When they first opened around early 2005 there was an incredible art light piece in the window and I just went in thinking it might have been an art piece for sale. The BEST place in San Francisco to find a unique sake gift to match your evening of Japanese food imbibing. read more

I love True Sake and just wanted to take two minutes to say so. The selection is great and the little descriptions that Beau writes up for each bottle - it's invaluable. The rest of the check-out staff seems like check-out staff but that's why the little tags are written there for me. Dude really knows his stuff. There are bottles in just about every prices range and for every taste. I am still often surprised at the wide variety of styles, flavors and even bottles. Sake is just as wonderous a world as wine. And True Sake is like the Wine Club of sake. read more

Coming here during my recent visit to SF made me realize how much we're missing on the east coast. Please open a Boston store! Thank you for the great recommendations. read more

Came to True Sake to buy 2 bottles of Sake before having dinner @ Sebo. We were looking for a Nigori (unfiltered sake that was reasonable. We found a cute looking pink bottle (Hakutsuru Sayuri Little Lilly) for $16 (the cheapest they had), but figured it probably wasn't that great since it was cheap & had a cool bottle. We asked the girl working there for advice & she told us that the one we had picked had actually won the blind taste test for unfiltered sake, sweet! She also got us some cold ones from the back refrigerator. The Hakutsuru Sayuri Little Lilly was awesome, was very light, not too sweet & very easy to drink. I would definitely get it again. This store has more sake than I have ever seen in my entire life combined! Cute store, friendly service, reasonable prices, will definitely be back. read more

Love, love, love this place. The staff could not be more helpful and nice. Down to earth, non-judgmental and knowledgeable. We asked about inexpensive sake and they describe some different $20 sakes with great clarity and expertise. We left the place super happy with our purchase and the experience. And the sake was delicious! It was like nothing I've had before. Just as she said: a little mineral with some cucumber after taste. True Sake has everything you'd want buying from a small, independent local business. Friendly service, great quality and affordable options. read more

Good selection, knowledge, and prices. would have gotten 5 stars except for their discriminatory help wanted ad on craigslist some time back. read more

Don't let the small store fool ya. Hard to find sake...you can find it here. I love sparkling sake and the boyfriend likes unfiltered ones...so one stop shop for us. Can't beat the prices! Seriously you feel like you're paying wholesale prices. Went to Vegas (see review for The Grand Wok) and ordered sparkling sake for $30 a bottle, 300ML. Same exact bottle @ True Sake for $14! Staff's very casual yet professional + they know what they're talking about. read more

Venue: Very clean and modern. Accessibility: Walking distance from Muni! Tip: They have a vast array of sake here! Will I come back? Maybe. Didn't stay long enough/buy anything to entice me to return. When I do I'll update this review. read more

Stopped by here today to find a sake that I had while in Japan. I was very happy to find that the unit only carried the sake I was looking for - but a TON more. While I am no sake expert, I do enjoy it very much. The staff here is incredible - friendly, knowledgable and very nice. This will be my new go to place to purchase sake. I walked out of there with several other bottles that sounded interesting and that the gals there recommended. Thank you for making it an enjoyable visit! I look forward to checking them out when they do tastings. read more

Owner hooked it up....I picked up a handful of varieties (and a gift for a buddy) and Beau threw in a bottle as a big welcome to the city gift. Next up, Sake party at mi casa, with sushi as dessert..... btw, just met two girls from Ireland....was tellin them about the place and they freaked at the idea of sushi, sake, and nearly anything other than spuds (potatoes). I love that about this country. read more

These people are amazing, their customer service is out of this world. They shipped me bottles of my favorite sake and made sure everything went smoothly and updated me on every step. They packaged the bottles so nicely and really cared about my purchase. Thank you so much to you and your whole team really appreciate the care and effort you put in. I'll definitely be ordering from them again. read more

True Sake is one helluva find. Owner Beau really knows his shit. I'm a sake lover and have since purchased 20 or so bottles from his place. All of his recommendations were spot on. The street that he's located on is great too. Fun shopping and good eating. read more

I love good sake, I love inspired design and I love anything that makes me feel like I've tip-toed into some sort of fantasy future world where everything is cute and happy and modern. So naturally, I really, really love True Sake. I get the newsletter. I whisper the "secret word" at the check-out. I am an indoctrinated devotee. The selection is tops, the shop is a case study in adorable and the staff knows their trade. Me and True Sake - we're tight. And that's no lie. read more

one of the three destinations that makes hayes a mainstay hood for this dood. don't even try coming in here if you are thinking about something to "sake bomb" with! beau is a cool-cat that not only knows his nihonshu, but effortlessly provides service to customers dependent on their needs. and when i say this, i really mean he can tell if you know what you want, if you even know what that is. like talking through your taste preferences and discussing good years for certain bottles. he really fuses the sommelier-approach towards expressing personalities of various sake, which the round-eye just EATS UP. smart. a sake-ya that is perfection in size, location, price-point and again the service. if you wanna refresh your nihonshu acumen check out their simple but extensive website that can help you figure out if you like a honjozo or daiginjo. http://www.truesake.com/sakes.php or just go in and ask him about his tastematch concept... oh and Sake San Jose is next month- http://www.sakesanjose.com/about.html read more

The place is absolutely perfect... I stumbled upon this place walkin out from HUF. They have an extensive stock of sake... They have some notes posted with the bottle that tells you a little something about the sake. You dont need to be an afficionado or a snob to enjoy this wonderful little shop. You just have to see it for yourself and experience the awesome first hand... read more

What??? A liquor store that sells only sake? Copious amounts of different kinds of lush, unfiltered and filtered sake??? Really? Why is San Francisco so cool that a sake only store (the first in the country, natch) resides in its beautiful borders?? Really??? read more

My husband and I were shopping in Hayes Valley when we came across this great shop. The sake selection is enormous. Even though my husband and I don't know much about Sake, the guy working at the store was very friendly and knowledgable, and helped us navigate the selection with ease. We chose a sake that was reasonably priced based on his recommendation and brought it to a dinner party that evening. It was a hit and everyone loved it! We'll definitely go here again! read more

So far it has been hopeless to come in here and not leave without at least a couple of bottles. I'm by no means a sake boozehound or rice-wino (*ahem*) but there's so much to try and the staff is so warm and knowledgeable, it is always a pleasure to iterate through some new section or try something groovy from a far off prefecture! 5 Stars!! read more

True Sake reminds me of why living in San Francisco is so great. A person needs specialty stores.

Nice selection of sake and friendly and knowledgable staff to help with your selection(s). Like a high end wine store, but for sake. Prices are pretty good. Almost as low as what I saw available from the internet, and you get expert advice and support a local store when you buy from True Sake, so I'll buy here. Had to coax the staff for help, they didn't just offer it when we walked in, but once we asked, they gave freely. read more

GREAT SAKE STORE! in fact I heard that this is the only Sake store in North America. They are very organized. They have their Sake broken down in different catagories seperated on different shelves such as Junmai, Ginjo, Junmai Ginjo, Daiginjo, Junmai Daiginjo, etc. The customer service was friendly, and one day I was told some great simple advice there for finding great Sake and that is that the best Sake comes from where the best water and rice is in Japan which is Kyoto and Kobe, and like most alcoholic beverages the premium Sakes are usually in a well presented bottle. TRUE SAKE LIVES UP TO IT'S NAME. IT'S THE TRUE PLACE TO GO FOR SAKE! read more

This place is awesome, wide good quality selection. Purchased a really nice sake here and it was perfect. The people are very nice and helpful. Will return. read more

...great selection of sake!!! basically if you like sake, you must stop in to buy one of everything!!! very knowledgeable and friendly employees too!!! ...how can you give anything less than 5 stars for sake!!! read more

WHAT! You can't drink sake there! This is a warning for any sake lovers out there. It is a cute and chic little sake shop and I did buy an autographed book by the owner but I can't give it 5 stars for not having a wine and beer licesnse. I had to buy a few of those snack pack sizes and drink my way home. I mean, I trekked out there from Nob Hill damnit! read more

A few months ago I had dinner at Yoshi's, and had a sparking nigori sake that was amazing. Since I am a huge fan of nigori and sparkling wine, combining the two was amazing. I wanted to try a bottle for myself so I stopped by True Sake where there were at least 6 different kinds of sparkling nigori. The salesperson completely educated me about the different kinds without seeming like a know-it-all or making me feel dumb, which often happens at wine shops in my experience. Just a great experience. read more

Owner Beau Timken has created a sake lover's paradise in at his retail store down in Hayes Valley. The staff is great about recommending sakes and helping to pair them with meals. If you really want to stand out at the next dinner party you attend, stop by True Sake and purchase a bottle (some of the packaging is itself a work of art). read more

This is the only place I know where I can find the sakes I am looking for. They have a huge selection of sakes and fresh sakes (nama sake). The only complaint is that it is all very overwhelming. What do you get??? The staff is knowledgeable. They seem friendly enough, but I wouldn't say they go out of their way to explain things. I really wish they had tastings. That would really help figure out what you like and don't like. read more

True Sake is another reason to love San Francisco. Where else in this country can you find a sake specialty store like this? Very knowledgeable staff, great selection. Just what you would hope for and expect. read more

We were there today and enjoyed their collection of sake. I have pickup on of their Nigori sake. Great place

Checked this place out a couple of days ago. Beau was great -- knowledgeable and friendly. He took time to answer lots of questions and give recommendations. I enjoy when someone is passionate about what they do. He is, and it shows. They have a fantastic selection, and don't be intimidated if you're a newbie to Sake, you will be welcome here, and you will get some of the best Sake available anywhere. read more

Huge selection, I make the trek up to SF occasionally to stock up from here. Sign up for their newsletter for some good sake reading and access to the secret word deals. They have a selection of nama sakes I have not been able to find elsewhere. read more

This place is good! Prepare to shell out few dollars for good tasting sake. They have got all varieties to satiate your palate. If you don't know where to begin, better ask the lady at the counter. Definitely a must go! read more

Went here on Nish's recommendation, I am truly amazed by True Sake's selection. The staff is great, and are always ready to offer up a suggestion for a gift, to match with food, etc. read more

I know NOTHING about Sake - except that I have enjoyed drinking it and that I'd like to be a bit more educated about what is good and what is not. So today I decided to stop by True Sake and see what I could find out. The first words out of my mouth were "I really don't know anything about Sake and I'm hoping you could help me." The very friendly lady behind the counter was more than glad to explain some of the various Sakes to me. She asked me what I was planning on eating with the Sake. I told her we were planning on doing some Japanese grilling. She asked me how many people and what my budget was. I thought that was pretty great! She suggested a few bottles, and I got the impression she really wanted me to be happy with what I purchased. I have a feeling my partner and our guests won't be disappointed. read more

Since it is the only all-sake store I have ever been in, I don't know really know what scale I am rating it on. The owner is pleased to answer all your questions. I particularly like that each type is displayed with his review/description, which includes a comparison to types of wine and beer - that really helped me imagine the differences. Also he carries bottles priced from $5 to $100+, so you can fit any budget. read more

I love this place! You can go in, have NO IDEA about Sake, and the owner, Beau, always helps you out and is not rude about it. I love that this place is all about education. The news letter is awesome because of the history of sake it always imparts and I adore that that Beau is able to impart his excitement about Sake in his writing. I am always happy to see their news letter in my in box. And, I am always glad to go and buy up a bunch of sake and share it with my wine- snob friends who are not used to drinking sake. It is so fantastic to see them experience it and love it. I am so happy we have True Sake as not simply a store, but also an opportunity for learning!!! read more

This is probably the best place to buy sake in the city. They know their products, have tasting descriptions, and have a wide selection. Most importantly they handle the sake properly to maintain good flavor. read more

Decent Sake shop. They have the same kind of sakes that you can get at Mitsuwa, Nijiya, and Marukai markets.

my extremely japanese friend and i desperately rushed to the door at 7 on the dot (after the door had already been locked) hoping to find a last-minute present for a birthday party. the woman graciously let us in and took the time to share bits and pieces of her expansive knowledge of all things sake. no joke - she's the real deal. for example, she explained that there are different types of sake for different seasons, and that sometimes there can be a -bad batch- of the same type and brand of sake. (?!?!) if you claim to have already known this, you lie. liar. to top it off, the store owner/goddess of sake doesn't exude one ounce of pretentiousness and is tirelessly patient with those out of the know. my friend, on the other hand... read more

Sake heaven!! The place is about as small as a teacup, but it does carry an interesting array of sake selections. They seem very approachable and relaxed, not attitude at all. read more