Umi — Restaurant in San Francisco

Small neighborhood sushi place that hits the spot and doesn't drain the wallet. Sure the rice could use a bit of work but the fish is fresh and tasty, I can always get a table, and service is friendly. There's usually enough parking in the area so it is rarely a problem but you could also take the Muni and hike up the hill.

I've tried a variety of items here including the sushi combination and sashimi combination. They also have specials of the day that change with the season. The sashimi combination set comes with rice and miso soup and is good value for the amount of fish they include! Since the sushi selection changes with the season, it's hard to say what will be available but I've found that hamachi is always a good bet. I also like their gari-saba roll (Saba with sushi ginger) which is very refreshing and has a good texture to the sushi.

The rice they use is long grain rather than short grain sushi rice so it's a little underwhelming in that regard. Or they might mix in long grain as well to keep costs down. They also don't use fresh wasabi but I wouldn't expect that for the prices.

There is a decent selection of sake if that's your thing, and offer them in different sizes as well so you can consume as much or as little...

So disappointing. This place has been a neighborhood staple for many years - I've been going here for somewhere around 20 years... like everything, though - it seems it was disrupted by the pandemic, so when we got parking on 18th Street (amazing) we decided to pop in and enjoy some nice Japanese food from a reliable vendor. Didn't turn out that way AT ALL. The rolls were... average at best. I ordered a bento box - the teriyaki chicken was lightly coated with a syrupy sauce that tasted nothing at all like teriyaki - and what it DID taste like was pretty nasty. The tempura vegetables looked great, though - so I dove right in after decided to skip the chicken.

First piece: sweet potato. I hate sweet potato. 2nd piece: sweet potato 3rd piece: sweet potato... (seeing a pattern here?)

I got all the way to the 10th (and last) piece before I got something that wasn't sweet potato. Couldn't tell you what it was, though. Not the place that's been there for years - and won't be going back.

$80 for a bowl of rice, some miso soup and some very average...

Umi is currently my favorite sushi place in the city, pretty much hands down. Starting with the people, Shamus is a fantastically relaxed but food knowledgable dude who has created a great space, and Stewart is a mad fish master, who does a great deal of his own, in house stuff (ikura curing, etc) and has an eye for the freshest stuff. Speaking of, the fish comes in daily and is fantastic, with a focus on sustainable which is nice for those of us who are starting to feel guilty stuffing our face with increasingly endangered bluefin. Specials menu changes nearly day to day, with lots of stuff that you generally just won't get anywhere else, but is super tasty (kamasu, toro iwashi, kohada, sanma, etc). All lovingly prepared. Oh, and do yourself a favor and get over your reticence for hirame and order some of the local caught stuff for a a real treat. Strong sake...