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Category: Sushi Bars [Edit]
Neighborhood: Pacific HeightsMon-Thu. 11:30 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Mon-Thu. 5:30 p.m. - 10:30 p.m.
Fri. 11:30 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Fri. 5:30 p.m. - 11:30 p.m.
Sat. 5:30 p.m. - 11:30 p.m.
Sun. 5:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
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Fresh fish and sustainable fish are offered here as well. That is a must!
The place is small, cramped, you might find yourself in a slighty sticky table. That being said, it's not the place to take mom and dad for a nice night out. But if you're not too picky about ambiance, looking for a good place with decent priced sushi, this is the place to go! Forget those commercialized "japanese" places that only serve Teriyaki everything. They aren't into making everything just look flashy and fancy and leave you wondering if you even had some fish in that bite. The portions of sashimi and nigiri are generous.
There are only like 20-30 chairs and a party of more than 6 most likely cannot sit together.
I've had great experiences with these..
1) Oysters on half shell - very very fresh
2) seared tuna app - seared perfectly. warm on the outside and cold on the inside. nice light sauce.
3) sashimi platters - again, just a nice variety of generous portions of fresh sashimi including artic char, almaco jack, etc (sustainability my friends)
4) seared scallops
I have a very very sensitive stomach and so I'm usually the first or only person to get sick after eating sushi that is not of freshest quality. But this place has never ever given me problems all 4 times that I have been there.
It's kind of hard to find if you've never been there since it's off the main street and between other stores that are usually empty, closed. But don't skip this place, try it out! It's good stuff.
Walked here the other night and found Tataki to be quite a surprise. Recommended by some trustworthy foodies, I had some pretty high expectations and Tataki delivered. The only negative would be the space is too small for the crowd it draws. Clearly more than enough people know of this place, so if you decide to try it, bring your patience.
The seared scallops on rice are worth coming here alone. The sashimi was excellent and the wait staff was really cool about educating us on where the fish was from and what kind it was.
I will be back.....especially since its only a 15min walk from mi casa.
I used to live 2 blocks from this restaurant on California and Scott. So when I was in the neighborhood again, I was looking forward to eating here, because I had heard/read some decent reviews, and in the past there really wasn't that many good sushi places within 8 blocks of here.
So we came just in time on a weekend night, early enough to beat the crowds. The place is quite small, and it can be a very long wait to get a table, as they do not take reservations. Come on a Friday or Saturday night at 7 pm and you may starve before you eat. Maybe that is why all the reviews are so good, because people were famished?
Yes, they try to offer sustainable seafood. That is admirable in environmentally PC conscious SF. From their website:
"Our Mission at Tataki is simple: to showcase the beauty and delicacy of Japanese cuisine while respecting the sanctity and fragility of our environment. If we are to preserve the art of sushi, we must also safeguard the health and biodiversity of our oceans. With this in mind, we strive everyday to integrate the concept of sustainable dining into our menu options."
This is marvelous and admirable. In fact, they were excited to offer a new seafood that night because it was new to them (did it just get released to the sustainability list?)
But as far as the total restaurant dining experience, I was underwhelmed. I really can't put my finger on it. Maybe I have been in really good sushi-ya in Japan and had too high expectations. Maybe the lack of Japanese service staff didn't make it feel authentic, although our waitress was very good. Maybe it was the slower than expected service. Or cramped tables. I don't know what I would have thougth if I had waited an hour like several people did, watching us through the window, waiting.
The Chefs and co-owners are Chinese from Hong Kong, Raymond Ho and Kin Lui, with Casson Trenor, their "sustainability guru".
We orderd Edamame, which was a lot, and we finished it all well before the next dishes came. We also ordered sake, which they have a decent selection. The sushi was also pretty good, but not exceptional in my book. In fact my dining mate, an Italian American who hasn't had half the sushi experiences I have had, didn't think it was that wonderful either.
For me, a 5 star Sushi-ya,and I have rated many at that level on Yelp, so it is not that I am stingy or a complete snob, needs to have a certain "kimochi"....or .feeling about it, a certain je ne c'est quoi, where everything fits together as authentically Japanese, with really good sushi. It doesn't have to have fancy decor, fancy sake, expensive and unique creations, just a certain feeling. Maybe it is a feeling locked in my earlier memories, when my grandparents in Japan owned a sushi restaurant, or my mother's memories as she grew up surrounded by sushi..
Tataki is good, you can try it if you can wait your turn to eat.
But for me, it just doesn't quite excel for me personally. You decide for yourself.
I found this place to be extremely unique. The sushi had the fish on the outside of the roll and there was generous amounts of red caviar on all the rolls we ordered.
I also noticed that the sushi was warm.. either slightly seared or served on warm rice.. and had some sort of marinade on it like soy sauce or something of that nature. Not exactly what I'm used to as I prefer my sushi chilled. Taste-wise the sushi was also somewhat banal and I didn't really get a "kick" out of anything I had here.. not even the 49-er ;) lol
Lastly, their wasabi was slightly discolored.. brownish. Perhaps it was organic or sustainable.. either way I didn't like this but accepted it figuring it was normal.
We went (2 ppl) on a Wednesday evening at 7:30PM and the wait was 5 mins. By 8:00 there were empty seats. We ordered between the 2 of us the half bottle of unpasteurized sake and another small sake, edamame, 3 rolls (49er, golden state, and something else I forgot, and the green tea cheese cake).
Oh, last remark about this place: Lots of rice in the rolls and so you don't need to order too much to be full. I left extremely satisfied and with tip for 2 it came up to $110 :p
Don't forget to ask for water! They make you ask for it here..
My frequent trips to SF are ruining the sushi back home in Chicago. It's just so much fresher and tastier in SF...sigh. When in SF I can usually be found devouring several rolls at Ryoko, but decided to try a new place this time. Hello Tataki!
The yelp reviews warned me of a long wait so a friend and I showed up earlyish (7pm on a Wed night) and put our name in. I asked a waiter to give us an estimate for the amount of time we'd be waiting and he said 25-45 minutes. Hmmm....what kind of an estimate is that? We weren't sure if we had enough time for a drink next door, but decided to take our chances and enjoy a glass of wine at Solstice.
40 minutes later (and a bit tipsy from wine) we were seated at Tataki and ready to get our sushi on. We started with some edaname and sake...and ordering the following sushi:
* Golden State
* Extinguisher
* 49er
* Sweet potato roll
All were fab, but we agreed the Golden State was the favorite: spicy scallop with minced apple topped with albacore tuna, avocado and 24k gold flakes. Mmmmm. The 49er was a close 2nd- loving the arctic char craze in SF. It ended up being way more sushi than I expected, but we didn't seem to have much trouble polishing it off.
Looks like I've found yet another raw fish winner in SF!
I loved the sashimi and nigiri (especially the faux-nagi!) at Tataki - very fresh, very tasty alternatives to your typical sushi experience. I also tried two of the tatakis (atlantic char - pretty good; a hamachi/avacado type dish - not good) as well as a roll (the extinguisher - just okay).
The decor of the place is cute/small/quaint - a good place for a casual date night. The pricing is reasonable - under $150 for two including a large bottle of sake.
I'll definitely come back and just stick to the basics - they were delightful.
There were 7 of us and we came to celebrate someone's 3-0 birthday! So we were impressed that the seafood here is sustainable and they even have a stainable 'guru' on their website to make sure to provide the freshest and guilt-free sushi you can possible eat. I also read that they were the only sustainable sushi restaurant on the north coast that in itself was impressive.
The place was small and quaint nothing too special about the ambience. So we ordered a lot of sushi since there was quite a few of us so I think I sampled a lot of their sushi personally. We ordered the chef special and the raw fish was very fresh and smooth tasting. There were other rolls (including the extinguisher) and nigiri ordered that I don't recall but I was impressed with the fresh taste and enjoyed my food. We ordered saki as well and it had a nice refreshing taste. All in all, good for the environment, guilt free and good service. I would definitely go back and recommend the place.
Super Fresh sushi. The extinguisher roll came out with a fire and was super spicy and good.
The happy hour has a great selection of sushi for half the price.
I like how they tell you what fish is fresh or farm raised.
Before coming to this restaurant. i had read some good reviews on Yelp.So we came here tonight to give it a shot. We came here too early, it took us about at least 35 - 40 mins to get the table.
The restaurant by itself is quite small, and a long wait in order to get table even just two of us. when we got seated, took for a while to get a menu..and another 10 mins added up to get our drinks, we just ordered a beer and simple a glass of water.
For the food, I ordered the sashimi regular which 12 pics, it was huge and nice presentation. i also had great seaweed salad, miso soup and some sushi rolls which i enjoyed a lots. I'd say sashimi was pretty good choice cuz it was fresh really.
But for the price , i'd truly say it's a bit expensive though cuz i had had a good one in reasonable price before hit to this place. For me, this is more a concept sushi place than a REAL sushi.
Everyone has their own measurement guides, and for me, sushi places are based on freshness of the fish/ingredients and "worth-it" price to quality ratio; frills aren't necessary. So one unplanned weeknight, a friend and I found ourselves at the door of Tataki. Finally!
But... Well, in my humble opinion, this is more of a concept sushi place than a real sushi place. I have nothing against sustainable fish/food or green, save the environment efforts. However, it just seems out of place for sushi. What can I say? I like to be able to taste and enjoy the freshness of the catches.
The food is good and well-presented (flaming torches and all!). But it's on the pricer end and portions are small.
5 stars for focusing on sustainable seafood.
3 stars for overcooking two of our cooked fish dishes, and cutting other raw dishes weird so there were stringy bits crossing through each bite.
2 stars for a bitchy server. The owner and the other servers were sweethearts though.
I almost feel bad giving it three stars because it has such a fantastic star rating. However, my taste buds beg to differ.
I heard about this place a while ago but never really solidly put it in my mind. Then a few months ago, I went to the academy of sciences night events on Thursdays and they were there doing a demonstration on sustainable sushi. They gave a great shpeal on how they use many different types of fish to substitute for the non-sustainable fish that they don't offer (i.e. salmon, unagi) and I had a taste and it was actually not bad. I had it in my mind to try this place, plus the bf REALLY loves sushi ... lol
Came here last night with no reservations, surprised to have gotten a seat at their only window spot and it was nice. The inside is REALLY tiny and has about 10 tables and can seat maybeeee 20 people so this is not a good place for a group. It's a little difficult to find because it's so small and parking is just horrific near California and Diviserario (sp???) regardless. They have happy hour between 5 pm - 7 pm every day and we got there around 6:15 so took advantage of their happy hour specials.
They make a killer sangria and it's only $5 during their happy hour (normally $7.50). They had about five rolls on their happy hour menu which was **ok** ... their notable for the fact that the rolls had a lot of fish in it instead of small tiny rolls like I expected for happy hour. Otherwise, their normal rolls are creative and there is a lot of attention to detail, such as the olive looking sauce drip on top of their "extinguisher" roll ... but for the most part I thought the sushi here was only ok. Nothing was spectacular even the special tartare they recommended as a starter was only alright. Creative ideas, but maybe not so well executed?
I did not have a bad time, but with all the other sushi offerings, perhaps non-sustainable and/or similar places in the area that are, I don't see why I'd come here for mediocre sushi and a lot of "sustainability tax" (i.e. the rolls were pricey, if we did not get happy hour rolls, it would have been probably $80-90+ for two people). I think this is a cool place to come, try and decide for yourself, unfortunately I decided it was only worth 3 stars for me.
It's an inconvenient truth, but I'm admittedly pretty green when it comes to the green, eco-friendly way of life that's been seeping it's way into mainstream society. By no means am I throwing Burger King wrappers on the street or dumping battery acid into storm drains... but when it comes to saving the environment, I'm slightly behind the curve as I do my best to evolve into a full on hippie.
I barely drive (opting for public transportation), I compost, I only drink tap water, I try to use tote bags when I'm at the grocery store, etc.... Now, I can carve another environmentally friendly tactic into my belt: sustainable sushi.
Before last night, I actually had no idea anything like this existed. Sure, I understand the detrimental effects of netting, fish farming and the like... but call me ignorant, as I had no idea some of my favorite sea creatures were technically on the 'avoid' list of terrible seafood choices. Some of those include unagi, king crab, toro and more. Most of these little critters are over-fished to meet demand, so it's destroying the underwater eco-system. It's a shame more seafood joints don't take an active role in educating their patrons about these hidden issues, but I'm stoked that Tataki not only takes the time to pull back the curtain, but they've built their entire business practice on serving nothing but sustainable sushi.
Monterey Bay Aquarium has these nifty little handouts as a go-to guide on the good/bad seafood choices, and Tataki only serves stuff from the 'best choices' and 'good alternatives' section of the pamphlet. Sure, it limits their menu just a tad, but it's nice to have the peace of mind that you're not destroying an entire underwater population with every hand roll that swims into your belly.
With that limited and often fluctuating menu, they do a good job of ensuring you're getting a pretty quality meal. Their specialty rolls are dope (with my favorite being the extinguisher... whoa!) and they have day-to-day local specials based on whatever goods get plucked out of the San Francisco Bay that day.
While everything I tried on the roll side was fantastic, I thought the miso soup and the ocean salad were Shit-tay with a capital S (as you can see). The miso was pretty bland, and the ocean salad just tasted like I was swallowing a mouthful of sea water with odd-textured seaweed. Not exactly the most appetizing way to begin a meal, so it's a good thing the sushi delivered a come-from-behind win. On my next visit, I'll likely skip the apps and go straight to the fishies.
Apparently, Tataki is the only truly sustainable sushi joint in North America... so despite their shortcomings in the starters department, what they're doing is remarkable and well deserving of five stars (in my opinion).
It's a pretty small joint, so seating is at a premium. Expect to wait a 45 minutes to an hour for a table. But, it's totally worth it.
I love sushi, especially cheap happy hour sushi. Really fresh fish. Love the crunchy rolls. Cons: the restaurant is small and parking is hard to find, so you have to get there early to avoid a long wait.
This place was amazing! My new favorite sushi joint in San Francisco. The fish was delicious and the price completely reasonable. The place is a bit small but the interior and atmosphere great. Good for small parties or dates.
Their Happy Hour is also fantastic. Highly recommend it.
Not a good value and not authentic Japanese. I don't buy this sustainability BS either. If they were true to that sentiment they would not have maguro on the menu.
It has decent food and a good small venue but the food was a bit on the pricey side and nobody spoke or was Japanese there.
I had a hard time deciding between 4 stars and 5... But decided to be generous.
I enjoyed this place a great deal. Probably the best sushi I have had in San Francisco. Creative menu, Gorgeous presentation, very very fresh and tasty, moderate prices, nice atmosphere and good service. I can't complain! I am very very picky with my sushi and have VERY high standards.. but this place hit the mark . It's small (about 12 tables).. and the menu is pretty small. But their focus on details and presentation is so lovely. Everything was just so BEAUTIFUL.
Seems like people really like to come here, eat, and then sit and chat though.. and due to that, we had a 30 minute wait for a table that was sort of not necessary. Buuuuut, I am also glad that customers like the place enough to want to stick around after the tables have been cleared. That's always a good sign.
It's not 'cheap' sushi.. Specialty rolls will run you about $12-$15... and regular rolls (philly, california, etc) will run around $8. Our bill for 4 people, came to $90. But, you do get what you pay for... and I am happy to pay a few extra dollars, and wait a few minutes outside, for sushi worth eating.
Cons- Not good for large groups (its a small place).. and they will not seat groups unless EVERY person is there. Also, bills can only be split across a max of 2 credit cards. All things to keep in mind.
Regardless--- I will definitely be back.
So, I wasn't quite too impressed about this place. The food was pretty good however the selection was somewhat limited. They had rolls and sushi. I am probably dinging them for that because when I came here with friends, I really wanted a don buri or something. But they didn't.
The store was on the smaller side. It is good of you want with one or two people. But when you go over 4, it is really hard to get a seat.
I got the rainbow roll an it was pretty good. I've have had better. It is a trendy sushi place pretty much.
After a long hike at Mt. Tam, we figured we should eat healthy so we decided to try a new sushi restaurant. My first choice was to check out Sebo after all of the great reviews and the special on Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations I really have been wanting to try it out but unfortunately they were closed. I had heard of Tataki before and it was close by so we decided to check it out.
We waited about 20 or so minutes to get our table and as we were waiting we were reading about sustainable fishing and the concept of their restaurant. It was quite interesting to learn that hamachi was similar to sake in that they are heavily farmed and in many cases in "dirty" and questionnable farms so Tataki does not serve hamachi or sake. They also serve fish in season that are fresh and would have lower levels of mercury, etc.
We decided to go with the sashimi deluxe platter along with a bunch of nigiri. The sashimi platter was great since it had so many different types of fish. I thought overall the fish was really fresh and whether its the sustainable fishing or what not, some things were very memorable. To name a few, I really enjoyed the shiro maguro (tho strangely the toro shiro maguro wasn't quite as good!), hotate and amaebi was sooo sweet and yummy, aji was very good, ikura was fresh and not too salty, saba was lightly seasoned with seaweed, and the artic char was very good as well.
The only thing about this place was the service which I thought wasn't so great. I felt the staff wasn't very friendly, helpful or knowledgeable which made the experience not so grand. Hopefully it was just that night because in general, I thought the food was good and I'd like to try some more of their dishes. I would probably give this place a four star if it weren't for this one downfall...
My out-of-town friend wanted some tasty local yums after our girly spa treatments. I was hard-pressed to come up with something more SF than sustainable sushi in Pacific Heights, so off we went.
The place has gotten all kinds of media attention for its fish-friendly mission, which I suspect is the cause for the crowds waiting to get in. All told, it's definitely good, though maybe not mind-blowing. Kabuto in the Richmond (try it now! get there early! etc.) still has my heart on that point.
A be-punked staff of servers in a funky, but modern little spot made it a nice choice for a dinner out. It being August and freezing, we started out with some miso soup and edemame. Standard fare, not bad.
The goods (all good), to split three ways: salmon nigiri, rainbow roll, spicy tuna roll, early bird, and a double-double. I'm kind of wary of cooked rolls, but the latter two were awesome. Early bird came with asparagus and avocado, wrapped with filet mignon and pineapple slices. Double-double, though not an In-n-Out cheeseburger, was almost as good: tempura and spicy tuna with some secret ingredients.
Didn't have the tataki. I'm actually not a huge fan.
Dessert? Green Tea Cheesecake? Um, yes?
All in all, the meal (no sake this time) set us all back about $35. A decent price for a good bit of good sushi, so I'll probably be back, though probably not now, now now.
The basic concept behind Tataki is to be eco-friendly, which is evidenced in the types of fish they serve. Some of their fish is line-caught...like with a fishing pole! How cool is that?!
Having said that, I really wanted to love this place, but it didn't live up to the hype for me. Bf and I got the sashimi regular, and while the fish was fresh, the arctic char (their substitute for salmon) was really disappointing. I try to be green, I really do, but I have to go with the salmon in this case. Arctic char kind of tastes like old salmon? It was also weird that the arctic char sashimi came in really thin slices, while the tuna was a generous 1/2".
We also got the 'double-double, 'golden state,' and calamari. The rolls were very good but not the best I've ever had. The 'golden state' roll was pretty interesting in that you could taste every single flavor separately, but I'm not sure it warrants the $15 price tag.
I don't even know where to start or what to say.. all I know is that this place is hella BOMB! Definitely worth 45+ mins of us driving around in circles looking for parking. TRUST. Be prepared to park somewhere far because chances of you finding a parking close to the restaurant are very slim.
My boyfriend and I got there at around 8pm on a Thursday night and we had to wait for about 45 minutes for a table. But don't worry, because after eating there, you'd forget that you had to wait for such a long time. Yes, the food is just THAT good.
A very tiny place, but I love the setting. Dim lights, very romantic. The food is great. I don't eat sashimi. I know, I know.. I'm not a true sushi lover yada yada yada. Whatever, I don't care. All I know is that all of their cooked rolls that I ate that night were BOMB! There were only 2 sushi chefs and 2 waitresses, so we had to wait a little bit to get our food. But it's no biggie. My boyfriend had sashimi and he said that their fish is very fresh, and that's pretty rare. This place left a long lasting impression for me. Too bad it's in San Francisco.. if I could, I'd drive the long 8 hour drive just to come here again. Yes, it's just THAT good.
I went here for lunch with an Architect colleague and was very impressed with the quality of everything served at this tiny sushi restaurant. I had the 7 pieces plus a roll lunch which comes with soup or salad also. My salad was fresh micro greens lightly dressed and it was excellent. The sushi, was 7 pieces of nigiri sushi and one roll, in my case arctic char and avacado. Everything was super fresh and flavorful.
I can't wait to try this place out for dinner. I know it's a 'hot' place to go, but it's worth it!!
I've been here 2x and each time was incredible. Amazing food, very creative items on the menu, I love the small-ish vibe of the joint. You have to be prepared to wait though - the place is tiny and the line for a table can be long. I just chalk that up to part of the experience.
Delicious and nutritious! Well maybe not the calamari or any tempura based roll, but I can definitely vouch for the deliciousness factor.
Amazing! I thought I've had great sushi, but this sushi was fresh, melt in your mouth good. The sashimi was out of this world! I highly recommend the chef's sampler. When sauce was used it complimented the fish perfectly (think nigiri).
Unknowingly I came to Tataki at 5ish on a Saturday and was in luck because it was happy hour! Rolls, appetizer, sake, and drinks are reduced so of course we ordered too much food. (To note, the sangria with lychee is dericious!) Normally I finish everything within eye site, but I'm going to blame the protein for once. After a good 5 minutes debating to attempt to eat two more pieces of spicy tuna roll or admit defeat, I had to walk away. Today I would not be a fat girl on a rampage. What a waste of perfectly good fresh fish!
Portions are large and the overall price is more than reasonable. Unless you have good restraint, come in sweatpants.
Mmm, the thought of the albacore tataki reminds me I need to make another visit to Tataki. Their philosophy on serving sustainable sushi is incredibly appealing and very rare amongst SF sushi bars. Most sushi lovers tend to appreciate a wide variety of fresh fish but forget the fact that salmon, for example, isn't in season year round and therefore is creating an exhausting demand for the diminishing supply. Tataki's eco-conscious menu also delivers in quality and taste.
The sashimi was extremely fresh and nicely cut. It included arctic char, maguro and a few other chef's choices I can't recall. The beef carpaccio wasn't my favorite, but pretty tasty nonetheless. I was excited to see they had a sake menu which included a few of my favorites to compliment the delicious menu. I usually go for more simple traditional sushi, without all the fat rolls packed with cream cheese and mangoes, but I had to give their Extinguisher roll a try. (Yes, it was served with a flame) The presentation was clean and creative and the roll itself included a mildly spicy amberjack topped with avocado and masago with a spicy sauce. Simple and delicious!
For desert, I ordered the green tea cheesecake and sparkling sake. Great finish to an amazing meal. Even though the sake and drinks ran up the bill, overall the quality was definitely worth the price.
Also, the service was the best I've had in quite a while. Our waitress was friendly and timely, despite the fact that it was a busy start to the night. Great service is hard to come by, and having worked as a server myself, I truly appreciate someone who cares for their customers.
Great little sushi bar with a yummy menu and sake to pair. I'll be coming back very very soon. Extended lunch break tomorrow? I think, yes.
Sushi - great. Sustainable - even greater. Add a cozy restaurant with attentive service and you've got a winner.
The concept is really interesting but except for the fact that they don't have certain types of fish (for example, they serve "alternative eel" and artic char instead of salmon), one would never know the difference.
The fish is extremely fresh, however, and the rolls are inventive (their Golden State roll includes Gold flakes). Try the Extinguisher Roll which comes complete with flaming salt, and the 49er Roll (masago and avocado topped with arctic char and a lemon slice).
Restaurant is small so make a reservation lest you get stuck putting your name on the waiting list... But at least the wait will be worth it.
Last thought, prices are reasonable so you get to go home feeling full, happy to have done something good (or at least not as bad) for the environment, and still have a couple $ in your pocket.
Yummers! It was 9:30pm, I was craving for sushi so I yelped to see what is close by. I saw all the pictures for Tataki that other yelpers took. I closed shop and ran off to make that 10pm cut off time.
It was a Thursday night and the place was still jamming. We waited till 10:20 to be seated and we close the place down.
We ordered the Tataki seared deluxe, it was really good. I like the ponsu sauce best. We also ordered the raw beef and The Extinguisher, all were out of this world. Good food and feel food after it, because it is a sustainable fish place. Although I am a bit on the fence about arctic char. I don't think anything can replace salmon.
Staff were great and so were the chefs. Oh! The sake sangria is a must try.
After a nice relaxing Saturday at Alta park, we ventured down the hill for a bit to eat. I remember my co-workers talking about this place, so we decided to give it a try. There were about 7 of us there, so it took a little while to fit all of us into this spot little restaurant, but when we did get in, it was totally worth it!
Happy hour was still running for another 10 min or so, so we all put in as many orders we could before it was over. Saturday evening happy hour, can't beat that! The rolls were about $4.5 each, so you can fill up for less than $14. Unheard of at a sushi joint! I also had to try something else since the happy hour menu is limited and went with the Extinguisher Roll. Not only did it taste great, but it came out with part of the plate on fire! Didn't expect that, but it was definitely a cool presentation.
The restaurant itself has a cool look to it and the service was really friendly and quick. I think it is also a nice touch that they are about the sustainable seafood (arctic char instead of salmon). Good stuff. I thought it was kind of funny that they had chinese characters in the restroom at this establishment. hehe.
I definitely want to come back!
Here's the good part:
Sushi was great. Really tasty and wonderful texture. I got the Sashimi Regular and I thought the Albacore tasted downright creamy. Very very good.
Bad part:
The hostess could not have been less polite or friendly. I asked her if I could sit at the bar, seeing a spot open. Without even looking up she snaps "no." She ignores me for a while then says, "you can take a seat over there." I reply: "Uh, over where?" Her c'mon-you-bone-head answer: "At the bar." Okay, wtf?
The Sashimi Regular has 12 pieces in it. I ate half then realized I was only given 9 pieces. I told the head chef, who was standing 2 feet from me, and he proceeds to tell me that he did give me 12 pieces, I'm wrong, and implies I'm a liar.
In short, I don't care how good the sushi or that it's a sustainable fishery: I'll never go back.
I went several months ago, I remember the sushi being ok, that is not bad, also not great, and more of a novelty with some of the rolls. People were really impressed with the roll with the flames; it was all wow factor for the eyes, but not for the tastebuds. I definitely support what they are doing - eating sustainable fish etc. and it's a good place to go if I'm craving sushi and don't want to deal with driving, parking etc., but not a place that I go to when I want damn good sushi that I salivate for.
I do have to share one other thing that happened during my visit. I got locked in the bathroom for a good 20 minutes. It's a single bathroom for the entire restaurant and I guess they had been having issues with the locking mechanism not unlocking and you can get stuck. I was a little panicky afraid that I would spend the night in a bathroom. When I finally got out, I was relieved, but I was just surprised with the response after one of the guys was able to unlock or take the knob off as it was not a big deal. They were apologetic, but it would have been nice if they offered a discount, free roll or something for my trouble. Next time, I'll just hold it until I get home.
Went here for dinner and Happy Hour. Their happy hour menu is pretty limited. The ambiance is pretty casual; the place is small and cozy.
Happy Hour (their rolls are like 5 pieces each):
Ordered the Artic Char Roll: very good, it's pretty much similar to salmon
Spicy Tuna topped with crumbs: very good, had this nice taste to it. It might be due to the teriyaki sauce.
Sangria (don't know the exact name): it's made out of riesling and sake - excellent made me kind of tipsy. I had three of them.
Regular menu:
Baked mussels: very good, had this creamy topping - tasted like mayo and sriracha
Beef carpaccio: very good, I would ask for ponzu sauce with it. Although I would like the beef to be a little thicker, can't hardly taste the beef.
Salad: very good, had this interesting apple dressing to it mixed with soy sauce.
Golden Gate roll: Basically it's spicy scallop with minced apple topped with albacore tuna. The roll is pretty small/thin, with about 8 pieces. I love the scallops in it, but the tuna was a little bit fishy. You can't tell if you're scarfing down the entire piece, but if you separate it like I do you can definitely taste it fish not being so fresh.
Amaebi sashimi: it's really good, tasted fresh
I will give it a four star for now, but have to try the fishes sashimi style.
i have to say i was really impressed with this place. the service was friendly and attentive and the rolls were delicious. that albacore tataki nigiri will definitely be repeated on my next visit. i even enjoyed my riesling/sake sangria.
i think this will be my go to place for when i want something a little more playful than ino...there are times when i just want some good rolls and a nice fruity drink and this is where you will find me getting exactly that.
last but not least -- i'm also a fan of guilt-free sushi consumption!
Let me start by saying this place is tiny, and not an ideal location for a group. So if you are having a birthday party and have 8 friends coming, please do your fellow diners a favor and choose another establishment. After waiting an hour for a table on a Tuesday night, my friend, the waitress, and I loudly mocked the two parties of 8 people. I admit I was hungry and grumpy, but come on now, I would NEVER think a small hole in the wall would be an ideal place to bring my entourage of friends. These are probably the same individuals that:
1) Drive 65mph in the fast lane causing a back up in the flow of traffic, but doesn't care because 'it's the speed limit.'
2) Spends 20 minutes putting on a full face of makeup in the ONE bathroom at a bar although they are FULLY aware of the line outside.
3) Stands in the middle of a busy street picking their nose staring at who knows what (damn tourists).
4) Anyone who brings their screaming baby out to dinner
5) In the airport security line takes out their laptop, unties shoes, and removes jewelry at the last possible second when they reach the front of the line.
My point is, sure all of these things are within your rights, but it makes you either an idiot or just an inconsiderate ass to the rest of the world. The lack of common sense in others sometimes amazes me.
In any case, the wait was luckily well worth it. The fish they use is like some unheard of replica that is supposed to be safer for you. Kind of like eating grass fed organic beef. Whatever it was, the sashimi MELTED in my mouth. Quite easily some of the best quality fish I have had to date. The rolls were also mouth watering, and everything was moderately priced. Next time I am in a sushi mood, I am coming here with a friend or two (not ten). ;-)
Went here with the boyfriend for my bday. A little on the pricier side, but the quality of sushi was great. And it felt good to eat it because I knew that it was sustainable sushi. The fish was really fresh and melts in your mouth. The tataki here is amazing, living up to the name of the place. You can tell they made everything with care, and the plates looked like an art piece.
The service was good, and the chefs were very nice. The server asked if we wanted another beer, and we said, "No, we're good." and she misunderstood and brought us another one. When we told her, she took it off our bill but gave us the beer anyway, which we ended up giving to the chefs.
The only downfall was that every sushi restaurant we go to, we ask if they have a natto-maki. When we asked here, they hesitated, probably because they don't get asked this, but made us one anyway. They should have just said they didn't have it. The natto-maki turned out to be something very odd....very dry, and not very natto-like. It was probably sitting in the freezer for a long time. I think the sushi chef knew what he was giving us, so he asked us how it was and we truthfully said, "um....it tastes kinda dry and funny." So he took it back and off our bill, and we got tobiko instead, which was very yummy.
First date my bf and I went on as a live in couple to...
It was such a romantic walk
A nice 30 minute wait while we talked and cuddled outside on the bench.
And what a nice dinner!! I had a glass of red wine and he had a soju type of mai tai(kinda bland )
This place is environmentally aware and educates you on the type of fish they use, the kind you should eat and not eat to prevent extinction and inhumane farming.
The rolls we ordered were delicous and amazing!! Melt in your mouth good ,.. I think one was called the extinguisher.. spicy but not over powerring! I cannot get over how good their fish was! Very fresh! We also tried the Tataki ofcourse! That was to die for as well.
One roll looked like it may have had nuts on it and my bf is very allergic.. so we asked a waitor to find out and he never ended up back.. that was mildly irritating. annoying.
Our regular server was great, though(really sweet girl that felt terrible about our wait)
The dessert was out of this world!! Green Tea cheesecake!! I had to take lil bites to savor each morsel! Holy Moly I had to be rolled out! I am so happy we live so close to such a great suchi place!! yay!! A great date indeed!!
Surprisingly delicious and interesting rolls, excellent quality fish, AND they only serve sustainable sushi! Have I stumbled upon sushi heaven?! It was surprisingly affordable (for sushi) and the staff was friendly and fairly quick.
We had the sashimi taster, the mix-it-up roll, and a kampachi roll. All were delicious, but the mix-it-up roll is perhaps the best roll I've had in awhile.
Tataki is now tied with Kazu Sushi for my second favorite sushi place (Zushi you're still number one but Tataki and Kazu are closing the gap).
I went here with some friends from out of a town and a pretentious "foodie" who wasted little time in labeling himself as a sushi guru. Fine. You know everything? Then order for me, the girl who doesn't like raw fish.
Until recently my idea of eating sushi consisted of baked rolls and udon but I was feeling adventurous. The fact that this place actually made me enjoy sashimi & nigiri is pretty darn amazing. Four of us shared a few orders of sashimi, nigiri, and specialty rolls. Throw in a a lychee cocktail and I was pretty happy. When the bill came I wasn't as happy b/c this place is pricey for the portion size.
While nothing was completely outstanding/memorable everything was pretty decent. Oh, did I mention they won't actually serve you 24k gold flakes on the Golden State, because as our waitress admitted (with an extravagant eye roll) that eating gold isn't the best thing to do.
Abso--****ing--lutely amazing.
Really.
Sashimi, edamame, calamari, prawn tempura roll, tataki roll. Almost all done to absolute perfection - the calamari was possibly some of the best I have ever eaten. The sashimi was awesome, edamame was not overcooked (hooray!). Prawn tempura roll was a bit of a let down relative to the others - it was only very good, not blow your mind.
I seriously suggest you go here. It's awesome. The chefs are out there preparing the sushi and sashimi in front of you, and there's a nice vibe to the place. The only downer is the wait; you have to sign up, as they don't take reservations. Normally Japanese of this quality is substantially more expensive. This was seriously good, especially on a value for money basis.
It is so nice to be able to go eat fish and not have to ask if the fish is farmed, etc. Everything they serve is sustainable and they meet the Monterey Bay Aquarium's Seafood Watch guidelines.
This is a great small sushi restaurant with very nice staff, especially the chefs one of whom I think is an owner. The food is great, the rolls are a good size but not the huge ones you can't get in your mouth that fill you up on rice. Do be ready to eat things that may be different from your usual picks. You wont find Unagi (which we shouldn't be eating at this point) and Salmon is hit and miss depending on a supply that meets their standards. However they have good substitutes for both. They make a Faux Nagi with black cod that is great and use Arctic Char in place of Salmon at times.
This place is awesome!
Happy Hour - 7 Days A Week!
Neighborhood: Pacific Heights
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Neighborhood: Pacific Heights
Category: Japanese
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Category: Sushi Bars
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