Eiji
Japanese restaurant · Mission Dolores
317 Sanchez St, San Francisco, CA 94114
Highlights
Housemade tofu, sushi, and strawberry mochi are the highlights.
Housemade tofu, sushi, and strawberry mochi are the highlights.
"Dinner at Eiji, the snug Japanese restaurant in the Castro, always feels like gathering around a good friend’s kitchen table—and that friend happens to make the best sushi rolls, delicate ankake tofu, and lightly soy-glazed tuna belly. The theme at this somewhat pastoral spot is light, bright, and simple: A juicy halved cherry tomato to cap off the pickly ceviche roll, single shiso leaves to liven up slices of the spicy tuna poke roll, and a punchy and citrusy vinegar to marinate an intensely crunchy cucumber sunomono. When your server eventually drops off the dessert menu, never pass on the perfectly chewy mochi with whole fresh strawberry and sweet red bean paste—you wouldn’t want to offend the host, after all." - julia chen 1, lani conway, patrick wong
"You’re not going to Eiji for a $250 omakase or baked rolls doused in aioli. You go here for the simple, high-quality sushi that keeps us coming back for casual weeknight dinners. Eiji is also cozy, quiet, and where we also turn to for non-sushi things, like the tender tuna belly steak with ginger-soy sauce and incredible homemade ankake tofu. Don't skip the strawberry mochi for dessert." - lani conway, julia chen 1, ricky rodriguez
"You’re not going to Eiji for a $250 omakase or baked rolls doused in aioli. You go here for the simple, high-quality sushi that keeps us coming back for casual weeknight dinners. Eiji is also cozy, quiet, and where we also turn to for non-sushi things, like the tender tuna belly steak with ginger-soy sauce and incredible homemade ankake tofu. Whatever you do, don't skip the strawberry mochi for dessert." - julia chen 1
"Sometimes the best strategy is to get your date (or enemy) to underestimate you. For that, take them to Eiji in the Castro for sushi. This place is pretty small, so the action from the kitchen spills over into the dining room, but once you sit down, you’ll be able to hear each other fine and you won’t be bumping into anyone next to you. The menu is pretty simple, but the nigiri is amazing, they make their own tofu, and it’s impossible not like their mochi-covered strawberries." - will kamensky
"The sushi and nigiri here are worth your time, but the real standouts are the house-made tofu and mochi-covered strawberries. It’s a small space, but we’ve never had to wait. This is one of our all-time favorite neighborhood sushi spots in the city." - taylor abrams, will kamensky
