Fresh flavors at Kinja Sushi another reason to dine in downtown Concord

CONCORD, CA (Nov. 10, 2021) — When I migrated from San Francisco more than 40 years ago, Concord could be charitably called a culinary wasteland.

There were franchises like Mr. Steak and Sizzler, but one generally had to venture to other locales to get a decent meal.

At that time, Todos Santos Plaza was unkempt and without many viable places to dine. The only place I went was Goldie’s Burgers, whose offerings I enjoyed infrequently.

As time moved on, Todos Santos changed drastically – with major improvements made in the downtown area. Beginning with Spaghetti Factory in 1990 and later Suwa’s Japanese, a culinary explosion ensued. Concord’s population had gained diversity, and new restaurants began to reflect the tastes of the new residents.

Delicious destination

Several new restaurants opened in Todos Santos, making the area a destination for gourmets from throughout the region. Many consider John Marquez’s Lima and Habib El Jacifi’s Luna to be the best dining in the city.

There are several other popular spots nearby, including Naan n Curry (Indian), Canasta Kitchen (gourmet Mexican), Parkside Grille and La Fritanguera (Honduran) on Colfax Street.

Although it has been around for less than two years, Kinja Sushi on Willow Pass Road has joined the go-to list. Much like the high-quality eateries on the plaza, it is a family-run, franchise-free operation.

Owner Joe Kang comes from a restaurant clan in San Francisco. They operated Hahn’s Hibachi Korean Barbecue on Polk Street for many years. Kang worked there while attending Lincoln High School and later the California Culinary Academy. He apprenticed at Amakara Sushi in Dublin prior to opening up his own businesses in Oakland and Concord.

“We thought Concord would be a great spot for our restaurant,” Kang says. “It is an up-and-coming location that should bring in the type of clientele we desire.”

From the beginning, he says, “It has been our intention to run a customer-friendly place that utilizes the best ingredients to provide traditional Japanese cuisine with a modern twist.”

A good example is the grilled edamame beans, which are finished with olive oil, soy sauce and garlic salt.

While many Japanese restaurants feature beef teriyaki made with sirloin or even pot roast, Kinja opts for ribeye steak in their version.

Sampling sushi

If one desires sushi, it is fun to sit at the bar while observing the chef whip up creative fare featuring fish from Blue Marine and True World in Hayward. On separate occasions, we sampled the salmon skin rolls, California rolls with flying fish roe (Tobiko) and the Firefighter, which features tempura, spicy tuna, shrimp and unagi sauce.

As a true test of quality, we tried the Maguro and yellowfin tuna selections. Both met the highest standards of top-notch Japanese sushi bars.

For entrees, Kinja offers the normal Japanese teriyaki dishes, chicken karaage, tonkatsu (fried pork), shioyaki (grilled salmon or mackerel) and several other selections. You can also order many main courses as bento lunch boxes with one to three items.

In all, Kinja Sushi is an excellent choice for those craving the best of Japanese foods. They are busiest at night as the lunch trade downtown has been limited due to COVID-19.

Because of the pandemic and high rents in the Todos Santos area, it has proven difficult for many restaurants to keep their doors open the last couple years. As such, there has been a constant turnover of businesses – with new ones opening all the time.

Despite such obstacles and the pressure of owners having to work long hours, Todos Santos has evolved into a gourmet Mecca not only for Concord, but the entire region as well.

Kinja Sushi is at 2118 Willow Pass Road, Concord. Call 925-685-1605 or visit kinjasushi.menu11.com

Rich Eber is a local journalist and long time resident of Concord. He covers topics from politics to gourmet food. Contact him at ­rjerje@pacbell.net