Came here since there was a long wait at Himawari. Ordered a rainbow roll which was good, the same as every rainbow roll in other Japanese restaurants. I had champon for the first time, but it was only average to me. I still enjoy good old miso corn ramen better than champon. It was just my first time trying it, and if there is another place that serves "better" champon, I'll try it for comparison. My wife had their pork ramen and the broth was good. Still prefer the ramen next door at Himawari or Ramen Dojo. Overall not bad, and a good alternative on the days when we are not up for waiting in line at more popular restaurants in the area.
Review Source:friend of mine(who came from Japan) recomended me this place. we went there late night around 9:30pm, but they are open till midnight. we had some beers with small dishes like typical japanese izakaya food. everything was delicious and severs are very nice. i'll definitely go back when i go to san mateo.
Review Source:Never heard of a Japanese soup noodle called champon? Neither had I, until I came to Izakaya Mai. Luckily, Yelpers are crazy for the stuff, so I ordered it. Amazing! It's like the best parts of pork ramen broth, but smoother and less meaty, with ramen noodles on steroids -- thicker and less chewy, more similar to a Chinese egg noodle. The similarity to Chinese noodles is not surprising since champon is a Japanese take on Chinese noodles. But really, it's its own thing.
Service was kind of whanky, but not impolite, clams were delicious but overcooked a bit, gome-ae a little bit of a mess, fish not freshest (very cold frozen) but not bad. Counter space was uncomfortable. Basically, a 2 star experience but for the delicious champon.
I would definitely say that this place is better sushi than Old Town Sushi and they are cutting down in size for their rolls too, maybe it's cause everyone is going there...
The portions might not be as big, but the quality of the fish is very fresh. The price you're paying is  pretty much for the quality of sushi without all that mayo like old town.
SNACKS: I got to try their Takoyaki AND MAN it was yummy! The takoyaki is made with a piece of octopus/squid, depending on the place, rolled in a ball covered in a white radish batter and fried. Then its drizzled with a japanese mayo, okonomiyaki sauce and sprinkled with dried fish flakes.
i can't believe they get 4 stars out of 733 reviews! What did I miss out? Ok I had had too much good food the last couple of days so I decided to order something light:
1) Soba with tempura: soggy! That was the worst soba I had ever tasted!
2) Ikura oroshi: meh ok
3) Toro handroll: didn't know if it was medium or fatty toro but not much flavor to it and the seaweed wrap was also soggy
4) Service was only average
5) Uni? They ran out!!!!
I will give them a benefit of a doubt and order real sashimi next time to see how good they are
Good authentic Japanese food in a cozy darling setting.
Favorite was the grilled squid. Not so favorite was the tuna sashimi salad. Dressing on the salad was good but the color of the tuna looked like a Hello Kitty pink. Tasted fine but didn't look right.
I guess I expect izakayas as places where you can eat and drink and eat and drink some more. There were so many people waiting that the server, though really nice, kept giving us the stink eye so we'd leave our table.
I tried Champon for the first time at Izakaya Mai since it was supposedly what they were famous for. I didnt find it any special though, just a lot of vegetables in a bowl of noodle soup. Nonetheless, the soup was pretty good, but not comparable to the traditional pork based ramen soup.
In my previous visits here, the appetisers were really delicious. They offer mini size and standard size, so you can order the mini size and get to try more food.
In my most recent visit, we tried the soft shell crab appetiser which I found to be too oily. They could have at least let the oil dry out a little after deep frying it.
Overall, I find the dining experience here to be pretty average (2.5) but I'm giving it a 3 as the service is rather decent.
Visiting from SoCal and found this on yelp. Unfortunately the people of San Mateo don't know Japanese food. The miso soup  has no "dashi" which is the key ingredient. The rice was dry and the tonkatsu was overlooked and dry. Maybe I got the wrong item but when they can't make miso soup I am very suspicious if they even learned how to cook Japanese food.  We gave it a 2nd star because they did have Japanese Karashi (mustard)
Review Source:This cozy Japanese restaurant boasts a wide range of authentic tapas and drinks. What I love about Izakaya Mai is that they give you the option of ordering a mini or regular size, which allows for more opportunities to try a variety of dishes.
I highly recommend starting with the Agedashi Tofu ($5.50). This deep fried appetizer had an excellent texture and was accompanied by a delightfully sweet tentsuyu broth.
The Maguro Zuke Sashimi ($8.95) came with five thick pieces of soy sauce-marinated tuna. Though the fish tasted fresh, there was nothing spectacular about it that would compel me to order it again.
Izakaya's popular Chanpon ($9.50) brought in a simple, yet refreshing broth that was loaded with vegetables, meat and seafood. While this generous ramen dish borders on the cusp of tasting bland, it offers a feeling of hominess that makes it worth trying.
The Mini Tuna and Salmon Sashimi ($8.95) consisted of three pieces of tuna and three pieces of salmon. Though they can't compete with Sushi Sam's (218 E 3rd Ave, San Mateo), you could definitely taste the quality in the tuna and salmon. The sashimi was also topped with a dollop of yam, which eaten alone is...we'll just say an acquired taste. But when mixed together with the rice and a hint of soy sauce, the slimy yam creates a smooth texture that pairs incredibly well with the sashimi.
Next time I'll save room for their grilled octopus!
will usually have a long line, but well worth the wait.
A friend and I came here for dinner, put my name on the list n waited about 10 minutes till we were called. This place is TINY, probably can't seat more than 40 people or so at a time.
Service was ok, food came out pretty quick. SOme of the employees don't speak English but they'll grab someone who does. Ordered the Octopus tentacles, assorted sashimi dinner, takoyaki, and a bunch of extra rolls, some beer and plum wine.
everything tasted so damn good! sashimi was fresh not frozen and had good flavor, tentacles were fried nicely, and the takoyaki was a nice appetizer. we spent a total of about $80 but it was well worth it, If you have room still left in your belly, go to Honeyberry for dessert
About the ramen:
It is okay and nothing special. 3 out of five
All of the toppings taste like something bought from a grocery market directly
If one wants great ramen, there are tens of better choices than Mai.
About the grilled dishes
A little below average
My beef tongue was so overcooked that it takes like rubber.
I will give a  2 out of five
About the appetizers:
4 out of 5
Fried dumplings and several other dishes are impressive and tasty
Service is good  but they are always very busy.
After all, I do not think it is worth a rating of 4. The price is unreasonable based on the taste. And I doubt anyone's taste if she/he rates this restaurant as a 4 out of five.
The bottom line is Mai is not worth visiting unless one has a tongue as insensitive as stone.
We ordered everything other Yelpers recommended and have no regrets. Â Chanpon, spicy crab salad, hamachi sashimi and sake nagiri. Â All excellent and fresh. Â After landing in SFo from a week long vacay in Mexico, we were craving the not-so-typical bento box sushi. And found Izakaya after Sushi Sam's closed at 9pm (even though their Yelp page says they close at 10pm).
This place finally does Japanese food in an authentically different way than all the others. Â The place is small but we were seated within 10 mins (we arrived at 9pm on a Saturday night). Â Service was pleasant and swift, no complaints at all there. Â This place is highly recommended and we absolutely will be returning.
This place was such a nice surprise find. We were planning on staying in Cupertino for some Japanese, but found out that all the places we usually like were closing at 9 pm, so we ended up driving back to San Francisco. On the way back I yelped this place and saw that they were open till midnight and had great reviews.
Even at 9pm, there was a short wait. But boy was it worth it. The place is very quaint, but it looks like they may be expanding next door. The tables are packed together, and the sushi bar is set-up right next to the bathroom entrance. But despite all these aesthetic set backs, the food was still incredible.This is what we ended up ordering. Â
Champon - This is a huge bowl. We ended up taking 80% of it to go. The broth was excellent and the veggies and noodles were very fresh in the soup.
Cold Soba - It's been a while since we've had good cold soba in the city. The tempura that came with it was done to perfection. Light on the batter, fresh with the vegetables.
Yaki Onigiri (fried rice ball) - By now, we were too stuffed to eat anything. So we took a small bite of the rice balls and doggy bagged the rest. The crunchiness was perfect, but we found it a bit over salty (mind you were are a low sodium type couple).
All in all, we are so happy we found this little gem in San Mateo!
Absolutely adore this place. Â Staff was friendly & food was great! Â Typically don't like eating ramen but their Chanpon is exceptional!!! Â Takoyaki is not on their menu but it's yummy too. Â you get 5 of em for $3.50. Â The other dish i'll be back for is the Spicy Maguro Salad SOooOO good!!! Â I can't wait to be back here and try more food.
Izakaya Mai you make me want to move to San Mateo :) Â Wish I lived close by!!
Oh by the way, totally adore the ambiance (cute little train running above the restaurant railroad tracks) Â This place kinda reminds me of Japan somehow when I'm in there.
It's only 6:01 and this place is packed. Be sure to come here early.
My girlfriend and I were spending the day running errands around San Mateo. We finished around 5pm and were hoping to grab some sushi. Checked Yelp and a place called Sam's Sushi had great reviews, so we walked over to give it a try. To our dismay, they were closed due to the holiday weekend.
So rather than give up our wonderful parking spot, we walked around for a bit and then decided to wait for Izakaya to open at 6pm. We probably arrived around 545pm and sat down on one of two small benches outside. In a matter of 5 minutes, a 15 person long line had formed. Boy were we happy we decided to come a little early.
Promptly opened at 6 and by the time we had sat down, there was already a 20 minute wait!
Now the place is quite small, but I kinda like that aspect. 5 seats at the sushi bar, then a couple 4-6 people tables and some 2 person tables.
My girlfriend and I stuck to sushi. We ordered the dragon roll, the San Mateo roll, Spicy Crunchy, and a Lion King roll.
The dragon roll was delicious. It was one of the more expensive rolls (14.95 I believe), but it was worth it. Contained a thick piece of unagi over the top. Cleverly decorated with two tako suckers and sliced cucumber to make it look like a dragon!
The San Mateo roll was great as well. It was covered in both small and larger fish eggs. They had a nice pop to it.
The Spicy Crunchy was my girlfriends favorite. Covered in little crispy bits and then drizzled with sriracha and shredded crab meat. Perfect combination.
The Lion King was our least favorite roll. It was good, but not like other Lion King rolls that we had. The salmon was lightly grilled and it was tasty. Just not what we expected.
Overall this place was great. I highly recommended coming early. The people next to us ordered some fried tofu appetizer that I want to try next time.
If you are looking for fresh and authentic japanese food, this is the place!
My bf and I randomly yelped this place one evening and decided to give it a try.
We ordered a couple of things to share: Spider Roll, Uni, Charashi bowl, saba, and liver.
Charashi bowl and Uni was extremely fresh! This was the second time I attempted to try Uni and Izakaya Mai had definitely changed my mind! Â The Saba was sweet and nicely pan fried, while the liver wasn't really my favorite dish.
Lastly, the spider roll was also pretty unique and the soft shell crab was delish :)
Overall, great service and cute decor.
Although it took awhile to get seated, this place was definitely worth the wait!
4.5 STARS
Last night we headed to San Mateo for some late night Sushi. We were hoping that since it was late that perhaps a table would be available at Sushi Sam. But we had a Plan B if they were too crowded. Sushi Sam was already closed to additional customers at 9:15 pm. Izakaya Mai is the next best choice. It's only a couple blocks away and when we arrived there was about a 15 min wait. A couple of seats at the Sushi Bar opened up. This is what was ordered:
Sashimi: Yellow Tail, Mirugai  5/5 stars excellent fresh and large pieces.
Chicken Karrage  4/5 stars tender pieces of fried boneless chicken.
Sushi: Uni, Saba, Tai  4/5 stars Tai was OK, the Uni was terrific, the Saba was good.
Spicy Maguro Salad 3/5 stars The salad was just slices of Tuna on a bed of greens with sirracha and dressing on top. The fish was fresh not very creative.
Tofu with shredded bonito on top 2/5 stars too too simple. The tofu does not even come with any thing on it. The waitress said to use soy sauce or they could get some ponzu sauce.
The sake menu is extensive and the service was excellent. The place was packed from the time we got in to the time we left. Check out the specials and fresh fish posed above the sushi bar. You can also order the sushi by each piece. The menu has so many items some better then others.
Another 3.5 stars.
I would say the food is 3.5 stars and the service is just over that. Price to value ratio was decent, but generally speaking the food wasn't spectacular or memorable. I found it was fairly authentic, but none of the food really stood out. I really wanted to find a stand out izakaya, but overall an enjoyable experience.
This is a little different than the other reviews since I didn't try the Chanpon, but what stood out to me here was how delicious and fresh the wakame  was.  My boyfriend and I looked at each other, and said "wow, that's some good wakame".  So there you have it, two expert opinions on how delicious that seaweed salad is and not to mention how affordable it is to just try!
Next, the cod. I savored this delicious dish as if it were the last morsel of food on earth. Â It was so good, the people next to me felt uncomfortable from the moaning.
The sushi was fresh and delicious and just shimmied onto your lips and tongue the way good fresh sushi should taste. Â I got the fatty tuna, but could seriously only handle two pieces because it was so rich, so for all you fatty tuna connoisseurs you've gotta try this.
The fish is always fresh, and there low tables you can sit at without shoes on, and it's not overpriced!!!
I've eaten here several times over the last year and have never been disappointed. Â I love sitting at the sushi bar or at a table, it doesn't matter because the service is consistent and the staff are kind. Â Everyone greets you the moment you walk in.
This place is the best value of all the sushi places I've reviewed, by far. Â I dig this place for lunch and late night dining. Â 99% of the time I get nigiri or sashimi, but I have tried a bento box and the ramen, it's all superb.
I came with a group of 6 and we decided to share the fried squid. I'd highly recommend this dish since it is easy to share and the squid wasn't too chewy.
The chanpon isn't your traditional ramen. There was a lot of cabbage although that isn't necessarily a bad thing. Decent amount of meat and not your traditional noodles either. I really loved this dish and there seems to be a hint of chinese cuisine inspiration. The broth was tasty and not too thick/heavy either.
Chanpon ($10) - 4/5. Imagine a simple meal: flavorful broth, chewy noodles with cooked cabbage and carrots, topped with chicken, fish cakes, and clams. This simple mean is very homey and comforting to eat. Absolutely will have this again.
Ika Geso Kushiyaki ($6) - 1/5. Grilled squid legs, served on a skewer aside a simple salad, with a lemon wedge. Although this dish sounded very promising, the squid legs were overcooked - giving them a very rubbery texture.
Something to know is that I am very picky about which izakayas I go to and with whom. For the most part, I almost exclusively go to Japanese restaurants (in general) with my siblings. Â
After spending a day doing a pre-easter brunch and watching the NCAA tournament, we felt like eating again so Izakaya Mai it was.
Their menu is exactly what I hope to get from an izakaya! Â Okonomiyaki? Check! Â Ramen? Check! Yakionigiri? Check! Fried oysters, karaage, and sushi? Check, check, and check!
Nothing beats Japanese food in Japan, but the atmosphere at Izakaya Mai, the extensive menu, and delightful service were spot on. The was also delicious. We devoured everything pretty quickly. Â The highlight was probably the okonomoyaki with noodles. YES!
I can't wait to go back again - with my brother and sister, of course.
Came really late on Sunday night because it's one of the only restaurants open at that time. It was pretty busy so I thought it meant that it must be good but I was disappointed. I had just gotten off a pretty delayed flight and just wanted some simple comfort food. We ordered:
Eggplant and beef miso: way too salty. Like uneatable without rice.
Teriyaki salmon bento box: salmon was overcooked
Teriyaki chicken: the chicken was SO dry
Tempura green tea ice cream: best thing we ordered (not saying much)
After reading some of the reviews below, I realize that I may have just ordered the wrong things.
I ordered the Ika sugata (grilled whole squid). It was rubbery in texture, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. However, the squid I was given was completely burnt (strong charcoal taste), and the meat flavoring was rather plain. It was as if the teriyaki sauce were sitting on top as a separate layer instead of soaked into the meat.
I also ordered a seaweed salad, which came in a disappointingly-tiny bowl, and also tasted dry. The ones I buy packaged from Costco are so much better.
I did not enjoy my dishes. My friends' dishes were fine though. I liked the yakisoba okinomiyaki (at least for the first few bites), and the miso pork donburi was quite delicious.
Rude to the point of 1960s. Â We enter for lunch, Â only one table taken up front, no one at the sushi bar. Â waiter takes us to the far back dingy room and set us next to two others. Â We asked to sit up front where it is nicer. Â waiter grunts, Â we leave.
Talk about back of the bus, _____ only section. Â Sorry but that what it was, Â WTF.
I will boycott forever!
There are so many items on the menu, I didn't know where to begin. I ended up ordering their chanpon noodle and their poke salad. The salad was okay...the poke didn't seem that fresh or appetizing. The chanpon was loaded! It was like a cross between ramen and udon, I can't really tell. There are pieces of fish cakes, meat, veggies and other stuff in there. The soup was a little too bland for me.
It's a pretty cool place to order tapas and drinks to chill.
Adorable place for lunch and the portions are great for what you pay.
The meat in the chanpon was overcooked, however I was impressed with all the ingredients that they had in the soup, plus the portion was huge. It was definitely big enough for two meals for both me and my co-worker. I was so impressed that I decided to come here a second time with a different friend.
We both ordered the lunch special (2 item combo) with sashimi and grilled salmon during my second visit. Again, a ton of food and all pretty good.
The wait for lunch was also almost nonexistent and the food comes out pretty quickly. I recommend this place if you want something, satisfying (in portion and price), and quick, in a place that looks straight out of Little Tokyo.
Like many others I have mixed feelings about this place.
The decor is warm and comphy and the staff is always friendly and accommodating. Â Both times I came on a weekday night and the place was nearly half empty and pretty quiet so it was perfect for catching up with my cousin.
My only gripes about this place is the food.  Their "famous" chanpon was very bland and was packed with way too much cabbage and the meat was overcooked.  I will say the ika sugata  (grilled squid) was decent but nothing special.  The pork miso buto don was that tastiest out of the three.
Cute place, but I think I'll pass with so many other Japanese choices in the city!
I have mixed feelings about this place.
The first time I came here about 4 months ago, I ordered a bunch of food thinking it would be awesome (like the reviews say), but I was so disappointed that I never wanted to come again.
Ironically, my friends like to come here for food and drinks so I was tricked into coming again. This time, the food was yums! Will have to come again though and write another review.
Not a big fan of inconsistency. 3 stars because more food was ordered the first time than the second time here, and the first time was a worse experience (and food)!
Japanese kitchen food! Solid 4 stars.
This place is pretty small and space is tight, but they make use of the small quarters. The ambiance is really homey, I mean there are christmas lights inside along with a choo chop train! And lots of little things hanging from the ceiling!
We ordered:
+Ika sugata (grilled squid with teriyaki sauce) - delicious, get this!
+Chanpon - okay, I personally will pass
+Oysters on the half shell - okay
+Dragon roll - playfully presented, huge portion!
+Rock n roll - good
+USA roll - good
+Agedashi mochi - too hard, pass!
+Sake sashimi - fresh! Mmmm.
It was my first time sitting in the area where you take off your shoes. Didn't care about that too much, but I did enjoy the seclusion.
Izakaya Mai is such a great find. We owe it to a friend who moved to the area, as we joined him for dinner on a recent visit to the area. We've been on a bit of an izakaya hunt lately, so it was nice to continue that. Â The decor is cute and casual, with a bit more space than some izakayas we've been to. There is a sushi bar type counter, which is where we were seated. A train runs on a track overhead.
We had a medium-priced bottle of sake, though there was a whole range of choices for sake-lovers. They have most of their dishes down pat, with authentic flavors and preparations. The takoyaki was excellent. We were very happy to see okonomiyaki on the menu, though it's just in one version (ie you can't pick your own fillings). It wsa a good portion, but slightly under-done. The grilled squid was tender and done just right. Another favorite?! Yaki-onigiri. LOVE. They are such a good choice once you've had a few drinks, too...good to get something solid in the belly! Â
Not everyone working was Japanese, and I have to admit, that sometimes makes me extra critical when it comes to the food, but we had no complaints. The sushi was just mediocre, but we don't ordinarily order sushi at an izakaya!) Service was good and friendly. Prices were as expected. We'd definitely return and recommend.
I wanted to treat some of my best buds to a nice Japanese dinner since they're awesome and there are many options in San Mateo to choose from. Â We didn't want to so the old ramen thing so instead we decided to give Izakaya Mai a try since I was supposed to check it out the night before with another group.
We were sat at the window table where you must remove your shoes to get into the table area which seemed like a nice change of pace. Â After a long wait for menus, we finally decided to share a few dishes including their grilled squid, karaage chicken, chanpon noodle soup, cherry blossom roll, and rice balls. Â I wasn't absolutely wild about any of the dishes but if I had to choose a favorite it'd probably be the rice balls. Â However, it was all very so-so as a whole.
Service was absolutely awful and things were very disorganized in the dining room. Â We sat around just waiting for half the night for dishes to trickle out of the kitchen. Â It was pretty busy and there was a line of people waiting, but I was pretty disappointed with things overall. Â There are much better options in the area so I'll be going there instead.
Food: 5/10
Service: 3/10
Price: $$
Atmosphere: 7/10
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