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Category: Sushi Bars [Edit]
Neighborhood: Pacific HeightsMon-Sat. 5:30 p.m. - 10:30 p.m.
Sun. 5:30 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.
"I'm almost offended by some of the so-so reviews given here. Ten-Ichi is a fantastic family owned Sushi restaurant. They've been in business…" read more »
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A friend and I ventured to this little sweet spot the other day to satisfy a sushi craving. While few place can compete with my local sushi joint, I must admit that Godzilla hit the spot.
A mediocre, whole in the wall joint that serves basic rolls. They have the low-sodium soy sauce on all the tables so that's kinda nice. Food is pretty inexpensive but it definitely adds up. The rolls are smaller in comparison to most joints but then again you get what you pay for.
Apparently the spicy mussels are delish and a must try if you eat that sorta thing. =)
Worst sushi place I've been to in the city. Rolls are, at best, sub-par. The Hamachi yellowtail, hard to mess that up as long as its fresh and you could tell it wasnt the freshest.
After being told to go to Godzilla by a few friends, finally tried it and it was definitely not worth the hype. So many other places in the city with better more creative rolls, fresh hamachi/sashimi, and way better atmospheres.
Stumbled upon Godzila because the wait at Tataki was too long. Maybe if I had been more patient, I would have been rewarded with better sushi.
I'm not saying that the food was horrible, but it wasn't so fabulous either. But, I can't get overly excited about any sushi place that uses imitation crab instead of the real thing . . .
We sat at the sushi bar, and the chef was quick, efficient and super nice, so he saved Godzila from getting 2 stars because that's as high of a rating as I'll give for imitation crab . . .
Stumbled upon this place randomly this week.
What a great find.
I really enjoyed the atmosphere and no, not the Monday Night Football on TV (although I did sneak a peak, over my fiance's shoulder a couple of times). The fish was fresh and the rolls quite tasty.
I wish this place was closer to my residence. Their reasonable prices and friendly atmosphere would be plenty to earn my regular business.
I might be overly impressed with this place because it was the first sushi joint I went to after moving to San Francisco, but I think the sushi here is pretty good. I'm not a "sushi snob" by any means and I'm pretty much game for trying anything.
I really like the atmosphere here. There's nothing pretentious about it and the Godzilla posters/T-shirts that are hanging everywhere gives this place a cheesy/fun ambiance. The Led Zeppelin & Pink Floyd music that is playing in the background is a plus as well. It's small (there's a bar that seats about 15 people and about five or six tables) but people move in and out pretty quickly. I don't think I've ever had to wait more than about 10 minutes for a place to sit.
Like I said, the sushi is decent. My favorite roll is the saki-asparagus roll. This place doesn't have a real extensive menu, but to be honest I'm not a huge fan of sushi places that have a ton of different kinds of rolls with just a minor difference here and there from one roll to the next. One thing that I have to say disappoints me about Godzilla is there spicy tuna roll, which is generally one of my favorites. Here though they chop up the tuna and mix it with some sort of mayonnaise base and roll it. I prefer my tuna rolls with whole tuna and spicy - no funny business.
The service isn't the greatest either, but since the place is so small, it's hard for a waitress to avoid you completely.
Since I live close by and since it's cheap I always like to take out of town guests here (who mostly visit from AZ) just to say "See, we're eating sushi in San Francisco so it must be good." However, I've been informed by several people who live in SF that the sushi here probably is no better than a decent place in AZ. Oh well, I still like it :)
I'm quite surprised. I was coming in thinking it's a standard sushi place with fancy schmanz rolls. They have some what fancy schmanz, but it definitely isn't standard and it's no frills and a lot of focus on the fresh fish. The sushi was super refreshing and cool - they took time to make the rolls and the minute I popped it in my mouth - it melted like buttah.
We had the Tinky Winky, Godzila, Spicy California and some other roll I can't remember. But I just remember everything that popped in my mouth was cold, fresh and delightful. Decently priced, that all the rolls came out to $30...
Small space with like 4-5 tables maybe and a sushi bar set up. I will definitely try this again.
I met a few of my old coworkers here a few weeks ago for post-work dinner. We met around 6 pm, pretty early still, so we got seated promptly. It wasn't crowded at all. The waitress took our order and served our food at lightning speed. We all got sushi rolls. I ordered the Chirashi and the Tinky Winky roll. The Chirashi was a lot smaller of a portion than I was used to but also a lot cheaper. The rolls were decent and I was impressed that they were decently priced. I wasn't wowed by their food nor their ambiance but I wasn't turned off by anything either. Overall, just a decent place.
Godzilla sushi is a comfortable sushi "dive" bar with friendly sushi chefs and mostly high quality fish. In addition to good fish and some interesting options for rolls, the sushi chef has impeccable taste in music. Every time I walk in he's playing Hendrix, Stevie Ray, the Stones, or something you can just groove to. Sushi chefs are friendly, sometimes we trade stories on recent concerts. I love going here hungry because each order comes out in less than 10 minutes and they never make me wait for the check. For convenience, good sushi, great music and friendly low key atmosphere... Godzilla is smokin.
Let me just put it out there. I like this place because it looks rundown. Everyone seems to rave about Ebisu, but you know what? In my opinion Ebisu is often a place to go for people to celebrate (graduations, job promotions, losing virginity, etc). It's good, but its pricey. You go to Godzila if you want to unwind, hang out with friends, and eat high quality sushi that wont burn a giant hole in your wallet. carry on..
This restaurant should be listed as a $ not a $$
Cheap sushi in Pac Heights?!
That's right. We always order tons of food and still haven't managed to rack up a pricey bill.
I'm definitely not a sushi snob, nor am I big seafood fan--BUT I like Godzila and you should too. Especially, if you're on a tight budget.
Although, if you are in a rush on a Friday/Saturday night expect a wait, or come early to put your name in.
Hadnt been here for quite a few years, so I was concerned that things may have changed for the worse. I neednt have worried. Godzila is still an excellent choice for reasonably-priced sushi in a casual & fun environment.
We arrived at around 8:45 on a Friday evening, so there was a bit of a wait -- not to worry, we added our name to the list and hung out with a beer at the doorway to the little restaurant. The place is small, with just a few tables and about 8 or 10 spots at the bar. Finally, we got svery tasttyeated in a prime spot (under the TV adorned with the little Godzila figurines...!) We ordered some miso soup and Gom Ae salad (a bit heavy on the sesame, but very tasty. We followed with an assortment of sushi -- unagi hand-rolls, spicy tuna, tempura rolls, spider rolls. Fairly conventional selection, but all VERY good. (And some more Sapporo beer, of course...)
I was so impressed that I actually bought a beer for the sushi chef (an unusually generous gesture for me!) All-in-all, a fun place, reasonably priced and very tasty sushi & friendly staff.
Low-key, reasonably priced, fresh fish: Godzila is perfect for when you're craving sushi but can't afford the splurge. Worth it to swallow your pride and order the Tinky Winky. Certainly not high-end sushi, but well worth what you pay and ideal for a relaxed weekday meal out.
**Full Disclosure: I absolutely have a secret crush on the bad-ass sushi chef with the ponytail.
The food is damn good. The service is a lil slack but then again we were towards the end of the shift and relaxed ourself. Once the order was in the the food got there quick. The prices are really reasonable($4-$10) but they do not have a crazy long list of options just the main ones and a few house specialties. I like that they are open on the later side. A great stop specially if you have to visit anyone at Kaiser or UCSF.
Went back last night because the "Lady K" wanted something healthy and we had just a great meal last time.
This time we sat at the bar which is great because you get to see EVERYTHING being made and then can say, "what's that and oh yeah I want some!"
First thing first my fellow Yelpers.... I am a picky sushi eater! I went to Japan a few years ago… Read more »
cheap, good, fresh. what's not to love? well, arriving at the WRONG time on a friday night. that sucks. we came in right after a rush and waited for sooo long for a table for four. my recommendation? come with just a date and say you're willing to sit at the bar. you'll get seated much faster and your server will most likely not forget your miso soup.
in the end, it was still good. they are friendly and i appreciate their $4.50 rolls.
Statistically significant other and I dropped in on a whim last night to Godzila Sushi. He swore by it and I, not really giving a crap because I'm easy (not in that way! pervs) said okie dokie.
Loved the eel, avocado, cucumber, eggplant roll. Umm, eggplant in sushi? I've never seen that before but it was DAMN good. It may even replace my Rock 'n Roll staple!
Apparently this place is a neighborhood hot spot which means it's always packed! So come early, come hungry and with a few dollars in your pocket - you're sure to leave satisfied.
The service here was surprisingly very good! There is a chef that is really friendly and smiles a lot. He's very interactive, which is kind of nice. The waitresses and chefs all seem to be very close with each other as well, which made for a very comfortable atmosphere.
In terms of the sushi, it was very good! The fish was fresh; not the best I've had, but definitely up there. I got the sashimi half-and-half... Half salmon, half yellowtail. As a BIG fan of salmon (like the rest of the world), I was generally satisfied. We had four slices (not too thick or thin) of each fish. The spicy tuna roll was good- I liked that it had a lot of flavor in it. There are only four pieces in the roll, but each piece is cut really thick. And last, I also the salmon nigiri.
Just minus one star for the rice, because it wasn't soft and fluffy! It was kind of stale. I would recommend that you ask for lemon wedges with your sashimi. My friend and I tried that, and it was really good. Overall, great price and good food!
This is by far one of my favorite places in San Francisco. They're open about 5 hours a day and always packed. "Why are they packed?" you might ask....and I swear you'll know as soon as you step in through the door. It gets 5 stars, hands down!
Their rolls are awesome and the spicy tuna is just how I like it....SPICY! The service is friendly and really quick. They always have a great selection of classic rock playing in the background. The huge mural of Godzilla painted on the wall makes you feel like you've been transported to the 80's with chopsticks. The Saki is well priced and we always leave satisfied.
2 people -
Sapporo
Seaweed salad
Tinkie Winkie roll
Dragon roll
Spicy California roll
Spicy Tuna roll
All under $40...amazing stuff!
Try it, you'll like it.
The sushi is ok, but I guess thats what you get for the price.
Last time I was here I drew Godzilla on my napkin and they told me it was excellent and promised to hang it up. Even if they don't, I appreciate their enthusiasm. I was happy ;)
This is my fave neighborhood sushi place. The sushi chefs are great and the girls that run the floor… Read more »
Okay, review # 1,999,999,999:
This place needs no review, even from Yelp. The place speaks for itself from locals and sushi-holics across CA and beyond.
The prices can't be beat, especially in terms of quality. Not the best sushi I've ever had, not the most well crafted, but always better than the last sushi joint I've visited.
As you can read for yourself or hear on street corners, Godzilla is sushi done right in a city where prices are typically never described as budget friendly.
This place is great for a number of reasons.
1) It is close. As in, I can strap on some shoes, saunter over 3 blocks in some sweats and not mind the crowd across the street at Tortilla Heights.
2) It is reasonable in price so I can get pleasantly full without breaking the bank.
3) They are quick and they do take out.
So for being a sort of fast food" sushi place, Godzila is great!
It is always packed which is a good sign, and every time I have had dinner with friends its been a fun place to head to.
This is the perfect 'hole in the wall' cheap sushi joint. As long as you don't expect more than that, you wont be disappointed.
Believe me, I love to treat myself to 5 star sushi restaurants every now and then. But sometimes I want a really scrumptious spicy tuna roll, or anything with salmon, and it doesn't have to be gourmet, exotic, or a sizable chunk of change.
Godzilla was that place I have been looking for. For $25 each, my best friend and I shared 5 rolls, two large Ashai's, and tipped 35%.
The menu was pretty limited, but everything we tried was great and the fish was fresh. The Tinkey Winkey was my favorite aside from the spicy tuna roll which was done perfectly. Whatever sauce they use was like a creamy spicy amazing goodness.
I will be back for sure! ;-)
So... They had an awesome idea! Godzila Sushi seriously sounded like it was amazing. And for months while I was working at the Starbucks down the street, I wanted to try it.
So I did. BUT...
Their spicy tuna was bland. Why? I don't know, since spicy tuna is supposed to be full of flavor, and it usually is, even at Xiao's, which isn't the best sushi place ever.
Two stars for the prices though. If you live in the neighborhood and you're on a budget, this place will satisfy you. And also, since I did only try the spicy tuna, I might still give this place another try to taste some of their other options. Who knows, maybe it was just the spicy tuna that had no taste?
I have been to HUNDREDS of sushi places all over the USA.. and this one is still my FAVORITE! Excellent.
I went back here the other night because it was convenient to where I wanted to be geographically in the city, not because I had fond memories of this restaurant. I have to say, though, that I had a MUCH better experience here than I have in the past!
The food was reasonably priced for what it was, and while the quality was still nothing special, it didn't taste fishy or old the way it had the last time I'd come here. The rolls were generally on the smaller side with less rice on the outside, which I actually prefer, because I don't like to get stuffed on rice: I'm here for the fish! The salmon nigiri was cut a little thin for my taste - I prefer a thicker slab. The unagi nigiri was fine.
Two grouses about this visit? The music was on the loud side, which made talking with my friends harder than it had to be; Considering how small the restaurant is, it's unnecessary to have music that loud!
And we were informed that one table is supposed to sit 6 people...ummm, I don't know what planet the owners of this place are on, but those square tables fit four people comfortably. Sure, 6 people could crowd around one, but it would be an uncomfortable dining experience for all. Surely they must realize that this is a drawback to parties larger than four coming to their restaurant?
All in all, this experience with Godzila was better than in the past, so I felt the need to re-review and give more stars. It's still just an okay place, nothing special, but if you need an inexpensive sushi fix in a neighborhood that doesn't have as many Japanese options on a fixed budget, this is not a bad pick by any means!
This is another one of those great let-downs in SF: you know, the kind of place that's hyped up the… Read more »
I'm really confused as to why this place gets anything over 2 stars. I came with a very optimistic outlook, considering all the reviews. The spicy tuna roll literally made my throat turn. When there are so many great sushi restaurants (Blowfish, Sushi Groove, etc.) I can't imagine why anyone would visit here twice.
Great neighborhood sushi joint, cheap quick and the chefs are pretty cool. My signature is a the California salad, yellow tail and green onion roll and the godzilla roll.
Get the Godzilla, it's absolutely the best for their "special rolls."
There's definitely a steady crowd there, Tuesday/Friday night... both pretty packed but not an unbearable wait.
I'm an optimist, because i really think this place deserves 3.5 but unfortunately that's not an option. WHY am I against Godzilla? The fuckin new credit card policy of $20 or more. I was with a party of 4 and we wanted to divide the check... $18 per card and she wouldn't do it! Seriously??? And wouldn't budge... I felt like i was being tauted by my little niece, sorry Charlie.
Left Bestbuy and was craving for sushi so we decided to stop by Godzilla since it was close by. The restaurant has about 5 4-seater tables and an entire row of seating along the bar. I've been to a lot of sushi places and this has got to be one of the brightest- the lights really shine brightly!
The menu was very simple and featured sushi that were pretty cheap in price; however the special rolls were priced pretty comparable to other places. We ordered the philly roll, rainbow roll, dragon roll, and tinky winky. The tinky winky and philly were pretty good, but the rainbow and dragon were very small compared to a lot of other places i've been to- paying $9+ per roll I would of expected the sushi to be a little bigger at least.
Service here was good- we got greeted by the waitress and the sushi chef once we entered and got served tea right away. Would I come back? My bf says probably not.
Great place for sushi. The guys over the counter always make fun with the guests. Price is very reasonable and the food very tasty. Do not pass on the spicy mussels.
Godzilla sushi is what it sounds like, a Godzilla themed restaurant. I've been making my round around many good sushi joints in SF and Godzilla was one that my friend nozomi and i went on a whim. She had a friend that worked there, so we figured we'd try it since we were in the area.
It's a pretty small restaurant, with simple tables and a giant mural of godzilla and many movie posters, as well as customer drawn napkins on the walls. This place definitely had personality, which is a big plus for me.
I could tell just by looking most people in there were regulars, and knew what they wanted. We sat at a table and looked at the small menu of what to eat. I wasn't very impressed at the menu's variety, but it had some good choices for what seemed like reasonable prices.
We were served by very nice waitresses, so i felt the service was decent. however the main attraction was food, and of course, i had to try the godzilla roll, since that was the namesake. Can't screw that up right? We ordered a bunch of nigiri and also a sashimi platter.
When the food came, it looked decent. Nicely arranged, looked fresh... but kind of small. The salmon sashim was 7 pieces, but looked more like 5 pieces sliced into 7. It looked more like an appetizer than a meal. The godzilla roll was only 4 pieces unfortunately, so i wasn't happy with that. I don't have complaints about the taste, cuz it DID taste good but it didn't jump out at you.
So in closing, it passed my test, but, its not a place i'd go back over and over. Although the prices seem low, the quantity is low too, so i wasn't that impressed, nor was i full at the end after already spending 50 bones.
I like this place for its personality, and the people are nice, but the place is a little bit stingy, in my opinion.
Strangely enough, nozomi and i were the only asians that night. We just found it a little funny that every single person waiting to eat and that was here before us, was white. Nothing wrong with that, but we just felt we stood out. ha ha
Well wonders never cease. Thanks to desperate sushi cravings and extreme laziness, I broke down last night and decided to give Godzila a try.
The staff. . . .was nice!
The sushi. . . .was not warm, tasted fine, and was ready in like half an hour!
I'm pretty sure I should buy a lottery ticket while my lucky streak lasts.
Do I think they've turned a new leaf and this regular service will continue? No sir, I do not, but I sure had a good time being pleasantly surprised!
Oh don't bother. The service alone is enough to make you run for the door before you're forced to… Read more »
Godzila not Godzilla? Hmmmm...
Had the Combo A sushi platter, pretty standard, but I tasted fresher in cheaper places. My friend's Dragon roll looked good though, not service was good. Pretty spaced out tables and not too cramped, was still hungry and ordered the tuna ginger, which disappointed. I like Tsunami waaaay better down the street.
Good, fast, affordable sushi. What more can you ask for?
I love it here. It's my favorite neighborhood sushi place and I recommend it to everyone. I take all my friends here!
Bonus points for playing great music.
4/5 stars cos on the busier nights, I wish they had more tables. But the quick and sincere service almost makes up for it.
Reasons to go here:
1. You like to listen to Led Zeppelin or Pink Floyd to get the full effect of your Rock 'n Roll Roll
2. Places with new age music and modern furniture creeps you out. I mean, how serious can they be about their food when they spent all their startup capital on furniture and ambiance?
3. You like good, no frills sushi.
4. You finally scored a date with that cute hipster guy/girl and you want to show them that you are so not mainstream.
Reasons to not go here:
1. You are trying to impress a date who shops at Barney's
2. Highly recommend not going here if you sanitize your hands before and after you shake hands with strangers.
3. It's not the type of place to wake up early enough to snag the top fish at the markets at 4:00 am. Instead, they'll get there at 5 am so they don't get stuck with the worst, but the best has been long gone.
4. This is your first time eating Sushi - go to the place with the cheesy ambiance, then you'll appreciate Godzilla's charm.
Overall, good place. Not the best sushi, but the best in the neighborhood (which is kinda saying a lot considering how close Japantown is and all...)
Extremely mediocre sushi with cafeteria-like ambiance. Of course, these things could be overlooked for really cheap prices (even sushi lovers need their go-to cheap fix...) but they just were not low enough. Godzilla is another typically priced sushi place with typical mediocre sushi. But I suppose if you are nearby, don't mind paying mid-range sushi prices for what should be cheap-priced sushi and want to stick to the rolls - sure, go ahead... but the nigiri was sliced very thin and the fish quality was indeed sub par, and as with our Aji just plain Bad.
With the plethora of sushi places in this city, It is truly a task to find those ones that feel really special. I think Ejji is one of those. Check it out. The bill will be the same but the freshness of both fish and the recipes is wonderful.
Two friends of mine were getting married back in '05 and wanted for me to be involved in the wedding. Either the bride or the groom could've claimed me for their side. I didn't really have a preference and they rejected my suggestion of officiating the wedding. Apparently, they had tossed the idea around a bit, but finally realized that it'd be a problem.
"A problem?" I wondered.
"You mumble. People won't hear you."
Tonight, my girl and I went to Godzilla Sushi. She wanted me to pick a place. I wanted sushi. Her good friend loves the place. I wanted somewhere we could walk to. So here we were.
So how do these stories relate? Well, she had to ask me more than a dozen times to repeat myself. I swear it was because the music at Godzilla was so loud that my normal speaking voice was drowned out.
The food was OK. The service was OK. There was nothing special here at all. I'm not sure how anyone could love the place, but that's OK. Some people wake up everyday and look in the mirror and remark how much they love themselves. If I can be OK with that, I guess I can be OK with this.
(Note: I think people do this with mirrors. I'm not sure. I've never known anyone besides the sweater freak on SNL back in the early 90s. But that's mmm-OK."
We started with edamame which had no flavor. Followed this with a simple green salad with a sesame-miso dressing that turned the bowl of crunch lettuce into a soupy messy by the end.
We opted for rolls. Nothing to crazy: spicy California, spicy tuna, a spider roll, and a U-Nasu roll (BBQ eel, eggplant, cucumber).
I washed it down with a 7-Up until the waitress re-filled my glass with water. She noticed her mistake and got me a new can. And, that was really nice of her since I was essentially done with it already.
I wasn't expect much coming here. I don't expect I'll ever come back. It's just OK in a city that has much better sushi. We just have to find it!
Can Yelpers Help Me? Please! I need good fish.
While waiting in line to eat at Godzilla, I overheard someone say that a tempura roll is authentic sushi followed by "Japanese people invented Sake bombs."
Okay, so the definition of sushi has been bastardized and historians are still debating the validity of such a drunken statement, but I don't know where else in SF you can feed 4 people, get hammered, and still come under a c-note for decent quality sushi.
Obviously there are better places, but Godzilla is tough to beat for the price and good times.
I came here with a friend a while ago. I was pretty drunk so I don't remember how the food tasted. So I guess I really don't have an opinion for this review...
I just remember that they had some Squid Sashimi that made me nauseous for the rest of the night. I kept burping and tasting it. After a while my stomach started to hurt and it ruined my evening.
Moral of the Story: Don't eat squid. It's a game killer.
this is one of the few ratings that I'm confidently qualified to give.
I've been going to this kitschy little sushi place since before I even lived in San Francisco, and I've never had a bad experience. Their sushi is fresh, the price is right, and the energy is buzzing.
The menu is simple and straight-forward, but they still have a few daily specials to keep things interesting. A fun place to go with a few close friends (not conducive to large groups). And if you go on the weekend, you'll most likely find a line. Don't worry, it's worth the wait.
Happy Hour - 7 Days A Week!
Neighborhood: Pacific Heights
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Neighborhood: Hayes Valley
Neighborhood: Pacific Heights
Category: Sushi Bars
Neighborhood: Pacific Heights
Category: Japanese
Neighborhood: Pacific Heights
Category: Japanese
Neighborhood: Pacific Heights
Category: Japanese
Neighborhood: Pacific Heights
Category: Sushi Bars
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