Sushi Yoshizumi

I haven’t written a review on Unilocal in forever, but felt the need to after the pretentious review from Damion V who admits he has yet to dine here!
I too am fortunate to have dined at the world’s top restaurants on various continents and my status on social media and work in the food & wine industry also affords me special treatment at some of these place. Yet despite this, I do not include it in my reviews or broadcast it like he does. I only share it now so those of you who are reading reviews of Sushi Yoshizumi can rest assured he has no idea what he is talking about, but my he certainly does have an ego to trip on.
I’ve been very lucky to have dined there on numerous occasions. Both in small parties and booking the entire restaurant. Every single time service has been nothing but impeccable. Chef is friendly, has a lovely staff and provides excellent service throughout the entire meal. He is friendly, knowledgeable and leads his staff to ensure every customer has a wonderful experience. There is a reason why he received a Michelin star so quickly!
Now, on to the food — the most important reason to eat here. I too have been lucky to dine at Jiro’s and other renowned sushi eateries and this is certainly one of the best in the Bay Area. You can not compare a 1 star location to a 3 star, but I assure you the sushi is fresh, prepared with precision and of the highest quality. In addition to a unique selection of fish not found in many places, he also will take special requests and procure highly sought after items to satisfy his customers. His knowledge of fish is incredible and he will never let a customer succumb to a mediocre experience or product.
To dine here you will have one of the best experiences you could ask for in the SF Bay Area for an omakase dinner. In fact, it is my favorite. They consistently serve up perfect service and incredibly delicious sushi the biggest of sushi snobs would love (me). You will also walk away stuffed. And for the price it is a fabulous value.
Reservations are very much a long wait, but if you do get a chance to go, or somehow see a last min cancellation, I highly encourage you to go. You will not be disappointed.
Take the word of someone who HAS dined here.

My husband and I visited Sushi Yoshizumi when they first opened in San Mateo. We had a wonderful time getting to know Chef Yoshizumi and enjoyed our tasting very much. Fast forward almost a year later, Chef earns his (well deserved) Michelin star and is completely booked each time we plan our next tasting. We finally scored a seating today and Chef Yoshizumi greeted us with the same hospitality and kindness as the first time, but even more amazing, he remembered my preferences and our engagement. Chef Yoshizumi is a genuine and talented chef and human being. I can’t wait to go back!

This experience was almost surreal.
My special lady and I arrive at our oh-​so-​hard to obtain reservation and the place was empty. The host knew me by name, which was initially weird, but makes sense given the size of the place.
Soon after, we were joined by another couple, but more than 50% of the seats in this tiny restaurant were empty. And the chef kept turning away random people trying to come in, even though he could have easily served those empty seats.
Nonetheless, there are not enough words to recognize the quality of the food and the thoughtfulness of the menu. Plainly, the fish was just absurdly delicious, better than any other sushi experience I’ve had. I know that people will believe that I’m all for clubbing baby white seals, but the toro was so intensely flavored, I might be for the extinction of the dodo if it was as delicious.
The reservation process is a bit weird, and difficult, so I’m glad that we were about to check off this place, although, I wish it weren’t so difficult to get seats here. I wouldn’t mind coming here more regularly, but it almost feels like Rao’s, the reservations feel unobtainable.

I rushed to dine here on a whim and have a date night with myself this past weekend and really enjoyed it.
I do agree that $ 85 is a good value, but I was still hungry — I ended up ordering 2 more pieces of nigiri. Tackle on two glasses of Sake and their mandatory tip that they add for you — I walked out the door paying $ 167 for my own tab.
Beginning February 1^st, prices are going to increase to $ 125. I Hope they add a few more dishes or appetizers. I personally felt 60% full with the $ 85 meal (maybe 9 pieces of nigiri, two small appetizers, their tamago, and their dessert).
The space is awesome — cute but modern sushi bar with less than 12 seats. The sushi chef is definitely talented but also charismatic and so friendly — as many others have noted.
His nigiri are more delicate but artfully made. I personally like nigiri that has a hint more of wasabi but still– really enjoyed each and every bite.
Favorites included the octopus/​ankimo appetizer (the best octopus I’ve had in the last year indeed), uni, and the tamago!
I look forward to return. If you like Yoshizumi, you will also like Omakase, Koo (now An), and Akiko’s.

I have been to all of the top sushi in the bay area. This is the only place that reminds me of what good sushi is from Japan. I have been to Jiro several times in the past. This is the only place that has similar taste (albeit still not to Jiro’s level– that is why a 3 star and 1 star differ).
However, none of the bay area sushi comes anywhere close to what Chef Yoshizumi offers.
Lets start with the most basic of good sushi–
The rice–
Unlike majority of places in Bay area, the rices are flavored with sugar to become overly sweet and often become sticky rice ball. The rice here is flavored with red vinegar only and its slightly dry (like Jiro). The rice bring out the flavors of fish.
Fish–
Lets start with the basic.
If you do not manage your fish well, the blood water would soak into the rice thus killing the flavor. This is where Yoshizumi shines. I did not have to repeatedly ask to replace my hand wipe at all. In fact, after full course dinner, my hand wipe was still quiet clean. Compare to Maruya, where my hand wipe was full of blood and my finger smelled liked dead fish. This is very impressive.
Temperature–
One problem i have with majority of top sushi restaurant in the bay area is the temperature of the sushi. Sushi is best at room temperature. This is where Yoshizumi is also at its best. Course to course the temperature variation is quiet low. Which makes entire suishi courses consistent.
This is why i like yoshizumi. Attention to the detail and basic of good sushi.

Whoa. This is pretty good value — and I’m not even kidding at $ 85 a pop. You get to have an omakase sushi meal, interspersed with small plates, and ending with a cute taiyaki dessert.
The restaurant is traditional-​style, where everyone sits at the sushi bar with each piece of sushi delivered directly to the plate in front of you. Yes, this is how they eat sushi at nice places in Tokyo, and I’m surprised how authentic the whole place feels.
The fish was spectacular, as they were imported directly from Tsukiji. The small plates demonstrated the skill of the kitchen staff. The service isn’t that out of place for Japanese places — the staff tends to hide until you need them. However, you can just ask the sushi chef for any extra orders or requests — it is definitely not out of line.
This is definitely a gem in San Mateo, considering how inferior all the sushi places are (no, don’t get me started on that). Reservations disappear fast too — I booked when this place barely opened and had a spot 1.5 months out. Just make a special trip here if you manage to get a reservation.

I’m rounding up here, but I’d give this place 4.5 stars.
The Good:
— Food was SPECTACULAR. I mean… talk about fresh fish. Everything was impeccable and the fish portions were HUGE.
— Since this was my first Omakase experience (I know, crazy! I love Sushi…), I was blown away by the chef’s choices. Toro and bluefin tuna? Yes, please. We even got some specialities with two types of Uni (not a fan, but I know many find Uni delicious).
— Service couldn’t be beat. You’re in an intimate atmosphere with 8 people so you get all the attention you need. Drinks were never empty and our server gave us some awesome tips for Sake.
Why it’s not totally 5 stars:
My biggest qualm here was the experience with the chef. As awesome as the fish was, for such an intimate setting (I mean… only 8 people at a sitting), we expected much more conversation with the chef. A true omakase experience where the chef can truly detail out each dish, what makes that particular fish so tasty or different, or even give us tips on how to eat some of the items. The chef just quietly gave us our fish and hastily said the name… sometimes we didn’t even know what it was. Not that it truly matters, but for the price and intimacy, we wanted a little more interaction instead of just heads down in our fish.
Overall, it was a pretty amazing dinner. It’s hard to get reservations as they only seat through SeatMe (which has so many flaws in itself) and they only have a few seatings each day. It’s new, it’s hot, and it’s worth a visit. I have no doubt this place will get even more popular. When you do get a seating, talk to the server who will help you get your next reservations. The owner does help in making sure you can come back again and again. We had them help us get a reservation for my boyfriend’s family through email. Talk about personable!
Try it now… while the reservations aren’t totally impossible to get :)

Amazing omakase experience. High quality food, low volume of covers per night (9 seats, two seatings per night) make for a very intimate culinary experience without worry of being rushed out the door. There’s you, Chef Yoshizumi, his assistant, and the server (as well as the other patrons).
On Dec. 23^rd this is what we had: oyster, halibut, yellow tail, mackerel wrapped with kelp, egg custard with lobster, octopus/​monk fish, barracuda, king salmon, king mackerel, blue fin tuna, toro, uni, anago, miso, tamago, and ice cream. For $ 85, the quality of food was amazing and was undervalued.
This was one of the few experiences, where it was hard for me to pin down a rock star dish or a favorite dish that shined more than the others. Each course that came out impressed (and that’s hard to do for any restaurant). Here are few notes:
1. Blue fish tuna — melted in your mouth
2. Monk fish — flavorful, amazing, and warm
3. Nigiri dishes — the rice was cooked to near perfection, each grain standing out from one another, and it was formed such that the rice did not fall apart (most places will have had mushy rice to combat that problem).
4. Barracuda — the skin was seared, the nigiri had a slightly charred favor, adding to the overall complexity.
5. Sardine — usually its a flat out miss or a complete bomb because its way too fishy — not the case here, fresh and not briny.
6. Uni — I was expecting the unagi/​ikura don, which was not featured this evening. Instead it was amazing uni from Hokkaido.
I could easily write notes for each of the 16 courses that I had this evening, but these were the ones that stood out for me, 2 hours after dining here.
Will I be back? For sure — this place is amazing.

Ohaio, Yoshizumi-​san. Would you like to be my personal chef? Onegaishimasu? Hat tip to Cherylynn N. whose awesome review (
) tempted me to try this place.
Yeah. It’s as good as everyone says. Everything. All of the plates he handed to us (with two hands, of course) were divine.
It’s one menu (chef’s choice – omakase – for $ 85/​person). We also opted for a bottle of sake that set us back $ 60. Worth it.
–Miso black cod? Yes.
–Chawanmushi? Best egg custard I’ve ever (ever!) had.
–Toro sushi? Never say no to this.
–Unagi? Ohh, yeah. Special shout out to my date who decided to do the Ross (from «Friends») unagi move, which almost made me spit-​out my sushi, and got a hearty laugh from the sous chef.
–Seaweed salad with minced strawberries? Had a very similar dish at Saison that I couldn’t stomach. The strawberries (and squirt of vinegar) made this not only palatable, but delicious!
Definitely email in advance for reservations (6pm or 8pm seatings) and prepare for a delicious adventure. (My favorite kind.)

Call now. Get a reservation. It’s worth every dollar.
And, congrats to them on getting a Michelin Star. Of course, that probably means I’ll never be able to get a reservation again.
Totally a treat. Freshest fish flown in from Japan and other places. Perfect technique. Amazing flavors. What are you doing still reading this?
Go. Go. Go.

Ever since it’s one Michelin star was granted, I knew I had to check Sushi Yoshizumi.
Overall enjoyed the meal — for $ 85 omakase I thought it was good value for what we got. The quality of fish was good but nothing really blew me away. The sushi chef was very nice and the vibe almost brought me back to when I was in Tokyo sushi-​yas.
Out of the other michelins I’ve had, I have to say I still enjoy kusakabe the most. This is still worth checking out. Enjoy!

First of all, congratulation for the Michelin 1 star. I am really glad that more different kinds of restaurants are able to receive this high Michelin award. I wanted to visit this restaurant since the beginning of September, but for a table for 4, I had to wait for 1.5 months! Finally, I was able to try this restaurant on a Thursday evening. Parking was horrible already in downtown san mateo, I was able to score a street parking about 3 blocks away.
The store front was very simple, however, inside the restaurant is a very cozy L-​shaped sushi bar, surrounding Chef Yoshizumi. I really love how intimate the setting was.
The other Unilocalers have already comment on the food and courses of food, so I will skip that in this review.
However, there are a few things I want to point out:
— In the conversation with Chef, he mentioned he rotates his menu base on the season. So chances are the next time are you able to get a seat, the food will be different.
— The tasting menu will run you about 1.5 hours, in the end of the omakase, the chef will ask you how many more pieces of nigiri you want before he serves you the miso soup and the dessert. This is when Chef takes the nigiri sushi into the next level. During this stage, you can ask what chef will recommend, or in my case, I asked what’s fresh and rare. In my case, chef recommended Kinmedai (my favorite fish), and another white fish with fresh liver on it. Kinmedai I had it many times before, but I admire the way this chef prepare it. He send the fish into the kitchen for a slight torch and grill, he then put the fish into a soy sauce which is marinate it for a minute or so, and then he dried it with paper towel and then serve with japanese mustard instead of wasabi. Now that’s really base on experience, the amount of work put into this nigiri is amazing. And then comes the white fish with fresh liver, lots of people had monk fish liver before (ankimo), but this is fresh, raw, it melts in your mouth like butter. Chef Yoshizumi is able to source rare and fresh ingredient.
This is the second Omakase I had in bay area, the other one was Kusakabe. I like both but I like Chef yoshizumi more, he has more traditional edomae sushi.
Definitely will return, I tried to reserve a table after the dinner. Turns out his restaurant is fully booked for the rest of the year!!!

I have been here two times, and both time had great experience with sushi. Sishi was very fresh and well presented. We went with a group of friends, we all loved their sushi. However, it is super-​duper hard to get a reservation since place is super small that they only accept 10 customers at a time! One of my friends tries to come here once month but he has to make a reservation at least in a few months in advance. I think we will go back sometime next year since this year all booked. Just found out that they have no reservation is available until 2016. Yup! It is that famous.

Super duper hard to get reservation but I think it is definitely one of the top omakase places in the Bay Area. The course here is very similar to sho style sushi at sushi sho in yotsuya, Tokyo turned out chef yoshizumi is also a friend of chef nakazawa at sushi sho.
$ 85 tasting menu was ok but I expected to get more from this. Most of the pieces were perfectly executed but the assistant (Nepalese female) got confused and served me with a wrong course which was a little bit disappointment because it was not an acceptable mistake for a Michelin starred establishment.
The chef yoshizumi himself was very friendly and very nice. The server was also very nice and I love the small and cozy ambience.
–1 For giving us basic not so exotic fish. Bonito (katsuo) was awesome but other than that i was more like another establishment. I ordered Saba sushi in the end because I knew he had it and it was great. Sad thing is i wouldn’t have known if the couple next to me hadn’t been a regular who got all the special dishes I didn’t get. In short, first timer will get the tasting menu (even though they call it omakase it is a fake omakase) and the regulars should get the real omakase (full course)

With tip I spent over $ 125, and for that price I expect only the finest. And, to walk away full and impressed. It pains me to give them 3 stars but from start to finish there were just too many flaws for my dining experience.
1) the rice kept falling apart on my sushi. Which means it wasn’t compact and set right. For that amount I’m paying for the skill and the quality. The rice shouldn’t crumble.
2) the service, or rather the one server was lousy. I had to ask her more than half a dozen times to fill up the green tea, which was lukewarm and not hot. And she cleared dishes before I was finished. The uni with rice was halfway eaten before she scooped it away and I had to ask her to leave it. She did the same for the cucumber starter. Once again for $ 125 I expect the service to be on point. $ 125 isn’t chump change.
3) I asked the waitress to stock up on the hand towels since they were empty which she didn’t do. This place only serves about 10 people a night, and there’s nothing worse than wiping my wet hands on my trousers or grabbing toilet paper since there’s no air dryer.
4) the miso soup was too salty. The starters were very small and plain. The octopus was cooked perfectly, but had no flavor. I found this to be a theme in most of the dishes. Small portions are okay, but they need to pack flavor and a wow level for this type of omakase experience.
5) the dessert portion was a disappointment. A hard shell with good ice cream inside. I just ate the ice cream since the shell was dry and hard, like it had been sitting in the refrigerator or dethawed improperly. But for the price I’m expecting maybe another dessert, or one killer good dessert. That one ice cream fish seemed lacking and maybe a mousse or chocolate would give the finishing touch to the meal.
6) all the fish was fresh but it wasn’t anything special. Toro, saba, hamachi, I can get that anywhere with the same flavors at half the price. I wanted to be blown away by fresh fish and presentations, but I wasn’t.
Once again it’s a good place, but weighing the $ 125 price tag with tip, I can’t possibly give this place 4 or 5 stars.
$ 125 is a good amount of money and I expect excellent food and service and got mediocre on both.

I knew this place was deserving of a Michelin star BEFORE it even got one (foodie bragging rights).
This was my first restaurant I went to when I moved to San Francisco back in July 2015. The omakase ($ 85/​per person; accepts credit cards) is nothing short of spectacular and I have not been to a place that has blown my mind the way Sushi Yoshizumi has.
Of note, Chef Yoshizumi goes out of his way to make your experience personal and intimate — it is clear he takes pure joy from seeing his customers enjoy their food. This is a rarity nowadays in fine dining.
Reservations will be hard to get but not impossible. Book at least 2 months in advance as this place seats only 9 people and its excellent reputation is spreading like wildfire.

Worth every penny! Good food, nice chef, great setting, happy tummy!
Reservation is hard to get (especially now that they earn a 1 michelin star), but not impossible! Keep checking online to see when they have the next open reservation. The omakase is cheaper than other comparable places like Kusakabe for $ 85/​person. You hav the option to order more a la carte sushi after the omakase. Every dishes are different and very good! We’ll come back for sure!

How have I not known about this place when I was born and raised here! I’m not sure when this place opened but I’m so glad to have stumbled onto it.
This is easily the best omakase in a 30 mile radius and for less than $ 100 per person! The chef was amazing and the quality of the fish is unbeatable. I thought Shiro’s in Seattle was my favorite, but now it’s been replaced by a place right here at home. San Mateo never ceases to amaze me with all the new foodie places popping up in recent years.
I did hear a fellow table mention Sushi Sam’s and I wanted to scream at him or her. Sushi Sam is absolutely dirt compared to this place in service, food, and value. Completely a different class of establishment.
There’s no need for a long review here… Amazing sashimi and a perfect omakase experience! Don’t hesitate to try!

I reaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaally hesitated writing a review for this place, but someone got an ROTD for it so the cat’s out of the bag! I’ve been here twice now and have another booking in a couple of weeks.
If you haven’t been and LOVE authentic sushi, BOOK THIS PLACE ASAP. You’ll likely get to go in a few months since this place is constantly booked to capacity — understanding there are only 9 seats and maybe twice turnover.
I won’t go into too many details because you really need to try everything yourself and experience the 1 – 1 direct contact with the chef and owner, but the octopus was by far my favorite item on the entire menu. It just melts in the mouth! I’ve never had octopus so tender in my life. Best deal for omakase at $ 85 a person. It’s well worth it and you will leave full.
It’s seemingly only getting harder and harder to get a reservation here… once Michelin comes around and discovers this place, forget it! It’ll be a repeat of Wakuriya.

A true treat! Sushi Yoshizumi is hidden just off the main San Mateo downtown in an unassuming restaurant space that you could easily walk by. Step inside though and you’ll be transported to an authentic edomae sushi gem, complete with a gorgeous lacquered wood table made by a Japanese carpenter and 9 seats of sushi bar only seating that is already becoming hard to get a reservation.
The space is the realization of Chef Akira Yoshizumi and the menu is omakase only ($ 85), selected nightly by the chef and featuriing organic and sustainable choices both locally and internationally. The emphasis is on nigiri sushi, but a selection of sashimi, appetizers, and cooked dishes freshly made as you make your way through the menu keeps everything diverse and interesting.
Flavors are outstanding and the the famous «umami» is well represented from the first seaweed salad with diced strawberries to the finishing fish bone broth to complete your meal. Standout appetizers include the tender cooked octopus marinated in miso as well as the stunningly fresh Santa Barbara uni with house made ikura over rice.
But the nigiri sushi is the star and it’s not surprising that trusted Unilocalers and sushi aficionados alike have already shared that Sushi Yoshizumi compares to any sushi establishment in the Bay Area (including the newly minted Michelin star San Francisco sushi duo) or brings up memories of nearby Wakuriya, another outstanding (and small) establishment that I loved when they first opened and find exceedingly difficult to make a return visit.
Fish selection and the varied preparations (vinegar, seaweed, salt, smoking) are a treat and even often overlooked details for the Bay Area like the rice temperature (warm in hand) and soy sauce (house made with sake, mirin) are perfectly on point.
While the fish selection may not be novel to frequent sushi diners (maguro, salmon, kinmedai, anago, ika, hotate, toro), the quality very well could be and is admirably chosen more for sustainability and flavor than rarity.
However as great as all the above is, the very best part of Sushi Yoshizumi is likely Chef Yoshi-​san himself. Our original weekend dinner was changed to a weekday night and through both luck and happenstance, we found ourselves with the best seats in the house as well as the entire attention of the small staff. Little touches from the waiter enthusiastically reciting the entire sake menu to Chef Yoshizumi sharing the components of each nigiri selection as well as how best to consume each piece definitely add to the dining experience.
While I don’t consider myself anywhere near a sushi expert, I’ve always been a bit skeptical of omakase. How often is the experience one of engagement and showcasing both the very best the chef offers and what you’ll enjoy? I simply think of the omakase experience at a super busy sushi establishment (think nearby Sushi Sam’s for example) and know it’s a completely different than anything here. Let me order a la carte there. This is the real deal. Sushi Yoshizumi is quite simply the best omakase experience I’ve ever had.
I’ve been to enough establishments where waiters monotonously describe dishes to know that real passion for food is hard to fake and even harder to miss. They’re the exception, but always memorable like the busboys at Eleven Madison Park that knew each dish as well as any waiter or the wife hostess at Ambiance that knew each dish her chef husband painstakingly created. Chef Yoshizumi has that same passion and best of all is happy to share that.
As I told my own stories of overcooking chawanmushi, curing my own salmon roe, and even my dreams of buying Costco A5 Wagyu beef, I did so not for any agenda (I’m purely amateur hour) but simply to share my own love of food.
Chef Yoshizumi graciously responded in kind, often laughing and opening up about each dish and even throwing me a tip or two. In turn, I felt comfortable enough to eat sushi with my hands (I know it’s traditional but have never done it), to forgo any wasabi, and to know at the end of the meal that when he shared that I had tried all his best cuts and every fish that he truly meant it.
More than once while writing this review, I’ve thought of deleting it as it will only get harder to come here from now on out. But at the same time, Chef Yoshizumi’s skills and passion deserve to be completely booked every night. Hopefully, when, and not if, that occurs, I’ll still be able to come back and maybe we can laugh once more about Costco A5 Wagyu beef. Thank you Chef Yoshizumi for bringing your edomae sushi to the Bay Area and for sharing your passion with diners that live here, but most of all, thank you for your wonderful hospitality!
Sushi Yoshizumi accepts all credit cards, including American Express.