I wish I could give this restaurant 10 stars -- It's one of those places that surely attracts repeat customers or "regulars." We went to Dashi to celebrate my mother's 89th birthday, and the service was exceptional -- We were served by one of the owners who was humorous and really cared about helping to make the birthday celebration special -- And it surely was! I am somewhat biased, since I appreciate "mom and pop" establishments, due to the personal touches and special care involved :-) Aside from that, the food and drinks were delicious, and the parking and seating were easy when we went. I encourage anyone who enjoys Japanese food to go to Dashi for the food and service! read more

Solid food. Always top notch everytime I come back without fail. Solid service. Great prices. Parking is narrow. Thank you! read more

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This is bitter sweet Dashi is no more after today! This is so sad now our community has even less places to eat near by that are not pizza, Mexican or chicken. Meta is doing a number on our community. First the school district and small business owners. read more

I came in for one Unagi Lover roll and it ended up being so good that I ordered a second one to go right after I finished. The flavors were clean and comforting and everything tasted fresh. They also kept the hot tea coming the whole time, which made the meal feel even better. The restaurant has a cozy and relaxed vibe and the service was steady and welcoming. It is the kind of place where you can sit, eat in peace, and just enjoy good food. I will definitely come back. read more

Dashi Japanese Restaurant - Unagi Lover Roll taken home - Japanese Near Me - Menlo Park, California

Dashi Restaurant will be closing its doors permanently on July 3, 2026 as the property owner Meta has given the owner John Bek an eviction notice to leave just because he exercised his 1st Amendment of Freedom of Speech to speak out on how Meta screwed up his restaurant business over the years with loss of revenue from Meta's relentless takeover of all neighboring business properties and running him out of business. Please voice your opinion on all Social Media on what Meta is doing to small businesses in this community. Meta claims they support restaurant businesses that are suffering but ironically they have not done anything to support their own property of restaurants in the Belle Haven neighborhood of Menlo Park. read more

Solid hidden gem. We're always looking for somewhere different for the locals in the group and we didn't want to go to any fancy places. This spot reminds me of the Japanese restaurants we used to have in Vancouver. Owner was friendly and funny, and attentive. Sashimi was fresh, rolls were tasty and great for sharing. Will be back. read more

Delicious! Quality fish and good service. The tea was complimentary and great on a cold rainy afternoon. read more

Dashi Japanese Restaurant - Japanese Near Me - Menlo Park, California

Everything is extremely fresh. When it comes to sushi, that's hugely important. A large variety of very tasty choices, and the fastest delivery times I've ever had on DoorDash We've been using DoorDash with Dashi for sometime now and all of us are always delighted Highly recommended read more

We brought our kids, and they had a blast! Delicious food, amazing and accommodating service. We are definitely coming back!

This place is our favorite local spot! The food is tasty the service is AMAZING! And the owner John is great and entertaining! I highly recommend for a fun night out with the family. read more

My go to Japanese restaurant. Every single thing is delicious. The service is always excellent. Owners are always welcoming. Location is convenient with lots of parking. read more

Came here to say for a lunch with 10 people, they graciously accommodated us and the food was great - even according to two of my colleagues in from Japan! We had a mix of don buri and sushi, all fresh and flavorful, and great value for the cost. read more

Dashi's has always been our go to restaurant for the best fresh sushi for many years. Last time I had dinner there however I had to try the Korean Fried Chicken, wow and I'm so glad I did!! Not only was it delicious but the portion was enough for two people!! There is not one item on the menu I wouldn't order!! read more

Dashi Japanese Restaurant - Dashi's Korean Fried Chicken - Japanese Near Me - Menlo Park, California

If you're searching for a dining experience that combines freshness, softness, yumminess, and fast service, look no further than this hidden gem I recently discovered. From the moment I walked in, I knew I was in for a treat. The restaurant is quite small but since I came at a good time (around noon on a Friday), there was no wait. I must say freshness takes center stage here, as each bite bursts with vibrant flavors. The ingredients are undoubtedly very fresh with buttery texture that melted in my mouth. I would definitely come back here again! read more

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Wanted teriyaki, ended up getting katsu, got intrigued by the sushi and snagged a roll. Phenomenal food, although there are some nitpicks I have. Chicken Katsu Entree - a very hearty chicken katsu, though I think there's not enough rice and too many greens. I'm not anti-vegetable, but there's a traditional side salad on the side alongside steamed vegetables and the katsu also lies on a bed of shredded lettuce. Only one scoop of rice is not enough to pair with the meat and vegetables. However, they definitely understand the value of katsu sauce as they provided two whereas most places will give you one and charge for anymore. I will say, their katsu sauce was overly salty, so it could be better, but overall the entree was delicious and felt somewhat healthy. Dashi Roll - I always order what seems to be the specialty roll of a sushi spot, as denoted by the name. This was one of the best rolls I've had as an avid sushi lover. Shrimp tempura and avocado on the inside, salmon or tuna wrapped around the sushi rice with crab meat and roe surrounding that. Fish tasted fresh, was decently sized, and the mixed texture was lovely, enhanced by a slight crunch from the tempura on the inside with a creamy avocado. Salmon had a great balance of fatty meat. If I come back, I'd order multiple of these for sure. read more

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Fantastic food and service! Awesome low key spot at the end of Willow. Great quality sushi! Will absolutely be going back! read more

Dashi Japanese Restaurant - Deep fried goodness... forgot the name - Japanese Near Me - Menlo Park, California

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Love this place! I'm usually a cooked fish kinda girlie but their fish here is so fresh that I really enjoy their sushi here! From your typical dragon roll, lion king roll and salmon skin hand roll, their sashimi is delicious! You will always be greeted by this pleasant lady as she seats you and serves you tea while you look over the menu. She always has our tea cup refilled and asking if you're doing okay. Service is quick. I love that they have the low sodium soy sauce at the table and you don't have to ask for that like other restaurants. Plenty of parking. It can get busy with the other businesses within the plaza. They have table and booth seating. I'm not sure if there is a school near by but it gets crowded with teenagers during lunch on a weekday. read more

Owner operator John will keep you in stitches with his humor! Tempura was perfectly fried and airy as it should be which is unfortunately hard to find these days. Spicy tuna & unagi hand roll was generous. Will definitely be back when I'm in the Menlo area. read more

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You want the best Japanese food in town? Go pay Dashi a visit! Their sushi and food always on point! The owner John is amazing. Always a good crowd there and the atmosphere is great. They just put a new item on their menu the Korean Fried Chicken. Sooooooo Gooooooooood!!! Must try; tell him Sam sent you. read more

Dashi Japanese Restaurant - Korean Fried Chicken - Japanese Near Me - Menlo Park, California

Yaki Udon is consistently delicious. Spiciest level could be spicier, but I've always been satisfied. Owner is friendly and accommodating and I'll miss being able to walk to this friendly neighborhood Japanese restaurant. read more

What a Hidden Gem!!!!! Dashi has been Family Owned by the Same Owner for over 19 Years!!!! There the Only Original Retail Tenant left in the Plaza!!!! I rolled in there for Dinner the Other Night. There is plenty of Parking since it's a Strip Mall!!! So I Parked my Whip !!! I rolled in like a Boss and picked my Table and pulled up seat!!!! My Server dropped off a Glass of Water and some Menus for me to Peruse!!!! When she Returned I ordered a Facebook Roll, Chirashi Bowl and a Fried Tempura Appetizer with Shrimp!!!! My Server returned with a Miso Soup and a House Salad!!! They were Tasty and Delicious! Next out was my Fried Tempura!!!! It came with the Tempura Dipping Sauce which was Quite good!!! The Chirashi appeared next!!! It was quite Epic!!! Generous Slices of Raw Fish I Over a Bed of Sushi Rice!!!! It was Delicious and a Joy to Eat!!!! Last out was the Facebook Roll !!! This is a Must Order Roll!!! So Good!!!! Service is Friendly and Efficient and they Really roll out the Red Carpet and make you feel Welcomed !!!!!!!! For all these reasons this is a Baller On a Budget Approved Establishment and Dinner!!! Truly a 5 Star Experience !!!! read more

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The sushi here is quite good, and the owner is very nice. He gave me a free miso soup since my friend ordered a donburi that came with miso soup so we could both eat at the same time. My caterpillar roll ($13) and salmon skin hand roll ($7) were very tasty and fish was fresh. Food came out quite quickly. Parking outside was easy and there was a large parking lot. read more

Dashi Japanese Restaurant - Japanese Near Me - Menlo Park, California

Do you want amazing sushi that is fresh and always delicious? Well if you do this is the place to go! Facebook is trying to squeeze them out and I am trying to tell the world this a great small business that we should be keeping. We have always had great service there and always great food for 23 years now! read more

The food was really fresh and delicious No complaints. The perfect end to a long work week! It was the end of the evening, not too many customers, but the atmosphere was really fun and the owner/server made a point to stop and talk to us every time he walked all the tables. He even came by to show us a few drinking games with our Soju and beer. Just what we needed for a Friday night. read more

Dashi Japanese Restaurant - Went with the combo sashimi and a few extra rolls. - Japanese Near Me - Menlo Park, California

PSA: avoid the raw fish here! Decided to try this place because it was close by to my workplace, and I got the Sashimi Bento Box, which is only $19.99 pre tax. I was pleasantly surprised by how huge the bento box servings were, especially considering that I got 8 cuts of sashimi, salad, miso soup, and gyoza for this price. While I was thrilled with the quality and taste of most of my meal, the sashimi was certainly disappointing, especially considering only the salmon was decently fresh. The other cuts of fish had an old, fishy taste and smell that even wasabi couldn't mask, and I honestly should have asked to send my meal back instead of struggling to get the whole meal down. I'm currently suffering from a terrible case of food poisoning (this is the only meal that I've had today, so there is no other possible culprit), and I would definitely not wish the aftermath upon anyone. Nevertheless, if you're looking for a completely cooked option to eat, this place definitely gives you the bang for your buck, along with quite friendly service. I, on the other hand, would highly recommend NOT making the same mistake I did of being bold and adventurous at this place read more

Dashi Japanese Restaurant - 12 Piece Combo Sashimi - Japanese Near Me - Menlo Park, California

Excellent food and even better service! Highly recommend! Also DoorDashed Dashi in addition to going into the restaurant. Both options weee perfect! Sushi was fresh and seaweed salad was delicious. read more

New Menu item: Korean Chicken is AMAZING! Best I've ever had. Dashi has been serving our community for years now. Great customer service always, BEST Sushi around, hands down! Always a great dining experience at the restaurant and take out. read more

Love love love Dashi. We have been going for years, and the owners are so kind! Please help support local and go or ordered from here next time you want some Japanese (they even have a few Chinese items on the menu). We love the Redwood Roll, the XXX roll, the veggie roll, the rooster roll (chicken teriyaki sushi), the spicy tuna, the Playboy roll, the tamago, and miso soup. Always so satisfying and fresh! read more

John is great. I'd eat here every day just to support his business. Within minutes of us stepping into the restaurant, he'd welcomed us by striking up a conversation (socially distancing, of course). My bf and I dropped by to pick up our order & found ourselves really enjoying chatting through the brief wait. TOBIKO FRIED RICE: I had no idea tobiko would work so well on non-sushi rice. I love that Dashi really heaps on the tobiko portions! Super flavorful & 10/10 would inhale this again SPIDER ROLL: This is a hefty chonk of a roll... Fish is great, just a bit dry overall despite the sauce. SAKE DONBURI: Fresh & generously thick-cut fish! No complaints. I love a good salmon bowl. Everything came with salad, miso soup-- John even threw in a slice of fantastic red velvet cake. It's been a minute since I've experienced this level of hospitality. Thanks so much for having us! We'll definitely be back. read more

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Ordered for pick up. 4 stars just because I Didn't dine in so can't speak on service inside. But fish tasted fresh, good food.

My lovely husband surprised me with a new dish recommended by John at Dashi. It was the Korean fried chicken to go- highly recommend. read more

Dashi Japanese Restaurant - Japanese Near Me - Menlo Park, California

Food at Dashi is so good! I think i have a few favorites. During the summer i really like the Shrimp Salad. Winter months my GO TO is the Spicy Ramen - its honestly the best thing ever. the broth is so flavorful and perfectly spicy. I always order a roll or hand roll as well, either the Mexican roll or the Tempura Hand Roll. The fish and seafood is always fresh. Don't sleep on the Teriyaki and Korean dishes too - SO GOOD! Order a Plum wine or Soju and stay a while. The ambiance is great - John and Sunny (owner and wife) are super friendly and the place feels like Home. I've taken my kids here for over 18 years and will continue to take my grandkids (when those come along). read more

Decided to come here for dinner after my son's water polo tournament in Palo Alto. He wanted Japanese food and this also happens to be our pet bunny's name ("Dashi" short for "Agedashi). Service was phenomenal. Quick and always checking on us. We ordered a few different things: Combo Sashimi - great big fat pieces. Fresh tasting! Chicken Kara-age - crispy and light. Lightly seasoned. Moist chicken. It's like eating healthy chicken nuggets. Mixed Tempura - wow! The veggies were cooked perfectly. A little too much batter on some pieces but the perfectly fried veggies makes it worthwhile. Salmon Skin Handroll - asked for them to make it without rice, they didn't think it would be good, but it was!! Perfectly crisp skin with great flavor. NY Roll Spicy California Roll Philadelphia Roll Chicken Teriyaki Donburi Tonkatsu Donburi Chicken Teriyaki Dinner Definitely worth a stop at this place. It's really good. read more

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Ordered lunch from Dashi via UberEats. I got the Dragon roll, salmon hand roll, and the ebi nigiri. The quality met my expectations for the price. My favorites were the Dragon roll and the salmon hand roll. The food was packaged well and came with chopsticks, soy sauce, and napkins. I would order from Dashi again. read more

Dashi Japanese Restaurant - Japanese Near Me - Menlo Park, California

I haven't reviewed Dashi in a while. I have to say, though, the service and quality have not diminished in all these years. John, the owner, has had the same kitchen help for over 10 years! That's an accomplishment to his work style and appreciation of his employees. The quality of food that comes from the kitchen or sushi bar has been consistent for over the 10 years we've been eating there. Did you know that the whole food center has a new owner? It's Facebook. The rent has increased (since the pandemic) and it seems like they are giving the renters a hard time about staying. How can they compare all the different types of food options available at that center? I think Dashi is the classiest sit down restaurant there. And that's what East Menlo Park needs, more nice places to choose from. I know before 2020 pandemic, Dashi did a great business at lunch and dinner. When FB offered free food to their employees, the lunch crowd slacked a bit. But John continued to stay open and serve his customers. The food is exceptional. My favorite is the salmon skin roll. It is not the typical salmon skin that you get in other sushi places, this roll has NO filler, just salmon skin, rice, nori and a huge dollop of crispy salmon skin atop the rolls, with a delicious sauce over it. No need for soy sauce or wasabi. I would be pretty upset if Dashi had to close. read more

I love the veggie soup and sushi! Great, quiet ambiance. The service is nice and quick.

The sushi is fresh and delicious! The Harley Davidson roll and the spicy tuna roll were 10/10. Definitely recommend for anyone in the area. Reasonable prices as well. read more

low quality small serving size too high price, was pretty disappointed by this place.

Compared to other sushi places around the area, this place was delicious. I came here for dinner during a stormy night and everything was great. Food: We ordered dragon roll, beef yaki udon, spicy dragon roll. These 3 dishes were so yummy. It was my first time trying a yaki udon at a Japanese place and I can't wait to get it again. It was juicy and flavorful with the beef and udon. The spicy dragon roll was huge and had delicious crunchy tempura to it. +generous portions to share +friendly staffs +delicious food +lots of parking around the area read more

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A friend of mine bought me some food to go from this place. And the lunch was pretty good. read more

Dashi Japanese Restaurant - Unagi Donburi to-go - Japanese Near Me - Menlo Park, California