SFReview
photo credit: Albert Law
Robin
Included In
It takes trust to fully enjoy yourself while eating omakase. Not to state the obvious, but your entire meal is in the chef’s hands—you never know exactly what you’re signing up for, like when you try a new workout class or buy the latest frozen entrée from Trader Joe’s. Those concerns don’t exist at Robin. The excellent, casual sushi spot in Hayes Valley, makes omakase all feel easy.
This place brings a level of casual unpretentiousness to very upscale sushi and Japanese small plates. Sure, there’s some social media pandering going on with the neon logo on the wall, a bathroom floor made entirely of pennies, and nigiri made with potato chips and caviar. But it works, because everything at this bright and energetic place looks and feels pretty cool.
photo credit: Krescent Carasso
Attractive as the space is, though, you’re at Robin for the very delicious food, and omakase that ranges from $109 to $209. What sets Robin apart is you can tell your server exactly how much you want to spend within this range, and they’ll customize the number of courses. Wherever you land, you’ll probably get nigiri (both traditional and very much not) from the lean and fatty sections of the menu, some beef tartare, sesame noodles, a soup, and the previously mentioned caviar-potato chip-rice bite. It’s a lot of things, almost all of them stellar, and absolutely worth the price of admission.
Robin’s light, low-key corner space makes for an excellent meal whether you’re sitting at the sushi bar or at one of the tables with retro airport lounge-looking seats. It’s a perfect date spot for special occasions, or a small group dinner. And no matter how much you choose to spend on a dinner here, just know that you’ll be in extremely good hands.
Food Rundown
photo credit: Krescent Carasso
Tuna
Salmon With Truffle
photo credit: Krescent Carasso
Sesame Noodles
photo credit: Krescent Carasso