An outstanding omakase experience - elevated from the service to the food. As a non-uni lover, I was truly blown away by their uni courses.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Nina Zhang
Everything is so mediocre. Dry aged fish is not my thing. For a place that charges $400pp, it’s ridiculous that the sushi rice fell apart. Way overpriced. Shota is much better at this price range.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Scott Connolly
Truly for "Friends Only!" Ten seats at an "L"-shaped raw bar. Got to chat and share experiences with all the guests AND the staff. Made a lot of "Friends" tonight and got to share dining at its finest and food of superior quality and taste!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Caviar, Veuve Clicquot La Grande Dame, Salmon Roe, Sushi, Uni Handroll, Sashimi, Chawanmushi, Unagi
Tim Heidmann
Wonderful intimate and friendly atmosphere, with exceptional courses.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Crystal
Omakase experience like no other. Dry age was a whole
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Uni Handroll, Sashimi, Chawanmushi
Yon Burke
Recently visited SF for the first time and made a point to dine at this restaurant based on my research. Very intimate and private setting. Dinner service took about 2.5 hours however it didn’t feel like it. Service was great and everything was clearly well thought out. A small, but cohesive team that made the evening inviting and memorable. Food was fantastic. Meticulous attention to detail and it was very evident the time and care put in to everything that was prepared. Hope to make it back!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Justin Lau
It's honestly shocking that Friends Only doesn't have a Michelin star yet.Truly one of the best omakase experiences in the Bay Area and comparable to omakases in Honolulu and dare I say, Japan as well.As it's name alludes to - dining at Friends Only is akin to hanging out with friends at home in the living room and having great sushi with wine and sake pairings. This is by no means a negative but rather a reflection of the warmth and welcoming embrace as you enter the front door. Chef Weman, Linda, and Quade are spectacular.Chef Weman Li is both fun and educational which is a welcome change to some omakase experiences that are a "sacred temple and hush hush." He actively interacts and chats with guests and can talk endlessly about fish, dry aging techniques, and whatever wild dishes he's thinking about next.Friends Only specializes in dry aged fish and it's remarkable the textural transformation dry aged fish undergoes similarly to that of a dry age steak. More umami, deeper concentration of flavors, and complexity.Every course is grounded in "core" Japanese ingredients but with a flair of a mad man scientist with an unlimited budget and through the roof creativity.Hokkaido scallop served on a sesame tostada with Kaluga caviar and uni? Yup. It's possibly the most luxurious amuse bouche / first course with 0-100 roller coaster acceleration to kickstart the meal with a bang.Chawanmushi with shaved black Perigord truffles served in a clay vessel that looks like a cross of a lantern and a Moai Easter Island statue / Squidward's home? Yup.Lastly, Quade and Carson whip up possibly the best cocktails I've had in SF. Honestly Friends Only should also open a cocktail bar next door :)
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Uni Handroll, Sashimi, Chawanmushi
Christine Ortiz
Loved everything. Service was outstanding. My favorite was the uni hand roll. A whole row of uni all in one handy handroll ??
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Ming Luke
Hands down best sushi in SF.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Maria Bruno
Spectacular service, stellar cocktails and every dish was out of this world. Definitely a unique experience if you can get a reservation.The whole restaurant only sits 10 people - it's very intimate but not stuffy or snobby.The only thing that would have made it better is if we were with only our friends ;)
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Unagi, Uni Handroll, Pickled Ginger
If you want the ultimate omakase experience, look no further than Friends Only!There were so many delicious courses, each better than the next. It’s clear a lot of thought was put into every aspect of the experience.Yes it is a splurge, but well worth it! Especially if you’re lucky enough to eat a Hokkaido uni hand roll ?
Joe
The experience at Friends Only far exceeded our expectations. The progression of the Omakase experience was very unique from the sushi rice they use to the fish. The Chawanmushi was very decadent and one of a kind. I have done many Kaiseke and Omakase experiences and this was h th e most memorable and unique. The entire staff is super knowledgeable. Also the only place I know of that is dry aging their fish for longer durations and doing so explicitly as part of experience. And also has an excellent beverage service. Definitely recommend to others. The only downside is that the price for this experience was comparable to our meal at French Laundry. Just note that the estimated price of $350 per experience doesn’t include service fees, taxes, and a local mandated health charge. But all things considered - worth it.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Marianne 'Mare' G.
Had a perfect evening with my friend from college. Ambiance 11/10, food 10/10, bar program is ON POINT!
Unassuming Sushi A.
We had a very good experience at Akikos so we immediately tried to get on the reservation list at Friends Only. When their invite only reservations came out, of course I booked for the boss BB.My personal favorite was the Tostada, but the boss BB loved all of the Uni dishes, especially the FO reserve Uni. Overall, the dishes were well executed and the generous use of Uni was +++++ in the boss BB books.A docked point was the lack of substitution for a dietary restriction for the very unsubstantial Chawanmushi.However, our chef Andrew absolutely killed it with customer service. Completely made Friends Only a top notch place to go.Overall, a very satisfied Uni lover ( the boss BB ) and great dinner.Edit: Their omakase was $325/pp as of this writing. Their Tock lists "Starts at $300" but the Chronicle article lists the correct pricing. Still worth every penny however.
Mark Davies
Get your money worth here. Everything was phenomenal.
An outstanding omakase experience - elevated from the service to the food. As a non-uni lover, I was truly blown away by their uni courses.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Everything is so mediocre. Dry aged fish is not my thing. For a place that charges $400pp, it’s ridiculous that the sushi rice fell apart. Way overpriced. Shota is much better at this price range.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Truly for "Friends Only!" Ten seats at an "L"-shaped raw bar. Got to chat and share experiences with all the guests AND the staff. Made a lot of "Friends" tonight and got to share dining at its finest and food of superior quality and taste!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Caviar, Veuve Clicquot La Grande Dame, Salmon Roe, Sushi, Uni Handroll, Sashimi, Chawanmushi, Unagi
Wonderful intimate and friendly atmosphere, with exceptional courses.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Omakase experience like no other. Dry age was a whole
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Uni Handroll, Sashimi, Chawanmushi
Recently visited SF for the first time and made a point to dine at this restaurant based on my research. Very intimate and private setting. Dinner service took about 2.5 hours however it didn’t feel like it. Service was great and everything was clearly well thought out. A small, but cohesive team that made the evening inviting and memorable. Food was fantastic. Meticulous attention to detail and it was very evident the time and care put in to everything that was prepared. Hope to make it back!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
It's honestly shocking that Friends Only doesn't have a Michelin star yet.Truly one of the best omakase experiences in the Bay Area and comparable to omakases in Honolulu and dare I say, Japan as well.As it's name alludes to - dining at Friends Only is akin to hanging out with friends at home in the living room and having great sushi with wine and sake pairings. This is by no means a negative but rather a reflection of the warmth and welcoming embrace as you enter the front door. Chef Weman, Linda, and Quade are spectacular.Chef Weman Li is both fun and educational which is a welcome change to some omakase experiences that are a "sacred temple and hush hush." He actively interacts and chats with guests and can talk endlessly about fish, dry aging techniques, and whatever wild dishes he's thinking about next.Friends Only specializes in dry aged fish and it's remarkable the textural transformation dry aged fish undergoes similarly to that of a dry age steak. More umami, deeper concentration of flavors, and complexity.Every course is grounded in "core" Japanese ingredients but with a flair of a mad man scientist with an unlimited budget and through the roof creativity.Hokkaido scallop served on a sesame tostada with Kaluga caviar and uni? Yup. It's possibly the most luxurious amuse bouche / first course with 0-100 roller coaster acceleration to kickstart the meal with a bang.Chawanmushi with shaved black Perigord truffles served in a clay vessel that looks like a cross of a lantern and a Moai Easter Island statue / Squidward's home? Yup.Lastly, Quade and Carson whip up possibly the best cocktails I've had in SF. Honestly Friends Only should also open a cocktail bar next door :)
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Uni Handroll, Sashimi, Chawanmushi
Loved everything. Service was outstanding. My favorite was the uni hand roll. A whole row of uni all in one handy handroll ??
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Hands down best sushi in SF.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Spectacular service, stellar cocktails and every dish was out of this world. Definitely a unique experience if you can get a reservation.The whole restaurant only sits 10 people - it's very intimate but not stuffy or snobby.The only thing that would have made it better is if we were with only our friends ;)
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Unagi, Uni Handroll, Pickled Ginger
Restaurantji Recommends
If you want the ultimate omakase experience, look no further than Friends Only!There were so many delicious courses, each better than the next. It’s clear a lot of thought was put into every aspect of the experience.Yes it is a splurge, but well worth it! Especially if you’re lucky enough to eat a Hokkaido uni hand roll ?
The experience at Friends Only far exceeded our expectations. The progression of the Omakase experience was very unique from the sushi rice they use to the fish. The Chawanmushi was very decadent and one of a kind. I have done many Kaiseke and Omakase experiences and this was h th e most memorable and unique. The entire staff is super knowledgeable. Also the only place I know of that is dry aging their fish for longer durations and doing so explicitly as part of experience. And also has an excellent beverage service. Definitely recommend to others. The only downside is that the price for this experience was comparable to our meal at French Laundry. Just note that the estimated price of $350 per experience doesn’t include service fees, taxes, and a local mandated health charge. But all things considered - worth it.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Had a perfect evening with my friend from college. Ambiance 11/10, food 10/10, bar program is ON POINT!
We had a very good experience at Akikos so we immediately tried to get on the reservation list at Friends Only. When their invite only reservations came out, of course I booked for the boss BB.My personal favorite was the Tostada, but the boss BB loved all of the Uni dishes, especially the FO reserve Uni. Overall, the dishes were well executed and the generous use of Uni was +++++ in the boss BB books.A docked point was the lack of substitution for a dietary restriction for the very unsubstantial Chawanmushi.However, our chef Andrew absolutely killed it with customer service. Completely made Friends Only a top notch place to go.Overall, a very satisfied Uni lover ( the boss BB ) and great dinner.Edit: Their omakase was $325/pp as of this writing. Their Tock lists "Starts at $300" but the Chronicle article lists the correct pricing. Still worth every penny however.
Get your money worth here. Everything was phenomenal.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5