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Tanuki Restaurant
Categories: Restaurants Sushi Bars Restaurants Japanese Sushi Bars, Japanese [Edit]
4419 California St(between 6th Ave & 7th Ave)
San Francisco, CA 94118
Neighborhood: Inner Richmond
(415) 752-5740
- Hours:
Mon-Fri 5 pm - 10 pm
Tue-Fri 11:30 am - 2:30 pm
Sat 12 pm - 10 pm
Sun 12 pm - 3 pm
Sun 4:30 pm - 9:30 pm
- Attire:
- Casual
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Price Range:
-
$$
- 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:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Beer & Wine Only
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Ambience:
- Casual
- Has TV:
- Yes
- Caters:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
224 reviews for Tanuki Restaurant
Review Highlights
"I love the noodle salad that comes with dinners."
(in 22 reviews)
"My favorite is the chef sashimi."
(in 55 reviews)
"the uni was sweet, a definite plus."
(in 28 reviews)
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224 reviews in English
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Review from Will T.
San Francisco, CA
1/30/2012
The fish is always fresh and the portions are always more than satisfying. I always get the sashimi dinner combo which comes with salmon, tuna and albacore (big slices). Their miso soup has godzilla-sized cubes of tofu.
They've also got good options for those that don't like raw fish. If you're looking for a japanese place and you love sushi but your friend doesn't, come here. -
Review from A J.
San Francisco, CA
2/12/2012
Meh. Pretty average Japanese food (2 stars counts as average for our reviews).
Our main complaint was the spicy dragon roll wasn't particularly spicy at all and despite just listing "tuna" as an ingredient, instead came with cooked tuna which tasted more like canned tuna. Not at all what we expected - which would be fine if this was an interesting variant, but the cooked meat just didn't work in the dish at all. And it was also drowned in way too much of a mayonnaise-ish sauce. A scallop roll wasn't much better.
The grilled miso eggplant was just okay as well, with a sweet miso sauce. The agedashi tofu was decent, as was a cold noodle salad (especially for the price), but overall our meal only warranted 2 stars. -
Review from Max R.
San Francisco, CA
12/28/2011
given San Francisco's vast Asian influence, I always find myself curiously trying to uncover that secret & amazing japanese hole-in-the-wall but always end up sitting directly in front of Aki-San, devouring Tanuki's deliciously silky, unbelievably fresh nigiri. Through my extensive travels, I can safely say that not much compares. This is my go-to neighborhood sushi joint. No thrills, just a very traditional, inviting place to eat the best sushi around. Not gonna begin to name specific sushi selections because it's all good. Just ask Aki-San what's fresh that day; He will never steer you wrong.
Bonus: little TV above the sushi bar for your Giants viewing pleasure... -
Review from Stephanie L.
San Francisco, CA
2/4/2012 1 Check-in Here
This is the best sushi in the Richmond District that I've experienced so far. I've tried other japanese restaurants, and Tanuki has the freshest fish, best service, and overall best experience in comparison. There are not many "special" rolls its more of a traditional sushi roll place.
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Review from Alysha M.
Another top sushi restaurant in my book! Kind of a hidden gem behind a bus stop on Cali Street.
I'm sad I only discovered this place now since I'm moving to a diff state soon. All the fish is fresh and prices are reasonable too. The uni shot with quail egg, tobiko, and ponzu sauce is definitely worth it for $4.75.
I'm getting hungry just thinking about it! -
Review from Amy K.
Beverly Hills, CA
12/28/2011
I had the pleasure to go to Tanuki with a regular. The chef provided us with copious amounts of fresh and delicious sashimi. From what I could remember we had the oyster shooter, uni shooter, steamed egg, tuna toro, hamachi toro, white tuna, scallops, sweet shrimp, uni, lobster hand roll, and much more.
I absolutely loved the uni and oyster shots, as well as the steamed egg. -
Review from Nathalie C.
Walnut Creek, CA
11/24/2011 1 Check-in Here
Sushi is terrific here. My Mom and I enjoyed the crunchy roll, spider roll (soft shell crab) and bento box with beef teriyaki, chicken wing, tempura, noodles with a mayo mixture and rice. Very authentic, small- but cozy, very clean restaurant.
Parking is difficult, so I park on Clement.
Cheers! -
Review from Adamma I.
Oakland, CA
1/19/2012
Every dish I had here so far has been superb. Amazing I even ate things I normally dislike as in the california roll and the sashimi and it was way phuckin' good!!!!
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Review from Mike L.
10/27/2011 1 photo
Maybe it's just me, but I've always thought of Tanuki as an institution - it's been around since forever, and it looks mostly the same as it did years ago (other than periodic touch-ups). It's small and quaint, but it just feels like a legit Japanese restaurant. Plus, as far back as I can remember, Tanuki was my first experience with Japanese food. Maybe that's why I love the stuff so much...or maybe it's just because it's good.
Growing up, I mostly stuck with Tanuki's combinations, but I usually go with their sashimi/sushi nowadays. You can't really go wrong either way - the food is generally solid regardless. The rolls are reasonably priced for the most part, though a few top out around $15 or so. When I dropped in with my friend last night, we ordered four between us and they were all pretty decent. None were fantastic, but the Tanuki (shrimp tempura topped with unagi, marinated eggplant and avocado) and Scallop Lover (spicy tuna topped with hotate and spicy tobiko) could have been with a tweak here or there (like using raw spicy tuna instead of cooked).
To get the best out of Tanuki though, the sashimi and their more "authentic" dishes are the route to go. The sashimi is generally really fresh, and the cuts are tasty. I haven't tried everything they have to offer, but their hamachi has been my favorite. Also, the Uni and Oyster shots (with raw quail egg, lemon, and ponzu sauce) were awesome, and the Chawan Mushi we tried was terrific (though a little different since they use chicken instead of shrimp/seafood).
Depending on what you order, parts of their menu can be relatively pricey...but you also pretty much get what you pay for. And considering they've maintained the same level of quality after all these years, it's not a terrible difference to get that type of consistency. -
Review from Jeannie L.
San Francisco, CA
11/18/2011
I LOOOOOVE their oyster shots and uni shots. SO GOOD! It's sometimes hard to get all the uni out of the little shot glass, but it's still delicious.
The sushi chefs are friendly and nice. It's a little more pricey than other japanese restuarants but I don't mind at all. Rolls are pricey too but delicious!
The noodle dish was something I keep forgetting I like. I take a bite and it's like... oh ok... wait... this is delicious!
The white tuna sashimi I had was fresh and they were huge slices. Delish!
I just want some more of those shots! YUM! -
Review from Q C.
San Francisco, CA
1/8/2012
So glad I discovered this place tonight! Great quality fish and the specials were very tasty.
Sashimi Combo - fresh.
House Roll - it was okay. even though it had a lot of good stuff in it, I didn't think it stood out all that much.
Space Roll - pretty simple.
"Foil" (special) - this is a very tasty hot dish! foil wrapped crab, salmon,and mushrooms served with ponzu sauce. highly recommend.
Nasu-don - I love eggplant so I had to order this. it was good but not the best i've had.
clam miso soup - i love the clam miso at Tekka so I wanted to try this out. Overall pretty good but the miso soup itself was not as light as I wanted it to be.
Overall, I had a great experience here and would definitely come back. -
Review from Rita Y.
San Francisco, CA
9/24/2011
I came here for lunch w/my niece, who's a regular customer. I haven't tried this place in many years.
We shared one of my favorite dishes, the noodle salad, $4, plenty to share for 2. It's a clear rice noodle dish with mayonnaise dressing and bits of fish cake. Still tastes as good as I remembered.
Their lunch specials are about $10 and I had the sushii special which came with a miso soup. The sushi was good, but not memorable for me. 6 pieces of CA roll, maguro, salmon.
Service is good and Aki, the owner, still works the sushi bar and his ex, Chico runs the rest of the restaurant with their staff. It's a small place with about 7 tables and seating for 6-7 at the sushi bar. A nice neighborhood restaurant but parking can be challenging especially in the evenings.Listed in: In the mood for Japanese…
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Review from Owen M.
Pacifica, CA
* 3.5 Stars *
I knew coming in that Tanuki is the sort of Japanese place that doesn't shun the untraditional. But when we received no oshibori and saw that non-Japanese guests outnumbered Japanese diners, I felt a mild tremor of fear that it was going to turn out to be too much west and not enough east. Our first visit was quite good, but the second was less so.
After a thorough read of the relatively lengthy menu, my wife set her sights on the UNAJU ($20, http://www.yelp.com/bi...), a hefty portion of broiled unagi lacquered with special house sauce served atop white rice and accompanied by a salad and miso soup.
She's an unagi fan, and she loved it. Twenty bucks is pretty expensive for unaju, but for those keeping score at home there was maybe 14 inches of filleted eel heaped on there. You make the call as to whether that's too dear.
Note for the record that the "salad" is not the little green salad you typically see in Japanese restaurants. I'm not really sure what it's called, but it was chilled and consisted of boiled clear noodles, bits of fish cake and a few veggie strips all bound pretty thickly with mayonnaise. We thought it terribly bland.
My starter on visit #1 was the ASARI SAKAMUSHI ($9.00), a surprisingly large bowl of steamed clams in sake broth garnished with bias-cut scallions. It was OK, but I really wasn't a fan. The clams were plentiful, but they turned out to be overcooked 'n rubbery. There was tons of umami going on, but for a bowl of steamed bivalves it had an odd saline/clam flavor deficiency. Japanese cuisine rests heavily on subtly and while I know that this dish is not just an eastern version of a European bowl of steamed bivalves (which is much more shellfish-y), IMHO Tanuki overdid it on the sake end of things at the expense of the clams.
I followed up with some nigiri, sampling aji, amaebi, hamachi toro, hotate and uni. Nigiri prices by the pair, not including those marked "seasonal," run from $4.50 to $7.50.
The food came out lickety-split on our first trip, which turned out to be a problem, not a benefit. I'm not usually one to complain about "coursing" of meals (or lack thereof) outside of American or continental contexts, but when I've ordered an appetizer hot soup to be followed by cold, raw fish, I really would rather that they not be placed before me at essentially the same time, which is what happened. If we were talking about a little miso soup ... no worries at all; bring it out whenever. But the Asari Sakamushi was a *bowl.* (http://www.yelp.com/bi...). I didn't complain or get bent out of shape about it, but it did sap some of the pleasure from my dining experience.
On our first visit, the nigiri featured high-quality fish and were nicely-sized & reasonably priced. I could nitpick and point out that some of the uni had just commenced the melting stage (http://www.yelp.com/bi...) and that maybe the flavor accents atop the Tai were excessive, but I enjoyed the sushi a great deal, especially the Aji. Note that Tanuki's gari packs a wallop of ginger heat and flavor.
The fish quality fell off a little on our second visit. Nothing was bad, mind you. It's just that much of it looked and tasted a hair past its prime. We had one of those moments when you look at each other during a return restaurant visit & simultaneously say, "aw, what happened?"
Tanuki tries to please both eastern & western palates. They offer many untraditional rolls ("Hot Hamachi Rolls" with jalapeno and "Kamikaze Rolls" with spicy tuna, for example) for those who want them, and also feature more than just your average list of nigiri offerings. I'd say that if you are into untraditional rolls but are sometimes afraid that you might be eating fish well past its prime (which is a reasonable concern in some restaurants), Tanuki is solid bet. For nigiri lovers like me, Tanuki seems to be a little more hit or miss. If we had stopped after one visit, I'd have rated the place more highly.
Note: Some Yelp reviews mention getting some free snackies during the course of the meal, but we didn't receive any. Of course, we had to sit at a table and maybe the gratis treats are reserved for those at the sushi bar.Listed in: Did U Say Japanese Food?!
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Review from Jen Z.
San Francisco, CA
12/17/2011
Delicious Japanese food! A mellow, friendly little place. Had a great bento box of teriyaki, tempura and sashimi (with rice, seaweed and mackerel) for $12.50. And - it's baby friendly! Our server immediately brought out a booster seat, plus a little plastic bowl, mini-utensils and a mini-cup of water with a straw, plus a cookie for desert. We really appreciated the gesture, as it's tough to eat out with a baby. Fast and friendly service, fresh and nicely presented food.
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Review from Christine C.
San Francisco, CA
There is only one way to experience Tanuki and that is to sit at the bar with the gracious and entertaining Japanese sushi chefs.
Here you do rounds and rounds of nigiri and sashimi. Maguro, Sake, Hamachi, Saba, Tako, Sea Snail, Geoduck, Uni and so on. Just nod at the chef and speak the name of the neta your heart desires.
Geoduck: http://www.yelp.com/bi...
Uni: http://www.yelp.com/bi...
Sashimi: http://www.yelp.com/bi...
Ankimo: http://www.yelp.com/bi...
There is no strict rules printed on paper directing the usage of soy and wasabi or how to place the nigiri fish first on your tongue. As much as I appreciate, respect, and live by the etiquette and art of consuming nigiri, sometimes I just want to sit at the bar, drink with the chef, and have an authentic, traditional sushi dinner without all the rules.
And Tanuki is where you can do exactly that.Listed in: Sushi My Heart
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Review from Eric G.
San Francisco, CA
9/21/2011
I absolutely love this place for their lunch specials.
Try the Sushi Special which gives you 3 piece California Roll/3 piece Maguro/Avocado Roll with other assorted nigiri sushi. It is very fresh fish, satisfying, and very reasonably priced at $10.95.
They also have great Bento Box specials sor about $12.95.
Definitely worth checking out for a nice Japanese lunch meal! -
Review from Mac F.
San Francisco, CA
11/16/2011
sushi was good. definitely NOT the best, i ever had, and they are way overpriced
pretty disappointed.
*(disclaimer: i only ordered raw fish, as i do at every sushi restaurant. i have not tried any lunch specials..) -
Review from Nathan D.
San Francisco, CA
11/9/2011
It's hard to find a standout sushi restaurant in the Richmond... 1, its everywhere... 2, it's all cheap... This is one of the freshest place I could find around my neighborhood... everything other place seems to smell overly fishy... but I guess you get what you pay for... the staff was super friendly, I thought it was worth a mention...
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Review from Marisa D.
Pacifica, CA
7/20/2011
Long story short: Food is absolutely amazingly fantastic, out-of-this-world fresh and delicious, but even better are the wonderful people who work there.
Tonight Tanuki has proven itself to be a restaurant of not only simply outstanding quality, but of incredible patience.
Because two strangers wandered in off the street-
1) five minutes to closing
2) on a Tuesday night
3) ordered four sushi rolls
and 4) ate every last grain of rice.
And not once were my companion and I complained to, or rushed in any way to hurry up, and kindly get out- not in the slightest,
Once we walked in, we were welcomed warmly by the wait staff and by the lone sushi chef.
We were immediately seated, and although we were advised that we would be the last order, the waitress- who was beautiful, everyone there was- hastily with sincerity added that my companion and I should not feel rushed, please take as much time as we needed. And though my companion and I were quick to make our decisions on our order, since we were both sympathetic to the food service industry, we were again urged by the waitress not to feel rushed once the food was brought to us.
The Rainbow Roll was one of the freshest and most delectable I'd ever tasted- I was sad to see it go.
I loved the miso soup with little mushrooms in it, the flavors of the soup were comforting and harmonious.
As my companion and I sat and ate, the staff began some of the night's clean-up duties. The Sushi Chef was meticulous about clearing away and cleaning his station. He handled everything with care, and executed each dish we'd ordered with precision and incredible skill and talent.
In every way, I am incredibly impressed with Tanuki Restaurant, on California between sixth and seventh. I absolutely cannot wait to go back again.
Thank you, especially, to the staff there who above everything else were patient, courteous, clean, considerate, and incredibly professional and warm towards two hungry late-wandering strangers who found their way to Sushi Nirvana this Tuesday night. -
Review from Ben E.
San Francisco, CA
10/1/2011
Pro: Sushi was fine, had the tropical roll, negi-hama roll and tuna nigiri. Tasted all right, tropical was good. Nothing that would rock your world though.
Con: What did rock our world was the sickness we both got about 30 minutes after eating. I've never been more unhappy to have a 1 bedroom, 1 bathroom apartment after that night.
I dare say we will not be returning, better sushi can be had in the Richmond that does not make you sick. -
Review from Shawn O.
San Francisco, CA
10/29/2011
Fresh Sushi! Good atmosphere. Priced a little high and I have had better, but overall it was an enjoyable sushi run.
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Review from Scott B.
San Francisco, CA
8/4/2011
Tanuki is the most authentic Sushi bar in the neighborhood. The owners are a Japanese couple, a rare find in the plethora of Chinese and Korean owned places around. The sushi chef/owner is masterful with knife, slicing perfectly even, ocean fresh seafood. He adds just enough seasoning, never overpowering the fish. Service is fast and attentive, and they keep a TV behind the bar if you want to watch the game.
You get a really nice free app, not edamame or pickles. First time in it was monkfish liver over greens. Something I never would have ordered, and what a shame that would have been.Delicious! The only drawback here, and the reason for the lack of a fifth star, is the inflated beer prices. It is one of the highest in the neighborhood. My wallet usually takes a good pounding here, but I am never shy to order at my whimsy. -
Review from Nilu r.
San Francisco, CA
3/17/2011
We had dinner here last night and although nothing stood out especially or jumped out at us, everything was pretty tasty, the service was fast and friendly, we found easy parking right around the corner and I left full and happy.
I loved the seafood salad most of all.
I'll be back -
Review from Selina T.
San Francisco, CA
5/26/2011 8 Check-ins Here
I love Tanuki. I've eaten here since I was like 7 or 8 years old and the food, for the most part, have tasted consistently good. When I come here, I always order the Noodle Salad. (To me, it's the tastier version of cole slaw, and I don't like eating cole slaw. Yeah I'm weird.) My mom is a big fan of their green salad, mainly because of the dressing that they use. Their salad bowl portion is decently sized too, usually to the point where my mom has to split it with my dad, who isn't a huge fan of salad.
Their sushi, for the most part, has never disappointed me. They use real ingredients to make their California roll, not imitation shrimp. I usually order their Okame udon because it tastes so clean. Some Japanese places that I go to, their vegetarian udon has too much stuff in it. This place does it perfectly, with few slices of fish cake, mushrooms, beans and green onions. My parents usually order their salmon teriyaki or the beef donburi. I will admit, the beef donburi tastes pretty good too.
They don't allow reservations unless you have a huge party (i.e. 6 or more). They get busy on weekend nights starting at 7pm. Parking can be a pain at times. Service in general is decent but the waiters/waitresses are pretty busy, so if you need something you'll need to flag them down. Their food is not cheap in comparison to other Japanese restaurants, but I think it's a nice place to go once in a while if you're in a mood for Japanese food. It's better than SF's J-Town's Japanese food. -
Review from Connie L.
South San Francisco, CA
12/14/2011 1 Check-in Here
This is one of my fave restaurants! We try to eat here at least once a week. Uni, scallop lover, hamachi kama & the lobster handroll are must haves. The sushi chefs are very friendly, although sometimes you have to wait a while to get service because there are only 2 waiters.
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Review from Cheryl N.
South San Francisco, CA
4/16/2011 1 Check-in Here
Tanuki on California St. Place is nice and clean. My only thing was it's a little space. There's front window seating which is along the sushi bar and then off to the side is a little more seating. That's as much as I saw.
As for the food... It was so yummy! We had Hamachi and Salmon Sashimi, and there was the monk liver fish, akimono? A few sushi rolls, Hamachi Collar, all good foods... I had a great time, and when you get there and if you're lucky enough, you may get one of the several front door spaces... VERY CONVENIENT if you have little kids....
Can't wait to go back again... -
Review from David D.
1/5/2011
Oishii desu nee!
There really are Japanese sushi chefs here, and Japanese regulars who drop in. I guess I could call myself a regular now, even though I'm not Japanese myself. It's just around the corner, and when we just want to get out of the house and eat, the staff always welcome us.
The noodle salad that they serve with every order is delicious, and we actually look forward to it. Whether you order sushi in its myriad forms, or one of the tempura dishes, it's all good. The tofu in the soup is like custard.
An order of chicken teriyaki, an order of tempura, and a serving of green tea ice cream, along with the complimentary noodle salad and green tea, cost us just under $30.
We've been here before, and we'll be here again. Kanpai! -
Review from Pouria Y.
San Francisco, CA
2/5/2011
I have been on a sushi hiatus for some unknown reason and was really excited to finally get back on the sushi saddle. Yelp really screwed me on this one. As my dining companion eloquently put it, "Tanuki? More like Tapukey."
I was hoping this place was going to be good, let me tell you 10 reasons it's not:
-The fish was waaaay not fresh
-The rice was flavorless
-The rolls were wrapped horribly
-Shell in my uni shot
-The $14 house special was tiny
-It's unreasonably expensive (see above)
-The tomatoes in the salad were basically macerated, uck
-The pitcher of beer is $20, giving you 3.5 beers at best...it's a better deal just to buy individual beers
-I had bones in my sushi and they didn't care
-The waiter totally put his hand on my food and didn't say anything
There is no reason to come back here.Listed in: My Neighborhood
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Review from Nam N.
11/22/2010
Grabbed a quick dinner here before a movie with my sister. After the postiive reviews, I HAD to give it a try as it is just down the street from my sis' apartment and I had never noticed it before.
I must confess, that my rating is based on two things alone. So yes, it's quite skewed. :)
Easily....5 STARS for their Uni. Pretty much the most delish Uni I have had in a LONG time. Like all good Uni, it had that wonderful flavor of the ocean---not the least bit fishy but oh-so unctuous. :) Extremely cheap and fresh. You just can't beat that.
2.5 STARS for the service. So ridiculously slow. The restaurant was not too busy when we were there and they had 3 servers on the floor. Plenty of staff considering the small size of the place.
Despite the service, I would gladly come back for the uni. I must confess that I'm a tad Sad Panda that we had just discovered it after nearly 10 years! :) -
Review from Missy L.
San Francisco, CA
9/28/2011
I came here specifically because a good number of Yelpers had good things to say about their uni, an item that I love and for which freshness is paramount, even amongst the freshness requirement of sushi in general. It is one of my favorite things in the world and I'm always on the lookout for a place that serves it well.
Very dissapointing - not at all fresh, though edible (unlike Chin's sushi across the street). I should note that this was back in April of 2011 and I'm only reviewing it now as I was reminded of this place recently. The rest of nigiri was semi-fresh and ok but nothing that would make me want to go back, even though I now live only a block away.
sigh.... -
Review from Nicole L.
7/27/2011
"Ama-ebi, ama-ebi, amma, amma, ama-ebi"
sing to the tune of Imma Be by the Black Eyed Peas.
Amaebi on the next level - seriously. So good, I can't write this without craving it. The raw shrimp is amazingly sweet, typically I think raw shrimp as Ebi and it's always been kind of blah, amaebi is ebi to the 10th power in tastiness. I sucked the tail just to get every last piece out. At Tanuki's they also serve the heads to you and they give you the option to have it either fried or in a broth. I of course had it fried and ate every edible part of the thing, eyes and all. Great great great. After trying amaebi here its become a staple of every Japanese dinner I go to.
Here are other things to order:
- Charashi - about 12 pieces of fish, tamago (egg), and mushrooms. The mushrooms were a great addition, they were so sweet - not sure if they were seasoned that way or just naturally taste like that, but either way good. All the fish was incredibly fresh and each piece melted on our tongues.
- Uni - freshness in mush, disintegrates in your mouth. Advice from BF, eat with uni facing tongue for ultimate taste experience. -
Review from Blond E.
San Francisco, CA
9/26/2011
I was really hoping to find a new good sushi place in this city, but was disappointed yet again. Fishy sushi and the tataki was overcooked. Gomae lacked flavor. The fatty tuna roll was good. But the decor was just really sad and the place had a weird smell. It made me lose my appetite. In sum, not the worst, but not the worth the trip to the Richmond.
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Review from Amy J.
6/27/2011 1 Check-in Here
If you're craving sushi or Japanese food, try Tanuki. The menu selection is quite impressive and the rolls aren't terribly expensive. I ended up getting the pork katsu donburi and my friend got some rolls. My donburi was really filling and quite a large portion. It's not terribly noisy too so you can have a conversation with your dining partner. It's a good place to catch up.
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Review from Kevin A.
San Francisco, CA
5/8/2011
Been to Tanuki on California a handful of times and it never disappoints. It's a small, neighborhood spot, but the quality of the nigiri and sashimi is on par with any of Morimoto's pricey uptown joints.
Staff is always friendly in the standard, almost overly polite way that you only experience in an authentic Japanese family restaurant.
Everything was fresh and tasty. The uni was delicious. Hey, I realize that 'the custard of the sea' is an acquired taste, but don't be a pansy. If you're a texture person, brace yourself for a gob of fish flavored avocado.
The 16oz Asahi draft for $5.50 is an outstanding value.
Oh, one last thing... The master sushi chef looks like he might know Mr. Miyagi... and although it may appear that he isn't paying attention... the sly old fox hears everything. Don't get silly and end up with your extremeties tempura'd. -
Review from Thao N.
8/24/2010 2 photos
If you've never had a California Roll with REAL crab meat, you should check out this place.
When you dine in, they bring you a complimentary cup of tea. You'll also receive some pickled cucumber and daikon to munch on while you wait for your food. This place isn't very big and wasn't too busy when I went there around 2 PM on a Wednesday.
While I was glancing over the menu, I noticed that they didn't have a crunchy California Roll available. I thought that I may have missed it on the menu, but the waitress told me they didn't have it. Even though they didn't have it on the menu, the waitress said they could make it for me.
The California Roll was $6 and I was charged a $1 extra for my special request. I think that was a pretty good deal for 8 pieces. My friend ordered a lunch special for under $11 and she got a lot of items. I found it a little odd that her lunch special didn't come with rice. Anyhow, the service was wonderful and I would probably come back here again to try something new.
FYI they don't stay open all day so make sure you call them to see if they're open. -
Review from Dave C.
Denver, CO
8/9/2011 1 Check-in Here
The tropical roll (mango & 2 types of tuna) is divine! Check out the chalkboard for the day's chef's specials. Fantastic service as well. We'll be back for sure!
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Review from Dave C.
San Francisco, CA
8/18/2011
Every sushi chef in town should come here to re-charge their batteries - it's the real deal! I almost hate to tell anyone about this neighborhood gem. For a long time it's been our little secret. But guilt is a powerful thing...
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Review from Barb B.
7/26/2011
I love going to eat with my old, city-girl auntie for several reasons....1.) She always treats, 2.) She always knows the good places in the city, 3.) She always knows some gossip about the owners or the place itself and the place's history. So, over her cold soba noodles with tempura and my gomae and california roll, I hear about the place used to be half it's size when they first opened up. There used to be a cleaners next door and they bought the place and extended the restaurant out to it's present size. The sushi chef and his wife run the place and she has heard the wife likes to go betting on the horse races. The house on the corner had a fire and was gutted for several years so that side of the street looked kind of crummy but is now rebuilt. We see another elderly Japanese woman walking down the street outside the restaurant and she tells me that the lady is 96 years old and walks 6 blocks to shop on Clement Street every day.
Oh, and the food was pretty good. This was out third time here and the food was delish. -
Review from Stephanie W.
San Francisco, CA
3/2/2011
This is a pretty good japanese restaurant. its VERY VERY small so its not really good for big groups. the staff is very welcoming and always come around and ask if you need anything. the best part is their noodle salad. its SOO good and different from any regular noodle salad! it comes with the meals so you dont need to worry about ordering it. I got the chicken terriyaki and it was a prety large portion and also very good.
I would definitely recommend this place and come back! -
Review from Lauren K.
San Francisco, CA
11/24/2010
AFter reading several reviews here on Yelp, my sister and two friends and I decided to try out Tanuki. As some reviews have already mentioned, the service is fairly slow, however the sushi itself is fantastic. We got several different rolls and a couple orders of nigiri. Nothing short of perfection.
Aside from somewhat slow service, it will not stop me from recommending and returning to Tanuki.
