Tsukiji Sushi Bar & Restaurant

SAD… they are gone! Komatsu-​San! Where are you now… want to find your wonderful fish… please let us know!

Don’t bother. Other reviews are spot-​on: management is cutting corners by not hiring enough wait staff, everything is just a little over-​priced, and whether or not the fish IS straight from Tsukiji, it’s no fresher than any of the other great Sushi restaurants in Mill Valley. Samurai, Robata, Sushi Gourmet — they all have food as good, plus they all have better service and better prices. If I want to pay extra, I can go to Sushi Ran and at least have a more «special» experience.
We had to wait for a hostess, then had to wait to place our drink order, then had to wait 10 minutes for edamame, THEN everything else came all at once. The family next to us had completely finished their dinner and still the order for one child had not yet arrived. The waiter said, «Chicken Terriaki always takes longer.» No apology, no sense of urgency.
The ambiance is anything but «sushi restaurant.»
In the end, the food was perfectly fine, but everything else ruined the experience. I won’t be back.

Comparing to SF’s sushi restaurant choices I would give this a 3 star, but because its in Mill Valley and Marin in General I give it 4 star for Marin. Trendy enough to give a nice ambiance, but knob hill /​Lombard prices for not what Lombard offers. So again 4 stars 4 Marin but 3 stars if you know what I mean.

Sushi quality was uneven. I liked the salmon and hamachi, but the ocean trout, ankimo, and scallop were just ok. And my first order of nigiri were all delivered at room temperature, which I consider to be fairly warm for sushi.
service was pretty weak. It started pretty badly when we got to the restaurant and with two open seats at the sushi bar, they wouldn’t seat us there. the reason given was there was one seat in the corner, then 2 people together, and then another open seat, and the waitress refused to ask anyone to move over a seat. I’ve never seen that before… They gave us a hamachi roll, instead of the salmon roll that we ordered – eventually they did, and they didn’t charge us for the hamachi roll. And the eggplant and tempura roll my wife ordered never arrived, so they also took that off the bill. it really felt like amateur hour. went tonight (Tuesday night) and restaurant was quite full, but service really, really slow.
still looking for a really good sushi place in Marin… please email me with suggestions (other than Sushi Ran, of course…)

We tried this place after we bought a Groupon. We went there on a Saturday night. When we got to the restaurant, there were about 4 people waiting to be seated. Not sure how long they were there but no one came out to greet them or us. We waited about ten minutes before we hailed down one of the servers and was told they’re not seating people unless they have a reservation. Lucky us, we made a reservation and got seated immediately.
It took a while before a server came to take our order. The food came out in a reasonable amount of time but they never refilled our water until we were ready to leave.
I have to say the food was very good.

One word… Unimpressed! I had a groupon for this place that I didn’t want to go to waste but after my experience I almost wish I had.
I was kind enough to take my roommate with me, who’s a big sushi fan. I ordered the teriyaki beef and she ordered a basic roll (sorry, I don’t recall the exact one). I ordered my beef medium-​well, and it arrived looking as such. It wasn’t until I actually took a bite from the center portion of the steak and it was COLD at the very center as if it was previously frozen and not completely thawed, which left the taste and texture rather hard to chew and enjoy at that point. My roommate was totally unimpressed with her sushi roll (hamachi, i think it was).
The service was not good at all, my dish came out at least 5 minutes before my roommates. We had 2 different waitresses throughout the course of our dinner, and the restaurant wasn’t even busy. Needless to say, I’m glad I didn’t pay full price for the meal.
Also, a little side note, we checked out the restaurant’s website and menu before we headed out. The prices that were listed on the website were very different from the ones we found when we arrived at the restaurant. The entrée plates on the website were listed as including miso soup, salad, and rice; at the restaurant however the the entrée plates only included miso soup and rice, and the prices were higher. When I asked why the 2 were different, the waitress’s response was «it’s new, just happened». I call B.S. but okay.

Lured by a good Groupon deal my wife and I found our way to Tsukiji. Being lovers of sushi we are always looking for good places in Marin and we were excited to find a new (to us) place to try out.
We were seated right away by a friendly waitress who pointed out the menu and answered some questions we had on the menu. It took quite a while for the food to show up after we had ordered it but it was worth the wait. The food was fresh as can be, looked appetizing and was just simply delicious. We especially liked the Mamasam roll.

I tried this place out with the hubby after purchasing a Groupon. We made a reservation on a Sunday night and were seated by the front window. The sake was good and you can’t go wrong with a tall Asahi.
We tried some of the specials one of them being Butterfish nigiri. Um, wow. Butterfish is one of my personal favorites because it tastes like it sounds. Like buttahhh. The spicy tuna rolls didn’t fail to deliver their reliable expectations. They’re like the new California roll, you know? Also had one of the specialty rolls, the Mamasan. Simple, yet delicious.
All in all, we had a great experience and our server was polite and prompt. Would definitely go back and next time I want to try the sea urchin!

The fish itself was good. And that’s where the good ends. The sushi rice was too dry. The portions were a bit small which I normally appreciate — but at these prices, I don’t think I should be left with the feeling that they’re cutting the slices too thin in order to cut costs — which is exactly the feeling I got. The spinach ohitashi was truly bad. No really. It was undercooked and completely drowned in ponzu. Made your face curl up like you’d just eaten a lemon. Pretty much inedible. Miso soup was just okay, tasted more or less like instant from a package.
So far, I’d give it two stars. But the service was absolutely the worst I’ve encountered in a very long time. We seemed to spend most of the meal trying to get the attention of our server. Finally gave up and decided to go to another restaurant to finish eating. Final blow was having to wait more than 15 minutes for the check. There are several very good sushi restaurants in Marin. This isn’t one of ‘em.

The food was okay, the service was good, but pricey for its small portions.
Agedashi Tofu — I like the presentation of this plate. You have to stir the sauce when you dip the tofu in there, otherwise it’ll lack taste.
Salmon Nigiri — I didn’t personally try this one, boyfriend said it was okay.
Tuna Sashimi — They were just okay, nothing special.
Albacore Toro Sashimi (fatty white tuna) — This was the highlight of our meal. The white tuna was accompanied with some sort of smashed garlic topping/​sauce, it was heavenly good, and the fish itself melts in your mouth. The best I’ve had and I always order white tuna sashimi at sushi restaurants.
Sunnyside Roll — This was pretty good, but again, small portion, the individual piece is easily a one-​bite for a girl.
Rock N’ Roll — Typical, nothing special.
Our bill was about $ 80 for 2 people, with no liquor, and that’s not a whole lot of food, we were barely full when we left. Even though the Albacore Toro was so very delicious, I’m not sure if we’ll go back.

I’ll keep it simple.
Amazing fish, amazing dishes, amazing sake.
Appalling service, and very pricey.
I would definitely go back, but only if somebody else paid!

My friend and I had dinner at Tsukiji last Sunday, and I’ve gotta say, I was impressed. They had fabulous, reasonably priced sushi!
Before ordering, I informed our server that I was gluten-​intolerant and asked if he could make sure that what we ordered was sans gluten. Rather than making me feel bad for being «high maintenance,» like some servers do, he was very considerate of my diet and even brought over some gluten-​free soy sauce for me on his own free will.
We ordered edamame, miso soup, seaweed salad, 3 sushi rolls, and a small sake and our bill was only $ 46! That’s pretty damn good if you ask me. My friend purchased a groupon, which we used to pay for our dinner with. After the discount, our bill was only $ 3 (don’t worry, I tipped off of the original bill as you should). Despite the discount, their food is definitely well worth paying full price for. I should also mention the relaxing, intimate ambiance, which makes for a good date spot.

3.5 stars
Solid for the Tuesday night that we came. so here’s the bomb being dropped, the shameful confession that I air on this public site: I ate seafood that came straight from Tokyo’s Tsukiji… twice in 2 nights… the previous night, we were at Morimoto’s trying to contain our excitement and getting our groove on.
The next night, we were in Mill Valley and trying out the nigiri (as we didn’t bother having any in Napa) at Tsukiji, who also claims to fly in their goods from Tsukiji. Bit indulgent? oh yes!!!
The seafood was extremely fresh, and some highlights to the night included ankimo (monkfish liver), suzuki (sea bass), and some other great nigiri (remember, the Japanese dip sushi with the fish side down!!!). In all, we ordered about 7 nigiri and one of the special combination rolls.
Their sushi is definitely skinnier and smaller in portion than in sushi houses one would likely frequent. The place is sweet and decently patronized on a Tuesday night. The lighting is nice, and nice space between tables. It’s a rather romantic little joint there nestled in those hills.
Impressed…full…and feeling just a tad bit guilty! But hey, I firmly believe that is one of the main objectives of vacations — =P

We stumbled on this place when my boyfriend lived in Mill Valley. I was pleasantly surprised. The Sushi Chef was friendly not drunk like Oyaji’s, don’t get me wrong it’s also one of my favorites but i don’t want to wait for my sushi while you have a drink and smoke.
Always, always sit at the sushi bar. The Aji (Spanish Mackerel) is wonderful and the Bin Toro is sweet and buttery.
The fish was fresh and tasty. Don’t order rolls be a little adventurous, they know fish and will give you wonderful recommendations.
We will be going back again.
I also read a couple of reviewers order Udon, it’s sushi restaurant order sushi. You don’t go to a steak house and order chicken.
it’s worth the trip over the bridge!

The fish was very fresh. A friend and I decided to go again after getting a 50% off coupon from Groupon and were very satisfied with our meal.
Our order
Tuna Poke — 5 stars extremely fresh, seaweed salad a top a tempura shrimp
roll with tuna poke on top… Winner of the evening
Spicy scallop roll — 3 stars average
Dynamite Roll — 4 stars fresh, lightly fried and has a light ponzu sauce that made it extra tasty
Wine– out of the wine we really wanted but were given a tasting of a few others and found an okay substitute
Service — 5 stars GREAT!!! (Had mediocre services in the past)

The sushi & fish here were really fresh. However, the service was pretty slow & there was a hair in one of the sushi rolls. They gave that particular roll to us for free though, so I guess it kind of made up for it. Prices are pretty normal. I would probably go back again if others wanted to.

on an (almost unprecedented) craving of the husband’s, we went again for tempura. well, *he* had tempura — crispy, not too oily or batter-​y, and with loads of interesting vegetables (yey! artichoke!). *I* again tried the raw fish… and was pleased. very pleased. all fish like buttah. and tres fresh.
why the wallop of 2 stars? UPDATE THE BOOZE LIST. there are prices listed, yes. but it’s totally confusing and completely random as to whether or not it applies to the glass or the bottle, and I will tell you, sadly (as will my credit card) that it is usually for the glass, and the bottle price is – A COMPLETE SECRET. well, until you get the bill.
new pet peeve = not listing prices. only my mama is allowed to do that, in her house.

Perhaps I’ve been spoiled by the many sushi options available in Seattle, but I feel this place is just okay. When I dine at restaurants — Asian cuisines in particular — I look around to see who’s eating there. The lack of APA’s in this establishment should have been a hint that I regretfully missed.
My parents bought the Groupon deal for this place and I’m glad they did for paying full price on the cuisine we had would be atrocious. As another reviewer has mentined, the salad was delicious but nothing special since I’m pretty sure I’ve had the dressing elsewhere. The sushi which is their namesake was pretty but tastewise nothing to really be remembered by. I hope their fancier and more expensive rolls have more taste to them.
Waitstaff were alright, pretty friendly. One of the servers seemed new as her hands would shake when lifting plates and dishes with sauces and liquids — quite scary as my purse was on the chair next to me and I was always afraid something would spill.
This place would get 3 stars but the udon and tempura was so bland, and for the price they want for it ($ 15) did not make me feel satisfied in the least. The chicken is tender but not flavorful enough to warrant the money for it as well. The calamari is quite good though.
By Marin standards this place is alright, but if you’re willing to make the drive to Mill Valley you may as well go to the city for better food at the same price.

I like this place a lot. Have been there twice now, most recently last Thursday (⁶⁄₃). The chef is (I’m told) from Sushi Ran, and all the food we tried was excellent. Various rolls and sashimi.
This location has been a lot of things over the years (Thai, Mexican, Asian fusion), but this is the most consistent quality so far. Décor is nice, and service good. Prices are what I would call mid-​range (not cheap, but for good sushi, still reasonable).

This one might make it.
This is what the BF’s friends reported about their neighbor, Tsukiji. They’ve seen restaurants in this former house come and go. Now its current tenant has moved in and unpacked its wooden furniture, red pillows and candleholders, tatami mats for the ceiling, fireplaces, and very small sushi bar for that nook in the back.
And fish. Lots and lots of fish.
But first, we tried the Cucumber Sunomono and Wakame Seaweed Salad. The scalloped edges of the thinly sliced cucumbers was a pretty touch and while the salads were good, they were nothing out of the ordinary.
The Daily Specials are where Tsukiji says, we are here to stay! We had the Aji (Mackerel), White Belly Toro, and Walu (Hawaiian Butterfish) nigiri and also the Hamachi (Yellowtail) off the regular menu. FANTASTIC. So fresh and delicious that even the most squeamish of raw fish eaters would be converted.
Of the maki rolls, we tried the Spider Roll (Fried Soft Shell Crab), Spicy Tuna Roll, and Sunnyside Roll (Spicy Crab, Avocado, Cucumber, Shrimp Tempura). All very tasty and nicely rolled. Everything was beautifully presented.
Dessert was Limoncello Gelato for the BF and Mochi Ice Cream for me. The Limoncello was creamy and sweet but unfortunately not at all tart. As for the mochi, we liked the coffee flavor the best and chocolate came in second. It seemed familiar so I asked and what do you know, the mochi was from Traderjoes-​san. Although yummy, the mochi markup was too high ($ 7.50 for 4 pieces).
Like any good host and neighbor, Tsukiji made us feel right at home. Our dishes came out promptly even though we only saw two sushi chefs (one with Sushi Ran street cred) and the place was busy. There were at least four different people who refilled our drinks, explained what sushi was what, asked if we needed anything, and made our first visit here a warm one.
We’ll definitely be back!
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Update ¹²⁄₂₀₁₁:
Tasty Sushi + Mediocre Tempura + Great Service + High Prices + Handy Groupon = Long Overdue Second Visit