Delage

Delage’s dining room is deliberately small: a nine-seat sushi counter and three tables beside Swan’s Market in Old Oakland. That scale makes the preparation of sushi central to the occasion. The current proposal offers an eight-course omakase alongside an à la carte menu, giving diners a choice between following the chef’s sequence and composing their own meal around nigiri, sashimi, rolls and small rice bowls.

There is a significant new chapter behind that familiar name. Founder Chikara Ono opened Delage in 2016; in 2026 he asked his longtime friend Kyle Itani to carry it forward so that he could spend more time in Japan. The restaurant reopened on September 16 under Itani’s leadership, with chef Jeremias Jimenez directing the sushi program. The new official menus and expanded lunch service describe the restaurant as it operates now, rather than the older format of two fixed evening seatings.

The sample omakase moves through chilled corn dashi, several groups of nigiri, sashimi, small donburi and a handroll before dessert. Its particular fish change with daily deliveries, so the attraction is the progression and the chef’s selection rather than a guaranteed list of species. The à la carte side also offers choices such as hamachi carpaccio and mini chirashi bowls, while lunch sets provide another way to approach the kitchen. Sake, Japanese whisky, wine and cocktails extend the meal. Delage suits diners who enjoy paying attention to a sequence of small preparations and to the people making them, with a current format that also leaves room for a less prescribed sushi dinner.

Sources: Delage: current service and hours · Delage: 2026 transition and team · Delage: sample omakase and dinner menus · Delage: lunch sets · Nosh: Delage's September 2026 reopening · Delage: Google Maps listing