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Superior sushi was strangely late to the San Francisco food scene. For decades, raw-fish lovers like me sought out the few quality Japanese restaurants and otherwise subsisted on so-so nigiri and maki made with mushy rice and sub-par or unconventional ingredients (hello, Philadelphia roll!). All that changed over the past 20 years. Americanized rolls still grace most menus, but now the city is awash with places to find your fill of every type of sushi, from avocado rolls that are just right for the price to expensive parades of premium raw fish flown in from Japan and dressed to impress by career sushi chefs. With this list, in San Francisco, the sushi world is our “oishī.”
Sasa Japanese Restaurant
This casual sister to popular omakase restaurant Hinata Sushi seriously upped Japan Center’s sushi game when it opened in 2018. Prices are more reasonable than many San Francisco establishments, even though the artfully dressed primo fish is flown from Tokyo and beyond. Curate your culinary adventure from the list of sashimi and nigiri — each offered as two pieces — or let the chefs choose; there’s a reason the most popular takeout item is the “Mystery Chirashi Don,” a collage of assorted fish over rice embellished with shiitake mushroom, kanypo, kizam nori, tamago, and pickled vegetables.
Roka Akor
Jackson Square’s chic, modern Japanese gathering spot puts a fresh and luxurious spin on sushi. Savor osetra caviar atop your spot prawn nigiri, a quail egg yolk crowning your unagi, or a squiggle of tarragon aioli and tangle of fried shallots on your poached Maine lobster roll. Or wander beyond sushi to Wagyu tartare drenched in creamy black truffle aioli and topped with truffle caviar and a quail egg. If you’re a purist, don’t worry: Cuts of unadulterated premium fish are also available.
Handroll Project
The Ju-Ni sushi team’s Mission District destination brings the U-shaped handroll experience to your dinner table through five-piece combos and genius packaging. Choose the one and only fish handroll combo option, then choose from fillings of salmon, tuna, kani, hamachi, and scallop — perhaps mixed with herbs, roe, or other flavor-texture enhancers. They’ll arrive nestled with sushi rice in nori covered in clear, recyclable sleeves, all arranged in a neat, ready-to-eat line. Slide off the nori covers to bite into handrolls as fresh as you’ll get from the sushi bar. There’s a five-piece vegetarian option, starter bites like edamame or perky cucumber salad, and sake, too.
Shoshin Sushi
Tables can be sometimes tough to come by at this high-ranking, affordable Richmond District sushi spot; luckily, it delivers! Build your menu by the piece or the roll — the Salmon Citrus is a pretty palette of snow crab and asparagus wrapped in rice-coated nori and topped with salmon and paper-thin lemon slices. Or keep it simple with the nightly omakase or Moriawase Nigiri or Sashimi, a 10-piece platter of tuna, yellowtail, salmon, scallop, and albacore plus umami-rich miso soup. The Daigo Shot is a good initiation regardless: It’s a revered throw-it-back-in-one-bite combo of yellowtail, onion, quail egg yolk, tobiko, avocado, and truffle ponzu.
Basa Seafood Express
To avoid passing along the ever-growing costs of running a restaurant to customers, the Mission’s Basa offers an affordable alternative: counter-service sushi, poke, and more. Prices are nearly half what they are elsewhere for buttery hamachi sashimi, silky smoked salmon nigiri, and colorful, fish-draped rainbow rolls. Be sure to add an order of poke. It’s locally famous.
Nara
The number of nigiri and sashimi options at this Polk Street spot (not to be mistaken for Lower Haight’s Nara Sushi & Sake Bar) rival that of the Tokyo fish market. Why choose? Instead, order the super-fresh 10-piece nigiri omakase. If you’d like, add the hamachi truffle; it’s five heavenly pieces of seared fish bathing in truffle ponzu and garnished with jalapeño, cilantro, and an updo of fried onion crunch.
PABU
When you can’t decide whether to order nigiri and rolls, karaage-style chicken nuggets, grilled meats and veggies, or noodles, turn to Michael Mina’s sexy FiDi izakaya-style restaurant. Consulting chef Sho Kamio of Berkeley’s Iyasare maintains the fish quality and culinary artistry established by bygone and long-beloved chef Ken Tominaga. Pay homage to him and one of downtown’s great dining experiences by starting with Ken’s Roll, a house favorite of nori-wrapped shrimp tempura with avocado, spicy tuna, pine nuts, and umami-rich eel sauce.
Ebisu
Inner Sunset’s casual 9th Avenue restaurant has been a standby for quality, affordable, straightforward sushi since long before most of the city knew that raw fish on rice was a thing. Today, the 40-plus-year stalwart remains cherished for its ability to satisfy every type of Japanese food lover. Stick with basics, like the California roll and the nigiri of the day, and add in some cooked comfort classics like chewy gyoza, freshly fried tempura, or a beef and salmon bento box.
Domo
A concise menu of nigiri, sashimi, creative rolls, and classic appetizers makes it easy to find favorites at Hayes Valley’s long-loved sushi joint. Order the eight-piece omakase and a Domo roll — a baked California roll festooned with salmon, scallop, spicy mayo, tobiko, scallions, and a generous drizzle of rich unagi glaze — and get straight to chopsticking your way through a divine meal.
Oki Sushi
Little Oki has made a name for itself in Noe Valley thanks to its desirable combo of good sushi at decent prices. When ordering nigiri, tack on a tiger roll — a crispy shrimp tempura roll draped with salmon and avocado slices and sprinkled with tobiko and scallion.
Sanraku
This trusted, casual spot for straightforward sushi has served Union Square area shoppers since 1989. All the classic local favorites are represented: edamame, California rolls made with imitation crab and avocado, and an abundance of familiar nigiri. But there are also some creative rolls worth trying, like the Hamachi Jalapeño, with avocado, cucumber, tobiko, and ponzu sauce: It’s a celebration of textures, spice, and umami.
Kazan
If you want to give the gift of sushi, send this Mission District haunt’s “sashimi deluxe,” a 25-piece raw-fish collection arranged like an edible, eye-popping bouquet. Ditto the 15-piece omakase box; think of it as a sushi lover’s stand-in for gourmet chocolates. A more modest gift for yourself or others is classic nigiri or the jumbo Last Samurai roll — spicy tuna and shrimp tempura with avocado, salmon, tuna, tobiko, green onion, spicy mayo, and ponzu. The savory Japanese “tapas” — deep-fried shishitos, crispy mushroom fries, and extra-crispy beef gyoza — are delicious but filling, and may derail your raw dining plans.
Ginza Sushi
Haight-Ashbury’s reputation for welcoming all types of people extends to this Upper Haight restaurant, where sushi lovers, vegetarians, and gluten-free diners can find Japanese food satisfaction under one roof. Traditional nigiri and creative rolls are just the beginning. Try the trademark Ginza, a generous layering of yellowtail, cucumber, and daikon radish sprouts rolled in nori and rice and topped with seared yellowtail, avocado, jalapeño, spicy aioli, and squid ink tobiko. But also grab a couple of hot appetizers, like flaky tempura and chewy-crisp vegetable gyoza, or entrées; the pan-seared salmon with creamy miso sauce and vegetables is elegant in looks and flavor.
Tataki
The preferred place to raise your chopsticks in Pacific Heights sets appetites aflame with its ultra-popular Extinguisher Roll — a colorful collage of spicy albacore, cucumber, avocado, habanero masago, and spicy aioli. As the name suggests, a few tataki, or seared items, are also on the menu. Try the Bincho — seared albacore tuna wading in a garlic-kissed ponzu bath. Gluten-free sushi lovers will appreciate the myriad options.
Kuma Sushi + Sake
Lower Nob Hill has a few restaurant gems, and this is one of them. If you love real-crab California rolls, start there or with the Rainbow Roll — a creamy-centered Cali draped with raw fish of the chef’s choosing. Or leave it all to the pros with the chirashi — a jewel box of 14 decoratively arranged cuts of the day’s best fish, intermingled with snap peas and tamago over Nishiki rice and wild grains. Plus, you can pair any order with quality sake by the carafe, courtesy of their partnership with Hayes Valley’s True Sake.
Sushi Shio
Four words: Uni Toro Kani Bowl. Garnished with salmon caviar, and fresh wasabi, it’s all these decadent favorites on one gorgeous rice plate. You can’t go wrong with the uni toast, either — crunchy, bronzed sourdough layered with two varieties of uni and topped with truffle shavings and salmon caviar. If you prefer to chart your own path, you’ll find your favorite maki, nigiri, and handrolls at this Mission District haunt.
Wasabi & Ginger
The swarms of Marin and Russian Hill folk who lean on this Van Ness standby for reliable sushi are crazy for the Crazy Roll. Indeed, it’s hard to resist the satisfying salt-and-fat crunch of shrimp tempura against velvety avocado, spicy tuna, and sweet unagi sauce. An extensive menu means you can also point your chopsticks toward classic cooked items, like chicken teriyaki or chewy pork and vegetable gyoza.
Fenikkusu Tapas & Omakase
With a wide variety of options, from omakase to izakaya, this Japanese restaurant is appealing to all. You can order the super combo featuring four pieces of chef’s choice nigiri, five pieces of sashimi, and your choice of dragon or rainbow roll (it’s one of the best deals in town), as well as other dishes that the restaurant refers to as “tapas”: oxtail with tofu and daikon in Korean pepper soup; quail yaki, soy-marinated grilled quail with a quail egg; and American Wagyu beef carpaccio.
Live Sushi Bar
With an artful integration of fresh fish flown in from Japan three times a week, the bento boxes and sushi combo plates at Potrero Hill’s neighborhood sushi nook are some of the city’s best. They’re also generous and well-priced, giving you every opportunity to mix and match until you find your ideal meal; the biggest bento dilemma will be narrowing down the nearly two dozen cooked and raw choices — tempura, sushi, and teriyaki included — to just two or three.
Rocket Sushi
There is no need to blast yourself over to Upper Market for the spicy salmon rolls, rich o-toro nigiri, and creamy spicy tuna handrolls served at Rocket Sushi. This Castro haunt has all the classics plus cooked favorites, too, so you can devour tender grilled salmon cheek with tangy ponzu and a beloved breaded, deep-fried pork chop over curry and rice — plus all the sushi your heart desires — from the comfort of home.
