JoJi's House of Teriyaki

JoJi's House of Teriyaki
1919 Union St (between Laguna & Webster), 563-7808,
open 7 days, Mon 11am-9pm, Tues-Saturday 10am-10pm, Sun 9am-9pm.

It’s hard to believe, but this hole-in-the-wall restaurant, with under 20 seats, has been on Union Street for 30 years! The walls are still covered with handwritten Specials, the tables are bare, the service friendly. The question is, how can a hole-in-the-wall, bare-bones restaurant survive on elegant Union Street for 30 years? The answer is – good food attractively served, a wide Japanese menu, including sushi, and affordable prices (nothing over $10). Portions are large.

When I last reviewed JoJi’s in the 10th Edition of San Francisco on a Shoestring in 1997, the main dishes were $6.00-7.50. Today the same or similar dishes are $7.00-10.00, probably par for the restaurant business in San Francisco. But the important thing is that one can still have a satisfying meal for under $10.00. Only a very few items (e.g., combination sushi dishes) are over $10.00.

An added attraction is the waiter, Richard Alexander, who has been with the restaurant since 1990. He’s cheerful, witty, charms the diners, and definitely has a “following.” If you want to eat good Japanese food and be amused at the same time, ask when he’s on duty and reserve accordingly.

Appetizers include edamme (broiled soy beans) $3.75, chicken wings with garlic teriyaki $3.75, 6 steamed dumplings $3.75, 6 ground beef or vegetarian pot stickers $4.50, chicken or beef yakitori $4.50, shrimp yakitori $6.00, shrimp or vegetable tempura $6.00, tuna sashimi $8.50.

Salads include green dinner salad $4.00, cucumber or seaweed salad $4.00, Japanese chicken salad $7.00.

Soup and rice include miso soup $1.50, steamed white rice $2.00, brown rice $2.50, vegetable soup $4.00, eggflower soup $4.75, seaweed udon (soup with rice noodles) soup $5.00, vegetable udon soup (over noodles) $6.50, shrimp tempura udon soup $7.50.

Teriyaki (BBQ food) with rice and vegetables include chicken teriyaki $7.50, chicken with shrimp and vegetable tempura (deep-fried battered food) $8.00, chicken with tuna a sashimi $8.50, chicken sukiyaki (with soup or broth) $8.50, steak with shrimp and vegetable tempura $9.50, jumbo shrimp teriyaki with rice and vegetables $8.50, broiled tuna with rice and vegetables $9.00, fisherman’s stew with rice and vegetables $8.50.

Northern Japan specialities include garlic chicken with fresh vegetables $7.50, hot spicy beef or shrimp fried rice $8.00, garlic or hot-spice steak $9.50, hot spicy salmon $9.50.

Curries include chicken or shrimp $7.50, seafood $6.00.

Don Buri (soup with rice and vegetables) teriyaki chicken $7.75, miso chicken or beef $8.00, sliced tuna $8.75, shrimp with vegetable tempura $11.00.

Vegetarian dishes include side order of steamed vegetables $3,50, vegetable curry with tofu $6.75, vegetable tempura $6.75.

Hamburger, sandwiches include 6-oz teriyaki hamburger $5.50, cheeseburger $5.50, teriyaki burger with pot stickers $8.00, fries with any burger $1.50, fries a la carte $2.00, chicken breast or teriyaki chicken breast sandwich $5.50.

Japanese pasta includes vegetarian $7.50, chicken with vegetables $8.00, garlic-beef or jumbo shrimp with vegetables $8.50, seafood pasta $8.75.

Dessert – green tea ice cream $2.50, chocolate crepe with whipped cream $3.00.

Beverages include assorted teas or coffee $1.50, iced tea $1.50, soft drinks $1.50, Bud Light beer $3.25, Japanese beer 12-oz $3.25, 20-oz $5.50, sake small carafe $2.50, large carafe $5.50, wine $4.25 glass, $15.00 bottle (chardonnay or cabernet).

Sushi, sashimi, hand rolls, nigiri

Sashimi/tempura. Large assortment includes sashimi/tempura with rice and miso soup, (usually, a meal) shrimp and vegetable tempura $8.00, tuna sashimi $9.00, tuna sashimi and shrimp tempura $9.50, tuna and yellowtail sashimi $11.50, moriawase (assorted sashimi, tuna, yellowtail, and swordfish) $13.00.

Sushi or hand roll, six pieces, range from $3.50 for cucumber, to $5.25 for spicy tuna, eel, cucumber.

House Special hand roll, each two pieces, include cucumber, avocado, green onion $4.00, hot, spicy tuna, avocado $4.00, salmon, cream cheese, cucumber $4.15, spicy tuna, eel, avocado $6.00, salmon, avocado, eel, cucumber $7.00

Nigiri (2 each) include tuna $3.75, salmon $3.75, eel $4.00, deluxe nigiri (7 pieces nigiri and 6 California with miso) $12.50