We had a fantastic experience at this little hole in the wall, sushi bar at the tippy top of the tenderloin. We were not deterred by the fact that it was 7 PM on a Saturday night and the sushi bar was empty. By the time we left several other couples had frequented the establishment. I had the flaming sea bass which was delicious and some Hamachi, which was just OK. My partner had the Nigiri salmon which was delicious. The prices were decent for San Francisco, the service was fantastic and the vibe was amazing. read more

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Absolutely top-tier sushi spot. Fish tasted insanely fresh, rice was perfectly seasoned, and every roll came out looking like actual art. The nigiri melted instantly and the presentation was clean without trying too hard. Staff was friendly, quick, and knew the menu well. Easily one of those places where you keep saying "okay one more roll" until the table is full again. 5 stars without hesitation. read more

Elephant Sushi - Sushi Bars Near Me - San Francisco, California

There's not many sushi places in the Tenderloin. They used to be on Golden Gate and Larkin, then they moved up to Geary and Leavenworth. They were open for a while and I guess the pandemic put them on hiatus. Glad to see that they're open again! I got the chips and dip to start, which consisted of shrimp chips and spicy tuna with a sweet soy glaze. Forget popcorn, I want a bowlful of this to snack on! The shrimp chips were crispy and full of shrimp flavor. It kinda reminded me of these shrimp chips I can only find in Hawaii that's seasoned with furikake. This one is lightly seasoned to let the tuna shine. It had a good kick but was tempered by the sweet soy glaze. I wish there was more of it because it was yummy. I got the Giants roll as well and it was delicious. The salmon was fresh and it paired well with the acidity from the tomatoes. And these are big rolls! I accidentally filmed myself eating and I looked like a chipmunk LOL. The spicy mayo and that wonderful sweet soy glaze paired well together. I added a bit of wasabi for an extra kick and a bit of regular soy sauce for umaminess, and it was the perfect bite. And a big bite at that. I think next time I'll get hot sake. That one of the first thoughts after finishing my meal, and tbh you can't go wrong with sake. I really like how intimate the space is. It's only bar seating, and it feels like one of those hole-in-the-wall places in Tokyo. And I really like the decor and the hidden details. And service was excellent! Elephant Sushi has other spots in the city, but definitely visit this location in the Tenderloin for really good sushi and low-key vibes. read more

Elephant Sushi - CHIPS N DIP - Sushi Bars Near Me - San Francisco, California

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The food was so good We were so hungry so we didn't take pictures. It's amazing here! Recommend it read more

Elephant Sushi - Local sea urchin - Sushi Bars Near Me - San Francisco, California

This place f****** sucks. How it has any positive reviews is beyond me. It's extremely awkward when you are 2 feet away from the chefs and they're looking down on you eating. Most importantly, one of the chefs started fighting with the server about who was going to clean the "bowls" because apparently they didn't have enough clean bowls to feed 2 people. Their little confrontation was extremely inappropriate as were the only two guests there. The selection isn't good and the sushi was wet. Wish I could get a refund. read more

Reopened and just as amazing. I ended up eating too much as it was all so good. Everything was excellent in this tiny sushi bar. read more

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We ordered 14 pc omakase sashimi at $79. and it was disappointing. They used some weird sauce(ginger and scallions and other juice) on the fish, which made the fish taste past its prime. Service was good though. A pricey and mediocre sushi joint. read more

The stuff was extremely rude the host was so unprofessional when we asked for a table that we just walked out I would avoid this place and teach them to do proper customer service read more

Satisfying sushi rolls. Good portions and good prices. Very chill vibes inside. They also do an interesting and literal flaming sea bass sushi, which is served hot. read more

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The sushi was very average. I've traveled a lot and tried sushi in many different countries and cities, so I'm always excited to discover a place that really stands out -- unfortunately, this wasn't one of them. The fish was fine, but nothing memorable, and the flavors felt pretty standard. Not bad, just not impressive. If you're not very picky about sushi, you might enjoy it, but if you've had truly great sushi around the world, this place may fall short of expectations read more

If I could, would give a 3.5 stars for a few reasons: Rolls ordered: Red & Yellow, Ya Man, Flaming Sea Bass, Cali Roll, Giants Roll. This is def more quality sushi, so if you're looking to get full off of sushi this may not be the place for getting full, which is a shame considering the roll prices, but the quality of the fish and ingredients are solid. The rolls are small in size, but good quality. -Best 2 rolls that I would come back for: Red & Yellow & Flaming Sea Bass. The other ones are not worth talking about. Red & Yellows includes Salmon & mango on the top of the role, flavor was immaculate on this roll. Not a very saucy roll, but again quality is amazing. Flaming Sea Bass was the best sushi roll Ive had in my life. Roll is places in a flame bath thats placed right in front of you & cooks for about 8-10minutes. Idk how to describe the flavor other than it's a must try, coming from a person that normally does not enjoy baked rolls. Came at 5pm on a weekend right at opening and our service for a party of 4 was slow and dull. I would come back for specific rolls as a treat myself meal. read more

Elephant Sushi - Red & Yellow Roll - Sushi Bars Near Me - San Francisco, California

Elephant Sushi is quite good. It's almost all the way there. Has a bit of room for improvement. Great to see that they serve mostly wild or sustainable fish. That yummy pocket was not yummy to me. I was so excited about a scallop and rice filled tofu pocket. It's visually appealing, but the sauce is way too sweet and I don't like those little bay scallops. It's a no for me. Fortunately, it was just a $6 investment. The Himalayan Trout dish $20 is indeed very tasty and pretty. Good dish to order if you want to impress a date. I think they used basil oil which is different from normal sashimi flavors. The hotato/scallop nigiri was okay. It was medium sweet in terms of natural scallop flavor. I would order this again. The omakase sashimi $40 was presented nicely. Six pieces in the soup spoons were seasoned quite heavily. A couple of them were flavored with truffle oil. I like truffle oil but it would be nice to see more variety in seasonings. The Ya Man Roll $13 was pretty, well made, and delicious because I really like salmon. Small place. Not much room. You're seated very close to other diners at the bar. Two-ish seats by the window. Not a lot of space, so wait can be long. read more

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I'd give Elephant Sushi a 3.5. I'm not a huge sushi fan, but this was one of my first few times having almost all raw fish for dinner. Most of the rolls are overpowered by the sauce, so none of them really stood out to me. The trout on the himalayan salt was probably my favorite dish of the night. The scallop pocket would've also been tasty, but half of the scallops we received tasted oddly cold and frozen while the other half were room temp. This location is also superrr cozy, so you'll more than likely be rubbing elbows with your neighbor. I'd be down to try Elephant Sushi again, but next time, at their new Oakland location. read more

A true "hole in the wall" place with creative cuisine- the Himalayan Trout is one of their most popular dishes and it doesn't disappoint. We ordered almost every roll on their menu and I'd say the Ya Man Roll and Red/Yellow Roll were the best. The White Out Roll was pretty good too. Very small dining place and you can only sit at the narrow bar or outside (may be 2 or 3 tables) so make sure you come early to avoid the wait - even on weekday nights. Because the place is so small, wait can be long and there's no place to sit or hang out - you have to wait outside on the street. According to our friends who come often: if you can, try Tuesday or Wednesday nights and come before 7pm. Street parking only and it's Union Square so you may have to circle around to find something. Pay close attention to signs! read more

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This sushi restaurant is a hidden secret of San Francisco and I'm so happy we were able to make it before lines are constantly out the door! At this restaurant we had some of the best sushi to date, with locally sourced fish and unique flavor combinations I've had nowhere else. We started with the Hamachi appetizer that came with 6 pieces with truffle oil, shaved truffle, and fried onions for just for $20 (a steal compared to other big city sushi spots) We also got the giants roll, ya man roll, chef ochinko roll, salmon nigiri, and fatty tuna nigiri with marinated fish pate. Rolls were around $15-$17 and decently sized. The fish, in particular the nigiri, was delicately crafted and melted in your mouth with each bite. Truly an omakase like experience minus the top-quality omakase price tag. The Giants Roll, Fatty Tuna, and Salmon nigiri are a must if you come here. read more

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This is as good as it gets... without going to Japan. And I say that without having been to Japan (yet)! My chef friend and I got there at 5:45pm on a Friday night and we were the fourth party in line. The restaurant is TINY and counter seating only. I'd estimate probably 14 seats max so plan accordingly. Everything on the menu looked interesting and we were down to try anything: - Himalayan trout (on a bed of Himalayan salt): incredible and make me stupid happy - White Out: hamachi was soft and melted in my mouth - Bestie Boys: too much going on tbh and the quail eggs didn't do it for me - Yummy Pocket: fun, sweet, (CHEAP) and generous with the scallops - Caviar TORO: heavy, delicious, perfect end to the meal Total damage was about $100 after tip. I will never eat trout in a different way. read more

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Prettty solid sushi place. This restaurant is super small so highly recommend getting reservation or on the yelp wait list. It was packed on a Thursday night. We had a group of 10 which they were able to accommodate. Highly recommend trying the hot sake and lychee martini. Def good place for rolls and sashimi was pretty solid too. read more

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I ordered delivery and got the ocean trout, sake sushi and yummy pocket. The yummy pocket was really good! It was spicy scallop in the inari sushi pocket. The spice level was definitely there and paired well with the sweetness. The trout and sake both had great fresh fish. I really did enjoy the quality of the fish. However, the rice fell short for me. The rice was too mushy and not vinegared properly. If they improve the rice, this would be amazing sushi. read more

Elephant Sushi - Sushi Bars Near Me - San Francisco, California

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Toro nigiri sprinkled with sea salt Negi Toro with Uni and fresh rhizome Sea bass w/ sisho leaf & green onion Torched Walleye sashimi Hamachi sashimi read more

Elephant Sushi - Sushi Bars Near Me - San Francisco, California

Have had Elephant Sushi bookmarked for years and the TL location's hours and I just never matched up. We found ourselves in Union Square, not having had dinner until late and I fired up Yelp, saw Elephant sushi nearby and IT WAS DECIDED. THIS WILL BE THE NIGHT. We popped over around 8:30 pm, saw a couple waiting outside, the slender sushi bar packed (so much so the waitress took our names outside). We were quoted 30 mins, so we went across the street to grab a cocktail. By the time we ordered a drink, my phone started buzzing, so we pounded our drinks and went back. I guess we didn't have to chug, since the waitress said she'd hold our seats, but we wanted sushi ASAP! We took the recommendations of our waitress and literally everything was fantastic. I've got some pictures here but doesn't do it justice. Suzuki carpaccio I think, himalayan trout, ya man roll, toro nigiri. I may swap out the toro next time (!) for something creative and more Elephant-y. I assume they've refined their menu to show-stoppers only, so I'd probably love anything I ordered. Some sake and beer. All in all, ~$125 I think for 2. Again, VERY cozy seating -- I can see this being a problem if you're leggy, brought coats/bags, or have a need for personal space. read more

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A last minute Sushi decision to have sushi in San Francisco, called ahead the Elephant Sushi and spoke to host as we were crossing the Bay Bridge. She would not take reservations but suggested we arrive before 7 pm. Arrived at the restaurant at 6:50 pm and got a street parking space right in front, so we were destined to dine there. Parking is always an issue around the Tenderloin and Union Square. The restaurant is tiny and only consists of a 13 seat sushi bar no tables. Two other parties ahead of us we waited about 15 minutes for our seats. The menu was limited but interesting. We ordered the following items: Sashimi omakase. 4 stars nothing fancy but a variety of thick pieces of fish. Scallops 5 stars scallops stuffed into a tofu pocket with a light sauce. Red and Yellow Roll 4 stars good size Sea bass 4 stars sliced sea bass with ponzu and fresh wasabi. Spicy tuna "chips and dip" 4 stars spicy tuna and masago served on tortilla chips. Ocean trout Sashimi 5 stars The best ocean trout I have ever had served on a block of Himalayas salt no soy or wasabi needed. Service was good. The restaurant is tiny so by the time we finished there were at least an hour wait with more then ten people on the list. Parking depends on how lucky you are. The Korean restaurant next door catches a lot of this restaurant's overflow. read more

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This is a really good , casual sushi spot conveniently located to the hotels in the Union Square area. Fish was really fresh and generously cut on the 2 sushi rolls I had. I'm a big eater, but I wasn't able to finish my rolls. I got the rainbow roll and the Chef Ochko roll. The rainbow roll was pretty much standard but very good. But the Chef Ochko roll was definitely my favorite. It was generously filled with really fresh real blue crab and topped with generously cut slices of tuna. I really wanted to try the truffle roll but was way too full. I'll definitely be back. read more

I finally got to try Elephant Sushi and see why it's so popular among my friends. Small menu, superb quality! Tasty bites throughout our dinner. I've been craving this place ever since we visited for dinner a couple of weeks ago when we didn't feel like waiting in line for ramen across the street. We were lucky enough to get seated right away at the small sushi bar. Hubby and I shared the following: Beastie Boys: all of my favorite things: Ankimo, Uni, and quail egg. I could have ordered more of these. Ya Man Roll: The husband didn't enjoy this as much for the shallots inside the roll, but I liked it for the flavor and crunch! White Out Roll: Butterfish is also a fave of mine so this paired with creamy avocado was right up my alley. It also allowed the seasoning of the rice to shine through. My husband also got the Number Two combo bowl - I didn't really eat off of his bowl but it looked very fresh. Service was prompt and attentive without being overbearing in the small space. Since it's such a tight place it would have been nice to have hooks on the wall behind us, or under the bar to hang our coats and my purse, but that's just a little gripe. I would definitely return because I NEED to try the Himalayan Salmon and carpaccios, and will consider visiting the Oakland location since that's closer to where I live. read more

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High quality sushi for reasonable prices - what a gem in SF! Arrived there around 6PM on a Friday and thankfully there was no wait but as this is a smaller restaurant and bar seating only I could see how this place can fill up super quickly. Ordered the Yama Roll, Giants Roll and the Himalayan trout which were all super delicious! On top of the great sushi, the service was super fast and super friendly - the waitress even brought us two pieces as a courtesy from the chef after we ordered which was super thoughtful and appreciated! Would highly recommend read more

Elephant Sushi - Sushi Bars Near Me - San Francisco, California

Took my sister for an early birthday dinner and was wowed by the quality of fish and how good the rolls were. The White Out roll was my definite favorite (butterfish on hamachi) but the Himalayan trout was delicious and my sister really enjoyed her Ya Man roll as well. It is a small place (15 seats or so) so they do try to get you in and out as politely as they can. Location is great though for dessert or a nightcap somewhere else. read more

If there was ever such a thing as orgasmic sushi, this would be it. I met up with Nina Y. for dinner and waited about 30-45 minutes in line to get into this tiny restaurant. Be prepared if it's chilly outside! I wish they had someone roaming the line (or signs at least) to tell people that they need to go inside first to get onto the list. Anyways, we finally got inside and were ready to order, since we decided while waiting what we wanted. They weren't in any hurry despite the line. We felt welcome and well-served. We split the Hamachi Truffle, which melted in our mouths. So good. It's a must-try. We also shared what I believe were the White Out and Spicy Hamachi rolls. Both were insanely fresh. Also melted in our mouths. They were also packed with ingredients so we left feeling content. There was probably some room for dessert, but we decided on a night cap elsewhere instead. I'd definitely want to come back here, even though there are so many other sushi places to try. They make some of the best sushi I've ever had. Next time I'll savor the moments by ordering some sake or an extra appetizer. Plus there are tons of bars around to fill in your time spent in this "scenic" neighborhood. read more

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Don't order delivery - they cut corners. Rude hostess when I called in. Not trying to be a Karen, but my delivery was silly for $82 total for three half order portions that do not match the photos for quantity + ingredient promise. read more

Elephant Sushi - $40 toro sashimi, photos showed 6 with caviar on top. - Sushi Bars Near Me - San Francisco, California

Wow, what a fantastic find. We were looking for sushi that wasn't your standard rolls you can find anywhere. This was such a unique and delicious experience. The service was some of the best I've ever had. The head chef was absolutely delightful and took exceptional care of us. So did our server who happens to be his wife. We just couldn't have been treated any better. And the food! We ordered Chips & Dip (one of my favorite dishes), Himalayan Trout (also fantastic), the Chef O (can't remember the full name) roll, the Flaming Sea-bass roll, and a roll with inari and mango (which was almost like dessert it was so light and fresh). Between the food and the nicest service I have ever had, I highly recommend this yummy little spot. Tell them Jeni & Forrest sent ya! read more

After ordering from the same places for sushi, I thought I would switch it up and try somewhere else. I came across Elephant Sushi and the rolls really caught my eye. I heard great things about this place too so was pretty excited. I ordered the spicy Hamachi and spicy Salmon rolls. The ratio of fish to rice and other fillings was off. Especially for the hamachi roll, most of the roll barely had any hamachi and mostly rice and avocado. While the taste wasn't bad, it didn't have the fresh taste of sushi and lacked flavor - both rolls, while different ingredients, tasted the same or very similar. They had a ton of other menu items, including other rolls and non-sushi dishes. So perhaps their other items taste more flavorful and are better balanced with the ingredient ratio. read more

One word...AMAZING. As a fair-weather fan of fish, this place made me love fish in ways I didn't even know were possible. With one bite of the White Out Roll, this instantly became my favorite sushi spot in SF. Along with the Yummy pocket, Spicy Tuna, and Ya Man roll, every bite had a very distinct and unique flavor that made me want to go back for more. The fish was so buttery and smooth, it really blew me away. We came with a group of 3 and had to wait about 20 minutes for a spot at the sushi bar to open up. The inside was playing some incredible music, good vibe and energy to the place. If you have to wait, they take your phone number down to call you when your seats are ready. Probably not the best place for a big group, for a cute date idea, this place should win you some brownie points. KEEP IN MIND... there is only SUSHI BAR SEATING. read more

TLDR: delicious sushi at a reasonable price without a long wait (also, only credit cards are accepted) Came with a friend for dinner Sunday evening. The restaurant opens at 6, so I went at 5:40 because I was worried about lines. Turns out that going early was completely unnecessary - no one else showed up until 6 and even then, it was just one other person. The waitress sat me down even though my friend hadn't arrived yet. He ended up coming at 6:20, but even then there was lots of seating at the restaurant - only one or two other parties of 2 were there. We ordered the 16 piece, $40 omakase, the Ya Man Roll and the White Roll. The omakase takes the chefs a while to make, so be prepared to wait. Instead of serving it to you piece by piece, you get the entire thing at once on a plate. I actually enjoyed this, because you can pick what to eat first / what to save for last. There are 8 types of sushi, 2 pieces of each. The sashimi was fresh and seasoned well. I'm not a big fan of wasabi, so I also appreciated that they don't put it on the fish. The rolls were 10/10...I can see why they're the 2 most popular rolls at Elephant sushi. Flavors, textures, presentation, and freshness were on point. The restaurant itself itself is small, only about 13 seats, around the sushi bar. Even though you're seated around the bar, it's not really an "experience" like some omakase sushi places are. The seats are pretty low, and there's a tall wall that makes it difficult to easily see what the chefs are doing. read more

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My FAV sushi spot in the city! This is a small cozy trendy location with a short wait and all sushi bar seating. Perfect place for a 1 on 1 date. I've been very skeptical of sushi in this city. If there isn't a wait, than it's probably not worth trying. This is the best sushi spot I've found to date in the city. As a 4th generation Japanese American, I was extremely pleased at how well done the sushi was. The quality of the fish was amazing! Had the Sashimi Omakase for $40 which was a steal, all the cuts were fantastic, and even the broiled fish was up to snuff for any Japanese food connoisseur such as myself. The yellowtail, albacore, salmon was all impressive and the rolls we had were outstanding! So happy to see a place executing the esteemed art of Japanese food in a very respectful way! The staff was extremely friendly, helpful and informative as well. Love this place! read more

Elephant Sushi - Sashimi omakase - Sushi Bars Near Me - San Francisco, California

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There is a lot to like about Elephant Sushi; if I could, I would give it 3.5 stars. Unlike other sushi restaurants, the small spaces allows you to enjoy your sushi in an intimate setting. It's a small restaurant with limited bar seating, so be prepared to wait if you are visiting during prime dinner hours. My friend and I went on a weekend evening, and it took about a 20-30 minutes to seat 2 people. There is a bar nearby if you need a place to wait out, and they will call you once your seats are available. Overall, I think the fish was excellent; from the Hamachi Truffle to the nigiri/sushi, I though all the fish I sampled had a fresh and buttery quality that I enjoyed. They offered a sample of the Hamachi Truffle, and if you like truffle flavors, you will really like this dish. While I'm not a truffle fanatic, I appreciated how the seared yellowtail combined with the oil, ponzu, garlic, and scallion bits. The maguro nigiri was sizable; they do not skimp on the fish here! However, the size of their items turned out to be a downside when it came to their sushi. It's true what they say: size does matter, and I felt like the huge sushi cuts were harkening a bit too closely to the elephant referenced in the restaurant's name. I tried the Ya Man roll, and while I thought the salmon, avocado, and other assorted ingredients practically melted in my mouth, the sections were falling apart and seemed ginormous. If I go again, I think I will stick to the other items, since my friend really enjoyed her rice bowl and the appetizers looked interesting. read more

Elephant Sushi - Maguro nigiri - Sushi Bars Near Me - San Francisco, California

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My favorite sushi spot in the city to date. Located in the Tendernob, we waited for about half an hour for a spot for two. This place is super tiny - no tables, only seating around the sushi bar. We ordered three of the larger sushi rolls and the chips & dip starter. The chips & dip were amazing for the price - tons of fresh spicy tuna poke for $11. All of the rolls were good. I will say that the unconventional ingredients listed in some of the rolls (e.g. pesto in the Ya Man and honey mustard in the Double Albacore) were not very pronounced - nothing good or bad, just an observation. The Ya Man roll was my favorite, but I'm partial to salmon. Service was great and the food came out quickly (one dish at a time, which I prefer at sushi restaurants). The bill came out to ~$60, which I thought was really fair for the amount/quality of the food that we ordered. Highly recommend! read more

Elephant Sushi - Red and yellow - Sushi Bars Near Me - San Francisco, California

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Really was expecting to be impressed. Unfortunately not the case. Mental note to not order again... 2/5 omasake 3.5/5 white roll read more

This place is so good! I have been to all of their locations and love their presentation and quality. The sashimi is always fresh and dressed up to amplify the flavor, and their menu of hits is best experienced in-person though they also do a fantastic job with takeout packaging. My favorite is the Himalayan trout sashimi on the salt block, though everything is tasty and I'd order their entire menu if I could eat everything in one sitting. read more

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This is probably the best/freshest sushi I have had in the Bay Area. The wait was not terrible, there apparently are several locations, and the restaurant is fairly small and would be hard to accommodate a large party I imagine. The only knock on this place was the price of the food, slightly more expensive than I am comfortable paying for sushi. With that said, if the price was lower, I'd be here all the time, and if you are living a life that is better than mine, you should probably give this place a try and become a usual customer. read more

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By far ---the best sushi I have had in my entire life! I have been to a ton all over California and this takes the cake as beyond the best! The flavor was perfectly meshed, with such a high quality fish selection! Also, the service was so friendly and very attentive! Definitely coming back read more

Elephant Sushi - Sushi Bars Near Me - San Francisco, California

This place is great. Found it as a recommended sushi spot on Yelp and it did not disappoint. The portions are huge compared to other sushi places and the fish quality is excellent. I had the omakase sashimi, the yummy basket, the beastie boys and a nigiri of the ocean trout. All of the dishes were great and the prices were very affordable compared to other sushi places in the city. They have an interesting take on ginger too. They also have 4 different types of 'sashimi bowls' (basically chirashi). The place is really small and takes no reservations so get in early. A line forms around 30 minutes before they open. Service was also good. read more

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I'm not going to lie some of the sushi tasted unfresh and funky. Let's start off with the spicy tuna roll with the seaweed in it that adds a weird sour taste to the already bitter stating tuna that day. Not sure if the tuna was unfresh that day but everything that we had that had tuna tasted a bit off. The hamachi truffle was okay but the truffle sauce was overpowering. If you think you can't get overpowered by truffle oil, come try a bite of this. The blue fine bites, once again with that tuna tasted unfresh so we sent it back. The chip and dips with the tuna and garlic chips were the worst. It was like a Costco tuna sample with pita garlic chips, no thanks. We ended up not even eating this dish. The ankimo and quail egg were the best thing at this place that we tried, along with the sea bass sashimi. The service is slow, and there's usually a line out the door since they have limited seating. For the wait, the price, and the quality and taste of the food we had for around $150, I'd say 3 stars. read more

Elephant Sushi - Sushi Bars Near Me - San Francisco, California