I want to love this place because the food was awesome. Unfortunately, when we told our waitress that we had a Living Social deal she treated us like crap. I hate writing bad reviews, but honestly why put a Deal up if you want to make someone feel bad for using it? It was my mum's birthday and my boyfriend wanted to take our family out to dinner (and since we don't have a ton of money he wanted to use his Living Social deal). We showed up early in the night and tried to have happy hour before our group arrived but the waitress wouldn't honor happy hour. We weren't trying to use our Living Social deal for happy hour (WE KNOW BETTER!) we just thought we'd have a few drinks, close out our tab, and then spend big on dinner. HIGHLIGHTS: They had the sashimi sampler plate and 5 sisters, they loved it. Me, not eating meat, enjoyed the soba salad, MY GIRLFRIEND which was great and the Veggie roll with the jalepeno on it (not spicy at all) Overall the food was great, but we felt so shunned by our waitress we didn't really enjoy ourselves. It was tense and awkward, and our little birthday dinner wasn't so great. The hostess and other waitresses were really nice, so who knows. Maybe we'll come back and try the happy hour. read more

Great sushi! Yellow tail/ Hamachi is so fresh. They have lots of fresh specials to choose from. Also their happy hour is great some items are 50% off including omakase, only wish more items like the Maki were included in the happy hour. But the rolls are great! The Shonen Knife was my favorite, really tender yellowtail and notes of truffle! read more

Tsunami Panhandle - Shonen Knife (top left), Papa San (lower left), The Abnormals (right/center), and the fly- fried avocado (top right). - Sushi Bars Near Me - San Francisco, California

I want people to know that this is NOT four star dining. That is my contribution to accompany these other reviews. This sushi restaurant is mediocre at best, the kitchen should close, and it should be ONLY a sake bar. It seems that's all they care about anyways - the giant sake collection. I mean they obviously didn't care that two girls who were seated at the sushi bar did NOT want a drink - no, we just wanted miso soup and edamame. We had three different people ask us if we wanted a drink. Did we look like we needed a drink? Contrary to everyone else in this city - I feel like I can go out and not have a glass of wine, a beer, or a cocktail. Sometimes. We weren't serviced well at all, and while the inside of this place and the atmosphere has encouraged me to bring more than one out of town visitor here - I probably will take them to Tokyo-Go-Go instead. That is of course after I've taken them to Ebisu. The fish at Tsunami I would was sub-par. I thought our sushi chef guy was cool, but that will not bring me back. I really don't think this place will last much longer - the only thing keeping them alive now is the USF students I think. read more

There was a bone, yes a BONE, in my sushi roll. Imagine biting into your maki roll and having the roof of your mouth stabbed with a thick one inch fish bone. The waitress (who was MIA the whole time until the end of the meal) apologized and comped us for that one roll, but this is inexcusable. The chef should've apologized and comped us for more than one measly $7 roll. Your customers should not hurt themselves by eating your food. I left with a cut on the roof of my mouth. 1 star for the really nice hostess who was so nice that we didn't mind waiting 20 minutes past our reservation time for a table. read more

There are several reasons Tsunami rocks. 1. Julia, Tsuname/Nihon Charmer extraordinaire can be found taking orders, running drinks, and generally charming the pants off of patrons a couple of nights a week. 2. It is spitting (i.e. stumbling) distance from Boy's house (which is my house, since what's his is mine). 3. Yummy sushi, yummy sushi, and more yummy sushi. 4. Delicious, dark interior, with low-lighting and seating arrangements that encourage intimate conversation and make rubbing up against the person next to you very easy. 5. Did I mention the incredibly good looking staff? There are only a few things I'm not in love with about Tsunami. 1. If you are only here for drinks and have a booming chearleader voice like myself, you may want to watch that alcohol consumption. If you do not, everyone in the bar will soon know about your sexual exploits and weekend benders. 2. Service has been snotty on two occasions. Once I was told there were no tables available for 45 minutes when the place was practically empty. 3. I know it's a sushi place and sake comes first in sushi places, but there are a few of us die hard wine drinkers who simply can't forego a big, deep red in lieu of a cold (or warm) sake. They could have more than one red on offer by the glass. (though I will say this: their by-the-bottle selection of wines is impressive for a sushi joint). Go here with friends and go here to eat. This isn't a place to go for get-the-party-started drink marathoning but I can take a night off from that every now and then. read more

One word review: HANGRY. Extended review: The ideal meal at Tsunami is a date with a total sleezebag you have no interest in ever seeing again. The advantages are many: the music is so loud that you can't actually talk to each other, its nice and dark so there's no need for eye contact. On top of that, the sushi is pretty decent, if you're not picking up the bill. You can just eat some tasty food, not interact with your date, and not worry about the cost. Unfortunately I've never dined under those circumstances. My first experience left a quite bitter taste in my brain. I went with a group to have appetizers, a beer and sake, and somehow our bill came out to $60. Each. WTF? I didn't even EAT DINNER. The second round, I went with a Groupon that took $20 off the bill. So we got a large beer to split, hamachi avocado ($11 for 4 bites), sake sashimi ($13 for 5 bites), and a poke salad ($13 for a cocktail glass full of arugula). All in all, our appetizer-sized meal cost $30 with the coupon. Good thing we ate before dinner. read more

Caution: Revamped and greatly Reduced Happy Hour "special" Not such a great happy hour deal here anymore. Now there are just a few items specially priced for happy hour (not 1/2 off), and they are not necessarily the things you would likely order otherwise. Also, the sake special went from absolutely amazing (1/2 off ANY bottle!!!) to 2-3 choices of low quality sake by the glass - $6-8 a glass, I think. Why bother? read more

I could see really liking this place if I had just moved to the city from some midwestern hellhole where they have no sushi, and was going buckwild with all my excess disposable income. Because the fish is good, and the options are creative and fun. I guess when you first encounter them, sake cocktails are fun and novel. If you're into really loud trendy places with notoriously bad service (because the staff is busy looking cool) you'll love this place. Personally, I think $90 for two people for a casual dinner out is inexcusable in my neighborhood. read more

I find it somewhat ironic that me, a self-proclaimed sushi snob, actually likes the one sushi bar in the city that's trying to be some late-nite ny-style hip lounge hang-out place. Not the kind of sushi bar I'd take seriously on first appearances. However, I've been here numerous times and it's always good! In fact, come to think of it, on my quality sf sushi hunt, this place is kind of on the top. I know it's not the most traditional, and they've got their share of commercial rolls with stuff they'd never dream of including in Japan. But, its all good! The rolls are well prepared, sushi rice is well made, fish is fresh and delicately sliced- none of these giant rice packed fishy stuff you see at many second rate sushi places around town. And it's kind of fun to be in a dimly-lit hip little spot walking distance from where I often reside, the Lower Haight. Also, the service really isn't all bad- as far as my experiences have gone. I often ask for sake recommendations, because, despite my Japanese heritage, I know nothing about it. And the servers have always been spot-on in their suggestions. Yup, I'm a fan. read more

I suppose the name might not be so in vogue these days, but that does not take away from the fact that Tsunami makes some fresh and innovative sushi. The space is sleek and modern, and as the weekend approaches the place is packed (make a reservation or beware of hour or more waits). Since this in in my neighborhood, we try and go on Mondays or Tuesdays, which is cool because it's got a nice local feeling, and we always seem to run into someone here. My only complaint I suppose is that, because it's my local sushi spot, I wish it was a little less pricey for a weekly fix. To put it in persective, it's around the same price as Blowfish and Tokyo A Go-Go. read more

This place was trash compared to other sushi restaurant in the city. The service was slow. The servers didn't look like they wanted to serve you. The food was over priced and lacking in flavor. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone looking for a good sushi restaurant in San Francisco. read more

This is my go-to place for sushi. Great cocktails and service. It is also where my friend (now BF) and I realized we had it for each other and set things into motion, thanks to Jojo's amazing concoctions. Many of them, though one or two could have gotten that job done. Hamachi kama, sashimi, seaweed salad, unagi nigiri and a roll is a full meal. I've always had great, friendly service. I've had to walk away a couple of times due to wait and no reservation, though you can usually get to the bar in a reasonable amount of time. read more

Dude I just grabbed the receipt for this place out of my bag so I could remember what was ordered and I totally did not remember dinner costing almost $200! Dafuq! Also their menu is almost identical to my former favorite bar/restaurant Nihon Whiskey Lounge. The same people own it and Corkage next door as well! We ordered the special sashimi. Two kinds were already sold out so they were serving the other three for $26 and I guess the chef gave us extra slices of hirame randomly. Weeeeeee. Toro was amazing and I was so relieved that wasn't the one that was sold out!!!! We also got scallop sashimi (($16), magic mushrooms ($9), papasan roll ($16), special ane san roll ($9), and sesame salmon roll ($14). DO NOT GET THE SESAME SALMON ROLL!!!!! So bad. The sesame oil is super bitter. Whack whack whack. The table next to us ordered almost everything we ordered and we watched them eat the sesame salmon roll and it looked like they didn't like it either!! The Yaegaki Sake is the best nigori I've ever had!!!!!! I just picked the second cheapest (definitely not even cheap at $45 wtf) since their cheapest one is the Sho Chiku Bai one that I get all the time for like $8 at the grocery store. The Yaegaki almost has a lychee after taste. Its sitting in the trunk of my car right now I wonder if I can still drink it?! Hmmmm.. Our waitress Tiffany was awesome. TWINSIES!!! She reminded me of an Olsen twin but it might be because I dreamt about the Olsen twins the night before. Desserts are whack. Your only options are generic green tea cheesecake you can get at any sushi place, mochi you can buy at any grocery store, and their in house brownie. Skip this place for dessert and walk across the street to Candybar! Thats what we did...as did the table next to us _ Parking is super hard. We were also 30 minutes late for our 9pm resos but called in and they were able to accommodate us on a Friday night! read more

I came here for Tsunami's Friday happy hour specials and was just blown away. We're were seated at the sushi bar and was immediately greeted by chefs Adachi and Thomas - very friendly and easygoing chaps. It was a treat to watch these guys in action. The rolls they cranked out behind the counter were quite a sight for this hungry hippo. I got to sample their various exceptional hand rolls filled with succulent scallops, melt-in-your-mouth avocado, savory eel, and tasty hamachi. I've had plenty of hand rolls roaming around Chicago, but this is the first place that was able to make hand rolls that still has crispy nori by the time it gets to me. What a difference! You can't go wrong with anything on their menu. I can order blindfolded knowing that Tsunami has got sushi down pat. In fact, that may make things easier since their numerous selections got me dizzy trying to decide what to order. I'll be sure to drop by whenever I'm in town. read more

This place sucks. We came in here thinking it was a chill spot with cool ambiance which is was. It had a cool ambiance, but other than that it sucked! We came in and they sat us down and no one was waiting on us so 2 of my friends got up and decided to order a beer from the bar. The girl at the bar asked him if he wanted table service, but we just wanted drinks. She then told him this is NOT a bar. When it freakin says whisky BAR outside of the place in bright lights. It looks like a bar, its sounds like a bar, and it feels like a bar. What's the big deal? We just wanted to get a beer, no one was serving us anyways! Who cares we'll still tip you regardless! Definition of bougie SF right here! it's places like this that ruins the city. We just came for drinks and all we got was attitude. Quit trying to be something you're not, you're in the Bay for crying out loud, be coo. read more

I feel like this review should be written as a short story or maybe even a novella, but my night at tsunami was almost too crazy/incomprehensible to even bother going into all the details. So here are some highlights: - Delicious sushi and an incredibly nice staff - Wasabi roulette* - Awesome japanese whiskey - A deep discussion about the merits of marriage with one of the waitresses - A wasabi-eating contest** Overall great night, and I'd love to go again... if they let me and my friends back in. _____________________________________ *This is like russian roulette where each person takes 1 piece of sushi from a plate of 6... and one has a shitload of wasabi hidden underneath the fish. **The sushi chefs actually created pieces of hamachi sushi where the rice was replaced by a giant mound of wasabi. I handled my shit. My friend (name redacted) did not and proceeded to throw up green slime all over the sushi bar. This was horrifically gross. read more

Just OK. The happy hour sushi rolls are a nice deal - but frankly, I could only eat and enjoy the spicy tuna. The rest was blah. Their other non happy hour dishes sound great and I would like to come back and try more. The Tuna with truffle oil was GREAT. Very good, sake menu...Will try one more time.... read more

It's official: Alyssa G and I are now regulars at Tsunami and this new status isn't even self-proclaimed. Their wonderful staff has acknowledged us as regulars and we couldn't be any happier about it! I've only been a handful of times, but each visit exceeds the previous. The sake selection is stellar and the whiskey choices at the whiskey/sake bar are endless. Jo Jo (sp?) was working the bar on my last trip I must say he is one of the most engaging and friendliest people I've come across in SF. Start off with one of the several seaweed salads to choose from -- all light and refreshing. The nigiri is extremely fresh. I highly recommend the walu, salmon, albacore, and scallop nigiri. If you're into special rolls, there is a relatively wide selection. Most notable is the behemoth Spider Roll, which Tsunami boasts as the largest roll in the city (even the skeptic in me can't argue their label). The atmosphere is hip and sexy. Good date spot, but also apt for a small group of friends. I recommend getting a reservation if planning to go during prime business hours. Sorry Tataki, but I now have a new favorite in town. Should Tsunami break my heart, I might come crawling back....but until then you'll find over at Tsunami! read more

A friend and I happened to stumble upon this place after a movie night out in Japan Town. We came at almost closing time, so it was hardly a wait. This place was collectively awesome. The ambiance, the service and especially the food. Everything on our table were great and something I'd definitely have again. You must just try the following: tako wasabi (raw octopus), tsunami crab salad, my girlfriend (sweet potato-sweet and spicy) and roll of the mama san and scorpion. The only sad thing about this place is that it's a bit of a drive from me. Why can't I just live next door? Hay... read more

They're open on Mondays AND until 2 AM most days of the week (and serve sushi til 1!), so they had one star before I walked through the door. The bfriend and I have walked passed it a zillion times and finally got to have dinner there last night to celebrate my promotion. It ended up being the perfect spot to do so. We got seated right away without a reservation (it was late on a Monday night, though), and had the sweetest waitress. She was quick with our drink orders and apps and made the specials and everything on the menu sound amazing. [Side note: I'll go back for the extensive saki menu, but was in a red wine mood last night. Only three choices by the glass, fyi.] It's a small place, as most great sushi bars are, so we sat practically on top of a vociferous table of four thirtysomething women who were taking advantage of hall passes to outdrink each other. I decided it is my karma, since I am usually the inappropriate, loud martini drinker, so I can't ding the establishment for that. We had the sashimi plate, which I get at every sushi restaurant since I don't eat rice. Most places just throw some sliced fish on a plate and call it good, so I was pleasantly suprised by Tsunami's presentation and fish choice. The cuts were not too thin or thick and the chef's choice was a very complimentary mix of hamachi, a buttery hawaiian fish, salmon, and ahi tuna. Freakin delicious. The bfriend also had the Mt. Tam and the Alamo Square, which he loved. The prices are sushi prices, that is to say, you're not getting out cheap. But we're talking about raw fish, so I'd rather pay up than throw up. We paid $88 for two with two glasses of wine and two apps. I hope I get promoted again soon so I can go back! ;) read more

This is my favorite place for sushi in San Francisco. It has a young, hip friendly vibe great for meeting people and great, high quality sushi. *busts out his sushi checklist* I've been getting very objective about how I judge a sushi place. Maguro: Is there more fish than rice? Yes. Saba: Is it fishy? No. Is it marinated? Yes. Unagi: Do they marinate it there? Yes. Does it melt in your mouth? Yes. Uni: Is it bright, yellow and firm? Yes. Egg or Tomago: Is it fluffy and juicy? Yes, and the pros know how to make egg sushi like this. Toro: Is it pink and fatty? Does it almost pop in your mouth? Yes and yes. Style points: Do the chefs make sushi with a rhythm? Think Morimoto, the Iron Chef, and how he moves. His movements are quick and efficient, and show that he's not using pre-made stuff. It's all raw ingredients from scratch. Yes, the sushi chefs at Tsunami got rhythm. These guys get 5 stars and a beer from me. Ya, if you like the service, you should get your chef a beer. read more

3.5 again and rounded to 4. This place is at the corner and looks very inconspicuous. The door is really large and thick so I think it blocks out most of the traffic noise on the street. The interior is very nicely decorated. You can be seated in these lounge chairs, the bar, or at a long table with high chairs. It feels like a little oasis from the chaos of the rest of the world. They have happy hour until 7PM everyday and some food items from appetizers to beer are half off! We picked a good selection from that including some sake, seaweed salad, friend octopus, and fried mushrooms. All of which are very tasty. They also have interesting names, like one dish, sweet caramelized potato is called "My Girlfriend" but I didn't like that particular dish much. The sushi rolls are just okay. I think they may be a bit fusion? I liked the Shonen Knife more than the Dragon Ash. I think I can see myself coming here for appetizers and the happy hour items. But I didn't feel like I enjoyed the sushi pieces much. The wait staff is really friendly, attentive, and sweet. They do happen to wear low cut shirts too, which I found to be a little distracting. Overall I think this is a good place for happy hour items, appetizers and side orders. They are actually pretty filling too. And to that end, they also have a large selection of alcoholic items like sake, beer, and wine. I would probably look elsewhere for better sushi. The ambiance is really nice and high end, so I can see it being a good place to hang out between meals. read more

I remember when this place was cool and the rolls were tasty and interesting. Now the food's OK, not great -- certainly not bad. But not exciting either. Seems like half of what they serve comes with Jalapeño. I like Jalapeño, but what else can you do to make your rolls interesting? If you stick to the catch of the day, you'll probably be really happy. The fish we had from that menu was excellent. My friend and I went last night, and got seated right away at the communal table with no res. Awesome. Service was OK, if a little pushy. We got out for just under $140 for food + 3 beers (with tip), and I have to say, for that price, I expect to be a lot more satisfied. Especially in this city. read more

Came across this place one late night. Its a really cute and intimate place. Softly lit. Extensive list of wines and Sake.Strong drinks and scrumptious appetizers (from what I've tried)! I only got to try their appetizers. And the one I remembered from that night and definitely recommend is their MARS ATTACK (fried baby octopus)! Very savory, cute, and yummy! It was almost too cute to eat! ;P Makes a great place for any fun and intimate occasion. read more

THIS PLACE DOESN'T CARE IF THEY LIGHT YOU ON FIRE. Just sayin'... Saturday night. Meandered our way over from Candybar, (which is 5+ starts by the way) because we needed something other than dessert in our bellies. Cute Tsunami hostess took down my cell number and said she'd call in 30 minutes when a table for four was ready. How nice! Yay. Walk over to Fly Bar for a drink while we wait (5+ stars by the way) and then +45 minutes pass, no call. Bah. Walk back to Tsunami, query about the no call. We are asked to wait a few. Okaaay. The doorway is crowded so I weaseled my way against the wall near the door to let others enter the main and only entrance. Whatever, I'll wait...I'm so excited for sushi. Mmm, sushi. Woah, what's that smell? My friend yells that my hair is on fire. Great. I'm hungry AND on fire. The wall next to the door is lit with votive candles. One on each thin shelf, so about eight or nine flames total. And my ponytail fell right into one. The entire restaurant smelled like burning hair. Ew. The hostess apologized. She said "this isn't the first time that's happened." WHAT. ARE YOU KIDDING ME. If this happened before WHY do you still light candles in this area where people WILL STAND TO WAIT to be seated. The wall of candles is the ONLY POSSIBLE PLACE TO WAIT FOR A TABLE. And why is this wall STLL COVERED IN CANDLES if it has ignited hair of MORE THAN ONCE? That's not a mistake, that's just stupid. "The owner doesn't want to get rid of the candles because it is part of the atmosphere." Oh yea, the atmosphere of hair fire? Crap. Meh, two stars. The food was good. read more

Either I've gotten cheaper or the food isn't as good because the price to taste ratio doesn't line up for me any more. $75 for a dinner that would have probably cost us $25 less at another sushi joint while we're smooshed at a communal table amongst strangers just wasn't quite what I had in mind. I used to think of this as a great date spot - now I guess it's just good if you have a big group with deep pockets. Pumped that they have a liquor license now though! read more

I was so excited in seeing a sushi place having a promotion in Groupon. $40 for a $70 value meal. Sounds great, right?... NAH!!!! I must say that this might have been one of the worst sushi places i've ever been at. I'd take a couple of buffet type of restaurant over the taste of their sushi. I'm not a sushi expert, but I do think that I enjoy sushi alot. This make me confident in saying that their food is not tasty. I do however feel that their place is nice, a little cramped but that's what San Francisco is about. What we ordered were: Miso Soup - Bland (I've haid instant miso soup, and I'd pick it over theirs') Sparerib Carnitas - I enjoyed this the most Mix Tempura - Overdone,, might also needed more soda water, because i found it doughy. Wagyu Beef Sushi - overdone, and i also question if it was wagyu grade. It was lean and chewy.. more like safeway london broil cut. haha PapaSan Roll - the hints of cream cheese Scorpion Roll - meh. I don't want to sound very nitty picky but I tell you, It's not good at all. Although... what amazes me are the previous reviews and the amount of people that actually goes there... baffling!!! The decor was great and it has a modern feel and vibe to the restaurant. The food presentation was also excellent. But the food, which i think is the most important part of a restaurant was lackluster. If you like the modern feeling of a sushi restaurant, I'd recommend blowfish sushi in portrero. For tasteful and pricey sushi (at least the price is justified), ho to Kiss, Saru or Kabuto. read more

I've always wanted to try this place. It's down the street from my apartment and usually hoppin'. After reading reviews of it though, I hesitated. So many people said it was overpriced/overhyped that I continued to consider it for dinners out, then opted for whatever other place I'd been wanting to try. This past Saturday though, feeling extremely lazy, I gave up trying to think of another place and made a reservation at Tsunami. Mark this in the "hooray for being a slug" column. The fish and oysters were fresh and yummy. My beer and my wife's wine were refreshing and priced just like beer and wine are priced at 99% of the restaurants in the city. And the service was fine. I understand that some people don't like to spend $100 on sushi (our total bill, tax & tip included) but when I wanna take my lady out on the town, I don't want to sit around a sushi boat with some IKEA paper lanterns thrown up for decoration. In other words, I was pleasantly surprised by Tsunami and consider this proof that I should be lazy more often. read more

OK, I honestly don't get it Yelp. Tsunami has 3.5 stars while Elephant Sushi has 4.5? First things first, I am not a casual sushi guy. I love sushi, and am always trying new nigiri. I prefer the more traditional sushi restaurants and don't often order rolls, but sometimes you want stylish, trendy sushi, and in that category, this is BY FAR our favorite in the city. Ambiance is fantastic. It is sexy, stylish, and a very LA vibe. Drink menu is fantastic, with a really nice selection of whiskey (including some great Japanese ones). It can be a long wait, but you can wait in the next door wine bar Corkage (they even share a bathroom) and even bring your unfinished drink in to Tsunami when your name is called. OK, but now on to the fish. First, their specialty rolls are great. You can actually taste the ingredients, and the sauces/seasonings/other ingredients complement the fish nicely. The Mama San is my favorite sushi roll in the city, hands down. Spicy, flavorful, good size, just really excellent. Absolutely a must order. Their nigiri, for a "trendy" sushi place, is also quite good and way better than it needs to be...for this type of place, they go beyond what is expected in my opinion and I really appreciate it. We went just last night and had the sampler of the chef's special Nigiri of the day, and had some really incredible stuff. Two different types of Aji, marinated salmon, Toro (and an unbelievably flavorful one at that), bincho, fresh hirame, an unbelievable cut of Maguro (and I thought I was bored of straight tuna), etc. The only piece we weren't wowed by was the river salmon. It is not all from Japan, but it is all very fresh, good portions, amazing flavors, and a nice balance of wasabi. The "Chef's Catch" portion of the menu always offers 7-10 great nigiri/sashimi daily specials on top of the standards offered on the normal menu. Their uni on a spoon is great, Mars Attacks is fun, overall a really great place. Now compare this to an Elephant Sushi where a) the specialty rolls are drenched in overpowering sauces to the point where it doesn't even matter what fish is in it, and b) the fish itself (nigiri, etc) is severely lacking in even the most basic types and not even close to fresh. We've spit things out at Elephant before (and I promise we aren't as high maintenance as we sound!). It's not Ino folks, I get it. But if you are looking for an upscale date night with great rolls, inventive appetizers, solid depth to their drink choices on all fronts, and most importantly really fresh fish for nigiri and sashimi with a ton of interesting options, this place does it in spades. The best choice for trendier sushi in the city. read more

Sashimi: Got Salmon & tuna - Fresh, Large, thick slices (get your mind out of the gutter!!). I'd say within top 90% freshness factor (according to taste/appearance/smell (lack thereof). Rolls were ok... flavors were a bit bland but we didn't get the traditional winners (spicy tuna etc). Liquor: Pretty good sized whiskey/scotch collection (esp Japanese). Venue: Trendier than most stereotypical sushi places. Good for both dates & general dinners. Not too dark, not too loud. Outfit: Dressy tank, jeans, boots & casual jacket. Resos: Yes. But, the way they do it is weird. Even though we made resos in advance we got seated at the communal table instead of the cute asian style seating along the walls - PLUS most of those tables were empty. So, I guess specify whilst making the reso? They're cute for dates/small grps. read more

Globalization at its best (or worse depending how you want to look at it): Japanese restaurant with half Japanese chefs with white host/waitress who only want to serve white patrons. Felt very un-welcomed here the second we stepped in. Host was busy checking himself out and I had the slight impression that the only two waitresses available were playing Rochambeau to see who would serve us. Food is alright but the shoju is pretty good if you are there for happy hour (before 7pm). It gets packed quickly by 6:30pm on a Friday so either have a reservation or come early. Overall a pretty lame, gimmick restaurant for white people trying to get in touch with their "cultured" side. ========== -3 Stars for everything listed above *2 Stars out of 5* read more

I was worried since I had read the reviews and was lucky to experience good service that night. I made reservations but we clearly did not need them on a Tuesday since it was pretty empty. The ambiance is great. Very nice place to have dinner and a good talk. I had the Magic Mushrooms, the MDMA, the chicken Karaage, the Wagyu nigri, the Radio Crunchy, the Scorpion, and the Stuffed shitake. Food was definitely overpriced and most of the sushi was cooked which I thought defeated the purpose for the price. The only raw sushi we had did not taste fresh. Overly sauced and salty. Fairly small portions. Also, almost everything was fried. Definitely not authentic but interesting combos but not worth the hefty price tag. Even with the $70 Groupon, a dinner for two with one large sake was more than a very filling and delicious dinner at Nopa. FYI the Groupon does not include alcohol. It was good enough but I've had better for that price (ex. Kabuto) and I've had cheaper for Tsunami's quality (ex. Blue Fin sushi). read more

I've lived in the neighborhood forever and have been coming here since they opened. It's been a good neighborhood staple all these years, but after last night I felt compelled to write a review, because it's going downhill. The atmosphere, service, and drink selection are all very good as usual. The food however has come down in terms of quality, portion size, and presentation. Unfortunately the prices are heading in the other direction at the same time. Nothing we ordered was bad, but nothing was good either. Boo. read more

I am a recent sushi-convert (I can't believe I held out this long) and love this local restaurant. The service is great, the full bar is unbeatable on busy nights if you don't want to cram into tiny local bars that only serve beer and wine, and the sushi was delicious. I have to agree that the Scorpion Roll was super memorable, the Ambiance is great (hip but not too lounge-y, still very comfortable and neighborhood-y), and the Service was perfect. We only come in during happy hour, but I agree the prices can be fairly steep. When you're looking for fresh fish and high quality sashami, I don't mind paying a few bucks extra. Haven't been there on a weekend, but on a weeknight the place is pretty empty before 6:00pm - by 6:30 there is a good crowd and by 8:00 it's busy. read more

So my friend and I finally went out for my birthday dinner (exactly 4 months after my birthday) We both were craving sushi and this was the closest place to to snag a bite before heading out. Well after a 45 minute wait and 2 Lychee Mermaids later we sat down at the sushi bar and destroyed roll after roll until we both felt like we might pop. Everything was absolutely fabulous. I wouldnt have changed anything off my order. I wish my belly was bigger though so I could have eatten more. Icing on the cake... United gives double miles at this place now. I was practically able to pay for a flight to europe after this meal! Now the real question is when I'm going to be able to get to that part ot town again for round 2. read more

I've eaten here twice now and had the same experience both times. The fish is better than many sushi places in the city, but the construction of the nigiri and maki is mediocre at best. Rice is apparently not Tsunami's strong suit. On my first visit, I went with a group of friends and tried just about every roll on the menu. I don't recall any of their speciality maki having fish inside. If you want fish in your roll, you'll have to stick to the standards that you can find at every other sushi place in San Francisco. On my second visit, I stuck mostly to the fish, sharing a 16 piece sashimi plate with my friend. The cuts of fish were very fresh and average-sized - not too small, but not exactly generous either. We found ourselves hungry after eating the sashimi and a bincho tataki (seared albacore) salad, so we ordered a Five Sisters roll. The Five Sisters roll is a California roll topped with maguro, sake, hamachi, ebi and avocado. The menu online says it's also topped with kani, but ours was not. To Tsunami's credit, their California roll mix is laden with crab and light on the mayo, but the construction left much to be desired. Several pieces of the roll fell apart. As usual, this review is getting longer than I intended, so let me quickly explain the two star rating. Despite the above average fish, the prices here are just way too high to justify a return visit. The interior, like all of Musa DiJani's joints, is beautifully appointed, so I suspect you're paying a lot for that. Finally, a few recommendations: If you value a beautiful interior, Tsunami is great. If you care more about rolls and a party atmosphere, Mas Sake at Lombard & Webster might be more to your liking. If you want better fish at a better price, but in a more reserved atmosphere, try Okoze at Hyde & Union. read more

Tsunami and a group of friends is a recipe for post-meal hunger-ridden arguments about how to split the $600 bill for what seemed to be $150 worth of food and drinks. Tsunami does serve high quality fish, but the fact that it would probably take at least $300 worth of ridiculously small portions of it to fill up one average eater is unacceptable. Service was so-so, atmosphere was nice in a run-of-the-mill kind of way. Overall a pretty lame restaurant and I definitely would not recommend it. read more

Tsunami is just the best. Please just go here. The chef's choice is.... Chef's kiss! You won't be disappointed.

We barely made it here for happy hour and selection of food is pretty decent. I don't remember all the items my friends ordered but it was all really good. I had a potato with a spicy kick to it and I also had a soba salad. I thought it was only soba...silly me. My friends all got drinks as well and the food kept coming. We also got a dessert which was quite delicious. I'm not a huge cheesecake fan but let me tell you the green tea cheesecake was tasty. The atmosphere is very chill too. I'm not sure if I'd go during the regular hours but the happy hour is pretty decent. read more

If you're down for expensive sushi, overpriced sake, and slow service...this is the place to go! We went for our friends 21st birthday and I arrived after all my friends had arrived, only to find out that the lady had given us a "special discount" on their sake only to pressure us into ordering a bottle. She had already suckered my friends into placing an order on a $90 bottle of sake (originally priced at $130ish or something). It was really good sake, it went down smooth but it was sooooooo not worth $90. I would have been content with having a $20 bottle of sake and not really have noticed a difference, besides the fact that we could have sake bombed the cheaper sake and not felt guilty about it. Handrolls are 50% off before 7pm, also known as their Happy Hour, and they were pretty good. Just keep in mind that the handrolls in which you don't know what they are, usually turn out to be vegetarian ones. We had ordered more Unagi & Avacado Temaki (handrolls) and when they came 30 minutes later, I noticed that they only had avocados in them! I don't know if our server was trying to trick us by charging us for the Unagi temaki by giving us only avocados in them, but whatever it was, she was sorry about it and gave us our correct order. Their sushi sounded good on their menu, but after having being served them, they weren't that wow-ing. Make sure to have reservations before you go, otherwise the wait is long. The one thing I liked about this restaurant was the fact that their drink menu is bigger than their food menu -- my kind of place to be but then again, I'm labeled as an alcoholic. Kinda harsh but the truth hurts. read more