Taraval Okazu Ya Restaurant

This placed used to be really good. What happened?
They need to start hiring more people. The service was so awful and sporatic a 30 minute meal turned into in a 90 minute one because we literally had to walk up to the register to get service.
Also, this place is way overpriced for the quality of food they serve. The sons noodle broth had absolutely no flavor at all. They couldn’t even add some sauce.
For $ 12^th for some bland soup I’d expect a little something more.
Sushi rolls mediocre. I’m surprised at some of the higher ratings.

Recently tried this place, and I love the variety and fair prices.
If you are very hungry, their bento boxes are very filling for about $ 12!!! You can get 3 different items (sashimi, tempera, chicken katsu were my favorites) along with salad, rice, miso soup, and ice cream. I also tried their side salad and gyozas, which were delicious, for about $ 3 – 4.
The workers are very friendly and accommodating. Both times I ate here, the waiters were kind and easy to call over. Hot tea and ice water are complimentary, but I didn’t really like the tea.
I recommend the volcano and tiger roll. The volcano roll has Sriracha creamy sauce, giving it a little spice, but not too spicy. The tiger roll is very refreshing, with cucumber, avocado, crab meat, and topped with shrimp.
Only down side is the authenticity and quality. I’ve had higher quality sushi, but this restaurant is good for the price. Good variety in the menu, and you can even ask about creating your own roll.

My go-​to place for fresh fish, served teriyaki style! So fresh. So yummy. So satisfying.
Entrees come with miso soup and bowl of rice, and ice cream.
Been coming here on and off for more years than I can count. Each time I’d scan the posted menu listing the fresh seafood options and say to myself, I’ve got to try this (fill in the blank) next time – but that never happens. It’s the perfectly seared orange roughy sizzling on the hot iron platter with a bed of sauteed bean sprouts, shredded carrots, green peas, onions in teriyaki sauce, that reaches my table every time. Maybe I had the sea bass once… can’t remember. But orange roughy is the one I get. Where else do you know offers orange roughy? It is sooooo goooood.
Not an orange roughy fan? no problem. There are over a dozen fresh fish/​seafood options to choose from, including lobster and soft shell crab.
My only gripe, hence, minus one star, is that they’ve started charging for leftover/​takeout boxes and bag. Why do this at all??? From a marketing and PR perspective, this is so uncool. Just add 10 cents or whatever to your entrée prices and you’d recover the costs, period!!! Truth be told, though, your cost was not 25 cents nor 10 cents each anyway. Sometimes it’s not the nickel and dime that customers care about; it’s a matter of principle. Embed these costs so you don’t come across as «nickeling and diming» your customers. We’d all be happier.
Hint: place is small, no reservations, so depending on when you go, there can be a line. parking can be a bear in the neighborhood and on Taraval.
Final parting note: wear washable clothes… you’ll come out smelling like the food. They need better ventilation.

This place is meh. Came here on a Sunday afternoon with some friends. I originally wanted to get ramen, but their ramen choices were slim and didn’t have any descriptions or pictures. There was a scarcity of Unilocal pictures for their ramen too. so I opted to get a bunch of sushi and split with friends.
We ordered #1 from the sushi/​sashimi combo menu and 8 different rolls. My favorite roll was the Xmen roll and then there was another one with unagi on it but I can’t remember the name of it for the life of me. The sushi was ok. It wasn’t spectacular. The most disappointing part was that the rice would literally fall apart as you picked it up. A sign of mediocre sushi, ya know! So I was not impressed. But kudos on presentation. The sushi rolls were beautifully assembled and placed on giant platters. They came out in groups of ~4 rolls per plate which was nice, as we had a steady flow of food and we were all starving so ya know there’s that.
Service was decent. Hostess was friendly. Tea served with meal. Prices were very cheap for sushi. I probably wouldn’t come here again though, not impressed with their sushi enough to warrant a second try.

Had the sushi and it was alright. The quality was alright… nothing too special. It’s crowded so they rush you out as well. The food isn’t super authentic, I can tell from the tea that it’s just subpar. If you want a quick bite this is nice but I had better.

I’ve been coming here for a few years now and I have to admit they’ve seen better days. The last time I came here I was a bit disappointed… They seemed understaffed so it took them awhile to clear out the tables and seat us and the only time we could get their attention was when they gave us our food. I’m usually not a stickler about service so this didn’t really bother me. What did was the hygiene… Our napkins had soy sauce on them and the bowls & plates both had old food residue on it. That’s where I lost my appetite.
Despite all of this, I still enjoyed my clam udon. I only really come here for that and the butterfish sizzling plate. This is the only place I know I could get it and it’s good! I don’t care much for the sushi… I felt a little quesy halfway through my roll and didn’t finish it.
Anyways, I’ll probably still support them because I really love my clam udon but wouldn’t come here for sushi.

This place had very good food, before, but now it is indistinguishable from other Japanese restaurants around.
Its sea bass is still pretty decent but a far cry from what it was like before.
I’ll probably still come here once awhile since it is so convenient.
And the service is still outstanding, the main reason it is 3 stars and not 2.

This place is very friendly and the food is very good. We sat at the sushi bar and watched beautiful dishes being prepared. The chefs behind the bar were very engaging and friendly. Prices are definitely reasonable for the quality of the food.
Nelson

Their fish is fresh. I like coming here for a small dinner of a few pieces of nigiri.
If I’m hungry, the dinner teriyaki combos are a good deal. It comes with miso soup, salad, teriyaki, and green tea ice cream.
The combo A comes with chicken teriyaki, sashimi, and shrimp and veggie Tempera. That’s three things I love. It also comes with the miso soup, salad, rice, and ice cream. It’s an additional $ 2 to upgrade the sashimi to white tuna. It comes with 5 pieces of sashimi but they’re thinly cut — about half the width. The shrimp tempura feels limp and too greasy, but the yam and zucchini tempura is fine.

Came here on a Sunday night with the family. I tried to make a reservation but they said they wouldn’t take it and it wasn’t needed. The place was crowded but there was some seating available.
We ordered bento A and B, the kobe beef, and four rolls which was more than enough food for four people. At first I was worried we ordered too much, but the rolls were smaller than expected. We loved the kobe beef. It came with two sauces, both mildly spicy. The bentos were good for the price ($ 12.95) I preferred bento B which came with chicken karaage, tonkatsu, and beef teriyaki. The bento also includes miso soup, a bowl of rice, and ice cream in the end.
This is now my go-​to place for sushi on Taraval.

My go-​to sashimi/​sushi spot. Fish is always fresh, and at a decent price. You will find a wide selection of sushi rolls for under $ 10 (in SF that’s pretty cheap), and I’m not talking about those cheap sushi joints where you get hard rice and old fish, their rolls here are delicious and fresh. Always bring friends and newcomers to SF here, and they all tell me they love it.
For sashimi lovers, ask Mikey (the owner) who is usually behind the sushi counter making rolls himself, if the Uni is available– he will tell you if is not fresh, he won’t sell it. Hamachi, hamachi Toro and Kampachi are my favorite and always found on the menu here. For rolls, I love the dynamite roll, pumpkin roll, snake roll, cherry blossom, and X-​Men roll, but any other ones are great– it just depends on what kind of fish you enjoy.

As my Best bud and I was heading to the Usual King Of Thai, my best Bud was crazing some sushi. He had Omega fever on his mind.
It was late around 8pm ish and he was Hungry. I had eaten, but theres always room for more if the food is great.
At first glance, I was like, dange I don’t think I’m gonna get my bang for my buck.
Shishi bars are usually overpriced. Like 6bucks for two pieces of Fish sushi.
My homie said don’t knock it till you try it.
We both laughed. I told him its cool to be adventerous. Lets see what they got.
As soon as we walked in, a gentleman greeted us with open arms and a warm smile.
I went for the Big Table of 4 just because I got Dynasty Feast instinct.
He was insisted on the dinky 2 seater table.
To my delight the gentleman steped in and said you can take the 4 seater.
So now relaxed. As my Bud scaned the menue.
I asked them if they had a sampler patter? They didnt have one.
I asked them what apitizers do you recomend?
He said Liver.
I didnt care what Fish it was. He had me at Liver.
The chance to try some different exptic liver. I jumped on it! Man was that a great call.
It was Amazing!!! Even my picky but was a fan. The dipping sauce that came with it was very unique and narly.
But now its time to Really feed the Beast anf I was hoping for more than a Typical Teriaki Chicken. So I asked do you have a plate with a lot of Meat!?;)
He said Koebi beef and-​I said sold. If there was gonna be a chance to try Koebi beef along with other meat, im down!
To my delight-​a Box tray arrived with different variety of meats. The KOBE Beef was delicious and the Fried Pork Chop was off the Wall! The Chicken Katsu was alright. The pickled Dikon was on point!
The Philly Roll was Yum! Liked the Fried Oyster.
X-​Men Rill had a great sauce display and Taste but the Roll was ok .
We had a ton of food. Total came to 79.
Well worth it because.
I love to eat. I get real full. I was full but it didnt hurt. Was a comfortable full which meant the quality was good.
Will be hitting this spot up Saturdays after a Serious gym or bball session.;)

Updating my review to corroborate what somebody else wrote: there is *very* little rice under the nigiri sushi, about half of what you’d get elsewhere. :(

Was in the mood for sushi and gave this place the «old college try»!
Well, this place was definitely DIFFERENT! Had I known that you could call in advance for order I would’ve but I am glad that I did come here for take out!
In knowing that I wanted a decent amount of sushi I knew that I wanted to get a combo plate plus so additional sushi as well.
When I entered the restaurant I noticed that there were not a lot of people here. There were a few people here around noon but not too crowded.
I was handed a menu promptly and looked over the menu. There was a lot of good stuff to choose from here. Would definitely consider coming here with a group to go a la carte with the sushi. There is A LOT of sushi to choose from here.
After making my order I waited for 10 to 15 minutes as my food was prepared.
The location of this place is nice and the Rolling Out Café is across the street if you are in the mood for something sweet!
The service is good here. The waitress that helped me today seemed a bit undone but she was very attentive.
Oh, I also got some sherbert ice cream to go along with my meal which was AWESOME!
Back to the food. When I finally got into the sushi I was ready for GLORY! The sushi was alright. The Miso Soup was like every miso soup I have ever had. It was just… meh…awww…ewww…but I finished it because I didn’t want to waste it. The sushi not as satisfying as I had initially thought that it would be. I was expecting so much from and got just lttle sparks of flavor in my mouth! Between the mixing of soy sauce and wasabi I still found the sushi to be just OK!
I have accepted my lunch for what it was and now I am all the wiser for my next sushi venture.
A good place to try if you are in the area. Just don’t let your excitement for sushi cloud your judgement when you arrive.
#spicytunaroll #tastetherainbow

Though this place looked appetizing, it wasn’t so good at all. It’s not helpful when there’s no pictures or real description of their menu items, so I had to skim Unilocal images for decent photos. My boyfriend had the pork Katsu udon and I swear there was more onions in there than noodles. We ordered the volcano roll and another roll (described with having hamachi and tuna, forgot name) which were only okay. What disappointed me most was the pumpkin (salmon and spicy scallop) that we ordered. The quality of their raw fish was below average. No taste whatsoever. Reminds me of the fish you get at seafood buffets where they get it cheap to afford to even have them at buffets. My boyfriend who isn’t a fan of raw fish could even taste the difference in quality. No thank you.

I can’t believe a Japanese restaurant is serving nigiri sushi that the rice is in CUBE shape. They. hand made it or machine made it?

Super mediocre food. Only good point is it being open pretty late. I went on a Thursday night right before closing and got to stay well after closing.
I ordered the Katsu Curry as well as a spicy tuna roll and salmon nigiri. The only item I finished was the salmon nigiri. I am not a huge fan of rolls but I usually enjoy spicy tuna. Not this time, as the roll was 75% avovado. I did not want an avocado roll, I wanted spicy tuna!
My Katsu Curry came with miso soup, which was not bad. The curry itself was bland. I asked for it extra spicy but that means nothing to these people. They probably aren’t equipped for spicy curry though, so it is forgivable. What really got me was how the katsu was DRENCHED in curry sauce, making it super soggy. The layers of breading even separated from the meat! I don’t recommend it.
I would not go back here, but if I had to I would stick with the nigiri. It isn’t anything to write home about but at least it is what you expect.

They certainly don’t skimp on the portion, but they could use a little work on the freshness in my opinion. I ordered the Okazu Ya Combination which featured 6 pieces of chef’s choice nigiri and 6 pieces of a basic tuna roll.
The tuna roll looked as if it had been prepared a long time ago. Rice was hard and crumbly and seaweed was limp and clinging for dear life to the rice. As for my nigiri, some pieces were really good but half my nigiri pieces had this wasabi/​green onion topping that completely masked the flavor of the (fresh) fish. Similar to the roll, the rice that was supporting the nigiri was rather flavorless and hard as opposed to warm, fluffy, and hand shaped.
Mom ordered a clam ramen. Definitely had a lot of clams — 14 pieces total. But the one I had wasn’t crisp and sweet… rather it was kind of mushy and fishy — eughhh! For $ 15, it was a pretty good value (miso soup, nigiri/​sushi platter, and ice cream) but at the end of the day, I still want to eat good, tasty food not great value, mediocre quality food.

Local Japanese restaurant that has been around for a long time.
Owner is behind the sushi counter and always welcomes you with a bright smile.
I like the seafood served on sizzling iron plate. Good portions with a side of rice, soup, grilled vegetables. To top off, you have a scoop of ice cream to sweeten the pallet.
Service is efficient and accommodating.
For a change of pace, swing by for some sizzling food.

Decent Japanese restaurant. I mostly get their rolls and Donburi when I come here.
They have a lunch /​bento special that comes with rice, chosen entrée, salad and ice cream! It’s a pretty good deal when you come at the right time.
And I know a lot of people order Volcano roll here. I gave it a try today and to be honest it isnt up to my expectations. The creamy sauce on the roll has a sweet and sour sauce base. I personally dislike this sauce, so it kind of ruined the taste of the entire roll for me. It’s about $ 10 for 6 pieces. Again, if you dont like sweet and sour, don’t get this roll.
Donburi bowl is always a go-​to option when you go! Their beef and tonkatsu don are pretty good and the price is about $ 7.
Lastly, whenever I come here I always ALWAYSS order their Agedashi tofu! This place is probably my favorite spot to get agedashi.
Additional comments: service are friendly and good. Parking is street.
Cheers!