Tataki South

The smallest portions of sushi I’ve ever had in my life! The fish was fresh, and the service was good, but the amount of food that we got was ridiculous considering how much we spent — even by SF standards. Some of the rolls were sloppily prepared. Although everything was tasty, I wouldn’t go back because of their mini sized rolls.

The service was just too long. We waited 35 min for our nigiri enthusiast, which consists of chefs choice of 9 pieces. The overall sampler was ok, but the cuts of fish are smaller than other sushi joints. Saru sushi is def better. This is my second visit to Tataki, and it will likely be my last.

Disappointing return to our neighborhood sushi place. Service was slow, not very attentive. Didn’t bring two of our rolls but left them on the bill. The worst part, however, were the sushi rolls. The sushi rice was soggy. The rolls were drenched in sauce. The nigiri had too little fish. We were so bummed as it was our go to weekday place.

It’s a cute place that serves good quality sushi. I really liked their Tataki sushi roll, Japanese pepper, and garlic edamame.

I’m not quite sure why Saru became the pre-​eminent sushi joint in Noe Valley when Tataki South offers comparable (or in my opinion, higher) quality sushi, a nicer staff, and a lower price point.
The selection of fish is impeccable, and Tataki’s commitment to sustainably-​farmed fish is a really noble mission. You won’t find hamachi or fatty tuna here, which I was initially disappointed about; however, the kampachi and toro fish they had when I visited were so far beyond typical sushi fair that I didn’t focus on the missing staples.
This brings me to Tataki South’s true triumph: their nigiri. While their extinguisher and Tataki rolls were both great in flavor and quantity, their nigiri is the best I’ve had in San Francisco. It’s comparable to Sugarfish, the sushi joint that made a name for itself on its chef-​recommended nigiri alone.
In short, do yourself a favor and skip the exorbitant prices of Saru. Check out Tataki South instead.

Outstanding, ethical food served with excellent customer service. This is a regular spot for us on trips to SF. Great for vegetarians too!

I wanted to really like this place so I can make it my new neighborhood sushi joint. But I wasn’t a huge fan.
I mean, the Green Dragon roll was good (shrimp tempura roll topped with faux-​nagi [seared wild black cod] with seared sablefish, sesame seeds, kabayaki sauce, avocado, and wasabi tobiko; nice shot, Patrick D.:
), but the Gari Saba maki roll (Atlantic mackerel, pickled ginger, shiso, scallions) was insanely fishy. I had to slather it with «wasabi» and dunk it in soy sauce to make it palatable. (I was starving, in case that wasn’t obvious). Thankfully, the edamame was good (can’t really muck that up now, can you?) and the Orion beer went really well with the Green Dragon roll.
The place seems small (maybe 10 – 12 seats at the bar and a handful of four-​tops), but service seemed hurried. On several occasions, I noted the waitress with a mouthful of food (can someone give this poor girl a lunch break?), while our own waiter kept saying «I’ll bring over some more green tea,» and then forgetting each time he walked past our table (at least three times). I’m not blaming the restaurant for any of these situations, just making it apparent.
As much as I love the fact that the seafood’s sustainable, I miss having a plateful of sake (salmon) sashimi (my fave). Guess next time I’ll just have to make do with a large Orion and that tasty-​looking sweet potato roll.

First of all, I found their food really good and also unusual. We didn’t get much sushi, and their other dishes were solid, unique variations of Japanese dishes that I hadn’t had before.
But mostly, I wanted to post a review for them because of how awesome the service was. Me and two friends came, unknowingly, very close to closing hours. I don’t really like to do that at the restaurant, but if there aren’t many other places open, I’ll justify it by tipping higher than normal. I expect in those circumstances that the waiters, even if not explicitly rushing us, will at least give us an indication that they’re closing up and sort of pressure us into eating faster and so on.
But, even when we were the only people left in the restaurant, our waiter did not rush us in the slightest. And I don’t just mean that he didn’t purposefully rush us — he was extremely kind and seemed relaxed, not at all rushed himself. When they forgot part of my order (and I told them it was okay and I didn’t need it), he insisted that they make it. I’m not sure exactly why, but he made me feel completely at ease about us eating late, which I think deserves some commendation.

Everything was really delicious from the garlic edamame to the the sashimi and the shrimp tempura roll and the extinguisher down to the desert I definitely recommend this place

Cute little sushi restaurant in the Noe Valley area. Service was good and the rolls and nigiri we ordered were all very fresh. This place doesn’t get overly crowded, which I like since a lot of sushi places can get really rowdy. Don’t forget to check in on Unilocal for a free sake bomb!

I continue to come back to Tataki South because the food is great! I’ve also found there’s no wait for a table when I go, usually a Monday or Tuesday night. The service has improved somewhat, although our server tonight twice seemed completely unaware of the fact that we hadn’t gotten all of our food.

We found Tataki on Unilocal and the food had me salivating so we decided to stop in for a Saturday evening dinner. Although it was a smaller space than I realized, there was no wait. The servers quickly greeted and sat us. There was sufficient staff for the restaurant to run effectively and they all seemed to help each other out. I asked for recommendations and they had really great suggestions, very well presented. We tried some of the happy hour specials and some of the restaurant specials and we weren’t disappointed with any of it. When we got the bill, we were more than pleased with the price. This was overall a great find and we will be returning! If you like quality sushi, you have to check this place out!

Stopped by this place with a friend. The location is in a fairly quiet peaceful neighborhood which is nice if you want a break from the city life. When we arrived, we were seated immediately (7pm on a Sunday).
To start off, we ordered the katsuo and the tataki rolls (5 types of seared fish rolls). We also ordered spicy tuna rolls just as a standard to compare with other sushi restaurants. Along with that we ordered a karafe-​sized glass of sake.
To start off, the spicy tuna is definitely better than the standard spicy tuna you get at supermarkets and all-​you-​can-​eat sushi restaurants. But at more than $ 1 per roll, I would definitely just forego ordering this dish. The katsuo cuts were nice and very fresh. Presentation was nice, but you will definitely need to order something more filling along with it. The tataki rolls were fantastic and a great value too ($ 13). If I go again, I would definitely just order multiple plates of the tataki or other plates from the speciality list.
In terms of service, the waiters were very attentive. Also on my way out I left my card in the restaurant. One of the waiters sprinted down the street after me to give me back my card. Definitely ¹⁰⁄₁₀ for service.
Overall, I would say this is a great location to fulfill your sushi cravings. Great value, great service and excellent speciality sushi offerings.

I’ve found it increasingly difficult to be wowed by sushi, but at the same time, I’m rarely disappointed. Tataki South was good sushi, and they had a really good happy hour until 7pm — something of a rarity in this spendy city.
I split 4 rolls, which ended up being just enough between the two of us. My favorite was The Islander, a roll featuring Filet Mignon on top of a bed of pineapple, all on a California-​esque roll. Really good tastes with this roll, seriously flirting with my taste buds.
I’d recommend for a casual weekday night dinner if you’re not looking for the chaos of The Mission, or the fanciness of a lot of other places.

Petites portions, Mais tout etait tres Bön :)
L’espace entre les tables est restreint difficile de se deplacer (pour aller aux wc par exemple) et Le possibilites de tip proposees sont enormes, pas Moins de 20%. Vu les prix proposes et les portions qui nous ont un peu obligees a commander deux plays, c’est abusif…
J’y reviendrais surement Mais pas super affamée.

Great sushi. The Mix it up roll is awesome. One of the best rolls I have had in a long time. Not too much sauce, fresh fish! Highly recommend you try this one.
The California Roll was also one of the best I have had. They use real crab which is becoming a rarity these days. I dont want imitation, I can get that at safeway!
Highly recommend this place. Cant wait to try their other locations.

I can say enough good things about this place! They sushi is amazing, and at the same time sustainable! Best of both worlds in my opinion.
I had the calamari, which tasted fresh and fried to perfection, it was accompanied by a nice remoulade sauce. I also had the tataki roll, which I assume is their signature roll. It was very good as well.
The service was excellent, we had a very nice Latino gentlemen named Miguel wait on us, he was very prompt and courteous. I feel I will be frequenting this place a lot in the future.

Consistently great.
I’ve been here several times (including the Tataki Canyon location at Glen Park — which serves the same items AND ramen) and I have always loved the food and service here. This is one of the most high quality and affordable Japanese restaurants in the city.
What to get:
+tea
+seaweed salad
+mix it up roll: spicy tuna, crab, and avocado sauce and spicy masago
+futomaki roll: spinach, egg, gourd, shiitakes shrooms
+any kind of sashimi: the cuts are great
Bonuses:
+sustainability policies
+delicious vegetarian rolls and options
+awesome service
+happy hour 5 – 7 and there’s a cheap menu for it with maki rolls being $ 6 ea.

No real crab? Not even available on request if you pay more. I appreciate that they try to be sustainable and keep prices down, however, there is no excuse for using pollack in a California roll and still charging that much for imitation. I enjoyed the char and avocado roll and the spicy tuna roll they offer for happy hour.
Overall, not a bad sushi place but I do wish they offered more options.

I found this place while looking for a fresh food place to eat at on my break during my work shift. And also wanted an alternative from having to go to Henry’s Hunan down the street. I was thoroughly impressed with this location. Which at mid afternoon because of the dim lighting setting.
Parking is beyond easy in the area which is a Plus to me.
Fried Calamari– Fried perfectly, very light and yet crispy, but the salt and pepper seasoning is getting old. not that its bad, but they can change it up for them to stand out… still better than 60% of other places though…
Pacific Sunrise– Probably my most recommended starters sushi option out of any other place I’ve been too… i swear this would a cost 30x as much if i ordered it at Sushi Ran… plus the portions here are much more reasonable than what i would’ve gotten in Sausolito.
Triple Threat Mousse… The picture says it all…
The chefs mak everything to order. ALSO this location uses only Global-​Locally sustainable options and ingredients. hence why the menu is smaller than what you would find at Kitaro… but you can definitely taste the quality.

Wanted to find a place that is not Elephant Sushi aka Sushi Groove or Ebisu or Ace Wasabi — because those were places men in their 20s /​30s who went to school back east and just moved to San Francisco, and have started to develop taste for sushi, would take their dates to (don’t ask me why those were the three restaurants but I could tell you I’ve been those places at least 30 times, if not more, back in my 20s). So no, I’m not going back there — never again. I’ve evolved to know that when you grow up you need to move beyond your past.
Colleague from Pac Height suggested Tataki because of their sustainable fish practice. Decided to go to the Noe location because it was closer to where my friend lived. A (A friend from East Coast, just moved) called later to check to see if I went with one particular friend, no I did not. But I almost told him, jokingly, of course, that I went to Ebisu. Because there was a good story there btw A and I for that restaurant. In any event, I went with my old and faithful buddy (yes, also from East Coast) who had been venturing out in town to try cool restaurants with me. We arrived twenty minutes before the end of happy hour.
We promptly ordered everything on the happy hour menu, including beer and sake. I love hot sake, must drink two bottles, as it’s winter time. I had passed by here the other day on the way to Henry’s Hunan next door with yet another friend (yes, he too moved from the East Coast). We did not have to wait in line because this was the start of the Christmas season and the city was absolutely deserted. Apparently everyone had gone back East to visit their families! Love sitting by the sushi bar. Service was prompt.
After fish, we’ve decided to go with some Izakaya stuff. Chicken and pork skewers were great. Also great were the Japanese pepper skewers.
Both N8 and I have had our sushi fatigues lately. I find sushi restaurants attract dates. When I go out to eat with my (non-​date) friends, I really just want to enjoy good food and gossip (gossip happens after we’ve exhausted the actual cool stuff like news, art and politics). Date restaurants turn me off. Case and point, there was a lovey dovey couple next to us who was kissing. I think they should kiss somewhere else, or at the very least, the woman needed to dress nicer. French women won’t be caught dead in a sweatshirt, never! Sushi restaurants tend to attract couples — I don’t know why, but that’s not their fault.
Despite my own biases, Tataki won me over with their Izakaya stuff. Their rolls are great too. Especially the mixed veggie rolls. We received our free sake bomb for checking in here on Unilocal.
Now we have to return to cash in. I’ve found my non Elephant Sushi, Ace Wasabi or Ebisu in the city, at last. Thank you sushi god!