Goemon Japanese Restaurant

Oh Goemon’s. How I’ve missed you. I wish you were still around, with Gansan striking engaging dialogue and perveted gestures as entertainment all night long.
How I miss hanging out in the Zen garden that he has created. Getting twisted often as well.
If you’re lucky, and when he’s in a good mood, he will offer his «dry wasabi». It’s good stuff, sorta sticky too.
So, who wants to chip in and get Gansan a new location??!

Going through my bookmarks for places that need to be reviewed, I see that this place closed. So sad to see as I had wanted to go back to try more of their menu (they had a pretty extensive one). Last day at a branch (in April of last year) my co-​worker wanted to take me here to celebrate. Very neat décor and cozy. The owner was really funny and nice as well as he photo-​bombed our photo after dinner.
Our order:
Uni
Chicken Hearts Yakitori
Tempura Soft Shell Crab
Beef Sukiyaki
Dragon Roll
Grilled Salmon
The food was good, but not something that blew you away. The Chicken Hearts Yakitori was perfectly grilled. The Grilled Salmon was tender. Dragon Roll was standard. The Beef Sukiyaki had just enough sweetness in the broth. Uni didn’t have the freshest taste and the creaminess I would’ve liked. The Tempura Soft Shell Crab wasn’t too overly battered.

Pretty decent sushi. You can order chirashi even though it’s not on the menu. There aren’t a lot of sushi combos you can order, so go for chirashi. The rolls are well made and have good portion size. There is a patio outside which is gorgeous. Drink sake and eat under the stars!

I agree with Unilocaler Janet E. — this really is the place you go to pass the time until your wait time for dinner at somewhere else (most likely Sozai) has finished.
The place was mostly empty on a Sunday night, we were one of three other groups, which was a little disheartening, and apparently they didn’t have more than two menus that night, so each table had to take turns if they wanted to order. Weird.
We placed an order for a few basic nigiri sushi, and one roll. Of course, 10 minutes after we placed our order, we were called and told our table was ready next door. I tried to ask if we could cancel any parts of our order that wasn’t already made, and get the rest to-​go (which seemed reasonable, seeing how the sushi chef had only been focusing on the couple in front of him, and hadn’t touched our orders yet).
I don’t think the waitress even asked, as I had to wait another 10 minutes to just get the bill, and another 5 minutes after that to get the entire order to go. It would have been nice if she just stopped our order, but I won’t gripe too much about that.
The house-​roll (stuffed with salmon and avocado) was pretty good, and the uni was surprisingly fresh, which was nice. I was most disappointed by the basic sushi items, though — the salmon was a little tough, as was the tako, and the flavor just wasn’t quite there.
Overall, it’s not a bad option to pass some time, munch on some simple rolls, and enjoy a beer, but I wouldn’t call it a destination restaurant.

Goeman is the place to go to when you have been told by other restaurants in the area that your dinner wait is going to be 1.5 hours. At least thats what happened with our dinner group of 6. Goeman was the closest restaurant to where we wanted to originally eat, but we were starving and 1.5 hours was ridiculous.
When we walked into Goeman, the place was completely empty except for one table. Not really a good sign. But by the end of the night, the place was 50% full. I wonder if anyone wanted to come here first… or if they were rejected from their restaurant as well.
The restaurant was very dimly lit. We could barely read the menu. I wonder if it was because the restaurant was dirty and they didnt want us to see it? I only say this because the restaurant is carpeted (dark colored) and there was a smell from where i was sitting that was not very pleasant. I wasnt sure if it was from the table (being wiped down by a dirty towel) or from the floor.
Overall the food here was mediocre. I ordered the chicken teriyaki dish and the chicken had a layer of dryness on it. It took me a while to chew through the shreds of meat. Definitely not melt in my mouth tender like other places I’ve gone to. The food was also on the salty side. A few of my diners also agreed it was too salty. The salad and soup starters were good to me though.
My friend ordered a fried tofu dish. That was surprisingly pleasant. I would go back and eat that again – but that’s pretty much it. Nothing else was worth returning to.
Service was only okay. We didn’t think it was that great. Our waitress only showed up to take our order, serve our food and collect the money from us.
As I was leaving, I felt a little bit of a stomach ache. Never a good sign.

It is kind of depressing seeing all those negative reviews .
I always had the best time when I was there.
Don’t know what happened with Gansan, but his chicken tatsutaage is the best so far I tested in the US.
Gan san p (^_^)q !!! Gannbare Gansan!!!

Run. Leave the watered down tea and go elsewhere.
Not sure how this restaurant is surviving in SF. The food is nearly inedible… Sushi tasted old, tempura and karage was 50% nasty batter. Top it off at $ 13 per entrée, and you have the worst Japanese restaurant in the city.
Go down the block to the izakiya, that spot is great.

Very fresh sushi, unusually creative rolls, very inexpensive, and a big space. I’ll definitely come back for more. Try the Strange Roll: bacon, avocado, some Mexican salsa on top (yummy)!
On top of their already cheap prices, they have a 20% off of everything special for June. And they have me a free nigiri, and a free special roll from the chef! A great deal!
Two things make this place a bit weird. Doesn’t really bother me much, but you might be different. The place smells a bit, old carpeting? And there is a confusion of sounds here. At the sushi bar, there was a radio playing loud 80’s and disco music. And a TV blaring a news station in the same space. And I think there is Japanese music playing in the background of the restaurant. Don’t sit close to the bar if you want peace of mind!

Why is service so slow? Oh, maybe because they are understaffed on the busiest of nights. We were a big party, and even then the restaurant wasn’t full. I did not want to touch the food because the first dish came out an hour after ordering and the rest came in 20 minute intervals. The sad thing was that I had to go get my own menus, no one was served water until the end, and they ran out of glass cups (our table of 20 only had 2) so they gave us foam cups for beer, sake, tea, and water. One of our guys went to the kitchen to check out the progress. He asked if the dish was ours and indeed it was, so he brought it to our table. Go to the kitchen to ask for more tea! It’s nice that our dining experience was hands-​on, but I can see why people in smaller parties would want to ditch the place. They would have to wait an hour for their food, too :(. Definitely not worth the 18% gratuity.
The type-​specific dragon and spider rolls we ordered were tasty (no need for soy sauce), packed with goodness, and presentable, which is why I give 3 stars to Goemon. It’s also the cutest sushi parlor I’ve ever seen. There is a group sitting area, a quiet front area, a small hidden sushi bar where the chef creates his masterpieces, and a large square table with benches where people are seated. I like the dimness and décor. Not too crowded either. Oh, we were there for a birthday and had good company which makes it hard for us to complain.
They ran out of miso, too. Heard the sushimi was mediocre since it didn’t melt in your mouth. Might want to eat something small before coming here. And scope out times where this place isn’t so busy.

Back in the 90’s my girl and I would go here at least once a week. Great Sushi, Goeman was funny and it was great to sit at the Sushi Bar talking to him.
Sake flowed and we closed down the place.
I have read some reviews about his behavior and have to say, Give him a break.
If you don’t like it, don’t go. Im not concerned. Food is still fantastic and Goeman remembered me after a few pokes.

Simple easy going super casual sushi bar. The chef behind the bar is totally chill and is entertaining to talk with. The bar is full of neighborhood locals and they all have interesting stories as well.
Honestly I was not blown away by the sushi here. If you are coming here for the Sushi alone, I don’t think you will be happy. But if you are interested in hanging out with the neighbors and coming to have a good time then this place is for you.

Wow! I don’t think i was expecting it to be this bad.
We wanted to go to Izakaya for some ramen, but came here because they told us to f off. We should of just went home. I guess there was a reason that there were 3 Japanese restaurants on the same street and this was the only one that was empty.
It seemed like a nice place so we went in. We wanted noodles so whatever.
Two of my friends ordered the Gyoza+Udon. The broth was flavorless and the noodles tasted a little off. My other friend got Karage Katsu, which was gross and oily. On top of that the sauce they had for it was just vinegar. What is this? A Chinese restaurant?
I ended up getting the Beef Sukiyaki which was like eating candied beef. It was way too sweet and the shitake mushrooms tasted like alcoholic! Does that mean they were fermenting? I have no idea.
Next, we move on to the service. Which was horrible. I think they were understaffed, but the service was just too horrible to ignore. We sat there for a while and some old lady came to take our order. We ordered and waited 20 minutes before 2 dishes partially came out, which was the gyoza. Then the noodles came like 5 minute later. Then 5 minutes after that the Karage. Then about 5 – 10 minutes after that a different waitress comes over and asks me what’s wrong.
You know what’s wrong? Everyone was done eating and I hadn’t gotten my food. WTF? I got it and I ended up eating all the beef as to not waste too much food. It was just gross. Worst meal of my life. Goemon, I don’t think I’m ever coming back.

I wish I had a time machine to erase this experience from my history. Like seeing myself show up in a Delorean and hopping out to say, «NO! DON’T DO IT! I know that yakitori place is packed, but just go to PPQ down the street! Don’t go in there!»
Unfortunately traveling back in time is not physically possible, but lucky for you, you have me here to warn you.
This place is terrible. To be honest, I can’t say anything about the sushi. But considering how bad my food was and how terribly slow the service was, I won’t ever find out.
My girlfriend and I ordered the Udon and a Fish dish. The fish was $ 13, but was much worse than anything I could have cooked at home. And I’m not even that great of a cook. This fish was clearly not fresh. It didn’t even have any fish skin on it. It was probably frozen and then dipped into too much oil and then sauteed. The sauce it came with was gross, and the fish itself was so greasy, I didn’t even taste any of the fish. My girlfriend’s Udon came with some gross Gyoza Tempura. Not Gyoza & Tempura… like actually fried Gyoza… which was terrible as well. The broth in the miso soup and in the Udon was equally gross as well. I actually think the tofu in the miso soup had gone bad. Also, who puts CARROTS in miso soup?
To top this all off, the service here was the slowest ever. The two girls working there didn’t even have THAT many customers, but couldn’t even handle it. I had to go up to the counter and request to order food and get my check. I hate having to do that.
And like everyone else who enters this place, you’ll find that the front of the restaurant is completely empty, and the hostesses are nowhere to be found. you actually have to walk 50% of the way through the restaurant before you realize there are actually people in there. «Is this place even open?» — you’ll think to yourself.
My advice is to pretend like this restaurant ISN’T open for business. Because they really shouldn’t be with that terrible food and service.

This is the Cheers of Japanese restaurants… The sushi bar is more like a standard bar. Gan-​san is very friendly and if you become a friendly regular you might get some frequent-​eater frills like occasional free hot sake and beer. Many people at the bar are Sunset locals, including my friend who lives next door to it!
Leaf through the photo albums. Ask him about the Japanese fan that sits in a corner behind the bar. And ask him if you can taste his chili infused sake and white wine!
The food is good but it’s not really what you go for. You go for the company. Also, I’ve never sat at the tables, only at the bar, and it’s possible that the service isn’t great at the tables.
Is this a gourmet destination? Definitely not. Is it an amazing place to unwind after a long day at work? Absolutely! Every time I return to SF, I’ve looked forward to hanging out at Goemon with my friend and Gan-​san.

It was around 5:35P. Sign near the entrance said the restaurant opened at 5:30p, so we stepped inside. The waitress seated us, but told us they wouldn’t be open until 6pm. We were fine with that. They served us tea and water and I ordered a Sapporo.
We ordered the the staple spider roll (the must-​try at each restaurant), ebi tempura roll, BBQ whole squid (squid is also a staple if they have it on the menu) and beef teriyaki.
We were given miso soup on the house. The soup was different from what I was used to. It felt richer and more flavorful like it was simmered with meat. I thought it tasted not bad. Our rolls came out shortly and the chef had given us a order of pickled radish (??) rolls on the house. Those tiny rolls were either stuck together or falling apart. The ebi tempura roll was slightly bigger than the pickled radish rolls. They tasted pretty good; It would’ve been hard to mess that up.
The spider roll consisted of 4 huge pieces. The 2 end pieces with the lettuce and crab legs were so big that there was no way it would fit in my mouth in one bite. I don’t know if it was the fish roe or the crab, but it had a strong seafood-​y taste that I’m not used to on my spider rolls. It seems the chef also likes to add a little wasabi with the ingredients when making his rolls. The spiciness was tolerable for us.
The beef teriyaki portion was on the small side (15 – 16 thin slices) and the meat was a little dry with quite a bit of fat. That gravy on top added some moisture to it. It was not the best I’ve had, but it also was not the worst.
The squid was prepared different from the grilled squids at other places. First, they used white squid and not the ones with the purple reddish parts. Since it said BBQ on the menu and not grilled, I figured I would be getting something slathered with BBQ sauce? There was not really a grilled taste. The tentacles were the only part that had some crunch to it. The squid didn’t have much char and it was neither tender nor crispy. If I had to describe the texture, I would say rubbery and chewy.
The service (food came at an acceptable pace given that we were the only table and waitress came to refill tea) and décor were good, but unfortunately, the food did not impress.
Parking can be a problem later in the evening. It always is in the Inner Sunset. If you go early, you can usually find street parking.

This place should really get 5 stars for the owners sign to the robbers that can be summed up as: «People robbed my business once, but now I have a gun. So if you come again I’m going to cut your head off, then cut out your liver and take a picture of it in my mouth. BTW I was a butcher in Japan.»
Golden.
Decent curry udon as well. They also stayed open extra late and were super nice. And they have bleach posters on their wall. and their beer is well prices.

GAN-​SAN IS HILARIOUS!
To get the best Goemon experience, you GOTTA sit at the sushi bar with Gan-​san. There’s no exception.
Gan is the owner and the chef that prepares all your sushi. He is very friendly and will treat you like family. Also, he will not hesitate to have a drink with you too. Yes. he’s a little perverted but cut him some slack; he’s just having fun and what drunk isn’t? Get him drunk enough, and that’s when the party starts! From personal sushi creations for you, to free beer and sake, or maybe even Gan unsheathing his samurai sword — it’s bond to be a night full of laughter and good drunk times.
KANPAI!
[
Gan’s infamous wasabi penis!

Hhaha. I see my other friends reviews of this place and yes, I did have my birthday here like 2 years back. Goemon is an awesome place if you know the sushi chefs/​owners. They treat you like family. If you don’t know them however, hahah… Goood Luckkkkkk!
The sushi here is ok. I like the SF Roll because of the garlic inside. We always get lots of free sake.
Overall, it’s an A-​OK place to go to when my friends want to go here. I honestly would rather go to KOO which is on 7^th and irving.

I’ve lived 3 blocks away from here for over a year and I never even ventured in here. That’s because whenever I wanted Japanese food, I’d hop on a bus and go to Japantown. But after 2 consecutive amazing experiences, that will now change. I absolutely love this place. Despite appearing to be a tiny restaurant from the front, there is tons of seating and even a secret little garden in the back that makes for a great place to bring a date to go eat.
When you come here, make sure you ask if there’s room to eat at the bar. Gan-​san has so amazing stories and all of his recommendations are spot on. You can’t go wrong with anything he makes you. While at the bar, you’ll probalby notice that a lot of people there come from all over the city to eat there because it’s one of those places that you can’t help but want to keep coming back there because of how awesome of a place it is.
But enough about service and ambience. This wouldn’t be a review unless I started talking about the food. All of the rolls I’ve had here have been delicious and some of the best I’ve had in the city. However, the one roll that stands out the most to me is the Strang Roll. For a mere $ 3.90, you get one of the greatest rolls ever, and it comes with an ingredient that is unorthodox in Japanese sushi: BACON!!! Check out the pic I uploaded to see how delicious it looks. Soooo good.
GOEMON, GOTTA EAT THEM ALL!!!

I hate to do this to Geomon because they genuinely seem like a sweet traditional Japanese restaurant but the quality of food honestly cannot be compensated by anything. I mean have you ever left a restaurant fully-​pissed-​off-​level-​10-​status because you actually PAID and TIPPED for the meal, when in all seriousness a burger from the dollar menu would have been more satisfying? If I could return this meal like a lumpy blue sweater for a full refund, trust me I would in a heartbeat.
Every dish we order was bad, like literally BAD in the nicest way possible! I tried the curry rice with beef, which came with tiny bits of beef so really, it was just plain curry sauce with rice and a side of tempera for $ 13. I also had the seared salmon sashimi — don’t ever order this dish! I was expecting seared FRESH salmon sashimi but they served me an obviously thawed-​from-​frozen stack of salmon seared on the surface. It was disgusting-​yacking status. All the teriyaki and wasabi soy sauce in the world could not have rescued this dish. The thawed salmon caked off in chunks still filled with water. I had like 2 pieces and gave up. I should have just returned the dish.
I do not recommend this place at all. The quality of food they serve is equivalent to the ones you make in your dorm room in college with a portable plug-​in stove, really. I rather have an instant bowl of Nong Shim udon any day.