I brought another friend here for lunch and she enjoyed the meal. We both got the combo two items for $16.99. It comes with miso soup, salad, and rice or fried rice for extra cost. You pick the two items you want. My friend got the salmon teriyaki and California Rolls. I got tonkatsu and saba shioyaki. All were delicious. I was also served hot tea. This is one of my go to Japanese restaurant when I am in the area. Service is great and the atmosphere is also great. Plenty of tables to sit. read more

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2 years later, and after eating at numerous sushi places across California, this is still the #1 worst sushi ever.

This restaurant is a neighborhood icon--it has been in Sunnyvale since I was a little kid. It took me 50 years to finally try it out. It's a no-frills restaurant with QR code ordering from your table. The staff was very attentive to us, as it was our first time. We asked if we could order fish and chips from next door as well, and they said yes. There are two separate menus--one for Seto and one for the fish and chips next door. We ordered a two-piece fish and chips. The fish was good, cooked to a golden brown. The fries were also well cooked but needed some salt, as they lacked seasoning. The tartar sauce was just okay. The lunch bento box was the highlight of our visit. We ordered teriyaki chicken with a California roll, salad, and rice. Everything was very well done. The miso soup that came with the box was pretty bland, but we ate it. I definitely want to come back and try other sushi rolls. read more

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Six of us were at Seto for my birthday lunch. Everyone ordered a 3 item bento lunch and all of us were so stuffed!!! Miso soup accompanied this meal! I ordered my bento lunch with Teriyaki Salmon, salmon sashimi and tempura! It did not disappoint!!! Everyone left very satisfied!!! Service was excellent! read more

Seto Restaurant - 3 item lunch bento - teriyaki salmon, salmon sashimi and tempura - Japanese Near Me - Sunnyvale, California

Had a mini reunion with some friends and opted to try this place out! The parking is plentiful and there are a lot of tables and seats too. It's a QR order which I enjoyed because you get to see what you ordered, which person at the table ordered it, and if the order has already been delivered. Since we decided to order a plate and it was quite busy, our order took about 30ish mins to arrive. We finished the plate in less than 10mins because we were so hungry. They checked in on us which was very kind and apologized for the delay often. Everything was made fresh, tasted fresh, and very delicious. read more

Seto Restaurant - Fish Sushi Roll Plates - Japanese Near Me - Sunnyvale, California

Very quaint homestyle Japanese food! To be honest it looks pretty rundown inside, but don't let that deter you. The food here is very comforting and they have dishes that I don't often see at other Japanese restaurants, like ochazuke. We got the tuna and salmon sashimi, tempura, kitsune udon and beef teriyaki donburi. The sashimi was pretty small, but the quality was good! But for the price, I wouldn't get this again. I would get the tempura and udon again! Even though it's a simple dish, the udon broth was very savory and the sweet kitsune balanced it out well. The udon noodles were nice and bouncy. My fiance also enjoyed his beef teriyaki bowl. Overall, we would come back and skip the sashimi, but want to try all the other hot dishes! Their menu is very extensive, so there's lots to try. Even though it's a small restaurant, they seem to have regulars that they're friendly with, so it seems their food is good enough that people keep coming back! Just make sure to check their hours before going, as they are closed on Sundays and close between lunch and dinner. They have a parking lot in the back, so parking hasn't been an issue (we've also gone to their fish and chips restaurant next door a couple of times). read more

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Alway a great experience with nice owner. Very attentive and authentic Japanese Food!

I used to go to Seto all the time. But that was a loooong time ago and the place is now old, the service was terrible, and the food was mediocre. I rarely give one star reviews but this was sad. First, I would compliment the server who was hustling and taking care of people as best she could. Unfortunately, it was just her for the whole dining room. She did her best. The room was cooooold. We left our coats on. The place is well lit, fairly clean, but old and shabby. They haven't done anything to the decor since the last time I was there 20 years ago. The carpet was stained in many spots. We were thinking we should leave but stayed. It was Valentine's Day but when we arrived, the place was only about 20% full. Nonetheless, 30 minutes after ordering, we had only received two bowls of miso soup. The soup was ok but lukewarm. Finally, half our order arrived. It had been 45 minutes at that point. Soba noodles were good but the broth tasted a bit off and the beef was tough. Edible but meh. A bowl of unagi on rice was decent but swimming in overly sweet sauce. Edible but not delicious. The salad was so-so, looked like it was from a food service bag, your basic lettuce, a couple of slices of cucumber, a pale slice of tomato. Again, nothing bad here, but not good. Tempura shrimp looked good but was oily and the oil was not fresh. Again, not bad, but not good. We then asked about the rest of the order and she said that was all we had. I asked her to deliver the bill and a while later, she came back and showed me they had the full order in the system but there was some confusion. We cancelled the rest. Sad to see an institution like Seto so degraded. read more

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Of many of the Japanese restaurants in the South Bay, Seto has come up among many as one of the best places around, so much so that the restaurant often fills up on the weekdays. With that said, I was able to give them a try on a Tuesday afternoon around 1:00PM. Walking into the restaurant, there were a few tables full. But for the most part, the restaurant was open and I was seated quickly. To order and request for the check, I was told to scan the sign with a QR code on the table and add items to the cart. And taking a look at the menu, there were a variety of options from udon and soba to hand rolls and sashimi specials; definitely many options to choose from. For my first time here, I chose a Lunch Bento Box which was $15. With the each Lunch Bento Box comes a bowl of miso soup, a serving of rice, a salad, and two entrees of your choice (I had the tonkatsu and teriyaki beef for this visit). And when I received the food, I surprised at the portion given. For one, there were seven pieces of katsu in the box. And because each piece was thin, the pork disappeared very quickly. As for the beef, each piece was a thick cut of steak. But because there were only four pieces, the beef disappeared very fast as well. Each item alone was not enough to be filling. But when eaten together, the portion was reasonable enough. Japanese food tends to be pretty expensive in the San Francisco Bay Area, but it tends to be even more expensive in the Sunnyvale area. To that, I'd argue the portion was fair for $15. Just know that if you are expecting large quantity, this dish might not be for you. As far as I was concerned, the taste of the food was very good though. The miso soup had a good ratio of powder to liquid and was perfectly savory. For next, the salad was just as you would expect it to be: both fresh and moist. Trying the katsu, the panko coating was light which helped to balance out the amount of meat inside. The inside was more on the dry side. But because the layer of breading was so light, it didn't throw off the taste that much. Of all of the food in the bento box, I found the beef to be the best. Each piece was steak-cut and was lightly charred which made for a soft interior and a somewhat hard exterior. The beef was both juicy and tender which helped to compensate for crisp charred spots. With the light teriyaki sauce on top, a light sweetness was added which paired well with the smoked charred flavor. Looking at this experience at Seto, the food was definitely the star of the show. The quality was good for the price that you're paying. And for fifteen dollars in the Sunnyvale area, the amount of food given is good enough for what I would consider a light lunch. If you're debating on giving this place a try, I noticed some of the regular entrees on other tables had more portion to them. And to that, I would definitely consider getting a single entree for next time instead of the bento box which has a variety of small portions. These being said, Seto earns a good 4 stars and I would be happy to come back again! read more

Seto Restaurant - Miso Soup - Japanese Near Me - Sunnyvale, California

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Went there Sunday afternoon and it is apparently closed!!! No signs or anything!!! Yelp lists it as being open but dark as all get out!!

Ordered noodles and tempura. The noodles were overcooked and in a thin broth. The tempura had heavy breading fried in a nasty, thick, processed oil. I had to peel my tempura to make it edible. Operating hours seem random. read more

Yummy food, food prices, kind service, and calm and clean ambiance. What else can you ask for ???

My wife and I visit Seto's regularly by ourselves or with family and/or friends. They have a wide variety of authentic Japanese dishes and we enjoy both the food and the service. We have been there for both dinner and lunch and their prices are very reasonable and food quality, excellent. read more

Great neighbourhood restaurant!! Good people good service good food! Stop by for a bento or some sushi! read more

Seto Restaurant - xxx - Japanese Near Me - Sunnyvale, California

Their ordering style is via QR code but it's so efficient; please don't be thrown off by that. Quality Japanese food and ingredients. More than hospitable staff read more

We had a short amount of time for dinner and my wife wanted sushi. Seto was the closest so we decided to try it out. The restaurant looks decent on the outside but on the inside you immediately notice the uneven floors, the old decor and the strong smells from the fish and chips restaurant attached to Seto. We were also the only patrons and it remained that way throughout dinner. It appeared that most of Seto's business was takeout. With regards to the food, my wife was quite impressed with the Nigiri Supreme. She thought it was very fresh. I thought was quite disappointed with my Kitsune Soba. There was very little Soba and only two pieces of fried tofu. read more

Haven't been here in a while, good to see they are still here with practically the same staff. You can always trust them to make great food. I got the Tempura Udon. Nice clean interior. Service was very fast, we got here first hour and they let us go inside and sit even before they were officially opened. Food came out in no time. Will definitely go back when I'm in the area craving for Tempura. read more

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Seto's is a quaint spot tucked away in the corner of Sunnyvale. Going to this restaurant is like going back in time, in a good way. Reasonably priced menu (even post Covid), mom and pop owners who greet you warmly, and a homemade taste to their food. You won't get high end (high nose) vibes here so if that's what you're looking for choose another spot, but if you need a peaceful dinner or lunch out they have an extensive menu that can fill you up. They also have a lot of space and traditional seating, so it's a great spot for large groups. Service is also 10/10, especially when the owners are able to attend to your group. Can't wait to come back and visit again! read more

Sushi is always fresh. Owners are very welcoming and recommend best options based on what's the daily catch

Spent 20 minutes waiting for water after asking multiple times. Appetizer even taking longer. Never seen this before in any restaurant. Just gave this place a try because it seemed like a family owned place, but clearly a mistake. Fast food probably has better service. read more

Hamachi Maki - Yellowtail with scallion. Rolled rice in toasted seaweed. Pretty basic - on a scale of 1-10 for freshness the fish is probably a 6. Mix Chazuke - Salmon flake, salmon roe, plum, pollack roe, and seaweed. This is a traditional Japanese rice soup - but quite bare. The flakes are only a dash, and salmon roe perhaps a teaspoon at most. Rather disappointed - I can see this dish enhanced with the ambience of a traditional tatami room, but when you're eating it luke warm from a 1/4 quart plastic container, it's quite different. Tanuki Soba - Buckwheat noodle soup topped with fried tofu. This was my favorite dish - the tofu cubes are small, but I like the brown noodles which have a little more texture than typical flour or even egg noodles. Nameko Akadashi - Soup made with special dark miso and nameko (small, slimy mushroom). This was good, but also not much in contents. I finished this meal a bit unsatisfied and still hungry. read more

Seto Restaurant - Mix chazuke - Japanese Near Me - Sunnyvale, California

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If I could give this place 1 star I would. I lived behind this restaurant for years and never came here. Tried it yesterday. Ordered 2 rolls. Ended up feeling sick all night. Fish is not fresh or rice was old? Hard to pinpoint but I def won't be back. read more

Very excited to have a Japanese restaurant just a few minutes away from my place! I ordered from their website that's posted on Yelp. Under the reservations, there was an option to pre-order and have your food ready when you were seated. We opted to do that, but upon arrival, we were told a reservation didn't go through, and our food was packed for takeout. No problem - except that the workers kept telling us we didn't use their website (it is listed as their site), and that site we used keeps causing issues for them. So, pro tip: don't use the site listed on Yelp! Aside from that, they still accommodated us eating in the restaurant with our packed food, and the workers were kind in checking up on us. We got to try the Tobiko California, Crazy, and Dragon rolls, along with tempura soba. I particularly enjoyed the crazy roll, but all the rolls were solid. The soba was standard, and the tempura was good, though I wish it came with veggies. I'd come back, but would just do a walk-in or takeout through their other site next time. read more

Seto Restaurant - Tobiko California, Crazy Roll, and Dragon Roll - Japanese Near Me - Sunnyvale, California

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Best fish n chips in the Bay Area hands down! We had a big group of us and tried a lot of different items on the menu. Everything was amazing! Super fresh and crunchy. Owners are friendly and hospitable. To top it all off, they serve Mitchell's ice cream! Thank you James!! read more

Seto Restaurant - 3 piece fish n chips - Japanese Near Me - Sunnyvale, California

Why do I keep ordering delivery from mediocre places in a pinch and thinking it'd be okay?? Let me start off by saying that we FOUND A HUGE BUG (ROACH?) IN OUR FOOD..... It was disgusting. It was deeply woven into our spinach, and I just happened to pick it out with my chopsticks. It was horrible. But even if we had never found that bug, there's more mediocrity: The hamachi kama was way over cooked and dry, the sushi rice was mushy, and the cabbage in our nabeyaki udon has black spots on it. How can a restaurant think it's acceptable to serve this to paying customers? Seto is also not authentic at all. The menu here would lead you to believe that this might be an authentic Japanese restaurant (with items like nabe, natto, sunomono, etc). Not only is it lacking authenticity, but the food quality and execution is far below any expectation. I am offended by this place as a Japanese person, as Japanese cuisine is the polar opposite of what I've experienced from Seto. PASS. read more

Seto Restaurant - Ordered delivery and literally found a huge bug (roach?) in our spinach. Very horrifying. Please pay closer attention to your greens! - Japanese Near Me - Sunnyvale, California

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Fist time there and I can't say I'm impressed. To start, the customer or lack of costumer service for me makes or breaks my experience. I did see the mixed reviews prior to visiting here but decided to visit and experience for my self, i do love good Japanese restaurants. The food isn't great, it's rather plain with hardly any taste. Bring your phone because they don't provide menus, their online menu provides very limited information about each dish and ther pictures are low quality, hard to tell what's on the dish. The staff isn't friendly and they Lack customer service, after we sat, we didn't see anyone until it was time to pay for the bill...we did have this guy without a uniform offer a tea refill, which never made it to our table. I do not recommend this place. read more

Sushi is average but the presentation and ambience are below par for all but a food truck. Went there some time ago on a Friday evening well before the kitchen was to close. Though The lighting is abysmal and does not do much to make the atmosphere pleasant or the meal look appetizing we figured we'd give it another try since we live close by. Midway through the meal, one of the waitstaff started cutting down paper that comes in on a large roll to be used on the tables to cover the table cloths. It was such an annoying loud sound that we could barely hear one another talk. It does show a certain amount of cluelessness to have to do that just when patrons are seated trying to enjoy their under way less than optimal conditions in the first place. Have to wonder why this type of noisy work cannot be done ahead of time during the off hours and just have the sheets precut and ready to use come dinner time. The whole experience reaffirmed our choice of avoiding the place for quite some years and will definitely steer clear from here on when the urge of sushi strikes. read more

i wanted to try this place out since it's down the street from my house & the sushi has to be the worse sushi i've ever gotten from a restaurant. can't believe how much i paid for the quality i got. DO NOT GO HERE! food does not look like how it does on yelp read more

I never notice this place on yelp due to its low rating. But the tempura sign caught my eyes when I was walking to Gombei Bento one day. I called ahead to place an order. I was particularly interested in the Jumbo Prawn Tempura and the Jumbo Fried Prawn. I asked the Japanese lady on the phone what the difference was. While I didn't fully understand, I proceeded with the Jumbo Prawn Tempura as Seto is a tempura house. What happened when I arrived was just the best customer service. The lady explained to me what's in the order as shown in the picture below but she also included a fried chicken skewer ON THE HOUSE, explaining that it's similar to what the Jumbo Fried Prawn would be using Panko crusted technique, different from the Tempura style. WOW! PS, also purchased a Matcha IPA Food: Everything tastes delicious. And the portion is big enough :) now the price is a little high but I'm okay with it during covid 19 time to support local business. read more

Seto Restaurant - Japanese Near Me - Sunnyvale, California

So disappointed with my lunch here. The big fail was the sushi rice. It was more dense than it should be so the nigiri and the sushi rolls were slightly hard. Good sushi requires good rice. The staff was very nice, which makes it difficult for me to write a negative review. read more

Seto Restaurant - Japanese Near Me - Sunnyvale, California

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Just went to Seto last night for dinner. Had delicious Chirashi and a Seto Combination. We enjoy the relaxed ambience aof this family run restaurant. This is by far the best and most authentic Japanese restaurant in Sunnyvale. read more

The food here is authentic Japanese food. The seafood is fresh and delicious. I am very picky when it comes to sushi. This is the only sushi place I trust and constantly crave. The ingredients are clean, fresh and some items are imported from Japan. I love the selection of beers and sakes. The owner James and his wife are kind and accommodating. It's a small family own business and I highly recommend it. read more

This is definitely an underrated location. The staff are super friendly and very hospitable. The food is reasonably priced and the atmosphere is very peaceful inside. We got the deluxe bento for 2 people and it was plenty of food. read more

If you want the feel of home go to Seto. I have lived within walking distance for 30 years and never stopped by even after a Japanese friend recommended the restaurant. When we walked in, the gentleman greeting welcomed us and said that this was our first time. When we left, he said, see you next week. I was there on my own last week and love when they take the time to get to know their customers. Last 2 times, I have tried rolls from the menu on the board behind the suchi bar and was amazed. I am a one type roll, but at Seto's I am open to try new items. The beer price is great, so if you decide to add a beer, it does not break your budget. Diner tonight? read more

Seto Restaurant - Japanese Near Me - Sunnyvale, California

It was a cold and rainy day and my friend mentioned that the udon here was good so i went for the nabeyaki udon. A tempura on the side with a flavorful broth filled with lots of udon, some chicken, and a semi-runny egg. Good portion size and fast service. Plenty of seating here on a weeknight. I accidentally left a bag here, but came in soon after closing and they had set it aside in a separate area. Good service. read more

Seto Restaurant - Nabeyaki udon - Japanese Near Me - Sunnyvale, California

I've been coming here for years, like over 20 years. Wow, talk about mixed reviews. One reviewer says "the worst sushi I've ever had in my life" and the review just under it says "best sushi in Silicon Valley". WUT!? Which is it!?? Seto is an old-school Japanese restaurant - "they don't make 'em like this anymore" lol. Outdated decor, shoji screens, all-around Japan-town vibe inside. Having lived in Japan for years, I kinda like it, feels nostalgic, but I can see how someone might be turned off by the lack of a modern, cleaner vibe. Kaori, the Japanese manager has worked her for years. I have enjoyed coming in over the years and chatting in Japanese - she's always playful and willing to indulge me despite the fact that her English is plenty good. Last week, we went in with family and we requested her as our waitress and she camped out and talked with us practically the whole night. We had a good time and she really took care of us. Now the food: I think their TEMPURA is excellent. You can't go wrong with a TEMPURA order - and their shrimp is especially good, and huge. Get their JUMBO SHRIMP. We usually get an assortment of their NIGIRI SUSHI and we've never left disappointed. Varies a little bit from one visit to the next but always fresh and good quality. I also like their KATSU-DON, the pork cutlet and egg over rice. That dish is pure comfort food for me. I will say I'm not a big fan of the FRIED CHICKEN (Kara-age) - too much skin, not enough meat. My wife liked it though. Service kind of depends on who you get, but like I mentioned, Kaori is great. She's even better once you get to know her. Seto is one of those places that bring me back to Japan. It's like a shot in the arm when I'm missing being back there. I'm surprised to see a lot of bad reviews, but notice the bad reviews are all floating in a sea of mostly 4 and 5 star reviews. I can only speak for my experience. I've never been there for lunch, only dinner, so maybe the lunch service is a different kind of experience?? Been a fan for years so I would recommend Seto for some good, homey, authentic Japanese food. We always leave happy, no complaints! read more

Seto Restaurant - Tempura Assortment - YES - Japanese Near Me - Sunnyvale, California

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This is a really great place. I'm part Japanese and the food is very authentic. The people are kind, the food amazing, great portions. Love this place. read more

I pass by Seto all the time . So I finally decided to have Dinner there. I rolled my Work Whip to Seto . I parked in their large parking lot. I wandered in and was Greeted and Seated at the Sushi Bar I perused the Menu and ordered the Seto Special Chirashi and a order of Uni. I was brought a piping hot cup of Green Tea. The Sushi Chef went to work on my order. He knocked out the Uni first . I had 2 Hand Crafted pieces of Uni sitting in front of me . I enjoyed the Uni very sweet and earthy yummy. I enjoyed watching the Chef prepare my Chirashi he had an interesting container a 2 tray box that he was laying out my meal in. When he was done he set the box in front of me. I had fun deconstructing my meal and eating it. Seto is Japanese owned. The restaurant is quite large and well kept. I paid by Discover Card and Rolled out in my Work Whip. read more

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Seto Restaurant is definitely one of those places where you would totally miss it if you didn't look close enough. But once you get inside, it is a COMPLETELY different environment. The overall setting of the restaurant is aimed to be authentically Japanese, from the typical sitting style on pillows and low tables to the waitresses in kimonos. We sat down and were immediately greeted by one of the waitresses right away. One of the good things I liked about this place from the get-go is that there is A LOT of choices to choose from, from ramen and soba, to sushi and combination plates. There's just so much you can't get your mind over what to choose from! A drawback though is the pricing can be a bit pricey for a Japanese restaurant, but perhaps all of their dishes are fancy? Let's see. After choosing a couple rolls, udon, and chicken teriyaki, we were greeted with miso soup and a salad for starters. The miso soup was good and like any other miso soup but the salad was okay, but then again, these were just complimentary sides that came with our entrees. We received our rolls and I must say that the rolls here were decent. The California roll was great like most other places but their spicy tuna roll was a bit on the fishy side and the Crazy roll was a bit plain in presentation for a fancy authentic restaurant. Taste-wise for the Cali-roll and the Crazy roll were good though. The Niku udon was great with the slices of cooked beef cooked inside but it seemed like it was missing something. Maybe more on presentation? Tempura? It had udon noodles, cabbage, carrots, beef, and shitake mushrooms and that was about it. Tasted great don't get me wrong! But something was missing... Then came the chicken teriyaki which I thought was great! Cooked to perfection and simmered in a teriyaki sauce, all of which is on a cast iron cooking pan and served with rice on the side. The flavor was not too salty nor bland, with the chicken cooked to just right. In the end, we received a complimentary green tea ice cream which was delicious! It must have been fresh because the flavors were so vibrant and creamy, it just couldn't have been from the store bought freezers. Overall, I loved the overall setting of the place. Very authentic and home feeling, with VERY nice staff with excellent service. The choices of food offered is overwhelmingly good but can be a bit pricey. Quality of the food is okay in terms of presentation. Rolls were alright and seemed so plain compared to their other dishes but tastewise, good as any other sushi joint. Udon was a bit plain too but tasted great as well. Chicken Teriyaki was excellent and on point! My favorite dish for sure. Would I come back here again? Yes, I actually would for a more authentic experience BUT I will not order the rolls here. Would I recommend this place to others? Yes I will! read more

Seto Restaurant - Chicken Teriyaki. Delectable! - Japanese Near Me - Sunnyvale, California

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This has to be one of the best sushi restaurants in the area. The staff here are super nice and my takeout order is always right (unlike some other sushi restaurants in the area). The sushi is delicious and fish is fresh and high quality cuts. read more