Sushi and sashimi at a Japanese restaurant to me are the epitome of peking duck at a Chinese restaurant--they're elitist dishes that lack the charm and character of the people. Eiji is the definition of a hole-in-the-wall; I stared at the front for a good minute to confirm it was the right restaurant. The inside is tiny and cozy, and it seemed to be owned and operated solely by a small Japanese family. Don't order the sushi and sashimi. I'm sure they are amazing, but opt for the daily specials and their specialty tofu and desserts. These dishes hint at the lives of the daily commuting Japanese office worker, coming home to a hearty and humble meal filled with stories. If I wanted a sterile slab of maguro I'll pay the hefty price elsewhere. read more

This place is a neighborhood gem for sushi. Fresh fish and fun tofu soufflé options. They also have some specials so make sure to take a look at the board. The rainbow roll was really good with tender fish. I didn't love the flavor of the udon broth for the seafood udon special, but it was really fresh so more of a preference. The tofu soufflé is fun and unique so I'd recommend trying one of those (there are three different options). It's a very small restaurant with not too many tables and no reservations so be prepared for a bit of a wait if it's busy (the whole party must be present to be seated). The servers are very sweet. read more

Eiji - Udon - Sushi Bars Near Me - San Francisco, California

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Went on a Wednesday at 6PM and there was no line! Pretty small inside - most were tables for 2 or 4. We got the hot tofu to share, and I loved all the various toppings that came with it. We also got the spicy tuna roll and hamachi roll. The fish was very fresh, and the rolls were excellent! Overall, a little pricier than I expected. They also had an $18 minimum per person. However, high quality fish! read more

Eiji - Odabo tofu - Sushi Bars Near Me - San Francisco, California

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This is a very charming area with very solid food. Its a bit small and all party members will need to be present before they can seat you. We had a small logistic issue with a party of 6(they really dont want more than 4 for a table) but resolved it when splitting the group up. This place is most known for their homemade tofu and strawberry mochi. Of course we tried all of the three they offered. My favorite was the ankake tofu. The eggplant miso was surprising good with some nutty flavor on top. Very unique appetizer. We also order sashimi and miso soup and the quality and food was very good. Would defnitiely recommend this place for their overall quality of food and pretty good for the price too! read more

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Cozy Japanese restaurant known for its strawberry mochi, house made tofu and chef selection nigiri that has something for everyone. Decor is minimal but the food speaks for itself. Service is quick and they do not take reservations but rather a verbal waitlist. read more

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While visiting San Francisco, my friends and I had a sushi itch we needed to scratch. A few places we tried didn't pan out, and we almost blinked & missed this place. I'm glad we didn't! This place looks authentically Japanese, almost as if I walked into a place in Tokyo. The approximately 10 four seater tables were successfully served efficiently by one server and a few kitchen staff, in what might be the best sushi experience I've ever had. My friends and I split a cold beer, a couple rolls, and some edamame. Everything was amazing! I recommend the spicy tuna roll the most. I can't wait to visit San Francisco again to return! read more

Eiji - Sushi spread! - Sushi Bars Near Me - San Francisco, California

Very cozy and homey little restaurant -- very limited seating so we had to wait a long time as a group of 3. Would recommend going as a group of 2 since those parties got seated much faster. They're known for their homemade tofu, which reminded me of steamed egg! Very light and refreshing. We also got the rainbow roll and hamachi maki -- note that all the rolls have wasabi inside them. They also had a winter special, the nabeyaki udon, which was packed full of different types of seafood. The noodles were flat which was a surprise but they were yummy nonetheless. We also got two desserts to try -- the purple yam cake with vanilla ice cream (less of a cake, reminded me of a yam paste) and also their strawberry mochi. Both were very yummy ways to end the meal! The mochi tasted super fresh and was so incredibly soft. Was absolutely stuffed by the end of the meal for around $35 per person. The service was efficient and I appreciated that my water got refilled often! read more

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I came to Eiji with a friend recently, and I love this cozy Japanese spot! The restaurant itself has seating for less than 30 people. There are many unique dishes found at this restaurant that are not commonly found elsewhere in SF. The service was friendly, and we were given good recommendations on what to order and how much to order. Ankimo: Rich, silky, and beuatifully prepared. The monkfish liver has a taste similar to duck pate which I love! Black Cod: This cod tasted fresh, tender, and was perfectly cooked. Misonabe. There was a good proportion of seafood and vegetables in this cozy and comforting soup dish. The broth was savory and allowed the ingredients to soak up the flavor. Oboro Tofu: The tofu was quite hot was served, and I loved the texture. Deluxe Sushi: Fresh nigiri with a good amount of rice. read more

Authentic homey Japanese food like your grandma used to make. Everything is prepared with love and artistry. Even though we had to wait for 30 minutes for the table since it was Friday night and the restaurant was pretty crowded, it was worth the wait. I highly recommend to try their homemade tofu, seafood stew, and gyoza. Even the rice was so good. The place was warm, the hostess was courteous and accommodating. Will return. read more

Quite confused and disappointed with the waiting system here. There was no paper to sign up for our table. I went in to tell them that we would like a table for 2 and that my husband was on the way. Two other parties arrived just a few minutes before my husband rushed over. The waitress told us we would be seated last :( Idk if I was ridiculous but the hangry-ness combined with the cold weather made me give up. I was so turned off by the unfriendly attitude of the staff. Their mochi and tofu were good but I won't come back. read more

This is very good food. The food seems to oddly take awhile to order get your tea and wait for food but we were done in exactly one hour We had the homemade tofu, the teriyaki salmon. And an eel sushi, plus the raw fish over rice Served with brown tea $96. I forgot they add 4% if you use cc, so next time ode bring cash read more

Absolute gem. This hole-in-the-wall Japanese spot has a small menu and even smaller space, but they certainly don't let that stop them from creating one of my favorite restaurant experiences in SF. The space is super cozy and intimate, able to seat maybe 20 people max at a time. They don't take reservations, so you just have to hope for the best with a walk-in. There tends to be decent availability for lunch, but it can get extremely crowded in the evening. The staff is also remarkably friendly and kind, really adding to the overall cozy atmosphere -- it genuinely feels like I'm visiting someone's house with how comfortable and intimate the space is. While Eiji is primarily a sushi restaurant (and has a great selection of super fresh and wonderfully prepared sushi), my favorite thing has to be their freshly made tofu. My friend and I split their oboro tofu, which was absolutely delightful; it was freshly made tofu order and perfectly silky, warm, and comforting. The tofu itself is plain but comes with a soy sauce-based sauce and tons of small toppings you can mix and match with each scoop. Everything about this place felt like a warm hug, and I can't wait to come back and try more tofu. read more

Came here with a friend after work since we were craving some sushi in the mission. We were able to get seated in about 15 minutes, which was a surprise, considering how small the place is. We ordered quite a bit of food, including the sushi plate, sashimi, Hamachi Kama, Yamato, Amani, and their house tofu. Overall, the meal was pretty good. Sushi quality that night was also pretty good. read more

Eiji - 4/5 quality - Sushi Bars Near Me - San Francisco, California

Loved it. Not fancy, pretentious, or for IG scenesters. Solid, fresh, reliable family style Japanese restaurant that delivers the authentic vibe without effort. Don't miss the house-made tofus. read more

What an incredible hidden gem. Nothing here is fancy, but the food is homey and simple. We got: kamo (braised duck breast) - I was surprised to discover this is cold sliced duck (kind of reminds me of a Chinese salted duck, but obviously less salty). Simple but tasty. Yamakake (mountain yam over tuna) - This came with a cute raw quail egg. Good but not a must get (not going to be the best quality tuna you've had) oboro tofu - This was so good! Comes in a whole pot and then you spoon it into your bowl and add soy sauce + garnishes. Reminds me of a Chinese dish called doufunao. eggplant with walnuts miso - This was another winner. The addition of walnuts is ingenious and it was really well balanced - just the right amount of miso flavor to eggplant (better than the version I had at Sumika a week earlier). unadon - Pretty simple but tasty version. Again not the best unadon I've had, but hits the spot. read more

Man, what a great place to have in the area. It's a tiny spot with only like 4 or 5 tables, so be prepared to wait for a spot to sit, but it's worth it. YOUR WHOLE PARTY MUST BE THERE TO SIT, SO DONT EXPECT TO GET THERE EARLY AND HOLD A SEAT. Walking into this place really brought me back to being in Kyoto/Osaka. Everything looks, feels, smells like Japan, so I enjoyed that hit of nostalgia. The food here is delicious. They have a very unique homemade "Ankake" (Tofu in sauce) that we devoured immediately. We also decided to get a couple of their rotating specials, which were awesome: the broiled black cod and the Fatty Tuna. After that we had the Chirashi bowl and Spicy Tuna Roll. (I made mine into Chazuke with the green tea I ordered and it slapped... so hot insider tip, do that) We were getting pretty full at this point but decided to also try their daifuku and Sweet Potato Yokan. That was good because they're pretty light desserts, and they were very tasty as well. I dont think you can go wrong here. The only con is there's not enough seating to meet demand! read more

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We came for their HOMEMADE TOFU and got to try a lot of their homey specials! Came on a saturday for lunch, and got seated right away. Of course, we had the Homemade Ankake Tofu which came hot and was extremely soft, silky, and jiggly. Special Miso Soup - from the photos it looked so milky and good but I could not tell what was special about it. It was a good miso soup, on the saltier side... maybe more miso soup? Idk I would pass. (But looking at the photos... the special miso soup that others had looks milkier and oiler like tonkotsu broth... maybe they gave us the wrong one T T we were definitely charged tho. Double check!) Eggplant with Walnuts - This was delicious!! The walnut topping was so good and honestly when have I ever cooked eggplant? It was great. Tasted nutty and healthy. Miso Black Cod - tender and delicious. Strawberry Mochi Ichigo Daifuku - simple and delicious. Mochi, red bean, strawberry were perfect. Definitely end on this note! My favorite was the mochi and the eggplant surprisingly. Next time I'd want to try their other homemade tofu that's made in front of you. And their sashimi or nabe! read more

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This place gives really cozy vibes; seating is pretty limited, the menu is kind of japanese tapas style, and there are daily specials. The staff seems super small (just 1 server) and she's really sweet! I wasn't super blown away by the food, given the price and quantity. Everything was good, but it came out to about $35pp and I wasn't very full. I think this is a great place if you're down to splurge a bit at a cute family business! I liked the strawberry daifuku and sushi roll the most! They charge a 4% fee for all card transactions, and you need to hit $14pp. read more

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I love it here, the food is phenomenal and really well priced. It is a smaller venue, but I love how intimate and authentic the space feels. Get there early. read more

We got the regular assorted sushi, dragon roll, and ankake tofu. The tofu was very soft and delicious, the rice to fish ratio on the sushi was very generous and the portion was bigger than i was expecting! Our service here was great and we were seated right away, the restaurant has limited seating so i would not recommend a group larger than 4 people. The restaurant is decorated with japanese ambiance and was very clean! read more

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Good food, lots of tofu that I really enjoy. That being said, the service is bad. The first time we went there, the waitress was not friendly and took forever to take our order. The second time, we went during their open hours, but the door was locked and the sign said closed. Their resturant was full and the waitress saw us, but didn't come out and say anything. Not sure what this places deal is. Maybe they really don't care if you eat there or not. After we gave up because of the waitress' lack of acknowledgement, we saw two parties trying to do the same thing we did. One group gave up, the other one got the waitress to come out but she chased them away. If you can get in it's worth a try, but honestly two lack luster experiences in a row isn't wonderful. read more

3.5/5 Cozy mom-and-pop sushi restaurant! It's a smaller restaurant with little ventilation and the tables are closer together. I've been here twice and have gotten the same thing both times: their Chef's choice assorted sushi Regular which is 7-piece nigiri and a 6-piece tuna maki roll for $26. It's a solid amount of food and fish quality is decent. I've also gotten their recommended cold tofu but thought it was just ok. Parking is easy since it's right next to a school. read more

Eiji - Chef's Choice Assorted Regular - Sushi Bars Near Me - San Francisco, California

TLDR: Weekdays are best, nigiri and miso soup is amazing, pass on dessert My friend and I stumbled in here on a Wednesday night before seeing a show at Café Du Nord. immediately felt like we were transported to a quaint Japanese countryside to a mom and pop shop. besides us, there were only 4 other patrons in the restaurant! We were ravenous so we shared edamame, miso soup, the deluxe, and a spicy tuna roll. it was more than enough food especially if you're inebriated (hehe!) we also got the purple potato dessert, but it was tiny...I could've easily swallowed it whole. The nigiri is the what I would come back for, as the pieces were so large, I could hardly fit them in my mouth! The quality was so fresh, and I got to try a few fish that I had never had before through the Deluxe. Finding out what you don't like is just as important as finding what you do ;) Highly recommend coming to check this place out on a weekday and having an intimate, authentic sushi dinner. I will be back to try some non-sushi options! read more

Eiji - Spicy Tuna Roll, Edamame, Deluxe combo, Tamago , Egg - Sushi Bars Near Me - San Francisco, California

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Was in the city with some friends and was looking for a place to get some food and found this. Upon entering it seemed nice with a cozy vibe. What made this place interesting is that they have home made tofu where you can have it cold or steamed. We ended up getting the cold tofu and that was really good. I would say the proportion is small so I don't think I would pay the $7 for it again though. They do offer a variety of items on their menu that is similar to any other Japanese restaurant you would go to. I did order the bento box and overall, the teriyaki chicken was good. The sushi is decent and the miso soup was overall tasty. The service was a bit slow and we did have to ask several times for our check. read more

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Great quality of all fish!!! Really cozy place with fast service that became our favorite!! read more

Eiji - Hamachi nigiri, saba Saba-Gari (6 Pcs) - Sushi Bars Near Me - San Francisco, California

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I imagine this restaurant is easily overlooked due to it being the quiet neighbor of Kitchen Story, but I'm so happy to have found it! It has homey traditional Japanese vibes, and is peacefully cozy. We ordered a couple sushi rolls (which were good but as you'd expect), the oboro tofu, and purple potato yokan. The homemade oboro tofu was cloud-like and silky (like soy milk just crossed the threshold to solid)- it came with little savory garnishes but I actually preferred it on its own, where I could really taste the subtle sweetness and enjoy the creaminess in its simplest/purest form. The yokan was smooth and surprisingly mild but it still held up well against the vanilla ice cream. read more

Eiji - Sushi Bars Near Me - San Francisco, California

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Came to Eiji with a friend Tuesday evening. The inside is small and quaint, with only 7 tables. We got pretty lucky and only had to wait 10 minutes to get seated. We got the deluxe sashimi, the rainbow roll, and ankake tofu. The sashimi was cut pretty thick and the quality was fair, although there were some pieces that were tough and chewy. I didn't love the rainbow roll as the rice was somewhat hard and dry. The fish in the roll was also not very fresh. They are known for their house made tofu. I'm usually not the biggest fan, but I tried some and it was steaming hot, soft, and flavorful. I was really hoping to order the miso black cod but didn't see it on the menu, and only realized later that it was on the daily special menu board. If I came next time, I would love to try that and the strawberry daifuku. read more

Eiji - Sashimi Deluxe - Sushi Bars Near Me - San Francisco, California

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Very nice restaurant run by a nice couple. Everything is made to order. The special homemade tofu is worth trying.

One of the charms of Eiji is the fun of walking into a small door and finding yourself transported to Japan. This cozy restaurant offers authentic cooking and the freshest sashimi. I can't wait to go back and try other items on the menu read more

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Completely unfriendly service, so off putting I'll never come back. We waited for a long time and several parties who arrived after us were seated before us. They do not post their seating rules anywhere and they're completely arbitrary. The staff was rude and I'm not going to beat around the push about it. Avoiding. read more

I really wanted to like this place--the staff were friendly and welcoming, which made the poor quality of the food all the more disappointing. Unfortunately, the sushi, particularly the nigiri, did not taste fresh at all. The unagi was especially bad: dry, overcooked, and borderline burnt. It completely lacked the rich, tender texture you'd expect from good eel. While I appreciate good service, I come to a sushi restaurant for fresh, high-quality fish, and this just missed the mark entirely. Sadly, I won't be coming back. There are much better options out there. read more

We were excited to try this place but had a disappointing experience with the host. We were told it would be a 20-minute wait and that we'd be seated after the couple ahead of us. Since it was a cold night, we walked around the block to stay warm and came back before our turn. The couple ahead of us was seated, but we were told we'd lost our spot because we had stepped away -- even though this rule was never mentioned. It felt unfair and we ended up leaving. Clear communication would have made all the difference read more

The waitress, who I assume is the wife of the chef and the co-owner, was almost hilarious with her unbelievable rudeness. My friend and I ordered two oboro tofu. which is hot tofu that they used to make to order at the table. We were told we can't order two, because one is big enough for two people. That was NOT my memory, so we asked for two anyway. She insisted, no; we HAVE to share ONE. So we reluctantly ordered ONE, and perused the menu for what else we could get. We asked if the eggplant was gluten-free (I have celiac), and she said no, and if I can't have gluten, I'd better stay away from almost anything else on the menu since the pickled veggies have gluten, as does their wasabi. Huh?? Since when do rice vinegar and wasabi have gluten?? So we asked her to put in the order for the one tofu, and that we'll think about the other dishes. She said no, we need to order EVERYTHING at once, now. So we said, okay, we'll just get the one tofu and the eggplant, that my companion can eat. She then said, "There's a minimum charge of $18 per person." So I said, we'll order two tofu anyway, and we'll take home what I can't eat." (So there!) She replied, "We have no take-out containers." Ha! I have take-out containers in my car! I would have preferred to leave, but my companion had never had made-to-order tofu and was curious, so we stayed. But the service continued to be awful; she reminded us of the Soup Nazi. The tofu is no longer made at the table, and arrived lukewarm. She cleared the eggplant side dish before it was completely eaten. And the check arrived with a warning of a 4% credit card surcharge. We paid cash, and left as quickly as we could. The food was not good enough for me to retrieve takeout containers from my car. The woman seems to take sadistic pleasure in making diners miserable. If she's unhappy being there, I wish she would find another job. read more

5.5 stars+ had an amazing dinner on their last night this place had amazing basics gyoza (clearly made in house) - so flavorful white rice - why was their steamed white rice a highlight? but it was salmon sashimi steamed cold tofu dragon roll - avocado was so soft oh so good read more

this might be the quietest restaurant i've ever been to in SF. it truly feels like a cozy family-run restaurant you might find in the middle of japan. the specials menu had some items like garland that i'd never even heard of but we stuck to the regular menu this time. * homemade tofu (cold) - the tofu had an amazing texture but overall was a bit bland unless you love the taste of fresh tofu on its own * chirashi bowl - really beautiful and a decent amount of fish for the price. however one of the pieces was way too chewy and it came with a lot of tamago which i don't really like. * salmon skin salad - this was the highlight for me! it came in rolls which was a nice surprise and the crunchy veggies were a perfect offset for the rich crispy salmon skin. * daifuku mochi - this was a thin layer of mochi wrapped around a strawberry. a light refreshing dessert that wasn't too sweet. the service was very attentive (not surprising since we were only one of two tables there at the time). i'd love to come back to try more of their non-sushi items. read more

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I recently had knee surgery and am able to walk only a few blocks in my neighborhood with my puppy. I've eaten (inside/take out) here countless times as I live three blocks away. I called shortly after opening on a Friday to make a pick up order. I called perhaps 5-7 times and always voicemail. This is the reason I made early contact. I walk to the business and placed my order, the staff and server were frenzied, unlike a sushi restaurant in Japan. I lived in Shinjuku for 8 months for my job and realize a great restaurant when I see one. Relaxed, great vibe, attentive staff, etc. After walking around and paying $100 for just three items, I was disappointed. I'd like to continue supporting this neighborhood gem, but it's time to step up the game. I'm going to try new sushi restaurants moving forward, even if I need to get into my car. No, I'm not a fan of the online ordering apps, and exorbitant fees. Tried to add my call log but one must submit more than one picture. Happy dining! read more

Eiji is perfect! It's hard to find really good authentic Japanese food in sf and this is the perfect spot. Seating is limited so that can feel a little tricky but worth a wait. Their oboro tofu is amazing (: ちょうおいしかった*:.｡ .｡.:* read more

Eiji - Ichigo daifuku - Sushi Bars Near Me - San Francisco, California

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Try out the different types of tofu here. The various types of fresh tofu are delicious, delightful, and intriguing. I recommend nigori sake to go with the meal. You want to get various dishes to go with the tofu. I liked the duck. I recommend other cooked dishes. The sushi is good, but it is not their specialty. You're missing out if you haven't been here yet. read more

It's refreshing to experience a traditional Japanese restaurant in the Castro. The establishment is pretty tiny and could only fit a small volume of customers- we ended up sitting outside and our server put a heater on the bottom to combat the normally cooler SF evening. The menu has a variety of items and we ordered some unique traditional dishes including sesame spinach, mackerel (Saba) with bitter melon, 2 types of homemade tofu: hot and cold, the regular sushi chef special with 7 pieces of nigiri and a tuna roll, house made gyoza, rainbow/ dragon rolls, and a large hot sake. We enjoyed the homemade tofu, gyoza, and mackerel- they were tasty, flavorful and comforting. The nigiri was decent, but some fish didn't taste as fresh and were a bit tough. The rolls were ok, but small. I appreciated the real crab in the rolls but found a few hard crab shell pieces I had to spit out. Prices are steeper and for 3 ppl, our bill was about $120 and we weren't that full. Good thing we had planned to get dessert afterwards. Glad to have tried it, nonetheless. read more

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My gf and I were really pumped to try this place after its raving reviews on Infatuation SF and man I couldn't be more disappointed. Service was good and ambiance was great - I felt like I was in Japan. But the food was subpar. The ceviche roll barely came with fish in it and tasted mediocre. Alaska roll was standard, nothing special. The fish wasn't that amazing. Cucumber salad was standard. A lot of people ordered udon soup - maybe we should have gotten that? We won't be coming back. read more

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