Atami Sushi Bar & Grill
Category: Sushi Bars [Edit]
Neighborhood: Marina/Cow Hollow1662 Lombard St
#A
(between Gough St & Octavia St)
San Francisco, CA 94123 (415) 614-1958
- Price Range: $$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Street
- Attire: Casual
- Good for Groups: Yes
- Good for Kids: Yes
- Takes Reservations: Yes
- Delivers: No
- Take-out: Yes
- Waiter Service: Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: No
- Good for: Dinner
- Alcohol: Beer & Wine Only
117 reviews
Neighborhood: Union Square
"They get 5 stars because I always have good experiences here. I usually get salmon and white tuna sashimi. The white tuna just melts. Its…" read more »
54 Reviews for Atami Sushi Bar & Grill
I didn't have any expectations when we ate here last week so I was pleasantly surprised at the food and price. We ordered mostly nigiri and a few rolls, which all tasted better then I had expected. Will come back here again in the future.
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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.
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i really have no idea what's worse ...
OSOME (http://www.yelp.com/us...)
or
ATAMI...
it's like heads or tails ....
owned by chinese folks ...
when ordering udon, you get 2 shrimp tempuras, right? well, he requested tempura to be put on the side, but was surprised by a friendly visitor floating on top of the udon. not no bug, but a soggy tempura floating on top ... the lady (owner) comes by and says "sry about the tempura on top" BEFORE he makes a comment, while his friend got the same udon but with NO tempura? she doesn't even bother getting him another one, but takes the order at the other table, and comes back with 2 tempura literally AFTER he finished his udon.
iono ...
very cute, japanese-y looking place, but of course, in the heart of the marina, what do you expect... reminds me of sweet aroma
(http://www.yelp.com/bi...)
food isn't all that great either, sushi was so so too ...
asking for water few times, even when it wasn't that busy, she told us to hold. she brings out the food, the menu, but no water ...
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In my years in SF my husband and I became Atami regulars. The staff is very kind and it has a very intimiate feel. We always had wonderful, wonderful sushi there - always fresh, tasty, and what we hoped for. It was our favorite 'routine' sushi place to hit on the weekends. Highly recommended!
The sushi is fresh and consistent. Michelle who runs the place is very accommodating. Looking at the other negative reviews is shocking....but If all you eat are rolls not sure if you should rate sushi???
I know the Sushi/Sashimi is fresh and out of this world. I usually go on Tues or Weds night and sit at the sushi bar. The only negative is...it is very small and if it gets crowded the food make take a while!
What?? No philadelphia rolls??? Otherwise, sushi is decent.
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.
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...
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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.
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This is the place to get amazing nigiri and probably sashimi too since the fish is so fresh and the flavor is phenominal! Also order the Atami Yummy roll and Rock n roll. Atmosphere is on the simple and quieter side, ideal if you just want to eat sushi without a big scene or long wait to be seated. The menu is limited compared to just about every other sushi restaurant I have been to in the city, and there isn't anything unique to order. Still, the basics they have are excellent.
Went here to meet a friend. Food was decent at a reasonable price. No really crazy rolls, just he standard stuff, but all good. Pretty small, but nice place. Service was good. Basically a decent, cheap, sushi place in the Marina/Cow Palace that is a far better option than Mas Sake down the street.
This is by far my favorite sushi place in SF! Nothing fancy about the restaurant however the staff is so nice, the fish is SO fresh and every time I've been it's been a very relaxing experience where I leave very satisfied. The Red Devil roll is my favorite! The miso soup is also really good but be careful, it always comes out really hot!
Don't go to Atami expecting a scene or vibrant atmosphere. This is the perfect place to go during the week when you just want to relax and have some great food. The rolls are on the smaller side but personally I like that. I hate having to cover my mouth when I chew because other places make the rolls way too big.
This is going to reveal my underappreciation for the art that is great sushi, but how long does it take to prepare raw fish? Even if you are applying the most exquisite of knife work, it should not take over an hour to get two orders of sashimi and two fairly basic rolls. When we first arrived the place was virtually empty, but we had to get the waitress' attention to take our order. 15 minutes later she brought miso soup and seaweed salad. Another 20 minutes later came one order of sashimi and the spicy tuna roll. 20 minutes after that came the last roll and sashimi. Yes, there was only one waitress and one chef, but as previously mentioned, the place was not slammed. I kept wondering what would have happened if we had decided to get take-out - we would have waited forever! At the end of the day, the sushi was good, not great, but our mood was spoiled by how long it took.
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.
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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.
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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.
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Really good sushi! I had never had blue fin tuna before, and it was love at first taste. In fact, all their fish was amazing. I love how they bring each roll out one-at-a-time, so you're not just stuffing your face with everything all at once (which, come on... it's hard not to stuff your face when they bring it all at once). The burrito roll (on the specials menu) was also fantastic and the service was perfect. If I had to pick one gripe, it would be that certain things were a little bit too pricey. I don't like paying $11 for a small salad with barely ANY fish on it, but maybe they're just trying to keep up with all the other marina sushi joints. Every sushi lover should try this place -- and be sure to order the blue fin tuna nigiri! YUM!
When my office sent me to San Francisco, my quest was to fit as much sushi into 54 hours as possible. Californians always seem to be telling us east coasters we don't know what good food is -- particularly of the raw aquatic variety -- so I needed to know if their snobbery is just.
Well, this was seriously some of the best sushi I've had, and I've had a lot of sushi. The freshness and flavor of the fish were at an entirely elevated level. Sake and hamachi in particular were exquisite, maguro very good too. The unagi was perfect -- warm and not oversweet with just a bit of crispiness. We had a bunch of maki -- toro wrapped in hamachi, tempura shrimp, spicy tuna, etc. -- that I can't remember too specifically except that it was a whirlwind of goodness and came in just the right order. I hate it when the volcano earthquake maki precedes the delicate cuts of sashimi.
As much fish as we could eat and a large Asahi each came to about $50 a person. So yum.
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.
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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.
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Good food, and outstanding sushi. One aspect that stood out to me is that in their chicken dishes they dont use fatty, cheap chicken thighs, they actually use breasts. The service was great as well. The only aspect that was off putting was that some lady decided she needed to breast feed her baby every five minutes while she was eating.
Solid sushi, fresh fish. Super staff. Not a Jumping Joint, but a Cool Crowd. Quite Quiet.
Went here with my parents when they were in the city visiting. We sat at the sushi bar and had a great time. Some highlights: all the staff speak and understand english, including the chef. The service is adequate, as well as the atmosphere. The menus include descriptions in english.
It was my first time here and using the night as a reference, I would highly suggest NOT to go on a busy night. Friday nights would probably be the worst time to go. There was only one chef making everything and he got busy very quickly. Towards the end of the night the restaurant wasn't even full and all the staff were swamped, especially the chef. We were at the sushi bar and he couldn't interact with us because he was so busy. It took over an hour for me to get my order. It was most unfortunate because I believe on a better night this place would have scored all 5 stars.
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.
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This is our local japanese place. We go down there for our regular japanese food fix, and it never fails to please.
I usually get the Katsu Don or the Beef Teriyaki, and wash them down with a cold Asahi.... is there anything better for under $20?
I'm not a big sushi fan, but my girlfriend is, and she always enjoys it. I do like the tuna sashimi, and its always fresh.
The miso soup is good.
Friendly "mom and pop" service. Never gets too crowded, so usually no waiting.
Great food. There is an abundant selection of food, especially the cut rolls, which are very imaginative. The quality of the food is excellent, especially the fish, which, as we all know, is key in a sushi restaurant.
And the best part is that it's open AFTER 9.30pm on a weekday !!!
Absolutely my favorite sushi place in the city!!! Everything is extremely fresh! The Burrito Roll is soooooo freakin' good! Michelle and her husband are the most gracious hosts. I am so happy I live so close to Atami!
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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...
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Good sushi, but the rolls are pretty small, which was a little disappointing. Great service and we didn't have to wait on a Friday night, which means a lot in this neighborhood.
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Definitely the best mom-n-pop Japanese spot in the Marina/Cow Hollow area and maybe top rated for SF. Skip Hime, Ace Wasabi and the other spots around there. Atami is top quality for less, if you're looking for an awesome meal.
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After passing 4 sushi places on my way to Atami, my dining companions wondered why we were walking so far. I pass by this place on a daily basis, but have never made the trek to see what it's all about. I've read the yelp reviews and wondered if I could really trust any of the ratings anymore.
The Glowing neon from the "Atami" logo signals you are close to your awaiting sushi adventure. The entryway has well groomed plants and clean lines which reflects the interior. This is not like most of the other joints on Lombard where you find a funky canopy and dirty flower boxes.
Upon a 9 o'clock entry on Saturday night, the place was jam packed with only 2 open spots at the sushi bar (I believe there are 5 or 6 seats at the bar). Normally, I prefer to sit at the bar to see the sushi chef work their magic. With 3 people total, a table was a more viable option. Once the hostess/waitress got around to us, she offered a table or bar seat. Apparently we overlooked the fact that somebody had actually left and there really were 3 seats. Score!
Since the place was bursting at the seams, we had to wait to get anything. It didn't help not knowing what we wanted, although edamame, beer, and sake were standard sushi necessities. Once we got down to ordering, things flowed smoothly. Rolls to get: Dragon roll and the Burrito roll. We had two other rolls, but I can't remember the names. My dining companions appeared to like them a lot, whereas I was preferring the burrito roll. Note, the burrito roll has a non-seaweed wrapper which makes it stick out. All of the fish we sampled was excellent. I particularly liked the white tuna out of everything (torro, big red, yellowtail, jack fish).
I can't say if the place has a great sake list, as we never got to see one. I'd be interested to see what options we might have had. Maybe next time when I go back.
Highlights: fresh fish, a few really well done rolls, excellent service (everybody seems to know Michelle!)
I'd say yelp has come through on this one. The place has great sashimi and rolls.
Atami, Japan is a hot-spring resort area, tucked away in middle of the countryside. You won't know it unless you are looking for it...
Atami, San Francisco is a small mom-and-pop sushi joint, obscure on busy Lombard. Parking sucks. Traffic can be a little hectic. But this little hidden sushi joint is definitely worth a try.
Excellent quality sushi. A good selection of raw and cooked rolls. Unpretentious price. Best of all, this place does not even scream "Marina" like Ace Wasabi's or other fancy-looking joints around that you need to dress up to get decent service. Definitely substance over form.
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!
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The fish was amazing and the service was quite good. All of the special rolls were great as well, especially those involving shrimp tempura on the inside and fish on top (i forgot the names, but it should be easy enough to figure out).
For some reason, we were just about the only people in there on a saturday evening, which was strange given how good it was.
If there were any downsides, it would be that the portions were perhaps a little small, so if you're on a fish demolition mission you may run up a big bill. (The three of us took down about $130 worth of delicious fish, but we certainly were not there to fool around). If you're looking for a modest meal though, and don't want to wait a long time to get it, this is the spot.
This is a great sushi bar, great prices and no attitude. It is run by a sweet couple Wiley and Michelle. They always say hello and are grateful to have you there. The place is usually full but there is always that one table free so you never have to wait.
I suggest the poki salad.
We approached the door and saw that not a single person was inside the place. Doesn't that usually foretell negative food quality? Or is that merely a psychological game we play with ourselves - we want what everyone else wants. It was 7pm, but there we were, the only ones in the restaurant.
Here's what we ordered:
Sunomono salad
Seared Ahi tuna
Sake Nigiri
Hamachi Nigiri
Hurricane Roll - spicy tuna with tempura with albacore on the outside
The food was fresh with zero hints of fishy taste/smell. If you want quality sushi without all the sauces to hide the real fish, this is the place for you.
Service was excellent, attentive, yet not overbearing. This will definitely will be one of my normal sushi spots going forward.
The sushi was very fresh and tasty. Service was very friendly but very slow. I'd recommend sitting at the bar where you're less likely to be forgotten, but plan on waiting a while for everything.
Neon lights flicker
The service is slow as snails
Sushi is OK
This place NEVER disappoints. Their fish is so freakin' fresh, I swear they have a massive salt water and separate fresh water tank in the back. The yellow tail sashimi melts in your mouth...so good. The service is always impeccable and the owners are sweethearts. This is that kinda place that you want to see when you get to heaven. I love sushi, but it isn't my husband's fav so I find myself going here with the girls or simply driving by and whispering 'I love you I miss you I will see you soon I hope' and then on home to hamburger helper...which ALWAYS disappoints.
Anyway...Atami rocks and is also very affordable. The other thing that is quite nice about it is it never seems to be crazy packed. I went Fri. night with some friends and we waited about 10 minutes...this was around 7:30! That's pretty damn good. It is seriously one of best sushi places I've ever been to.
I LOVE this place. Great sushi. The owner and his wife are incredibly sweet. The prices aren't too bad and the variety is...ummm....varying.
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