Amami San Sushi

This Amami location is in downtown South San Francisco. I went on a Tuesday evening around 6pm and it was relatively easy to find parking. Upon arrival, the restaurant wasn't busy and we were seated right away. About 1 hour later it was fully packed with people waiting to be seated, so I suggest going early if possible! The menu looked pretty much the same as their other locations in San Bruno. We ordered three rolls:Dark Dragon Roll - hamachi & cucumber inside, unagi and spicy sauce on top Melted in the Mouth Roll - toro, avocado, and green onion inside, unagi, avocado, unagi sauce, and a little spicy sauce on topTiger Roll - shrimp tempura inside, salmon and avocado on topThe rolls had eight pieces each and were reasonably priced given the quality of the fish. The servers were friendly and attentive at refilling our tea. I'd come again to try other rolls, dishes, and specials!

I should preface this review by saying that one of the main reasons I chose Amami San Sushi was because of their hours of operation. I was getting off a flight and didn't want to have to rush during our dinner. The hours stated on their Yelp page and on the door of their entrance said 10:00 pm. I had also been to the Amami Sushi on San Bruno and had a good experience. That location closed at 9 pm, however. I'm not sure if the two establishments are related or not, but some of the other reviews said they were. I also noticed the price points were similar on their food items, so I assumed they were related.Our party of five walked in around 9 pm. We were seated at a 6 top by the door and menus were given out. The children were automatically given water and the adults were given tea. I did ask for tea for the Little Gal as it was cold outside and she wanted it. My brother had to ask for ice for his water as it was room temp.Each person put in their own order, and I was the only one who said I would be sharing with the Little Gal. (I asked for an extra plate for this reason.) The Little Gal also noticed her soy sauce dish was dirty so we asked for a new one, but it didn't show up.Two bowls of miso soup were placed in front of the empty seat with no word. I assumed they were for the Little Gal who ordered the Chirashi, and the other was for the Husband who ordered a Dinner Combo. Next came a salad, also placed in front of the empty chair. I assumed this was for the Husband again because of his Dinner Combo. Next to arrive was two sushi rolls on a plate that was placed in the middle. The issue being that the two people who ordered the sushi were sitting on opposite sides of the table. So, I had to divide that so no one would have to reach across the table.The Little Gal's Chirashi arrived and she noticed she never got a clean soy sauce dish, so we had to remind them about that, along with the extra plate I had requested earlier. They were really good about refilling the teas prior to that point, which we really appreciated. But didn't realize it was going to be short-lived.The waitress then came by to let us know the kitchen was closing and they were taking any last orders. I told them we were still waiting for the rest of our order, not sure if they had forgotten or what. (I should point out that another party did arrive a good while after us, so we weren't the last ones entering that evening.)The rest of the Husband's Dinner Combo arrived - Saba Shioyaki and Tempura Appetizer. My brother's Tempura Appetizer arrived after and we noticed his order of tempura was larger, which three pieces of shrimp vs the two the Husband got. I assumed it was because his order was part of the Dinner Combo, but it shouldn't be advertised at the Tempura Appetizer when it's actually less. Meanwhile, the Little Guy also received his Gyoza and Soft Shell Crab. Instead of placing his order in front of him, they would reach across the table in front of someone else's face to hand the order over. This was happening more than once. They could have easily walked around but they didn't bother.The food was just okay. The Tempura was not great, and my brother didn't even bother finishing it or taking the rest to go. We noticed the vegetables had a darker batter vs the shrimp, which made us wonder if it was old and refried. The Chirashi isn't as generous as it used to be, based on older photos and recent reviews. The Saba Shioyaki was only okay as well.While we were eating, the waitress handed me the check. I was sitting in the middle between my brother and the Husband. She asked if we could pay now as they wanted to close the register. I looked at her in disbelief as I literally had my chopsticks in my hand and was putting food in my mouth. I looked at her questioningly and she repeated herself. So, I took the bill with my empty hand and placed it down so I could finish my bite. She came around shortly and gasped when she saw I hadn't paid the bill yet. (She comments in Cantonese to her colleagues that we hadn't paid the bill yet and stands by our table.) My brother puts down his credit card so we can continue eating already. They run the credit card and give us the slip to sign. He signs it and put 0 down for tip as we planned on leaving cash. They come back and ask us why we put 0 down for the tip and wanted a tip. (We are still trying to finish our dinner at this point.) They start to explain how they are supposed to do an automatic gratuity for our party of five, but didn't. (I guess it's posted somewhere.) And was just going on and on in Chinese over explaining themselves. We just want to finish our dinner and be done already, but service has been horrible and lackluster. No one has been trained at all and really seems like they couldn't be bothered. They say "no rush" but demanding we pay the bill immediately and asking for a tip is contradictive. I woudn't return.

The service was good. But the chef and fish was exceptional!! Had the omacase was sooo good. Never a bad experience here. The ambiance was pretty chill and fun especially at the bar. Look forward to my next trip to SF.

Huge fan of Amami Sushi. I've tried their Fremont location and the sushi size is very consistent. Their omakase is a must get. I love how long the cut of the fish is. Some people might not like the rice to fish ratio because they give very little rice for the size of the fish. I don't mind that. The fish also taste very fresh and buttery. I also recommend the Lover's boat.

I go here quite often. this is my go-to sushi place in the bay. the sushi pieces are big and fresh, definitely worth its price! we got the omakase and look how beautiful that palette of fish is, each piece a surprise and different taste. the hamachi nigiri and salmon is my fav and I would get this every time. the dragon roll is also my fav special roll and I definitely recommended trying that if u like tempura and eel combined. the hamachi kama is a good option if u like cooked fish. the service is so friendly here. the restaurant is on the smaller side but there are lots of seating. this place also has fresh wasabi which I love eating with my sushi more than the generic store bought wasabi

UPDATE: So I was coerced to trying Amami again. With the expectation that it would be better this time around, but it was the same as it was 6 yrs ago! It's pretty loud and busy with many patrons who work in the area. The waitress was fast in taking our order and giving us tea. CHIARSHI ~ my daughter and I both ordered this. Small slices of fish with rice underneath.SASHIMI REGULAR ~ my sister ordered this. It's basically the same as the chiarshi but the rice is separate from the fish. Fish was fresh, but you really don't get much. Only thing I liked was the fresh grated wasabi. The salad was bigger than the chiarshi I ordered. The miso soup was bland. Definitely doesn't taste the same when it's too diluted. You'd have to fill up on rice to be full. I only agreed because I wasn't paying for this. Sorry, but I'd rather travel to San Mateo for sashimi/sushi. SSF doesn't have many Japanese restaurants and that is why it is busy here. If they had competition, they would have to offer more or lower their prices to keep up. The waitress rushed us out by taking our dishes away as soon as we were done. It was about $30/pp. Not worth it for lunch IMHO!

Still serving massive, quality sushi. + Melted in the Mouth Roll ($18 for 8 pieces): filled with unagi and avocado and drenched in a more liquidy ponzu/unagi sauce. Definitely melt in your mouth! (8.8/10)

Delicious and reasonably priced food, attentive service, and bustling atmosphere. A go-to for sushi in South City.

I really loved this place! Cozy sitting area nothing fancy. Good quality of fish for a good price in my opinion. We got hamachi and saba sashimi, agedashi tofu and some cut rolls. Will definitely come again.

Long time fan, first time reviewing. I've been here many times, often for dinner. This time I went with my sister in the afternoon and didn't realize we walked in 30 minutes before their closing. They still took us in which we were so grateful for, and never felt rushed. They were on break and still made sure we had full cups of hot tea.Ordered:- Chef Alan's Omakase Special- Lovers Boat- Agedashi Tofu- Chicken KarageOverall everything was great, fresh and well seasoned! Great service and ambiance.