Onsen Bath & Restaurant in San Francisco

I am 7ft tall and this little place is a God seits. This little place is always super clean, fresh smelling and the staff is awesome and super cool.. its not your sleazy bathhouse like the ones on van ness used to be.. space is limited as the tubs only hold 6-8 people.. best time is at night. They have absolutely beautiful and delicious food..update.. unfortunately the building is up for sale and the pandemic destroyed another wonderful hidden gem. We will miss you

SO booked a relaxing evening at Onsen because he knew I liked bathhouses. This one was interesting because it was in the back of the Onsen restaurant, so you walk through the seating area and go to the back counter to check in. Check in was simple and easy, reservations are done online and you must have a reservation. The last reservation is at 8:30p.For $40, it was pretty good deal to just go relax for 1.5. The prices of services are online and vary depending on the service.Certain times are for unisex use and only certain times are for females only or males only. I appreciated being able to go into the bathhouse with the SO. The locker room was clean and really nice, it was easy to use the lockers and I appreciated not having to keep up with a key. You set a code on the lockers. There was some toiletries available in the bathroom and a towel, robe and hand towel were provided in your locker.Inside the actual bathhouse was really nice and relaxing but more small and intimate than what I have experienced. I thought it would be less people in our time slot since it was smaller but there were about 5 or 6 other couples there with us. At first it was pretty quiet, then a couple came in and started talking loudly which set off a chain reaction. It was a little hard to relax with several conversations going on at once.The bathhouse has showers, a steam room, a sauna, a warm pool and 2 areas with cold water and tea.The staff were constantly in the bathhouse making sure the floors were swept of excessive water and making sure water and tea was refilled. The bathhouse was extremely clean and I felt comfortable even with the amount of people there at the time.

2nd trip to Onsen and even better than the first! Excellent food! Crab and steamed egg mushroom soufflé-type dish was phenomenal!! Lamb skewer incredibly succulent. Great atmosphere and service. Highly recommend this place. Neighborhood not great, Id advise to take an Uber to and from the front door at night.

Ridiculously expensive restaurant. The food is good but far from exceptional and incredibly pricey, and you dont even get to be full for that price.The skewers are 15$ and you got two little pieces of steak. Very pretentious.

The unexpected highlight of our vacation. Im a tough critic but this place deserves 5 stars and more. We followed the websites recommendation and booked our bath for 2 hours before dinner. We arrived 15 minutes late AND had made the dinner reservation for the wrong day, yet staff was very accommodating and helpful and sorted us out. The bathhouse was beyond relaxing, beyond luxurious, and beyond worth the $38 it cost to get in. I wish I could visit every day: if youre on the fence- do it!The restaurant was just as incredible. The sashimi was the best my partner and I had ever had, and the rest of the dishes were unique and tasty. Definitey dont expect to order just 1 plate; youll have to order at least 3-4 to fill yourself up, so it is deceptively expensive if you just glance at the menu. That being said, its more than worth the price.Last note- the homemade kombucha is amazing! Best Ive ever tasted.

This review is for the bathhouse, not the restaurant (which is probably great)."Onsen" is a rather inappropriate description of this bathhouse. This place is a "pool party". People completely ignore the greeters request, and multiple signs, to speak softly. As a result folks yap and laugh continuously, completely ruining the experience, not least because the acoustics of the smallish space are not forgiving. If youve been to a restaurant where you have trouble hearing what your fellow patrons are saying, this is close to that. To top it off, my wife spoke to the attendants in the hope they would announce another request for soft speaking, but they simply said theyd have to talk to their manager and ended up doing nothing.If youre looking merely for a hot bath and sauna, this place might be for you. But dont expect to relax in a peaceful atmosphere here.

The facility is nice, but small. 12 people chatted around a 5*5 feet hot pool, slammed the doors coming in and out of the sauna and steam room. It was loud and cramped. The employees didnt do anything to remind the guests to speak quietly. It is a nice hot tab, but not an onsen experience.

Bath: Beautiful facility, very clean and artistically designed. The steam room is intense (in a good way)! I was disappointed by a few things though. The bath is in need of a cold pool; I would much rather dunk in a cold pool instead of take a cold shower. There are only three chairs to sit and relax on, this is hardly enough! Noise: the clientele chat it up and it is fine to socialize, at a whisper. Every Onsen Ive been to has been very peaceful and quiet and if noise increases, the service will remind clients to moderate the noise with a polite shush or a bell. The service staff were great at keeping the space clean but did nothing to moderate noise, which was disappointing.Restaurant: Fantastic! Every dish was artful, and delicious. The wait staff was extremely attentive, friendly, and full of wonderful suggestions. The space is well designed with lots of eye candy to enjoy, it definitely felt Japanese. We agreed that the restaurant was worth a second visit for the food alone.

Perfect place to relax. The environment is gorgeous, a small Japanese gem in the hearth or San Francisco. The staff is kind and they provide you everything (from swimsuit to hot tea). I rate It 4 and not 5 only because its all indoor instead of outdoor like a real onsen and because the staff should be even more severe if people talk to loud. The restaurant looked very good but we didnt have time to try it

The bath here is amazing. One rate place that encouraged me to hold still long enough to breathe deeply. Alternating the 118 degree steam or dry sauna with cold plunge or pool was perfect. Hot tea to pair is delightful.The food for dinner is unique, and tasty. I recommend the mushroom dumplings, but be prepared to wait for them. The sake selection is impressive, something like 20+.

too expansive !! ,the dishes was very small , we came out of there hungry

This is the most relaxed I have been in years! Im on my feet for 8-10 hours per day and after an evening here my daily pain was down to almost nothing. The food is EXCELLENT as well. The dishes are creative and unique as well as delicious. I wanted to lick my plate after eating the smoked trout with crispy rice. I highly recommend an afternoon or evening here.

This is a lovely little bath house. Beautifully decorated. We booked an 11am appointment for 3 people. In total there were about 9 people using the facilities during our reservation. Extremely clean and well maintained. Towels, robes and slippers are provided along with free water and tea. The best part is the giant skylights! I hate going to bath houses and feeling like im in a basement. The area is not the best, but once you enter the doors you are in a lovely oasis. Highly recommend. Would love to book another appointment later in the day and try the food after.

Nice little place that we stumbled upon. Every dish we had was delicious and reasonable. I especially love the lamb skewers. Some of the best in the Bay. The okonomiyaki is also an interesting take on that dish that I havent tasted before. Definitely worth a visit. Reservation is a must.

Beautiful, clean, relaxing! This was an Oasis in the middle of a busy Wednesday afternoon. Very simple baths with hot tub, dry sauna, and steam sauna. The decor is gorgeous and the bathroom toilet has heating features, bidet, and a host of other features that only adds to the overall experience.We went during the Mens Only time 3:30-530 on a Wednesday and there were only 5 people in total. It really only holds 12 so if youre in the mood for a respite from your day definitely stop by and have a soak or sit in the sauna.

Really nice design and facilities, but my experienced was somewhat ruined by my fellow patrons. They were overly talkative, making loud noises, dunking themselves in and out of the water... total vibe killer. I think the staff could solve this by simply reminding guests the rules of the road.

Absolutely beautiful bathhouse. Unfortunately its not in the best part of the city so if your out of town I suggest using Uber or Lyft to get here. It is well worth the cost of the ride. They have a steam room, sauna, warm pool and even a Japanese Toto toilet in the restroom.

Wow the service here was absolutely fantastic. Friendly, excellent suggestions, and truly a wonderful evening.My favorite was the butter popcorn desert and the tea was tasty and had a beautiful presentation. A lovely evening.

The food was great. Sad that you need a bouncer at the door but the area is shady at best.I loved everything except maybe for the egg custard. It wasnt very savory. The trout sashimi was so good. I love ponzu. The steak was really good. Cooked to perfection. The Ramen was the surprise for me. The broth was spicy and the quail eggs were perfectly boiled. The quail pieces were grilled. The dish is for two people.

They make magic in a tiny space. Fish dishes and dumplings have been consistently delicious. Try the cake.

I enjoyed the evening. The Onsen experience was fun. The food was decent. I liked the mushroom dumplings a lot. I wish the rest of the menu had been as good.

Had a great visit. The soak and then dinner was a great combo. Everyone was one a couples date except for me but that was OK. The food was delicious. Located in the middle of the Tenderloin there are definite stark contrasts between the look and feel inside the Onsen and the surrounding neighborhood. Relaxing experience.

There is only one place better to eat than ONSEN Bath & Restaurant... that my fiend is Japan itself. This scrumptious sanctuary is a perfect realization of art, peace and nurturing. A “Zen Yakatori” if you will. I can only scratch the surface in the quality of food, preparation and plating. THIS IS THE REAL DEAL FOOD FOR LIFE.

Beautiful place and lovely, timely service. Had a really great time in the bath for my bachelorette.

The wait staff will clean your table before youre anywhere near ready to leave; raking things off the table above your lap. Also, our waitress came over at point and was chewing a mouthful of food. The food was great; the experience, not so much.

While not a truly traditional Japanese onsen, this lovely bathhouse & restaurant spot offers a beautiful hot tub space and delicious Japanese-inspired cuisine. I agree with other assessments that the hot tub space is not a quiet meditative space, and is a rather more social spot. But that doesnt mean its a negative experience; all the guests were respectful and relatively quiet. At first the hot tub seemed a bit crowded, but at the end that didnt seem to matter, as people moved around the space and didnt crowd out the hot tub for too long. While the food is delicious, one thing missing is simple steamed white or brown rice, to neutralize the palate between what are many different strong and flavorful dishes. I recommend hot tub first, dinner later. Oh, and definitely try the dessert.

Come for the bathhouse, stay for the delicious Japanese food. Unique place in SF (and Tenderlointo unwind, relax, and have a solid meal.Ask for counter seats if you want to see the magic that goes on in the kitchen and grill.

I’ve been now 3 times, and I wouldn’t recommend going for relaxation. It’s really a hangout spot. People come in and the “please speak quietly” rule is not enforced at all. The first time I went with my partner, a group of 6 women came in and were SO loud you’d think we were at a concert or something. The second time I went alone at night during the week and again with my partner and it’s clear it’s just not a place to go to unwind and distress it’s like a little party room with a beautiful tub and sauna etc. the facilities are amazing don’t get me wrong on that but they allow too many people in there at once, the pool gets too crowded and the steam room gets to crowded and so on. Maybe 6-9 people per session only would be better? Or better yet, I’ll find a quieter place.

Beautiful restaurant with simple, delicious dishes! Tisanes were really soothing too.

Ive been interested in going to Onsen for the bathhouse experience for awhile now. My girlfriend spontaneously wanted to go so we made it happen. The batthouse is an oasis in the middle of the Tenderloin. It was serene, beautiful and relaxing. I thought $35 dollars was very fair for 1:45 hours. Afterwards we ate at the restaurant. The food was exceptional.Lamb skewers were the the best lamb Ive ever had. I truly appreciated the large sake by the glass menu with large pours and fair prices as well. I highly recommend coming here on a date or just to unwind after a busy work day.

I had been waiting forever to eat here and boy was it worth it. Its a small plates restaurant so for two of us the recommended we order around 7 plates. 7 plates was probably two many for us and could have survived on 5.However, each plate was amazing and unique and different than the last. Their menu changes seasonally so youll have something new to try every few months. Their sake flights are also great.The ambiance inside is wonderful. We didnt get to the bath house but want to try the full experience next time.

Onsen is restaurant, bathhouse, and hidden gem in the Tenderloin. I recommend booking a soak followed by dinner. The onsen itself is rather small, but extremely clean and well decorated. There is a sauna, steam room, soaking tub, cold shower, and regular showers. After your soak enjoy izakaya still food in the tiny restaurant. The dishes are creative and the sake menu is small but extremely good quality.

This place is amazing!!! What a gem! I have never been to a bath house before and after this I’m addicted. The food was incredible and I loved the cocktails. Service was wonderful as well! Definitely going back a bunch.

Food is great and interesting, portions are small and youll need to order 4-5 dishes for a good meal. Service is OK, but not very pleasant and welcoming, no sitting with back support. Good experience overall. Didnt visit the bath.

I went for both a soak and dinner and enjoyed both! The bath house was a little more crowded than I expected but all of the amenities were lovely. They definitely had the most steamiest steam room I have ever been in. Dinner was fantastic and I highly recommend getting all of the small plates to share with your table. The portions are big enough to share with 3-4 people if you a few.

Ive been to both the bathhouse and restaurant. The bathhouse is small, but nice. Locker rooms are very cramped, but the sauna, steam room and bath itself didnt feel overly crowded. Definitely make a reservation in advance.I love the ambiance of the restaurant. Service was great. The food was a bit pricey for the portions, but tasty. The lamb skewers and gyoza were amazing. The Brussels, steak skewers, and soba noodles were good but didnt stand out.

This restaurant / Japanese bathhouse isnt in the greatest area and the restaurant is a little cramped. However, the food is excellent, quite unique, and the menu changes regularly. Some favorites included the uni custard, sunchoke gyoza, smelt skewers, and mushroom dumplings.

Didnt go to the restaurant but went to the spa in the back. It is a must visit place in SF. So relaxing and bougie but in a great way. For the experience you get, I think its worth it to go, but I would go on a Saturday morning when its only $20

Onsen may have been the best part of my trip to San Francisco. Its has a menu of Japanese-inspired small plates that are absolutely delicious. But of course, Onsen is not just a restaurant. Its a fully functional Japanese onsen (bathhousecomplete with dry sauna, steam room, hot tub, and cold plunge. The whole experience is really cool and I definitely recommend it.

Love the decor, very trendy, but the ambiance isnt quite right for an Onsen. Its pretty loud (people are allowed to chat and they really doand theres not enough seating to be comfy. However - the fact that you can talk makes it good for groups if you want to make a day of it!

It’s hard to find😵😵😵environment is awesome, food is honest to the price. I personally like small dishes:)

This review is for the spa only. Great clean space. There are only three amenities: plunge pool, wet steam, and dry sauna. All very well executed. Please dont compare it to a Burke Spa or any resort spa. Its a very traditional Japanese bath house.

The food was great but a bit pricy. The bath experience was wonderful. It really is a great deal for around $35 for almost 2 hours in the bath/sauna/steam room/showers. Lovely environment, but wish theyd crack down on the noise. Two women would not shut up.

Awesome co-ed bath with a soaking tub, steam room, and dry sauna. Great natural light and plants on the brick wall gives it a nice vibe.

This is a rating for the bath house. It was lovely. Very relaxing and clean. The main bath was a good temperature and the steam room/sauna were relaxing. It was a bit on the smaller side, but I think they limit reservations, so it didnt feel crowded. We would definitely return.

This is for both the Onsen experience and for the dinner thereOnsen itself is on the small side but big enough to accommodate 8-10 people without feeling too cramped. I found the steam room a bit too hot for my liking, but the hot tub was enjoyable after a long day of walking. I would say at least try it once.As for the restaurant, portions are definitely on the smaller size especially in regards to the skewers. The udon with duck leg confit was very enjoyable and big enough to share. I especially enjoy the internet beers that are available at the restaurant.Overall, I found the price to be a few dollars too much for the actual amount of food received, but nevertheless I dont regret dining there

Beautiful, recently-opened space tucked in the back of this restaurant. The combination of hot pool, steam room, Himalayan salt sauna and cold shower make for an extremely relaxing 2-hour experience. Will come back every time I visit SF.

Amazing place to relax and nourish your soul. Hip interior design with a modern Japanese aesthetic, the food here features local ingredients so while it feels Japanese it has a very California soul. Love it. The baths are also wonderfully new and clean. As a spa and hot springs nut, this is one I cant wait to come back to over and over.

Really great concept + beautifully designed. The baths are a little pricy considering you dont get all the amenities of a full spa. Essentially there is a hot tub (couldnt turn on the jets), a stream room + a sauna. Steam room is small holds maybe four people comfortably. Even then two people need to sit close to where the steam comes out (which they warn you not to do). The spa is small the bathroom is in the spa area with three showers. Essentially it gets very wet in that area so its hard to get dressed and then get ready like doing your hair and makeup.Now the restaurant I they have a small focused menu and we pretty much ordered everything. We had a reservation and there is one table in the middle of the room and 3 small tables on one wall and a larger table closer to the door . There is also a counter that sits about 8 people and another counter on the other wall that sits about 3 . After we came out of the spa for our reservation there were two tables against the wall available and one table in the middle of the room . When they set us they sat us in the middle of the room and when I asked for one of the side tables they told me it was reserved . I also had a reservation so was a little frustrated especially when I sat there for 30 minutes looking at the two Empty Tables . Two of the couples we saw in the spa came out and got those two tables . To be fair my husband had requested the counter originally it was full the entire time we were in the restaurant. This was frustrating because they obviously reserved the tables for those two couples but didnt save us two spots at the counter. skewers are the best things on the menu the egg custard is also good but everything else misses the mark. For example the udon is described as having a jidori egg brussel sprouts and furikake. If you look at the picture you cant see any egg or furikake. They said the egg was mixed in with the Miso sauce I didnt see or taste any miso sauce. The udon was mushy and rendered the entire dish flavorless. I also ordered the mushroom dumplings for an entree portion I expected at least four or five dumplings we got 3. The broth was flavorful so I mixed the udon with the broth from the mushroom dumplings and only then was it flavorful. Service is a little inexperienced I ordered one of their teas and it came in a tiny pot which was cute but only filled my tiny teacup once and then I needed to get more hot water they only filled it 3 times before they forgot to bring it back again. This appeared to be a problem for other tables as I overheard another table ask for a large pot of water to refill their pot themselves. The matcha green tea soft serve was delicious. You can taste the grit from the matcha which I enjoy and it came with a sake KitKat which amazingly smelled and tasted like sake. Overall I give them 3 stars because I understand they are new and I hope they work out some of the kinks because I love the concept.

Phenomenal Japanese-style baths. Incredible Japanese food - and great service. I am in love with this place. After work, I love going to a bath, then having a great dinner. Massage and acupuncture, Im told are coming!