DELIGHTFUL dinner at Ariake! Tin was our server and she was an Angel with all the suggestions. We had the moon dog roll and the hamachi mango roll, followed with some edamame and tempura and ended with some Mochi and green tea cheesecake! chef was also super kind and answered our questions on the fish and made suggestions himself. Gochisousama-deshita! read more

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A sushi restaurant that I recently tried w/friends. They weren't busy at all. I love to try gyoza at whichever restaurant that serves it. I thought the gyoza was great! but the sushi itself was also great. There are so many rolls to try it's hard to pick. I opted for the ariake roll topped w/seaweed salad - yum! Ordered: gyoza ($7.50), ariake roll ($13), crunchy roll ($13), and dragon roll ($13) read more

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A coworker who lived for many years in the Richmond recommended this place to me years ago, and it's been my favorite neighborhood sushi spot in the city ever since. The sushi is fantastic, the servers are helpful and knowledgable, and Chef Jin is an absolute boss. My recommendation would be to get the Omakase at the bar (and ask for the chef's attention if you can get it). I almost didn't want to contribute to this place's high rating. This is a cozy place that could get crowded fast :') read more

Ariake - The "Ariake" sushi dinner from the menu - Japanese Near Me - San Francisco, California

We've been always walking by the restaurant and finally got a chance to dine in. Took us about 20 minutes to be in the waitlist to be seated (Friday peak time 6-7). Decided to take the bar area. Two chiefs were preparing sushi right in front of us. It was cool! I liked how they make sushi, perfect balance of rice/fish/and the rest of the ingredients. read more

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Truly, truly phenomenal service and good food. I have family in the Richmond District, and we came here either at the end of late September or beginning of early October. Some extended family members had the idea to get together for dinner. I have no words to describe how amazing the quality of the fish was. It was bar none, some of the absolute best sushi I've ever had. We ordered a lot of food, and I've been wanting to come back. One of these days, I just will. Looking forward to when the day comes. read more

Ariake is officially my favorite sushi spot in the Richmond area! Loved the Japanese entrees selections and customer service. Our waitress was very attentive. She recognized my friend (who's been there a few times) and provided us the warmest welcome. We really enjoyed the cozy ambiance and quick service. We sat at a table by the bar and watched the chefs make amazing sushi. They make each roll with the utmost care. I really enjoyed the cherry blossom roll. It's aesthetically pleasing as well. My friend got the bento box and it came with a lot of sashimi. They're thick slices too! The chirashi bowl was sooooooo good. There were many kinds to choose from but we went with the $35 one which was a bowl of rice and good portion of fish, 1 shrimp and 1 uni. We will definitely try more things on this menu next time :). It'll be nice to sit at the booth one day for Omakase. read more

This is one of our new favorite sushi spots :) Have been here a few times now and it's always delicious. There's never been a wait for us here, but it's always really busy- perfect! The service is always quick and the staff is friendly. The food here always hits the spot when we're feeling sushi and the fish is super fresh. **they have soy wrap here for the rolls! read more

Ariake - Veggie roll - Japanese Near Me - San Francisco, California

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Sushi joint on Geary is worth reading drive from Sunset. We first went here last year and have come back every time we're in town. The bento lunch boxes are very good and their sushi is very, very good. We went on a Thursday night and service was good. I called ahead and reserved a table for 4. We got there and were seated right away. They are very cognizant of space between tables and customers. The 49er roll was very good as was the mango one. Give it a try. You won't regret it. read more

A sushi staple in the richmond. The chirashi bowl slaps.Great sashimi and service. You can tell the front end staff try their best. Lines can be long if you don't get there early enough. read more

Small, cozy, fresh sushi, quick service and reasonable prices. Honestly you can't go wrong with Ariake. Bonus for being one of the few Japanese spots in the Avenues that's open for lunch. read more

We came for a quick lunch on Saturday after visiting the Golden Gate Park. I felt that this restaurant is a little overpriced. The sauce for Unagi Don was overly sweet and a bit too generous. For the Ariake plate, the ingredients were fresh but some of the rolls were coming apart. The seaweed seemed extra chewy. Overall, I think it could be a good place for their weekday lunch specials. read more

Ariake - Unagi don - Japanese Near Me - San Francisco, California

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Pretty good sushi spot in the Richmond district. Its right next to the famous Kabul (which has gotten ludicrously overpriced, $18 for one piece of uni?) but definitely holds its own. They have delicious fresh fish that is quickly prepared and brought out. They were swamped the night we were there and dishes still came out fairly quickly. The staff were mostly attentive. Most of the rolls and nigiri we got were good. I didnt particularly like the salmon used in the hand roll though. The wait was also pretty brutal. They have a sign in board up front, but what they dont tell you is that they will seat an unlimited number of reservations before you. We were #1 on the list for about 45 minutes waiting outside in the cold, and they kept seating people who just showed up. I understand you have to honor reservations but you also need to let me know when I initially come in that I may have to wait for nearly an hour. read more

Best sushi ever in SF. Been regular since 2009 even though living in out of US been coming to Jin's place Ariake since then. And after living in the Bay Area my wife and I try to come at least once a month. Friendly and really good food. Must try: Moon Dog. Amaebi. Chirashi bowl. And some other sushi and sashimi. If you are around SF and want a good sushi place come to Ariake. read more

Ariake - Echigo beer - Japanese Near Me - San Francisco, California

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As good as it gets in the Richmond - whether dining in or taking out. And they have the tv on on game nights!

This sushi is REALLY GOOD!! I will admit it is more expensive than I'd like to spend on Sushi (aka no half off menu, order so many rolls for cheap and fill up) BUT I support quality food :) I got two rolls - one Maki Sushi & Sushi Bar Special and that was enough! The Sushi Bar Special is a bigger roll than the pictures look - which makes since as they are nearly $20. New York Roll - shrimp & avocado Lion Roll - crab meat, avocado, baked salmon on top .... I will say this one took a little longer because of the baked salmon. Which makes a lot of sense! The roll somewhat fell apart, I'm not sure if the heat of it, or what. But it was delicious. My star rating: 5 - must go!!! 4 - liked it, give it a try! 3 - it was alright 2 - I probably won't go back 1 - turnaround and run read more

"Dude, I don't care. Order whatever for us. Just don't mess up...YELPER." Ugh...talk about pressure! All that was missing was an evil, maniacal laugh. While it was nice being able to get whatever I wanted, it was a little tough making sure I ordered something we both would like. Good thing I was just ordering for my lazy ass friend instead of a really hot date! ;) - Toro Nigiri, Hamachi Nigiri, King Salmon Nigiri (http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/kd4Xqgpkkv5vftm2ayCWrA#8UFMgLL1qMdwkA_wrzFOOA) Across the board, the fish were really fresh. The Toro was great (not overly rich or fatty), the Hamachi was good, and the King Salmon was solid. I really like how generous the size of their cuts were. Huge portions! - Fire Cracker Roll - Fried Shiso Leaves topped with Three Types of Spicy Tuna (http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/kd4Xqgpkkv5vftm2ayCWrA#3nSWnOokjH2aVV81cquOoA) Although I couldn't tell the difference between the types of spicy tuna, their combined flavor was pretty good with just the right amount of heat. The wakame (seaweed salad) gave it some crunch, and the shiso leaves added their own unique flavor. - Moon Dog Roll - Shrimp Tempura and Crab Meat topped with Seared Tuna, Tobiko and Special Sauce (http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/kd4Xqgpkkv5vftm2ayCWrA#nkt3SbKbt-COU1zhEJUKmw) Generally, I try to avoid rolls with cooked or fried elements (with the exception of shrimp tempura, seared tuna, and unagi). So naturally, the one full of cooked components ended up as my favorite. The tuna had a perfect sear, and the tuna, crab, and shrimp worked great together. - Dragon Roll - Eel, Cucumber, Shrimp Tempura, Avocado, and Crab Meat (http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/kd4Xqgpkkv5vftm2ayCWrA#YeSX-LuDJeIjxX0eZlku-g) I had actually ordered the Double Albacore roll, but they put us down for a Dragon Roll instead. Oh well. The roll was fine and looked good, but it didn't taste spectacularly different from other restaurants. Even though they can't challenge Kabuto as one of my favorite Japanese restaurants, Ariake is still up there for me. The sashimi was great, service was friendly (even though they had a roll wrong), and the prices were fair. Really, just not a lot not to like. Plus, their good food made it that much easier for me to maintain my Yelp cred! How can I argue with that? read more

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Food and service here is amazing!! It was a good experience to be able to watch them make the sushi. I got many of my favorite roll, this place never fail me with their amazing food. It is decent price, not pricy at all. They have a good selection of sake, the price start at 7 and up to 90 for their real good one!! I know I will be back here for more!! read more

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My parents used to bring me to eat the Chinese restaurant next door. I spotted Ariake and wanted to eat here. They have a creative take on sushi rolls and bento boxes..a standard menu..a bit above average in prices..I got the bento box today with sashimi and tempura. It was already $18 with tax. Bento boxes were not supposed to be expensive. More like $10 or so before in the 90s. Bento boxes are super fun. The tempura was a good serving. Sashimi nice. Came with miso soup and I put the rice in. This is on Geary in the Richmond near the park. read more

My friend raves about this place and we finally made it out here after talking about it for a year. To be honest, I was a little disappointed. Maybe he oversold it to me but otherwise, I thought it was too pricey for the quantity and quality of food. We got the following: - ankimo appetizer - live scallop sashimi - toro sushi - anago sushi - hamachi mango roll All this came out to be a $75 bill. The most egregious was $20 for the live scallop. It was really just one scallop, thiiiiiiinly sliced into 8 pieces. Not worth 20 bucks seriously. Objectively, the ankimo and toro were pretty good. Anago was okay. Hamachi mango roll was okay. The best part of it was the asparagus, but otherwise the hamachi and mango were lackluster. It's a friendly place - both the chefs and waitresses were very nice and attentive. However, for better sushi at a better price, I recommend Kazu or Wild Sushi in the Sunset, or Yuubi in the Richmond. read more

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Bad fish on top of moondog roll. I had placed a to go order and this is the condition of the roll by the time I got home read more

Ariake - Bad fish on top Moondog roll - Japanese Near Me - San Francisco, California

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Super friendly, my to go order was promptly brought out in less than 15 minutes. The food, the ambiance, and the service was authentically Japanese. So much so that it was a little difficult to communicate to our waitress in english. Nonetheless, I can't wait to try more stuff here. I was so hungry and in such a hurry i almost forgot to take a picture of the to go order of spicy tuna and spicy yellowtail rolls. Wow they were super delicious. I didn't even dip them in soy sauce or wasabi. The masago that covered the rolls had a light and salty taste to it. They were perfect. I'm definitely going back for a full meal the next time I get a chance. Prepare for street parking and a possible wait for a seat. read more

Ariake - The sushi bar - Japanese Near Me - San Francisco, California

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I love Ariake so much. Nothing pleases my soul more than a sweet family run business. If i lives closer this would be my spot. Even during Covid they are providing amazing selections of fish usually located on their specials board. I honestly didnt remember what i had ordered once it came home so i cant tell you what the incredible white fish was that came with some yuzu koshi on top. Their saba is a basic menu item but oh so good. Their cuts are on par with Sushi Zone, our go to. They also did me a huge solid and came out for my credit card since my giant 4 year old fell asleep on the way. Let's keep treasures like Ariake around so they can continue to be a great date night or awesome lunch spot with kids. read more

amazing service, yummy food & cozy vibes! cool bar & welcoming staff! i enjoyed my time here

Knowing that this place was a cozy and small restaurant, I called ahead of time to make reservations. I came here with my father and husband on a Friday night. They both wanted to get the bento box with the beef (short ribs). But at 7:30pm, the waiter told us they ran out so they had to opt for the chicken instead, what a bummer. We also ordered the Scallop roll and the Moon Dog Roll. We didn't think it was exceptionally great. read more

I LOVE THIS PLACE! This is a no-frills sushi joint with amazing quality fish at a great price. This restaurant is mostly family run and Gin has been behind the bar since the late 90's - he knows what he's doing and takes pride in a quality product. Prior to becoming a regular at this establishment for my sushi fix, I used to primarily order rolls, with the occasional Toro. Now, I'm nigiri only, because the quality of fish here is just too good to put in a roll. I literally drive or Uber 30 min across the city because no other sushi restaurant will do. I really hope these guys make it through the pandemic with their business intact. read more

Ariake and Koo are officially my favorite Japanese restaurants in San Francisco now. Both authentically Japanese. Ariake is quite innovative with its premium rolls - Hamachi Mango rolls are highly recommended, flashy and pretty in presentation as well as taste and originality. Ariake roll though on the other hand is too fish with the seaweed. The Ikejime Tai sashimi special is extremely good, fresh, and melts in my mouth.. the crystal texture and look is also very appealing. I made sure that i carefully chewed each piece. The street parking is stringent, very busy and somewhat tricky geary street, back street parking are slightly better. Walking 2 blocks on a weekend is normal. Restaurant is very small and crammed. Service is average, considering the restaurant is quite busy, it is okay. Focus on the food! read more

Ariake - Ikejime kanpachi special sashimi - Japanese Near Me - San Francisco, California

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Nice, cozy restaurant, very clean & tidy, nice decor. Service is welcoming, friendly. The food is pretty good. The only negative is the prices. Kind of pricey for normal combination meals (e.g. teriyaki/tempura) at nearly $30. Rolls are tiny for the price but again are fresh tasting. read more

In summary, pretty good sushi and sashimi for the price. The location is a bit to find parking, but... If you're from SF you should be used to that by now. The interior is cozy and decorated like a usual Japanese restaurant. Staff are Korean, but that doesn't mean the food isn't authentic! I struggled between giving this place a 3 or 4 star rating but I think 3 is appropriate since I felt it was quite average. We got this carpaccio type dish. I think it was harame or yellowtail think sliced, dressed in ponzu, and topped with sliced onion and tobiko. It was good but... Way too much sauce. The fish was just drowning in it and we couldn't taste the actual fish much - this is probably why I don't remember what fish it was. Next, we got a platter of sushi to share. I think it was Faith or Hope or something like that. It was good but nothing really memorable. I wouldn't go all the way out here just to come to this place, but if I'm nearby, I'll give this place another try! read more

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Great owner and staff, food was fantastic!!! Recommended to me by others in the area and now my new go to spot.

What hits you when you first walk in is the unpleasant musty smell. Then it gets worse. The tempura was so strange, it tasted like it had been cooked a few days ago and then reheated; it had a very thick, tough batter. The sushi was tasteless, and looked to be past its prime. With many other choices out there, I would give this place a pass. read more

I came in with my GF for dinner at 8:30 on a Wed night. It was fairly packed, about 85% of the seating. We were greeted and seated quickly. We ordered the combination plate, lion king roll, and 49er roll. The combination plate was great, tasted fresh. The two other rolls tasted great as well. The service was fantastic and friendly. The price was on par with the quality of service and food. $102 with 15% tip for 3 appetizers, one large plate, and two rolls. Will be coming back again! read more

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We went over the weekend, this was really packed place and the staff is very accommodating. Pros: - Courteous Staff - Choice of Sake - ** Sushi** Cons: - Small Place less seating and more wait time Tip: - Try to reserve a table ahead of time if you can read more

Just ordered from here for the first time. I should have checked in while I was there...oops. All I had was the California roll, but you can taste the quality of the ingredients. Even the ginger? Which I usually don't eat was excellent. If this is the expectation and quality during a pandemic, I can't wait to try them when the pandemic is "over". read more

I have been eating at Ariake for years and Jin is a gem. I'm updating my review from a few years ago, having returned many times since my one disappointing experience. He was clearly working out the kinks in a new delivery program, and it was a one-off bad night. The fish here is fresh, varied, beautifully prepared and reasonably priced. The service is superb, cordial and consistent. I've eaten sushi all over the world, and I'll put Jin's freshness, cuts and variety against anyone's. Kudos! read more

Service was so-so, the male Asian server was not very engaging or helpful with the menu. He didn't say hello, just escorted us to a table and dropped the menu. Second wait person was much better and more conversant. Food was good, not Ozoke level, but good to better than average. One problem, got a few scales in between my teeth with the Ariake tuna roll... May come back to try different selections... read more

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I have been passing by this sushi bistro hundreds time and finally have time to give it a try. This sushi place opens really late until 11 and we stopped by on a Friday night around 10pm, only 2 tables of customers. We were hesitate a bit because lack of customers on Friday night. But I insisted give it a try based on so many good Yelp reviews. The decors of this sushi shop some how made me felt like I was in Japan. -Akimo (Monk Fish Liver). This is something we must ordered item every time. The sauce is refreshing and the portion is very generous too! -Omasake 12 pc Miso comes with Omasake, and surprising the there are huge clam inside! Feel so good with a bowl of warm soup when outside cold in SF NIGHT. I don't think i rmb the name of each pc but these 12 pc are so amazing and I don't think I have had them before. -Hamachi Mango roll Nice combination of mango and hamachi. The little sweetness from the mango kinda balance out the over all. Drink: -Echigo beer (500ml) produced by Japan's first and finest microbreweryin Niigata with Koshihikari rice and premium malt for a fresh and rich flavor. They have good selection of sake and beer not just Sapporo or Asahi. We are trying something new this time and we loved it so we had to Google where to stock up. Lol!!! We definitely enjoyed our Friday night out exploring new place and new food. read more

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I miss this restaurant! I used to live and work near this restaurant and was ordering food from there very often. Food is very delicious and people that work there provide an excellent service..After moving from this neighborhood I realize how much I miss food from this place . Best Japanese restaurant that I've been too in San Francisco read more

Food is always great and fresh. One of the best sushi spots in SF. A must try if you haven't already

Happy Valentine's day! Jun and his crew of sushi chef perfectionists have been a solid part of our sushi lives. Love everything. Andy, Young, and of course Jun make this the absolute best spot to have a "Cheers night". You let them pick the tastes, you won't be disappointed. Come here . You will have an incredible evening of sushi adventures read more

Ariake - Japanese Near Me - San Francisco, California

I took a long walk down Geary in the rain hoping to check out Kabuto, but heck, it was closed! There, a few doors down sitting pretty was Ariake, and it was warm and comforting once I walked inside. The place is tiny with less than ten small tables arranged along one side of the restaurant next to a vertical sushi bar where a jumbo flat screen TV showed Monday night football. The ambiance was soothing and reminded me of Tanuki or Takao without the table cloths. There was also an air of seriousness with its straight laced decor while the sushi chefs chatted away casually with their regular customers about football and Jerry Rice. The place was crowded and festive. Nestled by the end corner of the sushi bar facing the TV with my back against the door, I ordered their sushi dinner--Love ($20.95). It came with eight pieces of nigiri, tekka maki, salad, miso, and edamame. The nigiri pieces had good portion and they were thick and very fresh. The taste was outstanding and each piece had all the firm and buttery texture at the right places. I thought the eel, tuna, white tuna, yellowtail, salmon and scallop were flavorful, and the sea urchin and salmon roes caught me off guard with a mouthful of deliciousness. Everything was pretty standard while their dessert options were weak and lacking. Overall I thought their menu was pretty standard and somewhat lacked innovation but they were very good at what they do. In addition, I thought their prices were decent since it could be cheaper but it was still quite affordable for the quality you get. If there is one stark limitation, it would be their service as it was quite spotty for me while the chefs and servers were visibly cliquish with their regulars. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to develop a sense of belonging to connect with the place. Here's how they fared as a result: 1.) Quality and freshness: 5 stars 2.) Creativity and presentation: 4 stars 3.) Quantity and substance: 4 stars 4.) Accessibility and affordability: 3 stars 5.) Service and ambiance: 2 stars Not yet a fan, 3.5 stars for the overall experience. I find their fresh nigiri tasty and enjoyable so I look forward to going back to give them another try. read more

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