Ozumo San Francisco
Japanese restaurant · Rincon Hill ·
Creative sushi, robata grilled items & extensive sake menu
Creative sushi, robata grilled items & extensive sake menu
"A Michelin-listed omakase in San Francisco where the new restaurant’s chef previously worked." - Dianne de Guzman
"Ozumo has a couple of things going for it. The Japanese restaurant near all of the Embarcadero offices serves a solid selection of robatayaki, you can always find a seat in the massive dining room and lounge, and Happy Hour runs all day Friday and until 7pm on weekends. But it’s not somewhere you need to travel out of your way to try. The sushi is mushy, and the small plates we’ve eaten are either too salty or bland. The next time you need a break from taking yourself on and off mute all day, stop by for Happy Hour for some good charcoal-grilled skewers that’ll cost you less than that premade salad you had at your desk. Food Rundown Robatayaki The best part of your meal. Order anything from this section of the menu. Many of the these items are also discounted for Happy Hour. Prioritize the negima with chunks of juicy chicken thigh and charred green onions, and the tender caramelized trumpet mushrooms. photo credit: Patrick Wong A-5 Wagyu Simply prepared and delicious. Be sure you make good use of the raw egg yolk dipping sauce. photo credit: Patrick Wong Sushi We’d advise against ordering any of the sushi unless you’re in dire of need of raw fish and rice. You’ll find better sushi at other spots in the city, including SF’s many takeout options. photo credit: Patrick Wong Small Plates The starters are better than the sushi, but they're still just-fine. If you need a few to pad out your stomach, try the hitokuchi and agedashi tofu. photo credit: Patrick Wong Mochi A solid way to end your meal. The skin is thin and chewy. Try the coconut with flecks of dried coconut and the black sesame. photo credit: Patrick Wong" - Patrick Wong
"During the early 2000s I helmed (or rather observed Kamio helm) Ozumo from roughly 2000 to 2005, a stint that made him a San Francisco name in 2001 when the Chronicle voted him a Rising Star and critic Michael Bauer awarded Ozumo three stars; the Oakland outpost is now closed." - Paolo Bicchieri
"I attended a friends-and-family dinner last week and learned that Gozu, the hotly anticipated new wagyu beef restaurant, will officially open to the public on Tuesday, November 12. Chef Marc Zimmerman—who seared wagyu at Alexander’s Steakhouse for eight years and spent years chasing the best beef in Japan—personally sources cattle from his favorite ranch in Japan and breaks down the whole animal to serve across a customizable tasting menu of small bites that the chef passes across the counter. The space feels like a dramatic, smoke-scented black box: Alm Project designed the dining room with the grill in the center, a combination of wood and binchotan charcoal burning brightly, a glass meat locker to eye the massive cuts of marbled steak, and even blacked-out bathrooms with Toto bidet toilets from Japan. Menus are 13–15 small dishes coursed out over eight rounds (about two and a half hours) and typically cap out at $150 (generally $120–$150); there’s also a reduced 6–8 dish menu over five courses for $95–$125. Wagyu appears in nearly every course but is parceled out in small portions—sashimi, raw steak, cooked fish, chawanmushi, vegetables, three steak courses (skewers, slices, braises), then rice and broth and dessert—with milk bread rolls as a Japanese twist on Parker House. It isn’t exactly cheap, but the 13–15-course format and price point make it surprisingly accessible compared with other Bay Area high-end wagyu options, and Zimmerman says he wants to use the entire 750-pound animal, including the fat and trim, rather than serving oversized, overpriced slabs of steak." - Becky Duffett
"I'm intrigued that Marc Zimmerman is striking out on his own with Gozu, a kappo-style restaurant slated to open this year in SoMa that will primarily serve wagyu beef cooked robata-style. The kappo approach promises a more sedate, progressive, interactive meal than an izakaya, creating a fully balanced dining experience using the five primary techniques—grilling, steaming, frying, simmering, and raw preparations—and the menu will place heavy emphasis on tender Wagyu as well as seafood and other California ingredients. Though the lease is still being negotiated, the space will be designed by James Beard–winning firm alm project (behind In Situ and Benu), and Gozu will join Hitachino Beer & Wagyu as one of San Francisco’s only examples of this format; in the meantime fans can catch Zimmerman at the upcoming Eat Drink SF festival (Aug 24–26) or at future test dinners." - Ellen Fort
