Toraya Sushi Bar & Grill

R.I.P.
Thanks Frank for the good times, and letting me cleanup the basement. Jen still has the silk scarf I found while cleaning. Everyone still says «didn’t you work as a sushi chef». Sure. Who’s here to contradict me now?

CLOSED… before the huge proliferation of CHINESE sushi bars, there was Toraya. There used to be lines during the 80−90s, and frequently 49er players, as regulars.
Sushi and sashimi are skillfully prepared. The chefs behind the sushi bar and robata do a great job, but the wait staff sometimes miss their mark.

I can tell by the friendliness of the sushi artists and servers this place is a neighborhood favorite. Sunday night was pretty quiet so we got lots of attention and recommendations. I should have taken notes on all the pieces we tried but I do remember having two types of mackerel (Spanish and Japanese), tuna, salmon, unagi and snapper. Some of the pieces were like butter, others had a lovely, interesting texture. All pieces were satisfying and it was so comfortable and easy to sit and eat at the sushi bar. I’ll definitely go again when I’m in the area.

Years and years ago a couple of friends and I came here for a quick bite after a round of golf.
While we were eating I looked up and said «Hey guys, is that Dave Matthews walking to the bathroom?» they didn’t see they guy I was talking about so we proceeded to take turns during our meal to casually walk around the corner and take quick glances around the dining room.
We agreed that it did look like him, but there were no other band members at his table so we weren’t sure. We had paid our check and then we were like «It’s gotta be him (sold out concert at the Greek that Friday that we had failed in our attempts to get tickets to.) We have to know. Let’s just ask.»
So the three of us go up to his table and are like «Sorry to interrupt, umm, we were wondering. .. aren’t you Dave Matthews? We’re big fans.»
Him — «Why yes I am. Are you coming to the concert on Friday?»
My friend from VA who’s seen the DMB since it’s infancy in Charlottesville and introduced me to their music — «No.» (he doesn’t mince words)
Him — [laughs] «Well, I can see you’re big fans!» [chuckles from others at table]
«We are. The concert is sold out. We tried to get tickets.» I practically shouted out in an effort to save face.
Him — «Sold out? Really? You guys want to go? I can get you some tickets. [wink] How many do you want? 6, for the 3 of you and dates?»
All of us — «That would be awesome!!»
Him — «They’ll be at Will Call. Give me one of your names.»
We thanked him and apologized for interrupting his meal and did high-​fives once we got outside. Then we were like «God, he was pretty shit-​faced. What are the odds he’ll remember the name and that there actually will be tickets waiting?»
So we promptly invited some lady friends and didn’t tell them until we got on BART that Friday heading to Berkeley that we weren’t sure if we had tickets or not. That didn’t go over too well, but luckily he came through and the tickets were there! Great show!
The third friend bailed at the last minute so we made a couple happy by giving them his 2 free tickets at the venue. Pay it forward!
Oh, I had the Oyako Donburi (chicken and egg over rice). It was pretty good.

There was practically no one in this restaurant — why is that? I had a perfectly nice dinner and was really glad I stopped in. Sometimes a nice quiet place is just what ya need. There was great music playing, a nice interior and great service (how could it not be — I may have been the only table.) I had the perfect meal — house salad, 7 spice seared tuna with udon and yellowtail sashimi. Both the tuna and yellowtail were really good. A solid 4.

Toraya is my secret indulgence. At my previous job we had a sushi restaurant in the basement of our building, and after three years sushi became synonymous with late nights and long hours. When I changed jobs, I swore off sushi. That is until one day I stumbled across Toraya.
Toraya has amazing sashimi — an order of salmon sashimi has around 8 pieces of melt in your mouth morsels. If you’re a little adventurous, the best thing to do is just sit at the bar and let the chefs serve you a couple of pieces at a time. I’m also a big fan of their noodle soups, particularly the vegetable ramen which comes with lots of carrots, shitake mushrooms, zucchini and green onions plus tasty broth.
It’s not cheap — an order of salmon sashimi and vegetable ramen take-​out (my standby) runs about $ 25. But it’s great quality, friendly service, and comfort food on a cold rainy night.

WTF?! That’s all I can say. .
In order to have an «anti-valentine’s day» dinner my boyfriend and I wanted something quick and casual. «Oh that place looks cute. let’s go»… (that was me talking)
Cute little place and the servers (the two that were working) seemed nice enough. We get our own table in the very corner of the front room, so we think «hey this is cool». Later we found out this is the table waiters forget about :(
We get a bottle of unfiltered saki (makes mama happy!!) and are chit chatting. And our food comes out. Everything was going fine (minus the Halibut sush. very tough) until I take a HUGE bite of wasabi, and low and behold I’m out of frikkin water! Now this is a fire that sake just can’t quench.
By now we’ve noticed that our poor waitress is slammed (since all of San Francisco walked in after us) and the other waiter looks like he’s about to have a nervous breakdown. She never came back and checked on us until after she brought the bill. I know they were really busy, so I don’t blame them. they should hire another person to help these poor f*ckers out! Anyway the food was ok (nothing to jump up and down about) and the servers were nice enough. just busy. I get it. Not sure I’ll go back.

Amazingly fresh fish and oh so tasty sake! It is hard not to love Frank and Te-​san because they know what they are doing. From delicious albacore tataki to the ama-​ebi everything melts in your mouth. It is not often I order from the menu here because asking for a chefs special always ensures a surprising treat. Occasionally the service is slow but good help is hard to find. The fish makes up for anything lacking.
If you want a stellar meal and fabulous sake this is the place to spend the evening!

I really don’t know how this place stays open. I came in around 8:15 on a Friday and it was almost empty. By the time we left around 9:45 there were less than 10 people there. I’m guessing it’s because there are so many other sushi places within a five block radius.
The sushi was pretty good — nothing to write home about. Some of my friends remarked that their nigiri had way too much wasabi. Service was decent. Overall a pretty forgettable meal. Oh yeah and they play really, really weird music here.

Well as my husband likes to say, «You gotta pay for quality.» There are many other reviews here that comment on the delicious but costly sushi, so I will merely throw in my enthusiastic agreement on those points. (Quick recommendation: the giant squid and the grilled peppers are especially tasty!)
What I’d like to do is send a call out to my fellow Bay Area denizens who strongly support local businesses. Frank’s father operated a sushi-​ya on the same spot before him. If you look in the corner, you’ll even see an amazing stained glass panel he made by hand! And if you sit at the sushi bar and chat with Frank, you’ll find out what a devoted father he is in turn. Chat longer and you’ll probably get hit up to donate funds or buy tickets to support his sons’ Boy Scout Troop… an extremely worthy cause as the longest-​running troop in San Francisco!
So yes, come for the truly excellent food. But stay for the sense of family, neighborhood, and traditon.

I love this place.
Small and never really mobbed by people. Freshest fish in town. Frank is a great guy and will literally bend over backward to serve you.
I always get take out for the family i work for from Toraya. they turned me on to the place. I now go there at least once a month.
I think their sake list is top notch.
The place is trying to hard– which I find refreshing, after dealing with the tragically hip sushi places in this town.
All it is– is great fresh, buttery, fish, and the best robata in town.
Two words– Beef Rolls. Yeah…
Go there soon.

Not having been born in Japan or even visited the place I honestly don’t know what’s considered authentic sushi or nigiri or sashimi. Frankly, most of the time I don’t care. What I care about is taste. If it tastes good I could care less if it’s made with Captain Crunch flakes instead of roe. Actually I would care about that. I bet it would be good though and I should trademark that idea.
Walking in Toraya I figured I wasn’t in for an authentic Japanese night when the first thing I saw and heard was a Japanese man with an acoustic guitar doing his best to destroy a cover of a Nirvana song. Ten minutes later I am sitting at my table with a Sapporo in front of me, a pretty lady across from me, and we are munching on some great food. I am happy. Grilled rice ball with unagi in the center (20 mins to prepare so order early). Prime rib roll that have scallions in the center with NO FISH. Authentic or not it was phenomenal. In fact I told Jen that I would come back and just order this for dinner: rice ball, prime rib roll, and beer. Do you need more?
Of course we had more. Tamago, edamame, a couple glasses of sake, hamachi, a few more rolls, another Sapporo, etc. Typical sushi night for us. I don’t know what it is that keeps me ordering more. The alcohol maybe? Or just good old fashioned gluttony? Either way I am already looking towards another trip back…

I have to come back and have a real dinner with tons of sushi and nigiri. I did enjoy what I did have last night… a taste of the specials.
The sushi chef was nice and explained some of the fish to me. The waitresses were very attentive and nice.

Ok let me start by saying that this is the best sushi in our neighborhood.
The food is really really REALLY tasty.
Why only 3 stars?
Because I remember the service was very slow and the prices are really high for what you get.
We have been here twice now and each time we have walked away thinking «damn that was expensive for the measly amount of food we got».
Not that I am a cheapskate about food. On the contrary, take my money but leave me dazzled, amazed, or at least full!!!
This place comes close to being superb, but if after spending $ 100 on sushi, you are still hungry (I might be a piggie, but I’m not that bad!) then there is a problem.

Ugh. I feel like I wasted a lot of money eating here. It’s not that the sushi and sashimi is really bad. It’s just not good for what you pay.
The way the fish is sliced is key to whether you have a really excellent piece of nigiri or sashimi. Well, the fish is sliced so bluntly here you feel like you’re eating a mini slab of fish. I found the sushi did not melt in the mouth like high end sushi should, nor taste like fresh fish imported from Japan, as it is purported to be.
The spicy tuna rolls sucked. I can and do make better tasting, better textured spicy tuna. It was very salty.
The toro tasted pretty good but had a bit of skin or something still attached, so it was chewy and somewhat tough. I am certain toro, or any sushi, should not be tough. Ever.
The soft shell crab was decent. It came with a spicy ponzu dipping sauce that was tasty.
If you do decide to try this restaurant, do not get the ahi tuna over udon special. The menu made it sound good: slices of seared ahi sitting on a bed of udon in a light dashi broth. BLAND. I wanted to add soy sauce to it. This dish had virtually no flavor. Plus the ahi got overcooked in the broth. Horrible.
I had joked with my boyfriend earlier in the evening that we should get in the car, drive to Alameda and eat at Angelfish, my favorite sushi restaurant. He vetoed my idea because of the 30 minute drive. The entire meal at Toraya we regretted not having done that.
A huge waste of my money. I won’t be eating here again. However, I should mention that the service we had was excellent. Very attentive and polite.

If you’ve never eaten at Toraya before, you wouldn’t be surprised to walk by and see a few tables eating and no line of people fighting for the next table or bar spot. That used to be me every time I walked by here and even the first 3 times I tried to eat here but arrived just after they decided to close for the night. A word to the wise, call first if you’re going to get there late to make sure they’re still open.
I’m now proud to be one of those people that frequents Toraya to experience great food, drink, service, and conversation. The owner, Frank will happily explain the innermost secrets of sushi, sake, soju, and so on. Most recently, he introduced me to soju shouchu kakushigura which tasted more like a smooth bourbon than soju I’ve had (and despised) in the past. Prior to meeting Frank, I considered myself a middle-​of-​the-​road experienced sushi eater. I’d enjoy the sashimi & sushi rather than just ordering rolls. But the first time I ate here he flat out asked me what I liked and didn’t like and when I told him he laughed and informed me I’d be getting at least one of the things I claimed to not like because it was usually «a little fishy» and he guaranteed it would be good. Sure enough, he was right and I’m now an avid aji & tai fan. I also enjoy spicy scallop hand rolls but here have had fresh scallops sashimi which were delicious. Toraya also holds my record to the largest, meatiest pieces of unagi I’ve ever had the pleasure of eating.

A friend & I had walked by this mysterious (he called it «that no-​name» sushi place), nondescript sushi place several times, had tried to go in, but each time they were either closed or getting ready to close.
So, I’m not a sushi connaisseur by any means, but Toraya is the best sushi place that I have experienced in my neighborhood. Huge cuts of quality fish, excellent service, and personalized attention and suggestions from the owner and sushi chef, Frank. Even with the higher prices, it’s a bargain, really.
Among our other selections, the kanpachi was great – order it sashimi style, and try the Aji (spanishmackerel) – even if you don’t think you like mackerel. It’s fantastic. The second evening we were in the chef recommended fresh scallops which we ordered sashimi style. Oh, and don’t forget the crab legs sushi! Good stuff!
There seems to always be seating available – when they’re open. And why Osaka is packed when this place is empty is beyond me. When I asked Frank about this, he said he would rather have a more knowledgable sushi customer than Osaka’s clientele. Fortunately for me, I was with one.
I hate spill the beans, but Toraya’s like a secret little gem in my neighborhood. Go. No, don’t. Ok. do…

I hate being the four-​star girl. I seem to rate all thse places I go to as four stars. Three seems so awfully low, however. I’d give Toraya a very solid four stars.
We were meeting another couple for dinner and my husband remembered this restaurant because of its very tastey rib eye roll. Indeed, the roll was delicious. We’re not beef fans, but the roll was delicate and just right. Try it — you won’t believe me until you do.
We ordered a bunch of rolls and other sushi from the menu and enjoyed it all. The unagi and cucumber roll was delicious, as was the rainbow roll. We also ordered some sashimi (salmon and tuna), and both were extremely fresh! I wouldn’t describe this place as trendy, but it’s very solid sushi. Don’t expect big ol’ rolls stuffed with cream cheese and mayonnaise. Nope — here, you get pure, delicately rolled sushi, and decent service. That’s the long and short of it: Fresh and tastey, and moderately priced. We ordered a lot of sushi and it was priced okay ($ ¹⁰⁰⁄₄ people). It’s definitely not cheap, but you get what you pay for. I’d definitely come back.
P. S. The entrance is very unconventional (you go through this weird entrance two doors away), but once you get inside the restaurant, it’s great!
P. P. S. I think this place is a little better than — gasp! — kirala in Berkeley.

Refreshing mix of quality, artistry, and spice served up by a trouble-​maker obviously on his best behavior.
While I was raised around some pretty crazy Asian delicacies and had a deep-​sea fishing father, I’ve never really been live or die about sashimi and nigiri. I was warned ahead of time to be amazed by the fish quality and it was a pleasant surprise to have my expectations met. Toraya is honestly the first experience where EVERY cut of raw fish was like butter — this is due to Frank’s very discerning fish choices. Unlike majority of Bay Area sushi houses, the specialty rolls are not heavy handed — balanced flavors presented with the right textures and accents. Frank noticed I wasn’t even dipping into soy sauce — it was that good.
Try these: Toraya Roll (unagi and avocado served up as a caterpillar), spicy tuna roll (marinated tuna — none of that mayonnaise caca), spider roll, toro, kanpachi, aji (spanish mackeral… was exceptional), hamachi sashimi (beautiful variety of cuts w/​the special fresh wasabi vs. paste and the sawagani crab), amaebi (raw sweet prawn, served w/​the fried heads as a later dish). Sake was the Harushika — one of their less expensive, very dry offerings. Have to appreciate the sake flights.
Considering the level of quality, the price should be considered an excellent value. And let’s not forget the cool interior.

Toraya is very good, possibly the best sushi along this stretch of Fillmore. The menu features some uncommon dishes and a fairly extensive sake list. A good option for large groups that can afford the pacific heights $urcharge.