20 Best Sushi Bars in San Mateo

“I think it must take a lot of effort to source the ingredients to be able to serve sushi of this caliber in San Francisco. It's a great honor to be a fishmonger.‼️“

“Enjoyed omakase 8pcs with some age dashi tofu, nigori sake and the white peach panna cotta!“

“Excellent meal here. The miso sea bass was delicious, and the nigiri in the seasonal omakase was great. Wagyu nigiri was a standout. Our waitress/server was fantastic also! one of the best sushi/omakases in san mateo in my opinion! pricing is absolutely reasonable too.“

“Sushi was delicious and service was great! Not a romantic spot though because it’s loud but fun if your going with family and friends. Music is good!!“

“Cozy little Japanese restaurant with super friendly servers. The owner works at the counter. I come for Ishiyaki Hitsumamushi (Stone Bowl Seafood Rice) which I don’t think is served anywhere else. I also had tuna bone marrow for appetitzer and black sesame cheesecake for dessert. So many other dishes I want to try so will be back.“

“Thank you for the fresh Uni, and very awesome customer service. Highly recommend!!!“

“The bay has no shortage of sushi restaurants, San Mateo least of all. Against this competitive backdrop, The Backhouse still claims a spot at the top. Jui's selection of garnishes and sauces are simply a level above others making this sort of modern style sushi - so delicious and, importantly, unique. And on top of excellent and highly consistent flavor, the business maintains its genuine local charm.

Useful info:
- Responsive to Instagram DMs
- IG story has alternate pickup locations a few times per week
- Parking usually isn't too hard if you're coming to the San Mateo location

If you're looking at the order form and are concerned about getting your money's worth, just go for it. You won't be disappointed.“

“Great food and great people. I always have excellent service and great food when I eat there.“

“Great walkable neighborhood“

“You will not be disappointed !!“

“Kurodai - Black Seabream Nigiri 3 very strong wasabi, bitter, fishy
Ao Ebi - Blue Shrimp Nigiri 5 very chewy texture, slightly seared, slightly sweet
Hon Maguro Chu-toro - Medium Fatty Blue Fin Tuna Nigiri 5 fat evenly distributed, not stringy at all, melt in your mouth
Negitoro Hosomaki - Supreme Fatty Bluefin Tuna w/ Green Onion (Maki) 4 fatty, rich, fresh, flavorful
Oyster Shooter 2 juicy raw oyster, raw quail egg, tobiko, sake, ponzu, tabasco, very strong alcohol, bitter
Baked Baby Scallop 5 two baked Peru baby scallop, juicy, presented on shell, uni, mayo, unagi sauce, green onion, creamy, rich, flavorful
Iku-Uni-Himo 4 soy sauce marinated ikura / large fish eggs, way too salty, uni, mashed monkfish liver, white truffle oil, flavorful
Mentaiko Yaki Udon 4 pan fried thick wheat flour noodles, crunchy seasoned cod roe, crispy bacon, stir fried thin udon, flavorful
Yuzu Cheesecake 5 glazed crust, strong citrus flavor, creamy“

“San Mateos best kept secret. Best sushi I've had in years. Wonderful atmosphere, great service and at a reasonable price. My comment after dinner was , I guess I have had so much grocery store sushi, I forgot what real sushi should taste like.. Best Japanese food like this is rare these days until you try Tokies“

“Was greeted & seated promptly. Welcomed by Manager Hung. Brittany was our waitress & we received the 20th Anniversary Sacks. Happy Anniversary.“

“Their all-you-can-eat option is the best deal going! Try everything on the menu- very fresh, so yummy and discount for cash payment“

“I cannot stress enough how good the food is here. New favorite spot! The city roll is their favorite item on their menu and was so good I went two days in a row just to eat this roll. Absolutely going to be first on my list next time I am in town. Also very friendly staff and great atmosphere but the food is the superstar here. Wish there was a six star ranking for this place.“

“good food great service and accomending.“

“Cozy and casual Japanese spot. Great vibes with the Japanese posters and anime theme music playing.

The food is outstanding for such an unassuming spot. Everything is super fresh. We ordered the edamame, a spider roll, chicken karaage, and a tempura bento box.

The Tempura in particular has the perfect light batter and I appreciated all the small side dishes that came with the bento.

We'll definitely be back to try the Japanese curry and ramen.“

“Excellent selection of sushi 🍣“

“High quality food at fair prices. One baffling issue is that they charge for tea, but provides FREE saki and sida.“

“Getting into poke a little more and wanted to give this a shot. The quality ingredients and poke is super delicious! One of my new favorite go to spots for healthy tasty poke! 5 out of 5!“