![]() The word "an" means "modest cottage" in Japanese, and that's fitting for this space. Serving whatever is freshest and trending from Tokyo's Tsukiji Fish Market, An ups the ante a bit from its predecessor in this space (Ino) with omakase options, thoughtfully composed appetizer dishes, and a delicious, delicate seafood-dashi soup that closes out some meals. Situated in a tiny 25-seat space upstairs in the upper building at the Japantown mall, An is one of those intimate, semi-secret, very high quality sushi experiences you want to take a connoisseur to, to impress them. Jay BarmannĤ31 Bush (at Claude Lane) Photo courtesy of An Japanese Restaurant All the sushi is incredibly fresh, and there is also a regularly changing menu of grilled and fried items for the fish-averse. The nicer, specialty fish - things like kamasu (young barracuda) and tachiuo (ribbonfish) that you don’t see much outside Japan - is on a separate menu with prices starting at $12, or around $25 to $30 for a couple of sashimi slices. The omakase menu will run you around $150 per person (it changes based on market prices), but a la carte sushi is reasonable for downtown, with nigiri coming in at $4 to $7 per piece, with a 12-piece nigiri tasting for $39. This high-end yet low-key, 23-year-old Union Square spot has been thriving under the leadership of chef Alex Orejana, and it’s remained a staple of best-of lists for years. Believe it or not, that is still possible in this fancy eating town. ![]() And let’s face it: Sometimes all you want is a maki roll and a couple pieces of unagi on a Tuesday night, and you’d rather that didn’t cost more than $30 after tip. This updated list aims to give equal respect to both the extravagant and the modest. (In fairness, we’ve excluded them from this list because they don’t serve a menu of proper sushi.) And we’re now home to multiple excellent izakayas like Rintaro and Yuzuki where you’ll find beautiful sashimi alongside grilled and fried share plates. We are also a city that’s rife with humbler mom-and-pop sushi dens, many of which have been open for decades serving a fiercely loyal cadre of neighborhood regulars - most of them with prices that reflect long-term leases that were locked in years ago. With beverages and other add-ons, SF now boasts multiple Michelin-starred sushi spots where the bill can easily climb to $500 per person or more. But as with everything in New San Francisco, the bar has been raised in the sushi realm thanks to high-rolling sushi lovers who don’t blink at dropping $200 or $300 on a high-quality, Tokyo-level omakase experience. ![]() Japantown, for one, has been home to many renowned nigiri masters for decades. While for decades it was a cliché to hear recent émigrés from the East Coast bemoaning San Francisco’s lack of decent pizza or bagels - both of which have arrived in recent years, btw - good sushi was something we were never starved for. ![]()
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