The Roll

Wow. I cannot say thank you enough for this new addition to the area!Japanese food (sushi in particular) is my absolute favorite. I've had the privilege of eating at some amazing restaurants and omakase spots over the years, but dining out is a very special treat for me these days. I ordered delivery, which is a huge gamble even with prestigious restaurants, especially when it pertains to fresh fish. Hands down, this was the best delivery experience I've ever had with sushi.I ordered:Silky Maguro DonUni ikura inari3 piece inari set (scallop, snow crab, salmon)Tobiko nigiriThe ingredients and fish were of incredibly high quality and beautifully packaged. I prefer the cut of fish to steal the show and The Roll provided light accents (marinades, wasabi, tobiko, yuzo, etc.) that elevated natural flavors and textures as opposed to masking them. For the quality of the food I received, this place is beyond reasonably priced. I'm service industry myself and I understand it takes time for new establishments to get their footing, so perhaps some of the comments I read regarding price vs. quantity/quality were in relation to that. The Roll is not claiming to be anything it's not and they deliver on their promise of quality, taste, and presentation. Please keep up the hard work and consistency! I would love to take my parents here and see it in person next time they visit. Thank you!

I ordered delivery from The Roll and was blown away by the quality! I tried the Signature Roll and the Bara Kaisen Don. The kaisen don was filled with thick slices of fresh salmon, amberjack, tuna, and scallop. I was pleasantly surprised to see the addition of crab and scallop at such a reasonable price point. The complimentary seaweed salad was seasoned perfectly. The Signature Roll is signature for a reason - I loved the mix of flavors and textures, especially from the shiso leaf. Very solid spot for fresh fish for great value, and I'll be back to dine in person!

Wanted to love this place, but while everything here was beautifully presented, some pieces of fish were definitely off and later that night both me and my boyfriend had a huge stomachache and definitely were affected by the poor quality of some of the fish. Needless to say, the salmon pieces in particular tasted a bit off, and all the pieces of fish were strangely warm. A lot of pieces of fish were also out since we came at the end of the day, so they updated our 3 piece nigiri set with 2 new pieces without even asking us for our preference. Also, the moriawase only came with 3 pieces of seaweed... wish it came with more so we could make more handrolls! The service overall was also a bit slow.On the up side, the rice is well seasoned and the service was good (We were started off with complimentary seaweed salad). For 2 people, we ordered the moriawase, 2 rolls, and 5 nigiri to share. The portions were on the smaller side I would say.not sure if I would be back given out extremely upset stomachs after the meal though...

I suddenly had a craving for raw fish when I was walking through Cow Hollow. And then the universe delivered with The Roll! I was gonna settle for Whole Foods sushi lol. I'm glad I saw this place as I was making my way to the bus. The Roll specializes in futomaki, so I got their signature roll (called The Roll). Because I got the lunch set, it came with the seaweed salad first. It's was so refreshing, especially with cucumber and this tiny but mighty tomato that packed a tomato-y punch. I added fatty tuna exclusively yubu, which is inari at the base. It was delicious and I like acidity that came from the vinegar and pickled radish. I think it overpowered the delicate tuna, but I would order it again. I like the textures between the soft tuna and the crunchy radish. The futomaki was the final dish, and it was filling! It had bluefin tuna, salmon, avocado, cucumber, fried crab stick, pickled radish, shiso, and egg. It's a symphony of flavors and textures, and adding a touch of soy sauce brought it all together. Despite all the different flavors, the fish was the star. You can taste the freshness of the tuna and salmon among the mix. Speaking of which, everything I ate was fresh and high-quality. After reading their story on their site, I totally get their concept of approachable omakase. It's a casual and inviting space where you can have an omakase-style meal without breaking the bank. My meal was $35 total and I think that's pretty good for the city. And the wait staff were really nice. It was my first time, so they explained the chef's concepts and the menu. And I particularly liked how they partnered with a brewer to create beer that compliments the menu. I didn't feel like drinking, but I want to try a glass next time. There were 10 pieces of futomaki and I was so full that I couldn't order dessert. And I usually order something sweet to finish. I am definitely coming back to try their nigiri set and dessert.

Food (5/5)For our party of four, we ordered the Kama Nitsuke (fish collar), Kinoko Nimono (simmered mushrooms), one Signature Roll, one Snow Crab Roll, and two Moriawase signature Kaisen Dons. For dessert we ordered a matcha roll cake and red bean roll cake. Highly recommend the rolls - both the Signature and Snow Crab rolls were delicious, flavorful, and fresh. I think they also season the rice in the rolls. The signature Moriawase Kaisen Don was also very fresh and a beautiful assortment of seafood. I would not recommend the Kama Nitsuke nor the Kinoko Nimono personally as the portions were not large. My friend complained that the fish collar we got was small and bony. The mushrooms were fine but nothing special. The red bean roll cake was delicious - would recommend, had great texture. The matcha roll cake was delicious but pretty basic.Price (5/5)For what you get and considering the freshness of the seafood, I think the rolls (~$18) and kaisen don ($38) are fairly priced. As for the appetizers, not so much.Wait Time (5/5)We came around 1pm on a weekend and were seated quickly.Ambiance (5/5)Pretty interior, pretty spacious, and seems newly renovated? Bathroom was airy and clean.Service (4/5)Our servers were friendly and attentive though perhaps overly attentive at times haha. No other concerns.Parking/Access (5/5)SF parking can be hard to find sometimes but we were lucky enough to find a spot within a block's distance. I will definitely be back for the rolls or kaisen don as I like how the food is simple and fresh. No Philadelphia rolls here. I would not reorder the apps.

tldr; beautiful space and pretty upscale dining experience for a relatively affordable price! fish was so melt-in-your-mouth fresh and service was excellent. price: ~$20/personrecs: scallop inari, maguro rollThe Roll is a beautifully decorated restaurant specializing in futomaki rolls in the Union St neighborhood and is a super good option for small groups -- especially people who like Insta-worthy food. - The Roll: Delicious and complex -- my favorite part was the textural contrast that the deep fried kanikama offered- Maguro Roll: Features delicious fatty tuna that totally melted in my mouth. - Scallop Inari: Sweet from the inari pocket and buttery from the scallop and mayo dressing. The 3-pc set is perfect for sharing with friends.Service was super thorough and friendly. We made reservations, but walk-ins seem doable up until 12:10-1pm when it seems to get more packed. Our server explained every dish that came out, which we really appreciated, and all the rolls were truly good enough to eat without soy sauce. Would 100% come back for lunch here!

Ordered for pick up. Was impressed by the maguro don. The presentation and quality reminded me of Japan. The rice was seasoned well, tuna was fresh , and was served with real wasabi. Would definitely order this dish again if I am in the area. Also tried the roll which is a futomaki with several types of fish. I picked out the shiso leaf though since I didn't like the flavor of the shiso with the other ingredients.

I had such an amazing lunch here and can't wait to come back!I'd heard about this unassuming place in the Marina from a friend so I was so excited to try it and it did not disappoint! The Signature futomaki was delicious -- the combination of fish, veggies, subtly marinated rice and seaweed made for a great mix of texture and taste, and everything was super fresh. My waitress also recommended the kinoko nimono starter which I loved. I love mushrooms, and they were incredibly juicy and had the right balance of light, Japanese-style flavor. Would highly recommend if you like mushrooms!I was so full after, and for the quality of the ingredients, the total was super affordable. Would love to try the kaisen don next!

I'm back! I had so many requests on more photos and a new review because this is a start up. Here is my honest review again!This is a place I'd visit once a month! The fish is very very fresh and the flavor the very overwhelming! I would highly recommend the crab roll AND a fish roll because the flavors are a bit different. The rolls remind me of the korean kimbap and have the extra crunchy texture.The mushroom soup accents the flavors a bit differently and is different from the typical miso soup that is provided in most sushi restaurants. The bowls as well have well marinated fish. It comes in various layers and we are able to make our own roll with different combinations of fish! Every bite has different flavor and texture and we are able to control what we want to eat.

I loved the food here. It's fine Japanese cuisine elevated through presentation and balance. I wish all rice tasted like the rice in the kaisen don (though it's probably for the best that it doesn't). We had:Karaage ($12) - 3/5. I'd skip this. The chicken is tender but there wasn't a ton of flavor, even after dipping in ponzu. Heirloom tomato sunomono ($9) - 4/5. This was wild. I don't know what the gelatin was but it tasted like dashi and had a lot of umami depth. Paired with the cucumbers and tomatoes it was a really refreshing, cooling dish. The acid got to be a bit too much towards the end, so I think this needs to be enjoyed in small servings.Signature roll ($18) - 5/5. This roll didn't require any soy sauce or dips. It had a great balance of textures and flavors, from the creaminess of the avocado to the slight spice of the shiso. Moriawase ($38) and Bara Kaisen ($30). I'll review these together because they're quite similar. For more variety, I would recommend the Moriawase, but if you just want to gorge yourself on fish the Bara Kaisen is the way to go. All the fish is really fresh, and the rice is so good. It's vinegary and sweet and delicious wrapped in the seaweed that comes with the dish. You're meant to eat around the bowl until the rice starts peeking through, then eat that with the fish. The fish is presented like art, especially for the Moriawase, and it's great fun taking your pick of what to eat next. The interior is elegant and modern, and actually quite small. I don't know how busy they get, but you can make reservations.