Reviews

We went there for a quick lunch. The restaurant is located on 2nd floor in Japan Center. Our sushi was very good we had several nigiri and some california rolls. Most of the guests were asian. We took that as an indicator of original asian food. The prices were acceptable for a San Francisco restaurant.

Took a trip to Japantown. Decided to eat here based on good reviews. Restaurant ambiance is sub-par... not the greatest. Sushi we ordered with help of our waitor was very tasty. We enjoyed it. We had spicy crunchy rolls added salmon, volcano rolls and BBQ eel rolls. Kids had ramen and enjoyed it. I tasted it and thought it was just okay compared to some other Japanese soup dishes I have had. Prices are not cheap considering the look of the restaurant. I would go if you want good sushi and are in the area already.

THE GOOD x Fresh sushi roll x Good price x Cozy set up THE BAD x More tourists than locals x slow service THE UGLY x Nothing from this visit

Stopped in for a quick lunch and very glad we did. Looked up online, good reviews, well justified. It's the type of place like a lot of good eateries that if you didn't know about it, you'd never find it. Friendly welcome on arrival. We had some gyoza, beef skewers and a good selection of sushi rolls. All food was delicious, some of the best spicy rolls I've had. Would definitely recommend. it was quiet when we came, but because it's small I can imagine it gets quite busy at peak, so maybe book if you're going at a busy time.

a little hole in the wall at the east end of the japantown mall. everythinng on the menu is very inexpensive. service is pretty efficient. we had the specials $10 for two items and salad and miso soup, unless you order ramen or udon than no salad or soup. ramen and udon were great the other items like teriyaki chicken were average. so if you want an inexpensive meal that the food aint half bad, this is your place.

Very good, cheap Japanese kitchen. Had a lunch special - 2 dishes with rice, miso soup and salad for 11,49€ I had teriyaki beef and California rolls. Both very delicious. A little hard to find: it’s Inside the mall!

Great sushi and prices really. Small little place, felt cozy and authentic/local also one of the very few places that's opened till late for lunch. We had only sushi and it was really tasty and fresh and it went really well with the sake. The best rolls with tried was the baked prawns with cream cheese - yum!

Everything we order was very good and and served quickly. The sushi and the teriyaki were both excellent.

This was the least expensive restaurant we attended during our week visit to San Francisco. It was a bit hard to find since it is on the second floor, inside a shopping mall. There were a lot of locals eating dinner here and I think that led me to expect more from it. Overall, the food was decent with good portions. We had salmon sashimi among a handful of other dishes, but the sashimi stood out to me because it will still cold like it was not sufficiently defrosted.

Eat year several times a year, actually anytime I visit Japan Town its a must to eat. Offering daily specials, great sushi, Ramen, Udon, and Tempura. Restaurant is small so expect a wait when it is busy, service is nice and quick. Sushi can take awhile when busy since it is made to order, so if you know you are going to order sushi you may want to order it as soon as you can prior to ordering other food as it has a tendency of coming faster then your sushi order. Daily specials are great and at a reasonable price currently $11.95 as of this review, I have tried almost all of the special with the Katsu and Tempura being my favorite and some of the special rolls are always a must. We like tuna so we prefer the rolls with lots of fresh tuna and very little added sauce.

We came on a Sunday night and they had a wait. It's a very small place with only 8 tables to be prepared for a wait. I don't mind waiting for a good place so we did about an hour. It took almost another hour for our food to get to us. I will say there was a couple that came in after us that was served before us by the way. Their food was really good. We had the Baked Salmon Roll, Family Salmon Roll, Name Sake Roll, and asked for a spicy salmon roll. All were very good except for the family salmon roll it was just ok. It's a mom and pop shop type place and the people there are nice and accommodating.

Every time I travel to SF i eat here! The food is delicious. I've tried many things and have not had a bad dish. The 2 item special is so affordable. You can get a delicious meal, nice portions for less than $10. Its a small place but i like that. Super friendly staff. Eat here!

My family and a friend ate here last week when visiting Japantown. Though I had read that the mall restaurants were less than stellar, this popped up on my Google search for best sushi in the area, and it had a line waiting out the door, unlike all the other mall eateries. The line convinced us to try it, and we're so glad we did! We shared an okonomiyaki appetizer (a vegetable pancake thing made of mostly cabbage and onions topped with beef--or chicken/pork/shrimp: your choice--and sauce) that was unlike anything I've ever had in a Japanese restaurant. It was absolutely delicious--we wanted several more! But then our sushi arrived and we were glad we hadn't stuffed ourselves, because it was quite simply the best we've ever had: fresh, tasty and imaginative. On top of this, the family that runs the restaurant are very friendly and do a great job scurrying from table to table serving up their wonderful food. This is a very small restaurant with very cramped seating; but don't be put off by the "hole-in-the-wall" appearance. If I lived in the area, I would be a regular! It's simply wonderful food.

Very nice restaurant. Food was fresh and in good enough quantity. We ordered ramen, nigiri mix, teriyaki and some sushi (two families of 4 with 4 kids total (ages 4 to 9) and ate it all. I would definitely recommend.

Going to Japantown in San Francisco is where you’ll get authentic Japanese food, so that’s where we headed. Lots of restaurants there (we’ve been to several in Japan Center) but we chose Kui Shin Bo as it was a favorite years ago. We spoke with the owner who stated they took ownership in 2009. The lunch special was choose two items and the miso, rice and salad is included. I ordered Chicken Teriyaki and a California roll. The miso was good (traditional consistency & flavor), the salad dressing was a creamy orange/citrus flavored mixture-really good. Rice, perfect 👌🏼 The teriyaki was tasty with a healthy portion of meat but wasn’t very hot and the California roll was made with chopped surimi (I prefer it in one piece, with cucumber and avocado) so hope this helps you decide if you also have a preference. The restaurant is small and has a homey feel. The service was excellent, the staff were attentive and the prices are reasonable. A recommend from me! 🏮🎏

Came here with friends about 5pm on Friday so not many customers at the time. Small location in the plaza so a bit cramped. Great fresh sushi though that wasn't overly sauced. Even the grilled beef skewers and pot stickers were tasty. A bit on the pricey side though/

Stumbled across this place while exploring Japan town. Ordered a Ramen and a house sushi. Both were absolutely delicious and the kids also loved it despite not having tried Japanese food before. Tiny little place, but with a very authentic feel and was very busy when we were there, so speaks wonders for the food.

Big variety of traditional Japanese food and great sushi. The host and main man was friendly, informative, guiding, and understandable. They had a great, economical lunch combo or one could order from menu. He helped us to get what we desired and probably match our American palates. We had assorted dishes with avokyu roll, vegetable tempura, tonkatsu, nabeyaki, gyoza and hot sake. The atmosphere is generic mall diner, but this place was hopping. I will submit some photos, too.

I am a huge fan of sushi! So my wife found this place and she had spicy ramen 🍜 cuz she can't turn down good soup. I had rainbow sushi and baked salmon rolls . They are just haves. And of course it would not be complete with out the Sapporo beer to quench my thirst I got the large one I was extra thirsty. 🍻 great service and polite and good delicious highly recommend!!!

We ordered chirashi and it was DREADFUL. The fish was okay in flavor, but it was the thinnest, skimpiest sushi I have ever been served and I eat a lot of sushi. The prices were ridiculous for what we received. It was $18.95 for seven slivers of fish and one mound of some sort of fish salad, shaped to look like a piece of eel, complete with the eel sauce on top. The miso soup that came withe the chirashi was surprisingly good, but the chirashi was unacceptable. DO NOT GO TO THIS RESTAURANT.

Delicious, inexpensive, fresh food. Impeccably clean restaurant with excellent service. Highly recommended for a meal with family and friends. In the Japanese Centre East Mall.

I took the baked salmon sushi rolls and it was really good! I recommend this house speciality! I found it better than the 2 items with miso soup.

A nice find for lunch in Japan town, the lunch special is a great deal. Nice people but a very small place, go there early or late if you don't want to wait. Definitely worth visit again.

Such a great place. Had to wait about 20 minutes but totally worth it. Menu had things for all of us - bento boxes, sushi, and vegetarian options. Yum!

A small restaurant but very busy and only one waiter and one waiter to clean up. My friend had a chicken teriyaki dish while I had chirashi ( raw sashimi) with rice. Average chirashi, nothing special in the variety but a good serving. It was a quiet place but by the time we left, all tables were occupied ( 7 tables), all managed by one busy waiter, taking orders, cleaning tables.

Returned for the 2nd time at Kuishin bo after many months!Visited with two friends, one of which was vegetarian. Between the 4 of us we shared: - Sashimi platter (salmon, tuna and saba) - vegetarian roll and vegetarian okonimiaki - volcano roll - caterpillar roll - baked salmon roll - philadelphia roll This place is consistently great. Amazing vibe and energy in this cozy little sushi place in Japan town. Food is fresh and tasty. Service is efficient, fast and friendly. Prices are great too. Plenty of vegetarian options as well - our friend was very happy with her choices! Will always return to Kui shin bo :

Kui Shin Bo has another address - 1424 Lombard on the corner of Van Ness We were staying at the Travel Lodge by the Bay and were too tired to walk far for dinner. This little Japanese hole-in-the wall had great food, good prices and very nice service. The food is fresh and the cook prepares one dishes at a time. The shrimp tempura and the chicken dinners were delicious. We were celebrating a birthday and also enjoyed the green tea ice cream! This little restaurant was really hopping with locals who dropped by for take-out and with motorcycle delivery men taking meals to nearby locations. We don't eat sushi but it was clear that a lot of people really like their sushi! If you are near the corner of Van Ness and Lombard, be sure to stop in for a satisfying lunch or dinner. The owner promised that sake would be available as soon as he got the right permits!

I ordered the Volcano Roll. It was very fresh and tasty. It goes very well with a Kirin Beer. Friendly staff, clean and renewed facility

My partner and I saw a Japanese restaurant across the street from our hotel. We went there for lunch. I love sushi and sashimi, so I ordered the sushi sashimi combination. It arrived in an open circular bamboo bowl with nine pieces of sashimi, three pieces of sushi and six California crabmeat rolls. The cost was $20. My partner ordered two appetizers, beef skewers and chicken wings. We both enjoyed our meals.

Pictured are one of the lunch specials (pick two items) with teriyaki chicken and veg tempura, miso soup, and rice. Other pic was nabeyaki udon. Very satisfying all around

Was not disappointed with the food. The ramen soup base was thick and tasty, and importantly did not feel thirsty after that likely no or very little msg added. The combo meal was a steal. At $12, we got to choose 2 of a wide variety of main dishes such as kaki fried, tempura, meat teriyaki, ramen, soba etc. The caterpillar roll was too sweet to our liking but the ingredients were fresh. Last but not least, the price was right so overall good value.

We came for lunch. What can I say about Kuishinbo...? Service, food and price were excellent! Highly recommend. Located upstairs in east Japan center.

Quick lunch in Japantown in San Fran, delicious ramen and good service. Large selection on the menu, the waiter gave good recommendations Reasonable prices for San Fran

very very tasty, not expensive, excellent service, nice place. If i come back to san francisco definitively i will go to this restaurant.

We were quickly seated for a late Saturday night dinner. Service was excellent and quick. We order the potstickers and chicken wing apps and they came out quickly and were delicious. We all ordered different Ramen dishes and all 3 were excellent, packed full of fresh veggies, lots of protein, perfect noodles and incredible broth. This is a smaller place that is not fancy but flavorful food and great prices. Many others had the sushi and I heard great comments so I will order it on my next visit.

All bento box selections (pick 2 from large list) came with soup, rice. I had the chicken teriyaki and the shrimp tempura (3 large pieces) and added a shrimp tempura roll as well as maguro sushi. The restaurant was crowded because the food was very good so the service was a bit of a wait but worth it.

Located in the East Mall of Peace Plaza upstairs and in the North East Corner. This is a small about 12 tables family owned restaurant that is a local favorite. Love eating here. Great Sushi, great daily specials and they have a great deal on combos, where you select 2 items and get soup or salad rice etc... served like a small bento box. Tempura is delicious. They only have one sushi chef so be PATIENT if it is busy or order your sushi right away and then enjoy the wonderful flavors. All the sushi is fresh, nicely serviced with ginger and wasabi and great sizes the larger rolls have nice size 8 to 10 pieces. Have tried most of the House Special rolls and all are great. Not a big fan of all the sauces they can put on top so I just asked them not to apply so that I can just enjoy the great fish and other flavors inside the rolls. They take all major cards, serve beer, and offer free hot tea.

Good for late night. Service is good and the hot tea hit the spot on a windy, SF night. The prices are reasonable and portions as one might expect. The spicy tuna poke salad was delicious and particularly enjoyable if medium spicy is preferred. Katsu curry looked like it had beef in it though. Good restaurant to try out.

I went here with my wife on a day trip into San Francisco. The decor me me feel like I was in a restaurant on a side street in Shibuya, Tokyo. The staff was very friendly and we received our food very fast! We both got the daily special which was choose 2 items from the list plus rice, miso soup, and a salad. I also got a order of gyoza which were fantastic! I ordered shrimp tempura and chicken teriyaki, my wife ordered shrimp tempura and California roll. It was a lot of food for the price and it was so good! Awesome meal for 2 people for under $25.

We had a great lunch at a reasonable price. The sushi was very good, the service got to be a little slow when the place was full and it was full! Very good option if you are in the area. You can't go wrong!

My "GO-TO" place to eat delicious sushi after my afternoon gym workout.I am reviewing their new LOMBARD ST. location. I am a regular "FAN" of the sushi and great service!!I am originally from San Jose-but anytime I am in the area-it is my first place to visit!

Delicious food When I'm San Francisco this place is a must !!!! Come hungry , come early. Cozy, clean, excellent service. Everything on the menu is amazing

We were in the neighborhood and hungry and so decided on Kui Shin Bo after an internet search (located on the 2nd Floor of Japan Center East). We had high expectations and were sorely disappointed. We started with a Dynamite Roll, which was good. I then had the salmon teriyaki. The salmon was overcooked, lacked flavor, and had a fishy taste to it. The side salad served with the dish (lettuce with shredded carrots and dressing) was unremarkable and I didn't eat any after the first bite. The dish also came with white rice and miso soup. The miso soup was tasty and may have been the highlight of my whole meal. My dining partner had the Spicy Beef Yaki Udon. The beef cuts were fatty and almost inedible. The noodles were oddly flavored. Dining partner kept eating out of determination and to not make me feel bad about my dining choice. The prices are VERY reasonable. Our whole bill was around $30. However, it wasn't worth it. I'd rather pay a little more and have food that I enjoy or pay less and eat in. Again, it may be that these particular dishes were disappointing and other fare might be better prepared. Unfortunately, we won't be returning to find out. PS - As I was finishing my review, my dining partner had to go throw up (this was about 90 minutes after the meal). My two stars turned into one and all benefit of the doubt disappeared. There was something not right about the meat in the Spicy Beef Udon dish.

Were referred to this little hole in the wall restaurant by an Asian couple -- otherwise would have entirely missed it. Up on the second floor of the Japan Town Center, this small, unimposing restaurant rapidly filled with customers while other nearby sushi eateries sat vacant -- a testimony to the tasty and fresh food, relatively good quantities at reasonable prices. We started with hot saki and garlic covered edamame -- yum yum. Followed by 12 pieces of sashimi -- sake, hamachi and ahi -- nicely served and absolutely fresh. (The restaurant across the street promised to give only 6 pieces for almost the same price). The beef kababs were tender and savory -- the best ever! The menu is quite extensive with various ramen bowls, sushi rolls, tempura, etc.

Small, corner restaurant in the Japan town mall that doesn't look like necessarily anything special, but the the food is fantastic and completely reasonable. Tried a variety of items off their menu and they were all excellent. Food and drinks for two came in just under $60! Highly recommended as the service is friendly and timely.

Excellent dinner. You know it is really good Japanese food when Japanese families with young children dine here too. Highly recommend.

In Japantown, below the high end sushi restaurants, i.e >$100, the quality of the sushi is fairly similar (excluding ramen, which is a whole different ball game). Therefore, you can choose based on service and price, and in that vein Kui Shin Bo is an solid choice. As has been stated by others, this small family place in the east Peace Plaza building (second floor) has a great 10 dollar lunch special that is both tasty and very generous. The fried technique is quite good, as my toddler loves the kushi katsu fried fish, and the sushi rolls are of decent quality. The staff is very nice and will answer your questions thoroughly, even if you're a tourist with only basic English. If you desire ramen or udon soup, you might head elsewhere, such as Ramen Shalala.

First night in San Fran and our hotel was just across the road. It is inside Japan Mall on the top floor.. it doesn't look much but the place was packed and once we had eaten in here we could understand why. The set meals are really great value and extremely tasty.. you really can't go wrong.

Pleasantly surprised by this homey, low key Japanese restaurant in one of the Japantown malls. The waiters were very nice and patiently explained the menu. Good deal on a lunch special. My wife had perfectly cooked shrimp tempura and tofu. I had the tonkatsu ramen. It was delicious. I ordered it 2/4 spicy and still found it pretty spicy. I was feeling pretty wimpy until the young Turk at the next table started coughing a d choking over his ramen. I would definitely go back.

I really enjoyed this restaurant. Service was good, food was delicious and prices are moderate. It's a small cosy place in the heart of Japanese center. Recommended!

Cute little restaurant, gives the vibe of a real Japanese ramen shop. Food came out quickly, was reasonably priced and the staff were friendly. Ordered the black garlic ramen - the broth was good, noodles cooked well and the chashu was delicious. Chili flakes were a little off and the other additions (portobello mushrooms, spinach) seemed quite out of place.

Went to Kui Shin Bo, on Lombard, for the first time Thursday evening during a trip to San Francisco. In three words...IT WAS GREAT! Had the Chicken Teriyaki and California Roll. The California Roll was extremely fresh, made there of course, and flavorful. It practically melted in my mouth. The Chicken Teriyaki came with white rice, a small salad and Miso soup. Both the chicken and rice were perfectly cooked and the Miso soup was wonderful. The prices are quite reasonable. If anything they might be just a bit under priced, (but don't tell the owner LOL). If you are a local try them out, the menu is large but it has a lot of different items available--Sushi, Nigiri, Yakitori, Udon, Ramen, etc. You won't be disappointed. If I had the money I would fly to SF just to eat there once or twice a month.

Maybe they were having an off day but the meal was so-so and the server looked like she'd rather be anywhere else. I'd try someplace else, there are lots of options.

What a wonderful little restaurant. The sushi was plentiful and delicious. It's a tiny place with an authentic feel, but you have to option of being texted when a table is available. As I looked over at what other's ordered, the plates seemed consistently well plated. Service was great.

I was interested in sushi and thought mine was great. Very small restaurant and reasonably priced. Had to wait to get in, but that was fine with us. Authentic. Watched employees prepare foods one at a time. Fast service. Would go again.

This is a small restaurant in the Japantown Mall, so if you are there sightseeing and enjoying the shops this place is great! The sushi was fresh and huge portions, I had a couple rolls and my dad had their lunch special. The terriyaki was tender and large portions also. The nigiri was fresh and large pieces of fish, a great meal!

We went to this restaurant two nights because the food was reasonable and very good. There was a line but we got there early to put our name on the list.

Wonderful japanese restaurant! We need one like this in Spain good relation price-quality. Al really good!

This is located in Japan Town and it did not disappoint. We ordered okonomiyaki, nigiri sushi, teriyaki squid, tonkatsu ramen, and two hot teas. The service was fast and friendly. The okonomiyaki came out sizzling and was huge. Everything was plentiful, delicious, and just right. There were so many delicious menu options it was hard to narrow it down. Some menu items are rare at other Japanese Restaurants.

this shop is hole in the wall, under 40 seats with verity of beer, sake and excellent Japanese food; cold from sushi bar to hot food from kitchen. location in Japan Town... if you have extra time to visit and shopping a lot of cute gift shop

The service was excellent- attentive and helpful. I've been to high quality Japanese restaurants, and would say this food has a simple, balanced, authentic taste. Large portions and reasonable prices.

True Japanese food at an exceptional good value ! We recommend this restaurant. The udon plate was excellent.

My wife and I came here on the strength of previous reviews, trying to ignore the "Worst sushi in SF" review just below... We had a really great meal! The sushi we ordered was tasty and they do delicious okonomiyaki! Pretty reasonably priced, we massively over-ordered and our meal came to $50USD including tip and tax. Would recommend!

On the second floor of the east building of the mall. They have nice specials for around $10 that include two choices, rice and miso soup. I really liked the vegetable croquettes and they had zero soba. There are lots of shops to try at this mall. This one is solid.

I have had plenty of Udon before, this place was just okay. Not bad, not great. The sushi was actually pretty good I must say. I've had better Udon in many places. If looking for a WOW factor, this isn't it. Again, not a bad place, just not great. Average

We ate here twice during our trip to San Francisco, coming back for two meals in a row as we were so impressed with it (and having had a poor experience at another restaurant in the plaza). I had one of the lunch specials — chicken katsu, and curry rice — and that was excellent, and the dragon roll superb. The owner was friendly and helpful, and the whole experience was great. It was considerably better value than our other experience too, which was a bonus.

The number of Japanese restaurants in Japantown, San Francisco is daunting, and I am sure many of them are fine. We picked this one more or less at random, but we were happy we did. It is on the second floor of the mall complex that flanks the Peace Pagoda. (The ground floor has a very funky and fun store were most everything is $1.50.) It is small with wooden tables. The staff is very attentive, maybe a little too much as our waiter, though kind, seem to be hovering a bit. I had the udon with many tasty additions - shrimp tempora, chicken, an egg, cabbage and fish cake. It was very hearty and delicious. The hot pepper available on the table, which you can sprinkle on your food, is a good condiment. My husband had one of the lunch special which came with miso soup and salad. His tofu and vegetable tempora looked good and he did not complain! All in all, a great place in Japantown to get some tasty and authentic food.

We had no wait, the waitstaff was courteous and prompt (even explaining some dishes to my friend). Our gyoza was fresh, ramen was good and broth spiced to our request, egg was a little over cooked, as was some of the pork. Excellent sushi rolls. And as everyone has mentioned: so affordable. We will return.

Not much to separate this restaurant on looks or menu options versus similar fare in the area but the quality of the food was absolutely fantastic. The waiter was attentive and gave great recommendations, in particular the kushikatsu (fried sea bass) and curry rice combo, which we would not have thought to put together but complimented each other very well. Lastly the prices were remarkably reasonable, much more so than the quality of the food would suggest. This restaurant is a hidden treasure and well worth your time.

There is 2 of these restaurants- one is in Marina neighborhood and one inside the mall and both have good food, lots of selections; ramen was awesome as well as sushi 🍣 Service was good and prices very decent

We made a special trip to this restaurant in the Plaza in Japantown. Very helpful servers helped guide us in our choices. The black garlic ramen is superb!! The sushi that I saw coming out looked fantastic as well but I went for their ramen and wasn’t disappointed 👍

We visited around 7 pm on a Saturday and had a wait of about 15 minutes. It's a small restaurant - cozy for sure! We were seated at a table which was shared with another couple (there was one chair in between us and the other couple). My husband ordered a volcano roll and a sushi burrito. He commented that both were extremely fresh and the best he had ever had. I ordered miso soup (quite tasty), beef teriyaki, and tonkatsu. My dishes both were a little fatty, but I enjoyed trying them. My meal combo was very cheap.

Wow, some of the best Japanese food. Loved it. My wife had a curry flavored udon noodle bowl which was huge and delicious. I had seafood teriyaki, very excellent, though it took a while to make. It was worth the wait. Very affordable, service was friendly, but they were busy, so it took a while to get to us, but still, nice people, nice place, fantastic food! !

Excellent service, generous portions, reasonably priced and tasty food! Try the Kushi Katsu (sea bass) and Kaki Fry (oysters). Wonderful!

We really enjoyed the food my husband and Marcy had meat terriaki and tempora shrimp which came on tray with white rice, miso soup and salad. We thought they were to share when another tray appears with all of the above. I had ramen soup and squid tempora. We drank tea. All this for under $10. Every thing was excellent.