11. BENU
San Francisco, CA
12. CHEZ PANISSE
Berkeley, CA
13. SONS & DAUGHTERS
San Francisco, CA
14. COMMIS
Oakland, CA
15. SAWA SUSHI
Sunnyvale, CA

15

Photo Courtesy of: Chuckeats

Sawa Sushi
Sunnyvale, CA

1042 E. EL CAMINO REAL
408-241-7292


The scene while driving along El Camino Real, the main commercial thoroughfare of the Silicon Valley, is classic American suburbia. There seems to be an endless number of strip malls, and the diverse population means you will drive by what seems like an endless supply of ethnic restaurants. Amidst this sprawl lies Sawa, which was unearthed by the blogger, Chuckeats, in the early 2000’s. Comments from Steve Sawa’s fans are rabid; “The most remarkable sushi joint I have been to. A strip-mall restaurant with a chef who thinks that he is cooking at a palace” and "Steve isn't a chef; he's a procurement officer and it just so happens he's the best one on the planet." A word of caution: the size of the bill belies the meager surroundings.