KUSAKABE

Food: 3 stars
Service: 4 stars
Took one of my bff’s here for her b-​day last night and while we were seated with the head chef, I had an overall OK experience (my friend had a great one). While some of the food was good, others were terrible, and none were particularity memorable. I’d like to give this place more stars for their service, but the length of time it took to bring out some of the courses was just unacceptable.
While the nigiri portion was good, nothing was O-​M-​G-​I-​NEED-​MORE status. I also disliked how some of the sushi was drenched in ponzu. When it comes to omakase, pre-​saucing is great, but I like the fish to speak for itself. My friend on the other hand, had the best experience of her life. RICE A+.
The fish from the sashimi portion of the omakase was good, but the fish was WAY too cold due to being served on a bed of shaved ice. It was really hard to enjoy the fish, though I could taste the freshness of it.
…my least favorite part of the meal with the box of assorted small plates. I’m sad to say the oyster was EXTREMELY fishy and dry, and the squid was so ridiculously fishy I had to spit it out :(Everything else in this box was just whatever to say the least. They really need to think about omitting this filler of a course in their omakase menu. NO bueno.
Service upon arrival to the end of the meal was spectacular. BUTTTTTTTTT the length of time between each course was just outrageous. One gap took 22 minutes… 22 FREAKING MINUTES!!! The entire meal was inconsistent. I was not a happy camper :(I’d like to note that they gave us crème brûlée on the house for my friends b-​day, and the entire restaurant sang happy birthday to her :)
I really wanted to like this place, but I was unimpressed and underwhelmed. Needs a lot of work and tweaking of the menu IMO. If this is your first omakase experience, I think you’d love it. Don’t get me wrong, the food was good and I appreciate the effort and art that goes into each course, but was still disappointed with a lot of minor things that just added up as the night went on.

I believe there penalty on not show up is too unreasonable.
So I had a business trip last minute (24 hours before the reservation) and there cancellation policy require 48 hours in advance. I booked for a party of 6 for my guests. Yes I know its a lost to a restaurant but charging $ 570 for not show up is too much. And its really hard to contact the restaurant. I booked through Reserve and I cant contact them. And I also cant contact the restaurant.
Not a happy experience.

Kusakabe is definitely pricey but worth the experience. Superb service and had extremely fresh ingredients. As a resident of Vancouver I have extremely high expectations for sashimi and Japanese food and Kusakabe did not disappoint. The toro served at the beginning and the otoro at the end was extremely delicious. It just melted in my mouth and my taste buds were in heaven. I also had the pleasure of tasting the Shima Aji which I highly recommend!!! Its my favorite fish and usually it tastes a little fishy at restaurants that don’t treat it well but it was perfect here with balanced flavors with the topping and rice.
Did I mention their rice varies? This is not just your regular sushi joint with fresh fish! Each piece has other spices, toppings or different rice that accompanies the fish which was surprising and delicious.
Overall, for two people I came in just around $ 400 for the grand Omakase + two beers.

Amazing Omakase Experience! If you can get a reservation, make sure you sit at the bar so that you can watch the chef at work– they are so meticulous with their work. Everything was so fresh! And it was my first time having turtle in the turtle soup.
Dined here for my Birthday for the $ 95 Omakase menu– everything was so fresh and beautifully presented! After adding extra Wagyu A5 and Hokkaido Uni and drinks, this place will surely make a small dent in your wallet. Thank goodness it was my Birthday! =) Great place to go for a celebration!

I really want to tell you not to go here, so those that know it can keep it to ourselves. I’d hate to see this little place become overrun & impossible to get into. This place is a great experience. It is small, only seating a maximum of about 40. And they only have a 5:15 & 8:30 seating.
Perfect date spot. Sit at the sushi bar and watch your chef masterfully prepare every bite for you. We had one chef for 4 people at the bar and they all help prepare the food for the 4 tables in between the bar courses. The chefs are very attentive and sociable. They will answer questions and are very informative.
We ordered the Omasake. For us it was the perfect amount of food. Every course was a work of art. I tried new things and found a new take on old standards. I didn’t fall in love with everything but I didn’t hate anything. I’m glad I tried it all. Our favorite was the Cherry Salmon. The texture was perfect and the cherry leaf gave it a taste of cinnamon. It was almost dessert-​like.
Between this and the sea lions at pier 39 I have plenty of reasons to return to San Fran as soon as possible!

My Fiancé took me here on my birthday last year and I loved it! The experience was excellent from making the reservation to enjoying the meal.
Since then we’ve probably eaten here 3 more times. They now have a «Grand Omakase» option. Value-​wise it’s great and it’s also very filling. Let me break my experience down.
OMAKASE: a set menu of deliciousness. All 90% of the sushi served is nigiri. The fish is fresh and the flavors are not overwhelming. Good and simple does the trick. We recently had the «grand omakase» and it was filling for me. Why opt for the GRAND version? It has more sushi pieces and popular items that are usually ordered are already included. In the end, the GRAND will save you more money.
The regular Omakase is still an excellent option. The experience and quality of fish does not change with the regular omakase. Only difference will be the portion and maybe the wagyu beef at the end.
SAKE: Kusakabe offers a wine or sake pairing. My husband always tried the sake and I would take little sips just to try (I’m a lightweight.). Let me tell you, this place serves some of the best sake! I’m definitely more of a sake person than wine. You don’t have to do the pairing but I do suggest the Dassai «Centrifuge.» It’s light, sweet, and not too dry.
CUSTOMER SERVICE: Excellent. I have nothing more to say except that they are on point.
CON: pricey but it is high quality. Some items on the petit plats were not my favorite.
This place is a must if you love traditional sushi. Highly recommended! Definitely a Michelin star deserving establishment.

4.5 stars!!! We got the grand omakase for $ 150 pp — each party gets their own chef if you sit at the sushi bar; however, your chef will take breaks to prepare sushi for those sitting at the tables. This was my second time doing a bougie omakase, my first was Sushi Nakazawa in NYC. Your experience will differ based on how talkative your chef is — ours was a little too reserved for my preference.
The sushi and sashimi courses were flawless — standouts were the white eel (OMG so good, with a slight crispiness on top ahh), uni (melts in your mouth delicious), chutoro, wagyu. However I didn’t enjoy the kaiseki dishes as much, but that is true in general, not due to any fault of Kusakabe.
While I liked the omakase at Nakazawa better (there was no yellowtail in this omakase, and I wish the fatty tuna at Kusakabe was fattier!), but you definitely get more food at Kusakabe. After the omakase, you have the option to order from the a la carte menu if any of your favorites didn’t make it into the omakase. Wish we’d had the time/​room for a la carte and dessert. Overall no regrets! But with all the amazing sushi places in SF I probably won’t be making a return visit, at least for a long time.

Really good quality sushi, some of the intermediary courses are doused in ponzu and sauces.
Still love the welcome tea.
Bluefin tuna, fishy. Bonito, wish they would replace.
Favorites now:
–Hotate
–zuke chutoro, can be overseasoned
–bafun uni
–sardine
–Hirame
–toro
The cooked items are really just an afterthought and the sushi while good, not many are wow. Splurge on the toro and most of the time the A5 is on target.

Some Tips:
+ Reserve on the more popular nights. We watched so many people try to walk in and were turned away. (ate on Sat night)
+ Bar seating is luck? We called back twice to ask for it but they said it was random :/​Luckily we ended up getting the seating anyway
+ House Tea is free (some sort of Green Tea).
+ If you say it’s your birthday (which it apparently was 5 peoples birthday during the time we ate) you get a complimentary ice cream and the whole team sings happy birthday for you.
+ the 150 menu was way worth it :)

I would give this place 928 272 772 stars if I could — I’ve tried most of the other omakase restaurants in the city and this one is definitely still my favorite. I’d like to consider myself a regular, but this place is always fully booked/​so hard to get a reservation they they probably don’t remember me, LOL. Whenever I come here, it’s definitely the ultimate splurge… after the omakase, you can order additional pieces off the a la carte menu and we always go a little crazy. The sushi chefs are all very friendly and knowledgeable too. One time they even made me a little baby nigiri, it was so cute!!! :)
Favorite pieces: zuke toro, wagyu/​otoro, tamago w truffle (all usually in omakase) barracuda, cherry salmon, red snapper, Hokkaido uni (a la carte)
The only «bad» thing I have to say is don’t get the wine pairing! We made the mistake of doing that once and it’s definitely not worth it, imo. Spend your $ on more sushi instead, heh.

Had one of the most amazing dining experiences of my life here last night!!! The $ 150 was SO worth it. Chef Nori was so kind and willing to adjust the menu to what me and my boyfriend like and he was great at explaining each dish to us. Whenever we asked him questions, he was very willing to answer them and explain too! We learned a lot about where they source their fish and the insanely quick shipping they have from Japan to SF.
Overall, the service was on point and the food quality was just amazing — The Kaisui Uni was literally THE best uni I’ve EVER eaten in my life. The finale of toro and A5 wagyu was so delicious too — seriously, melt in your mouth good! We also ordered the shrimp a la carte which was huge and you get to eat it in two ways, the body quickly poached over rice and the head deep-​fried! I also really enjoyed the BBQ eel with sansho pepper, super fatty eel and no bones in it at all.
This experience was more than I could’ve asked for and I 100% will be back! Deserves more than 1 michelin star for sure! Chef Nori, food quality, service — all A+++++, well worth the $ 400 meal.

Honestly the toro nigiri and wagyu A5 nigiri will be the best things to ever enter your mouth.
Seriously though, this hands down was the best meal of my life. Every single detail of our meal here was perfection. The $ 95 omakase menu is a great value, considering you’d spend more per head at any other michelin star restaurant in SF. Of course, we couldn’t resist tacking on a-​la-​carte items such as the life changing bafun uni, but we did bring our own sake and paid a modest $ 25 corkage fee (vs. $ 85 sake pairing per person).
Tip — Most of the seats here are at the sushi bar, so you have direct interaction with your sushi chef — a memorable experience that is unmatched by any other restaurant. However, if you’re the last ones in for your seating time, you will be seated at the tables, so arrive on time if not early! There are two seatings per night — 5pm or 8pm.

Kusakabe definitely deserves its Michelin star because the food and the customer service here is phenomenal. My dining experience was nothing short of exceptional.
:Food
First of all, I enjoyed the $ 95 Omakase course very much but if I had to do it again, I would definitely pay a bit more and go for the $ 150 omakase course. The additional courses that you get for the latter is definitely worth the extra $ 50 ! Go big or go home !
The dinner experience went by so fast like a blur (probably because everything was delicious and it felt like floating on clouds in heaven). My favorite is hands down the toro — you can never go wrong with toro– but every single nigiri and sashimi serving was incredibly fresh. The kussi oysters and the croquette are my second favorites and lastly, if you didn’t order the $ 150 omakase, I would definitely order the uni off of the regular menu. The uni was so light and wasn’t overwhelming at all (like most restaurants). The almond ice cream was also a great finishing touch so definitely order dessert because there should always be room for dessert.
:Service
The servicing was incredibly. Everyone was very attentive and knowledgeable. Sadly, we didn’t get a chance to sit at the bar, though the experience was just as nice to have our own table. I would definitely recommend getting a bar seating to learn more about the dishes and get a first seat experience at how the dishes are prepared. Reservations aren’t that hard to get if you’re booking for a party of 2 but anything more than that will take a long time. It took me about 2 – 3 months to get a reservation for a party of 4. Definitely worth the experience and I can definitely say that I’ll be back again.

I live to eat and I love sushi. A few people recommended that a sushi fanatic like me should try Kusakabe, since I’m always missing the Japanese cuisine that was served in Hawaii (which I still think is the best place to get authentic Japanese cuisine here in the US). Anyway, I gave this place a whirl back in October of last year and have highly contemplated going back – and will. This review is long overdue but I’ve decided to write my dining experience here since I stepped foot in the intimate restaurant last Fall.
Upon arrival, you are greeted by their hospitable staff, there’s only 2 rounds per night – so do sign up early. Since I was eating with my family, we chose a weeknight, and only had to book 2 weeks in advance. We were given some type of kelp-​y/​seaweed-​infused tea, which we were told was a palette cleanser. I thought it was delicious, I love snacking on seaweed (yes, it’s a thing Asian people do).
Anyway, once most of the people arrive +/​-​a few late birds, the chefs start prepping. We didn’t get seated in front of the master, but we did get the second most experienced chef in the restaurant, which was great. He was very informative and friendly and taught me a few things about how and why this restaurant is slightly different from «traditional» omakase places. And the way the menu is set up is that every few dishes after amazing nigiri, will be a warm dish. And this is because it balances the digestive system so as to not overwhelm it with just nigiri/​raw/​food that is served in a cooler temp range. I thought that was really neat and interesting.
I couldn’t remember the names of all the different fish that were served unless I jot them down on my phone, but seriously – what kind of a dining experience would that be? I decided that posting the date I went to the restaurants would be somewhat helpful because the fish served on the day could be seasonal. So that’s for any seafood/​sushi connoisseurs out there. But check out that glisten and shininess of those nigiri pieces! It’s AMAZING, and a sign for amazingly fresh fish.
Overall, I really enjoyed the experience and the chestnut ice cream I ordered at the end had small chunks of real chestnut in it (yay!) I love how that fitted into the seasonal theme of the menu.
Oh, and my motivation for finally writing this review? I plan on going back soon and don’t want to mix up pictures for my next visit with the last.
Cheers! Or more like, Kanpai!

Kusakabe is such a special place. First of all, the food is delicious and reasonable priced for what you get. We did the «grand» omakase for $ 150 but we got 22 items! 22! (Disclaimer: this may not always be the case.)
In my opinion, I felt that the sushi was the star here. They have non-​sushi items as part of the kaiseiki but there are places like Wakuriya that really excel at that. To me, these items at Kusakabe were a little mild for me, with the exception of the beef croquette.
My favorites: zuke chutoro, toro, barracuda, Copper River sockeye salmon, BBQ white eel, beef croquette, and Canadian ebi (we added this). You can’t add any items from the a la carte menu until after you’ve finished the omakase so if you don’t want to gamble, do the $ 95 omakase and get more of your favorites later.
What I love most is the relaxed ambiance. I highly recommend you sit at the bar so you get your one piece of sushi at a time. It really helps you appreciate the beauty while it’s on its little pedestal. And of course you get to converse with the chef making your food. That’s always nice.
I giggled when I saw at the bottom of the menu that they make rolls upon request. Our chef said he hasn’t received that request in the 1.5 years that he has been working there.

great quality but I had higher expectations for service
The food was great. I could taste how amazingly fresh everything was. At times, some items tasted SUPER salty to me. My other friends had disagreed with me and didn’t notice the saltiness at all, so it may have been me. The plating was also very beautiful and I would definitely say that it was fairly priced. It was $ 95 for the omakase that night. Something that I really liked was that the chef asked us what were our favorite items. He made sure to feature it at the end.
Something that I felt that was lacking was the service. Maybe I had had too great of an experience at Omakase where the chefs were joking and laughing, but this is definitely a more calm and quiet kind of environment. I would have liked to see more personality. That’s nothing to take a star for, but personal preference. I’d definitely come back just for the quality.

Tips:
Recommend bar seating.
Try both the toro and the wagyu sushi, you won’t regret it.
— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — –
Hands down one of my favorite sushi experiences yet! I came here on the Monday after Valentines day for the 8pm seating and I had an amazing time.
Service:
— Pace of dinner was perfect: not too fast, but not too slow.
— Staff are extremely attentive and helpful. Answered all our curious questions and explained every dish to us. I never felt intimidated or out of place.
— This was my first Omakaze experience at the bar seating and our sushi chef helped us survive through it! (Thumbs up for Patrick our sushi chef!)
Food:
— Absolutely delicious. Everything from the sushi to the warm dishes to the soup.
I would absolutely come back and recommend coming to Kusakabe for all of my friends.

Michelin star means that I have high expectations of this place to be exceptional.
I thought it was the norm of gourmet sushi, sashimi, sake and nigiri, but the proportions was a bit lacking for the price tag — I am talking about their omakase set.
Quality was there, but it didn’t stand out as spectacular to other upscale sashimi, omakase offerings that I have tried.
Their A5 Wagyu was not of the most marbleous that I have ever had. Top notch — don’t get me wrong. However, not the best.
Their omakase nigiris were of the standard. Again, it lacks the feeling of amazing! Not too much creativity either. Let me rave about it the next day, kind of feeling that I usually have on dazzling food spots! It took me awhile to express myself about this place as you have read thus far that I left quite unimpressed.
Sake was nicely fragrant and complimented well with the nigiri. I was disappointed that they didn’t include Hokkaido uni to their omakase set. We had to order it as an addition. I loved the freshness that you can taste from the uni. Downside, it wasn’t on the omakase set as it should have since it was such a delight to taste and would have been overlooked if we didn’t order it.
As much as I want to really flatter this place, it didn’t spark me as oh my, I have to return for their almighty sashimi, sushi and so forth. It’s a tucked away small spot and discrete. Reservations are required and you have to tell them ahead of time that you want the chef’s counter.
I left feeling: yes, it was fine dining splurge. Great celebratory restaurant to attend to. Not the best sashimi ever, but you get it Michelin style.

So what has anyone to say about a Michelin star sushi restaurant? Plenty. Our sushi chef was so friendly and a pleasure to sit with. The sake pairing complemented each and every bite we took. And now to the fish, was absolute perfection. It was one of those roll the eyeballs into the back of your head experiences that tickled the tongue to the point of torture. Why can’t I have a bottomless tummy? An a la carte menu is available to order from, however only after your Omakase dinner. I personally ordered several pieces of Uni and Toro to finish off a perfectly thought out meal.

One of my favorite sushi restaurants in SF!
You have to make a reservation to get seated since they only have two seatings a night. The omakase is only $ 95 per person, which is super affordable compared to a lot of other options in the city, and the quality is still exceptional. It’s definitely not the most extensive omakase menu, but I left feeling pleasantly satisfied, rather than too full to move. And, if you want more of a particular fish, or just want something that wasn’t included in the omakase courses, you can also order additional things a la carte.
The omakase has a good mix of warm dishes, quality fish, and other courses. The non-​nigiri items were really unique. Two that I remember were a soup with a small meatball /​dumpling and a fish marrow gelatin type thing (part of a mini 4-​course plating). For the finale, I would definitely recommend getting both the wagyu and the toro options! You do have to pay extra in order to have both, but definitely worth it. Sooo delicious.
For dessert, I got the pumpkin pudding with caramelized sugar on top. Kind of a twist on a traditional crème brûlée, with a slightly different texture. It was unique, not too sweet, and a great end to the meal.

Great Service and reasonable price. The urchin is not on omakase menu but u should try! The Hokkaido sea urchin is so much better than the california one.

Exceptional meal, exceptional presentation, exceptional service.
I was very fortunate to be taken here by a friend and not having too much knowledge about what I was going to experience, wow, what a surprise.
I love sushi — from my favorite unsung hero spots (Domo, Ariake) to the biggies (Ichi, Ozumo), Kusakabe does not compare and is in a league of its own.
The league being … as close as an experience to dining in an upscale Tokyo sushi bar as possible. There were many things throughout the meal that reminded me of some of my fondest sushi experiences in Tokyo that no other sushi bar in the U.S. has been able to replicate. Part of this statement refers the beautiful nuances of traditional Japanese (food) culture (you have to visit Japan to understand this), to the delicate handling and serving of food — which in Japan — is a culture in its own right.
End note: if you are willing to spend a nice dime for a three-​hour experience and love Japanese cuisine, or if you’ve been to Japan and want to travel back quick without leaving from SFO, book your table.

My experience at KUSAKABE was truly unforgettable. I tried shirako for the first time, which I later found out was fish ballsack, but more on that later.
So for all the wine-​ing and dining Shawn C. has been doing, I couldn’t have thought of a better way to return the favor than with a reservation here for his birthday. I somehow managed to secure a Friday reservation just two weeks before via OpenTable. Based on other reviews, reservations here seem to come with a hefty wait, but luckily we didn’t have to experience that.
The omakase is $ 95pp, with the option to order a-​la-​carte items at the end. It was worth every single penny. Everything was pretty amazing, mind blowing, orgasmic, you get the idea.
I won’t go through everything, but here’s the special mentions:
— Every piece of nigiri was to die for. Perfectly seasoned, no soy sauce required, and skillfully made one-​by-​one in front of you (if you’re sitting at the bar of course). Jing was our chef for the night, he’s pretty awesome. Shout-​out to Jing!
— Our soup, the Yaki-​Goma Dofu & Kyoto style Saikyo Miso with snow crab, was unlike anything I’ve ever tasted before. Sweet and savory at the same time, the dofu was textured like mochi with a hint of sesame. SERIOUSLY SO GOOD.
— SHIRAKO AKA FISH BALLSACK, or milt, «the male genitalia of fish when they contain sperm, used as food.» Thanks, Wikipedia. The dish was actually called Yuan-​marinated Hokkaido cod with its own Shirako & Satsuma Imo. Yes, I ate fish sperm, and yes, it was 9 287 473 times better than what I thought it was going to be. Perfectly fried on the outside, yet so creamy and oozy on the inside. Okay, I’ll stop now.
— Sushi finale. dat toro. Oh my god, it dissolved in my mouth.
We received a complimentary yuzu sorbet for Shawn’s birthday, and all the employees sang happy birthday to him! He turned bright red — mission accomplished!
Thank you, KUSAKABE! Your food is pretty amazing, but it was your service that was the cherry-​on-​top of this amazing dining experience.

Came here for my 2 year anniversary with my girlfriend. I booked the reservation about 2 months in advance. About 2 days before, I received a call reminding me of my reservation and some questions about food preferences or restrictions.
Thankfully, I was also able to get a seat in front of the sushi bar and even in front of head chef Kusakabe as well. I cannot even begin to describe how transcendental the experience was. It felt like we were transported away from SF and the hustle and bustle of Silicon Valley and invited into Kusakabe’s own cozy home.
The dinner started with a kombu-​cha which blew our minds already with the amount of umami it contained. We then had zuke toro, bonito, the sushi chic, a jaw-​dropping turtle dumpling soup, followed by more nigiri. While I cannot remember some of the specific fishes or the order of them as I’m writing this review months later, I do remember each piece being distinctly delicious. Chef Kusakabe brought about a lot of flavors that I haven’t experienced in nigiri yet; he seems to love using citrus and acid as a way of lifting flavors and stimulating the senses. At every step of the dinner, Chef Kusakabe took the time to explain each piece of nigiri to us and what would taste and experience.
We ended our omakase with pieces of Toro and A5 Wagyu beef both of which were so good that I wished I would never have to swallow and could just keep chewing them forever. We followed the omakase with some more pieces a la carte such as Kamasu (barracuda) and Kohada (gizzard shad — it was also my first time having Kohada and Chef Kusakabe was kind enough to explain the fish to me).
The bill was pretty steep but when you see the love and inspiration that goes into each piece as well as the thought and quality of material, it was definitely worth it. The service was brilliant and the food was impeccable.
I hope to return again soon in a different season to try new things!

Omakase spectacular!
I was fortunate enough to go to Kusakabe for my birthday. It apparently took my boyfriend’s boss 6 months to get a call-​in reservation. My boyfriend used the app «Reserve» and secured a reservation a month in advance. The app also pays the bill automatically once you are at the restaurant.
Kusakabe was my first Omasake and Michelin star experience. They offer a $ 95 prefixe menu and automatically add tip to the bill. If you are still hungry after the prefixe (which is a lot, trust me), they have an optional nigiri selection for added costs, including octopus and sea urchin.
The sushi is incredibly flavorful and they hand-​grate their own fresh ginger and wasabi (sweeter and more delicate than ready-​made wasabi). Kusakabe uses soy sauce, teriyaki, and lemon to enhance the delicate flavors of fish, so no need to add it yourself. The mushroom dishes were inventive and interesting, but too many for my liking (even though I love mushrooms). You are free to make specific requests in case you don’t like a particular food like mushroom or egg, but do this in the beginning; they will ask you.
1÷12÷15 Prefixe Menu Critique:
1. Ichiban Dashi — Great broth to get the belly ready for the feast ahead.
2. Sushi Prelude:
Zuke Chutoro — Bluefin tuna cured in soy sauce sauce and seared with a blowtorch.
Two seasonal sushi — My favorite was the halibut, which was cut thin enough to see through. My boyfriend loved the tuna with lemon.
3. Sashimi — Perfect dish! The tuber slice was a nice added crunch.
4. Umami Soup — Personally, though there was too much mushroom for my taste, but overall good, delicate dish. Quintessential umami flavor. Not sure if I liked the rice and lotus root dumpling, but I’m glad I tried it.
5. Hassun (Le Petite Plats) — I did not enjoy the mushroom or egg plats, but the others were wonderful. My favorite was the warm truffle croquette and caviar oyster.
6. Warm Dish — The flavor was too subtle. It needed a kick like an added spice. By this dish, I was getting sick of the mushrooms, so I did not eat the mushroom portion. I’m also not a fan of sweet potato (satsuma-​imo), but it was an interesting dish because of the combination. I wish it had an added crunch to contrast the soft foods. If you are brave, look up Shirako, which is in the dish.
7. Three kinds of sushi — All delicious!
8. Sushi finale (Your Choice) — I chose A5 Grade wagyu beef, lightly seared. My favorite sushi of the entire meal! A wonderful finale.
For my birthday, Kusakabe also gave me a complimentary dessert, Chestnut ice cream — a unique dessert, but not something I would crave. They also sang «Happy Birthday,» which was absolutely adorable.
Overall, this was a fantastic experience! I would definitely recommend Kusakabe to any foodie or sushi lover who is willing to spend big bucks. Go ahead and indulge.

After perusing a few prior reviews and photos, I had to see if Kusakabe lived up to the hype… and it did not disappoint! Apparently the place is completely booked for months; my date and I snagged a reservation for 5:15 on a Monday (maybe not an «ideal» time for most, but hey, I honestly don’t mind; I’m down for sushi any time of the day or night!)
I won’t bore you with a detailed description of every single item because the menu is not secret; pretty much stays the same between weeks and months except for the seasonal fish of the day. We also shared wine pairing, which was solid. It all was fantastic, and I left very satisfied.
The only thing that was less than fantastic, for me, was:
— Umami soup with angel prawn and cod: I’m not a huge fan of cooked prawn, and I didn’t like the texture of the condensed block of rice/​fish in the middle.
**Favorite pieces**
— Zuke chutoro (melt-​in-​your mouth, perfectly seasoned and seared!)
— Chef’s sashimi, Maguro and Hokkaido scallop (so fresh~)
— Copper river king salmon (with oboro konbu)
— Toro (can’t go wrong here)
— UNI !!! I am an uni lover, so I ordered all three types (Kaisui, Bafun, and Santa Barbara) from the a la carte menu. Kaisui was definitely the winner, but they were all delectable.
Dessert:
— Chestnut ice cream parfait (was delicious, the ice cream was very rich and highlighted the chestnut perfectly)
— Kabocha squash pudding (had an Okinawan black sugar glaze that made it perfect)
Overall, definitely the best omakase & meal I’ve had in SF thus far.

A long awaited review for Kusakabe. Kusakabe is my favorite from Maruya and Omakase. I came here for Christmas dinner last year. We sat in front of chef Nori and omg it was such a great experience. He was very friendly and explain each of the fish and where it’s from. I came back here more recently with another chef and I didn’t think it was quiet as good as the first time I was here but it’s still my favorite.
They only offer $ 95 omakase and then you can order a la carte. My favorite was the golden snapper. Fish was fresh and how it was prepared was amazing.

This is the place to take your first-​date, potential business deal or fiancée to seal the deal. Of course, that chosen individual should, no… must!, have a fine appreciation for the art of sushi (and sake if you want to do it right).
Aside from the survey revealing your preferences and avoidances, get ready for an authentic sushi «omakase» experience, the Japanese equivalent to haute cuisine.
The menu is set so no decisions by the diner are made once the chef begins. The flow of the meal is akin to watching a fine classic opera. Submit and be seduced by the mesmerizing, increasingly bold, and savory flavors that only the most-​skilled sushi chef can coax out of his ingredients.
Once you finish the omakase portion of the menu, you are then welcome to revisit any of the arias or select from the daily fresh sheet.
The staff members are very competent, courteous, and detailed. Great performance entertainment on a gastro-​scale and in a subdued setting that is de rigueur to optimizing what is the finest sushi experience on the West Coast.

Book your spot already! The best sushi I ever had in my life outside of Japan.
We had to make a reservations weeks ahead. They have a really strict cancellation policy too, if I did not recall wrongly it’s about $ 65 for cancellations/​change. Pretty harsh policy.
We arrived slightly late and were promptly seated at the bar. We were assigned to the head chef, Chef Kusakabe himself!
Our meal commence shortly. Every single dish was beautifully presented and thoroughly explained. Every piece of sushi was treated as an exquisite delicious art piece. I am not going to list the items I ate simply cause it changes with the season, ingredients and theme. During my visit, yuzu was the main theme/​ingredient that threads through the entire omakase meal.
Perhaps because we were slightly late, we felt a little rushed through the meal. There was little room to stop and breathe a little before the next dish. So, remember to be on time. If you are driving, parking around the vicinity is a pain in the butt so do buffer more time for that.
Nevertheless, it was one of the most amazing dinner I ever had in my life.
Service was fantastic, attentive and personable. Highly recommend dining here, not the most wallet friendly but definitely one of the most palate satisfying.

Amazing sushi place! I can understand why it has a Michelin star:) You get great service and great fish here. All of the sushi was fresh and prepared right in front of you (sit at the bar). We got the omakase preset menu and had the starter tea, many pieces of sushi, a soup, a warm dish, and a platter with an oyster, crab meat, and other yummy things on it!
The staff was also very friendly and would explain everything to you — what you were eating and how they would recommend you eat it. The dessert was delicious as well! I got the pumpkin pudding with caramel on top and it was not too sweet, just the perfect texture. Come here for legit sushi!

Great all-​around experience! While it’s definitely pricy, the quality of sushi you get is totally worth the money! The nigiri was the best I’ve ever had (although I’ll confess I’m no sushi expert), and I like that the kaiseki style incorporated other non-​sushi dishes for a well-​rounded meal. However, my bf and I both agreed that the weakest course was the soup course.
The staff was also very attentive, and described all the ingredients in the dishes placed before us. The omakase menu + dessert took about 2 hours in total, and we never had to wait long in between courses. Furthermore, it was great to be able to sit at the bar and watch the chefs prepare all of the dishes. Will be back again!
PS: My bf wrote a Medium post if you’re interested in seeing the menu we had course-​by-​course:

Yes, yes, yes, yes, more yes, and YES.
Okay folks, listen up. I take my sushi very seriously. Like I don’t think people understand… I eat that s#!T for breakfast, lunch, and dinner (and times in-​between). I’m in relapse from sushi rehab. I’ve been to Japan and I literally have eaten at every high-​end sushi restaurant on the entire island of Manhattan (including Masa which I thought was garbage).
While visiting San Francisco for work, I was searching high and low for sushi spots. I went to one that was highly rated and I couldn’t even stomach 2 pieces of sushi. I had to leave. I was extremely disappointed and felt like the SF sushi scene was hopeless. Then, I saw everyones glorious Unilocal reviews. Knowing that I was let down before by you guys (my fellow Unilocalers, come on now), I was skeptical. I decided to book a table at the sushi counter and I went by myself (this again reinforces how much I love sushi).
I arrived and when I was seated, I saw the menu which said Kaiseki style menu and almost lost my s#!t. Kaiseki?! What? I thought it was omakase SUSHI only. I didn’t read the online menu (clearly). I felt really upset and was sure that I wouldn’t enjoy my meal. Don’t get me wrong… I love kaiseki but I was craving sushi only (and lots of it).
The meal started and I was told that after the kaiseki/​sushi menu, I would be able to order sushi by the piece. I felt relieved and at least loosened up a little.
I was blown away at how amazing each dish was. There was a lot more sushi than I expected (most of this menu is sushi) and the prepared dishes I loved as well. This place is a lot better than most of the very high rated sushi spots I frequent while in NYC. The tuna sashimi was the best I’ve ever tasted in my life and I was shocked because usually I don’t like my sashimi so thickly cut. It straight up melted in my mouth and the sushi was just phenomenal. I won’t describe every dish individually because they will likely change often and even if they don’t, why ruin the surprise?
If anyone complains about price, what I would tell them is:
Please stop dining at establishments that clearly state a prix-​fixe menu price and then go blast it for its price. Kusakabe is worth every penny. Period.

Overall really good and fresh sushi. Omakase is about $ 100 per person and you get many dishes!
–The first 3 pieces of sushi was probably the best! Really good way to start the meal
–Chef’s sashimi was good, especially the scallop
–Umami Soup was interesting. the sticky rice was great with the soup
–Assorted mini pieces of unique pieces with oyster
–3 kinds of sushi. good but not as good as the first dish of sushi
–Either toro or wagyu beef to end your meal. definitely go for the wagyu beef!

Boyfriend took me here to celebrate our anniversary, great choice as this place has been at the top of my list for quite a while now! This was my first Michelin star dining experience and I am so glad it was as it was absolutely amazing.
We started off with the Omakase courses which were 7 courses for $ 95pp. I wasn’t a huge fan of the seaweed drink they give you to cleanse your palette. My favorites of the courses were the chu toro and copper salmon nigiri, although pretty much all the nigiri they served as part of the omakase were delicious. Each piece was specially seasoned and super fresh. I loved the turtle soup dish (can’t believe I ate a cute little turtle), but shockingly, it was amazing. The dish with two crispy fish in a truffle sauce and shishito pepper was another favorite of mine. Pretty much licked the dish clean because the truffle sauce was so tasty. I also really enjoyed the 5 piece le petit sampler plate of the chefs specials. Huge fan of the crispy eggplant and the tuna over rice piece.
For the last piece, we chose the a5 wagyu sushi. I gotta say that I was not completely blown away with this piece. I actually think that Sushi Sams in San Mateo has a better A5. I mean it was definitely good, but not as amazing as I was hoping for.
We ordered a bunch of sushi al a carte. My favorites being the kaisui uni (completely melt in your mouth!!) wish it was a bigger piece though, Santa Barbara uni, bbq unagi (soft and very good), toro (amazing), chu toro (they season this extremely well, lots of flavors). Each bite was complete heaven for me.
This was my boyfriends first time trying Omakase and he normally doesn’t like to eat raw fish other than salmon and hamachi, however, he loved every single bite of their omakase and is now addicted! Uh oh.
Their sake is also very good. I had a glass of reisling, but next time I’d probably refrain from getting this just so I could order more sushi!
Service was wonderful. The only suggestion that I have is to be more careful and remember if people have specific food restrictions. I asked for no wasabi in all the dishes, however, we had to remind our waitress at least 3 times and there was still some wasabi in my sushi :(which took away from some of the taste for me. They made it up by giving us free dessert for our anniversary. Desserts were delicious, I would highly recommend the pancetta and I’d probably skip out on the corn ice cream next time.
Make sure you make reservations months in advance if you want to sit at the bar and you can probably get in a months in advance if just for a table. Place is tiny and they have 2 groups for seating, one at 5pm and another at 8pm.
Would I come back? Absolutely! This place is definitely not cheap, but it’s worth it to splurge for a special occasion or if you want to take yourself out for some high quality japanese food/​sushi. The omakase itself is actually a good amount. It won’t get you buffet full, but it’s definitely enough and if you order a few pieces al a carte, you should be good to go!

This was my first Michelin starred sushi restaurant so I was pretty excited about coming here.
We sat at the bar, which is the ultimate Omakase experience.
However, I thought the sushi was mediocre. Some of the pieces were great but others were just mediocre. I also didn’t like how there was a combination of warm and cold dishes rather than being consistent.
Meh, this Michelin restaurant didn’t leave a huge mark for me to want to come back again or rave about. I’d much rather go to Sushi Yasuda in New York for half the price, also one Michelin starred.

Get a reservation for bar seating, enjoy a delightful kaiseki style dinner with the wonderful chefs.
The omakase menu is updated on their website so there’s no need to go into all the items and order that you’ll be served, but it is absolutely the best fine-​dining experience I have had so far!
You will definitely notice the superbness of all the ingredients that are used, from the soy sauce to the toro. I did not find any of the items lackluster, every piece was a beautiful mix of flavors. A few of the new flavors I experienced here was the kelp konbu cha, a surprisingly sweet and buttery scallop, truffle with unagi wrapped in egg, and the zuke chutoro (lightly seared bluefin medium fatty tuna cured in soy sauce).
Another a la carte item I encourage people to try is the BBQ white eel. I found this very special since most of the unagi you will eat in your life is pre-​packaged and frozen. The chefs at Kusakabe buy their own eel and prepare it themselves. Even the sauce is prepped in-​house, eel-​based.
I can’t stop thinking about the experience I had here, I’ll definitely be coming back.

No words nor stars can describe how truly amazing this place is. I’ve never had omakase in my life because I live in Houston. Houston isn’t exactly known for the best, freshest sushi. Thus, when I decided to make a trip to San Francisco, I decided that I’ll lose my omakase virginity there. After much research on Unilocal,Kusakabe was the one.
I made a reservation about a month in advance for a seat at the bar. Note that you’ll have to provide them your credit card information in order for them to reserve a spot for you, and you have up to 48 hours before your reservation to cancel. Otherwise, they’ll charge you.
They serve dinner in two time slots: 5pm and 8pm. The host informed me that the 5pm slot is a bit more rushed while the 8pm slot is a bit more relaxed. Luckily, I had picked the 8pm time slot so there was no way they would ever need to rush me out of there.
I arrived about 20 minutes early since I wasn’t sure where the exact location was and didn’t mind having to wait, but the host kept apologizing which was very nice of him. After about 10 min, he was able to seat me and introduced me to my sushi chefs. It was amazing to see them prepare all the dishes in front of me. It was a show of its own — no date required to enjoy your dinner. In the beginning, they ask for your favorite fish as well as any dietary restrictions. Then, the dishes start coming. Don’t worry, they don’t start preparing the next dish until you are done. They also explain the dish so you know what you’re eating. Once you are done with the omakase, they will also hand you a dessert menu and a a la carte menu in case you want to order more. The dessert menu wasn’t as enticing to me as the sushi menu so I ordered another piece of sushi.
All in all, the entire meal came out to a little over $ 100 which was completely worth it. The meal took about 2 hours, which flew by quickly since I was enjoying my conversations with the chefs. The environment was fun, entertaining but also relaxing. I definitely enjoyed it and am glad that I came here for my first omakase experience. I’ll definitely come back if I’m in San Fran again!

At last, I was finally able to try out Kusakabe and it surely lived up to my expectations. I have been dreading to try out traditional Japanese cuisine for the longest time. I was never a fan of all the sauces that people love to drizzle onto their sushi now a days. I had to book a reservation month in advance because they get really busy as it is a fairly small restaurant.
Their service was a bit lackluster considering the price and stature of Kusakabe. I felt neglected throughout the meal. I don’t know if it had to do with the fact that my girlfriend and I were the youngest of age in the restaurant. However, that shouldn’t be a factor in providing good service right?!
Nonetheless, I had an amazing time sitting at the sushi bar because I was able to admire Chef Nori’s knife mastery. You can really tell he loves what he does because each dish was carefully prepared and plated. Every part of the Omakase was delicious ranging from appetizers to the final part. All the fishes used were very fresh and melted in my mouth immediately. Words can’t describe how much flavors filled my mouth every bite I took. My only criticism is the A5 Waygu was oversalted and not tender. Kind of disappointed. And there was more soy sauce than I liked on each piece of nigiri.
Overall, if you love fresh sashimi, you can’t go wrong with Kusakabe and Chef Nori’s skills. But, be prepared to spend big bucks to satisfy your hunger!!!