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    Saru Handroll Bar

    4.2 (255 reviews)
    Open 12:00 pm - 10:00 PM
    Updated 3 weeks ago

    Order Saru Handroll Bar Takeout or Delivery

    Saru Handroll Bar Sushi Bars Restaurant Photos

    Business Info

    SARU HANDROLL BAR ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Casual
    Trendy
    Upscale

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    Recommended Reviews - Saru Handroll Bar

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    Lizzie S.

    Wonderful service, wonderful ambiance, and great quality fish. I love how we get to watch the chefs at work! They work in the center of a 3-sided rectangle, so it's also good for people-watching. Some unique hand rolls and some ol' reliables like lobster, fatty tuna, and shrimp tempura. The real wasabi was a treat. Knocked off a star because drink prices are not low--over $10 for beer? It does feel upscale and elevated. I wish the hooks for bags (or is it for jackets?) were underneath the bar seating. Service was very quick, you'll be out of there in no time (which is good, because you will likely wait to get seated.) Will be back and they also offer a nice box for takeout.

    Kyle C.

    Incredible fresh handrolls. Everything we ordered was a 10/10. Service was fast and overall a great place for a nice date night.

    Theresa D.

    I thought I knew good hand rolls, but I'm still thinking about eating dinner here weeks ago. The romantic chic ambiance, the great service, it has it all. I had the 4 piece set that came with fatty tuna, salmon, shrimp tempura, and cucumber and plum. Every roll had a good amount of meat to rice ratio, and the nori was warm to hold. I'm a big fan of salmon, so I had to order another salmon handroll; the salmon was sensational. This place has become my new favorite place for handrolls.

    Salmon
    Neha D.

    Love the ambiance and vibes inside Saru though coming in a group of more than 3 makes it difficult to talk. Rolls were good but expensive for the size and getting the add ons. The fresh wasabi is a must! Drinks are also limited but overall a decent sushi spot!

    Choose your own box set - take out option
    Sophia W.

    We ordered takeout via DoorDash and this place was great. Very quick and fresh. I particularly liked the presentation and how much we got for the price ($38 before tax and delivery). I also liked how the takeout was very simple which it made it easy to decide. Next time will try eating at the restaurant!

    Colleen L.

    Updated review: We don't get to come by as often anymore since we've moved to the other side of the city, but every visit we get the same consistency and quality in service and food. We stopped in during a quieter hour (around 4pm) and pretty much had the place to ourselves. Service was quick, and the quality still as spot-on as always. Ryan took great care of us, and as usual, it was a pleasure chatting with him. One of the things I really appreciate is that they're open all day, no need to wait until 5pm like most top-tier sushi spots. When the craving hits, you can just drop in for an exceptional sushi fix, no resy needed.

    Rose N.

    Really great service. Got seated quickly. Great staff. The ambiance is very first date/girls night. Open kitchen and very pretty decor. Functional and easy on the eyes. Cute table setting. Miso soup was yummy, not extraordinary. Daikon shishito salad. Spicy. Good acid Fatty tuna and scallion was good. Good flavors. Red crab (my favorite order) Yellowtail and scallion Spicy scallop Bill was ~80. It was good but not amazing for $80. High price, okay quality, great service.

    Jinha K.

    The restaurant has a very interesting layout as the chefs make the handroll right in the middle of the restaurant in a very open layout, and the customers sit around and watch them make the handrolls. The ambiance was very cozy and perfect to sit down and chat with others with some small bites and some drinks. The handrolls were delicious and it was calling for more beer and sake. These handrolls will not make you full, so it would be better to think of this place as an izakaya.

    Fatty Tuna
    Amy G.

    Have to start with saying that service is IMPECCABLE! It's such a fun experience to enjoy the meal with bar seating, it's very intimate and the staff make it feel even more special. We came at 6:00PM and only had to wait ~5 minutes, but after that it seemed like there was more of a wait. I chose my hand rolls a la carte but I would definitely recommend the sets if you're feeling indecisive! My favorites ended up being the Red Crab roll and the Salmon roll (add avocado)! I would skip the eel roll though, nothing too special. I had 5 rolls and was perfectly satisfied. Also love that they include gratuity in the menu price!! I wish more places did that.

    Sake
    Michelle N.

    Very cute handroll bar! I ordered the fatty tuna, spicy scallop, red crab, and tempura shrimp. The service is fast and they make it really easy to order. The bathrooms are really nice and they have a section with dental items to freshen up. The bill does add up but its worth it for the quality and the price includes tip which is really nice!

    Sherry F.

    If you want an omakase experience without paying $$$$, then saru handroll bar may be the spot to go to. beautiful interior with great ambiance. They are open for lunch too! The ingredients are very fresh and well handled. The chefs make the hand rolls right in front of you and is extremely accommodating and attentive to your requests (if you have any). I can confidently say this may be one of the best customer service i had at a Japanese restaurant that is comparable to a Michelin starred restaurant.

    Ernest F.

    Tasty rolls!!! My favorite has to be the roe and mountain yam. So unique. Good service. Plenty of spacious seating. Hooks for your jackets. Cool decor.

    Spicy Scallop Handroll
    James N.

    We heard about the hype with this place and decided to check it out when visiting the city. We came around 1PM on a Friday and were seated right away. However I've heard the wait can be long, so make sure to check their online wait list before coming. The place is cozy and has seats around a bar area in which you can watch the chefs make your hand-rolls. I ordered five different handrolls: the salmon, spicy tuna, fatty tuna, spicy scallops, red crab. The handrolls were honestly mediocre and was lacking some flavor. The seaweed also tasted alright compared to other handroll places I've been. The red crab was probably favorite of the five, but it wasn't too special. Although the staff and place was very nice. I don't think the handrolls were worth for its price.

    Miso soup

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    28 days ago

    I wanted to love this. Avocado was almost black and not fresh. Service was ok. So bummed!

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    Page 1 of 7

    Ask the Community - Saru Handroll Bar

    Do they take reservations?

    Unfortunately, we do not take any reservations.

    How early do you need to line up on a Tuesday to be seated when they open at 5PM?

    I arrived 30 minutes after opening and got the last two top.

    Do they accommodate parties of 1?

    Yes, we do!

    Do they serve alcohol?

    Yes, we do! We offer beer, sake, and wine!

    Is it walk-in only?

    Hi! Yes, it is walk-in only!

    View All 7 Questions

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    Solid spot for a comforting, satisfying meal. I got the fried chicken over rice with curry, and it…read morereally hit the mark. The chicken was crispy on the outside and juicy inside, with a nice light seasoning that didn't overpower the dish. The curry sauce was rich, slightly sweet, and had just enough depth to keep you going back for another bite. Portion size was great for the price, and everything came out hot and fresh. The vibe felt cozy and laid-back--nothing fancy, but definitely the kind of place you'd come back to when you're craving something reliable and filling. Only reason it's not a full 5 stars is I wish the curry had a bit more spice or complexity, but that's personal preference. Still, a really enjoyable meal overall and worth checking out.

    Came with friends to get a quick dinner before heading to North Beach!…read more The service was great, as the servers checked up on us and took our order swiftly. The ambiance was also quite nice. I enjoyed the wall decor, and the ambiance is a bit darker. As for food, two of my friends got the creamy vegan ramen (they're vegan and vegetarian). My other friend for a pork don with a spicy miso ramen, and I got the gyu-don with a spicy miso ramen. The food was very delicious - everything was cooked well, perfectly flavored. I like the rice plates as they come with a tiny bowl of ramen of your choice :) Overall, we would definitely come back again as we thoroughly enjoyed the dining experience!

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    KUSAKABE

    KUSAKABE

    4.6(1.2k reviews)
    1.0 miFinancial District
    $$$$

    What an experience! We were celebrating an anniversary and planned a bit last minute, but were able…read moreto snag a reservation here pretty easily. Immediately, the ambiance and service was quite nice. We were seated at the table, but typically I enjoy sitting at the bar to watch the chefs make our food. The service was amazing and they were very attentive. They also offered to take photos and gave us a little gift of hojicha tea since we were celebrating. We got the omakase, which was massive and had 18 courses. They gave us a menu so we knew what to expect for each course, and we ordered some sake. The omakase was delicious and more traditional than other places, each course was so beautiful and delicately made. This is definitely a lot of food, I would recommend the petite omakase in the future as I was stuffed, but it was a great experience if you come hungry! Courses: - Chawan-mushi - super tasty and every bite was delicious and umami forward! - Otsumami - 7 seasonal appetizers presented in a beautiful box, there was a stuffed crab claw in there that was delicious - 4 kinds of sushi - each piece came out one at a time, the first piece was my absolute favorite and blew me away, it was a seared chutoro that immediately melts in your mouth and tastes smokey - Hamachi soup - very tasty and warming soup with hamachi inside, was perfect in between the sushi course - 4 kinds of sushi - A5 Waguyu shabu - this course was extra $10 pp but was so delicious, the wagyu was melt in your mouth and had some grated daikon on top in a ponzu dashi, the toppings help balance the meat so it's overwhelming since it does melt in your mouth, one of my favorite bites! - 4 kind of sushi - they brought out some really great sushis, including more chutoro and an unagi handroll, but I was so stuffed at this point that I felt I couldn't enjoy it as much - miso soup - this soup was so tasty and kind of revived me after all that food, it felt comforting and a great way to end - dessert- I got the hojicha ice cream in a waffle like cookie and it was delicious!

    WOW!!! That's it,…read morethat's the review. No, but in all seriousness, I visited Kusakabe for the 18 course Omakase (my first) and it was such a fantastic experience. Our server was so attentive and thoughtful and really helped make the entire experience so much fun. This was also some of - if not the best - sushi I have ever had. Everything was extremely fresh and the fish melted like butter in my mouth. Every course was extremely flavorful and just truly deliberate; there was a story behind everything. They also have a really great sake list and our server recommended delicious pairings that went well with each course. I genuinely cannot wait to go back and experience another Omakase here!

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    Zen bathroom

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    Otsumami...

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    Sanraku

    Sanraku

    3.9(2k reviews)
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    Very good Japanese food right in the heart of downtown San Francisco! We stopped in for lunch on a…read moreTuesday and hit the jackpot with their lunch box special. For $18, you get an incredible spread: * your choice of gyoza, shumai, or tofu * a California roll or avocado roll * a protein of your choice Plus it all comes with edamame, miso soup, and seaweed salad. Honestly? That's my kind of deal. Everything we tried was delicious. In addition to the lunch box, we ordered a dragon roll and a dynamite roll, both of which were fresh, flavorful, and beautifully done. My husband went with the Una Ten Donburi. It was tasty, but at $30, it did feel a bit steep compared to the rest of the menu. The restaurant looked like your typical Japanese style space with the sushi rollers at the entrance and simple tables and decor. I do have two minor negatives worth mentioning. First, the edamame was cold and unsalted. I'm an edamame lover, and nothing beats it hot, freshly steamed, and generously showered in salt. So that was a little disappointing. Second, our server (I believe his name was Kayz) seemed visibly annoyed when we asked to split the check. As a server myself, I know this isn't rocket science, and guests should never be made to feel uncomfortable for something so standard, especially after there had already been a small mix-up with our roll order (we received two dynamite rolls instead of one dynamite and one dragon). We didn't make a fuss at the time because mistakes happen, but the attitude at the end definitely stood out. That said, the food itself was solid, the lunch special is a fantastic value, and overall we still had a good experience. I would absolutely return and would recommend this spot, just hoping for a smoother service experience next time.

    According to what I wrote on Yelp, I had a decent meal at their sister restaurant in the Metreon…read morewell before it shuttered, like over a decade ago. My meal apparently wasn't memorable enough to motivate me to visit this location, that is, until quite recently. I decided to have lunch here after a nearby medical appointment. It wasn't crowded at all. Only a couple of solo diners and a loud senior couple. I wasn't in a sushi mood and thought I'd go healthy with the saba shioyaki. However, at the last minute, I went with the $19 Ika Yaki, a whole BBQ squid sliced and saturated in teriyaki sauce with a dab of shichimi mayo (Photo 8). The portion was generous and the texture was firm with enough elasticity. Unfortunately the teriyaki sauce did nothing to enhance the dish, and I wished they served it on the side. I also ordered the $8 Agedashi Tofu, usually a foolproof appetizer for me. It certainly looked right (Photo 9), but I was unpleasantly surprised how tongue-burning hot it was. The cubes of tofu must've just come right out of the deep fryer. The dashi broth helped calm the heat down but a little too late. I'm sure glad I sprung for the $3 bowl of Rice (Photo 10). That calmed what was left of my tongue down. FOOD - 3 stars...execution errors mar the dishes here AMBIANCE - 3.5 stars...spacious enough since it was empty, sushi bar seating was available SERVICE - 3.5 stars...attentive enough TOTAL - 3 stars...not my favorite Japanese spot RELATED - Exploring the Tenderloin? Here's a collection of places I've visited and reviewed: https://yelp.to/hu44dWMabs

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    Truthfully, I didn't know what I was in for in visiting Katsuya. Apparently I wasn't alone…read more Arriving for a work lunch during lunch hours, one thing we did know, as a group of 5, is that we immediately needed to grab a seat while we figured it out. From there, I definitely felt like I was in some sort of clue based, escape room style, "figure-it-out" gameshow. Once settled, my group struggled to find a menu apart from one on the wall above the order kiosk (which was difficult to view from our table). We also had a time deciphering that not one but two restaurants occupied the space, each with their own menu. Woohoo, clue unlocked! Apparently we missed out on complimentary miso, but after ordering, and a short wait, we were rewarded with sandwiches! Although these sandwiches were beautiful and fragrant, the vibe at the table was sheer surprise! These meals are huge, and in addition to your sandwich, they arrive with multiple sides. All things said and done, they offer an impressive meal at a competitive price. Just make sure to read the Yelp reviews first so you're in the know!

    Coming here was really simple. There was no line. Food came out fast…read more They almost gave someone else my food. The server gave me the wrong order initially. I wish both kiosks served both businesses menus.

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    Saru Handroll Bar - sushi - Updated May 2026

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