About Niku
Next door to the dining room there is a butcher shop, and that is where Niku starts. Head butcher Guy Crims flies to Japan to buy whole wagyu — including Kagawa olive wagyu, from cattle finished on toasted olive pulp — and breaks it down at The Butcher Shop by Niku on 61 Division Street, in San Francisco's Design District. Chef Dustin Falcon then cooks it over wood. The restaurant has held one Michelin star since 2023.
Compare the other serious SoMa rooms — the live-fire tasting at Saison, the Korean-Californian counter at Benu — or browse the full San Francisco dining guide.
The Kitchen
Falcon runs Niku as a study in two things: sourcing and fire. The A5 wagyu is graded for marbling at the top of the Japanese scale, and the kitchen treats it accordingly — small cuts, hard sear, little interference. There is an in-house dry-aging program for the non-wagyu beef, where weeks in a temperature-controlled room concentrate the flavour, and a wood grill that does the actual cooking. The signature is the Imperial Wagyu filet mignon, served with 200-day-old kimchi, bordelaise and sea salt; the long-fermented kimchi cuts the fat the way a sauce would. Order it after the beef tartare or the bone marrow.
Pricing is à la carte and steep: an A5 ono strip runs $100 for four ounces, steaks for two start at $110, the hanger is $45 for one, and even a wagyu jerky flight is $20. Service is kappo-style, the chefs working close to the counter. Budget like a tasting menu even when you order off the card.
The Room
Niku sits in a converted industrial building, concrete and warm wood, lit low with the open kitchen and grill as the focal point. Sound is a steady hum rather than a roar, and tables are spaced enough to talk a deal through. Seating mixes counter seats facing the chefs with standard tables; the counter is the better seat for watching the fire and the butchery. Dress is smart casual. Reservations go through Tock and the prime weekend slots clear early.
Best for Impress Clients
Book Niku to impress a client because the room does the talking: a Michelin star, wagyu graded at the top of the scale, and a kitchen that breaks down its own beef next door. It signals that the host knows where the good beef comes from, not just where to spend. The bill lands firmly in expense-account territory, so it suits a deal worth marking. See the Impress Clients guide and the Close a Deal guide.
Not For
Skip Niku if you are price-sensitive or want a big plate of beef — the A5 comes in small, very expensive cuts, an ounce at a time, and the bill climbs fast across an à la carte order.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Niku Steakhouse worth it?
Yes, if you want top-grade wagyu cooked by people who source and butcher it themselves. Niku has held a Michelin star since 2023, flies in whole Japanese wagyu through head butcher Guy Crims, and cooks it over wood. It is expensive — A5 is sold by the ounce — so the value is in provenance and technique, not portion size. Casual steak-eaters will find it small and dear.
What should I order at Niku Steakhouse?
Start with the beef tartare or bone marrow, then the signature Imperial Wagyu filet mignon with 200-day-old kimchi and bordelaise. For pure A5, the ono strip is $100 for four ounces; the steaks-for-two from $110 suit sharing. The $20 wagyu jerky flight is a cheap way to taste the sourcing. Ask which Japanese prefectures are on that night, since the butcher rotates them.
How much does dinner at Niku cost?
It is à la carte and steep. A 4oz A5 ono strip is $100, steaks for two start at $110, the hanger steak is $45, and a wagyu jerky flight is $20. A full dinner with several wagyu cuts, sides and wine reaches tasting-menu money quickly. The wagyu is graded at the top of the Japanese scale and priced to match.
Do you need a reservation at Niku Steakhouse?
Yes — book through Tock, and aim a couple of weeks out for weekend tables. Niku is a small Michelin-starred room and the counter seats facing the grill go first. Mention any large-format or for-two cuts when you book so the butcher can set them aside, and note dietary needs early, since the menu is built around beef.