Nomu Skewers
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TL;DR: some good happy hour deals, but the food was just ok I'd walked by previously on Bush street and was intrigued by the location - it's kind of random, but also close enough to most of the tourist sites that I could see people dropping in. I love a good happy hour, so I wanted to check that out. It was pretty quiet when we were there. Happy hour runs from 4 to 530pm everyday, and there were a couple of tables the whole time but it was never busy. Service was friendly. We ordered quite the assortment of items including some alcohol: Crunchy tempura roll - this was fine, it was everything you expected and came with two shrimp tempura. I wish it was crunchier, but maybe we just didn't get freshly fried shrimp in ours. A lady sitting next to us was chatting with the server and it turns out she's a regular who always gets this item. Chicken Karaage - also acceptable, you could taste a little hint of ginger in the marinade which I appreciated. It was pretty much fried chicken with a mayo based dipping sauce, yum! Rainbow Roll - generous amount of fish on top of a California roll. This was fine, I think their fish quality was just ok, interesting since I think most places have access to high quality fish in the city. Skewer sampler - came with one skewer each of zucchini, chicken scallion, shrimp, bacon mochi and pork belly. Not a bad deal, you could tell the these were grilled on a butane grill which I expected based on the set up. I think this was a good deal, considering their skewers are pretty pricey at regular price. Sushi sampler - came with one piece of nigiri each of sake, akami, hamachi, albacore and a roll of spicy tuna maki. The fish quality was just ok like I said above, and the spicy tuna was just ok too. I'm probably just not a big fan of spicy tuna though. The alcohol seemed expensive at first but the beer is $10 for a 720ml bottle which is pretty good value! I got the house cold sake which was a can of sake - it was fine with food. All in all, I think the happy hour deal is pretty good, there are many other options in the city though!
I walked out after ordering wagu beef twice. The first time it came tough and overcooked. I was not asked how I wanted it cooked but never imagined high quality beef would be served well done. I sent it back and thought I would order sushi. Instead. The waitresses insisted that I give the beef another try. I explained I wanted it medium rare, or pink. After waiting., it came red or rare. I was so pissed off I just walked out. I explained what I wanted to two different waitresses. Awful. Despite advertising that this dish comes with vegetables, it comes with a pile of bland undercooked cabbage. This meal would have been a punishment to eat so I declined.
I loved this place. Such a cute location, yummy food, and great server. I also ordered a skewer but it was so good that it didn't make it to the picture... They have plenty of skewers options and I'd argue it's the item in the menu that makes this place particularly unique, along with a fair selection of different Japanese beer. Sushi was phenomenal too.
Had a friend come into town and was on the hunt for a good sushi happy hour spot, and this one pleasantly surprised me. Happy hour runs from 4-5:30 PM, and we got there around 5. We had a reservation, but honestly it wasn't crowded... probably didn't need one! Friendly service too. They have a solid-sized happy hour menu with drinks around $9-$10 (I wasn't drinking). I was really happy with the food overall. Garlic edamame 5/5: Some of the best I've had! Loved the spicy sauce Chicken karaage 5/5: Super crispy outside, juicy inside, and the house dipping sauce was Crunchy Tempura Roll 5/5: A classic roll done well. Rainbow Roll 4/5: Good, but not amazing. For SF prices, the happy hour is a great deal! $9/$10 rolls is hard to beat. Would definitely come back and actually try the skewers next time.
Pretty busy on a dark, rainy Tuesday night and they also do a pretty good takeout and delivery game! Service was fine. Could've been faster but they were just busy. I took Unagi Don and Spicy Chirashi Don to-go. Portions were large and yummy, lots of fish and also a diverse array of vegetables. They have a pretty good happy hour menu so I will be back for that!
Can't say for the sushi menu but regardless of the price (which is high), the udon was disappointing. First, everything was way too light. The broth tasted like I made it at home with hondashi and a frozen udon grocery packet. The tempura were mostly abnormal veggies: green bean, broccoli. There was one meager shrimp tempura, but the heaviness of the batter masked its flavor.
Quality is really good and i would dare say matches the price point. i love salmon roe so much! my friend also enjoyed his skewers. Service took a while i don't know if it's cause we sat outside on a busy weeknight. but the servers were nice! thank you for the dinner
They didn't have the item I had seen on the menu the night I went, the Uni Spoon :-( But it was a good izakaya experience. Space is limited so better have a reservation, even for a 2-top. Service is attentive and the ambiance is great for a date night. It's a bit of a splurge, but the quality and execution justify the price. recommended.
Waitress was very nice and helpful. Very small and quaint place. Not crowded. Light noise level. The food was very delicious. Great menu options.There was not a long wait time fir food. Arrived 430pm on a Wed.
I came on Friday night half and hour before they were closing and they were taking last orders when we walked in. (I apologize for walking in late but we made sure to finish our meal in an appropriate time) There was no wait and it didn't seem busy at all. It has a very modern and cool feel inside. The gyoza was very standard and I feel like the bacon mochi skewer stood out the most to me. It was definitely tasty however I feel it wasn't really worth the price.
Service: great Happy hour: yes please Matcha beer: amazing Spicy garlic edamame: duh Rainbow roll: yum Everything was great, especially the Kyoto matcha IPA for happy hour. I will come back to have an actual meal here rather than a snack.
We went there for happy hour on a Friday evening and it wasn't hard to find seating. But I would recommend reservations for dinning. There's only 6-7 tables. Place is very modern and kept clean. Happy Hour is everyday 4-5:30pm We got the matcha IP was very good and Orion (light beer). They were around $8. (that's HH pricing in downtown for you). For food we got the garlic edamame which was so good but the chilli oil probably gave me the heartburn later. The rainbow roll was decent too. Overall would recommend giving it a try!
3 months ago
Just stumbled across this down the street from my hotel, and it's honestly one of the best Japanese restaurants I've had for a reasonable price and casual atmosphere. Service was great. The Red Dragon roll was amazing & my favorite skewer was the Pork Belly. Best miso soup I've ever had. read more
Small Japanese restaurant that specializes in skewered meat it is a fine spot worth the meal, but a bit pricy for what you get. My friend wanted to come here so we made reservations and came for an early dinner walking from our hotel. The restaurant is small, and fills up quickly. The tables are packed fairly close together not providing much in terms of elbow room. The servers were perfunctory and no-nonsense. They were constantly taking orders and bringing food out. Very busy. The food itself was fine. They were out of several type of skewers which was not immediately known. It was one of those situations where we placed our order, server came back to say they were out, placed another order, repeat process. For the price point I was expecting something a bit more but it was neither a stellar nor disappointing meal, just largely forgettable. read more
2 months ago
I was staying at a hotel on the same block and walked here alone for dinner. The patio and dining room are really spacious and cute, and the staff was all very attentive and welcoming. I saw that the restaurant was known for skewers, so I wanted to try a few different ones. I thought the food was fine, but didn't match the price points at all. The brussels sprouts skewer came with 7 half sprouts total (so 3.5 whole brussels) for $7, and the corn came with 2 corn ear halves for $7. I thought it was a little steep for vegetables that seemed minimally seasoned. The lobster skewer came with a big slathering of mayonnaise and salmon roe. I thought the lobster meat itself was pretty dry, and there was wayyyy too much mayo that overpowered the fish. It tasted more like straight mayo than any kind of sauce. I also ordered a side of salmon nigiri, which I really liked. I ordered a few glasses of white wine and had a nice solo date. I'd rate this restaurant as OK... I had a good time and left full, and I know rents in downtown SF must be steep, but I didn't feel like the quality/portions matched what I paid for them. read more
TL;DR: some good happy hour deals, but the food was just ok I'd walked by previously on Bush street and was intrigued by the location - it's kind of random, but also close enough to most of the tourist sites that I could see people dropping in. I love a good happy hour, so I wanted to check that out. It was pretty quiet when we were there. Happy hour runs from 4 to 530pm everyday, and there were a couple of tables the whole time but it was never busy. Service was friendly. We ordered quite the assortment of items including some alcohol: Crunchy tempura roll - this was fine, it was everything you expected and came with two shrimp tempura. I wish it was crunchier, but maybe we just didn't get freshly fried shrimp in ours. A lady sitting next to us was chatting with the server and it turns out she's a regular who always gets this item. Chicken Karaage - also acceptable, you could taste a little hint of ginger in the marinade which I appreciated. It was pretty much fried chicken with a mayo based dipping sauce, yum! Rainbow Roll - generous amount of fish on top of a California roll. This was fine, I think their fish quality was just ok, interesting since I think most places have access to high quality fish in the city. Skewer sampler - came with one skewer each of zucchini, chicken scallion, shrimp, bacon mochi and pork belly. Not a bad deal, you could tell the these were grilled on a butane grill which I expected based on the set up. I think this was a good deal, considering their skewers are pretty pricey at regular price. Sushi sampler - came with one piece of nigiri each of sake, akami, hamachi, albacore and a roll of spicy tuna maki. The fish quality was just ok like I said above, and the spicy tuna was just ok too. I'm probably just not a big fan of spicy tuna though. The alcohol seemed expensive at first but the beer is $10 for a 720ml bottle which is pretty good value! I got the house cold sake which was a can of sake - it was fine with food. All in all, I think the happy hour deal is pretty good, there are many other options in the city though! read more
2 months ago
I walked out after ordering wagu beef twice. The first time it came tough and overcooked. I was not asked how I wanted it cooked but never imagined high quality beef would be served well done. I sent it back and thought I would order sushi. Instead. The waitresses insisted that I give the beef another try. I explained I wanted it medium rare, or pink. After waiting., it came red or rare. I was so pissed off I just walked out. I explained what I wanted to two different waitresses. Awful. Despite advertising that this dish comes with vegetables, it comes with a pile of bland undercooked cabbage. This meal would have been a punishment to eat so I declined. read more
I loved this place. Such a cute location, yummy food, and great server. I also ordered a skewer but it was so good that it didn't make it to the picture... They have plenty of skewers options and I'd argue it's the item in the menu that makes this place particularly unique, along with a fair selection of different Japanese beer. Sushi was phenomenal too. read more
10 months ago
Had a friend come into town and was on the hunt for a good sushi happy hour spot, and this one pleasantly surprised me. Happy hour runs from 4-5:30 PM, and we got there around 5. We had a reservation, but honestly it wasn't crowded... probably didn't need one! Friendly service too. They have a solid-sized happy hour menu with drinks around $9-$10 (I wasn't drinking). I was really happy with the food overall. Garlic edamame 5/5: Some of the best I've had! Loved the spicy sauce Chicken karaage 5/5: Super crispy outside, juicy inside, and the house dipping sauce was Crunchy Tempura Roll 5/5: A classic roll done well. Rainbow Roll 4/5: Good, but not amazing. For SF prices, the happy hour is a great deal! $9/$10 rolls is hard to beat. Would definitely come back and actually try the skewers next time. read more
5 months ago
Pretty busy on a dark, rainy Tuesday night and they also do a pretty good takeout and delivery game! Service was fine. Could've been faster but they were just busy. I took Unagi Don and Spicy Chirashi Don to-go. Portions were large and yummy, lots of fish and also a diverse array of vegetables. They have a pretty good happy hour menu so I will be back for that! read more
5 months ago
Can't say for the sushi menu but regardless of the price (which is high), the udon was disappointing. First, everything was way too light. The broth tasted like I made it at home with hondashi and a frozen udon grocery packet. The tempura were mostly abnormal veggies: green bean, broccoli. There was one meager shrimp tempura, but the heaviness of the batter masked its flavor. read more
Quality is really good and i would dare say matches the price point. i love salmon roe so much! my friend also enjoyed his skewers. Service took a while i don't know if it's cause we sat outside on a busy weeknight. but the servers were nice! thank you for the dinner read more
They didn't have the item I had seen on the menu the night I went, the Uni Spoon :-( But it was a good izakaya experience. Space is limited so better have a reservation, even for a 2-top. Service is attentive and the ambiance is great for a date night. It's a bit of a splurge, but the quality and execution justify the price. recommended. read more
7 months ago
Waitress was very nice and helpful. Very small and quaint place. Not crowded. Light noise level. The food was very delicious. Great menu options.There was not a long wait time fir food. Arrived 430pm on a Wed. read more
I came on Friday night half and hour before they were closing and they were taking last orders when we walked in. (I apologize for walking in late but we made sure to finish our meal in an appropriate time) There was no wait and it didn't seem busy at all. It has a very modern and cool feel inside. The gyoza was very standard and I feel like the bacon mochi skewer stood out the most to me. It was definitely tasty however I feel it wasn't really worth the price. read more
Service: great Happy hour: yes please Matcha beer: amazing Spicy garlic edamame: duh Rainbow roll: yum Everything was great, especially the Kyoto matcha IPA for happy hour. I will come back to have an actual meal here rather than a snack. read more
28 days ago
Great, welcoming service. Enjoyed the atmosphere on a late Saturday night and their sushi combos. Had a negative experience somewhere else and the manager took great care of us and turned our night around. read more
We went there for happy hour on a Friday evening and it wasn't hard to find seating. But I would recommend reservations for dinning. There's only 6-7 tables. Place is very modern and kept clean. Happy Hour is everyday 4-5:30pm We got the matcha IP was very good and Orion (light beer). They were around $8. (that's HH pricing in downtown for you). For food we got the garlic edamame which was so good but the chilli oil probably gave me the heartburn later. The rainbow roll was decent too. Overall would recommend giving it a try! read more
Good place in the financial district to have sushi and izakaya. They have a decent seating space, which I think will get packed on busy nights. We came on a Monday night so got seated right away. I tried the pork belly and chicken skewers - both were seasoned right and tasted good. My friend had the miso salmon that looked well prepared. Food was good, just slow. I also think they forgot our gyoza order so it came after we were done with our meals. I recommend this place if you're craving for Japanese type tapas read more
An intimate restaurant that is perfect for an evening dinner date. We had a reservation and were seated immediately. Known for their skewers, but we left enjoying their donburi (rice bowls) much more!! The Unagi Don and Sake Don were really delicious, and if I were to come back? I'd order either of them again! The unagi was SOOOOO tender and flavorful. The pickles really added a nice contrast of tanginess to the fatty eel. After a while, it does get a little heavy. The Sake Don definitely had more versatility in flavors! High quality salmon and ikura. Lots of cucumbers and veggies. So yummy! NOTE: Parking is very slim, but there's a paid garage across the street. read more
3 months ago
Had the Miso Soup and Flame Roll. Everything tasted ok. Server was nice and attentive. Good ambiance inside. read more
1 year ago
Great service with an absolutely lovely staff. I would definitely go back. My favorite cocktail was the yuzu drink. Yum! The food was very fresh and I enjoyed the choices. Good place with terrific casual vibe. Parking in street only. I was close by so we walked which was much more convenient. read more
11 months ago
love this place! we came happy hour time and got the sushi sample and skewer sampler and both were amazing! Also tried the garlic edamame and it was so yummy. Our server was so nice as well, great service. It was a pretty intimate vibe, and loved the decor. overall great experience, will be back if we are in the area. read more
Went on a Saturday evening. Place closes at 10 and is right next to china town dragon gate. The server was polite. But service is a bit slow. Got the miso soup which was perfect for the cold day. Also got the Chicken Karage. The sauce was very tasty and the chicken succulent The Mango Salmon roll as well as the Crunchy tempura roll were good. Fresh ingredients read more
5 months ago
Excellent spot! I have been here twice and both occasions the food was great. It is a smaller restaurant and the noise level is low which was great for bringing my grandparents. I've ordered the red dragon roll, gyoza, peppers and pork belly- would recommend read more
Food: Amazing food overall and the ikura don came with plenty of salmon which i appreciated. It was my first time trying chawamushi and that also was warm and comforting, very umami. The dishes were definitely on the saltier side, including the ikura don. Service: The staff are all friendly and polite, giving good recs for the small plates. Ambiance: Great for a night out or a date night! Nice seating area upstairs that makes it feel more intimate and away from the business of the downstairs. The restaurant is well lit and decorated. I would recommend this place, it is definitely worth a visit! read more
6 months ago
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10 months ago
5 months ago
An 8-min walk from the SF Playhouse. Cute little space to dine in. Good service. Servings are small and pricey - even for happy hour - but we are in SF. The sushi was good. The agadashi tofu was delicious. I ordered the miso salmon because they were out of the cod. It was thin and dry. Decent flavor though. Perhaps I should've tried the skewers. read more
2 years ago
My friend showed us this place and made a reservation for 4 for 8:30 pm. The menu had small plates with skewers and sushi dishes like nigiri and rolls. Took us a while to choose from all the options but the staff was nice to help us figure out items to try. We started with the yuzu cocktail which was sweet and tasty. Chawanmushi - A comforting appetizer to start. This dish was very hot but it had the best mushroom and chicken broth flavors. There was chicken, shrimp and mushrooms that were spread throughout the sweet, soft egg. American Wagyu Skewers - The meat was made really well, tender to the bite. The radish paste added a little freshness and the ponzu was a sweet saltiness we loved. Pork Belly Skewers - We loved this skewer and would get it again. It had a nice charring on the outside which made it smoky and lightly crisp. The meat itself was soft and fatty with a sweetness and savoriness coming from the house yakitori sauce. Chutoro, Sake, Hotate Nigiri - All of the pieces they gave us had such a good bite to them. They were fresh, fatty and had a light soy sauce on top. My favorite was the sake, it was thick and exactly what I wanted from salmon. Rainbow Roll - This was the star of the dishes for me. It came with salmon, tuna, hamachi, crab meat and unagi sauce on top. I loved the different textures of the fish and the freshness of the cucumber and avocado all came together. So happy we were able to discover this restaurant near downtown and I would definitely recommend it if you want some high quality dishes and a variety that will satisfy any cravings. read more
Visited downtown SF and stopped by this place after a recommendation from a friend. The place is small without much seating but it is very well decorated and is quite a vibe. It was during happy hour on a Sunday, so they had a few discounted rolls. We ordered a nigiri sampler and took turns deciding what we wanted to try. They service was great, they described everything on the sampler for us one by one which was super sweet. The food came out in around 20 mins and the ambiance is super nice. I don't typically go to high end/expensive sushi places, and this spot did not dissapoint. The happy hour roll I got was delicious, and each sample of nigiri was unique and had a distinct flavor. There is outdoor seating available but we turned it down since it was raining outside. I wanted to also try some of the dessert items as the dessert menu looked fantastic, but did not get a chance since I had to run. I look forward to coming back next time in the bay. Oh and a side note, the bathroom is huge for some reason, and is nicely decorated. Overall, nice high end sushi option in SF if you are in the chinatown area, by the gates. Happy hour is recommend for cheaper pricing. read more
When looking for a dinner spot with my team I searched around for something near the hotel that had great reviews, sushi, and other non-sushi options. Nomu is a cute little spot that has limited seating both inside and outside. We made a reservation through Yelp and we had our table reserved when we walked in. The staff is very friendly and attentive. When we were deciding on what sake to try, our waitress was able to bring a couple samples to try so we could select the right bottle. We ordered Brussels sprout and shishito pepper skewers, pork gyoza, chicken kaarage, seaweed salad, mango roll, dragon roll, red dragon roll and dragon roll. Everything was fantastic, I would say my favorites were the red dragon roll, seaweed salad and the shishito pepper skewers. Finally we ordered the strawberry and green tea mochi for dessert which were also fantastic! Highly recommend this cute spot for a date night or girls night! read more
2 years ago
Just as an fyi that the $45 omakase set listed on Toast says it's 12 pieces of nigiri but in reality, it's only 9 pieces. The fish was pretty good quality and very soft, but the rice was a weird texture, so I basically just ate this like sashimi. Also I was disappointed that they basically just repeated the same fish twice each. read more
I'm all for more izakayas in the city, even though I prefer the more casual ones you'd find in the midnight alleyways of Tokyo. As I was strolling atypically up Bush, this one felt a bit more upscale than those compact dives as it appeared to draw the still-working FiDi crowds as well as tourists lost on their way to Chinatown's Dragon Gate. I came in by myself and felt a bit self-conscious seated between two couples, one romantic, the other obviously mismatched. I decided to order a glass of Junmai, the $15 Nanbu Bijin (Tokubetsu) from Iwate, a refreshing sake with a light cantaloupe flair with notes of roasted peanuts (photo: https://yelp.to/KFKjX1lZRT). It was definitely enough to keep me company for my solitary meal. I first went for the $10 Chawanmushi. This is one of my favorite comfort treats, a cup of steamed egg custard with seafood, chicken, and mushrooms inside (photo: https://yelp.to/ysuR3dfldw). Solid comfort treat for me. Then came the yakitori skewers, just three pair. I ordered the $12 Pork Belly with garlic paste sauce, the $9 Chicken Skin with a squeeze of lemon, and the $9 Chicken Scallion with intact thigh meat marinated in soy sauce (photo: https://yelp.to/1_qRG1yIvO). Good succulent choices all. FOOD - 4 stars...well executed izakaya favorites, wish the yakitori was a little bigger AMBIANCE - 4 stars...modern setting, definitely not a midnight-style izakaya SERVICE - 3.5 stars..a bit stealth but effective TOTAL - 4 stars...more yakitori please RELATED - Exploring Chinatown? Here's a collection of places I've patronized and reviewed: https://bit.ly/2WoF1Z2 read more
5 months ago
Happy hour is the best! Food is dynamic and service is great The sushi is fresh and everything is delicious! read more
2 years ago
Came on a Wednesday evening and got the happy hour skewer sampler ($18) and sashimi sampler ($18). The sashimi was delicious, the skewers were unremarkable. The restaurant was not crowded, and the food came out really quickly, within about 10 minutes. My friend also ordered a matcha beer, which was super cool but not for me. This is a good spot to meet with friends. I also liked the ambience. They have some beautiful light fixtures on the ceiling. read more
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More info about Nomu Skewers
580 Bush St
Ste 101
San Francisco, CA 94108
Chinatown
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(415) 374-7753
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http://www.nomuskewers.com
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