We live close by and have been eager for this open for quite some time ever since they had a poster by the window last year. We got there at opening on Sat and it was empty, we were the only table during our dining experience. Nonetheless, I would highly encourage people to check this spot out - very pleasant vibes, clean, spacious, music not too loud, amazing friendly staff. We ordered: - Side of mushroom (5/5): simply fantastic, our favorite thing of the night, so much umami. Our kid loved this so much my wife and I barely got any, should've ordered two! - Nigiri set 10pcs (3/5): definitely not "extra large" pieces they claim to be, fairly small even more so than a standard nigiri. Fish were fresh, but thinly cut layers over rice which, I don't think should be used for nigiri. The rice just falls apart. - Moriawase (4/5): beautiful presentation, the rice at the bottom of the fish works much better than in nigiri since they don't need to hold to a structure or getting picked up together. The rice in here was actually warmer too, quite pleasant. All the seafood was very good, wish they served more than just one shrimp or one unagi piece. Seaweed that came with was very good and crunchy. They served complimentary sparkling water and let me try their house beer before needing to commit. Overall the service and ambiance stood out, next time would try more sides and inaris. I hope this place can last! read more

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Great spot for an affordable meal. I've been here twice, once with a friend and another time with my sister. We've tried the nigiri set, hand roll set, and a kaisen don. My favorite are the hand rolls as they're super filling and tasty. Kaisendon presentation is on point, quality is good, but rather hard to eat. I didn't enjoy the nigiri unfortunately. I love scallop, but the sauce they put on top did not complement the scallop. If the cheesecake is on the menu, get it! It is soooo good. Thick, creamy, and not too sweet. This is my new go-to spot if I'm craving a quick hand roll dinner. read more

Checked out The Roll, super nice vibe and some really unique rolls. Got the bara kaisen don, a few inari, and the BBQ unagi roll. The kaisen don looked small at first but was actually super filling. Loved the inari, especially the tuna, salmon, and snow crab ones, haven't seen those kinds of toppings on inari anywhere else. Also got the miso soup, so flavorful! Small but packed with umami. Perfect little addition to the meal. Overall a great spot with affordable kaisen don. read more

The Roll - BBQ Unagi Roll, 3 Pieces Inari Set - Japanese Near Me - San Francisco, California

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The food here was AMAZING!!! I've been meaning to try this restaurant for so long and I'm glad I finally did. All the sashimi in the bowl melt in the my mouth and was so flavorful. It was very good quality AND quantity for its price. The restaurant has very good lighting and generally quiet, making it a perfect date spot. The waiters were so nice they even gave us some beer to try, which made the food even better. 10/10!!! read more

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Ate here twice, a month in-between, just to make sure my first incredible dinner wasn't random. This place is a gem. Have walked by it so many times and finally decided to try with my friend. Not ordering the Truffle Hamachi Carpaccio would be a fatal mistake. Absolutely incredible. The 5 piece Handroll/Temaki flight was amazing, added a BBQ Unagi handroll on top of that which was the correct decision. Also had The Roll which was delicious. On the second visit (brought my friend for her Birthday) I swapped the roll with the 8 piece sashimi flight and it was awesome. Their Cheesecake dessert was a must-order as well. I will be back many, many times to come. read more

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Fantastic service. I felt I was in a fine dining restraunt. Food is tasty. I requested a quirt location. That was impossible but they did make a valid attempt by placing people around us last. Greatly appreciated too. Ambiance is modern. Comfortable for a small location. read more

Summary: Grabbed a dinner for two on a Thursday night and was very happy with the experience. Standouts: service (A+!), the aged tuna inari, and the unagi+beef don. Details: Ordered the 5-piece inari set (double tuna, double scallop, one salmon), the unagi+beef don, and the oden soup. Each one was solid-to-excellent and we ended up pleasantly full at the end. All fish were fresh and the soy pockets not too sweet. The soup was warm and filling though the daikon could have been softer. As mentioned above, the aged tuna and the ungai are worth trying out. The consistent quality between dishes makes me excited to try out different dishes next time. Service was friendly and helpful the entire time. Our server provided good recommendations and promptly bussed dishes, replace dropped chopsticks, etc. I really felt well-taken care of and the way we were welcomed makes me want to go back the most. 10/10 would come back / recommend read more

Great neighborhood place. Server was friendly and knowledgeable. Sushi was delicious especially the premium toro set. We'll be back.

This is my favorite sushi roll place in San Francisco. The shari is perfectly seasoned, and the sashimi is beautifully aged with incredible balance. All the side dishes are also absolutely delicious. It's the kind of place I can confidently take guests to read more

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While traveling in San Francisco, my friend's family and I were looking for a quick sushi spot with good reviews and decided to check out The Roll. I live in Korea and travel to Japan often, so I've had a lot of amazing sushi and to be honest, I didn't have high expectations. But this place was such a pleasant surprise. I was genuinely impressed to find aged fish and akazu seasoned rice ingredients I usually only see at omakase restaurants--served at this price point in the U.S. The nigiri presentation wasn't perfect, but the flavor was spot on and reminded me of sushi I've had in Japan. Service was a little slow due to the busy crowd, but the staff were incredibly friendly and accommodating, which made the whole experience really enjoyable. Definitely one of the more memorable meals we had on our trip! read more

The Roll - Japanese Near Me - San Francisco, California

Everything we ordered was delicious, but the moriawase was truly outstanding. It felt almost like a chirashi bowl, with such a wide variety of fresh fish. Even the ama ebi with the fried head was included!! a definite highlight. Every bite was amazing. The uni & ikura inari was another standout; I honestly wanted to eat three of them every day!!!!! The karaage and The Roll signature were also very good. Next time, I'm definitely ordering the whole cheesecake. Highly recommend! read more

The Roll - Japanese Near Me - San Francisco, California

Good sushi, in town for a Billie eilish concert with my daughter, everything was great

What went well? Everything. I was skeptical at first because it was quite small and ran only by one server. I was sorely mistaken. The food was wonderful, I really enjoyed the tomato and seaweed appetizer. I don't quite remember the name ,but it was wonderful. The rice in the salmon oyakodon was delicious. The salmon was the perfect size to make into little hand-rolls or even just eating it. The seaweed was not chewy when made into hand roll, which was a surprise. What was even more surprising was the service. Since I went with quite a lot of people we ordered a lot of food and because there was a lot of food the food that had arrived earlier got cold. Never in my life had I ever had a waiter come up and ask " would you like me to reheat the soup?". In addition to this I wanted to take pictures of the food as it was pretty and my family jokingly said place the food where I sit so I can take pictures. And our server genuinely put the food where I sit. I was shocked at this action, so I'll be uploading some pictures of the food. The ambiance was nice and cozy. Instead of an wanna be elegant stuffy decor, it was nice and cozy. It almost felt like a real life Pinterest kitchen. On the side there was a Japanese movie playing from a projector. It looked like something you would see if a anime room. I really enjoyed it, although the location is a bit hidden. I would look forward to going again. read more

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amazing service everyone was really sweet and the food was amazing definitely recommend

The Roll is a small place that has a very clean, sleek look and has prices that don't break the bank. I felt the inari was a bit too sweet, but other than that, everything was great and visually pleasing. Very happy to have another option in the SOMA neighborhood and look forward to returning. read more

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Boyfriend and I celebrated date night here at The Roll. It was not only a night filled with great ambience and great dessert- but great service. Justin, our server, was so kind and was so considerate of our experience. He gave great reccomendations and we felt tended to throughout our date night. We will definitely be back! read more

The Roll - Nigiri 6 Pieces Set and Housemade Seaweed Salad 3 Pieces Inari Set and Housemade Seaweed Salad House-Made Miso Soup - Japanese Near Me - San Francisco, California

Omg so delicious! A different spin on sushi, but still has the traditional sushi if needed! Owner was serving us, super attentive and helpful. Definitely get a reservation as it's a relatively small spot, but so worth it! I can't wait to go back! read more

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We're spoiled by an abundance of options for good Japanese/sushi restaurants here in the Bay Area. But the great thing about The Roll is that it combines quality fresh fish with affordable price -- AND impeccable customer service. My partner and I visited last week and ordered a couple items to try. Stand-outs: Kinoko Nimono: THIS DISH! If you love mushrooms, this is a must order. Mushrooms were cooked to perfection and doused in truffle cream flavor. I loved the sauce so much that Justin (our amazing!!! host) suggested me keeping it to mix with my moriawase rice - which was the best decision ever! The Moriawase: it looks small but this dish is actually packed with a variety of fresh fish! It also comes with some nori so you can make little hand rolls - and if you run out of nori, they're happy to provide you with more! Uni Ikura Inari: loved the sweetness from the inari and it went so well with the uni and ikura. Basque cheesecake & banana ice cream: if you get a chance, please order this!! It's Justin's personal recipe and it is AMAZING to the point where my partner couldn't stop eating it - and he doesn't even like cheesecake!! Justin Justin Justin: truly impeccable customer service. He constantly checked in with us and really made us feel so welcomed. The food at The Roll is delicious, but Justin is the one who sealed the deal for us on wanting to make the trek out to SF for another visit. read more

This place was phenomenal. The food was amazing. There's no dipping the sushi roll in soy sauce and wasabi. The sushi itself was so flavorful. The service was amazing. Our two servers were so nice and attentive and explained the ingredients for each of our dishes. The restaurant is modern and clean. Beautiful experience. read more

- my go to for fresh fish / sushi esp since it's so close by & quality is better than most (i'm pretty picky lol) -seafood & fish was fresh as usual! my fave is the moriwase. i've gotten it enough times to say quality is consistent, whether it was delivery or dine in. -tbh i liked their salmon and uni better than the ones i had in japan. they also have the akazu rice they had in japan, which is rare to find here. - very generous with the fish! not too much rice in the roll, a nice balance of everything imo - went here many times w friends and by myself. service was excellent always. very attentive and helped me pack extra soy sauce, wasabi, and ginger for togo. read more

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The food is so fresh and delicious. Service here is the best. This is the first time we are here buy definitely will come Back. read more

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The freshest sushi ever.. I wasn't feeling well today but the food was so good it actually healed me. Will most certainly be back!!

Glad to try this spot within their first week of opening! Somehow I opened Instagram and this was a recommended spot to try. Right when I saw their Yubu (or Inari) with toppings, I told my friend we must go! I've been looking for a spot in SF having Yubu and this place did not disappoint at all. The servers were really friendly and introduced us to their menu and explained everything they have to offer especially letting us know their seafood are delivered fresh every day. They were constantly filling up our waters and asked us how was the food. It was so good! I really loved the ambiance as it was dim and playing chill music. They have a decent amount of tables, but I know sooner or later they'll start getting busier. Now, to what we ordered: - 3-piece yubu set: Sunset Salmon Yubu (Kelp Cured Salmon, Yuzu Kosher Dressing, Yuzu Tobiko) Scallop Yubu (Fresh Scallop, Mentaiko Mayo, Black Wasabi Tobiko) Silky Maguro Yubu (Bluefin Tuna, Kizami Wasabi Mayo) - 5-piece yubu set: Silky Maguro Yubu Snow Crab Yubu (Snow Crab, Kanikama, Mayonnaise, Orange Tobiko) Sunset Salmon Yubu Corn Cheese Yubu (Fresh Corn w/ Cheese) Yakiniku Yubu (Japanese Marinated Beef w/ Quail Egg) - 2× Uni Ikura Yubu (Uni, Soy Cured King Salmon Roe) - Futomaki: The Roll (Tuna, Salmon, Amberjack, Deep Fried Kanikama, Avocado, Cucumber, Takuan, Shiso, Tamago) - Karaage Curry Don (Homemade Japanese Fried Chicken, Beef, Potatoes, Carrots, Onions) All these dishes were made with fresh ingredients. The fish were all melting in my mouth. You really can't go wrong with anything you order on their menu! I can't wait to go back to try their Kaisen Don & Fatty Tuna Yubu! read more

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Splendid spot, easy to overlook but worth a stop. High quality nigiri and some wonderful temaki. Warm and friendly service. Will definitely return. read more

This is definitely one of the best sushi dishes I've ever had. Every single dish was delicious! The sushi was also incredibly fresh. I give it a ten read more

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OMG! You have to get the Basque cheesecake. The sushi was high quality. Hit up the happy hour.

TL:Dr - Cozy and casual nigiri and inari sushi focused joint with laid back but attentive service, great ambiance and good-value food. Finally got around to checking this out the other day with my wife, we live on the other side of the block and so naturally this has been on the to do list. We are always a little hesitant as that spot is kind of death alley, the spot next to it has changed owners about 4 times in 5 years. It's a tough neighborhood for restaurants, just from a foot traffic perspective. Nevertheless if it's anything like the spot I found by whole foods, it'll always have a fan in us, and thankfully they did not disappoint. I ordered a trio of Inari sushi, which for the uninitiated is a sweet tofu wrap, they make it more like a boat than a roll, with the cuts of fishes on top. It's more similar to nigiri in structure, but flavor wise definitely unique. The yakitori one was the recommended and it is the best due to the sweet meat blending well with the sweet wrap. The aged salmon and tuna versions were equally interesting. I'm more of a nigiri fan though so I ordered some go to: couple tunas high and medium fatty, sake toro, unagi, seaweed salad, pickled fruits. Everything was good, I especially liked the seaweed salad which was brighter than most, with tiny cucumbers tossed in. The place drives value, with high fat tuna going for 11$ for two pieces, that's a great deal so just that alone would be reason to return. The slices are generous, no skimping here. In talking to the server (who was great by the way, very attentive), I learned they bring the fish in from a separate place, as they don't have a head chef at the soma location. That might explain the value priced menu, and at times dense packing of the nigiri rice. My best feedback for them would be you could actually dial back the portions (20% reduction in fish, 40% reduction in rice) and I bet people would like the nigiri more (or the same) and you'd be making more money. I was more than happy with my portions, they are very generous at this price point. You could incorporate a happy hour and consider bringing a light bar program with pre made cocktails or a couple other options for beer. Much was out when I was there. Lastly for sake I would swap in some different brands, I went for the ozeki because better options werent priced to move. Should be some Dassai or Hakkaisan at least in there. Would love to see some folks getting nama and I think having a nama sake on "draft" would work well in this concept. Definitely have a great spot here that could grow with some minor tweaks to bring it closer to the action you see at similar spots like Ryokos, or Sanraku. Well definitely be back, was a great meal. read more

Loved it! Place was cute, food was amazing, prices were reasonable and staff was great. Will definitely come back.

Absolutely incredible food. Best miso soup I've had, outstanding quality of fish. Owned by the same owner as Sushi Hakko The inari were such a great surprise (sweet tofu stuffed with sushi rice and topped with fish or sweet beef). Wow! And Justin is the most amazing and generous server. If you're as lucky as we were, you might even get to try his personal cheesecake recipe! read more

The Roll - Unari with (from top) tuna, salmon, sweet beef with quail egg. - Japanese Near Me - San Francisco, California

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We got the 5 piece inari set and the signature futonaki for the two of us, and it was definitely more than enough food! Fish was fresh and loved all the toppings too. I'll be back to try the moriwase next time!! read more

The Roll - futomaki and inari set - Japanese Near Me - San Francisco, California

Amazing food and amazing service! Thank you to our server, she really took care of us. I ordered "The Roll", "Snow Crab Temaki", Salmon Inari. Would definitely recommend, one of the best sushi I have had! Ambiance was also very nice and cozy. read more

Excellent! Great gluten free options for my daughter. Entire family enjoyed the array of satisfying appetizers and bowls. You can make your own rolls with nori and gluten free miso soup is included. Waitstaff is top tier and very kind and accommodating. Cannot recommend this place more! read more

The Roll - The Moriawase bowl - Japanese Near Me - San Francisco, California

This place is a truly unexpected find! We are very picky with our sushi but everything here was so fresh and refined. I absolutely loved the hamachi carpaccio as well as their hand rolls. Service was quick and it was nice and clean. We will definitely be returning when we are back in town. read more

The Roll - Nigiri 6 Pieces Set and Housemade Seaweed Salad and bluefin toro and hamachi temaki - Japanese Near Me - San Francisco, California

The ambience was very nice and calming. The fish is very fresh and melts in your mouth. The staffs were also so sweet and fast we totally recommend and will be back!! read more

The Roll - A bit of everything - Japanese Near Me - San Francisco, California

Highly recommend this restaurant. I catered a sushi lunch for my team here- ordered a bunch of nigiri, the salmon, snow crab, dry aged tuna, and their signature roll. It was all so delicious! The only mistake I made was ordering through DoorDash when I should have ordered directly through them so that they wouldn't get charged any fees! The service was great- the hostess super helpful and patient with my order and questions. I will definitely return here for a proper sit down meal. read more

I found this place during my business trip and everything was so good that I had to come back the next day before my flight! Honestly felt like I was back in Japan, which was a nice surprise since I recently visited! read more

The Roll - Handroll - Japanese Near Me - San Francisco, California

The sushi was definitely above par. Price is slightly higher than the norm but you are getting quality. Like being able to choose single nigiri. Get a variety of sushi that you like. Some stand outs, ama ebi ( you get the fried shrimp head) Toro is amazing. why settle for less when for a couple of more dollars you get quality sushi. read more

I visited on a Saturday and ordered the chef's special (The Roll) . It had a strange texture; the rice was hard as well. The server brought out my roll less than 2 minutes of ordering it proving to me it was already premade. Food safety concerns aside, the service was slow and the table was sticky when we sat down. I won't be returning until quality improves. Did I mention how the menu is selective to few items, nor a variety of sushi unfortunately. read more

New favorite date night spot! Fresh ingredients, unique and absolutely delicious. The service and ambience are top-notch. What really stood out is the balance of flavors most rolls at other places end up either too bland or overpowering, but here every bite hits the sweet spot. Perfect for a cozy, memorable night out. read more

Stumbled on The Roll before a show at the Orpheum -- what a gem! Prices are super reasonable for the quality. Justin was a delight and guided us to some great choices. Happy hour (5-6 pm) is a must -- the hand rolls were fantastic and the grilled salmon salad was outstanding. The Roll roll with fresh fish was delicious, and we couldn't resist the creamy Basque cheesecake (made by Justin himself!). Great food, warm service, and unbeatable value. We'll definitely be back! read more