Wakuriya

One of the best Michelin restaurants in Northern CA. Reservations are made 30 days in advance, by phone call only at 12AM. If they don't pick up, leave your name, the date and time you would like to book, and a best call back number. If your preferred date/time isn't available, they'll offer you a couple of alternatives. We called 1/14 hoping to get a Valentine's Day reservation, but the only time and day they had left was 1/31 so we took it. On a Friday night at 6:30, there were about 3 parties. Two parties of 2, and the third one seemed like it was 6 or so. I didn't appreciate how loud they were, given that everyone in the restaurant can hear them, but the food and service was outstanding so can't complain too much. From the look of it, seemed like there's only 3 staff. Our waitress was extremely friendly, knowledgeable, kind, and patient. Each dish was made to perfection, tasted delicious, and the plating/presentation was unique. I wish they did 2 palate cleanser as oppose to 1, given how much seafood there was to eat. Each and every fish that was presented to us tasted really fresh, with an amazing aroma and just a melt in your mouth type of feeling. I enjoyed my experience here and it is by far, one of the best I've ever tasted. It is difficult to get a reservation on the date and time you want, but if you're flexible then I would highly recommend it. Restaurant is located in a plaza so there's plenty of spots available.

Our favorite restaurant in the bay area but getting a reservation is incredibly difficult. The steps are -1) At midnight (12am PT) exactly 30 days before your desired dining date, call Wakuriya.2) If you are to get through to voice mail, leave your name, desired date, number of people and callback number 3) If you get line busy, try again until you are able to get through 4) If you successfully leave a voicemail and get a call back the following day, you will get confirmation of the reservation.The food and experience itself is truly one-of-a-kind.

Trying to make reservation for months/years and finally able to get one. (No complaint. It is what it is to get the greatest personal attention for this kaiseki dining experience)The chef/manager/staff has made this a unique experience for all their customers in that single round of dinner schedule/slot per night with very limited seating. You'll only realize the reason for such uniquely limited reservation system for a reason: The service was indeed exceptional and attentive for limiting the capacity every night with just one time slot for just few tables.I've been roaming the Michelin eateries for 2 decades, and this is one of the most coziest dining atmosphere I could remember.The vibe was calm, with minimalist decor and touches that immediately set the tone for an home kitchen coziness kaiseki experience. We were welcomed with warm hospitality, and every detail was thoughtfully arranged, the open kitchen was exceptionally sparkling clean!Each course was introduced with care and beautifully arranged.As the meal progressed, the chef's precision and dedication became increasingly evident.As the meal drew to a close, I was served a mochi dessert that was so airy and fluffy that a non mochi person myself would love to have an encore of it.

Amazing experience and definitely my favorite kaiseki experience. Only difficulty was getting a reservation having to call at midnight like many stated previously.But received a call the next morning to confirm with a credit card to hold reservation. I received a call a few days before as a reminder of the reservation. The experience is great for celebrating special occasions and very personal as they serve ~14 people a night. Service and explanation of everything was amazing and constant check ins to see how we liked the food and which ones were our favorite dishes.

Came by for dinner the other night and it was a world class experience. Wakuriya is a Japanese kaiseki restaurant with a Michelin 1 star located inside a casual strip mall in San Mateo, next to the freeway. Parking is plentiful in the private lot or on the residential street. There is a Tesla charger in the parking lot.Reservations start 30 days in advance with a first come first served message left on their answering machine at 12 am. An executive assistant, butler and/or concierge would be perfect for handling reservations for executives. Received a call from Mayoumi 30 days in advance during the late afternoon confirming my particulars including credit card information, dining preference along with food allergies.The dining room can seat ~16 people and features counter or table dining. The counter offers an open view of the kitchen with a request not to take photos of people inside the kitchen. The loo is high end with an option for Japanese or Charmin toilet paper along with a request to sit on their toilet.Despite the rather casual outside, the interior was intimate and high end with a few notable IKEA furnishing inside the kitchen, including their ALEX drawer set along with drawer liner.Meal started off with the Japanese tai snapper served with a salad. This was a light and refreshing way to start off the meal.Moved on to the appetizer course which consisted of trout with caviar, crab and salmon sushi along with duck breast with Italian black truffle. Each of the tiny morsels were well thought out although I found the duck breast over cooked..bummer.The sashimi course featured some type of sauce which was somewhat different than Japanese kaiseki's were they would serve this with fresh wasabi.The miso gratin may have been the weakest part of the meal featuring an overcooked lobster tail although the cauliflower and mushrooms were tasty.The sorbet was a light and refreshing palate cleanser.The main course featuring domestic wagyu beef, and egg and turnip was a pretty filing course although I felt that a Japanese wagyu would have been an even better option.The last savory course was a somen noodle soup with scallop and shrimp, including the head. This was a light and filing way to finish off the savory dishes.Meal ended off with a fuji apple with tofu-caramel sauce along with some baked cookies. Service throughout the meal was very attentive by the owner Mayoumi. Diners were mostly Chinese with the Mandarin ones being the only ones speaking in outdoor voices...~$210/head after tax and gratuity for a 3 hour kaiseki dinner.

We called at midnight on 8/2/24. We received a call back later that day and got a reservation for 9/2/24 for two people. I called around 20 times before I got their voicemail. They do ask for a credit card when you make the reservation. We got a call two days before our reservation as a reminder and we were asked if we wanted to sit at a table or the counter. We chose the counter. This was an incredible experience! They started us off with complementary plum sake. We ordered the premium sake flight and there were three sakes. We had about 12 courses. I can't remember the names of all the dishes but there was sashimi, cured salmon, wagyu beef, egg custard, and so much more. The dinner was 2 hours long. The dinner was so amazing that we made another reservation for October. We thought the prices were very reasonable for the quality of the service and food.

I don't know if I can fully describe each plate and do it justice. The combination of flavors were just perfection! And it was a perfect balance and ratio in every bite. It was a good mix of textures too- from cold dishes to warm, to soups and fried fish. Even a palate cleanser in between- a cold berry sorbet. The pictures are beautiful, but the food even better. Bar seating is fun to see all the work that goes into preparing each plate. Only 4 seats at the bar, the rest are table seating- which is only about 8 more seats. It's very small inside which is why it's so difficult to get a reservation. We were welcomed with a seasonal peach sake drink, very refreshing. And then taken on a journey of flavors! From A5 Wagyu stew to a tomato based Chawanmushi to perfect fresh fish sushi in one bite. The service was impeccable! Very nice lady serving and explaining each dish. Amazing experience!

Excellent Restaurant and a must try for an authentic Japanese Kaiseki meal. Wakuriya is authentic and true to the Japanese culture in every way, from the excellent food, dishes, serving style, and even the (painful) reservation making process... lol. But it's totally worth it once you come... you will be immersed and transformed to a Kaiseki Restaurant, where each dish is a type of art form that balances the taste, texture, appearance, and colors of the food. Only fresh, seasonal, and mostly local ingredients are used and are prepared in ways that aim to enhance their flavor.After winning a reservation here, we came enthusiastically and Wakuriya delivered AN EXCELLENT MEAL again! Very Happy!

Great food, great service and nice Michelin restaurant. A nice omakase restaurant, that we tried for the first time.

Literally the stupidest shit everHaving to make a call at midnight ruins some people's sleep schedule and is SO anxiety inducingAnd then the system most of the time is blocked by other callers all trying to call the restaurant so it's literally just luck A lottery system would work so much better imoIt even connected for me once but the voicemail system didn't work so it just hung up on meDon't know if the experience will be worth going through all of this stupid booking experience. There might be a reason behind this but it is really frustrating