Sushi Shio — Restaurant in San Francisco

Visited Sushi Shio on Saturday evening with a 7pm reservation. The restaurant was notably empty with only another party dining, which was concerning. Despite the empty restaurant, we were seated at a corner table by the main entrance rather than being offered choice of seating (sushi bar vs. table) as is typical at authentic Japanese establishments. The awkward positioning felt unnecessary when the entire dining room was available.

Ordered the Omakase ($95 per person) expecting quality Japanese cuisine. The 10-course meal plus dessert was disappointing - most dishes featured heavy yuzu-based sauces that didn't taste authentic. Fish quality appeared subpar and lacked freshness.

Specific issues: Zensai course felt disjointed (mizuna, tartelette, nanbanzuke didn't complement each other). Sweet and sour chicken that is part of Zensai course was underwhelming. The Tataki dish (seared yellowtail) with pickled onion and truffle ponzu dressing was disappointing. The name mentioned 'truffle', but we could not smell the truffle at all. The yellowtail was not only seared but completely overcooked and buried in the ponzu dressing. Miso soup seemed like unnecessary filler dishes to be included in the Omakase.

Sake flights were overpriced ($65 and $42)

The automatic 20% gratuity brought the total to a significant amount for the quality received. While the restaurant attempts to position itself as upscale, observing DoorDash orders being prepared alongside dine-in service contradicted this image. The pricing suggests fine dining, but the food quality and execution don't justify the cost. We spent the total amount of very close to $400 but did not feel satisfied with the food quality and service.

Would not...

I love this place so much soy becoming quintessential in San Francisco for me. It is consistently delicious!

Today, I came in for a rare solo lunch in the middle of a long grueling bike ride. I ordered some one piece nigiri a la carte. A5 wagyu with no truffle, scallop, ocean trout belly, and o-toro or supreme fatty tuna belly. Everything was yummy and very well presented. I appreciate that they season the sushi, so you don't need to serve yourself soy sauce.

The Uni Toro Kani box is one of my favorite things to eat in the entire city. I first had it to go to eat at Dolores Park, and I don't know it just became a core memory. So you know, coming in, I had to order one to enjoy fresh.

This item has everything for me in a perfect bite. Fatty tuna with chives, Santa Barbara and Hokkaido Uni, Ikura or salmon roe, crab meat, and under each layer is rice! It is so filling. They finish the garnish with a little flower and two kinds of wasabi.

The service is always great, like what you'd expect from a fine dining establishment that focuses on the customer experience. I always had my water filled and checked on a few times, but not annoyingly.

This place does charge auto 20% gratuity, but I don't mind that as the ambiance, food, and service is consistently excellent, it merits it. Plus, I'd end up tipping that anyways so they've just automated it for me. I hope this place never leaves, and I hope everyone looking to add another great sushi place to their list comes here if they haven't already tried it...

Service: My husband and I finally visited Sushi Shio earlier this year, after wanting to visit for a while. I made a reservation online for 2 people for the same night. Upon arriving, there was some confusion with the staff and I'm not sure if there were some crossed signals with multiple booking sites or if it was due to the last minute-ness of the rez, but it was unclear if they would accept it (even though it was confirmed online). I'm happy to report that they were able to honour the rez (which was a relief since we were seated near the door and overheard some walk-in customers being turned away). And throughout the meal, the staff continued to be attentive and hospitable and were able to given recs when asked.

Food: The tasting menu overall was excellent and it's clear that each dish and item was well-planned and prepared with care. It's hard to choose just one favourite, though the sushi and tartlette would definitely be up there for me.

Price: The Restaurant Week deal wasn't too big of a price difference compared to their regular menu, so coming here for dinner on a typical night would be a similar experience I think.

Location: Easy to get to by public transit - walking distance from Market St and...