Chirachi bowl: fish is fresh and tender, rice is just the right amount of sweetness for meTako: too chewy and lack of flavor for me, but kid likes itBeef udon: flavorful and huge
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 4
Per Knudsgaard
My new favorite local sushi
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Sushi
Royce Rippere
Whoa! 5☆ Excellence! Great Fresh Fish on a Monday, let me tell you: When you order something CRUNCHY here, it is! No cold, soggy dish room tempura or deep-fried - it is HOT and CRISP - crackle in my mouth GOOD. So excellent here - fantastic bar service, great comfy vibe and deeeelicious sushi. I will be back fo' sho'!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Ming Yan
Loved the 10 piece nigiri omakase, already want to go back for more, especially the otoro, seared fatty salmon, and hotate ???
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Craig N
I want to give 5 stars because the food is consistently good and value oriented. I can't remember a bad meal that I have had here. The only real complaint that I have is that despite the fairly high number of times we have eaten here, we are still treated like new customers.. No hello, good to see you again.. Although it is very petty, I noticed that tables were being given a complementary sorbet serving at the meal end. They forgot ours.. I know my wife will say I'm being ridiculous but I am kind of disappointed. No very disappointed ☹️.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 3
Rebecca J.
Noma is an underrated sushi restaurant, and one of my favorites in San Mateo. I came here on a whim after seeing it's good yelp reviews, and each time I've come back, they have been consistently good. Each dish is prepared really well, all the flavors are definitely there. I am most surprised by their quality and portions. I love that they don't skimp on each dish, especially the sashimi! Definitely will continue to come back.
Pauline W.
5/21/23 and 7/8/23I came here on two occasions, the first time was with Zach and the other with my sister. Noma sushi is hidden gem that I recently discovered and is actually really close to my apartment across the Caltrain tracks. Both times when I went there, parking wasn't an issue and we were seated right away. I believe I had lunch there both times.5/21/23 meal- California Roll- Scallop inferno- Volcano roll- Shrimp tempura roll7/8/23 meal- California roll (to share)- Chicken udon soup (mine)- Philly roll (to share)- Chicken teriyaki bento box (sis)Customer service on both occasions was great; none of the dishes took forever to come and the service as pleasant. Of the things I tried there, the specialty rolls are the best. I thought that the california, shrimp tempura and philly rolls were all pretty basic. The Scallop Roll and the Volcano roll were both delicious. Both were a little spicy and I liked the texture of the crunchy stuff on top of the Volcano roll. Zach love shrimp tempura so he had most of it. My sister said that the chicken teriyaki was good, and we ended up taking some leftover chicken home since they give you a lot. The chicken udon soup was not impressive. The broth tasted more like water and the chicken was bland. I had to ask for some siracha to spice it up.I'd probably come back but I would eat more of the specialty rolls and fresh fish than the cooked items.
Steffan A.
Came here before my haircut down the street because it was very convenient and it did not disappoint! Very happy with the meal. Anytime I go to a new sushi spot, I get my usual: Lion king and rainbow rolls. They were great! Not too much rice, great portion of fish, and presented to me within 10 minutes of ordering. It wasn't very busy for lunch but that was probably cuz it's a holiday weekend. They had great music playing and the Spider-Man with Tobey Maguire was on the TV, kept me entertained through my meal lol. Excited to come back and try their bluefin roll and other selections!
Jillian Y.
Came here for my partner's birthday and it was such a quaint restaurant with really quality fish. Highlights include the bluefin roll (so delicious, maybe one of the top 3 rolls I have had) and the sashimi platter. A lot of their rolls include fresh wasabi which provides a perfect kick, without being too overwhelming. They have an extensive sake menu. Also, it was so thoughtful how they played a happy birthday song and brought out ice cream mochis (green tea and strawberry) with adorable presentation! Will definitely be back!!
Evan Thor
Really great place. The service was excellent. The sushi was quite good. Noma roll and Tako nigiri were my highlights. Nice sake. Good value too.
Came here on a Friday for lunch and it was pretty quiet. Super small parking lot of maybe 5 spaces or there's street parking. Since the trek is from East Bay, decided to splurge a little and see what the high ratings were about. The omakase didn't disappoint, fresh fish and good selection. The minus one star is for the green topping on every piece of sushi. That was not necessary since the quality of the fish was already good enough. The oyster uni special for $10 at first glance was a bit underwhelming but I think it's priced just right for the oyster, pieces of uni and ikura. Good balance and proportion of flavor in one gulp. The special roll didn't disappoint either. Devoured that quickly. All in all a good sushi spot away from downtown.
Desmond
Walu here is delicious. Great atmosphere to have a meal with my family.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Asten Culloski
We've tried Noma once when it was in it's grand opening and once the other day. The first time we went we got Lion King rolls and they were WAY over-sauced and way too sweet, and also undercooked (this is a fried roll), we also got a Hawaiian roll that was poorly wrapped and mushy. We tried to give them another chance the other day, we got the Fat Boy Mix and a Salmon Teriyaki Bento w/ a side of Salmon Nigiri, unfortunately we were not impressed again.Their proportions of fish are always very generous, Nigiri had a ton of Salmon, Fat Boy Mix just has buckets of fish dumped on top, and buckets of sauce, again (true to it's name I suppose). Not a good thing, it's very very heavy and I've honestly never had more "American"-tasting Sushi (very large amounts, sweet, mushy, over-sauced, etc.) and we eat a LOT of sushi all around the Bay. The Nigiri was good and fresh though, I think the sweeter fried rolls might just be their weak point. The bento was disappointing as well however, which is a big problem for a Japanese restaurant. Salmon was over-cooked, under-seasoned, and the teriyaki was just plain bad, but again, the Salmon proportion was double what you'd expect from a normal bento.The prices are average to above average on most rolls as well, so it's not even excusable by a lower price point. The main pull would have to be the large portions, if you're trying to engorge on sushi, which is worth noting this is the first time I've ever felt like that after eating a single sushi dish, than you'll probably enjoy Noma. The fish is pretty solid on it's own, the problem really is in the preparation and unfortunately we probably won't be going back because of this, after our second try failed to impress us again.The wait staff are very polite and friendly though! The atmosphere is interesting, it feels relaxing like a traditional sushi joint but also sometimes plays 'top-40' radio-type music which I feel like makes the environment feel less authentic. There's a big TV they play cartoons on too, which is fine but I do personally prefer no TVs in a sushi restaurant, but not a problem. Overall it's not bad other than being a little cramped. But again the wait staff are very polite, we did have to go up and ask for the check after waiting 20min the last time we went, which is a bit annoying considering they didn't check on us for over 20min when there was hardly anyone else left in the restaurant..I think if you've had very little sushi before you'll probably love Noma, because it's big portions for about the same price as most sushi places, and it's very sweet and over-done, but if you've had a wide variety of sushi from different places you'll probably recognize their preparation is lacking, and they should learn to apply the phrase "less is more" with their dishes.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 2
Service: 4
Kelli Kay
I Doordashed this sushi and they did not include the wasabi. I had an operation the day before, so I could not go pick up my food. They basically told me too damn bad. NEVER again!!
Food: 1
Service: 1
Mikoyan C.
At first I was skeptical to try this place and it was away from the busy San Mateo restaurant cluster area.However I was blown away by the food I have ordered from sashimi - rolls- tempura.I had the Volcano roll, Godzilla, chicken karaage, ebi tempura and salmon sashimi!All worth it! Definitely be coming back again and will bring more friends.Everything is on point and a good sushi place!
Chirachi bowl: fish is fresh and tender, rice is just the right amount of sweetness for meTako: too chewy and lack of flavor for me, but kid likes itBeef udon: flavorful and huge
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 4
My new favorite local sushi
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Sushi
Whoa! 5☆ Excellence! Great Fresh Fish on a Monday, let me tell you: When you order something CRUNCHY here, it is! No cold, soggy dish room tempura or deep-fried - it is HOT and CRISP - crackle in my mouth GOOD. So excellent here - fantastic bar service, great comfy vibe and deeeelicious sushi. I will be back fo' sho'!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Loved the 10 piece nigiri omakase, already want to go back for more, especially the otoro, seared fatty salmon, and hotate ???
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I want to give 5 stars because the food is consistently good and value oriented. I can't remember a bad meal that I have had here. The only real complaint that I have is that despite the fairly high number of times we have eaten here, we are still treated like new customers.. No hello, good to see you again.. Although it is very petty, I noticed that tables were being given a complementary sorbet serving at the meal end. They forgot ours.. I know my wife will say I'm being ridiculous but I am kind of disappointed. No very disappointed ☹️.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 3
Noma is an underrated sushi restaurant, and one of my favorites in San Mateo. I came here on a whim after seeing it's good yelp reviews, and each time I've come back, they have been consistently good. Each dish is prepared really well, all the flavors are definitely there. I am most surprised by their quality and portions. I love that they don't skimp on each dish, especially the sashimi! Definitely will continue to come back.
5/21/23 and 7/8/23I came here on two occasions, the first time was with Zach and the other with my sister. Noma sushi is hidden gem that I recently discovered and is actually really close to my apartment across the Caltrain tracks. Both times when I went there, parking wasn't an issue and we were seated right away. I believe I had lunch there both times.5/21/23 meal- California Roll- Scallop inferno- Volcano roll- Shrimp tempura roll7/8/23 meal- California roll (to share)- Chicken udon soup (mine)- Philly roll (to share)- Chicken teriyaki bento box (sis)Customer service on both occasions was great; none of the dishes took forever to come and the service as pleasant. Of the things I tried there, the specialty rolls are the best. I thought that the california, shrimp tempura and philly rolls were all pretty basic. The Scallop Roll and the Volcano roll were both delicious. Both were a little spicy and I liked the texture of the crunchy stuff on top of the Volcano roll. Zach love shrimp tempura so he had most of it. My sister said that the chicken teriyaki was good, and we ended up taking some leftover chicken home since they give you a lot. The chicken udon soup was not impressive. The broth tasted more like water and the chicken was bland. I had to ask for some siracha to spice it up.I'd probably come back but I would eat more of the specialty rolls and fresh fish than the cooked items.
Came here before my haircut down the street because it was very convenient and it did not disappoint! Very happy with the meal. Anytime I go to a new sushi spot, I get my usual: Lion king and rainbow rolls. They were great! Not too much rice, great portion of fish, and presented to me within 10 minutes of ordering. It wasn't very busy for lunch but that was probably cuz it's a holiday weekend. They had great music playing and the Spider-Man with Tobey Maguire was on the TV, kept me entertained through my meal lol. Excited to come back and try their bluefin roll and other selections!
Came here for my partner's birthday and it was such a quaint restaurant with really quality fish. Highlights include the bluefin roll (so delicious, maybe one of the top 3 rolls I have had) and the sashimi platter. A lot of their rolls include fresh wasabi which provides a perfect kick, without being too overwhelming. They have an extensive sake menu. Also, it was so thoughtful how they played a happy birthday song and brought out ice cream mochis (green tea and strawberry) with adorable presentation! Will definitely be back!!
Really great place. The service was excellent. The sushi was quite good. Noma roll and Tako nigiri were my highlights. Nice sake. Good value too.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
Came here on a Friday for lunch and it was pretty quiet. Super small parking lot of maybe 5 spaces or there's street parking. Since the trek is from East Bay, decided to splurge a little and see what the high ratings were about. The omakase didn't disappoint, fresh fish and good selection. The minus one star is for the green topping on every piece of sushi. That was not necessary since the quality of the fish was already good enough. The oyster uni special for $10 at first glance was a bit underwhelming but I think it's priced just right for the oyster, pieces of uni and ikura. Good balance and proportion of flavor in one gulp. The special roll didn't disappoint either. Devoured that quickly. All in all a good sushi spot away from downtown.
Walu here is delicious. Great atmosphere to have a meal with my family.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
We've tried Noma once when it was in it's grand opening and once the other day. The first time we went we got Lion King rolls and they were WAY over-sauced and way too sweet, and also undercooked (this is a fried roll), we also got a Hawaiian roll that was poorly wrapped and mushy. We tried to give them another chance the other day, we got the Fat Boy Mix and a Salmon Teriyaki Bento w/ a side of Salmon Nigiri, unfortunately we were not impressed again.Their proportions of fish are always very generous, Nigiri had a ton of Salmon, Fat Boy Mix just has buckets of fish dumped on top, and buckets of sauce, again (true to it's name I suppose). Not a good thing, it's very very heavy and I've honestly never had more "American"-tasting Sushi (very large amounts, sweet, mushy, over-sauced, etc.) and we eat a LOT of sushi all around the Bay. The Nigiri was good and fresh though, I think the sweeter fried rolls might just be their weak point. The bento was disappointing as well however, which is a big problem for a Japanese restaurant. Salmon was over-cooked, under-seasoned, and the teriyaki was just plain bad, but again, the Salmon proportion was double what you'd expect from a normal bento.The prices are average to above average on most rolls as well, so it's not even excusable by a lower price point. The main pull would have to be the large portions, if you're trying to engorge on sushi, which is worth noting this is the first time I've ever felt like that after eating a single sushi dish, than you'll probably enjoy Noma. The fish is pretty solid on it's own, the problem really is in the preparation and unfortunately we probably won't be going back because of this, after our second try failed to impress us again.The wait staff are very polite and friendly though! The atmosphere is interesting, it feels relaxing like a traditional sushi joint but also sometimes plays 'top-40' radio-type music which I feel like makes the environment feel less authentic. There's a big TV they play cartoons on too, which is fine but I do personally prefer no TVs in a sushi restaurant, but not a problem. Overall it's not bad other than being a little cramped. But again the wait staff are very polite, we did have to go up and ask for the check after waiting 20min the last time we went, which is a bit annoying considering they didn't check on us for over 20min when there was hardly anyone else left in the restaurant..I think if you've had very little sushi before you'll probably love Noma, because it's big portions for about the same price as most sushi places, and it's very sweet and over-done, but if you've had a wide variety of sushi from different places you'll probably recognize their preparation is lacking, and they should learn to apply the phrase "less is more" with their dishes.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 2
Service: 4
I Doordashed this sushi and they did not include the wasabi. I had an operation the day before, so I could not go pick up my food. They basically told me too damn bad. NEVER again!!
Food: 1
Service: 1
At first I was skeptical to try this place and it was away from the busy San Mateo restaurant cluster area.However I was blown away by the food I have ordered from sashimi - rolls- tempura.I had the Volcano roll, Godzilla, chicken karaage, ebi tempura and salmon sashimi!All worth it! Definitely be coming back again and will bring more friends.Everything is on point and a good sushi place!