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Sushi Bistro
Categories: Restaurants Sushi Bars Restaurants Japanese Sushi Bars, Japanese [Edit]
431 Balboa St(between 5th Ave & 6th Ave)
San Francisco, CA 94118
Neighborhood: Inner Richmond
(415) 933-7100
- Hours:
Mon-Sun 5 pm - 10:30 pm
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Beer & Wine Only
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Ambience:
- Trendy
- Has TV:
- Yes
- Caters:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
1088 reviews for Sushi Bistro
Review Highlights
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"Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, definitely the best." In 55 reviews -
"Their butterfish blasters are a must try." In 45 reviews -
"However, the Hot Love was delicious." In 53 reviews
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- A Yelpy Insight: Vegetarians go nuts for this spot. See more places they like.
1087 reviews in English
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Review from Jacquelynne S.
San Jose, CA
4/23/2012 5 Check-ins Here
I've been searching for a good sushi place in the city and I haven't quite found a spot that I can rave about, let alone "crown" as my top sushi place. SUSHI BISTRO, where have you been all of my life? The service is prompt. The place is clean. The fish is fresh! The rolls are AMAZING (yes, that's me raising my voice in excitement).
I've tried numerous dishes here but I have my three absolute favorites:
-Appetizer-
Double Jeopardy
salmon, albacore & avocado chopped tartar style, mixed with wasabi aioli, spicy garlic soy & served with shrimp chips
-Rolls-
M&L forever
spicy tuna, crab meat, cajun flavored albacore, avocado, and grilled big eye tuna inside a crispy exterior drizzled with bonito sauce
Red Devil
butterfish tempura, aioli, avocado & cucumber, topped with spicy tuna, scallions, and red serano ginger sauce.
Add a large order of hot sake and a large bottle of Sapporo and you're good to go! I will be back for sure. Probably sometime this week. -
Review from Aly A.
San Francisco, CA
5/23/2012 1 Check-in Here
When I looked at the menu, I was instantly in heaven. I wanted to try EVERYTHING. EVERYTHING sounded melt-in-your-mouth good. Everything was different from the typical menu. Granted, the prices were a little high, I wanted this new experience.
Anyway, 3 stars. My boyfriend loved many of the dishes, but honestly, nothing made my mouth really sing. Granted, nothing was bad, but for the price I wish we had gone to Ibisu. Anyway, there was this one dish called Hot Love or something like that which was really really heavy. The first bite was warm and buttery, but by the second bite, I felt sick. Perhaps that's my fault for eating it, but I felt a little sick for the rest of the night and I couldn't enjoy the rest of the food. I feel like there needed to be a balance. Even a heavy roll like a Lion King is buttery but more balanced. -
Review from Julia P.
5/17/2012
I don't tend to eat rolls very often anymore but came to this place for a birthday dinner with friends. It was awesome.
Decor is laid back and hip with a bar and tables. We got seated in the backroom.
As per previous posts and friend suggestions had the following:
- Monster in laws
- Crouching tiger hidden dragon
- Butterish blaster
- Volcano roll
- Omega 3
- Salmon, albacore & avocado chopped tartar style
Add in an Asahi Black and you have a great dinner!
Will be back. -
Review from Stephanie L.
San Jose, CA
5/15/2012
The sushi roll selection was pretty cool; lots of interesting combinations. I especially like the fact that they offered brown rice sushi rolls.
Ordered the First Crush (brown rice), Five Wishes, butter fish thing, Hawaiin Breeze, and one other shrimp tempura one. I also ordered a miso soup that never came, so I cancelled it midway through the meal.
My favorite of the bunch was the butter fish. Both Five wishes and butter fish contained no rice in the roll, making for protein-rich bites.
Complaints:
- The snow crab described in the menu was HEAVILY mixed with an egregious amount of mayo, giving it that ultra creamy texture. I personally did not like this Americanized kami.
- Brown rice didn't look or taste like brown rice.
- Tuna was not fresh
- The overall taste of the rolls didn't come together very well; just one thing overpowered another.
- Fuji apples are always awesome, but I was a bit...ambivalent on how it played out in a sushi roll. The sweetness offered an overbearing flavor so that the final impression is how sweet the sushi roll was, and you could hardly taste much else. It adds a nice crunch though.
Positives:
- Simple and elegant presentation.
- Rolls not overpadded with rice.
- Decent number of rolls and size for the price. Not unreasonable.
Meh experience overall. I probably would not return simply because there are innumerably better sushi experiences elsewhere. -
Review from Shaun E.
Newark, NJ
5/22/2012 1 Check-in Here
Very delicious sushi restaurant! Highly recommend paying this restaurant a visit! Love the tempura and crunchy sushi as well as the sexy scallops. Yummy!!! Must try this place!
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Review from Ashwini S.
Mountain View, CA
5/13/2012
The signs were all there. Parking was a nightmare. We circled the neighborhood for a full 45 minutes before we parked in a 'not so legal' spot (No, it wasn't a handicapped spot, I'm a better person than that). The wait was another 45 minutes. I am not supposed to be eating Sushi, but after checking with the server and making sure that the fried rolls were cooked through, we placed our order for a Spicy Crunchy, an Asparcado and Albacore rolls and a veggie tempura appetizer. The tempura was good and so was the vegetarian Asparcado roll, but it was nothing stellar. The Spicy Crunchy was extremely fishy, and my husband said the Albacore roll was decent.
After all the 5 star reviews we were expecting a lot from the place, our experience was just mediocre. The servers were nice, food not so!
I think i'll just wait to fly to Hawaii and eat at Sansei in Maui...yummmmmm! -
Review from Jackie M.
San Francisco, CA
I love sushi and I was really excited about trying Sushi Bistro because I saw how popular it was. In addition to being really popular it looked like a good place for people my age.
Anyways, came here with my two girlfriends and we ordered Finding Nemo, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, Five Wishes, and Volcano roll. I also got a house salad. Let me say this.... I was very dissatisfied with my salad. It was just a plain ol' salad. Not even the awesome miso dressing that most Japanese places use. Ok, enough about lame old salad, the rolls! The rolls were pricey, lemme say that first. My favorite of them all was the Volcano. It had scallops and crab. I didn't like the Five Wishes, the crab in it was all creamy and tasted really weird. Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon - unagi, avocado, and fried tempura was really fresh and yummy, but nothing amazing. I didn't try Finding Nemo, but it seemed like my friend liked it? Haha
I would prob. come again just for a bite, but it has not won me over just yet! -
Review from Kathy L.
San Francisco, CA
5/10/2012 1 Check-in Here
I wanted to take my friend here for dinner for her birthday since we're huge fans of sushi. I had heard about it before but never got a chance to try it out. I miraculous found parking right away and then we got seated by the bar right as well as soon as we walked in.
The waiters were attentive and helpful, which is always a plus.
We ordered:
- 49er Roll: not of fan of having lemon on of my salmon, but the salmon was good
- Crouching Tiger Roll: shrimp tempura, avocado, AND unagi?! WINNER!
- M&L Forever: It consists of spicy tuna, crab meat, cajun flavored albacore,
avocado, and grilled big eye tuna. Different from other rolls and very delicious.
The rolls are definitely different than other places I've been to since it's more fusion than traditional Japanese. If you're into that, it's something to check out. -
Review from Christina C.
Berkeley, CA
Updated - 5/2/2012
It's been 4 years. Yes. 4 years since I last came here. It's changed locations, waitstaff, decor, etc. But it's still kind of suck. Yeah. It pains me to use such poor English but there's no better way to describe it than suck.
I got some nigiri: Amaebi, uni, hamachi-toro and hotate-gai.
It was just after the restaurant opened for evening service. The interior of the restaurant was painted all black and had that sexy-in-a-bad-way vibe. The bright sun outside overpowered the subtle mood lighting inside and made me feel like I was a salary man in Tokyo, sneaking in a snack at a panty shack before heading home. If there was a dancer on the bar top, it would have completed the mental image. I was a bit ashamed to be eating there. Alone.
My nigiri arrived in 3 parts. The first was the hotate-gai. Not bad. But not much flavor either. It's a plus when the nigiri does not smell like over-ripe seafood. But it's a minus when there is no flavor at all. I could have been eating vegetarian agar atop rice.
Second came uni and hamachi-toro. The hamachi-toro had some knife work on top and a little squiggle of extra fish. But the fish was not tender. It was not melting. I had to use both hands to tug apart the slice of fish as I bit into it. The power of chopstick kung fu alone was not enough. Something akin to gristle prevented my teeth from cleaning separating the two bites. I was left with have a slice of fish hanging out of my mouth. The uni was also not flavorful. The dim lighting prevented me from admiring the color and texture of the uni. I attempted to ascertain the freshness by squinting at it while holding it so the light from outside fluttered in. When I ate it, there was no burst of intrigue. I cannot say what it was. Except it was suck.
Last, the amaebi. I appreciate that they gave me three instead of the usual two due to the small size of the shrimp/prawns. But the heads were not battered, and the whole thing was dowsed in this sharp brown sauce that overpowered everything. It was too strong, too salty, too sour, and it got everywhere.
I gave up on that sushi meal. It was disappointing. The whole experience was unusual and surreal. Similar to karaoke where you think you're going to sing Frank Sinatra but instead you get something from Tu-Pac.2 Previous Reviews: Show all »
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7/21/2008
I left this place in February with such fond memories and good feelings. My BF and I returned last… Read more »
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Review from Jessica C.
San Francisco, CA
AMAZING sashimi + nigiri.
The sashimi is so fresh and buttery soft, and comes in huge, thick slices. I think it might be the most high quality and generous quantity of sashimi for its price. I absolutely love the albacore belly (dare I say it is just as fatty and flavorful as the toro, except half the price!). The toro is of course so rich and satisfying. And so is the king salmon. And the hamachi belly. ...Everything!! THREE THUMBS UP.
Although really unique and tempting with all the creative combinations of sauces, components and flavors they offer, not all of the special & unique rolls are perfect...I love the Butterfish Blasters roll (snow crab meat and avocado wrapped in butterfish torched with a garlic-soy). Such a tender roll with a rich blast of flavor. But I warn against the Hot Love (baby lobster, avocado and crab meat rolled in snapper, baked with spicy sweet sauce). Sounds so good on the menu...but it is drenched in thick, overpowering orange sauce, the "crab meat" inside the roll is fake, and I don't know what is wrapped around the outside but it has a really rubbery texture...the whole roll is just overwhelming and wrong. Order unique rolls at your own risk!
The menu also includes vegetarian rolls, brown rice rolls, signature rolls, small plates, teriyaki, udon, and salads.
You will swoon over the sashimi (and non-ridiculous wait for a table unlike at some tiny sushi establishments). -
Review from Stine H.
4/17/2012
Been wanting to try this place even before I passed by here everyday on the way to class. Over 1000 reviews and 4 stars means they're doing something right. Right?
I want to start off by saying that sushi bistro is definitely more fusion and catered to american tastes. Most sushi places (that I go to anyway) are typically fusion and not authentic japanese...but this place was really Americanized. Small restaurant with dim lighting for dinner. We came at about 6:30pm and there wasn't a wait for 2 at the bar, but it was basically a full house.
The waitstaff is super friendly and attentive. They clean and swipe up all your dishes the minute you're done! I'm not sure I really like that, but hey! Anyway, on to the food...Maybe we ordered the wrong things, but our food was just ok. I don't think I'd come here if I was craving sushi.
We had the sexy scallop roll which consisted of spicy scallops atop some sort of fish and avocado roll wrapped in soy paper. If I remember correctly it was salmon and white tuna or something? I love spicy scallops and it's sad to say that they were very fishy :-(. We also got the crouching tiger roll which had shrimp tempura and unagi which was the better of the two, but also not very memorable. The poke tuna salad was mediocre with strange chunks of tuna. (think chain restaurant poke salads) I appreciated the generous amounts of avocado though. I think the best part of our meal was the agedashi tofu and sake. Large pieces of nice soft tofu in a light sauce and fish flakes. Not sure what the sake was but we requested something "light, girly and perhaps fruity" and whatever the waiter got us was pretty good. Our total came out to be about $60 for 2, I guess that's sushi though. -
Review from Josselin A.
San Jose, CA
4/25/2012
Yes, it is geared towards the Americanized sushi palate, but that doesn't mean this place isn't good. The butterfish blasters was tasty but I felt like it was a bit pricey for all they gave. For the most part, the rolls are good but I didn't feel like this place really separates itself from the other sushi restaurants to have 4 stars and have over 1000 reviews. I mean the decor is nice and the place is lively, but it terms of just its offerings, I'd say it's a bit better than your average Japanese fusion place.
JJ -
Review from Mechanized D.
Brooklyn, NY
5/4/2012 1 Check-in Here
The sushi that make me come back to SF from NYC every year! I decided to keep up with tradition and every year when I come to SF I would always visit Sushi Bistro! Damn, this place makes sushi good. I always order 5-6 different rolls and slowly enjoy them. I don't share them with anyone, not even with very good looking woman. Girl, get your own portion...
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Review from Allan L.
4/6/2012
I will preface by saying I'm not a fan of raw fish. I'm not a fan of anything raw. However, my review is based off the California hand roll and chicken teriyaki / tempura dish I ordered. I have to say, their food is excellent. The California hand roll was delicious and quite affordable. It was a little hard to eat because I refused to use my hands because I'm a germaphobe, but that's my fault. Additionally, the chicken teriyaki was seasoned well and came with a great teriyaki dressing. The tempura was fresh out of the fryer and made eating vegetables enjoyable. I finished off the night with a mango mochi ball. Was similar to the ones you'd find in the stores, so maybe next time we'll try the crème brulee.
Tables are a little close together and I didn't receive a water refill, but those are minor things. The staff was otherwise attentive and honored our reservations, which I recommend making. We'll be coming back again.
My tummy gives Sushi Bistro...5 Stars! -
Review from Tiffany C.
Daly City, CA
4/5/2012 1 Check-in Here
One step into Sushi Bistro transformed my persona from nerdy to cool instantly. The ambiance definitely earns a star-- very clean and classy.
Our waiter (Vince?) was very attentive, constantly checking up on us and filling our waters.
Reading the menu will tickle you pink with titles like "hot love", "caucasian afro", and "spicy girl" ( that's me!). I had heard so much about the butterfish and was tempted to get the butterfish blasters, but decided to get the 10 piece sushi/sashimi combination. This included yellowtail, salmon, albacore, shrimp, butterfish, tobiko, tamago, albacore tataki, halibut & tuna for $20. I liked being able to try a little bit of everything AND it came with a salad and miso soup. Similar to other reviews, I found the food very fresh and worth the money. I also tried some of their tempura which was battered to golden perfection.
I'll be back for those butterfish blasters! -
Review from kent c.
San Jose, CA
4/1/2012 1 Check-in Here
I came here on my birthday.
It was my first time here, and i thought it was little out of the way in some nice neighborhood. After arriving, it quickly came to me that this is the local neighborhood Japanese food fix hotspot.
The fish quality is super duper fresh. I had my doubt walking to our seats, and looking at the menu mainly because they advertise a lot of ROLLS. Most know Japanese restaurants who does rolls are usually fake or lower end restaurants.
With every order arriving at our table, Sushi Bistro quickly deleted my questions about this place. The fish collar is excellent. yellowtail is awesome.
TORO just melts.
A little bit pricey but it is in SF, and it is a swank Japanese sushi bistro.
I would definitely go back to this place. -
Review from Mindy A.
3/21/2012 1 Check-in Here
This joint was cool.
The atmosphere is really neighborhood-y: it's small, lots of people waiting, varied crowd from hipsters to families.
I'm not much of a roll eater, so no comment there, but the nigiri and sashimi were pretty good. We also had the jalapeno yellowtail, which wasn't exactly up to Nobu standards, but was still delicious. They have a decent sake menu, with probably 5-7 nigori choices (my fave), which is kinda rare.
I expected to be paying big bucks at a hipster sushi place in the middle of San Francisco, but prices were totally affordable. I think for 3 of us to eat the nigiri special, sashimi special, yellowtail entree, salads, edamame, pitcher of sapporo, and bottle of sake, it was like $120.
Only bad part: parking. We drove around for probably 15 minutes before finally finding a spot about 3 blocks away. -
Review from DayDay D.
San Francisco, CA
4/6/2012
I came here on a late Saturday night with a group of 6. Each one of us ordered 2 dishes each and shared.
Seemed like a crazy night, but service was still on point.
I had the M&L and the C-2 rolls, really fresh fish and soft rice texture.
Ahi Tuna special was good, sashimi/guacamole style served with crab chips.
Another favorite was the Y.T Jalapeno, thin slices of yellowtail with a kick of sliced jalapeno on top.
Some other dishes that were just not my style, and very mayo-ee; five wishes & african spider. It was just too overwhelming.
All in all, definitely a good experience with fresh fish.
Average roll is about $12/per speciality roll. -
Review from theresa d.
Daly City, CA
4/27/2012
It was very good, but I think I need to do a do over because I didn't really order real sushi. Just rolls and tempura. I ordered two rolls, a tempura side platter, and a beer. The cool part is that they have a vegetarian options that are really refreshing. The servers were great and they helped us decide on what to order, unfortunately finding parking in the neighborhood is difficult.
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Review from Monelle P.
San Francisco, CA
2/29/2012 2 Check-ins Here
I really did not want to like Sushi Bistro. Japanese rolls with a Latino and Caribbean twist? (crickets)...
But the food lives up to the hype. My favorite fusion roll was the New Legend. The shrimp tempura is cooked to order and crunchy. It's nicely contrasted by the seared albacore and very tasty spicy garlic sauce. I've ordered this roll on 2 visits and it tastes better every time!
Rolls I would not order again: rock & roll (baked spicy scallops atop a california roll) and spider roll (lightly battered and fried soft shell crab, avocado, cucumber, sprouts, and tobiko). The baked scallop topping on the rock & roll was really heavy with mayo and made the rest of the roll soggy. The soft shell crab in the spider roll had a mushy, unpleasant texture in the inner portions of the roll.
For the purists, Sushi Bistro satisfies with its EXTREMELY FRESH sashimi. Wow, talk about good. REALLY GOOD. Melt in your mouth, decadent, sinful, creamy good. We've ordered the 12-piece sashimi platter and we eye each other nervously over how many pieces each person eats. The best fish is the Butter Fish, the white fish nestled in the middle of the sashimi platter. True to its name, it's like butter in your mouth.Listed in: Jonesing for Japanese
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Review from Lael A.
San Francisco, CA
2/19/2012
I can't believe I'm going to give a four star rating to a place that lists "Billie Jean" and "Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon" as the names of two sushi rolls. I want to hate places like this from the outset. But after two visits here, I'm clearly impressed with the service and the quality of the food. I would classify this place as the default sushi place one would go if they didn't want to think about somewhere new to try and just want something good and satisfying to eat.
The clear standouts for me are the 12 piece sashimi platter and the "New legend Roll." I've been told that the best sushi should stand on its own, without any type of soy sauce, and that when you bite into it, it should simply "melt" with each subsequent bite. This is that type of sashimi. Added plus for being generous with the portion size.
The spicy garlic sauce and scallions adds great flavor to the seared albacore in the New Legend roll. I also love the crunch that the shrimp tempura provides.
Even the standard miso soup and side salad with Japanese dressing are good. They also provide very good (and complimentary) sweet pickled cucumbers to start the meal. -
Review from Anne D.
San Francisco, CA
4/30/2012
Probably one of if not the best sushi places we've been to in San Francisco. Just went here last night for dinner and it was great! We really liked the New Legend, the Yellowtail Basil and the Red Devil. The waitress' recommendations were spot on. Great neighborhood place for sushi and I'm sure we'll be back!
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Review from farah b.
San Francisco, CA
3/2/2012
Rock and Roll-DELICIOUS
I am always the happiest camper when I leave this place.
Ocean trout, strawberry Creme Brulee (omg fresh strawberries)
Delightful-amazing place -
Review from Viji V.
San Rafael, CA
2/13/2012
OMG OMG - If I could eat here daily I would. It is so amazing. The only thing is it is kinda loud and you usually have to wait for a table - but it is well worth the wait. The POKE is to die for and those crispy noodles it comes with - UNREAL !!!! Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, Hawaiian Breeze, New Legend, Red Devil, And....I could go on and on......
I have never had a bad roll and the quality is amazing. Just order slowly one at a time as the tables are small and once they start they come out fast....
YUM!!!! -
Review from Natasha R.
San Francisco, CA
Updated - 1/18/2012 1 Check-in Here
Asahi Black Beer?? I never knew such a thing existed! And yes, it was perfect.
Fuji Apple inside a sushi roll?? Unconventional- but dynamic in flavor and absolutely delicious. Just try it.
You don't come to Sushi Bistro because you want a Rainbow Roll. You come here because you want rolls that are delightfully unique. Because you appreciate a quiet neighborhood and a parking spot. And you know a Japanese black beer is a rare find.
I love this place.1 Previous Review: Show all »
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7/18/2011
Creative rolls (Tempura butterfish? Scrumptious!).
Yummy sauces (Not soaked or doused).
Moderate… Read more »
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Review from Katherine C.
San Francisco, CA
4/8/2012 1 Check-in Here
Reluctant at first because I was greeted by a non Asian server and sushi chef. But I gave it a shot. What better way to judge a sushi joint than its sushi? Nigiri had good fish:rice ratio, and the fish was fresh and chilled at just the temp of my liking. Appetizers, such as the agedashi tofu was traditional and tasty as well. M&L roll was a burst of flavors, though a tad bit salty.
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Review from Jon B.
Los Angeles, CA
3/7/2012
This place is amazing. Visiting Sf last week for some time off, I am very happy I added this place to my visit.
MICHELIN RECOMMENDED, this place is superb for dinner. I highly suggest this place to anyone. It's a lil higher on the price scale but not too much. It is affordable.
This place is a must if your visiting. I also drove past the restaurant the following day. It was full inside. There were many people dinning. I'm sure the residents of SF are a fan! -
Review from Dan P.
San Francisco, CA
4/1/2012 1 Check-in Here
Is "Yay! I'm a fan."... good enough?
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Review from Lien T.
San Jose, CA
It isn't like Sushi Bistro needs another glowing review, but I just have to add my two cents. So here it goes...
I came here for a dinner date with my favorite boy. We didn't have dinner reservations, but luckily there was a table available for two. Like most restaurants in San Francisco, Sushi Bistro was really small in size. I think they could have used bigger tables, but oh well...we made the best of our tiny table for two.
We ordered a total of six dishes (http://www.yelp.com/bi...) and two beers each. What I really didn't like was how our table was so small. We couldn't fit all of our food and our waiter was really terrible with pacing. He kept bringing out plate after plate and I felt very rushed. There was literally no space on our table and instead of giving us some time to enjoy our food, he would stand at our table and wait for us to rearrange the plates somehow so that he could fit the next plate.
On a lighter note, the sashimi and rolls were fantastic. My most favorite roll of the night was the butter blaster (http://www.yelp.com/bi...). It was the most tasteful roll I have ever had. It consisted of snow crab meat and avocado, wrapped with butterfish. The butterfish was very rich and soft--I just couldn't get enough of it. I also really liked the yellowtail belly (http://www.yelp.com/bi...); it was the most rich tasting sashimi I have ever tasted. Don't get me wrong, everything was absolutely amazing, but those two were the highlight of our dinner.
Our bill came out to be a little over $100, which was fairly reasonable for the excellent quality and taste of the food.
P.S.
Cheers to my 500th review! ;D -
Review from Robert Y.
1/21/2012
nice decor and intimate atmosphere with unique and somewhat delicious rolls but small portions. Most dishes are around ~$14 each and are of appetizer size. Good and attentive service.
Hot Love
more like an appetizer for 2 that included some lobster/crab and was wrapped with avocado, lemon, and some spices. Good presentation and decently tasting.
butterfish blaster
6 pieces of crab and avocado wrapped in butterfish. Again it was a good appetizer but not really a main course. It was a little fishy but I liked it more than the hot love.
teriyaki beef with vegetables
The best bang for your buck dish that we got. Had pan fried beef with sauce drizzled on top of a bed of more than generous amounts of vegetables that would make a vegetarian happy. Plain and simple main course dish.
udon with tempura
sweet and msg broth with udon and pieces of tempura that became soggy in the soup. This dish was plain and simple; nothing too special or exciting.
As future yelper Cassie K stated, we could have probably gone to komes (http://www.yelp.com/bi...) with the amount of money we paid. I would have to agree with her. -
Review from Christina F.
San Francisco, CA
Sushi for white people. Ya.
Lots of weird vegetarian options, brown rice instead of white rice inside the rollls, soy wrapper instead of seaweed, stuff like that.
Had two orders of unagi nigiri, this was the cheapest, and the best out of everything we ordered.
Udon and roll [forgot which it was] not worth mentioning.
Here you will find the WORST chicken teriyaki in all of SF. Funny because this was the most expensive dish. The chicken strips were tiny, extremely dry, and tasteless. Get it if you like eating sandpaper. Yep..
Super expensive for mediocre food. Around 60 before tip for all that crap. Portions are not large at all. -
Review from A C.
San Francisco, CA
4/19/2012
I'm not too fond of their rolls, particularly those made with mayo. I'm sure they're good to someone whose stomach can digest raw fish with warm mayonnaise. As for this review, I'm giving stars to the pork gyoza. Those were good.
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Review from Amanda M.
Calabasas Highlands, CA
4/17/2012
It was good but I wasn't over the moon (and I'm a huge "Americanized" sushi fan). Neat combos but sometimes things didn't quite mesh perfectly. We sat at the bar and the bartender was very attentive without being overbearing. The butterfly bites or whatever they're called were interesting, but it was cold fish being put over warm and they hadn't been allowed to come to the same temperature so it was a little weird. The rolls were good, but like I said, nothing really stood out as excellent. They had really neat combos so going once was great, but I don't think I'd go back again.
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Review from Dylan M.
San Francisco, CA
4/16/2012
Although the food was good (and some only care about the food), the service was poor. They sat my daughter and I at a table for four. A little while later a party of three came in and so the manager asked me if I would mind if they moved half the table. I said yes, but quickly came to regret it as I was sitting on the same side as my daughter so I could better help her eat. Now we were sharing a single side which was tight.
I don't want to sound like it's all about quid pro quo but it was clearly inconveniencing us yet the manager never offered anything in return. Worse, when the threesome on the other side of us left, I asked the manager if we could move to that table and he said no.
In SF you have to treat your customers well because they have so many options. It's disappointing because I've been looking for a good neighborhood sushi place. I will not be going back. -
Review from Angela L.
1/18/2012
FOOD:
Sashimi plate = the sushi was good. Nice presentation of food.
SERVICE:
Not bad.
ATMOSPHERE:
It's nice decor, nice ambiance to it. -
Review from Fabian S.
Hayward, CA
12/18/2011 1 Check-in Here
This place was not bad, I know I've had better sushi though. I tried a few of their speciality rolls but wasn't too impressed, felt as though it needed more to it. The environment was nice though and located in an OK area, not too hard to find. The waiters/ waitress were very friendly though and service was pretty speedy. Overall I rates it due to the food, if it had more specialty rolls that wowed me I would have rated it higher. Maybe I'll try it another time to give it more of a chance.
Sushi as good as some tushi! -
Review from Pudgy G.
San Francisco, CA
3/23/2012
I'm only giving it two stars because it states "Meh, I've experience better" which is true for me. The sushi wasn't that great and neither was the food. I ordered several rolls along with the udon noodles with steak meat and it didn't taste very fresh. The sushi was barely mediocre. I've had WAY better elsewhere in the city. The closest good thing about this restaurant was the service and presentation of the food.
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Review from Raquel B.
San Francisco, CA
4/12/2012
Great rolls. A little pricy for the amount of food they give you.
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Review from Tina T.
Reseda, CA
2/7/2012
I'm sitting at my computer in Los Angeles dreaming about getting on a plane to fly to San Francisco for dinner at Sushi Bistro.
The last time I was there I got the ahi poke salad, the Dave's legacy and the fried green tea ice cream.
All were so good I'm drooling. -
Review from Ardit B.
San Francisco, CA
1/5/2012
Sushi Bistro is by far my favorite sushi place in San Francisco. Their rolls are amazing, and the most amazing of all: Hot Love roll. (lobster/crab cooked with eel sauce) .
Even my parents loved this place.
I come back as much as I can.
The only caveat: Make sure to make a reservation first, as this place is always packed.
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