Mizutani Sushi Bar

confession: my friend and i were originally planning on eating across the street at a different sushi restaurant, but it was closed so we ended up at mizutani for a nice saturday lunch!
we sat at the bar and ordered two lunch special combos and a magic roll. the roll was a solid size, the filling size was substantial, and was the favorite item of our meal. my lunch combo was hamachi sashimi and chicken teriyaki, and my friend ordered tempura and salmon sashimi. the salmon sashimi was perfect texture and super fresh, but for some reason the hamachi was ice cold. it tasted fresh (i think), but each piece was so cold it almost gave me a brain freeze! the tempura was pretty good as well, but the chicken teriyaki was a bit rubbery and required more chewing than the normal chicken teriyaki would.
service was great and our waiter was friendly. even though some of the food was a bit sketch, i would come back and give it another chance.

I was recently hit with a craving for sushi and eager to venture out to a new place. After a search on the Unilocal mobile app, it was down to 3 options that were within a 20-​minute walking distance. Mizutani looked & sounded appealing and it fit the price expectation for that night (I was more in the mood for a cozy neighborhood spot than a fancy $$$$ place with a sushi tasting menu).
The place was somewhat empty when we arrived, with just one other table occupied, but filled up throughout our meal there. The décor is clean and simple, in line with most sushi places I have been to. Our waitress was extremely sweet and attentive throughout our whole dining experience.
We opted for the following food:
Special of the day — Midnight oysters: raw oysters topped with a quail egg yolk, tobiko, and scallions. These were super fresh and purely delicious. I generally like my oysters clean with nothing on them, but in this case I was pleasantly surprised. It felt very reminiscent of a hamachi shooter.
Sashimi Sampler — 20 pieces of 5 assorted fish varieties (maguro, saba, sake, hamachi, escolar). The fish was super fresh, served as generous thick cuts, and very tender.
We also ordered a couple of their specialty rolls. Minimal rice and lots of actual fish and veggies inside, just the way I love my rolls.
Mizutani will be a go-​to spot when I crave some sashimi, rolls, and a large hot sake!

Went here for a birthday celebration lunch. The wait staff was great and the food was affordable and good quality!

delivery
decent prices
tasty thick cuts sashimi
cute notes on boxes (i asked nicely for uni in our chef sashimi order in case they might have some, but they wrote sorry, no uni today :) — disappointed yes, but cute note + points!
maybe one of these days, we’ll stop in to check this place out. :)

Please save your money and eat somewhere else. The food here is so awful it made me write a review to warn others. This place is overpriced and the food took forever to arrive and when it did it was terrible. The teriyaki chicken was rubbery the sauce was overly salty. The sushi rice was super mushy similar to mashed up rice. The grill squid was the worse it was cold and very tough to eat like it’s been frozen for awhile. The only positive was the sashimi which was just ok but not enough for us to come back. The minute you sit down they ask you water or tea but they charge for tea and don’t tell you that till you see the bill.

I had such a wonderful experience here. The owners were so friendly and I had a lovely conversation with them during my lunch.
The sushi was fresh and the price was amazing for San Francisco. The rolls were creative and delicious. They had many «fresh» rolls options so I was super excited about that.
Service was A++++. I’m new to the Bay Area so the owner took time out of his day to tell me more about the Bay Area.
PS…who gives a crap if this place is Chinese-​owned? I don’t think it matters who makes your food as long as it’s good!

This place is a true gem! The service is awesome, the music is very smooth and the service is very kind and available! The Simon roll and super salmon roll were absolutely delicious (and fried)! The lunch combo was good, nice and fresh Nigiri

Not the best, but not the worst.
The most memorable thing about this place was the super friendly staff.
I ordered the chirashi, which was pretty good but definitely not mind-​blowing. A couple of pieces (I forget which fish) were served too cold, seemed like it was close to frozen. I’m glad I wasn’t that hungry because it wouldn’t have been enough to fill me up otherwise. The salmon and tuna were very fresh though. We also ordered the Cherry Blossom roll: salmon avocado sushi wrapped in tuna. This roll was the highlight of our meal imo.
We came here on a pretty chilly night so I was excited to warm up with some hot tea, but their teapots and cups do not insulate well so the tea cooled down within a few minutes. They gladly refilled it for us when I brought it to their attention, but we were still charged for cold tea. Meh. Probably won’t be back. Daigo is still my favorite sushi spot in the Richmond.

Came here a couple times when they just opened.
Sushi: super fresh and surprisingly reasonable prices. I like salmon and the salmon here are not skimpily thin for the sashimi
Appetizer: I never got a chance to try the uni egg appetizer. However, I ordered the usual fare like agadashi tofu and hamachi Kama a couple times. Agadashi tofu was ok, but the hamachi Kama was really big
Pretty easy to get reservation and service is great.
I would definitely come back

Not bad but half the rolls contain some kind of fried item. We ordered the Super Salmon roll because the menu didn’t mentioned it being fried but when it came it was deep fried. The Tempura Sweet Potato was good and quite a large portion. Also got the Sunset Stripped Roll which contained no rice and was wrapped in a rather thick strip of cucumber. Kind of thought it was going to be a paper thin version of cucumber but wasn’t. So was a bit disappointed in that.
The service was friendly but they got super slammed about 30 minutes after we got there so the food slowed down and the aforementioned Super Salmon roll came out kind of late.
Would be good if their menu had better descriptions of the rolls.

FRESH UNI. The entire dining experience was impeccable, the service and food was on point.
FOOD:
— complimentary salad
— Warm Unagi Churn Fun, a unique take on using churn fun… so good
— 2 orders of fresh uni
— Heather roll
— Double Hamachi roll
— Seared Yellow Tail over a bed of spinach
So much food but so delicious. I would definitely reorder the Unagi churn fun, uni, and Heather roll.

A Really solid sushi joint. The sushi here isn’t the best, it isn’t the freshest, but I think its adequate. They have a lot of choices on their menu and I think the prices are fair. My friends and I came here in the evening and there were only a few people here eating. Inside it felt homey, makes you feel comfortable. Everything they serve you looks nice, even the teapot, so thats a plus. I tried the Chirashi and my friends basically ordered the same thing. The fish was fine but in a sushi roll I can tell that they would be good if we decided to order some.
The reason why I gave this place a thumbs up is because it reminds me of the place that I get my sushi in my home town when I crave it. I wouldn’t recommend anyone to go out and drive 45 minutes to get here, but if I lived in the area or happened to the in the area, I wouldn’t mind eating here. Might even be a go-​to if I lived here. There’s nothing worse than getting bad sushi, its pricey enough as is. So while this place isn’t top shelf, its clean, service is fast and friendly, and the fish will be good. Nothing really negative to say about my experience here.

A very happy 5 stars to Mizutani! I’m sure sushi purists will try to find complaints but as someone who adores Japanese food but isn’t trying to be a sushi snob (we’re not looking at jiro dreams of sushi here people!) I wholeheartedly enjoyed every bite at Mizutani.
The quality of fish was outstanding, the rolls were innovative and the flavors were unique! That is what I noticed the most, it wasn’t just the generic flavors you get at any Japanese restaurant, you could tell everything was made in house with a homemade recipe. Great example was in the shared starter salad, it wasn’t just the generic ginger soy salad dressing (which don’t get me wrong I enjoy the generic kind no matter what) it was a carefully crafted absolutely delicious homemade version of a ginger, sesame dressing that made the complimentary starter salad one of my favorite things I had that night! The Teriyaki also wasn’t just that tar-​like generic overly salty glaze. Instead it had so many unique flavors that still was reminiscent of teriyaki but with a complexity that I thoroughly appreciated. And yes the summer roll is a fan favorite for good reason, don’t miss out! But I also enjoyed their roll’s that were wrapped in cucumber instead of rice and seaweed, they were delightfully refreshing.
Of course as everyone has mentioned the service is what makes this place so outstanding. They have a very thoughtful and attentive staff that is eager to give you a great dining experience. This attention to detail is mirrored in the quality and presentation of their food. Don’t go in trying to rush in and out, instead I encourage everyone to take their time enjoy the good quality food and even better quality people. They don’t rush you or try and get you out the door, it is nice to feel like you can actually take your time and enjoy a good meal with your company once in a while. Mizutani is owned by a couple and you can tell that they put a lot of tender love and care into their business. I support any small business owner but have a soft spot for couples chasing their dreams :) I will be SURE to be making this my new spot with my girlfriends!

Nice low-​key sushi spot that just opened up 2 months ago. They are so generous with their sashimi portions that I was left almost wishing for more rice lol (see pics). Although it’s not the best sushi I have ever had, its fresh and solid and one of the best I’ve had at this price point. In addition to the Sashimi/​Sushi Combo, got one of the rolls, and the Agedashi Tofu (albeit not traditional but still tasty).
Service was great — they are super friendly and attentive. Come check it out!

Unique flavors, fresh fish, excellent service. The servers are very responsive and friendly. We had the following:
Oyster with quail egg — it wasn’t on any menu, but we saw Unilocal pictures and asked about it and they were able to provide. It was good, but not the best I’ve had.
Hamachi Hand roll and Spicy Tuna Handroll — standard taste and nicely wrapped. Nothing was spilling out over the top nor was it coming out of the bottom. Nothing super special about the flavor though.
Shrimp Tempura Churn Fun — this was an interesting concept. The sauce that came with it was really good, but not sure I would order this again.
Heather roll — SUPER GOOD. The jalapeño butter was a nice touch and the fish was nicely seared. It was a bit heavier than I expected, so I wish I hadn’t ordered all of the above :)
I will definitely be coming back for a round 2!

Was fortunate to have sushi catered. We got to try the sunflower roll, sumo roll, shrimp tempura churn fun, the sunset stripped roll, and the mizutani roll. Must say it was pretty good. Love the mango in the sunflower roll, the sumo roll had a lemon soy sauce drizzled on it and had a hint of garlic to the roll. The tastes was very inviting in your mouth. The shrimp tempura churn fun was my favorite! It is wrapped in a thin sheet of rice noodles, very much like rice crepes from dim sum. Nice contrast of the spicy tuna and shrimp tempura. On the pricey side but they are very fresh. Minus 1 star for finding fish scale on my piece of sushi. Will come back to try other rolls.

Came here two times for dinner. The servers are very friendly and helpful! We had the Fried oysters, Bay Island roll, and the Godzilla roll on one occasion and the Chirashi and Semibei roll the next.
The fried oysters were hot and tasty but a bit small. Definitely liked the Bay Island more than the Godzilla. Godzilla was good, but oddly, thinly sliced. The spicy sauce added some nice heat though, not too much to overpower the other flavors.
The Chirashi is big enough for two people to share or to satisfy one hungry diner! Lovely selection of fresh fish on top of a good portion of rice. Came with a small salad beforehand. The Sembei roll stole the show though. Crispy, hot, with smooth delicious spicy tuna on top! The tuna has a good amount of heat, more than the spicy sauce, but doesn’t distract from the tuna’s flavor. Honestly, one piece in one bite is a bit much and you don’t get to enjoy the flavors each component has to offer. I’d recommend trying the roll all in one bite first, and then eating the tuna and roll separately to appreciate all the flavors offered.
We also had the mango shochu cocktail. This actually comes in a large bottle for sharing. It wasn’t prepackaged but mixed upon order and it was nice and strong! My girlfriend and I were tipsy after this dinner but we had rough days at work so it was well deserved!
Would definitely come back again as long as that 15% banner is still waving!

Mizutani replaces Chin’s (which i never tried). décor doesn’t exist unless gray walls count. jazz music in the background. nothing japanese about Mizutani except the name.
eats: 2 item lunch special (not called a bento box since it comes out on a square dish) 10.95
–miso soup too much msg, couldn’t finish
–lettuce salad, dosed with miso/​peanut dressing.
–salmon teriyaki, 2– 3 oz. portions, slightly above average
–shrimp tempera, 2 shirmp & 5 veggies, slightly above average
–sashimi entrée choices +2/​3 depending on fish.
temaki:
–still hungry afterwards, menu pricey
–15% off, grand opening promo
–very friendly service.
–wouldn’t repeat, cheaper alternatives available.
–sashimi overpriced… chirashi choices +2/+3 if hamachi, tuna, …chosen.

In the land of Chinese owned Japanese sushi restaurants, this is the newest member with new décor, still smelling of construction, with staff alert and ready to please. We sat at the bar and started ordering off of the specials list — Uni. A quick question from the waitress to the sushi chef in Cantonese, do we have Uni? No, not today. Bad start but whatever.
I’m really not a fan of Chinese or Korean owned Japanese restaurants (I’m chinese so this can’t be racist) — sometimes I’m tempted to categorize these types of establishments as a separate cuisine, which is how I’m rating this, not as a japanese restaurant. I want to be fair and not judge a business by my preference.
–Service was excellent.
–Food was well presented, clean, and did not appear compromised
–Left the restaurant odor free
Would not recommend for sushi purists, but if rolls are all you desire, by all means enjoy them here. We won’t be returning, but we appreciated the 15% off special.

By the end of each gym week, I just want food that doesn’t come from a shaker bottle or a bar wrapper. If luckycat statues and raw sealife are involved, all the better.
Standard /​easily accessible /​#basic menu surrounded by friendly service and great music covers (Al Green, Earth Wind & Fire, Bee Gees, etc).
(^_​^) Warm Unagi Churn Fun #avocados
(^_​^) Paintings #mustachebird
(^_​^) Silverware #handlecarvings
(^_​^) Watermelon #surprisedessert
(-_​-​) Scallop Crab Cakes #saltyspongebob
(-_​-​) Moriawase Sashimi #basic
Clean, comfortable neighborhoody place. Wheelchair lift to the slightly elevated back area, orange-​gold luckycat up front. They really thought of everything.