Sakae Sushi

One of the best sushi restaurants in the BA. Various price points with the highest quality fish ever experienced. Sushi Restaurants need high volume to keep the prices down. The distinguishing factor is the quality of the fish and the lower price points because of the volume. Can compose a menu from $50-$100/person to higher depending on what you order. Split a $165 sushi combo for 2 people. They can convert this into a chirashi for 2. Jidori TATSUTA AGE, batter not thick like a kaarage. Not panko. maybe potato starch like popcorn chicken. Maybe the finely ground PS not the chunky type they use for popcorn chicken. Better exceptionally thin. Excellent technique. Maybe fried at too low a temp. Little oily. Sushi combo $165.00 a regular menu item. Not online. Chef picks what is fresh. That was the best blue mackerel I have ever had. Usually oily and hard to do right. No oily sensation at all. Deeper fresh flavor lingering in the mouth for longer because of the oil. Best I have had in US. 2 types of toro, can see the different fat content, pinkish vs more white than pink. Melt in mouth, no chewing necessary. When the high content fatty tuna hits mouth, the heat melts the fish. None of the standard hamachi, sake, unagi, cuts. Hiramasa may have been farmed, asking for more sustainable cuts the next time; maybe those contain less heavy metal toxins than the wild versions from the longer lived species. 2 types of tea, a green tea before and during sushi and the brown tea for after. Very subtle. Added hot sake and asahi draft. The hot sake is served in a bigger carafe than the standard narrow 16oz or smaller container. Better value. Don't need to order hot sake multiple times during a meal. The $10 add on crab chawan mushi was the best I have ever had. Very tasty complex broth with deep flavors. Impossible to replicate at home. Not just dashi with seaweed, dried shiitake broth, bonito flakes. Very savory. Texture of cold crab vs warm egg and broth was stunning on first couple bites. Steamed egg very different than chinese version of steamed egg. Small pieces of shrimp/crab/mushroom for texture contrast vs. soft melt in mouth egg custard texture. The rolls other restaurants use with lower quality fish and less technical technique aren't popular here. Can order them as some do. Is possible to find lower cost sushi and with their technique don't need to fill up on cheaper rolls. The low star reviews talking about beef asparagus rolls or iced tea aren't accurate. Not a popular item. The whiteboard specials and menu items have remained unchanged for decades. The long lasting items have specific techniques to perfect the texture and presentation which aren't replicated at other restaurants, regardless of price. The sushi roll restaurants are the same price. They aren't any cheaper.

Been frequenting this place for a month now and can confidently say that I'm disappointed. I have so much to say, but I'll do my best to keep this short.For starters, the chef here is incredibly apathetic. I would even say there's a tinge of discrimination in his apathy. Every time I've dined here, I've tipped well, been respectful and attempted to thank the chef on the way out. Rather than acknowledge me, he keeps his head down and goes about his business. The first time it happened, I didn't make much of it. (Could've been hard of hearing.) But when I said it straight to his face at the bar and still got the same reaction, I couldn't help but take it personally. (Especially when I see him gleefully interact with other customers.) I'm a heavily tattooed brown guy so considering the usual clientele here, it wouldn't surprise me if they see me as an "outsider".Secondly, and even more importantly, the sushi is mid and overpriced. I've ordered everything from hamachi to unagi to saba here and it's all been either passable or offensive. For example, one time when I ordered hamachi it still had some scales on it (yikes). Another time I ordered anago and it most certainly had bones left in it. Even the saba lacked flavor, which is hard to do with said fish. Given the price point and supposed expertise, you'd assume they'd be more locked in.

Loved the ambience, we ordered dragon roll and salmon fire. Both were really good. Took some time to get it which means its fresh. Service was excellent

Small independently owned business. Inside has a traditional style of Japanese design. They ship in some of their fish from Japan.Top notch quality! Everything was fresh and delicious. We tried the artichoke tempura this was amazing! Tried some sushi, a rainbow roll and hamachi collar.You have to call to make reservations. Definitely going back!

Sakae is my one of my favorite restaurant in burlingame. Whenever I want some authentic Japanese food in this area, I will go there. The food is always tasty and fresh. My favorite dish is always the sashimi deluxe. The restaurant is conveniently located in downtown burlingame. The decor is in a very casual setting. The service was also good. Whenever I go, it's never too busy. I give it 4 stars only because of the price. I went there this time for lunch, and the sashimi lunch plate alone with over $42 alone with tax and tip. I would go back again though in the near future.

They offer great in dining and to go options. I always enjoy coming in for lunch and having the chef pick out a few pieces for me. The fish is great quality and fresh. I think the office gets sushi from here at least once a week. I understand they have a new owner but everything has remained the same in regards to the quality and taste.

What a lovely spot right on the corner of downtown Burlingame. My boyfriend and I decided to take his grandma to this restaurant as she is visiting from out of town. We went in with little appetite as we had just eaten a few hours before but now we know to come back with empty stomachs so that we can order everything we want!We ordered the garlic edamame (the garlic on this was so crispy and amazing, I would get it EVERY time I plan to come back), gyu tataki (very good! My boyfriend enjoyed it and he is very picky about beef), tamago and anago, salmon kama (my favorite! So much flavor in the seasoning - we were very pleased), spicy scallop roll (amazing), and avocado/cucumber roll. We didn't go all out as we should have in terms of ordering off the menu, but for sure we will be back!Service was very nice and attentive. There are a lot of tables open and the restaurant is fairly quiet. A very nice, not-loud ambiance. We didn't have to wait when we walked in at 6pm on a Monday evening, but there were several tables marked as reserved, so maybe making a reservation would be safe. I would love to have a seat at the sushi bar so that I can watch the chefs at their craft!

Simply wonderful fresh fish in an intimate, but comfortable space. This is not a creative roll or fake krab and mayo kind of place. There are two ways to do Sakae the right way. For dinner, sit at the bar and let the chef dazzle and surprise you with whatever is fresh on the whiteboard. It is unique and special, but not inexpensive. However, the weekday lunch specials ( which I rarely get to indulge in due to my work schedule) featuring sushi, sashimi and chiarasi are a great way to get more bang for your buck. Today my son and I were able to walk in. I got the Sushi and sashimi ( Tokyo combo) and my son got the Sashimi combination. These were similar, except his came with a bowl of rice. We were both so pleased with our meal- healthy and lots of high quality, delicious protein. Both meals were approximately $32 which for the quality and quantity of fish was so reasonable. If you are hungry and like more variety, I think the Sushi and Sashimi lunch is the way to go Service was attentive enougb and we were in and out pretty quickly. Sitting at the bar and slowly ordering piece by piece is still my favorite way to go, but the price tag is more precious. Regardless, if you love fresh, raw unadorned fish, this is THE only sushi restaurant in Burlingame.

My dad wanted Japanese food to celebrate his birthday. We typically go to restaurants in San Mateo but decided to try this place out. Most of us in our party had the Kyoto which is their Tempura and Sashimi combination lunch. The tempura was delicately fried, not greasy at all. The sashimi was fresh and tasty. It came with a small salad and miso soup. I generally don't drink miso soup because they tend to just have broth. This one had tons of wakame (seaweed) and small chunks of tofu so I was pleasantly surprised. We also shared half dozen oysters which we shared and thoroughly enjoyed. Service was fast and efficient. My dad really enjoyed his birthday lunch. It was a great meal and we will be back to try their other menu options.

First time visiting this place. I am familiar with boring sushi. And this place has it. I thought being close to Broadway that they would have a standard of good to very good sushi. It was was not to be. I ordered a dragon roll, spicy roll, and unagi nigiri. Gosh darn it! It was lame and underwhelming. My friend ordered a sashimi dish. And he also rated it subpar. The service was fair, but not worth a big tip. Then what really irked me was the bill. Their tip breakout included the tax. I hate it when restaurants do this kind of crap. You do NOT tip on top of the tax. You only tip on the subtotal. To me, it's a deceptive way to pull extra money from the customer. Adding insult to injury, the bill was over $125! And all that for a shitty meal for two people??