Bernal Cutlery

I’m giving this place 1 star not because of the service, as I never had a chance to use them, but because of the run around.
I called the shop a few days ago asking if they could sharpen barber shears in a day. The owner, who’s cell phone is the number is what is listed, said no, he’d need a couple of days. Ok. No problem. I left work early on Saturday to drop off my stuff. Before leaving I called again, asking if I dropped them off this afternoon would they be ready by Tuesday. The owner said possibly, but stop by.
When I got there the owner wasn’t there. I was informed by an employee that they ship the sheers out to a guy in Marin and it would take a week. When I said the owner told me it would take a couple of days, the response was, «Oh. Yeah. He always says that. It will take a week.» REALLY? I took time off of work and went well out of my way to get this done, for just a run around. Not cool.
The place itself looked great. The folk who were there were very polite, friendly and apologetic over the situation. If I just had knives and the like to sharpen, I’m sure I would’ve been very happy, but to be told one thing in order to get me there and then be told that it ain’t gonna happen is why they get 1star. Don’t waste people’s time and just tell them the truth from the git-​go and let us make the decision ourselves if we want to come in. I for one won’t be coming back

Came in to the store to look at some utility knives and get some sharpening/​stropping materials.
The shop owner was super helpful in talking me through the different options and the pros/​cons of each knife. Even though I wasn’t ready to purchase that day, I still felt very welcomed at the store.
I ended up grabbing a horse leather butt strop and learning a ton about knives! Will definitely be back!

Called about a same day sharpening on my fabric shears — Sam took care of them in 20 minutes and they’re as good as new. I paid a little more for rush with no appointment but it was still totally reasonable. Next time I’ll make an appointment. Everyone was nice and helpful.

They we’re expertly able to sharpen my chef’s knife, but I must say I drooled over their selection available for purchase. Their knives made mine look like it was made out of playdough.

I cannot believe what these magicians have done to my knives. I’m used to my knives cuttings things, it’s their only job. After coming back from getting sharpened, they do more than that now. They have been transformed from a mere cutting implement to a magical tool that simply parts items effortlessly at a location of my choosing.
It’s the simple things in life, and words cannot describe the simple, but powerful, joy I now get when cutting vegetables.
5 stars for making me smile.
Additionally:
* amazing store
* super helpful and knowledgeable staff
* extra ordinarily impeccable customer service.

I remember when I first moved to San Francisco from Southern California. It was the 80s and I was accustomed to mega shopping malls and uniform, beige-​colored cookie-​cutter houses. San Francisco was and is different, in many ways. One of the differences I noticed was specialized, smaller stores that made you feel like you were experiencing something unique.
Bernal Cutlery is that. A unique and excellent type of throw back. These guys are artisans. True craftsmen who take pride in their focused work: knives, just knives.
It feels kind of like a small café. You may feel the urge to order an Americano and see if they have any croissants left. Well, maybe that’s getting carried away. But it’s a little shop with big character.
Watch as they expertly hand-​sharpen your knife. Hear the sounds of metal being precisely honed. Feel the exceptional edge on your freshly sharpened blade. Yes, it’s that kind of experience.
They’ve got an impressive selection of knives for sale, too. I wasn’t aware of Benchmade Knives until I went to Bernal Cutlery to get my knife sharpened. Think I’ll get one of those. They’re a reseller.
Oh, and one more bonus. They’re kitty corner from Tartine Bakery. So if you’ve worked up a sweet tooth after getting your knives sharpened you’re in the right hood.

josh and all of the knife techies at bernal are undoubtedly the finest knife sharpeners in the western hemisphere. forghettabout, any other knife services in San Fran or the bay area. all sharpening is completed by hand on water stones that are perfectly prepared and utilized. it would be highly improbable that my knives could be any sharper or correct. Absolute knife perfection! pride and hard work, exists is this one of a kind establishment. any professional cutlery user would be missing the boat, not using bernals custom services! The cost of the sharpening services at Bernal are extremely fair, considering the actual time to complete the job. The turnaround time for my knives was about 3 days, and was more than worth it.
The quality and variety of the kitchen knives, from custom knifemakers in Japan, and hard to find German knife brands that I had never heard of exist in this very homey shop. sharpening accessories in this shop are exemplary, and are also reasonably priced.

They sharpened a family heirloom fruit knife for me (I now know it was a fruit knife because they informed me). The guy sharpening it showed it more care and reverence than I’ve ever see! He did a fantastic job too.
The reviewer who gave them 1 star, William W., is a complete moron. This place is definitely not deserving of that review.

Cool little knife shop that sells Japanese cutlery and gives know classes. I took a basic knife class here and learned a lot — had no idea what I was doing wrong and inefficiently until I had the class. They don’t sell Global or the more mass produced knives.
Even if you aren’t in market for knives I’d check it out cause it’s unique.

I highly recommend coming here if you need to get your knives sharpened. The employees were very nice and helpful.
I needed to have my knives sharpened as a rush and they were done in 20mins. Wasn’t expecting them to be done that fast. I couldn’t be more happy with the way they turned out.
Also they have a really great selection of knives. I came here only expecting to get my knives sharpened but ended up leaving with a Wakui Nakiri. Have been using it the last 3 days and I’m happy with my purchase.

I came in with a pocket knife that had trouble properly opening and the part that locks it in place didn’t work. They didn’t seem to entirely understand the problem with it and so I had to explain what I thought was making it malfunction and they pretty much said there was nothing they could do and showed me the door.

Bernal Cutlery takes awesome care of my knives.
Everyone who works in the shop is friendly and knowledgeable about their products as well as your knives. I have my own sharpening stone but am honestly a bit afraid that I’m gonna end up with an uneven bevel — which is no good — so I schedule an appointment with Bernal Cutlery about once a month.
The prices are really reasonable, especially for a quick turn around.
If you think your knife is sharp, it’s not, take it to Bernal Cutlery and you’ll truly understand how wonderful a sharp blade really is.

Best in the biz. Workmanship is superior. Nice guy. Nice staff. I don’t go anywhere but here for my chef knives.

I wanted to treat myself to a nice knife and walked out with two stunning Fujiwaras, but what was most appreciated was the staff spending time teaching me better sharpening skills. I’m a chef, but at the same time a pair of customers came in asking very, very basic questions, and I watched how gently and professionally the staff responded to them. Great experience.

I brought in three knives for sharpening today. Bernal Cutlery was candid about the knives’ condition, saying they were beyond sharpening. I give Bernal props for that, because it cost them a little business.
Instead, I bought one of their better Japanese knives that would have cost at least as much, if not more, at a major retailer. That’s because I always like to shop with small merchants that do the right thing.

This is my go-​to place in San Francisco for all things knifes-​sharpening. After having my kitchen knives brutalized by one of those sharpening trucks, I brought it here where they managed to both repair it and return it to its original razor like sharpness. I started bringing all my knives here including pocket, bread, chef’s, etc. They do it by hand with Japanese style stones and they know their business. Plus they are fast, polite and professional.
They have a huge selection of knives of all levels of quality and affordability and I recommend asking them for assistance if you are in the market for quality knives.

After a street-​side knife sharpener on 24^th St nearly ruined my favorite big kitchen knives, I will never skimp on knife sharpening again. Bernal Cutlery not only has a very cool store front to visit, but my knives were returned as sharp as new.
The biggest dilemma with knife sharpening is always the timing – when could I possibly part with my kitchen knives for a series of days in a row? Bernal Cutlery has resolved this issue by giving you loaner knives during the time it takes them to sharpen your knife.

Simple pleasures like fitting into a tight parking spot or watching people hold doors open for one another bring me joy. Cutting into a $ 4 heirloom tomato with my newly sharpened knife turbo’d my joy. Worth every penny! I found the price reasonable.
The shop makes for great eye candy with all those nice looking blades and Deadwood style. The staff is friendly too; they clearly they know their stuff but they aren’t preachy or snooty about it. I really appreciated that they didn’t look at me and say, «You really expect me to sharpen these lame ass non Japanese sumo wrestling or ninja fighting Bruce Lee knives?» Of course they wouldn’t, because what I wrote makes no sense, but they also wouldn’t because they know that not everyone can pay a small fortune for a knife; some reserve that fortune for the $ 4 heirloom tomato. Some of us got her knives at Costco and it’s okay.
Turn around is great and since you’ve already got a parking spot, go get yourself a tart.

I have followed these folks from their old location, and I don’t take my knives anywhere else. I have taken in family knives that are old and worn down, and these folks always give me there honest opinion as to whether they are worth sharpening or not. When I do get things sharpened, they work like a charm.
Their selection of antique knives and cutlery is also really cool.

Bernal Cutlery’s top-​notch knives and superior sharpening services will no doubt be in high demand by the foodies that are flocking to the Mission, but this shop is friendly and accessible to everyone. Josh and Kelly have offered great service for all comers from professional chefs to little kids getting their first pocket knife. You will not be intimidated if your knowledge is limited or your knives are dull, but you will be inspired by the quality of service (and very reasonable prices).
It is exciting to see a small, local business grow and prosper. I really hope they continue to offer classes as they did in Bernal, such as «How to Clean and Filet a Fish» and «Kids Knife Safety». This is a true gem of the local community, so go get sharp!