BUBU

Came for happy hour and it was delicious! Absolutely loved the spicy tuna roll - it was SO juicy. The hand rolls were great but I didn’t love the California hand roll as it didn’t have any cucumber and only had mayo crab and avocado which was unexpected.

The food sucks. We ordered 80 dollars worth of HH food, the quality of the sashimi sucks and the taste even worse. this place has been viral on social media regarding to their $5 HH. After having the food, i have a very bad diarrheal, so is my partner. We won’t be back! Do not come here oh gosh i dont understand the hype.

Came here for happy hour with my friend, and I'd say we were pretty satisfied with the food overall. The overall atmosphere and service was pretty nice, and the interior was clean as well. The rolls were pretty good (definitely recommend the ones where it is 2 for $5), and I will definitely come back again.

Wonderful service & even more wonderful food! The fish was fresh and absolutely delicious! Their happy hour prices were insanely affordable and made us more inclined to try a greater variety of food. I recommended this place to everyone!

Went here for their happy hour deal which has been going viral all over social media. Tbh it was alright. The fish quality was underwhelming, especially when trying the sashimi. Didn’t taste fresh. The non fish items like the fried chicken and gyoza were much better. I think those were worth it. Even though it was happy hour. Our group of 5 still ended up spending $200+, without drinks lol. Not sure if I’ll go back but worth trying once. Also the service wasn’t that great and they didn’t seem super happy to serve the people there for the happy hour deal.

I have been wanting to try their happy hour deals for a while now & was finally able to yesterday! We got there 15 minutes after they opened and were already the 18th group on the waitlist, it’s a small restaurant and they do their best to seat people quickly and accommodate the influx of guests. I thought the food was great for the price & the experience was definitely worth the wait! If you put your name on the waitlist I recommend waiting in the line outside, if they call your name and you’re not there they will skip you!

Fantastic in every sense! Come early (or late) for the happy hour, starting at 4:30pm on M-Th or 3:30pm F-Su. All of the $5 food options were delicious, and the fish all tasted fresh. The service was good despite just two folks handling the whole place, including the waiting list. Fun ambience, and drink options (Asahi, Sapporo, hot sake, NA) for $5 as well. Can’t wait to come back with a friend! (Would recommend coming in pairs)

Located on California Avenue in the Lower Pacific Heights neighborhood. This is an excellent sushi restaurant. I highly recommend their 8 piece Omakase, which includes a fresh selection of choice cuts of seafood: uni, ikura, blue fin tuna, scallops, ama ebi to name a few! Their shishito peppers were perfectly grilled and seasoned with a shoyu sauce. The Hamachi Kama was the best that I ever had! Seasoned and grilled to a crispy outer shell, but soft chunks of hamachi. Paired perfectly with their shoyu ponzu sauce. We loved the Nabeyaki udon with shrimp tempura and shoyu soup.

Came in for their late night happy hour at 8:30pm. WOW. Just wow. For the price. You can't beat it. The quality was so good. Salmon rolls were well portioned and everything was timely. Uni and ikura rolls were $5 each and I love my uni and ikura. Other rolls are two for $5! The ambiance was so cute and I know that these men who work there are so proud of their work. I've been eating sushi and raw food for 30+ years in Hawaii and there is no complaints from me. Thank you for having this experience available. You guys are awesome.

I've seen a lot of videos about Bubu and their happy hour. My friend and I got an early dinner here and made it in time for happy hour. Surprisingly there wasn't a long wait for a Saturday night but it was a little early for dinner. You write your name down on a piece of paper and just wait for your turn. There is seating inside and outside. It is a small restaurant. You can order off the regular menu during this time if you want. When the happy hour is almost over, they'll ask for last orders. You get 2 rounds of happy hour ordering. My friend and I tried almost all of the handrolls. Her favorite was the salmon avo handroll and mine was the negi toro handroll. The fish quality was pretty good for the price. Not fishy at all. We ordered all of the crispy bubu just to try it and it was pretty much whatever fish on top of crispy rice. We didn't realize how filling it would be. Good to try but we probably wouldn't order it again next time or if we did, maybe just one. Each order comes with 2 pieces. We loved the sashimi. The salmon and hamachi were the favorites. It came with a small side of seaweed salad too so that was a good addition. We got the peach bomb and lychee mojito for $7 off the happy hour menu too. We didn't order any of the hot foods or premium handrolls but maybe next time. Would definitely come back! It was a pleasant experience and the service was good. They gave us a warm towelette before our meal which was lovely.

The wait isn't too bad. You can decide what you're going to eat before you sit down so that you can order quickly. The food comes out pretty quick. I love going for happy hour. The tables are pretty close together.

Seems like the Bubu hype has died down, but the deals are as good as ever, which makes for an even more amazing experience. We came a bit early before opening because we'd heard there were so many crowds for happy hour, but there was only one group in front of us and even after we got seated, there were plenty of spots for people to sit at. The deals truly can't be beat. $5 for two whole hand rolls ? No one does it better. We got many rolls, but I would definitely recommend the ones with full pieces of fish instead of any of the spicy variations. The full fish is incredibly fresh and tender, and the spicy mixes are very mashed and don't really taste like fish. The signature bubus are also really good, nice and crispy and not too oily. I definitely can't wait to bring more people to the Bubu happy hour. Such a great way to try multiple kinds of sushi on a budget.

I came to Bubu for happy hour with my partner and we decided to try out their sashimi as well as multiple hand rolls. Luckily we did not have to wait for too long and were seated within about 10 minutes and were able to order instantly. Sadly the table seated next to us was not served as fast and only got their food after being seated for 20 minutes. The sashimi was quite fresh and tasty and my favorite was the salmon sashimi, and the hand rolls were tasty and filling being wrapped in seaweed and stuffed with minced spicy tuna and salmon. I have had fresher hand rolls but these were definitely solid, especially for the $5 happy hour pricing!

3.5 stars, rounded up to 4. Went for the $5 happy hour, which is a fantastic deal. You get 60 minutes and can order up to 2 rounds. We went right at opening on a weekday and had no trouble getting a table. A couple of items we were excited for were crossed off the menu, including the spicy scallop and uni ikura handrolls. Not sure if they are gone for good or just out, but I did notice the uni handroll listed at $8 on their board, so perhaps it's leaving happy hour. Handrolls are listed as 2 for $5, which confused us at first. Turns out you can order singles for $2.50. We tried spicy salmon, spicy tuna, negi toro, and jalapeño hamachi. Each was generous with fish and very filling. 3 handrolls was more than enough for me. The premium baby lobster handroll (1 for $5) wasn't my fave. The lobster was minced and not very sweet. The crispy bubu (2 pieces for $5) was pretty good. This is crispy rice topped with sashimi. Hamachi was solid, but butterfish was super smooth and flavorful. We also tried butterfish and salmon sashimi (3 pieces for $5), both were fresh. Overall, a solid happy hour with friendly service. Street parking is metered but not too hard to find a spot.

This review is specifically for their happy hour, which ended up being a great value overall. We started with the hand rolls, which were the highlight of the meal. The uni and ikura roll was the clear winner. The piece of uni was small and the roll leaned heavy on rice, but at the price point it still felt worth it. The other premium rolls - crab and lobster - were fine, but not memorable. If I come back, I'd skip the other premium rolls and just order 5 uni and ikura because that one was the best. Next was the sashimi. The fish was fresh and the pieces were nicely sized, so another winner for good value. They offered walu, salmon, and hamachi, which worked perfectly for us. I'm not a big tuna person anyway, so I didn't feel like I was missing anything. For the cooked items, the fried bubus were just okay and not something I'd order again. The grilled fish was also just so so and a bit confusing since it wasn't a familiar cut like salmon or hamachi. It seems to be whatever fish the chef chooses that day, so YMMV. A quick note on the pricing. Parts of the menu was confusing because some rolls were two for $5 and others were two for $10. We def misread it, but it worked out in the end since we just ordered more of the items we liked and took the extra rolls as they came. If you're trying to be healthy, know that there aren't really any greens on the happy hour menu. They do have shishito peppers, but the batch we got was surprisingly too spicy so I couldn't eat them. The dipping sauce was great though, a dark soy that paired really well. Our total bill for 3 ppl was about $180 which was really good given how much we ordered. There was a line when we arrived but it moved quickly. We ended up sitting outdoors, which was totally fine since the weather was nice

This has become our go to place in the city for happy hour. Food is great, happy hour menu has a wide selection. For 5.00 well worth it. Service is good but it gets full quick, so get your name on the wait list asap. We sat outside this time so it was a bit cold but they have heaters.

$5 sushi during happy hour? Incredible and unheard of until Bubu! We came on a weekday for happy hour and were so lucky that most other parties (who were on the long waiting list) didn't show up, so we got seated pretty shortly. I would recommend coming early on any day to make sure you arrive before the 6pm cut off for happy hour pricing. We ordered a variety of hand rolls and some crispy bubu. Everything was good, not the best sushi I've ever had, but you can't beat the pricing. I really liked the crispy bubu since it was unique! The sushi rice seemed slightly grilled to get crispy, but still kept its chewiness. So good! Service is ok here. It seemed like they often forgot to come back and check on us, while we were trying to place our orders before the cutoff.

Went to Bubu for their amazing happy hour deals! Most items are just $5, but our favorite from the happy hour menu was definitely their hand rolls (2 for $5). The restaurant is pretty small, so we arrived around 4PM on a weekday and were among the first wave of people being seated. If you're not in that first wave, the wait could be up to an hour. Once we placed our order, everything came out super quick. We enjoyed everything and it was really tasty. The fish quality is good, though not outstanding, but for the price, I'm definitely not complaining. Great spot for happy hour!

We came for their $5 happy hour which is from 4:30-6 pm on weekdays. Their selection is pretty big, they offer 2 handrolls for $5, or 2 pieces of crispy Bubu for $5, or 2 piece of fish and crab roll for $5. There's also 3 pc sashimi for $5, and select appetizers for $5. Service & wait time : We arrived at 4:34 PM and they had a full house with a waitlist on a Monday. We noticed the staff are mainly young people and they had seated 2 people at 4 person table. Their waitlist was pretty long and had over 5 parties waiting by 4:45 PM. The organization was lacking and definitely extended the wait time. We were seated outside by 5:15 PM. The happy hour has a limit of 2 rounds, on the second round we ordered a spicy scallop roll and they had forgotten it and came out with a scallop hand roll and salmon crab roll instead of what we ordered. At that point we were at this restaurant for nearly 2 hours and just wanted to leave. Food: luckily the food is delicious! The rolls are big and plentiful and the fish is fresh and generous. We also ordered lemon highballs which were great for $7. The crispy bubus were amazing, we ordered at least 4 of them.

Bubu served amazing presentation of sushi and a very delicious serving of udon. They do give you many different tempura options. Their space was small but cozy with Japanese decoration. Some of the cuts of fish did taste a bit hard but overall the udon was very well cooked. I definitely want to come for the happy hour deal next time because i've heard great things about it.

HEALTH HAZARD STAY AWAY‼‼‼ I will add pics but one of the workers was clipping his fingernails in the kitchen / serving area. Not to mention super rude as well when we asked politely When they open

One of the best deals in the city for Japanese food. For only $40 total my friend and I got our bellies filled with hand rolls, gyoza, veggies, and crispy bubu. I've also tried their strawberry matcha soda and their lychee specialty cocktail which were yummy. We came for the $5 happy hour and arrived right at the time it started to ensure we'd get a table and were seated quickly. All of the tables inside and outside the small restaurant were full as expected with the happy hour deal being as good as it is. Service was very quick and efficient. I've already come here a couple times and will definitely be back again!

Get there early if you want to be seated fast! My friends waited a little before opening at 3pm and we were able to be seated in the first round. The restaurant is small so definitely plan your day out if you don't want to wait a while in line. The sushi was delicious and the perfect sharables. I would come back here again!

Came for dinner, but I'll say this from looking at the happy hour line that formed as I ate - I'm definitely coming back to try that next time. Even for dinner this is an amazing pick. Very fresh and quality fish used, and staff are all super friendly. Better sushi and sashimi here than many places in Japantown!

Visited Bubu for their happy hour (which IS available on the weekend!) and feasted on their 2 for $5 hand rolls. The hand rolls have the perfect amount of delicious sushi rice inside as well. My favorite was the hamachi and spicy salmon. There are also premium hand rolls options at a different price point. Besides the hand rolls, you'll find sashimi, rolls, bubus, fried appetizers, drinks, and more on the HH menu. Their bubus are crispy rice topped with fish, which were fine but I didn't like enough to order more of. The chicken karaage and gyoza were good! My group of three lined up about 30min before opening and we were able to write our name on the sign-up sheet once the staff was began setting up. We were seated in the first round of calling parties. You are given an ordering sheet and we were able to order more after our first order came out. There is a 1hr time limit and the servers let you know when is your last call. We did not feel rushed at all and were stuffed before we finished all our food.

I wanted to go during happy hour but I stumbled around here at 6:30! I got the spicy tuna roll (5) takoyaki, and tempura mix. The spicy tuna roll was good but the portion was really small! The takoyaki needed more sauce if im being honest but the crunch was amazing! I really liked the tempura and they gave you a big dish of sauce as well! Overall i wanna go for happy hour but other than that it was quite expensive. There were barely any people and serive was fast. They have you a warm towel to wipe your hand with but sometimes its hard to flag down your waiter. Also most of the people working were chinese surprisingly. Its a cute place to eat and wide menu!

I arrived on a Wednesday night at 7:50pm for the 8:30pm happy hour and there was no line. The line started forming around 8:05pm. By 8:11pm people were starting to crowd and cut by hovering at the door instead of in a line as directed by a sign outside. The staff were professional; they kept track of who the first few parties were so there wasn't an issue about cutting but people were still nervous before the official paper waitlist came out. Inside is super casual so dress warm as you brace the sf cold waiting outside. The quality of the fish is pretty decent. $2.50 for a regular hand roll is unbeatable! - My brother was surprised by how much he liked the salmon skin - The uni was good and not fishy - GET THE YUZU HONEY SPARKLER drink! It was light and refreshing At $10, my favorite item was the unagi fries (not on the happy hour menu). It's not fries with unagi on top like the name suggests. It's unagi, battered and fried. The batter tasted good and was light. I'd get an order of this per person next time.

Fantastic place with a great happy hour! I spontaneously went here with friends without taking a look at the menu or any reviews. We didn't plan for it but we came just in time for happy hour and were luckily given the last table for the first seating after 30 minutes of waiting. here's my food ratings: jalapeno hamachi avo, 10/10 - great quality fish and i give a sushi place extra points when they pair my fave couple: jalapeno + hamachi spicy negi toro avo, 9/10 - delicious! i'm a big fan of tuna salmon sashimi, 8/10 - thick cuts with a standard but yummy taste from the salmon. tbh i ate up all the seaweed on the side so im happy they give that with the sashimi i can't recall which bubu we ordered but that was a 10/10, we should've ordered more but we were yapping and ended up being just full enough for dessert after. we didn't order a ton and our bill came out to a lil under $40 for 3 people wow. the price influenced my high ratings for the food, because i appreciate leaving somewhere feeling satisfied instead of remorseful. the service was good too, everyone who helped us were very kind. i only wish they had more outdoor seating so we weren't crowded onto the side walk. otherwise the place is super cute and a great restaurant to hang out at with your friends! will be back

We arrived Thursday at 4pm where the happy hour line was already out the door. Luckily, we were sat pretty swiftly. I want to highlight the customer service as the staff was friendly, prompt, and empathetic the entire duration of the meal. The place is small with a home-like touch. However, the food is where I had to dock some down. The salmon sashimi was the highlight as the salmon was fatty and fresh. The other hand rolls and fish were tarnished. It felt disgraceful to apply that much spicy mayo onto fresh fish. It's like getting a well done steak at house of prime rib. Good stuff but man, the poor fishy

Prime example of why social media cannot be trusted. I've seen this place hyped as one of the best HH in SF so I tried it today. We arrived 25 min before opening on a Thursday and were seated with no issues. Everything on the menu was $5, while hand rolls were 2 for $5. Because the portions were so small our total came out as $78 anyways so I wouldn't consider that cheap by any means. I wouldn't have minded the price if the quality was good. Most of the items were not good. The handrolls all had soggy seaweed, meager fish and heavy on the rice. The cuts were not uniform and the negi toro was doused in spicy mayo which ruined the taste as I've never had anywhere else serve negi toro drenched in sauce. Actually a lot of items were served with spicy mayo which I thought was really weird, especially for the bubus which were just a slice of sashimi on top of soggy crispy rice. It just took away from any natural flavor of the fish and made everything taste like eggy spicy mayo. The jumbo shrimp had a burnt taste on the outside and was just mid in general. The only good thing was the salmon sashimi, which was buttery and good quality. Overall disappointing and would not recommend even considering the happy hour price.

We came for $5 happy hour around 8pm and we were second in line. We waited a while to get seated, but not too long. The restaurant was small and cozy with cute decor. The food quality was average but valid for the price What we ordered: 1. spicy butterfish bubu: best item we ordered. The rice was super crispy and the sauce on top of the fish had perfect amount of spice 2. snow crab hand roll: hand rolls were served on a plate, so we were confused which one was which. snow crab hand roll's ratio of snow crab and rice was off. i was excited for this hand roll but snow crab was lacking flavor 3. spicy salmon hand roll: didn't have a lot of spice and only a small amount of salmon

honestly, pretty good for their happy hour menu. You get two pieces of sushi for five dollars. I don't eat sushi and I still got a really good meal. I had the chicken karage, the chicken Gyoza, and a strawberry Matcha all of which I found very refreshing and tasty. I probably wouldn't come out here outside of the happy hour but when you do, it really hits between 3:30 and 5:30 and there's usually a line so make sure you put your name on the list so you get in. We've missed it twice before but this time was absolutely worth it and I highly highly recommend to do the happy hour.

Went for 8:30 happy hour, got there 7:45 and there were 3 groups in front of us already. Got in quickly but the line got line around 8:15! Cute and cozy little spot. Really friendly service. Handrolls were good, some better than others. We tried the salmon, spicy salmon, spicy scallop, spicy tuna, ikura uni, truffle wagyu, fresh snow crab and baby lobster. Uni was really good. Crab was just okay. We got the spicy tuna bubu and salmon bubu. Also got the Takoyaki. Really enjoyed these. Hamachi and salmon sashimi were good

4.5 STARS $5 HH at Bubu. 60 minute limit. We finished in 30 minutes. Nothing gets you out of there ASAP like a group of hangry diners staring at YOU eat! The BOH is fast so 60 minutes so it's more than doable so they can turn over tables. Bubu is one of the most popular spots for HH in the city from the owner behind Party Pig, Public Izakaya, NONO, and Shoryuken. To make the first seating, get there 20 minutes before opening on weekdays and at least 30+ minutes on weekends. Recommended for solo diners or pairs, not large groups. * * * $5 HH DEAL * * * Monday - Thursday, 4:30 pm - 6 pm, 8:30 pm - 9:30 pm & Friday - Sunday, 3:30 pm - 5:30 pm, 8:30 pm - 9:30 pm - Two handrolls (mix 'n match) - 3 pc Sashimi - 2 pc Crispy Bubu - Hot Apps: Wings, gyoza, takoyaki, karaage, etc - Beer, sake, sake shot, etc. F O O D * 3 pc Fried Chicken Wings ($5): https://tinyurl.com/2zv98vw7 Hot, crunchy, and juicy. Lowkey reminds me of S&P wings. * 4 pc Takoyaki ($5) Hot soft balls with a slightly creamy center and tender piece of octopus. Topped with sweet, umami rich sauces. * 3 pc Sake Sashimi ($5 x3): https://tinyurl.com/mrxa5t2a Fresh and deliciously buttery. * 3 pc Hamachi Sashimi ($5) Fresh, mild flavor. * Handrolls (2 pc-$5 x4): https://tinyurl.com/muejkbm2 - Salmon Avocado x2 - Spicy Salmon Avocado x2 - Negi Toro x2 - Jalapeño Hamachi - Spicy Scallops While a great deal with a good amount of filling, the nori sheets aren't crispy. * Crispy Salmon Bubu (2 pc-$5 x2): https://tinyurl.com/59pmjtfu - Choice of various fish (spicy tuna, spicy salmon, spicy hamachi, etc) Bubu's Nobu dupe of spicy tuna crispy rice, the sushi rice pads are fried to a golden brown and served warm with a slice of sashimi. Topped with spicy mayo and masago. Great contrast of textures and flavors. S E R V I C E Very friendly, fast, and efficient. Love that upon sitting, they give you a warm towel to wipe your hands. There's only two servers running around so place your entire order in the beginning. A M B I A N C E Lively, indoor seating can accommodate 20 people and there's four tables outside. P A R K I N G Challenging street parking. Overall, Bubu is hyped up for good reason. They offer one of the best HH deals in the city that will leave you full without breaking your wallet. Kanpai!

Wow Instagram really hyped this place up. Got here about an hour early just to get in for their Happy Hour. Think cheap handrollls. Not much fish, flimsy, cheap handrolls. Skip the horrible Brussel sprouts with their weird dressing. They also charge $4 for a teabag and hot water for tea. Skip that. The rolls were meh. The snow crab with hardly any crab is $5 a roll. Not filling and not very tasty. I think of this like fast food sushi. They get you in with tge cheap prices. The spicy tuna cripsy rice was horrible. Grainy spicy tuna on a cold fried rice. What a sad meal. There are so many sushi places in the Bay Area, without the happy hour hype I wonder how long this will last. They only give you an hour and two rounds before they cut you off so decide quickly what you want.

I recently stopped by to try Bubu's happy hour from 4:30pm-5:30pm where handrolls, drinks, sashimi, etc. were all $5. We arrived a bit earlier around 4pm and there were already some people waiting for their happy hour to start. Once it got closer to 4:30pm, the restaurant posted a sign up sheet for you to put down your name and party size. We were one of the first few parties to be seated. The restaurant overall was pretty small and the tables were pretty close to each other with little room between. In terms of the food, we ordered the salmon, hamachi, XL amaebi shrimp, and walu sashimi. Each order of sashimi came with 3 pieces except for the XL amaebi shrimp which only came with one piece, but it was huge and they also fry the head for you to eat! Most of the sashimi seemed pretty fresh and the walu was extremely buttery, as was the salmon! I think a few pieces of the salmon did not have that fresh crisp to it though. The amaebi shrimp on the other hand was really sweet. We also ordered a few handrolls -- salmon avocado, spicy scallop avocado, truffle wagyu, and uni ikura. The more basic handrolls such as the salmon avocado and spicy scallop were $5 for two, while the more premium handrolls such as the truffle wagyu and uni ikura were $5 each. Overall, I'd come to Bubu again if I'm in the area and looking for a cheap place to grab some sushi with friends! :)

Food was good. Got the crispy salmon and sushi boat. I got the matcha soda which was good. Service could've been better though. It's a small place with not a ton of seating.

Bubu has become my new go to for my sushi cravings! I've taken several friends here and they've loved it as well! The staff is so kind and welcoming as well as incredibly patient. There is a wait every time you go especially for the happy hour times. I would highly suggest going by 4 pm to get in line if you want to get a table at 4:30 for your group. Any later and you'll most likely have to wait for the second round of seating to begin. However, this has been worth it for me each time. I've gotten the spicy tuna, spicy salmon and hamachi hand rolls and they've all delivered. They're soo delicious and the tuna is actually my favorite because of how creamy and spicy it actually is! I absolutely have fallen in love with their bubus which are fish on a bed of crispy rice and I'm not usually a big fan of crispy rice but this was incredible and I regularly crave this dish! The bubu's are so crunchy and fresh and light all at the same time! I also really enjoyed their chicken karage. I cannot wait to come back and would highly recommend to another who's enjoys sushi or wants to give it a try!

$5 hh from 4:30-6 (m-th), 3:30 (fri-sun) and 8:30pm daily. Fish was fresh and staff are friendly. We tried the yuzu beer which was refreshing and cold sake. I liked their soy sauce a lot. Food wise: Gyoza Salmon sashimi Chicken karaage Hand rolls: Salmon with avocado Hamachi with jalapeño Spicy scallop Uni ikura Negi toro Spicy salmon Waitlist opens 15 min before hh but I recommend coming at least 30 min prior. Place is small about 10 tables (6 inside 4 outside) so come early.

A small hole in the wall in the city, came for happy hour and wasn't disappointed. We sat outside since the wait for sitting inside would have taken a bit longer. Sitting outside on a nice day wouldn't be too bad and they have heaters for when it gets cold. Waitstaff were friendly and efficient. We got our order in pretty quickly and our food also came out pretty fast too. Everything was delicious and freshly made. Would come back here whenever I'm in the area- everything was delicious and the happy hour price really can't be beat!

Came here for the 8:30PM-9:30PM happy hour and it was a blast. I really enjoyed the adrenaline of the whole setup. Each item during Happy Hour is $5 (other than the first 2 handrolls, which comes as $5 for 2) and some items are more worth it than others. Considering the chaos of the happy hour line and the price for what you get, I wouldn't make this a regular place. What we ordered: + Hamachi Sashimi [5/5] + Shiitake Miso Soup [5/5] + Roasted Brussels [4/5] + Chicken Kara-age [5/5] + Assorted Handrolls: Spicy Tuna [5/5], Hamachi Jalapeño [5/5], Spicy Salmon [4/5] + Sake Shots [5/5] + Hamachi Bubus [4/5] For the sides: - The Shiitake Miso Soup [5/5] is a bit expensive for a soup, but I thought it was really delicious. It comes warm and hearty, and even has small slices of shiitake mushrooms. - The Roasted Brussels were surprisingly pretty yummy! They aren't like American brussel sprouts; they're much more juicy and less flavorful. Some of ours were under-cooked but I still appreciated the one veggie dish on the HH menu. - The Chicken Kara-age is totally worth it in my opinion. The chicken is pretty tender and the portion size is great for $5. The sauce it comes with is lightly spicy and flavorful. For the handrolls: I thought the Hamachi Jalapeno handroll was the best by far. It was a perfect blend of fatty fish and spicy freshness. In general, I thought the rolls could've used a bit more meat or even some fresh veggies (like sliced cucumber) but hey, it's $5! For the sushi: The Hamachi Sashimi was very worth it IMO. The slices of hamachi were quite large and tasted pretty fresh. Apart from the pricepoint, the only other thing I thing could use some improvement would be the waitlist line. There is a paper on the door that people sign their names on. On the day I tried Bubu, the groups also waited in a line. However, not everyone in line wrote their name. The waiter wasn't the best at resolving this mishap quickly (he was super busy attending tables) and skipped over a couple of parties, including my partner and I. Luckily someone told us that we had gotten skipped but if we hadn't reminded them multiple times, we would've never gotten seated despite writing our names on the list.

The BEST happy hour sushi spot. $2.50 hand rolls as well as tons of other options all $5 each, even the cocktails are $5. Can't wait to come back

Came for what might be the most talked about happy hour in SF, $5 dishes! We came on a Friday when HH is 3:30-5:30 and arrived around 3:15 and put our names down on a list. We were the eighth party to put our names down and were seated at 3:30 when they opened. About 20 people were sat to begin because the inside is very small, the rest had to just wait outside because they only announce waitlist status in person. The food was great!! Definitely get one of their BuBus and the scallop hand roll was a favorite!! I got 12 pieces of sashimi, 2 handrolls, and 2 BuBus $30!! Super great deal and everything was good. Definitely recommend for the happy hour!

This is my third time here for the happy hour and I'll keep coming back! It's definitely a place you need to prepare and time well if you're doing the happy hour. First off, I'm not even sure how they profit off the $5 happy hour especially in this economy but the fish and al the food is such high quality and tastes absolutely delicious, it's a must try for sure. Service is okay, they are a small restaurant so everyone is usually really busy helping around and running food so you might have to wave down if you need something. Ambiance is super small and cozy, I've sat outside before in the afternoon and it was nice! Wouldn't recommend on a cold day though as they don't have many heaters. Things to note... for happy hour get there a bit early as they will put a list out on the door for you to write your name down and people usually start a line before it's even up! Once you've placed your first order, the second order will be last call which includes any drink or food. They recently added/changed their happy hour menu so I'll add a photo!

This place has a insane happy hour and everything is $5. $2.50 per handroll, $5 3-piece sashimi, $5 2-piece bubu, drinks, and other appetizers. Ambiance: the place inside is small and there's seating outside as well. There are mostly 2-person tables and a bar. Place is clean. Service: Be aware the line to enter is very long, there is a waitlist you write your name/party on. I arrived around opening time and there was already a long list. It took about an hour wait, there are people who don't bother to stay so sometime it quickens up in queue. It takes about 20 minutes to get your food served. There is a 60 minute stay limit, last orders are 30 minutes within seating. Handrolls $2.50 (5/5): Wow these rolls are legit and decently sized for the price. Had the spicy fried salmon skin, spicy scallop, California, salmon, and negi toro. You can mix and match, especially it's 2 for $5. They all tasted pretty good! Bubu $5 (4/5): These are fried rectangular pieces of rice topped with fish and spicy sauce. Had all but the tuna, in my opinion Hamachi tasted the best with in this format. Sashimi $5 (5/5): you get 3 pieces per fish. The options are salmon, Hamachi, walu, and albacore. These were of good size and tasted fresh! My favorite was the walu, it tasted smooth, clean, creamy fish. Definitely would recommend to try if you haven't before. I recommend to arrive to the scene before opening to get a good seat inside. This is a steal of a place to eat at for large quantity and quality.

Their $5 happy hour is unbeatable in SF. Everything on their happy hour menu is $5 which is an amazing deal. I tried a variety of their handrolls, sashimi, chicken karaage, and crispy bubu. My favorite handrolls were the salmon skin and spicy scallop avocado. I recommend coming early to snag a seat for happy hour. A lot of people put their name on the waiting list but they end up leaving so the wait wasn't too long. I came at 5:10pm on a Wednesday and was seated in about 30 mins, right before happy hour ended.

My friends and I were spending a day in SF and decided to try our luck getting on the happy hour waitlist at Bubu. We got there about 30-45 minutes before they opened and there were only 6 parties ahead of us on the waitlist. We stopped by some of the local stores while we waited, and once the restaurant opened, we got seated indoors immediately! The interior is small with a few tables, and they have some outdoor seating, as well. Everything on the menu looked incredible. We ordered some gyoza and brussel sprouts, and then some Handrolls and some crispy rice with fish. Genuinely: everything was delicious. The Handrolls were large, and the brussel sprouts may have been the best I've ever had. I don't know what that sauce is, but it's incredible. I've heard a lot about Bubu and I'm honestly surprised we got in so easily. I definitely recommend showing up a little early to put your name on the waitlist, because we had no issues! Highly recommend.

We came during happy hour..but wasn't able to sit bc they open right at 4:30pm (we got there at 3:45 lol). You can sign your name on the waitlist at 4:15pm. It can get pretty crazy when they open so, I definitely would recommend coming earlier (but not that early) plus there are shops all along the streets and corners. The service was good they were really busy so we had to wave the servers down a few times which is fine. It's a pretty casual and kind of loud atmosphere. Not really a romantic spot but definitely a good hang out spot. Their happy hours are: M-Th 4:30-6pm & 8:30-9:30pm F-Sun 3:30-5:30pm & 8:30-9:30pm We ordered 4 sets of hand rolls, Wulu sashimi, gyoza, and chicken wings. Hand rolls we got were Spicy Salmon Avocado, Negi Toro Avo, Spicy Negi Toro Avocado, and the Spicy Scallop Avocado they were all okay but for the price it was great. I think if you want a quick snack and craving sushi this would be the place to go. The sashimi we got was the Wulu and that was so freaken good!! It was buttery and soft, the cuts were pretty thick too. You get 3 slices for $5 which is not bad. We never tried it so I'm glad we got to try something different today. The gyoza was also pretty good. My son and bf loved it. BUT THE CHICKEN WINGS!!!- they were in my opinion SCRUMPDILIUMPTIOUS! It was almost like a karage style fried chicken wings....ugh so good! All in all, I would definitely come back primarily for their sashimi and chicken wings. Of course a few hand rolls too! Next time I'm going to try their salmon skin one and the jalapeño Hamachi.

Bubu is a small sushi spot with about a dozen indoor seats and a few more outside. The space feels cozy, with Japanese lanterns and a banner hanging over the sushi bar. I arrived just before 6 p.m. and was pleasantly surprised to find a $5 happy hour menu. I tried the jalapeño hamachi hand roll and the spicy tuna hand roll, and both were tasty. The walu sashimi was especially delicious. For anyone who enjoys crispy rice, the Crispy Bubu is a great choice; it is basically nigiri served on a crunchy rice base. We also liked the Melted in Your Mouth Roll. The servers were friendly and gave off a warm neighborhood vibe, and I was impressed by how quickly the food came out. It is a fun and casual spot worth checking out.

Bubu has gone viral for their $5 happy hour, with that price for sashimi, small appetizers, drinks or handroll of your choosing, it can't be beat especially in this economy. HAPPY HOUR: Mon-Thur 4:30-6:30 PM Fri-Sun 3:30-5:30 PM Highly recommend lining up at the storefront to place your name on the list. Showed up right at 3:30 on a Sunday and a 7 parties ahead of us. For a party of two, we were seated at around 4:30 and left as happy hour ended. The space is incredibly small with 3 tables out front. So expect a wait. Their menu has a good amount to choose from and honestly, everything was pretty good! Brussel Sprouts w/ Yuzu Mustard Dressing Hamachi Sashimi Salmon Avocado Handroll Spicy Tuna Handroll Salmon Avocado Roll Bubu Crispy Rice with Spicy Salmon x 2 Takoyaki Read a review that the Brussel Sprouts were good and though it was surprising to see this on their menu, I'm so glad I ordered it. Perfectly roasted with a delicious yuzu mustard aioli sauce on top. The fish quality is fresh, not fishy. Takoyaki is to be expected, but slightly crisp exterior, tender interior with chunks of octopus inside. I do admit that the Handrolls were a bit of a let down, the nori was not crispy and was super chewy. The handrolls were falling apart. I would say pass on these. You can definitely order outside of their happy hour, but with a $5 happy hour why not? Such a good deal. If you get there in the right time, it's worth a try. Many parties ended up leaving during their wait as it was 45+ wait time and would soon miss the window. Service is as attentive as it could be with a warm towel upon seating, waters refilled, additional orders taken and bill brought out promptly.

I've been waiting for such a long time to get the happy hour at bubu! My friend and I came on a monday evening and made it to be the last people to get the happy hour for the first session (4:30-6). The servers were efficient and attentive. Food also comes out pretty quickly. The space is small so it's better to come early if you want to make it for happy hour. The party just after us missed it since it was already past 6. For the price, it's really worth it! We ordered 11 handrolls ($5 for 2, so $2.50 each), 9 pieces of sashimi, 6 pieces of bubu (crispy rice), and brussels sprouts. It was a little too much for the two of us because we left totally stuffed. Of course, don't expect superior quality fish at this price, but I think it's good enough to make it really worth it! I would come again.

After seeing an Instagram post about Bubu's happy hour, I knew I had to check it out. With inflation these days, where else can you find a deal like this? Happy hour runs Monday through Thursday from 4:30-6:00 PM and 8:30-9:30 PM, and Friday to Sunday from 3:30-5:30 PM and 8:30-9:30 PM--all with $5 specials. Deals like this? Maybe 10 years ago, but definitely a rare find today! Bubu is a small spot tucked away in Lower Pacific Heights, just a short walk from Japantown. Arrive early because this place is tiny, and the line builds up fast. I was the sixth person in line and managed to snag a seat--any later, and I would've been waiting. Now, let's talk about the food. The portions were enough to leave me satisfied, and at these prices, why not order more? The sashimi was incredibly fresh--just three pieces for $5? A no-brainer to get extra. The Brussels sprouts were a standout, tossed in a delicious sauce that tasted like a mix between yuzu and honey mustard. The crispy butterfish literally melted in my mouth, packed with umami flavor. And the takoyaki? Perfectly crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside, making it even more filling. To top it off, the yuzu honey sparkler was light and refreshing, reminding me of a spritzer. Would I come back? Absolutely. A steal like this, with quality food to match, is worth revisiting.

Went here for a Happy Hour deal on a Thursday. happy hour is from 4:30-6pm, we arrived at 4:20 and were the last to sit at 4:30 - we barely made it. The food itself was tasty - I loved the handrolls but I don't think it's worth waiting 1hr+ for the happy hour deal. The service was great but slow and it was hard to get the server's attention. Overall, happy I went and loved the food!

We came for HH and waited over an hour on their waitlist. They were nice to honor the HH pricing even after we were seated 2 min after HH! The hand rolls were generous portions of fish.

Bubu is a great happy hour! I found Bubu to be the perfect spot before a night out in the city. Their $5 happy hour is a great deal for high quality food. Their spicy scallop hand rolls and yuzu sparkler are staples amongst my friend group. The tacos (even though ordering tacos at a sushi spot is insane) are surprisingly good, with heaping amounts of avocado and sour cream that pack in flavor well. Bubu is super tiny with no more than 4 or 5 tables inside the whole restaurant. This means there is usually a long wait, especially since this place has been blowing up on Tik Tok lately. It did feel a bit crammed but was so worth it. Regardless, the food came out really quick despite a packed restaurant. The staff was super friendly and playful and made the experience even better - the warm hand towels were also a delightful touch. Can't wait to come again!

Bubu is my boo for being such a wonderful spot to get an affordable yet delicious bite. On a Monday at around 4:45pm, the wait for a table of 2 was 40 minutes. We wanted to make sure we came just in time within happy hour. The hand rolls were our favorites. The takoyaki was well done. The sashimi was ok but who can complain when it's $5.