Very happy to have discovered this spot so close to home. They have a 7-10 pm happy hour with draft suntory beer and small bites menu every weekend, so prices are quite reasonable. The standouts: The beef tongue was one of the best i've had, tender, flavourful, and you get a good amount for the price. (5/5) The grilled mochi - my gf said she would come back just for this, its a must try. (5/5) The soba panna cotta - an amazing dessert, not too sweet, great nutty notes, fun jiggly texture. (5/5) The not so good: Takowasa had some pieces that were offputtingly mushy, and was rather small - (2/5) Chicken skin was flavourless and overdone, but at least cheap. (2/5)
Timothy G.
we had rubberband in our sushi, and the staff could not care less. other than that, the food was really good
Kathie W.
Cute lil place with delish food. Went for lunch, so I'll have to go again for dinner to really try the skewers. In the meantime, the miso salmon bento and the chirashi sushi bowl were really good. The bento had more food than the bowl and was cheaper, but both were def delish.
T K.
I love Enka, I keep coming back here. There aren't many skewer restaurants nearby and makes this a perfect location. This place has great skewers and Japanese food in general. The service is friendly and fast, food isn't overpriced like other skewer places in the area, and the interior is nice and cozy. It's a smaller restaurant and a gem I'd like to keep to myself but deserves more recognition and the 5 star reviews. Their chicken skewers and wagyu skewers are spot on!
YJ L.
Went to Enka twice before writing this review! I love being able to order a lot variety, and Enka definitely has options! -- Food - chawanmushi with ikura (steamed egg): silky egg served piping hot! Loved the edamame at the bottom and the small slivers of citrus sprinkled on the top. A bit on the soupier side, but my favorite dish from here. Also got the crab one, but ikura tasted better to me. - yuba shot: not my thing... could have definitely gone without trying this one. Interesting combination, but I wouldn't order or recommend anyone to order. - chicken skin skewer with enka sauce: not super crispy, but it was still delicious! A bit on the thicker side for a chicken skin skewer. - cartilage: I think this is one of my favorites! Lots of cartilage, had a good flavorful breading. Would order again. Portion size on the larger side for what it is. Don't think I would have finished it all by myself (maybe a little begrudgingly, but between two people, it felt like just enough). - hotate: Smokey, seared well, flavored nicely! - chicken thigh: thick, tender, juicy pieces. Good flavor! - grilled squid: amazing grilled flavor, sauce is evenly distributed well. Loved it so much, I ordered two in one sitting and then one the second time I went! - assorted tempura: good. The mushroom actually surprised me because it's a huge mushroom. - wagyu skewer: delicious! - mini chirashi: for $20, you can skip this. Nothing to write home about - dessert: chocolate lava cake is an absolute MUST. Made to order, hot, fresh, rich, and runny, this dessert is the perfect size and perfect way to end the meal. served with ice cream! (Side note: I never eat the cream part with the cake, but when I tasted the cream, it was a little salty?) - seasonal sorbet: so light and refreshing! -- Drinks - umepon: if you love sweet alcohols, this was like a plum yuzu cocktail! Sweet and refreshing! -- Many thanks to our server who helped us choose the items. She was patient, kind, and willing to explain many menu items. -- Noticed the place was filled with many young people in groups, some solo diners--Enka is a place for all!
Gioni R.
Came here for bento box lunches. Ordered the salmon skins appetizer & it was crispy, crunchy cracklings tasted so yummy. I ordered miso salmon, it was cooked perfectly. My friend ordered chicken karage & it was coated with a delicious sauce. The skins stayed crispy. The meals came with miso soup, rice, green salad & Mac salad. We ordered strawberry panna cotta for dessert. Even with just 1 waitress, service was friendly & efficient.
Yi-Hsiang Lai
The food was in general ok in terms of the price, but nothing too special for this Izakaya. There was a small sting in my sashimi which was definitely not ok for me. The assorted tempura might be my favorite among all of the dishes we ordered. The skewer for chicken skin was good but the skewer for the thigh was a bit overcooked. The beef tongue steak tasted right but it wasn't warm enough.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 4
Yandong Li
Yakitori was pretty good initially but as the dinner rush comes, the scallop and shrimp skewers are a little over grilled. I would still recommend this place, good vibe and nice dishes.
Overall average “Bay Area” priceySpace is a bit tiny for 2 guests tableRecommended: grilled chicken thigh, grilled mochiNot recommended: unagi don - unagi is so small for $18, tempura needs improvement, not crispy
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 4
Alex L.
Enka is a cute small japanese restaurant located in a small plaza surrounded by company buildings. The food was very good! We came in on a weekday afternoon, they were closing for mid day soon, so we were the last customers to come in for the lunch shift. Our server was so sweet and came in to check in with us periodically. My only complaint is that the food took quite a long time to come out and my steak was a little cold when it arrived. Perhaps this was because they were making employee lunch and preoccupied with cooking their own food before finishing and sending out ours? I only say this because as we were leaving, they were eating lunch at one of the tables. Nonetheless, I would totally come back, maybe at a busier time of day!
Ordered Tonkatsu bento, the cutlet is thick and juicy, and the fried layer is crispy but starts to fall apart in a while…And for Oyakodon, the fried chicken cutlet is delicious, but the rice is too dry without enough soy sauce or flavors.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
Ryan L.
Japanese food is my favorite food and Enka definitely brought the authentic taste to it. The skewers are delicious and the wagyu beef on hot stone is a must!
Chris H.
Enka Japanese Izakaya is located in a pretty hidden plaza next to the Sunnyvale Costco that cannot be seen from any main road. Taking over the former location of Miramar (they had amazing banh canh cua, so sad they closed), Enka features authentic binchotan grilled skewers. Just note that each order of skewer is only one piece - this can add up given that one skewer costs around $6. My personal favorites were the Gyutan and the Uni Chawanmushi. The beef tongue is perfectly cooked, tender with some texture, and is paired with truffle salt and ponzu. A little dip is all it takes! The fried oysters were a good runner-up as well, these were massive and juicy! Apparently they also have a beef tongue curry which we really wanted to try but its only available during lunch. Next time I guess! They also have a happy hour after 7 where you can get some discounted bites and drinks! I'm hoping for Enna's success!
Po Shin Huang
Very authentic Japanese izakaya cuisine and a very good selection of sakes!Try their soba panna cotta! Gyutan steak also is a must try. Sashimi is real deal!I will keep Enka in my list of izakayas and definitely make routine visits!
I wouldn't say this place is unique or special as an izakaya place. But there is a lot of parking since it is in a not so busy plaza. So if you are craving izakaya food, this would be an easy access place. I wanted to like this place more but the menu offerings and the price all reflect any other izakaya place I've been to. Minimal choices between sushi, vegetables, meat. There's nothing bad about this place but there's nothing great either. A solid three stars.
Very happy to have discovered this spot so close to home. They have a 7-10 pm happy hour with draft suntory beer and small bites menu every weekend, so prices are quite reasonable. The standouts: The beef tongue was one of the best i've had, tender, flavourful, and you get a good amount for the price. (5/5) The grilled mochi - my gf said she would come back just for this, its a must try. (5/5) The soba panna cotta - an amazing dessert, not too sweet, great nutty notes, fun jiggly texture. (5/5) The not so good: Takowasa had some pieces that were offputtingly mushy, and was rather small - (2/5) Chicken skin was flavourless and overdone, but at least cheap. (2/5)
we had rubberband in our sushi, and the staff could not care less. other than that, the food was really good
Cute lil place with delish food. Went for lunch, so I'll have to go again for dinner to really try the skewers. In the meantime, the miso salmon bento and the chirashi sushi bowl were really good. The bento had more food than the bowl and was cheaper, but both were def delish.
I love Enka, I keep coming back here. There aren't many skewer restaurants nearby and makes this a perfect location. This place has great skewers and Japanese food in general. The service is friendly and fast, food isn't overpriced like other skewer places in the area, and the interior is nice and cozy. It's a smaller restaurant and a gem I'd like to keep to myself but deserves more recognition and the 5 star reviews. Their chicken skewers and wagyu skewers are spot on!
Went to Enka twice before writing this review! I love being able to order a lot variety, and Enka definitely has options! -- Food - chawanmushi with ikura (steamed egg): silky egg served piping hot! Loved the edamame at the bottom and the small slivers of citrus sprinkled on the top. A bit on the soupier side, but my favorite dish from here. Also got the crab one, but ikura tasted better to me. - yuba shot: not my thing... could have definitely gone without trying this one. Interesting combination, but I wouldn't order or recommend anyone to order. - chicken skin skewer with enka sauce: not super crispy, but it was still delicious! A bit on the thicker side for a chicken skin skewer. - cartilage: I think this is one of my favorites! Lots of cartilage, had a good flavorful breading. Would order again. Portion size on the larger side for what it is. Don't think I would have finished it all by myself (maybe a little begrudgingly, but between two people, it felt like just enough). - hotate: Smokey, seared well, flavored nicely! - chicken thigh: thick, tender, juicy pieces. Good flavor! - grilled squid: amazing grilled flavor, sauce is evenly distributed well. Loved it so much, I ordered two in one sitting and then one the second time I went! - assorted tempura: good. The mushroom actually surprised me because it's a huge mushroom. - wagyu skewer: delicious! - mini chirashi: for $20, you can skip this. Nothing to write home about - dessert: chocolate lava cake is an absolute MUST. Made to order, hot, fresh, rich, and runny, this dessert is the perfect size and perfect way to end the meal. served with ice cream! (Side note: I never eat the cream part with the cake, but when I tasted the cream, it was a little salty?) - seasonal sorbet: so light and refreshing! -- Drinks - umepon: if you love sweet alcohols, this was like a plum yuzu cocktail! Sweet and refreshing! -- Many thanks to our server who helped us choose the items. She was patient, kind, and willing to explain many menu items. -- Noticed the place was filled with many young people in groups, some solo diners--Enka is a place for all!
Came here for bento box lunches. Ordered the salmon skins appetizer & it was crispy, crunchy cracklings tasted so yummy. I ordered miso salmon, it was cooked perfectly. My friend ordered chicken karage & it was coated with a delicious sauce. The skins stayed crispy. The meals came with miso soup, rice, green salad & Mac salad. We ordered strawberry panna cotta for dessert. Even with just 1 waitress, service was friendly & efficient.
The food was in general ok in terms of the price, but nothing too special for this Izakaya. There was a small sting in my sashimi which was definitely not ok for me. The assorted tempura might be my favorite among all of the dishes we ordered. The skewer for chicken skin was good but the skewer for the thigh was a bit overcooked. The beef tongue steak tasted right but it wasn't warm enough.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 4
Yakitori was pretty good initially but as the dinner rush comes, the scallop and shrimp skewers are a little over grilled. I would still recommend this place, good vibe and nice dishes.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Yakitori, Grilled Chicken Skin
Overall average “Bay Area” priceySpace is a bit tiny for 2 guests tableRecommended: grilled chicken thigh, grilled mochiNot recommended: unagi don - unagi is so small for $18, tempura needs improvement, not crispy
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 4
Enka is a cute small japanese restaurant located in a small plaza surrounded by company buildings. The food was very good! We came in on a weekday afternoon, they were closing for mid day soon, so we were the last customers to come in for the lunch shift. Our server was so sweet and came in to check in with us periodically. My only complaint is that the food took quite a long time to come out and my steak was a little cold when it arrived. Perhaps this was because they were making employee lunch and preoccupied with cooking their own food before finishing and sending out ours? I only say this because as we were leaving, they were eating lunch at one of the tables. Nonetheless, I would totally come back, maybe at a busier time of day!
Restaurantji Recommends
Ordered Tonkatsu bento, the cutlet is thick and juicy, and the fried layer is crispy but starts to fall apart in a while…And for Oyakodon, the fried chicken cutlet is delicious, but the rice is too dry without enough soy sauce or flavors.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
Japanese food is my favorite food and Enka definitely brought the authentic taste to it. The skewers are delicious and the wagyu beef on hot stone is a must!
Enka Japanese Izakaya is located in a pretty hidden plaza next to the Sunnyvale Costco that cannot be seen from any main road. Taking over the former location of Miramar (they had amazing banh canh cua, so sad they closed), Enka features authentic binchotan grilled skewers. Just note that each order of skewer is only one piece - this can add up given that one skewer costs around $6. My personal favorites were the Gyutan and the Uni Chawanmushi. The beef tongue is perfectly cooked, tender with some texture, and is paired with truffle salt and ponzu. A little dip is all it takes! The fried oysters were a good runner-up as well, these were massive and juicy! Apparently they also have a beef tongue curry which we really wanted to try but its only available during lunch. Next time I guess! They also have a happy hour after 7 where you can get some discounted bites and drinks! I'm hoping for Enna's success!
Very authentic Japanese izakaya cuisine and a very good selection of sakes!Try their soba panna cotta! Gyutan steak also is a must try. Sashimi is real deal!I will keep Enka in my list of izakayas and definitely make routine visits!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Chawanmushi, Gyutan Beef Tongue Steak, Gyutan Steak, Panna Cotta
I wouldn't say this place is unique or special as an izakaya place. But there is a lot of parking since it is in a not so busy plaza. So if you are craving izakaya food, this would be an easy access place. I wanted to like this place more but the menu offerings and the price all reflect any other izakaya place I've been to. Minimal choices between sushi, vegetables, meat. There's nothing bad about this place but there's nothing great either. A solid three stars.