Ryoko's Japanese Restaurant & Bar — Restaurant in San Francisco

I came here on a Thursday evening for my birthday and it was pretty crowded. This place seems extremely trendy and the parking is pretty tough since it's street parking and it's rather hilly.

This place is quite small and cramped and the "waiting area" is just the staircase. With all the money they're making, they really should remodel this place to accommodate their customers. They even have a piano right in the middle of the dining area which I feel is such a waste of space. Even IF they had a piano player there, I think removing that piano and either adding a few more tables there or even a waiting area, would benefit more than having a potential piano player there playing only a few times/week.

The server we had was extremely friendly, even though she was really busy. Our waters ran out a couple times and we had to wait to get their attention to refill our cups.

The food was rather expensive, if not extremely. And many of the orders we made from the menu were different from what was stated on the menu. Many were now "market price". The portions were also extremely small but very fresh and tasty. We especially liked the steak dish we ordered.

Since the portions were so small, I had to order quite a bit to even feel decently satisfied. We ordered soft shell crab (which was very meaty and tasty), miso soup, rice, some steak dish, and several nigiri sushi rolls, among other dishes. We didn't even order any drinks or dessert and the bill came to over $170 for both of us! That's pretty pricey. This place was rated "$$" on Yelp but should DEFINITELY be upgraded to "$$$".

I would NOT come here again unless it was a special occasion and/or I wanted to impress someone. For the price you pay and what you get, I believe there are many other places that can fill your stomach and satisfy your...

I guess i set myself up for this. I had passed by this place for a couple years. I had always been against waiting in lines but i do love sushi. I waited forever then finally decided to try the place a couple months ago. I guess It just couldn't live up to the expectations.

This place is always crowded. It opens around 6pm and stays open late. You should be able to get a seat after 10pm or before 7pm but that is about it. If you are coming with a group larger than two prepare to wait.

You are greeted by the entire staff when you enter but after that it seems like you become just a number. This place is crowded and it is a very small basement area. You will be right next to your neighbor and intimately in their conversation. I was able to get a table without waiting in line but I can't imagine waiting over an hour to get into this place. They are so busy no one stays with you long enough to ask questions and you are rushed to get the next group of people into your seat.

The other part is the actual sushi itself. There was nothing to write home about. i ordered several of the basic rolls and I have had better at many places in SF. I just don't understand why this one is so popular and every seems to want to go here. I would never recommend friends to go here especially if you want a lot of sushi because you will be paying an arm and a leg.

It is a decent sushi spot but that is really all it is. I don't understand the hype but if you feel like going through the motions for decent sushi then this will be worth it. Otherwise just do a quick search of sushi in north beach and...

As a grad student who has tasted sub-par flavor in dining hall all semester long, I was longing for some high-quality food with quality ingredients and I found it at Ryoko's. Since I have also not had any sushi all semester long, I was thrilled to try some at this place. Where doth one start in this review? When my party of 10 came in, we were greeted with loud calls from the sushi chefs in Japanese, which to my American ears only meant that we were being welcomed warmly in the upmost Japanese form of hospitality and respect for guests. Next, we sat down at this place. It was wood inside, with posters of Billie Holiday and a wall memorializing great American artists from Elvis Presley to Kurt Cobain from magazine cut-outs and other sorts of arts-and-crafts material on the wall. The hostess was accommodating but had to split up our party cause it was getting pretty packed. The next feature worth mentioning related to the ambiance is that EDM hits were playing on the speakers, some songs which were in my Myspace as music hits, so I was jamming out to 'Show Me Love' while waiting for my food, which I thoroughly enjoyed. The food did not take long to come out and I had the shrimp tepura (Tiger) and Kentucky (fried chicken) cause I prefer my fish fried and I emerged from this place full from sushi, happy from mini-raving from my chair, and nostalgic from the American rock and jazz memorabilia on the wooden walls of this dimly lit but vibrant sushi place....