Kamekyo

we are regulars here. We came in to have a nice lunch, and in the middle of our meal, this city worker started doing some construction work inside the restaurant on their door that was incredibly loud to the point where it was ear piercingly painful. The manager kept trying to laugh it off when we explained that eating under these conditions was unacceptable, and when we asked the worker to stop he said “ I’m on the clock bro. I got places to go bro. take it up with the city” as we were leaving. This is a relatively expensive restaurant in a nice neighborhood, but management obviously does not value its customers. Only after directly asking the manager multiple times to ask the worker to stop did he halfheartedly attempt to stop what was going on in his own restaurant and failed to do so. By way of an apology our $60 lunch was marked down to $40 (after multiple attempts insisting that the manager”make it right”). but the literal ear damage had already been done, and honestly this shouldn’t be happening at all to diners. I sure as hell I’m not supporting this restaurant anymore.

Ate here for my lunch break and the amaebi is a great price and so fresh and yummy! They even fry the shrimp head 😁 California roll is also made with real crab and perfect! Coming back for my lunch break again today!

my uncle's restaurant :] love getting sushi and drinks here, yeah it's pricey, but so is everything in sf lol :P

Best sushi in the area. Ask the chefs for what’s fresh!

Quaint resturaunt with delicious Japanese food. My favorite is the cucumber salad, but the seaweed salad is also really wonderful. Udon broth is really second to none. Love Kamekyo!

Perfect lunch outside. Nice lunch menu either sashimi or bento box. Selection of beers and Sake. Excellent service!

This is a great neighborhood spot! I’ve been coming here for years and the sushi is so fresh and consistently delicious. I don’t live in SF anymore but I always make sure to stop here for sushi when I’m in town

Freshness is literally the most important thing for sushi, and mine *smelled* of spoiled fish. I only ate a little bit (smell wasn't too strong) but still had an upset stomach after.

I was in the neighborhood for the Cole Valley Street Festival - it was very lively and made me appreciate the area. I did not see anything within the food truck options that I craved, so Japanese food it was! The restaurant had one couple at the sushi bar and I joined. I ordered a Sapporo and realized I needed to ask for water. I also found it interesting that I finished my miso bowl of delicious soup and threw my chop sticks paper cover in it showing I was definitely done. Server asked if it was ok to take it - so strange. Lastly, I had to ask for my check, so wasn't a big fan of the service considering there were only 3 customers. Food talk: I noticed that this was a more expensive restaurant with sushi rolls over $20-$21 and bento boxed around $25. I ordered a 3 item bento which included deep fried snapper, saba shioyaki, and tuna sashimi. Tuna was definitely a star, but the Saba did not have much flavor and the red snapper was soggy. I was hoping for a crispy fish since I passed on the tempura. The restaurant was simple with nothing to point out. I am unsure if I would return unless a neighborhood friend asked me out for lunch. Scared for dinner rates.

Spent my lunch break here and was warmly welcomed in. I ordered a roll and it was made right in front of me. I did not wait long for it to be finished and it was made well. The fish was good, and the ambiance was a reprieve from the workplace. They gave me a lovely watermelon slice to finish my meal. Thank you for your hospitality !

It's the sort of old school Japanese spot that used to be pretty common in the Bay Area but has started to fade away as the Japanese food scene has advanced and gotten more specialized/differentiated. But the fish quality is still solid and my sushi lunch hit the spot, plus def felt some nostalgia.

Sat with a friend at the bar, asked for our bills to be separate. Still printed out one receipt with an attitude asking why separate bill, aside from the long service.

Byron runs the front of house and he is very sweet. We had another "business" dinner at this place with a couple and we really tied one on. 2 1/2 hours of drinking, eating, and talking. It's plain, bright, and clean with a family atmosphere. When we arrived there was one or two tables taken up with diners. It feels like a corner store sushi place more than a destination spot. Quick lunch or dinner - yes but special night out maybe not. We started with Beer and Sake and didn't stop until we poured out hours later. Edamame - meh nothing special. Very lightly salted just beans in a bowl but crunchy and hot. Agedashi tofu was nice with loads of bonito flake which I enjoy. Karaage Chicken was a little dry and small, more like Dino bites. Rolls started pouring onto the table which were enjoyed but again nothing special really... I like to see a little imagination and special sauces or chefs touches but pretty standard fare but well prepared. I shared the jumbo sashimi platter. The fish and the rice were good. The sushi rice was good as well but nothing special here either not that their needs to be. It just felt regular and that's ok.

worse meal we've had in a long time. The beef was so salty, inedible. Couldn't finish it. The chicken tasted like frozen costco nuggets with sauce. Udon, ok w no flavor. At $27 bento box, it should at least be average. Off putting tasting puree on the salad. Sashimi even had some salty taste to it. Had to actually go to a good Japanese restaurant to eat afterwards

to start, I have been here quite a few times, and it has been awesome every single time. the food is always fresh and tasty. I recommend any of the various types of sushi they have or the bento boxes/ udon. really anything on the menu. the service is quite nice. the staff is always kind and if you sit at the bar, you can really see that they put a lot of work into the food. the place in general is really nice. Loads of seats, nice decorations, and a cool bar. would highly recommend. ;) sry I don't have photos

A great neighborhood spot I wish I had discovered sooner! Fish was fresh, service was wonderful, and watermelon to end the meal was surprisingly great given the time of year. Will come again!

I would say this place is average. The beef udon broth was quite bland and I had to add soy sauce to add more flavor. My favorite part about the udon would be the noodles because they are chewy and have a good texture. The pork katsu was a little dry, but the sauce added a great flavor. The service was super nice and attentive. The inside reminded me of a cute sushi stand. I would give this place a 3.5 star but I cannot do half stars here hahaha Favorite Item: Pork Katsu

I've come here a couple times and it's always delicious! Friendly staff and nice quiet atmosphere.

Consistently great food that is made with care. Perfect dinner or lunch spot in Cole Valley.

With my apologies to the owners of Kamekyo, as well as their friendly staff, I wish I could've said my experiences were far more interesting and/or satisfying. This place has been a part of Cole Valley for decades and, for as long as I can remember, they've always drawn a steady crowd from the neighborhood. Which makes perfect sense, given how tough parking is around here and the lack of nearby alternatives. Which, in turn, might help explain folks paying these prices for okay food - easier (and mildly cheaper) than heading across town or ordering delivery from the food apps... Much like the rest of Cole Valley, Kamekyo has a very warm and homely vibe to it. The restaurant isn't all that large, but the place isn't exactly cramped and the staff was very friendly both times I was here (the first for their bento, the other for their sushi). Looking over the menu, the first thing that struck me, sadly, were the prices. Compared to my usual haunts, things are pretty expensive here. Once you get past that though, they have a solid selection to choose from - appetizers, sushi, sashimi, daily specials, udon, bento boxes, and even some hot plates. Nothing crazy unique, but solid nonetheless. -- CHICKEN KARAAGE - Deep Fried Boneless Chicken...$8.50 (https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/kamekyo-san-francisco?select=N1M4Zwlbiu039wrgbf9ATw) Very...meh. The portion was fair for the money, and the chicken itself was fine, but the batter was bland and in dire need of seasoning. Granted, the katsu helped a bit, but it's not like it tasted all that good either... -- COMBINATION BENTO BOX - TONKATSU & SABA SHIOYAKI with Miso Soup, Rice, Fruit, and Vegetables...$23 (https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/kamekyo-san-francisco?select=3gtvYjcwk6_M-BnFECCSeA) On the positive side, the miso soup wasn't too shabby (lots of seaweed and tofu) and the tonkatsu was decent (not great, not awful). On the other, the saba shioyaki missed the mark; plus points for giving two pieces, but both were dry and weren't all that flavorful, surprising enough. -- SAKE (SALMON) NIGIRI...$7.95 -- HOTATE (SCALLOP) NIGIRI...$6.25 (https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/kamekyo-san-francisco?select=ib7SfOGDoBN3Zd9NW8Y1PQ) At $3 (and up) per piece, both of these were by no means cheap. Still, at least they both tasted pretty good. The scallop was decently large and had a nice sweetness to it while the salmon tasted really fresh. -- ANKIMO - Monkfish Liver...$6.25 (https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/kamekyo-san-francisco?select=CQ4YLKXbxQ2b6QCv6TAk-w) Maybe it's just because I haven't had this in forever, but I thought this was great. It was equal parts decadent, luscious, and delicious. The portion could've been larger, though, to be fair, I say that about every ankimo dish. -- SPIDER ROLL - Fried Soft Shell Crab with Avocado, Cucumber, Lettuce, and Tobiko...$12.50 (https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/kamekyo-san-francisco?select=GNUvDaDiE62XSsyDNNuR_Q) While this was easily the biggest (and thickest) piece of crab I've ever had in a Spider Roll, the batter was more soggy than crispy/crunchy. A shame too, as the crab meat was quite tasty. This could've been terrific. -- SHRIMP TEMPURA RAINBOW ROLL - Shrimp Tempura roll topped with Salmon, Hamachi, and Tuna...$18.50 (https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/kamekyo-san-francisco?select=yJ93npEs7y0180I1bj1XJA) As nice of a twist as this was on a typical rainbow roll, this sure was pricey! The tempura wasn't super crispy or very warm, but the taste of it was perfectly fine. I liked the collection of fish on top though, particularly the hamachi and salmon. As disappointing as the hot items were on my first visit here, my friends who got me to come back were right that the sushi and sashimi are the things to get (some of the other Yelp photos look awesome). However, despite those definite positives (the size of the soft shell crab and the ankimo), it's hard for me to say Kamekyo is worth the money when you could find the same (or better) for the same (or less) elsewhere ($23 for a two item bento?!). I can see why they're popular among folks who live in the area, though, and I do appreciate how good the service was. Unfortunately, it just doesn't add up to a compelling reason to come back. Three stars for the food and service, but minus one for the prices/value.

Stopped in for dinner by myself this Thursday. It was a cold night on the valley. Very few people milling about and fewer in this long standing local sushi bar. I had to start with some hot miso soup. Simple hit the spot with a cold Kirin to balance the scales. I wasn't too too hungry. But ordered two sushi rolls anyway. A California roll and a fresh-red tuna roll. Both pictured. All the food is hand crafted and good. I'm glad this place is in my neighborhood. Fair prices and authentic environment. The service is a little scattered. But it adds to the atmosphere. My wife doesn't like Japanese food. So I don't choose to get it often. But I think I'll be back here again. There's something homey and comfortable here. Don't expect Nobu and you'll thoroughly enjoy it.

This is the spot for outside dining for sushi in Cole Valley. The sushi was very fresh and the atmosphere was cool. Would go here again if I was craving fresh sushi.

Not the worst, not the best, kanpachi and yellowtail were really good, the rest of our nigiri pretty mid, chefs were very kind though! 7.5/10

I decided to have sushi today for my lunch snack. Kamekyo has been in Cole Valley for years and it's a small block that doesn't have Chinese food really. I had the New York roll and Alaska roll..salmon and shrimp..avocado. It was a snack and kinda on the pricier side for $17 or so for two rolls. This is not budget sushi at all. I like budget sushi and I will keep looking for budget sushi. They did have a bucket of free lemons from a backyard hehe. It's in Cole Valley and you will know about crepes and baguettes.

The no joke sushi spot. Byron is the best sushi chef around. Nothing to fancy but it doesn't need to be when your fish is that fresh and delicious. Their house special rolls are the best and my go too are the Hamachi Delight and Dynamite roll. The best...

Great, fabulous, delicious Service is exceptional Every time we are in the city we try really hard to eat here. It has always been above and beyond our expectations. So glad they stayed open during the pandemic.

Have walked by here many times, always curious. Sadly I never see very many folks inside. My guess, lot's of take out. I was treated to a Birthday lunch recently. Prices = very reasonable, especially lunch set price of $20 Service = o.k., not very personable Portions = Adequate Quality = o.k., but we didn't order Sushi, only Bento boxes Bento Boxes = soup, salad, fruit, rice, veggie and main I ordered the Chicken Teriyaki Bento. There were nuggets of chicken, that were pretty flavorless and with an odd texture. The Teriyaki sauce was too sweet and everything was drenched in it. I ate it all because I was hungry, but if there's a next time, I may try the sushi. We ordered the roasted Edamame beans. Sadly they weren't hot, not roasted and had no salt. Pretty disappointing. Overall I've had better Bento boxes at other places.

Everything was delicious! Although the Michelin guide (2012, 2013) stickers were faded and the place was empty, we took a chance and walked in. We ordered the beef udon, gyoza, sake and rock and roll sushi rolls. Fish was fresh, sushi was well flavored, gyoza were crunchy, and the beef udon had a ton of meat and vegetables with a delicious broth. As we ate, the place filled up, but it does seem a popular to-go place. The reviews are correct in that it is overpriced, but not outrageously so given San Francisco. It made me sad that this place is filled with friendly people and warm, yummy food and gets overlooked. It was sandwiched by two popular restaurants, but doesn't deserve the 3.5 stars for being overpriced when its neighbors are just as overpriced, if not worse.

Came in to kill time before brunch, place was empty and we sat at the bar. The chef was super friendly and served us since the waitress was still looking for parking. *location is great for locals since you wouldnt have to look for parking, but tough luck if youre out of the area. We were looking for a light snack so i stayed safe: UNAGI AND AVACADO ROLL: very standard eel, as i saw that it was already pre-made in bulk, which was then topped with a sweet unagi sauce rolled up with avacados UNI NIGIRI: uni was low to medium grade, didnt look very fresh. It lacked texture and form.. something im kinda wary about SOFT SHELL CRAB: not bad portioning since it was heavily breaded. Missing the legs. The sauce that accompanied it was a weird sweet and spicy sauce. (I do not recommend the sauce) Total bill was around 45$ for this.

Sushi isn't one of my top 10 favorite foods in general it's probably like my 27th favorite food not that I've ranked them out but if I did it's probably in that range but anyways if I do get sushi this spot's one of my favorites because it's homey and comfortable and the food is good and this is my favorite or second favorite (love crepes on Cole) restaurant in Cole valley

While in the area, I stopped for a late lunch. It wasn't crowded and it was right off Cole St. I ordered the yellow tail, eel and spicy scallops. It was decent. The eel was really good! And the service was friendly

Everything is amazing and the sushi bar is fun to watch and everyone is very friendly and I've been going for over 10 years!!

I like the food, place is very mellow and clean. Love the location too! Safe neighbourhood! It's a good place to hang out with friends and you know what! everything was delicious! Next visit I will ask the chef to surprise me! I will definitely visit again! Note: Sorry forgot to take photos..

Definitely would visit this again once I come to sf! Visiting from LA and heard my sf friend's recommendation to come to this and it did not let me down Pretty nice and busy neighbourhood, it was not super easy to find parking but we got lucky. It was a bit later than normal dinner time as we arrive, place is not large but is sth cosy and unique that is good for family. For the food part: Ordered the cute eel dragon sushi with two little horn lol Salmon are fresh and sushi rice are tasty. Love the crispy tempura as well Make sure to sit by the bar to talk to the friendly lovely chef

Been going to this place for 25 years and visited tonight. What a rip-off. They charged us $40 for 5 pieces of sashimi!!!! When I pointed it out to the host, he merely shrugged. That's the price. It was only okay, certainly not worth $40. In fact, I've never paid that much for sashimi anywhere and I've been to some good spots. This particular neighborhood restaurant is only good for Udon, maybe, not a sushi destination. I won't be going back.

Fresh, consistent, delicious. For everyone complaining about it being expensive, please know that it's quality seafood (and it's prepared well) making it worth the cost. Some of my highlights include the best hamachi I've had since Tokyo, some amazing shrimp tempura rolls (honestly, all their shrimp is delicious) and warm, hearty udon. Love that it's in the neighborhood!

My boss and I decided to grab lunch in the area and thought we'd try this sushi place, for lack of a better place around (the waits were relatively long nearby). The server was very kind, but definitely felt like she was rushing us and then wasn't really around once we received our food (there were only two tables). He had ordered some sushi and I ordered the combo. I had salmon teriyaki and kaki fry (deep fried oysters). I had the tobiko from my boss's plate, and it wasn't particularly good. The kaki fry had an unusually fishy taste, which should have been a warning for what was to come. I'm not sure if this was just an off day for them or not, but I spent the rest of the day in the bathroom. I ended up leaving work a little early because I felt only sharp pains in my stomach. tl;dr - server was nice, but the food definitely wasn't -- you're better off going to Ginza on Haight. Food: 1/10 Staff: 4/10 Atmosphere: 6/10 Value: 7/10 Overall: 4.5/10

In May 2009, the previous owners of Grandeho Kamekyo sold the place to sushi chef Byron who has worked at the restaurant forever (at least as long as we have been coming to this restaurant over 12 years ago!). The restaurant is now called Kamekyo and head chef Yoko-san no longer works here. Along with Yoko-san's departure, his delicious sauces also left the house. But... lucky for us, new owner and head chef Byron is also an awesome chef. Last night, we returned for our first meal after Yoko-san's departure and Byron impressed us with his culinary skills. We took our usual seats at the sushi bar and left ordering to the head chef. The different sushi and rolls Byron made for us were just absolutely beautiful and very tasty. (I've posted photos of some of our dishes last night with this posting so you can see for yourself how beautiful they were!) Flavors of different fish and ingredients used worked well together, and his style was intricate. Byron also introduced new fish to the restaurant (e.g. Escolar/Walu). When you visit Kamekyo, let Byron know the types of fish you like, flavors you enjoy, and he'll make something tailored to your taste.

I paid $8.90 for this roll. We need a better Japanese restaurant on Cole Street. This roll is much smaller then the picture.

The sushi here is decent but WAY overpriced. The rolls were extremely small and each only about 6 pieces. The Bento Box was good but again over priced. My classmate and I really wanted sushi for lunch so we decided to try this place based on Yelp reviews but we weren't as impressed.

A friend who lives in the neighborhood suggested this family friendly, casual, always fresh sushi spot. I've gone three times and they've always had good fresh sushi. Good value for your money and easy going. We went omkase and they hooked us up with some tasty toro!

Great tasting lunch, we ate here after giving up on a table for the neighboring restaurant "Zazie". Very friendly and clean

Love the sushi here. Simple but so fresh and service is quick and efficient. The fish is always delicious and consistently fresh. I'm never disappointed. I love that is close to my apartment and sitting up at the sushi bar is enjoyable. The sashimi is always amazing! I highly recommend them and their takeout is great too!

Ordered delivery through DoorDash. Tuna Poke for $21, the Yosenabe hot pot for $35. They packed the raw poke container on top of the boiling hot plastic container holding the hot pot - already a bad sign. Poke was tiny, about three tablespoons in size, not worth $15, much less $21. The yosenabe has this overwhelming fishy smell, also not a good sign. Looking inside - this "seafood" yosenabe had two pieces of fake crab and one sad shrimp, no other seafood. Some chunks of chicken breast which didn't look promising. Barely palatable. $35?? Don't know how they sleep at night ripping people off like that.

Ordered pickup tonight and the sushi was fresh and fantastic! My husband and I were both really impressed. We loved the eggplant appetizer, shrimp tempura roll and hamachi sushi in particular. We will be ordering again soon :)

It's amazing it's local and it's the best sushi restaurant. It's kid friendly. They do custom sushi orders for our kids.

Saturday night, prime dinner time ~ after seeing the long waits at the other nearby establishments, my group of four sought refuge at Kamekyo from the pouring rain. This was a good place for a catch up ~ not too loud, a table was available, friendly service. I had the nasu dengaku (eggplant glazed with miso) and a mackerel roll. The sauce on the eggplant was too sweet for me, the mackerel was so-so, a bit dry. The prices on the menu seemed expensive for what you get. Perhaps they have a high rent to pay?

I ended up going here since Zazie was too busy and I was hungry! The restaurant itself is pretty basic and could use some TLC. I ended up sitting at the bar. The sushi chef was pretty friendly and chatty which was nice. T I started with the edamame, moved on to the Salmon nigiri was good and fresh and then finished with the kumekyo tofu which was pretty good. Would have been a nicer experience if not for the persistent bug flying around which was annoying.

Dry and not tasty, overpriced. I regret coming here. Yelp won't let me post this unless I write more things but there's not much else to say

The best sushi in Cole Valley and in SF with the nicest staff!! Help keep them going!!

The story starts with my co-worker/friend Mike mentioning the word "sushi." After that, our minds were made up! We are going to get sushi across the street right after work. Everything just hit the spot. We ordered: Cali Roll Spicy Tuna Roll Shrimp Tempura Roll Rainbow Roll Philly Roll We sat at the sushi bar. Space was a little tight, but that didn't matter...I was hungry! The sushi was good, everything I expected. I rate it 4 stars mainly because of the service given to us. The sushi chef (who was worked there for 13 years, wow!) was comedic. He kept us laughing while serving tasty food. The fish tasted fresh. Yum! 1star knocked off for space and price.

We are lucky to have this cozy and delicious spot in Cole Valley! Some reviews lament that it isn't cheap, but it's sushi/Japanese. You get what you pay for, and the fish is high quality here. The bento boxes offer a lot of food so I think those are a great deal. I've really enjoyed the sesame chicken, salmon teriyaki, shrimp tempura and all sorts of sashimi. Service is always friendly, too.

The fish and the fish selection is exemplary. The decor is also impeccable -- very clean and at the same time modern/traditional. I got a lunch order, and I was immediately blown away by how expensive this place is. $10.95 for an order of Amaebi?! That better be alive and the size of a lobster for $10.95. I ended up getting hamachi, hirame, aji, and hotate nigiri and a gari-saba roll (saba, ginger, onion). All of it was very tasty and good, but I felt a bit ripped off paying $30 for that. $25 would probably be more reasonable. But whatever...I should come back and try eating at the sushi bar. Pic of my foodz: http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/fV-FyAnmdzJr9gAKtotXiA?select=JEcLC0euVH8m-gbrOxvXtQ ------------------- edit 3/20/08: I've been back several times, but now I've taken to asking them to give me $30 worth of nigiri. That seems to be a much better deal, as I get about 12 pieces of big cuts of premium fish.

Best sushi in town! I know that's a bold statement but it really is perfect. The rice, the fish, the NO wait... why would you go anywhere else??

It is wonderful to have delicious local Japanese restaurant serving Cole Valley. We come in or order take out regularly and always enjoy the range of dishes and friendly staff.

Love the sushi rolls from Kamekyo! Fresh! One of my favorite roll is 49ERS Roll, which is Hamachi/ Avo roll with fresh salmon and tobiko on the top!! It's perfect with wine!

It's... fine? This is the closest sushi place to my house, so we've been a few times, but there's fresher fish and nicer ambiance elsewhere.