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Okoze Sushi
Categories: Restaurants Sushi Bars Restaurants Japanese Sushi Bars, Japanese [Edit]
1207 Union St(at Hyde St)
San Francisco, CA 94109
Neighbourhoods: Nob Hill, Russian Hill
(415) 567-3397
- Hours:
Tue-Wed, Sun 5:30 pm - 10:30 pm
Thu-Sat 5:30 pm - 11 pm
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Price Range:
-
$$$
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take Away:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Beer & Wine Only
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Ambience:
- Intimate
- Has TV:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
356 reviews for Okoze Sushi
Review Highlights
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"and the most incredible miso soup (with crab." In 43 reviews -
"Definitely fresh fish and everything was very tasty." In 22 reviews -
"My favorite was the two types of toro we had." In 52 reviews
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356 reviews in English
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Review from Assaf B.
San Francisco, CA
3/19/2012 2 Check-ins Here
My favorite Sushi place in the city.
After a year of monthly travels to San Mateo for the wonderful sushi sams, I thought it's about time I give a chance to sushi places in the city (which never managed to get anywhere near Sam's).
Okoze does, and with style.
The Omakase is amazing and includes more than just great sushi. Toro, Oikado Uni and crab miso soup are just part of the specials. (Make sure you sit at the bar)
The service is super friendly and I makes you want to come back for more.
Finally a place I can enjoy sushi in the city.
Thumbs up. -
Review from Rachelle G.
Palo Alto, CA
5/23/2012
It was difficult to me to choose what I was having because the choices looked unfamiliar. But in the end the food was truly amazing, fresh sushi, perfect texture in the rice.
Cute place, small. When it comes down to the food I totally recommend it. I
Regarding service, I only did take out as I was in the mood for sushi while watching the lakers penultimate game vs OKC so I went in the half time - our food was ready in 10 minutes. The energy was right at that place. -
Review from Mike F.
Chandler, AZ
3/29/2012
Great sushi (except for the oh-toro, which had a weird pre-taste), particularly the chu-toro, the Copper River salmon, and the aji. The tempura king crab with the ume salt was amazing. Tasted like candy. The hamachi volcano was boring and tasted more like ceviche. Overall the food was very, very good.
Ok service (one of the chefs was borderline unfriendly). Parking totally sucks. I won't come back unless someone is dropping me off. -
Review from Marina S.
San Francisco, CA
5/20/2012
So, SO good, and we only had takeout. We ordered a few rolls, sashimi, chiken teriyaki, and seaweed salad. EVERYTHING was absolutely fantastic: the fish was ultra-fresh and the rice cooked just right. To me, the best sushi is supposed to melt in your mouth, and Okoze's certainly did. They paid a great deal of attention to us even though we were ordering to go. Everyone was friendly, and the place looked authentic with some great art on the walls. I can't wait to dine in!
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Review from cindy c.
San Francisco, CA
4/30/2012 1 Check-in Here
The fish were pretty fresh. Had the red and white sea steak (which I recommend, so so yummy! ) hamachi belly (ok.. I had better, butterier (if that's a word! Lol) at other places and the omakase dinner was nice.. Came with miso soup which was quite tasty.. Two pieces of shrimp temp...tuna roll and the 12 pieces of diff nigiris. The rest of our party had a bunch of different rolls. The Rolls were not bad but kind of on the pricier side for what it was.. Service was good. They even gave us grilled hamachi collar bone on the house! Very nice of them and surprisingly the best dish I had of the night. Overall..it was ok.. But for the price they can definitely do better. Oh and the owners are Korean not Japanese. They're very nice!
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Review from Greg B.
San Francisco, CA
5/4/2012
Thank God we have a good Sushi place in Russian Hill. All of the other places -- hello Sushi Groove, talking to you -- have gone way downhill and don't offer fresh sushi. My Okoze experience was great -- very fresh fish, great, friendly service and a nice, unpretentious atmosphere. It's on the pricer side, but well worth the fresh fish and great rolls. Happy I went here... now, if you could offers online ordering delivery :)
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Review from M. T.
Foster City, CA
5/1/2012
I really like their hamachi toro nigiri and their toro. I give Okoze an 8 for the sushi. Nothing super stood out for me, but overall it was very good. :-)
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Review from Annie K.
San Francisco, CA
2/29/2012
This place is f*ing amazeballs.
Melt in your mouth sashimi.
Best, most flavorful miso I've ever had. Most miso tastes like, well miso. But this one had an intangible flavor I just cannot describe. See attached photo.
I've had Uni on several occasions, and even freshly killed at the moment it hit the table - and it always has a slightly dumpster like flavor. The Uni here is so fresh & so clean. Best. Uni. Ever.
Had some sort of chopped toro appetizer which was a delicious stand out as well.
In Nob Hill, so parking is a nightmare; took us 25 minutes to find parking, which was on Polk St (3 blocks away); I'd recommend taking a taxi.
Walked outta here w/a $250 tab for 2 people and it was worth every penny.
Ozoke not only changed my outlook on Uni, but changed my outlook on life!! -
Review from Sophia K.
4/13/2012
There was an hour wait at Zarzuela and Okoze had plenty of open tables on a Friday night, so we ended up eating here. I probably won't be coming again. There wasn't anything special that set Okoze apart from the many sushi bars in San Francisco. They were pricier, but their rolls were smaller and the texture of their sushi rice off. Quality of fish was okay though.
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Review from Leily P.
Oakland, CA
3/4/2012
+'s sashimi literally melts in your mouth, but it comes w/ a heavy price tag ($40!)
-'s parking is impossible
-'s prices are steep
Would I come back if I lived nearby? Maybe. The quality of the fish was amazing but not sure that it justifies the parking nightmare. -
Review from N F.
San Francisco, CA
4/7/2012
Just wasted just under $9 on a to-go container of seaweed salad, that I was told was enough to serve two, but could have been stuffed in my mouth all at one time. The seaweed salad was fine, but for the quantity it's robbery.
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Review from Jason B.
1/15/2012
Impeccable.
The beautifully designed space. The quality of the fish. The attentiveness of the wait staff. Highlights:
- Honey sushi. The Hirame with halibut and shiso leaves likely would have been fine just like that. But add in yuzu honey and you get something special.
- Edamame. Light and very flavorful.
- Soy paper. The Tsunami (salmon, tuna and yellowtail) and Salamander (salmon, hamachi and tuna) were excellent. They also came wrapped in green soy paper. The extra color and flavor took things up a notch.
- Dropped menu. That was me. Within seconds after picking it up someone was cleaning the floor. Seconds.
As others have mentioned it's not cheap. And it shouldn't be. Without drinks my sister and I were out the door for about $25/person.
Enjoy this fine taste of Japan right here in Russian Hill. -
Review from Ty W.
San Francisco, CA
3/29/2012
Okoze is probably the best sushi restaurant in SF, in my opinion. Everything about this restaurant is spot on, from sushi of the highest quality, to amazing decor, knowledgable and friendly staff, sake selection, and location. The only problem with this restaurant is its pricing, but if you want a cost-is-no-object best sushi meal in San Francisco, this is the place to go.
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Review from Julie W.
Washington, DC
5/8/2012
My friends and I were in SF for a wedding and on our last night in town decided to try Okoze. We were SO HAPPY that we did because it was absolutely delicious! And we're pretty picky about our sushi. We came a little late in the evening and sat at the bar which was a lot of fun. The sushi chefs were engaging and fun and their art was incredible looking and tasting. The fish was fresh and each piece was delightful. We were stuffed by then end because we didn't want to leave a single piece uneaten. Also, the atmosphere in the space is just perfect and the service was great. I'm absolutely going again next time I'm in SF.
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Review from John R.
11/18/2011
I'm not sure I've ever written a review about a sushi restaurant before. I'll try and keep it short to avoid a ton of typos and incoherent ramblings.
Atmosphere was fine, staff was friendly, but overall I felt it was over priced and the specialty rolls were small and nothing to write home (on Yelp) about. As I chose the star rating on Yelp, it says, "Meh. I've experienced better." But me writing that seems super harsh, so I'll refrain from doing that. But the harsh truth is that it's true.
I will say the folks were nice here though. And this isn't a full on, "don't ever go there" review. If you are around there, craving sushi, maybe give it a shot and might have a different experience than me.
Thancz fur reeding mi ravyoo. -
Review from Vicky L.
9/30/2011 1 Check-in Here
Seriously? An average of 4 stars? Let me knock you back a few notches, Okoze.
- Awful service. As in NO ONE came by our table after we got our food. We waited for about 30 minutes after finishing our meal, tried flagging down a waitress, told her we wanted our check, and still we had to wait another 15 minutes. If I'd been paying, I would've left zero tip.
- Ex. Pen. Sive. Even the basic rolls (California roll, spicy tuna) were at least $7. SERIOUSLY? Plus, the portions are SMALL, and my friend, who was sitting with her boyfriend and another friend next to us, only got 3 small pieces of ginger for the three of them. My salmon roll was probably the smallest I've ever seen.
- Completely overrated. My hamachi collar was just meh. I've had much better, ironically, at Drunken Sushi. My roll didn't taste super fresh or remotely close to the best sushi I've ever had in my life, and due to its small size I really just couldn't taste much of anything actually.
Despite the cutesy, cozy ambiance of the restaurant, I will definitely not be back here. -
Review from Aasim K.
12/2/2011
Solid neighborhood sushi restaurant. It doesnt feel like a Friday night spot but makes for a great mid-week treat. Quiet, reserved, and unpretentious.
The fish was incredibly fresh and the hostess had some great recommendations. Amberjack FTW!
Miso soup was to die for - best I've had anywhere. They also don't use any mayo in their dishes which to me is the mark of a truly authentic sushi joint.
Atmosphere is casual and the service is on the slow side - forgivable given the quality of food - overall would come back. -
Review from Rachel R.
10/20/2011 1 Check-in Here
I enjoyed the rolls I tried here and the service was great.
My favorite roll was the Vivid Kamikaze, you must try it!
Overall, maybe a little pricier than what I would want to pay but still not too bad. For 2 miso soups and 3 rolls (each at least $9), it was about $45 for 2 people. -
Review from Allie E.
Danville, CA
10/12/2011 1 Check-in Here
I tried this place looking for a good sushi place in the neighborhood, but I was pretty disappointed.
There was something about the rolls that made them less tasty than other sushi places - they were significantly small, they didn't taste fresh, and they were kinda warm? I usually think of sushi as being on the cold side. Maybe the combination of the three is what made these rolls so mediocre (especially for their price).
But I don't want to bash too hard because the service was pretty good, the atmosphere was enjoyable, and they served us complimentary edamame before and orange slices after!
So they get a 3, A-OK. Sigh, I guess I will continue searching for a good Russian Hill sushi place. -
Review from Grayson K.
San Francisco, CA
If you're serious about sushi - then this little Nob Hill spot won't disappoint. Here are the top reasons why Okoze (stingray) Sushi is authentic:
* Hon-wasabi - real shark-skin grated wasabi root.
* Chutoro & Otoro - fattier tuna than maguro.
* Santa Barbara Uni - from anywhere else is... so so.
* Live amaebi - call ahead for this live sweet shrimp.
* Marinated firefly squid - in May only.
* High grade sushi rice - not squeezed too hard, falls apart in your mouth.
* Japanese speaking chefs - might be biased but there it is.
* Honesty - ask what's fresh, they'll tell you.
A little expensive but that's to be expected. Absolutely the best in the Nob Hill area. Look at my reviews if you don't think I know sushi.Listed in: Authentic Japanese in San…
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Review from Sina O.
San Francisco, CA
9/4/2011
This is one of those places where the unfortunate people with an Irish amount of green in their wallets yet a ghostly amount of sushi expertise in their head allows them to stay in business.
Starts off:
"Can we get some Green Tea?"
The 3 of us get 1 cup of green tea.
Then to ordering sake. I was telling my friend a cool new story and she came to take our order, I asked her to give us a few minutes. The waitresses (by turn) decided to come up to us every 30 seconds for the next 3 minutes asking if they could take our order. I said a few minutes.....fuk..jus gimmie a few min ok? or 2, or 1 without being interuptted? My story sucks now. After 3rd interruption story fails, its a rule. Thx foo!
I see the "House Nigori sake" and intrigued, I order it. What comes out is a bottle of sho chiku bai nigori sake...WTF. If you know sho chiku bai you know its the budweiser of sakes (lol @ previous reviewer talking about sho chiku bai like it shows knowledge of sakes). I thought "house" at a restaurant means its either made in house, or its the most common served value sake in the "house". Fine if your house sake is sho chiku bai, even tho that is a cheapass brand, but the thing is on the menu below that is "sho chiku bai nigori". So then it makes no sense. She couldnt explain either, after she brought out the 2 bottles, what I was eventually able to gather is that there are 2 nigori's that sho chiku bai makes, for some reason they call one of these their "house nigori sake" and one of these "sho chiku bai nigori".
We then ordered shima aji nigiri, spider roll, and eskimo roll (spicy sake roll). After that, the waitresses for some reason kept coming back at our table asking if they could take our order (???). Is that some rude way of saying we haven't ordered enough? Well maybe we will order more after we've had that, especially when its sushi it's not surprising...jesus....that was rude. The woman then said in a serious and concerning voice that we better order soon because the sushi closes at 10:30. My phone jus died in the past hour or so so I didn really know what time it was. My brain was then thinking a 10:28, 10:20 at the most. I check my friends phone and it is 10:02.....WTF?? I don't get it...
Our order comes. First off, for this sushi there is literally 3 1 inch max strands of ginger on one plate. I AM NOT EXAGGERATING, 3, 1 inch strands of ginger!! KILLLINGGGG MEEEEEEEEEEEEEE. I ask for more ginger, usually when I've asked for extra ginger, the chef realizes I like ginger and in fact gets happy, gives so much ginger I can stuff my mouth. I ask and get about 2 more *strands* of ginger. Kinda freakin stupid, when I'm paying up the arse in overpriced sushi, you'd think you wouldn't be frugal with your ginger. The spider roll comes. It tastes very bland and is only 5 pieces. The shima aji is good, as shima aji nigiri usually is, but at 2 pieces for what was it, $12? You always pay for it. The eskimo roll, which was a simple spicy salmon roll, was OK, more than 5 pieces, but the pieces were very small, $10.
At this point my friend and I felt very cheated, we were still really hungry but the rude service + frugalness turned us off. I didnt want to order more but my friend said f it and ordered the "Russian Hill Rainbow Roll" (How creative my children, you have created a title with 2 R's, that has to do with the district you're in, and the dish, it is an alliteration!! Wonderfull!!!).
Out came the smallest freakin rainbow roll i've ever seen. How can a rainbow roll be small? Well it did come with 8 pieces, but each of those pieces was like the size of a quarter, with tiny pieces of fish on top. Rainbows are not that small, when they talk about rainbow, they must be talking about a rainbow in another dimension for some microscopic civilization that I have not heard of. Then we started eating it...uh...the rice is nearly hot? what? And some of the fish pieces were chewy...this is for $15 rainbow roll people! Look I have no problem paying $15 for a rainbow roll if it's good quality, I've ate at most of the sushi restaurants in SF, wtf is this shit. Oh and remember the frugalness with the ginger? LOL THIS TIME THEY GAVE US NO GINGER AND NO WASABI. NONE
As the waitress took it away when we were done (I only had couple of the pieces, could not take hot rice on with sushi and tiny pieces of chewy fish) she asked us how it was, and me having a pretty unsatisfied stomach I was pretty honest with her. I first asked y no ginger or wasabi was served with the sushi, she mumbled something. I then asked her why the rice was so warm that it was nearly hot. I know the rice should be room temp for # of reasons, but it was like hot. She said, and I am NOT freakin joking....
"The rice is warm because the fish tastes bad"
I REPEAT, SHE SAID:
"The rice is warm because the fish tastes bad"
...
I sensed either a problem with english or just pure stupidity, but funny thing is, she was righ -
Review from Jeff C.
San Francisco, CA
10/10/2011
The first thing that came to mind is that the sushi looked a lot better than it tasted.
The rainbow roll and the dragon roll were good, but I didn't think it was anything special. I usually don't mind small rolls as long as the fish should be very fresh and the roll should be well made, but the roll turned out to be neither.
Some pluses were the atmosphere was nice, service was good, and they served you water in ice-cold glasses which I don't think I have ever seen anyone do. It's water, not beer but it works so well!
Anyways, first experience was mediocre, but maybe we'll give it another shot. -
Review from Anthony P.
San Francisco, CA
9/1/2011
well I walked up the hill and hit Okoze based on numerous reviews from friends,(yes, I have a few) as well as reading good write ups on Yelp.
I am sad to say that my expectations were a bit too high based on all the above.
I had a ton of the usual Nigiri
Okoze was very busy, I had no reservations but was able to sit at the Sushi Bar, next to a girl that was alone and taking pictures of everything she ordered. I inquired if she was yelping and she looked at me like I stepped off a space ship and then realized she did not speak English so I had very basic conversation in Japanese.
My rating of this is A-OK, it was not the quality I was looking for to return and call it my favorite place, nor was it the worst. -
Review from Mike H.
10/1/2011
I've never gone wrong eating here and it's the go-to sushi joint of my friends who live in Russian Hill. Good food and good service. Is their sake selection the greatest? I'm not so sure.
The layout of the restaurant easily allows for groups greater than four as well. -
Review from Stephanie M.
San Francisco, CA
Ride the cable car, jump off on Union & Hyde, have some Sushi!
Start with champagne sake, edamame, and miso soup, then have the sake sashimi, 49er, caterpiller roll, and you must have the hand roll and carpaccio, wow, so good! The sizing was perfect, not like restaurants that give you huge rolls that fall apart and can barely fit in your mouth. The quality was very good and fresh for a Saturday night. We were two and it was more than enough, about $80.
Nice touch at the end with the carved orange. The waiters checked in at the exact time and awesome service. It's nice to have a hidden gem like this in the area, will certainly visit again! -
Review from Neil M.
San Francisco, CA
9/7/2011
My favorite sushi restaurant in SF... I have been here 40+ times in the last year.
Fresh fish and usually at least 2 orders are the best fish I have ever had. I am a huge fan of the toro, salmon and scallops. Keeping the bill under $100 for two is not easy unless you forgo beer/saki.
Always a treat. -
Review from Alexander B.
Menlo Park, CA
12/29/2011
The overall dining experience was nice enough, but the fish just wasn't that good. Several pieces had connective tissue that could have easily been spotted in advance. The portions were small and the price was high. I am not saying don't go there, but for the money, it was a disappointment.
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Review from Ryan J.
7/30/2011
I really wanted to like Okoze. I had walked by a couple of times and the place always appealed to me. There were always a nice sized crowd huddled around the sushi bar watching the chefs craft their sashimi. It looked classy with a hint of sex appeal. With being located in Russian Hill it just screams date night! Unfortunately the food let me down.
I made reservations for Friday night and showed up with my date. We were warmly greeted by the staff who did a great job throughout the meal. They were attentive and helpful when it came to the menu choices. The interior is nice with a minimalist Japanese feel and subtle lighting. The chairs were a little uncomfortable but it wasn't a big deal.
Upon walking in they have a board titled fresh fish. I was stoked out of my mind at this, when I eat sushi I demand freshness. We ordered a variety of nigiri off the board and 3 rolls along with drinks and miso. The miso was out of this world! Definitely the beat miso I have ever had.
As far as the fish goes it wasn't what i was expecting. Everyone on yelp has raved about the freshness of the fish but I definitely did not see that. The fatty toro was very rubbery and chewy, makes me glad I didn't order the medium fatty toro. The amberjack was the same. One thing that did stand out was the copper river salmon. It was absolutely amazing and delectable. Definitely the best salmon I have had.
The rolls all fell flat, none of them had the creativity to stand out among the other sushi options in the city.
And holy shit! The bill was outrageous. I was going to give it a solid 3 until I saw the prices. The sushi I had here was mediocre. Amazing miso and specialty salmon but everything else fell flat. For the prices they are charging I need more. Looks like Zushi Puzzle remains king of sashimi in SF. -
Review from Jean Y.
6/21/2011 1 Check-in Here
Everything I had here was pretty good. A friend and I shared the tai carpaccio, yellowtail sashimi, double hama roll, and Russian Hill rainbow roll.
I was a bit taken aback when I ordered a glass of sparking sake, and the server reacted with distaste, "You like that? I don't like it." (Yes, I do actually enjoy sparking sake.) I asked what she would recommend instead, and she steered me towards a couple of pricier options. Her recommendation turned out fine, but criticizing customers' taste and then upselling doesn't exactly win hearts.
The aforementioned dishes + a glass of sake + a beer = $89 before tax and tip. I didn't look closely at the prices, but before the bill came, I was expecting the total to be around $70. In retrospect, every item was a few dollars more than I would value it, and the small differences added up in the end.
The service and decor were alright. I'm going to continue on with my sushi tour of SF in search of my go-to sushi place, since Okoze is not it.
If you get really unlucky with street parking like we did, there is a lot around the corner that charges $10/hr with a $20 maximum.
Reservations are accepted over the phone. -
Review from Sarah T.
San Francisco, CA
12/10/2011
ok friends - this was absolutely delicious. nice ambiance, we made reservations so no wait, also not crazy wait out the door while we were there so you don't feel pressured to leave right away.
we kept the rolls coming. here's some of what we ordered and loved every one of them:
- coma (fried but not greasy)
- spicy volcano
- kanpachi kama
- toro tar tar (yeah WHOA)
- particle (my favorite)
- kai .. something roll
- sake sashimi (so fresh)
- ankimo
i tried to steer away from the cooked fish (eg unagi) when i come to a place known for its fresh fish. im sure their eel was top notch so im kind of sad i didnt try it.
swensen's is next close by and if you read this before 12/11/11 (i think) scoutmob is offering free ice cream at swensen's. woot
also the 45 bus drops you off right there -
Review from Mark D.
7/10/2011
This was a very good sushi based dining experience.
When we arrived, we were quickly greeted. The staff was very friendly. We were almost immediately escorted to our seats.
Soon after, our server greeted us. She went over some menu options and took our drinks order.
In just a couple of minutes, she returned with our sake. Unfortunately, I can not remember the brand. It was a very nice cold sake though.
We were ready to order our meal. We shared the ordering and with the exception of the Maguro (i do not eat bluefin tuna) we shared all off the food.
For a non-sushi starter, she selected:
Edamame.
For a non-sushi starter, I selected:
Crispy Spider deep fried softshell crab, lemon with ponzu sauce
We also chose to have a mixed tempura.
For sushi, she selected;
Maguro (Bluefin Tuna) sashimi
Spicy Tuna Roll
Sake (Salmon) nigiri
Saba (Mackeral) nigiri
For sushi, I selected:
Hamachi (Yellowtail) Nigiri
Unagi (Fresh Water Eel) Nigiri
Tai (Red Snapper) Nigiri
Everything we ate was delicious. The non-sushi items were enjoyable. However, the sushi was the star of the show. It was extremely fresh. The dishes were also well presented. It was a clean simple presentation but it worked very well.
The ambiance is basic but clean and functional.
The service was friendly and helpful. The server consistently checked to insure things were going well. The food flowed to the table at an almost perfect pace.
Overall, this was a very nice dining experience. I would certainly visit again. -
Review from Cheryl Q.
7/4/2011 1 Check-in Here
18 of us came here for dinner on Wednesday night at 8pm. I wouldn't say this is a good place for large parties because the place is fairly small, but the entire staff did very well serving all of us in a timely matter, having that they usually serve small groups. Okoze is a great place for an intimate dinner and is the one sushi restaurant I always recommend for sushi lovers. They have a few dishes that have shiso leaves in them and I lalalalove! If you do too, order hokkaido hotate, and Ko ika age. Ninja roll was also a winner with the entire party. You start chewing on this really soft fresh roll, then all of a sudden, there's a light crispiness to it. Dang, I wish this was "the best thing I've ever eaten," so that a ninja roll would magically appear in front of me!
Anyway, at the end, you get a cute orange to complete your meal. -
Review from Kierstan G.
San Francisco, CA
6/16/2011
Not too bad Okoze...once you get over the fact its called Okoze but the menu says sushi groove, and the waiters shirt says sushi groove as well...
The edemame beans perfectly salted and warmed...miso soup great, and fish super fresh...
frankly I needed a place to just soak up the wonderful beer I had just downed at Leopolds down the road...and actually now that I think about it my review might be slightly off considering I was tasting under the influence, but...it was better than i expected.
not a long wait for dinner during the week at 9pm...but maybe thats the case for most places...
over all, i'll be back.. -
Review from Emily C.
Updated - 6/9/2011
My flight was delayed returning to SF one evening so I didn't make it back to town until about 10 and I had a major sushi craving to boot... unfortunately, not many places are open past 10 in the neighborhood. My husband did some yelp research while I was driving in and luckily found Ozoke is open until 11 (on Thursday).
I ordered the omakase as I usually do when I'm not in the mood to think too much about my order and my craving was satisfied! The husband only ordered the fresh uni special since he wasn't that hungry -- it was great, but be careful when ordering off the board. The few pieces of uni he ordered was almost as expensive as the omakase. Whoops!1 Previous Review: Show all »
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9/11/2010
Good spot for Nigiri. Not the most amazing sushi we've ever had, but very good quality. The best… Read more »
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Review from callie m.
San Francisco, CA
5/13/2011
I certainly haven't tried all of the Sushi places in SF, but this one so far is top notch! It's very authentic. I consider it to be very reasonable based on the quality of the sushi. Two of us usually get two large hot sakes, a nigiri, and 5 sushi rolls for around $60-80. The servers are all very nice and you'll usually get a big thank you by the sushi chefs on the way out the door. To top it off, they serve a complimentary orange as a palette cleanser at the end of the meal.
Tip: Don't order the edamame. It's perfectly delicous, but they give it to you complimentary in a smaller portion even if you don't order it! -
Review from Alyssa G.
2/7/2011 1 Check-in Here
Ugh, I hate that I can't give you 5 stars Okoze. I wish I could.
On a whim, Alex O. and I decided to opt for Sushi Saturday night for dinner. I had a http://restaurant.com certificate worth $25 at Okoze and thought it a perfect way to save some dough; or so I thought.
We walked in, and sat down at the benches by the door. There were 3 other couples waiting so we thought our wait time would be a while. A few minutes later, a waitress asked our names, and stated she could seat us all around the same time. Sweet!
Cut to 20 minutes later, when the waitress finally comes around to take our order....20 minutes! Everyone else who was seated at the same time already had their drinks and edamame. Not cool. Then, I mentioned to our waitress that we had a http://restaurant.com certificate, she refused to take it, stating that this restaurant no longer takes those, and that http://restaurant.com had made a mistake to offer the certificate. Great. I could have gone to ANY other sushi place that I already love and paid the same to get amazing sushi.
Complaints aside, I have to admit that the nigiri portions are generous and the seafood is very fresh. We shared the 12-piece nigiri Chef's sampler which includes edamame, miso soup and shrimp tempura. It was all good, the nigiri great; however, I don't see myself going again.
There are dozens of places that are better, and closer to my house. That includes the service.Listed in: SF Ethnic Restaurants
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Review from Devin C.
San Francisco, CA
2/18/2011 12 Check-ins Here
I love sushi and I have definitely tried a lot of places in the Bay Area. Okoze is my favorite for a couple of reasons:
1.) Very close to my home
2.) Best quality food and nice variety of options
3.) I think they now recognize me which means I get an extra loud "Thank You" when I leave the restaurant.
My favorite dishes are the Coma and Ninja rolls. Really well put together and the sushi chefs certainly take pride in the end product.
One thing that I have noticed is that they also have high quality miso soup. A lot of other imitation Japanese restaurants have watered down, bland, miso soup. Not here.
My only complaint is that they do not have green tea ice cream which I would get every time.
I hope this stays a neighborhood secret because I hate waiting... -
Review from Chloe M.
2/19/2011
Wow. Best Sushi of my LIFE. Seriously. This was melt in your mouth good. Close your eyes and really savor it good. It was all I could do to keep myself from having a When Harry Met Sally moment, except, unlike Meg Ryan, I wasn't faking it. The sushi was THAT awesome. So crazy fresh.
Fun fact: They served my glass of white wine on a yellow cocktail napkin, my date ordered red wine, and I'll give you three guesses as to the color of the cocktail napkin he received.
I really wish I could give this a solid five stars, but the service was lacking. My water glass was never filled, and I was never asked if I would like a second glass of wine. In fact, besides taking our order and delivering our food, we never saw our server. The food was so amazing though, I almost didn't even care.Listed in: Top Restaurants
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Review from Lisa W.
San Jose, CA
8/1/2011
Came here for dinner tonight with 4 other friends. It's definitely a hike if you're planning to walk here like we did, but well worth it! The restaurant looks a little like a hole in the wall from the outside, but venture in and you won't be disappointed.
We ordered:
Miso soups (for $4, they didn't skimp out on the tofu and you weren't getting just broth so this was great)
Sea scallop tempura - must-try. If only there were more than 6 pieces!
Ninja roll - really good. Would rec.
Eskimo roll (spicy salmon & avocado?) - average.
Monkfish liver nigiri - my friend who ordered it said it was fantastic.
Caterpillar roll - very nicely presented & would recommend.
They bring you some free edaname appetizer and free oranges for dessert, nice touch.
We made a reservation beforehand and got a nice big table. I liked the atmosphere inside and the service was all right (had to ask to get my refill of water a couple times but the place was full so I'm sure they were busy). I didn't feel like I ate that much but the bill was over $30 for me incl. tip so it's on the pricey side. The rolls average $12-$14 each. Overall, I would come back for the food. -
Review from Helen D.
5/16/2011
Meh.
Good service. Nigiri was great (butterfish, toro, etc.), however rolls were only so-so. (Negi hama, for example, was basically a hamachi / mayo mush.. even if I'm ordering rolls, I still want the fish to be the centerpiece, and not some mayo-enhanced leftover bits.) Also, the edamame was somewhat soggy.
For the price ($$$), I expected better.
