09/08/09

Not worth the price

by topcatwawa

The fish was pretty fresh, but we have several issues:

- They do not take reservation and that is fine. We went there on a Tuesday night at around 8:10pm, no table for 2 was available. The hostess said the wait would be about 30 minutes and she wrote down my cell number and she’ll call me as soon as a table for 2 opens up. We walked around the neighborhood for about 20 minutes and decided to check back at the restaurant. We saw a table for 2 in front is all set, but the hostess hasn’t called us and she was nowhere to be found for several minutes. Right after we walked in, another couple walked in right after us. Who knows what would have happened if we didn’t check back early.

- Slowest service in the world. We got a complimentary small dish of edamame soon after we sat down; our drinks came a few minutes later. Another 30 minutes later our waitress walked by and asked whether we got our salad yet. The answer was “NO”, and she looked surprised. Around 9:25pm, we finally got our first plate of sushi. Now we understand why the edamame was complimentary; we could have starved to death. We finally finish dinner a little after 11:00pm. This a very small restaurant with two sushi chefs. Why so slow? This is not the definition of Slow Food.

- No wines at all; very small sake and beer list. They can serve nontraditional sushi with a twist, but they can’t serve wine???

- Very limited choices of seafood.

- Very expensive. The two of us had nigiri (not sashimi), 3 small glasses of sake, and 1 green tea, and the total bill was over $200 excluding tip.

I would have given one more star if it wasn’t so expensive. I can almost see the owners laughing all the way to the bank. We have sushi all around US and Asia and have had plenty of better sushi; some are less expensive and some are more. For the prices that they charge, you would expect much better service and more variety of fish. We won’t go back again.

• Pros: Fresh fish
• Cons: Very expensive, limited choices, slowwwwwwww service

06/09/09

Never Again

by GoldenSF

I can't think of a single nice thing to say about these guys. Long wait, rude staff, poor service and the fish wasn't very fresh. I was sick all night after eating here and would never recommend this place to anyone. Never again. And the owner/chef was such a jerk2me.

• Pros: None That I Can Think Of
• Cons: Bad Food

08/28/08

Worms....

by SFFoodLuver

There were worms in my fish. The server was rude, and when I asked for my money back, they refused. I will never step foot in this place again.

• Pros: none
• Cons: worms, service

06/04/08

Outstanding sushi.

by awong425

What a wonderful sushi mecca! The fish is incredibly fresh, and the sushi chefs extraordinary. Although the sushi bar only seats 6, it is worth waiting for a seat at the bar. Without a doubt, the prices are very expensive. I highly recommend the Omakase, but be prepared to spend close to $100 without alcohol. Is it worth it? You bet! This is not the place to get a quick bite and run. This meal should be an adventure. Plan to spend some time and put your trust in the hands of the sushi chef! The choice of fish depends on what was available in Japan that morning. There were many types of fish that I have not seen before. They make their own blend of soy sauce, and use a premium sushi rice. If you have a chance, read a book called "The Zen of Fish." A fabulous book on the history and art of sushi. Then, go to Sebo and enjoy!

• Pros: Outrageously amazing sushi prepared by sushi masters.
• Cons: Outrageously expensive.

02/24/08

best. sushi. ever!

by pookapooka

This is the tastiest sushi in san francisco! Perfect portion size and so fresh and flavorful. A little expensive, but well worth it.

11/17/07

Sushi quality is good

by naotake

As a person from Japan, I was quite surprised that the sushi here was pretty good. I guess it is supposed to be a "Tokyo-style" sushi, whatever that is. I liked the simple Zen-ish decor and lighting. But because they don't take reservations, we had to wait for about 45 minutes. And the serving is quite slow. I would recommend thinking this place as a Sake bar with good sushi as appetizers. I think it will be VERY pricey to get full by just eating the tiny sushis and donburis as real dinner. It would also be nice if there are more variety of nigiris, appetizers and drinks. Next time I will go as if I am going to a nice bar.

• Pros: Sushi quality is like I am in Japan!
• Cons: A little too pricey..

08/12/07

Are they EVER open??

by larcher

I've tried to eat at Sebo several times, but while it is supposed be open from 6 to 10, I've shown up 6:20 and they still hadn't set up, and at 9:30, and been told they're not seating any more people. Their reason was that since they had had a busy night, they figured they'd close early. The finickiness is just too aggravating. Pretentious attitude, pretentious decor, pretentious prices--having lived in Hayes Valley for 20 years, I've seen a dozen businesses like this come and go.

05/02/07

the best sushi anywhere!

by suhikudasay

i've dined at most sushi joints in town, some in tokyo ,some in spain, sebo is by far my favourite!

amazing food!!!!! great selection of sake! a bargain for the quality of fish you're getting

best rice i've ever had!

smaller portions of nigiri leave room to taste more treasures that the shefs have to offer

guys, thank you so much!

see you soon!

p.s. to those who have a taste for overstuffed rolls and huge menus,

and don't like sebo

go elsewhere, and leave room for the rest of us!

01/31/07

Prepare to get bent over the barrel!

by rberri

I predict that this restaurant will be out of business in 6 months or less.

I ate with a party of four.

The pros: The food quality was decent, the sushi bar is designed such that it is supposed to feel like you're eating in somebody's kitchen. No waiting for a table which is nice.

The cons: It seems like there is a deliberate attempt to gouge the customer. The size of the portions (tiny) and associated pricing (high) were outrageous. 1 order of nigiri ranges between 7 and 11 dollars. While 1 order is two pieces, on average the size is equivalent to less than 1 regular piece at any other sushi restaurant. The rolls were tiny too. If you want to feel like you ate anything at all, i'd recommend the rice bowls. The menu is extremely limited too. Nigiri list is ok. Only 5 or 6 types of roll, 1 beer and 5 or 6 outrageously expensive sakes. What I find most obnoxious about the place is the drinks menu. Want a carafe of warm sake - $20. I've seen some other sushi restaurants do this as well where they limit your choice and force you into buying a $46 bottle of sake because that's the cheap option on the menu.

Dinner for 4 came to about $170 with a single beer for the table (no sake) and we all left somewhat hungry.

Just to clarify, i'm not necessarily scared off by eating at high-priced places and exclusive eateries - this one sort of caught me by surprise and annoyed me. There's nothing exclusive about the place (other than no-one chose to eat there) and while the food quality was reasonable, it was nothing to write home about.

I realize the place is new, but the restaurant was deserted save for us and another 7 patrons. It seems as if would-be eaters have voted with their feet on this one. I hope the owners are listening and think about tweaking pricing and selection. I for one won't go back and neither will the others in my party.

• Pros: no wait
• Cons: outrageously expensive, small portions, limited selection

11/01/06

Unique sushi, price is outrageous, good quality

by polyester1970

They had some hard-to-find sushi that you don't normally see in most sushi restaurants. The one that we liked the most was "Aji." We had several kinds of nigiri and sashimi. Everything was very fresh and tasty. However, the rice part of the nigiri is too small. Not that I like large chunks of rice, but it was really, really small.

The price was a little rediculous though. Nigiri ranged from $7 - $9 for 2 pcs. I think the sashimi was 5 pcs for $12.

The alcohol selection is limited to sake, a single beer, Orion, and I think some red & white wine. I suppose they're trying to avoid being like every other Japanese restaurant that carries Asahi & Sapporo. Orion is OK, but not that great. It reminded me a little of that Korean beer, OB. I prefer Kirin on tap for Japanese beers. Maybe they'll consider carrying that one day.

The service was very good. The waitress was very attentative and even poured my beer for me each time. The 2 sushi chefs were also very nice.

I wish they would drop the prices just a little. It's probably more pshchological, but I feel weird spending $9 for 2 pcs of nigiri.

• Pros: unique sushi/fish, good service, good ambiance
• Cons: super high prices (i think the highest I've seen so far), small nigiri & sashimi