MARINA DISTRICT. For good times and great sushi, head to Ace Wasabi's, where you'll find a happening crowd and a diverse menu, including appetizers, salads, and seafood cooked and uncooked. Innovative sushi rolls are a specialty, as indicated by the Flying Kamikaze (spicy tuna, asparagus, and albacore) and the Three Amigos (tuna, eel, and cucumber). Fresh ingredients are standard, and daily specials up the ante on options. Friendly service is also a plus.

INNER SUNSET DISTRICT. City veteran Ebisu has been serving some of San Francisco's best sushi for two decades now. Although a menu is provided, it's best to sit at the sushi bar and let the chef serve you his off-the-menu favorites. Fashioned from impeccably fresh seafood, the sushi is out of this world. It does, however, come at a price: long waits and hard-to-find parking. Still, you'll find the results more than compensate, proof of Ebisu's consistent popularity. Cooked dinners are available.

COLE VALLEY. Although it's a small place, and waits are inevitable, this Japanese restaurant creates some of the city's best sushi. The quality of food is impeccable, and the friendly waitstaff are happy to explain the menu's offerings. Cooked dishes are available, but the sushi is so spectacular that folks rarely get to them. Among the delicacies you'll find are white tuna sashimi, unagi, and spicy tuna. Best of all, the place not only aims to please ­ it succeeds.

NOE VALLEY. At this trendy Japanese restaurant, you'll be mesmerized by both the cuisine and the beautiful interior. A blonde-wood sushi bar serves as a gathering spot for folks who want to glimpse the sushi-making process, and a dining room accommodates groups. Sushi itself is a splendid visual treat, perfectly in synch with the handsome clientele. Traditional sushi items and select specialty rolls both come highly recommended, and cooked meals (steak and cold steamed spinach, among them) are available as well.

RICHMOND DISTRICT. This spirited Japanese sushi bar thrives on the quality of its fish and the variety offered to customers. Affordable maki, nigiri, and sashimi are beautifully prepared and presented, as much a visual delight as a gustatory one. Guests are also encouraged to try nasu dengaku, a delicious baked eggplant. With more than 90 sushi selections on the menu, it's easy to find a wealth of appetizing options. Full dinners are available.