(Image courtesy of kev-shine)
Once you’ve found your favorite place, it can be difficult to branch out and try something new. If you’re feeling adventurous, we have a few recommendations that may help. This article from sfist.com outlines some of the best sushi places in the Bay Area. Keep reading to find your next favorite California roll.
Tekka Japanese Restaurant
Definitely one of the most cult-followed sushi spots in the city, Tekka is a place you have to arrive atreally early if you don’t want to be waiting outside for an hour or more. In fact, if you miss the first seating at 7 p.m. (for which people line up around 5), then you’ll be waiting until 9:30 or so, and there are only 11 seat total. But many, many people swear by this cozy Inner Richmond spot and its generous slices of ultra-fresh fish. It's run by a sometimes curt, elderly husband-and-wife team — much like several of our city’s best sushi spots, see also Ino, Kappou Gomi — it is cash only, and the must-orders are the sashimi combo, hamachi kama (grilled yellowtail collar), and/or the full omakase (tasting) menu. (Also, chef Nobu and his wife Yoshimi might not be around forever, so get it while you can.) — Jay Barmann
537 Balboa Street at 7th Avenue
Ryoko's
Yes, this is a birthday place. And kind of a bridge-and-tunnel/tourist place. And it’s been on TV shows like Midnight Munchies because they serve until 1:30 a.m., and it’s been around for over 25 years. On Fridays and Saturdays, there’s a DJ starting at 8 p.m. But for fun, underground, drunken craziness along with some wacky, non-traditional maki rolls (the Kentucky Roll has fried chicken in it, and one house favorite, the Volcano Roll, has fried shrimp, jalapeño, and peanut butter), this is the place. Also, the nigiri and sashimi are usually pretty fresh, since business here is always booming, but this is a place to stick to the basics, drink a lot of shochu, and to try a wacky roll or two. — Jay Barmann
619 Taylor (at Sutter)
Akiko's
For a high-end, contemporary sushi experience on par with Sushi Ran, check out this recently revamped Union Square spot. Under chef Ricky Yap, the 18-year-old restaurant has been getting new life, and Michael Bauer praised it in December as "a sushi classic in the making," giving it three stars. The omakase menu will run you up to $100 per person, but it definitely worth it for sushi devotees. But all the sushi is incredibly fresh, and there is also a nightly changing menu of non-sushi items including pork tonkotsu ramen, and teriyaki. — Jay Barmann
431 Bush (at Claude Lane)
Tsunami Sushi
This cozy neighborhood spot walks the fine line between character and clubbiness that plagues so many sushi spots. The classic California-style rolls fit the bill, with many of them half-off during happy hour. But it's the unique combination rolls like the Mama San with tempura shrimp and spicy tuna or the Magic Mushroom roll with salmon, snow crab and enoki mushrooms that add a bit more of a filling crunch to your sushi dinner. Add on something hot like the "My Girlfriend" fried sweet potatoes to round things out and sample extensively from the sake list cribbed from Corkage — the attached wine and sake bar. —Andrew Dalton
1306 Fulton Street (at Divisadero)
Sister restaurants at Tsunami Mission Bay and Nihon Whiskey Lounge
Sushi Time
Like a Shinjuku dive, Sushi Time's subterranean bubble crams a lot of character into a tiny space. Rolls are a steal, ranging from $5 for basics and veggie rolls to $8 for their own creative takes on Californian sushi like the Barbie Roll (crab, avocado, salmon) and the Astro Boy Roll (spicy scallop, mango, cucumber, tobiko). Go during happy hour, sit at the tiny, low bar and amuse yourself when the waiter lets you pick your own sake glass from their mismatched collection. —Andrew Dalton
2275 Market Street (at 16th Street, downstairs in the quirky shopping center)
Cha-Ya
Those of us who'd rather not eat our finned friends are usually fine at any sushi joint—it's pretty tough to screw up a cucumber or avocado roll (though it's been known to happen). But if you want a totally veggie sushi experience, there's no better place to go than Cha-Ya. Caveats apply: they're cash only, the wait can be long, and the fight to get to the "sign up to wait" clipboard can be arduous. But the food is inventive and delicious and the service is pleasant and capable of dealing with granular vegan/allergy questions. The Cha-Ya Roll (a tempura-battered asparagus, avocado, yam, and carrot roll with their special sauce) is worth the trip, alone. — Eve Batey
762 Valencia between 18th and 19th Streets
Minako Organic Japanese Restaurant
Vegans like SFist contrib Laura Hooper Beck rave about Minako's vegan menu, which includes an animal-product-free tempura (how is this even possible?). Gluten-free people love it, too, as the menu makes abundantly clear what's gf and what isn't, and has a staff willing to propose substitutions. Oh, and if you're for rolls made with brown rice, welcome home. I'm neither vegan nor gf, but I still think about Minako's fried veggie eel when I should be paying attention to work and stuff. And that tempura? Laura's right, it's amazing. (Note: they serve meat, too, so it's great for mixed company.) — Eve Batey
2154 Mission, between 18th and Sycamore Streets
Roka Akor
You won't find sushi in a boat here. But you will find some of the city's freshest sushi presented on magical landscape of salt rocks, ice, bamboo boxes, and light! (Does your sushi plate glow? No? Then your sushi plate is an asshole.) I recommend paying extra for the sushi course on the decadent tasting menu. It's worth the few pennies for the presentation and bevy of fish. Don't let the ostentation presentation deter you or fool you into believing you're not getting the best sushi in the city.
Kappou Gomi
Arguably the best Japanese in the Richmond (in my stellar opinion, anyway), this place is all about sashimi when it comes to sushi. (Even thought they claim not to be a sushi bar!) As SFist's own Jay Barmann (writing for 7x7) notes, "expect some unique and gorgeous sashimi presentations, often involving the whole fish, artfully used as a serving vessel." You dig? — Brock Keeling
5524 Geary Boulevard (at 19th Avenue), 415-221-5353
Ino Sushi
With only a few seats at the bar and a few tables, it's an intimate setting to say the least. You know what's not so intimate? The attitude. You can get yelled at for simply dipping your nigiri rice-side down. And you would deserve it! Check out this hysterical review some dimwit posted after dining at Ino. Ahem: "This was all good and fine until my phone vibrated against the counter. Immediately, again, the sushi chef came over to me. 'No phone!' he shouted at me. I have never felt so embarrassed in my life. Why the attitude? I had been nice the whole time. 'I'm sorry, it was an accident,' I replied back. He then told me to 'turn off the phone or leave' and pointed to a small sign behind me that indicated 'No phones.' " Fool! (The butthurt reviews on Yelp are even better.) This place is the best. — Brock Keeling
22 Peace Plaza #510, 415-922-3121 (I DARE you to call and make a reservation!)
ICHI Sushi + NI Bar
So good, the walls at ICHI tell you how to eat Chef Tim Archuleta's gems of the sea. (Also, it wins awards every year, critics rave, yada yada. You get it.) — Brock Keeling
3282 Mission (at Valencia), 415-525-4750
And because we couldn't resist, do check out this one across the bridge...
Sushi Ran
For many years the accepted wisdom about S.F.’s best sushi has been that you have to go to Sausalito to find it, at this place. Owned since 1986 by the same guy, Yoshi Tome, Sushi Ran offers some top-notch sashimi and nigiri from executive chef Scott Whitman, as well as seasonal vegetable tasting platters, salads, and Vietnamese-style shaking beef. He will also occasionally offer the ultra-high end Pacific bluefin tuna, which can run upwards of $10 a slice, and may just blow your mind. There’s also a lengthy and impressive sake selection, and you’re not going to walk out of here for less than $60 a person. Also, pro tip: If you want nab a seat at the 6-seat sushi bar, you need to get there early. — Jay Barmann
107 Caledonia, Sausalito
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