Corkage Sake & Wine Shop

Was meeting friends for dinner at Tsunami and went to kill time at Corkage by myself for 20 mins or so. Been to both places about 3x before and enjoyed although over a year ago, even turned on some friends from bernal heights and east bay who made an effort to go outside of neighborhood…
Was treated terribly by wine barteder at Corkage, seemed reluctant to serve me. Really not sure why. Cant help but assume he racially profiling me, after I begged for a glass of wine, why else would I sit there unless I want to order? seemed extremely concerned that I was gonna walk out on the bill. Very obvious.
Was presented with the bill at Corkage after only one glass of wine. Some places do this as a policy but Corkage doesn’t seem tp, seemed like he wanted me t pay as I go.
I wasn’t even hallway full yet other 3 patrons in a group were sitting and enjoying without any bill sitting there, decided to brush it off as cant take these things to heart and asked for another glass plus an appetizer and he was very apprehensive after I order. Almost worried. He actually told me they were out of the first wine. Then I order an alternate and he said they were out of that, too. I got there right at opening, why is it on the chalkboard? Mayby he was worried I would walk out? O felt very uncomfortable, but none the less. figured mayby he was having a rough day.
After presenting him, with my visa signature which isn’t a big deal and he seemed more concerned. Didnt ask for id though, just ran the card with much hesitation.
Left and went over to Tsunami to meet friends but didn’t enjoy as was disturbed by Corkage. It was not Yoshi at bar, some other guy.
Hamachi kama was way overly soyed up, used to be good but sucks now. Nigiri was microscopic. Was so turned off by the bar that just couldn’t enjoy and felt reluctant to spend any money.
Went to Sakesan in inner Richmond night before, food was literally a thousand times fresher, tastier, and non racist atmosphere, will never ever be back to Tsunami or corkage.

Todd is the best bartender in the neighborhood. He pours great drinks and is just so friendly, plus knowledgable and passionate about sake and wine. Love Tsunami so much and the outdoor seating is always a blast.

Love stopping in with colleagues for drinks and a bite after work. Great neighborhood spot made perfect by finding sake master Dan behind the bar. Knowledgeable and charming he’s the 5^th star in the Corkage crown. Cheers!

I am very glad this place exists. When there is a wait at Tsunami, or another neighborhood restaurant you can count on walking into Corkage and having some nice drinks and yummy appetizers while you pass the time. Since they removed the wall between the bar and the coffee shop about a year ago this place has a very nice open feel. I Iove stopping in here to start my night. All the workers are nice and know a lot about sake. I usually just go for wine here though and I am always satisfied with what they recommend for me.

I send friends and sake enthusiasts to Corkage and they always come back to me telling me this was the best time they spent shopping for sake — then they say how much they dropped with a smile on their face.
Taste what you buy or take advantage of a flight. It’s retail with a twist!
Yoshi and Todd rock the place. Let them know I sent you and maybe get a surprise. Really, you have to know me though ;-)

Little nook, next to a coffee shop. I love this place. They used to do sake tasting lessons — I don’t know if they still. It is a great place to get wine off the tap or sake. Conveniently located right next to Tsunami, if there is a long wait… do not hesitate.

Loved it here! Connected to Tsunami Sushi and Café Abir. These three peas in a pod have all you need for a chill evening out.
We didn’t have reservations at Tsunami and with an hour wait, I was bummed. The host informed us of their sister bar… located thru the thick velvet curtain.
It’s an earthy, homey feeling bar with a slab of polished log fashioning the bar.
They have so many options of sake, wine or beer to include the Japanese and/​or stateside variety. There are 4 refrigerators full of wine and spirits for your drinking pleasure. Not to mention wine on tap!
We opted to get a bottle of Rose Wine from the fridge with a $ 10 corkage fee. Bartender corked, poured and kept it chill while hung out at the bar. The bartender, Dan, is so cool! Great service and overall a delight. He is super knowledgeable and definitely great at making suggestions.
Our hour dinner wait was quite pleasant thanks to this homey lil bar.
I’d definitively come back. Just for the variety of sake and wine on tap!

I love this place. Whether you’re going to sit down and enjoy a tasting, or pick up a bottle of Sake — its the best place for great service by knowledgeable, kind staff who aren’t trying to make you spend all your cash. They just want you to enjoy what you buy! Best selection of Sake in my book.

Great outdoor seating area on a nice day. Great little cute bar seating area with a great happy hour. Limited selection for happy hour prices but what is available is GREAT. Knowledgeable and easy to talk to bartender. Nice ambience despite essentially being a wine shop with a place to drink wine & beer.

Delightful! Very charming little sake and wine shop with a bar and happy hour slightly off of Divisadero. They have a surprisingly wide selection of really good wines and sake where you’ll be sure to find some gems. I picked up a bottle of one of my favorite lambrusco — Cleto Chiarli Vecchia Modena.
I sat down at the bar for a spring sake sampler that included 2 of my favorite spring sakes — Harushika and Kamikokoro toukagen. I ordered the takoyaki which were surprisingly good even though untraditional since they were deep fried. I would recommend ordering it. Next time I’m going to try some oysters.
Bartender was super nice and knowledgeable. I enjoyed my time here and will be back. If you’re driving, there is plenty of street parking usually during the day.

One word: Amazing
Amazing bartender, who knew everything about every wine and made great recommendations, and offered several tastings
Amazing spare ribs: Whatever sauce that was, A+…would have like more than 2 ribs though
Amazing oysters: Take my wife’s word for it
Amazing wine: Their $ 8 glass of plum wine ($ 22.95 for purchase) surpassed any plum wine Iv tasted here in NY, even at the finest japanese restaurants
Amazing atmosphere: come here to hang out, dine intimately, watch a game, browse online, listen to a great Motown era soundtrack, make a new friend with a local… you can do it all here

Lovely and I wanna go there every time when my friends ask for sake bar recommendation.
Sake: good selection, friendly bar tender helps you for the right pick. They are so knowledgable and really tried every single sake they serve. I like the pride they have as sake experts and enjoyed the sake flight a lot!
Food:
$ 5 oyster platter: you can’t beat the quality at this price. Fresh and sweet!
fried chicken: fried to the extent that the skin is crispy but the meat is still juicy! simply seasoned with salt and pepper. I like it pairing with my sake!
A really nice place to hang out with friends, enjoy a conversation over sake flights. As for dinner, they have a sushi place next door where you can carry your unfinished sake bottle with only $ 10 corkage fee!

On my first weekend in San Francisco a friend invited me out to happy hour at Corkage. I have to say I was quite impressed. I don’t know much about Sake, but the lady at the bar was more than happy to make a few suggestions and explain the differences. I ended up just ordering off the happy hour menu, but I did appreciate the effort.
For happy hour the offer $ 5 sake of the day. If you do not enjoy sake they also have a $ 5 glass of wine for the day. In addition to drink they have a half dozen oysters or a Otsumami sampler. The sampler comes with Takoyaki (deep fried octopus ball), Tako Wasabi (raw octopus marinated in wasabi), Ika Sansai (cooked octopus) and Sunomono salad (cucumber salad). Both the oysters and sampler were delicious and fresh. Can’t go wrong at $ 5 each!
At the end of it all I had several sakes, oysters, a sampler, and a good buzz! Not bad for less than $ 30.

Review #400…here we go!
I was saving 400 for something special, something I would be excited and happy to write about. Corkage is just the place. Sandwiched between Café Abir and Tsunami Panhandle, Corkage offers an enormous variety of sake and wine. You’re able to buy it at wholesale price, and then enjoy it next door at Tsunami for an amazing sushi dinner (just add $ 10 corkage fee).
Corkage offers tastings for those who cannot decide on what they want, and also sake pairing classes on Mondays for $ 35. Not too shabby!
My favorite sake so far? Kamoizumi Summer Snow (wholesale price: $ 34; retail price: $ 78)

Searching for a chill place for a drink, we randomly discovered Corkage Sake & Wine Shop. It was quiet for the most part and the bartender was extremely knowledgeable and passionate about sake. There were folks enjoying glasses of wine while others were relaxed on their laptops at tables for two like it was a tiny café or something. Sat up at the bar which felt like we had the whole place to ourselves. Tried the intro sake flight and it was well worth it! The bartender explained each and every one to us and their highlighted notes.

Came here cause it was the first and closest thing that popped up on google maps. Parked the car with only a dime in the meter and walked in. Got some recommendations from Charlie who suggested some of her favorites and some sake to go with the food pairing of the night. I love how they have a huge selection– basically 5 full-​sized chillers designated to sake. One thing for sure is that I’ll be back for my sake needs.

This is the best Sake retailer store in the United States. Sakaya in New York has a great selection as well, but certainly the atmosphere of Corkage is more warm, friendly, and relaxing. It may be because more imports are allowed in CA than other states, but also because the manager, owner, and staff truly love Sake and have a great palette. They also want to share their knowledge, rather than just try to sell or advise you on a bottle of sake.
The fridges of sake are like hidden treasure — some of the bottles so rare, that when I visit, I have to buy 2 – 3 of the same kind or else I may never see them again. I’m not telling you which ones those are because they’ll be gone and not only will I be upset, but Corkage staff will be pissed they won’t get any either. :) I don’t know how Corkage does it, but it has the best bottles.
I’m amazed at the fall seasonal selections of Onigoroshi, Sawanoi, and Urakasumi (in addition to their junmai and honjozo) they have, but also they have a selection of great nama genshu which is rare in many sake stores. Daiginjo is the highest grade which most people like, but Corkage has a great selection of junmais that are priced well and have that sweet and slightly syrupy tone.
$ 10 corking fee to bring into Tsunami or to drink a bottle at the restaurant. If you love sake, you MUST visit Corkage in SF. You’ll feel like home amongst Yoshi and Charlie and you’ll never want to leave. Also, you’re paycheck will be devoted to buying bottles and an icebox to drive it/​ship wherever you are.

Love.
I am absolutely in love with this little sake/​wine bar. It’s totally my type of place, so I’m surprised I hadn’t heard of it sooner. I was also taken here on something along the lines of a date (who knows what that means anymore in this city, lol), and I was instantly impressed with the fellow’s taste… and it awarded him with a gold star in my book.
I decided to try the Introductory Sake Flight, and totally enjoyed it. My favorite was the February Sake, which had an amazing taste. We also ordered a side of Edamame, and the Octopus Balls, which were totally amazing as well.
The bartender knew my friend from the past, so she was extra nice to us. However, she seemed to be cool to everyone, so maybe that’s just the way it is? It’s always refreshing to feel totally welcomed into a new little joint! I will definitely be returning soon!

I was 10 minutes late for the sake tasting and Yoshi waited for us (I’m sure he asked the other sake taster first). That’s very nice of him.
The sake tasting is short but dense. Yoshi himself has worked as a sake maker so we got all the first hand story. We tasted around 6 glasses of sake, I like the ginjo and junmai daiginjo sake. Don’t care about junmai as much.
We got a bottle of a bottle of junmai daiginjo sake home (forgot what the brand is exactly), and definitely will come back whenever we need one.

This tiny wine store is actually excellent. As someone who buys a lot (too much?) wine I feel strongly about saying that.
Two reasons:
1. Service was superb. I was in today and the gentleman working there took his time trying to understand my needs and tastes. My only complaint would be that his knowledge seemed limited to what he had in store. I would have preferred that he be somewhat familiar with the other labels that some of winemakers he carries also work on.
2. For a small store, the diversity and selection is surprising. For example, they carry everything from $ 8 bottles to 2005 Pavillon Rouge de Château Margaux, 2008 Failla and multiple years of Michel Gros Burgundies.
Of note, they are attached to Tsunami — buy a bottle here and the «corkage» is only $ 10.
In summary, if you’re looking to open a bottle, pull the cork here!