Located at the edge of downtown San Mateo, parking is still difficult during peak hours. There is only street metered parking nearby or paid parking garages. It's a fairly small location so tables are often filled. They do have a small sushi bar if you like watching the sushi chefs create the dishes. Highly recommend getting reservations as I've dined several times during peak dinner times and have seen people with no reservations get turned away. I've gone here a few times because it's one of the few places that has hotaru-ika during it's limited season (typically April to end of May). They serve it as nigiri w/ a little vinegared miso and wasabi, tempura or as a sashimi w/ vinegared miso. Love them all as the tempura is very light and not heavy with oil, as nigiri it gives a more solid bite and as sashimi let's you enjoy how fresh the hotaru-ika is. I ordered almost 2 of each of the varying ways it's served during my last visit and made the waitresses laugh. They said I basically ate a whole tray. I did warn them that I loved hotaru-ika though! One of the waitresses, Kokoro, asked for my name so next time they know to be prepared. They're all very so nice! We also ordered the wagyu beef carpaccio. The carpaccio had slices of black Perigord truffles but the yuzu mostly shined through. The meat was so buttery and was quickly demolished. Their 8 pcs nigiri omakase for $54 is popular for the quality of the fish. Their egg castella that accompanies the omakase is slightly sweet but light and spongy. We added an o-toro w/ truffle maki which was a favorite of the night as well. The braised tsubukai (whelk) wasn't overcooked and easily came out of the shells. Other dishes I've ordered in the past and enjoyed are the grilled miso eggplant, karaage, marinated soy cod, and the scallop carpaccio. Highly recommend!

I'm so glad I found this sushi place! The fish tastes fresh and the service is great. Definitely come again!!

Cozy and intimate restaurant with very friendly staff and amazing food! Came here to celebrate my partner's birthday, and made a reservation in advance. Ordered the omakase which is two sets of 4 nigiri each, totaling 8 pcs. The first set of 4 was of classic nigiri (seabass, bluefin tuna, amberjack/kampachi, ora king salmon). The second set blew my mind as each piece of nigiri was so unique and had its own flavor profile, thoughtfully crafted. It contained minced toro taku, wild young yellowtail, firefly squid, and freshwater eel. Outstanding for $54. Ordered the Ora King Salmon Truffle hand roll, Scallop Sashimi, and Baked Snow Crab Soy Paper hand roll as well. You can't go wrong with anything here as everything is so fresh and flavorful. This is a meal that I will think about for a long time. The only thing better than the food was the hospitality, making this an overall dream experience. Would definitely come here again!

For aesthetics alone, this place was perfect for the price point. It truly reminded me of my experience in Japan except with an American twist. They had a bunch of r&b slow jams playing from the stereo. I loved it! However, I know that it's not everyone's vibe. The nigiri were fairly priced. The 8 piece omakase had a variety of fish from tuna, salmon, fresh water eel, and scallop with uni to name a few. Additionally, I ordered a5 wagyu nigiri which actually was my favorite bite of the night. The scallop was nice and tender too. As far as quality, it was good, but not great. The nigiri was a hit or miss. If not for the aesthetics and the cool vibes, I would rate this place a 3 out of 5.

Chances are you need a reservation to minimize disappointment. I called the afternoon before on a Friday and was able to reserve an 8:30PM counter seating for 2. Located off the corner between Ellsworth and Baldwin is this impressive and straight to the punch-sushi restaurant. Shades down, you can see the entirety of the restaurant from the street. You'll see a chefs counter than can seat a max of 6 and a smatter of ~6 or 8 tables that can be configured to maybe a large group of 6-8 and a few smaller groups. Should you need a larger party maybe try buying it out? It's impressive enough for a first date, date night, or just catching up with friends without breaking the bank (well that depends on what you order). With many competing Japanese restaurants (of varying types of cuisine: ramen, sushi, izakaya), I always wondered about this place and finally made the jump after observing a friend's photos on IG. Casually checked their website and saw that most of their fish is seasonal from Tsukiji, premium short grain rice, in-house made soy sauce-I was convinced. OH and they have EGG CASTELLA (not to be confused with Tamago, it's kind of like it but way better, almost like a cake) Brought along a companion and we ordered, "OA" means order again: - 1 order Omakase (8 pcs of nigiri sushi + egg castella) -OA - Spicy tuna roll - standard, not as red/ spicy as expected - Crunch roll - spicy tuna with avocado and nicely fried, not oily but was a bit undewhelming compared to everything else. Don't get this if you are already getting the spicy tuna - 2 Egg Castella - OA - 2 ootoro nigiri - OA - 1 uni nigiri - OA - Popcorn shrimp - OA, better than Nobu's version, prob cheaper too - Crab soy cream croquette - OA - spicy tuna rice cake - OA, also better than Nobu's version lol I was pleased to discover I can order the egg castella (some restaurants limit you, because it is a bit of a process to pre-make). Please note the egg castella you can order differs from the one you receive (small with rice) with omakase (larger and no rice). We kind of messed with the flow of ordering by adding an extra ootoro nigiri and uni nigiri at the end of our meal because we wanted to try MORE. To no fault of their own, they hadn't realize to add the last items to our check so they had to void and recharge us. No issue but they were very apologetic for the error and treated us to dessert. We didn't feel it was necessary, but the Japanese cheesecake with strawberry sauce came anyway. For optimal results, at minimum: Make reservations ahead of time, order the omakase, any of the tuna, popcorn shrimp, and spicy tuna rice cake.

Would definitely call ahead to make a reservation since the place is pretty small. I called the day of and was able to make a reservation for 2 at 8:30. Servers were friendly and knowledgeable about the fish, and the food came out super fast. Spicy scallop handroll was good but felt a bit expensive for what we got. The spicy tuna crispy rice was really good, would definitely recommend that. Omakase is a really good deal, 54 dollars for 8 pieces and a mini dessert. We really liked the first half of the omakase (firefly squid, toro, tai snapper, mackerel) and thought the second half was not as good (salmon, tuna). Some of the pieces had a bit too much wasabi, but we especially didn't like some of the pieces that came with ginger on top (ice fish, sardine) All in all, the fish tasted super fresh and we enjoyed how easy it was to make a reservation and eat here. Would recommend! 4.5/5!

Be sure to make a reservation in advance by calling (no online reservation system). My boyfriend and I made the mistake of assuming a walk-in would suffice, but we were so lucky to secure a 9:15 pm reservation. The waitress was exceptionally friendly, promptly seating us upon arrival. The hospitality surpassed our expectations, creating a delightful and welcoming experience. The culinary experience was outstanding and reminded us of the sushi we enjoyed in Japan. The nigiri has minimal rice which allowed the true flavors of the fish to shine through--truly a culinary delight!

Drove down from SF for an early valentines dinner and loved our meal here! We got the omakase set for $54 per person for 8 pieces plus an egg Castella. I have a shellfish allergy so the scallop was swapped out for yellowtail and I gave my egg castella to my fiance since it's cooked with a shrimp dashi broth. We also ordered a yellowtail jalapeño roll, 6 pieces of sushi (toro and otoro) and the ora king salmon hand roll. The favorites of the night were the toro (didn't feel like the otoro was that much better to justify a higher price tag) and the seared ora king salmon which was part of the omakase set. Service was also great - just make sure to make a reservation ahead of time!

one word to describe my experience: Wow! Thank you Michi-san for giving my girlfriend and I a great experience at Sushi Maruyama. The very attentive staff, and super friendly and kind waitress like Michi alone make me want to come back to Sushi Maruyama. I got the omakase set as well as extra orders of: chawan mushi, anago tempura, negi toro maki, spicy scallop maki, and salmon nigiri. This is honestly some of the best sushi I have had in America. The quality of the fish was excellent, the chawan mushi had an assortment of seafood, the anago tempura is a bit pricy ($25) but was totalllly worth it, and the seaweed in the rolls were so fragrant and delicious. A hidden gem in San Mateo with a spectacular wait staff - I cannot ask for more than that. The prices are affordable, no designated parking spots (plenty around) and a small an intimate place. My favorites were the negi toro maki, the anago tempura, the kelp cured halibut, and the japanese king mackerel. I did not have high expectation for the kelp cured halibut as I had never had a good experience eating them at other Japanese restaurants, however the one here blew my expectations out of the park. To Michi-san and the rest of the staff, thank you for an amazing experience, and to the chefs, thank you for the delicious food! I will definitely be back!