Hama-Ko Sushi Restaurant (Reported Closed)

Doesn't Recommend

bulka

Joined 6 years ago

rudeness, bad service. That was really spoiled evening! The treatment was unpolite from the first seconds of our visit (notice: we are normal family: me, my husband and his mother - and we have never experienced as unfriendly welcome in San Francisco as this one before).

We were waiting for a menu for half an hour. And the first signs of food appeared in an hour (In fact all other clients had their food already, so we were the only people, waitng for a meal).

After waiting for an hour we asked, where is our food, and (that's really nonsence for japanese restaurants) the host started yelling at us.

No excuses!

They just decided that we are tourists (we do have accents) and would never return there again (that's right).

Or they decided that if things went wrong from the very beginning they wouldn't try to excuse or change our opinion.

I was really disappointed.

The food was good (except oysters), but there is no quality that can approve such service!

Recommends

alblee

Joined 7 years ago

Freshest sashimi in SF. I found the elderly couple to be incredibly sweet and charming. If you're expecting the customer service of a chain restaurant, go elsewhere - but come here to experience incredibly fresh sashimi. At the sushi bar, we met a sushi chef from another restaurant who told us that this was the best sushi in SF. I have to agree.

Recommends

gwenkutz

Joined 7 years ago

Amazingly fresh sushi. This is definitely the freshest and best sushi we've found in SF. We read reviews and knew that there may be a wait and that it is just run by a husband and wife team. But there was no wait and the duo was fabulous. So cute, and I felt like I was eating with family. Can't wait to go back!

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Contributor

Joined 10 years ago

Traditional sushi in blink-and-you'll-miss-it digs.. In Short
There's no sign to mark the entrance of Hama-Ko, but the line of sushi lovers waiting outside should indicate you're getting close. The mom-and-pop restaurant (Mom serves, Pop slices fish) has only a dozen small tables and a sushi bar along the back of its nearly hidden Cole Valley location. Don't expect "kamikaze rolls," or other Americanized versions of sushi. The basic menu is full of traditional Japanese choices, with availability depending on what arrived that day, be it Mexican mackerel or yellowtail from Japan.

Recommends

echigoya

Joined 8 years ago

It's not a fake. like other Sushi restaurants in US. As a Japanese who travels frequently from Japan, I would like US citizen to know the place as a real Sushi restaurant. Somebody says the service is not good, but I suspect they are not prepared to experience real rule in this kind of restaurants. I know many sushi places in Tokyo, and many of them have rude owners in accordance with US people's definition. Sorry, but true. Most important is how faithful owners are in terms of taste and quality. I think Hamako is one of the best in the world.

Recommends

tsukijijane

Joined 8 years ago

Best sushi this side of the Pacific. This place is a gem. The sushi is made by an old master of the craft, very much in the trditional manner, and the quality is superb. Sushi is a vehicle for the best fish the chef can find, and Hama-ko consistently finds the best one can get in this part of the world. Be warned, however. You are in the presence of a master. Be impeccably polite, and after a few visits, they may deign to serve you the best cuts. Definitely in the mould of a real Japanese sushi restaurant, where only the regulars get the best.

Recommends

tim_hyland

Joined 9 years ago

Go early for best service. I love this place, the food and ambience are great. A true mom and pop sushi shop. For best service, go earlier in the evening. Once the tables fill up, Ms. Sushi serves them in order of seating, and you might not get a menu for 15 or 30 minutes. When they are busy, I go elsewhere because they both get frazzled. Ask about the specials -- they don't post a sign, but always have things not on the menu. She'll also tell you what is extra fresh that day.

Doesn't Recommend

mk22

Joined 9 years ago

bad-mannered owners. My experience with this restaurant was the worst I have ever had with any restaurant in the city. I wanted to have a dinner there with my husband but he was running late. I asked for a table for two and explained that my husband would join me shortly. While the wife, who served the tables, was willing to seat me, her husband openly expressed discontent and suggested I go somewhere else. I excused his rudness by his very poor English but he said what he meant. I made an effort to explain to him that this was not the right way of treating potential customers but he simply turned his back to me without even listening to my arguments. I rushed out of this madhouse determined to never come back to this awful place. Stay away from this restaurant, this bad-mannered couple will kill your good mood.

Doesn't Recommend

ubermatt

Joined 9 years ago

Awful. I visited Hama Ko on Saturday... What a disappointment. I thought since it seemed like a small mom and pop type place it would be interesting or at least high quality. The placed smelled horribly of unfresh fish, the service was slow, which was forgivable because there is only the husband and wife team. I ordered the sushi combination which claimed to be an assortment of nigiri and maki, but got nothing but cucumber rolls and horrible quality fish. I'd pass on this one folks...

Doesn't Recommend

dinnerout10

Joined 10 years ago

WORST sushi in TOWN. The couple who owns this restaurant should win an award for "Worst Service of the Year". We waited 15 minutes, without even being acknowledged, then when we were finally seated, told that "sushi making" would take at least 30 minutes. We glanced at the menu and saw the OUTRAGEOUS prices...and LOW SELECTION. They do not even carry fresh salmon.

Go here if you really want to waste your time, money and patience.