Wayo Sushi

A very small and simple real Japanese restaurant. The rolls are always perfect. Because the place is so small sometimes there is a lengthy wait for a seat or food but it’s worth it.

Cute, cozy hole in the wall sushi joint, visited spur of the moment walking around SF. Salmon sashimi was delicious, its just like what you would find in tokyo. The chef was nice, even though he had more people in than he could handle alone. Loved the authentic Japanese feel to the whole place, A+

I have had the sushi here before and it was delightful, however the last time I came in, it was 7pm on a tuesday night. The restaurant was somewhat full, but there were still plenty of open seats. I walked up to the bar by myself. The owner told me it would be an hour before I was served food. «An hour?» asked. He nodded and walked away. Not sure what it was about and he provided no explanation. Bummer.

So I would totally give this place 5 stars because the sushi was delicious and fresh and well executed. The reason I can only claim give 4 stars is the delay. To be fair, there’s only one sushi chef and one waitress so I can see why they have to take their time. Also, as soon as I say down (7p on a Saturday) they told me outright that if I ordered sushi it would be a 1 hour wait. I was not starving and I had no agenda so I decided to have some sake (mediocre) and miso soup and wait. I placed my order and while my drinks and soup arrived with little delay it took (as the chef warned me) almost an hour to get my sushi… But it was worth the wait. However, by the time I left at 830 the wait was minimal. So, sushi is excellent but be prepared to wait…

I walked in on a Saturday night and the place was 50% full and the sushi chef told me it would be an hour and half wait to get served. Why only have one chef working on a Saturday night?

We’ve been here a few times but seem to be striking out lately.
We came on a Thursday evening around 7:45 only to be told that they are running late and sushi won’t be served for an hour.
Same thing happened the last time we came.
I learned calling ahead doesn’t help. I called twice from the road to see what the wait was like but they never picked up the phone.
I love this 2 person operation and they have fresh fish. I’ll have to try again and maybe come much much earlier.

This was a surprising treat to find on Van Ness. Affordable rolls and a clean and inviting sushi bar inside. There are not very many complex combination rolls, but the quality of the fish shines. The also have brown rice for any roll.

The sushi chef came to our table and looked at the plate of fish we had ordered that had been sitting on our table for some time, mentioned he gave us the wrong piece of fish, and then took the ‘wrong’ piece of fish with his bare hands! Was so shocked he picked it up with his hands rather than take the plate back or use chopsticks that I was literally speechless. Also concerned that fish that had been sitting on our table and perhaps touched by our own chopsticks may then be served to someone else. Absolutely disgusting. Previously gave them a two star, but the more I discuss this with friends, feel a one star is the most appropriate review.
Previous review:
I try to avoid ratings lower than three stars, but this place was so extremely disappointing. People trickle in because of the great location, but even with the restaurant only half full there was still a thirty-​forty minute wait as there is only one chef and one server. The quality of the fish is not bad. The cut of the fish is inconsistent, with some pieces thicker than others. The rice also did not seem to have the right consistency, which is critical for good sushi. The warm sake tasted of cheap quality. Most disappointing part of the meal was that the sashimi was served on a bed of heavily seasoned lettuce and seaweed. It begged the question of whether the chef knows anything about fish, as the seasoning overpowered (and smothered) the taste of the fish. This was also the first time fried shrimp head was not available with an order of sweet shrimp… probably because they don’t have enough people to provide such service. Most surprising part of the meal was when the chef came to our table and removed part of our order with his bare hands because he gave us the wrong piece of fish! Sushi is hand-​made, but actually seeing someone physically remove food directly from the plate with their hands was not something one cares to witness. Read less

Then there is Wayo. When you are in a sushi pinch and don’t wish to fork out $ 100+ (per person) at a high-​end sushi bar, it’s ok to come here! The downside is twofold. Firstly, do not expect anything fancy or top notch. Fish are not purchased from Tsukiji Market. Secondly, you need to have patience or time as the wait can take up to an hour. So do not expect to be fed promptly. Bring a book to read or a friend to shoot the shit.
The sushi chef and the server, both Japanese, made up the entire cast. The assortment of fish they carry cannot get any simpler than this. We are getting down to brass tacks in a no frills ambiance. Wayo reminded me of a sushi restaurant straight out from the 90s that looked like a diner. I was perched precariously on one of those backless stools at the sushi bar. Time seemed to have stood still and so did some of their prices. It is a hole-​in-​the-​wall alright but therein lays their charm. Additionally, i didn’t see any remnants of the 90s raucous crowd that used to chase outlandish rolls with sake bombs!
When I say brass tacks, I was referring to the run-​of-​the-​mill maguro ($ 5), hamachi ($ 5), shake ($ 5), ebi ($ 4), ika ($ 4). tako ($ 4) and the like. Don’t get me wrong! The sushi was not inedible albeit lackluster. Didn’t I say it would be a good place to come when you are in a pinch? The priciest nigiri sushi was amaebi ($ 7), ikura ($ 6) and uni ($ 7). I was surprised there were no white fish, even like the common hirame (flounder) or tai (sea bream). Don’t even think about hikarimono sushi where the fish has a silvery skin like kohada (gizzard shad), aji (mackerel), iwashi (sardine). The basic yellow fin tuna and hamachi were as expected, middle of the road. There was no question about their freshness only that they got boring after a few pieces. No amaebi heads, no ankimo, no hamachi kama… nada! Sushi rice was fine though not great but with perfect fish to rice ratio. For the health conscious, Wayo offers a brown rice option!
In summing up, Wayo has cheap fresh sushi. A little more variety would be a definite plus. I can see the reason for the long wait. The chef is a tad slow even though he works his butt off. It may be wise of him, although not necessarily a smart business move, to turn away his customers right off the bat if they can’t wait.
Gochisosama deshita (Thanks for the meal!)

Sashimi-​Maguro, Sake, Hamachi –fresh and buttery
Nigiri-​Tobiko so sweet :) Tako, Uni, Ebi, Hotate
Rolls-​mango shrimp brown rice, just okay
Special rolls– Dynamite, snow leopard, sea fairy –fresh.simple
True Mom and Pop shop, it’s true wait for food can take up to 30 mins, totally worth it.

I like this place. It’s a mom n pop type of place. Came here on a weekday for lunch and everything tasted awesome. Prices are okay. I guess I wouldn’t go out of my way to go there but it’s nice to have this option. It’s a pretty tiny restaurant. I was working on Van Ness at the time so I met one of my foodie friends there. Will try to be back but I’m working way farther from there now.

Went for dinner yesterday. Great sashimi, though not a lot of options. Loved the tuna and sweet shrimp. Sea urchin was good but not super impressive.
There was only one sushi chief. But we got in early so serving time wasn’t bad.

Very cute and cozy restaurant. As many have mentioned, it is a 1 man sushi chef show, with 1 waitress helping out. They directly tell you it takes 1 hour for the food to come to ensure you are okay with it. So we got a couple rolls (snow leopard, alaska, and dragon), as well as salmon and scallop nigiri. We indeed waited for awhile, though it felt more like 40m than 1 hour.
In short, the sushi was nothing special. The chef put too much wasabi on the nigiri pieces, and the rolls had little flavor and too much rice. I am surprised people recommended the snow leopard, it was probably the worst roll out of the three we ordered. It ended up being about $ 20 per person, not expensive but I can get the same quality sushi for cheaper at Nara Sushi on Polk St that takes less than 10m to prepare even on busy nights.
The service and ambience were great, but I don’t think we’ll be coming back again.

The fish had a butter-​like texture. A very nice surprise for the price. Spicy tuna was actually spicy. I also ordered a seaweed salad and I appreciated it wasn’t drenched in sauce. Perfectly dressed! I sat at the bar and truly enjoyed watching the sushi being made. I was more impressed by only two people running the show. Ambience was a warm hole-​in-​the wall feel. Service was great! Yes, the wait is a bit longer, but sit back and enjoy a beverage!

Well, if you are not in a rush, this is the place for affordable good quality sushi.
As everyone else mentioned, small operation, usually it is about 30 to 60 minute wait for your sushi, but if you understand and accepted that, it is all good.
Appetizer comes a little bit faster, the only waitress here will keep you hydrated.
As for the sushi, really yum, all the normal varieties are available here, it is not the most amazing sushi, but it sure is darn good, and you can sub out white rice with brown rice.
The two of us got a decent amount of sushi and walked out only $ 60 poorer, didn’t order booze though.

This is a pretty atypical sushi place! It’s nestled in between neighborhoods on the Van Ness corridor, so it definitely doesn’t get much foot traffic — one of those places you always pass by when you’re in a car, but never end up trying.
On a Friday night, I expected to have to wait, or at least for the place to be near full capacity, but it was neither! The small restaurant was about half full. Since there was only one sushi chef, we were told we would have to wait for 45 minutes to an hour after ordering for our sushi to come, and that was pretty accurate — we ordered and waited an hour. The sushi itself is a great deal. Most rolls are $ 6! You get 5 – 6 pieces per order. And these are the real deal — rolls with salmon, tuna, avocado, and tobiko. They were all pretty good with a good amount of fish given the prices!
There was also only one server, but she was able to work the whole place pretty well. She refilled our water really often. Unfortunately, one couple came in, sat down, was ignored by the server, and ended up leaving after about five minutes. So I guess you just have to understand that this place works a little differently!
Overall, it felt like a nice mom-​and-​pop place. They seemed to just enjoy running a restaurant and providing sushi to the neighborhood. They didn’t seem like a money hungry business, which I liked!

TLDR: come here if you want a mom and pop feel for Japanese sushi/​are prepared to wait 45 minutes for your food to come out/​want some fresh sashimi
I’ve never gone into a sushi restaurant in Japan but going into Wayo sushi feels probably like the closest thing. There is only one chef who only speaks Japanese and one waitress, who speaks English. It feels like a very mom and pop shop. When we entered this place, the waitress told us immediately it would take 45 minutes for food. So if you decide to come here be prepared to wait for your food. What’s interesting is that all rolls/​makis are just $ 6 (for 5 or 6 pieces) and nigiri is $ 7 for two pieces with the exception of items like the rainbow roll which is $ 11. It’s surprisingly cheap so that you can sample a lot but each piece of sushi is small. So don’t come here expecting to get full unless you order maybe 4 rolls per person. My friend and I ended up sharing 5 rolls amongst each other. They were really good! The sashimi is warm and so you definitely know it’s fresh. It was yum! I don’t know what authentic Japanese sushi is but if I had to guess this sushi was pretty close to it. We ordered the hamachi maki, rainbow roll, dynamite roll, snow leopard roll, and some roll with saw on the white board with mango and raw salmon.
They were all great and id recommend the rainbow roll and the hamachi maki.
Tip is that in addition to the main they have some special rolls on a plastic stand on the table and also some things on the white board near the entrance.

I’m embarrassed, nay, ashamed, that I originally gave Wayo a mere four stars. When we first moved to SF, Wayo was our neighborhood sushi joint and I guess I didn’t think much of it because I assumed SF would be teeming with great sushi places. As it turns out, SF may have more expensive sushi restaurants, but we haven’t found one that’s better.
The sushi at Wayo is ALWAYS perfect. They don’t have the rare stuff and they don’t have anything particularly fancy, but when it comes to the basics, they do it right. The fish and rice are always the right temperature, nigiri is made with the perfect amount of wasabi, the rolls are incredible (especially the special ones with mango), and the wait is always worth it.

~ Boom boom boom, let me hear you say Wayo ~
I’ve walked by dozens of times and looked at the sign and just said to myself, «wayooooo,» but today I finally went and had lunch. Very glad I did.
The restaurant has a really endearing layout with a small number of tables and a slim winding sushi bar, unpretentious and very clean. The quality of the fish was excellent, especially given the price point and portion size. There was a bit of a wait from the lunch rush, but I was just humming that Wayo song the whole time anyway. Pay them a visit, I’m really glad I did.
Atmosphere:
— So a diner walked into a sushi bar
Try:
— I was surprised how much I liked the hot tea
— Spicy scallop hand roll was A+
Notes:
— Menu says $ 10 minimum
— Brown rice sushi on request!
— Say Wayo

Brown rice sushi?!? Yes freakin please!
Sushi is my weakness. I crave for it several times a week and I’m constantly having to contain myself and hold back on excess carbs that my body doesn’t need. I know that this whole «brown rice» ordeal may be a mental thing, but hey, it works for me!
Everything was so good! I will definitely be back.

This is my second time here. I want to say it’s a family ma and pa sushi joint, small inside and only 2 workers. The host and the chef. We sat down immediately on a Friday night, and the host said our order will take approximately 45 minutes. (Ouch) But we decided to wait. We sat at the bar and ordered the unfiltered sake, which we both really enjoyed. Since we sat at the bar we could watch the chef make roll after roll after roll, to say the least, the chef himself was on a roll, he wouldn’t stop making sushi. And he was calm, cool and collected throughout, as the orders kept coming in. (Pretty cool). I asked to take a picture, which he very politely agreed to. Anyway, approx 45 minutes later our food arrived. It was a beautiful variety of fresh sashimi and delicious! Tasted like, «butta!» Once the bill came I felt a bit sticker shocked at $ 90 for 2 of us, but the quality and freshness of the fish was well deserved. We ordered edamame (it was warm and lightly salted) YUM and 4 sashimi dishes, 1 roll and 2 glasses (each) of sake. Obviously the wait time was a lot and the place wasn’t packed, but I give them an extra ½ star for being spot on for telling us exactly how long we would have to wait to eat! I would go back and wait again!
FYI: Parking not the best, since it’s on Van Ness. You’ll have to circle the block to find street parking.

Food: All their rolls and fish were very good and considering the price, they’re a steal. You can tell the fish is of good quality. The execution of the rolls was not the best, but in no way affects the taste.
–Mango salmon roll: Simple but yummy. The mango doesn’t overpower the salmon and compliments it well.
–Sea Fairy Roll: This roll was just okay. Not bad, but if I ever return, I’d probably try something else.
–Hamachi sashimi: Delicious!
Service: As others have said, expect to wait. They will be very honest with you. Upon entering, the waitress immediately informed us it would be an hour to get our rolls. The sashimi came out after 40 mins and the rolls came out at exactly an hour. There was one sushi chef and one waitress. We waited for about 15 – 20 minutes before getting our order taken and water. After that though, the waitress was very attentive. Amazingly, the waitress promptly refilled our waters and brought our check when we were ready.
Ambiance: Simple and clean. Not good for groups larger than 4; 2 is ideal.
The sushi here was definitely good quality at a shockingly low price. However, I was not blown away enough to return based on the wait. I didn’t ding them a star for the wait because they were very honest about this up front and we willingly waited. The lost star was simply due to the fact that their sushi was yummy, but not 5 star in my opinion.

High quality sushi and great ambiance. The place definitely reminds me of a restaurant straight out of Japan.
Luckily we came here when the Warriors game was going on so they were almost empty (great time to try out restaurants with long waits!). My friend and I were actually the only 2 people in the restaurant at one point. The waitress and chef were both so friendly and very attentive! It was fun to watch the chef carefully make the sushi from the sushi bar.
The menu is pretty simple they don’t have too many of those crazy combinations which seems more authentic. I ordered 3 rolls for $ 5 each — salmon, tuna, unagi (eel). They were all so noticeably fresh! My friend got the salmon salad for $ 8. I think the prices were very reasonable considering the quality. Although I still didn’t feel full after 3 rolls.
I was surprised that the tuna roll had wasabi inside while the other 2 rolls I ordered didn’t. Make sure you mention to not add it if you don’t like wasabi! You also have the option to order your roll with brown rice (my friend loved it). Will definitely be back here and recommend to others.