03/03/09

Never tasted the food

by CSMobileUser

What a ridiculous restaurant! They put your name on a waiting list and tell you it's a 10-15 minute wait. What they don't tell you is they are also taking reservations that take priority over the waitlist. The 10-15 minute wait becomes an hour ++ long enough to give up waiting and go to Zuschi Puzzle on Lombard Street, a well run restaurant with great food and service. Sayonara Kabuto

02/23/08

best sushi anywhere

by teriannehawker

i have been to a lot of places and you dont get sushi's like the one you get here.They also have a wide variety of sakes which i think is a little overpriced. They are simply the best.The place isnt big so not good for big groups and there is always a big crowd there.Hope that they move into a bigger place.

01/02/08

Best Sushi in San Francisco!!!

by karenlau759

Anyone who reads this review has to try Kabuto. The sushi they have is extremely unique and it's very rare you will find sushi like this anywhere else. The chef blends great flavors together that compliments one another. I heard the traditional sushi is really fresh and delicious but I've only ordered from the "Special Sushi Menu". I strongly recommend the Toro Tuna Tartar, CeViChe, Hamachi Pear, Foie Gras Sushi (my absolute favorite), and I believe it's called 1849 (oyster on a half shell). This item is written on the board above the sushi bar. So far these are my favorite dishes. I plan on going back soon and slowly trying the rest of the menu...

• Pros: Great Food & sSrvice with a Smile
• Cons: Long wait if you don't have reservations, Not good for parties over 4 people. Only one area that will fit 6-8 people (putting 2-3 tables together)

09/26/06

Not Even close to what it was

by stancanyon

I guess some folks want to believe....After Sachio left I was expecting the worst but was surprised at how the new owner kept up the quality, at least most of it, but that honeymoon is totally over...Not only is the service unbelievably poor, the fish I think are walking over from the owner's old place up the street. I have been ten times since Sachio left, but I can't take it anymore. Thin slices of ordinary fish. Higher prices (Double the price for half the fish), and simply incompetent staff. It has become wht the owner's old place was: just another joint. Such a shame that the best place in the City has gone...should be illegal to keep the name.

• Pros: Good sake list, but 50% higher in price
• Cons: A classic case of running a place into the ground using the rep of the founder.

09/24/06

2 consecutive visits with bad service, but the food is still good

by local94118

The food at Kabuto is excellent and reasonably priced for the high quality of ingredients and preparation. Nevertheless, the service has fallen off to such a frustratingly low level that I can't see going back any time soon. I was embarrassed to have brought friends from out of town there.

It seems like they are struggling with their success and not able to hire a full crew of servers who know how to do the basics. While the tables around us were turning over regularly and all manner of specialty sushi whizzed by our table, we struggled to find anyone to even take our simple order, or to bring a glass of water, or to offer a refill, or to clear the dishes, or to bring us a check... When the food did arrive, it was plate by plate with long intervals in between.

There are nearly a dozen other sushi joints within 10 blocks of this place, so there is little reason to put up with this kind of service, even for the high qualiy of food.

• Pros: good food, creative sushi
• Cons: excruciatingly bad service, very loud on busy nights

09/21/06

one of the best!

by insearchofyum

The fish is fresh and the combinations are innovative. The clam miso is a great way to start the meal and the special sushi menu offers good and different tastes. We usually get some of the more traditional rolls combined with something from the special menu. Lately, we have asked the waitress for her suggestions as to the best fish that day- and I definitely recommend doing that because we have had some incredible and delicious fish that we probably would not have chosen. The lines are long so make reservations (they offer a limited number each night). Parking is available across the street at the garage next to Ross Dress for Less- we didn't find that garage until we had struggled to park on Geary for several visits.

• Pros: great sushi
• Cons: expensive, long lines so make reservations

05/31/06

Love this place!

by adrocks

I first visited this place over two years ago and have yet to find its equal among sushi restaurants in san francisco. If you're looking for someplace trendy where the sushi is only mediocre then head to tsunami or someplace like that, but if you're looking for amazing sushi then this is the place for you. The fish is almost always pristine and the special sushi menu is what it's all about--try the hamachi pear, it's absolutely devine...

04/18/06

Great Fish - Innovative sushi

by 4daychef

No harm in recommending this place--it's already crowded, and for good reason. The Post-Sachio era at Kabuto continues Kojima's tradition of high quality. There are too many innovative, unique sushi-esque creations to mention...some are a hit, others just don't work. Execution and presentation are nearly always flawless with considerable flair--Jinsoo and Eric are good guys who weild their sushi knives quite artfully. They serve the usually hard-to-find and delicious Escolar regularly. The large sushi portions are commensurate with the large prices. Some of the best fish in the city.

• Pros: Great fish, Different sushi
• Cons: Crowded, Expensive

Inventive sushi choices lure neighborhood locals to this family owned restaurant in the Richmond District.

by Gina Goff

In Short
Brightly painted walls flank the small dining room and sushi bar where chefs rhythmically wield their knives. A neighborhood crowd curls out the door on most nights, waiting to sample traditional Japanese tapas and the innovative house specialties such as the foie gras sushi (rice, seared liver, nori, tobiko) and the Hirame Jerry (rice, raw halibut, ponzu jelly, pickled tomato seeds).

11/27/05

Delicious but very pricey

by foodielover

Our first time back to Kabuto's since they moved across the street. The sushi is superb but gosh we had sticker shock. The special sushi charges were $3-$6 for ONE sushi, not a pair! We had a lovely foie gras sushi with raspberry sauce, the flavors blended in nicely. The toro was the best I've had anywhere, tender and not at all stringly. The unagi was tender and delicious. The blue fin tuna was so-so. The rice didn't hold well together & fell apart with our dragon roll. We got there at 5:30p when they opened & couldn't get a seat at the sushi bar for 4. I found the wait staff at the previous restaurant friendlier. Meal for 4 = $140, not including alcohol, and the men in the group complained they were still hungry afterwards because the rice in the sushi were small.

• Pros: food is delicious, ambiance
• Cons: no reservations, expensive, seats crowded in