We ordered the CHIRASHI regular and the sashimi are super flavor-able. The service is pretty good and we will revisit the restaurant.

Great lunch specials, wide variety & good value. Udon soup is very umami. Their complementary matcha is good too!

Nice and coasy little restaurant with a large range of choices. Had a couple of the special rolls with my partner, everything was delicious and super fresh, the food felt really authentic. Excellent service, really nice and friendly people. Overall, one of my best sushi experiences.

Very delicious and home-y japanese restaurant. Highly recommend stopping by and trying one of their sets!

Top 3 Japanese restaurant in the Peninsula at any price. I'm a big fan of the Sushi A combination. The cold soba noodles are also always a treat.

This is one of my favorite sushi bar in Bay Area. I’ve been visiting this Japanese restaurant for almost 10years. And yes, Still make me come back once I’m in San Mateo. And of cause vegan friendly 🌱 🌱 🌱

One of our favorites, been here dozens of times, maybe more. The entire menu from the sushi to the noodles to the plates are great 👍

Great food. Liked their handroll and nigiri set.

My visit to this sushi bar was a memorable one. The service was friendly and prompt, making me feel like a valued guest. The food was a revelation – the quality and presentation of the sushi were exceptional. The ambiance transported me to Japan, with its soothing music and minimalist design. It's the perfect place to unwind and savor some of the best sushi in town.

Andrew Gibson

The foods really taste delicious. I'm happy with their service. They quickly serve what I ordered and had it freshly made. Everything went well including the parking. I can highly suggest this restaurant.

Vivian Lo

I was looking for a place to have teishoku and this place popped up on the map. I’m so happy that I found this cozy place with local Japanese diner vibes. 🩷 All in all super satisfied with the quality of food and the nice service. My partner jammed his finger just before entering the restaurant so we asked for some ice. The waitress was really helpful and asked if we needed more ice after we finished our meal. We ordered dinner special #3 and #4 and were amazed by how colorful the sushi plate was. Both the sashimi and nigiri sushi were very fresh. Tonkatsu was also impressive. Would love to visit again! ☺️

CJ M

It’s a well known local sushi shop that many grow up with and does not need reviewing 😇. Still I find the food to be honest with generous portion as a fulfilling meal. No reservation. Just write your name on the clipboard and be seated when party has arrived. No fuss and easy 👍. Third street is like the "food" street with tons of options for meals and desserts. It’s a happy visit 😉

Melinda Ng

Had a great dining experience at Hotaru. They had a great variety of dinner sets to choose from so everyone could try a number of things they enjoy for a pretty good price! The service was also very speedy once we were seated down. The food was delicious and the portions are quite big! I very much enjoyed the salmon sashimi. The restaurant is very cozy and there was a bit of a wait, I can see it being a lot busier over weekends so I suggest getting here early and putting your name down.

Jonathan Wong

No frills, delicious food. We went near closing and the restaurant was quiet. The food was super hot and cooked to order. Would definitely go back if we're in the area. The price to value is great given the current prices for dining out!

Steve Heard

I hadn't been to Hotaru since the late 90's, when I worked across the street. I was so happy to find that the spirit, service and food was as great as I remembered. Fresh, plentiful, good prices. Check it out!

Wilson Tsang

Great lunch specials, ton of good food and filling! I had a chirashi bowl and a side of hot udon for $17! That’s a really good deal and the fish was fresh. They’re open for takeout during covid so go support and be full of food!

Great lunch specials, ton of good food and filling! I had a chirashi bowl and a side of hot udon for $17! That’s a really good deal and the fish was fresh. They’re open for takeout during covid so go support and be full of food!

I hadn't been to Hotaru since the late 90's, when I worked across the street. I was so happy to find that the spirit, service and food was as great as I remembered. Fresh, plentiful, good prices. Check it out!

No frills, delicious food. We went near closing and the restaurant was quiet. The food was super hot and cooked to order. Would definitely go back if we're in the area. The price to value is great given the current prices for dining out!

It’s a well known local sushi shop that many grow up with and does not need reviewing 😇. Still I find the food to be honest with generous portion as a fulfilling meal. No reservation. Just write your name on the clipboard and be seated when party has arrived. No fuss and easy 👍. Third street is like the "food" street with tons of options for meals and desserts. It’s a happy visit 😉

Had a great dining experience at Hotaru. They had a great variety of dinner sets to choose from so everyone could try a number of things they enjoy for a pretty good price! The service was also very speedy once we were seated down. The food was delicious and the portions are quite big! I very much enjoyed the salmon sashimi. The restaurant is very cozy and there was a bit of a wait, I can see it being a lot busier over weekends so I suggest getting here early and putting your name down.

I was looking for a place to have teishoku and this place popped up on the map. I’m so happy that I found this cozy place with local Japanese diner vibes. 🩷 All in all super satisfied with the quality of food and the nice service. My partner jammed his finger just before entering the restaurant so we asked for some ice. The waitress was really helpful and asked if we needed more ice after we finished our meal. We ordered dinner special #3 and #4 and were amazed by how colorful the sushi plate was. Both the sashimi and nigiri sushi were very fresh. Tonkatsu was also impressive. Would love to visit again! ☺️

+4

The foods really taste delicious. I'm happy with their service. They quickly serve what I ordered and had it freshly made. Everything went well including the parking. I can highly suggest this restaurant.

I ordered the Teriyaki lunch special, and it was delicious. Ashaki draft was crispy. Service and atmosphere is solid. I will go back and try other items.

The udon here is amazing. The broth is rich in flavor and isn't too salty or greasy. The udon is the perfect chewiness, not too chewy but the best udon I've ever tasted.

Jeremiah Mo

The udon here is amazing. The broth is rich in flavor and isn't too salty or greasy. The udon is the perfect chewiness, not too chewy but the best udon I've ever tasted.

Cullen Holt

I ordered the Teriyaki lunch special, and it was delicious. Ashaki draft was crispy. Service and atmosphere is solid. I will go back and try other items.

Home style comfort Japanese food. Great for cold rainy day!

Good price for good food.

Very tasty sushi. Fast service and friendly. The box lunches are a great value.

+3

its a decent place, their barbecue is actually good. Sushi is Slightly above average, not a bad deal considering the price.

This has been our go to Japanese restaurant for years. It's our favorite for Beef teriyaki (medium rare). They do chunk pieces rather than thin strips at some other places. The kids (ages 10-13) have always loved their udon, soba and philly roll. We like to go during lunch and pick from their meal sets. My son recently has been enjoying their curry katsu meals. I enjoy the geisha, tsunami and dragon rolls. The sashimi isnt the highest quality but we still think its good quality. Love that we can always find something for everyone.

They have good value combination plates in the dinner. Also sometimes if you are lucky, there is big fish dish called “Kamayaki” and you can order.

Decent prices, good food, but slowish service when busy. Limited amount of seating, street metered parking.

Some of the best lunch deals in town . My photo is the #3 bento box where you can get a sashimi, with another cooked protein. Served with veggies, salad, miso soup and a rice. Filling and healthy. Friendly staff too!

Fawn Nivalen

Uni was surprisingly fresh and delicious. However, the curry does not include any potatoes and they soak the katsu in sauce so it’s gross and soggy.

S SS

This was my mom's favorite place and she's a picky eater. It feels like there is new management or I just came on an off day. The interior has been painted and the old decorations are gone. There are new faces, which make again feel like ownership has changed hands. The sushi seems smaller than before. It's still fresh but the portions seem smaller. I was a bit disappointed. Service wise they brought us a dish from another table and one appetizer didn't arrive until we were almost done. The agedashi tofu tasted more like something wed expect from a Chinese restaurant vs a Japanese restaurant. That said the portion was big and generally ok. Will probably give it one more shot before writing it off.

Pearl Kruss

Small, friendly restaurant in San Mateo. Ordered the bento. Very pleasing presentation. Food was tasty. Quiet, no music which is wonderful. You can actually enjoy the food and conversation. Thank u to the staff

Dharma M

Great restaurant. I usually have bento box I tried katsu curry and it was yummy but I prefer just plain curry sauce without beef.

Saifu Angto

Good place to grab a quick and yummy lunch of Japanese fares. The lunch specials are very reasonable priced - and available in a number combo varieties. To avoid hunting for street parking, park in the garage on the street behind the restaurant - then you can enter through the restaurant back door.

s z

Descent price Japanese food. Came here for lunch. Got #7 salmon karma set (most of the time, they are out of salmon karma, and if you substitute for hamachi karma, it is $7 extra). For sushi rolls, I like their geisha roll, samurai roll, and dragon roll. The price for sushi roll here is descent, about $12 per roll. You can park on the street or there is a parking structure at the back of the restaurant. Came here on Sunday right when the open, no wait. By 12:20 there is already a line.

Xiaoxiao Gao

My girlfriend grew up in San Mateo eating Hotaru. Do not expect high-end sushi or Japanese food from this place. This is a family oriented sushi restaurant that have a few decent dishes. Geisha, Ninja, Dragon rolls are all pretty good. Wait is very minimum. There is a parking structure right behind the restaurant. If you cannot find street parking you can park in the parking structure and get to the restaurant using its back doors.

My girlfriend grew up in San Mateo eating Hotaru. Do not expect high-end sushi or Japanese food from this place. This is a family oriented sushi restaurant that have a few decent dishes. Geisha, Ninja, Dragon rolls are all pretty good. Wait is very minimum. There is a parking structure right behind the restaurant. If you cannot find street parking you can park in the parking structure and get to the restaurant using its back doors.

+6

Descent price Japanese food. Came here for lunch. Got #7 salmon karma set (most of the time, they are out of salmon karma, and if you substitute for hamachi karma, it is $7 extra). For sushi rolls, I like their geisha roll, samurai roll, and dragon roll. The price for sushi roll here is descent, about $12 per roll. You can park on the street or there is a parking structure at the back of the restaurant. Came here on Sunday right when the open, no wait. By 12:20 there is already a line.

+6

Good place to grab a quick and yummy lunch of Japanese fares. The lunch specials are very reasonable priced - and available in a number combo varieties. To avoid hunting for street parking, park in the garage on the street behind the restaurant - then you can enter through the restaurant back door.

+2

Great restaurant. I usually have bento box I tried katsu curry and it was yummy but I prefer just plain curry sauce without beef.

+4

Small, friendly restaurant in San Mateo. Ordered the bento. Very pleasing presentation. Food was tasty. Quiet, no music which is wonderful. You can actually enjoy the food and conversation. Thank u to the staff

+6

This was my mom's favorite place and she's a picky eater. It feels like there is new management or I just came on an off day. The interior has been painted and the old decorations are gone. There are new faces, which make again feel like ownership has changed hands. The sushi seems smaller than before. It's still fresh but the portions seem smaller. I was a bit disappointed. Service wise they brought us a dish from another table and one appetizer didn't arrive until we were almost done. The agedashi tofu tasted more like something wed expect from a Chinese restaurant vs a Japanese restaurant. That said the portion was big and generally ok. Will probably give it one more shot before writing it off.

Uni was surprisingly fresh and delicious. However, the curry does not include any potatoes and they soak the katsu in sauce so it’s gross and soggy.

My latest visit was disappointing. The sushi wasn't very fresh and the teriyaki chicken was dry. It used to be pretty amazing but it seems like the years haven't been kind to this place. I'd go elsewhere for memorable food. For the price, I expected much better.

The lunch special wasn't too bad but not a four or five star menu. At $21, I got a chirashi bowl with cold soba noodles. The reality is that the chirashi rice wasn't sushi rice, and there only a handful of thin sliced sashimi. 90% of the bowl was just plain white rice and that wasn't even Japanese rice. I get way more sashimi from Nijiya chirashi bento. The cold soba was good but overall there was too much carb combined and very little sashimi. It wasn't cheap at all considering the quality and amount of ingredients. Get something else if you happen to be there.

The is place has pretty decent Japanese food for their price. The food tasted fine but got a stomach ache after I finished eating and it wasn't because I ate hot and cold stuff at the same time.

Kalwant Sandhu

Its been there for ages. Food was good. And the Bento box was enough for 2 folks. Would have given them 4 or 5 stars if not for the boss lady asking us to pay and leave as we were packing our leftovers, when there were folks who had been there before us and just sitting and chatting. Was it because we were the only Indians!! Hope not. Maybe I'll go back as I like to give everyone a 2nd chance

Yong Woo Rhee

Solid Japanese food but nothing stands out. Out of chicken teriyaki, chicken karaage, california roll, and tuna sashimi that was served as part of our lunch specials, the california roll was my favorite. There are always people waiting during lunch but not too long of a wait for a table. Portions were pretty generous as well.

Solid Japanese food but nothing stands out. Out of chicken teriyaki, chicken karaage, california roll, and tuna sashimi that was served as part of our lunch specials, the california roll was my favorite. There are always people waiting during lunch but not too long of a wait for a table. Portions were pretty generous as well.

Its been there for ages. Food was good. And the Bento box was enough for 2 folks. Would have given them 4 or 5 stars if not for the boss lady asking us to pay and leave as we were packing our leftovers, when there were folks who had been there before us and just sitting and chatting. Was it because we were the only Indians!! Hope not. Maybe I'll go back as I like to give everyone a 2nd chance

+6

Shuli

The lunch special wasn't too bad but not a four or five star menu. At $21, I got a chirashi bowl with cold soba noodles. The reality is that the chirashi rice wasn't sushi rice, and there only a handful of thin sliced sashimi. 90% of the bowl was just plain white rice and that wasn't even Japanese rice. I get way more sashimi from Nijiya chirashi bento. The cold soba was good but overall there was too much carb combined and very little sashimi. It wasn't cheap at all considering the quality and amount of ingredients. Get something else if you happen to be there.

⭐ (1/5 stars) WORST SERVICE EXPERIENCE EVER! Do NOT waste your time at this establishment. We sat down, placed our order, and waited patiently for 30 MINUTES while watching other tables who arrived after us get served. When we finally flagged down our waiter to ask about our food, we discovered that our order was NEVER EVEN PLACED! How does a restaurant "take" an order but not actually submit it to the kitchen? This is basic restaurant management 101. We left hungry, frustrated, and completely disappointed. The staff showed zero accountability or urgency to fix their massive error. Save yourself the headache and go literally anywhere else. There are plenty of restaurants in the area that actually know how to serve customers. Hotaru clearly doesn't value their patrons' time or experience. Will never be returning and will be warning everyone we know to avoid this place!

Overall rude experience from older Asian man that works here. Idk if he’s the owner or what never coming back parking situation is horrible To and of course the kitchen is hidden so You can’t see the mess back there Do no recommend to anyone ever

Ryne Xplorld

⭐ (1/5 stars) WORST SERVICE EXPERIENCE EVER! Do NOT waste your time at this establishment. We sat down, placed our order, and waited patiently for 30 MINUTES while watching other tables who arrived after us get served. When we finally flagged down our waiter to ask about our food, we discovered that our order was NEVER EVEN PLACED! How does a restaurant "take" an order but not actually submit it to the kitchen? This is basic restaurant management 101. We left hungry, frustrated, and completely disappointed. The staff showed zero accountability or urgency to fix their massive error. Save yourself the headache and go literally anywhere else. There are plenty of restaurants in the area that actually know how to serve customers. Hotaru clearly doesn't value their patrons' time or experience. Will never be returning and will be warning everyone we know to avoid this place!