Shizen SF Vegan Sushi Bar Review

Where do I start? An ALL vegan sushi San Francisco restaurant and not vegan friendly, my friends. I can’t express enough how much passion, creativity and bliss they built for the delicious food they make. If you can’t tell, this restaurant will give you the ultimate feel for Japanese cuisine.

This is a restaurant for people who don’t have to be vegan to try their food.

I always overhear from customers sitting next to me “Wow the food here was amazing, and the best part is it’s cheaper than real seafood & sushi!”, I overheard the table next to us. Not everyone goes here just because they are vegan. So if you are a non-vegan reader, this is you sign to try them out and from reading this post I will share background, tips, items I wasn’t a fan of, and my favorite items that are a must try!

Before we get started, here is their website for recent updates! Here is the link, click here Shizen SF. https://www.shizensf.com/

The address for Shizen Vegan Sushi Bar is 370 14th St, San Francisco, CA 94103-2460.

Estimated reading time: 10 minutes

Yes, indeed they have a vegan sushi restaurant in Berkeley called Tane Vegan Izakaya. Tane Vegan Sushi has MANY GLUTEN FREE OPTIONS there and it is insanely good for gluten free vegan sushi. They opened recently in 2022 of March in the heart of downtown Berkeley. I went there 3 times, considering I am coming from Santa Clara area. They are Hawaiian theme so their menu items are a little different from Shizen Sf, but have similar dishes that are the same. Items I ordered that are all gluten free that are 10/10 are:

• Pacifica gf
• The wedge (body & soul) gf
• Pokai w/o seaweed pearls gf
• Tane Katsu gf

Shizen Sf recognizes the impact of how the seafood industry is affecting our oceans today and wants to stop contributing to that anymore. This is their way of having a beautiful relationship with the ocean by making colorful and beautiful sushi from 100% full plant based ingredients. Their mission is to bring people to awareness that vegan food can be too luxurious, fun, presentable, and damn delicious. They succeed expanationally, and try to bring their culture and perspective from Californian & Japanese palate to the test. They passed that test…

Yes, there’s a waitlist for Shizen SF.

Before this pandemic, you would have to wait for weeks to reserve a table. You could join the waitlist on the day you decide to go, but you needed to arrive at the restaurant at least 5-10 minutes before or else the next party will go ahead of you. We had to arrive 20 minutes earlier just to find parking so we had time to walk to our destination. The parking in front or around the restaurant is difficult since it’s right in the downtown area. It might look sketchy but for the times I went, nothing happened. 

As of January 2022, Shizen SF only accepts reservations. No waitlist on the day of, starting at 5:30pm pre-pandemic. Must have proof of vaccine following with a photo ID to be seated for indoor dining. There is a list of things to know so be sure to check and click here to view them. https://www.shizensf.com/  

Luckily, if you aren’t a planner, they take phone orders and online orders! I believe you have to pay in person when you pick up your order. So if you would like to make any adjustments or add additional items to your order, they will modify the total when you arrive.

• Vegan Tofu Sushi
• Vegan Eggplant “Eel” Nigiri
• Hawaiian Vegan Poke Bowls
• Healthy Vegan Spring Rolls
• Vegan Fried Rice
• Check out more recipes!

Appetizers

Starting with the gyoza, I finished them after a heart beat. They are just like normal gyozas but I think I was so hungry and excited I couldn’t help just leaving them on the plate for more than a minute, realistically. I am a foodie and when the food is good, there’s no time to spare. The miso soup was really good and it’s nice not to worry about having any fish product in it. You are safe here! The only thing that you have to worry about are allergies and they are careful with that too. I try to get gluten free most of the time, and they have some selections! The shizen poke was good, I wanted more sauce. I think I needed something more but it’s because I have high standards for poke. 

Always ask the server for recommendations or if you have any questions about the menu items. They will recommend what is popular and what is their favorite as well.

Their tempura is crispy, light, and delicious paired with katsu sauce. I love this with a side of sticky sushi rice. Can I just say, their bean curd katsu is out of this world. Let me say WOW… I haven’t tried vegan katsu ever, except the time I tried at home but failed because I got the wrong tofu. Anyways, the texture and seasoning was just right. I recommend for you to try this!

Main Vegan Sushi San Francisco Shizen

The lily flower curry is your typical Japanese apple curry. Simplistic, reminiscent, and pleasing to the soul. It had the right amount of sweetness and flavor. I loved the combination of ingredients and it is a must try curry here. 

Their ramen… oof I love their ramen. Has the same flavor as typical broth ramen but VEGAN. No innocent animals had to be exploited to make this. Well made and excellent. All three were great, really depending on what kind of level of spice and richness you would prefer between the three. You can pick from:

• Shio – light & subtle
• Shoyu – earthy & intricate
• Spicy Miso Garlic – spicy & striking

Okay, you got to the part where I didn’t really like one thing I got. This is all based on my taste buds and opinion but I wasn’t a fan of their eggplant nigiri. It was also expensive which I understand because they use top ingredients to make this. It was definitely not for me. I will focus on ordering what I know I like. Ending with a better note, I liked the tomato nigiri, but I wouldn’t order it again. 

Rolls of Shizen SF Sushi

On to sushi:classic rolls are just your typical sushi rolls. The avocado roll, kappa maki, California roll, Philadelphia roll, spicy tofano rolls are for people who just want plain and simple sushi that they can also order from non-vegan sushi restaurants. This can be good for children and those who don’t like too many complex flavors.

Their sushi specialty rolls are exquisite. My favorite is the body and soul roll. It’s spicy, crunchy from the tempera coating, and flavorful with an additional filling on top. A huge bold sushi roll waiting to be eaten by you. I devour every single spec, so nothing is left behind.

Hidden agenda was my second favorite specialty roll. It has all of my favorites in one roll (tempera eggplant, bell pepper, carrot, zucchini, onion, garlic), a must try! Third tier Shizen SF specialty rolls have to be open invitation, candlestick (lights up with fire in indoor dining), secret weapon, second act. Can’t go wrong with these rolls but please order what you might like as well or have a backup friend or relative to eat it LOL. This is only my recommendation, but alter the rolls in any shape or form to accommodate to your satisfaction. Only you know what you like, I can only offer my own personal favorites. 🙂

Drinks

They used to have these two non-alcoholic drinks with 2 really good flavors. If I remember correctly, I got a lime lemon sparkling drink with sugar on the rim. My partner got a passionfruit ginger sparkling drink with spicy and sugar coating around the rim. These were two great drinks that were a delight. 

Desserts

The desserts vary everyday or week. The brownie and matcha ice cream is super good! I love their dessert!

First off everything that I included that are worth getting I was honest about. The items on the menu that I wasn’t pleased about was the Nigiri. The eggplant nigiri was the most upsetting one. It was cold, soggy, and flavor was a misrepresentative of what it should taste like. The tomato nigiri was okay but would not order it again. They were two pieces for $8.

I like my own take on it where you can find how to do it in my Hawaiian Vegan Poke Bowls recipe. I have my own recipe for a Vegan Eggplant “eel” Nigiri on my blog, definitely go check it out!

This is a place that you must go to try vegan or not. The type of food they artistically construct out of just plants is seemingly beautiful. You see all the hard work put into their food as it is something to admire. Food is supposed to bring good memories and clearly they have fulfilled many of mine. 

Every time I go to Shizen Vegan Sushi, I hear at least one comment about how the food was incredible from non-vegan folks. They may be seating right next to me or waiting in line with their friends and family. Some comments I heard from strangers, “WOW, this was great sushi, and it was vegan! Also our check is cheaper than i expected since there isn’t any real fish.”.

The amount of effort and dedication to create a foundation of culture & taste, was successfully executed by Shizen Vegan Sushi Bar and Izakaya. Food is something that can bring people together and I believe the mission of Shizen was touched by many. Mind you this is one, all Vegan Sushi Restaurant, that has an acquired taste. For being the only one in the bay area that focuses on composing traditional Japanese elements to their food is outstanding. Some may not like their take on what they bring to the table but this is a solid 4.5/5 in my books.

My rating for Shizen SF Vegan Sushi and Bar Izakaya: 4.5/5

A list of things to possibly order at Shizen Sushi:

• Gyoza
• Miso Soup (your typical miso soup)
• Tempera
• Bean Curd Katsu (must)
• Lily flower curry 
• Ramen all 3 (be careful with what spice level your stomach can tolerate)
• Body and Soul (favorite)
• Hidden Agenda
• Candlestick for the fire and presentation!

Thanks for reading <3

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