PABU Izakaya

Came to celebrate a “job promotion” during happy hour on a Saturday. They pulled out all the stops with a card and complimentary items. We came at 4pm. Service was so personable and all food items were fresh and fast. Saved some bucks on the deals but the $9 Unagi hand roll (regular price at anytime) was the showstopper.

Visited 4 months ago

Visited PABU Izakaya for dinner on 01/07/25. Good atmosphere. The music was a bit loud on my opinion, but if they are going for NY vibes with a touch of Japanese Izakaya the atmosphere could be appropriate.
Tokyo Fried Chicken Karaage was amazing with an amazing dipping sauce.
I was also pleasantly surprised with the "A5 Miyazaki Wagyu Beef". Great balance of flavor, fat and tenderness expected with A5 beef.
I also enjoyed the Yuuki beverage. Well balanced smokiness provided by the mezcal. I also tried the Meiyo, which had a good flavor however it wasn't of my liking.
I was very disappointed with the Ossume - Chef's Favorite Smoked-Bacon Mochi-Hand Roll. It was bland and the bacon flavor didn't come through.

Overall it was a great experience and I will definitely come back.

Visited 3 months ago

This was a nice find. The place was packed with business diners. Service was excellent. Atmosphere swank. Every dish was delicious. Fun too.

Visited 4 months ago

Have been here 3 times previously and has been consistently good experience each time. Food is exceptional. Fried rice w pork belly delicious. Wagyu skirt cooked to perfection. Rainbow roll melts in your mouth. All of the fish was fresh and on point. Service was excellent. Very nice restaurant in FiDi worth coming by for great meal or special occasion.

Visited 8 months ago

Beautiful restaurant. The karaage is just ok, I like the tuna hand roll better than the yellowtail (no veg but it desperately needs it). The sunomono is good. The asparagus is no longer on the menu (9/6/24). Good happy hour prices (ends at 5:30 not 6p). Edgar, Manuel, (Kristen not so much) and Mary were hospitable and welcoming.

Visited 8 months ago

I went here for my birthday. Love this place. I keep going back. Service is amazing, the atmosphere is great and it helps that I'm friends with the Executive Chef. I will recommend this place over any other Japanese sushi restaurants. They have vegan and non alcohol drinks.

Visited a year ago

Great food and great atmosphere! I was truly impressed by the excellent service provided by Kristen. We were dining with our 3 year old. Kristen made sure that we all felt comfortable. She was very knowledgable about the menu and helped us throughout the dinner. Everything was delicious! 10/10!

Visited a year ago

Very very good Japanese fine dining. I came here with a group from work at first we had problems finding places in the bar but we had a table booked for a later time. Wine and food is simply very very good service. Yes, very nice and friendly as well. Atmosphere is very nice. We were all very happy with the food and drinks - will be back!

Visited a year ago

Came here with some friends to ring in the New Year. I had a great time however acting looking through my bank statements, I was left with an incorrect bill that was not only purposeful but unethical. Our servers were Luis and Edgar.

Images are below - I had purchased 7 shots with a bill of $129.26 and left a $7 tip (7/shot). In that picture, I accidentally swapped the "custom tip" and "total" but was charged $264.46. One, I did not even write $264.46 and secondly, why would I tip that much. I am aware that the tip I wrote off is below the "expected gratuity" however I did not order food and these guys were tipped generously on a previous transaction from my table.

Another reason that I say unethical is because another server charged us for 17 sake bombs when we ordered 14. One of the servers came to our table to play a drinking game with a drink that we did not order but yet we were still left to pay for that drink. To us, it seemed like friendly customer service and that the drink was on the house.

Long post but needless to say, I will not be coming back here. The servers mentioned took advantage of me and my friends, that drove up North, for two hours in traffic just looking to have a good time.

Visited 3 months ago

Oscar y Geovanny nos atendieron maravillosamente!! Comimos delicioso!

Visited 3 months ago

Visited 3 months ago

Visited PABU Izakaya for dinner on 01/07/25. Good atmosphere. The music was a bit loud on my opinion, but if they are going for NY vibes with a touch of Japanese Izakaya the atmosphere could be appropriate.
Tokyo Fried Chicken Karaage was amazing with an amazing dipping sauce.
I was also pleasantly surprised with the "A5 Miyazaki Wagyu Beef". Great balance of flavor, fat and tenderness expected with A5 beef.
I also enjoyed the Yuuki beverage. Well balanced smokiness provided by the mezcal. I also tried the Meiyo, which had a good flavor however it wasn't of my liking.
I was very disappointed with the Ossume - Chef's Favorite Smoked-Bacon Mochi-Hand Roll. It was bland and the bacon flavor didn't come through.

Overall it was a great experience and I will definitely come back.

Visited 3 months ago

This was a nice find. The place was packed with business diners. Service was excellent. Atmosphere swank. Every dish was delicious. Fun too.

Visited 4 months ago

Visited 4 months ago

Came to celebrate a “job promotion” during happy hour on a Saturday. They pulled out all the stops with a card and complimentary items. We came at 4pm. Service was so personable and all food items were fresh and fast. Saved some bucks on the deals but the $9 Unagi hand roll (regular price at anytime) was the showstopper.

Visited 4 months ago

Visited 4 months ago

We chose this restaurant to celebrate a special occasion. Our waiter, Sergio, was brilliant in making it feel special. If you get the chance, I recommend requesting him. The “Wagyu Mechi-Katsu” appetizer was excellent. For entrees, it does not get any better than the “Wagyu Skirt Steak”. We also tried the “Prime Short Rib ‘Kalbi’”, which was also good.

Visited 4 months ago

The food and service were fantastic. Everything was delicious and our server, Sergio, went out of his way to make our dining experience even more special. I can’t wait to dine here again and will be requesting Sergio. 10/10 experience.

Visited 4 months ago

Went for my birthday and it was perfect. Highly recommend.

Visited 4 months ago

Visited 4 months ago

Visited 4 months ago

Visited 4 months ago

Visited 4 months ago

Check your bills. They charged me 3 times the amount of the bill. It has been 3 weeks and I still haven't get my money back.

Visited 4 months ago

Visited 5 months ago

Good food but very inconsistent service. We were there for lunch so it was not like they were packed to capacity.

Visited 5 months ago

We booked for what should have been a busy Friday night. There was a severe thunderstorm so the restaurant was less that 30% full. Somehow, with an empty restaurant the service was simply terrible. The waiter sighed and shrugged as to whether dishes were spicy. We had to get up twice from the table and go and find our waiter - both times he was simply hanging out at the bar. I don't want to speculate as to why he wasn't attentive, but he simply wasn't; in an empty restaurant. I won't go back.

Visited 5 months ago

Visited 5 months ago

Okay I love this place for happy hour. I’ve been about 4-5 times I think? Edgar is my man. Drinks are made so yummy and he even made me some when I asked for his recommendations/surprise me.
Sadly I kept forgetting to ask the other staff their names but the other bartenders are nice and pleasant as well.
Drinks and HH food is all good. I hope to stop by and have actual dinner but I highly doubt this because HH is so good and I usually get off work around 4-5pm.
The place has a great ambiance and vibe. It may seem upscale to some but trust me it’s cozy and worth a splurge for a visit, whether HH or regular dinner.
I’m still making my way through the HH menu but I haven’t been disappointed so far this year.
Thanks PABU team.

Visited 5 months ago

I don’t know if this is the best judgment of this place, but I attended a very large dinner event here, and the food seemed very heavy, especially for Japanese food, and really on the just okay side.
Some servers were really really nice and others were meager.
The black cod was very tender, but the mushrooms with it seemed super heavy. The raw tuna on wontons was quite good.
Vegetables karage chicken were not appetizing.

Visited 5 months ago

This Izakaya was next level and as a Londoner blew me away, have not tasted miso soup like this ever before or such amazing Sushi. The Wagyu is top notch and is accompanied with great Sake.

I will return to SF someday just for this place

Visited 5 months ago

Had a great time at happy hour here- Kristen was amazing

Visited 5 months ago

Visited 5 months ago

Siamo stati qui settimana scorsa con il mio ragazzo, cibo meraviglioso, miglior sushi di sempre!! Personale cordiale e gentile!

Visited 6 months ago

Incredibly overpriced and mediocre. Came for a team event and ended up spending about 200/person for average food we could have gotten for half the price elsewhere. After bill was already given and paid, tried to claw back and charge another 100 for supposedly 7 bottles of sparkling water that 3 people drank over the course of the night that the server "forgot" to add to the bill. Felt super unprofessional and like they're just out to grab your money, avoid!

Visited 6 months ago

I have never had fish/sushi taste so bad in my life. I have traveled the world, and the bay area eating various fish/sushi. Pabu was the first (and I hope last time) time I had to spit fish out of my mouth into my napkin. I had to do it not only once, but twice on the 10-piece nigiri sampler. Highly recommend going to other fish/sushi places in SF if you are in the mood for fish, as there are way too many amazing spots for Pabu to be serving what they are serving.

Visited 6 months ago

Food was fresh and delicious 🤤

Visited 6 months ago

Visited 6 months ago

Decent food, but poor value

Visited 6 months ago

Wir haben heute spontan mit der Familie in einem Sushirestaurant, dem Pao Restaurant, in San Francisco gegessen. Trotz fehlender Reservierung haben sie uns sofort einen Tisch für vier Personen bereitgestellt, was sehr zuvorkommend war. Das Essen war hervorragend und die Atmosphäre war einfach wunderbar. Wir haben uns sehr wohl gefühlt, und die Bedienung war äußerst freundlich, besonders unser Kellner, der uns herzlich betreut hat. Die Preise waren angemessen und nicht überteuert, und der Wein war ausgezeichnet. Ich kann dieses Restaurant jedem nur wärmstens empfehlen. Vielen Dank nochmals!

Today, we spontaneously dined with the family at a sushi restaurant, Pao Restaurant, in San Francisco. Despite not having a reservation, they promptly set up a table for four for us, which was very accommodating. The food was excellent, and the atmosphere was simply wonderful. We felt very comfortable, and the service was exceptionally friendly, especially our server, who was very warm and welcoming. The prices were reasonable and not overpriced, and the wine was outstanding. I highly recommend this restaurant to everyone. Thank you once

Visited 6 months ago

Visited 6 months ago

Visited 6 months ago

Tasty food, super friendly and helpful staff. They took exceptional care about my gluten-free needs. The ambiance is not bad, but it is very noisy, as the restaurant is large. They have rooms to accommodate large private parties.

Visited 6 months ago

Visited 6 months ago

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I recently had the pleasure of dining at PABU sushi restaurant, and I can confidently say it was an outstanding experience! From the moment we walked in, the atmosphere was warm and inviting, setting the perfect tone for a delightful meal.

Our waiter, Sergio, truly made our visit unforgettable. He was incredibly attentive, knowledgeable about the menu, and his recommendations were spot on. Sergio went above and beyond to ensure that our dining experience was exceptional, checking in on us regularly and making sure we had everything we needed. His friendly demeanor and genuine passion for providing great service made us feel welcomed and valued.

The sushi was fresh and beautifully presented, and the overall dining experience was top-notch. I highly recommend PABU to anyone looking for delicious sushi and fantastic service, especially if you have the pleasure of being served by Sergio. Thank you for a wonderful evening—we can’t wait to come back!

Visited 6 months ago

Fresh ingredients and very cordial service. Portions are on the smaller side so I'd order more.

Visited 6 months ago

Visited 6 months ago

Great spot for a business lunch. The sushi is fresh and the appetizers/small plates are great for sharing. Service is very good whether you’re sitting at a table or at the bar. Food comes out fast. Parking in downtown isn’t great so grab a spot in a lot or take Uber/Lyft.

Visited 7 months ago

Visited 7 months ago

Visited 7 months ago

Visited 7 months ago

Way too loud for conversation, but the food and service were, as always, spectacular.

Visited 7 months ago

Visited 7 months ago

Beautiful restaurant. The karaage is just ok, I like the tuna hand roll better than the yellowtail (no veg but it desperately needs it). The sunomono is good. The asparagus is no longer on the menu (9/6/24). Good happy hour prices (ends at 5:30 not 6p). Edgar, Manuel, (Kristen not so much) and Mary were hospitable and welcoming.

Visited 7 months ago

Visited 7 months ago

Gienette is my new best friend and I love her. Amazing service, food was excellent, unagi hand roll was life changing and I’d like to be alone in a room with it. also did I mention I love Gienette? Gienette if you see this pls tell me your last name so I can follow you on the socials!

Visited 8 months ago

Best miso soup of my life.

Visited 8 months ago

I had a great experience eating a Kens Roll here. Great staff working here. Good quality was very authentic. Good music good vibe. Definitely a place you can take a date too , gentlemen are you hearing me ? Take your date here, you can thank me later.

Visited 8 months ago

We go here often. Great food.

Visited 8 months ago

Fabulous food, and really lovely outside seating. The Karage was perfectly crunchy and moist on the inside. The Super Spider was tasty too!

Visited 8 months ago

Great service and wonderful food!

Visited 8 months ago

Miso black cod is amazing. I love to sit at the sushi bar and continue to order to my heart and stomachs content

Visited 8 months ago

Visited 8 months ago

분위기가 너무 좋고, 별 기대 없이 시킨 와규 립아이가 킥이었어요!
너무 맛있어서 다음날 또 가서 시켰어요.

제가 먹은 메뉴들 중 추천하는 건 INARI & A5 Miyazaki Wagyu Ribeye였어요. 함께 마신 리치칵테일도 맛있었답니다😍 사진에 있는건 다 강추해요!

아메리칸 와규 스커트 스테이크는 조금 질겼고 무난했어요 (맛이 없다는건 아녀요. 다만 어디서나 먹을 수 있는 무난함이었어요)

스시도 회도 먹었는데, 이 두가지는 한국에서 드셔요

Visited 8 months ago

Visited 8 months ago

Have been here 3 times previously and has been consistently good experience each time. Food is exceptional. Fried rice w pork belly delicious. Wagyu skirt cooked to perfection. Rainbow roll melts in your mouth. All of the fish was fresh and on point. Service was excellent. Very nice restaurant in FiDi worth coming by for great meal or special occasion.

Visited 8 months ago

Visited 8 months ago

Yumm

Visited 9 months ago

Visited 9 months ago

Excellent meal - some of the best sushi we have had in a long time. A great experience in the restaurant too!

Visited 9 months ago

Visited 9 months ago

I give their service a 2 on on a scale of 1 to 10. Food a 6 and am being generous. Waiters don’t care much about your experience. The short ribs was probably 80% fat. I asked for for a sauce, not only they did not bring it but when I told our waiter he did not show much concern. Considering type of restaurant it is and pictures online you expect something much much better. Dont mind spending $ but do expect a good experience. For the $$$ not worth it at all!

Visited 9 months ago

Visited 9 months ago

The restaurant is overhyped and underwhelming. The service wasn’t great and the food was subpar. The atmosphere was lovely!

Visited 9 months ago

Visited 9 months ago

🍝 - Food: 4/5
🛎️ - Service 4/5
📍 - Location & atmosphere 4/5

TLTR: PABU Izakaya is an elegant spot with a lively vibe and attentive and efficient staff. At this sleek place, you can enjoy yummy Japanese food in style, even if you are not a Sushi lover like me.

Nestled within a stylish setting, PABU Izakaya offered me a vibrant ambience, yummy food and a perfect service. This sophisticated establishment provides the ideal setting to indulge in stylishly delectable Japanese cuisine, catering to sushi enthusiasts and those who prefer other Japanese delicacies. In my case, I opted for vegetarian food like the cold plate. The aubergines were fantastic. Afterwards, I went for the veggie rolls and meat-based options. Both are delicious and perfectly presented. Again, I want to mention the service because I was the only person not having sushi, and the staff treated me excellently. Ultimately, it was a very exquisite way of trying dishes I was unfamiliar with.

Visited 10 months ago

Good food but wayyy overpriced for the quality!

Visited 10 months ago

Update: Came back here post pandemic. We didn’t have a reservation but got the last seats at the bar. Many places were closed and was glad that this is still open.

Made reservations for noon on a Friday. It was full but not crowded. This place has a few sections. One by the bar, a second that has a more traditional feel and another by the windows. Ordered sushi rolls and miso. The rolls came very quickly before I even had two sips in my hot tea. I ordered Japanese whiskey too. Will definitely be keep this in mind when I have a business lunch or dinner.

Update: Came back here for dinner when an out of town colleague came to visit. I made a reservation this time. It got crowded pretty quickly so that was a smart move. We split the spicy edamame and black cod. I never would have thought to order the cod but it was so good. It was grilled, flavorful and juicy.

Visited 10 months ago

Food and service were amazing. Especially loved the black cod and miso eggplant. Will definitely be back!

Visited 10 months ago

Good happy hour izakaya!

Visited 10 months ago

Visited 10 months ago

I first marked this place years ago because I heard many good things about it from several friends who are themselves huge foodies. Finally decided to go last month.

It's hard to describe how incredibly disappointed I was with the food.

Everything we ordered didn't even come close to the average Japanese restaurant in SF. The one that really stood out on absurdity was the miso black cod - there wasn't any miso. They doused the fish in teriyaki sauce, and it tasted exactly like the teriyaki fish I buy at the supermarket, just several times the price. We asked for miso sauce for the fish, and got more teriyaki sauce.

The mushroom starter tasted like a grilled portobello doused in the same generic teriyaki sauce too. Many of the dishes tasted like they simply used a store bought teriyaki sauce in all of them.

The sushi - wow. The rice was bland and hard and cold. It felt like they simply steamed rice and let it sit there for hours and used that. No seasoning, no vinegar, nothing that is typically used in sushi rice.

The only saving grace was the raw ingredients. The sashimi was fresh and tasty, and was actually good. Removing the rice from the sushi and the fish and uni were actually nice. For the price and for all the disappointment that is everything else we ordered, we might as well have gone to any other Japanese restaurant in SF and just ordered sashimi, or just bought them from a supermarket.

I couldn't have been more disappointed. If they used to be excellent, which I believe they were, then it's even more sad.

Their service was okay, and the atmosphere great, but that can't save a restaurant that cannot serve food worth its salt.

I strongly recommend not visiting this place and going somewhere else worth your time, money, and taste buds.

Visited 10 months ago

Visited 10 months ago

Visited 10 months ago

I went here for my birthday. Love this place. I keep going back. Service is amazing, the atmosphere is great and it helps that I'm friends with the Executive Chef. I will recommend this place over any other Japanese sushi restaurants. They have vegan and non alcohol drinks.

Visited a year ago

Visited a year ago

Delicious menu with fish-laden sushi and delicious entrees. A lack of staff resulted in a slightly slower experience than I would expect but the staff was super friendly and attentive despite the challenges

Visited a year ago

Visited a year ago

Visited a year ago

Visited a year ago

Not sure why anyone would want to go to an Izakaya style dinner and have all 7 of their dishes, hot and cold, served at the same time with two diners. We felt overwhelmed and no amount of communicating this made it stop nor limited the amount of time spent at our table.

I'm not sure we'll be back soon.

Visited a year ago

Divine

Visited a year ago

The service was poor with dirty plates piled up and water cups empty. I still tipped 18% at the end only to find out the restaurant charged me 20% tip. I can't believe how shady Pabu is.

Visited a year ago

We tried the Omakase. It was a very interesting and unique experience. Probably a very exquisite way of trying multiple different dishes and taking your time to try each one.

Probably would be a nice place for a business dinner

Visited a year ago

Place we got in in a pinch. We were trying to find sushi and thought it was a sushi place. It is not really. More like fusion WITH sushi. Whatever you do don't get the multicourse chefs option. Looked pretty but there was roasted corn as one of the courses. They gave us fruit as a sushi course in the end. A couple pieces and decorations on a huge platter of ice (mmmmm ice) It was hugely expensive for not reason ($400 for 2 people 1 drink). That is NOT what a multicourse sushi meal is like. Further we both got covid a few days later. Did someone in the kitchen have covid? Ugh. Hard. No. Go to Kusakabe around corner.

Visited a year ago

Visited a year ago

Muy buena cuchara, excelente

Visited a year ago

Was every tasty. The rolls was a little bit late, but they worried and offered coffee or something from restaurant. Good prices. Very good service after LA

Visited a year ago

Great food, but loud!

Visited a year ago

Great spot. The sushi chef is a dear soul. And the quality is just extraordinary. They really make an effort here, and I just love their location.

Visited a year ago

Got a bit loud but appreciated our server handling our party of 14 very well. Very much appreciated that the chef made vegan options for me specifically and large portions that I could share with my coworkers when I chose to. Tasty stuff. Would have liked a little more protein though.

Visited a year ago

Omg! Everything was SO tasty. Sushi, fried mushrooms, codfish, beef, raw tuna…every single meal was pure pleasure to eat. Service was very fast too.

Visited a year ago

Top notch service for fancy and a little pricey food. Rainbow roll is great but the cali 101 has wayyy too much cucumber so skip that. Spicy edamame is good but maybe not for the price. The uni on the ocean carpaccio seemed a little off but fine.

Visited a year ago

Good sushi spot

Visited a year ago

Did the tasting menu, food was amazing and our server Gienette was very helpful with navigating food allergies and gave excellent service! Would definitely recommend for a fun date night!

Visited a year ago

Visited a year ago

Great food and great atmosphere! I was truly impressed by the excellent service provided by Kristen. We were dining with our 3 year old. Kristen made sure that we all felt comfortable. She was very knowledgable about the menu and helped us throughout the dinner. Everything was delicious! 10/10!

Visited a year ago

Visited a year ago

We had an amazing birthday dinner here! Our waitress was wonderful and the food was so flavorful and fresh — seriously some of the best sushi we’ve ever had in SF.

Visited a year ago

Visited a year ago

Had a great meal here! Jeanette was our waitress and she was amazing!!
We ordered the miso Hamachi, and a couple of sushi rolls. The pear bourbon drink is phenomenal 👌

Visited a year ago

Visited a year ago

I was going to Pabu pass Friday and I have some food runner. The name is Juan. He’s amazing and he gave me one of those the best service. I have a great experience with them about all the food and all the drinks.

Visited a year ago

Extremely welcoming, vibrant and beautiful restaurant. The food was so exquisite that I got something akin to goosebumps. Two adults sat and discussed in detail how the chef had pulled off perfection. Delicate, pefectly balanced, every single thing done RIGHT. This is how you want to spend an evening out.

Visited a year ago

Went for our anniversary celebration and had an amazing experience. Excellent staff, great ambience and good food. We got the ala carte and the yellowtail and black cod were our favourites! Would recommend!

Visited a year ago

This place is incredible. Best sushi and tempura ever had. The head Chef and his team are a true masterclass.

Visited a year ago

We ordered the $159/person tasting menu and it’s hard to describe how disappointed we were with the food, food portion was a joke and expect a lot of hidden fees and taxes if you choose this restaurant. I would not recommend this restaurant for the food, our bill was $250/person with only one bottle wine between 6 people but our stomach was only 30% full

Visited a year ago

Visited a year ago

Visited a year ago

好吃，但是我覺得魚可能有點太甜了，也許是很日式口味吧

Visited a year ago

Gienette was absolutely the best, she made our experience so incredible and everyone should hear to see her. The food, amazing and everything great!

Visited a year ago

Great service- attentive and friendly. Sushi was excellent and the fish was high quality . The ambience was very nice and the sound level was good- not too loud for us to have conversations. We will definitely return soon!

Visited a year ago

Pabu was amazing! The building itself is stunning. The decor is beautiful, and the bar is gorgeous. Our server, Jacob, was super knowledgeable about the menu and gave excellent recommendations. Everything was better than the next. Drinks were also amazing- 10/10!

Visited a year ago

Delicious lunch special. Quality ingredients, appetizing flavors, and superb service and attention to detail. Highly recommended.

Visited a year ago

Visited a year ago

Visited a year ago

Wonderful atmosphere and outstanding food; sushi was delicious!

Visited a year ago

The place was fabulous. I was welcomed and treated like a star. I went for my birthday with 2 friends. I can't remember what all the dishes were seeing I asked the chef to make me his favorite dishes.

Visited a year ago

Simply outstanding omakase. great dining experience for our entire group

Visited a year ago

Japanese cuisine…say less! Beautiful spot with all the pleasure that an eye can behold while dining. They open in the afternoon and the wait is worth it. Beautiful dishes, like something out of a magazine or a food network competition. Ample seating and the atmosphere is chill. This is a great first date spot or for an anniversary dinner or other special occasion. Tip: Don’t take your camera out while dining. Enjoy the full experience from the front door until you leave. Thank me later.

Visited a year ago

Mina nails it every time, every meal!

Visited a year ago

Great food. All menu was great and quality of sushi and dishes were exceptional. Atmosphere of the restaurant was very nice and neat.

Servers are very kind and helpful, but the reason why I am giving 1 star for service is because of the hostess at the front desk. The moment I went in and spoke to her, I could clearly see that she was not welcoming and possibly looked down on us. Maybe because I look quite young and she thought we could not afford the price here. We asked for specific table, but she did not get us the table saying that the table is reserved. HOWEVER, the table was empty until we were done with dinner (took about 2 hours). This was something I never experienced before.

Visited a year ago

Visited a year ago

Visited a year ago

Visited a year ago

Excellent spot for sushi.

Visited a year ago

Visited a year ago

Visited a year ago

Visited a year ago

Visited a year ago

Visited a year ago

Beautiful upscale restaurant... Not just a sushi place... The menu includes many good items from the grill... Salmon, chicken, skirt steak, etc. There is a sushi bar and regular bar in addition to normal restaurant seating. Perfect lightning... Not too dark. Great service! Very charming and professional employees!

Visited a year ago

Nice airy space. Great rolls. Fresh fresh fresh.

Visited a year ago

Visited a year ago

Dishes, sake, service all excellent. We will be back. Dragon Roll is outstanding. Seating layout, acoustics and atmosphere make a large space feel comfortable and having a quiet conversation is quite easy even when the restaurant is very busy.

Visited a year ago

Visited a year ago

🤩: amazing cocktails🍹and freshness of fish🍣
😐: at this price level of a sushi and izakaya, I would expect more than the above goodies. At least not the normal shoyu, wasabi cream and type of rice.
🐔Chicken tsukune and 🐮beef tongues were average - no surprise😯 Cooked black cod fish 🐟with clams was savory 🙂!
Just for experience is great - restaurant is nice and tons of interesting cocktails, good service overall, but not the hostess - the way of serving the guests, so so.

Visited a year ago

PABU is a pretty cool restaurant to catch lunch at. Their best entres severed during this time are generally pricey anyway, and I almost walked past the store front because the front doesn't look like an open business. Stopped in and tried a few items- the rainbow roll here is quality and delicious. the miso cured hamachi was a bit surprised that the flavor did not seem to diverge from your typical hamachi flavor a bit more. really liked the plating of the karaage, with a spicy mayo and hot mustard and some greens on the side. They also use thigh meat which gives you that nice savory juiciness that dark meat provides. The otoro is really fantastic but at the latest market price goes for quite a bit. All said, the food was pretty great. At lunch this place can get really packed and I think that servers just kind of disappear sometimes. Friendly enough however, nice place to stop in and will likely do so again in the future.

Visited a year ago

A well arranged and decorated venue hides the gross incompetence lurking behind this establishment.

Our drinks at the bar took forever and our bartender was clueless.

We waited an extra half hour over our original reservation as the hostess didn't come to tell us our table was ready until we went and asked what was taking so long.

Then she curtly charged away to our terrible table which was two basic tables pushed together lazily, they weren't even the same height and one table was wobbly. We asked our server to address the wobble but she never returned so we fixed it with a pair of chopsticks while a different server took our order.

We requested the omakase with sake pairing and we should have known the moment it started we were in for torture. They served us wine glasses for our sake and the sake server was barely intelligible while dressed in the most chaotic way possible with a traditional Japanese jacket with a plaid shirt underneath. It was bizarre to witness.

Then, a cycle of random waitstaff would appear and I had to ask them what we were being served as they barely had any interest or care in their service.

We cancelled the service early and the manager came and basically agreed that it was embarrassing and took full responsibility for not knowing what they were supposed to be doing.

Awful experience, just avoid the whole place and enjoy sushi at any other of the great Japanese restaurants in the city.

Visited a year ago

I have to go back to try more things from the regular menu.

Visited a year ago

Amazing food amazing staff

Visited a year ago

Visited a year ago

Nigiri was excellent. Galbi was solid.

7.5/10

Visited a year ago

Always a great time here! Highly recommend!!

Visited a year ago

Ideally, I'd give this place a 4.5/5.
My friends and I went to Pabu on a Saturday to try out their SF restaurant week. They had a happy hour going on till 5:30 pm, and they also had a half off menu (only on Saturdays) so we ordered a few items from those menus in addition to the restaurant week prix-fixe menu. In hindsight, it was a mistake. Even though their restaurant week menu has a lot of shared items for the table, it's still plenty of food to fill you up.
The moment you walk into the restaurant, you are greeted with a sleek and stylish ambiance with a buzzy and energetic atmosphere. The restaurant is designed to evoke an old-world Japanese feel, with warm lighting, wooden accents, and a minimalist aesthetic. The spacious dining area provides ample room for both intimate gatherings and larger groups.
The service at Pabu was amazing - the staff was very attentive and knowledgeable. They were quick to refill drinks and clear plates, ensuring that we had a seamless dining experience.
As far as the food goes, everything was really good except the meat. All the seafood items we ordered were fresh and delicious, but the short ribs we got were underwhelming. It was very chewy and had a dominating burnt smoky flavor, which took away from all sweetness of the juices.
Chicken karaage was soggy and also not that great. The eggplant dish was okay. We couldn't really taste the eggplant much.
With that being said, Pabu made up for all of it through their seafood items.
Inari was very light and delicate and had notes of sweet, savory, and umami flavors.
The hamachi was fresh and delicious, and the portion was very generous.
Yakisoba noodles were delicious. The noodles were cooked well. They had a slight bite with a tender and satisfying chew. The noodles were evenly coated in the sauce, ensuring that each bite was bursting with flavors. The sushi plate had fresh and thick pieces of fish. We wanted to try their other nigiri options, but we were struggling to finish all the food that we got.
The black cod was also delicious. It had caramelized skin, and it was buttery and melt-in-your-mouth tender with a slight flakiness that provides a delicate contrast.
The chocolate dessert we got was the perfect way to end our dinner. It was very creamy and rich in flavors and had us craving for more.

Visited a year ago

Ate here tonight. Restaurant week fixed menu. I say this as non-dramatically as I can... it was the worst meal I've had in any restaurant of recent memory. Admittedly, I mostly eat at nice places, but this was not. Sushi mediocre quality, poorly prepared, tempura soggy as a sponge and tasteless, one dish that was entirely unidentifyable beyond some sort of noodle. Please don't patronize this place, it needs to go away.

Visited a year ago

This place is listed as a high-end restaurant but their service was not even close to a "low-end" restaurant. I called twice try to make a reservation for a private room for our business dinner and they told me that "unfortunately, nothing we can do with that" and told me to text their event coordinator. I texted her and never got a response from her so I called the restaurant right before it was closed again. They told me to call her back the following day. I asked them whether they would be closed on the following day - Sunday and they said yes. Then they told me to call back on Monday which is kinda last minute to reserve a table for the business dinner. So I asked them if they knew which table could be better for us to talk than other tables in their main dining area. Again "unfortunately, nothing we can do with that". When I told them why it was so hard to work with them, they said that let them go get their manager. Of course after hanging me on the phone, they came back with "yeah the manager said that you needed to wait for the event coordinator to text you back". All they had been telling me when I first called to make a reservation till the 2nd time I called back and even when I asked if they knew a better table in their main dining area was "unfortunately, nothing we can do with that". Are you really doing business? Cos you don't even care about it. Put aside the private room needs to be booked with the event coordinator, you don't even know about tables in your main dining area? And you definitely don't want our business cos you don't even bother helping us. From the beginning til the end "unfortunately, nothing we can do with that." So you charge $$$$ for the food only not for the service? Seriously!!!

Visited a year ago

Very very good Japanese fine dining. I came here with a group from work at first we had problems finding places in the bar but we had a table booked for a later time. Wine and food is simply very very good service. Yes, very nice and friendly as well. Atmosphere is very nice. We were all very happy with the food and drinks - will be back!

Visited a year ago

Federico was our server (he is incredible) and we celebrated a birthday!! The whole staff signed a card, everyone was so friendly, the food was AMAZING!! We LOVED the Miso cured yellowtail! The Vege tempura was unique and delicious, The prime short rib melted in your mouth.

Visited a year ago

Came here for a date night and was seated at a table that was still wet from being wiped down. Took a while for a server to come take our order and our drinks came a bit late, but the food was very good. I especially like the lychee martini and chocolate custard.

Visited a year ago

Nice high-end Japanese joint: some creative and well-manicured dishes without spilling over into the pretentious realm. We tried several things and most were good to great, only a couple of misfires: Kaiso Seaweed Salad (hand-ground sweet sesame dressing) fresh, well balanced Spicy Edamame (umami soy, togarashi, sesame) meh. spice didn't really pair well with the soggy edamame Tasting of Robata great bet for a small group, nice sampling of several dishes and most were good Bluefin Medium Fatty Tuna - epic. melts in your mouth. Veggie Tempura + Veggie Tempura Roll both made with fresh, light tempura and delicious veggies Rainbow Roll (California roll w/ three fish, tobiko, spicy mayo) - just meh as well. Aug 2015.

Visited a year ago

Visited a year ago

Visited a year ago

Visited a year ago

Amazing place. I was downtown at the Chime building and had the pleasure to eat some excellent food.

Visited a year ago

Visited a year ago

A prime location to unwind and destress in San Francisco, ideal for tech enthusiasts working long hours in front of the screens. My fellow engineers and I had a fantastic time at this spot. The combination of Sapporo beer and Funaguchi, accompanied by a side of spicy green bean fries, was like a perfectly optimized code - simply delicious.

The ambiance seamlessly blends old-world Japanese charm with a modern urban setting. PABU Izakaya, strategically positioned in the Financial District of San Francisco, offers a platform for memorable experiences, featuring both indoor and outdoor seating options.
They also have spaces for private events. This place has some of the best and kindest waiters and waitresses.
For those who prefer to delegate the task of finding parking, valet service is available starting at 5 PM from Monday to Saturday, right across the street.

Visited a year ago

Cool spot and a great Lychee Martini.

Visited 2 years ago

Visited 2 years ago

Visited 2 years ago

Absolutely phenomenal food. My husband and I went recently in Sept for our anniversary dinner. The newly renovated menu had an amazing assortment of delish dishes, and I really loved the new decor as well. It was very upscale in feeling but also comfortable and inviting.

My only complaint was that the music in this restaurant was intolerably loud. I could hardly hear my companion, who was sitting directly across from me. Several of the wall booths have speakers directly above them, which makes it worse for those occupants. But the absolute cherry on top is that the music is the same volume in the small bathrooms, as it seems no one thought to engineer the sound system in there difficultly. If the restaurant takes the time to correct this, it will be the perfect place.

Visited 2 years ago

Delicious food, excellent service, modern ambience

Visited 2 years ago

The atmosphere is top-notch with a 5-star ambiance that draws you in. The food, while decent, didn't fully meet my expectations. The service could use some fine-tuning as it wasn't as attentive or prompt as I'd like, hence the 2 stars; we found ourselves waiting to catch someone's attention few times. A shoutout to their drink menu, which boasts an impressive selection of sake, whiskey, and craft cocktails.

Visited 2 years ago

solid sf restaurant- went there a couple times in one week because it was near work but had a lot of fun! had kristen as my waitress the second time. she was absolutely lovely! food was good, but service by kristen was great!!! :)

Visited 2 years ago

Visited 2 years ago

Visited 2 years ago

Love this place! Red haired hostess sat me at the sushi bar right away and was very sweet. Sushi is really good I recommend Ken's roll and the Super Spider although someone mentioned them having new menu. Always great service from the staff here, which makes me feel really welcome. Will definitely be back.

Visited 2 years ago

Great vibe in here, majority of the food we ordered was good - though a vegetable dish was poor. Service is hit and miss…if you don’t mind going dry whilst you wait for your drinks to arrive mid meal …

Visited 2 years ago

Revisited this place and upgrading my review to 5 stars. It was much better this time. 👏👏

The cocktails were great. The fish quality was so so. The ice cream and sorbets were excellent. We spent $400 for the 2 of us so I expected to be wowed. I was whelmed.

Visited 2 years ago

Food was delicious service was amazing!! Parking was a little difficult. I took my mom and my 2 children dinner was over $400 but it was worth it!

Visited 2 years ago

Visited 2 years ago

Great place to spend your company's $$$

Visited 2 years ago

Food is average but over priced

Visited 2 years ago

Overrated, rude and horribly over priced non Japanese food. Try Rintaro or Sozai instead

Visited 2 years ago

Visited 2 years ago

Food and ambiance is great and would recommend! However, they over-charged me by $150 for a dinner, and it took a month to sort out which was a bit frustrating so check your credit card statement

Visited 2 years ago

Nice location (although nothing like the cozy, smoky, personal izakayas one longs for in Japan) it's more like eating in a fancy hotel lobby if that's your thing. But the food is so average and the service is horrible. I'm actually quite shocked that people rated this Mina restaurant so high. Maybe they need to justify paying so much money for so much meh. You'd have such a better experience at Rintaro or Izakaya Sozai if you just want great food and excellent service.

Visited 2 years ago

Great tasting food. Friendly service. Food served on heated plates, which was perfect.

Visited 2 years ago

Great food and service

Visited 2 years ago

Visited 2 years ago

Visited 2 years ago

Excellent appetizers, sushi, and sashimi I’ve eaten in a very long time. The tomahawk steak was unbelievably good. Crispy on the outside, tender and juicy on the inside. Just wow!

Visited 2 years ago

Visited 2 years ago

A very enjoyable evening in San Francisco amazing food will be back.

Visited 2 years ago

Cher mais ça vaut le coup. Tout y est bon, les plats de riz, les sushis & makis, les brochettes et la carte des vins est premium. La déco est chic et stylée. Tout y est élégant.

Visited 2 years ago

Visited 2 years ago

Visited 2 years ago

Visited 2 years ago

Visited 2 years ago

Visited 2 years ago

Not coming back. Food quality is unacceptably low for such place. O-toro sliced and nigiri breaks down before it gets to your mouth (rice cooking..). Uni is not fresh - would suggest changing supplier and not keeping it on a shelf.. I watched them making nigiri and the guy was taking fish from the other nigiris that were either cancelled or something and those were just lying there on his table - something I wouldn't expect to ever see at a high end place. Few things we liked were fried rice and miso. Rolls not worth mentioning. Someone already mentioned that octopus is hard to chew.. I'm suspicious of the good reviews but, of course, tastes differ. Hope this would serve as helpful feedback and would help them dramatically improve the food quality. Service is good and they seem to care. Need to fix the quality of food and the way it's made.

Visited 2 years ago

Visited 2 years ago

It’s Michael Mina’s empire, so you are waiting for something, if not special at least not your daily isakaya.
I get it, it’s not easy to stay original and pioneer, well Pabu does not achieve a B- here.
To easy and unfortunately not working blend, truffle in June… come on! Also the service is really really really not there. I even felt uncomfortable when a person came to ask me how I liked my food, without I traducing himself, was closed to answer “none of your business”.

Visited 2 years ago

Awesome food, bit pricey

Visited 2 years ago

Visited 2 years ago

Good food, service not so good they took time to get our drinks, instead of one guy there were 3-4 and it was sort of a mess.

Nice restaurant for after business have a beer or something to drink.

Visited 2 years ago

I loved everything about this meal from beginning to end. For starters we did the house made pork gyoza along with thr wagyu and shrimp skewers. Fantastic! We also ordered a few sushi rolls which were melt in your mouth delicious. Our drinks were also strong and tasty. I highly recommend this place for a date night! It's on the pricey side but so worth it.

Visited 2 years ago

Went with my company. Table of 10. They made us wait for 30 minutes looking at our table. Then, they forgot my food. What a joke.

Visited 2 years ago