Wakuriya in San Mateo

My friends and I had a wonderful night here. The best Kaiseki style restaurant in the area. I would definitely come back if I could get reservation again.Food is prepared to perfection. My favorites include 蛍烏賊(squid) and つぶ貝(whelk) on a heated stone BBQ, yamaimo gratin, and the wagyu beef with Maitake mushroom. The combination is excellent.Server is great, very attentive and introduced the sake menu pretty well. We ordered fruit flight (nigori, plum and yuzu sake) and premium sake flight and really enjoyed it.

So good. Love this little place. Everything carefully prepared and you could just taste the thoughtful execution that goes into each and every dish. We thoroughly enjoyed our meal here and were recommended to anyone looking for a romantic evening out.Apparently its also a favorite for birthdays. I really hope the five cups of green tea tonight doesnt keep me awake at night tonight!

This is my absolutely favorite Kaiseki in the Bay Area, also the only Michelin Star restaurant that I keep coming back to.My review is a little bit overdue (the last time I dined in the restaurant was 2019 but I did order takeout dinner during 2020), but I really want to share my experience.This restaurant is hard to get a reservation, the process is to call at midnight and leave a message on reservation detail. If youre able to secure a reservation, the restaurant will call back the next day to confirm.For all the times I have been here, I have never been disappointed by the food. I could really tell that the chef puts a lot of thoughts into each dish. Each dish was so intricate and so fresh. Their service was also exceptional.Their menus refresh from time to time, but I always get their Sake Flight! My favorite is their fruity Sake Flight.I can’t wait to come back and dine at this restaurant soon!

The service is good. Sashimi and other seafood are very fresh and nicely arranged like food art. However, wagyu is a little bit overcooked. The starters are the most impressive ones. Overall worth the money (so big size and all good quality and pricy raw materials).

Finally got in here again. Mostly as good as before. Overall I will say it is 3.8.First dish is sushimi grade shrimp and scallops. They are pre-flavored. You can eat them like sushimi or put them on the hot stone. Personally, I think just eating raw is good enough. It offered two egg dishes. One is steam egg with fish and the other is stir fried egg with mushroom over rice. I think one egg dish is enough. The whole set I think is missing fried stuff like fried fish or veggies. Most disappointed dish I think is the beef. It is very soft but no beef flavor. I think a little rock salt will bring out the flavor more. Most impressed dish is the fruit dessert. I am not a fruit fan so it is a surprise. The milky sauce made the desert a whole. It is light and you want to have more.Overall, a good dinning experience.

Inventive, fresh, and impecably styled and flavored dishes. Its a long meal (3 hrs) and there arent too many seats. Its understated from the outside and you wouldnt know such a gem existed in the strip mall. Would highly recommend. Be aware its one tasting menu and theres not a ton of customization for those with food restrictions (e.g. if you dont eat raw fish). Highlight of my meal was the lobster.

Traditional Japanese Kaiseki set course dinner for less than $100. Its a great value when you calculate the ingredients and the cost of labor. The place is run by a husband and wife team. The husband is the chef and the wife is the front of the house, including acting as a server.The food is inventive and consistent. My favorite are the appetizers, especially the foie gras. The pineapple sorbet with shiso palate cleanser was perfect balance of tart and sweet. Im not a shiso fan, but they used it perfectly to provide just a hint of it. The lobster paired with truffles was great.The only pain is the reservation. You have to call at midnight, exactly one month in advance. It takes forever to get through. Once youre Conference, its a old fashion voice mail machine and you just leave a message with your name, phone number and how many in your party. They will call you back in a few days to let you know if you were lucky enough to get a reservation. Dont get me wrong, it is completely worth it.

This has to be one of my favorite Michelin star restaurants. Every dish was fresh, unique and full of flavors, textures and beautiful designs. My favorite was the braised sea bass with yuzu gelee, yamaimo potato + aosa seaweed and rice with toro sashimi + shiso + basil. Delicious!! I would definitely go here again

Absolutely incredible. If you can get a reservation, you have to go. Its the best food youll ever eat in a strip mall. Each dish was so thoughtful and delicious.

Amazing. Only difficulty is getting a reservation!