Elephant Sushi Reviews

Worth the wait walk by early and prepare for an hour wait, but well worth it! Have as much as you can, cause the wait is so long!

Being an European I am kind of bored when people in the US use "awesome" almost any given moment. Ususally I discount a few excitements-levels to map it to my scale of pleasure. At Elefant Sushi I even would forgive the food not catching up with this hip and cool place; but it does. Compliment. Young asian people, not necessarily japanese, are running this place, serving creative and delicious food and are naturally friendly and fast. We had the joy to be co-seated exceptionally friendly guests from Chicago. Simply awesome...and this is no fake news.

My son invited us to have sushi at this hole-in-the-wall sushi bar located in the Tenderloin district. It only seats ten (maybe 12?) at the bar. Their menu consisted of sashimi items, nigiri, rolls and specials. Each one of the dishes we ordered was absolutely delicious, fresh and chopstick worthy (whatever that means 🤨)! Check out the pics. My favorite was the Beastie Boys followed by the albacore tataki. The others came in a very close third. I usually would put the uni as top billing but my son got to them before I did! It wasn’t a budget sushi place but well worth it for at least a try. Ima come back just with the wife. It can be as romantic as you want it to be but it’s a sushi bar, right?

I've been there almost 3 months ago, i still remember how the sushi was, really good. I tried a lot of sushi restourant between America and italy. This one has the best japanese food ever in my opinion. A little bit expensive but worth the price. My friend and i for 4 rolls + 2 beers 80$

Eh, not great sushi, more of an American-sushi place. Fine service , and not awful, just nothing special.

Place for sushi lovers, bar only sitting allows you to see the food being prepared. We tried the toro nigiri and a couple of rolls, top quality sushi and casual atmosphere, we loved the place.

Let me start out by saying that I'm not a huge sushi fan. I enjoy sushi but was dining with a real sushi aficionado. I let my dining partner order three rolls which were all amazing. Of course, we had to try the Flaming Sea Bass, which was awesome (cooked in tin foil over a flame right at your table). Very limited wine selection: one red wine (Chianti), one white wine (Sauvignon Blanc) and saki plus several beers. Chianti and sushi made a strange pairing. Waitress was awesome - very helpful and attentive. Restaurant is small, but timing is everything and we walked in on a Saturday night around 7 pm with no wait. Friends with a party of 5 told us they were turned away, so avoid if you have a large party who wants to sit together.

Sushi was delicious and fresh. Service fast and friendly. They are also very knowledgeable about gluten allergies and can make most of their menu items gluten free. Tip: Go early. You can't make a reservation and this place is popular, fills up fast. We went around 6:30 PM on a Saturday and only had to wait about 10 minutes.

Everything on the menu is fish. So be prepared to only eat fish. The wait was long, but the sushi was average.

Thank you Ana at the front desk for accomodating us. We are staying in SF for a week and I found Elephant Sushi on Yelp on the plane ride from NYC to SF. Before I even took off from JFK, Elephant Sushi already looked delicious. But we sadly found out it ws closed two days out of the week and not open for lunch. Basically only opened for 5 days out of the week for 4 hours. What kind of restaurant does this? When we got there we were quoted over a 2 hr wait at 9PM and fortunately we were seated at 9:50PM. I dont think I would be able to wait longer than that. The food there is solid. Get the Yamachi Sashimi appetizer and the flaming sea bass in the foil. That roll is the most delicious out of all the ones we tried and I am a sushi snob. Its more fushion sushi then sushi at its purest form. If you are ok with that, and come early at like 6PM on a weekday, then yes, its a great spot to have dinner. If they quote you an hr wait, you can kill some time by eating at the ice cream shop around the corner. That is delicious and only was a 5 min wait :)

Delicious and great service. What more could I want? We started with a cocktail and the “Chips and Dip”, which is like a poke dish, and I knew I was in for a good time. I’d go back just for that. We had rolls and the flaming seas bass and it was all super delicious. Can’t wait to return.

Very nice sushi bar in SF, always crowded and very popular. The sushi tastes great and the prices are fair, the environment is nice, my husband and I had a great time and would definetly recommend.

I had been at Elephant Sushi at the previous location in 2016. As I had a good experience food wise, I returned a couple of days ago. Very disappointing. The food was not at sushi's best - lots of toppings and lacking personality. The place was extremely noisy, almost unbearable. Not restaurant's fault, but some people were literally shouting and yelling, not simply talking. I went out with a terrible headache. Will not return.

I visited the Russian Hill location and thought the food was fresh and delicious. The rolls were creative - really enjoyed the Giants roll (salmon and heirloom tomatoes). The service was good and the prices reasonable

Wow! Just wow! We eat a lot of sushi and have never seen such an outstanding menu. Highly recommend the Ochi chef roll (sp?) and fish and chips appetizer. Service was friendly and amazing. Highly recommend

I'm glad I stumbled onto this place. I was staying at a hotel nearby and saw some good reviews so I went to check it out. I had a sashimi bowl and it blew my mind. Everyone that worked there was very friendly as well. I'll definitely be back next the next time I'm in SF.

I discover this Sushi place almost a year ago, and I can surely say that for me it's the tastiest seafood in San Francisco. Im glad you open outdoor again! YUM 😻🤤

I have been told that this is the place for great sushis in San Francisco. The restaurant is small as it is family run. Therefore it can get crowded. I got lucky as solo to go directly to the bar. The rolls were delicious with new combinations of flavors: Sometimes crazy but always goods: flamed sea bass or the red&yellow. Quality has its price and it was really worth it.

The butter fish was as velvety as the baritone voice of our server. Amazing sushi. Recommended: White Out, Ya Mon, Godzilla, chip and dip were all favorites. Ask for Emanuel.

So amazing we went two nights in a row. the fish was exceptionally fresh, the service was great, and the ambiance added to the overall experience (great music). make sure to try the trout sashimi, definitely the best thing on the menu. the prices were also reasonable. a must try if in san francisco.

Absolutely loved our dinner here. The sushi rolls are incredibly original and tasty. The fish is super fresh. It’s a small place and it fills up quickly so get there early!

A little bit off. Good Sushi but if you are Sushi lover who has been around and tested around the world, you won´t be woowed.

Whenever I'm craving sushi, which is frequently, this is my spot! I bring all my friends from out of town here as the fish is so fresh and just melts in your mouth. Everything is presented well and the service is attentive as there is always a wait outside but it's totally worth it! Mid-week you can sometimes avoid a wait if you get there early.

The restaurant is very small so prepare to wait a bit. We got lucky and were seated right away. Great atmosphere. It did take probably 30-40 minues for our sushi to come out so that was pretty long but other than that no complaints. Plenty of sushi options. You can't go wrong with choice of sushi -- everything we had was AMAZING. I'll definitely go here again next time I'm in San Francisco.

Was given this restaurant as a suggestion by a friend who lives in the bay area. I told her I wanted a top quality sushi place. She said all San Francisco sushi is great, but I need to try this place. For starters its kinda of the tourist path, which I love! I prefer eating like the locals because you tend to get away from the gimmicky places and get a real taste of wherever you may be. So, Elephant Sushi Happened! I cant say enough about this place! I walked up on it and noticed it was closed. But seen it was opening in like 25 minutes. decided to wait it out. It is a very small place seating maybe 20-30 at most. Within the 25 minute wait it went from me and my wife waiting to about 20 of us waiting, So I knew it was gonna be amazing! When we got inside and seated, the handed out a very well presented little sample of "butter fish". It was amazing. I was instantly on the hook. So we ordered a pretty serious layout for ourselves. Now, I could try to explain the orgasmic flavors flowing through every mouthful, But I will save that for you to experience.

Really Good....I mean REALLY. We were 5 which is very difficult in this small restaurant. The sushi and service was very good. Our favorites were Flaming Seabass, Ya Man Roll, and Red Dragon. Coming early was a must for a group more than 2. Usually a line is out the door. Well worth the wait and the troubles finding a parking spot. Highly recommended if you like sushi. Kind of price - but then this is San Francisco!

The excellent attentive staff delivers well crafted clever configurations of traditional favorites that exceed expectations. The innovative chefs are playful as they blend the oriental and the occidental. They caper olive oil with sashimi and roasted garlic.the flaming sea bass is a must as the fog rolls in across Russian hill. The blue flame will keep you warm. This is an intimate dining experience that needs to be indulged again and again to appreciate the genius of the menu

Fantastic sushi and great service! We visited on Saturday in the evening and expected to wait for the table. But it was worth the wait! Flaming sea bass is to die for! Great selection of rolls to share, all freshly prepared. It's a must.

You have to get the butterfish, its a mild fish and they prepare it perfectly. I've been to many high-end sushi destinations and this place does not disappoint. Get there early though it packs out in a hurry.

Craving for sushi for dinner since my last visit to SF to Shizen, a veggie sushi kiosk, was a disappointment. Got best review on yelp for the area and we would give it a try. The place is really small and to my seeing only accomodates 15 people max. It was packed that night and since its the best in the area, i didnt mind waiting. The waitress said it would be 30-45 mins and ended up we waited for 1 hour and 15 mins. The fish meat ratio to rice was great. The cut was thick and you will taste the freshness of any fish you order. Unfortunately, i have tasted better sushi and this one is not on the list. It was fresh but nothing was remarkable, both to my tummy or to my palate. Nothing surprised me to make me wanna come back. I always go back if the sushi was great. But adding the waiting time and the not so amazing sushi, i will not do so.

Aside from the hour-long wait, it was the best sushi experience I've had in a long time. The prices were very reasonable, the fish was fresh, and the serving sizes were good for the prices. They had $5 lychee martinis and $2 sake bombs. They even gave us some free sake! The hostess, Lisa, was very nice and accommodating (even with the crazy wait). I started with the chips & dip (very fresh tuna) , then I had the Himalayan Trout (also fresh and nice presentation) and the grand finale was the Flaming Sea Bass (comes out in a plate on fire!). Both of these plates were absolutely amazing and very filling. The service was great, with a friendly waitress and fast servings. As for the atmosphere, they had awesome reggae playing in the background, dim lighting, and nice blend of modern and traditional setting.

We had really excellent sushi, and different kinds of fish sashimi, with 2 cocktails. It was really good, but the price was too high in our opinion. So for special occasions....

My wife & I had dinner here on a Thursday night & it was amazing. We were advised by our daughter to get here early or the wait could be long, so we arrived around 6:00 P.M. & were seated immediately. At this time, only a few tables occupied & the bar had 2 people. I found the service to be awesome. All the servers were very friendly & very helpful. We started with drinks, I had a Kirin beer & my wife had a small sake. I thought the price for the beer was a little high at $8.00, but my wife's sake was $5.00, which I thought was reasonable. We started with the Himalayan Trout, which is the fresh Salmon seasoned & served on a slab of salt. 6 pieces of sashimi was $20.00, but it was excellent. The salmon was so fresh, it seemed to just melt in my mouth. What a great start to our meal. Next, we shared the Yummy Pocket, which is 2 Inari Sushi (seasoned fried tofu filled with sushi rice) topped with seasoned spicy scallops. This was an absolutely fantastic dish. I am so happy we tried this, soooo good. My wife ordered 2 rolls to share, Red Dragon & Spicy Salmon. I'm not a fan of these types of rolls. I would much rather eat sashimi or nigiri sushi. The rolls were good & my wife enjoyed them. Lastly, we shared 2 orders of the Sake Nigiri, salmon sushi. Really incredible how good these were. May be a little pricy at $6.00 per order, but they were great. Again, the salmon so fresh & tasty, it just seemed to melt in my mouth. We kept commenting on how good the food was, as we enjoyed our meal. I know we'll be back & I can't wait. Other items on the menu to try. We left he restaurant about 7:00 P.M. & al the tables were occupied & the bar was full. Long line outside waiting for a table.

Very small informal sushi bar. Most likely you should wait some time prior to being seated but you can have a drink at the easy-going bar next door. It is worth waiting as the sushi is surprisingly different from what you may expect. Innovative, tasteful, fresh and delightfully prepared on the spot. Just try any of the proposals. I had Himalayan Trout, Red & Yellow, Yummy Pocket and Caviar Toro and I was really happy about all of them, with an extra star for some but only as a personal taste bias. A must if you are in Central SF and look for something special yet very informal. The service is also very good.

A small venue, it gets busy fast. Luckily we were aware of this and arrived just before opening (6pm). We had been told about the Flaming Sea Bass and it didn't disappoint. Our kids had the rainbow rolls and salmon nigiri and said it was the best they'd ever had. Super quick and efficient service, wish we hadn't left this til the last night of our trip so that we could have gone back!

On our last day of our vacation we had no plans yet for dinner. We just had some nice wine and cheese at Union Larder when we walked outside and passed Elephant sushi. As sushi lover, I immediately suggested to have dinner there. It was not open yet (from 18:00) but some people where already waiting in front of the restaurant. A good sign I hoped. And yes it was! At 18:00 when they opened, the restaurant was filled up right away with everyone that had been waiting. We got our drinks quite quick and ordered a few rolls. We had the Red & Yellow roll, Albacore roll, Red Dragon, salmon sashimi and avocado roll. It all looked very nice and tasted delicious. Perfect dinner! Would recommend it for sure!

Love this place, the sushi is so fresh, waited for 20 min to get a table, all dishes have a twist to it, loved the taco sushi :)

A long walk from our place but a short wait, and seated quickly. Very pleasant polite knowledgable service all throughout. Food was fun, tasty and very fresh. A great little neighbourhood gem. $$$

This is excellent sushi! Only downside is the inability to get a reservation. You need to be there at 6pm (or 10 minutes earlier) to be sure and secure a table. They really can't accommodate parties over 4 comfortably. They have one table under a set of stairs for parties of 5 or more. Go if you have 2 people in your party. They keep those tables turning for parties of 2. Anyway, the food is excellent....no complaints there.

Hands down just about the most fresh sushi and sashimi I've tasted. It's a small sushi bar and the wait was nearly an hour on a Friday evening. But it's worth it. Service, once seated, was fast and friendly.

Great quality and nice variety of rolls and sashimi! The service and atmosphere is lively and fun. They also have a great beer and sake selection as well. High recommend it!!!!!

Flaming sea bass was out of this world. Very friendly staff and amazing sushi, great service and good value for money. Can't wait to go back if I'm in SF again.

It is our second visit to Elephant Sushi and there is no doubt that not only do they serve great food, they consistently do it! I highly recommend this place with special kudos to the Beastie Boys, the Himalayan trout, the flaming seabass and the Hamachi truffles.. though I am sure the rest of the menu matches these. To top this off our waitress was acreal charm!

Eaten here many times. Arrived this evening first time solo. Few seats at bar taken and for the long run. Empty tables but wouldn’t seat me. People came after and just sat down. Basically not allowed to eat here unless you’re a couple. I understand they would rather two people but at same time I would eat quick and be gone. Anyway will never come back.

We really enjoyed our meal! It was tasty and different! The flaming sea bass was a spectacular show with a tasty finish! We left stuffed and satisfied!

They do not serve us because they don't serve French people ... that's what the waitresse said to me in front of my children ... too sad to hear it... So low level

Excellent and relaxing service. Most delicious and unusual choice of sushi. A must when visiting San Francisco.

Best sushi I've ever had from NYC to SF. Got to try the dip and chips, white out and the flaming seabass! ! You won't be able to go anywhere else!!

I'm not a huge sushi lover but I enjoy it. This place was the best I have ever had! It's tiny so get there early or expect to wait but it is so worthy of the wait. We had the spicy tuna roll and the salmon roll with crisp onion and it was divine. You could tell it was super fresh

Make sure to get here before it opens to ensure you get a seat at this small sushi restaurant. Almost every roll is delicious but your wallet might hurt a little bit

Whilst on holiday from the UK, we met family here upon their recommendation. The busy restaurant mainly catered to locals. Not being great Sushi fans previously, we are now converted. Our hosts ordered everything and nothing disappointed especially the Bass flamed and cooked at the table. A really enjoyable evening with excellent food.

This is a little off the beaten track away from the main tourist areas - and we're so glad we stumbled across it. It's small and buzzy and served some of the best sushi we've had with the dishes having a modern take on the traditional. Red & Yellow and Red Dragon and Spicy Hamachi are our recommendations!

We visited late on a Friday and managed to get a table for two people after a 5-10 minute wait. We ordered three rolls which were all phenomenal. One was flame cooked which was delicious and another one was a spicy shrimp one which was also amazing! Staff were friendly. Would highly recommend and would love to go again.

Ok so the food here is incredible! Make sure to try the flaming sushi rolls! You can even get sake bombs for $2!!! The sashimi was incredibly fresh! The staff seem a little "standoffish". However, we kept joking with them and convinced them to do sake bombs with us. It was perfect. The food is extremely well priced also. Can't wait to go back again.

Need to line up early (after the gods have smiled on your finding parking spot nearby) to make a reservation that same day around 4"45 PM before their formal opening to walk-ins at 5:30... Ask for their favorite soecials: can NOT go wrong!!

I went and sat at the sushi bar alone and the staff was friendly and brought out my orders quickly. The stand out piece of my experience was the quality of their food. I started out with the yummy pocket (tofu skin filled with bay scallop) which set the tone of the meal, interesting, fresh and tasty. I also had one of their rolls and a few pieces of nigiri. Although the nigiri is more standard the freshness of it made it the highlight dish. I would highly recommend this place to anyone who loves sushsi and fresh fish.

The best sushi we have ever eaten, anwhere in the world! Had 3 meals here in during the past week, and highly recommend this place. Everything is so fresh, so creative and absolutely delicious. There is always a wait, so go a little earlier, the wait is well worthwhile!

Be prepared for a short wait for a table but this place was excellent with good service. The flaming sea bass was my favourite sushi roll we ordered but everything was good with fresh flavours. And there's not just sushi on the menu so give it a try!

Excellent innovative sushi and sashimi combinations with the freshest tender fish and unusual ingredients and cooking methods. Casual hip atmosphere, great service.

Elephant Sushi makes fantastic food. Lots of innovative starters, interesting rolls, and very well prepared sushi and sashimi. Few items worth mentioning from our two visits to the restaurant are the Hamachi Truffle (yellowtail with truffle oil, ponzu, garlic chips and scallion), the Walu Carpaccio (seared butter fish topped with fresh black truffle) and the yummy pockets (spicy bay scallop and scallion in a tofu pocket). The location in Geary St does not offer the full menu, so I prefer to go to the location on Hyde Street.

Great sushi! Different take on the traditional stuff. If you want to venture outside of the transitional California roll (which I love) this is your place. The butter fish was out of this world. White out roll was AMAZING!!

I typically hate to wait for food but went here with a buddy. After placing our name down, had an hour to kill. Went to a nearby hotel for drinks and got a call about 45 minutes in. The place is small and everyone sits at the counter - may be about 20 diners all together. The staff was very efficient, the sushi & the rolls were fresh, tasty & excellent. Did feel a little bit rushed out at the end so they can place other diners after us. Not a good place to hang out and linger. Went to the Tenderloin location. It is not the greatest of SF areas - the streets can be a bit grimy and a lot of homeless folks. But it was generally safe.

Most probably the best sushi restaurant in North Beach. It’s a very small place that doesn’t take any reservations - be prepared to wait. But once you’re in, make sure you don’t miss the flamed seabass roll ... absolutely amazing!!!

I live nearby so I have eaten here several times...and it has always been OK. Not great but OK. Tonight it went from just OK to terrible. My party ordered 2 Rainbow roles and the fish in both cases was questionable. An Avocado roll....the avocado was spoiled, Ordered a beer and it took forever to show up. And although it has a nice sidewalk service, the inside is way too cramped. Frankly, they are way too focused on their take-out business to be concerned with inside dinners, (BTW the first 2 times I ate there I tried to pay in cash and they said they only accepted plastic. I had to inform them both times that that was an illegal policy in SF so don't let them bully you if you want to pay cash.)

Located in one of our favorite S.F. neighborhoods, don't be deterred by the exterior. It's perfect. For what they don't put in the outer trappings, they put in the sushi. Yes, get there early because the line starts forming at 5:30. Better yet, call in for a reservation. They call you ahead of time to make sure you're coming, then call your name again to seat you ahead of the line. A mix of young and older customers and no real off-putting hipster vibe. We're seasoned sushi people and everything here was spot on. We also discovered something new, The Flaming Seabass. I know, I know, heated sushi dishes are not for the purist but this one is truly special. Just get it and you won't be disappointed. Trust me, you'll be using the little white spoons to scrape the cracklin's out of the bottom of the dish. Made it on to our all-star list. Great food, great atmosphere and helpful, friendly sushi chefs. And, contrary to some other posts, we didn't find it to be overly expensive.

Restaurant is in a small location BUT don’t let that fool you! Food is wonderful. Service is really quick. We had several types of sashimi and the sushi roll they set on fire at the table. The roll was perfectly spiced and the fish was so fresh it melted in your mouth. Will frequent again!

Elephant is tiny but we walked right in and were seated. A popular place, a line formed within a few minutes of our being seated and people were willing to wait in the rain to get in. The sushi was very fresh and very good, among the best we've had anywhere. Reasonably priced and simply great.

Probably the best sushi I've had! Fresh, flavorful, and satisfying!! Very small and crowded but it added to fun. We sat at the counter and enjoyed watching the sushi being made! Price is fair. Three of us split four sushi rolls. Including tip it was roughly $50. We arrived right at 6 to avoid a long wait ... Would have been worth waiting for! Highly recommend!

This suburb alone is worth visiting but this is definitely a gem. I ordered 3 dishes and admittedly only 1 was a stand out but I could tell where the chef was trying to go with the other two. The dishes and menu is creative. I'd definitely be back to try the other dishes. Be prepared to wait 1 hr! Just put down ur name, have a drink somewhere and they will call you when your table is ready. The price is pretty moderately priced as well. They do $2 sake bombs which is a shot of sake that gets dropped into a glass of beer. They also do a cheap lychee martini. They only have these two drinks on permanent happy hour but both are good :)

Interesting place in the Hyde Street area...never know when this place is open or not, but our several meals there were wonderful...almost a bit Nobu like with the variations of sauces and preparations of Sushi.......

The title of my review says it all. Order this roll, and wait for it to blow your mind. Other rolls I tried were very good. Not the best I've ever had, but up there. Service is prompt, place is small and noisy, prices are reasonable. Just get the Flaming Seabass.

Best sushi I have had and very affordable. Be prepared to wait over an hour though. Good things come to those who wait.

I went there for dinner with my boyfriend. We ordered many different kinds of sashimi. They were fresh and tasting good. It's not a fancy restaurant, and it's hard to find a parking in that neighborhood.

Went there with a few friends on Friday night, service was excellent! At the beginning I was a bit hesitant to go since my gf is not really into sushi, but the quality of their food was so good that even she wants to go back again! Hopefully this time a bit earlier since it really gets packed later in the night!

Reviewing the Geary location - food top notch - very fresh , had just come from Tokyo and this place ranks parallel. Very small inside but that makes it very cozy. Beer, wine and sake only - no mixed drinks which is fine since when you go here go for the sushi. Will return. S3B

The best sushi. My husband and I ordered a couple of selections. Tried these, then ordered a couple more and a few more after that. Our favorites included the sea bass sashimi and the trout on a block of Himalayan sea salt. So good. We went right as it opened so didn't have to wait for a table. Union Larder is across the street for a great glass of wine and noshes if you do need to wait.

long wait for a table spent at wine bar across the road, but worth the wait. Fabulous sushi, great service, nothing bad to say. Extremely popular in buzzing part of town...

Great menu, nice service and friendly staff. First time visit with my son and daughter, sat at the bar. Great view watching the chefs making all the sushi. Our chef was very nice and we love all the dishes we had. Hamachi belly and the salmon Kama were really good. Flaming sea bass is very interesting and one of their signature dish.