SAGA is a great little, family-run restaurant with an interesting concept - 4 restaurants in one. It’s got a solid ramen offering, deliciously fresh sushi bowls, and even dim sum. Best of all, they’ve got a robot delivery cart that certainly starts a conversation. They’ve got limited outdoor seating and 2 buildings side-by-side with indoor seating.
Poor service and organization, dirty dishes, mediocre food, and an owner who won't take responsibility for mistakes. They need to shape up on basics before trying to be trendy with a robot server that doesn't work. Check out the other 1 star reviews and expect long wait times.---My mom and I ordered the Negi Hama roll and White Tiger roll for lunch today, and they wouldn't take our order at the counter. Okay, no problem. We scanned the QR code at our table, but had to go back in to order anyways since there wasn't a cash option.Just ordering shouldn't have so much unnecessary struggle, but we were still in good spirits. That is, until we waited over 30 minutes with no word on our food. Not to mention how their food delivering robot was stuck at the door repeating "something's in my way!" for at least 15 minutes. I watched an adjacent table wait that entire time for their dim sum, which was trapped inside the robot. Staff and the owner were inside but no one did anything about it.We watched others who had come long after us get their food, so my mom decided to go in and ask about our order. When the owner finally brought our sushi out, there was no ginger, a sauce dish had an old piece of dried scallion stuck to it, and the White Tiger roll ($17!) was missing an entire ingredient (no avocado). My mom asked for chopsticks, and was understandably frustrated about the overall poor experience (she could have handled her temper better as well). The owner retaliated saying this is a no-service restaurant, and that we could either sit and eat our food or get a refund. We ate our incorrectly made food and watched him serve other tables at the "no-service" restaurant. I regret not opting for the refund.---Advice for the owner:1) Put up signs explaining how to order and what to expect. Have more patience for the elderly locals in Alameda.2) If you make a mistake, apologize and try to make things better instead of blaming the customer. We understand how busy the lunch rush can get; we just want to be treated like human beings.3) If you see your robot struggling, help it! It's not as cute when it's repeating its distress calls ad infinitum.
I was visiting the Bay and decided to go to a 5 star rated sushi restaurant and that's how I found SAGA. It is worth 6 stars! Without a doubt the best sushi I've had in a decade. The restaurant experience was nice and even though they had one of those delivery robots the indoor exclusive was really nice and comfortable. I would go here all the time if I could!
My friends and I got together to try out SAGA today, and got into the discussion of what our star ratings actually mean.A 5 star means that it's a go-to, the first on top of our mind for food in a category, and hits all three of my "worth it" triangle perfectly (cost, value, and taste). A 4 star is a place that is good, not as great of a value, but worth at least one go. That's exactly what this place is.With the Pork Cutlet sandwich being $16 and the roll being $17, it definitely is Bay Area pricing. The two were good, but if they were something lower like $12 for the sandwich and maybe $14 for the roll, it would be a lot more worth it. However, I understand rent and paying people is high. The food was good, but I'd probably only go back if there was something new or new friends wanted to try it.The staff was super helpful! 5/5 there. The little robot-cat thing that drives around is kind of loud and we never personally used it, but I can see how it's helpful for them.A great place to try, but not worth going a second time (for myself).
Cozy asian restaurant with a unique gen Z vibe. The ramen and sushi were great ?
Best Tonkatsu! Get the kutobura katsu sando or the curry rice with Tonkatsu. Both are amazing. Super crispy batter and tender pork. Restaurant is hella cute and has plenty of seating outside and inside. Pick up for takeout is easy and quick. Folks are always friendly.
We had the dumplings and Meyer lemon ramen. The dumplings deserve a 5 they were ridiculously good. The ramen was fine but I will try another type next time. I will definitely be back!
As with all things food I basically do whatever Kenji Lopez-Alt tells me to do and this recommendation did not disappoint. Likely one of the best Tonkatsu I've had outside of Japan. The sushi is fresh, gorgeous, and as tasty as it looks!
Through a Yelp Elite Event, I visited the SAGA Kitchen. My fellow yelpers and I received a complimentary bowl of Ramen noodles. We were given a choice to pick one of the five items listed on their special menu. I decided to get the House Tonkotsu Ramen, which consisted of broth, Ramen noodles, two slices of pork belly, fish cake, seasoned bamboo shoots, wood ear mushrooms, boiled egg and green scallions. Also in a separate container were two veggie dumplings.Not only does this business has noodles to slurp, but also dim sum from the Yue Club, sushi from Sachi, Japanese entrees from Koharu. The menu is one of Asian fusion.They have expanded to include a dining area. The ambiance is comfy and casual. My guesstimate is the dining area can hold about 20 people.If one wants more information on what SAGA Kitchen has to offer, download their app. I was there back about 8-1/2 months ago for a YEE. I had the dim sum sampler, which was quite delicious.Check them out. The food is great.
Yummy ramen. Nice owner. I attended a Yelp event.