Permanently Closed - Izakaya Sushi Ran
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We travelled across the city to eat at this establishment and as we arrived, we were informed that it was now closed. They had known since earlier in the day and failed to contact us. Simply unacceptable.
This is a really creative and interesting take on a Japanese Izakaya. Don't go in expecting a traditional experience; go in with an open mind and be prepared to be blow away by some great cooking, great cocktails and a great sake list.
It was another wonderful meal. We really enjoyed having Billy the bartender giving us such personal attention. The food and service were both great. We'll definitely be back.
We ordered two Miso Soups, an order of deviled eggs, one roll, and a hot menu item. All of the food was delicious, but the service was really poor from start to finish. The restaurant was not busy when we arrived, yet it took nearly 10 min for anyone to come to our table. Then after ordering, it took another 25 min for our miso to come out. We asked about our deviled eggs (which was the first of four times we had to ask about them), but the rest of our food kept coming out and each time we asked about our deviled eggs and were told they'd go back and check. Finally our original server came out and asked if we enjoyed everything... to which we replied yes but where are the deviled eggs?
To their credit they comp'd half the bill, which made sense to me given the wait time and issue with one of our starters, but that was not good service.
Menu was somewhat limited but a few things were exceptional. The rest.,. not so much.
Beyond the expectations,
usually the Asian food in USA is ruin by enormous amount of sugar and sauces.
Not in this restaurant - every small plate that we ordered was perfectly balanced between the original ingredients, spices and sauces.
The service and the whole experience of sharing small plates were performed excellently
We had a very memorable and enjoyable time there
Edamame was arctic cold. It was chewy and had no flavor.
Everything basically came at once even tho restaurant was practically empty. Except the last dish (1 of three main courses) which came 20 minutes after the other two—and after we asked where it was. There was no pacing to the meal.
The servers were so awkward about where to put new dishes. If they are going to serve everything at once they should get more comfortable about moving things around.
There was either too much service or too little.
Servers took away things we needed but later neglected to take dirty dishes. They didn’t seem synched among themselves.
The food was not special. It is nothing like the namesake in Sausalito which is very special and warm.
The fish (sashimi) was a bit stiff.
At best it felt generic. At worst it felt embarrassing.
Perhaps it is not related to Sushi Ran in Sausalito? The two restaurant experiences are nothing alike.
Amazing place and amazing food! Cant wait to repeat the experience!
Great sushi spot in Castro. Simple, delicious. New favorite go to!
Compared to Sushi Ran our bill was about the same but the ambiance was much ,more casual and there was no sushi bar. I should have checked beforehand and that was a huge disappointment. The 3 items of sushi they have (tuna, yellowtail, salmon) were all fantastic as were most the items that we tried. I would stay away from the rice appetizer with pork as it was really bland, mostly rice with only a few pieces of pork. If you are close, it's worth a try but for $100pp price tag including drinks, I'll stick to Sushi Ran.
Crisp, friendly service with generous portions that include a variety of colours and textures.
Once again, Izakaya Sushi Ran did not disappoint my partner and me. The cocktails were unique and delicious, the spinach salad was a tasty appetizer and the "fish and chips" and tuna poke roll were fantastic.
The service tends to be great here and the menu satisfying. Rarely do I feel like ordering more midway through, but it tends to happen at this spot so I can try more dishes ;)
We had an excellent Japanese style tapas at Izakaya Sushi Ran. The atmosphere is relaxing and not too loud so it was easy to chat. Can’t wait to go back !
We were skeptical about the replacement of Nomica, but were pleasantly surprised by the quality of Izakaya Sushi Ran. We will go again.
Sadly one of the worst experiences we’ve ever had anywhere. We were so excited when his place came into the neighborhood because of the Sausalito location but sadly the food was honestly terrible. Our server was great! He was the saving grace but I can’t believe how bad the food was. Only good thing was the brussel sprouts at a sushi place!?! There were bones in my sashimi. The shrimp tempura was clearly not fried in hot enough oil. We saw it come straight out of the kitchen and it was soggy. The roll we got was bland and the tuna wasn’t great. The menu is much too small. It’s too bad. This place could be great in this neighborhood
Food was great and the interior is nicely done. Service was very slow and they didn't really seem to know what they were doing. We were brought the same sushi roll instead of the two different ones we ordered. We asked the server but he said they look the same and he did not bring out the first roll so he could not identify which one we received first. So we just ate it-was very good but not what we ordered. Everything just felt very slow. Another server was going from table to table asking if they ordered the drink he had in his hand. Finally on the fourth table he found the correct recipient. Maybe 1 or 2 servers called in sick or something but definitely not a "well oiled machine". We will go back but hope that they figure out the service issues.
An amazing place! Incredible food, drink and atmosphere. If you've been to the Sausalito Sushi Ran you know what I'm talking about.
I was sad when I realized Nomica moved to Los Angeles, but thrilled that Izakaya ushi Ran took over the space. This was my first time here and I will definitely be going back sooner than later. The pricing isn't bad especially for what you get. I had the spicy tuna roll (delicious) and the pork belly with a side of rice. I can not stop thinking about the pork belly, it made me smile so big, it was absolutely divine! The server was super charming and gave great recommendations.
First time in since the change from Nomica.
Food: absolutely phenomenal.
Cocktails: super phenomenal, dare say mind blowing.
Service: mostly good. Had more than a couple lulls of wondering whether we’d been forgotten.
Certainly planning to come back with friends both from in and out of town, and we can’t wait to bring them!
Slow service with an empty restaurant. Small portions and very high prices.
Reuniting friends
Really disappointing, especially stacked against Sushi Ran's masterpiece in Sausalito. It felt like just another quasi-Japanese restaurant blasting hip-hop over servings of pork belly. Definitely didn't meet my hopes — especially for the price.
Nothing amazing here. Not worth the price. I don't think this place will be there long.
Great addition to Upper Market/Castro area. Nice combo of stylish ambiance and very friendly staff and the food is terrific. Small menu but everything on it is outstanding. Have been twice and very pleased on both occasions.
I went with my fiancé to try this new place out in SF. We enjoyed the yellow tail and crunch eel roll with spicy crab.
We ordered the fritter dish, upon my second bite I bit into something hard and was hoping it would be bone but when I pulled it out of my mouth it was some type of green plastic piece. Our waitress was very apologetic and brought the piece pack to the kitchen for her manager to have a look. Manager came back to say there was nothing in the kitchen they could find. Waitress said she would come the sake and take the dish off our bill and also include a complimentary dessert.
The approach though nice was not the best in customer service they could have done. I was expecting they would comp the dinner based on the experience I just had or at least have us pick another dish from the menu and have that be complimentary along with comping the sake. We received a complimentary roll that we did not pick and we weren’t too crazy about eating it.
This was our first experience at Izakaya Sushi Ran, and we were pleased with the restaurant. We had cocktails at the bar before going to our table in the dining room. The bar tenders were very friendly and knowledgeable in their craft. The dinner was excellent, very authentic Japanese food. We will definitely go again.
The spinach was very tasty! The almond milk tofu head a fun mochi-like texture. The crunch roll was delicious! And we're so glad we got the miso salmon despite mixed reviews - it was so tender and flavorful!
Black sesame gelato and mochi desserts were excellent too!
Really mediocre food for the price point. Waitstaff cleared dishes including drinks before I was done. Some of the dishes just plain did not taste good.
We love the way this restaurant reinvented itself as a closer cousin or sibling to its successful business in Marin. We so much enjoyed our experience that we ate here 2x within a week; a rare exception for us who like to mix it up. The spinach sesame salad was the best I've eaten anywhere--yum! The salmon was melt-in-your-mouth delicious. Our martinis were excellent.
Wanted a quick bite in a casual setting. But also wanted tasty and top quality food with a fresh spin. Izakaya Sushi Ran for the bill.
Had a pretty good meal with friends. Really enjoyed the chrunch maki roll, kakiage, black sesame gelato & mochi cake. We will definately be back for those dishes & to try new ones. Glad they kept most of the decor, some of their emplyees & especially the comfortable roomy booths.
I like the concept of a casual gastro pub. The experience, unfortunately, was meh. Sushi rolls were on par with most other more casual (and cheaper) sushi spots in the neighborhood. In addition to the rolls, we had the miso wagyu beef, which was amazing. The miso salmon that others have raved about here was disappointing and also odd to eat and share with chop sticks (it's served as a whole salmon filet). Veggie tempura was mediocre.
The service could definitely be refined, not for lack of service but for interrupting too frequently. No sooner than my butt hit the seat did the server appear to introduce himself and take drink orders. We also had various people serve us, which I guess is common enough but odd in a finer dining environment. The bill for 3, including a bottle of sake was about $200, which seemed high for the experience.
I might go back for a drink and casual bite in the early evening but definitely not again for dinner.
This absolutely terrible. If you love American junk food go there and enjoy sushi in American junk food style. Their Miso is instant one. You can buy any sh*t instant in you grocery store and you can get better. It is absolute shame.
Got in for Restaurant Week. The menu was so enticing we went for it and added other items we just had to try. Every dish delivered. I was with 3 other people and we all enjoyed everything we tried from the Miso Glazed Salmon, the Crunch Roll, and the Sashimi was fresh and flavorful.
First time as Sushi Ran. Really enjoyed all the dishes, server was great, nice interior. Definitely recommend.
Great food, service, and atmosphere! Wait for food was a little long, but I did go on the opening day of restaurant week..
Great food but the service is spotty. Seems like it’s particularly bad on weekend nights when they’re busy. If I come here it’s on a weeknight when they aren’t so busy.
This is a no brainer. Go there and enjoy yourself. Some very unique dishes that I have never had before.
Are you still reading this? You should be going to Izakaya Sushi Ran right now. stop wasting time!!
Average Japanese food. Name is confusing as well since there are no skewers on the menu which are to be expected at Izakay. Our table wasn’t available at the time of reservation and we were made to wait 10 minutes for it to get set up.
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Permanently Closed - Izakaya Sushi Ran is rated 4.2 stars by 63 OpenTable diners.