We had a great time eating here. We went towards the end of the night, but were still treated to excellent food, wonderful & friendly service, and good drinks, we never felt rushed, neglected, or resented for being one of the final diners & drinkers. This restaurant/bar is among one of the best, fun, and hospitable family-owned Japanese restaurants in San Mateo (along with Sushi Edomata, Izakaya Mai, and Fuji Sukiyaki) serving tasty food, delicious cocktails, and attentive service in a spacious, clean, and dynamic atmosphere. Plus, staying until close & afterwards, meant that I could catch up with Victor (the owner) & his son Bryan (the bartender) who I haven't seen since Tokie's Foster City days, I can't believe they've been here going on 8 years! We came to drink & snack & socialize after a movie, Izakaya-style. No disappointments here as far as drinks go: we tried the Cloud 9, Shiso Beautiful, White Lotus, and the Paloma. Each cocktail was presented in its own unique glass and the complex tastes really came out with every sip. The alcohol was not overpowering, and the many ingredients in each cocktail really came out delightfully & subtly. Of course, the bartenders preparing & serving them were really on top of their drink game and were very friendly, engaging, personable, and like-able. Since we were sitting st the bar itself, it was quite easy to keep the drinks coming, though much to the damage of our overall final tab, yikes! Food-wise, we needed some snacks to soak up this boozy escapade, so we ordered mostly appetizers & small plates. The Chili-garlic edamame was terrific & delightfully spicy. The tofu steak was pretty meaty tasting & filling for just being tofu, with a wonderfully sweet glaze & firm texture. The grilled eggplant was a big portion, also very tasty and a good compliment to the tofu steak. We also tried some mushroom miso soup & sesame spinach to round out the healthy eating intended to balance out the booze session. All the food was served quickly, well-presented, generously-portioned, warm, fresh, and with great flavors, good seasoning, and perfectly prepared. Then came closing time, and once the doors were locked, money counted, bills settled, and counters cleaned, Victor & Bryan treated us like family as they unwinded & relaxed from a busy Saturday night dinner crowd. We shared shots of sake, whiskey, vodka, and beer, and had a wonderful friendly time catching up on things past. I had not seen Victor & Bryan wasn't even born yet when I used to hang out at Tokie's in the original Foster City location. I actually prefer the San Mateo one now, it's spacious, warm, inviting, it uses a lot of wood accents to make it calm, comfortable, and fun to hang out. Lighting is dim, music is low, so it encourages conversation, socializing, and intimate interactions. I'd consider this to be one of the better Japanese restaurants in San Mateo- good food, interesting drinks, amazing service & hospitality, all in a warm, comfortable, and appealing space. It gets super busy here, and parking around here is really difficult, so either come early or come late, and maybe take an Uber/Lyft or walk through Central Park to get here. But you'll be glad that you did, because Tokie's is a solid culinary, alcohol, and social experience. Will be back for more, and I don't want to wait a few years to do it again, maybe just a few days this time, I've been missing out on the party here! read more

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Tokies in San Mateo is hands down one of my favorite spots! The staff and bartenders are always welcoming and genuinely make every visit special, one of the main reasons I keep coming back. The decor and ambiance here give off such a comfortable and inviting vibe. When it comes to food, you can't go wrong with the Tokies Special, Ronnie Roll, or Firecracker sushi rolls, they're all fantastic! Don't miss out on the chicken kara-age either, it's definitely a must-try. As for drinks, the lychee pear martini from the specials menu is a personal favorite, I get it every single time and it's honestly reason enough to return on its own. If you haven't been to Tokies yet, give it a try you won't regret it! read more

Tokie's Japanese Cuisine has been one of my go-to spots for years, even back when they were in Foster City. No matter what you order, you really can't go wrong--everything on the menu is consistently amazing. The atmosphere is always warm and welcoming, which makes every visit feel like you're coming back home. Diane and Victor are incredible hosts and truly make the experience special. I've known them for a long time, and Victor never fails to greet me with a shot of sake--something I always look forward to every time I walk in. Their rolls are absolutely to die for, but as someone who appreciates traditional Japanese flavors, I always find myself going back to the sashimi. It's fresh, clean, and really lets the natural flavors shine. If you're looking for great food, great vibes, and even better people, this place is it. read more

Tokie, what happened?? Thursday night, around 6 pm. No line got a table quick. In front of restaurant, only thing is when new people came in the rush of cold air , forcing us to keep the jackets on. They did move us to a table closer in , without asking to be changed. Ordered the deep fried oysters, $11. Got three small oysters and tartare sauce. Not worth getting, my kids food came out because they ordered cooked food, katsu and grilled salmon. The problem was the restaurant was not that busy . Two sushi people. My kids had finished eating and my food or my wife's dinner had not come out . Not that it was complicated. A tokie special roll and another basic roll off the menu. They didn't even have to cook it! I am so disappointed. Overall probably stick to cooked food if you Don't want to eat after everyone is done eating. ‍. Bang for the buck not so much anymore. read more

It's always busy here but there's a decent amount of seating here. Service is always great but we've had better sushi. Some fish cuts were great, whereas some where lackluster and not as fatty and melt in your mouth. The rolls have been good as are some of the cooked items such as udon. The restaurant is more Japanese American and they have plenty of hot entrees to choose from so the menu can cover even the pickiest eaters. read more

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Good deal for HH which is 5-6pm on weekdays. I sat at the bar and the bar staff was super nice and attentive. I got a beer and two rolls. While the rolls were basic and not remarkable, they hit the spot. I don't know that I'd order these same rolls outside of HH though. I'd probably try the more elaborate rolls if I come back. read more

Tokie's - Foster city roll, Bill's special roll, and beer - Japanese Near Me - San Mateo, California

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We've passed by this restaurant a few times visiting other spots in the area and finally decided to give it a try. Unfortunately, it didn't really hit the spot. Since this is in downtown San Mateo, there's only street parking and it does get a little tougher to find a spot during busy times, but it shouldn't be too bad. The restaurant is pretty big so there's a good amount of seating for small and large parties. They do have a full drinks bar. As some other reviews mentioned, this does give the restaurant more of an American restaurant vibe. We tried a few things off the specials menu - Miso Black Cod and Tako Karaage, and then on the regular menu - the Tempura Appetizer and a few sushi rolls - Bill's Special and Foster City. Overall, nothing was impressive. The rolls we got were on the basic side. The whole meal sort of felt like that. read more

Tokie's - Tempura Appetizer (upper left) Tako Karaage (upper right) Miso Black Cod (lower left) - Japanese Near Me - San Mateo, California

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Our first time at this location on Saturday night, and it's going to be my last time also. First of all, I don't like being ignored when I asked for water which I had to asked several times! Ordered sushi which was thinly sliced into very small pieces but with big ball of rice, could barely tasted the fish. Their Blue fin tuna was tasteless, ikura weren't salty which lacked flavor. My tempura was super oily, sushi roll were small but tasted better than the sushi à la carte. Lacking ambience but not too noisy. There are sooo many better sushi restaurants in San Mateo, I don't recommend this restaurant, I'll definitely going back to my everyday restaurant Hotaru on 3rd read more

It's taken me four years to make it to Tokie's, and I'm sorta sad I waited this long. This place feels like a slightly fancier version of Hotaru (which I adore) and the kind of restaurant I grew up going to out in the East Bay with my parents. But fancier and more expensive. Like the kind of place that has wagyu sushi on the menu (they do - it was delicious). But idk, I actually really liked the taste of everything I got. The food on the menu is stuff I think of when I think of Japanese food - so like, not (just) sushi, ramen, or individual dishes like at an izakaya. But like udon, tempura, tonkatsu, curry, sukiyaki, chicken/salmon teriyaki. It was LOUD though. I think with the bar, and that the restaurant was pretty packed when I went in. But you wouldn't have guessed from the outside! The wait staff checked in on me a bunch, and they were very nice. I got the Ikebana cocktail and it was really tasty! Like, I really like that they have these kind of drinks, it makes it feel a little nicer than your standard Japanese restaurant with the bar. I will admit. I was a little worried when I walked in and it felt like I was one of the few Asians there. And I was a little worried with the reviews on the curry and the katsu. But I actually really liked my tonkatsu curry. I think the batter they used was great, the curry was tasty. I appreciated the salad and the soup. The miso soup had somen noodles in it! I was really surprised and I think I'm going to have to start putting somen in it lol. read more

Have also walked passed and seen a full restaurant, so always wanted to try. I was quite disappointed. The restaurant has an American diner feel, and is a bit old and dusty. The menu is also slightly outdated so the price isn't accurate - just so you're aware! At least they inform you when you order, but still feels a bit weird. I got the beef batataki and the bata really just stands for butter. The beef was overcooked and bland, and only the overabundance of butter really made it palatable. The vegetables were okay, but again drenched in butter. I hoped that the Tokie's special sushi roll would redeem the experience, but it was not it. The fish was not very fresh, and again it's drenched in space so a lot of the flavours were just covered. It's a very non authentic Japanese experience, and it's definitely geared to a more traditionally American palate for sure. If that's what you're looking for, then it's a fine restaurant. Otherwise I'm not very impressed. read more

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Tokie's is a long-standing Japanese-American restaurant in downtown San Mateo offering a short but diverse menu of Japanese-inspired eats. I tried a wide sampling of their offerings starting with edamame tossed with spicy chili oil and pan-fried pork gyoza. The sushi selection was creative, featuring items like the Foster City roll, filled with raw hamachi; Rainbow, topped with an assortment of sashimi; and Bill's Special (my favorite), a California roll topped with raw salmon, lemon, spicy mayo, tobiko, and green onion. From there, we continued on with a simple salad with sesame dressing and miso soup. The tempura selection included shrimp, sweet potato, onion, broccoli, and green beans, all covered in a loose batter that didn't cling on. The chicken katsu was a sliced fillet of dark meat chicken in a crispy panko breading, served with a side of thick, sweet, and savory katsu sauce. But the best entree was the beef teriyaki, a flat, juicy grilled steak in a sweet and savory sauce. Overall, the food here was all tasty but average for Japanese-American standards. read more

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Friendly Japanese restaurant in a nice location. Service was very pleasant. The food is solid. Happy hour pricing is excellent. It's worth a visit. read more

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The server was so sweet and awesome, telling us when each food item was coming next, and attentive with needing extra small bowls for the kids to share. Each dish was good, and if you love miso cod, their version was amazing with a slightly burnt side, and the vinaigrette salad added that extra yum. The 6 booths hold 4, some tables hold 2 and some hold 4, so not good for large parties, but seats about 30. Coming back for that cod! read more

Oh boy, my family and I were not super pleased with our experience trying out Tokie's in downtown San Mateo. The service was disappointing and not very attentive because no waiter came to our table to take our order for a solid 15-20 minutes. A waitress was standing next to our table talking to customers for a long time ignoring us even though we tried to flag her down. The quality and the value also just isn't worth it either. I wanted the Chicken Katsu Curry which on their menu was originally $23, but they had to let us know that the menu isn't accurate and they raised the price to $26. I get the location is in downtown San Mateo, but $26 for a Katsu Curry is laughable considering arguably the best Japanese Curry restaurant in the Bay Area is literally in Burlingame which is a town away for $10 cheaper. The batter was soggy from the curry too which makes no sense to pour curry on top instead of just letting the katsu sit on top. The curry lacked a lot of flavor too. It wasn't worth it. The salad that came with the side had dressing that was way too sour. The Nabeyaki Udon ($19) was supposed to have chicken, but it had one tiny piece of chicken and the the broth was very bland. There were a lot of frozen ingredients involved and the shrimp tempura might be one of the worst tempuras I have had. Way too much batter and was super oily. Most Japanese restaurants they wouldn't allow a tempura that looked like that out of the kitchen. Abysmal. California Roll, Foster City, and Bill's Special Roll, but I don't get their obsession with using such thick pieces of cucumber for the filling. At that point it overpowers the flavor of the fish to the point where you can't taste it. So I had to take the cucumbers out and eat them separately. The quality of the fish and the crab was fine. The rice had way too much vinegar. The ambiance looked fine when looking at pictures, but to be honest I feel like this restaurant doesn't fit my demographic. The service and the value for what you pay for when it comes to this kind of quality is just not there. This is a place I'm not returning to sadly. read more

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Good food and great service! The nabeyaki udon was probably our favorite - the broth was flavorful, light, and refreshing. Everything was good though. Very clean, good vibes, had the basketball game on. read more

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Great tasting sushi, soup, and appetizers. Highly recommend if you're in the mood for really tasty Japanese food. Service was great too! read more

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I had high hopes for this place given the positive reviews, but was pretty disappointed by the experience. The food honestly felt pretty westernized and overpriced for what you get. The service was not very attentive either. We ordered the Beef Batayaki, Nabeyaki Udon, and the Tokie's special roll. The Beef Batayaki was listed as $28 on the menu, but our server informed us that it's actually $31 and that the menu is outdated. The whole dish had an overwhelming amount of butter that made it unpalatable towards the end. The beef was overcooked as well. The nabeyaki udon was my favorite dish of the night, but was still just average. The soup was hearty and well-seasoned, but there were only a few tiny pieces of chicken and the shrimp tempura had way too much batter for my liking. The Tokie's special was also underwhelming - the tuna wasn't too fresh and the sauces were too heavy such that they masked the taste of the actual ingredients. I would pass on Tokie's as there are plenty of other Japanese restaurants in the downtown area that offer more authentic dishes! read more

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Called on a Wednesday for a Friday dinner reservation to find out my name was never saved. I'm not sure what happened but such a huge disappointment to show up with no table ready then left with a note saying the wait would be 45 minutes to an hour...what's the point of calling in advance. read more

Love Tokie's!!! Diane is super friendly and always tries to get us seated as soon as possible. If u have to wait, definitely get a Tokie's special old fashion!! They're the best. My favs is the sukiyaki, Nabayaki udon and any sushi. Victor never disappoints !! read more

Visited her in a Sunday evening for dinner and it wasn't quite busy yet at 6pm. Shortly after we were seated people began walking in and the restaurant was full. My dad was recommended this restaurant since he found out it relocated and remodeled. I like the modern Japanese ambiance and the bar was beautiful. Our server was nice and took our order but it took a while to receive our food, longer than I usually anticipate even for a busy restaurant. We ordered: Nabe Yaki udon - good but very small amount of chicken, udon noodles were good but not life changing. Tempura udon - tempura was cooked perfectly! One way I determine if a Japanese restaurant is good is how they make their tempura. The shrimp should have the same batter as the vegetables if not that tells me it's frozen or used for sushi rolls. And this tempura had all the same batter and the perfect crisp! Teka maki - fresh fish with a good ratio to rice! Negihama maki - fresh fish, good amount of green onion and rice! Sake nigiri - a bit disappointed with the salmon I thought it would be more flavorful, but it was still good. Spicy scallop roll - fresh scallops! I would return for the quality food, but hoping food service delivery is a bit faster next time! read more

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I was very excited to try a new (well, new to me) sushi spot in SM and this one is conveniently located downtown. Came in around 6 PM and it wasn't that busy, but got much busier an hour later. I ordered the chirashi and it came with soup and salad. I wasn't a huge fan of this dish, but that's because I went out of my comfort zone eating raw fish. The Ronnie roll, however, was SO good. I would absolutely come back for this roll and to try more rolls. Our server was also very sweet. read more

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On a busy Saturday night they were able to fit us in without a reservation. We waited about 10 mins and had a nice table toward the back. The interior is a nice balance of dark wood with high ceilings. Service was friendly though if there are a lot of take out orders the sushi chef can take longer. We like that there is both a sushi menu and some traditional dishes like katsu curry, which they say on the menu is homemade. It was all right, not sure if I would order again. Sushi was fresh. The spicy tuna was overwhelming spicy with no tuna taste. Negihama and also scallop nigiri were our favorites. With all of the restaurants in the area this is an okay chiice. read more

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We came here to celebrate my mom's birthday. We made sure to make reservations since we were a party of 11. It wasn't busy when we arrived but it did fill up. Service was great! Food / Drinks - all came out at a good pace. No one had to wait. My husband and I shared the katsu curry, yaki onigiri (1 Katsuo, 1 Salmon), fried chicken wings, and cold soba. I think my favorite was the katsu curry. The curry was very reminiscent of the one that I had when I went to Japan as a teenager. Tonkatsu was tender and perfectly fried. They allowed us to bring in a cake which was very convenient. My mom had a great birthday! read more

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Just had tonite. Delicious!!!!! Sushi and teriyaki beef. Take out . Our favorite sushi. read more

First and most important thing: GET THE HAMACHI NIGIRI. It completely melted as soon as it hit my mouth. So fresh and delicious. The scallops turned a scallop hater into a scallop lover (not me). And the salmon was also delicious! The spicy hamachi hand roll was also soooo good! My second favorite item though, was the Chawanmushi. So silky and flavorful! I want more just from typing this! I also loved the cocktail I got. It tasted like an apple pie and had Japanese whiskey. Our server was so sweet and was very patient as we ordered one or two small items at a time. They came out quickly and always with a smile. I will definitely be coming back here! read more

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My boyfriend and I enjoyed every bite of our food at Tokie's and it made the perfect date night! Everything tasted so fresh and absolutely delicious. We got the following dishes: Miso soup Tofu steak (soooo good) Gyoza Jeffrey roll Unagi nigiri Sashimi carpaccio (incredibly fresh and delicious creative take on sashimi! the olive oil was so flavorful!) Our waiter was very attentive and the food arrived quickly. It has the feel of a nicer sushi restaurant but the prices are very reasonable, which surprised me. Quality food and restaurant. I will definitely be returning and am excited to eat all of these items again! read more

The food has always been great. From Foster city to San Mateo we have always had a good time with the ultra friendly staff.

My husband and I ate here and went away disappointed and feeling kind of gross. We tried 3 of the sushi rolls and they were all pretty bad. One of them tasted like cheap canned salmon from the store and they were all pretty mushy and the flavor was like bad grocery store sushi. We tried the dumplings and they were soggy and burned our mouths because they served them too hot. The seaweed salad was super tiny and wasn't terrible but it wasn't as good as anywhere else I've had it. The service was okay but it took a long time to leave because they took forever to give us our check or charge us. read more

Very clean and elegant atmosphere! I love their chicken sukiyaki entree, and came back 3 times for it

A hidden gem in downtown San Mateo! O R D E R E D - Shishito Peppers - Chawanmushi [steamed egg] - Short Ribs - Shrimp Tempura - Fish Tacos - Gyoka V E R D I C T We came here cause we wanted some small bites and not a heavy dinner, and always heard great things about Tokie's, so here we are! Josh was our server and he was great! He's super friendly and gave great recommendations and we loved everything that we ordered. The vibe here at Tokie's feels like a big family where you can see a lot of returning customers and new customers and everyone is treated with kindness and respect. We really enjoyed that their shrimp tempura, quite frankly all of their tempura, is made fresh and you can tell based on the tempura batter. If it's fresh, it's flaky and falls off, whereas the ones thats not made fresh stick to the shrimp and don't fall off like a flakey texture. read more

It is one of the best sushi place i ever had ! amazing fire cracker , spicy tuna roll are favorites

The ambiance deserves 5 stars, service 4 stars and food was 5 stars. It was different and I usually eat in downtown Japantown in SF and luckily I found this place near Central Park in San Mateo. I wanted to get out of the city and try something different than the usual spots I go to. The chicken Katsu included noodles and so did the miso soup. The only thing they need to work on is faster service at the sushi bar other than that, it was all gravy ! read more

Tokie's - Chicken katsu dinner entree included noodles, salad, and miso soup with extra noodles inside - Japanese Near Me - San Mateo, California

As soon as you walk in you get the pleasure of being greeted by the owner herself. The restaurant is beautiful and decorated very modern. Our waiter was Brandon, he was very nice and when asking questions about the menu he was on point! We ordered the following: Fire cracker sushi- 10 out of 10 Short Rib dinner plate 10 out of 10 Chicken Katsu dinner plate 10 out of 10 Tempura appetizer plate 10 out 10 Drinks 10 out of 10 do not remember the names Everyone was very nice and the food was absolutely DELICIOUS!! read more

We love Tokie's - have been going for more than a decade with our family, even their prior location. Friendly, family-run. Always a great atmosphere and really quality fish. Our fave for sure. read more

Had a great dinner here last night with friends. The nigiri salmon, hamachi and blue fin tuna were health cuts and my green salad with miso dressing was delightful. My friend had a caterpillar roll and TWO Ronnies. We ordered more... too much to list. The menu has something for everyone. I really liked my gin drink, Darum, it was perfectly fruity since I don't drink much. Service was wonderful. Will definitely come back for casual. Japanese! read more

There is no words but delicious, friendly services and makes you feel like going to there home. Love Vic and Diane and the food is amazing.

This review is long overdue as I've been to Tokie's many times even before the pandemic. I will say this place deserves its 5 stars because of how accommodating they were given they were busy with a lot of reservations on Saturday night. I originally made a reservation the day of for a party of 7, but later found out 2 more people could join us. When I called to modify the reservation, the host I spoke with said they could not seat 9 at our reserved table. I totally understand so we kept our reservation as is and the extra 2 in our party came anyways thinking they could sit at another table or at the bar. When we get there, my mom asks the hostess (who is most likely the manager or owner) if there's any way we can fit 9 at our table. She graciously switches our table to a bigger one, and keep in mind almost all the tables sitting in there were reserved! Definitely very customer friendly! Our waiter was an older Chinese man with glasses who we've had several times before, and he's always so great and on point! We never oblige to tip him extra because he's so friendly! And to top it off, their food is on point! The kids love it and their rolls and hot food entrees are all hitters! I personally love the Tokie's special roll and Ronnie roll! This place is definitely one of our go-to's for great service and Japanese food that the entire family can enjoy! read more

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Came here on a random Sunday evening for dinner. And this we arrived shortly after doors opened at 6, it was pretty full. But we were seated promptly. To eat, we had the tofu steak which for whatever reason I thought was "tuna" steak and was so confused when it did in fact look like tuna. Not tuna "tofu" was absolutely ravishing?? To eat, my friend and I shared the Ronie's roll, tasty but it reaffirmed the fact that I'm not the biggest fan of crab. So if you are a fan, this was definitely top tier! I still enjoyed it very much. Second roll we had was firecracker, it was absolutely delicious! I very much enjoyed my dinner here! read more

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Great service, fresh sushi, cocktails, and the Beef Teriyaki dinner completely satisfied me. This will be a "go-to" spot for good Japanese comfort food when I'm in the area. read more

We decided to eat here on a Friday night. I was a bit disappointed in our visit. Parking wasn't too bad, we were able to get parking rather quickly and was seated in a timely manner. Food wise, I had the mackerel fish meal which was good. We ordered chicken udon for the kids, they enjoyed eating the noodles but the broth was missing it's flavor. Tasted like broth from sukiyaki vs having dashi flavored. My wife ordered the clams with wine broth. It was okay, a bit stronger than what I am accustomed to. One thing which was a bit disgusting for us was that I ordered one e-bikes Nigeri. The shrimp was warm and heavily salted. It was pretty nasty the kids spit out after I also tasted a piece of it. We did order the onigiri (both plain and grilled salmon) and they were good. One of my complaints was where we were seated. We were in the corner and didn't get the attention of the waiter when we needed utensils, water, to even the check. I know that they had the bar there and folks kinda crowded our table with the kids. Noise wise wasn't too loud. They had warriors tv going on. I don't recall if I heard music. read more