Sushi Bar Near Me in Russian Hill: Okoze Sushi on Union Street

Okoze Sushi is the neighborhood answer to a sushi bar near me search on Russian Hill. The restaurant at 1207 Union Street, right next to Swensen's Ice Cream at the corner of Hyde, was started in 2003 by Chef Jason and has kept a loyal local following ever since. It is a small, low-key room where you can sit at the bar, watch the chefs work, and order nigiri one piece at a time without a reservation for a tasting menu.

Okoze's appeal is that it does not try to be a formal omakase counter. Chef Jason buys at local fish markets around the Bay Area, according to the restaurant, and the day's specials are written on a board behind the bar. Regulars come for the straightforward nigiri and the inventive rolls, and a seat at the bar puts the specials board right in front of you. It feels like a neighborhood place, not a destination.

The fastest way to eat well is to order the omakase. The 9-piece omakase is $72 and includes nine pieces of chef's choice nigiri, miso soup and two pieces of ebi tempura. The 12-piece version is $90 with the same sides. Both are good value next to San Francisco's newer counters, and because the chef chooses the fish, you get the best of the day without having to study the menu or ask questions about each fish.

If you prefer to choose your own pieces, the nigiri list is long. Salmon is $15, hamachi is $14 and sea bream is $14. Tsuno toro is $23, amaebi raw sweet prawn is $24, and monkfish liver is $13. The standout luxury is Santa Barbara sea urchin nigiri at $30, a local product worth trying in a city so close to the source. Mix two or three of these with an omakase if you are sharing with a friend.

For sashimi, the Moriawase is $78 for fifteen pieces of chef's choice sashimi, with wakame salad and two pieces of ebi tempura on the side. The chirashi bowl, sashimi scattered over sushi rice with tsukemono and miso soup, is $60. Bluefin tuna sashimi is $40 for seven pieces. These plates suit diners who want to focus on the fish itself rather than rice, and they are large enough to share across the table.

The rolls are where Okoze shows its personality. The Hanabi, spicy tuna with avocado and pickled ginger topped with tobiko, is $17. The Negi Toro, chopped toro with cucumber, gobo, shiso and green onion, is $19. The Okoze Special is $28, filled with fried prawn and cucumber and topped with eel, avocado, crab and tobiko. The Vivid Kamikaze, yellowtail and shiso wrapped with tuna on the outside, is $20 and pairs well with a plate of nigiri.

Okoze opens for dinner only. Hours are 5pm to 9:30pm Tuesday through Thursday and 5pm to 10pm on Friday and Saturday. It is closed Sunday and Monday, which catches out visitors who plan a weekend trip around it. The quietest time to sit at the bar is right at 5pm on a Tuesday or Wednesday. Friday and Saturday evenings fill quickly with neighbors and tourists coming off the cable car.

Reservations are by phone only. The restaurant's site asks diners to call to make a reservation or order takeout. Walk-ins do get seated when there is space, and a January 2026 diner on Yelp described being let in without a reservation. For a bar seat on a weekend, calling ahead is the safest plan, since the room is small and fills with regulars.

The room is simple and warm, with a bar facing the chefs and a handful of tables. It is not a place for loud groups, but it suits couples and solo diners well. Sitting at the bar is the best way to see the daily specials board and to ask the chefs what is good. A Yelp reviewer in 2025 wrote about being seated at the bar and finding the chefs behind it very welcoming, which matches the feel of the place.

Okoze's long run is its own story. A sushi bar that has lasted more than two decades on a quiet Russian Hill corner, surviving years of restaurant turnover in the city, says a lot about its neighbors. The restaurant says it is still loved by locals as well as foodies. Its size, its cable car stop and its location next to a historic ice cream parlor make it one of the more distinctive places to eat sushi in the city.

After dinner, walk next door to Swensen's at 1999 Hyde Street, the ice cream parlor that has stood on this corner for decades. It closes at 10pm and is closed Monday, so it works for dessert on most nights Okoze is open. Then walk three blocks north on Hyde to the crooked block of Lombard Street, between Hyde and Leavenworth. At night the winding brick road is quieter than during the day, and the city lights below are worth the walk.

Practical notes. Street parking on Russian Hill is limited, and the steep streets require curbing your wheels when you park, so the cable car or the 45 bus is easier. Okoze also offers takeout, which you can order by phone or through its online ordering page. If you plan to ride the cable car back downtown, remember the Powell-Hyde line runs until about 10pm, which lines up with Okoze's closing time on weekends.

Okoze suits neighbors who want a dependable weeknight sushi bar, couples looking for a casual date on Russian Hill, and visitors who want sushi near the cable car and Lombard Street without heading downtown. It is less suited to large groups or anyone looking for a formal tasting menu. Call ahead, sit at the bar, order the 12-piece omakase with a Santa Barbara uni nigiri on the side, and finish with ice cream next door.