Best Sushi in San Francisco

Picture of Clean Plate Club

Clean Plate Club

The job of delivering the best possible content for our restaurant recommendations can not be left to one person. Click here to meet the team behind the Clean Plate Club.

As of 2023, there are nearly 20,000 sushi restaurants in the United States. Who would have ever guessed that raw fish would be such a hit? It is, after all, raw fish. Sushi is said to have first arrived stateside in the 1960s, but it wasn’t until the late ‘80s that the scrumptious slices of sake, unagi and others became widespread.

Today you can find sushi in burrito form, on every type of clothing and items including iPhone cases, and pre-rolled in the cold case of most grocery stores. Given San Francisco’s location as a coastal port city, the finest fish are at your fingertips.

These are our San Francisco Best Sushi winners, selected by our editors — look for our readers’ choice winner, selected by our audience. 

Featured Photo: Wako

In and Around Downtown:

Embarcadero, FiDi, Union Square, Chinatown

A vibrant assortment of sashimi is displayed in this image, reminiscent of the best sushi San Francisco has to offer. The dish includes slices of salmon, tuna, and white fish, garnished with ikura (salmon roe), radish slices, edible flowers, green leaves, and thin lemon slices, creating a colorful and appetizing presentation.
Photo: Kuma Sushi + Sake

Owners and chefs Ryo and Cory are lifelong friends who specialize in Japanese cuisine and having fantastic conversations with diners. Highlights include: a cooling system that allows chefs to take the temperature of the food, and the ebi — sweet shrimp — which comes with the fried shrimp head. There is usually a wait, but there are plenty of places to have a drink nearby and will be contacted when your table is ready. 

In or Around Fisherman’s Wharf:

Ghirardelli Square, Russian Hill, North Beach

A close-up of a sushi roll on a white rectangular plate shows pieces topped with slices of fish and sprinkled with green garnishes. In the background, a smaller dish holds two additional sushi rolls, epitomizing the best sushi San Francisco has to offer, both topped with different types of raw fish.
Photo: Elephant Sushi

Guests can find traditional and modern sashimi, rolls, and small plates at both locations. Both have outdoor seating, but if you’re visiting the Russian Hill location be prepared for a bit of tilt given the grade of the street. Among the items not to be missed: yummy pocket — spicy scallop in a sweet tofu pocket with a bit of sweet, sticky rice — and a coupla babes, two dungeness crab hand rolls with crunchy garlic topping and shiso leaf. 

In or Around the Mission:

Mission District, Noe Valley

A close-up of a hand roll sushi resting on a wooden stand. The hand roll has a crispy seaweed wrapper filled with white rice, tempura, and fresh green shiso leaves. A chef in a white shirt and apron is blurred in the background, preparing food in the kitchen at one of the Best Sushi San Francisco spots.
Photo by Colleen L. via Yelp

Sit down at the counter and watch the chef prepare your sushi, placing each roll on your wooden plate in front of you one at a time to let you savor each piece. Try their buttery smooth otoro with pickled radish or sample their creamy scallop with tobiko. If you don’t want to pick your own rolls or you simply prefer to trust the experts, go for one of their set options, where the chef chooses what you eat and you can simply sit back and trust that you’ll get something delicious. 

Near Golden Gate Park:

Cole Valley, Haight, Richmond, Sunset

A black platter filled with a colorful assortment of sushi and sashimi, including salmon, tuna, and crab, garnished with avocado slices, lemon wedges, and leafy greens. Some pieces are arranged with red and white accents, and a pink flower is placed for decoration—truly the Best Sushi San Francisco has to offer.
Photo: Sushi Goemon

A mainstay in the Inner Sunset since the 1970s, there is lots to love about Goemon. The exterior hints at the fact that this isn’t your typical restaurant, but the verdant zen garden in the back is a pleasant surprise nonetheless. On the menu guests can find everything from A-5 Wagyu beef to  local uni. Top picks include the hamachi kama, which is loaded with fish, and uni gems — sea urchin, ikura, quail egg yolk and green onion. 

A black tray filled with a variety of sushi from the best sushi San Francisco has to offer. Nigiri with different types of fish, two pieces of maki rolls, pickled ginger, wasabi, and slices of yellow pickled radish. Garnished with a green leaf in the center.
Photo: Wako

This tiny Michelin-starred restaurant used to be strictly omakase, but now offers a sushi tasting menu and more robust a la carte options as well as hand rolls and nigiri. The marinated bluefin tuna is a shining star in the kaisen bowl — which also comes with mountain yam, caviar, Hokkaido bafun sea urchin and salmon roe on top — that’s priced at a very reasonable $24. Another not-to-be-missed item is the A5 Wagyu uni hand roll, our idea of surf and turf. 

In or Near Civic Center:

Hayes Valley, Castro

A close-up of a hand holding a piece of seaweed filled with seafood ingredients, including sea urchin, salmon roe, crab meat, and fresh green herbs. The vibrant and colorful dish captures the textures and variety of the ingredients, reminiscent of the best sushi in San Francisco.
Photo: Ju-Ni

The name of this restaurant is very deliberate. There are only 12 seats here, a 12 course omakase menu is offered, and Ju-Ni means “twelve” in Japanese. Brilliant. About 90 percent of the fish arrives from the world famous Toyosu Market in Japan with the rest coming from specialty purveyors. The space is arranged so every four guests have their personal chef to forge a deeper connection. Recently, the owners opened a casual hand roll sister restaurant in the Mission called Handroll Project

More Local Favorites in San Francisco

Who’s writing these?

Meet our always-hungry team team of foodies who have compiled this list.
Please let us know if we’ve missed your favorite eat@localgetaways.com.

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Scroll to Top