Elephant Sushi

"If there’s one thing that unites restaurants in San Francisco more than anything, it’s lines. Whether you’re in the mood for a burrito or eating every small plate in sight at State Bird Provisions, more often than not you’re going to find yourself waiting and wondering if you’d be better off at home heating up freezer-burned pizza rolls. Elephant Sushi in Russian Hill always has a line too, but the great sushi and good prices make it one we never mind waiting in. The big reason there’s always a line here—or at any of their other three locations—is that the quality of the food is great for what you’re paying. Dinner for two runs about $30 per person, and while the menu isn’t huge, there’s plenty of variety, with appetizers, standard rolls, nigiri, and house specials. If you’re one of those people who knows what they like and sticks to it, you can get maguro and toro nigiri and be more than happy, but the specials are why the wait is always worth it. The Himalayan trout served on a salt block with green onion, olive oil, and ponzu sauce is the best thing here. The salt actually seasons the fish, and isn’t just a gimmick to look cool, like that time you bought a designer fidget spinner or started to use British slang in your everyday life. Even the less traditional combinations are legitimately great, like the chips and dip appetizer that combines spicy tuna, garlic pita chips, and honey mustard, or the White Out roll with hamachi, butterfish, and truffle oil. This isn’t sushi for a random weeknight when you’re too lazy to make a salad, it’s actually worth going out of your way for. The majority of the tables here are two-tops and usually filled with people on dates on any given night, or at least Wednesday through Saturday, which are the only days Elephant Sushi is open. If you plan properly and get here early-ish, you’ll be seated immediately, but even if you’re late and there’s a line, it’s worth waiting it out." - Will Kamensky

"Elephant Sushi, known for its kooky rolls and quality fish at three San Francisco outposts, is on a growth stampede. The cheeky restaurant just opened a downtown Oakland location last month, and a sign is already up for a fourth Elephant Sushi in San Francisco. The new spot appears bound for the Mission at 564 South Van Ness Avenue. A Type 41 beer and wine license is pending for the space, according to public records. That space was previously a coffee shop called Nano Cafe. Elephant has been taking SF by storm since its first location opened in 2012 on Russian Hill at 1916 Hyde Street. A second spot followed in the Civic Center area at 380 Golden Gate Ave, then a third opened in the Tenderloin at 705 Geary Street. The restaurants are casual across the board, and known for dishes like Himalayan trout (New Zealand ocean trout cured and served on a slab of Himalayan rock salt), “yummy pockets” (tofu skin stuffed with spicy scallops), and “beastie boys” nigiri (a combination of uni, quail egg, and monkfish liver)." - Caleb Pershan