Sequoia Sake

Amazing experience. Surpassing our expectations. We are sake lovers and the quality and uniqueness of the sake is superb. The ambiance and the hospitality of the owners and the explanation about sake was outstanding. We definitely recommend this experience. The pork jerkys that they had as pop-up (Bonjerk) was amazing as well for pairing. ✨

Sequoia was amazing and the owners were so nice to us. It's in a factory district of San Francisco so kind of hard to get to/find. But it was so worth it. We got to meet the owners and Brewers whom gave us a tour first showing us how and where they made the sake. They specialize in unpasteurized sake and only make three core types. A typical sake, a high alcohol sake and nigori. They were all great and exude the flavors of any small batch product. I totally recommend you make the trip out. Totally worth it.

The tastings are Saturdays, starting at noon, first come first serve. We showed up at 12:10pm and we were the only ones. Jake, greeted us warmly and nicely asked to see a picture of our vaccine cards. He then explained their process and we chose their first flight which included three unfiltered sakes. All three were amazing. We bought a couple of bottles to go. I look forward to returning one day.

Noriko was such a pleasant host! We came in lunchtime on a Saturday for a tasting, and we were promptly served and introduced to their sake-making process and products. It takes years and years of mastery of the craft to become a sake brewery, so there are very few local sake-makers, and this is the first in SF. I highly recommend a visit to this hidden gem in SF. We even took home a few bottles of unpasteurized sake to gift our families in the East coast, since they only ship in the west coast.

This place was just fantastic. Extremely knowledgeable staff. The sake was just amazing. Very clean facility. I highly recommend coming in for a tasting. If all your use too is sake Bombs this is a great introduction to quality sake

Really enjoyed the tour as the owner explained the sake-making process in details. There is a setting area for sake tasting. It is interesting to see this sake brewery in SF. There are some food tasting/ sake pairing events occasionally.

This place is so hidden that you’d feel like entering a speakeasy bar. Inside though, they have a great selection of sake. Our group tried the flights and they were all great. The owners took great care of us and also educated us on what we were drinking. The place also doesn’t play any loud music so ideal to go for when you want to have a conversation.

The secret is out! Every time I’m here it’s more busy - and for good reason! Amazing husband and wife duo making delicious unpasteurized sake. A truly unique and special experience in SF. Their sake club is a great deal, and you get to try some really unique stuff. Bring your friends on Saturday!

Cozy little hidden gem in South of SF! One of our friends has a membership here which comes with complimentary 4 flights of sake tasting upon each visit. We tried 4 different flights and liked the sequoia and coastal ranges the most. Friendly and knowledgeable owners and a great spot to hangout with friends.

Coming here and having a flight of sake is always a nice treat. Small, intimate tasting rooms with communal seating. It's always a decent crowd but not too busy where it's uncomfortable. Their food selection was very limited, and I would recommend you plan to eat somewhere else afterward. I love the limited collection!

Cute industrial feel (basically a tasting room in a warehouse, excellent service, and several sake flight options. We were given a nice overview of sake differences as they serve unfiltered as well as details on the different types in the flights we ordered. In addition to the sake flights, they did have small snacks available to order. Overall it was a great experience. Highly recommend!

Small and welcoming tasting room in the middle of an industrial estate near the Dogpatch. It was pretty full the day we went but the owners told us that it is usually pretty calm. You're literally sitting in their factory which is smaller than I expected and service is friendly and warm. The sake tasting is pretty affordable and interesting! Our favorite was the unpasteurized namazake which is hard to find since all imported sake needs to be pasteurized for export. I liked that they had a whole variety of different sakes to taste and the seasonal one was interesting. I think the best thing about this place is that you know it's all small batch produced by the people telling you about the sake so you can really feel their passion for the product. Another win is that you can get local namazake!

My go to place for Sake. If you been to Japan and had the sake to there. This is on par or better than the real thing.

So glad I stumbled across Sequoia Sake as I was searching for a nice tasting room in the city. The owners provide excellent hospitality and so knowledgeable about their products. They offer very unique sake that I have not had before. I enjoyed the seasonal and the spicy flights. Such a lovely experience and I recommend this to everyone. Really reasonable prices too.

Fantastic tour and tasting experience today at Sequoia Sake. Highly recommend this informative and delicious event. Very clean and organized location with a bathroom right in the front. Service was excellent - the two owners were the hosts and did the tour and tasting. Will definitely be back. I bought bottles of sake to gift the wonderful teachers that work with my children and other bottles to drink with friends and family. A special and unique experience to tour and taste a local sake brewery with such high standards for quality and taste. Thank you!

Amazing sake, very friendly staff. Will definitely be back. If you're around SF and like sake, I would definitely recommend this place.

went here with a very special friend, made more drinking buddies, cool atmosphere, delicious variety of sake. pairs well with cheese.

What a hidden gem in the industrial area! Sequoia is San Francisco's first local artisan sake brewery run by a husband and wife team. It's very tucked away among the warehouses, but there is a lot of signage to show you the way. Once in, you are led to a table and offered reasonably-priced tastings of flights of their sake ($12 for three). The pours are generous and staff walk you through each of the drinks. I would recommend the Coastal flight because two of their award-winners are included. The Sequoia Flight is also interesting because it is unpasteurized, and you can't get genshu like that in many places. The only downside is they don't offer food so make sure to carbo load beforehand or you'll be really feeling it after.

This is truly a hidden gem. I actually really enjoy sake but I suppose it always falls off the radar when not eating Japanese food. As the owners of Sequoia Sake reminded me, sake is very versatile!! We booked a private tasting for my brother-in-law's birthday. The 6 sake we tasted were delicious and paired surprisingly well with the cheese and nuts that were given, so it's not limited to just Japanese food, people! I would say our favorite was the nigori. They also have "fusion" flavors where the sake has been in a whiskey barrel and a wine barrel, or the jalapeno. Creative! We had a tour of the brewery and the sake making process as well. I would say with the food pairing, it truly is "light bites"- cheese, nuts, olives. Of course we had to bring some bottles home. Thank you Sequoia Sake for highlighting and giving sake the love it deserves!

if you love sake, def come visit this brewery. it is a small business run by husband and wife. they are so friendly, very knowledgeable. if have questions about sake, def ask them. they will answer in great detail :) this is a cozy brewery, sake was amazing! it was def great learning about unpasteurized sake, and how they infused peppers to their sake. we ended up getting all the flights. i really like their coastal and spicy flights. that habanero was strong but good. but my fav was jalapeño. ended up getting a bottle for home:) the barrel aged flight was good as well. careful with that bourbon, it was strong. i will def come back here!

We were educated and did all the flights! Thank you guys! It was a great experience. Parking was easy and the ambience was just right, not loud at all.

Awesome haiku for an awesome place: Oh this dude, truly, madly, deeply loves sake, and his partner too. Retired techie. Back from long stay in Japan. Opens sake brewery. Industrial vibe, tastefully decorated, warehouse in bayview. A sake this good, is not usually brewed at hidden place like that. Tasteful tasting room. Next to the machinery. Talked brewing for hours. The flight is awesome. Pasteurized vs. unpasteurized. Subtle different notes. We are so lucky. To have to guys in SF. Keep on keeping on.

Amazing experience! My husband and I really had a great time and the hosts were really knowledgeable and kind.

Love, love, love that we have a small batch, locally sourced and made sake in the Bay Area. The owner is so very nice and takes the time to tell you about his passion. I actually love all of their sakes and have to say impressively that their nigori is the only one I truly enjoy. I'm so happy we can find their sakes at markets and restaurants. Can't wait to go back on a Saturday again to just sit and enjoy in their tasting room.

Great local sake brewery with exciting dinner events. Hazy Delight is my go to sake, easy pairing with most meals.

It's the best local Sake and I argue the best Sake you can get at the price. I've bought a few dozen bottles over the years and they are always a crowd pleaser. The tasting room is great. It's comfortable but also big enough to fit a large crowd. The only warning is that this is an industrial area so there's not much close by foot.

This place is fantastic! A wonderful place to try some high quality sake. Even my Japanese husband says the stuff tastes great, and he's hard to please!

How awesome is this little hidden Sequoia Sake tasting spot?! SUPER AWESOME!! Their warehouse could be easily missed, with only a small sign from the sidewalk view. The front door was barely cracked open, so you could walk right past it if you're not paying attention. Plenty of street parking though! The bud and I came by on a Saturday afternoon, to what they called a "very busy" day, with nearly every seat taken. But, seriously, their super busy really meant just under 30ppl in this warehouse. It was a honestly a very fun and perfectly chill experience. There are three tasting options ($10/each), with plenty of table seatings. Their tours start every hour, where they walk you thru how their sake is made. You need to switch your shoes out for one of their provided sandals/crocs when you get in to prevent contamination. We tried the floral, as well as the standard sequoia "animal" flights. There were a few big groups there that day, so service was a smidge slower, but the two workers were extremely apologetic (it really wasn't bad at all). Andddd not gonna lie, when we were paying for the flights, we asked them what category their business was listed under (all about that pts life!!). They didn't know, so we took a wild guess, and thought it'd be retail. It wasn't. It's groceries! So FYI for those of you who care haha. Will def be returning! 5 stars woot woot

The only sake brewery in San Francisco. There were three flights on the menu. Each was 10 dollars. We tried all of them. There were the unpasteurized ones, regular ones and the barrel aged ones. The owner was kind enough to give us a tour of the facility. I brought my baby in her stroller, in order to prevent contamination, they cleaned our stroller wheels with sanitizing wipes. We also had to change into their slippers upon entry. Overall, the experience was good and would come back for fresh, unpasteurized sake tasting again.

Had a great time doing a tour and sake tasting here! The facility is in the middle of nowhere bordering SF(easy parking) and it's rather small. We came for the 4:30 pm tour on Saturday. It's so small that you see everything( equipments and tasting room) altogether as soon as you walk in. But the owner gives a very enthusiastic tour, he dives into details about the science of making sake and relevant aspects of the business, he's also so patient with all our questions. Tasting offers three different kinds of sake, unpasteurized, pasteurized and barreled. A pity that they asked us to leave at 6 pm, would love to not rush through the sake. My suggestion is that they can open the store longer as the last tour finishes around 5:30, we need more time to taste. Maybe add some decoration to the tasting room would be nice too, it's kinda minimalist.

Alright went here for a tasting on a Saturday. First off, this place is in a weird location. We Ubered here back and forth so it's a little bit of a wait cos it's out of the way. Apparently all sake distilleries are in some weird places. So now that's out of the way, the experience was one of a kind. You need a reservation to go in. As soon you get there, we got greeted by a host, who walked us through our entire stay here. First we were asked to remove our shoes and place it by the door. They provide slides to wear, inside shoes. It's to ensure no dust enters the distillery. So don't expect fancy ambiance cos it's not. We were given a tour of what happens and the entire process. Once the tour was complete we got our tastings one flight of each, they serve the sake in the shot glasses. It had a mix of sake made out of different kind of rice and the procedure to make them are different as well. 3 of them were really unique - one was sake stored in a bourbon barrel and the other 2 in a white and red wine barrels so they tasted distinctly different. I really like one of the rice sakes and the one stored in the whiskey barrel. They had a private party going on after so we were asked to leave but I noticed if you reserve for a private party then they give you some food to munch on like popcorn and some small bites. Our tour guide was really nice and gave us some popcorn as well. We tipped him well. It's definitely a unique experience and would recommend it for everyone who likes sake to try it at least once.

Talk about wowing your customers! We're a member of their sake club. Yesterday, out of the blue, we received a cotton mask in the mail, from Sequoia Sake. I already like them, but now I love them! Thank you for the pleasant surprise...what a caring gesture!

Delicious sake, good company! The sake is really good (not that I'm an expert) but you can really taste the difference in the flavors, pasteurized vs unpasteurized, styles, etc. They have some fun flavors like barrel ages ones that are def not traditional Japanese sake. We became members since we really loved our tastings.

Sequoia Sake is a place you must go to if you enjoy sake! Even if you don't enjoy sake as much as others, they do a fantastic job of providing you with high quality delicious tasting sake that will turn skeptics into believers! We got here around 6pm on Saturday for a private tour. Jake, one of the founders gave us a tour of how the sake is made. He did a great job of explaining to us the ins and outs of distilling sake and made it entertaining at the same time. The tour really only takes 10-20 minutes and after that the tasting begins! We got our first flight which was the Nama, Genshu, and Nigori. Jake explained each one of them to us in detail before we tasted. Our group favorite was the Nama which tasted fresh and slightly fruity. Additionally, we brought some tofu skewers from Whole Foods to eat while we tasted the sake and this elevated the experience even further. After our first flight of sake, Jake informed us that we have one more glass of sake to taste and that we could pick from the menu. I chose the Ginjo which is their award winning sake. The Ginjo was out of this world! Seriously one of the best sake I have tasted! Would love to come back here again due to how nice Jake was during our time here and how incredible the sake is. The flights are also $10 each which is very reasonable!

Amazing unpasteurized sake, such dynamic flavors. I had no idea this place was here, but we had an amazing time. Definitely worth a visit if you like sake. They serve four different flights and sell bottles to take home. Will be back.

I'm a huge sake lover and was very surprised when I saw there was a distillery in SF. Family owned business with a tasting room and tours available as well. Very overdue review, but give them a try.

I wish I could give more than 5 stars! This is a family owned and operated business and their sake is supreme! The husband and wife are the nicest people, they explain the sakes so well and are so friendly. The actual tasting area is cozy and clean and again, the sake is absolutely delicious, better than I've ever tasted! A definite visit if you're in the Bay Area!

Very cool experience. Sequoia Sake is a husband and wife operation based right out of Hunter's Point in San Francisco. They give you a neat tour of their distilling operations and offer tastings as well. I didn't know anything about making sake, so it was really cool listening to them talk about the art of sake-making. After this nice educational tour, we got around to the tasting where my friends and I each tasted 6 samples of sake. Half were pasteurized and half were unpasteurized (Sequoia's specialty). I definitely recommend you try both just to see if you can determine a difference in taste on your own. You can purchase their sake as well; three of us each bought a bottle of sake on our way out.

Great sake flights! Unpasteurized & pasteurized, as well as barrel aged and infused "spicy" sakes. Limited hours but certainly worth a visit if you're seeking quality, local sake.

Stopped by on a Sat afternoon. Got a wonderful private tour of the facility (quite small) and learned quite a bit about Sake brewing. After the tour I tried three different Sake and one "special" Sake. I'm not a Sake connoisseur but I liked what I tasted and ended up buying a bottle for $30. Maybe a little overpriced compared to other Sake I have tried, but was happy to contribute to the small, family owned business. Well worth it for the education and opportunity to try fresh Sake!!

I'm no sake expert, but I've had a few sakes and your sparkling sake was AMAZING. The dryness, flavor (slightly fruity sweet), and effervescence were perfect for my preference. Looking forward to visiting often when COVID is over!

Came here for a sake-tasting off-site; it was wonderfully informative and the owners are kind, knowledgeable, and passionate. They are clearly dedicated and attentive to their sake. It tasted great to me, though I'm not any kind of authority on this. It's an experience I would recommend!

Did you know San Francisco has it's own Sake Brewery? Did you know they offer Saturday tours and tastings? If you can find it, it's only $10 and really good. While you can learn about the history of Sequoia Sake from the website or the tour, the gist is an American, married to a Japanese, decided to make sake. He and his wife have done their research, work with local rice distributors, have brought in Japanese sake makers for approval, and on Saturday will give a tour of the facility. The tour is quick, but informative, and questions can be asked at any time. But te real reason you come is the tasting. For $10 you get a shot of the three flavors: Nama - the "purest" sake, clear and smooth Genshu - clear, but with a stronger flavor Nigori - milky, full of flavor You can buy bottles in two sizes, and they give you water to cleanse the pallet. So if in Portola, or looking for fresh Sake, highly recommend Sequoia

What a wonderful place! I booked a private sake tasting ($25/person) for my husband's birthday. They were very responsive via email and accommodating when we had to change the number of people and time of the reservation. The tour was great! It's a family-owned business, and the owner was knowledgeable, shared a lot of details, and answered all of our questions. The quality of the sake is SO GOOD. They had very interesting sakes too! We tried one that was aged in an oak barrel previously used for whiskey. We also tried sakes aged in oak barrels used for white wine as well as red wine. Loved this place and will be back during the holiday season to try their sparkling sake! Cheers!

I don't write reviews much anymore, but sometimes an upstart place deserves to be touted to anyone who will listen. This is an inspiring place. Passion, vision, love, bleeding hard work - that is what is going on here. Imagine being transported back several decades to one of the first microbreweries in the country, and having a tour from the founders and tasting the first product - a product with a bold vision to bring a traditional artisan product back to the artisans and out of the hands of big corporations. That sounds pretty inspiring ... and that is what you can experience first hand at Sequoia Sake. Sake is an unbelievably complicated product - brewing it feels like the lovechild of brewing beer and making wine. And yet outside of Japan there are almost no small sake brewers. Except here. Come here on Saturdays for a great lesson on how it is made, on the passion that goes behind each bottle, and for a great tasting. Trust me on this one - not to be missed. Their unpasteurized sakes are among the best I have ever tasted. Go now!

This place was a most pleasant surprise on my last trip to SF. I happened to be at the meadery and the guy running the place casually asked if I had been to the sake brewery not far away. He said the couple running the place liked to brew their sake the old fashioned way and I should check it out. The only sake brewery I knew of at the time was in Berkley. So after some great mead I headed on over to Sequoia to give it a shot. James was blown away. It's in a very small space but it is setup very nice. When the mead guy said they made sake the old fashioned way I thought of that museum they have in the sake brewery in Berkley with the large stone presses and the wooden vats. What it actually is is a rather modern setup that uses traditional ingredients in their products. They do use as much California products as they can which is great. You must remove your shoes as you enter so you don't track in stray yeast. There is a small tasting area and you get to try the stuff they provide to area eateries as well as what you can buy there. The big difference I would say is pasteurized v unpasteurized and there is a big difference between the two. I found I prefer the unpasteurized versions myself. The best that they offer tho in my opinion is sparkling sake. I had my 1st sparkling sake at Takara and have been hooked ever since. The couple that run this place are fantastic people, their product is bomb and a trip to their brewery is in order for any sake fans in the area.

My biggest tip here is to watch the episode on "Migrant Kitchen" focused on Sequoia. It was awesome to watch that, then immediately go and talk to the founders in a tour! Best sake you are going to find in the USA. Their burbon barrel sake blew my mind. Jake did our tour and really showed us why he is a master of the art of sake. He did a great job giving us a peak into his world which I am very grateful of.

Great sake and very knowledgeable people to walk us through the tour. I booked a private tasting and it was super easy. Will definitely continue to buy their sake. Their sake set also made a great holiday gift to enjoy with the family.

Wonderful time to see a tour and taste their great sake!! The team is informative, friendly, fun, and the same is great, delicious. Tip: get both the pasteurized and unpasteurized sake and taste them back to back

Dropped in for a tasting on Saturday and was absolutely blown away by the level of service and quality sake here. Jake and Noriko were fantastic hosts spent almost an hour with us exclusively. We were treated to a detailed tour of the brewery while we peppered Jake with our questions and then tasted their three sales ($10). Definitely worth a stop! Make it a trip by visiting other craft producers in the area - SF Mead Company, Ferment Drink Repeat Brewery, Seven Stills Distillery, and Laughing Monk Brewery.

Sake has always been a cultural interest mine. I found this as I was searching on Google for a good sake tasting experience. The rates caught my attention, and to me, it is very much worth coming to! The location may not be as appealing as other breweries but don't let the outside's first impression deceive you. Behind the warehouse door, you will experience the intimate setup of the tour and this is what makes Sequoia Sake unique. Jake & Noriko provided the best hospitality and insight of sake brewing during our tour. There are no complicated twists and turns, just the four walls you see as you walk in. The sake is brewed by the owners themselves and the time+effort they give to brew the product reflects on the quality of the drink. I enjoyed the tour, quoting my companion, "with a great deal of information overload" on a positive note. I highly recommend this location for a wonderful experience. Tip1: food pairing is not necessary to enjoy sake, but can be enjoyed with food as you prefer. Tip2: bring your curiosity and wonderful personality! I guarantee you will enjoy :)

Our office had Sequoia Sake out for a sake tasting earlier this year. It was a great team activity and everyone enjoyed! Sequoia Sake is knowledgable and professional. Easy to book!

Very insightful tour & tasting! Love that Sequoia Sale is right in San Francisco. It's incredible to find fresh, unpasteurized sake in San Francisco- and tasting versions side by side is globally unique! Amazing friendly hosts, in crowded and magical, and delicious!

Wonderful hidden gem in a row of warehouses. Friendly and informative tours, delicious sake.

Great place to see a passionate sake brewer! Come here for a short tour on Saturday. Seeing real sake being brewed is fascinating. I was a bit doubtful at first but by the end was convinced that it's very close to how Japanese-produced sake would taste. I'm not a sake expert, but sake tasted great for a price. Especially taking into account that this is a small local business.

What a great experience! The tour was fun and informative, and the sake excellent. Our favorite was the Genshu sake, but they were all great. The people there are very friendly, and clearly love what they do and care about the quality of their product. Even if you are not a fan of sake, I'd recommend going and giving Sequoia a try - you will be surprised!

LOVE everything about Sequoia Sake! Their sake is the best I've ever had, including in Japan, and the friendly and informative owners give a great tour + tasting experience. The Nama and the sparkling sake (think sake champagne) are particularly memorable. This may be my favorite new spot to bring foodie friends in SF!