ANZU

Overpriced Japanese food. Could not find the lobster in the gnocchi. Pasta was tasteless. Hamachi crudo was overpriced for four pieces of hamachi on a bed of grapefruit. Pork Belly is way better at Santa ramen in san mateo. Miso Cod was good but everyone makes it so go elsewhere. My sone's Ribeye steak was good but how can you screw up a steak? The menu looks better than it tastes. It also took 45 minutes to get the main course after the appetizers (hostess offered a round of drinks but only provided the hard drinks and forgot about the other diner's soft drinks and juices .... so thoughtless).

Pros: good steak but I'd go to a steakhouse for steak

Cons: took 45 minutes to get the main course served

Posted 08/20/09

I ate dinner here with my boyfriend before heading to a show at the Razz Room. What a great meal! Our waiter was very attentive (and funny!) and the food was great - and you have to try the sushi. Loved it and would recommend to anyone.

Posted 02/05/09

Cuisine described as EuroJapanese...wonderful food and great service. Chef Barney Brown knows what he is doing!

The Black Cod is a signature dish, sushi was exquisite and an interesting dessert wine section. Will be back!

Pros: validated parking, a warm respite from the white marble lobby, great food

Posted 11/17/07

A very unpleasant experience because:
1. The restaurant would not honor the restaurant dot com coupon
2. The management was entirely unresponsive
3. Some of the food was inedible due to exceptionally high salt content
4. The waiter was arrogant and indefferent

We will certainly not return and would in no way recommend this restaurant.

Pros: None

Cons: Attitude; service; food

Posted 08/20/07

We had a very bad experience at this restaurant. I was given a gift certificate by my staff for Sunday Brunch for 4. The hotel's salesperson faxed over the certificate because my birthday party was that night and the staff wanted something to give me. . I made reservations and gave the number of the certificate to the reservation clerk. Well needless to say- we had a rude awakening when they refused to take the faxed copy of the certificate. The manager and the Director of the restaurant are equally unresponsive as yet. I don't recommend such a place.

Posted 05/29/07

I've been to Anzu a few times now. The food presentation varies from average to above average each time. Wish it would always be the same. Menu is limited. The Rock is cool, table side cooking. Price was good for quality of food. Staff was very sweet and helpfull. Nice place to go in downtown area. Ask for a seat by the window for cool downtown view.

Pros: Service

Cons: Ambience is simple for the price

Posted 04/13/07

Christmas dinner was terrible, terrible, terrible!

What a huge disappointment and embarrassment to have taken an out-of-town guest there for dinner. To begin with, I never would have thought food would languish in a hallway. The hot entrees were of poor quality and barely warm to the touch. Some of the dishes looked as if prepared for a previous banquet (e.g, venison, mashed cauliflower, and something questionable). Furthermore, the presentation was of poor taste; the buffet looked as if it was ran-sacked by a bunch of drunk frat boys on a cruise ship.

And imagine having to cough up $55 per person! Stay away from this place.
I?ve checked Anzu?s website menu and was totally fooled by it. The presentation of the menu items was truly an example of ?it looked better on paper.? I think I?ve eaten better meals served by arthritic cafeteria women in hair nets.

Pros: none

Cons: poor quality food

Posted 12/27/06

Anzu is a great place to dine. Even though the it was a kind of pricey the quality of the food made it worth it. I really recommend this place to those picky eaters that are looking for great food quality.

Posted 12/19/06

I had reservations for Thanksgiving Dinner. You see the nice chairs and spacious aisles in the photographs, forget it. We were seated in a room with bad banquet tables and chairs. There was barely enough room for the waitstaff to walk between the tables. There were tables for 2 jammed against a wall with no room to get out without getting the people at the next table to stand up and let you out.

There we so many people that it took 15 minutes to make it through the buffet line. By the time I got my plate and started making my way through the line, a number of the serving dishes were empty. This was 30 minutes after they opened for dinner. The person who was refilling the dishes had to make it though another narrow aisle, along with customers in line. It was a mess. This was not worth the $55 per person they charged.

To make matters worse, I had to guarantee my reservation with a credit card. We paid with my BF?s credit card. The restaurant explained the mistake by telling me that the last names are not the same, so they charged my credit card as a no show. They did this not once but TWICE. It has been a week and still no credit. I?ll have to contest it with my credit card company.

By the way...the food was good and the waitstaff was good bringing drinks and clearing plates.

Pros: Food

Cons: Everything else

Posted 12/04/06

This restaurant was an out-and-out disappointment and strongly not recommended as a date or special occasion venue. The lighting and ambience felt very much like a corporate cafeteria. Service ranged from sleepy to spacey. Diners appeared to be mostly clueless, middle-aged, unhip, frumpy types. Food is from the first generation of fusion cuisine -- when the concept itself could win a restaurant points with little attention paid to preparation or flavor. The salmon that I had was the worst preparation of this noble fish that I have ever had. It was raw and slimy -- and the waiter assured me that this was the way it was meant to be! The dessert selection was trite and very ordinary. The only redeeming feature of this restaurant was their sake-based cocktails which where pricey but tasty. They might do well to let the bartender do the cooking!

Posted 09/20/06

We have celebrated our anniversary here for 3 years in a row. The food is rather pricey for Fusion Japanese food, but it's worth it. The chocolate dessert is to die for. We sometimes go here just to get the dessert. =) We have since moved out anniversary venue to The Waterfront, but not because we don't like Anzu, parking is just easier at Waterfront.

Posted 08/29/06

we stayed at hotel nikko and on our last day there we decided to have brunch here. and we were pleasantly surprised! i wish we could've had dinner here.. if you're going for brunch, skip coffee and try orange juice. delicious~ service was ok though.

Posted 05/31/06

Came here for Mother's day. There was a noisy family with kids seated next to us. It wasn't exactly 'fine dining' atmosphere or decor. Food was mediocre. Waitress' head was in a cloud: overfilled glass with water, had to ask for ALL eating utensils, forgot the appetizer before the entree. The food was not worth the price. Food was barely worth the time and the money to try.

Posted 05/15/06

When it comes to breadth of offerings and freshness Anzu and Chef Takahashi are simply outstanding.

Everything you've read about the ambiance of this place is correct: It sucks. But, guess what? It doesn't matter. Sit at the sushi bar. The chef is knowledgeable and friendly. You'll instantly be transported to sushi heaven.

Our party of 3 put ourselves in the Chef's hands. After asking us what we liked and didn't like, he served us pairs of sushi (one piece of one type of fish, a second of a different type) that were designed to be eaten together: Two different types of tuna, for example. The paris were served in a perfect progression. What a TREAT!

The chef's knife-work is incredible. His cleanliness is top notch. His manner is wonderful.

Fresh fish, flown in daily from Japan, prepared by a master. An oustanding sushi experience... There's nothing else to say.

Pros: fresh fish, master sushi chef

Posted 04/22/06

i cannot tell you how excited i was to find "real" sushi here in san francisco. you'd think a town filled with good resturants would have some good sushi, but no. Not until I found anzu and their tsukiji-market imported fresh fish! Just go and sit at the sushi bar and you will be educated about what real sushi is all about. I am so happy to find this place, now I don't have to fly home to Japan just to eat some decent sushi.

Pros: sushi, sushi-chef

Posted 02/23/06

Although the food is excellent at ANZU, the service and ambiance is left to be desired. The music, techno in nature, was conversation stopping. An excellent hotel restaurant doesn't feel like it's in a hotel, yet the hotel exit signs everywhere are very unflattering.
Service was unrefined. Watched as servers carried dirty dishes to another table and spoke with the guests. Servers reached across guests numerous times to place items such as glassware and chopsticks.
For fine dining, a restaurant must embody excellent service, ambiance, and food. Unfortunately, ANZU falls short in two out of three categories.

Pros: Validated Parking, Excellent Food

Cons: , Unrefined Service, Hotel Like Ambiance

Posted 01/21/06

I used to come to this restaurant about 3-4 years ago and I always loved the service, the food and the friendly manager. I come back to San Francisco and I'm very disapointed. Gone is the manager who used to check and make sure everything was ok, gone is the bartender who remebered my name, the food is still ok but not great (never was) but something is missing. The music defitnately needs to be changed and the service is nonexistant no one seems to care. I won't be back

Pros: good parking, good location

Cons: bad service, bar atitude, expensive

Posted 09/25/05

I took my parents here for a special San Francisco dinner and what a let down. I spent sometime searching for a nice restaurant that would have a great ambiance with contemporary decor, good drinks, and great food. Do not believe any of the good ratings or even Anzus web sight. This place is simply an over priced restaurant in a hotel banquet room. You sit at cheap tables on stackable chairs and the room is so bright you think they might be closed and cleaning up! There is nothing special about this place. There website looks cool and the food was good, but out of all the NICE restaurants in SF do not waste your money at this place.

Cons: Ambiance, Decor, Lighting

Posted 04/27/05

This restaurant is a phony restaurant. They added conferene tables as dining tables for the Sunday brunch, which made the place look very cheesy. For $46/person, the main courses were flank steak and salmon. The flank steak was so tough you couldn't even cut through. Crusted salmon was overly cooked and drenched in oil We couldn't find anything worth eating here besides the bagels. You simply know that they did not use high quality of food, since some dishes like salads and omlettes were so simple to prepare that they would naturally taste good if good ingredients were added into. On top of that, service was lousy. This was a huge disappointment. We went to this restaurant based on citysearch's 9.1 rating. That rating is INCORRECT.

Posted 04/09/05

I finally had a chance to try out Anzu. They have been around for awhile, but never got around to it. I must say that I was very happy with our meal and the service was perfect. Highly recommended

Posted 03/16/05

When I go out and spend $150 on a meal for two, I want it to be a memorable experience. This wasn't. The food was good and the service was adequate. But the ambiance of the place is just plain boring. Anzu looks like it's in the banquet room of a hotel. You know what I mean: low acoustical tile ceiling and virtually nothing interesting about the artwork or table setings. Very boring indeed. There are many other places in this city where the food is as good or better and the surroundings are a lot more interesting.

Pros: drinks

Cons: , cost

Posted 01/14/05

Let's face it, San Francisco lacks authentic sushi places compared to NYC. Being a Japanese and fairly new in town, locals would name off their favorites with names which doesn't sound anything remotely close to authentic (Blowfish, Sushi Groove, Tokyo Go Go.....hellooo???) and serving those "fusion" sushis. This is one place which I would have to vouch for sushis just like home! Other reviewers who rated this BAD either don't know real sushi because they only know those sushis catered to westerners (ie. mayos, avocadoes). This is NOT the place if you're seeking for those sushis. Recommened to those who had sushis in Japan and know the REAL stuff!

Pros: ambiance, fresh sushi, friendly sushi master

Cons: , expensive

Posted 07/27/04

Haven't eaten here yet, but how could you go wrong with steak and sushi?! I have, on many occasions, had their sake and sake cocktails. They are excellent and (I don't know if it's on the menu) but if you're interested in a cold sake tasting just ask the bartender.

Pros: sake, cocktails, service

Posted 05/17/04

we party of 6 went to Anzu on Saturday night (05/01/04). Three of the party ordered their Salmon entry and they served it very rare and even when told that they need it well done they couldn't do it right even the second time and the best they could do is took it off the bill. I ordered Halibut and that's not good either. Sushi is ok. Best meal of the night is my 4 yr olds Chicken Nuggets and frenck fries and one dessert. Unless you want to eat Sushi don't go this place. We went to Firefly same week and their Salmon and Halibut entires are much tastier than Anzu.

Posted 05/01/04

If you're a true sushi fan, what I mean is you like freshest sushi with no fuss, ANZU is the ultimate place to go. Takahashi san WOW me everytime I eat at his sushi bar...Toro (fatty tuna) is my favorite, but everything else is great. Just let Takahashi san know how much you want to spend, and let him decide for you...and be ready to be surprise and impressed.

Pros: Freshest Sushi, Good Service

Posted 09/15/03

I am the sort of person that has no problem paying high prices for great food, but I hate getting ripped off for crappy food and service like I did last night.
The food is just ok- and if you're going to spend money going out blah and ok just don't cut it. The bartender messed up two drink orders from the waitress, and on the third, because they didn't have the ingredients, brought, and charged me for a cocktail totally different from what I had ordered. We also had a crappy table and the restaurant was half empty. A VERY negative experience. Don't waste your time.

Pros: bar decor

Cons: bartender, food, restaurant decor

Posted 05/31/03

The flavors used in sauces for the beef and asparagus and other items made a simple dish taste excquisite. The sushi was comprable to just about any other sushi spot, but all else (crab cake, salad) was outstanding! Knowledgeable watistaff - recommended a wine that was great but I wouldn't have tried otherwise.

Pros: Soft lighting, Great Service

Cons: Expensive

Posted 04/13/03

I love eating at ANZU whether it be on a date or with friends. The food is so delicious and is consistently good. I've sat at the sushi bar several times and it's always been a good experience - this is the freshest sushi I have ever tasted. And the steak? Need I say more? It was so tender and tasty that it melted in my mouth. Wow! Am getting hungry again, just writing this down. I highly recommend this restaurant.

Posted 04/06/03

Good food - excellent beef. Haven't tried the sushi, but that's only a matter of time. The Peartini was great! If you go on a date ask for a booth in the back - very romantic.

Posted 02/09/03

anzu was a pleasant surprise and i came away w/ a new favorite place for steak AND sushi. both were fresh and melted in my mouth and the service was top notch in a very nice, comfortable, elegant & contemporary dining room.

Pros: sushi, steak, service

Posted 09/17/02

the steak was good. the sushi was much better than other popular sushi house e.g. ebisu, ec. LA has better sushi but for SF, it's very good. the salmon entree was ok.

Posted 07/19/02

Service was excellent, not to doting and not too annoying. Food was wonderful. Flavorful and beautifully presented. Must try the deconstructed tuna roll and for dessert...the chocolate truffle cake (takes 30min to prepare so order early).

Posted 05/21/02