Robin San Francisco

“Excellent experience at Robin at the sushi bar. Our sushi chef Kay was excellent and was pretty generous with extra sushi pieces. Robin has more unique and bold flavors than a traditional omakase — each bite tastes very unique. My favorite was a black cod sushi. Having been to both the Menlo Park and SF locations, the SF location was definitely a better experience (though both were great). My only complaint is that the MP location offered highballs, whereas SF doesn’t have any cocktails, just beer, wine, and sake.”

“The staff at Robin will take you on a tour around the globe, pairing the staples of sushi together with local ingredients. A heavy recommendation for anyone who enjoys pushing boundaries of food pairings. We opted for the 150 omakase and found it to be very filling and varied. Definitely get the ice cream. Shoutout to Dave, Gary, and Thai for being so welcoming at the bar. We had so many questions! Another shoutout to our sake sommelier for the excellent recommendations and glassware pairing. Those cups were truly beautiful. Finally, big ups to the expo Karma. Wouldn’t have come here otherwise, and will come back again.”

“Sublime. I can’t believe I was able to snag a last-minute reservation—and that it wasn’t packed. This was easily the best sushi I’ve ever had. The flavors were thoughtful and unexpected, and the fish was exceptional. My only note: when you sit down, you’re asked upfront how much you’d like to spend, with a $119 minimum. It felt a bit awkward and slightly off-putting from a customer experience standpoint. I would have loved to see this framed instead as a few clearly defined tasting options (e.g., lower, mid, and premium), which would feel more intuitive and welcoming.”

“Robin is easily the most recommended omakase spot in San Francisco. Yes, it leans a little luxurious, but it’s hands down the best sushi and omakase experience in the city — especially for the price. It’s the kind of place you go to treat yourself, whether it’s a birthday, anniversary (or both in our case!), or any moment that deserves something special. We tried both the regular ($119) and premium ($219) dinner menus. For me, the regular was the perfect amount — anything more I’d be too full — but both were incredible. My partner and I even scored each serving (below) in the order they were served, in case you’re curious :) One note: our scores wouldn’t be comparable to other restaurants reviews - that’s because Robin consistently hits such a high bar. Many of these dishes are among the best I’ve ever had, so we calibrated the scoring to Robin’s own standard — they’re truly in a league of their own. Hope you enjoy your experience there as much as we did! Shrimp charred grapes appetizers 10/10, 9/10 nigiri - hamachi 6/10, 5/10 nigiri - salmon with persimmon 8/10, 8/10 nigiri - red sea brim 7/10, 8/10 scallop with almond, citrus and yuzu 9/10, 9/10 nori chip - beef tartar (wagyu) with uni and shallot on nori 11/10, 9/10 (premium) black sea brim with butter on top 9/10 (super soft and delicious) black cod with pepper paste 9* /10 golden eye snapper with yuzu gel 5 /10 (fish a bit rubbery and less soft) smoked amberjack in applewood 6/10, 2/10 fatty bluefin tuna on a toast 9.5 / 10, 9/10 (tastes a bit fishy after but still really amazing) mackerel from japan with chili oil 4/10, 6.5/10 seared salmon with truffle 12/10, 9.5/10 akami / leanest bluefin tuna 7.5/10, 6/10 albacore with coconut and thai leaves 10/10, 9/10 (hits the most home with fried shallots) (premium) uni and caviar over rice 9.5 /10 cold noodles with lots of truffles and sesame 8.8/10, 9/10 (premium nigiri) horse mackerel 6/10 uni with bacon butter 10/10, 2/10 if you don’t like uni fatty tuna with pistachios 10/1 caviar chip 5/10, 7/10 butternut squash 8/10, 6/10 a5 wagyu nigiri with shaved foie gras 7/10 (a bit chewy but foie gras is amazing) last but not least their dessert was an amazing very soft ice cream with caramel on top. 7/10 9/10”

“1 star because my friend got food poisoning from their sashimi. It was so unfresh she's still unwell and bedridden today (Monday) This was a very disappointing experience. One star goes to the cozy, intimate atmosphere with a modern touch. I had noted during the reservation that it was my birthday, but there was no acknowledgment at all. No note, no "happy birthday" at the table. The service was also lacking. We weren't given an Omakase menu, so we had no idea what we were eating. There was no palate cleanser (ginger) unless we specifically asked, and when it came, the ginger was overly strong and unpleasant. I've had many Omakase experiences before, and none of them had a palate cleanser this poorly prepared. The food itself was the biggest letdown. - The shaved foie gras was overpowering, and I couldn't even taste the Wagyu it was paired with. - The sesame noodles were so oily it felt like I was drinking oil. - The corn soup was watery and clashed with Sichhan spicy taste sauce, they just didn't go well together. - Sushi rice was dry, not fresh, and completely disappointing. - The potato chips with caviar and rice didn't work at all. The chips were cheap and not even homemade, the rice completely overpowered the caviar, and all I could taste was rice. - Each sashimi bite had a slight bitterness with undercooked rice that made it unpleasant. Nothing flowed well together, and nothing tasted fresh. Even the desserts were underwhelming. The coconut ice cream was overly creamy and sweet. Compared to the unfresh and poorly executed dishes before it, the ice cream was at least edible, but far from impressive. I've dined at many Omakase restaurants, and I've never had one that failed from start to finish. Both my friend and I ended up with stomach flu afterward. I won't be returning.”