Sushi Sam's Edomata in San Mateo

A delicious mini omakase place with knowledgable staff that knows his sake very well and what is in season. They rotate their menu seasonally, so you wont find the same nigiri offered all the time. Their menu is hyper-focused on quality sashimi and nigiri. There are other offerings like tempura udon and rolls, so I need to try them to see the complete picture of how well they do. Their core competencies is very well executed, but definitely, the rice could be a bit more compact to hold the fish better.

Got seated quickly since I was by myself. Sushi was pretty good, and the price was reasonable. Service was super quick too.A great place to go in San Mateo if you’re ok with waiting awhile when they get busy. They’re very popular so I’d recommend going early as they cap their wait list fast when the line gets really long.

First time here. Based on the reviews, we had to try the omakase. 8 pieces of nigiri for $59. They were all decent, but the seared toro was out of this world. I ordered another 2 pieces of it for $24. I also want to be the first to mention the fig goat cheesecake. It was unique and very tasty. Comparable in tastiness to the more famous green tea tiramisu.

4stars means excellentMade reservations a week ahead. We got the mixed tempura and omakase. The nigiri was very good and the tempura was outstanding. Not cheap, but not terribly expensive. Ill be going back.

Update:We came back to Sushi Sams after a year. There wasnt any outdoor dining, so make sure to come here early to get a seat. We got lucky last night and were one of the last couples to get seated. The sashimi, maki, and nigiri were excellent as always. The freshness of the fish is one of the best in the bay. The service was friendly and efficient. Sushi Sams is a must try if youre looking for the best sushi around!-------------Sushi Sams is open for outdoor dining and its fantastic! We were seated right away and the service was extremely quick. Even though they had many takeout orders, they had dedicated servers who were very friendly. The sushi of course was out of this world. Nothing compares to sushi in Tokyo, but Sushi Sams blows other restaurants out of the water! Its sad that its not as busy as it used to be, but more of a reason to support this amazing restaurant!

Memorable. If you know and love sushi, a place to visit. Typically one hour wait for walk-ins, one week notice for reservations.

The food here is a straight knockout. The prices are excellent for the quality. The omakase is a great value. The chefs are welcoming as they greet you loudly. All the food is good. Get the omakase. Get here, eat the food. Give these people your people your money.

Great value / no frills sushi joint with great quality fish. Definitely worth a wait if necessary as their wait times are shorter than quoted and they have great/fairly fast service.

If not the best, one of the best sushi I’ve had in the Bay. Insane value for money. Their omakase was superb and highly recommended. Best sweet shrimp and dragon roll I’ve ever had. Definitely worth traveling half an hour to try. Attire casual or smart casual. Tip: get the omakase and book beforehand.

Best sushi Ive ever had, and Ive tried places all around the world including Japan. The flavors and service here are phenomenal. Prices also are super reasonable for high quality fish prepared perfectly. Recommend getting omakase for an unforgettable experience.

Sat down and was offered hot tea and water. Ordered many things (agedashi tofu, edamame, sashimi, nigiri, and some rollsand they all came out quickly. Everything was very fresh and delicious. The nigiri have wasabi in the rice as is tradition so if you dont like wasabi please make note of that.

It’s always a pleasure to dine in at sushi Sam. Quality sushis, fresh ingredients and affordable price. We highly recommend Dragon roll, zuwakani special and Toro nigiri. Green tea tiramisu is a hit as well.

We had the omakase and some appys. Overall was pretty good, some of the nigiri were not proportionate and frozen/cold, others unique like the smoked fish, and squid was overcooked. Dessert was quite sweet for our tastes, but a nice touch to end it all off. Service was amazing, well be back.

Omakace was excellent with quality and presentation, however I did need a few extra individual orders to get full. Omakace also came with a very tasty green tea tiramisu.

Wow. 10/10 recommend. Got the omakase (was sort of hesitant because I wasnt prepared tobut it was definitely worth the experience. You get all specialty fish, and its incredibly fresh, HUGE pieces, well thought out flavors to compliment the fish. Service was good, and the green tea tiramisu was also great--creamy and not overpowering. Put your name down early (I waited 2 hours on a Friday night at 6pm). Theres a lot to see around the area though, so walkable round while you wait.

Cant go wrong with sushi sam. If you want quality omakase for a decent price, this will be your spot. And Service is great!!

Good value for the portion and quality offered. Their negiri is on the bigger side with thicker cuts and the fish is very fresh and well flavored. The omakase will leave you full and happy. Make sure to come early or make reservations as it gets very crowded.

Probably one of the best customer service experiences. The sushi was as good as you can get in all of California and Ive visited plenty of sushi restaurants from San Diego up to San Francisco and in between as well. I highly recommend anyone try this place out if you are even remotely nearby. Ill be returning when Im around the area or if I want sushi even tho I live 70 miles out, its THAT GOOD!

My first time trying this place!! And omasake is only $50.. every dishes were amazing!! Every sushi melts in my mouth. High quality sushi but wont break your bank. Service was amazing! Owner Sam and his staff treated us as family. I loved it! Highly recommended for all sushi lovers!!

This place is by far my favorite sushi place. Whether its ordering the Chefs Special Omakase, kitchen items, rolls, or nigiri, I have loved every item. The fish is fresh and the balance between the rice and sashimi is perfect.Unless you start lining up before they open, your wait time could easily be 2hours. I believe the walk-in is outdoor seating only for now. To avoid the long wait, I suggest you to call ahead and make a reservation to sit inside and be guaranteed a table. Sushi Sam closes on Sundays.

The best sushi I ever have. The fishes are super fresh and tasty. Service is excellent. Prices are reasonable. We order omakase, spicy salmon handrolls, Special toro handrolls, Uni 2pcs and Toro 4 pcs. The waiter recommended fresh toro and seared toro with salt and lemon, absolutely amazing. Every single dish came with the introduction and how should you eat. Highly recommend Omakase, chef choice for what the best of the day, excellent presentation and delicious. It’s not expensive compared to what you are served. We definitely come back very soon. You should call to make a reservation because they don’t take walk-in.

Ordered Omakase to go... it was delicious 🍣 . Hojicha panna cotta was delicious.

Best sushi in San Mateo. Staffs are professional. Ask questions about fish and they can give you a recommendation based on your appetite!

I will be civil in this review. These were definitely some of the best California rolls Ive ever had. $4.50 gets you 3 pieces which included real crab, unagi and avocado! Also ordered the seared Toro - 2 pieces for $20 though I thought their sauce/flavoring was a little bit too sour. We also got an udon soup with teriyaki (not picturedand Ankimo! The greeter at the front was very nice and prompt in taking our order. We got there at 5:30, and we sat roughly an hour later. Unfortunately, the service was subpar. The older smaller gentleman serving us with an earring only asked "Are you guys done?" At the very end and it took us a second ask in order to get our check. No refills on tea or checking on our food. I decided to stand up to signal him, essentially re-requesting our check. The other two tables were waited on quite well with more attention than ours. Also, since the tables are pretty tight next to each other, please dont stand in between tables talking to customers with your butt facing my sushi, its really rude as a waiter. #endrant #sushisamsedomata #sanmateo 😋 Food quality 4/5🌟 Service 2/5🤑 Total Damage $60. We also tipped.Oh yes, one more thing I want to mention, when I got there, we were checking in our name at the door, one of the sushi chefs at the bar loudly calls out some words for a pickup..he also stuck the order receipt physically on the two pieces of Toro. WTF? I was servsafe certified 10+ years ago and I have to say this is completely unsanitary.

Simply amazing sushi! Loved the presentation, quality, and flavor of everything that was served. Service was great as well.

I was introduced to Sushi Sams by a few friends and we sat by the bar. I was impressed by the diversity of the menu and taste of everything. The cold/ hot sushi from the Omakase are all incredible and decent portions. The desserts were very good too.Most unique is the exciting and family atmosphere here from the staff. They are like family and like to joke and gab with the customers and each other.Sam and his nephew are great and so is this restaurant. Would recommend for a fun night with friends!

Super popular sushi spot in San Mateo. Affordable and fast (when you finally sit down after a long wait), but don’t expect high quality sushi. Their omakase is 8 pieces of sushi plus dessert for $54 but the quality of the fish is not great. I liked the dragon roll 🤣 you get what you pay for! We came just before 5pm opening time and had to wait for about an hour for the second seating.

Sushi Sam has been at this location for more than 20 years, and is still one of my favorite sushi spots in the SF Bay Area.The signature item I love is the chili dog. A spicy tuna handroll. It’s legit Hawaiian poke with seaweed, the most authentic I’ve found. It’s the best, and there is no where else to get it.I also go for the unagi handroll which is unagi, crab, and avocado. The real crab adds a the perfect level of texture and flavor. It’s a unique combination, but you can special order this anywhere that serves real crab.Finally, there is a huge speed difference. This is the fastest made nigiri. 1-2-3 bam and your nigiri is beautifully made and plated.I’ve since moved further away, but when I’m in the area, it’s my go to spot. Highly recommended!

We have ordered omakase sushi. Its eight pieces chefs choices. Each piece is delicious and have very unique flavor. It also comes with dessert. We had great tea tiramisu and almond tofu. Both are very yummy. The chiwamushi is one of the best chiwamushi I ever had!

Tried the omakase sushi dinner and it was fantastic! Sat at the bar and also had the tofu and chicken karage. Service was excellent.

Excellent omakase! Very fresh fishes and seafood for their nigiris!! I have been going there for over 20 years and sushi has been consistently great. Their nigiris already have seasoning paired with the specific fishes or seafood. Do not use soy sauce!

My favorite sushi place. Fish is super fresh and I especially like going here during Copper River Salmon season.

Why is it that this place has a lot of compliment, good reviews? Amaebi is one of the my tastes that i can enjoy whenever i visit sushi ya. Texture is not muscular, bouncy at all, worst ever!! Sushi Rice is excessively sticky so that it is not harmonized with nigiri sushi!!! Tako is so dry, hamachi tastes bland. Sake is not impressive, too.I think this place needs to improve the taste in terms of how to make a good sushi rice as well as freshness of fish.

The wait can be brutal. We waited about 1 hour for our table. Our food was great and the service was nice. I had a Toro and Wagyu beef (lightly cookedand ($$$), it just melted in my mouth.

Decent service, slow seating process, long lines, and most importantly fresh sushis! I ordered the butterfly sashimi and sams super sushi. They both tasted great. We also ordered green tea tiramisu which was phenomenal. Highly recommended! The atmosphere isn’t that nice, well it’s for 1988, definitely could use some renovations! Finding parking was hard! It’s a good idea to put your names down and then go for parking hunting :)

I got the salmon teriyaki dinner set. First I started with a miso soup and a salad, both tasted great! The miso soup was the best miso soup I ever had! Salmon was grilled and teriyaki sauce was superb! We also ordered green tea tiramisu and it was fantastic! Service was great and fast! Highly recommend!

Its the best sushi in the Penninsula. Hands Down. Sushi Sams Special hand roll is a MUST. Treat yourself to the Omakase...you will find religion once you get to the seared Toro. Soft Shell Crab roll and Chili Dog (spicy tunaare "go tos" as well. Service is always on point and friendly. You cant go wrong here folks. Go early!!

Long wait times, but the experience was worth it - ordered the assorted sushi and the battera. There was a good variety of fish in the assorted set: a nice combination sashimi and rolls that is guaranteed to please. Go a few blocks down the street for taiyaki ice cream or boba while you wait.

One of the better sushi options in the Bay Area. Theyve got a solid menu for non-sushi fans, but the raw stuff is where its at. Had the omakase and while not the best I had, it was pretty good. Service was fast and everything came out quickly. The green tea and hand towels were a nice bonus.Line starts a little before opening, so be sure to show up 20 minutes before then to get a good spot

A+ sushi place! Sam has a unique spin on sushi, lots of variety and there all delicious. Would go back again! I recommend getting the omakase and letting the chef pick whatever’s fresh/aged well that day. The strawberry mouse cake was delicious, and I’ve also heard the same about the green tea mouse.

Great sushi, the rolls were amazing and the fish quality was top notch. Best sushi place in the Bay Area.

Omakase is a must. O love that you get a dessert with your omakase. It was good enough food for me. I also got a handroll which I thought was decently priced for a sushi place of Sushi Sams caliber.

I have seen much better places in Hong Kong and Japan. This place is overrated. The soup is really nice. The young lady is friendly. Those other two waiters who speaking Cantonese are just terrible and impatient.I give a four star only because of the soup and the big smile from the lady.I wont come back again if those two guys are actually the business owners here.

Its hard to beat Sams. have been visiting off and on for 20+ years and never have had bad sushi here. He used to be cash only but now takes plastic for payment also. The staff hasnt changed much in the 20 years so that tells the story of consistency. We live in NV and trek out here to have sushi from time to time so...

About three years ago I had to completely reassess what I considered good sushi. Thats because the Omakase at sushi Sam’s is on a different level good. I can’t praise this place enough for what they do!

Ive been going here for over 25 years and it holds a special place in my heart. No matter how far away I move, I always make it a point to come back to Sushi Sam. From California rolls to omakase, Sam never fails to make me smile and do a happy dance with his creations.

Best sushi omakase! The fish on the nigiri are huge and delicious! Super good value! You can buy gift certificates in increments of 20 dollars. They only accept 7 certificates per bill (140 dollars).

I would highly recommend calling this place before coming because theres almost always a long line and they dont take reservations. That being said, the food is worth the wait. You definitely get the best bang for your buck during lunch. The lunch special is quite good and fills up the average adult. The sushi chiefs here are all Japanese!

Sushis were great and very fresh, reminded me of Japan a lot and the cherry on top was the homemade dessert - matcha tiramisu, not too sweet, very light, just perfect!

I came to this restaurant about 10 mins after its open for dinner and it was pack! I put my name down and I have to wait for another 1 hour. When I got sat down, ordered, and the food came out quick. Every sushi is worth the wait. It is soooo good, so fresh, and so delicious. I would recommend everyone to come try but be patience for the line. I would love to be back if I come to San Francisco again.