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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254 Reviews

First Review by AshleyLorden

artoonie

Points +283

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 +1543

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 +1266

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 +445

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 +2666

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 +455

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!

jtoskey

Points +192

Vegan
16 Dec 2023

Fantastic rolls

I was really pleased with the three rolls I ordered. Each one had unique combinations of flavors and textures. Really excellent value as well

welder

Points +74

Vegan
11 Dec 2023

Wonderful food!

The Proud Peacock was by far my favorite! The secret weapon was also good. The gyoza were just ok and I wasn’t a fan of the surprise ending. Giving them four stars because of the price. It cost $100 for dinner for two.

Pros: So many choices!, High quality food , Nice ambiance

Cons: Expensive , Reservations required , Tables are fairly crowded together

JohnWaldum

Points +772

Vegan
04 Dec 2023

Hands down best vegan sushi

We've been coming to Shizen for over 6 years. It has never disappointed. We bring family and friends whenever they visit SF. Get reservations and be prepared to enjoy.

Pros: Options. Lots of rolls and other choices., Always tasty, Atmosphere

Cons: Location can be hard to find parking

jollieduck

Points +2623

Vegan
20 Nov 2023

Super duper yummy

This place was amazing and everything we ordered was delicious, especially the gyoza and the "open invitation" specialty sushi roll. The rolls are inventive, complex, and totally worth it. They were able to seat us for dinner on a Saturday night without a reservation, but I thought the server was kind of rude.

NevenMonster

Points +501

Vegetarian
13 Nov 2023

Amazing

I understand completely why it's a top rated restaurant. Unique sushi, amazing ramen

Pros: Ramen, Sushi, Service

TodorZed

Points +834

Vegan
08 Nov 2023

Worth a top rating

Well, I‘ve been to a bunch of vegan sushi places in different cities by now and this one is definitely worth a mention too. They have succeeded in creating amazing original sushi tastes with plant based products. The sushi was fresh and you could taste the different ingredients in each bite. Staff was lovely!

MeMeMeow

Points +388

Vegan
30 Oct 2023

Phenomenal

This place is Top Reviewed for a reason. Every single item on the menu is an experience. Everything I put in my mouth had me in a state of bliss. So much flavor, care, and time they put into each meal is truly felt. Absolutely add this place to your San Francisco itinerary if you plan on visiting

Pros: Incredible flavor, Beautiful ambiance , Amazing presentation

Cons: Must reserve ahead of time/fills up quickly

IamLisette

Points +1258

Vegan
20 Oct 2023

Culinary Marvel: Shizen’s Exceptional Vegan Sushi

Shizen is a true gem in the world of sushi. As recommended in the Michelin Guide, it lives up to the hype. The fact that everything is vegan and yet the presentation and flavors are extraordinary is a testament to their culinary expertise. The staff is exceptionally friendly, and each dish is a journey through a variety of delightful flavors. The dining experience is simply delightful, and the restaurant’s ambiance is equally stunning.

Updated from previous review on 2023-10-20

homarcy5

Points +115

Vegan
19 Oct 2023

Outstanding!

First of all, vegan and izakaya are rarely words you see together in my experience. As all you vegans know, going to a vegan restaurant is just so much better and easier. The food was excellent - took us back to the flavors of living in Japan. We had miso soup, gyoza, tempura, inari and yuba nigiri, and a California roll. It was all excellent. Maybe the tempura batter could have been lighter. They also have a very good list of sake (I had the Kubota - amazing) and the Shizen lemonade was also very good. Loved it!

Pros: All-Vegan, Great selection , Excellent sake list

Cons: Pressure to order and go (90 minute time limit), a little noisy

LisaSpykers

Points +8739

Vegan
15 Oct 2023

Creative rolls and decent sake list

The rolls were quite good and we enjoyed the creative take on them, taking sweet, spicy and savory ingredients and putting them all together to create a taste explosion in your mouth.

We also ordered the cold ramen dish which is more like a salad but other than the yummy shredded tofu on top, it was kinda boring in flavor. So I'd probably stick to the rolls.

Pros: Creativity

Cons: Pricey

theNumberOfTheBeast

15 Oct 2023

oneokrock

Points +168

Vegan
28 Sep 2023

Never disappoints

Always good clean tasty food

Ashvegan02

Points +180

Vegan
16 Sep 2023

OMG!! This place is amazing

This place is so so good. Totally worth the price. Rolls and sushi are amazing but other items are okay. I go here every time I'm in SF, even my non vegan friends love it.

k8lynsmith

Points +361

Vegan
16 Aug 2023

great specialty rolls, everything else is okay

my friend asked the waitress if she recommends the california roll or the gyoza more and she said neither. she said there are plenty of other things on the menu worth trying. the boddy and soul roll was amaaaaazing!! the california roll, tomato nigiri, and avocado nigiri were all just okay and i personally wouldn’t order them again and almost didn’t finish them

Updated from previous review on 2023-08-16

yungveg17

Points +1363

Vegan
05 Aug 2023

Extraordinarily good

This was one of my favorite meals ever eating out as a vegan (6 years now).
Everything was prepared really well, the service was friendly, and everyone enjoyed the food (we got a lot to share). Can't recommend enough!

DomiNathan

Points +98

Vegan
13 Jul 2023

Best vegan sushi I’ve ever had

I love this place. I go whenever I can, or whenever I need to show someone just how good vegan food can be. If you’re in SF, you need to try this place. No question.

Pros: Amazing food, Great drinks, Suspense

Cons: You’ll need a reservation, It’s a bit pricey, but average for sushi in SF, Location is a bit sketchy (north mission)




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