This Sacramento Japanese spot has it all — from bright rolls to omakase. Take a peek inside

Sacramento International Airport will gain 13 new restaurants in the next few months, including local household names such as Nixtaco, OneSpeed and Centro Cocina Mexicana. Yet even after those additions, one of travelers’ best food options will be a Japanese restaurant five miles southeast of the terminals.

Chef Frank Japanese Cuisine is arguably Sacramento’s best sushi on a budget, with elite high-end experiences also available. Opened in May 2023 in North Natomas’ Park Place shopping center, it has become a beacon for unfussy family get-togethers and anniversary dinners at 2281 Del Paso Road, Suite 110.

Plenty of Japanese restaurants can whip up filling, approachable rolls. On the other end of the spectrum, Sacramento now has a few concepts offering omakase service, prix fixe dinners chosen by the chef.

Chef Frank stands out by managing to do both well. The a la carte menu is full of $14-$22 gems like the popular Hokkaido roll (snow crab, crunchy shrimp tempura, scallops and spicy tuna, all torched and topped with crispy onions) or the bright, floral super star roll (salmon, chu-toro, cucumber, avocado, truffle oil-mushroom sauce and microgreens).

Omakase overseen by chef Frank Zhu, the co-founder of BF Miyabi in Roseville, is in another class. At $125 per person, it’s among the least expensive of its kind in the region, yet consistently wows throughout 15 courses of heavenly chawanmushi, isoyaki abalone and hamachi sashimi branded with the restaurant’s name.

That “chef’s choice” service often concludes with a round of yuzu bomb shots taken with the staff. Flavorful, joyous and unpretentious: that’s Chef Frank to a tee.

This story was originally published October 12, 2024 at 5:00 AM.