Sakesan Sushi & Robata

Allow me to preface this by saying that I've never dined in but, have gotten take-out many, many times. This is *primarily* just about their food.

The hamachi kama here is beyond generous in size and good quality too. The geso karaage is also good but other "standard" items like gyozas, takoyaki, and croquettes scream "mass production," not that there's anything wrong with that but they definitely have more to offer than just the freeze-n-ship items. The shishito peppers with truffle salt are really nice but the corn tempura could definitely be served with a side of sauce to off-set the fryer grease taste.

The robata menu offers a nice shake-up of your typical sushi night. My personal favorites have got to be the chicken gizzards and pork belly, though the yakitori is also pretty good with a perfect char. The Hokkaido scallops were a hard pass for me, they were way overcooked so the texture was quite tough.

I've quite enjoyed their seafood yosenabe and beef sukiyaki during cooler temp days but I have one time stumbled upon a hair in my soup many months ago that was definitely not mine. When I called to notify them of the issue (purely so that the kitchen is aware and will be more careful), I was confronted by a defensive employee who explicitly stated that they don't have any employees "with that hair color" (blonde or light grey, couldn't tell) and proceeded to ask "what do you want us to do about it then?" ... honey, I just want your kitchen staff to be more careful because your next customer might not be as forgiving. I wasn't asking for a refund or exchange but a simple apology and "I'll let them know" would've been nice. Just saying.

Their ramen is pretty standard, no wow factor but definitely satisfies the craving. The beef don is NOT gyudon, you have been warned.

As far as sushi goes, while Sakesan may not be the "best" option in the area, they are a "safe" option. At the least, I've never gotten sick nor have I ever had a bad piece of fish here, though the sushi rice is hit or miss sometimes (gotten undercooked or bottom of the barrel rice a few times). Though they may appear to market toward a certain demographic, their sushi is still decent for what it is. My favorite part though? Most affordable walu I've ever seen in SF and it's dang good.

A big group of us had fun doing karaoke + dinner here back in February 2024.

Note this is mostly a restaurant, with a couple of karaoke rooms. These are not private in the same way as in dedicated karaoke spots - these have a glass door, and the wall to the hallway has windows. It's not one of those soundproof rooms with a heavy door. Our group got pretty into our singing and anytime we went to the main dining room we realized we were blasting the diners with our terrible singing!

RESERVATIONS
Made by phone a few weeks in advance for one of their two private karaoke rooms.

THE COST
$752.82 total, including tax & tip, for 12 of us. We had tons of food and a decent amount of alcohol. The karaoke room was free with a $350 minimum which we easily met. We were there for 3 hours, and I think it cost $40 for us to extend it for another hour (until 10pm).

THE KARAOKE
Pretty good selection! Lots of Western and Asian songs, both newer and more classic, all with the real video. However, the interface takes some getting used to, and the search isn't great. There were a lot of songs they had in the system but you couldn't find easily by search (I think you had to search the initials of the song, like the first letter of each word or something), but you had to browse to find it.

THE FOOD
Pretty good, lots of Sake & Soju options for drinks, the Japanese appetizers & rolls average 3-4 stars.

Sakesan is a great casual dinner-date spot!
My partner and I ordered oysters, the giant roll, takoyaki, a Peach Sochu Highball and also hotate & uni.

scallops were fresh and i actually enjoyed the tobiko topping (which i was not expecting).
the takoyaki did not stand out; i found that there was too much batter for the amount of octopus inside. the other foods made up for their lackluster takoyaki though!
the Giant Roll was pretty good, very filling and salmon was fresh.
Overall i reallyy enjoyed the uni nigiri and hotate sashimi, and my partner demolished a dozen $1oysters! & The mixed drink was tasty, also very unique

service was great. very kind, very speedy, & no one hovered or rushed us.
5 stars all around
we'll definitely be back for more oysters and sashimi! :D

I've been coming here a while, I'm surprised I haven't left a review yet. The vibe gives modern, yet traditional with the tatami seating. The waitresses are super kind and never get my orders wrong. This is absolutely my favorite restaurant to order sushi from. They have $1 oysters, which I always get! Their sashimi and nigiri is always so fresh and cut nicely. I love their salmon sashimi. I've recently tried their hamachi shots and their hamachi jalapeño carpaccio; both dishes were delicious and unique. I love their rolls too, especially the tempura roll. I love this place so much, I came twice last week :)

Wow I haven't visited this restaurant in over 2 years and it's still as good as I can remember. What's even crazier is that their oysters are still $1 each!!! In this economy?! Yes please.

I love the variety of options this establishment provides which persuaded us to come in the first place. Sushi, sashimi, robata, ramen, donburi, oysters, you name it!

No complaints with any of the dishes but our favorites of the night: $1 oysters, spicy black garlic tonkotsu ramen, gambler roll, and the matcha plum wine. The ramen was flavorful and had the perfect amount of black garlic. There was a caution for the gambler roll but I didn't find it spicy at all -- just fiery (literally). I enjoyed trying the matcha plum wine but it was quite expensive for the amount given. Some robatas were skippable.

Just as we were about to leave they were starting Sunday night happy hour from 9-10 pm. $5 Asahi/Sapporo beers and discounted appetizers. Night time HH is Sunday-Thursday from 9-10 pm & everyday 4-6 pm.

Perfect date night spot. Really cheerful and attentive service. The plates came out super quickly. Sakesan is also on delivery apps.

I was in the area canvassing for my friend Michael Lai for District 11 supervisor and wanted to pick up food before I headed to my boyfriend's house. I found Sakesan on Yelp and phoned in an order. It was very busy on a Saturday night.

I ordered 4 rolls and they were ready within like 20 minutes, faster than they'd predicted. They were very good and filling.

They have a private karaoke room inside, a clean bathroom, and lots of space. Seems popular with families and students. Will be back if I'm in the area.

The best deal you'll find on their menu is the $1 oysters! We got half a dozen, the salmon sampler, Philly roll and I think spicy scallop.

Loved everything but my avocado tasted funny. It ruined the Philly which is usually one of my favorites.

The salmon was really good. I recommend it if you're not sure what you'd like.

I was in the Bay Area recently, so I wanted to check out this spot for dinner per a friend's recommendation. We had a reservation for dinner for three, and we were quickly seated upon arrival.
It was hard to find a parking spot near the restaurant, so we parked quite a distance away, but it wasn't too bad of a walk. The interior looked nice, and our server was helpful. The foods were also pretty good too for the most part.
We ordered the Dynamite Mussels, Kaki-Fry, Lion King, White Dragon, Super Dynamite, and the A5 Japanese Wagyu Yaki Onigiri. We also got the Peach, Lychee, and Pineapple Shochu Highballs. The Dynamite Mussels and the Kaki-Fry came out together, and they were both really flavorful. The White Dragon Roll and the Super Dynamite Roll were also really good. The Wagyu Onigiri was nice as well. The Lion King was not very good though because it did not taste fresh at all. All the Shochu Highballs were super good, so I would definitely get those again if I ever go back.

Really reasonably priced small plates that are great for sharing. I loved that the spicy tuna roll actually had a kick. Also the avocado bomb was packed with flavor and heat. Don't skip the cocktails either, those sake and shochu drinks are delicious.

This restaurant is super pretty inside, with plenty of seating. They were playing kpop the whole time I was here and had the music/lyric videos playing on the screens. Came here for happy hour (4-6pm). Mainly came for the happy hour oysters but ended up being able to try a ton of items!

We ate:
-chirashi: non HH item, but fish was super fresh and rice was well seasoned
-special negitoro roll: non HH item, very yummy and stuffed with toro
-corn tempura: crispy and yummy
-salmon kama: so many bones! Would skip next time
-ca roll: basic, imitation crab
-shishamo: loved this, biggest shishamo I've ever had
-oysters (24): really small/inconsistent, not especially flavorful but had good condiments
-sake: standard HH sake, not especially tasty but great size for the price

Overall we spent around $130 for 2. To be honest, wasn't expecting to spend that much during happy hour, but got to try so many items. Service was excellent and making reservations on Yelp is super easy! Parking also isn't difficult :)