The Food I am a fan of light and fluffy cheese cakes, and Uncle Tetsu takes the cake on this one. The new location opened in San Mateo so naturally I had to check it out. I went with a friend so we ordered more than cheesecake. We also got the Sea Salt Green Tea and the Matcha Tea with Cheese Foam. The cheesecake was good, nice and fluffy while is warm, but note that it will dense up when chilled. The drinks were mediocre, the Green Tea was ok, but the Matcha Tea was quite overpower with the rest of the drink. Is good that there's light and fluffy cheesecake in NorCal, but lacking a bit in quality compared to SoCal. The Miscellaneous Uncle Tetsu is inside the Hillsdale Shopping Center at the food court area. There are plenty of seating at the food court to chow down on the cake...unless is peak hours. Their menu is standard like the one in other locations. There were few items missing that I noticed such as cheese tarts. Their prices is well...normal, with the standard NorCal taxes added. Though it is worth a try if you have not had it before. read more

Uncle Tetsu - Store - Desserts Near Me - San Mateo, California

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Located in the Hillsdale Shopping Center, this is where you can get your fluffy Japanese cheesecake fix if you're ever in the mood for a light airy dessert. I've tried their classic, chocolate, matcha, and ube flavors but they have plenty of other options to satisfy your cravings. I personally enjoy their flavored cakes more than the classic because it adds a little extra substance that really benefits the otherwise mild taste of the soufflé. Japanese cheesecake is iconic for being fluffy and light, a soft soufflé with a subtle cheese flavor that is just barely noticeable. It's definitely not going to punch you in the face with cheesy decadence like a classic heavy American cheesecake would but that's why I tend to prefer this one. It's just so fluffy and fun to eat, light and delicate like a sponge cake. Each cake is around $13 and would make for a great dessert to share with friends and family, or even a gift! read more

Uncle Tetsu - Ube Japanese Soufflé Cheesecake - Desserts Near Me - San Mateo, California

Came here for the first time this evening 1/27/2019. Was just blown away from the long line. While in line I was contemplating if I should pick up 1 cheesecake or 2 cheesecake as there was a limit of 2 cheesecake per person. I finally made up my mind and decided to get 2 cheesecakes. I'm glad I got two because it came warm and delicious. The cheesecake made me giggle inside. As I was eating a slice at the food court I could just feel as if I was floating on a fluffy cloud. Very delicious cheesecake, the most delicate yet moist, hint of cheese not too sweet cheesecake you will ever taste. Give this cheesecake a try as you will not be disappointed. *Note* this is not your typical American cheesecake if that's what you are expecting. read more

Uncle Tetsu - My first time here in a long line for Uncle Tetsu Japanese Cheesecake...oh the anticipation... - Desserts Near Me - San Mateo, California

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The first time that I had Uncle Tetsu was in Hawaii and it was so fluffy. This location's inside the Hillsdale Mall, so there's plenty of parking, but since it's a mall, it does get busy depending on when you go. This is the newer part of the mall, so it's a very open space after you go up the escalator. Instead of ordering the original cheesecake since we had it in Hawaii, we opted for the chocolate, matcha, and strawberry cheesecakes to try something different/new. I felt like the cheesecakes that we tried were kind of wet instead of fluffy, but I enjoyed the taste of the different flavors. Next time, I would stick with the original cheesecake. We also tried the green milk tea and sea salt green tea that they had available (they don't offer boba) and it was decent, but I felt like the drinks would had tasted better with boba since they're creamy/milky drinks. read more

Uncle Tetsu - Green Milk Tea, Sea Salt Green Tea, Chocolate Cheesecake, Strawberry Cheesecake, and Matcha Cheesecake - Desserts Near Me - San Mateo, California

Get your slice of heaven in Hillsdale Shopping center! Always a line for these delectable little cheesecakes (which are more akin to a light and airy angel food cake than a traditional cheesecake). We got the matcha flavor which was a perfect amount of matcha for us (although some other line-waiters confided it was too little for them). They offer their iconic Japanese cheesecakes, along with their new addition of tartlets. If you're coming here for your first time, definitely go with the cheesecake. read more

Uncle Tetsu - Matcha cheesecake - Desserts Near Me - San Mateo, California

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Mmmm soft, airy, buttery, with a hint of sweetness. I am not a fan of American cheese cake but I enjoyed this one a lot. If you're in Hillsdale make sure the grab a cake! Next time I want to try a different flavor. read more

Uncle Tetsu - original cheesecake - Desserts Near Me - San Mateo, California

Not too sweet, real fluffy, jiggly, and hint of that classic cheesecake taste. Nice and light, plus goes well with tea/ coffee. Good deal considering you can get a fresh full cake (albeit a small size cake for American standards) for $11 versus other Asian bakeries will sell smaller one portion sizes of this for like $3 each. The matcha with cheese foam was good and also a decent price at $4. The drink was made ahead of time, so I didn't have to wait for them to make it. Even though it was premade, it tasted good. read more

Uncle Tetsu - Matcha with cheese foam and the $11 cheesecake - Desserts Near Me - San Mateo, California

I am a fan of their cheesecake. It's crazy how the cheesecake itself has the texture and look of a pound cake but dissolves like cheesecake into your mouth. They have multiple flavors from strawberry, chocolate, matcha, coffee, and plain. My personal favorite is their strawberry flavor because it's creamy and reminds me of Yan Yan. I love the way they box the cake to go in this boutique-like box and orange bag. Uncle Tetsu is becoming a huge thing in the food game and is making a hit already. I will definitely come back and pick up another! read more

We were craving dessert so decided to try Uncle Tetsu's cheesecake for the first time. There was a line on Saturday afternoon. But we didn't wait very long as they are very efficient at the counter. We decided to get the original and try one of their drinks. I tried the matcha cheese foam which was very interesting. I definitely tasted the cream cheesiness when i mixed in the foam with the drink. The cheesecake was light an airy with a touch of sweetness and the consistency of something between a sponge cake and cheesecake. It felt indulgent but not overly so. We enjoyed it so much, we kind of regretted not having taken 2. Would like to try a flavored one next time. read more

I was ignored after waiting patiently in line for 10-12 minutes for one customer to ask questions and pay. It was 8:30'pm and I was the only person in line behind one person that had repeatedly chatted with another group of people, and not me. I wanted to purchase an ube cheesecake to share with my 3 sons and husband that were dining at the mall after a long evening of baseball. It felt like I was invisible. But I think the young person at the register wanted to teach me (50 year old white woman in a team sweatshirt and jeans) a lesson maybe. It really stung. I tried to speak up and her and the young boys that had just walked up just kept talking over me. It was cruel. read more

I love Uncle Tetsu cheesecakes! The coffee, matcha, and original are my go-to's. I really appreciated that this location had samples so you could try out some of the flavors. Tip: If you want a fluffier texture, eat the cheesecake while it's warm and fresh. If you want a denser texture, definitely stick it into the refrigerator for a few hours. read more

2 stars because the place is still experiencing serious grand opening issues, but the cheesecake is still delicious. Came here at 4pm on Wednesday, and was provided with a 45 minute wait time. Luckily, they let you pay up front for the cheesecake and you can shop at the mall before you come pick up your order. The location in Socal, and when I dropped by to this location on Saturday during their grand opening, makes you physically stand in line for 2 hours to get a cheesecake. I've stood in the 2 hour line before, and the cheesecake just isn't worth it. But give me 45 minutes to window shop? Okay I'll take that. When I came back to check my order, the staff instructed our little crowd that they're still training in the back and one batch got messed up. And so that set everyone back by 45 minutes! I get that mistakes were made, but I can only window shop for so long. I advise not boarding this hype train and waiting a few months for the staff to work out the kinks, and for the crowd to die down. Uncle Tetsu isn't going anywhere! read more

Uncle Tetsu - Desserts Near Me - San Mateo, California

After trying their Ube and Burnt Basque offerings I, much like Ruchika M., am going to be "old school" by being team NY/Cheesecake Factory. The ube cheesecake had a light cake like texture and the flavor was way too subtle for my taste. The Burnt Basque one had that slight burnt taste and the texture was a combination of cake with pockets of cream. I want my cheesecake to be dense, stick to the roof of my mouth, and to hit me with flavor. However, I do have to give their original and matcha cheese tarts "thumbs up"! I really liked those! The flavors were very pronounced and the texture was spot on. read more

Cute location on the second floor. Can never go wrong with the Japanese Cheesecake, it tasted exactly how I remember it in Japan. This time they had multiple flavored tarts available. The only thing I wasn't a fan of was the drinks. read more

I get a nice cake from here every time we hit the mall. I wouldn't say cheesecake but its a wonderful light spongy cake in all the cool flavors. I tried the lychee rose and it was weirdly good! read more

Uncle Tetsu - Lychee rose - Desserts Near Me - San Mateo, California

EGG TART! DAAN TAAT! Its good. Not the same custard you'd get at Golden Gate or 85c. Definitely more creamy. Their milk tea is $4. Not like super cheap but compared to the $7 I just paid at Boba Guys. Yeah that $4 price is looking real good. It's a good egg tart. I got the green milk tea. Great combo. Nib of that, sip of this. Bon appetit. 5/5. And it's in a food court. Chefs kiss. read more

I had my first taste of Uncle Tetsu's cheesecake in SoCal and I'm glad I can still enjoy their fluffy cheesecakes in the Bay Area after moving back. For those unfamiliar with Japanese cheesecake, it is nothing like American cheesecake. It's more like a soft and airy sponge cake with a very delicate cream cheese taste. It's sometimes even referred to as Japanese cotton cheesecake or souffle cheesecake. It isn't very sweet, which I love. When fresh, the fluffy texture almost melts in your mouth. It's so easy to eat half of a cake all by myself because it's so light. They have multiple flavors which I have yet to try, but the original is always a good choice. If you love light and airy desserts or Japanese souffle pancakes, then you'll definitely enjoy Uncle Tetsu's cheesecakes. read more

I'm not sure what they put in their japanese cheesecake, but it's incredibly good. I have to limit myself to their smaller size or I have an amount of cheesecake that's quite frankly alarming. read more

The cheesecake is as delicious as always. Make sure you arrive a little early otherwise they may run out of some flavors. I was lucky to get the cheese tart as well. But for me, I love their cheesecake more than the cheese tarts. The service is excellent. It was a Saturday afternoon, luckily it was not that busy. They have four different options of drinks, each one is four or five dollar. The cheese start is four dollar per tart if you get four. read more

Uncle Tetsu - Strawberry, chocolate, original cheese tarts. - Desserts Near Me - San Mateo, California

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Overall: 4/5 Cake #1: 1/5 Cake #2: 3.5/5 Service: 5/5 UPDATED: Uncle Tetsu reached out and I was about to give them another try. The cake this time was pretty yummy. TLDR; They NEED BETTER QUALITY CONTROL for their cheesecake. It could either be really good (nice fluffy soft cheesecake) or it really bad (fluffy butter cake) ~~~~~~ Uncle Tetsu's Cheesecake is a bakery originally from Fukuoka, Japan. It recently opened a store inside Hillsdale Mall, on the 2nd floor on the right side near Panda Express. I went on a weekday, after work, around 6pm and there was only 2 ppl in line, so there was basically no wait! I was so happy and excited to eat/share the Japanese cheesecake that I bought 2. When I got the cake, it was nice and warm. But when I got a whiff of it, all I could smell was butter. When we opened up the FIRST box, the cheesecake looked completely different than the picture. It was very flat, the top was only lightly brown. (picture #1, ignore the ugly cut/fork) But I didn't want to judge a book by it's cover so I continued to eat it. The cheesecake was pretty soft and fluffy, BUT all I could TASTE WAS BUTTER. With every bite, I felt like I was eating just eating more butter. I was very very DISAPPOINTED. Got home and decided to give the cheesecake another try so I opened up the SECOND box. This time, the cake was nicely browned, and when I took a bite of it, it actually tasted like a nice fluffy cheesecake! It was PRETTY YUMMY. I would suggest opening up the cake when you're still there and if the cake is not brown enough, have them exchange read more

Uncle Tetsu - Cake #1 (Tasted only like butter, very disappointed) - Desserts Near Me - San Mateo, California

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I remember eating a cheesecake in Japan and loving every, single bite. I've never found a similar Japanese-style cheesecake stateside (or I've just been too cheap to buy it). I was in the area and saw this place (not sure why it took me this long to find it) so I just had to try it. I got the original and ube cheesecakes. At the time of writing, they were $13 each. Size was not too big but big enough to share. The original was light and fluffy. The ube had the same texture and a pronounced ube flavor. I'm not sure if they were as good as the one I had in Japan but these were delightful. I will definitely return! read more

This place is located in the food court on the second floor near Panda Express. There wasn't a line even though it was around noon. We tried samples of each of the flavors available (5 flavors) before deciding which one to buy. It was light, soft, moist, and fluffy with a hint of flavor that complimented the cake. The employee was friendly and helped us decide which flavors to buy. We both three (coffee, matcha, and original). We will definitely be back when we are in the area. read more

Their cakes and tarts aren't as good as the one in LA (they served theirs warm and jiggly, here is cold) but they're still good if you don't compare lol. Daughter couldn't wait and demolished the tarts. Ube basque tastes a lot better than the original flavor basque that we've gotten from here not long ago. read more

Uncle Tetsu - Cheesecake $13 / Cheese Tarts 4 for $16 - Desserts Near Me - San Mateo, California

Call twice today 12/24 to make sure they have Oreo favor at this location. The second called was at 3:35pm and they told me they have it , they did not mention that they will discontinued to make oreo favor soon and also did not mention it would be first come first serve.I had to drove 30mins to this location instead just get other favor at stonestown (only 6mins driving distance) , I arrived at 4:51 pm and they told me that they stop making Oreo favor already,and the only choice is original favor. They told me there is nothing they can do ,but who cares about my time ? Kind of Disappointed with their customer service; poor skill with problem Solved. read more

Uncle Tetsu - First call on 12/24 - Desserts Near Me - San Mateo, California

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Glad I got to finally try this shop from Japan, that specializes in Japanese style cheese cakes. First as a reference point in my taste for cheese cakes, I am more of a fan of the denser NY style, than the fluffier foo foo cheese cakes like Cheese Cake Factory. I want to taste the tanginess of the cream cheese. The more, the better it counters with the sugar from the recipe. Even though the Japanese style is far from what I find ideal in a cheese cake, I didn't hate it by any means. It's just hard for me to call it a cheese cake, that's all. You see, the Japanese style is very airy/fluffy. Definitely made poofy with whipped egg whites is my guess. To me, it is closer to an Angel's Food Cake than American cheese cake. But it is moister than Angel's Food Cake and it does have a slight cream cheese flavor. Just don't expect it to wop you over the head with it. So I paired it with sweetened strawberries and it was pretty damn good. The cake is tiny like 6 servings max, but honestly the cake is so light that I probably could down a quarter of the cake to myself for dessert. And I am not a huge dessert person. I think the Japanese level for sugar has a lot to do with it. I also tried a Salted Cream Green Tea to sip on for my travel. At 50% sweet, it was perfect. I could totally taste the tannins of the tea and those same tannins were smoothened by the thickish cream. Almost as good as Happy Lemons. So if ever I had to stop in this mall, I wouldn't hesitate in making a stop here to pick up a cake or two. It is unique enough that it makes a good crowd pleaser for a dinner get together. read more

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When I tried coming here during the holiday season, it was a sh*t show. This famous cheesecake hails from Fukuoka, Japan, but they also have one in Oahu and two in LA. It's about time it came to the Bay Area! The past few times I have been here on the weekends, there has not been a wait. I am so glad the hype has died down. It also helps that they are making these cute cheesecakes at such a fast rate. Seriously pooping them out so fast that all of the flavors have been available every time I have visited. For the fair price of $11, it's a good deal. I thought it was pricey at first considering how small I thought it was, but it's affordable compared to other places that offer a cookie or a slice of cake for about $4. Sure, you might not want the whole cake at first, but you will FINISH it. I bought a cake for some colleagues over the weekend and found myself eating a few slices after a stressful day. I guess my act of kindness will have to wait another time. Similar to the consistency of a shortcake, these cheesecakes have such a soft and melt-in-your-mouth consistency. They currently have an original, chocolate, coffee, and the newly released strawberry flavor. The original will always be OG, but the new strawberry one is addicting. It reminds me of the strawberry pockies I would eat as a kid. The original kind of tastes eggy and the coffee might have a stronger flavor than desired, but the strawberry is well balanced. I have been trying to stay off sweets to prepare my body for a few weddings this summer, but I feel less guilty with these cheesecakes because they are so light and fluffy. Kudos to the staff for their fast and accommodating service! Can't wait to come back! read more

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It's nice having thoughtful friends. Twenty years ago, driving around the Bay Area to enjoy different places and things was a breeze. My softball teammates would open my eyes to places outside the borders of the 415. Recently, I finally wrote a review about a pizza place in Oakland, now this. A long time friend recently met me for lunch and presented me a red bag. Where is this from? A look at the bag and it's contents quickly answered my question. Apparently, they are known for their cheesecake (https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?select=_4YXaALjXfG9gH-A6cDB0Q&userid=saJuyv784apZzH--psHZ3Q). Reading a little about their history, I took it to my parents for them to enjoy. They kindly saved me a slice (https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?select=th6D4Y4VGrkt6aZ-40r06w&userid=saJuyv784apZzH--psHZ3Q) to try... sorry for the half eaten photo. Knowing that it was not traditional style, this cheesecake was lighter and fluffier as opposed to the dense NY style. Said friend did not provide me with heating instructions as mentioned by Cherylynn N. (https://www.yelp.com/user_details?userid=eKUGKQRE-Ywi5dY55_zChg). I actually first read about this from Genevieve Y. (https://www.yelp.com/user_details?userid=_aSs5dSAabuwnXUGBPzASw) when she shared her luscious pictures. I didn't really enjoy it but it was likely because I didn't know the prep instructions for eating it at home. 3 stars tasting for me but reserving a half star for eating it as intended and a half star for presentation. You know what that means... guess I'll have to try this one again. read more

Uncle Tetsu - Friend's generous gift - Desserts Near Me - San Mateo, California

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Fluffy japanese cheesecake!! Really one of its kind in the Bay Area! Recently came here to try the ube and strawberry flavors. I am very happy that they are trying different flavors. When I first tried it, they only have the original flavor available. The original one is good but definitely not as special as the new flavors. I have had the original, green tea, ube and strawberry one now. Hands down my favorite is the strawberry. Taste like a strawberry pocky. I saw that that they have basque cheesecake on the menu now. So on trend guyssss. It is double price the of japanese one. Costing about $22 for one. Meh..you decide if you want to try. I passed on it. The line here does get long and also be prepare to wait if flavors run out. They alternate baking different batches. read more

Uncle Tetsu - Strawberry - Desserts Near Me - San Mateo, California

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Do you like watching the Japanese Cheesecake instagram posts? Do you wonder where you could find some of that awesome jiggliness in the Bay area? Look no further, my friend. Uncle Tetsu got your back. I have come here a billion times. My love for UT has become legendary amongst our friends. I have tried all their flavors but love the original. It's so light and easy on the palate. The Matcha and Coffee flavors are also great. Their cakes are very slightly sweet. The mouthfeel is so amazing, the cake just dissolves. You are left with a lingering soft flavor. The store always has samples on the counter. So, you can try and then buy!! I highly recommend eating the cake on the same day. You can store it in the fridge for 3 days, but it loses its character. I wish they made smaller, single serving sizes. I am always tempted to get 2 flavors (yes, very ambitious!! Thankyou) and the next day, when guilt takes over, I have to bring them to work and share it with everyone. read more

Uncle Tetsu - Samples!!! - Desserts Near Me - San Mateo, California

My most favorite cake ever. It's my go-to cake for birthdays, anniversaries, Mother's Day, Father's Day, Fridays, etc. xP I always go during the off hours so I've never really experienced any wait time. My all time favorite is their Ube!!! Oreo comes to a close second. They're light, fluffy, not too sweet, and you don't feel too much regret after devouring an entire thing. They have fun seasonal flavors and imprint holiday characters on their cakes. Since moving out of the Bay, I always stop by to pick up a couple of cakes on my back to Nevada and freeze them for later enjoyment if I don't finish them in the car ride back :P read more

Finally got to visit dear ole Uncle Tetsu the Saturday before Memorial Day. Christine B. and I thought it would be packed! I had a whole game plan set up: order cheesecakes ASAP and shop around while waiting. Apparently no need to wait around-- they still had plenty with more batches whipping out the oven every few minutes! And they had four flavors available that day! Original, strawberry, chocolate, and coffee. After trying all of them, my favorite is original with its subtle, delicate cheese flavor. So fluffy and soft! The act of slicing made me drool. I sampled chocolate there and it's very cocoa-y with a slightly dark flavor. Strawberry is my second choice with a taste of lightly sweetened strawberries, smells so good! Kind of reminded me of Paris Baguette's packaged strawberry soft cake. A friend gave me a coffee slice a few months ago and I didn't like the strong aftertaste, couldn't even taste the cheese anymore. The butterfly tea drink wasn't available yet but had no indication on the menu! At least put "coming soon" or something. They do have green milk tea and probably the sea salt green tea. Haven't tried the twice baked original cheesecake biscotti. Each cake is $11, about 6". Currently no limit on how many you can purchase, but expect that to change over the holidays. Ask for a stamp card! Buy 9, get 1 free? Or was it 10. I hope they offer matcha soon! Super cute orange bags, great for gift giving and you'll see plenty of folks walking around the mall holding them. read more

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Ok, so I have to comment as a Japanese person who grew up with real chiffon Japanese cheesecake. What they are trying to mimic here is pretty close to what we call "rare cheesecake" or "soufflé cheesecake", but also pretty far from it when you talk about quality. At my first bite it instantly reminded me of the steamed cheesecake aka "cheese mushi cake" from Seven Eleven in Japan. Any Japanese people would know this. Don't get me wrong this is pretty good stuff, but the cost is less than a dollar. Now, the Uncle Tetsu in Japan is known for high quality ingredients like milk from Australia and butter from Hokkaido. The best stuff. Like all Japanese products where people pride in quality. I am pretty sure these chains here are not importing those ingredients from over the sea. If they ever were, there's no explanation for the bland flavor. When you mix mediocre quality ingredients together, the result will come out as just an ordinary product. Simple. So please don't believe the hype and think this is a real deal because it's not. So here's my actual food review: The texture: 4 Flavor: 2.5 Value: 2 read more

Uncle Tetsu - Very similar to Japanese Seven Eleven cheesecake in japan - $1 - Desserts Near Me - San Mateo, California

If you've seen those foodie vids of Japanese cheesecakes that are super tall and jiggly please wipe some of that expectation from your minds when you come here. These cheesecakes are less of that kind of novelty BUT they do pack the authentic Japanese cheesecake flavor that you would expect from the videos! My Mr. was in the area and decided as one of my birthday birth week gifts he would pick up a cheesecake (i looooooooove sweets)! We got the strawberry cheesecake; flavor options included original, strawberry, chocolate, and coffee at the time. For $11 this was a steal. Packaging was super cute: a solid card stock type of gift bag with the Uncle Tetsu logo and a baker's box to hold the cake imprinted with the Uncle Tetsu logo on the top. I would say the presentation (and price) makes it a great gift to bring for a house warming or as a gift if you are visiting someone's home. While the cake doesn't stand half a foot tall it does have some volume to it. Keep in mind that Japanese cheesecake and American cheesecakes are two different, very delicious, beasts. Just opening the box I could already see the fluffiness without even tasting it. The cake was easy to cut. It was dense enough to where when cut the cake does not stick to the knife yet fluffy enough to have a springyness to it. Taste? Oh boy. It's not super sweet (in a good way!) but it's sweet enough to enjoy the strawberry flavor and appreciate the texture. Just thick enough, light enough, and filling enough. This isn't a decadent kind of dessert. It would pair amazingly with tea or a light wine or champagne. Doesn't everything go well with champagne :D?! I'm a fan. I'll add another star (hopefully) after I try more things! read more

Uncle Tetsu - strawberry flavor cheesecake :) - Desserts Near Me - San Mateo, California

* I really like the fact that they provide samplers for all flavors, so you could decide what to get. * Decided between matcha or original, after trying the samplers, matcha seems a bit too much. So, ended up with the original one. * Very spongy. Not overly sweet, which is very great. I hate those cakes that are just pure sugar. * Definitely great for some dessert to bring home. read more

Uncle Tetsu - Original cheesecake. Spongy, not overly sweet. - Desserts Near Me - San Mateo, California

Love the original cheesecake ($11) here! It's very soft, fluffy, and not too sweet. Will definitely come back to try their other flavors (coffee, strawberry, chocolate). Also tried their matcha with cheese foam. I'm not a huge fan as the foam is too salty for me but I like the matcha by itself. My boyfriend likes the drink though so it just depends on how you like your foam- salty or sweet. read more

Uncle Tetsu - Original cheesecake ($11) and matcha with cheese foam ($4) - Desserts Near Me - San Mateo, California

Always wanted to try this place and I was finally able to since I was in the area! The store is located in the food court of the mall. I ordered when the store just opened for the day (around 11AM) and ordering with the cashier was super quick, I paid/received both the cakes on the spot. I got the Original Japanese Cake and the Coffee Japanese Cake. The Original Japanese Cake cake was soft, fluffy, and not overly sweet. I'd recommend trying if you're looking for a simple dessert/treat. Also donated while paying out to charity for children :) read more

I tried uncle tetsu in Hawaii and was really happy when they opened one here. I wish they open another location in San Jose soon. $11 for one, regular size. I tried coffee, strawberry, original flavors and would prefer original. Also, they have a really good deal for buy 9 get 1 free. I give this 4 stars not 5 because the cakes fluffiness is not consistent. Sometimes it is really fluffy and soft but sometimes its just like regular cheese cake. read more

Uncle Tetsu - Desserts Near Me - San Mateo, California

Picked up an ube cheesecake and thought it was definitely fluffy, but lacking in flavor. I wish they offered smaller cheesecakes. One cheesecake was very difficult to finish with 2 people. read more

Uncle Tetsu - Ube cheesecake - Desserts Near Me - San Mateo, California

3/13/21 I want to make one thing clear, firstly, foremost, and front and center: my cake was DELICIOUS. In fact, I'd say it's one of the most yummy cheesecakes I've had in my life! So you're probably asking, wtf is the deal with 2 stars then??? Service problem?--nope. Um, they took too long?--nope, gave it to me as soon as I made my way through the line. So what's the deal?... 1. Oreo Burnt Basque Cake $21.80: It's a "burnt basque cake." For those that are not familiar, be prepared for one of the most delicious cheesecakes of your life as well. But for those that know what this is supposed to be.......... It's an UTTER FAILURE. One. A true Burnt Basque should be of course, BURNT. The finish should be have at least some surface beyond simply caramelized--it should have a very thin skin of yes, BURNED surface. But don't think that's gonna be nasty, cause no, I tell you not only does it really work, it's CRITICAL. Why do I know all this?--cause my gf made one. Yes, jiggly and all. The real deal. At our home. The surface was perfectly partially blackened, but also just enough standard brown caramelization to balance the char. And that char... honestly, it did not taste burned at all, but it does add significant amounts of complexity to the flavor. So rich, like the smallest hint of sweet BBQ. So what do we have here at Uncle Tetsu?--just natural browning like you'd have on any slightly overcooked cake from the oven. There is ZERO char flavor or heavy caramelization. Absolutely wrong. Two. The middle should be custard in texture, almost resembling the innards of a perfect molten chocolate cake, warm out of the oven. You know how when you cut through with your spoon that you have beautifully rich brown custard slowly oozing onto the plate?--same deal here. The middle should be like custard, and when warm should ooze a bit. NOT THIS ONE. It was straight cheesecake texture all the way through. Yes, the middle is definitely softer, but no one would ever say it resembles custard. No way. It's just wrong. When I cut into my gf's burnt basque, I was FLOORED. That bite was the most intense cheesecake experience Of My Life. That ultra thin bit of char on the top. That oozing center of creamy sweet cheese. And the perfect cheesecake around the sides. Holy Mutha. But this cake.... was it delicious? Yes. F yes. Ffffffffffffff yes. The cheese flavor was strong yet not overpowering, and the texture was nicely cake-like yet with just the right amount of curd-y cheesiness. The oreo flavor grew in intensity over time. I think at first I didn't find it particularly strong, but after a while... yeah, it's there, and just the right amount. Really great. My only complaint as far as taste goes is that the decorative oreo in the middle is total mush. Not so appetizing. But anyway, that aside, as a cheesecake it's definitely a 10/10... As a Burnt Basque? You fail baking school, uncle. I want my money back. 1/10 2/5 (cause it does taste great) #sanmateo #cheescake #burntbasque #burntbasquecheesecake #burnedbasque #star #dessert read more

"Light, airy, fluffy" and "not too sweet" are the perfect adjectives to describe these cheesecakes! Literally MELTS IN YOUR MOUTH! I was sooo excited for Uncle Tetsu to open in the US after trying it for the first time in the Philippines. I came 3 different times just to get my hands on these! They had sold out for the day during my first attempt around grand opening. Made sure to wake up really early my second time around, and successfully got two (the limit)! It was on par with the cheesecake I had gotten in the Philippines, if not better. Just made a stop today and saw they added Chocolate, strawberry, and coffee! My only complaint is that these babies are a whopping $11 per cake, and I paid approx. $5 for the same one in Asia :-( Disclaimer: I'm not the biggest fan of cheesecakes, but these are so different from the typical... you MUST try. read more

Uncle Tetsu - Original - Desserts Near Me - San Mateo, California