Sugoi (San Francisco)

This is a follow up to my previous review, which was not complementary due to a subpar service experience. On this go-around, all went well - service was great all around, our orders were taken in a timely manner and our food was plated within a reasonable timeline, with good presentation and taste. Solid performance to the Tsugoi team, re-establishing them as a place we recommend to those looking for a good sushi dining experience at a reasonable value.

As a reward for our son completing his home-school year, we let him select where we would go out for dinner and he chose his favorite place, Tsugoi. For some reason, he loves their Chicken & Fries! This is a restaurant that we frequent in person and for delivery, so we anticipated getting the usual level of satisfaction with our culinary experience. This time around, unfortunately, the quality and portion of the dishes we ordered were not at the level we were accustomed to. The service was actually very good, as the servers were attentive and responded to our requests courteously and in a timely manner. For the appetizer, we had the Tempura vegetable dish, which was very fresh and tasty, launching us on a I had a positive track. The issue was with our sushi dishes. I had the Tiger (my usual, no cream cheese) and tried the Vegan for the first time. In both cases, the quality of the ingredients were inferior and the rolls were visibly smaller. The Vegan was not sliced all the way thru (with a seaweed wrap), which meant a roll would fall apart completely when you attempt to pick it up. The server took it back however, when he returned it, it was clear they simply rebuilt the deconstructed rolls with the same amount of material on the plate, resulting in those rolls being much smaller. Ideally, should have redone at least half of it to produce the dish in the way it should be presented. An unfortunate failure. My wife had her usual Tsugoi, which was also similarly disappointing from a quality & size perspective. We closed out the meal with the Brownie a la mode offering, which would have been better if the brownie pieces were warmed up a touch. To drink, we all had the Coconut Lemonade, which was also disappointingly lackluster compared to the past, as they seemed to have cut back on the amount of coconut used as well as the potency of the lemonade. Frankly, it tasted watered down to us. Overall assessment - the service is good, but the quality/value of the dishes served has declined. Perhaps they were having an off day, however, with similar feedback across a variety of dishes, it appears that they are operating at a lower level that what we've experienced on previous visits. Based on this, we will be reluctant to visit again in the near term.

Decided to do a Sunday dinner with the family at the San Francisco Tsugoi, which we have not visited in a few months, though we have ordered thru Appetito24 for home delivery during that time. Easy to get to with available parking, makes this a low stress place to decide to visit. Service is always prompt and attentive, no difference this time around. On the food front, I have to say that we've noticed a bit of a decline in the quality of the sushi over the last few months. When we first started going here, the Sushi rolls were excellent, with good flavor and robust size. Of late, it seems that there is either a change in the chef or degradation in the quality of the ingredients (or a combination of both). The roll sizes are about the same, however, the overall taste of the rolls have become more bland. the rice at times is too mushy, the seafood used are tasteless, implying lower quality. If this continues, we will have to change our allegiance to one of the many other options out there. Their service continues to be great, but, in the end, the food has to get back to the level the offered previously. In fairness, their Pad Thai is still very good, though we did not order that this time around, we've had it in the last few weeks from our home delivery order. They use good noodles in that dish.

Tsugoi has become our go to restaurant when we are in the mood for Sushi. They are consistent with their service, quality of ingredients and food preparation. They represent a good value when you consider the quality of the product relative to other restaurants of its kind. Also considering that we have not had much of an issue getting a parking spot, it is an easy decision to continue selecting Tsugoi as the Sushi house of choice. I particularly love their Tiger and Aponwao rolls - really have not had a bad roll there yet. They all have been tasty. Will continue to recommend as a must visit.

After a busy Saturday, my wife and I decided to have a Sushi night at a place we have never visited before. Tsugoi is close to where we live so we decided to give it a try. First off, they actually have some parking, which was one of our deciding factors in checking out a place. They were well staffed, so we were able to get service right away once we were seated. Liked the ambiance....music was at a good level to support conversation without having to speak loudly - tables are a comfortable size to accommodate 2 adults, a child and associated "stuff" with no issues. We had the crab fingers appetizer - good taste, not heavy as some can be - I had the Tiger roll (tempura roll) and Maguro Especial (with a Pineapple chutney topping) and my wife had the Samurai. The verdict - all were very good - tasted fresh, each roll was good portions with good flavor. I liked that their sauces were not overpowering and the rice was cooked to the correct consistency. The tempura was light and tasty, not over done. Overall, this has proved to be a nice alternative for good sushi that is not over the top expensive. A quality product that represents a good value for someone looking for a nice sushi dining experience.