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Categories: Japanese, Sushi Bars [Edit]
Neighborhood: Outer RichmondMon-Sun. 11:30 a.m. - 10:00 p.m.
"Ohhhh that hit the spot. This place is awesome. You get so many choices. I like choices. Broth: traditional water, chicken broth, and spicy…" read more »
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Look, I know, how the heck am I giving this place three and a half stars when I give places like Ame four stars? Well, to put it in context, this place is ridiculously cheap and fast! At first I wasn't too keen on coming here because of all the so-so reviews but one of my friends swore by this place so the decision was made to come on a Saturday night. Here's a tip. Don't come on Saturday night. The parking is INSANE! We must have circled for about 30 minutes! Not to mention that it's about a 25 minute drive from SOMA which is where we were. If you must come for Saturday dinner, do not come at the peak times!
That being said, the good news is that by the time we got to the restaurants our friends had not only gotten a table (there was a crowd waiting for tables by 6:30pm) but had ordered for us. Great! The food was not amazing but pretty good! And once you factor in the price, it's a pretty darn good deal. We got a salmon sashimi bento with rice, salad, soup and a huge helping of 6 salmon pieces for $12? Damn! And my friend swore that the prices had not increased since 2002. The spider and godzilla rolls were both pretty good (but with lots of rice as to be expected at a place like this) and most of the rolls ranged from $3-$6. Even the specialty ones! We were in and out in about 30 minutes. The negative is that service is pretty darn bad. They dont' care. Why should they? They are the best deal in town! (or richmond). I don't mind. If I need a cheapo Japanese fix and am in the area, you can find me here!
A few years ago, I would have given Kitaro five stars for the price/simplicity/service. After a few recent visits and many rounds of food poisoning, I cannot imagine going back.
I let them know that the spicy tuna I had may be causing the food poisoning (my wife and I both got sick after eating here). They asked if I was sure and I told them that I would never accuse them of this unless I knew for sure. Being that I LOVED Kitaro at the time, I would never have bused them out unless I knew.
The person on the phone took a very defensive stance and said that food poisoning doesn't happen there - this is strange because you deal in raw food, especially fish. Unless there is some nuclear irradiation going on in the kitchen, food poisoning is a fact of life for sushi restaurants.
It used to be a great find...decent food and great prices. The prices are still good but read the other reviews...the quality has obviously slipped.
What happened to the quality of this place?
Ok we're in a recession and all, but when customers pay good money they expect good food in exchange.
For realz yelp, i've experienced WAYYYYYYYYY better sushi.
KITARO is an excellent & inexpensive place for a fun JAPANESE meal, and ESPECIALLY FOR VEGETARIANS like ADDA!
There is an excellent selection of unique VEGGIE SUSHI items such as the SEAWEED SALAD, TAMAGO (egg) NIGIRI, INARI, ASPERAGUS, OSHINKO (radish), AVOCADO & the wonderful PUMPKIN (acorn squash) ! At $1.99 a roll they are the best priced veggie sushi in the City!
The Deep Fried SOFT TOFU is well prepared with a nice topping of teriyaki sauce. Three large pieces for $3.99.
The meat/fish folks will love the RAINBOW ROLL with the variety of fish, and the ROCK 'N ROLL with its barbecued eel & avocado are top choices.
There are COMBO dishes that are reasonably priced. (Chicken Teriyaki as well as the Salmon Teriyaki are favorites of my friends)
The HOUSE SAKI is reasonably priced and tastes GREAT!
The staff is very attentive and they really do take the time to accomodate and make one feel welcome!
KITARO is always packed all the hours of the day (11:30-11:00pm).
Yes, everyone's taste in sushi is different. KITARO has had so many customers for so many years, it goes to prove KITARO is a wonderful SAN FRANCISCO bargin!
I seldom gave really low ratings but this unfortunately really had earned just 1 star.
Came here around 9pm and as soon as we found out there were no sushi bars we knew it was bad news. They did not have toro and we were wondering if we should order.
Well we did order the fire crackers, rainbow roll, unagi and 1 tuna nigiri.
Fire crackers earned that star. The rest of the fish and rice were dry and they were pre-made and kept in the fridge for who knows how long.
I left the place eating just 3 pieces of sushi and hungry.
A few years ago this place was the place to go when you wanted decent sushi for a fair price for a fun group. I also used to pick up some for my parents ALL the time.
But I went again recently and the place is DEAD. The ambiance is best described as a wet rag, very gloomy. And the food quality TOTALLY went down. The fish pieces aren't fresh and none of it looked appetizing.
What happened to this place? My boyfriend and I came here a few weeks ago, after a short hiatus from the restaurant, and could not believe how awful the food had become.
Sure, Kitaro was never a five star restaurant, their rolls were always kind of messy and mediocre, but they were a still a solid three stars in my book, because of the value.
Sadly, I can barely rate it a one star establishment anymore. The rolls were so, so dinky. I'd say the ratio was 90% rice and only 10% filling. Plus, the "Pink Dragon Roll" we ordered tasted like it had been sitting out for hours and reheated for us. In fact, the capers were a tell tale sign of reheating, they were shrunken and shriveled. The salmon that lay on top of the roll was dry and tasteless. My boyfriend and I were so offended by the quality of the food, we left a 6% tip or something equally atrocious.
On the bright side, I guess we'll never have to worry about finding parking in this area again.
I used to love Kitaro, it was my favorite Japanese restaurant when I was in college, because it was… Read more »
Uninteresting. My friend was excited to take me here when I came up to visit him. As both of us were bargain hunters, he assured me that this place would be right for me. You get what you pay for is not really a bargain you see. Albeit the average price of the rolls here are cheaper than the rest of the sushi restaurants, the rolls are not interesting in terms of taste and look. It is like forcing yourself to eat the last bits of food when you are satiated but obliged to not waste any food. This review has to be cut short because there is nothing else to say about this restaurant.
Quick, Moderate, and Satisfying Sushi can be purchased here.
Whenever I go for a cheap sushi night I go to kitaro because Safeway use to offer those %15 off bill coupons on Safeway's receipts.
I truthfully like their tempura; perfectly battered.
Although I feel they could invest in some better looking cups, I feel the glasses are overused and became blurry.
Altogether is a cheap eat and decent food. Not bad!
Kitaro definitely satisfied my Japanese craving. They have a wide selection of Japanese dishes and sushi. I had the gyoza, veggie udon, and inari. Everything was delicious - the udon noodles were nice and chewy. The food came out fast, the tea was yummy, and the wasabi hit the spot.
Oh and it's cheeeeaaap... My boyfriend and I ate for about $20!
Seeing all these low reviews is surprising because I have been there about 5 times and I have never been disappointed. The food is great the service is fast and the prices are cheap. I love coming here when in SF to get my sushi on. Food wise it compares with higher end places but with super reasonable prices.
Try Rock And Roll and the firecracker with extra orange sauce.
I remember coming here whenever I was in the area as a kid. It's a Chinese run Japanese restaurant, but the workers don't admit it. That's kind of weird because most of the places on Geary are Chinese run. There's nothing embarrassing about that. Anyways, the restaurant is clean, and the bathrooms are presentable. No complaints about that. The restaurant is usually busy during busy hours, so either get to go or expect a wait. I never got to go, so I don't really know anything about that.
As for the food, when I came here as a kid, the portions used to be huge. Nowadays when I come, the portions are smaller, and the dinner portions are around the same as the lunch portions in the past. That's bit depressing. I came here with Winnie L. lately. We shared a dinner combination and a Hawaii Roll. We got Chicken Kara-age and Tempura, I believe. Winnie liked the chicken, so that's good. The other food wasn't super amazing, but the price isn't super high either. You get what you pay for, so don't expect some amazing stuff.
As for places on Geary, I think it's the best place for quantity in terms of Japanese food.
Ugh...I can't believe this, but I'm taking a star away from my previous review. Although Kitaro is a staple in my family (I think my mom goes multiple times a week for this salmon teriyaki)...I've realized that: THE SUSHI ISN'T THAT GREAT.
I realized this last weekend. Dad and I decided to order a couple of rolls, instead of the usual combo dinners (try the beef teriyaki or the tempura udon).
And...the sushi was just...so-so. I realized just how "so-so" it was, when I went to eat two doors down at Sakana Bune yesterday, and realized, DAMN...Sakana Bune's sushi is hellllla better.
Another neighborhood fave.
Cheap with lots of options. In the past it was uber difficult to get a…
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Conveniently, my friend & I were in need of a sushi fix one afternoon & he told me about this place, so I decided to check it out. It was like 4, & usually, all the sushi places I know of would be closed, but this place definitely wasn't! So thank you for being open unlike Little Tokyo next door.
My initial reaction when I opened the menu was how bizarrely inexpensive everything was! I thought it was hella surreal, but how can I pass up a price like that? I got a Tiger Roll & Unagi Nigiri, for about $12 total. That's the price I would normally pay for a Caterpillar or Dragon elsewhere, without the Unagi Nigiri! So, that was definitely a save.
It didn't feel like we even waited for our food; it was out with the quickness. The rolls packed taste, & were able to fit in my mouth without me making a mess (trust me, I'm the sloppiest eater, ever). & Even the ginger tasted better than a few other places I could think of. Wasn't an upset, but could've been a bit more pieces in the roll.
Definitely felt like I've won here.
I love, love, love this place.
A. Everything is super fucking cheap.
B. It's fucking delicious.
C. They have good variety. (Sushi rolls, handrolls, udon, lunch boxes, etc...)
Highly recommended, especially if you are looking to save money!
I have been a fan of this restaraunt since we first discovered it about seven years ago, and it was delicious! But after about a year of not coming here, we decided to have dinner at Kitaro on Saturday. It's hard to find parking here, so keep that in mind.. Their portions have gotten much smaller over the years, too. I'm going to try the floating boat sushi place a block down from here next time.. it was crowded when we walked by. I also love browsing down the streets of Geary! They have many Russian markets and bakeries, AND there's this one irish bakery (john campbells' irish bakery ) and it's DELICIOUS!
This is my favorite sushi place for a cheap date with my sweetie. The ambiance is cute, nothing fancy. The food comes out pretty quick. But the sushi itself is pretty fresh and really tasty. Rainbow roll is $6.50 instead of the normal $10-$12 elsewhere. We usually end up leaving for under $45 stuffed, sometimes less than $30. I love all the different rolls, and they have a $7 special for six nigiri and a CA roll. Their sister restaurant Kiki on 9th and Irving is exactly the same, but less of a date place and more of a casual spot.
Daisuki Kitaro....oishii desune!
The dynamite sushi roll was dynamite.
Usually sushi this cheap isn't this good.
Very fast and friendly service.
1. super cheap
2. hella good sushi rolls
3. the food not bad either
One of my favorite places to eat..ever.Hands down.Awesome.
I've been coming to Kitaro for the past couple years,and not once have I ever been disappointed with anything.Service is always prompt,even when they're packed to the gills.The staff all work as a team and I'm always taken care of.
Weather I'm in a group of 13 people,out with the fam,or on a date..the prices have never even come close to breaking the bank.I also love that no matter who I bring here,theres something for everyone,even the sushi naysayers (though you can bet if I'm on a date..if hes a naysayer its pretty much a deal breaker ;D )
I've tried every roll on the menu,and while I have my favorites,I can safely assert that everything is delicious.The fish is always fresh,and a lot of the rolls are creative with amazing flavors that I haven't found anywhere else.
I haven't strayed too far from the sushi because I love it so,but I'll give special notes to the grilled squid,fried tofu,and soft shell crab.All of which are staples when I go out with my family.Between the 4 of us,we can eat like Kings (or piggies..really) and not spend over 65 bucks...including beer and sake.
I even enjoy the booth seating.It gives it a family comfort,but you aren't ever distracted from the people you came with.The ambiance is nothing but warm and inviting...especially on a frigid city night.
If you haven't been here,you're certainly missing out.
This place is great for really cheap sushi, really fast.
Had the Kitaro roll, San Francisco roll, and Dynamite Roll. It all came out to be about $14 with tax and tip.
It was really decent. Nothing too fancy. The food comes out fast.
fresh & cheap sushi is it possible? yes at kitaro it is!! i love this place, fresh sushi, fast service, nice portion, i am a sucker for kitaro. it's no fancy joint, but you know what, if i can get fresh & affordable sushi, i am all in! the other food like seaweed salad, curry katsu are good as well. hey even my mom likes this place, and she's not a huge fan of japanese food, so that says a lot!
Stopped in here pretty randomly today and had a very tasty meal. Lots of food for what I would call reasonable prices (but I don't live in the city).
The pieces were all there; large table of young students, one old woman who was clearly a regular, generically asian masks on the wall, and a sign that clearly could (but did not) light up that said "Godzilla Roll."
I enjoyed the miso, the negihama roll, and the dynamite roll. The gf enjoyed her box of assorted food but thought the chicken rubbery.
Worth stopping in. As others have commented service is also very fast.
If I could give it a 0, I would. I only come here because my cheap ass friends likes it here. For some odd reason whatever I eat here, I end up in the bathroom. Seriously I know their food isn't fresh, but I can't believe they're willinging to sever expire food... If you want good food... you do not want to be here....
Kitaro is my favorite sushi place in the city, mainly because I only eat "fake" sushi. And this place has a great menu for us "fake" sushi eaters! Gotta try the California roll (the King of all "fake" sushi eaters) and the Kitaro roll is great too (basically a California roll with teriyaki chicken instead of the crab). And the sushi slices aren't too huge, so you don't end up looking like a rabid chipmunk when you eat it. Score!
One of my favorite SF sushi spots! Great combination of fresh fish ,cheap prices and friendly service!
Also a ton of colorful soju drinks to choose from!
3.5 really.
Yes, the food is mediocre at best. No, you're not going to find anything out of the ordinary or special on this restaurant's menu. But what gives Kitaro an edge over the dozens and dozens of other small Japanese places in the city are its ridiculously low prices. For example, I had a bento-box special featuring fried shrimp and chicken katsu with a salmon and avocado roll on the side all for $13. So the main reason for coming here isn't to have excellent-tasting Japanese cuisine, but rather a filling, okay-tasting meal that's the exact same quality at most other places, but roughly 30% cheaper. I've only seen a small number of places that can match this formidable food quality:price ratio. Not to mention the service is good, the place is clean and the food comes out quick.
Kitaro is the best. The sushi is always really good, really fresh, and really cheap. Service is friendly and quick, great neighborhood spot.
This is my go-to sushi place when I'm craving cheap sushi. It's not the best but I do love their firecracker roll and godzilla roll. Their selection is cheap and you get good portions for what you pay for. They have a combo where you get three different types of sushis for under $7-8. It fills me up quick. You get california roll, tempura, and I believe unagi roll. There's no substitutions.
When I need a sushi fix and don't want to pay a lot...I come here b/c it's in my area. This place is pretty cheap, but the quality isn't that great either. Basically, you get what you pay for. This place is pretty spacious and accomodating. It's always filled with college students late at night.
I would recommend:
DYNAMITE ROLL: spicy tuna with tempura and spicy sauce
RAINBOW ROLL: I like getting this roll at all sushi places b/c it's a hodgepodge of stuff--crab, albacore, tuna, and salmon w/ avocado and tobiko sauce.
GOZILLA ROLL: tempura spicy tuna roll topped with a wasabi based sauce.
SPIDER ROLL: tempura soft shelled crab
Stop.
This place smells like feet.
Can I get a side of Odor Eaters with my sashimi, please?
Any place with a bad smell is sure to make the food smell bad too.
This used to be my favorite Japanese restaurant when I was in my early 20's. Back then, I couldn't tell the difference between good and bad Japanese food. And back then, I didn't have a Japanese boyfriend who turned me into a sushi snob.
This place has mediocre Japanese food (IMO). I actually prefer their cooked foods more than their sushi. Their sushi is not that great. I guess I'm not into those big ass godzilla rolls that everyone else likes. You know, those rolls that are deep fried and drenched in sauce. I would rather go to Minami, or Rumble Fish for sushi. Well, like everyone says "You get what you pay for."
I ordered their saba shioyaki/chicken kaarage combo ($7.99). It was alright. I'm curious to try their curry udon special. I wonder if its any good. I also have to mention service here wasn't that great.
More like 2.5 stars. But I'll give them 3 cause of their reasonable prices.
Kitaro is definitely my all-time favorite Japanese restaurant. I think their prices are reasonable and their entire menu is just tasteful. I always come for their sushi and bento. They're not the best, but they won't disappoint you. Lunch is much cheaper, of course!
when i'm on a budget...the food here is cheap and the prices are amazing. i love their chicken katsu curry udon. the tempura is delicious. salmon teryaki is pretty good too. i've also had the dynamite roll, firecracker, mixed sashimi, tempura roll, ebi?...i don't remember anymore, but pretty much everything on the menu. sooooo damn delicious. i can't say the same for kiki's. the sister restaurant to kitaro.
In many ways I assert my authority over foods that I know a decent amount about. If a restaurant claims to be "authentic (insert cuisine type) cuisine," then sure, I'll be pretty harsh when I critique it, or if it claims to make the best red velvet cake, then I will hold it to that standard.
What I do not do, and what really grates on my nerves about a lot of the reviews written here, is assume that every Japanese or whatever type of ethnic restaurant will claim to be authentic. Kitaro does not in any way claim to be "authentic Japanese cuisine," people.
Kitaro is being held to a standard that it never claimed to live up to. It is NOT a restaurant that should be compared with authentic udon or katsu shops like those in Japan, nor should it be compared to mom and pop Japanese sushi places in the U.S. that are so stringent about the quality of raw fish that they will have fresh fish shipped daily from Japan. Kitaro is run by a bunch of Chinese people who recognized what patrons wanted -- cheap, affordable sushi and Americanized sushi rolls as well as combination plates. If you don't want to enjoy the godzilla roll or the Mexican roll or any of the other specialty rolls that they offer here, then don't come here and complain about the food not being authentic, because they never claimed to be authentic!
I don't understand how anyone could think that this place is not good for the money that they are paying to eat here for, nor do I understand how anyone would be ashamed to get a party platter or a specialty roll here. Keeping in mind that authenticity is not Kitaro's goal, I think that they make pretty damn good food, and it is obviously good and popular, otherwise why is the restaurant is always jam packed with a wait at almost all hours of the day? The amount of business that Kitaro gets speaks for itself.
And in a time and day when there's a recession going on, and a lot of people can't afford $50-200/head for "authentic" sushi, haters are NOT appreciated. If you want to be snooty and assert that you know about what sushi or katsu really is, then go somewhere else and eat and be self-important.
I met a couple of good friends here for dinner last night and all I have to say is there is a reason why it's so cheap. Bleh. It was alright, but I've had better California and spicy tuna rolls at Safeway -- and for me to say that is B-A-D. Now, the bento boxes are a steal, I will give them that. I thought the katsu was awful to be honest, the only saving grace was the tempura - but come on, there aren't a lot of places that can screw up tempura veggies and shrimp. It was kind of icky too. The bathroom was gnarly. Thankfully I did not have to visit the porcelain god last night unnecessarily, but I'll be honest, I was worried about it.
Needless to say, next time we meet, it won't be at this place.
The Firecracker rolls are sweet...so are their Dragon Rolls. This place is one that I will remember as most likely the very best Japanese restaurant in San Francisco. I strongly recommend this place for an easy, not so fancy dive in Japanese restaurant.
The price of the meal for two of us was $31 w/ tip. The Value meals have so much food! If you sign up for the monthly coupon you get another 15%. Crazy. Crazy Good though.
I used to be in love Kitaro. It pretty much was my favorite sushi spot in SF.
And now I've evolved and outgrown it. Their sushi is actually pretty average. You can find the typical sushi rolls that any other restaurant has. The definite upside to Kitaro: their prices. I would definitely choose to come here if I didn't want to shell out a lot of cash for a quick sushi fix.
Their service has always been decent. Nothing to complain about, and nothing to rave about. Seating is kinda limited so sometimes there's a wait.
My recommendations for ordering: the firecrackers! they're cheap, good, and a party in your mouth. and the seaweed salad. really good and also cheap.
I agree, it's mediocre. It seemed really good initially, but not really. I decided to stick with the good old chicken teriyaki. My brother's beef teriyaki seemed good, and perhaps he picked the better dish. The salad wasn't too good as its dressing was bland. The edamame was good, nice and fresh.
However, the seating's kinda cramped and they don't take reservations. They weren't extremely crowded on this Saturday night, so we were okay.
The mochi was terrible though. I don't know what it was, but the outside tasted stale, but the green tea ice cream itself wasn't too bad.
Neighborhood: Outer Richmond
Category: Sushi Bars
Neighborhood: Inner Sunset
Category: Japanese
Neighborhood: Outer Richmond
Category: Japanese
Neighborhood: Inner Richmond
Category: Sushi Bars
Neighborhood: Outer Richmond
Category: Sushi Bars
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