I only took one photo but the omakase nigiri here is always so incredible! I've come several times and every time the food is so yummy. Also got the Brussels with apple, miso soup, and gyoza. I recommend it all. If you're looking for delicious omakase - this is the place. read more

Fenikkusu - 8 piece omakase nigiri - Japanese Near Me - San Francisco, California

Fenikkusu is the quintessential neighborhood sushi restaurant in SF. It's probably on the higher end given the variety of items on its menu and it delivers a good overall dining experience. My friends and I came here for Saturday dinner and we shared several of the "tapas" (deep-fried Japanese baby herring and squid legs, ika and Uni, baby park pork ribs, eryngji mushroom), several classic rolls (Cali, Dragon, Salmon/Avocado, Soft Shell Crab), some nigiri (halibut fin and sweet shrimp), sashimi (fatty and medium-fatty tuna) and a bottle of sake. The "tapas" were great and the best plate of food that night was the stir-fried king oyster mushroom with miso butter. The sashimi we ordered (O-toro and Chu-toro) and the two specialty nigiri were excellent but the rolls were just mediocre and not at the same level as the small plates. Service was OK and with tax and tip, this was about $80 per person. It's definitely a solid neighborhood spot but next time, I'm going to load up on the "tapas" and skip the rolls. read more

See all

This spot definitely felt like a hidden gem! We search for a couple of hours for affordable sushi places that also had great ambience and great quality of food, and this was exactly that! The vibe is very relaxing and elegant and beautiful, and the food was even better! We did the Omakase and it wasso delicious, and you definitely have to try the udon noodles! This is a great spot for a day, or to celebrate a fun occasion! The staff is also fabulous, and so welcoming and kind read more

See all

Had 2 fantastic experiences at Fenikkusu in the past few months, and looking forward to more! We ordered the 8 piece nigiri omakase both times. This time, we also added on the wagyu and uni afterward. Uni was some of the best I've ever had. Special shout-out to Gary for explaining all the dishes to us, answering our questions, and being an awesome host in general. Was able to get a seat for 2 without a reservation at 6:30 on a Sunday. Surprised there wasn't a waitlist given the quality of the food. We'll definitely be back! read more

Fenikkusu - 8 piece omakase: last 2 courses, + wagyu (top right) and uni (bottom right) - Japanese Near Me - San Francisco, California

See all

Every time we come to SF we come here first. Delicious sushi and unique dishes, prepared with care. The ribs were juicy and flavorful. The tomato salad was refreshing. The udon was well done. Great neighborhood spot. read more

What an underrated sushi/omakase restaurant! My boyfriend and i came to fenikkusu from a friend's recommendation a couple days ago. The food was amazing and the price point is not bad at all compared to other omakase places in sf, especially with extremely generous portion sizes. My favorite dish was the Hamachi. The fish was so fresh and delicious. I've heard good things about ordering ala carte so next time I'm coming back and ordering more items like the udon! read more

When I saw that Fenikkusu had 5 stars, I was excited to give this place a try. Upon closer inspection of the reviews though, I noticed that a bulk of the reviews were coming from people who had either little or no friends or little to no prior reviews. Sus. As for the food, it's a bit on the pricier side. My friend and I each ordered the $42 8-piece omakase. The size of the nigiri were small and were sized as if the goal was to serve as little fish as possible without being considered TOO small. I will give credit where credit is due though. The blue shrimp with Japanese mayonnaise and pine nuts was a high point of this meal. The rest of the omakase was fine but nothing to write home about. Capping off the omakase was a complimentary piece of tamago which I was hoping would redeem this disappointing omakase. Unfortunately, rather than being a highlight of the meal, it actually ended up being the lowlight as the tamago was a bit too fishy for my taste. In addition to the omakase, we also ordered some non-seafood tapas. While the stir fried king oyster mushrooms were good, the baby back pork ribs were mediocre. Baby back pork ribs are supposed to be juicy and fall off the bone! Overall, the meal was a bit disappointing and I won't be surprised to see Fenikkusu slowly drop down from their current 5-star rating and eventually stabilize at around 3.5. read more

See all

I love it here. The fish is so good, the rice is so good. Tasteful and perfectly lit inside. Friendly and attentive service. The omakase is yum. Also tried the udon appetizer and it was fire. This is my fav sushi resto for omakase - it's a high quality experience that doesn't leave you broke read more

Fairly reasonably priced cuisine that'll make your taste buds dance and celebrate. You really can't go wrong with anything here and the tapas are small enough that you can really try everything. Wagyu carpaccio, fish jerky, the makis, the nigiri were all extraordinary. Things came out super quick too, you'll be having a party in your mouth before you can say hamachi. read more

See all

Fenikkusu caught my eye a few months ago when my favorite sushi reviewer Cherylynn posted some great photos the nigiri (totally not distracted by the cute dog in the background), and so I put in on my bookmarks and as I wasn't exactly trekking into the City often, kind of forgot about it. But I recently accepted a new job offer, and started seeing someone in Mission Dolores, and she recommended we go out to celebrate. As sushi is my favorite food, and I wanted a spot that: 1) We could get into without reservations 2) Wouldn't cost $100+ per person 3) Was close by so we could walk And Fenikkusu fit all of those requirements. Fortunately this was right before Omicron really blew up. She arrived a moment before I did, and while they had some outdoor seating, it was a cold December night, so we opted for indoors. They have 3 indoor areas - the main room with the bar and at the time a large group celebrating the end of the year; a central room with two tables spaced apart that we were seated in; and a back room with 2-3 tables also spaced apart. All in all, the place was filled, we just lucked in at the right time. For menus they have the standard handheld menu, and the special nigiri menu. While the standard did have some items that caught our eyes - I will always order gyoza/potstickers/dumplings no matter where I go and glad she is the same - for me, I was sticking to the nigiri menu with their omakase. And it is a stupidly affordable omakase - the 8 piece nigiri is I think at the time I ordered $48, which comes to $6 per piece, which is a steal for the bay area. And I want to bring that up - they have single pieces of nigiri, not the two piece, which might explain the price, but at the same time a single piece of salmon/hamachi/unagi/other standard fish is $3. Considering a lot of sushi spots have this at $10 or more now, I was blow away at the affordability. I went with the Omakase, and did get some ala carte - 2 pieces of umi mase (one for each of us as she mentioned she was a fan of salmon), a piece each of unagi, otoro, kanpachi, and hotate even though I didn't order it but still ate it. The Omakase had king salmon toro, engawa, maguro zuke, seared fin, mackerel, otoro, and blue shrimp with pine nuts and a sauce. All were delicious, though like most people I am a sucker for otoro. I went with the Omakase, and did get some ala carte - 2 pieces of umi mase (one for each of us as she mentioned she was a fan of salmon), a piece each of unagi, hamachi toro, shima a8ji, and hotate even though I didn't order it but still ate it. The Omakase had king salmon toro, engawa, maguro zuke, seared fin, mackerel, otoro, and blue shrimp with pine nuts and a sauce. All were delicious, though like most people I am a sucker for otoro. It was filling, but not stuffed; affordable as split down the middle with a drink each was less than $100 per person, and the service and atmosphere was nice. Now there are better sushi restaurants in the City, but if looking for quality yet casual, can highly recommend here. read more

Fenikkusu - A la carte nigiri: otoro, kanpachi, unagi, umi masu, hokkaido scallop - Japanese Near Me - San Francisco, California

See all

Update: So looks like I was incorrect about the actual food wait time and appreciate the owner letting me know the facts! However my POV was my clock starting when we sat down @ 7 and got food around 8, so maybe in that case it would be pacing between courses then that could use improvement? Although I wish my full name and last 4 digits of my cc weren't blasted on a yelp page to prove a point... Truly do wish this biz all the best! Sigh it breaks my heart to not be able to give a business above a 4 star, especially local and Asian owned. Unfortunately our experience here fell short and this review is just to make awareness not necessarily to bash! What was lacking the most was service-- while they were nice and our teas were never even half way empty, we waited over an hour for a few pieces of sushi on a not that busy Friday night and we left hungry. I saw some other diners were there past us too. We ordered maybe 5 dishes including nigiris and its $60 PP for pretty mediocre "tapas" and nigiri + CA roll tasted like bland rice. I wanted to order more but didnt bother so we dont have to sit for another 2+ hours just waiting on these small bites to come out. Hope this was just a bad night. read more

See all

It's been a while since I've visited Fenikkusu and I'm honestly kicking myself for not coming back sooner. Came on a Monday night and while it was pretty empty when we first arrived around 6pm, it quickly filled up after. We ordered an assortment of tapas and nigiris and the standout dishes were definitely the mentaiko udon, geso karaage, scallop nigiri, and kamasu nigiri. The fish tasted fresh and I loved the way they treated each one - definitely no need to dip in extra soy. The mentaiko udon had a nice smoky flavor to it and was so addicting; I almost ordered a second plate! And the geso karaage had a crispy shell while still being very tender - not chewy at all! The thing I like most about Fenikkusu is the variety of items you get to choose from and so I would definitely recommend getting a smattering of items from each of the different menu sections! read more

See all

Enjoyed dinner at Fenikkusu for a birthday date, and it did not disappoint. The food was beautifully presented, the fish was expertly cut and fresh, and the ambiance was inviting, warmly-lit, and fun with references to Japanese culture and anime peppered throughout. The sake oyako don was phenomenal, and the mentaiko udon was perfection. As always in the Mission, parking can be tough so plan for transit ahead of time. read more

I tried this place when I was staying with a friend who lived around the corner from this place. The service was excellent. The only con is that the menu is rather small. There are no fancy rolls, only maki. They do have some interesting tapas to try, as well as a large sashimi and nigiri menu. Their fish was delicious and melted in your mouth. read more

We visited once a couple years ago and I don't recall Fenikkusu making the biggest impression with their omakase, but trying it again, specifically for their tapas with some nigiri snuck in, we found ourselves enjoying this meal a lot. Coming in right after work to an empty restaurant might be a bad sign, but this place fills up quickly, even on a Monday night. Getting a bunch of small plates with room for more is the way to go here: - Muki Hotate Nigiri: I've never had scallops sliced length-wise, let alone with lime zest, but this was a new and creative way to eat this for me. It was sweet yet popped with citrus, and it took everything in me to not order more of it. - Kamasu Nigiri: Smoky and fatty, barracuda is my new obsession for nigiri. There was also some pickled fruit on it, which gave it a nice sweetness. - Geso Karaage: Freshly deep-fried squid legs with Kewpie is a luxury, and it's a good thing we ordered this towards the end because I would've gotten one just for myself. The squid is tender and easy to eat, and raises the bar whenever I have calamari in the future. - Quail Yaki: You can tell they enjoy making the tapas here solely because of the way they plate their food. The quail is fried beautifully and has a nice skin that you'd expect from a rotisserie chicken. It's juicy, gamey, and salty, what more do you want? - Oxtail Pot: Sadly this was a miss for me. I don't hate cilantro like many people for who it tastes like soap, but there was just way too much in here. Also, the broth was clean but wasn't the most flavorful, and there was not enough oxtail. What you did get in the meat though was delicious, though I wish there was more. - Mentaiko Udon: The first thing to arrive to the table and the best of the night. It had that salty, brininess you want from cod roe, but it clung to the noodles so beautifully and was so well-cooked that I'm now wondering if I can DoorDash this to my apartment. read more

See all

TL;DR - went in for dinner not as impressed They don't offer rolls for sit down meals, only take out! This means this isn't a good options for groups. It's great for dates. We weren't happy that we got served our food but had no utensils until I asked. The food is still good and fresh but there's definitely some set backs eating in person. read more

See all

Rounding up from 4.5 stars. My husband have been here twice for dinner. In terms of food, we really like the hamachi carpaccio. The udon noodles are good but a bit too rich and could use some lemon. The service is really attentive. But the ambience is really one of my most favorite aspects of this restaurant. When I walk into Fenikkusu I feel as though I've been transported to a special, edgy yet quaint restaurant in Osaka. read more

If I could give Fenikkusu 10 stars I would! This place totally blew my mind and made me wish I had more time and more room to stuff more goodness in my belly! Complete KUDOS to the staff who were all very sweet, warm and inviting. Was a pleasure to be served by such a great staff. The chefs were OUTSTANDING! Watching their knife skills, their passion for perfection in each beautifully designed plate was a delight in itself. The food=OUT OF SIGHT! some of the best flavor combinations and the most beautiful presentations that it made it hard to want to eat but I am SO happy I did! Here are a few that topped my list: -Sashimi Salad-The fish was fresh and delicious. The dressing was loaded with toasted sesame flavor. So although it was a salad with fish it was outstanding, fresh and really flavorful. A great way to start off! -Anago Tempura-MY FAVORITE! I could have eaten 10 of these! (Trust me I will be back for more) Fried to a crispy perfection and tender and moist on the inside. KILLER!!!! -Hamachi Carpaccio-OH MY GOD! Some of the freshest hamachi, melt in. your mouth buttery and delish! Perfect place for a date or small get together with friends (4-6 max with a reservation). I also REALLY love that most dishes are tapas style so you can try out a bunch of yummy dishes since they are the perfect portion to share! I can't wait to go back! Thank you for a wonderful evening! :) read more

Oh my gosh, Fenikkusu is such a treat!! Came here a little before shelter in place with two friends and had an awesome time. We were seated at the sushi bar and shared a few appetizers and rolls, which were great, but the highlight was definitely the omakase. We did the five course option, and although I was full by the end, I definitely could've eaten even more. The fish was so fresh (it comes from the famous fish market in Tokyo) and the chefs put such care into making each piece delicious and beautiful. The fish was glistening! The rice was divine, and they had already included the soy sauce and wasabi. Service was great, and the prices were reasonable given how special the experience and delicious the sushi was. Can't wait to come back when the world is in a better place! read more

See all

Fenikkusu is located on quiet Guerrero St, away from the much louder and more trafficked Valencia with its hip vegan joints. We spent around $50 per person but I was still hungry at the end, so it can be a bit expensive, but I think the quality of the fish is there. We ordered: Ika & Uni ($12) - 5/5. Loved how fresh this dish tasted; the squid had a slight sweetness to it and there was a good amount of uni in the bowl. Karashi renkon ($8) - 4/5. This was pretty inventive, and the miso stuffed into the lotus root kind of reminded me of egg yolk powder. It was crispy and tasty, but a tad bit greasy. Una-Q ($8) - 3/5. This is basically just unagi on some pickled cucumber. The flavors were fine, but I wish we'd gotten more eel. Omakase sashimi 10 pc ($50) - 5/5. This was beautifully plated, and each piece of fish was delicious and fresh. My favorite was the ebi. Service was good at the beginning, but as the restaurant started filling up around 7pm, it was harder to get our server's attention. We also tried to order udon, but they had an issue with their stove so we ended up canceling and eating ramen at home. read more

See all

Walking by this unassuming spot for a year, we finally decided to check it out since they have resumed indoor dining. We went a little wild and ordered the cured mackerel, baby scallops, uni and squid, miso soup, and two sashimi lunch sets. The cured mackerel which is torched at the table was my absolute favorite- oily, salty, flavorful mackerel elevated through the curing and torching. The uni and squid was well balanced together, the sauce being phenomenal (we dipped everything else in it). The sashimi was fresh and well portioned. Our server was very accommodating and friendly. We will DEF be back to explore all the tapas! read more

See all

Excellent food and saki. Recommend the 5 piece omakase, the ribs, and the sushi salad.

Yumm, a great place for Japanese tapas. Unexpected offerings and great classic fish. The omakase was really good -- a full flavor experience from lighter to really strong. Each of the fish was paired quite well with topping and sauce. The second to last was my favorite! The tapas plates: Iki and uni (squid and sea urchin) -- flavorful and fresh Oxtail broth -- definitely warming, well done broth Mushrooms -- stir fried, wasn't what I expected but not bad. Probably wouldn't order again Salmon and avocado maki -- classic read more

Fenikkusu - Omakase - Japanese Near Me - San Francisco, California

See all

This place is underrated!! The sushi is top notch and affordable. So happy they're two blocks away. I can call to put in my order and then walk over to get my sushi. They have an excellent sushi combo deal that includes nigiri, sashimi, and a dragon/rainbow roll. The fish is divine and the roll delicious (they use like real crab meat or something instead of imitation crab. Whatever it is it's great). The roll is brown rice and surprisingly v good. Also had a miso soup in mine! All for $30. Happy meal. read more

Fenikkusu - Japanese Near Me - San Francisco, California

Came here after hearing about imported sushi from Japan. Love the ambiance and how cute the shop is, from the bar to the seating. The sushi was amazing, super fresh and really flavorful. The pieces were perfect as they came and didn't require any additional sauces (as it should be) and the quail was cooked perfectly. Definitely on the pricier side which makes sense, but would love to come here every now and then! read more

Came here with my boyfriend for our anniversary dinner. I was surprised that the prices here were more affordable than most omakase spots in SF. We both got the omakase nigiri set which was amazing! Each piece was nicely topped with its own sauces and toppings which gave it a unique flavor to each one. We ordered a bunch of other small items which were all so bomb! My favorite hot items were the gyozas and the calamari which had a very light, buttery, eggy batter. We also ordered the udon which didn't really blow me away, it was a bit dry but not bad. Service was awesome. Honestly I was not sure who our server was since there were 2 people helping but they were all very kind and fast. We came on a very slow Saturday so they were very attentive and coursed everything nicely. Overall, i would definitely come back when I am in the city and craving for good quality sushi. read more

See all

The staff unabashedly tried to run up our check. When we refused, they attempted to shame us for not eating "correctly." Wow. If in the mood for a bunch of sad, cash hungry fools rushing to empty your wallet for a crap attempt at Japanese food, this place is for you. If not, there are plenty of better options in this city. Just skip it. read more

Years ago, I had a nice dinner here and so, I returned with my positive memories aglow. Sadly, it seems that things have really gone downhill here since my last visit. It was pretty dead on a Friday night, which should perhaps have been a red flag. At any rate, the sashimi was OK, but the rest of the meal -- particularly the nigiri-- was pretty vile. I won't go into too much detail, but the cuts and the quality of the fish seemed ...well ... pretty sus. Worse yet, the staff were extremely rude, constantly trying to upsell, and, well, downright odd. (And not in an interesting or good way.) The hostile atmosphere and the unpleasant and definitely overpriced food left my guests and I with both a metaphorical and a literal bad taste in our mouths. SF has so many great sushi restaurants -- no need to settle for this! read more

This used to be my favorite Sushi spot in the city. It is not the same. Menu changed and portions are much smaller now. We left hungry and paid $$$. This place is still delicious but no longer a good value for the money. So disappointed. read more

Delicious tapas and nigiri! My favourite is the karaage and the scallop nigiri. Every dish was inventive and the fish was high quality. Happy I found this place, and will be back soon! read more

See all

How shall i describe this place? FANTASTIC, AMAZING, MESMERIZING. George is amazing with his food and the quality of the omakase you're going to get will not disappoint you one bit. If you want to taste something spectacular, go here. Personally one of my favorite place for omakase. All the s were fresh and he truly knows how to make you feel full and heavily satisfied. My husband and I absolutely loved every- single- bite of it. We went on a saturday night (10/24) with a reservation to sit at the bar for our food. It felt SOO great being able to dine in and enjoy food. You may not know me but TRUST me because this place will not let you down. Wish i lived closer read more

See all

Leaving 2 stars feels unfair but unfortunately, Fenikkusu needs to do better with their customer service and efficiency. We arrived at Fenikkusu tonight at around 6:45pm. We sat and it took about 5-10 minutes for a server to finally bring us a menu. There were only about 2 servers working when we arrived, but I later saw a third. The same three servers were servicing all patrons dining in the inside and outdoor seating. We ordered the Omakase ($52), a plate of gyozas, and the eel tempura. The flavors were great, with the eel tempura and pieces of the Omakase being stellar. The gyozas not impressive though still good and the texture was soft yet crispy. By 7:15pm, we had finished eating those appetizers and ordered the udon noodle entree. I should note here that we initially did not order the udon because the server discouraged us from ordering it right away, saying he thought we should wait and first eat the Omakase. Unfortunately, we never made it to the udon noodles. For 55 minutes, the 3 servers kept checking in with us to tell us that our noodles were "coming" and "almost ready", but the noodles never arrived. Our stomachs were grumbling because the 3 appetizers we shared were obviously not enough food. At 8:17pm, we asked for an estimated time for the udon and the server told us "another 10 minutes." We were very hungry and decided to cancel the order and leave. The server gave us a 15% discount for the inconvenience, but we left hangry and sad. We ended up eating tacos. For the prices this place charges, it can afford to improve the customer service and cooking time. read more

Came here at exactly 5p when they opened their doors so there wasn't any wait for us! I got the omakase nigiri 8 pieces and they were fresh, delicate, and absolutely delicious! We also got a regular dragon roll and it was made with BROWN rice. It was my first time having brown rice sushi and was not disappointed! We were VERY satisfied with the quality of every single piece and will be coming back. Also, the waitress was just wonderful! I wish I could've gotten her name but she recommended options for us and was super friendly. read more

See all

I was excited for a tapas concept for Japanese food because a lot of the food is bite sized. The staff recommended 5 tapas for four people, so we thought it would be a pretty decent portion. Although, as you may be able to tell from the photos, the portions weren't that large. We left still ravenous. I do want to note that the flavors were all great and delicious, just small portions. I highly recommend the stir fried udon and hamachi capriccio. I'd probably get omakase or some rolls if I come back so the meal is more filling. It's just that the cost does add up so expect to spend at least $40 per person for a filling meal. read more

See all

Delicious! A great hole-in-the-wall feeling restaurant. Super close to where I live, will be back. Definitely try the Mentaiko Udon, one of my favorite small plates we got. read more

See all

We ordered the 8 pieces omakase plus a few other items and everything was delightful. The fish was very fresh and carefully seasoned/marinated/smoked to bring out the flavor. Highly recommend sitting at the counter to watch the chef's knife technique while you enjoy the sushi. read more

See all

Was excited by the prospect of a $25 5 piece omakase in SF. Left underwhelmed. Came, got the $45 8 piece omakase nigiri. Fish quality was solid, appearance good, but seriously underwhelmed by dull flavors. I just wanted to dip in soy sauce and was hungry after. These seemed worth it: - chirashi bowl $25 (lots of sashimi on rice) - order fish ad-hoc (sashimi $8/3 pieces) - aburi saba (mackerel blow torched at the table) Stay away from: - omakase is generally flavorless (5 piece won't fill you; 8 piece isnt worth it) - fried lotus with mustard - waygu carpaccio (off color grey and not very exciting) read more

Fenikkusu - Sushi menu - Japanese Near Me - San Francisco, California

See all

Super good omakase!!! Very friendly staff. Wanted to order the whole menu. We will definitely return. read more

3.5 stars but I'm rounding down because some of these 5 star reviews seem a lil sus. It's not bad, especially for the price, but it's just not great. C and I each had the 8 piece nigiri Omakase for $42, which is good value IMO. There aren't that many mid range/affordable omakases so I'm always excited when new ones pop up. C forgot to mention he dislikes fish roe so when that piece was served, I got to eat his too. Pretty standard stuff. The blue prawn was apparently a signature item and by far my fave. Otherwise, nothing else stood out to me. Except for the tamago to end our meal, which was, as C said, the worst tamago he's ever eaten. He hated the fishy taste and was considering spitting it out but we were sitting at the sushi bar in full view of the chef. I didn't even mind the taste, but the texture was spongey and dry. Reminded me of Asian sponge cake which I never liked. Given that this was complimentary, I won't hold it against them. We wanted to try their tapas and shared the oyster mushrooms and baby back ribs. Mushrooms were sweet and garlicky and I was raving about them. But C claims it's a dish he could easily replicate at home so, shrugs. The ribs were tough, dry and tasteless. Pretty upsetting given that I rarely eat meat anymore and I wasted a cheat meal on that. Service was very attentive; they checked on us just often enough. There is an overwhelming number of sushi restaurants in sf and I honestly wouldn't come back unless I lived within a 5 minute walk. read more

See all

The sushi and tapas here is truly the star. I came here on a Friday evening with a friend for this newly neighborhood gem. We ordered the bake scallop, ika uni himo, quail yaki and the 5 piece omakasa. The highlight of the meal by far was the omakasa. It was on par with some of the best sushi I've had in the Bay, and in Japan for both the rice and the fish (with their house special dressing/sauce). On top of their sushi, their tapas are also surprisingly delicious. I would be happy to dine in again and recommend them to my friends. Great food, cozy atmosphere and attentive service. read more

See all