True Sake

A great little shop with all your Sake needs. Charming venue and a passionate staff.

I went to True Sake looking for Dewazakura Ichiro sake. It was the only place in the city that had this sake available. I was stoked to find a store that specializes in sake. The employees are super friendly and helpful. I spent some time chatting with them and getting suggestions about different types of sake I should try.

Why this place is called «true sake»? Cuz they sell luxurious imported from Japan famous sake breweries here. Such as Masumi/​Miyasaka, Dewasakura, Kokuryu, and Hoyo. From rice polished junmai, Ginjo, daiginjo, Nama (unpasteurized) & other speciality sake. All these brands are in Japanese owned restaurants or Japanese fusion restaurants from their drink list.
What I got here was:
Masumi «okuden kantsukuri»
–Taste like marshmallow, lightly rice sweet, but after drinking the whole bottle, ur head will hurt cuz it’s junmai.
Masumi «nanago»
–Sommelier will never get any orgasm from this bottle. It’s Pretty famous & even tho it’s daiginjo but it’s not natural, it’s light like sake & alcohol taste.
Masumi «yumedono»
–Delicate, lightly fragranced, taste like luxurious elegant light sake, like if u are drinking with an ugly guy, without him trying to please u, u r already pleased!
Masumi «Arabashiri «.
–this one any non sake drinker will love it cuz it makes u feel like «heaven».it’s fresh sake, without temperature going thru, my favorite one. It taste sweet with a hint of vodka personality in it.
Dewasakura «ichiro»
–hella impressive taste, makes me unforgettable on this bottle!

Quite simply put the best Sake shop in North America, and even for Japanese standard a very nice (and big) selection. Its owner, a true Sake connoisseur and really nice guy can give you expert advice on all things Sake, from the origins of the rice, to where and how exactly it was made, how much polishing, which traditional or new method… and his selection is absolutely amazing! 6 out of 5 stars! I am headed over there today… :-)

Just returned to True Sake after, well, it looks like 6 years!
I was looking for some decent sake that I could use to cure some fresh Ikura that I was making, and to use for other cooking applications.
Turns out, they have a special sake from Japan designed specifically for cooking fish. And, wow, it packs an intense flavor that elevates any fish to a new level.
I love the fact that I can hop off my bike, run into the store, make a very specific request, and get the perfect bottle of sake, then be on my way. I hope they last forever.

Great selection of Sakes. Super helpful. Great customer service. Their sakes fit every taste. We’ll see how my $ 75 bottle I bought adds up to their profile description.

Great selection and value. Loyalty program for 10% off. They even give you a sake 101 instruction. And free shipping online. Gonna get Christmas gifts for the office peeps here!

I have never updated a review before and this is my first. I wouldn’t go out of my way to change a rating but these people did a lot to show me they care about their customers. If you read my old review I wasn’t treated very nicely and the owner actually read and apologized to me! Not only did he do that, he also sent me a complementary bottle of sake in a very cute package. I really appreciate the effort they had to go through.
Regardless of this gift, I still planned to go back to this shop. It was a very generous gift and I don’t want to feel like I was bribed to give them another star. The only reason why I docked the star in the first place was because of bad customer service and now they get it back. You can see for yourself they’ve got plenty of good ratings. The star was not only because of the bottle but because of the thought and effort. Thank you true sake!

True Sake is a fantastic shop. Noticed it by accident and went in to check it out. Not 15 min later I come out with two wonderful bottles of sake that the staff helped me pick. They were extremely knowledgeable, had every sake known to man, and took their time in ensuring that what I left with was something I would enjoy. They can even help identify sake from pictures, should you have taken one at a restaurant.
Will definitely be back for the great prices, selection, and service!

True Sake is truly one of its kind. It claims to be the first sake stores in USA that retails Japanese sake, and aren’t we lucky to live close to one? Of course you can buy japanese sake at your local japanese super market such as Marukai, Nijiya and Mitsuwa. However, their choices are extremely limited. Ever been to a japanese restaurants and they serve japanese sake that you can’t find in those supermarket? Well you are in luck because True Sake might be able to help you.
Coming back from Japan, one of the thing I missed the most is their sake. In this store, they organize sake in multiple way. Most of their sake has description of taste note, dryness, sweetness, what should the sake pair with.
The staffs are extremely helpful, you may ask them to suggest your next sake adventure.
It’s not a big store, but it’s packed with treasures.

Really great selection of sake. And the staff is always knowledgable. The guy that works there always picks out good stuff for me.
I recommend!

My husband and I were shopping in Hayes Valley when we came across this great shop. The sake selection is enormous. Even though my husband and I don’t know much about Sake, the guy working at the store was very friendly and knowledgable, and helped us navigate the selection with ease. We chose a sake that was reasonably priced based on his recommendation and brought it to a dinner party that evening. It was a hit and everyone loved it! We’ll definitely go here again!

I can’t really say more than what’s previously been said — but the selection is better than anywhere else I’ve ever seen; and according to a lot of reviews and word on the street — it’s one of the biggest outside of Japan? wow.
Anyways… aside from the selection their staff is very friendly and helpful and the tags on each bottle have food pairings and pretty nice descriptions to help you choose something new of if you’re new to rice/​plum wines. AND they have a rewards program so… that’s a bonus.
Anyways — great place in a nice area of town. Stop in if you want sake.

This place is good! Prepare to shell out few dollars for good tasting sake. They have got all varieties to satiate your palate. If you don’t know where to begin, better ask the lady at the counter. Definitely a must go!

Bottom line: Best place to buy sake because it has something for everyone.
The owner, Beau, is a friendly guy and passionate about Japanese rice and plum wines or as we Americans call it «sake». He has in depth reviews in front of 95% of the bottles the remaining 5% are new and have a review pending. The reviews are excellent and are what set this store apart; without them I would have no idea what to buy or what I get from what I was buying (e.g. sweet vs. dry). The store is welcoming and the staff are pretty knowledgeable and are happy answer novice questions.
The store carries sake ranging from inexpensive to expensive with a wide variety of everything in between. Unlike wine, sake comes in many more sizes from «cups» to 1.8L bottles which makes tasting a variety of wines easier on wallet and also buying large volumes for parties cheaper too.
I recommend subscribing to newsletter for special deals and also the content is actually very entertaining with a variety of topics.

I’m not going to break ANY ground with my review — BUT! Check out my photos.
What a cool place! This is a store that is devoted to Sake. It’s all they do, and they do it REALLY REALLY well. I could spend a few hours in this store learning — and they are also REALLY good at that too. All of the Sake has good, uniform review standards that tell you what you need to know. They also have a super staff who are good at talking about their wares. Cheap??? Ha ha ha. But then, I have no sense of the Sake market.
I would recommend going to this store solely to see their visual merchandising. Whoever is responsible deserves a super-​big-​time high-​five. Wow. Stunning. Great window displays, too. Just plain beautiful.
Tips: They have a monthly newsletter. It’s worth signing up for because there are some deals to be had. They also have some single-​serving Sake, which seems like a good way to explore.

If you’re looking for Sake, this store absolutely has to get a 5 star. From the little Bambi cups to huge bottles, cheap to top shelf — this place has everything.
Selecting a Sake can be daunting, but the staff are very helpful and every bottle has a little description including flavour profiles of other food and beverages that you might enjoy if you liked this sake e.g. «if you like crisp citrus flavours, white wine, pale ales — you will enjoy this sake». Such a great idea! It makes the process so much easier, with the girls there on hand to clarify if you have any questions or want to get a personal recommendation.

Love this place! I bought a copy of Beau Timken’s (store owner) book «Sake: A Modern Guide» years ago and have been an admirer of his love of sake. I walked by this store all the time, but always felt intimidated to go in because it looked like one of those high-​end, overpriced hipster places. But I finally did recently and I’m glad I did. They have the best variety of sakes in the Bay Area from regional to seasonal ones.
Sake is expensive and it’s expensive here as well. However, they’re not that much more than other places. In fact, when I asked the store clerk for a recommendation in the $ 30 range, she guided me to plenty of options. In fact, she recommended some seasonal sake that were on sale and surprisingly cheaper than most generic brands that you find anywhere.
The store itself is beautiful. The interior decorating is superb and the products are laid out nicely, almost like art. If you’re a newbie to sake, then this is a store where you can learn more.

Beautiful store. Is is quite pleasant inside, and the lady there spent several minutes with me explaining the differences between the different types of sake, and helped me select one based on my taste preferences. They have everything from high end ot low, and a fine selection of sake glasses.
Additionally she gave me a guide to take home, and signed me up for their monthly newsletter which will inform me when they have tastings and specials.
Considering it’s walking distance from my house, I can see myself buying all my good sake here.

After having my first taste of Yuzu Omoi Sake over dinner at a Japanese restaurant, I instantly fell in love! I tend to enjoy my drinks a little sweeter and with low alcohol content. This sake was just perfect.
I found myself searching high and low for this particular sake with other providers and it quickly became quite the challenge. After some simple research through the internet, I was able to find True Sake as my solution. With True Sake boasting the title of America’s first sake store, how could you lose?
True Sake is truly a great place for the sake aficionado or for the sake novice, such as myself. There is such a variety, you almost don’t know which direction to go in. Again, I tend to lean more towards the lighter, refreshing preparations as evidenced by my love of Yuzu Omoi. The flavor profile is just perfect. The citrus notes and light acidity makes it such a pleasant drink.
There are a bunch of other sakes here that I still need to try out. I love that True Sake is like your one stop shop for all your sake desires. It’ll be sure to never disappoint.
The ladies working the counter were very helpful. The store was well organized. I would definitely recommend True Sake without any hesitation.