Fresh Sashimi @ Umi in San Francisco
A great way to try a more expensive restaurant is to stop in for lunch. In San Francisco if you want to enjoy high quality sushi outside of Japantown, stop over at Umi on Potrero Hill. It is close to the Anchor Stream Brewing Company, where this San Francisco original offers hard to get public tours.
San Francisco has lots of great Japanese restaurants. It is exciting to find one that clearly delivers on its owners promise of “taste, freshness and artistic presentation”. My sister and I were on our way to SOMA [south of market] to get some travel gear at REI before her trip. REI is not far from Potrero Hill and my sister wanted sushi. We decided to check Umi out.
High point number one, we had free street parking out front and no line even at mid-lunch hour. The icing was the amazing food and really nice staff.
Nelson Lights & Original Art @ Umi in SF
Umi is a small restaurant with an interior furnished with modern lamps and original artwork on the walls. We had a window table for two facing 18th Street. My sister chose the $9 Bento Box that comes with two items along with miso soup, salad and rice. She added a third item for $3.50 extra.
My lunch was the $12 Sashimi Moriawase which included nine pieces of chef’s choice sashimi with rice and miso soup. I wanted to test the freshness of their fish and wow, I wasn’t disappointed. A nice detail to notice in good Japanese restaurants I believe is whether they include shiso leaf with their sashimi, as opposed to a torn piece of lettuce. Another point to Umi because you should always be able to eat your garnish.
Bento Lunch @ Umi in San Francisco
There is an outdoor area on the left side but it wasn’t open while we were there. The lunch menu also includes Donburi [hot rice bowls] for $8.50 and an assortment of lunch plates with grilled fish for $12.
Outdoor Seating @ Umi in San Francisco
1328 – 18th Street (near Missouri St)
San Francisco, CA
Tel. (415) 355-1328
www.umisf.com
Lunch: Mon-Fri 11:30-2:00pm
Dinner
Mon-Thu 5:30pm-9:30pm
Friday 5:30pm-10:00pm
Saturday 5:00pm-10:00pm
Sunday 5:00pm-9:30pm
Photos by Sharon Castellanos
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