NAKAMA Sushi

Planned a date night here and was not disappointed! We were greeted with a classy woodsy vibe when we entered and managed to score a seat at the bar. It was pretty busy as this was one of the free places open on Thanksgiving night, so it took a bit to get our order in. But once we got our server things went smoothly. I ordered the sake flight which included 4 premium sake pours. Totally worth it, but the best sake is by far the Izumi Judan Extra Dry Ginjo. I ended up getting a carafe of that one afterward. With the drinks flowing, we decided to order the A5 wagyu on a hot stone. It was immaculate and also it was super sweet of our server to give us a demonstration on his to cook the meat properly. The wagyu was melt-in-your-mouth good. From there, we tried the salmon five ways, a halibut hand roll, ordered an assortment of nigiri and sashimi, and my partner had the chirashi don. Everything was so fresh and melted like butter. The quality of fish here is unreal. I'm taking unbelievably fresh! Overall, we were super satisfied and left the restaurant on cloud 9 after having a near-spiritual experience with the food here. Get the sea breem for sure and the unagi, and if you're up for dessert, the mango panna cotta is so, so good, but seriously, it seems you can't go wrong with any of the fresh options here.As a bonus, we met our "uncle" here, and he was such a joy and made sure we left happy and tipsy. Definitely check this place out!

TLDR: I'm not convinced this is THE BEST sushi in SF, but definitely delicious option in a sea (pun intended) of options in the Hayes Valley area. Reminding me I need to stop in to a few other options in the area to determine my go-to.4.25 stars overall xD Unfortunately the draft I wrote up immediately following the meal didn't save aside from the star ranking. I'm going to stick with four stars, because it wasn't a poor experience by any means, but there isn't anything particularly standout or unique in my memory. Longer:I love sushi, but it's not my go-to and always better with a group in order to try many rolls. When my sister and I met for a longggg overdue sister-sister date, I did enough research on nearby sushi to go cross-eyed. I landed on NAKAMA given all the options averaged about the same overall star rating and a few dishes (ie eggplant skewers) highlighted by other reviewers caught my eye. Service was ever so slightly snail pace, so don't come here expecting expedited eating (ie prob not the best option for a quick meal before nearby Symphony, Jazz, CA&L, etc.). The volume in the restaurant was low, so this issss a good option for a mellow meal with a side of conversation (ie you won't be yelling across the table, which isn't always the case in many HV restaurants).After we placed our order, it felt like it wasn't ultimately input into the point of sale system, as it took quite some time for our sake and miso to arrive. Later, it seemed our position at the bar, sorta hidden behind a column, was to our detriment, as we had to flag servers down for water refills and a request for more pickled ginger. TGOD for tasty (ozeki nigori strawberry) sake while we waited, amirite?! The miso soup was the perfect salty, warm start to the meal and while the eggplant skewers were tasty, my family cooks a lot of eggplant and it's hard for me to find value in veggie dishes at restaurants unless they are out of this world and/or I'm super low on time (time is money, after all). The benefit: this particular eggplant dish inspired me to make my own rendition plus extra sauce for a fraction of the cost at home. Caution - the eggplant bites are truly hothot upon arrival at the table, so consider slicing in half to allow the insides to cool, or be prepared to potentially burn roof of mouth if you're low on patience like we were.We got 1 order of sake nigiri, and two rolls - just enough for the two of us to feel satiated but not stuffed. The fish was fresh and there was plenty of variety in rolls, but nothing particularly unique. I do try to limit my carbohydrate intake when having a high protein meal (yay not making my own insulin), so it was wonderful to have the option for a cucumber wrapped roll.I'll by no means turn down a return to NAKAMA, but it isn't top on the list considering there's way too many other options to try within ~1mi of my front door.

I came here a few weeks ago and thought the sushi was pretty good overall. We ordered the chicken karaage, Agedashi tofu, dragon roll, scallop roll, double hamachi, double red. I also ordered the hotate and o-toro nigiri. I really liked the scallop roll, o toro, and dragon roll. The prices are pretty steep here. I didn't like the double hamachi roll as much.

Small sushi joint. The sushi didn't take long to come out after placing my order. Dragon roll was good! Double hamachi roll was ok though. Agedashi tofu was decent (this came after my sushi rolls I would've preferred to eat this first since it's an appetizer, but I liked how they have a good amount of tofu pieces. Also, my first order of the hokkaido uni was yummy. My second order of uni was just ok. I would want to go back to try more rolls and nigiri just to see how their other cuts of fish tastes. The service is okay; I had to remind them to refill my water, but after that they were on it. Also, I would recommend ubering here or taking muni since parking seems tough.

Beautiful space and ambience. Food was really good, fast, and well portioned, however service was really lacking. I understand it was busy but we were served by 3 different people and not checked up on ever, struggled to flag them down.

Got some good ass sushi from this place in the Hayes Valley area. It has a classy casualness to it. Nakama Sushi seriously has some of the best tasting stuff. Hard to find it this fresh. The prices aren't bad for quality. A lot better than most sushi restaurants to be honest. It's a pretty intimate setting. The bar is the most open area and where servers are most likely to remember you. Be sure to get seated here. We had a few rolls. It was about $5 for the cheapest. The Oshinko Roll is made with radish. Good. There's a few cheap other ones if willing to wait. Also we got a Veggie Tempura Roll. This is the best vegetarian choice and it's crunchy too. Has variety in the rolls and whatever's on the menu. It's one of the nicer places around here for sushi. There's rolls filled with fish and those for vegetarians.

Pretty solid sushi rolls. Felt like what you'd expect at the price. The fish was pretty fresh and the portions were decent but on the lighter side.The chef's special tasted like a dragon roll you'd find elsewhere but with extra flair. It came with tempura shrimp, cucumber, lobster salad, avocado, fish roe, and extra goodies I can't remember. I enjoyed the sweet and crunchy taste and texture. Definitely would get again. I thought the double red was decent but not amazing. The tuna was good but the seared fish on top tasted a little mushy. The avocado and fish roe were good.The service was good and attentive. The interior was pretty nice with Japanese decor. Little on the smaller side but not too busy near closing time.

Man, this place is just SO good. It deserves another 5-star review. Stellar service - everyone is so polite and nice. Amazing, amazing sushi. Such fresh, delicious fish. Soft pieces that melt in your mouth and are somehow so well-flavored too. We got a nigiri tasting and it was so delightful! The California roll used real crab, and even this simple roll was fantastic. Absolutely love this place. Also has a relaxing, smooth ambiance.

My absolute favorite sushi place in the city. They have the best tasting and best quality fish. My favorite dish is the soy marinated tuna but honestly every single thing on this menu is amazing. The service is outstanding every single time we go. I cannot recommend this place enough.

Shawn (Yuan) was super friendly and offered some great advice on really delicious rolls. The ambiance was nice and the quality of the food was spot on; we had the nigiri platter, volcano scallop roll, and the snow dragon roll - all of it was quite tasty. Thank you to Benjamin and the team for a superb dining experience. We will recommend and be back!!!