Shizen in a new restaurant in San Francisco that’s so nice we had to review it TWICE! Below we have two separate reviews of the deliciousness that’s blowing up the San Francisco vegan scene. Enjoy! And try not to drool all over your keyboard (impossible).
First, from fabulous reader Nicole K. Hall:
Shizen is the all-new, vegan, hipper than hip Japanese sushi restaurant and izakaya (Japenese Grill) in the Mission. They don’t take reservations, so expect to wait an hour on foot. I’ve been known to turn around as soon as I see a restaurant has even the smallest line, but seriously, Shizen was worth the wait.
When our name was called, my partner and I got to sit at the sushi counter, which was cramped but really delightful – you get to see the chefs at work, and the breadth of dishes that Shizen offers. They offer a menu full of Japanese cuisine, but we decided to just go with sushi, since it’s kind of what we came there for. Other people were ordering gorgeous ramen and small plates, which I’m dying to try next time.
We got three orders of nigiri: the avocado with smoked beet aioli, gobo (a pickled and shredded root), and inari with pickled carrot. Everything had a little twist to separate it from the norm. The inari were upsettingly good, but the gobo was the clear winner. So pickled and packed with flavor. The avocado was fine, but nothing special. The takeaway was, if you go to Shizen, try the unusual.
On top of that, we ordered three specialty rolls, because if you’re gonna wait an hour for dinner I mean why not. The rolls all have super cute names, and come out one at a time as the chefs finish them. Our first one, the Colonel’s Pipe, was transcendent. Their menu describes it as “smoked beets, cashews, cream cheese (all vegan), avocado, sweet mustard, and orange zest.” The beats are so smoky, and that flavor and texture mixes with the cashews and cream cheese to become this incredible tangy-yet-savory delight. There’s a lot to try on the menu, but I will get this whenever I come back.
We got the Open Invitation roll next, described as “pumpkin tempura, spiced burdock, crab meat (still vegan), and renkon chips.” As far as this roll goes, the veggie parts were amazing, but the “crab” felt like unnecessary filler.
Last, we ordered the Candlestick roll, which is a spectacle. They light the plate on fire, so the chef behind the counter handed us this flaming dish, but we were already crowded with our other plates and had to do this hurried dance to get this burning thing out of our hands and onto the table. Good times. The description said, “cucumber, spicy tofu, avocado, chili tobiko (made from seaweed), fire.” I didn’t expect the last part to be literal. The Candlestick roll was lovely, but a distant second to the Colonel’s pipe. Still, I especially enjoyed the seaweed tobiko, and the novelty of, y’know, flaming sushi makes it worth a try.
What really struck me about Shizen, for a hip restaurant in the Mission, is that the prices were really comparable to getting sushi at a good but not upscale joint. The small plates are priced at 3 for $15, and the specialty rolls are in the $10-12 range for a regular 8 pieces. It’s definitely a special dinner, but I didn’t feel cheated. Best part, us vegans can order anything on the menu. Even in San Francisco there aren’t enough restaurants like that, and judging by how packed it was (like, people waiting out the door), I hope that more entrepreneurs will consider opening up vegan places, or at least, adding a vegan menu here and there. If Shizen’s popularity is anything to go by, there is a demand!
And a second review from another wonderful reader Annie Laufman:
I wasn’t too thrilled when I checked out the menu at Shizen, an all-vegan Japanese restaurant that also happens to be one block from my apartment in the Mission. In my experience, vegan ramen and sushi are overpriced and not made with as much care as the meaty, eggy, fishy versions. But after walking by enough times, I decided it was time to give it a try.
My roommates and I walked over around 8:30 on a Thursday night. Both the bar area and the table seating were totally packed! While we waited, I contemplated the interior design. The unisex bathroom was clean and smelled good, and the mellow lighting, numerous plants, and wooden rafters almost made me forget that I was about to dine in a sterile office space, one of the many brand new, fairly unsightly complexes that has sprouted up in SF recently.
It also didn’t hurt that our server brought us cucumber water when we sat down (I LOVE cucumber water). My friends ordered large Sapporos, and I had a cup of gratis green tea because I am poor and boring. The menu was overwhelming to me but probably would be fine for a normal person, although it definitely could use a glossary (still not sure what “robata” is…). We chose a few different rolls and two kinds of ramen to share.
The asparagus nigiri with lemon aioli and the avocado nigiri with beet aioli (my non-vegan roommate’s favorite) tasted amazing and were easy to eat. The specialty rolls were great too – we got the Scarlet Smile, which has spicy Tofuna (?!), roasted red pepper, sweet potato tempura, avocado, and tobiko (fake roe made of algae), and the Hidden Agenda roll, with tempura eggplant, zucchini, bell pepper, carrot, and fried garlic. Very crunchy!
Shizen has three kinds of ramen, all made with fresh noodles and “secret ingredients and spices.” Even though I couldn’t always figure out exactly what I was eating, both the soy and spicy garlic miso were fantastic. The smoked bean curd tasted like bacon, the tempura mushroom was deliciously soggy, and the nori tasted great dunked in the flavorful broth. My only complaint would be that the house-made noodles were slightly tougher than I expected. But all in all, it was the best vegan ramen I’ve ever had! Even my non-vegan roommate liked it and she hates ramen.
Overall my experience at Shizen was very positive. Our meal was fantastic, very filling and not crazy expensive (but definitely not cheap either). I will definitely be back for more ramen and to try the other mysterious menu offerings!
