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this is such a nice spot for high quality fresh sushi in san carlos! we stopped by to have dinner for my sisters birthday. there was no wait on a thursday evening. the space is open, clean, and inviting with plenty of natural light throughout the storefront! parking isn't the easiest in the area, but the location in downtown san carlos is great. we had a couple of rolls, sashimi/nigiri, karaage, veggie tempura, a bento, and the tuna poke. they have a really wide variety of both sushi/sashimi as well as hot food options like udon, bentos, rice bowls, etc. the quality of the fish is really nice and the hot food in the bento was yummy! the karaage was also nice and fresh with aioli on the side. service was also very helpful and friendly. overall, a great spot to have a chill lunch or dinner. would recommend it if you're craving sushi in the san carlos area!
We're lucky that Owada is one of the closest restaurants to our house, so we end up coming here quite often (and we wave hello when we're walking by even if we aren't eating here). It's a common destination on a Friday evening after a long week or a Saturday evening after the kids have played soccer. Owada clinched 5 stars from me when we came a while back and the owner recited our usual order to us - gyoza, agedashi tofu, California roll, teriyaki chicken bento box, beef udon, seaweed salad, hamachi kama, and a bowl of rice (those last three are for me when I'm eating out but don't want to overdo it). Occasionally I'll swap out the hamachi kama for a chirashi bowl which is colorful and packed with fresh fish and cucumbers and avocado. We always enjoy our food and meals here. We tend to order more of the cooked food but the sushi has been tasty too. The delicious food and casual atmosphere make for a great place to bring the family. The owners and staff are super friendly and will ask where someone is if we show up without them. As an added bonus the TV is usually showing an exciting sporting event. It's nice to have a regular spot where they know us!
This is a great local sushi spot for reasonably priced Japanese food. The chirashi bowl stands out -- excellent overall and presented beautifully. It comes in a flat bowl - this is something I never knew I wanted. It allows them to deliver the perfect rice ratio, and, deliver it consistently across the entire bowl. No cave of rice in the middle at the bottom. A small touch, making a nice experience. Upgrading to the deluxe seems to add ebi and uni, which were both good. Service was attentive and friendly!
I met a good friend for a casual dinner at Owada in San Carlos as it was conveniently located in between SF and the South Bay with good Yelp reviews. It's a small clean place with about a dozen tables and a sushi counter with a friendly staff and fast service, but they allowed a couple to keep a standard poodle in the dining area that was NOT a service dog. We ordered Agedashi Tofu, California Roll, Spicy Tuna Roll, Rock n Roll and a Bento with chicken teriyaki and tempura. All the sushi was great, especially the Rock n Roll, with fresh ingredients and perfectly cooked rice, but the rest of what we ordered was just okay. The Agedashi tofu had a crisp exterior and tender tofu, but it was bland and the sauce was a bit watery. The teriyaki chicken was overcooked and dry, the portions of the tempura were good, but the coating was dense without any panko with a slightly soggy interior. Net-net, based on what we ordered, I'd probably try again for take out if we were in the mood for good sushi.
Had a really relaxing date lunch here with hubby - loved this place! Pros: Pretty reasonable portions for the price. We were stuffed with 1 roll, 1 bluefin maki, and their chirashi bowl Their chirashi bowl is phenomenal. The rice is perfectly seasoned with roe and the pieces of fish are fresh and generously sized, alongside tamago, fresh avocado, cucumber and micro greens. I would say this was definitely a shareable size. Get this!! The golden gate roll was not a slouch either- really good roll with jalapeños. Spacious and has decent amount of seating. Cons: Parking is street side and can be busy. Service was somewhat slow and the place wasn't busy - food prep speed made sense as everything was obviously freshly made to order but even flagging for the bill took a while.
Stopped by for lunch and was seated immediately, the space is bright and open. We ordered the chirashi bowl and a hamachi Kama between the two of us, and it was the perfect amount. The chirashi bowl is fresh and a great deal, would come back to order that again and maybe try a roll!
I ordered a Chirashi Combo and the Salmon Lover Roll. I really liked the quality of the fish and portion sizing. The rolls are more traditional style (have less intense sauces than others) and a lot of the rolls have imitation crab. I would come back again for the Chirashi. The staff was nice and the seating was spacious
O-wow-da! Have been meaning to come here for years and just never did, but had been craving sushi for many weeks and decided it was time. Full disclosure I don't eat raw sushi its a texture thing for me but I have my main standbys at Japanese restaurants for testing control purposes and branch out from there - California roll, shrimp tempura roll, and rock n roll but I usually do that my 2nd trip after testing the second two because not everybody can do eel well and some leave tons of bones in it. Because I start with the basics it's easy for me to compare quality between restaurants. But I'm no sushi expert if you do the raw stuff. Anyways, I could tell immediately O would beat out Sakura and the teppanyaki place nearby in terms of quality. And I was right! Waitress was also super attentive as well, very quick and sweet =) Glad to have finally tried this yummy spot now I know where to go when I have a craving!
OWNERS PLEASE EQUIP MORE STAFF IN THE RESTAURANT. The food is so amazing I just wish you were better staffed. Our miso was brought at the end of the meal, my water was empty for most of the meal, three sushi roles were brought immediately and then two were brought 10-15 minutes later. Our server was super nice however couldn't run the whole restaurant. I really love the food here and would hate to have the inadequate service steer myself and others from returning.
We loved this spot. The street parking was fairly ample for a Monday night, and the place filled up fast (it's pretty small with about 8-9 tables total). There was only one chef preparing the sushi, so our orders took much longer than usual. The waitress was kind and attentive. Our nigiri and omakase were super fresh and delicious!
2 years ago
4 years ago
I haven't written a yelp review in quite a while but I was so happy to come across this new sushi restaurant in the peninsula! I came in soon after they opened and was greeted by super friendly staff. The place is clean and spacious. I went with the Omakase Sushi (10pcs) @ $58 and was pleased with my order. The sushi was fresh and the portions were just right. Some places offer you thick cuts of fish for the gram, which can be a little overbearing but I was super happy with what I got. The server also gifted me with this cute bear at the end of the meal and stated that she thought the color suit me. She was right, in big on earthy tones as you can tell it matches my pants! Happy this place is in my area! Highly recommend and will definitely be returning. In the "post-covid" era, many patrons lack compassion for the food service industry and what it takes to either stay open or begin fresh with a new restaurant. I felt so welcome here and I hope that this restaurant will continue to do well. *only feedback I would suggest is cutting down on the vinegar in the ikura marinade :) read more
This is our favorite sushi spot in San Carlos. We have tried the Kaiden Don, the Omakase sashimi, and several rolls. Personally we love their rolls, though the portions on the Kaiden don and Omakase sashimi were quite generous. The rolls are just fantastic. read more
4 years ago
My BFF took me here other day. Very nice little place with great service. 3 reasons to come back: 1) Super fresh and tasty sashimi 2) Awesome customer service 3) Reasonable prices read more
2 years ago
Wonderfully friendly staff in newly opened sushi joint. Had a pretty decent hamachi Kama with tender flavorful flesh. The star was the Omakase Sashimi with really generous cuts of fresh fish. Definitely worth checking out! read more
2 years ago
We made reservations for 6PM valentines dinner and was glad we did because people without reservations were turned away. Service was friendly and they were pretty attentive in refilling our waters. We ordered the agedashi tofu as an appetizer and the omakase sashimi and rainbow roll as mains. This was more than enough for a party of two. The agedashi tofu was good. It was crispy on the outside and hot on the inside. The omakase sashimi was mediocre for $78. There were 9 different types of fish in the box and we got two pieces of each. So we really got 18 pieces. There was no fish introduction so we didn't even know what we were eating asides from the obvious ones like salmon and tuna. They definitely went for quantity over quality. Not only do you get two pieces of each, the cuts are pretty big as well. However, the quality suffered as I did not like most of it. The worse ones were the scallops and the uni. From the color of the uni, which was a dull orange with hints of gray/black), I was already very suspicious of it. After putting it my mouth, I immediately want to spit it out cause it had a terrible bitter taste to it. That's probably the worse uni I've ever had. Then the scallops tasted fishy instead of sweet. Overall, this omakase sashimi box is not worth it. For a lower price and better quality, I prefer the omakase box from Rantei. The rainbow was ok, you standard roll for $16. The expectations were met here because they weren't high to begin with. Overall I would only come here for the rolls if I'm looking for some reasonably priced sushi rolls. read more
1 year ago
2 years ago
Definitely my new favorite place in San Carlos to get sushi. If you're looking for authentic, fresh, delicious food this is the place to go. I told my boyfriend how these were the best California rolls I've had in San Carlos because they just melt in your mouth! I didn't think the edamame beans would be anything crazy but they were honestly unforgettable, served hot, and packed with flavor. All of the fish was so fresh and the rolls were so big! Lastly, the servers were on top of everything and our food came out in a timely manner. Wonderful experience overall! read more
4 years ago
4 years ago
What a great addition to Laurel! We are quite new to San Carlos and were spoiled by extremely fresh fish at our neighborhood sushi spot in San Francisco. On a whim, we stopped in to Owada and it is now a regular go to! The fish is fresh, and they have a good selection for varying tastes -tempura, teriyaki and ramen. We regularly choose the Omakase sashimi, which is always a bit different depending on what is freshest. Not to be missed! The family is so nice that runs this shop! It's not to be missed if you love sushi! read more
4 years ago
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Chirashi with miso soup. Excellent quality fish and quantity was plenty. I highly recommend this place!! read more
3 years ago
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5 years ago
A nice place for Sushi and sashimi if you are a Japanese food fans. They have Kobe beef nigiri which I repeat my order for 4 times. The beef just melt in my mouth. Very few Japanese restaurants carry such good and high end quality food. Price is very reasonable compare to others Japanese restaurants. Employees and waitress are very friendly. Highly recommend this place and will come back to try other stuffs on their menu. By the way my daughter loves their ramen which noodles is soft. read more
5 years ago
Great lunch bentos and friendly staff. The sashimi was super fresh and the miso soup was really flavorful. Will be a new lunchtime regular spot. read more
4 years ago
So glad a new great sushi spot opened up in downtown San Carlos! The sushi is fresh and delicious. I love how they don't use too much rice in the rolls. Definitely try the chirashi deluxe! It comes with amaebi and uni! read more
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I hate to give a bad review, but I am so disappointed in this. The rice was SOAKED in rice vinegar. It was mushy and the vinegar flavor made it inedible. Also, in my experience and according to google... a rock and roll is shrimp tempura, kani, cream cheese, & avocado. I received eel & avocado in mine. I did not care for the flavor of the eel. I would've taken it right back if I didn't live so far. read more
4 years ago
Chirashi combo was amazing! Restaurant people were super nice and kind.I will be back soon!! read more
3 years ago
2 years ago
located in downtown san carlos...replacing ozuma on the corner of laurel & arroyo...indoor tables only and seating plenty...browsing menu and finding typical offerings...bento boxes, ramen, udon, sushi, sashimi, rolls, chirashi, omakase, etc...chirashi (chopped sashimi over rice) looking popular and owada offering 2 options...deluxe combo includes amaebi (sweet shrimp) and uni (sea urchin) for $38...standard combo missing those 2 items and priced at $28...sashimi was quite fresh...sweet and soft pieces of fish...very good...rice needs some work...dinner bento box $24.99...taking tonkatsu and requesting spicy tuna roll...out of spicy tuna and staff replacing with spicy salmon...tonkatsu was large and thick lean pork...quite filling...spicy salmon roll was also well constructed and good...rice could be better again...bento served with a tasty miso soup and sweet creamy dressing salad...tempura udon $14.95...nice light flavorful broth and quite a large bowl...tempura good and fried golden yellow...the portions are big, so making adjustments on the 2nd visit...sashimi quality was great...set meals are quite filling...prices are good for what you get... read more
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Business owner information
Owada S.
Hello Allison, thank you for your support for Owada! I hope yo have a…
4 years ago
We have been eating here / ordering take-out from them because they have the BEST chirashizushi in the town. They use really fine and fresh raw ingredients for their sushi/sashimi, even the wasabi is a better grade one. It just tastes much better than the other chirashi bowls we had in this area. I also like their chicken cutlet lunch combo. The panko layer is golden, very crunchy, and not greasy, while the chicken is so juicy and tender.... YUMMM! It's so good! Other rolls we had in the past were pretty good, too. In general, the food is fresh and delicious, the portion is big, and the price is reasonable. We highly recommend Owada for both dine-in and take out. read more
Business owner information
Owada S.
Thank you for the comment, we will continue to make the food better…
4 years ago
5 years ago
I ordered the chirashi deluxe combo for pick-up. I saw how beautiful the dish arrangement was and I never rushed back home so quickly. It tasted amazing! The fish was very fresh. I can't wait to go back and try more items! read more
More info about Owada
894 Laurel St
San Carlos, CA 94070
Directions
(650) 637-9793
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https://www.owadasushi.com
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Ask the Community - Owada
Is there outside seating?
Just stopped by today. There is no outside seating here. But the food is nom nom, so try and grab it to go if you're in the area.
Is the only difference between the regular chirashi and deluxe chirashi the uni and amaebi?
The waiter reported that the difference between them is that, in addition to everything in the chirashi, the deluxe chirashi also has uni, Amaebi and scallops.
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