The happy hour here is absolutely amazing. We wildly underestimated the proportion sizes, it's such a great deal. Everything was delicious, and the flexibility is much appreciated. The filled meats were flavorful, the raw fish fresh. The service was good, but they would not allow takeout boxes. The restaurant is cute with lots of decorations and the receipt coming in a miniature barrel. Would definitely come again. There was a wait but nothing too crazy considering it was a super crowded weekend at Japantown. read more

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Tonight I ordered my usual rainbow roll along with the spicy salmon roll tonight. Both were fine, but neither left much of an impression. The spicy salmon roll wasn't spicy at all. I ended up adding soy sauce and wasabi to compensate, which helped but also masked whatever sauce they had on top, so you lose either way. The rainbow roll was decent, though one of the fish pieces tasted a little off and the avocado was firmer than it should've been. Pricing is actually reasonable by SF standards. $7 for the spicy salmon and $14 for the rainbow roll is pretty rare in this city. I had a DoorDash discount which made it an easy call, but at full price I'm not sure the quality justifies it. A solid option if you catch a deal, but I wouldn't rush back otherwise. read more

Bubu - Rainbow Roll and Spicy Salmon Roll - Sushi Bars Near Me - San Francisco, California

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Finally went to checkout Bubu for their HH deal! Luckily went early to get a table. Glad to have scratched this off my bucket list and hope to give it another chance in the near future...... great quality sushi / hand rolls (deal now is $3 for one instead of 2 for $5). Maybe my next visit will be different but nonetheless, great value, food, vibes, but disorganized. I wanted to justify the relocation of Bubu being a prime factor but it was really just the service overall. You'll be handed a checklist for two rounds of ordering your happy hour deals; what I wish they did differently was mark off things that the table had received because.... Everything cameout very quickly besides the sashimi. For the sashimi; we waited nearly 30 minutes with about 4 staff members following up if we're ready for the next round; seems like there was no communication with the kitchen as we kept constantly saying we're missing things still. After getting the sashimi (10/10 stars though haha), it kinda didn't want us to order more for round 2... so we wrapped up and tried to get the bill but couldn't flag anyone down after getting the sashimi. Baked Lion King roll (5/10) was almost good; it wasn't baked fully, center was still cold, maybe leave it in the oven for a good 10 more minutes. Handrolls (10/10!!) high quality goodness with very generous slices of buttery avocado, i hope that one they do a fresh sashimi variant. The sauciness is delicious but something plain to really taste the fresh fish would be great! Bubus (6/10) felt more like an appetizer akin to shrimp toast but make it on crispy rice. You're better off getting two more hand rolls to fill you up. read more

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Nice sushi restaurant for happy hour near Japantown in SF. There was no actual sign at the restaurant that said Bubu. The signs outside and inside said the restaurant was called No No. Since "Bu" means "No" in Chinese, I guess it makes sense. Plenty of small tables inside and a sushi bar area. Good deals on hand rolls during happy hour. Many hand rolls were 2 for $6 (spicy salmon and spicy tuna) and some were 2 for $12 (baby lobster and truffle wagyu). We ordered spicy salmon avocado hand rolls, spicy tuna avocado hand roll, baby lobster hand rolls, truffle wagyu hand rolls. You can request the spicy salmon to be not spicy, but you they cannot make the spicy tuna not spicy as it's already premixed. Our favorite was the salmon and avocado hand rolls (minus the spicy mayo). The truffle wagyu was good too, mostly because of the truffle flavor. The baby lobster was okay...the taste of the lobster is covered by the rice and seaweed. I didn't try the spicy tuna roll. It would have been nice if they had a raw fish option that wasn't spicy. We also ordered several sashimi specials during happy hour, each were $8 - 3 pieces of bluefin toro, 3 pieces of salmon toro, and 5 pieces of salmon sashimi. We liked all of the sashimi, but the salmon sashimi the most. The bluefin toro was seared and a bit stringy. Service was average and sometimes a bit below average. We were sitting at a table near the back and at times, weren't attended to. We had to wait awhile to flag someone down and some times items were slow to come. Overall, we were glad we had a chance to try the handrolls during happy hour. There was no wait for a table on a rainy Tuesday. Happy hour is everyday from 4:30-6pm and 8-9:30pm. A surcharge is applied to your bill. read more

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Was in the area and came in about 10 minutes before the end of happy hour so we got one round in. The happy hour menu looks updated when compared to previous pictures and they also seem to go by Nono now?? The new HH menu that we were given had a lot more options besides the popular hand rolls. We ordered mostly nigiri and sashimi even though those were pricier but we were so happy with the quality of the fish and flavor pairings of the nigiri. Also, most pieces had a great fish to rice ratio. Favorites from the HH menu were the seared toro nigiri and Hokkaido uni nigiri and we also loved the wagyu nigiri which was recommended by staff and not on HH menu. Will definitely be back! read more

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Pretty good sushi spot near Japan Town. I thought this place had another name, but I guess not? Good quality sushi for a fair price in the Bay. Not saying it's cheap, but fair. Did take forever to get my sale. Overall a nice spot worth the visit. read more

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A good selection of food and sake for happy hour -- I came when everything was $5 on the menu at 8pm on a weekday. Get here early! I got here 30 min early to line up and just made the first wave cutoff (felt bad for the people after because it was dark and cold outside and many of the seats were outdoors). My favorite on the menu were the handrolls and the crispy bubus (which were the star of the night imo -- the fish on top or crispy rice with a nice creamy sauce was so good.). Overall, our party of 2 ended up spending $40-50 per person anyways so it wasn't thaaat cheap if you want to get a full dinner out of the happy hour, but it was a fun experience to just order a lot of small plates. read more

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Solid happy hour place as you can't really beat $3-6 handrolls! Came by on a Thursday night for happy hour (runs from 4:30 to 6pm on weekdays), and was happy to see there wasn't really a wait! They typically seat you when your whole party arrives, but since there wasn't a line, they allowed us to go to our table and wait for our straggler to show. You're allowed to order 2 rounds only for happy hour, but it turned out to be enough for us. We initially just did handrolls, takoyaki, the bubu crispy rice cakes, and sashimi. However, for the second round, we were a bit more adventurous and ordered the tostadas. I thought majority of the handrolls were decent! It wasn't super heavy on the rice and the ratio of filling to rice was good. The seaweed wasn't as crispy as typical omakase/handroll places since they're making the entire order at once (expected, but I do love that first initial crunch when you bite into it! ASMR!). I thought the sashimi wasn't the best, but I mean, for the price, it's acceptable. read more

Bubu - Sushi Bars Near Me - San Francisco, California

Had a perfect evening here. Their happy hour is a great deal!!! High quality sushi with wonderful service. Sushi came out quickly after ordering. Everything was fresh and flavorful! Would come back. Can get busy but lots of seating. Mostly inside (maybe 2 tables not indoors). read more

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I FINALLY made it to BuBu. I had the day off and wanted to go to a restaurant that I usually have difficulty getting to. Out of the two I had in mind, I decided to go to BuBu for happy hour. Most of the items on their HH menu used to be $5, but it's now $6. Still a good deal for the city. I got the salmon avo hand roll and the spicy negi toro hand roll, which were $6 total. I also got the salmon kama (collar) and chicken gyoza. And I had to get their crispy rice rolls, which I got with spicy salmon. Everything was fresh and delicious! It's no wonder they're popular. The hand rolls were stuffed with fish. I especially enjoyed the silky texture of the toro. The salmon collar was juicy and piping hot. Looks were deceiving as the whole dish started steaming when I cut into it. It was kinda cool to see that. The chicken gyoza was fine. It was juicy with a nice crisp on the wrapper. I enjoyed it with the dipping sauce and its slightly sweet and slightly acidic taste. The crispy rice rolls, or bubus as reflected in the menu, had nice contrasting textures. The rice was crispy as advertised and went well with the silky salmon. I'm not that sensitive to spice, but I was surprised to not get any heat from the dishes that were advertised as spicy. But the were still yummy. Also, I dined alone. I normally don't care as I dine solo often, but the space was small and it was full of couples (and not just because it was Valentine's Day as I've seen it usually full of couples or groups). So I felt a little awkward, especially when I had to pick bones out of my mouth from the salmon collar. I'm sure no one was paying attention to me, other than the waitstaff, so it's just all in my head. But next time I'm bringing a friend. Happy hour is from 4:30pm-6pm Monday through Thursday (closed Tuesday), and 3:30pm-5:30pm Friday through Sunday. And their late happy hour is from 8:30pm-9:30pm. But get there 30 minutes prior to add your name on the wait list. read more

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Looking for one of the best happy hours in SF, Bubu is your place. The happy menu is insane with many items available and the value you get is pretty unbeatable. Only downside is that you are limited to only two rounds you can order but there is no limit of what you can order in each round. Food is incredible especially the Orange Karaage and the Waygu Beef Avocado Tostadas. Perfectly crispy chicken with a citrus kick, and Waygu tostadas will blow your mind with its melt in your mouth goodness. I was blown away by the speedy service, even when crazy packed the staff is firing on all cylinders and you can expect your food at your table almost immediately. It's the perfect spot for a high quality casual meal that won't break the bank. Just get here early because the secret about this happy hour is already out. read more

Bubu - Waygu tostada - Sushi Bars Near Me - San Francisco, California

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Decent value for sushi prices in the city - for a price ref it ended up being ~30pp for a group of 4 and we got a few rolls, handrolls, bubus, plus an app Happy Hour is now $6 for 2 handrolls as of Jan 2026. A bit of a wait so try to get there a little early to put your name down in time Fish quality / flavoring they had was decent too, nothin off. Salmon sashimi was favorite out of all fishes Great to snack or satisfy sushi cravings if you're local / have easy access to this spot read more

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They have really good happy hour here. Prices are very affordable and the portions are pretty good. For $3 handroll, I think this place is solid. You should come right during opening so you don't have to wait in line, we came 5 minutes of opening and got seated right away. Service was great, food was delicious and fish was fresh. read more

Bubu - Happy hour hand rolls - Sushi Bars Near Me - San Francisco, California

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My husband and I stopped by on a random Monday we both had off and lined up at 3:45 to make happy hour. We were the second couple in line and it started filling up around 4:00 (they open at 4:30). We were seated right away and the servers greeted us with warm towels and a paper menu to select our items. You get two rounds and 60 minutes total which was more than enough time for us. We focused on the hand rolls, and my favorite was the salmon skin hand roll. The salmon kama dish was actually the best thing we ordered IMO - so flavorful, especially the fatty parts. They even brought us a second order for free because they felt the first didn't have enough meat. I thought that was really nice of them especially because we didn't even say anything about it. Overall, everything was pretty good. I'm not sure if I'd come back outside of happy hour but it was still a solid experience. read more

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I've had my eye on Bubus happy hour for a while now and she did not disappoint! The quality of the food plus the 5-6 price range is an absolute gem of a deal, we decided to enjoy the sunny weather and ate in the patio (so pup friendly as well!) the service was quick, seamless, and all together a great experience. I will be back for more of this happy hour greatness! read more

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Ordered delivery so can't speak to service nor ambiance. i see how they manage a $5 happy hour this is terrible. fish is limp, one has crazy miware it's basically two pieces, rice is half-cooked. karaage and hamachi collar are mid. unwilling to revisit read more

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I've seen a lot of videos about Bubu and their happy hour. My friend and I got an early dinner here and made it in time for happy hour. Surprisingly there wasn't a long wait for a Saturday night but it was a little early for dinner. You write your name down on a piece of paper and just wait for your turn. There is seating inside and outside. It is a small restaurant. You can order off the regular menu during this time if you want. When the happy hour is almost over, they'll ask for last orders. You get 2 rounds of happy hour ordering. My friend and I tried almost all of the handrolls. Her favorite was the salmon avo handroll and mine was the negi toro handroll. The fish quality was pretty good for the price. Not fishy at all. We ordered all of the crispy bubu just to try it and it was pretty much whatever fish on top of crispy rice. We didn't realize how filling it would be. Good to try but we probably wouldn't order it again next time or if we did, maybe just one. Each order comes with 2 pieces. We loved the sashimi. The salmon and hamachi were the favorites. It came with a small side of seaweed salad too so that was a good addition. We got the peach bomb and lychee mojito for $7 off the happy hour menu too. We didn't order any of the hot foods or premium handrolls but maybe next time. Would definitely come back! It was a pleasant experience and the service was good. They gave us a warm towelette before our meal which was lovely. read more

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Seems like the Bubu hype has died down, but the deals are as good as ever, which makes for an even more amazing experience. We came a bit early before opening because we'd heard there were so many crowds for happy hour, but there was only one group in front of us and even after we got seated, there were plenty of spots for people to sit at. The deals truly can't be beat. $5 for two whole hand rolls ? No one does it better. We got many rolls, but I would definitely recommend the ones with full pieces of fish instead of any of the spicy variations. The full fish is incredibly fresh and tender, and the spicy mixes are very mashed and don't really taste like fish. The signature bubus are also really good, nice and crispy and not too oily. I definitely can't wait to bring more people to the Bubu happy hour. Such a great way to try multiple kinds of sushi on a budget. read more

Bubu - Bubus - Sushi Bars Near Me - San Francisco, California

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I came to Bubu for happy hour with my partner and we decided to try out their sashimi as well as multiple hand rolls. Luckily we did not have to wait for too long and were seated within about 10 minutes and were able to order instantly. Sadly the table seated next to us was not served as fast and only got their food after being seated for 20 minutes. The sashimi was quite fresh and tasty and my favorite was the salmon sashimi, and the hand rolls were tasty and filling being wrapped in seaweed and stuffed with minced spicy tuna and salmon. I have had fresher hand rolls but these were definitely solid, especially for the $5 happy hour pricing! read more

Bubu - Hand rolls - Sushi Bars Near Me - San Francisco, California

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New location inside Nono,, the menu has changed and the quality itself of the handrolls has also changed. Bubu used to be a special place but I am unsure if I would go again. I wouldn't mind the change in prices, but the quality itself is just not the same for me. Service was fine but the menu items changed, reducing the amount of items they had before. No scallop :( the handrolls were just normal ,, decent just not outstanding like before Overall, it has been changed to a normal spot that Doesn't feel special for me anymore. I contemplated leaving this review but I want to let others know to manage their expectations. Bubu isn't the same quality or experience, but I am grateful for the previous times that I went to their old location. I wish them success in the future, I'll miss the old space dearly. read more

Bubu - New menu as of March 2026 - Sushi Bars Near Me - San Francisco, California

The wait isn't too bad. You can decide what you're going to eat before you sit down so that you can order quickly. The food comes out pretty quick. I love going for happy hour. The tables are pretty close together. read more

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3.5 stars, rounded up to 4. Went for the $5 happy hour, which is a fantastic deal. You get 60 minutes and can order up to 2 rounds. We went right at opening on a weekday and had no trouble getting a table. A couple of items we were excited for were crossed off the menu, including the spicy scallop and uni ikura handrolls. Not sure if they are gone for good or just out, but I did notice the uni handroll listed at $8 on their board, so perhaps it's leaving happy hour. Handrolls are listed as 2 for $5, which confused us at first. Turns out you can order singles for $2.50. We tried spicy salmon, spicy tuna, negi toro, and jalapeño hamachi. Each was generous with fish and very filling. 3 handrolls was more than enough for me. The premium baby lobster handroll (1 for $5) wasn't my fave. The lobster was minced and not very sweet. The crispy bubu (2 pieces for $5) was pretty good. This is crispy rice topped with sashimi. Hamachi was solid, but butterfish was super smooth and flavorful. We also tried butterfish and salmon sashimi (3 pieces for $5), both were fresh. Overall, a solid happy hour with friendly service. Street parking is metered but not too hard to find a spot. read more

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This review is specifically for their happy hour, which ended up being a great value overall. We started with the hand rolls, which were the highlight of the meal. The uni and ikura roll was the clear winner. The piece of uni was small and the roll leaned heavy on rice, but at the price point it still felt worth it. The other premium rolls - crab and lobster - were fine, but not memorable. If I come back, I'd skip the other premium rolls and just order 5 uni and ikura because that one was the best. Next was the sashimi. The fish was fresh and the pieces were nicely sized, so another winner for good value. They offered walu, salmon, and hamachi, which worked perfectly for us. I'm not a big tuna person anyway, so I didn't feel like I was missing anything. For the cooked items, the fried bubus were just okay and not something I'd order again. The grilled fish was also just so so and a bit confusing since it wasn't a familiar cut like salmon or hamachi. It seems to be whatever fish the chef chooses that day, so YMMV. A quick note on the pricing. Parts of the menu was confusing because some rolls were two for $5 and others were two for $10. We def misread it, but it worked out in the end since we just ordered more of the items we liked and took the extra rolls as they came. If you're trying to be healthy, know that there aren't really any greens on the happy hour menu. They do have shishito peppers, but the batch we got was surprisingly too spicy so I couldn't eat them. The dipping sauce was great though, a dark soy that paired really well. Our total bill for 3 ppl was about $180 which was really good given how much we ordered. There was a line when we arrived but it moved quickly. We ended up sitting outdoors, which was totally fine since the weather was nice read more

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This has become our go to place in the city for happy hour. Food is great, happy hour menu has a wide selection. For 5.00 well worth it. Service is good but it gets full quick, so get your name on the wait list asap. We sat outside this time so it was a bit cold but they have heaters. read more

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$5 sushi during happy hour? Incredible and unheard of until Bubu! We came on a weekday for happy hour and were so lucky that most other parties (who were on the long waiting list) didn't show up, so we got seated pretty shortly. I would recommend coming early on any day to make sure you arrive before the 6pm cut off for happy hour pricing. We ordered a variety of hand rolls and some crispy bubu. Everything was good, not the best sushi I've ever had, but you can't beat the pricing. I really liked the crispy bubu since it was unique! The sushi rice seemed slightly grilled to get crispy, but still kept its chewiness. So good! Service is ok here. It seemed like they often forgot to come back and check on us, while we were trying to place our orders before the cutoff. read more

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Went to bubu for happy hour. The hand rolls were good but nothing too outstanding. Two hand rolls for $6. The scallop hand roll was my favorite. Service was quick but the seating is super limited with only a few tables indoor and outdoor. Definitely get here before happy hour starts to secure a seat. Casual ambiance and good for a quick sushi lunch or dinner. Next time I will try the udon. The bowls I saw from other tables looked great in portions. read more

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if killing hand rolls was a crime, id get a life sentence. interestingly the waitlist here is just your name on paper, no phone number so u better stay close by otherwise you can kiss your table goodbye. Yea it ain't no Kazu Nori but a 2 hand rolls for 6$ happy hour?! I am so there. Plus Aesop and Reformation is literally down the street. Might as well be Melrose. I'm just playing, the city did it first. Anyways the actual inside of bubu is small but homey and the service was firing on all cylinders so make sure you raise your hand like you got a question at school. Oh yea they also had tuna and salmon crispy rice. damn i already want to go back read more

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We came for their $5 happy hour which is from 4:30-6 pm on weekdays. Their selection is pretty big, they offer 2 handrolls for $5, or 2 pieces of crispy Bubu for $5, or 2 piece of fish and crab roll for $5. There's also 3 pc sashimi for $5, and select appetizers for $5. Service & wait time : We arrived at 4:34 PM and they had a full house with a waitlist on a Monday. We noticed the staff are mainly young people and they had seated 2 people at 4 person table. Their waitlist was pretty long and had over 5 parties waiting by 4:45 PM. The organization was lacking and definitely extended the wait time. We were seated outside by 5:15 PM. The happy hour has a limit of 2 rounds, on the second round we ordered a spicy scallop roll and they had forgotten it and came out with a scallop hand roll and salmon crab roll instead of what we ordered. At that point we were at this restaurant for nearly 2 hours and just wanted to leave. Food: luckily the food is delicious! The rolls are big and plentiful and the fish is fresh and generous. We also ordered lemon highballs which were great for $7. The crispy bubus were amazing, we ordered at least 4 of them. read more

Bubu - Crispy Bubus & salmon crab roll - Sushi Bars Near Me - San Francisco, California

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Came here for happy hour on saturday afternoon per recommendation from a friend. People line up pretty much start 15-20 min before they open so if you want a seat quickly you should come that much earlier. I think they recently up their price from $5 per 2 handrolls to $6. Overall still good food quality for the price. I reallynlike their salmon karma, it was crispy, hot, and the salmon melts away nicely. The drink options are also pretty good. read more

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The happy hour deal here is absolutely insane and a must try!! We stopped by on a weeknight and it was completely packed. We got in line around 5:30 and had to wait 30 mins, which wasn't bad at all. The deal is a phenomenal price - $5 when we went. We tried a bunch of rolls, bubus, karrage, and nigiri. The bubus were absolutely fantastic. The karrage was perfectly crispy. The strawberry matcha was also yummy! Make sure to order what you want in the first round since the service is understandably very busy! Very kind and helpful otherwise. read more

Bubu served amazing presentation of sushi and a very delicious serving of udon. They do give you many different tempura options. Their space was small but cozy with Japanese decoration. Some of the cuts of fish did taste a bit hard but overall the udon was very well cooked. I definitely want to come for the happy hour deal next time because i've heard great things about it. read more

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Came for dinner, but I'll say this from looking at the happy hour line that formed as I ate - I'm definitely coming back to try that next time. Even for dinner this is an amazing pick. Very fresh and quality fish used, and staff are all super friendly. Better sushi and sashimi here than many places in Japantown! read more

Bubu - Sushi Bars Near Me - San Francisco, California

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We came across this place on a whim and didn't realize it was popular on TikTok and social media. At first, we were confused because it took us a while to find Bubu, which is actually located inside the "Nono Baru" restaurant. Although the online reviews looked promising, our experience and the service we received today were very unpleasant. Everyone was made to wait until around 4:45-4:50 PM to be seated, even though Happy Hour was advertised to start at 4:30 PM. We came as a party of two and were seated at a large table in the far back. After sitting there for about 30 minutes, neither our table nor the table next to us had been checked on or had a server come by to take our order. Eventually, we brought our Happy Hour order sheet to the front register and mentioned that we had been waiting over 30 minutes without any service. The response we received was simply "ok." After that, our dishes started coming out one by one. The Happy Hour menu advertises the maki rolls as Bubu's most popular dish, yet they were the last items to arrive. One of the maki rolls was also missing from our order, and we had to ask for it. When we tried to place a second round of Happy Hour orders, the servers repeatedly asked if it was really only our second round. They also seemed confused about which items were from the first round and which were from the second. A simple solution would be to draw a line on the order sheet to clearly separate each round. Another point of confusion was the menu situation. We were unsure why there appeared to be two restaurants operating in the same space, yet we were only given the Happy Hour Bubu menu. Later, around 5:50 PM, new customers were seated and were given both the night menu and the Happy Hour menu (??), which gave them more options than we had been offered. This added to the overall lack of clarity and guidance for customers. Based on this experience, we would not return and would recommend that management improve their service system, especially for such a popular collaboration and their Happy Hour offerings. The service was extremely disorganized. Servers were constantly walking around the restaurant, often glancing toward our table but continuing to serve other areas while ignoring our section. No one checked in on us, and we were never given any guidance about wait times or how the ordering process worked. By around 5:30 PM, two tables in front of us had already been fully served, finished eating, and left, while we had only just placed our order and were still waiting for dishes to arrive individually. It was also concerning to hear servers speaking in Cantonese nearby, confused about why the family of five next to us was upset--apparently due to long wait times, negligence, and being overcharged. We do want to acknowledge the one server who originally seated guests. He did check in on us a couple of times and apologized after hearing about our situation and the long wait. However, the current system doesn't seem sustainable, especially as their Happy Hour maki rolls gain popularity. The restaurant would benefit greatly from a more structured service system and clearer guidance for customers. - Bathrooms: 1/2 were working. The one and only bathroom also ran out of TP, with no refills of TP to be found anywhere. read more

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Visited Bubu for their happy hour (which IS available on the weekend!) and feasted on their 2 for $5 hand rolls. The hand rolls have the perfect amount of delicious sushi rice inside as well. My favorite was the hamachi and spicy salmon. There are also premium hand rolls options at a different price point. Besides the hand rolls, you'll find sashimi, rolls, bubus, fried appetizers, drinks, and more on the HH menu. Their bubus are crispy rice topped with fish, which were fine but I didn't like enough to order more of. The chicken karaage and gyoza were good! My group of three lined up about 30min before opening and we were able to write our name on the sign-up sheet once the staff was began setting up. We were seated in the first round of calling parties. You are given an ordering sheet and we were able to order more after our first order came out. There is a 1hr time limit and the servers let you know when is your last call. We did not feel rushed at all and were stuffed before we finished all our food. read more

Bubu - Hand rolls - Sushi Bars Near Me - San Francisco, California

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I arrived on a Wednesday night at 7:50pm for the 8:30pm happy hour and there was no line. The line started forming around 8:05pm. By 8:11pm people were starting to crowd and cut by hovering at the door instead of in a line as directed by a sign outside. The staff were professional; they kept track of who the first few parties were so there wasn't an issue about cutting but people were still nervous before the official paper waitlist came out. Inside is super casual so dress warm as you brace the sf cold waiting outside. The quality of the fish is pretty decent. $2.50 for a regular hand roll is unbeatable! - My brother was surprised by how much he liked the salmon skin - The uni was good and not fishy - GET THE YUZU HONEY SPARKLER drink! It was light and refreshing At $10, my favorite item was the unagi fries (not on the happy hour menu). It's not fries with unagi on top like the name suggests. It's unagi, battered and fried. The batter tasted good and was light. I'd get an order of this per person next time. read more

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4.5 STARS $5 HH at Bubu. 60 minute limit. We finished in 30 minutes. Nothing gets you out of there ASAP like a group of hangry diners staring at YOU eat! The BOH is fast so 60 minutes so it's more than doable so they can turn over tables. Bubu is one of the most popular spots for HH in the city from the owner behind Party Pig, Public Izakaya, NONO, and Shoryuken. To make the first seating, get there 20 minutes before opening on weekdays and at least 30+ minutes on weekends. Recommended for solo diners or pairs, not large groups. * * * $5 HH DEAL * * * Monday - Thursday, 4:30 pm - 6 pm, 8:30 pm - 9:30 pm & Friday - Sunday, 3:30 pm - 5:30 pm, 8:30 pm - 9:30 pm - Two handrolls (mix 'n match) - 3 pc Sashimi - 2 pc Crispy Bubu - Hot Apps: Wings, gyoza, takoyaki, karaage, etc - Beer, sake, sake shot, etc. F O O D * 3 pc Fried Chicken Wings ($5): https://tinyurl.com/2zv98vw7 Hot, crunchy, and juicy. Lowkey reminds me of S&P wings. * 4 pc Takoyaki ($5) Hot soft balls with a slightly creamy center and tender piece of octopus. Topped with sweet, umami rich sauces. * 3 pc Sake Sashimi ($5 x3): https://tinyurl.com/mrxa5t2a Fresh and deliciously buttery. * 3 pc Hamachi Sashimi ($5) Fresh, mild flavor. * Handrolls (2 pc-$5 x4): https://tinyurl.com/muejkbm2 - Salmon Avocado x2 - Spicy Salmon Avocado x2 - Negi Toro x2 - Jalapeño Hamachi - Spicy Scallops While a great deal with a good amount of filling, the nori sheets aren't crispy. * Crispy Salmon Bubu (2 pc-$5 x2): https://tinyurl.com/59pmjtfu - Choice of various fish (spicy tuna, spicy salmon, spicy hamachi, etc) Bubu's Nobu dupe of spicy tuna crispy rice, the sushi rice pads are fried to a golden brown and served warm with a slice of sashimi. Topped with spicy mayo and masago. Great contrast of textures and flavors. S E R V I C E Very friendly, fast, and efficient. Love that upon sitting, they give you a warm towel to wipe your hands. There's only two servers running around so place your entire order in the beginning. A M B I A N C E Lively, indoor seating can accommodate 20 people and there's four tables outside. P A R K I N G Challenging street parking. Overall, Bubu is hyped up for good reason. They offer one of the best HH deals in the city that will leave you full without breaking your wallet. Kanpai! read more

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Wow Instagram really hyped this place up. Got here about an hour early just to get in for their Happy Hour. Think cheap handrollls. Not much fish, flimsy, cheap handrolls. Skip the horrible Brussel sprouts with their weird dressing. They also charge $4 for a teabag and hot water for tea. Skip that. The rolls were meh. The snow crab with hardly any crab is $5 a roll. Not filling and not very tasty. I think of this like fast food sushi. They get you in with tge cheap prices. The spicy tuna cripsy rice was horrible. Grainy spicy tuna on a cold fried rice. What a sad meal. There are so many sushi places in the Bay Area, without the happy hour hype I wonder how long this will last. They only give you an hour and two rounds before they cut you off so decide quickly what you want. read more

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Fantastic place with a great happy hour! I spontaneously went here with friends without taking a look at the menu or any reviews. We didn't plan for it but we came just in time for happy hour and were luckily given the last table for the first seating after 30 minutes of waiting. here's my food ratings: jalapeno hamachi avo, 10/10 - great quality fish and i give a sushi place extra points when they pair my fave couple: jalapeno + hamachi spicy negi toro avo, 9/10 - delicious! i'm a big fan of tuna salmon sashimi, 8/10 - thick cuts with a standard but yummy taste from the salmon. tbh i ate up all the seaweed on the side so im happy they give that with the sashimi i can't recall which bubu we ordered but that was a 10/10, we should've ordered more but we were yapping and ended up being just full enough for dessert after. we didn't order a ton and our bill came out to a lil under $40 for 3 people wow. the price influenced my high ratings for the food, because i appreciate leaving somewhere feeling satisfied instead of remorseful. the service was good too, everyone who helped us were very kind. i only wish they had more outdoor seating so we weren't crowded onto the side walk. otherwise the place is super cute and a great restaurant to hang out at with your friends! will be back read more

Bubu - assortment of hand rolls - Sushi Bars Near Me - San Francisco, California

$5 hh from 4:30-6 (m-th), 3:30 (fri-sun) and 8:30pm daily. Fish was fresh and staff are friendly. We tried the yuzu beer which was refreshing and cold sake. I liked their soy sauce a lot. Food wise: Gyoza Salmon sashimi Chicken karaage Hand rolls: Salmon with avocado Hamachi with jalapeño Spicy scallop Uni ikura Negi toro Spicy salmon Waitlist opens 15 min before hh but I recommend coming at least 30 min prior. Place is small about 10 tables (6 inside 4 outside) so come early. read more

Bubu - Sushi Bars Near Me - San Francisco, California

We arrived Thursday at 4pm where the happy hour line was already out the door. Luckily, we were sat pretty swiftly. I want to highlight the customer service as the staff was friendly, prompt, and empathetic the entire duration of the meal. The place is small with a home-like touch. However, the food is where I had to dock some down. The salmon sashimi was the highlight as the salmon was fatty and fresh. The other hand rolls and fish were tarnished. It felt disgraceful to apply that much spicy mayo onto fresh fish. It's like getting a well done steak at house of prime rib. Good stuff but man, the poor fishy read more

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