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Atami Sushi Bar & Grill
Categories: Restaurants Sushi Bars Restaurants Japanese Sushi Bars, Japanese [Edit]
1662 Lombard St#A
(between Gough St & Octavia St)
San Francisco, CA 94123
Neighborhood: Marina/Cow Hollow
(415) 614-1958
- Hours:
Mon-Sat 5 pm - 10 pm
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Beer & Wine Only
- Noise Level:
- Quiet
- Ambience:
- Casual
- Has TV:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
114 reviews for Atami Sushi Bar & Grill
Review Highlights
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"Clean, great service, fresh fish- delicious." In 8 reviews -
"I recommend the hurricane roll." In 4 reviews -
"Cute little mom & pop place to grab a bite." In 5 reviews
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114 reviews in English
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Review from Jolene L.
San Francisco, CA
2/15/2012
We love this sushi restaurant. Particularly the soy paper wrapped spicy tuna hand roll.
We have gone there since before our daughter was born and after. Michelle is the waitress and she is so patient & kind whenever we come in. There are a couple of high chairs but we usually bring ours that attaches to the table, just in-case. It's nice to see other families there as well. -
Review from Lana N.
5/1/2012 1 photo
This place is definitely over-rated... like Jenny L. says, probably due to convenience.
My BF&I had somewhere to be but wanted to grab a quick bite, and Atami Sushi popped up. This is a small quiet little mom&pop sushi bar with a very warm and inviting ambiance - minus the clearly intoxicated party trying to talk and barter business deals... BUT, the serving sizes here are just ridiculously small + everything just ridiculously over-priced for what was also just mediocre sushi - picture to prove it: http://www.yelp.com/us... ... I hate having to bag on any small mom&pop business, but y'all need to know... Maybe it was because I ordered to-go? But still, I don't think that gives any excuse for how my BF&I were still hungry after paying close to $40 for a few pieces of what was not even high quality sushi.
Seared Tuna w/ Shrimp Tempura (forgot the name) Roll, $11.50 - 6 measily pieces with no distinct taste
Unagi and Cucumber Roll, $6.50 - 6 equally measily pieces... but at least they tasted okay?
Garlic Albacore, $5.00 - meh... the fish was warm and it overall was not enjoyed
Poke Salad (not pictured), $6.50 - best thing of the lot - prob thanks to the spiciness - but nothing worth writing home about
I wouldn't go out of my way to eat here, and prob not even if it were convenient... Zushi Puzzle is just down the street, and would probably be a better bet. -
Review from Jenny L.
4/13/2012
The only reason why this place is rated so highly is perhaps because of convenience for those who don't want to venture farther for higher prices. It seems to be by Chinese staff, who either choose lower grade fish or freeze it a few times to lose its fresh flavor. It's not bad, but it's not worth the price for the portions and quality. They seem to have a variety of special rolls and fish that may be worth trying.
The staff is friendly, but a bit slow. Ambiance and decor is similar to most traditional Japanese restaurants with the wooden furnishings except for the neon lighting outside. Parking can be tough on the street. -
Review from Mansi A.
9/22/2011
Thank you Atami for probably the best sushi experience I've had in the Marina to date! Unsuspecting from the outside, you're welcomed into a small, cozy, amazingly-lit world away from the hustle and bustle of Lombard Street the minute you step inside this restaurant.
Barely 10 tables or so, the restaurant is small, customer-focused, and obviously takes care in presenting fresh, well-made food.
I tried the following items:
- Gyoza
- Elegant roll
- Marina roll (off the daily specials menu)
As a picky sushi eater, everything was surprisingly tasty! The items weren't overly fishy and didn't leave a bad aftertaste in my mouth, which is always a sign of good fish and even better preparation.
Clearly the restaurant catered to a lot of regulars, both for dining in and take-out. Hopefully the secret doesn't get out, but this is definitely a place to mark on your must-try list! :)
P.S. About 4 tables were occupied, but service was a bit slow due to only one server and a small kitchen. Definitely make sure you have the time to eat in, otherwise take-out is a reasonable option. -
Review from Tracy T.
8/5/2011 1 Check-in Here
Came to this place due to yelp recommendations. We had the Hurricane roll which was pretty good. It was a spicy tuna based roll with tempura crunch and topped with albacore and green onion. I had the chirashi like I usually do with all new Japanese/Sushi restaurants I go to - it is how I judge their quality of sushi. Afterall chirashi (scattered sashimi on top of sushi rice) is essentially a giant piece of sushi!
Sad to say, the chirashi was a bit of a disappointment. There was not that much sashimi on top and the rice was quite warm/hot. Big mistakes in my book. I'm used to chirashi bowls so overfilled with an assortment of fish that I don't know where to put it all so I can get to my nice cool/cold sushi rice. The rice was warm/hot which warmed my sashimi pieces to an unpleasant lukewarm temperature. There was not enough fish. Also, service was slow.
Parking is also very tricky! Sharp turn in a moderately trafficked street (Lombard) with little room to maneuver.
There are so many better places in the city to go to. I probably won't be returning here. -
Review from corinne o.
San Francisco, CA
11/11/2011
My boyfriend and I were looking for a nice sushi place to eat on blustery San Francisco evening and we ended up stumbling into Atami. It really was a pleasant surprise. The fish was very fresh (great Uni), the service kind and quick. The place was quiet and intimate which is what we were looking for, and the entrance way (with paved stones meant to look like a traditional japanese home.. or at least thats what I thought).
Bottom line: quiet, not to hip, but great fish and service. -
Review from ARIeL P.
San Leandro, CA
Updated - 7/25/2011
Ok.....so I have not been back for about a year due to schedule and the growing restaurants and night life in Oakland.
I went with a lady friend who loves sushi as much as I do. We were in the area so I thought about calling to make sure they were still open on a Tuesday night about 9 PM. I hear Michelle's voice and told her who I was and she clearly remembers me and mentions she missed my presence. That was very welcoming since this is one of my favorite place for sushi in the world..
When I arrived through the back a nice warm hug from her was very nice because it always felt like family dining. When I called, I had already pre-ordered. I HAVE TO SAY.........THE GARLIC ALBACORE IS A MUST TRY! IT HAS BEEN VERY CONSISTENT FOR ALMOST 10 YEARS. Even after a one year break from this place, IT STILL MELTS IN YOUR MOUTH! I missed going there.
Of course, the customer service is always up to par! I love this place because it is family ran and you can always tell by the neighboring customer's that comes here as a second kitchen home.
I will NOT go another year with out going again!1 Previous Review: Show all »
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3/30/2010
I have been coming to this place for 10 years. The food is always fresh and very good! This is my… Read more »
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Review from Susan S.
San Francisco, CA
1/20/2012
My new favorite neighborhood sushi restaurant. The fish is quality and fresh. The staff is friendly and attentive. And the atmosphere is simple and quiet. I can't recall the name of it, but there's a roll with butter fish on top that's absolutely delicious. It really does melt in your mouth!
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Review from nick a.
San Francisco, CA
6/20/2011
I would give this a 2.5 if possible, but rounding down because I don't think I will be returning here.
Now I am comparing this place to Sushi San which closed recently so I have been on the hunt for a nearby replacement.
The sushi at Atami I found to be a little overpriced given the quality and quantity. I would say all the rolls are overpriced $1-$2 each (it adds up with multiple rolls).
The rolls were also not the most adventurous. I'm a fan of baked and deep friend rolls and none were on the menu. The sushi was fresh but the combination of ingredients just not for my taste buds.
Off to continue to find the best bang-for-your-buck sushi... -
Review from Blond E.
San Francisco, CA
1/24/2011
This sushi place is not bad, but way way overpriced. The fish is good, but not good value. You are better off going to Zushi Puzzle where you get high quality fish plus plentiful portions that justify the price. I paid $48 for a sashimi combo (which was 10 small pieces of fish and did not come with soup or salad) + 1 kamikaze roll (which did not match the description on the menu - there was regular maguro not shiro maguro on the outside) + 1 rainbow roll w/ fake crab. Considering the price tag, my BF and I expected at least to get big rolls, even if the sashimi pieces were small. But the rolls were only six pieces each and not much bigger than a standard spicy tuna roll elsewhere. I had high hopes for this place, but was very disappointed based on the quality-price trade-off.
Bottom line: Not bad, but you could do better for the price elsewhere. -
Review from Minette C.
South San Francisco, CA
1/3/2011
I went to this place based on other yelpers, and I must say the sushi is good. Super fresh and tasty. The items on the special is the way to go, but the only draw back from this cozy family run joint is the service. It was so so slow. I don't know if they were having an off night or what, but we were there for about 1.5 - 2 hours for only 3 people.
Most of the time was attributed to waiting. The main course came out before the appetizer, and the sushi rolls were brought out with a 15-20 minute gap in between from one another. There was no word or check up from the waitress. I mean there was only 2 other tables. I was very impatient by the end of the night, but the food was good. -
Review from Nilu r.
San Francisco, CA
3/15/2011
I would have given this place a 3.5-4 star review but once we got in the car and I asked my partner what he thought, he said his experience was a 1 star and I was shocked. Then he broke it down for me and I realized that I was influenced by my extreme ravenous hunger and my post-yoga high and he was right, the food was sub-par.
I started with the green salad which was tasty with a light lemony dressing but it was tiny. I think it costs 6 or 7 bucks but it is about a small handful of mixed greens and 1 small cherry tomato cut in half.
I ordered two rolls but dont really remember what they were, other than the fact that the fish in one had a lot connective tissue and it was a bit gross looking and the tuna on the outside was room temp and sort of fishy tasting.
The rolls are priced about 9-12 bucks but are also very small.
My partner also ordered soba noodles and some tempura. I think this is what made him so unhappy with the meal...the noodles were so bland, zero flavor, and the tempura was very greasy and looked like marshmallow...not flaky, it was cakey.
There were three of us and I dont know about our friend, but the two of us went home semi-hungry after spending about $85 including tip.
The things I loved about this place are the comfortable decor, the family-owned atmosphere, the friendly service. I feel awful giving them a 2 star review...I wish I could be more generous but rating the food on its own merit, I cant be. -
Review from Seth M.
Daly City, CA
12/28/2010
One of the best hidden treasures in SF. I've been going there for over ten years and have yet to be disappointed. If you're looking for the atmosphere of a Mas Sake, move on. If you're looking for some of the freshest fish in the city, then Atami is a must to experience.
A small family run business, Michelle makes you feel at home and Wiley prepares perfection. I've been going there long enough to be greeted by name and always feel special with gracious service and a warm atmosphere. The traditional rolls are amazing and Wiley dazzles with some of his own unique creation.
Pay them a visit if you're in the hood! -
Review from Ricky A.
Bakersfield, CA
1/10/2011
We came here because it was right next to our motel.
The sushi was hella fresh.
Even though the chefs need to rim me (just because we're not white doesn't give you an excuse to forget your sense of decorum), the expertly crafted rolls were good.
We stuck out like tourists because everyone there seemed like regulars.
The prices are pretty steep but we didn't trip about it, B!! -
Review from Kylie L.
8/15/2008
It helps that this place is only 4 blocks away from my house. Walking over there with one roomie and three dogs makes 4 blocks a little bit more difficult then you would think but never the less after stopping at every last little bush or piece of green making its way up from the cement we made it. I was in charge of ordering... first mistake.. I always ALWAYS order way to much food. I just don't like to see people go hungry... Probably should have remembered that only two people were eating and that the dogs already had dinner. oops...
After ordering my food TO GO. (and by the way this place is super small with one guy rolling out the sushi...) It took nearly 45 minutes before I was able to pay for an inordinate amount of food. You would think that with someone obviously buying alot of sushi they would want to make you a happy sushi goer and get you out of there fast so that you will come back... hmmm... Well they didn't and even though I must admit the Udon Soup was YUMMY!!! and the Sake Nigiri (the salmon on a rice square for those that don't know sushi terms) was really fresh and good I was not impressed with the rest. Will I go back? Probably for the soup. Just be prepared to call ahead with a take out order and know that if you go and eat there only one man will be rolling out the sushi and there might be a wait.. but that is what sake is for right? (so only three stars is because of the wait.. sorry guys) -
Review from Victoria J.
San Francisco, CA
11/7/2011
This is our second favorite sushi place in the city.
The staff are amazing and friendly.
Make sure and try some of their specialty rolls. -
Review from Jason R.
San Francisco, CA
10/12/2007
I've visited Atami 3 times in the past year and I like it.
It has a real mom and pop feel, which is a much better way to enjoy sushi than at the rock-and-roll sushi dumps that are all the rage, and have been since 1999.
1999 wasn't that cool to begin with, why are we sticking with this shitty formula.
Atami keep doing what you're doing. You're all right with me. -
Review from Melvin F.
Harbor City, CA
12/23/2008
The Reason I was in San Francisco: YouTube Live..
Last minute planning and a very controlled budget led me to stay at Town House Motel- Just INCHES away from this sushi joint. It was a Saturday night and my friend and I were exhausted so we decided to walk around the corner to this little sushi bar.
I've had Sushi in many places and this little hidden place is pretty par with many places I have been. When ever I go to a new sushi place besides checking out the prices, I check what they have to offer. Very moderately priced I decided to try out a few things, a couple hand rolls, some sushi rolls, appetizers, some baked rolls, the whole nine.
What I liked is that that all of the fish I tasted was very fresh, and the sushi chef -because I was at the bar- was very catering to my needs.
Overall it was a great round the corner spot, that is small and quiet, but I wouldn't go out of my way to eat here. -
Review from Kokoro I.
San Francisco, CA
7/6/2009
Unfortunately, after $125 for 2 people here, I found out this place is not really a 4 star worthy place.
Rice is so overcooked it's beyond sticky. The fish is decently fresh, but you should never accept anything less, right? It really does not live up to the name of the beautiful sea food city of Atami in Shizuoka, Japan. $125 in Atami you would have the best fish you've ever tasted in your entire life.
Decor is pretty nice. They put an effort into providing a good service.
I would not go back here again. -
Review from Michael C.
Northern, CA
8/29/2007
This place is simply the very best Japanese restaurant I have ever been to.
The atmosphere is relaxed, welcoming and tastefully appointed. Polished but not 'over polished'.
The decor is of the authentic Japanese persuasion; not plastic, sterile and cold.
The service is superb. From greeting to farewell, the entire staff is unobtrusive but tastefully attentive. Not rushed, I would say.
The sushi is absolutely PHENOMENAL. I cannot emphasize the good fortune you will feel when you have dined at Atami on Lombard & Octavia.
A must. -
Review from Spanky M.
San Francisco, CA
1/4/2011
Super hit and miss place.
The Aji today was just aweful. I mean needed a chaser aweful.
The decor is farily traditional but the menu and preparation are not.
Given the inconsistency in fish quality I would not expect this place to have consistantly good food from one day to the next.
Oddly the Uni was great but hamachi and Aji were not.
I wouldnt't come here again but if you are in the area, enjoy sushi from boats, or need to empress some marinite or cow hollow date this place might be safe. -
Review from Arin N.
Los Angeles, CA
5/28/2008
Went here for my last official dinner in the city of San Francisco and was not disappointed.
It is a great alternative to all the other sushi places in the Marina (Mas Sake) and has less of a "scene".
The sushi itself was really tasty and I would recommend the 49'er and Red Devil rolls to anyone. The portions are a little on the small side but it just means you order lots of different types instead of ordering a few big rolls. You can end up spending about ~$30 a person here with sushi and drinks.
I was afraid that my last dinner in SF might turn out to be a disappointment but Atami came through for my friends and me. -
Review from Holly M.
Highlands, NJ
2/2/2007
I consider myself a sushi-aholic, and this is hands down my favorite sushi spot in San Francisco!
The scene: Nothing fancy, rarely a wait, with a comfortable, clean atmosphere. Only spot in the entire city with a parking lot in the back. And I dare you to try to go more than once without the owners remembering your name! Family owned, Michelle and Wiley take care of their customers like no other restaurant I've been to in this city.
The food: The sushi is ALWAYS consistently fresh and amazing. Not too much rice on the rolls, albacore sashimi like butter, and the timing that your food comes out is impeccable....they slowly bring out one roll or dish at a time and actually give you time to digest what you just ate, enjoy the company your with, never rushing you out the door.
It really is the best kept secret in the city. If you go, tell Michelle I said hi!Listed in: Top Restaurants
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Review from Sydni F.
Oakland, CA
3/8/2010
Delicious fish. My god. The tuna rolls were fantastic -- spicy tuna topped with ahi tuna. Ahi tuna wrapped in yellowtail. Melt-in-your-mouth cuts of fish. I actually regret not just ordering a shiteload of sashimi, coz I think that would've been the way to go.
But, the prices are only $$ for the Marina, and the service is merely adequate -- I got there pretty late on a Saturday and even though my crew was at one of three occupied tables in the joint it took forever for food and check to arrive. Then again, I've never eaten at a good sushi place that also had excellent service. A clinical trial should be conducted. -
Review from Hiromi N.
San Francisco, CA
3/11/2008
After reading the reviews, I'll admit that my expectation was set pretty high for this sushi joint. Unfortunately, Atami failed to deliver on those expectations.
I want to start off with the positive aspects of my dining experience:
- waitstaff was polite
- the restaurant was tastefully decorated
- it wasn't overly crowded or noisy
- the restaurant (including the restroom) was clean
- the sushi tasted decent
- there were a large number of specials and choices available for diners
Unfortunately, because of the following, I will not be heading back to Atami:
- the portion size is MINISCULE
- we didn't get timely refills on the water or ocha
- where was the FISH? (very thinly sliced)
- the first time that I called and left a message inquiring about driving directions to the joint & parking - NO ONE CALLED ME BACK.
- the price...$38.00, not including tip and I left HUNGRY....
Sorry, I must disagree with the other yelpers giving this place rave reviews. The staff are nice and the fish (the small slices) seemed fresh, but the experience was not super enjoyable for either my boyfriend or myself. -
Review from Kate S.
San Francisco, CA
3/25/2008
Pretty decent sushi for a decent price. Their rolls aren't huge - which I like - ordered the Hurricane roll that had little crispy bits of tempura in it - yummy, fresh and crunchy. We ordered mostly nigiri and all the fish was really fresh. Edamame, soup, 2 rolls, 6-8 pieces of nigiri and 2 beers came to less than $30 each. Service was good and atmosphere was ok - Monday night was pretty quiet. I'd say Atami is great for what it is - neighborhood place, decent quality, affordable, comfortable, standard, etc.
Still searching for that totally kick ass sushi place that I crave uncontrollably. Haven't found it yet... -
Review from Gloria C.
San Francisco, CA
10/23/2011
We tried this place because it was nearby and had great ratings. The service is friendly, but the rolls are much smaller than what I'm used to. The rainbow roll is generally my favorite stand-by wherever I go, but I was disappointed at how small the 6 pieces were and unimpressed with the seafood. We'll probably try a new place next time.
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Review from Erin G.
San Francisco, CA
10/29/2007
My roommate and I LOVE Atami! It's small and quiet, never crowded! The service is great and friendly. All of the sushi rolls are delicious, especially the specials. They don't do anything too crazy or non-traditional, but everything tastes great and it's very reasonably priced!
...I'm editing my review above and docking Atami one star. The service has started suffering a bit lately. There is only one waitperson, and while she is very friendly and helpful, she is also extremely slow. I still love coming here, but only when I have plenty of time. -
Review from Saori E.
8/6/2009
It makes me sad to see that 3 stars is labeled as "A-OK" on Yelp because this place was better than A-OK. However, I don't wanna give it a 4-star "Yay! I'm a Fan!" because of a few things. --- I'd like to quote Fred S. (down below on this page) who phrased it perfectly: "If this restaurant were in another city, I'd go back, but in SF, I'll keep trying."
First, I'll start with the positives:
Very fresh fish.
My boyfriend and I started with the spicy tuna roll, which was the usual mashed tuna (not whole pieces, like some people prefer). Very tasty tuna though. You could tell it's not because they had bad quality fish that they mashed it.
Then came the caterpillar roll. The unagi was inside with some very finely chopped cucumbers and the avocados were on top. This was way better than standard caterpillar rolls. The unagi melts in your mouth while the fresh, crunchy cucumber adds the perfect texture.
Then we had the spider roll. This was good, but my least favorite.
Because that wasn't enough (refer to the negatives below), especially for my boyfriend, he ordered tonkatsu and I got a saba nigiri.
Saba nigiri is a good indicator of whether the restaurant has good fish or not. Atami passes! Yummyyy! It melted in my mouth and wasn't overly fishy. Perfect.
The tonkatsu was really good too. It was almost as good as my mom makes it-- I have never had tonkatsu as good as my mom's at a restaurant. It's always either too thin, and thus too crispy/hard, or they use the bad part of the meat that's stringy or fat-heavy. This was the right thickness and the right amount of breading. :) Props to them for getting this right.
The negatives:
The only negative is the small portion! Usually, one roll is enough for me. Ok, maybe 1.5. It's probably fair considering how good they are, but I'm just not used to having to pay so much for sushi (in America).
When the seaweed salad came, it was the smallest portion of seaweed salad I have ever had. I thought, well, the rolls may be different. When spicy tuna ($6) came, I thought it was just small because it was one of the non-special rolls. When the caterpillar roll ($10) came and it was also... tiny, I was sad :( The only thing that was the same size as other places I've been to was the tonkatsu ($13.95).
I would choose quality over quantity when it comes to sushi, but there's gotta be a place that serves just a liiiitle bit more. IF YOU CAN AFFORD IT, GO HERE! THE FOOD IS GREAT!
No more negatives. The waitress here was really sweet, and the chefs looked friendly too. The place is really clean and has quite an "authentic" Japanese look to it. -
Review from Jen P.
San Francisco, CA
12/10/2007
Had a great dinner here on a Saturday night. We made reservations but they weren't needed since it wasn't too crowded.
We had the seaweed salad, poki salad, seafood udon, hamachi nigiri, uni nigiri, tokyo tower roll, rainbow roll, and elegant roll. Everything was quite delicious and SUPER fresh!
Make sure to check out the specials board sitting next to the sushi bar, we missed that before we ordered so now we have another reason to come back!
For the Yelpers that say the rolls are "too small", that's actually how big they SHOULD be! You're just used to gross, overdone Americanized "specialty rolls". Each piece of sushi should actually easily fit into your mouth. If you practically need to unhinge your jaw to get a sushi piece in, it's not authentic.
Took away 1 star since the food came out pretty slowly when the place wasn't even busy. However, there *is* just 1 chef, so that's probably why.
Oh, and parking sucks. -
Review from Chelsea P.
Berkeley, CA
1/3/2009
Really fresh sushi. Not the cheapest or quickest meal ever, but the quality of the food was up there with the best of SF. The restaurant is small and quiet. I think there was only one lady taking orders and one sushi chef, so the meal was sort of long though there were only three couples dining in the restaurant.
$48 (including tip) scored us one bowl of udon, one order of butterfish nigiri (special), one burrito roll (special) and one blue Hawaii roll (special). Each item came out separately. The butterfish was cold, delicate and fresh, the way it should be. The udon came out next. The broth was perfect; not overly salty yet not boring nor bland. The burrito roll was wrapped in rice paper and filled with blue fin tuna, maguro and avocado. Good, but I liked the blue Hawaii roll better which was blue fin tuna and avocado wrapped in either albacore or hamachi, I can't remember.
We were in the neighborhood hungry for sushi yesterday, and Umami and Yuzu (both of which I've bookmarked and am waiting patiently to try) were both closed for the holiday weekend, so we opted for Atami. Excellent sushi, so slow service aside, I think I would come back.Listed in: Sushi 101, The Marina
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Review from Nabila A.
San Francisco, CA
9/21/2011
The food was really good but the quantities were really small for the price you pay. Too costly for what it was
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Review from Wendy W.
San Francisco, CA
10/21/2007
For a Saturday night, Atami wasn't very crowded, and therefore our food came out at the perfect pace. The service was pleasent and we didn't have to wait for a table, surpisingly.
Most of the rolls we tried were REALLY small and just average in taste, the only stand out was the Ahi-Ahi roll. Two different kinds of tuna with tempura flakes. Really good. We tried the Hamachi nigiri which was average, pretty much sums up the restaurant.. Average.Listed in: All Things Raw: Sushi
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Review from Laurence H.
San Francisco, CA
4/20/2007
You live long enough and eventually you will see it all...Yes, a very good sushi restaurant run by a Chinese-Vietnamese family in the Marina. I used to tell my friends categorically to NEVER EVER eat sushi at a restaurant run by Chinese owners but now I'm the one eating crow.
The sushi chef is a true professional and carries a good selection of fresh fish. We ate like crazy and spent about a $100. Not bad, not bad at all. Atami is now on my regular list. My only criticism and it is a slight one is that I like my rice with a little more vinegar but I think that is a little more personal taste than anything.
My next endeavor is to find a good Pho' restaurant run by a Japanese...Listed in: Japanese/Sushi Restaurants
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Review from Matt S.
San Francisco, CA
7/20/2007
this place does not deserve a 4.5 star rating, no freaking way.
The fish is good and the rolls are good. the service we got was real slow, and there were barely any people there for a late thursday night so there was no excuse. there is nothing unique about this place - neither the ambience, nor the price, nor the selection, nor the service. it's just another sushi restaurant (JASR).
5 stars people? Please. Let's all make Yelp a better place and be more selective about our 5 star ratings. -
Review from Sarah G.
New York, NY
5/3/2008
What a nice surprise! Decided late last night (on a Friday) i wanted to sit and have some delicious sushi. Now i live right around the block from Zushi Puzzle, and can a place really ever be busier than that one? So I hop on yelp and try to find another joint to get good, fresh sushi without having to deal with long lines and "the scene". Here's where Atami comes in.
Off Lombard, which totally sucks for the restaurant for walk-in traffic, but good for people that don't like crowds. Small inside but there was room for us at 8:30p on a Friday (2 of us). We got the sashimi combination, miso soup and shrimp and veggie tempura. All was very fresh and really very good. The fish especially was great, you can't hide anything when you do it sashimi style and I was not disappointed (to address other reviews it is on the smaller portion size but not enough to make me really that upset). The tempura was nice and light, not greasy at all. Total was $45 (we also shared a large beer). Pretty much what i was expecting price wise.
Zushi is still my favorite as they have more choices and sometimes rarer fish options (Atami had the regular choices), but when I don't get my act together early enough to put in reservations for Zushi, I'll definitely be back to Atami. -
Review from Lisa C.
San Francisco, CA
Updated - 10/22/2008
We've been here several more times since our first visit last april and we've been served consistently good fish. The tobiko with quail egg was extra delicious tonight.
Service is always so friendly and inviting. If the restaurant is full, we prefer to sit at the bar as the sushi seems to come out quicker.
And for you AmExers out there, they recently started accepting american express.1 Previous Review: Show all »
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4/27/2007
The food is really good here, but be aware that your meal will take a long time. The pace at which… Read more »
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Review from Slut G.
San Francisco, CA
5/24/2006
Best. Sushi. Period.
Owners are gems.
I dare anyone to find better sushi! -
Review from Jerzy G.
Brooklyn, NY
9/27/2009
When I'm in San Francisco, especially when staying nearby, Atami is my first stop after I unpack my luggage.
There is something wonderfully simple and charming about this neighborhood sushi joint and I know I have my pick of sushi places in SF.
I could expound endlessly about the details but Atami is just a great, reliable sushi restaurant. The atmosphere is far from stuffy. You will feel welcome from the moment you cross the threshold. Sit at the bar or at a table and you will have a great experience. -
Review from Peter V.
San Francisco, CA
9/3/2009
The verdict is in, after multiple visits: Inept service obliterates what could have been a terrific place. Husband makes sushi, Wife serves tables. Her maniacal grin and saccharine pleasantries belie her absolutely awful service. Be prepared to wait and wait, and for her to forget and forget. Too lazy to move at a decent pace, to cheap to hire a server, lady, you have ruined this place.
*This is one of the many Chinese sushi places in the City.
