the owner/Chef, Mr. Jin is excellent with a very extensive background in cooking Japanese food. food quality was great, service was excellent too. recommended highly. read more

I have never had such delicious, melt in your mouth, carefully crafted sushi! And I've had a good amount of sushi. What makes this place special is a sense of a HOME. No other way to describe it. The restaurant was filled with passion and sincerity. David and Jeannie were there with heartfelt suggestions when we were just chatting about the menu. They were curious about our taste, and wanted our experience to be perfect... and this made all the food even more delicious and truly joyful. It's like eating Michelin star food made by family. The only way family can make you feel joy with food. These pictures were taken as an after thought and do not reflect the delightful presentation. I had so much fun with my friend. We sang happy birthday to the master chef and was given a slice of cake to share. I can't wait to come back read more

Ariake - So delicious, we forgot to take the picture earlier! - Japanese Near Me - San Francisco, California

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Great food, service, and ambiance. The only place where I can reliably get the sushi combo platter and enjoy everything. Kids also love the gyoza and teriyaki dishes. read more

Could've been 4-5 star for food, but wasn't happy with the customer service on a mistake they made. The sushi was fresh and great. I started with the negimachi. However I had also ordered a cherry blossom roll with no cucumber and they mistakenly gave it to the wrong person and they ate one piece and then realized they made a mistake. Instead of giving me a new roll with the full amount of pieces, they gave me my $25 roll with one piece missing and didn't even offer to give me some extra sushi or something. I don't think I'll be back unfortunately. read more

Ariake - 9. Negimachi Maki - Japanese Near Me - San Francisco, California

Excellent food that we enjoyed. We have been living in the neighborhood for decades but never went to Ariake. One day, we decided to give it a try and we never stopped going there. Service is great. I normally order their combination dinner and comes with large portion of sashimi tuna. My wife likes the dragon roll with real crab. read more

Been coming here since 2011 and it's the best in SF! Family owned and staffed-all so kind and friendly. Gin would give me fresh fish that was "good for baby" when I was 8 months pregnant and now my son and I go here all the time! read more

I have been coming here for years now. Have my favorite rolls and his bluefin tuna is always the best.

Came here for dinner on a Friday night with a party of 3 and was luckily seated immediately. The inside of the restaurant reminds me of a classic local Japanese restaurant which was really cute. I ordered the love chirashi bowl for dinner and it came with miso soup which was nice! I think overall the food was decent, decent meaning the fish was fine, but nothing special or particularly good about it. (Which is why I'm giving 4 stars). The portion size was really good though which is a plus, but the prices are not cheap ($40 for the chirashi bowl). I think if it was a little cheaper for less food or slightly better quality fish I would have definitely given 5 stars. But overall solid place and nice servers! read more

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This place is the best sushi and service in this price range in sf. Hands down. Staff and chefs are so incredibly nice, they came by often so we didn't have to wait for anything. Got the omakase and it blew my mind, plus it was timed perfectly. The rolls are also delicious and they have a great selection of drinks. read more

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Cute hole in the wall with standard Japanese fare and reasonable prices! The softshell crab is a bit dry, perhaps from it being deep fried. The amount of crab underneath the breading is a bit sparse. The monk fish liver is tender and a little chewy, as per usual for liver. The texture is a bit crumblier than I expected. However, the flavor is delicious; sweet, sour, and salty. The Ariake roll was rather unusual; the wetness of the seaweed with the rice doesn't provide much textural contrast, so it's all a mushy bite. The fish is fresh, but also a bit muted. The Sweetheart roll was good! The slices of fish were thick and fresh. The flavors are all rather light and delicate; the focus is more on ingredients, rather than flavors. The eel and cucumber roll was yummy; the eel was sweet and savory, very flavorful. The cucumber added a nice crunch and snappiness to the otherwise soft bite. Overall, this is a good spot to try. read more

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Our go-to sushi place! Fish is the freshest. You must try the Fire Cracker app. Unique and a perfect bite! And the Moondog is delightful and so tasty. I love getting the nigiri of whatever is highlighted on the menu. The bento specials are amazing. And what a value! You may want to call ahead to reserve a table, though they can accommodate walk-ins. (They just did some renovations, and the space is even better for groups now.) read more

Food is just ok. Sashimi is fresh but it's not worth as price. Service ( sorry, I can't say it's bad. However, one for server was mean and never gave us menu or water while we sat down). We just wanted to tip the one really treat us well. Ambiance: Just good for couple or adults hangout there. read more

Ariake - Chirashi - Japanese Near Me - San Francisco, California

I guess my family craves Japanese food when we visit SF??? Kitaro is still the best, see my other Yelp review, too bad they are closed Mondays. We will probably go tomorrow as the family requests it... Quality/Quantity - It has been a long time since we have been here. I think we ordered the wrong items, next time I will do a better job. On our next visit, we will have more of the raw fish rolls/dishes because it looks so fresh, see pictures. And with sake. :) Today we got the following, none of which were with generous quantities (good thing we ordered for 3 people), or I was just hungry...? All dishes were well plated, see pictures. Salmon Teriyaki - Also good, but Kitaro has a better presentation and it comes with salad, soup, and bowl of rice Lion King Roll - Good, but no different from all the other good places we frequent. Ariake Roll - Had to try their signature dish as it has been too long. Sorry, we were not "wowed." Atmosphere - Small local family restaurant. Bar and table seating. Street parking - Good luck. Make sure you feed the meter, this is how SF makes a lot of their $$$$. Closed Sunday, see picture for business hours. Service - 3 stars, waitress seems very shy. We had to do all the asking, but she accommodated all our requests pleasantly. Price - $58.66 for 2 people, pricey especially compared to the family favorite Kitaro. Owner Suggestion - Congress to Owner and Chef, Jin, on your success. I recommend some suggestive selling, this would give more interaction with the guests and maybe increase your ticket average, although today's meal of $30 ticket average is good. read more

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From the reviews and menu, Ariake looks like a great place for sushi. Because I was solo, I opted for a bento box and appreciated that you could select any two items for that. It turned out to be one of the better bento boxes I had. The food was presented so beautifully, I wish I had posted a picture. I chose the mackerel and California roll. Everything was very tasty. The portion sizes were big and I left quite satisfied. The service was friendly and super attentive. read more

While the sushi was pretty good, we thought the pieces were rather small. The main thing though that bothered me was not getting any type of towel before the meal which is traditional at a sushi bar. Service was very good and place was clean. read more

Ariake is our go to place for sushi. I recommend taking advantage of the happy hour food and drink specials. As for sushi, we usually order a la carte. read more

An absolutely phenomenal dining experience! Order the omakase, owner and Chef will provide you with a tour of the best fish in the house. Each piece is cut generously and made to perfection. The entire staff is on point making sure your experience is clean and flowing. For the quality the price is extremely reasonable. A fantastic experience in a well curated space. You are missing out if you do not find this place! read more

Uni and tamago (freshly made, not prepackaged) were spot on. Caterpillar roll was not good at all. Huge variety of different fresh fishes, etc. I didn't try the cooked food and my friends who go all the time, stay with the fresh sushi, etc. The sushi rice was ok, but at least it is sushi rice and not cooked rice only. read more

Great neighborhood sushi establishment! Been coming here for years. They have a wide variety of seafood. The sushi chefs are very experienced. Wish they can "redo" the interior a bit .. its pretty dated. read more

Stopped by here on a Friday for early dinner and took a seat by the bar. The inside is very small, with only 5-6 tables huddled close together and another 8-10 seats at the bar. Chirashi is my go-to at any new sushi place and Ariake had 4 different ones to choose from, each with more premium items. I opted for the Hope Chirashi, one step up from the simplest option. It was packed full with 9 types of fish plus tamago, daikon, and pickled veggies. The fish was so fresh and clean tasting, some of the best I've ever had in the bay area. for $35 it was a great deal for the portion and quality. The ambiance was lovely and serene and the serve was extraordinarily friendly and efficient. Will definitely be coming back for more next time in Richmond read more

Ariake - Hope Chirashi - Japanese Near Me - San Francisco, California

Fantastic variety and quality of fish, in a simple neighborhood spot. 3 generations of sushi chefs behind the counter. Giants game always on the TV without sound. Never disappointed whether a birthday dinner or casual night out. read more

Awesome little spot near the house. Good price and very fresh fish and oysters. My new go to spot mid week read more

Ariake - Fresh and super clean , and tasty - Japanese Near Me - San Francisco, California

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Amazing fresh tasty fish. Prepared by the Master sushi chef Jin!!! Friendly family run restaurant The Best sushi and Japanese food in the City... I used to be a regular but since moving out of town whenever I'm rolling through SF I always stop and say hello and enjoy Jin's great fish and hospitality!!! read more

Really yummy sushi rolls and chirashi bowls. We usually come for dinner, but once in a while when I have a day off from work, we would pop in for the lunch specials. Of course, this was pre-SIP. Great value bento boxes during lunch. My favorite roll so far has been the Moon Dog. Not sure why they call it that. Maybe it's a surfing slang? The owners/staff are always friendly. read more

Ariake - New York roll and Tako nigiri - Japanese Near Me - San Francisco, California

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We were in SF for some personal business and I decided to surprise my wife to stop by one of our stumping ground regular place. As it turns out, Ariake had been in business for 25 years and we were one of the first customers ever since 1999. No fail, it's the same old great selection of fresh and great fish, highest quality as always. Chin san has always been great friend and chef whenever we are there. The misses were not there but service(by the older son) were still top notch. Some pics for your pleasure. read more

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The sushi was fresh and delicious, with a great variety of options to choose from. The staff were friendly and attentive, making the atmosphere very welcoming. The restaurant was clean and nicely decorated, which added to the overall. read more

Fantastic neighborhood sushi joint! Great fresh fish, rolls, and vegetarian options. But, what really makes the place is the smiles and great service ed by Chef Jin and his family and staff! Cool decor as well. read more

My favorite sushi restaurant of all time! My boyfriend and I go here for special occasions, mostly because we overeat since the food is so good. Best service, so nice and funny, and super fast. It's such a great neighborhood place that everyone loves. read more

My go to place for chirashi bowls. The fish is super fresh and the staff are always friendly.

Great quality sushi. We go every time we are in town to enjoy the service and suggestions from the chef. It's a small place but with a great atmosphere. read more

Our go to neighborhood sushi spot. Servers are so kind and funny and the sushi is reliable and good. Go Fri - sun for best experience and quality of fish. Chefs are great to watch work their magic too! read more

A secret place I can relax and enjoy. The chef has created a simple and deep and crispy tasting sushi. Nothing luxurious or fancy looking but the simple essence of sushi. Yes, he keeps it simple and abundant at reasonable price. read more

Ariake - Hamachi , simple cut , a slice of high quality - Japanese Near Me - San Francisco, California

Ordered several dishes for takeout. The food was average, nothing was overly salty which I liked. Perhaps the fried foods would have been crispier if eaten in-house versus takeout. read more

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So I decided to take my brother to this highly rated sushi restaurant I've been wanting to try. We ordered three rolls and edamame and seaweed salad. Edamame was way over cooked it was like mush. We let that part go. All three rolls had extremely chewy seaweed and they were not very tasty even without the seaweed. The fish just wasn't at the level I'd expect it to be for the prices. I was shocked considering the high reviews. We weren't eating one of the rolls bc we both hated it. Waitress asked us how it was and we said seaweed is too chewy. The owner (I assume) raised his voice and said you don't like it? Get out! Don't pay leave! So we left. Nice customer service. The arrogance wow. I believe he yelled "I've been doing this for 20 years!" as we headed out. I'm shocked but I guess we didn't have to pay for the bad sushi so that's good? DO NOT COME HERE wow. read more

OMG what a discovery. ARIAKE is an amazing sushi place with affordable prices, professional chef and super kwnowledge and nice stuff. It's my 3rd time coming back here and all the time is Amazing. Fresh ingredients, nice service, and a welcoming atmosphere. If you are looking for a place to eat, one evening. You should come to ARIAKE. Will not be disappointed 100% read more

Ariake - Chef of ARIAKE! The best! - Japanese Near Me - San Francisco, California

Stopped in to get take out. They were quick and it was amazing! The Philadelphia roll might have been the best I ever had! The fish melts in your mouth. Also best miso in the area, some tastes watered down, but theirs has so much flavor! read more

Ariake - Japanese Near Me - San Francisco, California

My sister and I have been a few times and we sat at the bar last night Zin is the best server you will ever have great recommendations and just so nice and funny Chefs you are SO TALENTED the fish is so fresh and the rolls are well balanced. Hot tempura and cold sake you cannot go wrong here read more

Ariake - Moon dogggg - Japanese Near Me - San Francisco, California

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Amazing food !! W shave been a few times and it's always top quality, great service Love that place ! read more

Incredibly fresh, quick, friendly! I don't think I've ever been so happy that I've found great a sushi restaurant that I can count on when I'm in a hurry. The staff are friendly and the fish is fresh. What more could you ask for? read more

Ariake - Japanese Near Me - San Francisco, California

I've been to Ariake half a dozen times over numerous years with my buddy Bob, who is enough of a regular that he has a roll named after him (and it's delicious). We always sit at the small bar and go round after round. The quality of the fish is excellent and is masterfully cut by Jin. Excellent food, friendly staff and a charming atmosphere, Ariake makes me wish I still lived in San Francisco. read more