Downtown San Mateo has a very high concentration of Japanese restaurants. Almost one on every block.This one is one of the best and most economical.  No surprise, there is a line out front most of the time. We’ve tried pretty much all the nearby Japanese restaurants. Sushi Sam and Kisaku are also good but more expensive. Read the rest of this entry »

Kisaku Restaurant is a Japanese Restaurant in downtown San Mateo. It is one of the better ones that actually has some Japanese folks cooking. They have the usual sushi items and rolls, as well as a white board with some Izayaka (Small plate) dishes. We tried to stick to more exotic items. Read the rest of this entry »

Restaurant.com sells discounted Gift Certificates for this restaurant. See right column for coupon.

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Sakae Sushi moved to this location in 2009.  It was originally called Noburu, but morphed into Sakae Sushi when their other location located. They also run  Yuzu in San Mateo. Read the rest of this entry »

Hamon Washoku closed in May 2009.

Hamon Washoku is a contemporary Japanese restaurant located in downtown San Carlos, along the Laurel street shopping district. Hamon means literature of the knife. Washoku means harmony in cooking. It has been open since October 2008. We were tipped off to this place by a reader. (Thanks!) They specialize in authentic Japanese food including Omakase. The menu changes all the time, with special menus popping up for different Japanese events like Saba, New years, 88 Nights, Doll Festival.

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Shiki Japanese Restaurant is located in the San Mateo Whole Food shopping center, just off Highway 101. They have 2 other locations. They have an extensive menu with items from sushi to noodles to rice bowls. We tried them for dinner. Read the rest of this entry »

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. Read the rest of this entry »

Gombei has 3 locations for this Japanese restaurant, Menlo Park, San Jose, and Santa Clara. They primarily serve Japanese teriyaki style dinners, Udon noodles, Tofu Hotpots, and Donburi rice bowls.  They don’t have a sushi menu. The sashmi they serve is part of combination plates. We tried the Menlo Park location for lunch. They have specials listed on a wall dry erase board. These are usually the best deals and best food. Read the rest of this entry »

Since 2004, Koo has been serving up Japanese food in San Francisco’s Inner Sunset district. It is a small 42 seat place neighborhood place.

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Ramen club is a 20yr old Japanese restaurant on California Drive in Burlingame right across from the Caltrain tracks. They specialize in home made ramen noodles, hence the name.  Unlike some other ramen places like Halu or Santa Ramen, they also serve sushi, sashimi, etc.
They have some great $6.75-$8.95 specials during lunch. Read the rest of this entry »

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