- Restaurants |
- Nightlife |
- Shopping |
- Movies |
- All
Hecho
Category: Restaurants Japanese Japanese [Edit]
185 Sutter StSan Francisco, CA 94108
Neighbourhood: Financial District
(415) 835-6400
- Hours:
Mon-Fri 7 am - 10 am
Mon-Fri 11:30 am - 2:30 pm
Mon-Tue, Sun 5 pm - 10 pm
Wed, Fri-Sat 5 pm - 11 pm
Thu 5 pm - 1 am
Sat-Sun 8 am - 1 pm
- Attire:
- Casual
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Garage, Street
- Price Range:
-
$$$
- Good for Groups:
- No
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take Away:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- Free
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Ambience:
- Hipster, Trendy, Casual
- Has TV:
- No
- Caters:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
- Dogs Allowed:
- No
159 reviews for Hecho
Review Highlights
-
"My favorite Sushi spot for lunch was packed." In 80 reviews -
"Who doesn't like pork belly." In 14 reviews -
"Negi Hamachi: Chopped yellowtail w/ scallion $7." In 5 reviews
Loading...
159 reviews in English
-
Review from Kevin B.
Pittsburgh, PA
5/16/2012
I tried a wide array of sushi while having a work dinner here. It was fresh, arrived at the table quickly and the presentation was great. The sushi chefs did a wonderful job.
Our original server was not very knowledgeable on the sushi selections, but when he went on break, our next server was absolutely wonderful. Her recommendations were spot on, and she was super friendly.
I'm a bit late on this review. I ate here on 4.28.12. -
Review from Adolfo L.
5/4/2012
Hecho's a No-Go...
I wanted to like this place for some reason. I'm not quite sure why. Hecho tries to be different, and I like different. It's also the new home of Sachio Kojima, the famed original chef/owner of Kabuto. But sadly, as my friend put it... 'I'm not sure if anyone can save this place."
On the Sunday we visited chef Kojima was off, and the restaurant was barren with one other single customer. The meal was mediocre. We skipped the tequila and went with a dry sake that was standard. The miso soup was lukewarm, and the kama was dry. A single saving grace was the charred, smokey pork belly from the Robata.
In the end you judge a sushi restaurant on its fish. The chef's sashimi plate was look uninspired and lacking in flavor. I don't claim to be anything close to an expert, but I suspected some of our pieces were a bit too fishy. Well, it was confirmed... the sashimi was the gift that kept on giving to my poor dining buddy... all of the next day. And this was after he said, "I'm not sure if anyone can save this place." -
Review from Matthew D.
Chicago, IL
4/27/2012
nice little sushi spot - tres hip on the inside with your typical Japanurban design and vintage Bond posters on the wall.
The rolls were fine, but I would really recommend the Sashimi. Their fish is outstanding and where their rolls were good, they couldn't hold a candle to the Sashimi.
Try the Walu (Hawaiian Butter Fish) which is absolute heaven. -
Review from Ken G.
San Francisco, CA
5/25/2012 1 Check-in Here
First time here....love the tequila bar! Service was very good and the food even better.
-
Review from Jean Y.
4/16/2012 1 Check-in Here
Hecho is a small Japanese restaurant located in the FiDi with a large tequila selection. If you don't want tequila with your sushi, they also serve beer and sake. It's a fine place for a quick bite and some drinks, although I wouldn't go out of my way to eat here.
I enjoyed and recommend the following:
* Marinated mackerel
* Shishito pepper skewers covered with bonito flakes
* Nasu dengaku (grilled eggplant with sweet miso sauce)
I was not impressed by the salmon collar. I've never seen so little meat on a fish collar before, and my friends and I felt like scavengers picking for scraps to eat. I think there was less than an ounce of edible meat on that collar. -
Review from Uyen D.
San Francisco, CA
4/4/2012
No thanks.
Went here twice, but only because we + friends bought into too many Groupon-like deals. How many different discount/deal sites did Hecho use?!
Expensive, and the sushi is not good. :( The only thing that are acceptable to order are the kalbi,and shishito pepper skewers. -
Review from Enoch L.
San Francisco, CA
3/30/2012 1 Check-in Here
Terrible.
So apparently there are no good sit down Sushi restaurants. My friend and I were delighted when we found this place. Seeing $13 for a California Roll, we only ordered one Hamachi roll. We each ordered Donburi.
Service never filled our waters, ignored me when I asked for a box, and food took longer than normal. Food came out to $40 bucks, and the food just wasn't that good.
I wonder those people who gave this place a decent review took too many shots of tequila and thought this place was decent. It's like a bad date. Sometimes alcohol fixes it but you should probably just avoid it all together. -
Review from Jen W.
Nashville, TN
3/18/2012
Tequila and Sushi?!! Yes please.... a Friend and I were drawn to this place because we had cravings for sushi and happened to see a fun Mariachi band playing outside.
It was a cool ambiance, the band made it feel like vacation along with my organic Agave Margarita (of course, it's SF!) The sushi was good, and there was lots of variety for my friend, who is actually allergic to seafood. Pricing was decent for San Fran sushi.
We sat at the sushi bar but it was odd because the sushi chef wasn't able to help us with orders or answer questions without flagging down the waitress to intervene. It seemed like they were either short handed or there was some sort of drama going on because we could see the waitresses huddled in the back whispering to each other frequently. Although our waitress was extremely nice, she was hard to flag down since she was covering so many tables.
Similar to other reviews, good food, good drinks, minus one for service. There are tons of other sushi places to try, but I would come back if I was jonesing for a tequila sushi combo. -
Review from Chuck C.
Santa Cruz, CA
3/17/2012
While working downtown a few friends and I came here because it was recommended by another friend.
The facilities:
I like the overall ambiance of the place, it has a really classy, yet relaxed vibe. Something I can enjoy on a single lunch date with myself, or have a few close friends join me. Not the best place to bring a large rambunctious group. But place is modern and clean. Also, they have tequila decorations along with sake, which totally falls into their overall theme.
The food:
We had the duck, the roasted pork belly, a boat of sashimi, and a few shots of tequila. I must say that everything was delicious, and I was a huge fan of the pork belly ( Healthy People Beware). Everything was fresh and cooked properly. I have eaten in many sushi places, and this is one of the few that handled it properly.
The service:
I will admit that this place is pretty slow, but after a few rounds of tequila you tend to forget. Do not come here expecting a waiter to tend to every one of your need, including wiping your face after you slob it out. I tend to rather not be bothered by service unless I am asked and agree to it. So I am a bit biased. None of them were rude, but they are typically busy, so understanding that balancing and satisfying a ton of customers is hard..lets be fair here.
I would recommend this place to anyone, any day, but do beware the price can easily go up and your wallet balance can easily go down. But it is worth it! Take a date here and enjoy! -
Review from Vicky L.
Hecho? Hech-NO! Or HECK NO?
Either way, I had a pretty unfortunate dining experience here on a Wednesday evening. I had a Groupon and made a reservation for 8:15 PM, but Boyfriend and I arrived early, and luckily they were able to seat us right away.
We waited about 5 minutes before our waitress came by, and by that time, we'd already decided what to order. Not finding one specific thing I was craving, I decided to go with 2 buta belly skewers, 2 momo skewers (chicken thighs), and a 3-piece sashimi order each of the walu (Hawaiian butter fish) and sakae toro (salmon belly). I wanted a hamachi kama, but none of the kamas besides salmon was available. Boyfriend went for the chirashi. We each ordered a drink from their cocktail menu.
Over 30 minutes went by. No one to update us, fill our waters. Nothing.
FINALLY our drinks arrived, followed shortly by the sashimi orders. Beautiful, fresh, DELICIOUS fish. Especially the walu. It was definitely my favorite (and also Boyfriend's, who, before he met me, had never, ever eaten raw fish), and in retrospect I should've just ordered like, 20 pieces of it.
Next came the buta belly skewers, about 10 minutes later. One was fine, with two large pieces of pork belly (a nice combination of the meat and fat) but the other skewer was three medium-sized pieces of PURE FAT. What the hell. I sent this one back, and the waitress told me that's what pork belly was. Uh, I eat pork belly all the time, but never have I ever had pure fat. The waitress came back to say that I could have another one, but the remaining pieces they had were pretty much all the same. Wtf. She suggested a skewer of kalbi, so I said fine.
Luckily the kalbi totally rocked; the flavors were all there, it was juicy, and it was very good. Unfortunately the momo skewers, which I think she forgot to add until we reminded her after waiting about 20 more minutes for the food, lacked flavor, color, and one piece on my skewer was undercooked. Not wanting to bother them anymore with any send-backs, I just left it alone. It was as if they'd boiled the chicken a bit, because there was no sear to the chicken pieces. Sad.
Boyfriend's chirashi was okay; he deemed it to be better than Sushi IN's. Some of the fish was fresh, others just seemed mediocre. The shrimp was a bit overcooked, and it seemed like they kept piling on the non-fish items to make it look full and pretty. Eh.
Our meal, which, based on the fact that the restaurant wasn't full and the small amount we ordered, should not have taken over an hour. Luckily I wasn't hungry when we arrived, but had I been starving and wanting food, I would've been livid if I'd had to wait over 30 minutes for the drinks and first dish to arrive, and 10 minutes in between each item I'd ordered.
Not even the sashimi and kalbi could make up for this place.
Oh, and the restrooms are located in the basement of the adjacent hotel. Pretty sure I walked in on a drunk couple trying to have sex in the hallway outside the restrooms.Listed in: Financial District Lunchtime
-
Review from Jenny L.
2/8/2012
12.02.11 || bookmarked 05.03.11
I really wanted to like this place. When OpenTable offered a deal, I jumped on it. Sadly, I was sorely disappointed.
Our group made it in time to enjoy one or two margaritas before happy hour ended. That's about the best thing I can say.
Our food took FOREVER to arrive. It wasn't until the waiter came to "check in" with us that he realized "wait a minute, their food never came." That was about 30 minutes in. To top it off. nothing about this meal was memorable, except the horrible service. We see you standing there in a crowd, waiters. Maybe you should do something?
I wish MiDi was still here instead. -
Review from Derrick V.
San Francisco, CA
2/10/2012
New chef alert: Sachio Kojima from Kabuto is now behind the sushi bar.
I didn't see any special fish or rolls on the menu however, but the fish we had was fresh and served at the proper temperature. Sushi rice was unmemorable.
We also tried pork belly and kalbi from the robata menu, which were nice and smoky from the coals. They also have a kama section, with 4 or so different fish. Only one they had last night was salmon however. The karaage was just okay, a bit dry.
Service however, left a lot to be desired. We didn't get our orders taken for more than half an hour. It was busy but, the place isn't new by any means. Add to the fact that they were sold out of many of the items we wanted, we didn't have a very good meal here.
It's worth to check out again, because of the chef. Hopefully he puts his own spin on the limited sushi menu.
PS. I really don't get the tequila, did not pair well at all with the food. -
Review from Jeannette W.
Oakland, CA
2/4/2012 1 Check-in Here
I rarely write about a place that I have only tried once, but I will never be back to Hecho so this is my only chance to warn you so I feel I had better take it. You need to know that I was really looking forward to trying this place because I love sushi and I love my hard liquor even more. The idea seemed like it had so much promise, which it may have somewhere else if executed better. But my experience really felt like something out of the show Kitchen Nightmare and I was expecting Chef Ramsay to come in at anyu minute and start yelling at everyone for being such a screw up.
Let me start from the beginning. I have to admit that I was pleasantly surprised they were able to accomodate me and my sister on a Friday night with no fuss. We were seated within a few minutes of walking in. The table was a tiny little square and we were on stools with no backs, which meant that we had to sit on our coats and purses went on the floor, which I think is gross.
I will gloss over the details now and just point out the many disappointments because I don't think I can relive the minutiae of the night now.
1. The place was so loud my sister and I couldn't hear eachother most of the night. Lots of screeching patrons around and not enough sound absorbing materials.
2. Pacing was terrible. The majority of our dishes all arrived within 10 minutes of eachother so we literally had about 7 dishes on our table at one time that were getting cold because we could not keep up. And our table was so small, we had to shove some of the food down quickly in order to make room for the new stuff.
3. We ordered two pork belly skewers but only one came. We informed our waiter who said he would take care of it. It still never came.
4. Aforementioned pork belly was so dry we didn't even want the second one.
5. There were no share plates provided so we asked the waiter for them, but he never brought them so we had to ask the hostess for them. (More time for food to get cold.)
6. There was no one coming by to check on us and ask if we wanted more drinks, if we were doing okay, and more importantly, our water glasses were always empty so we had to keep stopping someone for water refills which was no easy feat given how disjointed the staff was.
7. The chicken liver I ate was raw so I had to spit it out and send it back. They asked me if I wanted another and I politely declined. (The first two pieces I ate were probably raw too because I have a scary affinity for raw meat, but the third one was so far over the edge, I had to stop myself.)
8. The check was wrong so I had to send that back, too.
The only saving grace was the hostess who really gave it her all. She was circulating the restaurant and was the lucky one we stopped all of the time to provide us with the things our waiter could not keep up with. Otherwise, there are way better Japanese restaurants to choose. -
Review from Alice C.
2/12/2012 1 Check-in Here
Look, the food isn't bad, and there's the added fun of having tequila with sushi. That is, if you can stand slow, spotty service.
The sushi was decent. As were the skewers -- I liked the peppers. However, I didn't like the goma-ae at all -- the veggies were real bitter! I know they're meant to be a bit bitter but not like that.
Also, the food came out really slow and in disarray. We did order in stages, but it felt like the servers were really not up to it. They never cleaned out the table promptly and would put food down randomly at different corners of the table.
The drinks were also over-priced for what they were. I can get a much better drink at plenty of other locations in the city at the same price or better. Needless to say when we got the bill we didn't feel like it was worth it.
If you want sushi or robatayaki, go find another joint. Likewise, if you like tequila, I'm sure there are other places. I did like the idea of tequila flights with sushi...ah well. -
Review from ignignot f.
San Francisco, CA
2/9/2012
Absolute unmitigated disaster. One of the worst restaurant experiences that I've had in SF (probably the worst outside of Chinatown). Partner and I came here for dinner on a Friday. Place was maybe 60% full, so not that busy.
To begin, our waitress was completely incompetent and got nearly everything wrong. Didn't bring half our order, then brought the same item twice. It was a comedy of errors, and she did the same thing for all the tables near us as well. Got to a point where I was expecting her water pitcher to burst into flames just for effect. By the end of the night we and the other patrons were just looking at each other laughing, rolling our eyes, and eager to get out of there. It was like being stuck in a Seinfeld episode.
Secondly, the sushi was stringy and clearly not fresh. Most of the other things we tried weren't good, either. The kaarage was not cooked in the right batter or oil. No real dashi broth, rice wasn't Japanese, etc. Most everything was just plain wrong. And as others have pointed out, they were out of half the things on the menu. That doesn't mean it's fresh, it just means they have piss-poor planning. Fresh toro is one thing, but how the f do you run out of beer?
I really wanted to like Mexican/Japanese fusion, but this was the worst of both worlds. Stay away. If you're staying at the hotel next door, and there's a typhoon outside, you might justify eating here. But under no other conditions IMO. -
Review from Sheila H.
San Francisco, CA
5/5/2012
It was the first time I left a restaurant feeling mad. Such a high pressure to order FAST (we barely had a few minutes to review the menu) and eat FAST (the dishes were coming out at such a rapid pace that we couldn't even finish the dishes) even though there was no one waiting for a table!!! Even though we ordered a lot of dishes, the servers kept coming to our table asking to order more. Kalbi was the only dish I enjoyed, but sushi rolls were dry and were clearly pre-made. Food was almost secondary to me when the service was so poor. When I commented that the dishes were coming out too fast, the server replied that "we are known for that". Well, no thank you, it would be my first and LAST time there. Such an unpleasant experience that costed a few hundred dollars!
-
Review from Andrew C.
It was a pleasant surprise to see Sachio Kojima (formerly chef/owner of Kabuto. now chef/owner of Vivify in Mt Shasta) behind the sushi bar. He's part-time sushi-chefing during the slow winter season in Mt Shasta. I didn't make out during our brief chat whether the regular chef was on vacation or just a regular day off.
Anyway, we got a mix of nigiri and a couple of skewers.
First out was salmon toro, amaebi, and albacore (http://www.yelp.com/bi...). Nice cuts of fish. Everything tasty.
Next the uni which tasted a bit past it's prime (http://www.yelp.com/bi...)
The amaebi heads were un-breaded and had an interesting presentation (http://www.yelp.com/bi...) I saw the chef cut the shell on the head and pop the meat out prior to sending to the kitchen for frying (hollow shell on the right http://www.yelp.com/bi...). This made the shell optional for eating, I guess, but hey, it's a good source of fiber, right?
The pork belly & chicken thigh skewers (http://www.yelp.com/bi...) were a mixed bag. The chicken was good and the yuzu kosho (fermented yuzu zest and chilis) on top gave it a lightly spicy zing. The pork belly was dry. Very dry. I ate one, tried a second, and called it quits (http://www.yelp.com/bi...).
Service started out fine, but then suffered as the place filled up. It's not that big (6-7 tables downstairs & 10 seat sushi bar were open for dinner), but the two waiters were struggling. It took forever to settle up once we got the check. I didn't notice if they were servicing the private function upstairs.
Oh, and speaking of the tables, those stools around most of them are uncomfortable! We started at one and switched to the bar which had normal chairs because my back started to hurt.
Food: 3.5 stars (probably 4+ without the pork belly)
Service: 3 stars
Watching Sachio bounce around while making sushi: PricelessListed in: Sushi Boat, Izakaya
-
Review from Alysha M.
1/10/2012 1 Check-in Here
Neat idea pairing sushi + tequila, which actually did work. The $$$ margarita went well with the sushi, but maybe it's just cuz that was the best thing there. The food was very mediocre. Cuts of fish were small, although the hamachi & uni tasted fresh, so I do give them that. The pork belly skewer was good, too.
I'd say three stars for the overpriced, small portion, but yet 'fresh' food, one star less cuz the service was quite slow & they did forget some dishes which we had to ask for twice. -
Review from Matthew H.
San Francisco, CA
2/27/2012
Given that we are in San Francisco, this is a 3 out of 5 mainly for the service and not the lack of quality fish.
Some friends and I stumbled upon Hecho one night when we were on Kearny and looking for some sushi. From the outside, Hecho looks cool and the ambiance/aesthetic is also agreeable on the inside.
What was cool about Hecho was the Tequila selection (hence the name Hecho - "What is done, is Done") and the Mexican / Japanese combo. Very unique. The fish was fresh and tasty and the tar tar melted in the mouth.
A couple things I did not like about Hecho:
- Poor service: Even though we are frequent sushi eaters, when we ordered the chef's choice 16 piece Hamachi we were confused what was what. It was easy to identify the basics; big eye, yellow tail, etc., but some of the fish was a mystery, and we were not told what was what.
- $6 Sapporo Drafts: I know, I know.. it's Union Square/ Fidi, but $6 for a Sapporo? I would have accepted $4-5, but this is not a good price point. Maybe they are encouraging you to drink the tequila?
- COLD MISO SOUP: Okay.. It was "luke warm," but still.. I like the Miso to burn my mouth when I first try it.
Overall, I'm not too sure I would go back to Hecho. No real reason to besides its location and lack of competition in the area/ good fish. -
Review from Bryan W.
San Francisco, CA
12/30/2011
I would honestly rate this sushi gem with 4 or 5 stars based on the Sushi alone. Fresh, creative, innovative, flavorful sushi was an amazing and lucky find in a city of cheap and boring sushi places. I was more than pleasantly surprised I was sushi "havenly" surprised! I highly recommend this place.
However, the reason I dont give the star worthy rating Hecho deserves is bar service. Food service awesome so its hard to understand why the bar is so lacking. Its a shame because its so long and visible! But we didnt get wine until after the appetizers...and we didnt get sake until later and that was after I was informed numerous times it was premium and all they had. Okay ok ok and still no sake. I think our beverages arrived about the same time as the sushi order. Oh and my companion received 2 glasses of wine although ordering one. And it was on the bill.
Back to the sushi...it was good and I will go back becoz it was so good. But definitely do not sit in middle of room and make your visit fast...the stools are cool looking ONLY. Not good for sitting and eating. -
Review from Jill T.
12/8/2011 1 Check-in Here
I don't have anything really bad to say. I just don't have anything really good to say either.
Came late on a Wednesday evening. There wasn't very many people in there, the staff actually outnumbered the customers. We sat down and checked out the menu which was very limited. As I have said before...this can be a good thing meaning that they do these things really well...or a bad thing because there is no other choices.
Given the fact that there was no one there and a huge amount of staff out food came out very slowly. The waitress gave us some miso soup as an apology.
We ordered:
The special Hamachi plate...sushimi with grapefruit. This was okay. It didn't wow me.
The Hecho 49er roll. Salmon and scallops. This was fishy!!!!!!
The Kani Sushimi-the waitress told us it was good and we should try it if we had never had raw crab. It was good. But the crab wasn't raw, I'm not even sure you can eat raw crab.
Over all it was MEh...glad I had a groupon. I think my comment was I'd eat here again if someone else was paying.Listed in: Not so good!, Sushi in the Bay!
-
Review from Michelle W.
San Francisco, CA
They've said it before, I'll say it again. The sushi, delicious. Tequila selection, fantastic. But, together? Really?
We tried every kind of "meat-on-a-stick" that they had, and they were all really tasty. We had about 10 different types of sushi rolls, each. (I decided to try the sea urchin, since I'd never had it before. It tasted how I imagined, like the bottom of the ocean).
None of this was enough to prepare me for drinking tequila. Maybe it's just me. -
Review from Steven C.
West Dennis, MA
10/23/2011
Hecho should be Hecho como mierda!
The service was horrible. It took 20 minutes to find out they were out of fried tofu. This is a place with an identity crisis. Tequila bar or Sushi bar. I didn't have any tequila but the fish was bad. Hamachi Toro seems to be all the rage. Their version was chewy with huge amounts of connective tissue. The sashimi was not cut properly and the chefs may have most recently worked at Panda Express last week. The boiled rice was good and they have a miso that may not have come from a pouch. Other than that, run in the opposite direction! -
Review from Victor G.
2/10/2012
entered hecho, was shown a seat at the sushi bar. i showed "waiter" my groupon. he said he'll be right back. never came back.
had a chance to look at all the tequila on the shelf, the 2 busy sushiman knocking out the rolls, and the mezzanine where the grllled items were done. the sushiman eventually asked me if i ordered. "no" i said
he then proceeded to take my order and everything arrived within 10 minutes.
eats:
-chirashi(16) didn't get soup nor salad, don't know if included
10 pieces including hirame, walu(2), sake, ebi, tobiko, albacore, hamachi,..
*some large slices, some small, mostly fresh, good sashimi, not great.
-hamachi sashimi (3/9)large slices.
-hirame sashimi(3/9) slightly frozen, small slice
-sake belly(3/11) fatty, very sweet
-chicken kaarange(13)
2 piles like nuggets. tasty, not so juicy, lots of spices.
-slice of japanese pastry (comped by sushiman)
interesting dry cake like.
temaki:
-lunch menu didn't resemble online menu
-no yakitori served at lunch
-good value, not great, maybe great for fi-di.
-many servers but didn't get served
-sushiman come to the rescue?
-some eats on groupon.Listed in: japanese eateries
-
Review from wing j.
San Francisco, CA
2/19/2012
i popped in one weekday for lunch and sat on the bar; the chef sachio kojima (thanks derrick for the name) whom i later found out worked at kabuto, is the highlight of this place. he's pretty funny and had some interesting things to say..which saves this from being a one star review.
i hope next time i go things will be different.
the waiter served me the wrong dish--the place was fairly empty when i went in so i am not sure how he got the orders mixed up.
the price isn't cheap or super expensive but compared to the ingredients..eh. -
Review from Gemma J.
11/6/2011
Oh, oh, oh my. What a lovely surprise.
I'm a sushi freak, but -- for once -- I ventured to try a few of the grilled Yakimono plates and was blown away. The pork and short rib were perfect. I even skipped the required final nigiri to get seconds of the meat. This is definitely a menu that inspires some adventurousness (and one that I trust not to disappoint!). That aside, the sushi was great... I can attest to the yellowtail, mackerel, eel, and toro nigiri.
The venue itself is also refreshingly different from most sushi places in the area: while still very modern and chic, it's all (light-colored) wood, so it has a cozy and rustic feeling as well. The service was great and the beer selection extensive (a definite plus, though apparently I took advantage of that a little too much to remember which I liked best). It's a touch pricey, as expected, but it stays open late -- it's connected to a hotel next-door (where the restrooms are located) -- and was a lot of fun, so it's certainly a new personal favorite and a much-needed addition to the FiDi sushi scene. -
Review from Samantha L.
San Francisco, CA
1/17/2012
I've been here a few times with co-workers for after work drinks and appetizers. It's usually been good - the fish is fresh, but portions a bit small on the sashimi and nigiri. The rolls are absolutely amazing, however! They definitely have a unique blend of things like pico de gallo to the hecho roll.
So why the 2 stars? Service. I had this one server, with short black hair and tattoos to the nine (amy? based on the receipt I got). The first time we had her, I wrote it up to a bad day. She was really short with many interactions. One of my co-workers asked what wine he could pair with the sushi and she said, "you don't come to a place like this for wine", rolled her eyes and stormed off. (Now I agree...this is a tequila + sushi bar...but she could have found a nicer way to put this.) At the end, we presented a GroupOn and she again, rolled her eyes, sighed loudly and stormed off (maybe we didn't present it in the order she wanted?).
So the next time we come in, we got her again. Apparently there was a misunderstanding with what we ordered (it was a bit loud there at the time, so of course this could happen), but when we pointed out the discrepancy, she said, "No, you ordered this." We chose not to dispute it. Getting some rolls we ordered took some time (20 minutes). We flagged her down twice to check up on it, but instead of checking on it - she went back to the waiter area and loudly joked with co-workers for several minutes. The worst of it was overhearing her comments " this place is so retarded", "I can't deal with these people" and her making gestures to other co-workers that seemed to be mocking gestures about other customers. Extremely unprofessional! If you don't like the place, then leave!
I didn't understand why things were brought out so slowly...there seemed to be more staff than customers. Plus, it looked like 1 of the folks was new. The coordination was atrocious - she was calling out this new waitress even in front of customers.
Needless to say, we've found a new place to go to. We could do without the attitude. -
Review from Kevin J.
8/12/2011 1 Check-in Here
A bit disappointing. While other Yelpers have raved about this place, Hecho had left me with a less than perfect experience. My guest and I walked inside and the bottom floor was bustling so we thought, wow - we're in for a treat. As we waited about 4 mins for someone to say hello to us we began to think that we were in the wrong location. finally a doorman from the hotel next door asked us if we were there for a reservation and found us a greeter to walk us to our table.
Upstairs the atmosphere was a bit more mellow, which I appreciated. The server came over with menus and quickly left. While we gazed over the menu for about 15 mins the server finally came back to take our order while apologizing profusely for her absence. We acknowledged that it was quite busy downstairs and chose to not judge based off our first 20mins inside. Another 20 mins after that we had still yet to have any food or drinks of which we most definitely ordered and got another apology from the server explaining that we would be "taken care of". Assuming we'd get some kind of a discount or comped dish or two for having to wait so long and not writing a review like this.
Eventually our food came and although it was edible I can't say it was the best I've had. I give Hecho a ++ for their food and being different but I just can't get over our service. When the end finally came after waiting yet another 20 mins or so for our last dish to come out the server had asked if we wanted dessert and we said no. She said "Are you sure?" and we gave in knowing that our being "taken care of" would result in a free dessert. Which is exactly what happened. After spending $100+ on a meal that was lackluster in performance and expectations I wasn't a happy camper.
apologize once, shame on you. Apologize twice, shame on me. -
Review from ELINOR H.
San Francisco, CA
8/10/2011
I has taken me a longtime to decide to review HECHO as I would have preferred writing something nice.
HECHO is an abomination and a true waste of YOUR TIME and MONEY.
My visit was because of a Visual Seduction of HECHO'S FOOD PORN (REALLY FABULOUS FOTOS) and an .OPENTABLE Coupon that cost $20.00 for $40.00.
It was a disaster in the making as their was NO RESERVATION when I arrived! I told them there was an Opentable Rez and I wanted my points,..
Finally got a table.
I was seated upstairs next to a 4 top of a family visiting from Beijing, their table was loaded with food. My server finally showed up, I presented the coupon and never got any service other than a hot towel that I requested and they did not want to give me........ oh well. Finally, I placed an order and I got it FORTY~FIVE MINUTES LATER, NO TEA was served even though I asked for it.
My neighbors asked while I was still waiting and I told them I had given them a paid for coupon, they said they would have left. I would have too if I hadn't already paid.
The Manager, Raphael, was creeping about and I flagged him down and told him my tale. He was telling me HIS PROBLEMS with the busiest night the restaurant had ever had, NOT MY PROBLEM.
Finally I was served, well after 10 P.M. The waiter was PRETTY NON~CHALANT. There weren't many diners left, soon I was THE LAST WO~MAN SITTING........... Not what I expected. The sashimi plate was not impressive, there was silver skin left on the fish! I'd never seen that before. Plus, the pieces were miniscule.
Raphael came back and offer to take care of the balance and I was
pleased. However, at 11 P.M., I was totally alone eating a piece of the charred and glazed pork belly......... I make better.
Upon leaving, Raphael, gave me a $50.00, credit tocome back. That was a gracious move on his part.
About 4 days later I took a GF there and our experience was even worse. There was NO SASHIMI AVAILABLE?????? in a SUSHI
RESTAURANT!.
By this time I was ready to leave but my friend and I were hungry. Mendoza, the manager came up to see how it was going. He comped us a skimpy tequila and got us the skimpy sashimi plate.
He told us he would comp appetizers and we could come back....
NO, NO, NO......., WE WERE H U N G R Y and DID NOT WANT TO COME BACK......... E V E R.
The waitperson, a woman, was argument.ative about
NO SASHIMI, she said the "Chef" wouldn't make it! Plus, she wouldn't serve us hot towels...... I thought they were derigeur in upscale sushi
places, and I told her so. With rolling eyeballs she stomped off when I wanted to speak with the manager, Mendoza. I got the hot towels and the Skimpiest SASHIMI PLATE EVER ~ $28. It certainly couldn't compete with the one at UMAMI, thier late is elegantly styled, FRESH, LARGE PIECES (about 18 (I think), and so pristine.
My GF and I wondered how the tough, tattooed waitperson, could be won over so our meal could be pleasant. Strange things do happen, I mentioned a famous NYC Chef, David Burke, and she knew him also. That softened her up.
We made the best of the evening leaving with some good feelings
TODAY, there is a $25.00 GROUPON available......... It isn't worth the aggravation
C AV E A T E M P[ T O R........... DO NOT BUY A COUPON or PAY FULL PRICE. H E C H O must learn about EXCELLENT SERVICE and
TRUE WORTH and VALUE of their menu. There is a lot that must be learned. -
Review from Gremlin O.
San Francisco, CA
2/10/2012
I like it. The food here tastes more like food in Japan compared to most J-food in SF.
-
Review from April F.
San Francisco, CA
1/25/2012
Came here to use my Groupon. Was pretty excited. Sushi and Tequila? Yes please!!
Service: We were seated right away but were ignored for 15 mins before server came to take our order. I get that your busy, but simply telling me that would have been cool. Once we finally put in our orders for drinks and food it took another 25 mins for my drink to come. Again, no acknowledgment or apology. If I didn't already pay for my Groupon I would have been out the door.
Food: We ordered the Sushi & tequila pairing for 2 to share. Fish was yummy and fresh. Tequila was really nice too. I think if I was into tequila a bit more I might have been able to see how the two went together. I couldn't get past the burn! LOL
Highlights: Pork Belly Skewer
7 Spice Margarita- YUM Probably the only reason I would come back here! Nice and spicy and tasted like cucumber?
Dinner and Drinks for 2=$75. Will not come back for food due to service. Plus its pretty expensive, which I don't mind but nothing 'wowed' me. -
Review from Tracy T.
8/8/2011 1 Check-in Here
So, I would like to try this place when it is an actual sushi establishment during its appropriate hours but unfortunately..
I wandered in here with a friend after we wanted to try the japanese curry place across the street but it was closed on a Sunday afternoon...not surprising for the financial district.
SO...it was only serving breakfast (1pm!) but we were starving and in a rush.. I thought that since this was a higher end japanese/sushi establishment they could or would offer some simple japanese breakfast fare (I was thinking along the lines of broiled salted mackerel and rice - SO SIMPLE). I was wrong! :(
I had the "breakfast sandwich of kings" which comprised of your choice of toasted sourdough or wheat bread with cheddar cheese, fried egg, avocado and bacon. Sounded good but when it was presented to me it was so...ordinary. I could have definitely have whipped this up at home. It came with a side of homefries which was really greasy but flavored well, they were basically sauteed boiled potato cubes with a teensy bit of chopped peppers and onions.
The rest of the breakfast menu was pretty limited with nothing you couldn't get elsewhere in some simple diner..but everything was so pricey! My sandwich was $8 and my friend's unspectacular full breakfast plate was $13 (two teeny tiny pancakes, toast, 2 eggs, sausage + coffee). Better off at Denny's.
MAYBE I'll try this place for sushi one day JUST to do it justice. If I do, I shall update this review. Until then... OBVIOUSLY BLEH SKIP FOR BREAKFAST -
Review from Cynthia C.
Alameda, CA
11/1/2011 6 photos
Some hits and misses, overall a 3.5:
*the nori in the roll was chewy, teeth should be able to cut through cleanly
*salads are super big, house salad good, jyako salad drowning in dressing and timed horribly, came after ALL the other food
*LOVED the robata, if I ate JUST this, I would have given H 5 stars, check the buta bura and the kalbi
*hamachi toro sashimi had a bone, otherwise good
*gyu tataki SO good
*shimesaba was not my favorite, they didn't have shima aji
*kitchen made sushi instead of sashimi, but threw in sushi for free, very cool
Super uncomfortable seats for my flat butt. Cool casual hip atmosphere. -
Review from Diana B.
7/31/2011 1 photo
After reading about Hecho in 7x7, my friend and I decided to give the place a try on a Tuesday night. We skipped the alcohol here and went straight for the food dishes (since they were similarly priced). Overall the experience was underwhelming ... even after ordering everything to our hearts' desire and paying $60/person. The overpriced food was under flavored for the most part.
We started with the grilled skewers - pork belly (my friend's obsession) with the tiniest drop of Japanese mustard that's hard to share between two people, chicken thigh with leek, chicken wing, and scallops (1 skewer per order at $4 each). The skewers were bland.
Then we tried the tuna tartar with lime and avocado which, presented beautifully, again was bland after we mixed in the egg and the ingredients. I didn't realize what was missing until we got to the bottom of the jar and tasted more of the lime; just having slightly more lime juice would've made the dish much better.
We tried three rolls, one of which was the expensive, market-priced toro taku, but the daikon radish overpowered the taste of the toro. The other was yellowtail, which was standard. And the third was the hecho original roll - $12 (market price) for 6 small pieces (well slightly bigger than the other two rolls). The Hecho roll had a special fish (i forgot the name but the server said it tastes like salmon so it was a bit fishy for my taste) with asian pear, shiso leaf, and topped with gelatin squares. The rolls also came with the tiniest amount of fresh wasabi so I requested more. I've heard that traditional Japanese sushi chefs frown on excessive wasabi and soy sauce, but thought that the tiny amount given was still too little to split between two people.
We were still hungry so we decided to give the nigiri a try (better than the rolls and had more wasabi), and after seeing a huge plate of tuna collar ($24) go by, we also ordered the yellowtail collar ($12), which was good.
So after atypically splurging $60pp to try everything we wanted to on the menu, we left unimpressed and, even now that they're running coupons, I won't be returning. There are much better places in the city for sushi for that price and less. Also ladies, note that the bathroom is a bit of a walk, located down some dim stairs in the basement of the hotel. -
Review from Geoff A.
1/24/2012
Good food - bad prices
Ambience: Pretty much your standard, slightly upscale sushi bar. Odd short chairs at the sushi bar though that make the bar seem like it's at eye level.
Service: Very friendly. The manager is definitely trying to please.
Food: Very good quality sushi. I had a few elections of the nigiri and they were all tasty and presented in an interesting way. The skewers of meat were nice but nothing hugely amazing. I wondered why the miso soup was $3 but it became clear when brought out as a huge bowl - way more than I had in mind. Not a great version either. I didn't bother getting a drink as they were expensive and they didn't have plum wine which is a first for any sushi bar I've ever been to.
Price: About 50% more than I would have expected. 6 pieces of nigiri, the miso and two small skewers of meat came to $38 before tip and without drinks. Their selection of tequilas is good (though not as good as they'd have you believe) but the prices are outrageous.
Overall: I'd only go back if I could put it on an expense account. -
Review from Kim S.
Pleasanton, CA
8/22/2011
My daughter and I love sushi and thought we would try this new place.
Other reviews have discussed the uncomfortable seats and slow service and I'll say that they are correct in saying that and I'll add other things that I have not seen in reviews yet.
If you love sushi, forget this place. 6 rolls on the menu.. they were very bland, small and no presentation whatsoever. There were other things on the menu but we went for sushi and that's what we wanted.
Our server was totally clueless and could not describe the simplest things about the menu. Had to ask someone else at least 4 times when we asked him questions.
A young woman working at the sushi bar had her long hair hanging over the food as she prepared...That Really grosses me out..
Tequila and sushi.??..that's weird anyway. -
Review from Nancie T.
8/18/2011
I never thought I would review RICE, but here it goes...
The menu featured only a handful of lunch specials, including beef stew rice (hayashi), sashimi over rice (chirashi) and the salmon shioyaki (grilled special of the day).
I had the chirashi and whoa - best rice I've ever had. It was fluffy, chewy and perfectly seasoned with a dash of vinegar. I pushed the sashimi aside and just enjoyed the rice - down to the last piece. So essentially I paid close to $20 to eat white. FLUFFY CHEWY RICE SEASONED WITH THE PERFECT AMOUNT OF VINEGAR. -
Review from Casey S.
8/12/2011
Being the sushi slut that I am I tend to grab any type of sushi related Groupon or Living Social that comes across my email. When I saw the one for Hecho I was intrigued, Sushi and Tequila? Interesting!
My friend and I popped in here a little after 8pm on a Thursday night and the place was pretty packed. We stood at the front for a bit until a guy came over and asked if we had a reservation. Nope, we replied.
He was nice enough to find us space at the bar, but I get the impression that it's meant to be more of a space for people waiting for a table than people who actually want to have dinner. We sat at the bar for a pretty long time. Nobody brought us a menu, nobody asked if we wanted anything. We finally got the bartender to get us a dinner menu and then finally got him to take our food order.
We ordered the 9 piece nigiri chef's choice. And then we waited and waited and waited. I was starving and at one point got the attention of a waiter. We ordered a couple vegetable miso soups thinking that it would come out pretty quickly and stave off our hunger pangs. 15 minutes later our miso soup finally arrived. It was a large serving and it was good but I was still ravenous.
By the time our nigiri got to us I was dying. At least the fish was good quality and I like that they actually put wasabi in their nigiri.
By the time it came time to pay the bill it was yet another ordeal trying to figure out how to use our groupon and whatnot.
Overall I found Hecho to be a noisy hectic restaurant where the staff seems overly stressed and not really well trained. Maybe if we had tried more of the Mexican fusion dishes I would be impressed. But I wouldn't recommend this place if you are looking for the traditional sushi experience. -
Review from Ed U.
Back in the '80's, there was a Japanese-Kosher restaurant in New York City...yes, you heard it right, a Japanese-Kosher restaurant. The name? Shalom Japan, of course. I remember they served gefilte fish sushi and offered a floor show starring the effervescent owner Miriam Mizakura in a kimono mini-skirt. For some reason, I flashed back to that place when I tried Hecho for lunch since chef Joseph Manzare (of the dearly departed Joey & Eddie's) is taking a similar culture-clashing approach by opening a place that serves sushi and tequila.
No Miriam. No real kitsch factor despite the Mexico-meets-Nippon decor. I skipped the tequila (...need to be sober for a 1PM meeting, y'know), but I ordered one of their Donburi Set lunches, the $18 Chirashi, which offered a half-dozen pieces of sashimi, each a different kind, over a scoop of rice prepared in rice vinegar (see photo). It came with the standard side salad and miso soup bowl. Fresh-tasting fish but really overpriced for the goods. They offer even pricier combination lunch sets and of course, straight-ahead sushi at the bar.
The location next to the Galleria doesn't help the price point much, and the tourist traffic is likely to keep it elevated for some time to come. Despite the pedigree provided by chef Masaki Sasaki, who came from 2G Japanese Brasserie at Opera Plaza, I was not overly impressed with the execution here. To be truly fair, I'll need to come back during a happy hour to see if a shot of tequila might alter my opinion of this trendy-looking place. I may end up shaking a pair of maracas and doing my own floor show.
FOOD - 3 stars...average as chirashi bowls go
AMBIANCE - 3.5 stars...south-of-the-border meets the far east
SERVICE - 3.5 stars...quite attentive during a slow period
TOTAL - 3 stars...trendy culture clash hasn't found its groove yet -
Review from L B.
San Francisco, CA
9/15/2011
If you love tequila and you love sushi this place is for you. The selection of tequila was large and they had some hard to find brands.
The Himalayan Hamachi was so melt in your mouth delicious. The Seven spice margarita was unique and tasty. The service was top notch and attentive. The ambiance was classy. I enjoyed the upstairs vibe.
I will be back soon.
