Friends Only

Beautiful ambience and fantastic omakase menu. Such a pleasant journey down the flavor profile. Overall very memorable experience. One flaw--I wish that the service can be more coordinated and orchestrated--it felt somewhat rushed, with no time for small talks or chats with chefs as the courses come and go quickly. At this price level I'm expecting a more poised service.

I normally only write yelp reviews when I have terrible experiences and it got me thinking, what the hell is up with that?! So here's my rave review of Friends Only. My best friend and I came here for galentines on Valentine's Day and the service was absolutely exceptional from the moment we walked in until we walked out. Not to mentioned the curated menu was absolutely inspiring. I couldn't even pick a favorite, but if you had a gun to my head it would have to be the rare triple A gokujo uni nigiri. It's been a while since I've had exceptional service and an incredible meal all in one and Friends Only did not miss on any part of the experience. Please, if you're in the market for Omakaze, do yourself a a favor and run, don't walk to the reservation page!!!

Incredible dining experience. Came here to celebrate my birthday and every dish was delicious and luxurious. From the over the top Chawanmoshi (with truffles and foie gras) to the mixed rice bowl and nigiri, every dish hit the right notes. This meal is a blend of kitchen and sushi, so with our 17 course meal expect 7-8 pieces of nigiri mixed with hot kitchen items. So if you want more traditional edomae sushi coursing, this place isn't it. But you won't be disappointed. The ingredients are over the top - heaps of beluga caviar and uni - with most from Japan other than the toro. The dry aged fish mixed with the sushi rice - using two types of vinegar - were all hits. You'll pay for it with the alcohol though: markup is 4+ times which is rough. My guess is that is how they break even. You won't be disappointed. Will definitely come back. Music playlist was also on point.

Not worth the price tag. I know Friends Only is new and the AKIKOS group does some amazing things, but our experience fell short on multiple occasions.- The TORO blue fin tuna (fatty tuna belly that everyone loves), did not melt in my mouth and it was a bit stringy.- The sushi chef couldn't really tell us anything about the mackerel or sea perch. A few patrons wanted to know where it was from and where it swims. He said that it's from Japan and it swims in the water around Japan. He wasn't joking. I overheard the other sushi chef giving actually information that would've made our meal more special.- Not much in the menu--too much sea urchin. Don't get me wrong, I love sea urchin, but there was simply too much.- I didn't like how they were cleaning up the restaurant, like you can see them scrubbing the tables, while we were still enjoying dessert.I did really enjoy the Tostada (hokkaido scallop & sea urchin, golden kaluga cavier, nori).The cocktail I got was also wonderful: Usagi Creamsicle (milk punch, satsuma gin, vermouth, cara cara, white rabbit rice candy).Otherwise, the meal was not exceptional.If you're going to charge $400+ per person, must be an impeccable experience.I cannot recommend coming to this place when there are so many other better experiences for cheaper.

By invite only omakase, by the peeps who brought you AKIKOS. 17 courses.All the fish gets flown in from Japan.There's lots of uni including a fat uni hand roll at the end of your meal.If you get the opportunity to have a meal here, take it.

For the rare date night, we normally go with omakase. Have been wanting to try here and were delighted. They start with a glass of champagne or alcohol free wine and jump right in. The courses move quickly, but I thought were very well paced.The bites were very harmonious. Some of the places seem to try to be overly fancy and it ends up making the fish be forgotten and way too brash. Every course here kept the flavor of the dish in balance and their use of aging the fish really brought out some lively flavors to fish I had eaten many times before. I look forward to coming back.

It's delicious sushi - on par with the other high-end omakase counters in San Francisco. The price is high - but the ingredients justify the cost. The fish itself was fresh, beautifully presented, and creative. Uni was the star of the show - and it really is stunning. And quite plentiful.I couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed by the atmosphere at the sushi counter. While I was hoping for a serene and authentic sushi experience, some of the patrons seated there were a bit too intoxicated for my liking. Their loud conversations and boisterous behavior slightly detracted from the otherwise tranquil ambiance I was hoping for. The bartender eventually cut them off - but it was disappointing.What should have been an exclusive meal with top-notch ingredients turned into a situation in which I was judging the drunk woman to my left (who left half the dishes on her plate - I was so tempted to just eat them myself) and the drunk couple on my right. They were probably the worst. She kept calling truffles mushrooms... I wish that wasn't my most vivid memory from my dinner here.

Omakase so good, it transcends resolutions. New year, new memories made with the fams. So lucky to have gotten a reservation on January 6th for 7 of us out of the 10 seatings available each service. Thank Linda for helping us score this dinner. The ambiance was like home away from home, very intimate + made to order everything, it was the perfect culinary escape. They use a dry-aging process that is a very interesting approach to enhancing the textures (melt-in-your mouth tenderness) and flavors of the fish (reducing fishy odors) that truly elevates the entire experience. From the fresh tasting fish to the great choices of dinnerware to add visual appeal, we really enjoyed every single bit of the meal from start to finish. Friends Only is a restaurant you must try. Reservations are tough but so well worth the effort.

My wife surprised me for my birthday by taking me here. There's only 10 seats total and they are all countertop. I really enjoyed the experience as it wasn't just traditional omakase. TOSTADA - 5/5hokkaido scallop & sea urchin, golden kaluga caviar, noriSASHIMImadai, tyee salmon, kanpachi - 2 weeks cured. Kanpachi is buttery and fatty. AMADAI tilefish - flaky. Never had the scales like crunchy bonito flakes 5/5SAWARAjapanese spanish mackerelCHAWANMUSHI - 5/5egg custard, nasu, truffle, duck liver. amazing dish, never had a better tasting chawanmushi. Absolute delight MIRUGAI giant clam - the clam pieces were cut so small it's a bit sad. ZUKEsoy cured bluefin - ENSUI UNI - 5/5organic sea urchin. No added flavoring, the uni quality is impeccableSANMA pike mackerel UNAGI eel - charcoal grilled. Crispy layer soft flesh 4/5. Feels like not much flavorSUJIKO salmon roe - it's a bit stickier than I would like. Not as amazing I would have hoped Liz 4/5GOKUJYO UNI - 5/5friends only sea urchin. One of the purest uni that I've had. AKAMUTSUdeep sea perch - soft and butteryTORO bluefin belly -5/5HANDROLL 5/5hokkaido sea urchin. This comes with an entire row of uni. Best uni handroll. GOHAN 3/5king crab, kabocha, truffle. Crunchy rice, I couldn't really taste the crab all that well. Rice gets stuck in my teethSHIRUMONOscallop shinjo, matsutake, dashi. Light soup to top off the mealMatcha ice cream and chocolate chip cookie - 5/5. I love chocolate chip so pleasantly surprised they had this at the end. The matcha ice cream was nice and creamy, not icy at all. Nice smooth consistency

Phenomenal service. The wait staff took special attention offer patrons details behind each and every bite of nirigi served, which was a delight! Unforgettable choices of fish and the level of attention to detail was top notch!