Taki Nori

It's a very popular and small place. We had a big party of 8 and we waited for more than hour on Saturday. No big deal we just hung out. All the handrolls were delicious and my favorite was the salmon. But that's because it's my favorite type of fish heh. The rolls came out pretty quick and the servers were attentive so that was nice. Things can get pricey and I feel like the quality and freshness of the hand rolls didn't match it. Food: 7/10 Service: 7/10 Experience: 8/10 Value: 4/10

Amazing amazing food. Watch out for long lines though...I just wish they had more seating available. 18 only available with 2 tables that can seat 4 people per table. Better to sit at the bar. I recommend get the 4 combo since it's 4 tasty and fresh hand rolls for $23 versus 1 speciality hand roll between $7-25 per hand roll.

Everything seems so fresh and Winston & Crew so friendly. We went with our toddler and they did their best to accommodate us. My favorite is lamb chops + all hand rolls. Plus they have a great sake selections. Next time I’ll try to sit at the bar by myself and enjoy 🙏🏻🍶

Not a lot of food selection but almost every single item is so tasty! Reserve beforehand is easy and they do get a line at peak dinner hour. Highly recommend the scallop one. The otoro one has cilantro so do watch out if you don’t like cilantro

Megan Tran

I have visited quite some handroll bars across the States, and yesterday I visited Taki. The quality of the fish is great. Even though they don’t have a wide range of variety but the salmon sashimi that I tried was fresh and flavorful. The ama-ebi handroll was excellent and I highly recommend that one. The other handrolls were also decent with crispy nori and sushi rice seasoned on point. I wish they had the uni so I could try but overall it is a good dining experience.

Yun Yeh

This place is honestly one of the few decent hand roll bars in the Bay Area. Every dish is made with super fresh ingredients, and you can really taste the natural sweetness of the seafood. The Ultimate roll with uni and tuna was next level, the uni was insanely fresh and sweet!! My friend and I both love it!! The chef mentioned it was Hokkaido uni that just came in today, and you can totally taste the difference. We sat at the open bar where you can watch the chef roll everything right in front of you. The service was quick so we never had to wait long, and the vibe was cozy, very perfect for a date or just catching up with friends. Definitely adding this spot to my pocket list. Will be back for sure!

jacky

I recently had an incredible dining experience at a hidden gem of a Japanese restaurant, and I can’t stop raving about it! The moment I walked in, I was greeted with warm hospitality and an inviting ambiance that perfectly blended modern elegance with traditional Japanese charm. The attention to detail was impeccable, from the sleek wooden decor to the impeccable presentation of every dish.The highlight of my meal was the fresh, mouthwatering seafood. The oysters were a standout—served on a bed of crushed ice with a slice of lemon, they were briny, plump, and absolutely divine. The texture was flawless, and the freshness was evident in every bite. Alongside the oysters, the sushi selection was a true masterpiece. The nigiri featured a variety of fish, including melt-in-your-mouth tuna and buttery salmon, each piece adorned with a touch of wasabi and garnished with edible flowers and roe for an extra burst of flavor. The shrimp temaki with caviar was a delightful surprise, offering a perfect balance of creamy seafood and the crispness of the nori.What truly elevated this experience was the quality of the ingredients and the skill of the chefs. Every dish was a work of art, showcasing their dedication to authenticity and craftsmanship. The service was equally outstanding—attentive yet unobtrusive, with staff who were knowledgeable and passionate about the menu. The portions were just right, leaving me satisfied without feeling overwhelmed.I highly recommend this restaurant to any sushi or seafood lover. It’s a place where every bite feels like a celebration of Japanese cuisine. I’ll definitely be returning and bringing friends along to share this culinary delight. If you’re looking for an exceptional dining experience, this is the spot to visit—five stars all the way!

Rain He

Pretty good quality, truffle hamachi was a surprise, didn’t expect to like it a lot. Fav hand roll is the sweet shrimp and soft shell crab

Chaoying Wang

Very suitable for a quick meal with abundant seafood. Variety of hand roll choices and the quality is legit. Limited space and menu for a large group of people

Zachery Santiago

Came with a group of 4. Seating is limited, so we sat at the bar. Which, in all honesty, isn't horrible, because you get to see them making the food. Everything we had was absolutely excellent, tasty, and fresh. Each thing we ordered was served one at a time, which was a nice pacing. I will definitely be coming back and would highly recommend it.

Jiangtao Li

It was a great dining experience. The sushi rolls are very fresh. All the dishes that we ordered were good. I would visit again.

Amanda Chang

In love with this handroll bar!! Their food was really fresh and with amazing flavor & texture! I personally like the hamachi, salmon belly & scallop rolls. Their oysters were on point too besides i think it was a bit small :( Overall a pretty good place for a night out with your friends or on a date!

Cz juarez

Great hand rolls. Not for sharing. You absolutely want the roll for yourself. Ingredients are very fresh. Excellent service too. Currently you cannot make reservations. Waiting time can be long if you show up after six. It was cold outside when I visited. They brought out small cups of tea for folks waiting in line outside. So sweet. Great for small parties (2~3 people). Most seatings are at the sushi bar. So for larger party it would be hard to talk to all your friends. Try the Saki bomb if you like beer. Saki gives just the right kick. Update 2023 The place is not as busy now. Recently we visited the place several times, between 5 to 6ish, each time we were able to be seated fast. Food is just as good as before. Update 2024 Still love the food here. Now you can make a reservation with Yelp. But they are not busy during weekdays.

Cheryl Sun

We had a lovely dinner here! The rolls were somewhat pricey but decent quality and freshness, and the ambience inside was great too. There was a bit of a line since we went during peak dinner hours, luckily Shilin street snacks was next door so we had something while we waited. I’ll definitely be back.

Ben

It's a very popular and small place. We had a big party of 8 and we waited for more than hour on Saturday. No big deal we just hung out. All the handrolls were delicious and my favorite was the salmon. But that's because it's my favorite type of fish heh. The rolls came out pretty quick and the servers were attentive so that was nice. Things can get pricey and I feel like the quality and freshness of the hand rolls didn't match it. Food: 7/10 Service: 7/10 Experience: 8/10 Value: 4/10

M L

Amazing amazing food. Watch out for long lines though...I just wish they had more seating available. 18 only available with 2 tables that can seat 4 people per table. Better to sit at the bar. I recommend get the 4 combo since it's 4 tasty and fresh hand rolls for $23 versus 1 speciality hand roll between $7-25 per hand roll.

Aykut Karaalioglu

Everything seems so fresh and Winston & Crew so friendly. We went with our toddler and they did their best to accommodate us. My favorite is lamb chops + all hand rolls. Plus they have a great sake selections. Next time I’ll try to sit at the bar by myself and enjoy 🙏🏻🍶

Alicia Zhou

Not a lot of food selection but almost every single item is so tasty! Reserve beforehand is easy and they do get a line at peak dinner hour. Highly recommend the scallop one. The otoro one has cilantro so do watch out if you don’t like cilantro

Love their fresh handroll sushi 🍣 Reservations are highly recommended if you don’t wait 30 minutes more. The counter table is in high demand. I forgot to mention on the reservation note that they put me on the table, which was kind of messed up by the kids 😅😅 I wish they had more variety of rolls! We had Tuna, Hamachi, Snow Crab, and Shrimp Tempura. They were all good, but not really worth the price. I think 🤔 one roll costs $6 -$15 w/o tax and tips. If you can eat them for less than $3, then you are in Japan.

Saw people bringing up Kazunori but can you really compare the two? Kazunori lacked the specialty sets that Taki Nori offers. We both ordered their premium set, which included Japanese scallops, lobster, wagyu, and uni & toro hand rolls. We also tried a few of their other hand rolls a la carte style. The uni handroll was easily our favorite (Japanese uni btw!). Handroll Project is still the better value, but this is a nice addition to Bay Area. Service was also good - the server we had was very attentive and prompt. We did have a small issue with snow crab running out, but the server resolved it for us. Overall a good experience here for us.

I’ve had my fair share of handroll experiences and this place is pretty good, but quite pricey for the experience. Most handroll places I’ve been to have stellar customer service — very attentive to you even when it is full house. Reservation on Saturday at 5PM. Walked in and the seating is very limited — there seems to be only bar seating (which is totally fine and what I prefer for the experience). No one greeted us at all but my friend sat down and was early to our reservation, so we just took our spot and sat down. There was probably 4-5 other people inside so it was fairly empty on a Saturday. There was also some time where the music just stopped playing and it was so oddly quiet (the only party that was talking was my party!). Also we had four seats but we only got two small plates of wasabi and ginger haha - not a problem since I asked for my own. Pricing of the handroll is pricey compared to other places I’ve been to but makes sense since it the Bay Area (I’ve only been to handroll places in Japan and SoCal). 4/5 - Crab Handroll was good! It was my first time having this since I’ve only eaten blue crab, but I’d get this again since it was on the cheaper side of the menu ($8) 5/5 - Uni Toro Handroll was so good and very nicely presented! It is quite on the hefty side at $25 but gotta at least try it and plus I wanted a nice picture for my review and instagram 3/5 - Hamachi Handroll was pretty basic, but fresh! 4/5 - Uni Handroll cause they use Japanese Bafun Uni instead of bland Santa Barbara Uni haha 3/5 - Maybe I’m biased with service, but all the handroll bars I’ve been to were super attentive and I feel like they just tried to get food to us and never really followed up with us or ask how we were doing. We waited awhile to finally flag down a host/manager to get the bill. Not a terrible experience but wasn’t up to my standards for some parts. The more expensive items were absolute fire though. I’d still come back if I’m craving a handroll spot since I’m only 20min away haha

In A Nutshell: -Taki Nori Handroll Bar is a cool little spot in downtown San Mateo to grab some...uh...you guessed it...Japanese handrolls. -True to authentic Japanese style, the physical location is small, so you might have to wait for a spot to open up at the bar. -When you finally get in, you get a seat at the bar where you can order from their menu & then have the food made in front of you by the chefs. -I really enjoyed the uni handroll, the softshell crab handroll, the lobster handroll & the truffle hamachi sashimi. -We also ordered the ramen ($10), lamb leg, salmon belly handroll, unagi handroll & Japanese tacos. -One of the orders was the 5 combo handroll ($45). -Most of the items average around $12 each. -I wish there was a little less rice & a tad more protein. Overall, the service is very friendly & nice, this place is worth trying out especially if you have a hot date.

L

Love their fresh handroll sushi 🍣 Reservations are highly recommended if you don’t wait 30 minutes more. The counter table is in high demand. I forgot to mention on the reservation note that they put me on the table, which was kind of messed up by the kids 😅😅 I wish they had more variety of rolls! We had Tuna, Hamachi, Snow Crab, and Shrimp Tempura. They were all good, but not really worth the price. I think 🤔 one roll costs $6 -$15 w/o tax and tips. If you can eat them for less than $3, then you are in Japan.

Edison Huang

Saw people bringing up Kazunori but can you really compare the two? Kazunori lacked the specialty sets that Taki Nori offers. We both ordered their premium set, which included Japanese scallops, lobster, wagyu, and uni & toro hand rolls. We also tried a few of their other hand rolls a la carte style. The uni handroll was easily our favorite (Japanese uni btw!). Handroll Project is still the better value, but this is a nice addition to Bay Area. Service was also good - the server we had was very attentive and prompt. We did have a small issue with snow crab running out, but the server resolved it for us. Overall a good experience here for us.

Jenn

I’ve had my fair share of handroll experiences and this place is pretty good, but quite pricey for the experience. Most handroll places I’ve been to have stellar customer service — very attentive to you even when it is full house. Reservation on Saturday at 5PM. Walked in and the seating is very limited — there seems to be only bar seating (which is totally fine and what I prefer for the experience). No one greeted us at all but my friend sat down and was early to our reservation, so we just took our spot and sat down. There was probably 4-5 other people inside so it was fairly empty on a Saturday. There was also some time where the music just stopped playing and it was so oddly quiet (the only party that was talking was my party!). Also we had four seats but we only got two small plates of wasabi and ginger haha - not a problem since I asked for my own. Pricing of the handroll is pricey compared to other places I’ve been to but makes sense since it the Bay Area (I’ve only been to handroll places in Japan and SoCal). 4/5 - Crab Handroll was good! It was my first time having this since I’ve only eaten blue crab, but I’d get this again since it was on the cheaper side of the menu ($8) 5/5 - Uni Toro Handroll was so good and very nicely presented! It is quite on the hefty side at $25 but gotta at least try it and plus I wanted a nice picture for my review and instagram 3/5 - Hamachi Handroll was pretty basic, but fresh! 4/5 - Uni Handroll cause they use Japanese Bafun Uni instead of bland Santa Barbara Uni haha 3/5 - Maybe I’m biased with service, but all the handroll bars I’ve been to were super attentive and I feel like they just tried to get food to us and never really followed up with us or ask how we were doing. We waited awhile to finally flag down a host/manager to get the bill. Not a terrible experience but wasn’t up to my standards for some parts. The more expensive items were absolute fire though. I’d still come back if I’m craving a handroll spot since I’m only 20min away haha

Dude

In A Nutshell: -Taki Nori Handroll Bar is a cool little spot in downtown San Mateo to grab some...uh...you guessed it...Japanese handrolls. -True to authentic Japanese style, the physical location is small, so you might have to wait for a spot to open up at the bar. -When you finally get in, you get a seat at the bar where you can order from their menu & then have the food made in front of you by the chefs. -I really enjoyed the uni handroll, the softshell crab handroll, the lobster handroll & the truffle hamachi sashimi. -We also ordered the ramen ($10), lamb leg, salmon belly handroll, unagi handroll & Japanese tacos. -One of the orders was the 5 combo handroll ($45). -Most of the items average around $12 each. -I wish there was a little less rice & a tad more protein. Overall, the service is very friendly & nice, this place is worth trying out especially if you have a hot date.

I really wanted to love this place but it was a disappointment. They are new and the staff are getting used to things, but they really messed up our order. A quick meal turned into 2 hours because they didn't add our order into the system. We just sat there for 20 minutes waiting and no one checked on us.... we were literally right in front of the chef at the bar and he just stood there, and looked at us...for 20 mins... we finally asked the status of our order and it turned out that they didn't add all of it into the system. Then it turned out that they added the incorrect items.... so we waited even longer for a handroll that should take 3 mins to put together. The people next to us got the wrong orders also.... The amount of fish added to the handrolls were a disappointment also. Too much rice, not enough fish! The $25 toki Toro roll is not worth it. It was suppose to be topped with uni but there was barely any.... (don't order that!). The scallop hand roll and chutoro was good. All the other handrolls we tried are average, same quality as some of the good sushi places in san mateo but the prices here will hurt your wallet for sure! I'll probably be back but not for a while. I think I'll give them some time to work out the kinks and portion size before returning.

Chau You

I really wanted to love this place but it was a disappointment. They are new and the staff are getting used to things, but they really messed up our order. A quick meal turned into 2 hours because they didn't add our order into the system. We just sat there for 20 minutes waiting and no one checked on us.... we were literally right in front of the chef at the bar and he just stood there, and looked at us...for 20 mins... we finally asked the status of our order and it turned out that they didn't add all of it into the system. Then it turned out that they added the incorrect items.... so we waited even longer for a handroll that should take 3 mins to put together. The people next to us got the wrong orders also.... The amount of fish added to the handrolls were a disappointment also. Too much rice, not enough fish! The $25 toki Toro roll is not worth it. It was suppose to be topped with uni but there was barely any.... (don't order that!). The scallop hand roll and chutoro was good. All the other handrolls we tried are average, same quality as some of the good sushi places in san mateo but the prices here will hurt your wallet for sure! I'll probably be back but not for a while. I think I'll give them some time to work out the kinks and portion size before returning.

went in person recently, and the hand rolls were decently tasty. However, I ordered Combo B through DoorDash, and unfortunately, it wasn’t very good at all. The miso soup didn’t taste great, and the salmon seemed off — I usually love salmon, but this one tasted old, and I ended up spitting it out. The spicy tuna roll also had an off taste. Overall, in-person dining was okay, but takeout left a lot to be desired

B Evelyn

went in person recently, and the hand rolls were decently tasty. However, I ordered Combo B through DoorDash, and unfortunately, it wasn’t very good at all. The miso soup didn’t taste great, and the salmon seemed off — I usually love salmon, but this one tasted old, and I ended up spitting it out. The spicy tuna roll also had an off taste. Overall, in-person dining was okay, but takeout left a lot to be desired