Hama-Ko Sushi

I’m actually relieved to hear that this establishment was closed. I always try to find the redeeming quality to a restaurant, but here– I found none.
I read the reviews on the way here and knew what I was getting into. A small restaurant (so a wait is expected), an ornery old couple manning the helm, and the quality of the sushi so superb that it would make it this all worthwhile. Finding the location was tricky, there’s no sign and even with the GPS on my phone, I didn’t know I was at the restaurant until I was practically walking into the window. There was no wait, and it looked like a slow night. I was surprised since it was a Saturday night, but I chalked it up to being one of the first people there for dinner service.
Exited, I practically ordered the entire menu. I had been deprived of sushi since moving to Napa Valley a few months prior, and I was willing to try everything. They returned to me, stating that they didn’t have at least half of the fish. Nonplussed, I fumbled to order a couple more things just to have enough for a decent dinner. Again, those fish were also 86-​ed. I left hungry.
I’m okay with the brusque nature of the staff, I had anticipated that. What I didn’t expect was more than half of the menu missing, and this was at the beginning of the night. The sushi I did have didn’t wow me at all. I could have eaten from a less notable restaurant and wouldn’t have seen the difference. The quality that so many people have praised was so-​so and I was trying to figure out why. Why were the Unilocal reviews so high? Was Saturday the wrong day to go? Why was there so little fish available? The one thing that everyone talked about, the fish, wasn’t even available. I would have returned, just to give them another chance to redeem themselves, but they soon closed down. Maybe it’s for the best.

He was one of the great Sushi Chef in SF.
I have heard that he won’t be back because his age.
I was a big fan but I could not be there often.
His Nigiri-​style was quite unique because he did not hold tight, he just slap the «Neta» on the «Shari», and his Nigiri was small, so it is very easy to mis understand his style because I DON’T LIKE SMALL NIGIRI.
But he cared incredibly to get a most fresh fish in the season. And, the most importantly, he cared his «Shari». His «Shari» was so well seasoning.
That was why I did not mind his size, I really liked his Nigiri.
I remember he said,
Sushi is Shari, if Shari is Bad, the Sushi is bad.
So, there are only 2 reason why *Jiveass-​roll has pink-​hot sauce because:
Bad Shari and Bad Old Neta.
That’s why you must be a jackass eating Jiveass-​roll.
*Jiveass-​roll = Designers-​roll= piece of shit.
There was no jiveass-​roll at Hama-​ko.
Hell no!
If you asked him about it, he’ll kick you out because in his mind, he thinks that Jiveass-​roll is not Sushi at all.
I still can not believe the news.
I remember the place was just opened in 84? Something like that.
sigh …
I really miss him.
I am very sure he’ll be missed.
So long Hama-​ko.
Thank you so much.

Heard this place was closing and hopefully it’s open for the rest of the week so I can go. Food is great and the owners are awesome!
I saw some reviews complaining about service. Asides from a little wait I’ve never had a problem.

HAMA-​KO NEEDS TO GO!
The couple who run Hama-​Ko need to retire. The sushi is average now-​a-​days, and the service is just embarrassing. Abusing customers verbally upon entering, refusing to seat people arbitrarily, having completely different levels of service for different customers. I’ve been eating here on and off for 10 years, but the quality of food can’t offset the increase in what I think is literally the worst customer service I’ve ever seen in the restaurant trade. And I’ve seen a lot of restaurants, everything from street vendors in Beijing to hundreds of Michelin starred places on 5 continents.
Save your money for friendlier places. Don’t reward the attitude these folks treat their customers with. If you read through the Hama-​Ko Unilocal ratings, you’ll see many bad reviews. The primary reason for most of these reviews is the absolutely rude and indifferent attitude of both the chef and his wife and the bias with which they treat their non-​Japanese or non-​favored customers.
Tonight, my sixteen year old daughter got up and left the restaurant after seeing the way they were treating a family with a young teenage girl. She made me promise to tell the Unilocal universe about what we’ve observed in our ten years of going to Hama-​Ko.
Do all of us who live in Cole Valley a favor and take your business to any of our other excellent restaurants, these folks don’t deserve another dollar.
Oh, and the signs saying their credit card machine is broken? That might be true, but it’s been broken for a loooonngg time (years). Why they don’t have the honesty to just say cash only is confusing, but just another example of their disingenuous nature.
I have to side with my daughter on this one. We’re done with Hama-​Ko and will never go back.

5 stars for the freshest sushi. We got lucky and visited when the chef had gone to the market that day. He showed us the fresh amaebi from the bar & the mirugai was still twitching when it came to our table. The ankimo & scallops were buttery, ikura had a nice crunch with the added cucumber, uni was like cream of the sea and the tai snapper was so refreshing with the citrus zest. The chef also threw in some tuna sashimi bits to our order as he told us what type of restaurant they are (real Japanese sushi) and how he picks the fish.
Hama-​ko is like eating in someone’s house where the host gives you what he deems as the proper cuisine. So come to Hama-​ko only for traditional Japanese sushi. If you want avocado, cream cheese, California rolls, you’re better going off to another sushi place that specializes in rolls. Also they don’t have a deep-​fryer (he sauteed our shrimpheads — still tasty) so don’t look for tempura there. From the appetizers, we ordered the spinach & seaweed salads, which were topped with toasted sesame seeds. The seaweed salad also had shaved bonito flakes — a nice touch to liven up the salad.
We also witnessed «you treat kids nice?» episode when a family that walked in. If your kids are well-​behaved & can eat traditional sushi, you’ll have no problem here otherwise, you should save your time & go to a child-​friendly restaurant. The adult-​silence was nice for us as we had just come from Kezar Restaurant where 2 warbling babies were dueling for the audience. The babies were cute but loud.

My family and I attempted and failed to eat here twice. The first time we erred by not bringing enough cash (no credit cards accepted); the second time we erred by bringing our baby (no babies welcome).
Don’t be fooled by the relaxed décor and the owners’ resemblance to nice grandparents. I’m sure the owners are nice, but when it comes to sushi, they mean business — and that means children better not make a peep.
Here’s a transcript of our second attempt to eat here:
Me: «Table for two please.»
Owner (wife): [gestures to sit down]
Baby: «Yelp.» [not baby’s loudest Unilocal,mind you]
Owner (wife): «You take care of baby nice, okay?»
Me: ?
Owner (husband): «You take care of baby nice, okay?»
Me: «Are you asking us to leave?» [somewhat confusedly]
Owners (husband): «Up to you.»
So we left. I’m sure the sushi and sashimi are great, based on these reviews — but don’t make the mistake of bringing too little cash, or a baby (even a gently Unilocaling one).

Hands down the best sushi joint ever — not just in SF, but in my life.
The grand pop and ma are the cutest couple and so nice — at least to me (and to my friends). I just grinned typing that shit.
Too bad they’d retire soon.
Can’t believe I’d have to find a sushi joint where I will be treated as a guest.

Hama-​Ko is what a sushi restaurant should be. There’s superbly well-​selected and fresh fish and nicely balanced rice, but it goes beyond that. Going here is an intimate and personal experience, more akin to eating at the house of that one friend you have who’s dad is a killer chef than at a restaurant. In some ways, you get out of this place what you put in: if you’re polite, adventurous, and appreciative, Hama-​Ko and its owners will be good to you in return.
There are no Godzilla Rock n Roll Deep Fried Cream Cheese rolls on the menu, no rowdy drunk groups posing for pictures, and no self-​important people on cell phones. I noticed a sense of civility and genuine connection between the owners and patrons that’s missing in most other restaurants.
Prices here are competitive for the quality and portions of fish. The nigiri and sashimi ranged from very good to exquisite (in the case of the sea urchin). The tuna roll I had was also quite good, but you get the sense that the better pieces of fish go to patrons who order sashimi. My advice is to always ask what’s fresh and be prepared to try things you might not otherwise try.
Sometimes the occasion calls for modern fancy fusion sushi, a couple bottles of sake, and some rowdiness. And there’s plenty of sushi places like that in San Francisco. But this isn’t that place. Instead, it’s something far more rare and special.

I think another reviewer pointed this out before, but it is really like eating in someone’s kitchen (and I mean that in the best way possible). It’s run by a grandpa and a grandma so service is a bit slower. No sign on the outside, no wait either on the Friday night we went (around 7:30PM).
When we walked in the first thing the grandpa said was: «No rolls, just sushi, no Godzilla, Lion King, just sushi.» Haha it was pretty funny they automatically assumed we wanted those rolls.
The sushi was very fresh. The scallop was amazing. I was disappointed that the salmon only came smoked. Still fresh, but would have liked it non-​smoked.
I had the sashimi dinner, not many pieces of sashimi, but the sizes were generous for each piece.
Still not my favorite sushi place, but definitely worth checking out.

Everyone who has gone in here and been put off by the curt, short and simplistic manner of the owners need to just get over it. I love it here. It’s awesome and the owners are actually super cool.
There is no sign. The restaurant is essentially in their living room. It is very small. The fact of the matter is, it is amazing sushi. They know what they’re doing. And yes, you need to order $ 11 worth per person and you need to be super polite and considerate, but I see it all as part of the experience.
The other thing people are just neglecting to say is that this is just a different kind of sushi place. If you want a big fancy sushi bar with art and modernist lighting and décor, this is not the place for you. If you want something authentic, hidden away, and delicious, yet simple, it is.
One of my favorite parts of eating here is ordering and having the wife talk to you in English then slowly hear her slipping into pure Japanese. Just smile and nod and place your order. And enjoy, because it’s amazing.

Inside is really conservative. not much for décor and is a pure mom and pop place.
Menu isn’t really that extensive as can be expected. But to be honest I’m not getting the same out of this world freshness that other people are spouting. But that’s just a matter of expectations. Solid good fresh fish certainly well deservin 4 stars.

Great place. We call it «No Name Sushi» because they don’t even put a sign out front. No need to worry though. Once you’re inside you’ll meet a very nice, friendly couple running the place and serving up great cuts of super fresh fish.
No super-​white-​boy sushi rolls here. If you want to know any of the freshest specials just ask.
And my sig. other always complains that the miso isn’t as good she grew up with, but this place passed the test.

I finally ate here. The sushi is not as good — nor are the hosts as rude — as the Unilocal reviews would lead you to believe.
That’s really all you need to know. Now for the back story:
I found this place 3 or 4 years ago when I realized the somewhat hidden window with the giant sake bottles in it was a restaurant. I live nearby and had been staring at it from the N Judah stop for months wondering what it was, because there is no sign and I wasn’t entirely clear if it was open to the public.
Turns out it isn’t, kinda.
The first time I came, the wife gave me a strange look — less like the hostess when you arrive at her restaurant, and more like a householder whose apartment you’ve entered by accident. She told me where to sit and when I asked to sit somewhere else she said no; so I turned on my heel and left. The second time I was on my way home and under the misguided impression I could order some sushi to go since the atmosphere made me uncomfortable. Yeah, if you’ve read any of the other reviews you can imagine how THAT went.
By this point I’m wondering what’s the deal with these crazy rude people and how on earth do they manage to stay in business? Unilocal reviews more or less explained everything. Once I learned the «house rules» I still wanted to try it, but I didn’t want to go without someone who could serve as a buffer. I recruited a Japanese-​speaking friend who always wears «nice» clothes and was fascinated by the prospect of eating at «Sushi Nazi» (which is what I had taken to calling the place since I couldn’t remember their name and it made a more interesting story). So we got all jazzed up, and we went, and here I am telling my story.
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I had a perfectly fine and uneventful dinner. Everything everybody else says is true about having to wait a long time for your food and only being able to order once. I didn’t find the prices especially scandalous — the only exception was $ 11 for a «masu» of sake which I thought meant a300ml bottle but turned out to mean 100ml in one of those square cup things. However it was good sake and that’s about what you’d pay for a better glass of wine so I’m not complaining. I was relieved that I could order more sake when I ran out and even ask for water when the food came (it wasn’t provided). I didn’t think the price was outrageous. Sure, it was a little more than some other places for the same quality, but it was well within the range of reasonable.
The sushi itself wasn’t as good as the positive reviews here had led me to expect. Possibly it might be if you «get on the chef’s good side» which many reviewers have recommended. BUT: this is true almost everywhere. Learn the chef’s name, go regularly, be polite, and make even a little bit of effort to charm them and not only will you likely get served the good stuff, you’ll possibly also get it for free because most customers are too self-​absorbed to do that. People like to be appreciated and will be nicer to you if you treat them well! This is common courtesy, not rocket science. It doesn’t even require much effort.
What’s different about this place is that you have to work harder to get there and you have to do it to receive the hospitality you can take for granted nearly everywhere else. I don’t understand why that’s appealing, although I gather from the reviews on here and stories about other businesses that it is for some people. I can’t even blame the couple that owns and runs this place. They’re a mom-​and-​pop shop, in their sixties, clearly doing the best they can. Most of the rules mentioned seem to be necessary for running a restaurant under such conditions. (Running a restaurant is REALLY HARD.) I applaud them for pursuing their dream life and hope they continue to have a successful business.
BUT: Aside from the excitement of wooing them and feeling like part of an elite club (which is an important and exciting aspect of city life!) I don’t think this is anything special. I’ve had better quality fish at many other places. I don’t like how limited their menu is — it’s basically just raw fish and rice.
I understand why they can’t serve (for example) the exquisite braised black cod that so floored me at Kazu, but I’d like to have the option. I’d also like to order more food if I’m still hungry. To sit where I want instead of where I’m told. To eat a decent amount of vegetables (there is not much to be had here, just appetizers which are, well, appetizer-​sized). I find the review below where they’re cruel to a five year old girl (assuming everything happened the way she claimed, which seems probable) horrifying. I don’t want to know people who do that. I certainly don’t want to be their guest on any regular basis. And I didn’t know about it until after I’d promised my friend we would eat there! I tried it, it was okay, I don’t know if I’m ever going back.
Kazu is better. So are half a dozen other places. But +1 star for being a character.

This was the WORST dining experience I have ever had.
1. The sushi was OK, not amazing.
2. «The service is slow» is the biggest understatement of the century– we were literally at this restaurant for 3 and a half hours. WHY? There are seven tables in the entire place.
3. Crowd is way too full of itself. Get over it, the sushi is not that great.
4. Don’t go here if you want decent food that is well priced. This place is over the top expensive. We ordered the «most generous assortment of food» and got barely three bites each (three of us)
5. The worst dining experience I have ever endured. I feel weak, frustrated and definitely not satisfied with my meal or choice of restaurant. STAY AWAY.

If I had one word to sum up my visit to Hama-​Ko, it would be «serene’.
A very quiet, cozy, and homely Sushi place. The owners are delightful people. The service was a little slow but ffs, they are two elderly citizens. Give them a break. This isn’t jack n the box. It felt ike they wanted you to take it slow and enjoy the tastes of the dishes they were preparing for you.
The food: Man. I have never had better Hamachi in my life. It was succulent, and disintegrated as soon as it touched my tongue. I also had the Tuna and Miso Soup, which were both excellent. It felt a little pricey ($ 5.50 or so per Nigiri) which is why I gave it only 4 stars. I can’t afford to eat here as much as I would like :/​. Don’t expect Chicken Teriyaki or Tempura here. It’s fish — rice. and soup only.
The owners were very nice to us, and I am glad they take an old fashioned approach to running their business. If you want to bring your crying babies in here, or sit by and gab on your cellphone with your pompous San Francisco attitude then you deserve to be scolded and/​or kicked out. You’re probably the type that was looking for a nice tallboy of PBR to wash your meticulously prepared sushi down!

Good God, I’m a sushi snob and I didn’t even know it. Not until I read the reviews here, anyway. This might offend and I apologize beforehand.
The folks at Hama-​ko are old school Japanese sushi restaurateurs. Growing up in Japan and Okinawa back in the 70’s, I recall (and I believe this is still the case) how sushi houses were viewed in a different light than other kinds of restaurants. They weren’t the kinds of places you took your kids because kids weren’t able to appreciate the meal for the work of art that it was. (Yes those Asahi beer ads you read on your table are telling the truth, sushi has a likening to art in Japan.) And going to a sushi restaurant required nicer dress and manners — almost like going to church. It’s not a place you go to stuff your face with fish.
In Japan, they know this. Here, not so much. And the two old folks that run Hama-​ko seem to be trying to enforce those standards upon their clientele.
I can read some of the bad reviews here and tell why the proprietors treated them rudely. If you’re looking for a sushi «joint» this place is not for you. If you’re just «popping in» or otherwise didn’t plan to spend an evening at Hama-​ko, then this place is not for you. If you are loud, if you aren’t dressed appropriately, if your kids are poorly behaved, if you aren’t prepared to treat the experience of eating some truly superior sushi with the respect it deserves, then you should go somewhere else.
But if you’re looking for an old-​school traditional Japanese sushi experience with heavenly fresh fish, AND you’re willing to do it up the Japanese way — then dozo.

A bit of context: There are ~26 seats in this tiny place. 4 of which are occupied. We’d like to eat here at about 6:45pm on a Wednesday evening, and we understand that it could take a long time, and that «oooh! scary! they serve raw fish!» I’m a responsible parent who will remove my daughter quickly and gracefully if things go to hell, and she knows it. She doesn’t «go there.» I have no qualms about putting my foot down with her, or with anyone. She behaves in restaurants. Or we don’t go to restaurants for a while.
My daughter asks regularly to be taken out to sushi restaurants– it is our favorite food. We cook a lot at home, but for Japanese food, we tend to eat out. I’ve been to this restaurant a few times with adult friends, and it was a fine experience — see my previous review for that. The wait staff was rude but the food was better than the other Japanese place in our ~3-​block neighborhood (Cole Valley), and in general, I tend to see the good in people so never took the rudeness personally.
So tonight, my daughter asked, to go to this Japanese restaurant in particular. And it was early/​a nice night. So I said «OK, let’s go.» I warned her that the couple who owns the place would not tolerate her being loud (she isn’t, but I wanted to «warn» her, and I also told her that it would take a long time for our food to be served BEFORE WE GOT TO THE PLACE.) I repeat: she was warned repeatedly about these things on our way over, and we stood outside for a moment before entering, AGAIN because I wanted to make sure she understood that any misbehavior would NOT be tolerated. I covered my bases with her. Turns out I should have been covering bases with the jerks who run this place and NOT my 5 ½ year old daughter.
We walked in the door, and almost immediately the sushi chef (husband) began yelling at us that the food will take a long time. I said, in a very friendly tone «It’s ok! We know! I’ve been here before!» and I wave, in an attempt to convey that I have things under control while trying to show my daughter that it’s fine, we’re just waiting for a seat. My daughter was standing next to me, still in her school uniform, about as sweet as can be — staring at me as if to say «what’s going on, mom? this place is empty? why aren’t we sitting down?» because this was over the top RUDENESS from our first step in the door and WTF. It was empty. We’re used to crazy people on the streets, we’re not used to crazy people running the restaurant we’d like to eat at yelling at us.
So the wife decides to chime in, and says «YOU CAN’T BE HERE — The food will take too long — she will not like it.» and she motioned to my daughter like she is some kind of animal who should be eating outside. The 4 heads of the other patrons turned to us, with a mixture of «are you going to take this shit?» and pity on their faces, and I pipe up, because my daughter is also looking up at me and said «You know what? My daughter has better manners than you do. We are CLEARLY NOT WELCOME HERE. Enjoy your evening, folks.» And we turned and walked away.
My daughter started crying outside — she didn’t understand why the couple was so rude *to her.* And I said «babe, when people are rude, you don’t have to take it. You can always just walk away. They were rude to us, so we left. We don’t have to spend our money there. Where else do you want to go?» She couldn’t get over ADULTS treating her so poorly and kept trying to rationalize it in her 5-​year old way. «But they had never met me? Why were they so angry?» Her crime was standing quietly next to me while we waited to be seated. Had she been jumping up and down, singing loudly, or doing some other crazy kid-​like thing, I’d have understood. But she stood by me, SO happy to have gotten to pick the restaurant, and excited to eat some raw fish with me on our «fun» mom-​daughter date.
We ended up at Bambino’s down the street. It’s always good, and friendly, and the staff knows my daughter by name. She shared our experience with the wait staff and a few other patrons from the neighborhood, and you know? We spent around $ 70 on a dinner for the two of us. Which is probably what we would have spent at *this* place, had they not been so awful to us.
I won’t be returning, with or without my daughter. AND I do plan to let the few people I know who visit this establishment, that it is not a place to bother spending their money at.

I have not had the pleasure of eating at this place.
However, we made an honest attempt to come here last night, based on a friend’s recommendation. Considering they don’t take reservations, we showed up at 5 pm, thinking we’d get in as soon as they opened.
Even though their hours said they opened at 5, there was still no sign of life at 5:15. No one picked up the phone either, or answered the knock on the door.
We literally looked up Unilocal reviews on our iPhones and went to Koo, another sushi restaurant close by instead. Wonderful place!

Hama-​Ko is a hidden treasure, as most restaurants-​in-​garages are. There’s not even a sign out front. An older couple run the show, and a visit to Hama-​Ko is like visiting the kitchen of a private Japanese home. There may appear to be a lot of rules, but it’s really a matter of common sense, understanding of a culture, and proper etiquette. Do not be deterred by reports of poor service. Just know that you will spend your evening here. Enjoy it!
They’ll seat you when your entire party arrives. It’s hard to tell how busy they’ll get at any moment because of their prime location by the Carl and Cole intersection, so that’s completely understandable. As I waited outside, my dining companions for the evening trickled in one at a time. Luckily, the restaurant did not fill up before we were seated.
I ordered the Omakase [Chef’s Choice] Sashimi Dinner. The others ordered the Sushi Dinner. Fresh [selected daily!] and absolutely delicious! The scallop sashimi was foodgasmicly [definitely not a word, hah!] phenomenal and possibly a favorite now.
Plates were cleared as we tackled the sushi and sashimi. Hot sake and cold beer were replenished as we enjoyed the food and the company. Near the end of our meal, hot tea was offered to the table.
I’ll definitely revisit when I’m feeling a little nostalgic for Japan. There’s always room for a little hot sake, and a whole lot of fresh sashimi. Note that there are no jive ass rolls [
here!

Here’s the thing: I make it a practice never to engage in that, «The nasty people who run this place really like ME» kind of one-​upsmanship, because I don’t like giving assholes my money in order to feel special.
The sushi here is very good, and if you’re the kind of person who likes to be in the know and is immune to rudeness, you will enjoy this experience. Personally, if I want an old lady yelling illogical rules at me, I will go visit the nuns who ran my high school.