Such a great restaurant and a place I recommend taking someone if they are ever in the mood for sushi. My friend and I went on a Saturday night around 8:30pm and there was a pretty decent line. What helps with waiting in line though, is the live DJ spinning tracks during the dining experience. Line-hack: you can order drinks and drink them while you wait. The food itself was so good as well. My friend and I split 4 different rolls and there were no complaints to any of them. My two favorites: the Tahoe roll and the Jumping Unagi. It's vibe can feel almost like a dive bar with it dark and jam packed. It added to the ambience though and I felt like the place had charm. read more

This place gets so much hype and it's ridiculously basic. I would compare it to an unkempt RA. It's a tiny basement with a bar, a DJ? (weird), and so many tables so close together even the waiters/waitresses can barely move around. We must have waited over an hour for a table when we were told the wait would be less than 30 minutes. I don't mind waiting for food... EVER. But Ryoko's is NOT WORTH IT. The quality of the food is below average. Flavors are typical. I really don't understand the 4 star 1000+ review rating. At all. Kinda mad I wasted one of my meals in SF on this. Please take my advice. Do NOT go here. read more

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No uni? Really?! That's an automatic one star deduction right there. After many laborious hours of cafe-ing, Jason C. and I were ready for some late night sushi. When our waiter informed us they were out of uni for the night, our hearts shattered into a million pieces. My mouth had been dying to fornicate with soft, sweet sea urchin, and the unfortunate news kicked my tastebuds into blueballs-mode. The restaurant had run out of many other items on their menu as well; whatever Jason wanted to order, they did not have. What a tease! Ryoko's can have their fourth star when they clean up their act and keep ingredients in stock. Here's the breakdown of what actually did end up on our table: Edamame - One of the beans popped out of a pod I was holding and hit the sandal-adorned foot of the woman at the table next to us. Drunk bish didn't even flinch. Chicken Kara-age - Crispy on the outside, hot and juicy on the inside. Perfection! Ankimo - My first time trying this - crumbly-soft and delicious Toro - Normally my favorite but the slices lacked freshness Sake - Standard, but again, could have been fresher Ikura - Had a strange soapy flavor Isaki - Yum! Pokemon Roll - Strange combo of mango and salmon wrapped in a mystery yellow skin that tasted surprisingly edible and refreshing Scallop Roll - Why did they have to ruin a perfectly good roll it by tucking in mint leaves? Fried Ice Cream - Shell could have been crispier, but novel and a yummy way to end the meal You won't find the best sushi in San Francisco here, but the menu is huge with plenty of creative concoctions. The ambience is energetic with loud upbeat music playing in the stuffy dungeon-like space. Heck, it's like a rave up in here; why isn't there an MDMA roll on the menu? This is where I'll be getting my grub on when I'm craving sushi at 1 AM. Wow, only one sexual reference in this review. I think I'm going to go take my temperature now. read more

Ryoko's - Sushi Bars Near Me - San Francisco, California

Ryoko's was supposed to be the reward for a day filled with dry-heaving walking uphill and hysterical crying on downhills in San Francisco. Given the grunge, basement vibe, I thought this was going to be a hit. Everything about it looked promising because the place was nearly full when we arrived shortly after they opened. Nevertheless, we both had the come hell or high water mentality of eating our weights' worth in sushi when we sat down, certainly so after having our tits handed to us on on the trek there. Unfortunately, the best roll I had was the Fried Chicken Roll, which is very much the scumbag poser of any food that is wrapped inside rice. Everything else ranged from average to tasteless, even more so than any stale wafer made for teething infants or pigeons. The Scallop Roll had so little meat content and flavor that even a die-hard vegan would eat it. The seaweed salad appetizer that we ordered was one of the most depressing things I have experienced this year. It didn't hold that much flavor and they put cherry tomatoes piled on top of wilting seaweed. What a dick move. Putting cherry tomatoes on a seaweed salad is kind of like rubbing alcohol into a laceration that is on my ass. The second runner-up to the Fried Chicken Roll, and I am honest to god cringing at that sentence, was perhaps the sashimi platter that we ordered. None of the fish were spectacular but they weren't spoiled, sandy, or poorly butchered. You know, not a girl, not yet a woman. Mediocre at its best. Perhaps the cherry on top of it all is that our server moved us to another table because we were in the way of them making more money. That's all good except then I was in plain view to watch and listen to a scrawny, tattooed crapper--whose ego is insurmountable and know-it-all expertise is as sought after as a venereal disease--blabber on and on about his pathetic life. Yeah, I'm judgmental. This place has a little something for everyone and for that I can appreciate. However, the menu is exceedingly lengthy and confusion arose out of trying to differentiate one platter from the other and one roll from the other. It made me momentarily feel like a dumbass and this is why I will likely never visit again. I also never pass up a chance to showcase my undesirable traits like my misplaced righteous indignation. For how hungry we felt, this place did not hit any of the right spots. I'd also rather eat at a conveyer belt sushi place than to pay $13+ for unimaginative, uninspired rolls. Each roll had about 6 small pieces, regardless of the price. Total dicks. read more

Ryoko's - Wakame salad. It's all right. - Sushi Bars Near Me - San Francisco, California

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Arrived here at 9:00PM (they close at 11PM) and wrote my name down to be seated. Was not seated until 10:30PM. I really do believe that there is a poor management here when it comes to seating and managing how long patrons can dine. To add to disaster some customers came in and stood in "line" but really there is no clear way communicated on how to be seated or get your name on the list. To efficiently make sure that everyone can be seated and dine in and out, I'm aware most restaurants have been setting limits on how long you can dine (this place does not do a good job at managing how long patrons can stay thus making table wait longer). The host acts as a waiter AND host and seemed to be scrambling everywhere. There were many people attempting to get a table and put their name on the list but some were unfortunately turned away as the kitchen closed early at 10:30 as the waiters and hosts said. Some patrons were dining for as long as we waited, possibly even longer than we were waiting. We were told to order our food before we were seated to speed up the wait. Come to find that we were very rushed to place an order, "whatever you order is final because our kitchen is closing" the server said. The restaurant did not offer to allow substitutions or to price match to order individual pieces instead of getting the chef's special (they can't make the special because they ran out of cuttlefish). I would recommend that if you REALLY wanted to dine here that you arrive earlier, just put your name down and maybe go take a long walk. Not sure if it's exactly safe to walk around so late in this neighborhood. Not recommended for the people who don't like long waits, you'll probably be too pissed off to eat the food. Perhaps if they came up with a better system to efficiently get customers seated and going, I MAY consider returning. Update: it's 11:15PM still waiting on food. Update: got our food at 11:25PM. We were not happy with our meal AT ALL. The avocado roll made us full I guess. But the nigiri was made as though the chefs were tired. Huge slices of fish with little ration of rice. To add to disaster the rice was falling apart and the rice should NEVER fall apart in nigiri. Not worth the money we spent here. I really wish I took a picture of the fish to rice ratio, I thought someone was playing a joke on me. Although I said I would return if service was better, haha absolutely not. This was a waste of my time and such a joke of a dinner. read more

Nothing like a little basement sushi to welcome you to San Francisco. I found this place on yep, you guessed it, Yelp! Not too far from the hotel I was staying at I jumped in a cab and headed here. Secret sushi speakeasy should be it's name because if you didn't know about this place it would be super unassuming. We sat at the sushi bar since that was the only space and sho' enough as soon as we sat down about 20 people came in right after and had to wait in line (suckas). The free edamame was awesome though not the best or most fresh, but, it was free so this gal ain't gonna complain too much. My plus one and I ordered the sashimi plate and a few rolls including one of their deep fried rolls. So, the sashimi plate made me realize that I really don't like sashimi. I like the tuna of course and the salmon but, the other wierd ass fishies/tentacles I really just don't enjoy that much. I still ate it but, why, why, do I try to convince myself that I'm this sashimi samurai when I'm just not? Regardless, it was good, freshy and meaty but, one better be somewhat adventurous since it is Chef's selection. The rolls were solidly good and I enjoyed them, nothing to write home about but, nonetheless they were tasty. As I mentioned above I also went with one of their deep fried rolls - the jumping unagi. It was interesting but, I don't think I would ever order it again. It didn't taste like a roll at all since it had a crispy, oily, sweet outter crunch that most definitely took away from the fish. The concept could have been amazing but I think in actuality it doesn't really satisfy the dream. Overall, four stars since this place is cool as hell and I would definitely recommend. I'll probably not come back since I don't visit SF that often and when I do I want to try different spots. Glad I got the opportunity to check this spot off my SF bucket list. read more

First impressions are everything and the service left a bitter taste in our mouth when we saw one customer pay the waiters to get seated ahead of us. Also, every other time we tried calling our waiter, she told us she'll get back to us later. Don't wait this many tables if you can't handle it! She even told another waitress to not assist our table even though she had just said she couldn't help us out several times. The pokemon roll was terrible. I've had Safeway sushi with more structure and substance. This roll tasted cheap and was too weak to hold the ingredients together. For more than $10, we were given 5 warm, floppy, bland pieces. The chicken teriyaki was bitter. The tempura was average. The tempura sauce tasted more like boiled soy sauce. The chicken karaage was decent but there were only 5 pieces so the one good food item was not enough to balance the rest of this hot mess. The interior of the restaurant was neat and the music set this place for a cozy atmosphere. For a intimate evening, this would be perfect but don't expect to be treated kindly. read more

Ryoko's - Chicken teriyaki - Sushi Bars Near Me - San Francisco, California

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Tucked into Taylor Street, this unique little Japanese restaurant has a lot of good things going for it. Some of the Pluses: - Convenient downtown location. - Cheap, affordable, sushi rolls. - SUPER seaweed salad. - FULL bar. No specialty cocktail menu, but it's a nice alternative to sake and rice wine. - Live DJ. Unlike Mas Sake, the music here isn't conversation stopping loud. Perfect volume and a nice background soundtrack for sushi. - Cozy, comfortable, and cool. The restaurant's secluded spot underground creates a sexy, secretive atmosphere. Tables are close, but not claustrophobic and even on a busy night the space doesn't seem too crowded. - Fast and Friendly service. - LATE night hours! And only a few minuses: - Dragon Roll. I'm usually a big fan, but their deep fried version of this specialty roll is disappointingly awful. - No reservations for the same day - call a day ahead if you need to secure a spot. Ryoko's is a gem of a restaurant. With it's scrumptious sushi and sexy atmosphere, I'm sure I'll quickly become a regular here! read more

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"When I'm called off, I got a sawed off, Squeeze the trigger and bodies are hauled off. You too boy if ya fuck with me. The police are gonna hafta come and get me, Off yo ass that's how I'm goin out, For the punk motherfuckers that's showin out." Walking into this spot to be greeted by that classic known as "Straight Outta Compton" by NWA I knew my choice was solid. Who says gangster rap and sushi don't mix? Those naysayers must never have ventured out to Ryoko's on a Saturday night. I'd been partying all Saturday. By "all" I mean from about noon until midnight, nonstop, yet somehow when I got back to the Loin I had energy to snag some grub and one more drink to cap the evening. That's when the home girl Ting's message popped into my head, "Ryoko is open until 2am every single day..." Hmmm, a little sushi and hot sake really would be a perfect end to a perfect day. So off I went, strolling my way through the Tenderloin on this fine Saturday night. Upon arrival I got a good vibe, chill place to hang out late night no doubt. It's below street level, so I rolled down the stairs right into that good NWA which was quickly followed by some 2Pac and Ice Cube, basically all kinds of 90s gangster rap. So good. Sure sometimes it's nice to have a traditional Japanese spot with relaxing music and proper staff, but not in the Tenderloin and not at 1:00AM on a Saturday. The food was decent, I would not go out of my way to roll through here just to grub at a normal dinner hour. Late night though? Can't beat it. I'd say Sudachi (another later night sushi spot maybe 6 blocks away) has higher quality food but they have different hours and I've been caught in fist fights twice now outside there so I figure that's an omen to try someplace new. The service was very good at Ryoko, the sushi chefs a bit quiet but my waitress was very helpful. I ordered some sort of cucumber salad with "miso" and it came out in some mayo type sauce. I explained the mix-up, I don't do mayo, and she apologized profusely and took it away no problem. No pushback what so ever, she even said she'd put in a note to have the description changed as she agreed it could be misleading. I downed my sake and light selection of sushi with another veggie salad and that was that. A solid visit, no drama, some NWA, good service and sure as hell available hours. Like I said, perfect end to a perfect day. read more

This sushi addict wishes she could find sushi this good in Chicago! Yeah- the basement atmosphere was cool and the server did a good job of filling the tummies of 10-15 intoxicated people, but it's the sushi that's really worthy of these 5 stars. We ordered so many different rolls and everyone kept urging me to try it all...they too feel my pain that I can't get sushi this fresh in the Midwest. The sashimi (especially the toro) melted in my mouth and I was a big fan of the specialty rolls as well. The sexy roll actually had cheese on top of it, which didn't appeal to me when we looked at the menu, but I was surprised by how good it was. We also ordered a bunch of bottles of sake, which looked a lot like milk when it showed up at our table. I've had my fair share of sake in this world, but apparently I"ve been missing out on unfiltered sake and I absolutely love it...my dining companions can back me up on this after watching me drink WAY too much sake throughout the evening. I'm planning on enjoying some more sushi before heading back to Chicago and am tempted to go back to Ryoko, but in true yelp fashion I'm going to try something new. We'll see if Nihon will have sushi that is this fresh and of course I'm hoping for more unfiltered sake, although first I need to recover from last night's sake craziness! read more

How do you top off riding in a parade? A " Yes yes yes" to my kind friends who took me here on a wild Friday evening. Coming after the Warriors' parade which coincided with the mayors' conference which coincided with the President's and Hillary's visits which coincided with the centennial celebration for City Hall... well, you get the picture as traffic was a cluster.... that day! My friend wisely dropped off his wife while he and I drove through the maze to my office to carpool there. Running about twenty five minutes late, we struck gold in scoring front door parking... as in, I could roll a penny down those stairs! My friend's wife ordered several items so our wait was relatively short for food. Here's a summary of what we had: Highlights: 1. Ama ebi heads (http://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?select=7w0OswvyXjQ-pPgrDykcHQ&userid=saJuyv784apZzH--psHZ3Q) - Deep fried crispy, not greasy. 2. Fried octopus (http://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?select=fdje9MQOJe7m9Fol6RvUSg&userid=saJuyv784apZzH--psHZ3Q) - Wasn't planning on ordering, but every table around us did. Yummy and tender chewy good. 3. Fish sashimi - Everything was visually and texturally on point. 4. Bluefin tuna (http://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?select=xiwKQxTJdhrtA1avcAEq9A&userid=saJuyv784apZzH--psHZ3Q) - Great presentation and that egg really mixed well. Not so much: 1. Uni - Not that it was bad, but our conversation centered around where the best uni comes. Didn't stand out. 2. Chicken karaage (http://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?select=RDVCRgc1s84JLvztHTGoTA&userid=saJuyv784apZzH--psHZ3Q) - A bit dry, just okay. 3. Agedashi tofu (http://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?select=kgdLfxTU7aZU-RjTSBMLLQ&userid=saJuyv784apZzH--psHZ3Q) - Simple and flavors didn't really shine. The beef tataki was solid but needed a bit more ponzu sauce. Very solid meal as my hosts obviously knew what they were doing mixing whiteboard specials with familiar menu items for them. Seems that this literal hole in the ground is equally about the food and atmosphere. It is a bit dark and kind of reminds me of basement bars in Chinatown that used to be packed. We left as the DJ was warming his groove on and the stairs were lined with people snaking to Taylor Street. Our waitress and servers were attentive and accommodating as we ate at a relaxed pace. If you come on warm days (read 'hot'), it does get a bit warm in here as, being in a basement location without windows, there is not much ventilation; fortunately, our evenings aren't THAT warm here. Thanks to my generous and knowledgeable hosts for inviting me to a unique experience and a view of where the "hip" part of the City hangs. read more

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I can't speak for the price of this place as I'm used to sushi costing around $40-50 per couple with a few rolls and a few appetizers, but wow what a gem of a find! If you blink, you might miss this non-flashy entrance on the side of Taylor street where you might not even think much is there. This is more of a basement restaurant sort of, so you do end up walking down a flight of stairs prior to which you will hear lots of people screaming a welcome to you from below. They have a full bar area and they're open late, which is amazing for a sushi place, granted it is in the city. The prices are reasonable and the sushi is delicious. Surprisingly delicious actually, and they even have an ankimo appetizer which is worth checking out as it is pretty delicious! The atmosphere tho was what got me the most since it was very hip, dark, and kind of club-ish, great for dinner dates and after-bar hang outs for sure! read more

Date & Time: Friday September 5, 2008 @ 11-ish pm(My Ideal Dinnertime) Company: Sara & Justin & Michael Crowd: Packed w/ Rowdy Groups of Scenesters(Guys in Fitted Silk-Screened Tees & Diesel Jeans & Girls in Colorful Little Dresses) Vibe: Energetic Music: House Decor: Located @ The Corner(of Le Coloniel) Down a Flight of Stairs. A Small Sushi Bar w/ Tightly Packed Banquettes & Wooden Tables. Funky! Service: Very Slow Waitress Imbibe: Sake Devour: Sashimi Omakase Total: $186.73 read more

We enjoyed our dinner here. It was a saturday evening so it was expected to be very crowded with a long wait time. I think we waited maybe 30 mins, but it was worth it because we had a great booth table, tucked away in the back. Service was decent, and it was cool that they let us order a few dishes at a time (for like 2-3 hours while we were there). They had a decent selection of beverages, and mostly priced fairly. The total on the bill did surprise us a little (came out to about $50/p for our group of 3) but we did order a good amount of food (in small increments at a time) and had a few rounds of sake bombs/other drinks. It felt really authentic being in a cramped basement and the atmosphere was on the loud side, but it was fun. We ordered a variety of appetizers and sushi rolls, and everything tasted decent. Nothing really stood out. I would come back just for the authentically Japanese ambiance. read more

Ahhhhh yes, hipster sushi at its finest! But the bonus, it's actually very good. I'm pretty spoiled living in LA and in Studio City especially (home to about 40 sushi places in a 3 mile strip). I eat it alot. I go to really good places alot and what tends to happen more times than not is that the really hipster places, well, just don't really deliver in my opinion. Ryoko's was a totally different story. Their toro was insanely good. Their hamachi, like butter. Their rolls, which i am normally not a fan of were actually very good. And this place actually got me to eat Eel. I haven't touched that stuff for about 5 years after a really nasty bout of food poisoning, but thanks to Ryoko's I may be a believer in it again. As for the vibe and decor, it's a bit confusing. I kinda think of it as your creepy ex-sailor uncle's basement meets a smurf blue hideaway on acid. Yeah, that made no sense to me either, but you get my point. I'd definitely go back and have some fishy love again there soon. And it's close to some great bars, so win win. read more

For some reason this place is so popular there was a line for the restaurant 10 min before opening. The sushi is pretty good and they serve a bunch of combination rolls, but it's nothing out of the ordinary. read more

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Down a flight of stairs, a very dimly lit dining room with a bar, next to a bar. Yep, that's an alcohol full serve bar, next to.... a sushi bar, that is. Definite dive bar atmosphere, and with a Japanese trio behind the counter churning out appetizers, nigiri, and jive ass rolls. The incessant influx of crowds coming every few minutes after the restaurant's 6 pm opening, the place comes alive. Some of these peep$ are sitting on the stairs, waiting their turn to boogie up and down. No Reservations? Bourdain, please. Gotta make it a few days before. This ain't the French Laundry. Ryoko's is otherwise a fairly small space with bar seats that accomodate around 10 or so. All stools at the bar, so think about where you might want to stash that jacket if you have one. There's even a piano in here, although I didn't stick around late enough to see drunktard tourists (or hipsters posing as tourists) downing sakee bombz standing on top of it and professing their love for spicy tempura peanut butter "volcano roll", and the handsome charming and uber cool ponytailed head chef Atsushi Matsuda (yes his name really contains "sushi", how awe$ome is that! Wonder if he has any relation to Seiko Matsuda?). Should there be female fans in attendance who are quite inebriated, might mistake him for Takeshi Kaneshiro from Sleepless Town http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ycevahHdZCM and fall prey to potential drunk ordering (which can be lethal on the wallet) as he recommends in perfect Japanese accented English, white board $pecial$ that will be like seductive words of sweet luvins after some shots and bottles of Sapporo (probably from Canada). Prime real estate location with a chit ton of foot traffic (especially tourists and out of towners, and of course those people who cannot live without sushi), plus the fact that this place closes at 2 am (last order circa 1:45 AM)...being the only place in NorCal that I know of at least, where you can get non douchey sushi past midnight, is not too shabby otherwise, and thus the rounded up 4 rating (~3.5 for the food). Just don't expect Koo, Kazu, Aka Tombo, Ino, Sebo, or Murasaki and you will do just fine. The food? Oh yeah: Shirauo (appetizer) - this was listed on the white board but they didn't offer it as sushi. Shirauo is Japanese ice fish, kind of like conger eel larvae, thin little transparent white swimmies (no not THAT kind) with dotty black eyes. A typical and classic Edomae sushi topping (either steamed in a little salt water, or served raw with ginger and a little scallion in gunkan form). N00b a$$ me for ordering this when peak season is Mar - May... Atsushi-san garnished this in a cocktail glass, a little ginger, scallion, and....a raw egg yolk?! After mixing it together, it didn't taste so good. Ankimo appetizer - a few very mushy soft slices of monkfish liver...in fact a bit too mushy on the edges, with some mixed greens on the side. Ino and Sebo have nothing to worry about. Assorted nigiri, chef's choice, aka "let the chef sock it to me baby surprise". Aji (horse mackeral, with enough pairs ordered to use a whole fish, with carcass salted and deep fried) hirame konbu jime (kelp marinated hirame) mebachi maguro (big eye red tuna) hamachi toro (aka farmed yellowtail belly, seared) wild sockeye salmon uni (sea urchin gonads) tamgoyaki (egg omlette) amaebi (raw spot prawns with fried head on the side) Better sushi rice than most Chinese and Korean run sushi places, but still not my quite my style. And for the helluvit, Orange Delight roll ....seared farmed salmon (with skin on) over an inside out roll of cucumber and avocado. I have to say this is one of the smallest and most expensive jive ass rolls I ever had, but it was actually tasty for what it was. Decent spot for hanging out with friends late night and having a craving for raw fish over rice. Izakaya Mai in San Mateo has "sushi" at $1.50 per piece that opens till midnight on most nights, but it's run of the mill stuff and nowhere near as good...whereas it's a bit more extreme here in terms of price...where you pay a premium here for real estate and late hours. read more

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The food was good!! I recommend to anyone who likes sushi or Japanese food, also it gets busy fleo you might have to wait .

Ryoko's is a dictionary definition example of a hole in the wall. It's actually a hole in the wall and the floor, as you enter a nondescript door and immediately descend to a lower level cave of a sushi bar. But funky surroundings aside, the sushi here is really good. And fresh fish is what it's all about, right? I've been here a few times and sampled everything from the rolls to the sashimi to the salads to the hot dishes, and everything has been very good. However I think one of the more impressive things here is the simple quality of the fish. Fresh as can be. The rolls are a'ight, and the various non-sushi dishes are quite good, but definitely on the expensive side (especially for the environs). My 14-piece sashimi last night was a steep $39 while the slightly smaller chirashi is $30. Don't get me wrong - I don't mind paying for good fish, but this seems a little steep. The sashimi cuts aren't generous. That all said, I dig Ryoko's and will most definitely be back. I don't mess around with weak fish, and the fish here is very, very good. Oh, and the service is totally on point! read more

Wow I should have went with my gut. This place is all hype don't be fooled like I was people. This is overpriced, overhyped mediocre sushi at best. I will acknowledge the fact that I set the bar pretty high when I see so many good reviews, but wow I'm still in shock from the horrible service I just received, and keep in mind I waited almost an hour for my table. Case and point asked my waitress twice for extra wasabi and lemon never got it. When I went to the sushi chef and kindly asked for extra wasabi, he actually had the audacity to tell me that I did not need extra wasabi "it takes the flavor away from the fish"........ WHATTTT are you kidding me! This place did not get the memo when they said the customers are always right, or I guess it did not apply to them. In any case I strongly advise my fellow yelpers to stay away from this dump. Such small weak sushi cuts and very overpriced and horrible service to top it all off!! read more

Ryoko's - So quiet on the outside - Sushi Bars Near Me - San Francisco, California

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I had a nice little dinner hear for my friends going away dinner. It's a nice little "hole in the ground" that kind of reminds you of a club with its decor. While we were eating there was a live DJ playing music. Jumping Spicy Tuna Roll - The roll is deep fried and comes with its own sweet and spicy sauce. Dragon Roll - The Dragon roll is my "safe" roll I usually order when I try new places because I know they can't mess up. Ryoko did not disappoint. They top the rolls with huge portions of eel which was a delight. Sake - I finally tried Sake served cold and let me tell you it is a lot smoother than the warm Sake. read more

Ryoko's - Sushi Bars Near Me - San Francisco, California

After a barely ok "quick" meal at Sanraku...we walked down the block to Ryoko, where we should have gone to from the start. Walking down a flight of stairs, you are in a dim joint with the sushi bar right in front of you and some tables to the side. There's no doubt this joint was once a bar - it feels like a bar, looks like a bar...no wonder we feel so comfortable and fit right in! There is a list where you put down your name...when the hostess came to us, she asked if we want the sushi bar, sure! We were seated at the last 2 seats at the bar, not quite in front of the sushi chefs but right in front of the bartender! Our waitress was friendly and attentive (most are Thai?) - the menu is quite extensive, as well as the special menu board. Everything sounded good and surprisingly reasonably priced. The chefs are Japanese and very nice/attentive - all good signs! We had small hot sake that got refilled regularly. We had the oysters, they were so good - we had repeats of that too! Since they don't have a computer print out of what we ordered, I don't recall - we ordered mostly from the special menu - there were fish from Japan, toro...every single one was super delicious - so flavorful and melts in the mouth. A DJ starts around 8pm, good spins with pops mixed with some 80's and such - the place is hopping. If our tummies didn't give up, we would have stayed and partied on! LOVE this place! read more

Two friends and I gathered in SF for a week and on our very first night in town we were hardcore craving some sushi. There were tons of places to choose from but several were closed on Mondays... but not this one!! We found it quickly on Yelp and it was even in walking distance. Score! We arrived at the front door and made our way downstairs. It was very lively with fun music on and the place was packed. It had somewhat of a grunge feel to it and I was intrigued. We were lucky enough to grab a table right before a giant group walked in. The table was really small, honestly only big enough for two people but we made it work. It did take some time before a server came over and took our drink order but we were lost in good company so it wasn't too bad. While my friends ordered a sake bomb, I opted for just water and food. I was starving after being on a plane all day long and I was ready to chow down. We eventually ordered a variety of different rolls as well as a tempura appetizer. After waiting a good bit for our food to arrive, we dove right in, eating every bite of food on the table. Like I mentioned before, we were all hungry af! I feel like we should have ordered more though. For spending about $30 on sushi alone (remember I didn't get a drink) and not feeling full, I was a little bummed. Overall, this spot was just ok. The service was slow and the food was average so I'm not 100% sold on visiting again on my next trip to SF. I suppose it worked for my friends and I at the time and that's all that matters. As long as your expectations are set accurately, by all means, give it a try. read more

I was expecting a quiet little sushi joint, but when I walked in just before midnight on Saturday, the music was bumping and the house was packed! While we waited to be seated, the server took everyone's drink order. I opted for a shochu cocktail ($4.50). Our sushi and sashimi platter ($30.95) was fresh and tasty. Sashimi is generally a good indicator of a Japanese restaurant's quality because the freshness is a dead giveaway. So given that it was after midnight in a packed house, I was impressed that the sushi was as it good as it was. The crowd was lively - lots of large parties. Not great for a date but it's the perfect place to end a night of bar hopping since they stay open til 2am. While I went to the restroom, I came back to find a makeshift mochi ball birthday cake with a candle, marachino cherry and whipped cream! How awesome is that? read more

Ryoko's - Mochi ball bday cake - Sushi Bars Near Me - San Francisco, California

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Don't be deceived by the way this place looks from the outside. The sushi is awesome!! DJ music and the atmosphere is good. We ordered five rolls. Our favorites were the Pokémon and Spicy Scallop. Second favorite were the Jumping Tuna and Humboldt. We also got the sexy...but the cheese was a bit much for me. We will definitely be back! read more

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Ryoko's is a neat sushi spot, with tasty sushi in cool surroundings. I came early on a Monday evening, and I was surprised by how busy it was - barely a free table, with a short line snaking out the door. Luckily my friends arrived before me and were already seated, so I skipped the queue (thanks friends!) We sat at a big table in the back room with another small party - close enough to have impromptu conversation, but not awkwardly intimate. I'm not a sushi nerd and I can't assess authenticity, but I really enjoyed my meal: I particularly liked the tuna nigiri; the spicy scallop was *much* spicier than expected, but delicious nevertheless; the salmon skin roll was great; the one with peanut butter (!) was surprisingly cohesive and tasty. The miso soup, just rich enough, is one of the best I've ever had (how often have you been disappointed by sad, thin miso? You won't get it here). Our tablemates strongly recommended the ice cream, but we were too full to order it. Next time! The atmosphere is pretty distinctive. It's in a basement and has a slight dive-bar feel. The night I went, rowdy dance music was playing that didn't really match the surroundings. It wouldn't have been my first choice of soundtrack. The men's bathroom was in decent shape, which is to say it was only partially vandalized - I've seen worse, so I guess I'll give them credit? In conclusion, the food was delicious and the vibe is interesting in a mostly good way. If I imagine my perfect sushi experience, it doesn't look a whole lot like Ryoko's, but I'd definitely go back. read more

While most people chowed down on wings, pizza, chips & dip, candy, etc... on Super Bowl Sunday, I started out my week in San Fran with sushi. Yes, I watched the Cards almost win the Super Bowl, and then I sucked it up and joined a group of girls for sushi at Ryoko's. Not sure if it wasn't crowded because everyone else was watching the game, but our party of four was welcomed, seated, and fed right away. The staff couldn't have been friendlier, and I'm not so sure the sushi could've been more fresh either. I enjoyed everything I put into my mouth. We started with edamame, moved on to seaweed salad, and then shared a bunch of maki and some nigiri too. Some of the standouts were the futomaki, volcano roll with peanut butter, ikura, and dragon roll. Oh, and instead of guzzling beer with the rest of the world, we washed it all down with perfectly hot and flavorful green tea. If only I could've continued through my week in San Fran eating healthy like I did at Ryoko's... but oh no - it was all downhill after Sunday. Oh well - thanks Ryoko's for our fresh and fantastic fish. I hope to come back to visit you soon! read more

If you would have blind-folded me and walked me through here I would NOT have guessed this was a Japanese restaurant, I would have guessed it to be a dive bar. Also, if you had me go in when no one was there, I would have guessed cool bar based on the decor but not a Japanese restaurant. #1 Fried Cheese!!! If you love cheese, GET THIS! It says something when melted cheese melts more in your mouth because it is so amazing. Not sure of the name of the one with melted cheese on top but GET IT! you will NOT be disappointed. Also, the volcano roll has Peanut Butter in it, GET IT! You will LOVE IT! If you do not like it I will pay you back. (not really but it sounded good right?) Overall - It's like a clean dive bar that serves sushi. read more

Ryoko's - Before - Sushi Bars Near Me - San Francisco, California

After a quick Yelp search, I ended up coming here because they're open until 2am which is so uncommon/refreshing in SF. Unfortunately the food was FAR less than stellar. I ordered the orange blossom and the sashimi dinner. The roll was bland and full of cucumber and the sashimi dinner plate was not fresh at all - very fishy tasting. For $30 I expected the sashimi to be excellent! With so many great sushi restaurants in San Francisco, I definitely recommend skipping this place. +1 star because the live DJ on Wednesday night was amazing! read more

Ryoko's - Their sashimi dinner plate looks great but it was not fresh at all. BEWARE - Sushi Bars Near Me - San Francisco, California

Got here right when it opened and it was already half filled. By the time our food arrived there was a long line, and when we left the restaurant the wait was ~40 minutes. I came here with higher expectations, being that I saw many authentic Japanese dishes and rolls on the menu before I ordered and also because of the good yelp rating. The chicken karaage was pretty good but it was a small serving of five pieces or so nestled next to lots of cabbage. I also enjoyed the kanpyo maki (gourd) as I can never find this in American sushi restaurants! But this too was a small portion: a thin roll with four long pieces, I don't get why they couldn't cut it like the other rolls. I got a hamachi tori nigiri that was on the daily specials board, since I figured that would be SPECIAL...like it said. But instead it was bland/thin and the rice fell apart with one touch. It also came with SUUPER thin lemon slices on top, wtf?!? The spicy golden gate roll (spicy salmon, shiso, cucumber & roe) wasn't rolled tightly enough so it also fell apart but it did taste good. The final roll I ordered was the Alcatraz (eel and avocado with sauce on top), pretty basic and gaijin oriented lolol. But both of these came with 4-6 pieces, if I remember correctly, Disappointing experience, I will not be back here. Maybe if you need a really late sushi bite you should come here, hopefully you won't have to wait long... read more

I LOVE this place. Came here on a Tuesday evening, and yes, it was packed. And yes, we waited an hour to be seated for a party of 2. But yes, it was worth it! We put our name down around 7:30pm, and was about to head to Sanraku up the street to see which place we would have better luck at. As we were about to get seated at Sanraku (they will give you a call when it's your turn to be seated, but Ryoko doesn't), we checked our name on the Ryoko list and saw that we were 2 tables of 2 away. Alright, we're going to wait it out. I ordered the sashimi combination and Oh My Goodness, the sashimi was so fresh! For about $30 (I think?) it came with 15 pieces of sashimi, miso soup, and rice. OH man, I want to go back right now. And you know what, I can! Even though it's almost 11pm since they open until 2am! read more

Ryoko's - Sashimi combo - Sushi Bars Near Me - San Francisco, California

Yes I am a fan, and here is why: - open late night - great sushi selection - not too expensive - EDM playing in the background As I was enjoying my nigiri omakase, I couldn't help but notice how attentive wait staff is. You do need to put your name down on the wait list by the host station so please don't be like me and just wait in line. Also I recommend getting a toro salmon and toro tuna and skip regular maguro and sake. read more

Ryoko's - Nigiri omakase - Sushi Bars Near Me - San Francisco, California

Chef Atsushi, Amazing Sushi concoctions, Live DJ I love this place. Chef Atsushi is brilliant. He is also extremely polite and friendly. He always makes sure people are being taken care of and enjoy their food. He always comes up with unexpected sushi concoctions that is completely mind-blowing as long as you are open-minded and willing to let him experiment. One plate that gave me a foodgasm was this wagyu tartare dish topped with a quail egg that he made. It was exceptional. I still dream about it from time to time. Other times when I ordered off the menu the food was good and consistent. My friend who is a vegetarian loved it. The only thing I would change is how popular this place is. On saturday nights there's at least an hour wait and there are people who go there and just order a beer and sit for hours. argh... go across the street there are a million bars. TIPS: 1. To avoid the wait arrive at 6:00 pm or after 10:30 pm. read more

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Great customer service, the atmosphere was chill & they played really fun music, the food was amazing. Definitely recommend to anyone who wants to grab a late night bite! I will be coming back the next time I'm in the area ^~^ read more

Only waited about 15 minutes to be seated. Had a glass of wine on the stairs while waiting, and just chilled...the music helped create a fun ambiance that wasn't traditional for a sushi place. So for the food... The sushi: Yes, overpriced, but not by much. The checkerboard was probably my favorite, followed by well, anything with salmon in it. Everything tasted fresh, except for maybe the sashimi was a little too squishy for my tastes (could have been fresher). The sake: I would be happy with a larger sake selection. They were limited in what they offered, and the quality ranged drastically. The DJ: Sometimes too loud. It's one thing to have a cool dj in the background, it's another thing to not be able to hear the person next to you trying to speak. The Service: Occassionall slow, mildly forgetful, but decent overall. Quick with the rolls once they were ordered, but forgetful when asking to see the menu again. Overall: Yes, it's in a basement. And yes, dirty and grungy as basements are, it was still...kinda spiffy. And I like spiffy. read more

The sashimi is not worth your price for the quality you pay for. Since I was unable to go to a nearby restaurant for some ramen, my friend and I quickly chose this place as our alternative for some sushi. We noticed the 1900+ ratings with a 4 star.... Can't trust Yelp ratings. Let me warn everyone that likes legitimate raw sushi. This place does NOT serve GOOD sashimi. The tuna I had tasted like frozen fish. The mackerel I had was not even good. The sashimi was very underwhelming. Overall, I will never come here again. Pretty disappointed for such high ratings. I'm positive that this neighborhood has better food and for the price I paid. Which was $50. So... Think about it! You're probably better off with the cooked rolls, but I was not trying to eat fried, cooked, or baked rolls. Nonetheless, it is not even worth it in my opinion. There are better options around!!!! read more

Ryoko's - Sashimi dinner. $40. Not worth the price for the quality. - Sushi Bars Near Me - San Francisco, California

Now I remember why we never came back here. With so many better options especially in the city than here. Granted it is a place with a full bar that serves food late. The prices and the portion size are ridiculous. Spent over $180 for 4 people on food, 3 beers, 2 hot sake, and 1 cocktail. I would understand the cost of it if it was worth it, but not really. Beef teriyaki was good but to ask for spicy option it is just sriracha placed on it. I am just glad the uni was good, sake sashimi was ok. Tako was over cooked. It is still cramped, but they do have a live dj to distract you from the stuffiness of the place. Sexy roll looked nothing sexy. It was burned that it was hard to get the roll off the foil. Roll would just fall apart from the tug of war. The other roll was just a crunchy exterior with crab and avocado, served with sweet chili sauce. Personally I would have just stuck to the sashimi and not even bothered for the rolls. Parking is street, so good luck. So if you are hungry and craving sushi late at night and would like to grab drinks, by all means come here. read more

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Every restaurant that bakes and fries sushi as if they invented it should cower in fear when they find out I love Cha Cha Sushi in San Jose, because NOBODY does it better. Yet I can't help but go into this type of restaurant every time expecting a Cha Cha-level experience. Unfortunately, this place just can't compare. The rolls are priced similarly, but that's where the similarities end. The rolls are much smaller, and the WOW factor just isn't there. My dining partner enjoyed the Kentucky Roll, which has fried chicken -- but I mean, how wrong can you go with fried chicken. I enjoyed the creamy Sexy Roll. The Fried Cheese appetizer was also decadent. The service was extremely friendly, and unlike most places in San Francisco, this place is open until 2 AM. If I'm hankering for untraditional sushi and in the city, I would probably go to Ryoko's again. But if I want a truly amazing dining experience, I'll make the trek down to Cha Cha in San Jose. read more

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Ryoko's is my go to sushi spot in SF and I recommend it every time someone wants to get sushi. It isn't fancy but the fish is on point and it won't break the bank. They are busy every day of the week - so be prepared to wait - or come right when they open. They have a lot of rolls to choose from - some simple and some a bit more involved. Notable options: Hot tuna Hot tail Orange Delight: Avocado and cucumber with fresh salmon Caterpillar: BBQ eel and cucumber with avocado and flying fish roe 49er's: crab with avocado and tuna with salmon on top Checkerboard: crab with avocado and tuna and yellowtail on top Service is always friendly, albeit a bit slow with the amount of people they are waiting on at one time but they can accommodate small and large parties (if you have more than 4 - come RIGHT when they open to grab a table). Ryoko's makes me happy :) read more

Cool little place, albeit not the most refined dining experience. We got here 10min before opening on a Friday night and there was only one person before us. But by the time we left around 7, the line on the stairs was real per other Yelp pix. The food was good - appetizers and rolls. Didn't have sushi so I can't comment on the quality of fish. Food is better than average, but the 4 stars is more because I want it to continue to do well as a small business. read more