Service: incredible. Our server was great and brought us sake shots as a kind way to say thank you for dining with us. The restaurant itself was beautiful and simple in design which I love! Less is more. The rolls were super unique and the fish were so fresh. It was a perfect evening read more

Nara Restaurant & Sake Bar - Table full of yum - Japanese Near Me - San Francisco, California

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Service is excellent! Couldn't ask for more in this aspect. Staff was kind, respectful, and accommodating! I came in on a Tuesday for happy hour and it was not very busy. Small thing, but I asked for warm water and they gave it to me at the perfect temp :) drinkable but enough to warm me up! A little chilly because they keep the door open, but not too bad. Quiet and nice. I ordered the salmon and tuna hand rolls and the salmon taco from the happy hour menu. I found all of it to be pretty average (more on the good side). Not bad but not anything crazy impressive. The taco is a bit smaller than anticipated and slightly messy but what can you expect from a taco? The wasabi is not spicy. I added it all to my soy sauce and felt nothing haha. Overall nice for a quick bite! Will be back for the actual menu some day! read more

Nara Restaurant & Sake Bar - Salmon hand roll and tuna hand roll - Japanese Near Me - San Francisco, California

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came for the happy hour (everyday, 5-7pm) and was pretty disappointed. it was an extremely limited menu, and not that worth it. e.g., calamari was $12 (usually $14). we only got the spicy tuna hand roll ($5) and spicy salmon hand roll ($5) from the HH menu, and ordered a blazing glory roll ($24) to supplement the blazing glory roll was the best, but didn't really feel worth the price. it was pretty simple, and the rice felt wetter/ mushier than desired read more

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Came here for the 4-6pm happy hour on a weekday, got seated at the bar immediately! Got the spicy tuna and spicy salmon hand rolls, they were pretty good but didn't blow me away. Was very content for $5/each though. The service was amazing and the restaurant interior was super clean and modern. read more

Nara Restaurant & Sake Bar - Spicy tuna and spicy salmon hand rolls - Japanese Near Me - San Francisco, California

Food was very good. Our favorite was the truffle hamachi app and the golden gate roll. Mushroom tempura was a little thick and oily. Service was a little hard to get their attention multiple times. But they were friendly. Price point was high. But it was a good dinner. read more

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Some of the best sushi I've had in the city! Been here a couple times now and the sushi never disappoints. Their fish always tastes super fresh and it just melts in your mouth :)) Their salmon and yellowtail is particularly good and somehow always consistent. Also, their hamachi truffle appetizer is delicious. Staff is super friendly and nice, shout out to our server Astrid! She was amazing, very professional and friendly :)) Will definitely continue coming back! read more

Nara Restaurant & Sake Bar - Hamachi Truffle - Japanese Near Me - San Francisco, California

Delicious! Excellent service, amazingly fresh fish. Very accommodating, great atmosphere

Choosing a sushi place in San Francisco was one of the hardest food related decisions I ever made. The sheer volume of amazing options is daunting. I chose this place and I was not disappointed. It was modern inside, but cozy and comfortable. The food was all very good with some unique offerings that really highlighted the excellent quality seafood. The servers were very accommodating. Overall a great choice. read more

Nara Restaurant & Sake Bar - Shotgun Shell Saki Glasses. Adorable. - Japanese Near Me - San Francisco, California

Had a good dinner experience at Nara. The ambiance feels modern and cozy but isn't overly formal. The service was great! Our server was attentive, knowledgeable, and gave excellent recommendations throughout the meal. The sushi tasted fresh, and each dish was aesthetically appealing. We ordered the hamachi truffle, sake bomb roll, chicken karaage, and 8pcs nigiri omakase. Our favorites were the nigiri omakase and hamachi truffle. Overall was solid dining experience. read more

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Pretty solid sushi spot! Went here for the first time with a few friends, and they loved it. MY FAVORITES: The nigiri!! Loved the scallops, sweet shrimp, and butter fish. The chutoro was also pretty good. Sososo good. The quality of the fish was really fresh. Sake bomb (3/5): saw reviews that really hyped this one up but I thought it was ok, nothing too special. normal unagi sauce with salmon and some crisps Special K (4/5): thought this was a very special roll, the butter fish paired super well with the truffle flavor, and you could really taste it with every bite Blazing glory (4+/5)?: I didn't get to taste this because my friends devoured it immediately not realizing I didn't try it lol. They said it was the best out of 3 so it's at least a 4.5/5 Hamachi truffle (4/5): The flavor was nice and unique though it was so tiny haha Pretty easy to walk in without a reservation too on a Friday night. read more

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I went with a few people while visiting the area and we were very impressed! The dining area is very nice and our servers were attentive. The sushi was all exceptional quality and the presentation was gorgeous. Thank you for an excellent meal! read more

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Popped in for a casual dinner on my own and had a really great experience. The staff were very friendly and accommodating. Gave really great suggestions and just added to the overall good vibes of this place. I had one of their signature rolls, seaweed salad, and miso soup. Will come back again. read more

Nara Restaurant & Sake Bar - Japanese Near Me - San Francisco, California

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Lovely sushi spot for big groups open late, without breaking the bank. Lovely service. Nice atmosphere for groups and impressive selection of rolls. Solid seafood quality and selection of side dishes -- would definitely return in the future. read more

Nara Restaurant & Sake Bar - Japanese Near Me - San Francisco, California

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One of the best sushi spots in the city. The nigiri and sashimi were soo fresh and yummy. The servers Tina and Jenny were both so friendly and attentive. Their sake flight is a must try as well! read more

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I tried the omakase tonight, wonderful selection, and the chefs chose an additional piece or two that were so special and creative! Excellent selection of sake in half and full bottles, great for a solo or group night out. Spectacular service from Jenny and the whole team. Will be back. read more

I want to be clear that I tried to give the restaurant an opportunity to rectify in person before I wrote this review. We came in a group of 9 after roller skating nearby and asked to be seated at 2 different tables (which we normally do because large groups are hard to seat). This was on a Saturday night 45 minutes before closing time which meant that the kitchen was closing in 15 minutes. The staff gave us a lot of trouble because he insisted we need to sit together and wanted us to wait for a nearby table to close out their tab (they ended up staying longer than we did). But by then the kitchen would have closed. He insisted that we could not sit separately because we would "walk around" (???). 2 from our group said we would not walk around and after a long negotiation they finally sat us. Which is ridiculous. We ordered and the other staff person was really passive aggressive even though we were literally paying them for food and just sitting there doing nothing rude. They also stuck a 22% service charge on us without telling us in advance. The important part is that the food was also not good. - special k roll was very musty - grilled squid was very fishy - red dragon roll was the same quality and ingredients as an AYCE sushi place We ate it because the kitchen was closed I have noticed a lot of restaurants in the Bay Area do not care much about customer experience or food quality. They clearly did not want to make this a good experience for any of us so all I can do is share my experience and never come back. read more

Nara Restaurant & Sake Bar - Special k (it wasn't good) - Japanese Near Me - San Francisco, California

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Standard neighborhood sushi spot. Does the job but wouldn't go out of your way if you're not in the neighborhood. Very rowdy crowd the night we went, so also not a spot to go for ambiance. We got: Fried Calamari - mediocre. Not crispy, and the batter was barely hanging on. Sake Kama - this was actually pretty tasty, although the salmon was more crispy than I was expecting Sake Bomb - too spicy for me, but I could see someone who likes spice enjoying this. Angry Madai - solid, one of the better bites 8pc Nigiri Omakase - the rice was falling apart on the nigiri. Wasn't a fan of one of the tuna pieces, but the other tuna in the set was good. read more

Absolutely unbelievable! Incredibly inventive rolls that showcased different flavors each time. Do not miss the Shrek appetizer one of the best things I've eaten in a long time. I think we ordered every roll on the menu and each one was better than the last. Great sake selection, excellent service. Beautiful clean interior with friendly workers. Run don't walk. read more

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Great location, great service and great food. I've only been to the other location on Polk Street and I did notice their menu was a little bit different but this menu still had great items and a happy hour which is an extreme plus for me since a lot of places in the city do not offer happy hour. read more

Food: Sake Bomb (10/10) - one of the best sushi rolls i've had! one unique thing about this dish to me are the potato crisps. i've never had sushi with potato as a topping but it was such a yummy addition! the salmon was good and the combination of spicy mayo and unagi sauce was also a nice touch. the simple avocado and cucumber in it was also good. everything tied together so well i loved the taste of it so much Hamachi Truffle (10/10) - each spoon had a seared yellowtail sitting on truffle ponzu and topped with jalapeño and potato crunch. again, big fan of the potato crunch. each bite was really good with all of this together! i also love spice so jalapeño was a nice touch Service: Really attentive and nice service! Staff is really nice and helpful. Ambiance: Not too casual but not too too fancy looking inside but is pretty busy! Very nice dinner vibes though. More on the dim side with lighting from decor. read more

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Modern, intimate sushi bar with impeccable fish and elevated flavor. I'm in love ^_^ My partner and I visited for dinner Thursday. We ordered so much... All so delicious and fresh. Some favorites: - SMOKING GHOST (as fantastic as it looks) - ANGRY MADAI (lightly sweet and savory) - SAKE BOMB (must-try for salmon lovers) - CHIRASHI (A+ rice & A+++ fish) Don't let the size fool you... The fish portions are generous and incredibly filling! Thank you Gina for making us feel right at home...! Nara is one of the best sushi spots we've been to in SF so far. Would definitely come back :-) read more

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Came here for happy hour with a colleague and the food was so good. We left happy and satisfied! We ordered 2 spicy tuna hand rolls, special K roll, sake bomb roll, hamachi truffle app, and 2 piece tamago nigiri. The hamachi truffle spoons were my favorite. I loved how complex the flavors were - it was spicy, savory, and super light and citrussy from the yuzu. The Special K roll was my second favorite, they do such a great job with the yuzu flavoring here! I love how light and fresh it tastes. The interior of the restaurant is perfect for smaller parties. The HH is also a great deal, everything was under $10! read more

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Came to Nara on a whim for their happy hour and was seated right away. Jenny was our server and she was fantastic; super attentive, checked in on us regularly, offered great recommendations, and even offered us sake on the house. Honesty such a warm and welcoming vibe. From the happy hour menu, the spicy salmon hand roll was the standout, fresh, flavorful, and nicely balanced. We also enjoyed the salmon taco and takoyaki, though the takoyaki had a thicker batter than we're used to (not bad, just different). Outside the happy hour menu, we enjoyed the 8-piece omakase and the belly flight, both high quality and beautifully prepared. The uni nigiri was their special that day; pricey, but worth it for how creamy and fresh it was. We also tried their oysters, but these had a slightly fishy aftertaste. Overall, Nara delivered excellent quality fish at reasonable prices. Definitely coming back. read more

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Modern sushi bar with unique flavors and great hospitality. We were treated with warmth right upon walking in till we left. Perfect for a happy hour or fun dinner with friends! Ordered the hamachi truffle, golden gate roll, and special k roll. Each item had amazing fish portions and were great quality. Definitely would come back again to try more of their rolls and appetizers! read more

Nara Restaurant & Sake Bar - Japanese Near Me - San Francisco, California

All the food was so delicious! We came to celebrate our friend's birthday and the service was amazing!! The environment was so perfect to celebrate. We got sake and it was so clear and went down so smoothly. They even gave us a dessert on the house Will def be back read more

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First, just wanted to highlight the hospitality of this place! Everyone was super friendly and went out of their way to make sure we were enjoying our meal (they even offered us dessert and sake on the house!) Also, the food was really good! The fish quality was really fresh, and I really enjoyed trying all the different types of ways to eat raw fish. If you're a fan of spicy tuna, definitely get the golden gate roll! It was delicious! Overall very cute Japanese restaurant read more

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Everytime im in the area you better believe im back here. there are several Nara locations in SF and they are all amazing, best sushi around at this price. The service is always nice, the interiors are very beautiful and importantly I love the food. Always a great choice read more

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Went to celebrate a friend's birthday and heard so many wonderful things about this place. Reservations were easy to make online and they were even flexible with us when we were a bit late due to traffic. Something to know ahead of time is that they do not alter any rolls or make any customized rolls, you have to work with what's on their menu, or at least that's the impression our waitress gave us. As a vegetarian, my go-to is usually an avocado and cream cheese roll/maki but they didn't have any cream cheese. I got the veggie roll, and it was really good :) My friend really enjoyed the Sake Bomb and Loco Spiderman rolls. I also ordered some apple soju, and it was really good! It was really smooth and tasted just like apple juice. Inside was nice and clean, with plants and individual lamps at each table. read more

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I'd gotten takeout from here a few times and always found it solid. Recently I had the opportunity to dine inside the restaurant but sadly found the experience underwhelming. The food quality was decent but, when it came to choosing more than simply a roll to go, the options felt somewhat uninspiring. Service was overly pushy in terms of deciding what to order, several times basically standing over us coercively, while we made pained selections from a relatively limited menu. It came out to $50 each for a decent-ish roll, half an app, a bit of seaweed salad and some sparkling water. Yes it's sushi, yes it's SF, yes it's 2026, yes we're in "this economy", yes the nation probably just committed yet another foreign policy indiscretion. But come on. And, yes, I left hungry. I should probably just have gone with the chirashi or mini omakase and been done with it. My favorite part of the evening was the people on the next table realizing, much to their chagrin, that the bottle of wine they ordered was in fact Kirkland branded. Nothing at all wrong with Costco and its wine selection (I'm a fan!) but, having done some rapid mental arithmetic, you probably wouldn't be overly ecstatic given the provenance of said libation. It felt like one step up from Four* Buck Chuck. A restaurant at this, or any, price point really needs to be a bit more creative with its beverage program. At the very least, try Grocery Outlet. Speaking of our server, they were quite enthusiastic with the dessert line up, which comprised panna cotta, crème brûlée, and mochi. I recall they were all around the $15 mark. I make my own panna cotta and it's considerably less than that for 8 amazing servings. I had zero confidence any of them would be well executed, or indeed homemade, so it was a hard pass. And with that, it was out into the night and home for something more substantial. I might go back for happy hour, but not the à la carte. Unless someone else is paying. In which case otoro, uni, and Kirkland champagne** all round. *Inflation adjusted. **Since we're talking bargain basement beverage brands, for future reference, anyone caught serving Wycliff sparkling should immediately be excommunicated. Just don't do it. Don't even consider it. read more

Their rolls are very good and flavorful here. There's not one that I was disappointed in. Their staff was so fun and friendly, I came here for my birthday and they made me feel special the inside is very cute with variety of seatings. read more

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The hamachi truffle is where it's at! Don't skip this and you'll be glad you didn't. The fish is fresh, jalapeño is a nice touch, and truffle is phenomenal. Presentation is also so cute with a different spoon for each bite. I also ordered the Sake bomb roll. Everything I've had here has been fresh and tasty! The tables next to me ordered the sake flight and I may need to do this next time-- it's super cute. Will be back! read more

Nara Restaurant & Sake Bar - Big Boss Sake Bomb - Japanese Near Me - San Francisco, California

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Wanted to try some sushi while in San Francisco. Fish was fresh and everything was delicious. Tried some fish I haven't had before. We also got some sake, cold and hot. They read more

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Came here on a Saturday night around 10-11 with no reservation and was seated right away. The ambiance was nice and fairly spacious. The service was good and we were in and out within the hour. We ordered the sashimi omakase at $70. The belly flight at $22 and came with salmon and tuna belly and another fish which I forgot. We also ordered nigiri ala carte and tried the amberjack, scallop, hamachi, tuna, and otoro. We also got the sake bomb roll and it was really good! Food was 10/10! It's definitely on the pricier side but it made for a great date night. Parking was a bit tough but you're in SF, so it's expected. Took about 15 min of looking for parking but we got lucky and finally found one nearby. read more

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Nara offers a vibrant fusion of traditional Japanese cuisine with modern twists. The ambiance is casual yet trendy, making it an ideal spot for both intimate dinners and lively gathering. Their menu consists of a diverse selection of fresh sashimi, nigiri, and specialty rolls! Their service was amazing! Hokkaido Uni - rich, creamy texture and briny sweetness Hotate (Hokkaido Scallops) - tender with subtle sweetness and delicate texture Hamachi (Yellowtail) - buttery flavor and firm texture Sashimi Omakase - 14 pieces of premium sashimi Loco Spider-Man Roll - packed with spicy tuna, soft shell crab, mango, and cucumber Tamales Bay Oysters - plump and meaty, crisp texture, had a briny essence with buttery, cucumber-y finish Check out my ig @deez_noms for more food reviews!! read more

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Started the weekend off strong with Nara Restaurant and Sake Bar! I was definitely having a rough couple of weeks and one of my girlies decided to take me out for a good meal to cheer me up, and it was quite a success! We started out with the hamachi truffle, that was a very strong start to our meal. Main course, we shared the 14 pc sashimi omakase, the Pacific Forest, and uni nigiri. All of it was very well plated, tasted fresh, and most importantly delicious. There is also a happy hour menu from 5pm - 7pm, will definitely try to come and get in on that deal next time, just wasn't that hungry this time around. But there were definitely some items on there that caught my eye like the oysters and handrolls. Our servers were attentive and knowledgeable about the types of fish and sake they have and explained it well. Jenny was fantastic and had great energy that made the dining experience enjoyable. Come on a date or with a group, the ambience and space is great for both! read more

Fine Japanese food. Definitely a decent place for Japanese food in Hayes Valley and worth the money

Ordered 300$ worth of nigiri delivery from here and thought the chu toro was gonna look like what's advertised on menu so I got 2 orders. THIS IS WHAT I GOT. UNBELIEVABLE POOR QUALITY. Why would you even serve this as chu toro. Overall the other pieces were very mid. I've ordered from the Polk location many times and their quality is way better. read more

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Had a great dinner - we tried the sushi rolls - the Pacific Forest, the Big Boss and Special K. Fav was the Pacific Forest. We are always a sucker for salmon and lemon slices. The truffle brownie was nice to try. Lemon soju 12 dollars during happy hour. Not bad. read more

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Without a doubt, one of the best sushi experiences I've ever had! My wife and I came in on a Saturday night and were instantly greeted, we were offered a table, but chose to sit at the sushi bar. The sushi chef was super kind as was our server. The servers knowledge of their different sakes was incredibly impressive, which matched how delicious each sake was (I got the flight, it was amazing). Definitely, some of the smoothest and most flavorful sake's I've had. As for the food, it was out-of-this-world! We tried uni for the first time, which was flown in the previous day straight for Hokkaido! The freshness and texture was unlike anything I've tried and absolutely delicious! The rolls we got were so artfully presented and their flavor was unmatched. The restaurant had a very intimate and vibe and the seating provided multiple options. The ambiance was very clean and modern. Definitely, give this place a try if in the area read more

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Salmon Taco- Nice appetizer for the start of our meal. Crunchy shell and soft salmon. Underneath the salmon is an avocado mix that pairs well (not noted on menu). Very mildly spicy. 14 Sashimi Omakase- we ordered the 7 piece but they accidentally gave us 14. They only charged us 7 piece price due to their mistake which was really nice of them. All the cuts tasted great and didn't feel like it was sitting for a long time. Chirashi- a nice simple chirashi bowl that tasted as you would expect. A nice surprise with the miso soup it came with as it was not noted in the menu. Same as the sashimi in terms of fish quality. Nice surprise they had chu toro in their chirashi as this is usually not a fish i find in many chirashi bowls Tuna Special- one of the two specials of the night. Two nigri Kama tuna cheek (supposedly fattier than o toro per the server) and a Hand roll of chopped o toro marinated in house soy sauce. Overall very tasty. I definitely taste the fattiness of the nigri. Though I would argue I have had o toro that tasted fattier. Overall a nice experience. Limited parking around the area. Not too busy in on a weekday evening but you can make reservations. Happy hour from 5-7pm which is why we got the salmon tacos. Good quality sushi all around and a nice spot to go to if craving for some nice sushi. read more

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