Elephant Sushi

It was some of the best sushi I’ve ever had, and although the wait on a Sunday night was 30 minutes they at least call you so you don’t have to remain waiting outside. But what I want to know is WHERE IS THE MISO SOUP? Doesn’t that violate some international law?

Went here for dinner with hubby to celebrate an anniversary. Very nice ambience for a casual date night. Food wise, pretty good. Probably one of the best Rainbow roles I have ever had. We had an assortment of things but all very fresh and well presented. Service was pretty good — could have been better but excellent all around. Would definitely return here.

I think it is known that Elephant Sushi has very good food. However, in San Francisco there are a variety of amazing sushi places and the cons of going to Elephant simply outweigh the quality of food you receive. Besides waiting two+ hours to get a table, the service is absolutely horrible. The servers and hosts are extremely rude, the food is overpriced, and the overall atmosphere is cramped and loud. They frustratingly don’t take parties over 4 people and their flaming roll (literally a bowl of flaming vodka slowly cooking a roll in foil on top) has exploded on my table sending glass and flaming vodka everywhere to which our server told us it’s not that big of a deal and proceeded to argue about bringing out a new roll. All in all I would not recommend going here, but I give it a few stars because the food is admittedly tasty.
P. S. If you do still go here even after this comment, get the White Out roll, it’s delicious.

No American express, no more 2 credit cards, no edadme, no eel, Why do I keep coming back here? Otherwise the salmon is pretty good.

great sushi! very fresh, very masterful.
we were told at first that there was an hour wait, but the wait list doesn’t apply to the bar, which is totally the place to sit. from there you can watch the masters do their work.
loved the red and yellow roll, the ya man, and the alaska. i’m a sucker for salmon +avocado, and it hunk simple rolls like that are a way to showcase freshness. the flaming seabass is impressive, and definitely a spectacle. but i’m still not sure as to how i feel about hot sushi. it was tasty, but not my favorite.
overall, great experience.

OK, my credentials up front. Not to brag, just to bring some perspective.
15 years living in Japan, eating raw fish almost ²⁴⁄₇.
I’m a sushi freak, but not a snob.
So when you have a Unilocaler saying, «You won’t find fresher fish anywhere.» (I won’t mention any names.) You have to realize that maybe that Unilocaler just got introduced to sushi recently. And to him or her, Elephant Sushi *is* the best fish that he/​she has ever put in his/​her mouth .
Contrast that with someone like me, who has been eating sushi in the Land of the Rising Sun since the early 80’s. Again, not to brag, but just to make the point, it makes a big difference to know the background and experience of a food reviewer before you swallow hook, line and sinker. That goes for all food, not just sushi. Experience counts when you’re looking for an opinion. Just sayin.
My daughter was born in Japan and knows her sushi stuff pretty well too. She was with us at Elephant and made this comment about their fish:
«Dad, they don’t know how to cut fish here.»
She was right. The way they cut the fish at Elephant was not maximizing the taste and texture of the fish (I have also worked at a sushi bar.)
We were very lucky to be seated as walk-​ins. Hostess said it was very rare. We were an odd 3 people and they had a spot that worked for only us in the line.
Here’s what we ordered:
YELLOW FIN BITES (³⁄₅) Not bad, not good, just middle of the road.
HAMACHI W/​TRUFFLE (⁴⁄₅) Probably the best of the bunch. It had garlic chips and green onion. It was a good twist on the usual trendy thing they’re doing these days adding the jalapeño. I think Nobu in LA originated the hamachi/​jalapeño combo.
YA MAN ROLL (³⁄₅) Salmon cut a bit too thick for me. But I liked the concept of red onion chips and pesto thrown in for good measure. Still, flavors got too busy for me and the fish was no longer the star of the show.
We also had an assortment of nigiri which included: MAGURO, HAMACHI, SALMON AND WALU (which is the Hawaiian word for ESCOLAR) which is basically a kind of tuna. Different sushi places will call fish by different names and it can be confusing. What is even more confusing is when sushi restaurants will mislabel their fish (sometimes deliberately and sometimes ignorantly) depending on the fish and how they want to market it to the customer. For example, some sushi chef might think it’s more appealing to call it «butterfish“rather than its common name «escolar». If I were a sushi chef, I think I’d opt to call it «butterfish» too just because it sounds more appetizing than the former. Let’s not forget too that some chefs will deliberately (and fraudulently) call a cheap fish by a different name just to make it sound expensive. Wow, I got off on a tangent here.
Anyway, I think there’s def some hype going on here with ES. I think, if you’re not a spoiled sushi eater, you’re likely to have a good experience here. But if you’ve been around the block in terms of sushi-​eating experience, then I would say you’re not going to find your happy face here.
I haven’t been there in a long time, but look up KABUTO restaurant for some off-​the-​chart sushi goodness. And if you’re in the LA area, look up SUGARFISH. SUGARFISH is completely affordable and unbelievably delicious.

Absolutely delicious! Came here twice and with both times, I unfortunately had to wait more than an hour (ugh, boooo!!!). Although their food is fantastic, I’m not quite sure if I would [want to] wait for that long again.
MUST TRIES:
— For starters: I loved both the hamachi truffle and walu corpaccio. Of the two, I preferred the hamachi truffle but both were yummy.
— White out roll: seriously, this roll is amazing! Hamachi and avocado inside, with seared butter fish on top with an overall scrumptious flavor from the garlic ponzu. Must must muuuust get this!
— Flaming seabass roll: I feel this roll is more for the cool wow factor experience of a flaming skinny-​burrito-​lookin’ thing on your table. With most baked rolls, the taste of the fish is often hidden by all of the sauces. I couldn’t tell there was sea bass or or tuna in there. Regardless, the roll was very smooth and bursting with flavors! It was different, filling and delicious.
Ya man roll was great too (salmon, avocado, pesto & ponzu sauce), and their sake nigiri was fresh and buttery.
I would personally pass on the naked scallop roll and spicy hamachi roll, but if that looks and sounds delicious for your tastebuds, then go for it! They weren’t bad at all — I just didn’t think they were anything special and wouldn’t order them again.
Fish tasted and felt extremely fresh. It’s a little pricier here, but given the location, quality of food and unique take on sushi, I guess that’s understandable. Most of the tables are situated very close together. Service is prompt and waitresses can easily be flagged down. If you’re able to dodge (or you don’t mind) the 1+ hour wait, then go for it!!! Parking is a pain in the ass in this area, so good luck with that! I’ve seen a lot of people take über or lyft here, so that’s something to consider!

It’s a very very tiny restaurant so finding a place to sit can be tough. The line usually starts about 15 minutes before the restaurant opens, and your entire party has to be with you at that time, no saving tables. But once you get a spot, you’ll be very satisfied with their sushi options. Everything melts in your mouth and you want to just keep eating as much as you can! One of my top 5 sushi places in San Francisco.

A bit overhyped IMO for the 1 hr wait, price, and food. My boyfriend and I ordered the seared hamachi w/​truffle sauce, the ya man roll, and the flaming sea bass.
Hamachi Truffle: I might be a bit biased since I don’t like yellowtail but I thought this dish was just okay and really pricey. My bf liked it though.
Ya Man Roll: My favorite! The salmon was so buttery and fresh. I would highly recommend getting this.
Flaming Sea Bass: This is one of those dishes that your order for photos. It looks pretty cool since it comes lit on fire, but was drenched so heavily in sauce that I really disliked it; the sushi rice got pretty mushy. This roll also requires time to cook in the fire, so we ended up waiting a quite some time before we could finally eat it.
Overall fresh fish but very catered towards those who like japanese/​american fusion rolls. Since my taste bud is on the lighter side, I don’t think I enjoyed the food here as much as others would.

While this is not a traditional sushi restaurant, the flavor combinations here are sure to pack a punch. The hamachi truffle was as expected… truffly. It was tasty but not sure the small plate was wroth $ 25. The star of the night was definitely the flaming sea bass. The sushi comes wrapped in foil over a bowl of what I’m assuming is alcohol. The servers light the bowl so that the flames cook the sushi for about 8 minutes. Don’t worry, a server will come back to put out the flame and unwrap the sushi when it’s ready. It was extremely flavorful and unlike any other sushi experience I’ve ever had. Again, definitely far from traditional, but if you’re into that, this is a must order!
The restaurant is quite small so I wouldn’t recommend groups of more than 4. Even with two, the tables are small and close together.

A new favorite sushi joint in the city! My bf and I came here around 7pm and were told the wait could be up to 1 – 1.5 hrs. We put our name down and decided to explore the area instead of just sitting there and waiting. Only half an hour later we were called and told that a table was ready for us!
BEASTIE BOYS — So many raving reviews about this dish so we had to get it. It was definitely good but I think a bit overhyped. I would’ve just rather gotten uni on its own.
HELLO KITTY MARTINI — A STRONG drink (for me at least) and it only cost $ 5! Definitely worth it! It has a lychee and cherry in it too.
WHITE OUT ROLL — One of the best rolls I’ve ever had. We almost didn’t get this since we thought we ordered enough food but I’m so glad we ended up ordering it! It was delicious! The butter fish tasted soo fresh and went perfectly with the avocado.
HIMALAYAN SEA SALT TROUT — Loved it! The fish was so fresh and the sea salt was a nice touch but didn’t make it tooo salty. It was even served on a salt rock which was pretty cool!
OMAKASE — Not your typical omakase, it doesn’t come with a bunch of different types of fish, only 6 BUT you get 16 pieces total — 4 tuna, 4 sashimi, 2 hamachi, 2 scallop, and 4 of 2 more types (I forgot). The salmon and scallops were our favorites, they were so fresh! The tuna was the only disappointing one.
HAMACHI TRUFFLE — I loveeee truffle and hamachi so this dish was an obvious choice! It was great! I loved the fried onion toppings: D
Definitely coming back here! I actually started this review months ago and am just finishing it now. but now that I’m rereading it and remembering how good this place was, I might go back this weekend! Everything was just really good! It is super busy though so if you want to eat here, try to make reservations or come early to put your name down!

I haven’t found better sushi in SF. Four sushi chefs in this small place makes for an exciting show, if you like to sit at the sushi bar. Great energy also comes from busy but efficient servers.
There are lots of choices, imaginative yet not crazy. You will not find fresher fish anywhere else.
The place opens at 6, and a line forms outside beforehand. It’s best to make a reservation. If they can get away with naming it Elephant Sushi, it has to be good!

The salmon is amazing every time I have been here. It is worth coming back simply to have more salmon sushi.
I was initially pulled into trying this place because the Beastie Boys looked so interesting. Like many of the other review have said, it ended up being my least favorite thing. It just had too many rich flavors and textures going on for one bite. The poke bowl was fairly good. Most of the rolls have too much going on for my taste, but are well presented. I usually stick with the straight sushi.
The interior is dark and intimate, great place to take a date. Wait time was between 30 – 60 minutes, on weekends and week days. Luckily there are several great wine bars on the block to pass the time until they call you for your seating.
Only complaint I’ve had is with the service. The first time I went here we ordered drinks, waited 15 minutes without them showing up, asked again, waited another 15 minutes, and then asked a third time before finally procuring them. By this point we had already finish 75% of our dinner without the drinks.

Yay! I’m a fan!
This place is great, I really enjoyed the Himalayan trout on salt rock.
OMG, the salt rock did WONDERS! You wouldn’t need soy sauce w/​this :)
I originally came here to try the hamachi w/​truffle, which was great but the truffle taste was super faint.
The rolls here are really just a hit or miss.
I really enjoyed the white out roll, which literally melts in your mouth. However, I wasn’t a fan of Red & Yellow (too sweet).
Also ordered the sashimi Omakase, which was really good and fresh! Everything was slightly pre-​seasoned, which made it much more amazing.

This sushi is the best of the best. I was here with some friends and they REALLY hyped the place up before I even got there… I had VERY high expectations. I have to say that Elephant Sushi definitely far exceeded my expectations. The restaurant is located on small corner in Russian Hill. There are two levels with the top level being the restaurant and the bottom level being the restroom. The restaurant, itself, isn’t too big so make sure you call ahead to put your name down for a table.
The staff is extremely friendly and they make FANTASTIC recommendations. Our server was able to help our small group of 5 pick several dishes that we could share. We had several rolls but my favorite had to be the flaming roll that our server recommended. I believe it was with trout… The fish was really delicious and I loved the flame made for a really cool show. I also love that the SAKE BOMBS are really well-​priced… I think $ 2 per bomb? An excellent way to make an nice night extremely FUN!
Pros:
–Great Staff
–Amazing selection of fish
–BOMB sake
Cons:
–Crowded
Tips:
–Call ahead to get your name on the list for a table

Best sushi I’ve had in San Francisco!
I arrived here on Friday night 10 till 6 and there was a decently long line outside the front door already! After quickly getting in line I was surprised by the fact that my two friends and I actually got a table and didn’t even have to wait! (we really just got fortunate; were the last group to be seated before the wait began)
I ordered the Ya Man roll and we all split a large hot sake. The roll was DELICIOUS! the onions on the inside really make the roll extra special. The salmon was perfect and there were just enough green onions to add a nice balance of flavor. Paired with their super fresh spicy ginger… and OMG literal sushi heaven.
I would 100% recommend this place; the price, quality, and atmosphere are impossible to beat. 5 stars STRONG :)

BEST sushi I’ve had in SF!
Ambiance: A very cute restaurant, but VERY small. They only take reservations at 6pm right when they open, and if will only seat you if your whole party is there (you have a 10 minute grace period). Otherwise, the wait can be up to 1 ½ hours.
Food: Omg so good. We go the walu carpaccio and spicy tuna & chips for appetizers. The walu carpaccio (butterfish with scallions, soy ginger sauce and some other stuff) was AMAZING. Butterfish is my new favorite thing. ⁵⁄₅ for sure. The spicy tuna and chips was also really good, but I personally didn’t love it as much. ⁴⁄₅
For Rolls we got The Flaming Seabass, White Out, and Red and Yellow. They honestly were all amazing. I give them all 4.5÷5. My favorite thing was definitely the walu carpaccio

Came on a Wednesday night about 30 minutes after they opened and luckily didn’t have to wait for a table! They only have table of 4 & 2 so don’t come with a large group!
Sat down and ordered a bunch of rolls — but my favorite would definitely be the Flaming Seabass — not because it’s on fire and cooking in front of you. but because it’s full of flavor & filling!
I don’t really have any complaints — but definitely on the more pricier side! Their service is quick — the waitress there are very attentive — always coming back to see if you want anything else to order (which you probably do) and rolls come out quick!
I’ve heard horror stories about their lines, so hopefully next time I come I get lucky again!

Highly recommend this restaurant if you’re craving sushi! Be prepared to wait if you don’t have reservations since the place is small and really popular. We came on a Sunday night and there was a 30 minute wait but at least the neighborhood is nice to walk around.
The restaurant is pretty dark inside and I liked the atmosphere. The service was nice and quick even though they were extremely busy. We ordered the chips n dip ($ 10) which was spicy tuna, garlic pita chips, scallions & honey mustard sauce. It was a great combo of flavors and reminded me of ahi poke. Don’t expect a large tray of chips though it comes with 4 small servings.
For the sushi we tried the Ya Man Roll ($ 12) which was salmon and unique flavors of fried red onion chips, pesto and ponzu. The waiter said this was one of their most popular rolls and it ended up being my favorite. The other highlight of the meal was the flaming seabass roll ($ 16). Everyone seemed to be getting this! They wrap the roll in aluminum foil in a dish with vodka and light it on fire for about 10 minutes to cook. It was super saucy and baked when it was done. Highly recommend you try it!
Also got the double albacore roll (very good but nothing too memorable) and unagi roll $ 10 (large servings of tender eel but not as flavorful as the other rolls). I really can’t wait to go back to try the other rolls! The prices are also very reasonable for the interesting flavors you get here.

As you might suspect from the non-​seafood, non-​Japanese related name, Elephant Sushi is a modern, fusion-​interpretation on sushi. But don’t let that stop you from coming! It’s a great bang for your buck relative to most SF eateries.
A waiter will come and get your name/​number for the waitlist at the door. Make sure you answer the phone call, or they’ll skip you! Our wait (for two) turned out to be just 15 – 20 minutes, so it really wasn’t that bad. And we had time to read all the hilarious Feedback notes from various customers taped to the glass walls. And notice the logo being projected onto the wall of the next building outside.
The inside is tiny and dimly lit, with a bar in the back and larger table partially sectioned off on one side. Mostly couples dining here, though it’s not a particularly romantic setting and you have to talk pretty loudly to be heard. All the waiters were super friendly and efficient. There’s some serious hustle going on to keep the line of people moving, so I wouldn’t plan on staying here past an hour and a half or you’ll start getting some heavy-​handed hints. One couple was politely kicked out after breaking the longest stay record of 2.5 hrs.
The menu is small but manages to be overwhelming. You’ve got appetizers, salads, sushi, nigiri, sashimi, seafood entrees, drinks, and… one dessert. A jar of ginger and some wasabi was delivered to our table after we ordered. I wanted to order some more Yummy Pockets and stuff them in MY pockets for later because they were so delicious. But they would have fallen out everywhere and exposed me for the pig (elephant?) I am. The Uni was okay, and the Spicy Hamachi failed to impress, but the Flaming Sea Bass is a must. I love baked rolls (not a raw meat kind of girl), and this one was flamed to perfection in front of our eyes.
$ 2 Sake Bombs. Do it.