Sushi Aka Tombo

Omakase!
I actually have never ordered omakase until I moved to the Bay. When I was living in Southern California, I would just order rolls at sushi bars. Boy, was I missing out.
Omakase is definitely pricier, but it’s the chef’s 10 special picks of seasonal fish for you. It’s mostly nigiri pieces (something I hardly EVER ordered when living in the SoCal bubble), and a few other special chef’s picks. It’s basically a pre-​set menu and comes with dessert at the end.
Sushi Aka Tombo did NOT disppoint. The chef’s picks were amazing.
Since every day is different for Omakase, I can’t specifically say that the pieces we had are going to be what others have, but I can definitely say that you should come and order the Omakase special and you’ll be pleasantly surprised at what the chef whips up for you!

Aka Tombo does both good food and sushi which can be pretty hard to find. There are some unique dishes on the menu too so you don’t have to go with the usual teriyaki or donburi.
The staff is very nice and attentive. It’s a good place to come after a movie at the Kabuki to re-​fuel and chat without feeling rushed.

Came here on a Friday night. The place seemed half full with customers. I have walked by this place several times but didn’t know much about it. Decided to be adventurous.
The pricing was comparable to other sushi places in the area. I would say that the portions of sashimi seemed lacking in the sushi rolls. I found the cut to be very thin… to the point that it would fall apart if I tried to peel it off the roll. However, the fish was fresh.
We ordered:
Chirashi– had a good selection of typical sashimi with raw shrimp, fried shrimp head and a piece of toro. The sushi rice was nicely cooked, chewy with the right amount of acidity. I’d reorder this if I go back.
Two rolls which weren’t memorable.

I just moved to SF about a week ago, and my family flew up to hang out and see the city that I hope to be living in successfully for the next few years.
One night, we ate at a 4-​star rated sushi restaurant in Nob Hill because it was close to our hotel and we were all super tired. Let me be clear, that restaurant was a Unilocal 4-​star sushi place in an area likely frequented by tourists and people who also like the sushi from trader joes.
Aka Tombo, while it only has 3.5 stars at the moment, to me and my japanese family, seems to be a much, much higher quality and more authentic sushi place. My great aunty in Berkeley brought my brother here for my great uncle’s birthday dinner last year, which is how my brother knew about it and thought to suggest it as a remedy to our previous night’s watery/​lopsided sushi nonsense.
The sushi was great, the fish seemed juicy and flavorful, not watery like the really bad defrosted stuff. We also had the tempura plate, which I thought was a little heavy on the batter but the men enjoyed. I liked the tofu/​veggie bowl appetizer, which was really just tofu and napa cabbage steamed in water/​maybe some konbu. With a little shoyu I thought it was light and delicious.
Mom had the seafood version of this steamed water bowl of stuff, I thought it seemed a little fishy, definitely couldn’t drink the broth because it just seemed too…‘fishy.‘
Very nice japanese lady made sure we had all our food, additional sushi we ordered came out very quickly, even as the place started to fill up and she had to run around among many tables.
Good place, will definitely go back.

Good Nigiri
Good hot tea
Chef /​Owner and waitress /​hostess are Japanese
The restaurant has a slightly modern Japanese décor which I also like. On a regular basis I personally like the more old fashioned look (just my opinion) but there are some days I like more of a modern look, and I guess today was one of those days. I used to come here when it was Kansai before they closed. I missed Kansai, so I was curious what this place was like. I WAS IMPRESSED! I liked the slightly modern look as well.
FOR A NICE SLIGHTLY MODERN LOOKING SUSHI RESTAURANT IN JAPANTOWN WITH GOOD OMAKASE AND GOOD HOT GREEN TEA SUSHI AKA TOMBO IS THE WAY TO GO!

This place was pretty quiet for a Friday night. We thought it would be crazy packed in Japantown but it wasn’t.
They served the four of us free miso soup, green tea, and edamame. This was very nice so that automatically gives them one free star! My husband and I ordered their spicy fish salad — this was really good! Fish chunks over a bed of green leaves with a tangy tasty dressing. We ordered 4 rolls. The rolls were decent. We had few nigiri pieces — medium fatty tuna, salmon, and hamachi. Tuna and salmon were the best! My friend who ordered the tuna slowly ate his because it was so good! Hamachi was eh. We also ordered the chirashi. It was okay too. Couldn’t beat the nigiri pieces!
Food was pretty good. More on the expensive side for sushi but no line to wait and free stuff are a plus!

Great value! 5 stars for that.
$ 30 omakase sushi included Awabi, O-​toro, Mirugai, Ama Ebi, Aji, Red Tuna, Hamachi, Ocean Trout, Sea Bream and Uni. 10 pieces. Wow I mean the toro was already $ 9 a piece?
My wife had the $ 30 omakase sashimi because she loves sashimi and doesn’t need too much rice. But they included a bowl of rice! Haha… my buddy and I who had the omakase sushi had to kill it for her. I mean we can’t waste rice. F*** no, kids are starving in chinatown man.
The salmon skin salad was nice. Lightly dressed and skin was crunchy and flavorful without having burnt taste.
Ankimo wasn’t smooth as I’m use to.
Service was excellent.
Dragon roll, california roll, ume shiso, futomaki… all were very nice and professional and I saw proper presentation. I recently went to barracuda in serramonte because I was starving and had to eat right away. That chinese guy there I think cut the rolls with a chinese cleaver or a bread knife because it looked all messy and uneven. Or if he did use a Yanagi, he must be blind or crossed eyed. Any, I’m never going there again even if I was starving.
Back to Sushi Aka Tombo. I love it when its a great deal and I’m so satisfied with the flavors in my mouth as I leave the restaurant.
Of course I saved the last piece of nigiri to eat, which was the O-​toro but I’m going to throw a shout out to the Aji. It had a shiso leaf inside and I just tasted so much Umami. Clean and fresh like when you take the chairlift to the top of the Heavenly Ski Resort mountain and you smell the crystal clean cold air. So refreshing…
I’ll be back next week.
I think it was the sea bream and shiso leaf, not Aji. My bad but anyway, you’ll find out when you order the Great Value meal, $ 30 omakase!

Best omakase deal in town! Not your ordinary fish either, served at the right temperature, and good sushi rice.
Authentic appetizers and cooked dishes as well. Finish off your omakase meal with their awesome seafood nabe, perfect meal.
Jtown’s best kept secret.

Fresh and varied sushi.
I had a satisfying dinner here although I did find the sushi and sashimi to be on the pricey side, especially when compared to their much cheaper appetizers.
The presentation of all their dishes was really nice and service was friendly.
The cold beef tongue appetizer was alright, but not too memorable.
For the sushi I tried the: amaebi (fresh water shrimp), ika (squid), hamachi (yellow tail), hirame (flounder), and a salmon skin roll. All of the nigiri were very fresh and tasty, but the salmon skin roll was chewy and disappointing.
I definitely recommend it for an improvised dinner in Japan town as long as you don’t mind spending a few extra bucks.

Ambience: comfortable, clean and cozy. Servers and chefs’ warm welcome once you set your foot indoor.
Food:
1) Free edamame: the waitress told us «on the house». It’s a little bit bland, but still good.
2) Omakase-​style sushi: Very impressive. 30-​dollars for ten pieces, all of them are Nigiri (Fish over rice). Fresh seafood! Yummy.
3) California roll and Spicy tuna roll: five stars.
4) Spicy mixed fish salad: highlight of the whole meal. Different kinds of sashimi and Veggies, plus a little spicy sauce. It burst in my mouth. The choice choice of the night.
Price: Kinda pricey. $ 58 + tips. But just for the quality of sushi, it’s worth try.
The only thing this place needs improvement is it’s dessert menu. Only green tea ice cream is available for dessert.

Nice nigiri and presentation. I had kasugo (baby sea bream), aji (jack mackerel), hotate (scallop from Hokaido), hamachi, and sockeye salmon.
The sea bream, mackerel and scallop were the best. The salmon was slightly cured which I’m not a big fan of on nigiri. The sake glass was too small for price. Space is too big for one chef/​waitress. Other than that, this is one of the better options in J-​town, but as a result of quality it is a buck or two more per piece.

Too bad. Even thought the staff was partly Japanese, there wasn’t anything good or traditional about Red Dragonfly Sushi (aka tombo sushiya). Here’s where they went wrong.
The sushi counter was trying too hard: too high, too long, and granite. This put the sushi chef out of arms reach so he wasn’t able to serve any of the counter customers directly. Also, the chef is far enough away where you have to order from the waitress, even though you’re sitting at the counter!
The fish was ok — but underwhelming. Visually dull, tasted no better. This could mean low demand. The place was practically empty even though it was weekend evening. Also, no real wasabi, just horse-​radish with wasabi paste (this is a low blow to sushi enthusiasts). The final blow was ordering a 35 $ omakase that got served all at once (instead of piece by piece) in a fucking bento.
Ouch.

College students have Thirsty Thursdays… PUMAS have Sushi Thursdays!
(According to my boss that is,
)
Sushi Thursdays is when pumas get sushi wasted from indulging in fresh flesh of Hamachi, Sake, Toro, Kanpachi, Maguro, Amaebi and Uni to the point you blackout from a food coma. Throw in several bottle of sake in the mix and you have hellavu «Happy» Sushi Thursdays. Unlike Thirsty Thursdays which result in a hangover, Sushi Thursdays result in a middle finger from Mr. Amex; well for us that is.
In attempt to find a more budget-​friendly restaurant to celebrate «Sushi Thursdays», I referred to the most trusted Unilocaler in SF for sushi: Nobu K. who suggested I try Sushi Aka Tombo for a more affordable sushi dinner.
Sushi Aka Tombo is a place I would have NEVER entered being located in the middle of a touron spot of Japantown but if it’s highly recommended by Nobu K. with approval from Ken K. and Manabu M., the other sushi gurus, then it MUST be good. And, good it was!
Sushi Aka Tombo is hidden way in the cobblestone corridor of Japantown, up the block from the five-​tiered Peace Pagoda. Most of the patrons were tourists or natives in the know about this unassuming sushi restaurant which also serves an array of izakaya (Japanese tapas dishes).
F O O D
*COMPLIMENTARY MISO SOUP — 4 STARS
Pillowy clouds of nutty miso made this soup a soulful one.
*ANKIMO APPETIZER w/​Scallion, Daikon & Citron Sauce ($ 8.50) — 3 STARS
The monkliver was nicely rich like a pâté with a nice burst of citrus from the citron sauce but not as smooth and decadent as I expected the «foie gras of the sea» to be.
*BEEF TATAKI ($ 8.50) — 4 STARS
The lightly torched slices of rare ribeye were tender with a touch of smokiness. The drizzle of ponzu, onions, and sesame seeds provided a lovely umami flavor along with a nice bite.
*ALASKA DELIGHT ROLL ($ 10.50) — 4 STARS
Wrapped with fresh sake salmon, the avocado and tobiko roll was fresh and simply decadent from the coupling of the avocado and salmon.
*BLUE SHRIMP NIGIRI ($ 8.50) — 4 STARS
Similar to amaebi (sweet shrimp), the blue shrimp had a very soft silky texture but was more mild in flavor as the sweetness was very subtle.
–Fried Blue Shrimp Heads
I love sucking heads, fish heads that is you pervs. Properly prepared, it’s deliciously crunchy with a glorious burst of rich and flavorful juices from the head. Sadly, these heads were overly battered and not fried long enough to produce a nice crunch upon biting into.
*OMAKASE (Chef’s Choice Sushi — $ 30 for 10 pieces) — 4 STARS
Our 10 piece sushi omakase comprised of all the freshest catch of the day that was featured on the whiteboard specials.
–Toro, Half Beak, Sockeye Salmon & Black Sea Bream
–Amaebi Abalone, Surf Clam, Scallop & Uni
Everything was vibrantly colored and tasted like it was plucked from the ocean sea that morning. The familiar toro, salmon, amaebi, and scallop had a silky buttery texture while the unique half beak, sea bream, abalone, and surf clam had more of a firmer texture. My natural go-​to and test of sushi restaurant was the uni which was custardy and slightly sweet, the way solid uni should be.
S E R V I C E
Friendly and sweet but service was slow as most reviewers stated in their reviews. We specifically sat at the sushi bar so we can interact with the sushi chef. However, the waitress took our order and the sushi chef didn’t even acknowledge us once. *sad face* Well, actually he motioned for us to get our fried shrimp heads because it was sitting on the ledge for over 10 minutes. BUMMERS.
A M B I A N C E /​D É C O R
Minimalist décor with beige walls and dark wooden furnishings. It was quite spacious with over 12 tables and a sushi bar for 8.
P A R K I N G
Street parking. The nearest garage is 1.5 blocks away on Post.
A solid sushi restaurant in touristy part of Japantown. Who woulda knew? Now, if only we can get the sushi chef to join in on the festivities. Perhaps a little «sake courage»? *giggles*

Sometimes when you walk up to some random sushi bar for the first time, even armed with the knowledge of Japanese food memorized from English media writeups, trendy non Japanese people from the Twiterratti, social media, or the English blogosphere (even those well traveled Michelin star eating types with big bellies and fat wallet$), and request the following to the chef
«Yo G, omakase! And give it wing$!»
you might end up with the equivalent of handing him a fistful of Benji’s while he instructs you to grab your ankles. Or maybe, who knows, you might even enjoy it.
It was a Tuesday night before The Bangles at the Fillmore. It it were 10 years ago, Darth Ino would have served me dinner. Nothing like belting out sushi rice vinegar enhanced burp gas (and farts) while standing in a club gig for 2 hours with a bunch of unemployable hippie ass smelly dope smokers during Manic Monday and bald aging hipsters jiggying up with their loser friends while double fisting beers and doing the McDonald’s commercial Eddie «you da man» pointing.
I figured Sushi Aka Tombo has been opened for long enough, has serious staying power, and at least those with deep rooted dining experiences already shared their knowledge and strengths of this place for me to decide that… well for Manic Tuesday, I want to eat at the «Red Dragonfly» versus the the hardcore Serious Sith Samurai’s joint in the Peace Plaza. Plus I know I’ll walk out much less poorer at the Red Dragonfly.
As I walked in and requested a seat at the empty bar, the chef was already busy pumping out nigiri and fancy funky rolls orders. The kind waitress informed me that I lucked in on a great day, that they just stockpiled the fresh fish arsenal with A LOT of goodies. In the sushi refrig: a mondo sized purple sea urchin (whole), and some fresh abalone on the shell where the thing was still JIGGLING and doing the wave. Holy cow. So take note… come here on a Tuesday (or Wednesday), even if it means ditching your weekend socialite flakey buddy bestie types.
After a long hard look at the menu and white board special, took a chance and ordered the nigiri set menu «omakase sushi» for $ 30 something. 10 pieces of nigiri with a salad, miso soup, which was already to be expected from the reviews and pics of others.
Instead of getting all 10 pieces at once, the chef broke it down into two plates of 5, which was appreciated.
bluefin maguro akami — I don’t eat maguro much but this was delicious
bluefin o-​toro — morally and ecologically bankrupting, but less guilt than shark fin
hirame (from East Coast) — surprisingly smooth, almost on par with Korean
hirame off Jeju Island which is the cheapest of the three compared with Japanese hirame (top)
aburi sanma (seared Pacific Saury, from Japan, in season although short) — super sexcellent. Searing brings out the phatty juice$. It’s also a bit of a delicacy in Japan but usually salt grilled or seared. How/​why we are able to eat this fresh as sashimi (mostly raw) but not in JP is beyond me.
kohada (from Japan) — not as sexy as the adult version konoshiro from Kazu earlier this summer, but not bad.
sayori (from Japan) — served with shiso. Halfbeak or needlefish. Not in season (typically Mar-​May), but not bad.
Mendocino uni (he even asked beforehand if I wanted uni off the tray or North Coast Mendocino fresh uni off the shell!) — nice one.
Mendocino abalone — yes the mofo was still on the shell and wriggling. A delicate pristine specimen with sexcellent texture.
Ao-​ebi (New Caledonian blue prawn with a side of its head deep fried) — not bad.
aoyagi
Slice of his egg omlette /​tamagoyaki (there was a fresh moist huge block sitting on top of the counter, probably made an hour before I came in, a good sign) — it’s a very solid rendition, sweet, luckily no as sweet as Kitsho’s.
Chef was a mind reader, I actually wanted to try most of the stuff anyway. Most of what he selected was off the white board. Then after praising his hikarimono (shiny silvery fish selection), I asked him what he recommends that I have not yet tried.
Organic yamaimo — purchased from a farmers market. Made slivers into nigiri after he learned that I eat natto and mekabu, and a splash of his secret ponzu… freakin delicious.
Kazunoko konbu — Super rare to have this. Herring roe on a piece of kelp. Try finding this at your local hipster omakase place.
diced ankimo with grilled shitake mushroom gunkan maki — out of the box and very unusual, but the texture and flavors paired so well
Then finished off with
x2 saba — A nice thick piece. Kazu’s shimesaba is superior, but Ryoji-​san took it a step further and added something unusual on top… dried «hana konbu» shreds, in addition to the lemony kelp film
x2 aji — nice
Chef Ryoji-​san is one helluva guy. Traded stories across the Pacific and heard lots of fascinating topics from this knowledgeable experienced man. Could have stayed longer.

If your in the mood, and cash burning a hole in your pocket, to splurge on some sashimi in Japantown, your in luck! Sushi Aka Tombo is your spot!
First off, the menu can be pretty complexing, as in, they have everything, literally. Dozens of rolls, appetizers, entrees, and even the chef’s omakase sashimi special (10 piece for $ 35). The prices are pretty staggering so my girlfriend and I thought it would be best to just share a bunch of dishes.
Agadashidofu — [
Mediocre sums it up – three semi-​large blocks of tofu in soy sauce and that was pretty much it.
Spider Roll — [
Visually speaking, the amount of soft shelled crab that was in this roll was better than other joints but again, it wasn’t anything too special (considering the price). There were five pieces and two actually fell apart when attempting to pick it up.
Heavenly Hamachi — [
This was the highlight of the meal. Two large fatty slices of fresh yellowtail over a small mound of sushi rice. It was very delicious that we ordered a second helping. However, we actually misread the cost for this hamachi and the two orders came up to be $ 30. ($ 15 per.).
Salmon Shioyaki — [
Your run of the mill Atlantic salmon shioyaki. The portion size was nice and the skin was crispy but again, just like any others out there.
When we were done with our meal, we both agreed we were both still rather hungry and considering the bill totaled over $ 60+, it wasn’t worth it at all. The service was great but it’s just ridiculously expensive just for A-​OK tidbits, but hey, if you got the mula, go right on ahead!

We went to Sushi Aka Tombo in SF J-​Town for dinner. We weren’t very hungry, but we still ordered a bunch of stuff.
It wasn’t busy Sat 10÷1÷11 around 5:30pm when we went.
Ask for hot green tea — it’s FREE, but not automatically given. Ice water if you want it gotta ask for it too.
We got a bunch of stuff from the Special on the Board.
Black sea bream nigiri $ 5.50 — ok
Grilled pike mackerel $ 5.50 — fine
Home-​made tofu $ 4.50 — tasty
Hamachi hand roll — ok $ 5.5
Glass of beer $ 4.50 — B. liked it
spicy tuna roll $ 6.50 — not spicy enough for me.
onkimo appetizer $ 8 — nothing special
scallop nigiri — ok $ 6
unagi nigiri $ 5.5 — fine
Total before tip $ 57.51. Charged it.
Separate bathrooms in the back.

Take it from me, that you should listen to Manabu and nobu, Read their reviews. Sushi Aka Tombo is a great place for sushi. Sit at the bar if you can. The Japanese sushi chef and owner, Yoji, is a great host and knows his fish. He treated my girlfriend and me like royalty on our first visit. He’s got the Phat Fatty Tuna, Yummy Aji and Saba beyond any I’ve tasted. All your fave Japanese beers on tap too.
Nice, contemporary décor. Friendly, helpful staff. This is a full-​on, five star, don’t-mess-up-and-miss-out joint!!! No, I’m not trying to be subtle — go eat there mothasucka! You’ll thank me…

*Update* Aka Tombo just celebrated their 1-​year Anniversary in business in SF Japantown this past Sunday! ROCK On!!!
This ain’t no fast-​food sushi place, so get over it if you have a movie to catch or want your order quickly. Nijiya Market, Uoki Sakai, and Super Mira all sell ready made nigiri/​sashimi in nice little cellophane packages to take with you, all for under $ 10!
Aka Tombo really is a dining experience where you can ask the chef and his awesome staff questions and they will give you recommendations about their sake and prepare your dishes personally.
On this last visit, the Hirame Soup was melt in your mouth delicious, so much so that we got 3 orders for the 2 of us!!!
The Hamachi Ceviche was like butter and just melted on your tongue. Even though it has a few peppers on it, it was not overpoweringly spicy!
On a cold night, you just gotta try their Seafood Hot Pot, made to order, and filled with fresh fish, prawns, and a delicate homemade broth!
As always, the sashimi and sushi was super fresh! They don’t cut corners here and would not serve it to you if it weren’t!
I am totally proud to say this IS my favorite sushi-​ya in SF J-​Town!!!

Sushi Aka Tombo is one of those places that sneaks up on you. You don’t really look for it, nor have high expectations, yet when the food arrives and you take the first bite, you realize this is a pretty good place. And the price is right.
We tried a few dishes to share:
— Bincho Tataki Salad ($ 8.50): Seared albacore on a bed of mixed greens with spicy ponzu sauce. This was delicious! Plenty of albacore slices, nice, tender and fresh, with a kick from the spicy sweet ponzu.
— Aka Tombo Roll ($ 13): Tempura shrimp and gobo are wrapped and then topped with spicy tuna, onion and tobiko. This roll had a lot of texture and flavor.
— Alaska Delight Roll ($ 7.50): Avocado and tobiko are wrapped then topped with salmon and a thin triangle slice of lime. I really enjoyed the freshness of the lime to the salmon. Really really fresh and opens the palate.
I have long been looking for a place to eat sushi in Japantown. I think Aka Tombo is the answer to my craving.

Arrived when they opened because we needed an early dinner. Service was prompt and 3 more tables were seated shortly after us. Edamame served as soon as we sat down. Hot green tea was excellent. We did Veggie Tempura as an app — standard.
I had the Ebi-​Ten roll (shrimp tempura) and Crunch roll (crab, tempura asparagus, etc) and my fiancé had the Ebi-​Ten roll and Spicy crab roll (not spicy AT all). The only downfall was the spicy crab roll. She likes spicy and it was really bland. I was leery of the tempura asparagus in the Crunch Roll but it gave a nice little touch to the roll. Miso soup was standard.
The wait staff really upped this to 4 stars instead of 3 based on the non-​spicy crab roll. They answered a few questions I had about local stores (I needed bakery recommendations for pastries and coffee in the AM) and were super friendly.
Fair prices for good sized rolls.