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Category: Sushi Bars
Neighborhood: Civic Center/TenderloinMon-Sat. 6:00 p.m. - 10:30 p.m.
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I still can't figure out why they call this place Red Box. The inside isn't painted red. This place looks like a hole-in-the-wall from the outside but it has a modern decor. They have sake bottles lined up on display in the window. We had 2 bottles of sake of which was finished quickly by my 2 companions. I'm not a fan of sake but the sake was ok.
But I must say the sushi is good. We ordered 5 rolls between the 3 of us. The sushi is presented nicely on the plate but I was too hungry to notice at first. The sushi rolls were pretty good - and I will definitely want to return here for more.
This restaurant is very small and has only a few tables and a few seats at the bar. Service is slow but worth the wait.
Joe, we still miss you terribly, I haven't eaten sushi since you closed, this is still true, 10 months and counting. Please please please, if you ever open a new place let all of us know!
Joe so glad to see you today! Can't wait until you are back in business because I am starving and… Read more »
Aw damn. Sushi "to die for". Sad and ironic that the Red Box is now closed like a coffin. Five stars for the memories of fresh and lovely times.
Holding true to the saying that "good things come in small packages", Red Box Sushi is a tiny,… Read more »
Hands down one of the best sushi places in the city. I can't believe it's closed.
I visited the place solely because of the reviews on Yelp. Yelpers write about how wonderful the place is and how the line is out the door. Needless to say I have once again been let down by Yelp reviews. I don't see what all the fuss is about.
Before my criticism I must say the size of the place fits my style, so too the location. The room is narrow, dimly lit and in the 'hood. All pluses. However, the place was so dark from the outside it is hard to tell if the place is open or not. From across the street it looked closed and I nearly turned around. Luckily, my eating partner wanted to see the hours so we walked over to the door. Even right outside the door it looked closed. Maybe this explains why we were the only ones in the restaurant for the entire time, well over an hour. Yes, it was a Wednesday but it was from 5:30-7pm.
Okay, the food.
"I will have some tako." Waiter's reponse - "We don't have any tako."
"I will have some ebi." Waiter's response - "We don't have any ebi."
"I will have some tobiko." Yes, they have it! No, wait. Waiter's reponse, " the chef says the tobiko is not very fresh so we don't have any." While I applaud them for not serving me bad tobiko...come on! This is a sushi place. The waiter's reasoning..."not a lot of people order tako so we don't have it." This proves to me this really is not a true sushi place but one of those "foo-foo" places serving sushi to please those who only eat California Rolls and tempura.
Okay, Yelpers claim to love the Firecracker Balls so I order these. If you name something 'firecracker' it had better be spicy. These are nowhere near spicy. The 1997 Roll was spicier than the Firecracker Roll. The Firecracker Balls were covered in 'spicy' mayo and some sweet mayo and tons of green onions. They tasted fine...but don't call them 'firecracker'.
All that said, the 1997 Roll was solid and well presented. The Futo Maki, although being the smallest Futo Maki I have ever ordered, was good as well.
Hey, what's this?! They charged me for tea? That can't be. Another reason this really is not a sushi place for true sushi lovers. Sadly, I am again disappointed by previous Yelp reviews.
Sushi here is to die for. Don't listen to the other people with bad reviews on this place! This is one of the freshest sushi places in SF. The rolls are unique and taste amazing. I'll let you in on a little secret. Ask for the R & B role. It comes out with a martini glass full of special secret sauce.
Good fish, but not worth all the hype.
My little sister took me here last night to make up for flaking on my birthday party.
The quality of the fish seemed excellent, but there were some major drawbacks.
1. Location: unless you want to be mugged or have a crack whore for dessert.
2. Seating: we were told sit at the bar because the tables were reserved for parties of 3 or more, but they sat unoccupied the entire 2 hours we were there.
3. Speed: the sushi came out really slow.
4. Temperature: most of the rolls came out hot. Hot sushi is gross, unless it's just one of many rolls.
On the brighter side, the interior was attractive, particularly the bathroom. The server was nice, and when asked for suggestions, he told us his favorite was not on the menu but he could have it made for us, and the NPR roll, or whatever he called it was one of our favorites. The 5 different Japanese beers were a nice touch too.
Who knew sushi in the ghetto could be fabulous? This place doesn't look like much from the outside, but you'll forget you're in the Tenderloin once inside. There was no line on a Tuesday at 6pm, which was a huge plus--I wait for no one and no restaurant when I'm famished.
My friend and I had the Firecracker Balls, the Spider Roll, and the Maui Roll. The balls were absolutely flavorful and delicious--deep-fried crab sushi was topped with what I think was Sriracha, eel sauce, kewpie, green onions, and tobikko. A MUST-TRY. The Spider Roll was great and generous with the soft shell crab. The Maui Roll had ahi, mango, and macadamia nuts--a strange combo that was good nevertheless. I probably wouldn't order it again since one bite had a ton of wasabi that nearly left me tearing and paralyzed.
My one gripe about this restaurant is the portion size. I could've eaten four rolls by my fat self! Hahaha. This won't keep me away, though. I'm in a permanent sushi state of mind because of this place!
I love that I've found another reliable sushi spot in the city. After meaning to check this place out, we finally rolled in on a Friday night - finding parking right in front. We got 2 seats at the sushi bar and were impressed right off the bat. Unlike the dirty Tenderloin exterior, the interior was clean, cool and classy. Don't get me wrong, it is quite literally a box!...but what a good use of space.
Passing by about 6 tables of 2 or 4, we sat below the projector showing some cool movie and in front of rows of fresh looking fish. Yum. No one likes to see sloppy, unfresh looking sashimi.
The service was a little slow, but 3 orders of sake made the wait just fine. $75 later, we had 3 types of sashimi, the menage tois roll, unagi nigiri and..something that I'm not remembering. My ONLY negative feedback is about the toro. $19 for 4 slices of toro isn't a whole lot, but it wasn't what we were looking for....Next time, we'll ask what grade of toro it is. Our fault.
But, we made friends with the sushi chef who tossed over left over pieces of fish as he cut it in sashimi block form. We ravaged it like starving teenagers.
All in all, a nice surprise. I WILL be back.
Okay, the lack of meaningful things to write about sushi is becoming ridiculous!
I'm finding myself at a major loss of descriptives...
Fresh...check
Simple yet elegant...uh huh
Freshity fresh as can be...yes ma'am
Decor...who cares?
Sake...Drunk@?!?
Delicious...what do you think?
Just GO TO RED BOX and try everything on the menu, throw out a bunch of superlatives and exclamations, and then repeat after me!
Honestly, the only reason I would return to this place is for the Sashimi and the Firecracker balls. Otherwise I'd go elsewhere purely because the wait is unbelievable. The sushi is good, no doubt, but waiting for them to make it is like pulling teeth.
Meh.
So firm was my belief in this restaurant (mostly based on its solid rating on yelp) that I actually recommended it to a few people before I even had a chance to go myself. Then, last month, a celebration-worthy event came upon the calendar, and knowing how much I wanted to try it, the boyfriend made reservations for 2 here.
To start, the space is small. Very small. No bigger than a long hallway. Reservations are a must. Given the limited seating and speed of service (see below), you may be stuck having to find alternate eating options in the heart of the TL. Ideal for a date or dinner with a friend that you'd like to know much better.
The food was brought out very slooooowly. We ordered a large sashimi platter and a rainbow roll. The sashimi was brought out first, and after we finished it off, there were at least a 20 min gap before we were given the roll. The waiting, though I am complaining about it now, did allow us to have a lengthy period of interesting conversation. I'm trying looking for the bright spots here.
Those things being said, the fish was noticeably fresher than most of the sushi restaurants I've been to in the city. I had found my standards lowered for quite some time due to the mediocre place that I've come across, but not here. Red Box proves that excellent sushi is still available at a decent price as long as you are willing to wait (and wait and wait) for it.
Next time I make a recommendation for this place, I will actually have my own rating to contribute. Thanks yelpers for finding me another winner!
This little box is a hidden gem. It has the kind exterior that you might walk past every day and never be tempted to walk inside, but once inside you will wonder why you have never been here before. The quality of the fish here is extraordinary and the preparation and presentation meticulous. One of the benchmarks of any sushi restaurant for me is always the Saba (Mackerel), and we ended up ordering two rounds of it here. The standout pieces for me were Hamachi, Striped Bass, and White Tuna.
We ordered a couple of rounds of Sushi and there was no prolonged delay getting the second round even though the restaurant was getting busy at that point. Suffice to say that Red Box is now vying for position as my favorite Sushi joint. It's also worth mentioning that two of us ate a lot of sushi and a couple of beers for $78 which was great value IMHO.
The Fire Cracker Balls were really good! I've never had sushi rolls like this... it's fried sushi rolls with lots of sauces. (I believe they were cheaper during lunch than dinner though.) We also had some other rolls, which were not bad at all. The server was also very nice and polite.
However, the portions were on the small side, but I guess that's sushi. Unfortunately, they do not offer dessert.
Ate my weight in sushi, y'all!
I've been here twice in 3 days. Does that say anything to you??!
So far, in my life, this is my favorite place to get sushi. Anywhere. It's freshness and intense variation of flavor really make Red Box better than the rest.
We started with Firecracker Balls- deep fried spicy tuna rolls, battered in panko and drizzled with a spicy sauce. They're definitely one of the my favorites on the menu.
We also had the 1997 Roll, the Spider Roll, the Dynamite Roll, and the Salmon Tempura roll, all of which were fantastic. With interesting combinations of cilantro, mango, and macadamia nuts, Red Box is tough to beat with the diversity of their rolls.
The service here is stellar, the space is cool, and later on at night, they show movies on the wall.
So yeah, duh- Love this place! The only drawback (or maybe not, depending on what you like) is the vast amount of 'Local Flavor' dancin' around the streets at any given time. During dinner, through their small window, we saw 1.) a drug deal, 2.) a crazy local with a pink boom box, jammin' out, and 3.) about 15 speeding firetrucks fly by (No really, 15!).
It might be in a 'seedy as hell' part of town (the sexy, sexy Tenderloin!), but please DO NOT let that deter you. I will guarantee you that this is some of the best sushi you will ever have.. even if you are offered up a trick or two along the way.
Ladies and gentlemen I must confess.....
I am not a huge sushi fan
I'm sorry, I'm sorry However, I am learning to like it and even love some rolls... and places like Red Box Sushi are helping me in my crusade to truly love the seaweed wrapped concoctions.
The place is tiny but adorable. When we got there we were 1 person over their table limit and they weren't able to accommodate us (8) so we started the night with a bad taste in our mouth. However, everything quickly changed as course after course we were delighted by the different rolls and orders of firecracker balls.
There was anime playing on the screen in the back the whole time and that plus the endearing waiter with a great choppy haircut were perfect. This might be the equivalent to a pokemon meaning very cute, very small, and packing a lot of power.
As you all know by now, I'm no sushi master. I couldn't taste the difference between amazing sushi and mediocre sushi - it all tastes the same to me! I like Red Box's ambiance more than anything. I love the place's minimalist approach - a handful of tables and a sushi bar, high ceilings, intimate, dim lighting. Quite the "underground", "hip" place to eat in the TL. However, I wasn't too crazy about the dance club music playing.
Try the firecracker balls!
Red Box--good sushi, slow service. And oddly, I've found that they are closed about 50% of the times I've walked by and the last time I went by, I thought they had gone out of business.
True, the location leaves something to be desired. I've found that I'll walk down Turk rather than Eddy. Now that's saying something in my book. Who chooses Turk over any street in the TL? Well, the last few times I took Eddy I really regretted it, so over a block to Turk I go these days.
I've tried this place for eating in and for take out and it's definitely not a take out place. It took so long to get the food, and then I had to walk it home, and then wash my hands, and then feed the cats so they wouldn't mug me...okay, on to the food. Not wrapped tightly enough to survive the walk home. Smaller pieces than what I usually find here in SF, but that's okay since I actually like bite-size sushi. Some people seem to like huge 2-bite sushi--it's just not my thing. When we ate in, everything was very tasty, but it is small and the waitress kept bumping my chair when she went by. One time they were showing some movie on the projection screen and everyone seemed really annoyed at us when we walked in--no indication that it was a private party.
I just don't get that good of a vibe from this place. And again, why isn't it open when I go by?
3.5 stars really. I enjoyed this place but i have had much better (THATS WHAT SHE SAID AHAHAHAHA). Those fireball things were really dank, but the sushi rolls were pretty small. Pretty reasonable price for beer, thats always good. The waiter was a nice young man with asian descent.
"... and she wasn't kidding, that horse really did have a 18 incher!!!"
- Maya Angelou
Walking into this place is like walking down a dark, creepy alley mixed in with the feeling of walking into the gym as a high-schooler. I felt like a boob walking in here, but the waitress was very attentive and immediately gave us a table and water. We looked at the menu and knew we were in the wrong place. No agedashi tofu? Where's the avocado, asparagus, mango, cream cheese roll? Um tempura sweet yams and tofu? BYE.
We walked out and stopped at four other sushi places before finding one to accommodate my tastes.
Red Box Sushi has great appetizers, fresh cuts and very friendly service. The Fire Cracker Balls are a must. If there's something simple that you don't see on the menu, ask. They have really gone out of their way to make me smile.
I wish the sake selection was more extensive and that the check was handled a bit faster but I do understand the joint gets busy. On the bright side, at least you will not feel overwhelmed or rushed.
Also, do yourself a favor and call ahead as the place is tiny and definitely gaining popularity.
I love it!
The sushi here is just SO fresh. I've been to my fair share of REALLY bad sushi places that have given me terrible stomach pains, but the sushi and sashimi here is absolutely fantastic. It is also presented beautifully and our sashimi dish looked like art. We ordered the combination sashimi plate, red box roll, and fiesta roll ($48 total including tax & tip). The red box roll was simply amazing and I don't think I have tasted better salmon.
One thing I would advise when eating here (especially if you're here on a date) is to sit at the bar. The chef is a really nice man and right when we sat down he recommended that we get the tuna since he has just picked up fresh for today. Extra points to you if you can speak Cantonese with him. I can see myself coming back and him remembering both my bf and me (just like Cheers!). The place is really small (so don't bring a big party), dimly lit, and very comfy feeling. Anime playing on the wall adds an interesting touch.
I see some people complaining about the service, but I didn't have any trouble whatsoever. We had a reservation, but showed up late and we were still seated immediately. The place was pretty filled while we were there, but I believe we got our food in a timely manner; especially when you consider that there was only one waiter.
One downside, like most upscale looking places, we did leave a tad hungry at the end of our meal. However, don't let that discourage you because it is really great food and it's nothing that a good dessert can't fix!
-1 because of the location...unsafe to walk here by yourself at night.
Fresh sushi, Spider Maki and sake are a must!!
Great place to bring a date, it's small, but very intimate...dark w/ candles.
I went here on a Sat night, no wait, definitely coming back....a gem in the Tenderloin!!
Good things come in small packages, right Red Box?
Tinier than a Manhattan studio and more delicious than places ten times bigger in both price and size, Red Box has that unexpected WOW taste factor, the quintessential hidden gem of Japanese culinary delights.
Fresh sushi, bright and vibrant flavors, and a total lack of pretension makes Red Box a hit it is in this area.
Although I would not recommend it to large groups, (they had a bit of trouble accommodating our party of only 7), Red Box could make a chic and simple date spot or a SMALL gathering of friends for dinner. That means no sumo wrestlers or linebackers for the NFL...unless you want take turns eating at the bar!
Simply put, inexpensive and great quality, which is hard to find for a sushi restaurants. The clean and modern interior makes you wonder how this little box ended up in the Tenderloin.
JONASAPPROVED!
Thanks Yelpers for directing me to this *diamond* in the ruff. :)
Another cold, windy night in The City. Stepping into this cozy hip 'box' was a welcome time-out. The service is great, the sushi is freshly fabulous!
Bonus ~ anime is projected on the high wall next to the sushi bar. Felt like a big kid watching Saturday (morning) 'toons'.
The high quality sushi and friendly service strongly outweighed the walk and the no byo that i was told was the truth. This place is small and has cute tables for 2-6. The sushi was fresh and delicious and inventive. The atmosphere also felt pretty hip. It was like Tokyo Go Go without the attitude-filled service and the very high prices. Not that I don't like tokyo go go, which I do, but this place has all the good and a lot less of the bad.
Thanks for the firecracker ball suggestion everyone -- they were amazing.
Red Box Sushi was a healing place for me, because I would come here after long hours when working with a stiff neck. A lot of green tea, music, candles, and an atmosphere that relaxed my neck.
Salmon sashimi is like butter (something so good that we know we shouldn't eat), but healthy, fresh, and delicious! I never tried sashimi as fresh as it is at Red Box Sushi. Before finding this place, I was happy with all of my neighborhood sushi places, but now I'm looking for a place as good as Red Box Sushi and I haven't found a place that comes close.
Joe, where are you now? You make sushi like an artist. You truly love what you do, I felt this in every bite of your sushi. Thank you!
This small long sushi joint that had dark tinted doors and almost no sign was an absolutely fantastic hidden gem!
Great presentation of sushi which was also very fresh and delicious. Service was great though very slow. And it's quite inexpensive! They also serve some sushi that's not always common such as monk fish liver. Definitely worth a trip to this kinda run-down neighborhood.
Worth getting mugged over.
Tucked away in a closet-sized corner of the notorious-but-not-really-that-dangerous Tenderloin district is this exciting and different sushi bar.
The staff was half the experience. Our sushi chef, Joe, was very fun to eat, chat and drink with, and more than made up for the fact that we had to practically duck down in our seats in order for the waiter to squeeze past us.
Seriously, this place is about the size of my freshman dorm room (but refreshingly dirty t-shirt free). I had more legroom on the plane ride over. Who cares. Even tho I felt like Solid Snake while I wallhugged my way to the bathroom, I was way too drunk and stuffed full of so-fresh-it-practically-swam-into-my-mouth sushi to care.
Try the Spicy Fire Cracker Balls and thank me later.
For years I have been seeking a way to use the words "fish monger" in a conversation. Last night I finally hit the verbal jackpot at Red Box sushi. As I was wolfing down another maki roll, I said to my girlfriend, "I wonder who the chef's fish monger is because this is really great fish." My life is now complete. I can die happy because I actually used "fish monger" in a sentence.
We went last night because for some reason after waaaaay too many hours at our jobs, my girlfriend and I had been on a two day sushi binge. (Is two days enough to constitute a binge?) She had been trying to take me here for over a year but the damn place is always shuttered. It became an almost mythical quest to get into the door and actually eat. I did not help that Red Box sushi is located in the 'Loin. We ain't talkin' the Tendernob. We're talkin' the heart of the 'Loin. Forget about the crack whores wandering around on the other side of the street. Don't worry about the homeless guy eating his own poop on the corner. Just pack your Glock and head over to Red Box.
The interior is small, but you are instantly whisked away from the smell of urine out on the sidewalks. It feels a little futuristic inside. The weird jazz/trance soundtrack normally would annoy me, but it worked well with the creepy children's anime being shown on the back wall. But who really cares about that.
The sushi was really amazing. I do not give all that many five star reviews, but Red Box deserved it. We started with the Firecracker Balls. Normally I avoid putting any food in my mouth that either ends or begins with "balls" but these things were amazing. We also ordered the Unagi Maki. The 1997 roll was also amazing. The Buddha roll rocked. The fish was so fresh on every combo. And most importantly the price was low. That way you can save money and buy bullets for your Glock so you can shoot the creepy felons walking the streets of the 'Loin..
I'd been waiting to write my review of Red Box until I had a chance to eat there again, but I have such happy memories of my meal there that I just can't wait.
Can I say that I am so thrilled to find a good sushi restaurant in the 'loin!
The fish is wonderful, the presentation is really lovely, and the place is so small and clean that it gives me the idea that anyone who can lease a 12' storefront can open such a gem of a restaurant (even in the seediest of neighborhoods.)
I liked everything I tried at Red Box, though I'm not sure the Firecracker Balls quite live up to their reputation. They are good, for sure, but good enough to warrant the price hike from $5 to $9? At least reprint the menu so we don't know that we're paying almost double for what you once happily offered for $5...
Let me start off by saying that my friends really loved this place but that I won't be going back.
The main reason is that this place is NOT vegetarian friendly. They do offer a veggie lunch special, but it is not available for dinner. Additionally, many of the foods that I love to eat at sushi restaurants (Miso soup, agedashi tofu, etc.) are not available on the dinner menu. Basically the menu is restricted to sushi, sashimi, seaweed salad, and those fireballs everyone is raving about.
Come here for lunch, or for a decent (so I was told) fish role, but there are seriously better places for Japanese food in the city.
Enjoy!
This place is so good that i had to register and write a review for this place.
the FIRECRACKER BALLS are the bomb!!
So far all the roll's I've ordered are good too, nothings bad!
And the area isnt as sketchy as people think. Park real close to the place and your fine.. further down EDDY then i would worry.
If your wondering whether to go here or Hana Sushi (2blocks away), go to RED Box, its the same price but better quality.
Dear Yelp,
Let's cut the crap okay. The sushi at Red Box is decent at best. The first time I had their rolls, I couldn't help but think that the sushi chef was ripping off Blowfish just a little bit. The fish can range from good to okay in my experience. These things in consideration, Red Box isn't worth a trip to the Loin.
BUT, Red Box does offer one of the best dishes I've ever tasted: the Fire Cracker Balls. Talk about orgasm inducing. I could eat those things everyday. If you like bite sized bits of deep fried deliciousness, head to Red Box. I swear, if you were to dip them into the Papalote salsa, you would have a cure for cancer. Unfortunately, the management seems to have realized that the balls are the bread winner, upping the price from five bucks to nine. Still, a small price to pay.
Every time I've eaten at Red Box, I always think it'll be the last. I've never seen more than five people there at once. Because of this, I feel inclined to spend a little extra, but I'm only one man. I can't support this place on my own. Do yourself a big favor and stop by Red Box for some of those balls, they might not be around much longer.
I give Red Box Sushi a fantastic score of 3 out of 5 stars.
Love,
James
For fear that we might not get a bite in edgewise at the Yelp Holiday Party, my BF and I had a little pre-party date at Red Box. Funny, 'cause this is one of his reviews that initially caught my eye... but I digress, and it's not about *me*, it's about the *sushi*.
Whatever.
If you don't know what you're looking for, you'd never know Red Box was a sushi restaurant from the outside. It's dark and unassuming, which as we learned from our server, is on purpose. I mean, who wants to see a junkie crawlin' around on the ground for the lost rock while you're trying to enjoy your fresh and delicious sushi? Not me.
But don't let the edge of the neighborhood keep you away. Red Box was great! Fresh, beautiful sushi & sashimi. Elegant, loungy atmosphere (albeit, small. Tiny, even). Attentive service. The only thing I feel like I missed out on was Star Wars playing silently on the t.v. overhead. What the hell? The one time I go, no bloody Star Wars.
Again, I digress... it's about the sushi.
Since we were only stopping in for a quick and lite bite, we didn't get too crazy with the fish, but what we did have was fantastic! Beautiful roses of garnet tuna! Jewel-like swirls of salmon! Plus, I love that it's a stone's throw from my place. And since I'm not scared of the crack-heads crawlin' around the Tenderloin, I imagine I'll be back to sample more of Red Box's offerings.
I only hope I don't get gypped on the Star Wars.
Red Box Sushi is one of the city's best kept secrets. Due to its not so stellar location or neighbors, people most likely hear about this place from their foodie friends, sushi connoisseurs, or someone like me who was brought here by her hip foodie friend. If you have any hesitations about going to this place due to its location, do not fret (my pet) because the windows are totally tinted so no one can see in.
Now on to the food! By far, the main reason that keeps me and my fellow Red Box partner (sup James!) coming back time and time again is the firecracker balls. I can't really explain what it is except I do know that it is fried, contains crab and cilantro, and has some spicy creamy stuff drizzled on them. While I cringe when I hear people describing things as "orgasmic," this is pretty much the length I am willing to go to describe how fucking good the firecracker balls are.
After the firecracker balls as a starter, I usually order the Buddha Roll (which has mango, cilantro, avocado, and crab...i think it's crab) Another suggestion is the Super Dynamite Roll or the Avocado Top Roll (which comes in second place for my favorite sushi roll at this place). The miso soup and seaweed salad are also really good.
Because this place is so discreet, you will most likely have the place to yourself or sharing it with a handful of other diners. The place is small in size but the interior is very cool and San Francisco-like, with Star Wars projected on the back wall and dim lights throughout. The servers are also very friendly. Another plus, they will be open for lunch starting in 2008.
I LOVE SUSHI and I can say without doubt that Red Box is one of the BEST sushi experiences of my life. Brave the location and enjoy this hidden gemstone.
Excellent!
Red Box Sushi joins my list of "Would never have found it without Yelp help" restaurants. A great pit stop before hitting up a show at Great American Music Hall. The fish was fresh (the white tuna and hamachi were particularly delicious) and the rolls we had were unique (a spicy tempura roll) and tasty (spider roll, one of the yummiest I'd had). The food is presented beautifully on uniquely shaped dishes. I loved how they utilized them in the plating techniques, such as drizzling a complimentary sauce across the elliptical plate, encircling a delectable roll.
As the lovely Liz S. points out her in review, WHERE IS EVERYONE? This place is truly a gem, I can't comprehend why it isn't packed to the gills at all times!! However, I'm not complaining whatsoever... there's nothing like a great sushi place with no wait!
Thank you, everyone, for the fantastic recommendation. I'll be back many, many times!
I joined Yelp merely to write a review on this place.
A hole in the wall but the sushi is de-licious! The best I've had since my trip to Japan. A wonderful menu selection and service was terrific. Just a warning... expect a wait time before you actually get served; they take a pretty long time to make your dish but it's worth the wait. Love this place!
"Like Buttah"
Barbara Streisand's slender manicured hands would be chop-stick-ing away at the incredible sushi here at Red Box. It really does go down like buttah. The sushi here is unbelievable. Fresh, rich and unique.
Red Box is a small space, but interesting in it's layout. There are only a handful of tables, which makes for a very intimate dining experience, A movie projected on the upper wall, plays above those eating. Star wars and sushi. It's practically an orgasmic combination. If it was actually playing. (little bit of technical difficulty)
Having lived in Japan for a year, I am embarrassed to admit that I know very little about good sushi. Still going through the middle school to high school transition, I shied away from new eating experiences, and left that much more amazing sushi for my older sister. So I was relieved when the sushi connoisseurs at our table, took the lead and ordered for us.
The Fire cracker balls - our appetizers, fried tuna drizzled in serache sauce and cheese, were delicious and not a hint of fishiness about them. The sake eased whatever spice it left behind. I couldn't wait for our next courses. They did not disappoint. Generous slabs of sweet salmon, spicy eel rolls, and other raw fish delicacies. Every roll had it's own allure and everyone at the table raved about the quality of each.
My only complaint would be the delay in water glasses, despite asking twice for a round of water. With such spicy dishes, we were forced to take shots of sake to take away the edge (and I even stayed away from the most spicy rolls). Also there was one wasabi tainted batch of sushi - that left half of our table's eyes red and their throats tight. A slight downer, especially when the rolls were specifically asked to be wasabi-free. The cost of our meal was comparable for the quality of our sushi. It was on point and an excellent start for the rest of our night - which unsurprisingly was equally as smooth. Slick buttah memories.
Happy Hour - 7 Days A Week!
Neighborhood: Pacific Heights
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Neighborhood: Hayes Valley
Neighborhood: Civic Center/Tenderloin
Category: Sushi Bars
Neighborhood: Pacific Heights
Category: Sushi Bars
Neighborhood: Nob Hill
Category: Japanese
Neighborhood: Hayes Valley
Category: Sushi Bars
Neighborhood: Civic Center/Tenderloin
Category: Sushi Bars
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