Kuma on Valencia — Restaurant in San Francisco

Unfortunately, this visit wasn't a great one. What started off amazing by beating the dinner crowd and being seated in a booth was followed up by really slow food prep. Our waiter was great along with the host constantly bussing, refilling water and passing by. But for what we ordered there were lulls in the dinner service with too much time in between next plates. My nigiri tasting was split in half probably intentionally to give them more time to prepare other patrons meals, fair but we came at a time where I had to look around to see how busy it was and it wasn't full. Additionally we ordered nigiri and sashimi which should come out relatively quickly.

The food was tasty but I couldn't tell any difference in quality. I felt there was too much effort on detail like presentation and even scoring the fish which helps with mouth feel but kinda was canceled given how thinly cut our pieces were. At first it seemed like good value but none of the nigiri merited their price to me as I didn't see taste to size value. The rolls are unique and we got one that had ocean trout, mango and tuna. Good but not memorable. Seared octopus nigiri was great but everything else should be noted comes with Wasabi in between rice and fish plus fresh on top. Chawanmushi was a good change up but very little crab and the seaweed salad I regret ordering. Unfortunately no premium things to order like uni or ankimo was available my visit

Again it's not horrible but for $200 with tip, food and 1 beer ill go elsewhere. Props again for the service because they acted without asking which felt like...

Update: They followed up and gave me a thoughtful, thorough internal report and refunded.

As a sushi lover with significant experience in chirashi and uni, particularly from Asia, I was absolutely disappointed with the quality of the uni on its chirashi bowl at this restaurant. It had an extremely unpleasant taste and texture, which left both me and my partner feeling unwell.

When we brought this to the attention of the wait staff, the initial response was indifferent—no acknowledgment or apology, just a simple "Oh, it’s bad? Ok." We were told the kitchen would prepare something else, but after waiting over 30 minutes with no update, another staff member checked in. When we explained the issue again, the response was dismissive: "That’s weird. We’ve been serving it all night." We ended up asking for the check without waiting any longer, and they deducted what they thought to be the cost of uni($15) from the total amount.

Overall, the lack of concern from the staff and the poor handling of the situation made for a very disappointing experience. Unfortunately, I would not recommend this restaurant, particularly for those who value food safety and...

Kuma is the best new sushi spot in town! When we checked in for our reservation, they confirmed the dietary restrictions we'd listed on Resy and already had gluten free tamari at our table! The server brought a menu that was annotated for gluten free and was extremely cautious and mindful of allergies and dietary preferences. As a person with Celiac disease, I felt very confident eating here.

They have a wonderful sake list featuring local Sakes from Sequoia in SF. We had miso soup, seaweed salad, nigiri tastings and toro handrolls. Everything was absolutely fantastic. The fish was fresh and rich in flavor, the presentation was beautiful and the courses were well timed. The server, chef and other staff who we interacted with were all so friendly and kind! The restaurant has lovely decor with a modern cozy vibe.

We left happy, satisfied and excited to return. The prices were comparable to similar spots in the area but we felt that the fish was fresher and higher quality here. 10/10...