Kisu Japanese Cuisine

I ordered a chicken teriyaki bowl and was really disgusted that I ate undercooked chicken (raw). This menu item was supposed to be fully cooked. What kind of resturant that doesn’t know the meat is undercooked? They have changed the way they’re cooking the meat recently. The old way was better and safer. I am not coming back again.

i have avoided this place for the past year due to the higher than average cost of lunch in the ‘hood. Decided to finally give it a try since I had a craving for Japanese food.
Ordered the chicken katsu curry and was overwhelmed. The flavor was fine but there was hardly any curry sauce in the dish (hello, it’s called katsu CURRY). The rice was warm or room temperature which didn’t help the situation. I got a take-​out order and my destination was only a few minutes away, but still I had the expectation for a hot meal. I had access to a microwave, but what if I didn’t?
Found out they were open for dinner but don’t plan to go back for lunch or dinner any time soon. Disappointing.

I ordered the Rainbow Roll from Kisu, and it was just OK. I’ve definitely had better rolls for the ~$ 14 I paid here. The roll was on the smaller side and ingredients were average, though maybe I should have opted for a bowl instead. Also, to be fair there are really limited options that are open for dinner in FiDi, and it seems like Kisu does a decent amount of deliveries since the store itself is pretty small. Overall, I think I’d recommend Bamboo over Kisu for late-​night Japanese — they have more menu options and it’s more food!

I love Kisu. The concept of selecting your own bowl with the sashimi you like is awesome. The sashimi is very fresh and the service is great. The price is reasonable in terms of the quality and the freshness of the sashimi. The location is great. You may not be able to find a amazing sushi place around the SF financial area. Kisu did a great job. Keep up the good work. definitely come back to try some hot entrée food.

Why does every lunch spot on the planet seem like yet another variation on Chipotle’s burrito bowl concept? Does this seriously represent the dining revolution of the millennium… Yes, I’m afraid it does, and Kisu has embraced it like a cash-​only hooker during Fleet Week. I’m not sure of the genesis of Kisu, but it has all the earmarks of a pre-​packaged chain in a very tight space at the end of Belden Place. My colleague and I were only the third and fourth customers in the place, and the space already felt packed with others elbowing their way forward to make an order. Back off, dude, I’m ordering here! Jostling my way to the cash register is not my idea of culinary entertainment.
You first have to fill out a form, so it starts to feel like a free clinic. Only it’s not so free. You must decide on a fundamental question: Do I like it raw, or do I like it cooked? No, it’s not a bondage club. They want to know if you want a donburi bowl with sashimi or one of their teriyaki or curry bowls. I first thought I’d give their $ 13 Chirashi Bowl a try but felt constrained by the specific fish selection they laid out. So I went for the $ 14 My Way bowl which let me be who I am through my bowl. I chose two pieces each of the salmon, yellowtail, tuna and scallops complemented by a crawfish salad, avocado and egg omelet with a garlic ponzu sauce over sushi rice (photo:
). How’s that for a chirashi bowl?
For all that, it was still on the middling side. The fish was fresh enough but just enough with the portions barely acceptable and the accoutrements barely detectable. Regardless, my big mistake was ordering the half-​price $ 3 Potstickers which were deep-​fried and excessively chewy (photo:
). My colleague didn’t fare much better with the $ 10 Chicken Katsu Curry Bowl which didn’t lend enough kick to its curry to make it truly memorable (photo:
). Keep in mind you can’t eat on the premises, so we sauntered over to the plaza at the former Bank of America building or what I call now the Souring Inferno. I just made that up, but on a nice day, it’s a relaxing place to eat your raw fish.
FOOD — 3 stars… Japanese take on Chipotle’s burrito bowls doesn’t quite cut it for me
AMBIANCE — 2.5 stars… Chipotle if it was in the Ginza… it probably is
SERVICE — 2.5 stars… rather slow and not incredibly attentive
TOTAL — 3 stars… at least the fish had a passing familiarity with the water

This place serves the worst raw fish I’ve ever tried in my life. I ordered the spicy tuna bowl and took 2 bites and tossed it. The fish is ripped apart, the texture is mush, and the sauce is just added to mask the crappy quality of the tuna.
Thinking about it makes me want to puke. Save yourself.

Raw meat (i.e. sashimi) should always be fresh and chilled. I ordered a bowl and all the meat were WARM and gritty. It tasted like it was at least a day old and it had a lingering aftertaste I can’t wash out.
i love sashimi. This is not sashimi. This is warm discolored raw meat cut up. Almost threw up.

$ 13 for lots of fish in a bowl with salad or rice. Diabetic and low-​carb friendly. Quality is average. Easy ordering menu with checkboxes. Take out only.
Fish is cut poorly. Weird gooey brown sushi sauce. Won’t be ok if you are Japanese. But I liked it fine for lunch.

I spent four years in Japan and wish I had read some reviews before coming here. My fish was either cut with a bandsaw or not that fresh. I’m not sure what the «sushi sauce» dumped on is, but guess that this masks the poor fish quality. I also found the sushi rice subpar. I wouldn’t recommend this to anyone, especially anyone who likes sushi.

I love this place. It isn’t cheap but the «Bowl Your Way» for $ 14 is an excellent way to diversify the types/​amounts of fish you want on top of a bed of yummy sushi rice or salad.
I typically opt for the Scallop/​Ikura/​Salmon/​Tuna/​Sashimi and rotate among those. They’re all excellent and fresh. I tend to find that the freshest & best cuts are served in the first half of the lunch rush. So come by 12:30 to secure the best toppings.
It isn’t cheap for lunch pick-​up, but no sushi or Japanese restaurant really is, unless you want more of the bento box lunch with less fresh sashimi/​sushi, and more of the cooked sides or americanized rolls.
Unfortunately, no chairs or sit-​down bar like Sushiritto, so Kisu is a purely Pick-​Up Spot. Get a pre-​made bowl for $ 12-​$ 13, or make your own for $ 14. You can also add «sides» for $ 4 each a la carte, or only $ 2 each if you do get a bowl as your primary entrée.
Convenient Pick up for a Hearty but Delicious Japanese-​Fusion meal.

The owner seems to have chosen to not improve upon his business. Went in today for my 4^th and final time. It has gotten worse each time. The price remains too high and the product quality is going rapidly downhill.
The fish no longer tastes fresh, the slice size is now paper thin. The once fresh crab meat with no additions, now contains mayo and I am not talking about a little mayo to hold it all together, I am talking more mayo than crab. Gross!!!
It is too bad because this place had potential.

This is a warning to my fellow Japanese so that you don’t get disappointed like I did.
I had a Chirashi from here for lunch, and there were a couple of things wrong about the dish… though the fish was good enough.
(1) They put furikake on rice before they put sashimi on top. I didn’t notice the furikake until I went back to the office to eat it. I mean, furikake totally ruined the chirashi.
(2) Sushi rice was WARM. I mean it was REALLY WARM.
They also offered a «sushi sauce»? I said I don’t need it so I don’t know what kind of sauce that is…
Again, the fish quality was good enough, so if I ever go back here, I’ll be sure to ask for no furikake. I mean, you don’t even imagine anyone would put furikake on rice if you are ordering a fresh seafood donburi… so I didn’t see that coming.

It’s rather hard to find a good sushi place that serves fresh tasting raw fish in SF Financial District but I think I found an awesome spot! It’s Kisu!
I ordered the «My Way» bowl with sushi rice, sushi sauce, avocado, salmon roe, salmon, yellowtail, scallop, white tuna and crawfish salad and was simply blown away with how fresh tasting everything was! Everything mixed together in the bowl tasted absolutely delicious! The rice to fish ratio was also perfect for me!
I will definitely come here again but not all the time because I think it’s considered a «luxury» lunch. Once in a while is okay but not all the time!

I went here last week when I was in the area for a doctor’s appointment. It’s a fast food place in Fidi but for sushi. Think Chipotle meets sushi though. They have fresh wasabi which is kinda rare at sushi restaurants. They have a lot of choices for fish but its pretty thin cut. Pricing isn’t bad for a bowl. You can build your own or pick from one of their bowls. If you build your own, which is what I did, you get to pick 3 toppings, and 5 different cuts of fish.
not bad and pretty fast for fast food. The service was pretty good too. Very nice family that owns it I think

Kearny is always a street full of lunch time delights, and sometimes the side streets offer delights too, case in point, Kisu Japanese Cuisine. This was the first time I had been by since the store opened and lucky for me the line was non-​existent. The store is immaculate and the person behind the register was friendly and offered to help if I had questions.
The choices are pretty basic, unless opt to make your own bowl, in which case the sky is the limit. I ended up getting a bara chirashi bowl, which was fantastic. The sushi rice was prepared perfectly and spiced correctly, and the fish was fresh and delicious. I really enjoyed the picked veggie on top, but wished there had been more since I really love picked anything!
Next time I’ll get the bara chirashi again, but think I’ll try it over greens.
Check it out!

Think of chipotle but with sashimi bowls.
The fish is good, but otherwise, theres a lot of room for improvement. First, they need a better system for putting out food. The couple of times I went, the woman prepping the bowls kept pausing to micromanage the cashier causing a build up of 5 – 10 people in that tiny space. Also, the cashier just calls out the cooked orders to the guy in the back; this is fine but not when they forget part of an order. Lastly, it’s a bit pricey. It was almost $ 20 for one bowl (which includes a free drink). They have it where you can get it without a drink for $ 1 less but still expensive.
This place has a lot of potential, but the owner needs to step it up. I wouldn’t recommend the cooked entrées but appetizers are half off ($ 2) with purchase of any entrée and again the raw fish is good

Grand opening today 2÷2÷15! Popped in at 11 when they opened so there was no line or long waits. Right when you walk in you grab a pen and little clipboard with the menu on it so you can choose what you want and hand over the whole thing when you’re ready to pay. I was hoping someone would walk out from behind the counter to sort of explain how their ordering system works but they don’t say much unless you ask specific questions. The place itself is pretty small, so I’m curious to see how they will manage during rush hour. Not completely convinced that their ordering system is effective when there’s more customers.
Food:
Opted to create my own bowl for $ 16 (eep!) You choose the kind of rice you want, a sauce for the rice, 2 sides, and 4 mains. I got the sushi rice, garlic ponzu sauce, spicy tuna, salmon sashimi, fresh scallop, lobster salad (they ended up not having this available yet so I opted for the spicy scallop instead), and the seaweed salad and salmon roe for my two sides. Fish was fresh and the sushi rice was perfect — not overly drenched in rice vinegar. They sprinkle some furikake over the rice (yum!) which adds a little bit more flavoring to the bowl. Their spicy tuna and spicy scallop mix has this kimchee type of taste to it, so if you’re not a fan of kimchee I wouldn’t recommend getting those.
Since it was their grand opening they were offering a 15% discount off the meal. Meal came with a free drink. Ended up paying a little over $ 14 for the sushi bowl and Arizona tea.
Final judgement: Food is fresh and the bowl keeps me full. I probably won’t come back often because the price is pretty steep, but at least now I have a place to go when I’m craving fresh sashimi!

Time: 12:07pm/61°F partly sunny
Purpose: Colleague came back to office with a plastic container bowl. I took a look and was sold base on that. This place is right across the street of my office building. Now, I also remember there was Bonkers next door before not sure where they went. It was a video arcade and pinball kinda place.
Ambiance: Small walk in type of place no seating in/​out. Place can hold probably 8 people comfortably without elbowing each other. There’s really not much to say about the place very simple décor with some pottery figurines here and there. One counter with partiton glass separate them and you. Overhead with three panel menu plaster, one beverage fridge from there its all kitchen gadgets and equipments. To order the drill is pretty simple you grab a pen and clipboard write your name top left hand corner. Mark down your options and how you like you bowl prepare, hand it over. There’s two section listed one for «like it raw» and other for «like it cook». Bottom corner with be the apps/​snacks section. Once your order is presented to them you stand back let others order, move out of the way.
Staff: One guy and two ladies. All three are Japanese so you’ll know its legit with no funny business. I dealt with older lady as she was so friendly and have enthusiastic to have customers. I said, let me check out menu first then, I’ll let you know. She told me since you’re ordering one item just tell me which one. So I told her without marking the paper. Very nice and generous as she also gave me potstickers and seaweed salad on the house.
Cleanliness: Grade A+, immaculate. Brand spanking new only 4 day open.
Eats/​Drinks: Bara charashi bowl $ 12 comes with free bottle or can beverage of your choice from stand alone fridge. This bara bowl was fresh as it can be no foul odor emitting fishy taste or smell. I didn’t use any of that soy sauce or wasabi just to see if they were masking something. What a suprise not a scent to be sniff out other than the pickled daikon and vinegar rice. The rice itself was good not mushy or clump up together. You’ll definitely get a good heaping serving of bara mixed fish cut and sliced up. No bone pieces or fragments were found, shrimp even had their digestive tract clean out, yea that s-​word. I found it pretty funny to have corn kernels mixed in but, then again its veggies right. Doesn’t matter which bowl you decide on portions are good for the price. Next time, I’ll add $ 3 and try the Shellfish Lover at $ 15, to me its the Japanese version of cioppino without the tomato broth.
Products/​Services: Salmon don $ 13, tuna $ 13, chirashi $ 15, spicy tuna $ 11, bara charashi $ 12, shellfish lover $ 15, chicken teriyaki bowl $ 10, steak teriyaki bowl $ 12, unagi don $ 12, chicken katsu curry bowl $ 12, kurobuta pork katsu curry bowl $ 13. Create your own bowl $ 16 with three choices of sauce, 2 sides, and choice of 4pcs sashimi. Apps-​soy bean, seaweed salad, miso soup $ 2, pot stickers, veggie pot stickers, veggie tempura, mixed tempura (all prices are $ 4 for sides unless noted).
Main Features: Chirashi bowls.
Punch Lines: Fi-​Di, street parking (careful all yellow and red curb around), slight incline Pine street, no seating, no alcohol, not much traditional favorites here, mostly all bowls/​sides, fresh sliced/​diced seafood, friendly, warm zippy service, takes plastic, can’t go wrong, drool worthy, light bites, claustrophobic interior, pleasing flavors, not to be missed. Free beverage of choice with meal purchase.
Tradeoffs: No seating to enjoy food and people watch. Not much traditional Japanese drinks as ITO EN is as close as it gets, not Japanese more like Taiwan brand.
Final Thoughts: I hope that this place sticks around for as long as, I’m working across the street. Now if I wanted this type of quality, I would usually hit up Japantown. However thanks to Kathleen U, Cherylynn N, and Susy C, I now have another option that is as close as Kisu, Basa in the mission. I don’t think this place is a gimmick its, straight Japanese food fast at its freshest. May not have all your traditional favorites but, if your mind set is on one type of offerings it has to be the bowls. So, as far as ramen/​udon or anything that require liquid other than miso soup you won’t it here and you’ll be disappointed. Find out what they offer just don’t stand in line because everyone else is doing it, those in line already know what they want.

The place just opened this week and you can definitely tell they are still trying to figure out the process. Wait was a bit long and the staff seemed disheveled at times. Orders weren’t received in the order people came in. The person who ordered behind me literally got her food as she found a spot to stand. They don’t use a number system, so she got someones else’s order who ordered the same thing but wasn’t paying attention when they called out what the item was.
Aside from their service, I do have to admit that my order of Unagi Don was super fresh and extremely flavorful. Unfortunately I had to wait longer because they mistakenly gave my order to someone else who didn’t order the same item. I’m sure there will be a bad review from that customer once he discovers that it was wrong.
Once they figure the process out and become more efficient, it will hopefully get its place into my normal lunch rotation here in FIDI.
Food: 4 stars, Service: 2 stars = Average of 3 stars

Kisu just soft opened up this past Monday and will be officially open Feb 2. The donburi are a bit pricey for the area but the fish looks fresh. Interested to see how they do in the upcoming months.
Edit: tried their build your own bowl with salmon, tuna, hamachi, and scallop. This place is really a 3.5 but rounding up.