Balboa Sushi House

My condolences to Annie and the family.
Sad news.

I really love the katsu and the tempura here. The owners are super nice and they always remember who I am when I come in. If you’re in the area it’s worth stopping in.

What can i say…
If this were the first place in my life where i tried sushi, then I’d never have sushi again. They use cheapest possible ingredient which is not a good idea when you are dealing with raw fish.
Why 2 stars and not one, you might ask. Perhaps the quirky interior or a nice lady taking care of us… don’t really know.

Delicious & quaint! Best service ever

Cute little restaurant with a warm and friendly hostess/​owner (?). There are maybe 6 – 8 tables total that can each seat 4 people here. I came a month or so ago with two friends, and she let us stay there talking long after we had finished eating — even refilling our tea cups! (To be fair, it had cleared out by then so we weren’t taking up spots for anyone waiting).
I came again yesterday with one friend around 6:30. Our third friend wasn’t getting there until 7, so we had some time to kill, but again the hostess was patient and understanding. We ordered the Lee Soon Shin chirashi bowl for ourselves and the third friend. The hostess brought us edamame on the house because she remembered us from last time, as well as delicious miso soup and salad. The three dishes came out, and we ended up having to take them to go because of parking issues (who knew you could look for parking for 45 min and not find anything??) but we know that she would have loved to have us hang out there as long as we wanted :)
Will definitely come back again for the relaxing atmosphere, kind hostess, and decently priced yummy sashimi!

Great restaurant, love the lady who runs the place she treats me like family! #arigato

I have been to many sushi places around San Francisco, (sushi is my favorite) but this place is by far my favorite. It might be my particular taste that just loves this place, but what they have here is perfectly made.
I normally order the Tekka Tuna Don (I’m a regular now… I need my fix!). I think it’s about $ 16 — $ 17? For that much you get a bowl of salad, a bowl of miso, and freakin’ huge bowl of rice with marinated Raw tuna lining the top in a circle on top of a decorative lettuce leaf. She also gives you half an orange at the end of the meal for a palette cleanser.
Normally, I hate tea. I can’t handle the bitter taste but I like it here. I’m not much of a connoisseur so I can’t really describe it, but it’s made from fresh leaves and isn’t too strong like most places.
The miso soup for me is perfect, but if you order out, it’s a condensed version that I have to water down.
The salad is salad, but she uses a homemade dressing that I am unable to describe for 2 reasons. 1: It’s magical. 2: I’m bad at describing things. But if you like it, you can actually purchase it and bring a new bottle home. That’s actually how I found this place. My mom got some before. When we ran out, I demanded that we get more, then went with her to pick it up. We decided to eat there that night too, and then I became addicted. Now mid-​week I have an unfathomable craving for tuna.
Ok, so onto the main meal. Most places put a focus on toppings and the fish but forget about the rice. Not this place. If you have delicious rice, then it makes everything you eat it with amazing as well. It’s a little bit sticky, and has more vinegar than any other place. Not overwhelming, but enough to actually taste it a bit. And I love vinegar. It tasted like the rice I ate when I went abroad and visited a very nice Japanese woman who wanted to teach us foreigners how to make proper sushi. It tasted like… Happiness. Okay, that doesn’t actually taste like anything, but it’s delicious.
I have a confession though. Even though I love sushi. I can’t handle very much raw fish. After 2 or 3 pieces of sashimi, I get a bit nauseous. This tuna though? I could eat all freakin’ day. Any «fishy» taste that gets me sick is cut out by a marinade. I don’t know what it’s made out of (I think there’s a bit of soy sauce in it? I didn’t ask). The same thing goes for their salmon bowl. It’s also served with a slice of lemon, ginger, and wasabi, but I usually ask to omit it so it’s not wasted. I am a «vanilla» sushi eater. No soy sauce, wasabi, etc added on.
As for the quantity of food… I’ll describe it the only way I really know how…
I am fat; I out-​eat pretty much everyone; A large pizza is my personal pizza; I go back for 4ths.
I can eat this meal and maybe 1 or 2 rolls and be in pain. It may be because of the rice. But it’s a delicious filler, and it’s especially worth it for the price point.
Other recent/​notable things I have tried here.
Garlic octopus bowl: do you like garlic? Do you want to taste garlic in your mouth for up to 24 hours later? Try this. I’m pretty sure that it was marinated in garlic, then cooked in a garlic broth with chunks of garlic in it, then topped with more garlic. I’m not sure this isn’t just a very large garlic carved to look like an octopus.
«Chirashi #5». I don’t even know what this is called anymore. Whenever I go with my friend, I order something, then she looks at my friend and asks «Chirashi #5?» And is met with a sheepish grin and a nod.
It’s 4 or 5 different type of fish eggs on rice. It’s also got a small pile of spicy tuna on top. It’s okay to me, but my friend loves it. Though she had to ask her to turn down the heat on the tuna (her heat tolerance is above average).
Assorted sashimi bowl.
This one is the only one I actually didn’t like. But as I said before, raw fish makes me nauseous. This one did not have marinated fish either. I think it was salmon, tuna, hamachi, and butterfish? I think my dad said? I don’t know.
Wakame/​ocean salad
This is the best seaweed salad I’ve ever had. Perfect amount of spice, vinegar and lemon. I don’t know what else is in it, but it’s very refreshing.
Tamago
This is also the best tamago I’ve ever eaten. It tastes almost like the steamed cake you can get on clement street… With something else added into it… I don’t know… Magic maybe? This is something that I HAVE to get every time I go. It’s just that freakin good. I am literally crying right now because I’m remembering how it tastes and I want one. My eyes are burning and I realize I am pathetic.
shidake roll
Out of text space on Unilocal.Delicious. Shiitake. Inari skin. Spinach. I don’t like spinach. Still delicous. Better the next morning. Flavors fuse. Drooling. Crying. Wish I hadn’t eaten already. Cries self to sleep.

Awesome atmosphere! It feels like I’m in my grandma’s living room… Just with a lot more random toys and really good sushi.

This is by far my new favorite sushi spot! It’s a little hole in the wall place where the food is fresh, the owner is super nice and the green tea is hot! If you’re looking for a good place for a date or to show someone the local side of San Fran! This is it!

I came in here by accident when we were trying to go to bistro across the street. I was the only person inside and the woman who greeted and sat me was so sweet. I sat down on what kind of seems like a retro garden chair with a pillow on it. The furniture and décor are so unlike any Sushi place I’ve been to. Without knowing anything about this place you might be thrown off by the décor, the carpeted floor with rose print, or the lighting, I certainly was but I waited for my date who realized I had gone in the wrong restaurant and followed in. The woman brought us tea so quickly and was so kind we had to stay. I would have felt awful leaving after being seated. We ordered and looked around at the decorations surrounding us. Paintings, miniatures, lanterns, this room is like an I spy book. The miso came and it was amazing. Best miso I have ever had… I had a moment in here and started to realize that this place felt like home. It felt like I was in my adopted Japanese/​Korean grandmothers home filled with trinkets and random collections. It smells like a home. The service is like your sweet grandparents. The food was delicious and didn’t feel super trendy and chic but like authentic from the heart cooking that you can only get when home. this place ruined the convenient sushi places near where I live because knowing that tastes like these exist I can’t in good conscious go anywhere else now. I’m only going to eat at my adopted grandmas and that’s final. It was an experience that I’m so glad I happened upon. I can’t believe I lived here this long and never knew.

We went in here by mistake on our way to another sushi spot. There are four in this area. I parked and my date went into the wrong spot and we were like okay we’ll see how this goes…
The décor is bit of an acquired taste, landing somewhere between grandmas house and knock knack shop, with a little of everything Japanese and otherwise. The place may smell like an old lady’s closet, but they have a 98 health score so relax and it will be worth it in time.
Chill talk about the many unique collectibles… This place may seem strange, but the service is nice. It may take a 15 minutes to get your food, but it will be worth it. Imagine eating at your grandma’s house, if your grandma made dope ass Japanese food.
The food here does not always exhibit immaculate technique, rolls might be a little loose. The flavors however, are on point. It’s not like every cookie cutter sushi shop you’ve been to. It’s like eating some bomb ass home made Japanese food. They also serve some Korean food fyi.
Try the rock n roll, Spicy Tuna, or the Philadelphia roll. Seriously, the melt in your mouth Philadelphia roll is what I will dream about tonight. I just ate here and I’m still drooling at the thought of that roll. I could eat a platter of them. This place is quiet and a little of the beaten path, but if you’re near bye and want something unique, this is it!
Chad

I can’t believe I’ve lived in San Francisco and have never been here until now!
A wonderfully eccentric interior of plants and donated art from customers hangs from every square inch of the walls; the atmosphere is both inspiringly unique and quintessentially San Francisco.
I’m writing from the perspective of a vegetarian, so I can’t comment on the quality of the fish, but my lunch was as good as it gets for vegetarian sushi in the city.
Annie, who has owned the restaurant for 18 years, was a joy to talk with on the quiet afternoon that I had lunch. All of the ingredients were fresh, and the portions generous. It’s hard to find a sushi restaurant that make miso soup without a fish base, which was an added bonus. I’ve found my new sushi spot in the city!

This is, bar none, our favorite place for Sushi in the Bay Area. This neighborhood restaurant has spoiled us so that no other place comes close. This lovely couple is so welcoming that you feel as if you are guests in their home, and the food is fresh and delicious.

Some may feel that this place is «homey,» but to me this looks like a creepy Japanese haunted house straight out of a horror movie.
There are dolls, plastic toys, and other odd and dusty toys scattered ALL around.
Fortunately, the woman here seemed friendly, though at first I was wary of drinking the watered down tea here.
Especially since I was the ONLY on here at 7pm.
The portions here are huge, and though it’s not extremely fresh, it isn’t stale either. What I didn’t like was that refrigerator taste.
Everything borders on average.
The salad was piled with carrots. Like she thought I was a rabbit or something.
The service was friendly, but the food wasn’t memorable.
3 stars for average.

All in all pleasant experience .
For someone really overwhelmed by xity life I am very thankful for discovering this nice cozy & comfortable place. I had a tempura box which was yummy & tons of food. I loved hearing the woman singing in the back. Great experience, loved the décor and overall vibe.

Very cozy atmosphere. The woman who runs the establishment is very friendly and has an addicting laugh. Quiet and eclectically decorated. The food was on point and fresh. Large portions so it is easy for your eye to out-​hunger your stomach. Highly recommended.

That was not Japanese food. I ate it because I was hungry but the processed chicken in the chicken udon soup was not flavorful pretty spongy and gross the unagi role was okay little mushy get some better rice it’s and better chicken its not that hard to boil a chicken I could’ve made better chicken udon soup with my eyes closed. All msg all gmo yuk overpriced processed crap

Adorable, eclectic, wackadoo, totally bizarre spot. I loved it.
Simple sushi, affordable beer. Everything tasted fresh. Come hungry and with a sense of humor! The owner was friendly and sweet and seemed to know all the other customers. We got a bunch of simple rolls, a tofu appetizer with lemon and vinegar, miso soups, seaweed salad and edamame. We thought the everything was pretty fantastic.

Great interior. Great service.
Tonkatsu is the best. The way they cook it and comes with wasabi sauce is unique.

The most adorable sushi restaurant ever! Random find for date night. The owner was so sweet and motherly. The environment is quaint and cultural. Highly highly recommend!