Shizen, San Francisco

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

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. The Yelp waitlist opens at 5:30, we instantly made a reservation and still had to wait 90 minutes.

Shizen was created as an experiment in ocean conservation through responsible dining. They’ve been doing this for a while and have massive lines even on a Monday pre-Pandemic. We liked it enough to return for takeout, during the Pandemic. No lines for take out!

Insider Tip – Get in line at 4:30 before they open. Use Yelp App waitlist.

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

Service – Shizen had far better service than we could envision. The restauarant is small and hectic. 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. Next time we will give Cha-Ya a try.

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

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

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

croquettes ($9) sweet potato, onions, carrots, celery had 5 perfect deep fried nuggets. Crunchy on the outside and soft inside. 9.5/10

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. 9.5/10

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

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 ($15) cucumber, avocado, shiitake, eggplant, tofu, pickled mango, roasted peppers, seaweed pearls tasted almost like california roll. Another good one. 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

Secret Weapon ($15) marinated eryngii mushroom, avocado, spicy shredded tofu, pickled jalapeño, pickled pineapple, sweet shoyu, habanero sauce is for spicy food lovers. 9/10

Colonel’s Pipe ($14) smoked beets, cashews, creamy tofu, asparagus, avocado, sweet mustard, orange zest. Sweet, messy, but worth it. 9/10

Mushroom Yakimono ($8) had several varieties and hit the mark. Bigger than expected.

Tempura ($9) was also a large portion. Eggless tempura batter!

Mochi Donuts ($9) were the weakest dish of the night, but still decent. 2 dipping sauces. 8/10

OK: (Order if you like this dish)
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

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