Sushi Sam’s Edomata Restaurant Review, San Mateo
Posted by Food Nut
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Sushi Sam’s is a popular Japanese restaurant in downtown San Mateo. We have considered them and Hotaru as the 2 best Japanese restaurants in this area.
Decor, Vibe – Small cramped space with generic Japanese restaurant decor. Many people waiting, tables full of families, couples, and small groups.
Menu Pictures
Picks:
Chicken Teriyaki Dinner ($11.50) with salad, Miso Soup, and Rice. Massive quantities of chicken. Sauce was on the sweet side, but chicken was cooked fine. Pretty standard bland salad.
California Roll ($2) 3 pieces. They used real crab in mayo instead of fake crab. Pretty rare at this price. You could easily taste the difference.
Ebi ($3.50) 2 regular sized pieces that had fresh shrimp, a little wasabi, and ok rice.
Chawan Mushi ($5.50) Their version of this hot egg custard has shrimp, mushrooms, and spinach. A lot more ingredients and buttery smooth.
Teba Shioyaki (Chicken Wings) ($5.25) were freshly fried. Crispy, yet not battered.
Wagyusuji ($5.95) or beef stew was delicious. Excellent broth and stewed meat. Be sure to eat it with rice. Lots of fat though.
Black Sugar Panna Cotta ($6, Omakase +$2) with persimmon puree, Fuyu persimmon was very good. Smooth, fruity, not too sweet.
OK:
Omakase ($33) came with lots of different cuts of fish and a piece of octopus. The slices were large and fresh but were not well done. No delicacy and it resulted in too large pieces and poor cuts causing tendons. It came with desert at least.
Chicken Udon ($9.50) was a huge bowl with lots of chicken, green onions, and a small fish cake. Noodles were pretty thin and chewy. Broth was ok. Hotaru does a better job.
Zaru Soba ($8.25) was cold soba noodles with sauce. Average basic noodle dish. Not a lot to it.
Sauteed Asparagus and Shiitake Mushrooms ($6.50) was tasty but super tiny. I could eat it in 3 bites.
Chicken Yakitori ($4.75) was average. Chicken was not especially tender and sauce was mediocre.
Pans:
None
Service was above average with lots of servers passing by. Food came out pretty quick. Prices are reasonable for a restaurant like this. Sushi Sam’s and Hotaru remain top choices in this area. Sushi Sam’s does have a more varied menu with Omakase (Trust the chef) available.
For high end Omakase you are better off at a place specializing in this like Sakae Sushi or Sushi Ran.
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Overall Rating: 
(Very Good)
Come Back? 
| Food Rating: | (Very Good) |
| Service Rating: | (Good) |
| Atmosphere Rating: | (Above Average) |
| Value Rating: | (Good) |
Guide: 0 = poor, 1 = Fair/Average, 2 = Good, 2.5 = Very Good, 3 = Excellent , 4 = Extraordinary
| Alcohol: | Beer, Wine |
| Attire: | Casual |
| Hours: | Tu-Sat 1130am-2pm, 5-10pm |
| Parking: | Street |
| Reservations: | Yes |
| Prices: | $10 - $50 |
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3 Responses to “Sushi Sam’s Edomata Restaurant Review, San Mateo”
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September 6th, 2009 at 9:16 pm
[...] They offer solid Japanese food. Limited wine menu, but a good selection of sakes. Hotaru and Sushi Sam are the other 2 standout Japanese restaurants in downtown San Mateo, which seems to have one on [...]
February 1st, 2010 at 12:02 am
[...] that are only on the wall. We’ve tried pretty much all the nearby Japanese restaurants. Sushi Sam and Kisaku are also good but more [...]
March 15th, 2010 at 3:38 pm
[...] Sushi at equally high prices, do not hesitate coming to this boutique restaurant. Hotaru and Sushi Sam in San Mateo can satisfy the masses at a lower price. The decor barely justify this premium. Sake [...]