Sasa Omakase in Japantown San Francisco

Sasa is a Japantown mall sushi spot where you and all your friends can easily walk in after a day of shopping and order some beautifully-presented fish. The dining room is spacious, and there’s a long communal table perfect for groups. The menu also has something for everyone, from uni and ikura donburi and well-balanced specialty rolls to golden-brown chicken karaage. Everything at Sasa is spot-on every time, but we recommend going for the “mystery box” ($42) filled with chef's choice sashimi alongside little balls of sushi rice. Or better yet, go with the $52 omakase if you want to try a bit of everything. Even if you aren't in the area picking up Hi-Chews and patterned spatulas at Daiso, a fantastic meal at this casual restaurant is a must.

If I had the time, the money, and am in ideal health, I’d most likely would like to have delicious omakase everyday. Unfortunately for me, I don’t have that time and money, and my blood readings aren’t ideal. Anyways, I enjoy my fancy omakases when I get a chance.

Link here. Some friends were visiting the Bay Area and we were going to hang out in Japantown, wander around other parts of SF, and do an escape room. I saw a reasonably priced “authentic” Japanese restaurant online that accepted lunch reservations so I made a reservation for 5 for a Sunday and Noon. Usually omakases are during dinners (or only opened for dinner), but the Sasa omakase is available during lunch, so that’s what we all got.

$125 ($90 for the regular + $35 supplement) per person wasn’t bad for this considering other omakase cost. A 20% gratuity was automatically added because we were a party of 5 or more. We all enjoyed our time here and loved how the Sasa omakase was more raw fish focused. It wasn’t the most filling omakase as we had room to share a clam chowder bread bowl by Pier 39 a bit after this. I would come back to try Sasa’s other items, more often if I lived close by.

Mystery Box
This adorable wooden box is filled with chef’s choice sashimi and balls of sushi rice to go with each. Getting the six- or nine-piece box is a great way to start things off here.

Sushi Tasting
For $52, you get ten pieces of chef’s choice nigiri laid out on a small wooden tray, and each is dressed with the usual brush of soy sauce or dab of wasabi. This is a great deal, considering the quality of the fish.

Mini Uni Ikura Don
We love getting this small dish of sushi rice, ikura, and uni to share with a friend. The salty, creamy flavors mix beautifully, so definitely clean up every last grain of rice from the plate.

Creamy Salmon Roll
For something a little more substantial than nigiri or sashimi, this salmon roll with white tuna, avocado, and spicy miso aioli is our go-to.