This place can suck my D if i have one!
The first time I was here with couple friends they stop serving cocktail drinks at 12am!
Then the second time I came with a bigger group of friends, the waitress (white chick with some blonde hair) was super rude!!! As she was taking our order, couple of my friends were still looking at the menu and was still deciding what to get, she pointed at them and was like what do you want? Like really?! how rude can you be to your customers? She took forever to come back with our drinks and never once come to check on us. Then we ordered again and she NEVER brought one of our drink and charged us for it! Like wth we're not drunk don't try to rip us off!
When our bill came she added 24% tips to our total! So we asked her why is gratitude 24% when gratitude for parties of 6 or more is usually only 18%! So she came back with our bills again, where she only took $3 off the tips. But still charged us more than 18% gratitude so this other guy came (think he's the manager), he was like this is our policy stated on the menu that we charge 20% for gratitude on the total amount with tax. He showed us the food menu, which they never gave us, they only gave us the cocktails menu. Even if so I never heard of calculating tips from the total amount, you calculate tips from the subtotal not the actual total that included tax!!! We tried to explain that to him but he talked to us like we're retarded "it is stated on the menu we have the 20% gratitude policy" dude even if so y'all tried to charge us 24% in the beginning until we complained!
You guys tried to charge us MORE than your supposedly 20% tip policy for some shitty ass service. How low can you get trying to rip off drunk people (and we weren't even drunk!), who are the ones GIVE YOU business?!!!!!
This place is only good for the large varieties of whiskey they have, other than that it is the shittiest bar I've ever been to. So if I were you I WOULD NEVER COME HERE EVER AGAIN!!!!
P.S. PEOPLE CHECK YOUR BILLS, THEY MIGHT TRY TO CHARGE YOU FOR DRINKS THEY NEVER BRING YOU AND CHARGE YOU MORE THAN THEIR SUPPOSEDLY 20% TIP POLICY!
Holy crap, Nihon has the most extensive whisky collection I've ever seen at a restaurant! Â Recently having come back from a whisky-centric tour in Scotland, I was even surprised it carried some of the more rare ones (like the all Islay Kilchoman).
As you'd expect, the wait staff are knowledgeable about their whiskys and pointed me out to a Japanese blend that I really enjoyed. Â Food wise, it was also very good, though not out of this world. Â The Uni spoon is a must for anybody who loves butter, while other fare such as tako yaki, pork belly skewers, and unique variations on sushi rolls kept me very happy.
I'd definitely come back for a dinner or even just a wee dram.
Will never in my life come to this whiskey lounge ever again. Terrible service and pricey drinks.
The waitress there with the short hair with one blonde streak and nose ring was talking to us with such an attitude. She was not doing her job, she was busy on her phone and chatting with her co-worker. We took a while to figure out what we wanted to drink, she was so impatient about it. She was pointing at people with her pen and asking "excuse me what do you want?" With such a condescending tone.
She forgets to bring one of our drinks and she still charged us on the bill. We told her we never received that drink and to take it off the bill, she wants to argue with us and insist she brought.
She also charged us almost 24% in tip. So we had to tell her to change it and she brought it back out only taking 3 dollars off. This lounge has a stupid "policy" that we never saw because it was on the food menu and not the bar menu. The policy is that they charge 20% tip for parties of 6 or more on the total amount added with tax. I thought that tips should be added to the subtotal. We talk to the manager and he was talking to us like we are stupid and we don't know math. They are just trying to take advantage of drunk people who don't look at the bill. This is not the case here, you cant fool us. Â Never have i ever heard of such a ridiculous and stupid tip policy. Even if that was the case, they still charged us more than 20% the first time when we notice that something was wrong with the tip amount. They are overcharging for tip for some shitty service. We are never going back here ever again. This lounge and their service can stay shitty.
In truth, I like the atmosphere. They clearly spent their time designing this place.
I also think their food is decent.
i like whiskey just fine.
I don't like my wallet being raped and tossed aside. Is it really their fault when I order everything my eyes can see?
No, it isn't. There concludes the tale of my paycheck.
Nihon Whiskey Lounge combines two of my all-time favorite things.
Japanese Food and Whiskey.
Although some of the dishes are not cheap, they are delicious. The best of the best is probably Uni on a Spoon. The buttery uni in combination with quail egg, tobiko, and ponzu sauce is orgasm in the mouth.
When I drink, I always like to snack with it. Their Tako wasabi is perfect. Not filling or fattening, this strong flavor is perfect as I sip down their wide selection of whiskeys that range from a variety of Scotches from the 4 main areas (Highlands, Lowlands, Speyside, Islay) to the highly acclaimed Japanese whiskeys.
They also offer a variety of whiskey cocktails for you fruitier drinkers.
The atmosphere here is perfect for men's bonding time as well as dates. Its dim and intimate. The only downsides is probably the neighborhood that the bar is located in as well as the fact that it's always hot in the bar. Please turn down the AC!
For you Americans that prefer rolls over real sushi or sashimi, there is a good selection of rolls that are diverse and flavorful.
Although you can make reservations, I've rarely had any issues in getting a table for 2 when walking in.
Very impressive with this hidden spot in the remote area in SF. It's remote for me because I never come to this side of the city. Thanks for Yelp, I found this spot where I can taste away the 300 kinds of whiskey they've got!
This was our second stop of the night. I went out with a few friends who are usuals at this spot. As we were driving here, I felt like I was getting kidnapped or we were getting lost. Luckily they got me here safely. This is a very chill and hipsterish place. It's definitely a hang out spot for me and my friends.They have a massive selection of over 300 kinds of whiskey in this place! AMAZING! I am a big fan of yamazaki. I ordered a yamazaki 18, a little under 40 dollars which is a bit pricey. It comes in a glass with this big piece of ice - legit! It was just so smooth, absolutely hit the spot for me! I speak like a true alcoholic! We ended up staying here for the rest of the night which was chill. Music was great, there was a DJ there playing soft edm loungey music that night.
Food - meh, I don't think it's that great but we also didn't have the intention to eat here. Maybe i will give it another try at HH next time! I don't like how low the tables were in the lounge (downstairs). It's just awkward to slouch and get your food. awkward awkward.
I never would have been happy about a canceled flight, but without having the extra day prior to returning home, we never would have been able to experience what I will to this day say was the best happy hour I've experienced. Â To begin, I love whiskey and sushi and when combined at a discounted price, you already have me one over. Â We arrived with the notion that cocktails were a must. Â The cocktail list was huge and was sectioned by liquor preference. Â Drinks with an asterisk were half off during happy hour and it seemed like half the items were accompanied by that pleasant asterisk. Â My two whiskey cocktails were both to my liking. Â The fact that their cocktail menu expands beyond just whiskey appealed greatly to my girlfriend who also enjoyed both of her drinks. Â
After seeing plates passing by and encouraged by the food menu that contained a well distribution of asterisks in itself, contemplation on venturing elsewhere for dinner was no more. Â All items with asterisks were also half off and we began ordering away. Â With how many items were listed at the happy hour price, we didn't even have to stray from the discounted items to get everything we wanted. Â From the typical staples in the cucumber salad, seaweed salad, and roll (can't remember) to the albacore tataki, 8 piece omakase of sashimi, sliced octopus, and a few other items, we had more than enough food to accompany and complement our stiff but delicious cocktails.
Having imbibed for the entire happy hour in what is a pretty cool establishment that holds a pretty appealing ambiance despite its exterior, we rolled out pleasantly stuffed and buzzed for an incredibly reasonable price. Â If I lived in San Francisco, I would make this my regular happy hour spot without a doubt.
What I love most about Nihon is the vibe. The wood and concrete interior, accented by the heavy red velvet drapes, give it an urban sexy atmosphere. (Okay I just made up the term "urban sexy". But if you've been there, you'll know whatI mean) The music is laid-back and downtempo, but not too loud, so you can still have a conversation.
The whisky selection is pretty extensive for both blends and single malts. This is also where I got to try Japanese whisky for the first time. On one of the nights we were there, a sales rep from one of the Glens (Glenfiddich? Glenlivet? I forget) poured us a few glasses of their newest product and stayed to discuss the finer points of scotch with us. Free scotch and a free lesson? Why thank you!
The best time to go is definitely happy hour. For a few hours a day, golden afternoon sunlight comes tumbling through the windows, bathing the place in a warm glow. And of course: the specials! The items on the happy hour list is pretty good, both food and cocktails are delicious. My favorite cocktail: the whisky sour. My favorite dish: Doctor Octopus. Eat, drink and be merry my friends.
It breaks me to say farewell to Nihon. Â
For the past six years,  every time a friend had asked me for the best bar in SF, it would have been it.  Solid Scotch and Whiskey selection. Intimate ambience and Lighting.  Service has never been great, but tolerable for me. I'm not there for service, despite the $$$  on each drink,  just to simply enjoy a warm spirits  and conversation with friends.
I'm writing this review because, I believe restaurant bar has got to place some value on customer service. So when the Waitstaff has become unapologetically in-your-face RUDE (at the best, unprofessional, at the worse, repugnant), it calls for intervention. And in this case, a one lone star review on yelp.
The whiskey selection is not only the biggest in SF, and also the largest single malt collection in the west coast. They have over 500 bottles, yes. And if you get one, you can store it in their private locker. Shwweeeet. So there is no place like it, and man this place is really cool, as soon as you get inside. The whiskey was great, had the lower end Japanese collection (because we also wanted to eat too and kinda on a budget) but  also the food. Food was solid, didn't blow you away but was definitely good enough to come back. Had the:
Oysters - Omakase and miyagi, which were great
Maki - Shonen Knife and 1974, both great.
Highly recommended, no other establishment in SF like this.
1st place that I visited in  in SF.They also tried to sell you by asking if you want bottled regular or sparkling water to start.  My friend caught that as a slick way to charge you for water. I guess I'm not used to that after all I'm from Cleveland. Otherwise the service was friendly and effecient. This place was packed for happy hour!
We were sat upstairs and not in the bar area so I did not get a chance to pimp the fish, or see what people were ordering. My fault to some degree.
 Very meh for what we had. Good cucumber salad. The world's smallest chicken wings, no shit, these were like the size of my thumb. Not really that good of a sauce, some kind of Asian sauce you can get at any Asian market.
Some of the fish like the blue fin was pretty crappy to be honest. Chewy and not fresh. The salmon was good But not any better than you can get any good grocery store.The oyster shooter was decent. The bill came to about 100$. Not worth 100$ for some small plates and a couple of drinks. Â I can see this being a good place meet after work as the women were pretty hot and the guys were probably what most women would consider attractive.
The whiskey selection was pretty bad ass but after traveling my ass off all day, I did not really  have it in me to start rocking the bourbon.
I can say for sure I knew was going to like this city and I really did. I am just bummed i did not find any spectacular seafood here!
2.5 stars
I surprised my boyfriend with some drinks at Nihon which I heard was perfection for whiskey lovers like him. I'm not for whiskey, so I ate some edamame and sipped on some champagne like the loving, supportive girlfriend I am! ;) really cool vibe; love the design elements. He was in heaven trying all sorts of old, rare whiskeys. So be a good girlfriend and surprise your man or treat yourself before heading out for some fun on the town.
Review Source:The service was horrible. Â The waitress was extremely rude and unaccommodating. Â I have a gluten allergy, yet am still able to eat at 97% of the Japanese restaurants I go to because they have Tamari options and can alter the dishes to cook with tamari instead of soy sauce. Â Not only did she indignantly say that they have no tamari, she rudely almost smirked that "sorry. Â The only thing you can eat on the menu is sashimi." Â I was appalled by the attitude more than anything.
Review Source:Their Whiskey selection is probably the biggest in SF. Â ONLY come here to try whiskey's you've never tasted before. Â Great to sample whiskeys before you buy a bottle of something high end.
The markup is tremendous and the pours are very light handed, so i think it is foolish to come here and spend a fortune on a whiskey that you drink weekly.
The interior is wonderful, fancy, while the prices keep this place intimate and not too crowded. Â Great spot for dressing up a little and sampling whiskey.
Also they have a great groupon that comes up every once in a while, so that will help you save money on a drink or two.
A lovely spot for whisky-lovers, whisky-haters and everyone in between. For whisky lovers, this lounge is dark and cozy with shelves and shelves of pure, hardcore, XXX whisky porn--dozens of pretty whisky bottles displayed in all their naked glory.
Whisky-haters can enjoy a delicious cocktail from a rather long, interesting list of choices. Bear in mind that pretty much all the cocktails contain some amount of whisky in them, but there are definitely those where the whisky quantity is so little, you don't taste it. I got the Green Man Tea, for example, and it was a gorgeous, sweet, fruity, girly, green creation with no hint of whisky.
Food-wise, there's lots of creative Japanese/Asian-fusion fare. Service is friendly and efficient, and the crowd is quite the good-looking bunch.
What brought us here was: (a) LivingSocial deal (b)4 star Yelp reviews (c) Whisky.
Walked over from 16th and Mission Bart station to this rather sketchy part of town. Probably want to avoid using Folsom since that street can get very grimy, smelly, needles, etc.
Once there, it feels much better inside as it has wood paneled walls, high ceilings above the bar and dining area on the level 2 that overlooks the bar. If you're making reservations, you can only eat upstairs and not get happy hour prices (from opening to 7pm).
Since we had the LivingSocial deal, we ordered away:
Mars Attacks: Fried baby octopus similar to calamari but has a sweeter taste. Tender and not rubbery. Good.
Niku Nasu Miso: Ground pork cooked in miso and sake and served with assorted veges. Combine the salty pork with the more bland veges and stuff into mouth for a good mix of flavors.
Pork Belly: Grilled pork belly on skewers. Pretty ordinary since the pork was not flavorful other than the smokiness from the grilling. Average.
Prawns wrapped in bacon: Can't go wrong with bacon right? Kinda. Nicely grilled but again, nothing earth shattering about the flavors. Average.
Hamachi Jalapeno: Slices of yellow tale, black fish roe served with salad and dressed with white truffle ponzu. The dressing is what makes this dish as it adds a new dimension to the flavor of the fish and veges. Highlight of the night.
Dessert was green tea cheesecake. A small slice but a good portion nonetheless. Earthiness of the green tea flavor comes through and cake is smooth. Good.
3 stars overall for food.
4 stars for large whisky selection. Prices are surprisingly reasonable too.
2 stars for sketchy location.
4 stars for nice interior.
Interesting factoid from their website. The lounge is actually owned by a Palestinian family.
So if you haven't noticed yet, I like drinking. Especially beer and whisky.
You may have also noticed that I eat Japanese food.
Now what happens if you add Japanese food, whisky, and me?
Probably me with tears of happiness and/or possibly destructive behavior as a result of way too much drinks.
Anyways, Nihon Whisky Lounge is an excellent whisky and tapas restaurant in the edge of Mission.
Great food and absolutely excellent book (read menu) of whiskies to choose from.
Service is great, with friendly (and pretty) staff that would be happy to make recommendations for a good night.
Downside? Great experiences come at a cost!
Whiskey/whisky is not PBR, and it will be pricey. Expect EASILY $10 for a pour (three fingers or so).
I was also a little bummed by a slightly limited selection of Japanese whiskies, but hey... I still got to try Akashi (which is EXCELLENT).
Great for a good occasion (like a birthday, date, or recovering from work on Tuesday), I recommend any whiskey/whisky lovers to go!
Make a reservation ;)
The service is disgusting.
Note that while you can store a purchased bottle of whiskey for 6-months they will shock you with a 20% corkage fee on top of the whiskey mark up and taxes. That means that your $420 bottle of whiskey turns out to cost you $600+.
The server ended up giving me the check apologizing for the charge but the server and subsequently the manager refused to reverse the charge.
The food is terrible. Expect the bar to squeeze every dime out of you.
I'd give it a 3 during off-peak times and a 1 or lower during amateur hours. This place is MISERABLE when it's crowded. It's like a sauna, hot and muggy with no ventilation, the music is way, way too loud, everyone is shouting at each other and it's still hard to understand what the person next to you is saying. I don't need to say what happens to the service when you've got people packed in like sardines and there are only one or two servers working the floor. Â As others have noted, the quality of the food seems to have taken a dive, but even if it were great I would only come back here when it's slow.
Review Source:If you are coming just to do whiskey tastings this place is great. If you want pretty good sushi and aren't the type to have special requests, this place is great. If you don't have any real dislikes/preferences when it comes to drinks or food, this place is great.
Unfortunately I fall out of those categories. As all the whiskey cocktails that I found interesting had lemon (citrus) in it I asked them to not use lemon and instead some cucumber (found in several other drinks) "our drinks are perfectly balanced we can not modify them." so I ordered something boring.
Ever since I realized that soy paper enables one to actually taste the fish and other ingredients in rolls without the nori overpowering it I order all my sushi rolls that way. "I'm sorry we don't have any soy or rice paper, all we have is nori."
They have grilled rice balls, they have spicy tuna, the two ingredients of my favorite dish: spicy tuna on crispy rice. "can you put some spicy tuna atop the rice balls?". "No, we can not. I can bring you a bowl of spicy tuna on the side and you can put it on yourself."
Also, keep in mind, the oysters are fully covered with tobiko. The menu doesn't mention that tobiko is on them, it really ruins the oysters.
I can't complain about the quality of the food, but for a place where the minimum bill is 50/head, where 90% of the servers are Americans, I would expect a "how can we serve you" or an accommodating environment instead of one so inflexible. I won't return, which is a shame, but there are other options out there.
Had reservations for a Friday night for 4. We were seated upstairs in the room where the bathroom is... it was a FURNACE in there! It might have been because I had walked there from my apt, but damn, there was no ventilation.
Started off with a peaty old fashioned and a rusty nail. Waitress is pretty knowledgeable about her whiskeys.
For dinner had..
Sashimi omasake - Great and fresh fishes, just wished the portions were a little bigger.
Uni Spoon - great combination of flavors, especially cause I'm not a fan of uni
Pork Belly - AMAZING!! Bacon on crack! Loved it
Ebi wrapped in bacon - Good, not the greatest
Crispy Rice Balls - Pretty good, a tid burnt
Oysters omakase - Pretty good. They put way too much tobiko though so you kind of lose the flavor of the oyster, but it was still decent
Eggplant assortment? - uh, didn't quite fancy this
Overall good. A little pricey. But a nice date place.
Okay, well... 5 Stars for the ridiculously amazing whiskey selection.
My experience here was probably closer to 3 stars, but that is mostly my fault for not making reservations. It was hard to make it to the bar and took a while to be served by the bartender. When I got my scotch, I asked for a drop of water and he gave me a large splash. He was nice enough to give me a new pour with a glass of water on the side, so no harm done.
It was a lot smaller than I had imagined and had nice lounge music playing in the background which made for a pretty intimate atmosphere. Lots of people were packed in around tables, so I'm sure that if I came again it'd be more enjoyable with reservations.
Not my first choice for a bar, but definitely felt like a good hangout/meetup spot for whiskey lovers like myself!
Service here is near perfect. The whisky selection is also near perfect. It's very rare to find Pappy Van Winkle. and similar types of whisky. I feel some of the whisky is way over priced but this is quite common at a bar. It's a great place to sample some whisky before you buy that rare expensive bottle. Bring your credity card. The atmosphere is cozy as well. I will be back
Review Source:Great scotch selection. Â The partial pours are a cheaper way to try different bottles than at most bars. Â (But IIRC it's still about 4 pours = the cost of the bottle.) Â There's often space on the couches so you can sit and talk while getting smashed. Â Â
Bartenders are good --- out of curiosity I've been gotten into the habit of  asking for non-sweet laphroiag cocktails to see what gets brought back and the result here has been the best at any bar.
Noisy. Â The waitresses can have a blank, I-don't-want-to-be-here affect.
Great whisky selection ( a bit overwhelming) and atmosphere, but the food wasn't very good. Some dishes were too salty, some too hot etc. I think you get the point, the food was uneven. Our waitress was very nice, and I would definitely come back for some whisky, and maybe a light snack.
Review Source:Nihon Whiskey Lounge is a small and intimate place that is dimly lit and has a great selection of drinks. Â
I've been here twice and so far, I like this place!
The second floor is only for diners, but the first floor is just as warm and cozy and you can order some food as well.
I am not a whiskey drinker and not too familiar with all the varieties, but I liked some of their original cocktails.
I only had a few of their appetizers that included dishes of raw fish there, but they were delicious and complimented my drinks well.
Good for a small group and a date.
A relatively easy parking is a plus!
Big rolls. Small whiskeys. Nice ambiance; when it's not crowded of course. Â It gets too crowded and annoying on popular hours. Â The mixed cocktails are also nice. Â
Cool people working there too. Perhaps if I knew french, I would have had warmer conversations with the waitress with the french accent. Not as it stands right now..
p.s. didn't use the yelp deal. It was too crowded and not worth it. Used it afterwards for full price.
The only thing you should be doing at this place is having whisky, as the name suggests. Â They have a selection that is one of the best in the city.
My husband and I stopped by before dinner for a drink, the service was slow and inattentive. Â I asked for a recommendation of a whisky cocktail with a bit of citrus in it to cut the taste. Â What I got looked muddy, it had whisky, grapefruit juice and honey. Â I could not taste the whisky at all and the drink looked like a Mimosa. Â When the waitress came by I said the drink was sweet and I couldn't taste the whisky. Â She said she was sorry but didn't offer to get me another drink. Â
We also ordered the maguro sashimi. Â What arrived was previously frozen fish that should never be called sashimi or served to customers.
At the end of this pre-dinner drinks we spent $50 on bad drinks and fish. Â The only thing that was good was my husband's whisky, but then again how can you fuck that up.
This place is super cool! Come here if you wanna feel like a hipster. It's small and cozy and has a cool atmosphere to it. Also if you come around 5-7 for happy hour, it's actually pretty cheap! The spider roll, which I got for $8, was really fresh and yummy. The jalapeno adds a nice kick to it. I also got the sliced octopus and it was delicious!! The salmon belly wasn't that good. It was too salty.
Even though its a whisky lounge, they have a huge selection of drinks. I really liked the champagne drinks!
The tables here are small and the lighting is romantic so it's a great place to go to for a date!
The food was great, as was the service, but I was expecting something very different. Â I went there on a Saturday night and it felt like I was in the middle of the NYSE - I couldn't even hear the music over the sound of everyone yelling.
I'm a lifelong scotch drinker, so I was NOT impressed by the selection. Â Their '400 types of single malts' schtick is completely untrue. Â First, the number is completely false (there weren't anywhere near 400 options on the menu), and second, they count each year as a 'type'. Â So if you like a particular distillery, you can get a variety of years, but if you're expecting to find scotches by makers you've never heard of before, you'll be sorely disappointed. Â Your standard assortments of singles and doubles, Islay's, etc., and a few bottles from Australia and India that you can honestly find at any airport Duty Free shop. Â
What irked me is the almost 300% markup per bottle, even higher for pours. Â Why on earth would I pay $240 for a bottle of 10 year when I could get the same for $75 at the liquor store across the street from my office?
Admittedly, this is more a case of having the wrong set of expectations - I was hoping to find a place that I could sample some truly interesting scotches, maybe light up a nice cigar on an outdoor balcony, and relax over a great conversation with some friends. Â Nihon seems like a good place to have a birthday party, just not a good place to chill out.
Quality alcohol and I go together like peas and carrots, peanut butter and jelly, the sun and the moon. I do not drink a lot, but I do enjoy a cocktail. I have a gifted palate, so quality in my universe happens pretty often. Nihon Whisky Lounge is one of the places any drinker can easily find something to love.
I've been here many times. The last time was for a group get together Peter L organized.
CHEERS:
The stunning variety of Whiskey/Whisky offerings. There is something for everyone here!
I love how deep The Macallan offerings go. 21 year is my personal favorite unless I am in the mood for St. George or Johnnie Walker Blue. The Macallan goes up to 34 year I think.
You can purchase a bottle and sit comfortably in the private room area enjoying every drop. If you cannot finish it, they can store it for you.
My favorite bites here are the Kumamoto Oysters and Chicken wings.
Happy Hour here is worth gathering your friends to save some $$$ because a visit here isn't going to be cheap if you have a penchant for the quality brown stuff.
The service is attentive and friendly by really pretty ladies!
JEERS:
Seating upstairs can be very tight.
They cannot accomodate a group larger than 6, even with a reservation
The sushi is not worth the calories or the money - skip it.
In closing: Nihon really is one of those special places that you mention to your friends and they give that all knowing look. No one leaves here the same. We all love this place for various reasons.
This is a SF gem. Yes, I said it.
Get smarter. Learn the difference between Whiskey and Whisky: <a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FWhisky&s=c9ab41403b298a25f4080e4e486011999048d2b05259ac9b270d4705ad00aa05" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://en.wikipedia.org/…</a>