Yip on Tokyo Go Go
Tokyo Go Go * 3174 16th St @ Guerrero * San Francisco, CA 94110 * (415) 864-2288
Cuisine: Japanese, Sushi
Neighborhood: Mission
A quintessential Sushi bar that meets the needs of city folk is hard to come by. Either the place has a rockin' hip atmosphere and a menu full of amateur rolls, or it's in the depths of Japan town with the freshest fish you've ever tasted and has no vibe what-so-ever. It's hard to have your cake and eat it too. End all, be all: this place is it. Futuristic but minimal decor and fish that melts in your mouth. If Barbra were here, she'd say "it's like butta."
The Scene
Meet George Jetson ... but so not cheesy. I love the circle lights that hover from the ceiling. Good spacing so you are not all on top of each other and can actually have a conversation without the table next to you chiming in. The bar is appropriately sized for your waiting pleasure, since it will undoubtedly be crowded. Reservations are a MUST. Walk in at your own risk because you might be going somewhere else instead. And that's not because you are too hungry to manage the two hour wait; it's because they might tell you the list is so long you literally cannot be seated tonight. They are on Opentable.com but I think you have to have a party of 4 or more. Call for a resy if it's just you and your beau. Location is great because you are super close to tons of great Mission hangouts. Make a night of it.
The Food
Delish. Fantastic. Creative. The menu is plentiful. I definitely recommend their great specials, determined solely by the freshest fish in the house. I usually start with the seaweed salad, which I like so much I practically make myself sick gorging on it. Nigiri and sashimi are the way to go, though I personally am not into the rolls anywhere. Regardless, I don't think I've eaten anything here I didn't like. Even the sushi amateur can stomach it. I've broken many in over a Kirin at Tokyo Go Go.
The Service
They are friendly, knowledgeable and inspiringly hip. Also, a word to the wise, I went here once with a girlfriend and two of her guys friends and we ended up playing "credit card roulette" with a $200+ bill (all our credit cards were in, and we asked the waitress to pick one to charge the entire bill to). She later mentioned that no way was she going to let one of us pay, and clearly one of the gentlemen was stuck with the check. Luckily for him, we agreed to support his liquor habit out at the bars for the rest of the night.
The Bathrooms
They are singletons, so ladies, don't be shy about hopping into the Men's room if you've really got to go. You don't want to spend too long waiting because by the time you get back to the table your date will have licked the plate clean. But hopefully he also put in an order for "Round 2" in the meantime.
**************
In a spoonful, hands down it is the best overall sushi joint in the city. If only you could decide to go at the drop of a hat... but all good things are worth waiting for. Make your reservations now and plan to go-go for the rest of the night. Maybe I'll even see you there.
Yip gives it 5 spoons.
Cuisine: Japanese, Sushi
Neighborhood: Mission
A quintessential Sushi bar that meets the needs of city folk is hard to come by. Either the place has a rockin' hip atmosphere and a menu full of amateur rolls, or it's in the depths of Japan town with the freshest fish you've ever tasted and has no vibe what-so-ever. It's hard to have your cake and eat it too. End all, be all: this place is it. Futuristic but minimal decor and fish that melts in your mouth. If Barbra were here, she'd say "it's like butta."
The Scene
Meet George Jetson ... but so not cheesy. I love the circle lights that hover from the ceiling. Good spacing so you are not all on top of each other and can actually have a conversation without the table next to you chiming in. The bar is appropriately sized for your waiting pleasure, since it will undoubtedly be crowded. Reservations are a MUST. Walk in at your own risk because you might be going somewhere else instead. And that's not because you are too hungry to manage the two hour wait; it's because they might tell you the list is so long you literally cannot be seated tonight. They are on Opentable.com but I think you have to have a party of 4 or more. Call for a resy if it's just you and your beau. Location is great because you are super close to tons of great Mission hangouts. Make a night of it.
The Food
Delish. Fantastic. Creative. The menu is plentiful. I definitely recommend their great specials, determined solely by the freshest fish in the house. I usually start with the seaweed salad, which I like so much I practically make myself sick gorging on it. Nigiri and sashimi are the way to go, though I personally am not into the rolls anywhere. Regardless, I don't think I've eaten anything here I didn't like. Even the sushi amateur can stomach it. I've broken many in over a Kirin at Tokyo Go Go.
The Service
They are friendly, knowledgeable and inspiringly hip. Also, a word to the wise, I went here once with a girlfriend and two of her guys friends and we ended up playing "credit card roulette" with a $200+ bill (all our credit cards were in, and we asked the waitress to pick one to charge the entire bill to). She later mentioned that no way was she going to let one of us pay, and clearly one of the gentlemen was stuck with the check. Luckily for him, we agreed to support his liquor habit out at the bars for the rest of the night.
The Bathrooms
They are singletons, so ladies, don't be shy about hopping into the Men's room if you've really got to go. You don't want to spend too long waiting because by the time you get back to the table your date will have licked the plate clean. But hopefully he also put in an order for "Round 2" in the meantime.
**************
In a spoonful, hands down it is the best overall sushi joint in the city. If only you could decide to go at the drop of a hat... but all good things are worth waiting for. Make your reservations now and plan to go-go for the rest of the night. Maybe I'll even see you there.
Yip gives it 5 spoons.
posted by SoCalATA at 4:41 PM
2 Comments:
How would you compare this to Blowfish? I've never been to Tokyo, but I've had awesome times at Blowfish..everything from food to environment.
I have to contest the "best sushi in the city" comment. While I have not had the pleasure of hitting up this Tokyo joing, I am a die hard fan of Ebisu on 9th/Irving in the Inner Sunset. While the decor is simple japanese joing with no rockin' music or fancy wait staff they actually have sushi masters. Yes, that's right, fully trained artisans. Now, if you're going for the party, Blowfish or others will do, but if you're going for the fish, nothing but Ebisu can meet that need. Oh, and the sake and beer serve up as fast as the fish.
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