Taki Nori HandRoll Bar

Taki Nori in San Mateo is a must-visit for sushi lovers, especially if you're a fan of hand rolls and creative takes on traditional Japanese flavors. Their sushi tacos are a standout--crispy nori shells filled with fresh, high-quality fish and well-balanced toppings that bring out the best in every bite. The textures are spot on, with the crunch of the seaweed complementing the buttery fish perfectly.The hand rolls are just as impressive, featuring warm, seasoned rice wrapped in crisp nori with generous portions of fish. The combinations are well thought out, and each roll is crafted fresh to order, ensuring the perfect bite every time. Service is efficient, and the ambiance is relaxed, making it a great spot for a quick bite or a casual meal.

Located in downtown San Mateo - you'll have to find street or nearby garage parking. We had a reservation and they seated us right away. The interior is pretty small, with mostly bar seating and maybe a handful of tables. It's a small cozy setting and pretty quiet. Only one bathroom for entire place. Service was friendly but minimal interaction. When you sit at the bar, you can see them make the rolls, and they place them right in front of you. The food comes out one by one pretty quickly. We were bummed that they were out of the sushi tacos because we were looking forward to trying it. Everything else was available. We didn't come that close to their closing time, and it was a Saturday night, so it was odd that they ran out of one of their seemingly most popular appetizers. We tried the spicy edamame, truffle hamachi, combo C, soft shell crab roll, and yuzu toro roll. Truffle hamachi was great - I loved the flavors of everything put together, and the jalapeño gave a nice kick. The soft shell crab was one of my favorites - simple but you can taste the quality of the crab. Honestly the shrimp tempura was one of my favorites. The tempura was freshly made and lightly crisped and tender on the inside. We thought the yuzu toro was okay - while the toro was good, it was pretty thin and the yuzu flavor was very subtle - I don't think it was worth the extra $$. The scallop was very fresh and yummy, but there was a strong wasabi flavor with each bite - perhaps with the rice? Definitely on the pricier end given the portions, but overall good quality. Hopefully they adjust portions on the sushi tacos so they don't run out easily again!

Stopped by at 5pm on a weekday and it was basically empty, which was great because we grabbed 2 seats at the bar.Eating at the bar is always more fun because you can see the handrolls being made and they serve you one by one so the seaweed doesn't get soggy. They have a good selection of fish but the standouts for us were: chu-toro and salmon belly!It was a little tough to get the server's attention to get the menu back to order more rolls and they never came to refill water... but the sushi was made very quickly. Parking can be a little tough in downtown San Mateo but if you park a little further away and walk, you'll find spots.

I ordered the combo c which came with shrimp tempura, hamachi, unagi, salmon belly, and scallop for 35$ and also the sushi tacos! the quality of everything was so good. my boyfriend got the shrimp tempura with snow crab and i think that was definitely in my top three as well alongside the unagi and scallop! the hot green tea was also good! the service was good i love sitting at the bar and seeing them roll it in front of you

We came here on a Saturday afternoon for my birthday lunch, and it wasn't crowded at all. We sat at the bar and got to watch the chef make all the handrolls right in front of us! The vibe is cute and fancy casual, and all the rolls were so good. We shared Combo C and the Ultimate Combo, and the presentation was on point, especially the Ultimate Combo. They replaced the lobster with tuna tartare, which I didn't mind at all. The Wagyu was delicious, and the final Taki Special was the cherry on top! tuna, uni, caviar, and gold flakes, wow! Everything was amazing, and we had a great experience. Definitely coming back!

Hand rolls tasted great! My personal favorite was the special shrimp tempura one with crab meat. We did leave a tad hungry even ordering additional rolls, but still good nonetheless.

We came by because sushi Sam was fully booked. This place is very small with bar seating and just 2 tables. Ordering is easy, you mark your order on the menu. We ordered one of the combos that provides 4 handrolls and a few others hand rolls. They serve it on a plate in front of you , traditional Japanese style. The Waygu beef roll was amazing.., slightly seared to get that aroma . Spicy tuna was also quite good. The blue crab was good but a little too much mayo. Overall a bit pricy for a casual place but good experience.

Solid Hand roll bar, nothing special though. Memorable: unagi hand roll to my surprise since I don't usually like unagi! Husband and I got a few rolls together and the Combo C. We came right when they opened so there was no line ~4PM :) felt like a private dining experience. We would come again!

Cool experience sitting at a sushi bar-centric place. They have 14 seats and one table for two, and another for four. I came in for dinner with the bestie & her bf. Mark which items you want on the laminated menu.I ordered Combo A for $15: 3 set hand rolls consisting of shrimp tempura + cucumber, sake salmon, and spicy tuna. Man that tuna packs a punch! Much spicier than I've ever had.The shrimp had a sweet unagi sauce that I wasn't expecting. Hot and tasty though. Salmon was fresh but I had to dip it in wasabi-soy mix for flavor. I also ordered the three piece gyoza and fried calamari rings. Great apps!It was an interesting experience eating at the bar. Sushi chefs rolled the hand rolls in front of us and placed them on the parchment paper covered stone plate once done. Food was prepared in a timely manner so it was a quick dinner.Make a reservation for prime time dining. The place filled up after 6pm on a Saturday.

A Bay Area take on the super popular Kazunori down in LA. Roll selection was good. Fish was good. Rice was fine. But the nori (seaweed) was mediocre. Good hand rolls need good crispy seaweed. Maybe it was the end of the night.....