Brunch Buffet Review: Restaurant Anzu, San Francisco

Brunch Review: Restaurant Anzu, San Francisco

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Our Restaurant ANZU, San Francisco brunch review is one of many brunch and breakfast posts.

ANZU Location, Hours, and Brunch Buffet Cost

Restaurant ANZU is located at 222 Mason Street, on the 2nd floor of Hotel Nikko. It's open daily for breakfast 7-10:30am and for dinner and sushi Tuesday-Saturday 5-10pm, but we recommend going for Sunday brunch, 11am-2pm. At time of writing, the brunch buffet costs $60 per adult, and $30 per child under 12. There's a mandatory 20% gratuity.

Restaurant ANZU, Hotel Nikko, San Francisco

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ANZU Buffet Brunch

We arrived on time for our 11am brunch reservation. There was no one at the restaurant's reception, so we wandered in to see the brunch buffet setup.

Brunch buffet, Restaurant ANZU, San Francisco

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A friendly staffer welcomed us and showed us to a table by the window, which we appreciated, since other parts of the seating area have less natural light.

Restaurant ANZU, San Francisco

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The buffet isn't as large as what you might expect in a top Asian hotel, but it had all the essentials, such as juices, fresh fruit, yogurt, salad, cheeses/cold cuts, and smoked salmon:

Brunch buffet juices, Restaurant ANZU, San Francisco
Whole fruit, Brunch buffet, Restaurant ANZU, San Francisco
Yogurts and fruits, Restaurant ANZU brunch buffet, San Francisco
Brunch buffet, Restaurant ANZU, San Francisco

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There were also four hot dishes; our teen particularly enjoyed the fettuccini with Manila clams and the hanger steak kebabs.

Fettuccini with clams, Restaurant ANZU brunch review, San Francisco
Hot dishes, Restaurant ANZU brunch review, San Francisco
Brunch, Restaurant ANZU review, San Francisco
Yogurt parfait, ANZU brunch buffet review

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Egg dishes, pancakes, waffles and french toast are made to order. My husband enjoyed his spinach, mushroom, cheese, and bacon omelette:

Made-to-order omelet, Restaurant ANZU brunch review, San Francisco

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The blueberry pancakes were presented nicely, but underperformed on two counts: the pancake part was bland and rubbery, a telltale sign that it had been over-mixed, and it was served with a 15% maple syrup blend instead of pure maple syrup.

Blueberry pancakes, Restaurant ANZU brunch review, San Francisco
15% maple syrup blend, Restaurant ANZU brunch review, San Francisco

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What we were really there for, however, was the sushi. It's been awhile since we've been offered sushi on a breakfast or brunch buffet that wasn't in Japan (the last time may have been at Velaa private island in the Maldives) and this sushi was better than at Velaa (which it should be, since Hotel Nikko is part of Japan's Okura Hotels and Resorts). I enjoyed both the nigiri, especially the hamachi nigiri, and the rolls.

Sushi, Restaurant ANZU brunch review, San Francisco
Sushi, Restaurant ANZU brunch review, San Francisco

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There's also udon soup and miso soup, which we didn't try.

If you have a sweet tooth, forego the rubbery pancakes and instead order a molten chocolate cake and mango sorbet or green tea ice cream, all of which are included in the buffet price, together with regular or decaf coffee.

Molten chocolate cake dessert, Restaurant ANZU brunch review, San Francisco
Mango sorbet, Restaurant ANZU brunch review, San Francisco
Green tea ice cream, Restaurant ANZU brunch review, San Francisco

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The Verdict

There aren't many San Francisco buffet brunches worth going to, but ANZU is one of them, particularly if you enjoy sushi. Highlights were the sushi, both nigiri and rolls; steak kebabs; made-to-order omelet; molten chocolate cake dessert; and great service.

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