My brother heard good things about Balboa Teriyaki and we decided to give it a try. The sushi is slightly above average price and I tried the saba nigiri was good. This place is known for comfort food and my brother had the Chicken Katsu and I had the Chicken Teriyaki. Both were delicious. The service was good and Balboa Teriyaki is definitely on the list of go to places for Japanese food. read more

Well, for starters, I ordered a bento box that was to come with a salad which I have ordered before. And I got a nice little iceberg lettuce, tomato salad. This time all I got as far as a salad goes was half a containers worth of pale iceberg lettuce. This was no salad. This wasn't even good iceberg lettuce. For the bento box, I ordered salmon teriyaki, and Katsu chicken which again I have ordered in the past this time I got a very small 2 1/2 inch piece of salmon over rice with what looked like a half a teaspoon of teriyaki sauce. This is by far the worst order I've ever gotten from Balboa teriyaki for over 20+ dollars. With DoorDash fees, it was $30. It is sad that this restaurant which has in the past been great seems to be an awful overpriced meal. read more

Ordered from DoorDash around 2:48PM on a Monday, 10/23/21. Thankful they fulfilled my order cause they closed at 3PM that day. I picked it up and a nice Korean ajumeoni lady gave me my order at around 3pm. They were very quick! The ambiance of the place was Japanese- like booths. A little on the darker side but seems pretty homey-cozy-chill. AWESOME Lunch Bento Deals! Pretty BIG Portion! Chicken Teriyaki Bento. Comes with rice, side salad, miso soup, 3 pieces of california roll and WOW! Not sure if they gave me extra cause they were closing but the Tempura Pieces were: 1 shrimp, 2 green beans, 1 slice of carrot, sweet potato, and a piece of broccolli. I was only going to give this place a 3 star cause they make the tempura sauce, teriyaki and miso on the sweet side. I gave it a 4 star for how nice the lady was. She had a home-y grandma feeling vibe. I appreciate everyone's hard work! Happy Eat's :) read more

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Neighborhood gem! Friendly service and consistently delicious food! Spot on Tofu Agedashi, shrimp tempura, rainbow roll, etc. Cute booths -- great for conversations! read more

Dropped by real quick for salmon teriyaki and some beef. It was good. :-) Thanks again.

I was on a walkabout and decided to eat here and I'm glad I did. Had a fresh and delicious lunch. Great service and very peaceful atmosphere. read more

Balboa Teriyaki - Japanese Near Me - San Francisco, California

Wanted to give this place a try for dinner. OK so had to order by phone, there is no website available. We had to get the menu from a couple of online sources. The prices I listed are from a menu online source. There is no itemized receipt so the prices listed might not be accurate. It's a small restaurant.  It has that mom and pop feel.  So the food I hope will be more homey.  Because of Covid, we wanted to order out.  Neighborhood parking is hard, but not impossible; if you are picking up, I suggest having a wing man with you and jump out to pick up the order while the driver waits at nearby driveways.   We ordered a couple of dinners and some sushi rolls. We ordered the following: Oyako Donburi  $14.50 - there was a lot of rice.  The eggs were over scrambled and did not have the separation of yolk and white that you usually see.  The sauce was light in flavor and was missing the unami that you usually get.  Not bad, but not really what I was expecting; would have liked more dashi. Beef Teriyaki $18.50 -  lots of rice, need more sauce.  The beef is sliced thin, so if you are expecting steak, you would be disappointed.  The menu said the beef was rib eye... I do not think its really rib eye.  The teriyaki sauce is THICK and sweet.  I would have liked more sauce to mix with the abundant amount of rice.   WIth each dinner you get miso soup and a small green salad.  The dressing used is really good; a thin creamy semi sweet dressing.  The miso soup has a lot of miso and comes out a bit salty with a semi bitter finish. We ordered 2 different rolls New Rainbow Roll $14.95 - shrimp tempura, real crab, avocado, topped with tuna, tai, ebi, hamachi, avocado with unagi sauce and mayo Pink Lady Roll  $13.50 - deep fried salmon, gobo, avocado topped with salmon, unagi sauce mayo and tobiko OK both rolls are the stars of tonight's meal.  You do not need to use soy sauce or add anything else.  The rolls' flavors are well balanced.  Each component complimented each other.  If it wasn't for the sushi rolls, I would have given tonight's dinner 2 stars... the sushi added an additional star.  If I were to dine here again, I would skip the dinners and go straight to sushi. read more

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Food was just so so. I hadn't been here in years and it seems to have gone a little downhill. The complimentary green tea was nice and our server was warm, we just weren't thrilled with the food and ambiance. There was some weird loud music and the lights were super bright. read more

This place will be your best choice for sushi on the entire block of Balboa hands down. It will beat out any other sushi joint in walking distance easily. Fairly priced and better quality than everyone else in the area read more

I was looking for some chicken teriyaki and low and behold found this spot relatively nearby. The prices have gone up and it's not really clear to me how much the "lunch special" is but I think it's almost $20. I think older pictures of the menu show it as less, (like around $14) which is reasonable, but for this so-so teriyaki, I'm not sure it's worth the price. The special comes with miso soup, salad and a side of rice so it is a lot of food. The sushi is...not the best and I would not recommend it (but then again, the name of the restaurant is teriyaki so I would stick to the hot dishes). We got a "spicy tuna" roll and it was the strangest spicy tuna I've ever had and I would not recommend it. I've also eaten the chicken and egg rice dish which was okay--kind of bland but filling if you just need to shove food down your hungry gullet. We have eaten there too and someone recommended the tempura, but it was just meh. It was still doughy and soggy. The person swore it was the best tempura they ever had so may this was an off day? The owner/waitress seems sweet, but I think it's a bit too pricey (two lunch specials runs you over $40). There's also been times I've called when they were open and it was hard to get them on the phone for a to-go order. Since this is the poppin' part of Balboa, parking can be hard during peak times plus the parking machines are the worst and sometimes hard to pay and operate. read more

A restaurant that's really gone downhill in the last few years has been this place. I had a friend in the neighborhood --he really used to like this place, but not anymore and now I can see why. Came here for lunch and there were only two other tables besides ours, so why did it take them 20 minutes just to see us and another 15 minutes for us to order. The food was small and gosh darn awful. What kind of dressing was one the salad? It tasted like corn oil and not olive oil, I couldn't eat it. The salmon portion looked and tasted like something from a cat food container, and the california roll was hard and had fake crab. The saba was stale as well. They give you a free probiotic drink at the end, and trust me that's the best part of the meal and you're going to need it to digest this horrible food. read more

Balboa Teriyaki - Japanese Near Me - San Francisco, California

I don't know how they got such good reviews. The only think I can think of is dead taste buds... Be very careful, get an itemized receipt because your going to pay more that you expect! The menu prices are not accurate - they have additional charges that are not listed. During these difficult times - honesty means a lot of you want to try to help local businesses and take out food. This is one of the few that have a bag charge? Reputable restaurants want your return business .... these guys obviously don't plan on your return. If their food was quality I could overlook the bag thing.... stay home and nuke something, you'll enjoy it more. read more

Balboa Teriyaki - Can you find the extra charges? And a bag charge for this TO GO order? - Japanese Near Me - San Francisco, California

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We were a little skeptical when we went in to the restaurant because there weren't many people on Saturday night. But we were pleasantly surprised by the taste of the food, value, and service! We will definitely go back there to try their katsu. read more

It's 1:12 am and I'm laying on my bathroom floor sweating from just vomiting and having explosive diarrhea after eating the shrimp tempura here. Eat at your own risk, people! Thank goodness my kids didn't try it. You can expect a call when you open. I'm giving one star just to make sure the post gets read. read more

very good rolls, the fish very fresh, everything taste perfect. The lady is so nice and helpful, she is so nice and welcoming. Also the place is cozy and warm! read more

Balboa Teriyaki - Pink Lady Roll Tiger Roll - Japanese Near Me - San Francisco, California

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My wife and I had the shrimp tempura five nights ago and we both ended up getting extremely sick. I had to stay home from work for two days and I'm still not 100% recovered. My wife gave me most of her tempura so she didn't get quite as sick but still she was in bed for a couple of days. We won't be going back and I can't say I recommend the sea food. Vegetable tempura would have been a better choice. read more

DO NOT COME HERE !! My family and I threw up 5 minutes after we left and feel super sick! The spicy tuna was rotten... Nothing in this place was fresh. We left all our food because of how nasty it was. But please, do not even give this place a try. read more

Balboa Teriyaki is not only my Neighborhood Japanese go-to establishment, but since we moved to the Outer Richmond District 40 years ago, it's been a staple place to frequent. What sets BT apart is that it's more of a " Family Style" Restaurant rather than " Just A Sushi Joint" The Bento Boxes are delicious, fresh and tasty. For more adventurous souls, there is the best Sashimi and Nigiri you can find East Of Japan. The service is courteous and prompt. Dishes come hot and ready to eat in less than 15-20 minutes, depending on the size of patrons. However, it's really never busy, even on the weekends, and the " Homey" atmosphere and ambiance is what you expect from a cozy space taking you back to hidden alleys in Tokyo or Kyoto. In all of our Years of frequenting the place, we never had a bad meal, poor service or any bad experience! Very efficient and delicious. If you are anywhere near the Outer Lands, give Balboa Teriyaki a try on 36th And Balboa. You won't regret it! read more

Friendly staff and a short wait ri.e but the food was so so. The salmon was very dry and I had to ask for basic condiments like Wasabi and ginger to go with the sushi. Overall a nice restaurant but not great. read more

Balboa Teriyaki - Bentobox - Japanese Near Me - San Francisco, California

It's really sad to see a business just give up. So many peoples dreams would come true if they had the opportunity to run a restaurant in an awesome neighborhood. There is a DESPERATE need for yummy, normally priced restaurants in my neighborhood, but I digress. Food tastes weird (veggies, miso, fish and meat), bad selection of items, and bad prices. Other places have great sushi for this price point. Please do better. Boo. read more

Although I don't generally spend a lot of time in this part of the Richmond, I used to be kind of curious about Balboa Teriyaki. A few friends who grew up nearby and came here as kids would speak rather fondly about them, but I never knew if it was because the food was actually good or just nostalgia. Now, after having tried them, I can only assume it was due to the latter because, otherwise, I might have to start questioning their taste in Japanese food! While my first trip here was more than enough for me to evaluate Balboa Teriyaki, the (anal) Yelper in me felt compelled to give them another shot. Not so much in the spirit of being thorough, but because my friend made the unfortunate point that I didn't actually try their namesake teriyaki dishes. Ugh. Fortunately though, I didn't have to worry about repeating everything all over again, as the menu is decently varied, albeit with standard offerings (small plates, sushi, sashimi, bento boxes, udon, etc.). **I heard that the prices may have changed, so these may not be accurate anymore. -- HAMACHI NIGIRI...$5.50 (https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/balboa-teriyaki-san-francisco?select=58QJUpWbZpjqT55-BXIf-g) Possibly the best thing I had, which might not be saying much. While it was a sizable piece, the cut of the fish was a bit awkward (there was a big tendon down the middle) and it had a small dollop of minced ginger, which I'd never seen before. Still, it tasted fine and was decently fresh, so I can't complain too much. -- GIRL BOY ROLL - Shrimp Tempura, Cream Cheese, and Avocado topped with Tuna, Salmon, Eel Sauce, and Tobiko...$13.95 (https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/balboa-teriyaki-san-francisco?select=_O5ERmHKqzpBQIii4xceSw) Even though all of the components naturally complemented each other, this didn't really stand out. The salmon wasn't too shabby, and the avocados were ripe, but the tuna didn't do much for me (almost tasteless). As for the tempura, I didn't care for the texture of the batter (kind of mealy), though it tasted okay. -- POKE SALAD - Assorted Sashimi, Daikon, Seaweed Salad, Spring Mix, Kaiware, Cucumber, and Tobiko topped with Special and Spicy Sauces....$13.50 (https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/balboa-teriyaki-san-francisco?select=99ju2z61n4r1UEZLP023VA) The order was a lot larger than I had expected, but nothing special otherwise. Although they were fairly generous with the portion, the fish didn't seem especially fresh (they definitely weren't prime cuts). Then again, the sauce might've had something to do with it, as it was pretty sharp/acidic. -- DINNER BENTO BOX - Chicken Teriyaki, Chicken Katsu, and Gyoza...$16.95 (https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/balboa-teriyaki-san-francisco?select=KIt3bDAsjtONbAPvFGQjFQ) To be honest, the chicken teriyaki was easily the worst thing I had. It didn't have much of a char, it tasted like it might've been previously frozen, and it was sprinkled with seaweed (??). The katsu was slightly better, if only because #fried, but the breading was paper thin. As for the gyoza, they weren't awful, but they weren't exactly special either (ditto for the salad and miso soup). -- ORANGE DRAGON ROLL - Shrimp Tempura and Cucumber topped with Salmon, Spicy Mayo, Unagi Sauce, and Tobiko...$12.95 (https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/balboa-teriyaki-san-francisco?select=dMLjN6hACaEV66Pqz_lHqw) It wasn't part of the plan to get a roll so similar to the Girl Boy one, but it felt like a relatively safe choice. Though the salmon wasn't bad, nothing else was that great. Sadly, we ran into the same problems with the shrimp tempura (though it was tastier this time). Plus, it had carrots in it, which was kind of odd. Also, I can't say I was a big fan of their sushi rice in either the nigiri or the rolls. Both times, it was almost flavorless and had a gummy sort of consistency. That said, despite the disappointing food, neither meal was a complete failure. Service was consistently friendly and they gave a free appetizer with each meal - a fried ball of salmon (I think...) and a grilled shrimp skewer (https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/balboa-teriyaki-san-francisco?select=OFvh4QaVeAM0O3CwMseweQ). All in all, despite the service and the free food, neither was enough for me to give anything more than two stars. Maybe if I had some old memories to go with them, but alas...I don't. Sorry. read more

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Avoid! Wife and I stopped in on Thursday afternoon ordering 1. Lion Roll, Rainbow Roll ( $12.95 & $14.50) , , Calamari Tempura special ( 7.95-10pieces), 2 miso soups, and mixed Tempura ($8.50). We were their only customers. Sadly, There is nothing Japanese about this sad place. Food: was greasy, greasy greasyand portions were small! Especially both tempuras. None of this was tasty and despite the rolls being advertised as including real crab we were served imitation crab instead! Service/Atmosphere: The waitress could've cared less when she came by and asked how everything was and I said not very good she ignored me and walked away. We also had to listen to Loud incoming telephone conversations that were placed on speakerphone. Lastly, the presentation was in cheap take out paper utensils although we were dining in. I can easily see why no one dines here except us and we will not be back again. This is highly unfortunate as this place is well located and has gone downhill tremendously over the last several years. Absolutely nothing satisfying about this meal and we could still taste the grease as we left. Avoid this place. If you must have Japanese food in this neighborhood try the ramen place nearby - it's ok. read more

This location is really close to my friend's home so after a long morning, we wanted to go somewhere near by and eat something that wouldn't be too heavy. We went at around 3PM so there was no one there. And since it was empty, we were seated right away. The server was attentive and all the food came out within about 15 minutes. It's a decent sized restaurant (about 8-9ish tables and seats an average of 4 people per table). And although it was a random time, more people started coming in to eat at around 3:30PM. We ordered the gyoza ($6.50), croquette ($5.95), the Scallop Delight Roll ($14.95), and the Bobby's Roll ($13.95). The gyoza was deep fried. I usually don't like deep fried gyoza but this was actually pretty good. It wasn't too oily and the meat and vegetables inside were delicious. Next, the croquette was AMAZING. They don't make it there but it was DELICIOUS. The potato mix inside was a combination of potato and a little bit of carrot; and it was perfectly fried. Now for the rolls...the Scallop Delight Roll was really good. It wasn't heavy at all which made it even better. It had shrimp tempura, cucumber and avocado inside and was topped with spicy scallop and tobiko. And the Bobby's Roll had avocado, cucumber, and minced tuna, and topped with salmon, spicy mayo, and tobiko. This was also a really light roll. This meal was the perfect amount for 2 people to share. To top it off, rather than getting candy with the check, they gave Yakult! I was so surprised they were giving these out for free. It was the perfect top off to our meal. Overall, I would definitely return and recommend this spot! read more

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3.5 stars First time coming here last week. Ordered the bay scallop roll and the orange blossom roll. Can you say yum? The orange blossom roll was salmon goodness inside and out, it was fresh, almost seemed buttery and melted in your mouth. The bay scallop was baked to perfection with a perfect sauce and the scallops that were not rubbery. We were also given free shrimp skewers and ice cream! :) that's always a plus. Waitresses were nice and kept coming over to refill water and to see If we needed anything else. read more

Balboa Teriyaki - Orange blossom roll - Japanese Near Me - San Francisco, California

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I've been coming to balboa teriyaki since I went to George Washington highschool few blocks away. The spicy tuna roll and beef udon are my favorites. The texture of the udon here is perfectly chewy. I grew up in the Richmond few blocks away. Despite the bad reviews, this place will always have a place in my heart! read more

Definitely the best sushis of SF!!! I love this place! Everything is so good and fresh! I used to come here every week when I was living in SF. Service is really good! You can find lots of choices for California Rolls but also some bento box and other meals. I am really surprised this place is not in the top 3 of SF. It really should be. read more

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This is probably one of my favorite Japanese restaurants in San Francisco. My family and I have been coming here for the better part of 7 years, and I can sincerely say that there is no other place like it. Yes, the food is similar to many other Japanese restaurants, but there is something that sets Teriyaki apart. There are always very little people in the restaurant, and it makes for such a calm and peaceful dining experience. The staff is always extremely sweet, and treat you like you're eating over in their home. I simply cannot say enough good things about this place! The sushi rolls are beautifully made. Not only do they taste magnificent, but they are a true masterpiece. Have your cameras ready! My favorite roll is salmon with lemon (sorry I can't remember the name) read more

I come here pretty often. The waitress is always very nice. They always give a free small appetizer, and their free tea is very good. I don't eat any raw fish and they have plenty options for me. It's my to-go and never-wrong restaurant. Some dishes that i always order are: 1. Double unagi roll. 5 stars if you are a unagi lover; 2. Nabe Udon. There are a lot of flavors in the broth. Chicken is tender and nice with the black pepper flavor. The shrimp tempura is good after dipping in the broth. Noodles are good. It would be perfect if it has more vegetables in it; 3. Giants Roll. If you like unagi and shrimp tempura, order this. 4. Fried pork over rice with steamed eggs. 5. Salmon skin salad. Love it! read more

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A friend was visiting from out of town and said he was craving sushi. My boyfriend and I have our usual spot in our own neighborhood, but lately we've been trying to branch out and try new things. I went with my gut (after looking through the menu) and decided to ignore the star rating on this one because I know that our usual place (which I love) also doesn't do well by yelp standards. I am so glad that we decided to give this place a try. The food was great and the service was excellent. We even got a complimentary appetizer roll. We had the dynamite roll (only two bites left in the picture), lion king roll (not pictured because we devoured it so fast), the Las Vegas roll, and the bay bridge roll. We also ordered the tempura ice cream for dessert. Our least favorite things were the Las Vegas roll (a little too cream cheesy) and the tempura ice cream ( just not as good as Mexican fried ice cream IMO), but we still finished everything set before us. For a group of three, 4 rolls plus a dessert was perfect portioning. It was easy to find parking and it was an overall cozy little spot. Blew our neighborhood sushi joint away! We will be returning that's for sure! read more

Balboa Teriyaki - Dynamite roll and las Vegas roll - Japanese Near Me - San Francisco, California

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Food was good. Service was OK. I ordered a shiitake roll, but got something else as well. The lady said she wouldn't charge me for that. It was nice of her to do that. Next time I come, I will order sukiyaki. read more

Server was so polite and kind. She even packed our leftover!!The batter of the chicken katsu and tempura of the bento box was on point because it was not so thick. You can taste the meat and veggies! The vegetables they put on top of the katsu don went well together. Portion was big and worth the price. read more

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I was sadly disappointed with my first time trying this place and I hate to leave bad reviews but what I ordered was simply not acceptable. My friend and I arrived at a busy time, and I guess we should have ordered online rather than walking up and ordering, and maybe we would have received a better meal... they mixed up our orders, but the worst part was the sushi rolls didn't even form a solid roll in two of them- we had to use a spoon to eat them because they just fell apart when we tried to pick them up! Being a sushi lover and having tried many places in SF this was by far the worst sushi experience I have had! We were also not given ginger for both of us and not enough soy sauce. Perhaps our experience would have been better had we been able to sit outdoors and dine like the neighboring restaurants.... read more

The chicken teriyaki is delicious, as well as the pork gyoza and sashimi. Rolls can be hit and miss, but otherwise great food!

Only writing because there are so many 5* reviews that seem unwarranted. I want a neighborhood restaurant to survive as much as the next person, but the food really wasn't very good, and too expensive. Not much variety in the bento box (no pickles, etc) - throw-away salads. One of us had to go to the bathroom right after (TMI already). read more

Came in Friday night for dinner with my GF. There were a few people in the restaurant, so we headed in to give it a try. We ordered a bunch of rolls. All of them were pretty good. The service was super fast and friendly. We never had an empty glass!!! Perfect! They also have us a ton of free food/compliments of the chef! Overall a great neighborhood gem to check out! read more

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I came here for lunch with a couple of friends. I haven't been back in awhile. We got a seat in the booth and it was clean - no food on the booths. I ordered the lunch bento of tonkatsu and tempura. You get a big honking bowl of rice and salad with your bento. I could have sworn the meal came with soup but we weren't given any miso soup. The tempura and tonkatsu were fried perfectly. They threw in some endame and fried salmon balls as an appetizer. They also gave us free green tea ice cream (maybe to make up for no soup?). Service was good. The lady was very nice. Not bad. read more

Korean owned. Great, attentive service. Small inside. Cute decor. I went on a Wednesday afternoon around lunchtime. Place is small. About half full when I went (three booths filled & one table + me, eating alone, sigh). I had a headache and I didn't really feel like eating but this place seemed so inviting and where I could just relax for a few minutes. Everything I ordered came out in about 5 mins. They kept offering me tasty sides *on the house*. Salad was definitely mayonaissey but unexpectedly good. Loved the bento box presentation. Even though I had to run (I miscalculated how much time I had for lunch) the staff was super sweet and packed up my lunch and even offered me green tea ice cream! Will definitely come again. Thanks (: read more

Balboa Teriyaki - Japanese Near Me - San Francisco, California

This place is great, not only do they give out free items on the house to satisfy your palate, the customer service is phenomenal. It's no secret that the owners are Korean however the quality of food is GREAT. NOTABLE ROLLS: 49er Roll The Grinch The Sexy Roll Dragon Roll The Bento boxes are a great deal as well. If I could give this place 6 stars I would because between the good service, great prices and excellent quality of food I am always pleased with my experience at Balboa Teriyaki would definitely recommend this place to anyone who likes a solid eating experience at a good price. read more

This place has gone downhill, we have dined here about three times in the last 18 months. The food taste different, staff is nice, service is extremely slow. The chicken kariaga is mainly batter w/no taste. The bento meals are a fair deal (taste should be everything) - better off going to a mall food court for teriyaki. We are moving on... read more

Spur of the moment to get some udon and disappointed. Not up to par. Price to quality and quantity is on opposite scales. Think twice. read more