Ijji Sushi

Sublime place! Definitely one for date night or with a a small group for a special occasion, given it is very small and more of an upmarket experience (but totally worth it!) They serve a set menu with optional matching sakes. We felt like we were back in Japan, everything from the freshness of the food, the presentation and service warrants 5 stars. Highly recommend visiting if you want some of the best sushi and sashimi in San Francisco.

This was our second visit to IJJI, and the presentation and overall experience was far better two years ago. The quality of the fish is still quite high, which is the main reason my review is not even lower. But, the 15-20 course omakase is not inspired, no longer made by Japan-trained Sushi chefs, and does not engender the sense that I need to go back, particularly in a city that now has so many excellent sushi options. The owners have 3 sushi restaurants now, and the QC and controls appear to be less than necessary.

After months of trying various different sushi restaurants in SF, Ijji is my favorite to date! It's most reminiscent of our visit to Japan. Each nigiri is perfectly sliced, seasoned, prepared and served. The detail seasoning to the rice and ratio to fish is perfect. It's simplicity of preparation highlights the flavor of each fish. Each sushi is dressed differently and paired to enhance the fish. We commented on how the soy sauce was amazing, full of flavor and not too salty. The chef nonchalantly mentioned that it was made in house. The fish that were cured and aged were also done in house. We offered the sushi chef a glass of wine that we brought with us and he offered us an extra course of clam that was off menu and tasted like abalone. It was a perfect dish. I told him that it was so amazing, he should add it to the omakase. There are much more expensive omakase places that we've compared this to and found this is the best. At $145 per person and $25 corkage, it's a clear winner for me as my new go to Japanese omakase.

This is by far the most honest omakase place I have been to in SF. It reminds me of Japan where they let the quality of ingredients speak for itself, and not rely on exotic ingredients and fancy presentation for the wow factor. Everything is executed with precision: the sushi rice is seasoned perfectly, each piece of fish is cut to the right size and thickness, the ratio of fish to rice is just right for a single bite. I remarked to the sushi chef about how beautiful the soy sauce is - full of flavor without being too salty (I think I even used the word sublime). And he nonchalantly remarked that he made it himself, like it is no big deal. So... a little bit of a back story about me here, my mom happened to be obsessed with good soy sauce and once sent me artisanal soy sauce (yes, it's a thing) home from Asia. I prayed it wouldn't explode in my luggage, and it did survive so I do know something about great soy sauce :) Anyway, I digress. My point is, these people are hardcore purists, I could taste it in the freshly ground wasabi and ginger as well. On to service: I brought a bottle of Puligny-Montrachet, La Truffière to drink with dinner, and offered a glass to the chef, which he graciously accepted and slipped in an extra course that was not even on the menu! It was a very fantastic clam dish that had the umami and toothiness of abalone. Understandably, people on both sides of me at the sushi bar shot me an envious look. The wait staff in general were quietly​ attentive without being obstrusive, almost ninja-like. This place totally transported me to Japan. I get this place, it is utterly honest and unpretentious, and there is beauty in premeditated simplicity. There is no clutter, just purity distilled to its essence... like great calligraphy. I struggled to give this place an excellent review because I know once word gets out reservations will be much harder to come by, but I can't be selfish. Well done, Ijji, don't ever change, save your genius for those who get you!

Exceptional sushi experience! Small space (around 14 seats total) fitted out in authentic Japanese style. Fantastic flawless service, very accommodating and friendly. Good ambience. We had the omakase which included many exotic fish I've not had the opportunity to try before such as sanma, akamutsu, and live octopus - not your average selection. Each piece was perfectly seasoned with delicate touches of shoyu, or ginger or shiso. Sitting at the counter was a wonderful opportunity to learn more from the chefs, who kindly talked us through the menu. A wonderful, memorable meal.

This place is simply exceptional in every dimension - food, service, ambiance. It has to be one of the finest restaurants in San Francisco right now. It certainly is the best sushi I've had outside Japan by some margin. I would certainly recommend the Omakase (10 pieces, selected by the chef and served sequentially) to help you branch out from your favorites - in a place of this quality, it's really worth it. Don't miss the anago (eel) sushi, and the otoro (fatty tuna) is pretty exceptional too. The restaurant itself is pretty small - I recommend seating at the sushi counter, so you can witness the preparation of your meal and have exchanges with the chefs. Everything here speaks of refinement and attention to detail.

Some of the best, and most exotic, fish I've ever had. Our waiter was very knowledgeable and made great suggestions based on what we liked. More expensive than I was expecting from the two dollar signs given by Google; individual pieces of Nigiri were $6-$10. Though it is a very small place, we were able to walk in at 7 on a Friday night and got a table within 15 minutes.

Clean and minimalist atmosphere, puts the nigiri front and center. Unassuming chefs and staff were very friendly, different than many spots these days where it feels so transactional. Ordered the omakase, the cherry salmon in season now, Japanese barricuda, and scallop, were all highlights. Will be back soon!