We LOVE this place! It’s those extra touches - like how the chef made the dragon roll actually look like a dragon! Check out the photo.... nice prices, too. It’s small with a small staff, so be patient. It’s worth the wait.
Delicious hole-in-the-wall for traditional Japanese food in Hayward. Had the shrimp fry and wakamatsu roll, both very tasty! A comfortable shop with cute decorations. Very friendly service!
Hole in the wall place, doesn’t even look open. Excellent service, fun mom and pop owners and tasty food for the lunch special. Left a 50% tip and still under $20 meal
Pictured: the sign of a very happy meal! (Bonus picture of the clock and dining counter)My SO and I decided to impromptu go out since it was Friday night and we hadnt had sushi in a considerable while so we found a new place to try. The location is in a good spot of downtown where parking isnt too difficult, and the building itself is very cozy and has a pleasant, intimate feel with large windows to prevent the space from feeling claustrophobic.But what good would all of this do if the food wasnt worth it?The menu is very broad and diverse, with full meal options (my SO and I did the Wakamatsu dinner and split it along with a Lion King roll), and having sampled their teriyaki beef, the tonkatsu, their sashimi, the rolls, and the sake, everything was hands down fantastic. The sashimi melted in our mouths, it was pretty fantastic, and the potstickers were very authentic - handmade and clearly traditional (Im a potsticker snob and these guys kick butt!)My SO and I agreed, were definitely coming back with friends!
The plaza may look a bit shady but don’t get turned away! Great family-owned restaurant. The sushi are all very fresh. Also reasonably priced. Would definitely come back again if I’m in the area.
Unbelievably weird place. Despite 100 years old carpet and associated with it smell food wasnt a Japanese as we usually see at sushi place. Somnabulic servers who couldnt comprehence order from first time. So we needed to repeat it twice. Only one chef. We got lucky we were the only customers, otherwise wed be waiting at least 30-40 min. We ordered tuna carpaccio . By all means tuna supposed to be marinated instead we got weather-beaten tiny pieces of raw fish. Unagi nigiri came in shape of roll with double rice layers. Sashimi came in form of random small pieces like cut offs. Caterpillar roll came in shape of trader Joes small California roll.What an unfortunate experience!!!!
The best toro, sushi rice, and tempura that I have ever had. I had been to many Japanese restaurants both in Vancouver and the Bay Area, this is by far my personal favourite. The taste of each dish is so unique that it clearly takes years to polish. We were so lucky that our last three lunches in the Bay Area were in Wakamatsu. All dishes were way beyond expectations.
Mom and Pop traditional Japanese sushi shop with extremely reasonable pricing and good portion size. Fish is of absolute highest quality. You can taste the difference from the basic Sake Nigiri. Toro is fresh and fatty. The owner gave us extra toro too. The exact opposite of asian fusion sushi. The Saba has a nice flavor. Not overwhelming with vinegar and nice complimenting minced ginger.I would come here again and again.
The best sushi place in all of hayward. If you want qaulity this is the place. The lunch sushi special here is pretty good too. Picture attached all for 8.95. Miso souo, cali roll, tuna nigiri, shrimp nigiri, and hamachi nigir. Also salmon here is the best hands down melts in your mouth deliciousness and price point is just right.
The Chirashi bowl is the best. Thick slices of fish and seasoned rice underneath. Authentic Japanese food. Highly recommended. Would come here more often if we lived closer.
Joey and his wife own the place and are fantastic. Ive been going there since I was a kid. Great restaurant and awesome food!
Found this place right before moving farther away. You don’t want to miss their sashimi and tempura. Masterpiece with very affordable price. Also friendly staff.
Small mom and pop shop with the freshest sushi in Hayward. Nice assortment of fish. Wouldn’t recommend the lion king or other baked rolls, but the boxes and other rolls are fantastic.
Real Japanese restaurant.. real deal do I need to say more!!! Great food,great service and cheap..
Best restaurant for Japanese food in Hayward, period. Service run by native Japanese. Food served is high in quality and quantity, and also piping hot. Came here once near closing time and tried to order sea bass but it was unavailable. Ordered something else and spent 30 minutes past closing to finish, they said to take your time. Wonderful service. Please support them.
Always the best joey and his wife ( now in there late 70s) are the best and the fish Id always fresh. With all the older go tos closing down it good to know they are still hanging strong.
Mom and Pop sushi that was quite tasty. Recommend the Joey Special and the White Tuna with Garlic. If they only had a good dry sake it would be 5 stars.
This is the place to be for authentic Japanese dishes. It is a small local mom and pop that treats you like a family. Drop by to say hi anytime while you are in the neighborhood!
Had a wonderful lunch here yesterday. Was enamored by the husband and wife that ran the cozy restaurant. Felt very authentic and special. Had the tempura udon, hamachi cheek, beef teriyaki, and California roll. Thoroughly enjoyed all items and didn’t feel heavy after. Highly recommend !
I am a big fan of Wakamatsu. The owners are clearly professionals when it comes to anything sushi related! Every cut I have ever gotten here is fresh and practically melts away in my mouth. So, so delicious. Very friendly too, I recommend taking a look at this place if you are looking for a tasty meal. I would get at least one hamachi its my favorite fish.
Coming here reminded me of how cared for I could feel going to a mom and pop (or in this case gram and gramps) restaurant. We came for lunch and the food was great! Price was great! Service was great! Loved it!! Go support your local restaurants!
I’ve lived in Hayward for the last 25 years and never thought this restaurant was open. As a regular traveler to Japan it finally donned on me it looks like a urban Japanese restaurant you’d find in back streets of urban Japan. And it is! It’s quaint, polite, humble, generous, tasty and J A P A N E S E owned and operated. Wonderfully authentic in every way. Arigato gozaimasu!
Delicious food, outstanding service and incredible prices.The place is very cozy, they only have 8 tables. The service was amazing, they made changes for us and were very helpful and friendly.All the food was amazing, both sushi and entrées were on point. Will be coming back for sure
Sashimi is poor quality - bad color, frozen too long. Rice isnt to Japan standards - too dry. Miso and wakame appetizer are okay. Wasnt busy but staff never cared to check on me. Disheartened.
Mom and pop place. I liked the bento and rice plates.
Came in on a Saturday night. Small place, about 9-10 tables plus a 4 seat sushi bar. Sushi was a 30 minute wait because there was a big party and only one chef. There were two seats open at the bar and 3-4 open tables. The staff might have just been off their game, but my water was empty for most of the meal and as the sushi came out, my chirachi was sitting up on the counter. Even after waiting 5-6 minutes, I pointed it out to our server and it took about 10 minutes to get to our table. Everyone else that had ordered after us had already gotten their sushi and the chef had walked away to take a break from making all the orders that had come in. I wanted to cancel because we were almost done with our meal, but they finally brought it out and I didnt want to waste food.Would I go back again? Maybe. The rolls were not rolled very tight and the rice was not even. Other reviews on Yelp said they were great. I will probably come back and see if they change my mind.
Amazing little spot in old-school mid century building. Sushi was truly delicious and very attentive, fun family running the business Glad they survived covid, will be back again soon.
I have been here many times and im always satisfied overall. Sometimes the servers have a hard time understanding the orders, but they are very friendly and attentive. The food is good overall, but my favorite is to sit at the sushi bar. The chef is very friendly, and always has time to chat no matter how busy he gets.
Very good food and friendly service. I had the lunch special with stir fry vegetables and beef teriyaki. It was tasty and priced well. Also the miso soup was the best I’ve ever had!
Love this place. No frills, traditional Japanese. Unique sushi flavors Ive never been able to find elsewhere. My absolute favorite are the Hayward Roll and the Hamachi Mango Roll. And I love that they always have Natto!! Thank you Joey!
Tiny little family run place that has unique rolls like Hamachi Mango and their own Hayward Roll. Very tasty! They even have Natto like all good sushi restaurants should!!Only one sushi chef so there can be a bit of a wait at times. But well worth it I think.
This place is SO good! After trying it out, I really dont go anywhere else for sushi on the east bay. Fresh food, great service, and fair prices. Note that it may take some time to get your food - only one person making sushi - but totally worth the wait!
One of the worst sushi places where its so scary to eat fish because fish doesnt look fresh at all. Waitress was so useless need to ask for same at list for 3-4 times. If you like to eat rice 90%of the roll thats your place! Never come back. Not recommend to any one to spend your time, money and have the worst after-taste in mouth!
It took over an hour to get our sushi. When we ordered they said they were busy a it was going to take 20 minutes. 20 minutes would have been acceptable. But not an hour. There was hardly anyone in the restaurant but lots of to go orders being prepared. Only one sushi chef. The food was UGLY when it arrived. Very poorly prepared. No beauty to it at all. Wont EVER EVER go back here.
Wakamatsu has extremely tasty, extremely fresh food. It’s a nice little restaurant with great service and good prices.
Beef teriyaki was nice and tender, tempura was beautifully fried, and the sashimi tasted quite fresh. Nice cozy spot. Chefs are Japanese and the sushi chef is eager to explain the food. Server was attentive and fluent in English.
I love this place. Is it the best sushi ever? No. Is it the best sushi in Hayward? YES!!Very quaint and simple decor. A mom and pop run restaurant in the heart of Hayward; hes the sushi chef and she runs the kitchen and they couldnt be more charming.We ordered the chicken kaarage which was perfectly fried and juicy, no dipping sauce needed and just a splash of lemon for taste. Salmon skin and joey roll were good. We ordered the sushi deluxe plate which had all the favorites! Salmon, tuna, hamachi, ebi, UNAGI (OMG, delicious!)......alll sooooo good!!! Priced at $14 which was a value!! All that we ordered was perfect and I couldnt have been happier.....I found my new sushi spot in Hayward!
Great place! Mom and pop shop. Good quality sushi. Its on a busy street and have a parking area of its own. I keep coming back and they dont disappoint. I think the only thing thats is a bit annoying is that they never have hamachi kama when i come.
If you like more traditional Japanese food, this is a great place. The sushi, for which the rice is made correctly, is very good. The fish, as long as its fresh, is, well, fish... you really cant screw it up. If the sushi gohan(rice) isnt right then its all wrong. My favorite appetizers here include the agedashi tofu, shishamo and hamachigama... all done very nicely.
I cant stay away; Wakamatsu consistently outperforms themselves with quality fish, sushi, even their rice is always perfect. They have a lot of inspiring items on their menu, and I will keep coming back for more!
This is not a fancy sushi bar. I love it. But then I love hamachi kama and I have never had better than that prepared by Joey. The rolls, saba and tobiko are great as well. They serve the large Sapporo as well. What is not to like?
Fresh and good quality sushi at affordable prices owned by elderly Japanese couple. I will definitely be coming back here to support this local mom and pop shop.
This is a great sushi joint! Definitely one of the best in the East Bay. The Shiro Maguro was sublime, the best weve had in a while. Small place with very attentive wait staff. Definitely recommend to friends and family.
This place definitely looks like has been around a while and seen its hay-day. The service was good and food was average although the staff were very friendly and welcoming. behind the sushi bar it did appear a bit dirty if one looked however having only been there once I will try not to rate too harshly. I will go back again overall I think the night I went they were very busy.
Solid Traditional Japanese food. Not those overly sweet and sauce cover fusion type sushi roll. Love crispy popping hot fried oysters. You can hear the owners speak Japanese at back.
Wow wasnt aWare this place again open..or.!!@!!! been. Rolling at this, place.backk in 90 s with. Famously known officiaDos of the Bay Area😃always had personal chopsticks and private reserve of sake on shelf for each visit made.!!!$$$$$..Excellent sushi galore...!!! RaW. Or sugaR coated for those sissies..!!$!!!😎Teriyaki steak, chicken whatever your tummy craves.!!!!.Joey was Awesome..!!Memories?..-:!$!!!!!!😇😃⭐😎
Fool-proof Japanese spot!! Agadashi tofu, lion king, tempura, yaki Sakana bento are my usuals
Our favorite Japanese restaurant.Joey always greets us with a smile and a wave. Whether we choose sushi or something cooked in the kitchen, we always enjoy our meal.
Authentic Japanese Cuisine!
Adorable mom and pop shop. Fast service, relaxed atmosphere. I had the age dashe, smelts and garlic shrimp. Everything was fresh, simple, delicious.
Good to great sushi. Arguably the best in Hayward, which seems to have no shortage of japanese food. Ideal on a hot hayward day for drinking cold sapporo. On a cold day, order some hot sake. Strategically positioned near the heart of the accursed hayward loop, pull into wakamatsu, take a load off, have a chat with Joey, then eat some sushi while planning a night on the town.
Cute little restaurant with very authentic food! I came in for dinner on a Thursday and tried the sukiyaki. So delicious! Definitely coming back to try other dishes
Been going there 30 years Joey and fam. Are hard working . They made the best of what they got . The whole place has changed around them. I live up here in mt.shasta, but I try to make time to go by and say hi and get a Joey special .
Love this place! Very authentic Japanese cuisine!
Pretty authentic, but only take customers with appointments. So make sure you call before you go.
A great family owned and operated business. Great food, good quality. The rolls are not all rice like the buffets. Great selection, always fresh.
I left the Bay Area 10 years ago and returned recently. Glad to see that Joey-san is still at it. The food is always amazing and very reasonably-priced.
Joey is a sweetheart. Most friendly sushi chef. And funny!Order Joeys special sushi. Its authentic and out of this world!
Excellent place for Japanese food.
Great food .good beer.good friends.i work on this Japanese restaurant 2 years 1991 and 1992 a i still stop to get something to eat.and say hi to Joey and Emiko the owners.good memories.good old days.121.202l.
We would totally go back. The tempura vegetables, sushi and crispy squid was great and tasty. The lady was soft spoken and sweet.
Such a cute place! Food was excellent and surpassed expectations. Wonderful service. Great place to go for a date night ;)
Japanese owned restaurant.relax, classic, and reasonable price are loved.
Actually run by Japanese people. The food shows it. The sushi has good days and bad days. Not in flavor or fish quality which are good but in knife work and presentation.
Really nice selection of fresh fish. Great lunch combo options. The poki appetizer is delicious. Highly recommend.
Small family owned Japanese restaurant with possibly the best Japanese food in town. Quality runs high here, despite the casual setting.
Wonderful food. Finally I found an authentic Japanese Restaurant. The food was fresh and filling. Definitely going back!
I have been going here for years. Amazing food. Staff there should teach others how to prepare food & be around customers. Never disappointed.
A bit hole in the wall but the fish was very fresh. The softball crab was good but was too heavily breaded.
Very cosy restaurant with very authentic Japanese food. Thumbs up!
Super lunch values! Very delicious.
The definitive spot for Japanese food in the area. Sublime!
Outstanding food and an authentic cozy atmosphere.
Small chirashi! Sake nigiri! Joeys special roll! Come for the sushi, stay for the rustic, genuine Japanese sushi master.
Great service and even better food. One of my favorite places in the East Bay.
Great food and service. You must try the Joey roll. My family loves it here.
Very messy chirashi presentation. Sashimi was poorly cut. The tamago was too sweet and the texture was off.
Best Japanese sushi and sashimi in the area!
Little sweet Japanese restaurant! Sashimi is fresh, Tempura is well cooked.
A staple of Hayward. Im happy to see it is still here and thriving.
Love Joey and his wife, excellent small family own business.
Been going here for decades. Joey and staff are awesome.if you havent been here.your missing out!!
Love these small intimate restaurants. The food is always excellent
Food was perfect. Staff was super friendly. Loved it all.
Nice restaurant. Good food with reasonable prices.
Traditional Japanese food great people, good prices
Excellent Sushi Chef and Waitress
Nice family, awesome good, good prices! Cozy little cinder block oasis!
Ive been going to wakamatsu for close to 20 years. Always a wonderful experience.
Friendly staff, amazing food, cozy... What else can you wish for?
Authentic Japanese owned & operated..one of the few left!
Really nice and cozy restaurant with very nice attentive staff!
Small place, personal service, great food!
So good 😊 Just like downtown Tokyo‼️
Great authentic Japanese food!
Delicious food. Excellent service
Good food and great service.
Good sushi for a great price
Love this cute little sushi restaurant.
Excellent food and staff!
Tasty. Pretty good value.
Love Joey and his food
Excellent you need to try....
Amazing quality, cheap price.
They said they ran out of sushi ....?
My most favorite place for 🍣
Great service. Rustic flair.
Good portion for the price
Best place
Great place to eat
Good neighbourhood japanese restaurant
Awesome everytime!
The owners are nice
The food was bussin
Iitako is delicious
Friendly chef
Delicious, fresh and good tasting food. Friendly people who serve.
Great chicken katsu
Total reviews rating 4.6
128 Reviews for Wakamatsu 2024:
Review №1
2023-06-09 04:35:37Not only was this place super affordable, the fish quality was also very good. I felt like the prices were from 10 years ago ($20 large chirashi bowl, $17.75 for a dinner combo?!). The chirashi bowl came with fresh and thick slices of salmon, hamachi, tuna, and some crab.On top of that, this place is run by a really sweet grandma and grandpa - I hope this restaurant stays alive for many more years because I cant believe I just found it!!
Review №2
2023-02-25 02:22:02My second time to come. The Chirashi bowl is fantastic! Better to have reservation on weekend nights. They only have 5-6 tables besides bar seats, most with reserved signs. Also love Unagi/Avocado rolls, tempura, karage…
Review №3
2022-09-29 20:04:45I love this restaurant so much. Super authentic Japanese food. Where else can you find this big and high-quality chirashi bowl in the Bay Area only cost $20!!! Also, the teriyaki and tempura here is quite special and you can taste the difference. One more thing, the old couple owning the restaurant are so nice and especially Joe, he is so lovely!!
Review №4
2022-08-23 03:10:35I would rank Wakamatsu as my favorite restaurant in the Bay Area. The food is delicious, the fish is fresh, and even the tea tastes great. Their tempura is the best among the ones I tried in multiple cities in North America. I cannot imagine that there is a restaurant serving quality food but with such reasonable price in 2022...Edit on August 19, 2022: We had our lunch at Wakamatsu again on our last day at Bay Area. Joey probably had a happy morning trip to the fish market and he was so excited to share with his customers. Luckily I was there and enjoyed the best toro in my life. Thank you Joey, you made our trip wonderful!
Review №5
2023-02-26 06:19:15The best Japanese restaurant in the bay area. Homemade style Japanese ran by old Japanese couples. Nice tempura and quality sashimi offered. Highly recommend.
Review №6
2023-07-13 06:19:26The place needs to be considered as a neighborhood staple of Hayward! The elder uncle and auntie who run the business are charming and hardworking. The food is more homey than it is mind-blowing, while also being kindly priced, which is nice with many of the American-Japanese restaurants go for more of a “wow” factor to charge more.
Review №7
2022-01-21 07:23:00Nice little place with the Japanese atmosphere and design. After completing the orders, the Itamae came to our table and asked how our food was. He was very friendly and polite. The service and the food was good. With a stop if youre in the mood for sushi.
Review №8
2021-11-12 22:00:31GREAT fish. This cute old restaurant really nailed everything: the woman who took our order was sweet, the food came out pretty quickly, the food itself tasted amazing. The restaurant is small, but worth it even if you have to wait. Got the hamachi cheek (would highly recommend getting this) it was a large amount of fish for one person, but would be good to share. The unagi don had rich flavor. And the sashimi was very fresh. The seaweed salad that came with the entrees (for dinner) was crisp and not over-flavoured. One of my favorite Japanese restaurants, will definitely make time to come back again.
Review №9
2021-08-19 20:41:24Starting off, food is the definition of AMAZING. We were treated so nicely here, and it took us only 15 minutes to get our food which was a full plate! This place is actually authentic, and small business owned which makes me even happier. I will definitely be coming back here to support and eat the yummy food.
Review №10
2023-03-23 20:33:20I’ve been going here for years and it’s always been amazing. The food is very cheap and very high quality. The people who run it are an older Japanese couple, and they are so kind! It’s generally pretty busy here when I go, but I never wait for too long. I wish I could come more often!