A Delightful Meal at Matsuyama We were in Novato again today and decided to try another Japanese restaurant in town. This time, it was Matsuyama. The restaurant is a few blocks from the main strip in Novato, but it is easy to find. The place is small but can fit roughly 30-40 people, in my estimate. When we walked in, there was only one other pair of customers, but shortly after, the place filled up quickly. That was a good sign, I thought! My significant other is on a very strict diet, so she had to ask all sorts of questions before she could place her order, but our server, a very nice young man named Jackson, was extremely helpful and patient. He listened carefully, helping her figure out what she should order, and even made some very useful suggestions. The Yellowtail and Salmon Nigiri we ordered to start with were awesome! The fish were fresh and tasty. My partner went with Mixed Sashimi made of Tuna, Salmon, and Yellowtail, while I opted for Vegetable Udon. The Vegetable Udon was delicious and filling. The broth was light, simple, and very tasty. I tried a couple of pieces of Tuna Sashimi, and just like the Salmon and Yellowtail, it was fresh and delicious. Jackson made sure everything was in order at our table and made our first visit to Matsuyama even more pleasant. The restaurant also offers takeout and delivery services, which is great for those who prefer dining at home. read more

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Ordered 6 rolls, 2 apps, 1 dessert. Bill was 173.77 Too expensive for what we got. The quality and taste was ok. They charged me for spicy mayo!!??? Would not go back if I had the choice. Was an all around okay place. read more

Service wasn't pleasant and on top when I got my bill so I could pay. They're charged 15% of tips when I think they should aware you about it. And tip is legally optional. read more

I. Love. This. Place. Lunchtime Box Meal is the best. It's one of those places where you actually like dinning in for. Service is JUST The right amount. It's a nice and quiet spot. The Miso Soup is great to sip on and the salad dressing is phenomenal! By the way, I don't like soup or salad. Also TMI, the only reason I would ever miss my ex is because we used to eat here so often LoL. read more

It's a skip. I ordered the bento box lunch special, which is two items for $17.95. The meal started with miso soup and a salad. I've had better miso soup from the grocery store that comes in the packet. The salad dressing tasted like bottled French or Thousand Island. I usually love the homemade salad dressing served at Japanese restaurants with a zesty tang. For my bento box I got the mixed tempura and tonkatsu. The tonkatsu was overcooked, dry and flavorless. The tempura was decent, but not good enough by Japanese restaurant standards. Even the little orange wedge was terrible. I had asked for water, which never arrived. The ambiance is OK. You guessed it , I won't be coming back. read more

Matsuyama - Japanese Near Me - Novato, California

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This place used to be so good! It's been such a shame that the flavor of the food has not been to the standard I was used to from the previous owner. The inside is still the same so nothing has changed but with food prices and quality of food, this place is no longer worth it. Very sad because this was such a staple place here! The current people working there are kind though. read more

Thank you Matsuyama! This place is a must try! Everything was delicious including the hot tea and sake too! Menu has pictures of what you will be ordering. Friendly staff who are very attentive! Go now!! read more

I hadn't gotten food from this restaurant in about a year so we Doordashed it last night. The portions were much smaller, and my husband got stomach issues from it and at work has had to run to the bathroom 3 times so far and it's only 10:30 am! I'm disappointed in this because they used to be so good! read more

I really enjoy the decoration. It made me feel like I'm walking into a restaurant in Japan! The fried tofu was crispy. I thought the sauce needs a little more salt or flavor. It felt a little bland. The sukiyaki ramen I got had lots of vegetables and thin slice pork which I enjoyed. The broth is a little on the lighter side and the noodles seems s little over done. Overall, I enjoyed the service and the atmosphere. The ramen I had is probably more fusion. I would try other stuff next time. read more

Food good Service good Ambiance ok Food ready quickly I am glad Matsuyama is doing well read more

Been there maybe 6 times over the last 2 years. ALWAYS wonderful. Food and service make it a very pleasant place. Interesting, ther is a collection of bonsai. read more

Matsuyama is doing everything better. The beef teriyaki is more tender. The chicken katsu crispier. The California rolls creamier. I had the 3 piece lunch combo. The pre ration was neat as a pin. With the miso soup, salad and rice, there is so much food it will easily make 2 meals. I was sad to learn the owners had retired had but glad to hear Matsuyama is still in very capable hands. read more

Matsuyama - 3 piece lunch combo - Japanese Near Me - Novato, California

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Came on a Saturday night and had some yummy sushi. Ambience: this place is under new ownership. They upgraded the interior design and added a sushi display. It looks nice than before! Food: tried their sushi and sashimi. The uni and amaebi were super fresh and sweet. The sushi rolls on their chef's special menu were full of fish. Overall, the price was reasonable and the food tasted great. Service: the sushi chef was really nice and very welcoming. I'll visit more often for sure. read more

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Welcome back... the decor has improved and the food is very much the same. The most affordable sushi in Marin, but not the best.

I come here every now and then and the food is always amazing. Really good. Today I decided to try their sushi, nigiri to be specific. I asked if they had any toro and the server seemed very unsure about what I was asking for. That should have been enough for me to not order it lol. He came back and said they have yellowtail (hamachi) toro. So I ordered it, along with a bento box. The toro arrived, and immediately it didn't look like hamachi toro. It looked like regular hamachi. I took a bite and it was tough. The complete opposite of what toro should be. Toro should be fatty and melt in your mouth. Completely disappointed. Besides that, the bento box was amazing. Really really tasty. Highly recommend. read more

Matsuyama - Yakitori chicken, tonkotsu, and vegetable tempura. - Japanese Near Me - Novato, California

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Very good! I had the dragon roll and salmon roe and loved it. Fresh and tasty! Highly recommend!!!

I've been coming to this establishment for the last 8 years and seeing the upgrades the new ownership has done is amazing! When placing my order the owner told me it may take 10-15 mins because everything is cooked to order, gotta love that! I would strongly recommend Matsuyama to any relative and friend. I love supporting a family owned business that goes the extra mile for their customers. The sushi was fresh and tempura was perfectly cooked. Do yourself a favor and get in here before the news spreads and you can't get a seat. Pro Tip: when ordering your sushi ask Dragon for the Japanese imported wasabi, it really makes all the difference. read more

Matsuyama - a table with a variety of food items - Japanese Near Me - Novato, California

Went to lunch yesterday and have to say we LOVE the new updates the new owners did to the restaurant. Everything looks clean and inviting and the menus have been physically updated to look way nicer. Food has remained tasty as ever and is coupled with excellent service! read more

Matsuyama - Japanese Near Me - Novato, California

Dragon has done a great job with this place. Freshest sushi and oysters. My parents just had the ramen bowls and the broth was delish!! Everything on the menu is plated with LOVE! read more

An easily overlooked gem near downtown Novato, Matsuyama is quality, fresh Japanese fare that outstrips many of its higher priced contemporaries. Particularly recommend the Hamachi Kama (yellowtail collar)! read more

We love the lunch specials here! The staff is amazing, the food is consistently great and I've never had an upset stomach in the 15 years I've eaten here. One of my absolute favorite places. read more

Great food, fantastic service. We came at a very busy time, and the food took longer than expected. The waiter informed us bring the beginning that there would take longer to get our food and we were okay with it. Later, the sushi chef/ owner came by and apologized and even offered us free drinks for the delay. Very friendly and sure made up for the food taking a while. Chicken Katsu is perfect, Udon soup was out of this world. Perfectly cooked meat and noodles. The rolls were fresh and delicious. Highly recommend it read more

We ordered takeout from the usual place my sister's kids liked. It was ready in a little over half an hour. I can only speak for the combo dinner and the tamago nigiri which I ordered. The miso soup was tasty with mostly tofu and onions. Salad was simple with a tangy mustardy dressing. Tempura was crispy and only slightly softened from time spent bringing it back home. Took too long to get back to this review. Forgot what it was like. But four stars seems good. read more

My favorite Japanese restaurant ever and always has been. The food is always good, and the prices are reasonable. I was worried things would take a bad turn when ownership changed, but I'm still happy with this place that I grew up with as a child. read more

I was looking for a place to take a lunch break and was sitting at the red light on Redwood Blvd and De Long when I noticed the sign behind some trees. Intrigued, I got closer and found the parking to be convenient for my work truck and trailer. Finally, I peeked online at the menu and walked to the door. I got a three piece bento box meal with tankatsu (fried breaded pork with bbq type sauce), hamachi maki (the little round slices of fish and rice in seaweed), and the nigiri (the little blocks of rice with fish on top) and it came with miso soup and salad. I was happy with everything. I only get 30 minutes for lunch so I was happy about being served quickly. The tankatsu was crispy and delicious. The fish stuff was...fish stuff. I don't eat a lot of sushi but I liked it. The wasabi was...I should probably just use less wasabi. I switched to the sliced ginger after uncontrollably crying for a bit. It was good, maybe too good for me. Good food, good price, strangely hard to find if you aren't looking for it. A perfect place to pop in for a quick lunch. read more

Great food, super nice folks! They were very busy on a Wednesday - still service was great! read more

Matsuyama - the interior of a japanese restaurant - Japanese Near Me - Novato, California

We pulled off on the way home from camping and came here because of the reviews. They were kind but the food was not what we hoped for. My roll tasted "off" and I couldn't even eat a third of it, the ramen noodles tasted a bit fishy... normally our family of 5 chows down on ramen, sushi and teriyaki chicken, but we left plates half full and not totally satisfied. My husbands broth was tasty though. read more

Various delicious dishes to choose from. This place has been here forever it feels like. Always a great spot to come and eat and definitely will be back as usual! read more

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The food here is so good!! The staff are always very courteous and kind. I highly suggest their bento box! At other Japanese places, they charge you for the miso soup but the soup and salad come with the meal, and it's always very yummy! Nice cozy small town environment. I look forward to coming every time! read more

Matsuyama - Bento box - Japanese Near Me - Novato, California

Great lunch spot, especially for their Bento with 3 items is a great value. Excellent Hamachi Kama as well, perfectly grilled and crispy in the right places. read more

Matsuyama - Hamachi Kama - Japanese Near Me - Novato, California

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Third time I have been there since the "reopening" and I have been disappointed each time. The food is ok but portions and the wait time are not. I have to wait 25 minutes every time I order food to go. That's 25 minutes after I was told that it would be 20-25 minutes for pick up. I get it if its a weekend but on a Monday. I would have rather been told 50 minutes so I didn't waste my time sitting around waiting for my order. In my option the old Matsuyama was by far superior and sorry but you lost a customer read more

I really enjoyed my Bento Box lunch at Matsuyama. I got a rather expensive Box $13. But, it was what I wanted and it was huge. I got spicy Tuna rolls, a little salad, miso soup, Tempura Shrimp, and rice. It was delicious. I love the simple ambience and easy going atmosphere. The hot tea was good too. My Tempura Shrimp came with a few vegetables and was nicely fried. I devoured the entire meal and was full all day. Nice wait Staff too. read more

Matsuyama - Bento Box spicy Tuna & Shrimp Tempura Lunch - Japanese Near Me - Novato, California

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Subtle tastes (not overload with sauce) and delicious. We will definitely put Matsuyama in our rotation. Clean facility and fresh ingredients. read more

The staff was very very nice to us. We went there for dinner and we were super hungry after a long day. I had the tempura ramen and I have to say - they were on spot with the tempura. Super crunchy and yummy. However, the ramen was meh. No flavor for the broth. It was very bland. The noodles were ok. I wouldn't get it again, not in that combo. If you're seeking for a good soup, this is not the spot. read more

Had a great time at Matsuyama! The sushi was delicious and the atmosphere was really cozy. Service was friendly and overall, a tasty experience worth checking out read more

Since the change of ownership I was disappointed. The first couple weeks they had a similar menu with slightly higher prices. Now they have disappeared our favorite dinner combos and raised prices again. Tried to order pickup and they gave me a random soup instead of their boat dish that apparently they no longer offer. Too bad. read more

Always good. Small town love. Loving and clean and safe interior. safe neighborhood. Good parking. Good to visit with groups of loved ones read more

I had a great time with my mom and brother here, it was a beautiful bonding experienc. Food was amazing and we love the music!

By far the best sushi place: awesome menu, kindest workers, welcoming atmosphere, most of all everything tasted incredible

Since the new owners reopened this place, they have done an amazing job. The staff is super friendly and the food is consistently fantastic. From their detailed menu to the interior decorations, eating here is a refreshing experience in Novato! read more