Closed?! So sad. Tamasei was the reincarnation of the old Country Station Sushi on Mission Street. Remember that place? And now both are gone. I’ll miss you, Hiroko Tamano and Koichi Tamano! Best wishes to you both.
Sam R.
Évaluation du lieu : 5 Oakland, CA
I love sushi. Just like everyone else. But, really, I think this place is special! And I mean literally special – not, like, short bus special! It’s in an o.k. neighborhood– Noe Valley, I think? It’s not too crowded, and it’s neither a hip/secret/underground/punk-rock spot, or fancy over-the-top cloth napkin kind of a place. It’s tiny. REALLY tiny. That’s the atmosphere– Which is part of the charm because you really can’t avoid talking to the other 2 – 3 tables, sushi chef, and 2 older Japanese woman inside! Warm people in close quarters with lots of fish and food sounds gross, but I promise you it’s a good thing here! It’s SUPER intimate, but who cares, it’s the best damn cuts of fish you’ll have. And the place is NOFRILLS! Handwritten menu with no pictures, just the basics, and then whatever sashimi is fresh that day — -they will walk you through everything on the menu and have you leaving so happy, full, drunk on sake, and broke because you will spend all your money here — not because they are expensive, but because you will want to eat until you’re broke! I’m not going to advise you on what to do or what to get — I just think that this is a place you can ultimately TRUST to be delicious and engaging 100% of the time. Their hours are kind of weird, and I’ve gone during their«open» hours to find them closed before, so I’m not sure what is up with that. Just, maybe call before you go. …and GO!
Carlo A.
Évaluation du lieu : 4 San Francisco, CA
The atmosphere was quirky. The service was fun and friendly. The sushi was delicious and fresh. The prices were reasonable. You definitely walk out of here with that«only in San Francisco, only in Noe Valley» experience!
Nichole S.
Évaluation du lieu : 4 Portland, OR
DUDE! Dude! …Dude. Uh. Wait. What? Dude. Oh yeah. Sushi. Just go there you will know what I am talking about. I swear I had just time warped back to some alternate universe combination of the 60’s and suburban Japan. I dropped in later in the dining evening. There were only a few people there. And honestly that is all that will fit in the place. My bedroom in the studio across the street is bigger. But oh WOW Man. The sushi was totally delicious. I love the atmosphere in the place. It is so laid back I just want to fire up bowl and pass it around… and I expect it would be shared by many there. LOL. The staff sang Beetles tunes the entire time. The chef and some other gentleman were chatting away in Japanese all night long. It just added to the semi-surreal experience. The décor is just… well you gotta go. You will not be disappointed. The only issues is: I have no clue when this place is open or the hours or even days they are open. I am beginning to think it is a «when they feel like it» business. I got lucky and dropped by when it was open. I walk by the place almost every day and I have yet to determine the hours of operation. I guess that just adds to the mystery and the enjoyment. Kampai!
Jenny F.
Évaluation du lieu : 3 San Francisco, CA
This sushi restaurant is definitely a «hole in the wall.» There is verrry little room to dine — the tables are inches away from each other. The floor is also not level, so the folding chairs and wood tables were even more fragile The food, however, was excellent. Very unique and fresh miso soup. Lots of flavor(but not salt flavor). The menu was hand written and unique and they were happy to make me a roll that was not on the menu. I would go there again for the taste, but maybe takeout is the best option for this location.
Bad Y.
Évaluation du lieu : 3 New Hope, PA
Odd. Not like not-even, but like strange. Kinda weird. Slightly surreal. Odd. The sushi here is fine, very fresh, yes, but a bit overpriced and nothing really out of this world. The miso was good. The edamame was good. The beer was good, an Okinowan brew called Orion. The thing about Tamasei isn’t really the food, but the place itself. And the owners. Funky-downhome-coffeshop kitsch is how I might describe the vibe of the space. The place is tiny, and is made even more so by the random clutter of everything, everywhere. Mismatched dishes are stacked this way and that, seemingly in every nook and cranny of the weird little space, with kitchen tools, Japanese magazines, and phonebooks filling in the rest of the cabinents. Fliers for events long since expired litter the walls, along with a Sierra Club vegetation map of the United States, slightly crumpled snapshots of the owner and friends, and some unmarked tear-away calendar pages with dates of unknown and mysterious significance. Jammed in the frame of the GIANTANDSCARY portrait of the owner(apparently a world famous Butoh dancer) is a paper printed snapshot of the owner with friends Laurie Anderson and Lou Reed. Apropos, no? What really got me though was the music. Like, crazy elevator-lounge-muzak from hell, with weird arrangements of songs you heard when you were a kid at your grandmother’s house. Or something. One of the songs even included the«Yakety Sax» theme from the Benny Hill show… what? And there, in the kitchen, is the owner’s wife, also a butoh dancer, making miso soup and dancing and pantomiming to this weird music, the living embodiment of whatever emotion she happens to be projecting. In this case it was joy… probably the funnest and funniest thing I have seen in a long long time :) So, yeah. Go once, when it isn’t too busy, and if your claustrophobia and or OCD will not put you over the edge. Check it out. They are really really nice, the food is very fresh, but the experience of the room and the lovely staff is what Tamasei Sushi is all about.
Sherry C.
Évaluation du lieu : 2 San Francisco, CA
Tamasei is a cramped, kitschy sushi place in Noe Valley. The service is extremely slow(waitresses are 2 old, but adorable Japanese women) And the food? Horribly overrated! We got free pickled veggies. They were okay. Miso soup was $ 3 a bowl so we skipped that(isn’t it usually free at Japanese places?). We got hamachi and sake nigiri and the price was an outrage($ 6 for 2 pieces of nigiri). We expected superb quality because of the exorbitant price but the nigiri failed to impress. The hamachi was good but the sake had an odd, herby flavor and the texture was off. We also ordered an Adam’s Roll which was small, contained too much rice and also expensive. The only plus of the experience: THEEXTREMELYSEXYBESPECTACLEDSUSHICHEF. Even my straight male friend who was there with me agreed that he was hunk-tastic. Go to Tamasei for the eye candy, not for the food!
Doug d.
Évaluation du lieu : 5 San Francisco, CA
Best sushi in Noe Valley. Very fresh each time I’ve been there. I like sitting at the bar. It might be a little cozy for some peoples taste. It’s too bad their liquor license was suspended on June 10th, 2010. I hope it comes back soon. I often would like a glass of beer, or sake with my sushi.
Jackie A.
Évaluation du lieu : 3 San Francisco, CA
Pros: Great sushi, fresh and tasty. Music — cool and exciting. I love their miso soup! Cons: Expensive, small portions, crowded! Slow service.
Sean K.
Évaluation du lieu : 3 San Francisco, CA
Found the food to taste excellent, but double the cost of what you’d pay for at Amberjack sushi. Was tasty but at an expense!
Jason I.
Évaluation du lieu : 4 San Francisco, CA
Okay — so if you have never been to Tamasei(I had not until this visit) — you will walk in and wonder if you have been taken back in time to, well, I’m not sure where. I kinda felt like it was a mix of older Japan with The Haight. You have the husband and wife team serving up sushi(and they SO look like they are from the old country of Japan), until you realize that The Beatles are playing inside and the wife is singing along. Loudly. And dancing a bit. And coo-ing at the song. Because of this, I was sold! Sashimi was great. Dragon Roll was great. I sat at the sushi bar by myself(it was after lunch time on a Friday) and probably got a little more attention. But that is what happens when you sit at the sushi bar. Net Net — you have to check this place out if you are in the Noe Valley hood, if not to meet the couple serving up the fresh fish and rolls of the day.
Essron J.
Évaluation du lieu : 5 San Francisco, CA
I was a regular here when I lived in the neighborhood, and the quality of the fish here is superb. Some weeks were better than others, but I can say without reservation that the best sashimi dinner I ever had was at Tamasei. This is a great place for sashimi and nigiri, when you want the best possible fish. Yes the service may be slow, and you should sit at the bar if possible, but its worth it.
Alissa A.
Évaluation du lieu : 3 San Francisco, CA
Wrap me in ginger and dip me in wasabi! When the ginger is such a treat on it’s own, who needs sushi? Aside from my ginger fetish… Mixed bag. First visit: Slightly appalled by the pricing. $ 6 for seaweed salad, $ 12 or $ 14 for a salmon+mango roll, albeit delicious, the presence of salmon was lacking… it went on. Perfectly ripe mango juice escaping from the corners of my mouth did not compensate. Positive note: über fresh across the board — seaweed, fish, and for something as basic as it is, a miso soup to put others to shame. On the flip side: Service? What service? How dare you expect service with your sushi. With a place so tiny, why does it take so painfully long? Why do we need to ask for things like menus, water… Returned on a friend’s request. Rethought priciness factor: quality makes up for a portion of the cost. You can taste the difference. But still, having to ask for your water glass to be refilled in a place the size of a walk-in closet is a joke. The décor is rad and the folks that work here are the real deal, it’s just the issue of getting their attention and getting the service to deliver the goods. Tamasei has the potential to be a star if their service can catch up to the quality of ingredients they put forth.
Sophia G.
Évaluation du lieu : 1 San Francisco, CA
Let me tell you a story of how I wasted $ 12. I was craving cucumber and avocado rolls. I look up «Japanese» in the Noe Valley, and this place pops up. Mixed reviews, I give it a chance. Walking into this place, I could see the vibe the other Unilocalers were talking about in their reviews. The cute grandma-looking woman attended me, and I made my order. Looking at the menu, I see the name of the roll and next to it I think its the amount of rolls. She corrected me and said that was price. Immediately I think, «wow, $ 6 for a cucumber roll and $ 6 for an avocado roll?» It should be a pretty big order, since I’ve been to Japantown, and bought 6 rolls of cucumber rolls for a little over $ 1.50. I wait about 5 – 8 minutes. She gives me the miso soup and some salad thing. The chef passed the woman my order, and when she opens it, I see 12ROLLSTOTAL. In my head I’m thinking, «ARETHEYSERIOUS? DID I THEYCHARGE A DOLLARPERROLL? ITSNOTEVENSUSHI! ITSJUST A LITTLEAVOCADOANDRICEANDLITTLECUCUMBERANDRICE. «I tried not to show amazement in my face. I just smiled and said thanks. The rolls were not tasty ATALL. The rolls felt kind of warm, which is confusing, I like my cucumber and avocado rolls a little colder than room temperature. The miso soup was disgusting, and the salad she gave me had this really disgusting acid-y taste to it. So thats the story of how I completely wasted $ 12.
Niniane W.
Évaluation du lieu : 3 San Francisco, CA
The sushi tasted great, but the service was interminably slow. It took ten minutes for the waitress to bring the menu. By that time, I already resorted to asking the neighboring table whether the restaurant has menus, or if we order from memory at the sushi bar. It took ages for the sushi to be prepared. My miso soup arrived after all other food. If you are more patient than me, you may like this place.
Fannie S.
Évaluation du lieu : 5 San Francisco, CA
Try their special cuts of fish! Trust me… you will not be disappointed. I love their pickled stuff. Even their sushi rice is delicious. I love the staff here… just so fun and full of character. I wish I knew more Japanese though. I just feel like I’ve invaded someone’s home whenever I eat here… lol
Jordan C.
Évaluation du lieu : 3 San Francisco, CA
I won’t comment on the décor or service or staff as I’ve never eaten there, but I have no picked up from them twice. The sushi is «fine». I enjoyed it. But it was RIDICULOUSLY overpriced. I got half as much sushi as I would from another local place, and it was certainly not twice as good. I can’t really recommend it as a destination place as there is no enticing reason to go back.
Ted R.
Évaluation du lieu : 5 San Francisco, CA
The fish is always fresh. The tunes are always groovin’. The specials are always worth trying. I used to like to roll through Matsuya once in awhile to have the little old sushi lady guide me on a culinary odyssey. So I didn’t head into Tamasei at first, somehow thinking that a neighborhood classic couldn’t possibly be replaced. How wrong was I?! Tamasei is now a Noe favorite, which personally keeps me from hitting up the good, but sterile Hamano on Castro. It’s a teeny tiny joint, but the funky artsy look and the reggae & Japanese funk are always bumpin’. The nigiri is solid, and the rolls are way above average… like the hamachi and green onion roll, which is minced like a spicy tuna roll and mind blowing. What puts it further over the top are bonus touches, like the excellent grilled veggies and fish. Go grilled ono! The specials rock here. Over the weekend it was Toro-plus. .righteous red tuna options. We tried one with a kind of pureed yam, that wasn’t my favorite. But so right on to have something different to try. Add good service and happy hour ½-off drinks before 7 and you’ve have a superior neighborhood joint. This is where a half star would come in handy. This place is 4−½ on my overall scale. 5 stars on the neighborhood restaurant scale. But only 4 stars on the all-time sushi scale. Still, with such popular prices and great vibe I really, really want them to stay in business. So I’m giving them a 5, just to encourage folks to try it out.
Joyce L.
Évaluation du lieu : 2 Brooklyn, NY
Holes in the wall often provide the best culinary gems in a city. Maybe I expected too much of it, and maybe it was just the wrong night of week — Tamasei is not on my list of re-visits. I came here with a friend who was reminiscing about the good ol Matsuya days(btw, anyone know what happened to the little old lady from Matsuya?)… we got in quite late, 8:30 on a Wednesday night. There were people who have just started their dinner, so we assumed the kitchen was still open. We got seats at the bar, got served very quickly… though interest level in us dropped when we didn’t want an alcohol drink with our meals. I actually asked for a cup of tea — to which the waiter responded ‘what do you mean?’ Is this the only Japanese restaurant in the world that didn’t serve tea? Or did I miss something along the line? The menu was small, which is perfectly fine for a seafood place. Many items were not available because how late it was. The sushi and sashimi were decent, and average priced($ 5 – 10 for 2 pieces)… everything else was severely inflated — $ 25 for a very average Japanese unadon, and $ 15 for a salmon shitake mushroom stir fry. We knew it was last orders when we sat down, but to be bought our bill when the last dish just came out was a bit rushed(we’re not slow eaters either). They also missed an item on our order and not realise — honestly, we only ordered 6 things! They had very loud music playing — it was some kind of eclectic Japanese pop, with chimes incorporated that sounded more like a Chinese Opera. My buddy thought he was in a dive bar in Hawaii for a moment. Suppose the music level is OK if the place is full, but when there’s only four staff and the two of us the the house… it was like eating in a club and more of a reason to get out quickly. Total damage $ 68 before tip. I have no problems paying more for a good, satisfying feed… but I really feel a bit cheated this time.
David S.
Évaluation du lieu : 5 San Francisco, CA
This little mom and pop sushi joint has become my San Francisco favorite. The rolls are nice, but there’s not much selection(but the salmon and mango roll does stand out). The key part to this shop is the fish. They only keep a small, fresh selection and usually have things you normally won’t find. Aji(Spanish mackerel), Bonito, Japanese Handsome Fish, and Japanese Unagi are often available — as is the layman regulars of toro, sake, maguro, tobiko, etc. The atmosphere and sushi at this little home style shop is as sweet as can be. Everyone is friendly as can be, the shop seats about 15 people max, and you should expect for the chef to take his time with the preparation. The prices are pretty good(median around $ 5 per roll or nigiri), like any good sushi joint, if you are looking for volume, don’t go out to sushi… go somewhere with a supersize option.