Elephant Sushi — Restaurant in San Francisco

I like this place a lot. The service is great: waitresses are friendly and efficient and the ambiance of the restaurants is cozy but somewhat trendy. We had the hamachi truffle which was pretty good (A): the fish was fresh and basically anything that has truffle, if used in the right quantities, in it is hard to mess up. The white out was also quite good. We shared also the Beastie Boys which have sea urchin, ankimo, quail egg & shiso. Those are all ingredients that need to be excellent not to mess up the dish and I think that all of them were pretty close to that benchmark. I liked the dish, didn't love it but it is also a very interesting combination of flavors so... to each their own. The basil salmon was fine... we were curious to try the difference with the usual salmon nigiri and honestly I liked it but it was a bit too oily.

I will come back to this sushi place mostly because of the service and the reliable...

How have I not discovered this neighborhood gem before! We stumbled into Elephant sushi while walking through Russian Hill late one Sunday afternoon. The restaurant was busy - luckily we were able to sneak two seats at the sushi counter without having to wait. The Himalayan Ocean Trout and Hirame Surprise are a must order! I would have gotten them again had my boyfriend not wanted to try other items on the menu. The fish was extremely fresh and bright! There was no need to add any additional sauces, everything was exceptionally good just the way they served it.

Service was good. I would recommend the counter as the people making the dishes were friendly and inviting. They took the time to explain each item served and you could see they took a lit of pride in their work. We also got sake (obviously!) which was served in martini glasses - a little weird, but hey, I'll take it! Can't...

We went here before the symphony; it's perfectly placed for the symphony, opera and ballet. The menu is very appealing, with both innovative offerings and familiar favorites. The tempura was perfection, as was the chicken karaage. The spicy salmon roll was amazing, and the sashimi my husband had, was a lovely fusion with garlic and capers, an original revelation. The kitchen staff are working with quiet, careful precision; they could have been wearing lab coats instead of aprons. The sushi chef bestowed his latest experiment upon us, innovative and delicious. The bartender worked with equal focus, turning out beautiful, and delicious drinks. This is a talented and dedicated crew. And, it was refreshingly affordable, a win all around. Sadly, I didn't take pictures; the artistry of the food deserves...