Sanppo Restaurant — Restaurant in San Francisco

When I lived in San Francisco, Sanppo was a weekly indulgence. My bf and I would attend every week (or try to), once we were finished with courses at the college. The wait staff is very friendly and really enjoyed seeing us. Some days we would even get free items!! The waitress would also call us to ask if we'd like a table reserved on days that they were busy.

The food was great. I'm sure there is better, if you want to pay more. For example, Osaka is not too far away and are a lot higher class, and you'll pay the difference. But for something cheap, delicious and filling... this was perfect!

Their miso is amazing, the ramen delish, and the tempura pretty good as well. I think I tried most of the menu at some point, and nothing ever disappointed. I'd have to recommend their special rolls, but that's because I'm not a fan of raw fish so I never tried the actual sushi. The spider roll was a personal favorite!

If I could find out how they make their tea, I'd be making that stuff daily!! It must be a home brew, because I've never found green tea with a peanut flavor anywhere since. They also have a delicious dressing they use on their salads that we discovered was also a house blend. They refused to tell us their secret. lol

All in all, I've read all the different reviews from people, and have had my own experiences. The staff is great, but I have seen them purposely give poor service to people they find to be rude. So just remember, always be nice to the people handling your food!!! They are great people, and they like to be treated nicely. The food is great for the price, but there are always better options for sushi. In all, every time I go back to visit the city, this is always a definite...

Service was a bit lacking, but the food was pretty good.

Three of us came here after splurging on random knick-knacks at Daiso across the street. Because of the intense browsing and rummaging through Japanese-made trinkets, we worked up an appetite and ordered a lot. For appetizers, we had chicken yakitori, gyoza, and chicken karaage. For entrees, we had sashimi, katsu donburi, and the chirashi bowl. Having come in to only a few tables occupied on a Sunday evening, we had expected service to be quicker. Our sashimi and chirashi bowls were the first to come out, even before our appetizers. Eventually the appetizers came out, but only one by one piping hot over the course of 20 minutes. Our poor fried with the katsu donburi got his entree last, so while was starting his entree, the rest of us were nearly done. It is understandable that since our entrees didn't require cooking, they were fast to make, but the timing of the dishes could have been better. Food overall was delicious. My chirashi bowl especially was bountiful with an assortment of fish, which made it well worth the money.

I would suggest stopping here for dinner as it has been one of my better experiences with restaurants in Japantown, which tend to be more tourist-traps than...

As a struggling and often starving college student, it's really nice to find a place with good food at a reasonable price. I can get dinner with a friend here for around $20 for both of us (hint, this means it could be a nice place for a date wink wink nudge nudge).

Not only does the miso soup and house tea warm my heart faster than a silly feel-good movie or an internet video of puppies and kittens, but the bento lunch boxes have anything you could possibly want and the donburi will fill you up like a fat cat on an American holiday. If you're of age, the sake seems pretty reasonable as well. (My friends and I tried to buy some once when we were underaged, but we were asked for ID's, so you know this place is legit!)

It's also supremely located right across from the J-Town mall. So after dinner, get up and walk around to try and burn off the delicious calories you just ingested. And if you happen to be around during the Cherry Blossom festival, get a table near the window and watch the parade with food and most importantly, out of the crowd.

The wait staff is always really sweet and helpful, tip them well if you go there, please! And the atmosphere is nice and quiet, it's a great place for conversation,...