Vegan
Japanese

Vegan sushi bar and izakaya, eat. Jan 2015. Offers sushi, ramen, and Japanese food in small plates in a unique dining set-up with matching wood beams and tables. Open Mon-Thu 5:00pm-9:00pm, Fri-Sat 4:00pm-9:30pm, Sun 4:30pm-9:00pm.


Venue map for Shizen Vegan Sushi Bar
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242 Reviews

First Review by AshleyLorden

maddielle

Points +321

Vegetarian
05 Nov 2024

So unique and tasty

Really creative, artistic, and tasty options! Both the sushi and the drinks are so good! I will definitely be going back next time I'm in San Francisco

StaceyP

Points +675

Vegan
31 Oct 2024

Great service, excellent food.

Well presented and incredibly delicious. Appreciated that staff were kind, friendly, and fast.

emilyg0204

Points +16

Vegan
20 Oct 2024

Amazing

Our absolute go to when we are in SF, you will not be disappointed. Must have the Surprise Ending. We can’t wait to go back. See you soon.

Pros: Friendly Staff, Unique Ambience , Best part is the food

veganfoodiechristine

Points +278

Vegan
13 Oct 2024

Best vegan sushi of my life!

I got five separate recommendations for Shizen, so obviously, I had to check it out on my trip. My friend even said, “Michelin-level sushi.” And honestly, it’s AMAZING. Shizen is a fully vegan sushi bar, and the creativity in all the dishes blew us away. It was the best sushi I’ve ever had in my life 🥲 Both my omnivore partner and brother were impressed!

The appetizers were great with the karaage and katsu as our top picks. The ramen was good, but we all agreed we’d rather go for more sushi rolls next time.

Definitely make a reservation—it’s super busy! If you’re in the SF area, regardless if you’re vegan or not, you HAVE to visit. It’s mandatory 😛

I ordered:
- Surprise ending
- Secret weapon
- Kaarage
- Bean curd katsu
- Shizen shiitake
- Plot twist
- Spicy garlic miso ramen
- Missing piece

Visited on May 30, 2024

Updated from previous review on 2024-10-13

Yuletide

Points +124

Vegetarian
10 Oct 2024

Everything is great, innovative take

With the demise of Gracias Madre, this has become my favorite vegan restaurant in San Francisco. Very innovative take on vegan sushi.

hetalshah24

Points +941

Vegan
01 Oct 2024

Great sushi and sake

Update - went here again and its still as good!

Visited this place for the first time and think I need to again to try all the other things on the menu! I had tomato nigiri, philadelphia classic roll, sweet potato classic roll, open invitation specialty roll and the boddy and soul specialty roll. Our favorite was the boddy and soul and the sweet potato roll. Loved the sakes we tried as well. Ginjo: Mizu no shirabe was my favorite.
Really good place to go with friends so that you can share rolls and small plates. Loved the ambience! Best to make a reservation to avoid waiting.

Updated from previous review on 2022-07-09

Pros: Great food, lovely ambience, great service

Cons: A bit pricey but expected it

FatmaBahri

Points +405

Vegan
28 Sep 2024

Quite Delicious!

Tasty starters, small plates, and desserts.

cnmangini

Points +160

Vegan
22 Sep 2024

Best vegan sushi there is

I was not expecting their marinated tomato nigiri to be my favorite item on the menu but I think about it often. Their brussels sprouts with the wasabi aioli were probably the best I’ve ever had. Everything we ordered was amazing. I don’t think there’s a vegan sushi place that will top this - especially with how amazing the service was on top of the food being out of this world.

Updated from previous review on 2024-09-21

Pros: Nigiri, Brussels sprouts, Service

Cons: Nothing

tyhou

Points +81

Vegan
09 Sep 2024

Best vegan sushi I've had

Highly recommend the spicy tofuna, and the eggplant nigiri. There was so much more I wanted to try, but I was really full.

chelspea

Points +254

Vegan
18 Aug 2024

Highly recommend!

Make a reservation - We ordered 1 appetizer, 1 small plate, 1 ramen, 1 nigiri, 1 specialty roll and it was the perfect amount of food for 2 people(and $124 including tip and 2 alcoholic drinks)

babidi

Points +2880

Vegan
08 Aug 2024

Prime Suspect

An interesting sushi selection that includes both simple classics and playful creations. We ordered a lot of different items and my favourite was the Prime Suspect roll with tempura aspargus, shreded gobo, marinated eggplant, sweet potato crisps and torched gochujang aioli.

kferg

Points +59

Vegetarian
01 Jul 2024

Very inventive sushi

I took some non vegans here and they had a great time. My advice would be to stick their custom rolls. The traditional rolls are fine but nowhere near as flavorful and inventive as their own creations. Come here to experiment and you’ll have a good time

Malizay_Grey

Points +226

Vegan
22 Jun 2024

Special place in my heart

Ive been coming here for years and I always tell people that it's a different experience than fish based sushi. It's the similar environment and atmosphere but completely different flavor pairings so as long as your not expecting it to taste exactly like your favorite thing from before you became vegan you'll absolutely love it.

Pros: Flavors are genius, Feels like a sushi spot, New textures and flavors experience

Cons: Little pricey, Not the safest area , Reservations are hard

KatherineWinter

Points +1404

Vegan
17 Jun 2024

Loved it

I really liked this restaurant. The interior is raw wood and earthy. Decor was very good with moss framing. The colonel’s pipe was my favorite roll. The staff was friendly. While it is best to have a reservation, it is possible to do walkup. They add you to a yelp queue, and text when they want you back.

veganByTheWay

Points +32

Vegan
14 Jun 2024

Artful, delicious experience

Just beautiful and tasty! We got the surprise ending, spicy ramen, sweet potato tempura roll, and boddy roll. Expertly crafted vegan sushi - the place is busy, best to do reservations in advance especially on weekends

Pros: Beautiful, delicious food, Inventive flavor combos, Great and artful dining room

artoonie

Points +265

Vegan
13 May 2024

What!!

So good! We couldn’t stop ordering. What’s another $20, we gotta try it.

The wasabi was super spicy too, I’ve never had wasabi like that.

oskeewowwow

Points +1111

Vegan
07 May 2024

Best Vegan Restaurant in SF

I’ve been coming here for many years whenever I can get a reservation. The sushi is astounding with its use of a wide range of ingredients to make complex flavors and textures. The space is cozy and best for 2-4 people. Make sure to get a noodle dish if you’re very hungry!

Pros: Truly incredible vegan sushi, Cozy , Wide selection of dishes

latzar

Points +57

Vegan
19 Apr 2024

Best sushi ever

How do they do it? Such weird descriptions on the menu, then you eat it and almost cry from happiness. It’s all delicious.

Updated from previous review on 2024-04-19

Pros: Delicious , Innovative , Amazing

Cons: Not the friendliest staff, Only one location, Cannot teleport sushi to me

Chrissyanne

Points +962

Vegan
16 Apr 2024

Worth the Hassle

I've been to Shizen many times, but I have to say that it's becoming quite a hassle to eat there! We had a reservation for their opening time at 4:30 p.m. . It's a busy place and as soon as they open the doors at 4:30 it will fill up immediately, mostly with people with reservations. This means that everyone is seated at once and everyone orders at about the same time. You are constantly reminded that you only have your table for 90 minutes. And later you will see that they really mean this! The problem was that even though we were ready to order, our order wasn't taken until about 4:55 because everyone is trying to order it once. As a result, our food didn't start to arrive until 5:15. At that time we were given a reminder that half of our allotted time had passed and we only had 45 minutes left at our table. We felt constantly rushed and had to vacate our table after we had barely finished eating.

That being said, the hassle is really worth the wait. The food is delicious! I especially enjoy the ramen which is generally served hot in the winter and cold in the summer months. The various specialty rolls are all creative, beautiful and delicious. I would pass on the brussel sprouts. They are seared a bit too much and are almost burnt. And then they're covered in a thick, salty sauce.

There's usually one dessert every night. Your server will describe it to you. You should ask the price because you might be surprised.

There's a sister restaurant in Berkeley, Tane Izakaya which has almost the same food at significantly lower prices, as much as 20% lower for the same dish. So if you're in the area you might want to check that out.

Just a quick update on another dinner here in April 2024. This time we had a reservation for 6:30 and we were seated immediately when we arrived. I would definitely recommend making a reservation in advance for a time other than the opening hour of 4: 30. We arrived 15 minutes early so we actually managed to add 15 minutes to our allotted table time. We were still constantly reminded of how much time we had left at our table! This time we had the spicy garlic ramen, a greens roll, the prime suspect and Colonel's pipe. All absolutely delicious!

Updated from previous review on 2023-11-09

Pros: Delicious creative food., Fantastic Ramen, Nice interior

Cons: Rushed service, Expensive when compared to similar restaurants, A lot of dishes are too salty

sara213

25 Dec 2023

Thanks for the tip about the Berkeley location! I avoid Shizen because the crowds and parking stress me out.

Chrissyanne

25 Dec 2023

You're welcome Sarah213! I'm happy that you found my review helpful. BTW, there's also a sister restaurant in Honolulu.

enygma

25 Apr 2024

I miss when they took to-go orders for this exact reason! Thank you for letting me know about the Berkley spot

tj9045

Points +441

Vegan
08 Apr 2024

Best vegan food in the city

Amazing sushi options with complex flavors and textures

Updated from previous review on 2023-03-22

Julieha

Points +16

Vegan
03 Apr 2024

Disappointing

I was so excited to go there… the food was disappointing with respect to the price…. Service was extremely rude …would not recommend it to anyone…

gabs1205

Points +210

Vegan
22 Mar 2024

Best vegan sushi in SF

Not too many vegan sushi places in SF, but this place definitely does it best. Try the karaage too!

AmberXXX

Points +105

Vegan
20 Feb 2024

Wow !!!!

So I asked a local travel group where I should eat that's vegan in san fransisco and this was the #1 suggested spot. You can only book a reservation 1 week in advance and the spots booked up right away, I was able to snag a Sunday at opening (4:30pm). We had a great seat right as you walk in the dinning room and ordered as soon as we could. We tried the garlic edammame, seaweed salad and the miso soup as the appetizers and for rolls we tried the boddy and soul and missing peice. The garlic edammame was amazing if you like garlic like I do, miso soup was boring..nothing special and the seaweed salad was great minus the cucumbers. The specialty rolls..... boddy and soul was insanely good! Perfect amount of spice and crunch...all in all probably the best roll I've ever tried in my life... as for the missing peice ...it was an experience but I probably would never order it again.... too many weird flavors in my mouth from the tomato and the pickled mango. The service was great and fast.. with tip we spent $85 usd for 2 rolls and 3 appetizers. I highly suggest this place if you're ever in san fransisco and book that reservation asap.

Pros: Good portions, Nice presentation, Quick service

Cons: A little pricey

dogwooddesign

Points +289

Vegan
13 Feb 2024

Well, that was the most amazing thing I've ever eaten

Just go. You have to make reservations because it's so popular, but make sure you go here!

All other sushi will pale in comparison to this place.

Pros: Creative and unique, Delicious, All vegan establishment

abipatterick

Points +2098

Vegetarian
10 Jan 2024

Incredible

Booked on a whim for the final night of our trip as a treat. So glad we did! We could only get the 5pm slot, but we did book last-minute.

The food was incredible! We weren't too hungry, due to the early sitting, so we ordered fairly conservatively and ended up ordering more!

Service was also lovely. Our server was really friendly and advised us of the best things on the menu.

The food arrives as and when it's ready, which is a great way to eat as you're constantly getting fresh plates.

Particularly loved the eggplant nigiri and the Candlestick (specialty) which genuinely arrived on fire. Edamame are also done very well!

Pros: Great food - a proper treat

vegandinosaur

Points +386

Vegan
01 Jan 2024

Shizen asks what vegetables can be

Many sushi places with vegan options offer plain vegetable-stuffed sushi. Shizen asks, what can vegetables be? You can’t go wrong with any item on the menu, but you may have to wait a while to get in. Get on the waitlist when they open, or hop across the Bay to their sibling restaurant, Tane Vegan Izakaya. #Veganuary

smcgu

Points +20

Vegan
18 Dec 2023

My favorite restaurant in San Francisco

This is the only place I go out to eat in San Francisco! I haven’t found any other vegan spots in town where I have been 100% happy with everything I have ordered. It is so delicious you can bring meat eating no friends and they will be happy here too. It’s all vegan so I can order anything on the menu and I have tried the entire menu at this point. Everything here is delicious!




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