Elephant Sushi — Restaurant in San Francisco

Warning: If you are broad across the beam (have a big butt) you may be trouble getting into the booth seat. Ask for a seat at a table (not a booth) Also, the bathroom (there is only 1 that I could find) - the door is very hard to close and open. Too much paint in the door jamb. Just put some muscle into it. Don't panic like I did.

If you love a good roll and an Asian fusion vibe rathe than super authentic Japanese food, go here. If you prefer authentic non-super-sweet-sauce-drenched rolls, go elsewhere. I went with no expectations, so it was OK for me, but would have preferred less sweet sauce. If I go again, then I will order with less sauce.

The food prep (how the food was cut) was not authentic for me, so it further messed with my appreciation for their cooking. You'd be surprised at how much the way food looks (how it's cut) is important. I was.

Service was a bit stretched. We went when there was a local performance at Davies Symphony hall so the restaurant was a bit strained in providing food quickly. We were maybe the second table seated at 6PM so honestly, this should have been less of a problem. We got out of there in plenty of time, but 4 of our tables in one row were all heading to the same concert and all of us were concerned that they forgot our orders. (Or were slow in taking your order). Food is good, albeit a bit pricey for the delay.

It needs just a bit more in the back of the house to prepare food more quickly and maybe 1 more server. The servers were trying so hard but there are so many tables crammed into the restaurant that they...

Worst sushi I’ve had in San Francisco.

We started with the Miso soup, which wasn’t that at all. A Miso soup is a subtle delicate Miso broth. The soup we were served tasted like an old fish thick ramen broth which was absurdly salty. Couldn’t have more than 3 sips.

The sushi we ordered came from the “fresh from japan selection”. The fish tasted anything but fresh. The old fish taste was poorly covered by the very fragrant toppings on the nigiris (jalapeños, lime zest, etc).

We ordered 4 pieces of Santa Barbara uni. When it arrived we noticed the strange color… Fresh Uni is always bright yellow/orange. The ones served here were dry looking, with a dull beige color. Nothing promising, but out of good faith we tried them. I am a big fan of Uni, but those served to us at Elephant sushi tonight (at $18/pair) tasted terrible.

To top it off, after returning the 2 uni pieces we hadn’t eaten, I saw the cook behind the bar pick the uni pieces off our sushi with his fingers and put it back in the uni box & in the fridge !! Obviously didn’t seem to be bothered by our feedback, the terrible quality of their product, or the fact that we had already been served & had touched that food !

Altogether we spent $175 for a light dinner with tea and one beer. The green tea & our server were the only pleasant part of that evening.

I do not recommend this restaurant for anyone looking for quality food.

Just another restaurant that spent a lot of money on decor and looking “fancy”, while spending little time on actually trying to serve...

Me and my parents ate at this sushi restaurant before watching a ballet. First impressions were very nice, it has a modern atmosphere and the dishes and ambiance are nice. Drinks were really delicious, they have a great drink menu and good variation. Appetizers took a while to come out, I received my miso soup before any of the actual appetizer dishes. We ordered two rolls (White Out, Ya Man) and the Omakase Nigri Plate (10 pc). Rolls arrived before the Nigri. The fish atop the rolls were very warm, which was a bad sign to me. Fish has to be stored at a specific temperature to avoid bacteria, which is usually cold, so warm fish is a sign of unsafe storage. The Nigri arrived, and the waiter showed us through the various pieces. They were quite attractively placed and presented. However, the taste was not as exciting as the presentation. There was one piece that had a blue tinted fish that seemed exciting, but tasted sour and almost rotten. One thing I must emphasize is that throughout all the fish pieces, the rice tasted as if it had been sitting around for a while. It didn’t taste fresh and fluffy, and didn’t look it either. Although the restaurant atmosphere was nice, there was nothing to stop the cold air coming through the large glass door. I was very cold while I ate and had to put on my coat while sitting. I wouldn’t recommend dining...