Sozai Corner

In downtown San Mateo you see many sit down restaurants with long lines, but Sozai is special because it's an order Togo place with quality Japanese food at affordable prices. The place is small and at the corner of a block. The line usually extends into the sidewalk and was a wait of maybe 15 minutes on a Monday afternoon. They have many options like chicken/beef teriyaki, katsu don, beef don, curry katsu sets and bowls, and other delicious Japanese meals and appetizers. Average price for a bowl or set is $16 and less, mostly around $12-14. The food is delicious and there's a good amount! I got a katsudon that was surprisingly so large. I probably would've split it into 2 meals if I didn't share it with my boyfriend. People usually take their meal and sit in front on the benches. I took my lunch to the near by park.

This place is reasonably priced at $16-12 per plate. Expect a line, but it is definitely worth it. There are spots to sit outside, but no sitting area inside. I would suggest this place if you have time and are looking to pickup a tasty meal at a good price.

Wow. A hearty Japanese meal for around 10 dollars in the bay area? I'm sorry, what? This is the definition of a no-frills lunch spot - walk in, order from a pretty standard menu (there's other things like Katsudon, Gyudon, Teriyaki Chicken, etc), wait in line for your number to be called, and get out the door in less than 15-20 minutes. It's not gourmet food for sure, but 100% beats ordering at a place like Yayoi and paying 20$ for a disappointingly small meal. The chicken was incredibly tender, savory, and slightly sweet. The juices infused the rice with a TON of flavor. I usually have trouble finishing the rice when I eat meals like this, but I had no trouble scarfing this down. Will be back soon.

My favorite Japanese place in San Mateo! And I've literally dined at 90% of all restaurants in downtown San Mateo. It's a tiny corner shop, with an open kitchen. The prices are very reasonable and the portions are huge. I always get the pork katsu.

Great selection of Japanese grocery items and the fresh sushi and sashimi are great!!

I can't say enough about their wonderful bentos. Last month I ordered for an event and the following week my family ordered for a gathering. I don't know how they keep their prices so low. The event bento was a special order of sushi, chicken teriyaki, mayo salmon and a piece of ebi fry...with sides of hijiki and kinpira gobo. Traditional Japanese bento with very reasonable prices. They even delivered. On our family order we order half teriyaki chicken and half teriyaki steak. Both had large portions of meat and included salad, salmon mayo, kabocha and dashi maki.

It was a pretty bad experience I got here. I lined up for about 10-15min with my 5 years old kid and I ordered foods. I didn't realize it's cash only, so I told the cashier that I will get cash from the bank right cross the street. After waiting another 20min waiting for food to be packed, I saw someone behind me got the food first. I went in & asked and I realized that the cashier did't even put my order in without any explanation. He said I need to line up again and wait again. Seriously? I will end up waiting over 1 hour outside with my 5years old and dog waiting in the car. When I ordered, I told him I will get the cash quickly. If I had to line up again, he at least needs to give me an explanation.The cashier didn't even apologize but kept saying he didn't put my order in. No kind word or smile. They looked pretty stressed which brings another bad impression. Well.. it was already 6pm and I couldn't wait more since my kid was so hungry. This happened because of 'cash only,' which is one more bad service for their tax saving. They need to rethink about what they are doing to the customers. They also need to take care of their staffs. At this point, food quality doesn't matter. I don't feel like going back there.i

Work right around the corner and it's always a go to place to go for a bento. The rib eye bento is my usual go to order! Comes with a salad with a miso dressing, mac salad, slice of orange, miso soup, huge portion of rice and a lot of meat! When I say a lot of meat they really don't hold back.The only a few downsides... one is the location because of its location. It gets really cramped in there, also they only take cash so if you don't have cash.. good luck! And if you're in a hurry I wouldn't recommend you wait in that line since they take awhile, but on the bright side at least its fresh cooked food.

Our office manager ordered catering from this place (which is the catering division of Suruki), and our company really enjoyed the food! It was a "Make Your Own Rice Bowl" lunch event. There was a lot of variety (Pork Katsu, Chicken Katsu, Chicken & Beef Teriyaki, Salmon, Vegetables). I had a blast putting a little bit of each into my rice bowl. I would definitely order from here again, especially when I need catering!

Food is authentic and flavor is great. I have tried almost everything in the menu but my favorite is the chicken katsu bento, beef teriyaki bowl and chicken katsu sandwich.