to try out more items!

Average take on Japanese food.
Our experience started off bad when the server said that they no longer honored the Entertainment coupon. I can understand the new owners reluctance to honor something that would allow two people to have two entrees for $ 10, but just request that folks get appetizers and a couple of drinks and tip for the full meal, which we always do.
And my wife and I had a good laugh in that the server mispronounced «karaage», and when we questioned how it was prepared, she responded with «you don’t have to order it if you don’t want to». It turned out to be nothing like traditional karaage, so I guess the mispronunciation was no problem.
They had ESPN on the TV and kept it a bit loud the whole time we were there.
So, «been there – done that» and no need to return next time I’m in the area.

We came here once to use our entertainment book when it had the previous owner and I wasn’t that impressed. With the new management, the place has been brightened up and the menu has been revamped — and we (me + boyfriend) enjoy this place much more. New mgmt doesn’t accept the entertainent book, but thats ok because their prices are pretty decent. They have a good variety of specialty rolls and their bento box and donburi portions are very good.
We will continue to come back. I’d give it 5 stars if it was a little bigger. The spot is very small.

Update.
We were there today and we had another excellent dinner. My husband ordered the chirashi ($ 9-​absolutely the best deal) and he was very impressed with the quality of the fish. We also tried the fried oysters (4 pieces for $ 5) and they were excellent, too.
We will certainly be back soon.
6÷26÷07
This is a nice little Japanese restaurant in Newark, a few blocks from where I live. I didn’t realize they had changed ownership until I read the reviews on Unilocal.We (1 adult and 2 kids) decided to try it out today and we thoroughly enjoyed our meal. We ordered spider rolls, edamame beans, bento box (teriyaki chicken with 12 pieces of california rolls) and beef udon, all for $ 36. They have a great variety of rolls and the service was great. The soft shell crab was well made, the chicken was tender and the beef was tasty. We didn’t order any sashimi but the guy behind us was raving about it with another customer at a different table and he ordered a huge amount of food.
Although I wouldn’t say this is the «best» sushi restaurant around, it’s a worthy choice in this area for the price and quality of food.

After reading Eric W’s review I thought I’d find a really good Japanese restaurant, I just don’t feel the love.
I’ve eaten here before many yrs ago, and thought it sucked then; these new people are trying but when gringos are eating here I knew the place was lousy.
It’s a small place, maybe 5 tables, a tiny sushi counter with 1 sushi maker, 1 waitress, and 1 kitchen cook.
I ordered:
Aloha Roll $ 10-​spicy tuna, avocado wrapped w/​albacore tuna & avocado. They ran out of Albacore! Oh Hell NO!!! That’s my favorite. Minus a star.
Caterpillar Roll $ 11-​unagi, avocado wrapped w/​avocado. Just ok
Seared tuna salad $ 8.5-maybe 6 small seared tuna over boring iceberg lettuce and salad dressing in a separate bowl. Just ok.
Maguro (tuna) nigiri $ 4-​just ok
Ikura $ 5-​salmon roe. waitress asked the sushi guy if they have Ikura. No is the answer. Oh Hell NO! Minus another star.
Hubby got saba entrée dinner $ 10-​comes w/​rice, miso soup & salad. Just ok. He didn’t think it was salty, but I tried a bite and the saba is Salty!
One unisex bathroom all the way in the back thru the kitchen. Hubby used it, I didn’t. He goes Oh NO… I say what? The soap pump he used shot Upwards right on his work shirt & his sweatshirt he was wearing. OH HELL NO!
I hate this place. it’s making me angry typing this.
Then the f — - bill. It’s a take-​out looking place with f’kn Real Japanese Prices… Oh HELL NO. $ 47 + 4.15 Tax = $ 51.15 Before TIP! Credit Cards taken.
Don’t Go there EVER. You’ve been Warned!
It’s next to Starbuck’s around the corner from Safeway.

I can’t lie. Before I checked out Unilocal,I was nowhere near an expert on sushi or Japanese cuisine in general, despite having studied the language and culture for many years. Nowadays, thanks to our resident Japanese food experts (namely Ken K. and Toro E.), I have a newfound respect for it all, and have become somewhat well versed on what to look for when choosing a place to dine.
Quite frankly, most of the Japanese restaurants I have eaten at are more along the lines of the «cookie cutter» assembly line type, which provide a safe, yet sterile experience for the masses. However, as my palate and curiosity have grown, I have begun to branch out in the hopes of finding more specialized cuisine.
Enter Shogun in Newark. I remember it back when it was a typical, suburban Japanese fast food joint. As the demographics started to change in the area, so did the level of sophistication and culture. No longer was there much of a market for such a place, and it didn’t help matters that there are three other competing sushi joints on this very intersection alone.
Fortunately, the legacy of the Shogun never died, because shortly after, a more classy, «genuine» sushi restaurant was resurrected in its very spot, while retaining the name. Now, I have been a customer of a couple of the other establishments on the block alluded to above, but as stated, all of them are the same old «see one, seen them all» type, so I was ready for something new.
Wow, the moment I stepped into Shogun, I knew this was where I belonged. The place is very tiny, with simple, yet well designed décor. It probably has room for no more than 15 – 20 patrons tops, which lends to its overall intimacy. Take away the parking lot outside, and you might think the magic portal at the front door transported you to the back alleys of Yokohama. This is exactly how I envision the local sushi bars in Japan to look like, although I haven’t visited in years, so I really have no basis for comparison.
I know many people claim that sushi restaurants should only serve sushi, and the same for ramen, udon, tenpura, etc., so I was a little taken aback when I noticed that Shogun, like all the other generic establishments around town, pretty much offers every type of stereotypical Japanese dish there is. However, being the newbie that I still am, I don’t hold that against them.
If Shogun does have one specialty though, it most definitely would have to be the sushi! Packed very tightly with ample size and ingredients, it probably shoots up to the very top of my (albeit short) sushi totem pole. I know many of you are sick of chomping into a piece of sushi, and almost feel like you are biting into air. Well, that definitely won’t be a problem here! Furthermore, the variety of different rolls to choose from is quite staggering! From all the standards to various types of seafood and exotic fruits, it’s all covered. If I were to delve any deeper, I’m afraid Unilocal’s server may crash due to excessive bandwidth overload!
If you are so inclined to go for the tried and true bento, Shogun has you taken care of. The teriyaki chicken, sashimi, tenpura, and especially the gyoza are all superb. The gyoza is fried with the perfect level of crunchiness, and the skin is neither too hard, nor too supple.
As many of you may know, I am a stickler when it comes to Japanese restaurants being owned by the real deal. To be honest, I can’t be 100% sure whether Shogun is operated by Japanese or Korean. The waitress (who appears to be the wife of the chef) is young, and fluent in English, so I am unable to pick up from her accent where she is from. She also speaks to me clearly in basic Japanese phrases. However, there are three things that make me lean more towards them being Korean: 1.) No kana or kanji on the menu; 2.) Korean slowjams softly playing in the kitchen; 3.) Alongside the selection of sake is a sampling of soju.
Maybe I and many others have been a bit too harsh on Korean owned Japanese restaurants in the past. The couple here is more than competent at what they do, and provides nothing but the finest in service and hospitality. Above all, they do not appear to be in it for the money to capitalize on the newest «in» thing. I suppose if only most of the others could be more like Shogun, nobody would have anything to complain about.

Great little japanese restaurant located in newark. I live in the peninsula but happened to come across Shogun one weekend while in the East Bay. Great assortment of rolls. goes well with the sake and japanese beer. i especially like the teriyaki offerings and kalbi. i was so excited to see kalbi on the menu.
Great friendly staff. will definitly come back.

Small little sushi place with good service. The tempura shrimp here is massive! Props to them for dishing that out. Sapporo is nice and chilled just like any other place, but it is close to home and worth it. –Matt

For the most part, I agree with David L’s review. I have to say that the food, while plentiful and inexpensive, didn’t taste very good. The chicken teriyaki was quite bland and the tempura was over-​fried.
I may come back in a few months after the new owner has had a chance to settle in. If the food hasn’t improved, I definitely won’t be back.

This is a tiny Japanese restaurant located next to the Safeway in this busy Newark strip mall. I found that they had changed ownership recently, and new menus are expected. The owner told me that they will be concentrating on more different types of rolls in the new menu.
This place serves good portions of food at reasonable prices. Each person from my party ordered the combination entrees, which comes with a meat entrée, tempura, 6 pieces of California Roll, 2 Gyozas, rice, salad and miso soup. It’s a good deal and a lot of food for the $ 8 — $ 10 that they charge for each plate. We also ordered a Sushi Combo A ($ 10.95), which comes with 2 tuna, 2 salmon and 2 shrimp nigiri sushi and 6 pieces of California Roll.
Beware that the owner has decided not to accept the Entertainment coupons anymore (even though it has not expired). We were ready to walk out of the restaurant and eat somewhere else because we drove there specifically to use our coupon. The owner did the right thing by letting us use the coupon afterall.
Bottom line: A very, very small restaurant (seating maybe 20 at the most), but offers quite a bit of food for a low price.