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    Bubu

    4.2 (317 reviews)
    ModerateSushi Bars
    Closed 4:30 pm - 10:00 PM
    Updated 1 month ago

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    BUBU ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Trendy
    Moderate noise
    Dogs allowed

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    Recommended Reviews - Bubu

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    Salmon avocado handrolls ~ 2 for $6
    Jean S.

    Nice sushi restaurant for happy hour near Japantown in SF. There was no actual sign at the restaurant that said Bubu. The signs outside and inside said the restaurant was called No No. Since "Bu" means "No" in Chinese, I guess it makes sense. Plenty of small tables inside and a sushi bar area. Good deals on hand rolls during happy hour. Many hand rolls were 2 for $6 (spicy salmon and spicy tuna) and some were 2 for $12 (baby lobster and truffle wagyu). We ordered spicy salmon avocado hand rolls, spicy tuna avocado hand roll, baby lobster hand rolls, truffle wagyu hand rolls. You can request the spicy salmon to be not spicy, but you they cannot make the spicy tuna not spicy as it's already premixed. Our favorite was the salmon and avocado hand rolls (minus the spicy mayo). The truffle wagyu was good too, mostly because of the truffle flavor. The baby lobster was okay...the taste of the lobster is covered by the rice and seaweed. I didn't try the spicy tuna roll. It would have been nice if they had a raw fish option that wasn't spicy. We also ordered several sashimi specials during happy hour, each were $8 - 3 pieces of bluefin toro, 3 pieces of salmon toro, and 5 pieces of salmon sashimi. We liked all of the sashimi, but the salmon sashimi the most. The bluefin toro was seared and a bit stringy. Service was average and sometimes a bit below average. We were sitting at a table near the back and at times, weren't attended to. We had to wait awhile to flag someone down and some times items were slow to come. Overall, we were glad we had a chance to try the handrolls during happy hour. There was no wait for a table on a rainy Tuesday. Happy hour is everyday from 4:30-6pm and 8-9:30pm. A surcharge is applied to your bill.

    Benny H.

    Pretty good sushi spot near Japan Town. I thought this place had another name, but I guess not? Good quality sushi for a fair price in the Bay. Not saying it's cheap, but fair. Did take forever to get my sale. Overall a nice spot worth the visit.

    Linda Y.

    A good selection of food and sake for happy hour -- I came when everything was $5 on the menu at 8pm on a weekday. Get here early! I got here 30 min early to line up and just made the first wave cutoff (felt bad for the people after because it was dark and cold outside and many of the seats were outdoors). My favorite on the menu were the handrolls and the crispy bubus (which were the star of the night imo -- the fish on top or crispy rice with a nice creamy sauce was so good.). Overall, our party of 2 ended up spending $40-50 per person anyways so it wasn't thaaat cheap if you want to get a full dinner out of the happy hour, but it was a fun experience to just order a lot of small plates.

    Margaret T.

    Solid happy hour place as you can't really beat $3-6 handrolls! Came by on a Thursday night for happy hour (runs from 4:30 to 6pm on weekdays), and was happy to see there wasn't really a wait! They typically seat you when your whole party arrives, but since there wasn't a line, they allowed us to go to our table and wait for our straggler to show. You're allowed to order 2 rounds only for happy hour, but it turned out to be enough for us. We initially just did handrolls, takoyaki, the bubu crispy rice cakes, and sashimi. However, for the second round, we were a bit more adventurous and ordered the tostadas. I thought majority of the handrolls were decent! It wasn't super heavy on the rice and the ratio of filling to rice was good. The seaweed wasn't as crispy as typical omakase/handroll places since they're making the entire order at once (expected, but I do love that first initial crunch when you bite into it! ASMR!). I thought the sashimi wasn't the best, but I mean, for the price, it's acceptable.

    Karlee J.

    Had a perfect evening here. Their happy hour is a great deal!!! High quality sushi with wonderful service. Sushi came out quickly after ordering. Everything was fresh and flavorful! Would come back. Can get busy but lots of seating. Mostly inside (maybe 2 tables not indoors).

    Waygu tostada
    Chris N.

    Looking for one of the best happy hours in SF, Bubu is your place. The happy menu is insane with many items available and the value you get is pretty unbeatable. Only downside is that you are limited to only two rounds you can order but there is no limit of what you can order in each round. Food is incredible especially the Orange Karaage and the Waygu Beef Avocado Tostadas. Perfectly crispy chicken with a citrus kick, and Waygu tostadas will blow your mind with its melt in your mouth goodness. I was blown away by the speedy service, even when crazy packed the staff is firing on all cylinders and you can expect your food at your table almost immediately. It's the perfect spot for a high quality casual meal that won't break the bank. Just get here early because the secret about this happy hour is already out.

    Salmon kama (collar)
    Vira P.

    I FINALLY made it to BuBu. I had the day off and wanted to go to a restaurant that I usually have difficulty getting to. Out of the two I had in mind, I decided to go to BuBu for happy hour. Most of the items on their HH menu used to be $5, but it's now $6. Still a good deal for the city. I got the salmon avo hand roll and the spicy negi toro hand roll, which were $6 total. I also got the salmon kama (collar) and chicken gyoza. And I had to get their crispy rice rolls, which I got with spicy salmon. Everything was fresh and delicious! It's no wonder they're popular. The hand rolls were stuffed with fish. I especially enjoyed the silky texture of the toro. The salmon collar was juicy and piping hot. Looks were deceiving as the whole dish started steaming when I cut into it. It was kinda cool to see that. The chicken gyoza was fine. It was juicy with a nice crisp on the wrapper. I enjoyed it with the dipping sauce and its slightly sweet and slightly acidic taste. The crispy rice rolls, or bubus as reflected in the menu, had nice contrasting textures. The rice was crispy as advertised and went well with the silky salmon. I'm not that sensitive to spice, but I was surprised to not get any heat from the dishes that were advertised as spicy. But the were still yummy. Also, I dined alone. I normally don't care as I dine solo often, but the space was small and it was full of couples (and not just because it was Valentine's Day as I've seen it usually full of couples or groups). So I felt a little awkward, especially when I had to pick bones out of my mouth from the salmon collar. I'm sure no one was paying attention to me, other than the waitstaff, so it's just all in my head. But next time I'm bringing a friend. Happy hour is from 4:30pm-6pm Monday through Thursday (closed Tuesday), and 3:30pm-5:30pm Friday through Sunday. And their late happy hour is from 8:30pm-9:30pm. But get there 30 minutes prior to add your name on the wait list.

    Hand rolls
    Ethan W.

    Decent value for sushi prices in the city - for a price ref it ended up being ~30pp for a group of 4 and we got a few rolls, handrolls, bubus, plus an app Happy Hour is now $6 for 2 handrolls as of Jan 2026. A bit of a wait so try to get there a little early to put your name down in time Fish quality / flavoring they had was decent too, nothin off. Salmon sashimi was favorite out of all fishes Great to snack or satisfy sushi cravings if you're local / have easy access to this spot

    Happy hour hand rolls
    Nathalie C.

    They have really good happy hour here. Prices are very affordable and the portions are pretty good. For $3 handroll, I think this place is solid. You should come right during opening so you don't have to wait in line, we came 5 minutes of opening and got seated right away. Service was great, food was delicious and fish was fresh.

    Handrolls
    Heather D.

    I've had my eye on Bubus happy hour for a while now and she did not disappoint! The quality of the food plus the 5-6 price range is an absolute gem of a deal, we decided to enjoy the sunny weather and ate in the patio (so pup friendly as well!) the service was quick, seamless, and all together a great experience. I will be back for more of this happy hour greatness!

    nigiri
    Katherine L.

    Ordered delivery so can't speak to service nor ambiance. i see how they manage a $5 happy hour this is terrible. fish is limp, one has crazy miware it's basically two pieces, rice is half-cooked. karaage and hamachi collar are mid. unwilling to revisit

    Crystalin B.

    My husband and I stopped by on a random Monday we both had off and lined up at 3:45 to make happy hour. We were the second couple in line and it started filling up around 4:00 (they open at 4:30). We were seated right away and the servers greeted us with warm towels and a paper menu to select our items. You get two rounds and 60 minutes total which was more than enough time for us. We focused on the hand rolls, and my favorite was the salmon skin hand roll. The salmon kama dish was actually the best thing we ordered IMO - so flavorful, especially the fatty parts. They even brought us a second order for free because they felt the first didn't have enough meat. I thought that was really nice of them especially because we didn't even say anything about it. Overall, everything was pretty good. I'm not sure if I'd come back outside of happy hour but it was still a solid experience.

    Hamachi Sashimi
    Brandi H.

    I've seen a lot of videos about Bubu and their happy hour. My friend and I got an early dinner here and made it in time for happy hour. Surprisingly there wasn't a long wait for a Saturday night but it was a little early for dinner. You write your name down on a piece of paper and just wait for your turn. There is seating inside and outside. It is a small restaurant. You can order off the regular menu during this time if you want. When the happy hour is almost over, they'll ask for last orders. You get 2 rounds of happy hour ordering. My friend and I tried almost all of the handrolls. Her favorite was the salmon avo handroll and mine was the negi toro handroll. The fish quality was pretty good for the price. Not fishy at all. We ordered all of the crispy bubu just to try it and it was pretty much whatever fish on top of crispy rice. We didn't realize how filling it would be. Good to try but we probably wouldn't order it again next time or if we did, maybe just one. Each order comes with 2 pieces. We loved the sashimi. The salmon and hamachi were the favorites. It came with a small side of seaweed salad too so that was a good addition. We got the peach bomb and lychee mojito for $7 off the happy hour menu too. We didn't order any of the hot foods or premium handrolls but maybe next time. Would definitely come back! It was a pleasant experience and the service was good. They gave us a warm towelette before our meal which was lovely.

    New menu as of March 2026

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    Bubu Reviews in Other Languages

    Ask the Community - Bubu

    Are there speakers / music in the restaurant? If so, would it be possible to ask for it to be turned off?

    Well, the ambiance is cozy and nice and there IS some Asian pop vibe music playing that isn't too loud on the 2 occasions I visited.… Read more

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    3.8(1.1k reviews)
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    This place is on the second floor of the Japantown mall. Went with someone in crutches, and there's…read morea lot of stairs. Elevator is on the other corner of the center, so you do have to go a little around to get there if you need an elevator. Not too bad though. Small restaurant. Most of their tables are great for a group of 4 but I'm guessing they could just push together tables if your group is a little larger. Service was good. All our dishes were great. The sushi wraps were good but they can be a bit messy. 2 sushi wraps, 1 ramen, 1 sushi roll, seaweed salad, 2 sodas, came out to about $90. We'll be back to try more.

    Small unassuming sushi spot on second floor of Japan Center Mall. The restaurant is on the inside…read morepart of the floor, so no windows, which made it a little dark. We were seated pretty quickly on a Sunday evening, and there were a couple of other parties there. They had a sign advertising a special where you can order two items from a list and it comes with soup, salad, and rice, but we ended up just splitting two house special rolls - the Salmon Mango roll and Rock N Roll roll (tuna, avocado, spicy mayo). Both were delicious. I particularly liked the Salmon Mango roll - it was a perfect mix of sweet and savory. The rolls came with 8 pieces each and each piece was a good size, so it was plenty for two of us. I also got a Sapporo beer (bottle) to sip on. Overall, good experience - quick, efficient service and satisfying meal.

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    Domo - Daddy Roll @colorful.eats

    Domo

    4.0(1k reviews)
    0.8 miHayes Valley
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    such a cute date spot. it's soo romantic. the seating outside r all benches facing the road and…read morethey have a heat lamp above every single bench. also u can ask for a blanket, they'll provide one to keep u extra toasty. now onto the food. i'm impressed by the ratio of yuzu in some of the dishes we ordered. it worked wonders with the salmon citron and hamachi crudo (OUR FAV) i can't stop thinking about it!!! and the black pearl (scallop + truffle another heavenly pairing) also had that hint of citron that never once overpowered the fish even tho u can taste it clear as day workers there are also attentive and personable, i so so recommend!

    Tried this place for the first time and I loved it! I came on a Monday night at 7pm, so getting a…read moreseat wasn't a problem. It's a smaller place though so that's something to keep in mind for a day that might be busier. The service was very attentive and friendly. I'll always order salmon collar if I see it on a menu and this one was huge! It's felt like a whole salmon fillet along with the collar. The black pearl roll was my favorite. It had a good seared flavor and the dollop of truffle pate on top wasn't overwhelming. The jalapeño hamachi was also a solid choice. I'd pass on the zesty salmon tempura roll next time, but I'm also not the biggest fan of shrimp tempura in general. I'll definitely come back here. I loved the quaint atmosphere and the generous amount of fish given in each dish.

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    Tenroku Sushi

    Tenroku Sushi

    3.7(595 reviews)
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    Fun, efficient, simple. Nothing to add…read more I've been to a few conveyor belt, boat-sushi type spots in Japantown and I always end up back at Tenroku! Is it the best sushi ever? Not quite. I think expectations are usually low when going to these types of spots but given the quality and price, it's actually pretty surprising. I usually stop by for dinner on weeknights. It can get busy sometimes but I've never waited more than 10-15 minutes. Service is quick and friendly. The goal is to get you seated and taken care of right away. Once you sit down, it's game on. Chefs are busting out all different kinds of dishes for you to try. They also take requests if there's something on the menu you'd like to try. I love not having to commit to a roll and being able to try a ton of different things. Admittedly, I keep coming back for the seared walu. The plate color lets you know the price of what you're getting. Most plates come with 2-4 pieces and run from $3 - $8. I can make this dinner as cheap or expensive as I'd like!

    First of all, this is a sushi boat spot in the Japantown Mall--so let's set expectations. You can't…read morecompare it to a Michelin-star Japanese restaurant. Sushi circles around on a conveyor belt, and some of it has clearly been riding for a while. There are also packaged, grocery-style items on the belt like cake and uni. That said, it's good and possibly fresh, and the chefs are clearly working hard. It's not creative or romantic--it is what it is. We had several solid items, left full, and that was the goal after seeing a movie. It was pretty quick, too.

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    Oma San Francisco Station

    Oma San Francisco Station

    4.3(351 reviews)
    0.1 miJapantown, Lower Pacific Heights
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    Actual rating: 4.5 stars…read more Definitely recommend making reservations as there are only eight seats available. It kind of makes me feel like I'm in a station since it's a counter space is right out in the open in a corner amongst all the cute little boutique shops and dessert places between Peace Plaza and the indoor bridge. $120 for the sixteen-item omakase set when we went back in February 2025. Courteous, polite service. They provided a wet towelette for us to wipe our fingers and instructed us to eat each sushi piece in one bite. The temperature of the fish was not too warm and not too cold. I loved the variety of sashimi offered, especially the charred ones! Out of all the dishes, the smoked trout with the egg yolk and the Hokkaido scallop stood out. Only dish I wasn't too crazy about was the squid and pickled lotus root/eggplant, which was shocking to me since I normally love all those things! The texture of the pickled lotus was starchy. Aside from that, we enjoyed our omakase experience at Oma San Francisco Station and would definitely recommend!

    We were in the area for the cherry blossoms and decided to try our luck with a walk-in. We knew…read morethis spot was tiny--tucked away in a corner with only 8 seats--so we weren't expecting much, but to our surprise, there were only two people inside when we walked by. We were able to snag seats right away. We ordered the Tsubame set, and it was a great experience from start to finish. It began with a cabbage salad topped with mentaiko dressing, snow crab, and a firefly squid--such a unique and flavorful opener. The first round of nigiri included iwana, miyabi tai, inada, and kanpachi, all incredibly fresh and well-balanced. Then came sashimi with three slices of umi masu, followed by another round of nigiri: itoyoridai, kurodai, hirame, and a rich, melt-in-your-mouth otoro. YUMMM Next was a standout chef's dish--grilled miso black cod--perfectly cooked and deeply flavorful. We also added Hokkaido uni and hotate as extras, which I'm having mixed feelings. Dessert wrapped things up nicely with green tea ice cream, a slice of strawberry, and a flaky cookie. Everything was so, so good. We'll definitely be back to try their other tiers.

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    Starter

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    Izumi Kaiten Sushi

    Izumi Kaiten Sushi

    3.6(270 reviews)
    0.2 miJapantown, Lower Pacific Heights
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    We've been coming here for over 10 years, and it's still one of our absolute favorites in…read moreJapantown. The quality has been consistently excellent -- fresh fish, beautifully prepared rolls, and simple dishes done right. You can tell they care about the ingredients and the craft. What keeps us coming back isn't just the sushi, though. It's the whole experience. The staff is warm and welcoming, the atmosphere is relaxed, and it feels like a place that values its regulars. Over the years we've celebrated casual lunches, quick dinners, and special occasions here, and it has never disappointed. The nigiri is always fresh and clean, the rice perfectly seasoned, and the specials are worth trying every time. Even after a decade, we still find ourselves saying, "This is really good," with the first bite. A true Japantown staple -- reliable, authentic, and consistently excellent. The only suggestion is to not wipe tables with as much bleach.

    Been eating here when we are in Japantown, cute little spot- Conveyer Belt sushi place. Mostly bar…read moretype seating area, and three tables to sit. We were seated at the bar area since the tables were occupied. The waitress was very quick and fast, setting us up with waters and chopsticks. Sushi is plated and charged by the color of the plate- blue is their most pricier options, which I got a lot of so I had stop eating that option, and I went for yellow or orange! Sushi was fresh, I am a Saba fan so that's what I mostly ate. Uni was fresh, and Amaebi was good. Overall, if you want something fast, the wait wasn't long, (of course it'll change on the weekend) times would be long because of the seating, try this place out! We will be back!

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    Izumi Kaiten Sushi - Extra plates are seen in the background staked up on top of that fridge.   There were only 2 other groups.  Why leave more raw fish out!

    Extra plates are seen in the background staked up on top of that fridge. There were only 2 other groups. Why leave more raw fish out!

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    Bubu - sushi - Updated May 2026

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