Wabi-Sabi SF at Soma

Very small and cozy neighborhood spot with very limited seating tucked away underneath a building. But wonderful service and fresh creative sushi. A place to go to when you want some good sushi but don't want to dress up for it. A place where you can wear your sweatshirt and sweatpants and announce, " I am here to eat sushi!" There are about 2 tables, a few seats by the window and few at the sushi bar. Small space w/ 3 employees- sushi chef, helper, and a server. I felt it was very good price for the amount and quality of the sushi. $44 for 10 pieces of quality sashimi? The Osama roll w/ lobster was very creative and nicely presented and my favorite of the night. It looked good and tasted good as well! Wash it down with some hot genmaicha tea and you feel warm and well. It was my first time here and I will definitely be back!

Second time here. First time was literally yesterday and I had to come back. That should tell you everything. Wabi Sabi SF is officially my new favorite sushi spot in SoMa. The vibe is relaxed but elevated, and the craftsmanship behind every dish is undeniable. Yesterday I had the Hotto Sake and the O-toro. Both were melt-in-your-mouth perfection. Today I came back to try the Wabi Sabi roll itself, and wow… handcrafted, fresh, and absolutely delicious, both rolls have a little heat yum yum. It’s that perfect balance of flavor and texture that keeps you thinking about it long after the meal. It’s a small small venue with amazing taste. If you’re a fan of sushi done right, this is your place.

This place is a little gem. Chef Ti is such a wonderful person and his team are just as lovely. The fish is fresh, the nigiri and rolls are tasty, the experience is a must. Check it out because you won’t regret it.

We visited this hole-in-the-wall sushi spot. The sushi rolls were very good, but the service was slow and didn't meet expectations. It gets extremely busy if you arrive late due to the small size, so be prepared for a wait. I'm not sure I'd return solely for the food.

I love this place! I’m from Japan and a huge sushi lover. I was so happy to find this place in SF! All the fish were very fresh and flavorful. Good presentation and kind staffs too. Will definitely come back again soon!

May 2025: Stopped by for dinner. This restaurant is very small. We scored seats at the bar. There isn't much room. Ordered a few nigiri: Aji mackerel, churo toro, salmon belly, and hamachi. All were pretty good. We ordered the wabi sabi roll which had spicy tuna and scallops that were thinly sliced. There was a surprising smokiness to the roll. Not sure if I would order that again. Overall, would rate four stars for the food. Service was great and is five star ⭐. Would come back to try other nigiri again.

Great place for lunch. The service was excellent, the food was great and the ambiance is adorable if you are into small neighborhood gems. Will definitely be going back.

Ordered six pieces of sushi and three rolls from here take out. While it did take a long time for the food to be prepared, all of it was very tasty. Our first time eating here and we were impressed. I’m already planning my next visit for their lunch hour special.

Wabi Sabi was amazing! We had a staff dinner at the restaurant, everyone love it. The sushi was fresh, beautifully presented, and absolutely delicious! The staff provided friendly, attentive service that made us feel welcome from start to finish. The cozy ambiance added to the experience. If you love great food and excellent service, this spot is a must-visit. We'll be back for another staff dinner.

Went for their lunch special today and got the 2nd set: nigiri, a small roll with miso soup for only $24!! What a steal! This is a small hole in the wall place and for some reason my maps took me a different route (a parking area). Then we walked across the street to the restaurant. It is very small, and has a bathroom at the back. A few tables for seating as well. What caught my eye is that the miso soup actually comes in a mug! How cute!! Food quality was amazing and the hamachi really stood out to me.

Gone here a few times for lunch and once for dinner. Always a treat. Go-to for lunch is the nigiri lunch $24, which includes 6pc nigri + 6pc spicy tuna + miso soup. It is simple and perfect for satisfying my lunch appetite. I don't normally like rolls, but my favorite would have to be the wabi sabi roll. Last time, I ended up ordering three of them with my sister. The nigiri is quite good, I would love to try everything next time.

This hole in the wall was so authentic and fresh! The restaurant accommodated for 7 of us which was so sweet of them to do. All of us loved the unique, fresh rolls that had so much flavor in each bite. I will crave these rolls forever and I don't think anywhere can even compare because these are all so one in a kind and creative specialty rolls.

Such a cute, small business nestled in amongst all of the office buildings in the area. They have a great lunch menu, and are all super welcoming and kind. I walked over for lunch, and was able to get a lunch special with miso soup, a spicy tuna roll, and chefs choice nigiri. It was delicious, cost efficient (I believe it was $25 for the full meal), and perfect for lunch. I'm sure I'll be coming frequently!

Decided to check this place out during my visit to SF. Really did not expect the place to be this good, but I ended up ordering so much more than anticipated because foods were really fresh and delicious. The server was attentive and sushi was made to near perfection. For the price, this is a steal and truly a hidden gem restaurant. Will definitely come back. Thanks for the superb food.

Came here to grub after how weird street fair for a party of 6 with no reservations. All super delicious and I would come back! * 2 orders of chicken gyoza $16 * seaweed salad $7 * 2 orders of Walu-Nigiri $16 * Wabi sabi roll $18 - Spicy tuna, avocado, kaiware topped with shiso leaf, seared Hokkaido scallop with sour and spicy sauce, Yuzu tobiko and tongarachi. * Chirashi deluxe $45 - Chef's choice 10 pieces with Ikura and extra like hotate, uni. * Sake salmon nigiri 8 * 4 orders of miso soup for $12 gave us 2 on the house * 2 orders of the yogan roll $32 - Red crab meat, avocado, cucumber topped with baked salmon with spicy aioli, red tobiko, sesame seed and bull blood leaf.

Came here on a Sunday night around 7:30 PM and were seated immediately at the high table by the door, which was a little chilly but they allowed us to close the door. The tiny shop was filled with a larger party as well, and there was only one server -- service was a little slow but pretty evenly paced between us and them. I got the Karai-Hamachi Roll and the California Roll. They give the perfect amount of wasabi so it's not wasteful. Karai-Hamachi Roll: 5/5, the fish was very tender and was balanced well with the chili. The black tobiko was very striking visually! California Roll: 4/5, very standard California Roll, good ingredients. The rolls were well sized with good ingredients. It was a little loud because of the small restaurant size. They also gave us complimentary Inari after our meal as a dessert! We had a coupon so it was cheaper; I would come back to try one of their lunch deals for sure. Great find!

Came here with a friend to try a new sushi place as we're both big sushi lovers I got the Niji roll and seared salmon belly nigiri, both of which I enjoyed thoroughly! They also gave us free dessert :) Service was overall good, considering how busy the restaurant was at the time! It did take some time to get the server's attention at times, but all due to the business of the restaurant! The ambiance is also nice, though a little small. Food summary: Niji roll 9/10 Fresh fish, and amazing taste! Loved every piece! Would definitely order again! Beni-toro nigiri 10/10 Seared very well, and I loved the smoky taste as well as the fattiness of the salmon belly! Definitely my favorite dish I tried! Am a big seared salmon belly nigiri fan! Overall, would come back again, and definitely want to try their lunch specials sometime!

Sushi was excellent, service was great, and it's tiny inside. For a moment it felt like I'd been transported back to Tokyo for lunch. Finally a proper sushi restaurant near me. Everyone was kind and my water glass was always full. It's a bit pricey tho, so I went with the set lunch with nigiri which was a better deal. They also surprised us with a complimentary salmon collar and mini inari which was very much appreciated. While I can't afford to come here all the time, I'll for sure be back again.

I'm so glad I found this place on Yelp!! I was craving sushi and saw their fish looked super fresh, and indeed it such delicious and fresh fish! The chefs / owners are all Japanese and the decor reminded me of sitting in an alleyway in Japan. Their nigiri tastings curated by the chef are such a steal! You're essentially getting omakase quality nigiri / sashimi but for half the price. They also use fresh grated wasabi and give you a complimentary tofu skin roll at the end as dessert!

Chu Toro (medium fatty tuna) 5 fresh, juicy, flavorful Beni Toro (seared salmon belly) 5 fresh, juicy, flavorful Amaebi (sweet prawn) 5 fresh, chewy, refreshing Uni (Japan) 5 fresh, flavorful Osama 4 roll w/o rice, one whole lobster tail, tuna, avocado, mango wrapped w/ soy paper, topped with yuzu tobiko, micro shiso, refreshing, can taste lobster Seaweed Salad 4 free, refreshing, flavorful Miso Soup 3 free, firm tofu Service 2 1.5hrs wait for food after you sit down

Really small restaurant. One sushi chef, one sushi chef/waiter, and another server. Takes forever to get your food even if they weren't super busy. But food is really tasty. And they have a tasting menu. Restaurant is clean. Satisfied my sushi craving.

A very tiny restaurant tucked in the middle of SoMa. I would recommend you to come when you have plenty of time in your day/night and with a reservation. There are only 4 tables that seats 2-3 people, and a bar for 4 people. And only 2 chefs!! My friend and I came around 7:30pm without a reservation on a Friday night - waited around 45 minutes to get seated, and another 45 minutes to get our food. But it was worth the wait!! We both got the Umi Masu&Sake Donburi ($33) which came with 8 pieces of fish (ocean trout, ocean trout belly, salmon, salmon belly - 2 pieces each). It was well worth the price for the amount you get and the quality of the fish. I would definitely come back to try their other dishes like the moriawase or even their lunch specials. I noticed a lot of food delivery pickup too so that might be a good option if you're ok with not getting the full restaurant experience.

An absolute treat! I got a nigiri set and a roll to go, and both were fresh and beautifully balanced. Value is very high, and presentation careful and elegant. I can't wait to return to dine in.

Chirashi was amazing, sweet shrimp was amazing, literally everything we've had here was amazing. Fresh high quality ingredients, prepared thoughtfully. The presentation is laps very stratifying. We also loved the service here. It is very small 12 seat place with a good amount of takeout at lunch so take that into account re: time.

The Chirashi deluxe was amazing. Really nice staff and I got a free inari sushi! Arrived at 7pm on a weekday and there's no wait

This is my place. I came to SF for a few conferences this year. The first time (April) I happened to have plans fall thru. Being alone in the best food city (IMO) was a treat! Picked this sushi spot in walking distance from my hotel. NO REGRETS. Its a small place with no alcohol. But they make up for it with the addition of fun teas. I highly recommend you stop in. Much easier for a solo traveler than a group as the place seats less than 20 people. They do have to go but the place feels so lovely. The service from the chef to the waitstaff is so great. This is a solid drink goblin spot.

Everyone needs to get to wabi Sabi for their next intimate celebration. I came for a friend's birthday and the owners were so generous and kind, offering ice cream samples at the end of our meal and even providing us with some shots. These are the type of people who will remember your name and always give you a good time, which feels like you're having a meal at a friend's house rather than just a faceless business. Wabi Sabi offers a great sushi selection and a calm, comfortable atmosphere.

LOVED this hole in the wall. I walked in on a evening during a baseball game but was still able to be sat at the sushi bar, I was alone ... this wouldnt be the best spot for groups larger than 4. The sushi was so fresh. Service was amazing. They give you miso soup as an appetizer and a sweet roll for dessert. I loved the appearance of the food and the attention to detail. Highly recommend for small groups!!

This is my new favorite sushi spot in SF! I saw the great reviews on Yelp and decided to try this place out and I'm so glad I did because the rolls are some of the best I've had. The restaurant is small and the interior is very cozy -- it does feel a bit like being back in Japan. We sat in the tabletop seats right in front of the sushi chefs so we could watch them prepare the rolls. We ordered the genmaicha hot tea, miso soup, hotto-sake roll and karai hamachi roll. Both rolls were simple but so flavorful and the fish melts in your mouth. Of the two, I liked the hotto-sake roll a little more but both were great. Service was great with free tea refills and they gave us an inari roll at the end of the meal. For the price, the quality of the fish and portions are really good.

I want to gate-keep... I really do... but I really can't do that to my favorite restaurant in SF. (and I'm not exaggerating... this truly is my favorite restaurant in SF! It takes me about 45 minutes to get to and 2 bus transfers, so you KNOW it's worth it!) I've taken friends here that just moved to the city, my partner, my sisters visiting, and I've dined here alone a handful of times as well, and every time in between those visits, I'm just looking for another reason to come back. The fish is extremely fresh; their uni is the BEST uni I've ever tasted--sweet, creamy, & a touch of brine. I love their inventive and adventurous take on rolls--yuzu tobiko, cilantro, sprouts, shiso--paired delightfully with the indicated fish. I love sitting at the bar/counter, so that I can watch the sushi chefs at work, and chat with them intermittently as they masterfully perform their craft--the owner and I believe the workers are actually Thai! Which explains why the menu offerings veer more towards modern and contemporary takes. Do note, they don't have an alc license, so they don't serve any alcoholic beverages. Seats are also very limited--I think there's 3 counter & 2 small tables.

I this is the best sushi to satisfy my cravings left from my trip to Japan. I added the Happy Birthday sign he present with his awesome ice cream!

Wabi-Sabi has been recommend to me quite a few times from multiple people, so we decided to try when we were deciding on a sushi spot. I called ahead and they had no problem fitting us in for a same day reservation/two hours ahead of time on a Friday night. Staff was super attentive and the sushi was amazing!! My friend recommended for us to try the Maguro Tasting, which is on their specials menu on the wall. It was such a good call, please get this. Everything in the tasting was super fresh and so delicious. It was a great deal as we were able to try a variety of different tuna cuts, including O-Toro and Chu Toro. We also shared the Wabi-Sabi roll, which was great. This is such a cozy and intimate spot, definitely a must return!

This place is definitely a hole in the wall! It's literally in an alleyway, you could easily miss it if you're not paying attention. They only have seating for 12 so you have to call ahead if you have a party larger than 2. I had a party of 4 and there was only counter space left when we arrived for our reservation. Once another table left, they were able to move us to a table. We all ordered the miso soup, which came in a mug. I've never had miso soup served like this but it was a nice change of pace. They offered us a seaweed salad for the table, which was delicious. For my main, I ordered the 11 piece nigiri tasting, and it was wonderful. My only complaint is that I ate it too quickly! I wish I ordered more. This place is an interesting dining experience because of how intimate the location is. There are only a couple of people working in the restaurant and it's a tight squeeze. I wouldn't recommend going with a group but rather solo or in a pair.

Very cute little spot I stopped by before heading to see cirque de soleil. Only like 4 tables in there, so I imagine it can get pretty packed. I got the Miso soup ($3), the Yogan roll ($16), gyoza ($8), and the wabi sabi roll ($18). My favorite was the wabi sabi since it has some scallop over the top. For those that aren't into fresh fish, the Yogan roll had baked salmon over the top and a nice spicy-mayo flavor. The miso soups were delicious, but not that much volume. The gyoza was great too. Just a great a low key spot with fresh sushi, visit if you get the chance!

Had quite the nice lunch at Wabi-Sabi. Very fresh. Service is very friendly. It was so nice to have my tea refilled without asking. It is a very small place but perfect for a quiet lunch by yourself or with a friend. Highly recommend.

Truly a hole-in-the-wall restaurant! Incredible dining experience with attentive service and high quality sushi. Easily missed because it's in between residential and tech company buildings. Not the best area, but seriously the best food. Sitting at the counter was such a treat at this small and quaint place. At 12pm on a weekday, there weren't a lot of people dining here, so it was equivalent to a private dining experience for us. There were many takeout orders, so it must be popular with the locals. Super affordable prices for fresh fish! I'm a huge fan of the following nigiris. They melted in my mouth! -O Toro (tuna belly) -Maguro (tuna) -Beni Toro (seared salmon belly) -Umi Masu (ocean trout) -Kurodai (black snapper) -Hamachi (yellowtail) -Aji (horse mackerel) -Uni (sea urchin, Santa Barbara) We also got genmatcha hot tea (refillable), miso soup (came out in a convenient soup cup hehe), and a Wabi-Sabi sushi roll. Beautiful presentation. Also, they gave us free matcha ice cream at the end!

So I ordered via Uber eats, and this is not a comment on Uber eats I ordered a miso soup some Hamachi sashimi and gyoza. The Miso soup was fine it wasn't as hot as it could have been but it was delivery and I was okay with that I did appreciate that it wasn't salty like some miso soups can be the Hamachi was good not Super fresh but good they included Ginger a small amount wasabi and barely enough soy sauce but it was enough ultimately. The note that they were out of gyozo and they replaced it with a seaweed salad took me back a little when they actually charged me for the gyozo but didn't send it. A smarter move on their part would have been to not charge me for the gyozo and send the seat weed salad. So for not good customer service I cannot rate them well. I gave him a three-star it's truly should be a two and a half but I hate to rate restaurants at 2

A friend had found this place to check out for lunch before the Giants game on Saturday morning. They open right at 12pm with street parking around. It feels like ur going to an apartment when looking for the place. It's tucked in an apartment complex on a small street. But once u arrive it is cozy and we were greeted by one of the chefs at the sushi bar. There is bar seating as well as a few tables. The ambiance feels clean and nice. All the table settings are so small and cute i felt like I was in Japan. We ordered the Sencha hot tea which is the one with some barely or rice in it. They are very good with refills. We ordered some rolls- the Wabi-Sabi, Hotto Sake, Yogan. It took awhile to come out which i didnt mind bc it was so fresh!! We all agreed it was the best sushi we've had! I don't think u can go wrong with anything u choose to order here. Enjoyed a great meal and would recommend to check out!!

Came here on a Monday night with a reservation with a group of 3 - and was so pleasantly surprised by the experience. Good: - Free miso soup and extra nigiri at the end! Such a great and tasty surprise - The salmon don dish was amazing - each piece of salmon was so tasty and the tamago was just the right amount of sweet that it complemented the savory - super high quality fish - The vibe here was also super charming and it's very small so there aren't a lot of seats so it's great for a catchup - really easy to hear people Bad: - Longer wait time - took a while for the food to come out in the end - Pricier than other places in SF - was about $30 for the single dish Overall really enjoyed the food here and it was really nice to try out a newer experience here in SF!

Love that they give you fresh wasabi. The sushi was pretty good. We got 10 Pieces Sashimi Testing, Wabi Sabi Roll, Hotto-sake Roll, and a Lobster Roll. I love that they give you free miso soup and to end the meal, they give you a Tamago(sweet egg) as a dessert. Con: there was a lot of flies outside the restaurant and a few inside the restaurant. Towards the end, the fly flew onto my soy sauce. (Thank god I was done eating by then).

Amazing sushi for the price love this spot. I love how small and quiet this place is and how fresh the sushi is.

Very cozy (max occupancy about 15), off main street (not hidden, but modest), friendly chef and head server, great freshness and flavor, no alcohol on the menu but the food was definitely worth sticking around for...hoping to visit again soon.

Omakase set was amazing!! My second time at this restaurant both time have been fantastic 100% recommend. Service 100% very friendly and nice :)) Sushi quality is really good and price is very good for the quality of food provided.

This restaurant is a quaint little spot that you must try! We started with the chicken gyozas which were super good (the gyoza had 5 or 6 total, but we were so hungry they didn't make it to the picture). The Richt roll was my favorite, the mango on top made the flavors pop. The staff was super attentive and nice throughout. I recommend making a reservation because there are only a couple of tables.

Stumbled upon this place after a day on the water - what a hidden gem! There's limited seating and a small sushi bar which adds to the intimate charm. We started with a miso soup and fresh seaweed salad before launching into ~a few~ rolls. The waiter was so nice and helped us with menu recommendations which were absolutely delicious! The Wabi-sabi and Yogan rolls were so good that we had to order another of each. The Yogan especially was a hit with the torched sweet salmon on top and creamy avocado inside. The Chu-Toro nigiri was so buttery too! Warning - be prepared for a bit of a high price point, but I'd say the quality was worth the bill. Definitely coming back to try more!

Food is good here no matter what you get! But if you order takeout for pickup, expect your order not to be ready when you get there. Idk why but they never look at the online orders until you get there. I guess it's freshest that way? But it would be nice if it was ready when the app says it'll be ready. Has happened multiple times for the years that I've been getting takeout here. But still will come back bc best sushi in the area.

The special rolls here are the most delicious and also delectable pieces of food art! Pashmina who is the executive chef and owner of Indian Bento took me to this little place on Ritch St, a street I remember always had a nightclub. The place apparently gets busy in the evening, but at a Friday lunch, it was great. Talked to the quasi "owner", the chef, I'm not sure he is, from a few details, though he described himself as one. Enjoyed the experience!

Delicious sushi and great service! Definitely will be back. Fresh fish accompanied with the perfect ingredients made for a fantastic roll

I came here after being recommended it by a friend. It's a very small space that can be easily missable if you're not looking. I arrived at around 6:30 on a weekday and there was only a short wait of around 5 minutes. I was sat at the bar and the chef was very personable. He made easy conversation with us and with the other parties in the restaurant. The whole ambiance is very chill and relaxing. Food wise, we ordered 3 rolls to share - the Wabi Sabi roll, the Yogan roll, and the Osama roll. I really enjoyed the wabi sabi roll. It had a citrusy tang to it and tasted light and fresh. The Yogan roll was also yummy; it was richer and filling. While the Osama roll was still good, I probably wouldn't get it again. It's a unique roll that comes without rice and while tasty, it's quite small and not really good enough to justify getting again. Overall, we had a great experience and I would recommend coming here for an affordable sushi experience. Next time, I definitely want to try to nigiri tasting or the chirashi bowl.

Super tiny sushi spot offers big flavors. Good selection of fish at reasonable prices. We ordered almost too much between 2 people. The sashimi were very fresh and thick cut. Nigiri tasting was satisfying. Sweet shrimp was creamy and sweet. Very cozy ambiance, feel like visiting a friend's house. Will come back for sure.

Wow this place was amazing! 5 star service and sushi rolls!! I'm always trying to find good sushi which can be hard. They gave us a free appetizer as well! Definitely will be back

Fresh sushi with friendly service and reasonable pricing. The 7 piece nigiri was great - fresh & delicious, there wasn't a single dud among the 7 pieces. I did have FOMO though when I saw the 11 piece - which had the addition of ebi, uni, an additional salmon (and another fish I can't identify). We also got an order of gyoza which were fairly standard, but a good option if you want to fill up and you're worried the sushi won't be enough. This isn't the kind of spot to go if you're looking to ball out on a fancy omakase meal, but if you're looking to satisfy a craving for sushi without breaking the bank, this is the place to go.

We were eyeing this tiny sushi spot in the neighborhood for a while and saw that it's very popular on the weekends. Last Sunday we decided to give it a try at last. We came before the peak time to make sure that we'll be able to get a table and food comes fast. We were lucky with first but not the second. Every step of the service (give us menu, bring water, take order, bring tableware) took legit time. The prices were reasonable and fish was fresh but we were not too impressed by the taste combinations of the rolls we got. The best to my taste was Niji with assorted fish. As time flew by - the place got really crowded. Couple of 3-5 ppl parties filled it to the max so we preferred to leave sooner than expected.

The best sushi I've had in San Francisco by far Full of flavor and it's so pretty to look at. I recommend making a reservation before heading there so you don't have to wait for some time for tables to clear as it is a very small and intimate restaurant.

This cute spot opened up a little over a year ago, and I'm glad I finally tried it! The restaurant is a small hole in the wall located in SoMa, and was a little hard to find at first. Came here for date night and really enjoyed the small intimate setting! I got the 11 piece nigiri tasting, and also ordered 2 pieces of seared salmon belly nigiri. From the nigiri tasting, the hirame with shiso leaf and the salmon with lemon zest really stood out to me. You can tell that the sushi chefs put a lot of thought into each bite. Also, the fish to rice ratio is perfect! We ordered some hot genmaicha tea to go with our meal, and they offer unlimited refills! Pricing is affordable, and service is attentive and friendly. I'll definitely be coming back!

Delicious lunch special, it is so fresh and great value. Wabi sabi is a hidden gem ! I recommend this place.

I made a reservation over the phone for 8:30pm on Friday. The dining space is extremely limited so our table was not ready when we arrived and we waited for 20 more minutes. Presentation was pretty for everything! The black snapper sashimi was presented beautifully on a bed of ice flashing blue light underneath. The Wabi-Sabi roll was light yet had many ingredients that go in it. The Deluxe Chirashi was presented in a bento box. It looked a little squished together but the fish tasted amazing anyway. If you plan to dine here and are willing to be patient, the staff is very accommodating as one of their chefs experienced an injury. They offered us some miso soup and tofu inari for waiting for quite awhile. It is definitely an intimate space and the service was amazing from everyone.