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Kui Shin Bo
Category: Restaurants Japanese Japanese [Edit]
22 Peace PlzSte 535
San Francisco, CA 94115
Neighborhoods: Japantown, Lower Pac Heights, Pacific Heights
(415) 922-9575
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Garage, Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Lunch, Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Beer & Wine Only
- Noise Level:
- Quiet
- Ambience:
- Casual
- Has TV:
- No
- Caters:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
99 reviews for Kui Shin Bo
Review Highlights
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"...2 items that come with miso soup, rice, and salad for $7.50." In 17 reviews -
"volcano roll was super yummy." In 4 reviews -
"They have daily specials that are super cheap." In 6 reviews
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99 reviews in English
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Review from Michelle A.
Los Altos, CA
4/17/2012
This place is really great. My BF and I were casually walking around and was attracted to the cheap prices. For only $8.5, you get to choose 2 dishes (Tonkatsu, Beed Teriyaki, Cali roll, curry, etc) with salad & rice.
That's a steal especially since it's in Japantown. We got so much food that we were able to make another meal from the left overs. In total, we spent less than $20 to feed 2 adults. I would definitely come back for some cheap food.
If you like curry, it's only $6.00 for a bowl of curry on top of rice with soup and salad. -
Review from Emily M.
Alameda, CA
3/29/2012
It was by accident that my friends and I have stumbled upon this eatery - we had the hardest time choosing a place to dine in. We went in as we were lured by the menu that was out in the open. We were seated fairly quickly since there weren't many customers yet. The waiter, which I'm guessing is the owner (?), gave us the menu and delivered a more descriptive selection by speech. He was kind and got things done at a swift pace so we left a hearty tip.
The food was definitely something. I don't know if it's because I was starving but the food tasted extra special. In my friend's word, it tasted homemade; it's as if your parents-were-cooking-you-that-meal sort of thing I guess. I got the udon with tempura all for $8.50. The broth for the udon was tasty and didn't taste like the other Japanese restaurants. Two of my friends who ordered the udon agreed that the broth was something different - in a good way of course. The tempura was lightly battered and the sauce that accommodated the dish was "light" and not too thick as I had in other places. I ate up my delicious meal and left, promising to return whenever I'm in Japantown again.
Oh, and they have takoyaki, which was a surprise! :) -
Review from Grace anne D.
Concord, CA
It was a Saturday, afternoon 3PM, and the restaurant we were planning to go was closed so we passed by this place which was next door. I was instantly aroused by their daily bento special which you pick 2 items for $8.50 and there were a lot of choices to choose from.
There was only 1 table left so my boyfriend and I sat down and AH! their chairs are so short and it was very uncomfortable to sit in after awhile, they should add a pillow on the chair's. At least my feet and my boyfriend's feet touched the floor, because we're short :P The inside of this place is a bit dim, there was a lot of people so it was nice to hear people talk and watch hot plates and bento boxes come out from the kitchen.
Our waiter, some older Asian man with glasses, was very friendly and seemed like your typical older Asian dad. I ordered their daily special bento: veggie tempura and california roll which came with soup, salad and rice. My boyfriend ordered their dragon roll, shrimp tempura and udon. I was sad that they didn't give me my soup and salad UNTIL my food came because I'm used to having my soup's and salad's before I get my food so I could have something to munch on.
:(
It was super busy when we were there so our food took awhile but it was worth it at the end.
Veggie Tempura: small pieces, but tasted good.
Cali roll: decent size, delicious.
Soup & Salad: soup was good, I'm not a fan of miso soup in the first place so I gave it to my boyfriend. The salad portion was small, good tasty sauce on top though.
Rice: a little on the dry side.
Dragon Roll: LOOKS like a caterpillar roll, tasted delicious, sorta small portion. But not bad for $8.
Shrimp Tempura: crunchy, a little too much batter, big long pieces.
Udon: tasty!
I really like this place. I need to come back again and finally get the takoyaki ! -
Review from Alex D.
San Francisco, CA
5/10/2012
I think this place is adorable. I love their udon and oftentimes will go with my boyfriend and share a special. Which for the both of us comes out to 8.50! Food is great and the price is right!
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Review from Steve T.
4/17/2012 1 Check-in Here
Good food, lower prices and good service. The mall is empty but this place would have a line anywhere else.
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Review from Steve G.
Alameda, CA
3/10/2012
Ladies in my family love shopping at Ichiban. So after fishing them out of the store, we were all ready to eat. In the mood for udon and ramen which you can get a number of restaurants in Japantown Mall. Kui Shin Bo is right next to the store and was advertising a 2 item $8.50 dinner. Since udon or ramen alone is usually about that, we decided to try it.
Place was pretty empty, in contrast to the restaurants in West Mall, which were pretty full (we walked over after dinner). All 4 of us ordered some combination of udon/ramen. @ of us had chicken teri, 1 tonkatsu, 1 oysters. We devoured the udon and ramen. Noodles were nice and light, broth not too salty and each included some veggie (if you count seaweed as a veggie). Our dinners weren't supposed to come with rice, but when we asked they gave us some.
Portions were fine, we ate it all but left full. Not the best quality Japanese food we've had, but a great value for a Saturday night dinner. -
Review from Tom Y.
San Francisco, CA
4/15/2012
Ha, this place is a secret! It's tucked away in the corner, literally. I hate putting a review up but at the same time I need it to stay open. I live in the neighborhood and I think I've tried almost every place in the mall and buchanan ally and this is where I go for a bento box. I would say if you are looking for good sushi this is not the place, but nor is most of japantown ironically.
Why 5 stars?
- Tastes authentic, a place my japanese grandmother would go to frequently, and i do see older Japanese women going in for takeout.
- Great and wide selection of choices for the bento box
- The price, you will NOT find a better deal in Japantown for the equivalent food
- The server (owner?) is the nicest guy and it's like walking into the smaller type restaurant in Japan
- No wait, I've never waited for table, though I've never gone during one of the many festivals in Japantown
- I dare say that this is the best tempura, for those who know their tempura
You get the point, great small neighborhood favorite unspoiled by mainstream foot traffic of the mall and pretentious yelpers like myself. -
Review from Port L.
New York, NY
1/20/2012 1 Check-in Here
The food was decent at the price we paid. My girlfriend and I decided to get dinner at Japan town and we were astounded at the dinner special.
Because of the time, we decided to take it to go and have our meal at the hotel. The food was cold by the time we arrived to the hotel, and the food was just not very spectacular. -
Review from Jim D.
11/26/2011
Lunch with two items for $8.50. Such a deal. After some shopping at Ichiban Kan and Daiso in Japantown I decided it was time to eat some lunch. Kui Shin Bo is situated close to Ichiban Kan, it is small and bare bones minimum in term of decorations.
I ordered the California rolls with the deep fried oysters. I thought they did a nice job with the oysters not greasy and crunchy. The roll were average quality. Rice, salad and miso accompanied the lunch. But the restaurant must be better then average because it was almost full.
Good service - they provided water when the glasses were empty.
Overall 3.5 stars -
Review from Shane S.
Los Angeles, CA
3/13/2012
San Francisco's Japantown is one of the last three Japanese historical areas left in the United States..... I hope it survives! With this economy and far less Japanese immigrants I wonder. This place was ok, decent, not bad. It had a great lunch special... two items for $8.50 with soup, a small salad, and rice. The ambiance looks like the place was bought a long time ago, and they just "use the space" The sushi bar is unused and the place looked like it has seen a happier time. This mall is unfortunately going downhill, and I hope places like this will not disappear, but everyone needs to upgrade a bit to bring back "the good ole days"
We stopped for the lunch special and that was not bad. The food tasted good and it had that "mom homestyle cooking " taste to it. Probably because the wife was cooking inside! They did not seem Japanese, and they weren't since they did not respond to my friends questions. Anyway the food tasted ok and well... it is not bad. I think it would be much better with a little music, and some updated decor (or at least cared for) -
Review from MelvinJohann P.
Berkeley, CA
1/3/2012
2.5 stars for us.
The food was ok, the prices were average, the service was ok.
We've been to a lot of Japanese restaurants and in comparison, there was nothing special about this place to us. We both ordered the bento special for $8.50 (the two item + miso soup + salad + rice one) and a dynamite roll.
Johann: I ordered the fried oysters and tonkatsu. It was yummy and the portions were good. The salad was really small compared to other restaurants but I didn't mind. The dynamite roll was ok; it just tasted like a California roll with Sriracha in my opinion.
Melvin: I ordered udon and tonkatsu. That's all I got. (+ salad which my girlfriend had to ask them to bring me, which they did hesitatingly)
*****BE CAREFUL WHEN ORDERING UDON WITH THE BENTO SPECIAL!!!
Apparently, since you ordered udon, you don't get rice. And, since udon is a soup, you don't get miso either. So much for advertising that all bento specials come with 2 choices+soup+rice+salad. As aforementioned, the only reason I got soup is because we pushed for it. Regardless, I was hoping for at least some rice with the tonkatsu. My girlfriend had to split her rice portion with me. Overall, the food was ok-- nothing special.
Lastly, this restaurant doesn't validate. :( -
Review from Brandon Y.
San Jose, CA
With dinner specials of $8.50, I was happy to eat here.
Stopped by before taiko practice, and nobody was here - maybe because everyone prefers Kintetsu Mall over East Mall, but I didn't mind eating alone. I ordered the ramen and saba shio combo, since it was a chilly SF night. The ramen was okay - pretty plain and a little below my standards of ramen, having been to many ramen places in the Bay Area and Japan...but the saba was amazing. I love how it comes with the daikon oroshii and lemon. It was just the right crispiness, and tasted delish. The server was nice as well. He asked if I wanted rice with the saba, and I thought it would cost extra, but I said yes anyway, and then when I looked at the bill, it didn't cost a thing. I was happy with that and quite full afterwards.
Seeing as I would have paid 8.50 for just the saba and rice, to get ramen along with that definitely brought happiness to my stomach and wallet, especially since the restaurants in Kintetsu are rather expensive :P -
Review from Dieter L.
San Francisco, CA
4/3/2012
I haven't tried their sushi, but this is my go-to place for delicious bento boxes! Thier agedashi tofu is THE BEST , and their other bento options are spot on.Two entree options, along with soup, tea, and salad side is less than $9. I give this place a 4.5. I usually round down, but I will make an exception for this one.
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Review from NoIntrinsicValue I.
New York, NY
Updated - 4/11/2012
I went back this week and the sushi rice was terrible. It was far too sweet and the hamachi tasted off. :-( Hmmmmm....
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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4/5/2012
Nice little place with reasonable prices, excellent quality (especially for the price) and attentive… Read more »
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Review from Minh D.
7/8/2011 1 Check-in Here
Hungry on a Saturday afternoon, we decided to drive to the Japantown Mall for lunch. There are so many little restaurants in the mall, I didn't bother Yelping it. We just picked a random one and walked in. Not the smartest thing to do normally, but it ended without any infections or medical care. Good to know right?
They had special items listed on whiteboards. You choose 2 items and it comes with salad, miso soup, and rice. It was about $8 for the combo. I went with the salted mackerel and curry rice.
Out comes this big bowl of rice loaded with Japanese curry. It was good. The mackerel was small and bony but seasoned well. The small salad had a tangy dressing that's addictive.
Service was prompt and friendly. The best part was seeing our bill, it was super cheap for what you get. It was a satisfying lunch. -
Review from Cindy C.
San Francisco, CA
1/10/2012
I love this little place. Just good and cheap food. 2 items for $8.50? And it's good...totally worthwhile. Try their grilled saba as one of the items. You won't be disappointed! The owners are very sweet and always accommodating.
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Review from kevin c.
San Francisco, CA
6/10/2011
I feel horrible ... bashing this restaurant's face in the way I'm about to. But I gots to keep it real. This place had the oldest, stringiest maguro I've ever tasted. It was NOT fresh. Even with copious amounts of soy sauce, I couldn't get myself to finish off my 4 nigiri. It had this really fishy taste as well as a film that was on the verge of slimy. I'd imagine that these pieces were the last to be chosen at the fish market. The scraps ... the sub-par ... And, adding insult to injury, the sushi rice was waaaay too sweet. Sushi here was not done well. I will never, ever eat here again.
Man, just thinking about the fish is giving me traumatic flashback and dry heaves. I will say that if you DO wind up eating here, stick to their fully cooked items (ie bento boxes). That seems like a safer bet. -
Review from Brian W.
Saint Louis, MO
3/24/2012
great food. very affordable. they don't get enough credit on yelp. we loved it
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Review from Jay B.
Los Altos, CA
Loved it! We came here looking for a good sushi roll and some miso soup. Very fresh and the fresh crab meat and fish eggs on top was delicious. It cost two of us less than $20 .
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Review from Anu J.
Coppell, TX
3/15/2012 1 photo
Very good food for cheap. $8.50 for a filling and tasty lunch with two half entrees. the Takoyaki was pretty good, not amazing, but good.
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Review from Wanugee N.
Pleasant Hill, CA
This restaurant is next to the Ichiban Kan general dollar store in Japantown's Plaza Mall, and is trying to find an identity and patronage.
We came here because we had a 7pm appointment in 45 minutes, so we wanted something quick and cheap. Kui Shin Bo fit the bill for those, as they have a "Any 2 items for $8.50" white board dinner special. There is a large choice for the two items, from Sanma Shioyaki to Unagi Donburi, to the more common and the usuals like teriyaki, tempura, California rolls, etc.
It was 6:00pm on a Saturday night after Thanksgiving, and we were the only two people there for 45 minutes. Maybe everyone was shopping at Macy's downtown, or at Toys R Us or Best Buy, as the J-Town mall wasn't particularly busy on that end either.
The staff is definitely not Japanese. I couldn't tell if it was Cantonese or something similar I heard form the kitchen.
The food was OK, actually a good amount for the price, with rice, a small salad, miso soup and the 2 items you selected. I had Saba Shioyaki and Tempura, the Fave Relative had beef teriyaki and California roll. She liked hers (her palate is still developing), but mine was at best OK. The Tempura batter wasn't very light and crisp, and the Saba likewise didn't have that crispiness you seek in a good Mackerel grill. But for $8.50, how can you complain?
I didn't open the menu to see if they still have Burmese and Indian dishes as some of my Yelp friends have mentioned since ownership changed a year or two ago. There were none of those on the 2 items white board. The sushi bar freezer case was empty, so looks like they have given up on that part of their business, focusing on less perishable kitchen dishes.
I don't know how they are going to stay alive with $8.50 dinners from 2 people/hour on a Saturday night. Maybe they do a better lunch business from the bargain hunters coming out of Ichiban Kan.
Like I said, it fit the bill for quick and cheap.Listed in: Wanugee! San Francisco, Wanugee! Japanese
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Review from Sue R.
San Francisco, CA
2/28/2011
Good value for money. Great service.
Every time I always eat their 2-item bento set (comes with rice, miso soup, and nice little salad). The size is somewhat smaller than other restaurants in Japan town, but it's also cheaper.
Usually I don't care much about a restaurant's service unless it's totally unacceptable. However, what makes me come back here is their great service. I think they're family: dad, mom and daughter. Dad is the server and he did great job. Always smiling and attentive. Super polite. His wife and daughter are also really nice to guests.
Their food is delicious, but not great. Good place to come for inexpensive & quick lunch or dinner. -
Review from Andrea C.
Rosemead, CA
12/2/2011 3 photos
I was visiting Japantown for the first time and stumbled upon this little place right next to Ichi Ban . I ate here with the family on a Friday afternoon and the ambience was quite welcoming. They provide an awesome special for 8.95 - choice of 2 entrees with a side of rice and miso soup. Each family member ordered a different item so we were able to try a variety. Their beef teriyaki is incredible !!! Hands down favorite dish and I usually stick to the sushi. Ramen noodles, tempura, pork katsu, oysters, spicy tuna and curry rice rocked! I will definitely be visiting again! I provided pics! Oh man, and the presentation was great as well...
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Review from Sarah A.
6/29/2011 1 Check-in Here
After trying to find a different restaurant, we stumbled upon this cute little restaurant that located inside the Plaza Mall in J-town on the second floor.
From the moment we walked in we were warmly greeted and showen to our table. The chairs were on the smaller side (which was great for me being all of 5'1, not so great for the bf who had to suffer the whole time we were here teeheehee). We were handed our menu's and told about their daily specials which were written on a white board at the front of the restaurant. With the speical, you get to choose two from the board and it comes with salad, rice and miso soup.
Our waiter never came by to bother us with the old "are you ready to order". Instead he waited for us to look up and then he came over. In the beginning i wanted the teriyaki chicken and vegetable tempura entree. The waiter convinced me it would be alot cheaper to just order from the daily special menu which had both items that i wanted. Okay, so i gave in and ordered from the white board. The reason why i didnt order from the board the first time was because i didnt know how much it was since the price was not listed. Turned out after we got our bill that indeed it was much cheaper and you got alot more food in the long run for $8.95!!!
While waiting for our food to be served, i noticed just how quite this little place was. Sure, there were about 6 tables being occupied by various people but they all talked with a normal non loud tone which was nice to finally be able to hear and have a decent conversation. Well not saying i could never hear when i was at other places, but its nice not to have to raise your voice.Totally felt relaxed and kind of zen as well.
The waiter brough out my meal first, served on a pretty tray there was a small plate of teriyaki chicken-(large cuts of chicken with teriyaki sauce and sesame seeds sprinkled on top), medium size plate of veggie tempura(-sweet potato,zucchini,carrot,broccoli), a small cup of miso soup-(small cubes of soft tofu, green onions),rice, and a garden salad with dressing.
The waiter came around often to make sure everything was okay and to refill our water glasses.
Just the right amount of food, perfect in its simplicity!!Listed in: Bay Area Happiness!!!!, Yay Area's Finest!!
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Review from Perci N.
San Francisco, CA
2/5/2008
Substandard Japanese fare in a tiny hole in the wall with seats built for smurfs. Miriam W.'s 5'2" and said the chairs were too small for her. I'm 6'2". Half my body can't fit under the tables, let alone attempt to sit in the chairs...
Service is anything but pleasant. The owner is a tiny woman with a perpetual scour who reminds me of the quintessential Lunch Lady... it's a mixed blessing when she hands you her mediocre food and then leaves you alone for the rest of the meal. There's absolutely nothing special on the menu. Anything you find here, you can find at a dozen other places within a five minute radius.
Two stars for the forgettable food and uncomfortable eating environment, minus one for service and the fact that the meal cost me over $2500 -- I had parked on Geary and came back an hour later with my car window smashed open...
Thanks for dinner, but no thanks. Every single Japanese restaurant in the building is better.
P.S. Never park on Geary. The projects are across the street, and there's constantly broken glass up and down the boulevard, and even though the police station is literally a few blocks away, they do nothing. My car alarm was going off, cop cars kept driving by. I flagged them, standing in the middle of the street, they wouldn't even look... So I called the station, and they said, get this, your better bet is just to drive home and go to the station near your house to file the police report....! Can the police be any more useless and irrelevant? Moral of story: park in the underground structure or north of Japantown.
P.P.S. "Kuishinbou" means "glutton" -- but in this instance, it should mean "abstainer." -
Review from Nobu K.
San Francisco, CA
Updated - 8/23/2009
THE OWNER HAS CHANGED!
100% Chinese cook making Burmese, Indian and Japanese food.
But the Japanese part SUCKS BIG TIME.
The Japanese chef isn't here any longer.
I don't know what to say.
Really.
I am very sad to see that one of a decent Japanese restaurant went down this bad.
So,
You have 5 choices here.
1. Sushi. Edible but Disgusting.
2. Regular Japanese. Edible but Disaster.
3. Burmese Food. Who wants to eat Burmese in Japanese restaurant?
4. Indian Food. Who wants to order Indian in Japanese restaurant?
5. Get the hell out of here!
Old Kui-shin-bo isn't here anymore.
The Old School Japanese chef is gone for good.
But I really miss that man.
It's too bad he didn't have a successor.
Betty H. said, "You can't even call it fusion. It's just wrong."
Lolia S. said, " I'm oddly fascinated by the idea of ordering Indian food in a Japanese restaurant - it's just too weird."
Drue C. said, "Burmese and Indian??? WTF???"
Riya C said, "That just sounds like a scary combo!!"
Yes, Kui-shin-bo is Wrong, Weird, WTF? and SCARY.Listed in: Pseudo Sushi, SUSHIT!, Japan Town!, Chinese Sushi., Used to be Japanese own but…
2 Previous Reviews: Show all »
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3/16/2009
This is really crucial failure.
Now they serve 2 Nigiri for $1.99 for lunch and happy hour.
But the… Read more »
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Review from Bucky K.
San Francisco, CA
8/17/2007
WOW! Their spicy tuna roll is revenge-on-the-white-people hot! By the time I was done with the cone I had such a post nasal drip you would have thought I had just come off a weekend bender with Nick Nolte*:
http://www.throwmyshoe...
Of course it was questionable whether or not we were even going to get food to begin with. The waitress whose English wasn't the best didn't suffer questions (or fools) lightly. There were a couple of times that we had questions about the menu and specials and finally just ordered them on blind-faith. We ordered from the specials menu, the regular menu, and from the sushi chart.
The specials menu for the day were actually complete meals which we didn't know til the food arrived, but it worked out great. It was a grilled halibut, noodle soup, rice ball and pumpkin tempura. The pumpkin was phenomenal and wasn't overloaded with tempura. Just lightly battered.
From the regular menu we ordered yellow tail sashimi. It. Was. Like. Butter. Some of the freshest fish I've had in a bit. Our only complaint is that you couldn't break up your order of sashimi into groupings of two. Full orders consisting of 6 or more pieces only.
Finally from the sushi chart we ordered tamago and unagi. Both were spot on. The tamago especially. Instead of being place on a bed of rice like most nigiri, the tamago was big enough to have a pocket in the center where they placed a small ball of rice. Cool presentation.
I hate to round out the review with a negative but I'm gonna anyways. Hot sake only. They need some chilled sake on the menu. There is nothing worse then when your mouth is on fire and you have to drink hot liquids. I guess it was a good thing I had a nice chilled bottle of Sapporo on the table also. Quit judging me. I can drink sake and beer at the same time if I want to.
(*Nick Nolte does not approve of this review)Listed in: !!Itadakimasu!!
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Review from JeFF T.
Fremont, CA
9/18/2008
3.5 Stars
I dunno how any of these places in Japantown stay in biz. There were hardly any people around on the east side of the mall. I was a little leery at going here, seeing they had only one customer in there. Because Nobu K said it was good, we took our chances.
Kui Shin Bo has a decent sampling of Japanese food offerings. Their dinner specials (located on the white board at the entrance) were especially appealing. Wasn't sure what to expect from the waitress as previous reviewers say she's hit or miss. That nite, she appeared to be normal. I ordered the Halibut-kama which came with fried oysters, Japanese string beans, rice and miso soup. T had the soba tempura. I had thought about ordering sashimi, but figured I wouldn't overdo it. I was sad to hear they didn't have a lot of variety in their fish selection. Never been to a place that didn't have hamachi. I settled for a sake (salmon) nigiri to start off the meal.
When our food arrived, we were surprised at the portions. Very good. I could've split my meal, if push came to shove. The fish was nice and flaky and the oysters were still creamy. T's soba was good, but the broth got to be a little overly salty. The tempura selection was also very good and varied.
The topper of the evening was when this party of 4 enters the restaurant. Sits down. Has some tea while looking at the menu. One of them asks the waitress, "do you have any rolls? Anything like a caterpillar roll?"
Waitress says "no."
The woman goes on to explain to the waitress that it's her friend's birthday and such.
The waitress responds "sorry, no JIVE ASS ROLLS here."
The party quickly exits. LAMB.
OK, the last part about the waitress' response didn't quite go down that way, but seriously...who goes into a restaurant for a birthday dinner, without checking out the menu???
Half star for that entertainment. I wish they just had a better selection of fish. -
Review from Toro E.
San Francisco, CA
5/8/2006 6 photos
Wow, I hesitated to try this restaurant in J-Town next to Ichiban-kan because of their lit sign that reads "Fine Japanese Cuisine serving Teriyaki, Sukiyaki, Tempura, and Udon." I think the sign serves as negative marketing, especially for someone like myself who hunts for good authentic Japanese restaurants. I finally decided to try it after reading some positive reviews from Yelpers.
The first good sign was the list of specials (see attached picture) hand-written by a Japanese person. As I entered, I became worried because there was no other customers at 1pm on Sunday afternoon. But after we were seated, many other customers started to pour in.
Interior of the restaurant (see pic) was much nicer than the negative marketing sign outside. Well, get's get to the important part - food! They served really nice authentic Japanese comfort foods, like Katsudon (fried pork cuttlet rice bowl) which was done really nicely with eggs kept juicy and the right amount of soy sauce flavoring. Their halibut kama lunch special was also excellent. I felt that miso soup was sweeter than what I prefer, but each person has their own likings.
The elderly Japanese waitress was in a really bad mood. She looked like she did not want to be there. I'm sure she wasn't feeling great on a Sunday near ending of lunch hour, but her attitude was quite depressing. Perhaps I caught her on a bad day, but still, I cannot give 5 stars for such service.
I went back this time for dinner. Again, I found this place to offer solid meal at reasonable price ($28 for two after tip&tax), but for me, this is more of a lunch place. I highly recommend that you stick to 4-5 specials on the board. In fact, don't even open the menu, because chef is communicating to you through the board that you will be treated to freshest ingredients if you order their daily special. The special of the day, curry-don and grilled pork-ginger combination was quite filling. Curry was so-so, but pork dish was very nice. Their fried oyster dinner was not bad, but nothing special.Listed in: Cheap Eats - Weekday Dinner…
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Review from Richard T.
Carlsbad, CA
9/3/2009 2 photos
What's better on a hot Saturday night in J-Town than free ice-cold sake? Why having sushi rolled for you by the former owner/chef of Kui Shin Bo AND scoring free booze too!
We lucked out this past Saturday evening when we peeked into Kui Shin Bo's doorway only to see the prior chef behind the sushi counter. Ever since he sold the place, it's been off and on with the sushi here and we were very happy to see him working again! The new owners were also offering free cold sake that night too! WOOT!
So this guy really knows his fish! The selection is much smaller now but the quality that he chooses is still of the highest caliber. The maguro that night (see pic) was stellar! It was brilliantly garnet in color, sweetly tender, and buttery smooth! We really were not disappointed with any of his selections that night, from the hirame, saba, toro, ika, to the totemo oishii salmon! ALL were deliciously and expertly prepared! I asked him in Japanese what his favorite roll to make was and he smiled and presented us with the "Volcano" roll (see pic). OMG, I could eat this every night! What's more, his sushi rice continues to be perfectly al dente in texture, not too warm or cold, and delicately fragranced!
As for the rest of the menu, oops, sorry, we came here for the sushi, were happy that we did, but will check it out in the future! Until then, I truly HOPE the new owners keep the former one on staff for a long time!!! -
Review from Jen D.
4/11/2008
I was not impressed with the food here. It is edible, but it's nothing special. I do like the fact that they have daily specials.
For starters we got the gomaae, gyoza and deep fried ika. The deep fried ika drowned in katsu sauce was my favorite. The gomaae was definitely tasty. I didn't like the gyoza at all. Blah.
Last night I got the deep fried hamburg with omrice and a mini spaghetti salad. Came with miso soup and green tea. The hamburg was good and luckily, they left the katsu sauce on the table (came with another appetizer) so I kept pouring it over my hamburger. But the omrice was a bit bland.
Eugy got the sanma dinner. It looked really good, but due to my allergy to fish, no sanma for me.
The teriyaki menu looks awesome. Though unimpressed with the food, I'd like to come back here to try the teriyaki. It's supposed to be made the traditional way.
The woman isn't overly polite, but don't take it seriously. She's just that way. She does say all the niceities, but you can tell it's just methodical.
edit:
Eugy made a comment that you need a native. That's so true. There is a menu on the wall in Japanense and I'm sure there are more items that can be ordered that aren't on the menu. So you need to either
A) be able to read japanese so you can order from the wall menu
or
B) be able to know what you want and be able to speak japanese so you can explain to the waitress what you want -
Review from Ren V.
San Francisco, CA
9/23/2011
Went here on a Tuesday night and enjoyed the quality of the food and the hospitality of the waiter. They're sushi was awesome!
-
Review from Jed S.
Oakland, CA
8/8/2008
I'm new here in town, but if Kui Shin Bo is what four stars means in San Francisco, maybe I should have moved back to Tokyo instead.
I showed up with two friends on a Thursday afternoon, and we were the only ones there. Which made for fair service, but the food was bad: halibut fishy enough to convince those uninitiated that "surimi" is Japan's answer to "Fancy Feast®", and a sashimi selection spotty enough to make one wonder if the 2030 post-overfishing apocalypse had already reached Post Street.
Perhaps I'll try again someday at a more regular hour, but with all the other choices in the area, perhaps not. -
Review from Wakako U.
San Francisco, CA
5/12/2006
The food is really good. The way the egg is half raw half done for the oyako donburi (egg and chicken with onion flavored with dashi over rice) is superb. All egg on top of oyako donburi and katsu donburi (same thing with pork cutlet) should be half done and dreamy looking but its rarely perfectly served that way.
I had the vegetable zosui (rice soup). Its just rice in soup, really, but I love it. Its not porridge which is stewed forever. They just dump rice in soup. No one makes zosui at a restaurant except for here...maybe because it's so easy to make at home but I like to eat simple food prepared deliciously.
I think the lady just doesn't like to kiss ass. She is really nice to the old japanese people and the regulars. Her not being too nice doesn't bother me. Its easy to deal with. She ignores you, you ignore her. But I think after a few visits, she will warm up. That's my feeling about her. Plus the food is so good, I really don't care. It's not a hang out sort of place anyways. -
Review from miss b.
San Francisco, CA
5/20/2007
Good lunch deal for sure, but that server lady will melt if you throw water on her.
FOOD:~Good bento box deals for lunch. The cod was amazing with ketchup rice.
~Sushi is good, clean, generous. Love it!
SERVICE: the WORST EVER. It's like she just doesn't give a *beep*. She ignored us forever at the door--at least let us sit down! I hope they read this & make a change because service is really important & the food ain't THAT good to make up for it. Just as all the Yelp reviews warned me. In the Yelp section where you vote for "waiter service," I'd say "barely."
DECOR: Simple, Japanesey.
BATHROOM: Out in Kikokuniya Center. Depressing. Far away.
OVERALL: I'd go for lunch again if in the area & craving a good deal for cooked J food, but only if I had a lot of time to wait for that waitress's turtle service. Would've been a 4, but alas the service was next to nonexistent. -
Review from avalon e.
Sunnyvale, CA
8/16/2008
Rock bottom prices ( I wonder how they sustain a margin ), decent quality.
You can be sure to find seating even when all the restaurants @ the other mall are jam packed.
$13.99 for a Halibut collar set meal with the halibut collar double the size of a hamachi kama @ an izakaya joint. What a deal!
So why are we the only 2 tables there? Location location location?
Is that particular plaza cursed (other than ichibankan?) Perhaps... but I think attitude goes a long way in attracting / retaining customers.
The waitress, while in no way rude, is absolutely stoic and will not warm up to a conversation, be it Japanese or English. Also she's not quite flexible with customers' requests such as getting an extra box for take-home. The atmosphere reminds me of older grumpy Chinese food joints.
I am sure with a friendlier and cordial attitude they can get more business. -
Review from Shiho F.
Carmel by the Sea, CA
3/19/2011 2 photos
I didn't check Yelp (watashi baka ne Nobu-san) and we were in a hurry and this place seemed like the only one open around 3pm on a Tuesday so we walked in because I saw the sign for the lunch special... pick two sides/entrees and it comes with rice, miso soup and a pinch of garden salad for like $8.95... had to give it a whirl.
Once we sat down I realized we were in a restaurant that was owned by a family that were not of Japanese decent which kind of bummed me out especially because A.) it is a Japanese restaurant and B.) we were in Japantown... we sucked it up and ordered... the gentleman who took our order (I'm guessing the owner) was very kind and welcoming and it looked like his daughter and wife were cooking/rolling sushi.
I wouldn't recommend this place as a dining destination when visiting Japantown but our food wasn't bad. Okay I wasn't fan of my Hamachi Steaks only because I could tell they were bought as frozen little filets and they were dry (decent texture near the skin where there was a little fat) but edible when I mixed the grated daikon (radish) with a little soy sauce and squeezed some fresh lemon juice (just made ponzu or citrus soy) and the tatsuage was ok although it lacked flavor... maybe some fresh grated ginger and some grated garilc in the marinade would kick things up a bit (but then again it might come premade and frozen). The Sanma wasn't very fishy which was nice and my friend ate it all up and the spicy tuna roll looked pretty to the eye but I saw them make it and the tuna came from a plastic bag which I've never seen before. The miso soup was similar to most restaurants... simple with a piece of tofu and a couple slices of scallions and the salad was good but I only got a pinch (like 5 small pieces of lettuce)... it's cool I ate my friend's. The rice was the highlight for me, super soft and moist and cooked near perfection which caught me off guard.
If you don't know much about Japanese food then you will love this place, if you know a little to a mediocre amount I wouldn't go unless everyone else around you was closed. But honestly for less than $10 where else can you go to get a bento lunch these days? -
Review from Miriam W.
10/17/2006
The bizarrely short chairs are puzzling (even for 5'2" me!) but the grilled fish is quite tasty. The serene surroundings appear as if they are rarely crowded making Kuishinbo a perfect choice for quiet conversation.
Come here if you want to be left alone with your meal - not if you want to be chatted up by the waitstaff or "seen". -
Review from Lanie L.
7/26/2009
we ordered sake and we could've gotten it for free!
I knew we shoud've checked yelp before coming in!
of all the bustling sushi and japanese restaurants in this strip mall, this one looks worn and old in the corner compared to the rest.
inside was no different. it looked tired inside and out.
chairs had odd proportions...just because it's japantown doesn't mean the tall people don't come in too! (um..jk) =X
although empty, it was a bit hard to capture waiter attention. however the waiter we had was very nice.
our table ordered some tuna and some other kind of fish. but it was clear that the fish was frozen and they simply thawed it, cut it up and put it on a plate with a bit of wasabi. not much presentation here.
kitsune udon soup was refreshing and enjoyable. However udon noodle is smaller size than average and it was a bit plain overall.
avokyu rolls were good. but they weren't anything extraordinary. ingredients tasted fresh and rice was soft.
we also ordered a fish bento box. standard with rice, veggies, and fish.
edamame on the side. i love edamame but i was disappointed in the portion size. $4.50 for a cup? i know places who charge the same but give out a plateful!
overall satisfying, but nothing spectacular. their specials include burmese-styled dishes so if you're into Burmese food, this might be a good stop. -
Review from Cynthia C.
San Francisco, CA
Stopped by here for dinner tonight and it was ok. They have daily specials that are super cheap. $7.50 for your choice of two bento box items. wow.
I didn't order that tho. I had the chirashi bowl, agetashi tofu, and the volcano roll. everything was so so except the volcano roll, that was delicious! chirashi bowl - the fish felt kinda old... agetashi tofu didn't feel like it was fried... but still tasty. i just love tofu in general. volcano roll was super yummy. it had tempura shrimp wrapped with avocado and topped with snow crab. that was delicious.
Probably won't come back since there are many more restaurants to try in Jtown.
