Shizen, San Francisco

Reviewer: Foodnut.com Shizen 370 14th St San Francisco, CA 94103 415-678-5767

Must goto for SF vegans/vegetarians! Plant based cuisine satisfying even Carnivores.

Why did we dine here? – Shizen Vegan Sushi Bar & Izakaya has remarkable 4.5 stars on Yelp. With the plant based revolution booming, we just had to try this spot. We’ve returned a couple times..  Must go for vegans and vegetarians. They started offering takeout during the pandemic.

Our last visit was in Early 2026. . Service has slipped with almost a rush you in and out attitude. You need to reserve a week in advance to the day on Yelp reservation.

They are the sister restaurant to Tane Vegan Izakaya with locations in Palo Alto, Berkeley, and Honolulu. We still like this better than Tane Palo Alto.

Shizen was created as an experiment in ocean conservation through responsible dining. They’ve been doing this for a while and have drawn folks in consistently.

Insider Tip – Reserve in advance.

Cuisine – Japanese, Vegan
Location – San Francisco Mission District
Opened – 2015

Service – Shizen had far better service than we could envision. The restaurant is small and hectic. No linger time! Nice menu recommendations and the food came fast.
Verdict – Shizen blew us away. We did not expect much, but were surprised how good the food was, even for omnivores. A must visit spot for Vegans and Vegetarians. Nearby Cha-Ya is a little more traditional Japanese, with a shorter menu.

Is this restaurant worth a 5 minute drive? Yes. 30 minute? Yes. 1 Hour? Maybe.

Shizen Signature Dishes – Open Invitation, Surprise Ending

Shizen’s Menu is very large. Many options from appetizers to ramen to sushi rolls and more.

Website Shizen Menu

Shizen Food Picks:

Shizen Margarita ($10) uses soju that is not as potent, but still made for a well balanced drink. 8/10

Secret Sake ($12) is a piping hot cocktail. 8/10

Kin-San-Gria ($12) is slightly fruity and also good. Hidden potency. 8/10

Shizen Lemonade ($7) was a NA beverage that was fine, nothing special. 7.5/10

Beet Salad ($11) gluten free – mixed greens, arugula, roasted golden & red beets, roasted cauliflower, sliced orange, toasted pumpkin seeds, citrus ginger dressing is good but with the other stuff on the menu.. You would normally get stuck with this at a traditional spot. 7.5/10

Spicy Miso Garlic Ramen ($15) comes with bean curd chashu, bamboo shoots, tempura mushroom, grilled mushrooms, nori, and green onion. Wow, this dish has hearty broth, tender noodles, and chashu that blew our mind. Very filling, so order with care, there are so many other delights. 9/10

Spicy cold ramen salad ($11) was served during the Pandemic. Next best thing to real ramen. 8.5/10

Green Mango Nigiri ($10) was recommended by the server and hit the spot. Nice blend of sweet and tangy. 9/10

Colonel’s Pipe ($19) smoked beets, cashews, creamy tofu, asparagus, avocado, sweet mustard, orange zest. Sweet, messy, but worth it. Each piece has a different taste. 9/10

Hidden Agenda ($14) tempura eggplant, bell peppers, zucchini, carrot, yellow onion, garlic aioli, sweet soy sauce has an also crab like texture. Wow. 9/10

Open Invitation ($15) pumpkin tempura, spiced burdock, shredded tofu, tapioca, avocado crema, renkon chips is one of this popular rolls. A nice blend of textures and flavors. 9/10

Proud Peacock ($19) cucumber, avocado, shiitake, eggplant, tofu, pickled mango, roasted peppers, seaweed pearls tasted almost like California roll. Another good one. 8.5/10

Candelstick ($17) spicy tofu, avocado, cucumber, seaweed pearls, shichimi togarashi, fire is always a spectacle. Slightly spicy, fun and well balanced. 8.5/10

Missing Piece ($17) Marinated shiitake and tempura asparagus topped with ginger shoyu tomato, pickled mango, sweet shoyu, garlic aioli, shichimi togarashi is made gluten free without the tempura. 8.5/10

Secret Weapon ($18) marinated eryngii mushroom, avocado, spicy shredded tofu, pickled jalapeño, pickled pineapple, sweet shoyu, habanero sauce is for spicy food lovers. We had it on the side. Top sauce is too creamy. 7.5/10

Surprise Ending ($18) has one piece containing a lots of spicy elements.  A fun game of finding the one.  You then get to drink a shot in the middle. 8.5/10

Brussel Sprouts ($12) are fried and come on a hot skillet.  Very similar to other spots. 7.5/10

Karage ($7) is similar to the real thing, but more textured. 7/10

Mushroom Yakimono ($13) had several varieties – eryngii, shiitake, enoki mushrooms, tare and hit the mark. Each with a different sauce. Bigger than expected. 8.5/10

Asparagus Yakimono ($10) is a bit on the spicy side due to the sauce. Otherwise it is grilled fine. 8/10

Avocado Nigiri ($9) was great finger food. Very fresh, quick slurp. 9/10

Shiitake Nigiri ($9) was also a nice simple veggie dish with 2 large mushrooms. 9/10

Tempura ($14) was also a large portion with carrot, eggplant, asparagus. Eggless tempura batter! 10/10

Mochi Donuts ($13) were the only dessert. A lot better than past versions. Almost like a Chinese Sesame ball a la mode. 8.5/10

croquettes ($9) sweet potato, onions, carrots, celery had 5 perfect deep fried nuggets. Crunchy on the outside and soft inside. 9.5/10 – Summer 2021 this dish was removed from the menu.

OK: (Order if you like this dish)

The Green Roll ($8) spinach, avocado, asparagus, cucumber, okra is very stiff and harder to eat. 6.5/10

Sweet potato roll ($10) is fair at best. 6.5/10

Garlic Edamame ($6) is ok, other items are more special. 6.5/10

Lily Flower Curry ($10) has strong medicinal curry flavor. 7/10

Pans: (We would not reorder these dishes)
Kale Kimpira ($7) was too salty. 3/10

Tane Vegan Izakaya Palo Alto Review

Even the interior looks like Shizen. Similar menu but some different names on the rolls.  Service was solid, but we still like Shizen better.

Pineapple Li Hing Soa ($6) had odd flavors. 5/10

Miso Soup ($5) was fine, nothing special. 7/10

Mushroom & Potatoes ($16) is flambe’d at the table. A nice combination of the two with some pieces looking like the other. 8/10

Tempura ($14) Seasonal vegetables in traditional Japanese style batter was gluten free here.  Well done and good quantity. 8.5/10

Point Reyes roll ($19) Marinated eryngii mushroom, avocado, spicy shredded tofu, pickled jalapeno, pickled pineapple, sweet shoyu, habanero sauce had quite a kick. Sweet/savor flavors. 8.5/10

Yakimono Asparagus ($12) had 2 skwers with fairly blank asparagus. 7/10

Cheesecake dessert ($15) was the special that evening. Good sized and reasonable flavors. 8/10

 

Do you agree with our review? Have you found other similar restaurants that are better?

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