Leichi - Santa Clara, California

J H.

Awesome and fresh Japanese restaurant. There were a lot of items I got to try that I’ve never really seen before. Like the Yuba and Salmon with Yum. Both had interesting textures and were cold dishes. I didn’t expect that, but it was a pleasant surprise.

The sashimi was amazing. If I were to rank them, I would put the yellow fish at top and then salmon and mackerel to follow. The other 3 were also great but I liked those ones more.

The duck soba was complex. It has a smokey flavor to it along with the fatty taste of duck. Highly recommend this dish.

The restaurant is on the smaller side, and it can get a bit loud and crowded in there. The wait can be really long so it is best to reserve through Yelp ahead of time and even reserve earlier than your eta. You can show up for a time, and still be waiting since it is that popular.

Zhengsen F.

For a $130 per person pre fee pre tax "fine dining" Valentine’s Day Set Menu (comparable to Michelin-starred pricing), my expectations were high—unfortunately, this Valentine’s Day experience was chaotic, unsafe, and utterly disappointing.

Timing & Service:
Our 7 PM reservation meant standing in the cold until 7:20 PM while staff scrambled to seat guests. The restaurant’s rushed “three-group” system (5 PM, 7 PM, 9 PM) felt like an assembly line, not a premium dining experience.

Presentation & Basics:
Single-use chopsticks and no physical or electronic menu set the tone: this was not fine dining. While the first two courses (tofu, ankimo steak, sashimi) were tasty and well-served, everything unraveled afterward.

The Downward Spiral:
- Shabu Shabu Nightmare: The "innovative" paper pot over a flickering solid fuel flame was a joke. The broth refused to boil—even after replacing the fuel—leaving us staring at mushrooms, mochi ball, and raw beef for 10+ minutes. When the foam from cooking the beef began floating in the broth, we lost our appetites. Sharing one pot for two people felt like a budget hot pot joint, not a $130 meal.
- Chaos in Course Order: The kitchen and staff were clearly overwhelmed. Our table received the fried shrimp course *after* the miso soup and pickles (these two are supposed to come as a set with hot stone crab rice). Servers huddled in corners asking, “Did Table 5 get their shirmp yet?”—loud enough for guests to hear. It felt like a dining roulette, with no two tables experiencing the same meal flow. On top of that, the miso soup arrived without utensils.
- Grilled Fish Fail: The fish arrived lukewarm, as if pre-cooked and forgotten. Worse, it was riddled with bones—unacceptable for fine dining. A $130 menu should deliver a pristine, deboned fillet, not something resembling a rushed home kitchen experiment.
- Hot Stone Rice Hazard: The wobbly stone pot, perched precariously over an open flame. The server carried two sets with active fire. Huge safty hazard. When she scooped the rice, the hot stone nearly toppled onto our server as she struggled to balance it. The rice was utterly bland—no trace of crab meat. Our neighbors served themselves, risking burns.
- Forgotten Fish Roe: Midway through the rice course, a server suddenly gasped, “You didn’t get the roe!” and sprinted to the kitchen.

The Final Insult:
Dessert arrived with the check—a blatant rush to flip tables. This was particularly frustrating as we noticed the next wave of customers also waiting in the cold half hour past their reservation time.

Conclusion:
For $130/person, this was an embarrassing mix of amateurish service, safety neglect, and inconsistent quality. A few good bites don’t excuse the chaos. Save your money (and patience) for a restaurant that respects its guests—and basic dining standards. Never again.

Betty W.

A small Japanese restaurant with nice vibe and good food! This restaurant was cheaper than average bay area Japanese food places. The place wasn’t spacious but the staff were friendly and the food was great. We ordered Kamo Kunsei (hickory-smoked duck) and it came with smoke and tasted really good! The fried chicken cartilage was ok, and the grilled black cod was very well marinated and had really rich taste. I also ordered chazuke and it was good as well but I forgot to take a pic. Will def come again. Highly recommend!

Andrea Z.

Food is good here with delicate portion. Service is limited because of busy hours during dinner time. We did not have reservation, but we were lucky to get the bar seats which was comfy.

Food quality wise, the beef tongue and salmon roe was not fresh enough.

Brenda L.

Came here to celebrate birthday for a friend, and found this nice hidden gem! I first drove past it because it was not flashy nor situated next to a bunch of restaurants.. but that adds to the charm! Once I got inside, the atmosphere is very cozy, and the servers were very friendly and helpful.
I was disappointed they didn't have the beef tongue curry. The server told me I could get the curry with another protein and add grilled beef tongue. I don't know why they can't just make the beef tongue curry if they have the ingredients? Anyway I decided to get pork katsu curry instead, and it was very yummy. At the table I also tried the tofu and edamame appetizers, and both did not disappoint.
Will definitely come back and try their other dishes later!

Jeremy C.

Decent Japanese food with a variety of different menus and it was quite authentic. Feels like the fish and seafood are not fresh (texture feels like well-defrosted one) enough and the portions are quite small. The atmosphere and service were great.

Eve L.

Went without reservation but was seated quickly enough except the table was wobbly and we brought that to the attention of the server who seated us. She told another server to stabilize the table and then I saw that they were cleaning up the other 2 tables next to us and asked if we could moved instead. They fumbled and then insisted for us to remain where we were although other customers weren’t even shown to the other tables yet. Both their mannerisms weren’t very desirable. I actually wanted to walk out at that point. However, we didn’t as my friend said I had wanted to try this restaurant for quite some time.

Fortunately, we were served subsequently and mostly by another server whose manners was completely different from the other 2. She was very polite and gentle. But every once in a while we still get the other 2 coming to us and almost snapping at us. Can’t explain or pinpoint what is wrong but my friend sensed and agreed with me on my perception.

So, glad we stayed for the food. Ordered the Goma Tofu, Nasu Dengaku, Salmon Kama, Simmered Tako x Radish, Tori Soba and Panna Cotta. I like the creamy taste of the Goma Tofu and Uni on the tofu tasted fresh too. The Salmon Kama was very moist and tasty but wished the skin was crispy. Simmered Tako x Radish was good with radish being soft and had absorbed the flavor of the broth, but the Tako looked and tasted more like squid vs octopus that is stated on the menu. Nasu Dengaku is an eggplant with 2 different miso, I think. The darker miso was very sweet to the point I had to scrap away some of the miso topping to eat it. Tori Soba is handmade soba in a hot soupy clear broth. Panna cotta I believe is green tea flavor and I like that it isn’t too sweet for a dessert but the taste of green tea was rather faint and had a denser texture than normal panna cotta.
Overall I like the food and the serving portions. The tofu I was told was made in-house. I like the taste and its creamy texture. Definitely very interesting unlike any tofu I’ve had. Ingredients tasted fresh to me too. The rice doesn’t seem/tastes like Japanese short grain rice. There were 3 servers in the restaurant and only 1 of them made us feel comfortable. The other 2 felt brash to us…don’t quite have the right word to describe the service of the other 2 servers but we definitely didn’t feel comfortable whenever they served us. I would recommend the restaurant for the food, but that’s all. Can’t speak about the sushi/sashimi since I do not eat raw food except for the uni.

Sophie X.

The cuisine displays were OK but the taste wasn’t my type. The serving speed was kinda slow. But overall it was good.