Atami Sushi Bar & Grill

This place is always so good. It’s our go to neighborhood spot and a really good place for a date if you want to get to know the person. It’s not gimmicky or loud and flashy, just really great foot at a family owned and run spot.
Things aren’t rushed here but they’re not as slow as some of the other reviews might indicate.
The regular rolls are great but be sure to try the 49er roll if you like light tastes and are looking for something different. The lemon is sliced incredibly thin and the whole roll is just amazing.

Atami was recommended to us awhile back and we happened to be in SF and decided to give them a taste. We were not disappointed. We started with the Gyoza and they were the perfect size for an appetizer. The flavor was great and they had the perfect combination of crisp and chewy. Then the rolls! Atami Yummy, Kamikaze and two others I can’t recall the names of. Fresh and very tasty. Perfect portions. Love the low key ambiance and the friendly staff. Thanks for a tasty dinner.

Incredible environment. You get what you pay for. Great small family owned business atmosphere, the wait is worth it, and you know it’s fresh to you. It was a great choice on a Saturday at 9:30 pm. No background music, not a lengthy menu. Get the hand rolls and the 49ers roll.

Surprisingly good sushi for a low profile joint. Nice ambience, decent but really slow service, so don’t come here with a growling tummy.
=== Food
Ordered a Dragon roll (⁴⁄₅), Spider Roll (⁴⁄₅) and a Bulls Eye Roll (⁵⁄₅). The portion and size of sushi are much smaller compared to the many sushi joints i have visited. Typically 2 of the sushi rolls would have filled the two of us, for today, we ordered three sushi rolls! The sushi tasted really good and fresh, which is key especially when for raw sushi. Am keeping this place in my list, pretty sure I will be back for sushi someday if we are around the block.
=== Service
Decent service but it was unbelievable slow. Three sushi rolls and we spend approximately 1.5 hours in the restaurant. We were not eating slowly by the way, once the plate arrive, we were digging into the food and finish them in less than 5 mins. The ordering, preparing, serving, billing and even asking to have our green tea replenish took quite awhile.
To a certain extent, i can understand why as they only had 1 server working the floor and looks like theres only 1 sushi chef but i might be wrong. Even so, the server wasn’t attentive, we had to ask repeatedly to have our drink replenished and for more wasabi.
== Parking
Street parking in this area. No restrictions for weekend. Weekdays — 2 hours parking. You probably have to do quite a bit of circling before you land a good spot.
Overall, i am impressed with the quality of sushi. They are not the omakase standard but definitely one that is above average sushi joints. Highly recommend when you have that Japanese food craving but just remember not to come with an empty stomach.

My husband and my daughter came here on a Thursday night, at around 7. It was relatively packed as the restaurant is not huge. We were seated right away, in the back. Like most Unilocalers already mentioned, service is slow here. There are only 3 people working. 1 older man making sushi, 1 woman serving and 1 other person cleaning dishes in the back. I feel that there should just hire another server because it took a long for the woman to come to our table each step of the way… to give us our menus, to take our orders, to bring us our drinks, the list goes on… down to giving back our credit card after we paid. Took forever.
Here are a few things about the food:
1. Taste was good. The rice was just the right consistency, not too mushy, not too hard. The salmon was fresh.
2. Portions are small, way too small. We ordered 2 California Rolls, 1 Rock and Roll, 2 pcs Salmon Nigiri, 1 Shrimp Tempura Roll, 1 Spider Roll and 2 miso soups for 2 adults and a 5-​yr old. At the end, we were still NOT full. Total bill — $ 61 without drinks.
3. The rolls are sloppily made. They don’t hold together and it will break apart when you bring them to your plate.
I’ve experienced better service, had better sushi and paid less. I’m not coming back.

I feel really bad for the three stars because the food is really good. But. the wait to get our food was kinda bad, probably waited about an hour to get our sushi… We did get our drinks and miso soup quickly. It looks as though there is 1 sushi chef, 1 waitress and 1 cook so If you are hungry you may want to try elsewhere, if u don’t mind waiting go for it!

Great little hole in the wall! Amongst the best sushi I’ve tried. the rolls are rather small, so take that into account when ordering. if you feel like a quiet night with someone special this is a good place to go for some good sushi and great conversation.

We walked in at 9pm and saw that there was no available table. It took the server (I think she owned the place too) 15 mins to go up to us and tell us that it would be a little bit of a wait. We still stayed and that was a big mistake! 15 mins more, she told us that our table would be ready soon and sat us after 10 more mins. Take note: we were the only ones waiting to be seated and it took 40 mins!
So after waiting for 40 long mins to get seated, the food took as long! We were hoping to be blown away but NO. We ordered 3 meals and some sake. Each meal was sent every 10−15mins. What a joke! There was only one lady serving the entire restaurant on a Saturday night! I talked to this other customer and she said it was their second time there and there was only one server too on their first time. Lastly, even getting the check took forever.
Bad service, serving is small, food was nothing special and pricey for what you pay for. Yes, the server/​owner lady was nice and I appreciated it but that doesn’t justify the really bad management and mediocre food.

Yummy! Listen to their suggestions, fresh and good! Great walking distance from Marina district hotels. Will return next time I’m in San Francisco.

Best sushi I’ve found in this neighborhood. It’s sad that they don’t deliver but they are pretty centrally located. The only downside is the wait for the food. The place never seems to be busy but I’ve been three times now and have had issues with the service each time.

If you’re in the Marina and happen to want sushi, Atami will be your best bet. In fact, they have no hot meals (besides appetizers — gyoza, etc) — it’s all nice, fresh fish.
Small, cozy, mom and pop fish shop that unfortunately has higher prices and smaller portions than the rest of the sushi places in SF. Most of my chirashi was fresh except for one piece of unidentified fish, which looked stringy and tasted off (I immediately spat it back out). It wasn’t the traditional chirashi with the egg and various types of fish; instead, I think I received 3 types of fish only (about 2 – 3 slices each), a piece of very overcooked shrimp, and a piece of octopus. All for $ 19 — which is quite pricey, considering the size of the whole thing.
The rolls are good — we ordered two, but they’re only 6 small pieces each for over $ 11+ per roll — again, quite expensive for the quantity.
Solid food in terms of quality, but the price and quantity are lacking. Go here over the other sushi joints in the Marina (Sushi IN, Naked Fish, etc) but if you are willing to travel up the hill, head to Elephant Sushi instead.

Amazing traditional sushi, but because of the portion size I’m going to have to give it 4 stars. The rolls came cut in 6 pieces and they were smaller than what I’m used to (we’re from LA). I wish I took photos but we were starving and we gobbled it down in 2 bites (literally). Also, we requested more ginger twice and it didn’t seem like the waitress liked that, she gave us the look of, «wtf you all ate it all already?!» Again, sushi is amazing, just don’t expect big portions and brush off the little details.

I love this sushi place! I come all the time and they always have great specials. The nigiri is always super fresh and their specialty rolls are great. My favorite is the Atami Yummy but you can’t go wrong with any of them. The staff is always super friendly and remember me when I come in which is great!
I highly suggest this place if you’re looking for a good spot in the Marina that isn’t too expensive but still has amazing sushi.

This place is PHENOMENAL. I am a sushi snob, and there is no better quality and presentation than at Atami. Ask for Nigiri Omakase to put your selection in the Chef’s exceedingly capable hands, and you will be rewarded with tastes and sensations difficult to find anywhere except in Tokyo’s best sushi bars. With limited free lot parking as part of the deal, Atami might just be SF’s best-​kept sushi secret.

We stopped here for dinner because it was close to where we were staying, and we had read good reviews on Unilocal.Unfortunately it left something to be desired. It was a little hole-​in-​the-​wall place and was kind of lacking ambiance. It wasn’t very crowded, especially given that it was a Friday, but we were hopeful that the sushi would blow us away. Unfortunately the portions were all pretty small and the sushi was just average… nothing special at all. I just wasn’t crazy about this place or the service. I wouldn’t go back or recommend it to others… there are too many other great places out there!

A hidden gem! Why 5 stars?
1) hands down fantastic sushi
2) consistently good (been there several times)
3) sweetest server
4) tucked away from the crowded madness
5) sweetest server (yes, she gets another star just for how nice she is)
Thank you Atami for always providing us our sushi fix!

I have been here a few times as my apartment is very close. I usually come alone which most people do not seem to do but I always enjoy it. I bring a book have some hot sake or wine and eat my fill.
The service is friendly and the chef is hard at work preparing food.
They have a variety of delicious rolls and lots of options. I will continue to come back here and bring friends! So far my favorite spot for sushi in the marina/​cow hollow area.
Keep in mind the space is small so probably not a place to eat with 30 of your friends but they can accommodate bigger groups. There is one waitress, she is so kind and quick but do keep in mind that when it’s packed the service may not be lightening speed. I personally am not bothered by this because I clearly enjoy the atmosphere and food.
Check this spot out for some good eats. You won’t be disappointed.

I’ve been to countless sushi places around the city — this place is a hidden gem!
My boyfriend lives next door, and we LOVE sushi, so we come here a lot! The sushi has always been amazing, the service is fantastic (we always have the same waitress, she is the sweetest!), and it’s always nice and quiet. It’s far enough away from the marina to find some solitude from the gross, bourgeois people while still enjoying quality food and service. Week nights are best. So chill.
Love this place!

This place was a cute hideaway restaurant in the middle of San Francisco. Not busy on a Friday night, intimate dining experience, you get to watch the sushi chef prepare your food, and the waitress was adorable. It was a bit slow but what do you expect when there’s more than four hungry people in the place and one chef? Didn’t take away from the atmosphere at all. Would definitely go back when I’m in the city again!

Wir waren zu zweit an einem Dienstagabend da und waren fast allein. Das Sushi ist sehr lecker, die Kellnerin war nett und das Essen kam schnell. Sehr empfehlenswert, ein echter Geheimtipp!

Atami? More like Atomically Awesome!
Friend and I walked in on a weekend night around 7pm and had no trouble getting a seat. The quiet, laid back, and cozy nature of Atami was wonderful. Very hidden gem.
This place appears to be run by one lady and one gentleman, both wonderfully nice! You could tell by some of the customers, that people come in and know them.
What we had:
— 5 stars: Red Devil — tuna, salmon, avocado, and lemon. The tuna curves around the outside and the 6 pieces of the roll style into a flower. You must get this roll!
— 4 stars: Blue Moon — spicy tuna, avocado, cucumber, and butterfish. Tasty treat.
— 4 stars: Burrito — spicy tuna, avocado, and shrimp tempura. The flavors of this roll are very interesting and really come together as you are mid chew.
— 5 stars: Salmon Sashimi — some of the best salmon I have had. Had to stop myself from ordering a second order.