How to get a reservation at Showa

Showa, Japanese in SoMa

Findable to book. 63% of the 30-day booking window was open at the last check. SnagRes has recorded 161,972 open time slots at Showa across 49,890 calendar checks. Of those openings, 0% were before 6:00 PM and 0% fell in prime time, 7:00 to 8:30 PM.

Release
Showa releases tickets 30 days ahead, at 12:00 PM.
Holds for
At Showa, a table for two stays bookable about 3.3 days once it appears; a table for four, about 3.3 days.
Best odds
Thursdays are the easiest night at Showa: 99% of them had a table open at the last check, against 34% on Sundays.
Source
SnagRes checks Showa on Tock continuously. The release time is confirmed against Showa's own booking listing. Last checked 7 September 2026.

Good news: Showa is usually within reach. About 63% of the next 30 days was open for two when we last looked, so shifting the night or the time is normally all it takes. It books on Tock in SoMa, San Francisco.

Booking statistics last measured 2026-09-07. How we measure this.

How hard is it to get a table at Showa?

Worth knowing before you set your heart on 8pm: across 161,972 open slots we have recorded at Showa, none were between 7:00 and 8:30 PM. The tables that do come free are earlier or later, so that is where to aim.

The times we see open run from 6:00 PM to 6:00 PM, and the single slot that opens most often is 6:00 PM.

We have never once seen a Monday come open, which usually means Showa is closed then rather than simply full.

Thursdays are the softest night on this calendar, open 99% of the times we checked, against 34% on Sundays. Moving your plan by one weekday is often worth more than moving it by a month.

Tock began as a prepaid ticketing platform and still behaves like one. Seats tend to go on sale in blocks at a set moment, often weeks ahead, and a returned seat can reappear without warning when someone cancels a prepaid booking.

Observed booking pattern at Showa
MeasureValue
Share of the 30-day window open, party of 263%
Share of the 30-day window open, party of 463%
Open slots falling between 7:00 and 8:30 PM0%
Time that opens most often6:00 PM
Range of times seen open6:00 PM to 6:00 PM
Easiest nightThursday (99% open)
Hardest nightSunday (34% open)
Never observed openMonday
Booking platformTock
Open time slots observed161,972

The release time above is confirmed against Showa's own booking listing. Availability figures are measured from our own checks of Showa (161,972 open time slots, 49,890 date checks).

Which night is easiest to book at Showa?

Across 6 nights measured at Showa, Friday holds longest at about 3.8 days. A night that holds longer is a night you can still book after the release has passed; a short one means the table is gone before most people look.

How long a table stays bookable at Showa, by night
NightStays bookableTimes observed
Tuesdayabout 3.3 days10
Wednesdayabout 3.3 days10
Thursdayabout 3.1 days10
Fridayabout 3.8 days8
Saturdayabout 3.8 days8
Sundayabout 2.2 days4

What is the best way to book Showa?

  1. Check what is open at Showa right now. Start from the live calendar on this page rather than from Tock. It shows every date in the 30-day window with its current status, so you can see at a glance whether anything is bookable before you spend time on the platform.
  2. Aim at a Thursday. Thursdays are the softest night on Showa's calendar in our data, open 99% of the times we checked, against 34% on Sundays. Shifting the day is usually worth more than shifting the month.
  3. Widen your time to include 6:00 PM. 6:00 PM is the slot that opens most often at Showa. The full range we see open runs 6:00 PM to 6:00 PM.
  4. Set an alert instead of refreshing. Tock began as a prepaid ticketing platform and still behaves like one. Seats tend to go on sale in blocks at a set moment, often weeks ahead, and a returned seat can reappear without warning when someone cancels a prepaid booking. Cancellations arrive on no schedule at all, which is why refreshing by hand does not work. Star Showa on SnagRes and you get an email the moment a table appears, with a link straight to Tock.

Where can you actually get a table instead of Showa?

These are SF restaurants close to Showa in cuisine or neighbourhood that were measurably easier to book at the last check. Ranked by how much easier, not by similarity alone, because a list of equally impossible restaurants helps nobody.

Alternatives to Showa, ranked by how bookable they actually are
RestaurantWhy it is similarWindow open
Hinodeyaalso Japanese, Marina100%
Niku Steakhousealso SoMa93%
Akiko'salso Japanese, Financial District77%
Izakaya Rintaroalso Japanese, Mission73%
Ju-nialso Japanese, NoPa70%

Frequently asked questions about booking Showa

How hard is it to get a reservation at Showa?
At the last check, 63% of the 30-day booking window had a table open for two at Showa. We have never observed a 7:00 to 8:30 PM slot open here. SnagRes checks Tock continuously and emails you when that changes.
What time can you actually get a table at Showa?
The open times recorded at Showa run from 6:00 PM to 6:00 PM, and 6:00 PM is the slot that comes open most often. These are the times left available, not the restaurant's full service hours.
What is the easiest night to book Showa?
Thursday is the softest night on Showa's calendar in our data, open 99% of the times we checked, against 34% on Sunday.
What is the best party size to book Showa?
Two and four book about equally at Showa in our data, 63% of the window open for two against 63% for four, so party size is not the lever here. Shifting the night or the seating time moves availability more.
Is Showa open on Monday?
We have never recorded an open table at Showa on a Monday, which normally indicates a closing day rather than a full book.
What time do Showa tickets open?
Showa releases tickets 30 days ahead, at 12:00 PM. Tock began as a prepaid ticketing platform and still behaves like one. Seats tend to go on sale in blocks at a set moment, often weeks ahead, and a returned seat can reappear without warning when someone cancels a prepaid booking. SnagRes also watches continuously, so cancellations arriving off-schedule are caught the same as scheduled drops.
How far ahead does Showa release tables?
Showa releases tickets 30 days ahead, at 12:00 PM. A new date appears at the far edge of that window each cycle, and cancellations can surface at any point in between.
Which booking platform does Showa use?
Showa takes tickets on Tock. Tock began as a prepaid ticketing platform and still behaves like one. Seats tend to go on sale in blocks at a set moment, often weeks ahead, and a returned seat can reappear without warning when someone cancels a prepaid booking. SnagRes watches Tock for Showa continuously and emails you the moment a table opens.
Can you walk in at Showa?
SnagRes tracks reservations rather than walk-ins, so we cannot see a live bar or counter count at Showa. Many rooms do hold a few seats for walk-ins, often early or at the bar, so it is worth calling ahead. If you would rather lock in a table, star Showa and we will email you the moment a reservation opens.
Is using a reservation alert legal?
Yes. SnagRes only notifies you when a table opens; the booking itself is an ordinary reservation you make yourself on Tock, under your own name. It does not resell tables, run bots to hold them, or automate the booking, so it does not cross the lines a resale or auto-booking service does.
Does SnagRes book Showa for me?
No. SnagRes tells you the moment a table opens at Showa and links you straight to Tock with the date prefilled, then you complete the reservation yourself. It never logs into your account and never books on your behalf, which is what keeps your account in good standing.

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