Saru Sushi Bar

Best chirashi in the city! I’m a way bigger fan of their lunch menu than their dinner menu. Although their omakase is reasonably price, I hate to say it falls short (not by far) compared to Wako, Akiko’s, and KUSAKABE. The tastings range from $ 20-​$ 60 depending on the quantity you choose. But if you catch yourself simply craving quality sushi at a decent price, this place will not disappoint. The cozy and intimate atmosphere is an added bonus!

Great sushi spot
Nigiris are extra small but all are great quality. Decent pricing
Small cozy place good atmosphere

A sushi-​obsessed me was taken here by a sushi-​obsessed friend, and it was an absolutely wonderful experience. We started off with some delicious miso soup and piping hot green tea (perfect for a rainy day) and then tried the hamachi truffle (seared yellowtail with truffle oil, ponzu, garlic chips, and scallions). It was an intensely flavorful dish and an absolute delight. Next, I ordered lunch special sushi combo, which is a spicy tuna roll with salmon, tuna, yellowtail, and albacore nigiri. Everything was super fresh, and melt-​in-​your mouth delicious.
Luckily, we came around lunch-​time, so there wasn’t a crazy wait, but nearly every table inside was occupied with happy patrons eating and drinking away. The ambiance is great, the staff friendly and fairly attentive, and the food delicious! Definitely worth checking out.

My favorite new spot for sushi. Reaaally good. Everything was pretty much perfect. I went here for lunch w a friend and was blown away.

An incredible waste of time. So-​so food, and ridiculous attitude. Why would anyone pay to wait in line for 2 hours only to be spoken to as if they were a child. «Hey, welcome, what would you like for dessert»?

Get the omakase — they put all the best fish of the day on it and it’s more cost effective than ordering the same fish ala carte.
The salmon tasting and all the tasting spoons are also favorites.
The rolls here are solid, but… you’re wasting a seat in this restaurant if that’s all you’re ordering.
The staff here are incredibly nice and fun, a perk that keeps me coming back.

My ex took me on a first date to this sushi restaurant last summer. We were trying to figure out what to eat in the city and this place popped up. I was craving a chirashi bowl. The place is pretty small but pretty fancy for what it is. I couldn’t really see my ex the entire time we were eating, it’s that dark. That’s ok, I don’t want to see you anyway bye felicia. Lol. Jk. I’m not that mean.
The chirashi bowl was alright. I can’t complain too much unless the fish gets me food poisoning. Some sushi restaurants have caused that for me a few times, and this place didn’t cause any problems. Service was whatever, because they didn’t even bother to check our table. This place doesn’t stand out too much to me, but I don’t remember the first date with my ex anyway. Who is he what lol
This place is ALRIGHT. Expensive, but if you can afford to live in SF then maybe it’s a bang for your buck.

Been here twice now. My buddy loves this place, and believes it’s the best sushi in the area. I’m starting to agree.
Quality is the real deal. Fish is fresh (at least tastes that way), service is friendly, and who doesn’t love Noe Valley? I’m going to try keep this review simple, and I believe that the consistently ⁵⁄₇ rating speaks for itself.
Must try:
–Kanpachi tasting spoon: truffly goodness melds with amberjack in single delectable bite
–Assorted sashimi: You have to cough up $ 18 for 8 slices, but boy, this is where Saru shines. It’s worth it
Everything else you can’t go wrong. If you are looking for top-​notch quality at less than French Laundry price (and also want Japanese food), come here. Make sure to be ready to wait as well, there’s usually line. Just don’t come too often, so my wait isn’t at long… :)

Yumtastic!
One of my best friends and I had an incredibly memorable lady date here. The intimate and cozy vibe, the homey and neighborhood feel, and the sinfully delicious sushi compiled into a fabulous dining experience.
I highly recommend both the nigiri and sashimi options (omakase is perfect) and definitely opt for the fattier selections. They mean business when when it comes to fatty seafood meat so take advantage of that! Our favorites were the fatty tuna and the creamy uni. Aside from the raw fish selections, their specialty rolls are quite delightful as well. We enjoyed the white out roll (hamachi and avocado) and the popcorn tuna roll (fried spicy tuna). The flavors are yummy without overpowering the pure taste of the fish.
We also enjoyed the robust sake menu and ordered two carafes of one of their lighter sakes.
All in all, everything you’d want out of an intimate sushi date night or a catch up session with one of your best ladies. It’s also tucked into the heart of Noe’s vibrant 24^th street to make it easy to plan pre and/​or post dinner activities.
Tip: The restaurant is very small with limited seating options. Although that makes for the perfect 1:1 conversation with a friend or a date, it can mean a long wait. They don’t take reservations so expect to wait ~30 min to an hour in prime dining time. You can definitely put your name down and head over to Caskhouse for a drink though!
Happy Eating, Unilocalers!

Food 5++++ one of the best Nigiri I had in the US. Shari rice came with perfect temperature, softness, and fresh fish. Hands down!
Drink 4 I enjoy Daiginjo Sake
Service 5 Sushi counter is always the best seat to get the best service.
Price 5++

New favorites:
Umi masu
Chu toro
Sawara (Spanish mackerel)
Uni
Kanburi or other cousin of hamachi (yellowtail)
Wagyu
Hamachi truffle
Tasting spoons

Went to Saru on a Wednesday night at about 8.15 and there was about an hour’s wait for a table of two, thanks Noe Valley! We really wanted to have sushi, so decided to put our names down and went across the street to Caskhouse for a glass of wine. Our table at Saru was ready in about 40 minutes.
We got the scallop and kanpachi spoons, sunomono salad with crab, salmon tasting, uni nigiri and butterfish nigiri — I think except for the buttefish nigiri, we liked everything we ordered.

I haven’t visited for dinner yet since the prices are a bit steep, but I did visit for a weekday lunch. The place fills up pretty fast even for lunch and I have observed many people lining up outside their door around dinner time too. They don’t take reservations.
I ordered the Chirashi which was very satisfying. The pieces of fish are very generously sliced and fresh. I can’t say that it was the best Chirashi I’ve had but it was the best that I’ve had in SF so far. The quality of the fish definitely shined. My husband ordered the Sushi Combo and thought it was okay but a little bit less satisfying in terms of amount as the Chirashi.
We also ordered the White Out Roll, as recommended by other Unilocalers. It was phenomenal. Who knew butter fish would taste so delectably buttery and smooth? I’ve never had a sushi roll before with butter fish but it was incredible. Very smooth, flavorful, and well balanced. Definitely worth it.
While there, I got food envy because someone else had ordered one of the deluxe sashimi tastings and they looked phenomenal. I kept on peering over at his meal wishing that I could have a taste! But, alas, my wallet was crying already. Perhaps for a special occasion.

Best sushi we’ve had in San Francisco.
The restaurant is small so be prepared to wait ~1 hour. We used the time to grab a beer at the pub a block down 24^th.
When you get in go for the Omakase, the chefs season each piece for optimal flavor so don’t add soy sauce or wasabi. We tried the 10 piece sashimi ($ 40) and the 8 piece Nigiri ($ 40).
We also got the 5 piece salmon tasting ($ 18) which was phenomenal. The pieces ranged from buttery to perfectly smoked.
All told our dinner (the above plus two miso soups) was $ 115.

Still five stars. Yup, it’s not cheap, but it’s GOOD.
This is a special occasion place for me. I go here when I’m willing to pay for great service, nice ambiance, and the knowledge that no matter what I order it will be quality: well prepared, beautifully presented, super fresh.
Aside: Kudos to the dad who brought his (about) 10 year old foodie daughter here for lunch. Yes, dad, you clearly have money, but my heart still melted that you brought her here to such a nice place to spend some quality time together.
I’m a sucker for dads who spoil their daughters…

/​/​The Name //
Saru is Japanese for Monkey, which can be seen on Saru Sushi’s business cards. Don’t be fooled by their name, they don’t serve slices of Monkey sashimi, but that is a good thing unless you’re one of those Indiana Jones Monkey brain eating type.
/​/​The Wait /​/​
I came here on a date on a Saturday night around 7 pm and put my name on the list despite the estimated 1.5−2 hour wait. I over heard the waitress saying that you can call ahead to put your name on the list, but they don’t allow reservations. I put down my number with my name and received a text with a link to a website that shows my standing on the wait list and how long people were waiting. Pretty nifty. I only had to wait 25 mins before I was pleasantly texted that my table was ready.
/​/​Dining /​/​
The restaurant is a very small space and dimly lit at night. It perfectly set the mood for a date but too low to take clear pictures. If you are one of those people who bring a step stool with you to stand on to take aerial pictures of your food (these people do exist), you will want to try and snag an outside table. There are heaters for those cold days.
We ordered the Hamachi Truffle the Scallop and Toro Toro tasting spoons. The Hamachi was recommended by Unilocalers and it did not disappoint. I could eat this all day. The tasting spoons were delicious, but the Toro Toro out shined the Scallop.
For our mains we ordered a Sashimi and a Salmon tasting. This is how fish is supposed to taste. The texture was delicate yet firm. None of that limp and mushy fish you would get at an a sushi buffet. I wish I was a baller so I could order more as every bite was refreshing.
We finished the meal with a Naked Scallop Roll to offset all the raw fish we had. The roll is seemingly simple with snow crab, avocado, scallop & masago wrapped with soy paper, the the quality of the ingredients shined.
/​/​Verdict /​/​
Saru Sushi has it going on. You are definitely getting good quality food. Their service was great and it was relatively easy to find parking. Make sure you call in about 30 minutes before you arrive to put your name on the list. This will save you some waiting.

Let’s face it, there’s no real authentic sushi places in America. Logistically, it would be near impossible to get the true experience because oceans divide us from Japan. However, Saru is a major hit in my books. The food, the sushi chefs, and the entire lunch experience was pretty above par in my eyes.
If I were to recommend something, it would be the hamachi truffle. Succulent and so buttery that it melts in your mouth, the fish had just the right amount of sear on it. Also, truffle oil isn’t bad either. I was next intrigued by the tasting spoons because I like when food is presented to me in an actual spoon. It feels like half the work that is eating is already being done for you so you can have more time to enjoy the food. Get the torotoro and the halibut since both are good! Actually, just get all of them since they’re bite-​sized anyways. We also got some masago and salmon nigiri, as well as a salmon and avocado roll. These were basic items and well executed.
The place itself is pretty small so going at peak times will probably result in a wait or sitting very close to your dining neighbors. This made it feel more like Japan sushi bars that I’ve seen highlighted in food and travel shows. Luckily, it wasn’t that bad on a Sunday afternoon and we had no trouble getting seated. Chefs at the bar do make an effort to let you know what you’re getting when handing you food whether or not you’re doing the omakase, which I definitely want to try next time.

Saru is an authentic and delicious sushi spot, but it didn’t knock my socks off my any means. But Is it solid? ABSOLUTELY!
Rather than the $ 59 for the 12-​piece nigiri tasting, we opted for the «Salmon Tasting», mixed Sashimi orders, and a couple orders of uni. The uni was splendid and the Salmon Tasting was top notch — I haven’t found one quite like it at other sushi restaurants so I loved the variety in offerings!
I was a little confused by the ambiance. It’s dark, quaint, and romantic in some ways — but essentially there’s a small sushi bar, a high-​table top of 4 seats (which is where we sat) and a couple of tables in the back (can easily fit ta large party of 6 – 8 or maybe a few parties of 2 – 4).
Saru Sushi is planning to expand and open two more restaurants at the end of this year — one that will be sushi-​bar-​only dining, and one that will have more cooked/​Robata/​Izakaya-​dining — I really look forward to both their openings and can’t wait to dine there, as well!

For my 850 review, I am pleased it was for Saru
Quality — superb, fresh, delicate
Service — prompt, respectful, welcoming
Reservations is a must, wait times are lengthy due to the limited amount of tables
Highlights
Bottle of Kudoki was crisp and light with a nice round sweet finish
Tasting spoons are a solid value and great way to try new things
Salmon tasting was a delight!
Overall Thoughts
Fantastic sushi spot =)

I don’t care for fusion rolls and rarely order a la carte over omakase when the latter is available. I also prefer to sit at the sushi bar instead of a table. Yes, I’m that kind of snobby sushi bitch.
Unfortunately, my highbrow sushi preferences translate into a VERY expensive habit. I breathed a sigh of relief when I found out Saru only charges $ 59 for the 12-​piece nigiri tasting. We also added additional orders of A5 wagyu and Japanese uni nigiri, and a pair of tasting spoons. It wasn’t the most decadent sushi I’ve ever had in my life, but everything was really tasty, and I was pleased to be seated at the bar. Speaking of which, why do restaurants allow roll eaters to sit at the bar? It should be reserved for omakase only. Just saying!