Great sushi for a great price, service was fast and we loved the other non sushi items

I have no idea why this place only has 3.5 stars. This has been one of our spots for quite a while now. Tonight we had Heesun as our waiter and the guy could teach a master class in waiter etiquette. The guy was never overbearing but always present to refill waters, take our order, get the check, etc. The food is good! It's pricey, but not more than any of the other restaurants in San Mateo. The bento box comes with a ton of food, so keep that in mind. I've also had the chicken donburi which was good but not exceptional. Their vegetarian platter is a ton of food for the price, easily enough for three people. Overall, would recommend for anyone in the area! read more

I love the size in sushi rolls . I always order shrimp tempura & Philly roll with a simple California roll as well . Less then 50 dollars with very little fishy after tastes & the rolls itself come out moist & perfect temp. read more

San Mateo is full of Japanese-American restaurants, and Joy Sushi is a staple. They have a nice tented outdoor dining area right on B St, and the menu offers everything from sushi rolls to bentos to udon, donburi, and more! But the section of the menu that drew my eye was the "Special Rolls," full of images of colorful creations. The El Camino Roll was filled with spicy tuna, cucumber, and shrimp tempura, and was topped with tuna, avocado, jalapeño, tobiko, unagi sauce, and spicy Joy sauce. This was my favorite roll of the ones we tried, as the combination was surprisingly refreshing, and there was good flavor throughout! The popular Dragon Roll was filled with shrimp tempura and cucumber and was topped with unagi, avocado, tobiko, and a whole layer of imitation crab! The crab made the dish look cool, but this roll was definitely on the bland side flavorwise. Finally, for our most gimmicky selection, the Fire Dragon roll came wrapped in foil, and the plate it came on was coated with a flammable resin and set on fire at our table (think Bananas Foster or Crepes Suzette!). However, the asparagus filling was fibrous and tough, and the unagi on the outside ended up a little bit burnt (though it got a nice smokey flavor from the flames!). While a fun experience overall, the quality of the ingredients used at Joy was definitely on the low side and probably not worth coming back for. read more

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Great quality fish and wonderful service! Everything is delicious and reasonably priced. Drooling thinking about it again. read more

Joy Sushi - Sushi platter - Sushi Bars Near Me - San Mateo, California

Classic case of I wish I could give them zero stars. Waste of time. The manager is absolutely useless. She should be ashamed of herself for how she speaks to people. read more

Not worth the wait This place is super popular, probably because there aren't enough good sushi places in the downtown san mateo area--for some reason all the sushi places have long wait lines in downtown san mateo. People just can't get enough of sushi! In any case, this place is definitely not a good place for sushi. The wait time is crazy long, and the wait staff who work there are not very bright--often time a lot of tables are empty, and the wait staff are very bad at bringing the folks waiting outside and putting them onto the empty tables. After you sit down, again it takes them very long to get to each table to take orders. Not the brightest folks working there. The whole place in general is very dis-organized so a lot of frustration, like long wait times, is more a matter of the wait staff not being smart about running the place, as opposed to things like the lack of space which would have been more understandable. The food is also average. We tried to order the spanish mackerel--they said they ran out (it was 6pm, not even past dinner time yet), so we had to order something else. When the food arrive, the quality was ok--the scollap roll was pretty good, with the warm scallop mixing very well with the sushi rice. The nigiri and the cherry blossom roll on the other hand was just OK--the temperature of the sushi was warm, and did not taste very fresh The price was also not low, especially given the quality of the sushi Definitely not worth the wait. read more

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I've eaten at this place twice -thanks to a friend, Violet. I'm a huge fan of their sushi rolls. Not only are the portions big but the place is always clean. The staff are great, friendly and reliable for good service. All evening meals come with miso soup and salad. The miso is very good and the salad too. So what's good here? Hands down the rolls and the sashimi! They're big sizes and they always taste sooo good! I've tried various rolls and all of them are perfect. Do try the Rock n Roll roll, the Sunshine Roll, the 49er Roll and.... well, all the rolls are to die for. it's seriously the best I've had! If you knew me, you'd know how important that statement is. I'm super picky about my sushi solely because I'm allergic to shellfish. And yes, if the food is good enough, I risk the allergic reaction. When thinking about elements of a good sushi spot, a place with a wide selection and sizable portions usually top the list. I think this place wins 4 stars in those areas, for a reasonable price. I highly recommend any of their Bento Boxes if the selection is a bit overwhelming for you (as it was for me, the first time I went). Ambiance are average but not bad enough to dock a star. As long as the fish is fresh and the rolls stay big and tasty, mama is happy! But don't forget to check your receipt. I almost gave them a HUGE tip for their standard customer service and amazing food presentation only to see that they'd already charged me an extra $3. Upon asking the workers what was going on, they claimed it was a mistake still encouraged me to add an additional tip... Yeah, I don't think so. read more

Joy Sushi - Always check your receipts! - Sushi Bars Near Me - San Mateo, California

I went there, and I seen a rat wobble across the room. It was totally disgusting. I will never eat here again read more

Oh baby! Yes! If you think the pictures are beautiful, you should have tasted those fabulous rolls! Some of the best sushi I've had in a long time. And it didn't stop with the sushi. The service was perfect. The sushi chefs were attentive, courteous and humorous. There was a wide variety of sake. Soup, salad and tea came with our order free of charge. It was a perfect lunch - so perfect that I will go back again and again and again. The best part - soup, salad, tea, three specialty rolls, edamame, and four pieces of Butterfish sashimi = $37 (do you see this Sushi Sam's?) This is my new go-to sushi bar. I seriously heart Joy Sushi. read more

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This is long overdue. My love for Joy sushi is real and cemented. I've had a birthday here. I even bring my mother everytime she's in town or else she flips out. They know my order when I call. I'm always getting the hamachi kama because no one does it better. Seriously, it's worthy of all the stars. Ambience : Fantastic place. Drinks: hell yes to the happy hour!!!!! Visits : Been coming for years. Fav meal : hamachi kama with a special spider delux roll roll and/or assorted nigiri. See amazing images below! Updates for my review : Even with delivery the quality is amazing. Nothing has fallen between the cracks as it were. Love this place, the chef, the staff and happy hour! #takemy$$$$ read more

Came by for dinner the other night as the relatively large restaurant meant a short wait during the peak dinner hour! Shortly after being seated, we were presented with complimentary miso soup and salad while we were perusing the menu. Started off with the ika yaki which was mediocre at best. It seemed frozen and was grilled a little too much making it rather dry and burnt. The Lambada roll was decent for $9.95. It was pretty big and consisted of fresh salmon and spicy tuna! The baked lobster roll was mediocre. I'm pretty sure they used langosta shrimp. It was rather messy to eat and was okay. Service was good throughout the meal. read more

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Walking about San Mateo, searching for somewhere to eat.... we stopped here, since we hadn't yet tried this place. We ordered a couple of different rolls which were pretty average, miso soup which was pretty good, udon, and fried chicken which was just okay. Overall all the food was just okay, nothin special. This place was fairly busy so service was a bit on the scarce side. read more

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Food is fresh and taste great! I ordered the Poke with spicy tuna, spicy crab, and spicy Mayo.

The bento with spicy chicken AND a special roll (pink dragon) was so bomb. I'd get this every week if I wasn't located so far.

Went with a big group. There were twelve of us. They were very accommodating and the food was delicious. It got busy, so recommend placing your order ASAP, or else you may have to wait awhile for your meal. read more

Joy Sushi - Many sushi roll Options- large portions. - Sushi Bars Near Me - San Mateo, California

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I cannot believe I haven't discovered this place earlier and I've been eating this whole time at other Japanese restaurants downtown San Mateo that don't even compare to this. Unlike most Japanese restaurants, this place really is authentic Japanese food. I ordered the three combination bento box ($10.95) with Tonkatsu, Tempura, and Beef Teriyaki that of course came with rice, salad, and miso soup. The BF, being super high maintanance, likes ordering Tobi-tama ($4.95 for two pieces): rice, seaweed, fish eggs, and raw quail egg on top, which was pretty delicious. The Tonkatsu was fresh, soft inside and crunchy on the outer layer like it's supposed to be and the Tempura was lightly fried to perfection. I was a little hesitant to try the beef teriyaki but it was cooked medium rare and I found it great that way because it wasn't overly dry like most places. The only problem I had was that they dumped lots of teriyaki sauce on the beef when I usually prefer it drizzled on so when I go back, I'll make it a point to tell them! Other than that, service was great. There are a lot of people working, probably because it gets pretty crowded during peak hours. I went right before lunchtime (around 11:30) so it wasn't that busy. I completely forgot I had a restaurant.com certificate but I totally would have used it! read more

Joy Sushi - Sushi Bars Near Me - San Mateo, California

The only reason we came to eat here was because it was 4:30pm and all other sushi restaurants opened at 5:30 pm and we were hungry. We got lucky and found a parking spot right in front of Joy Sushi. Finding parking once 5 o'clock hits can be impossible with everyone getting off work and traffic. So good luck! The service was a bit in the slow side. It was because someone called in and placed three HUGE orders before us. We ordered two rolls and nigiri. We got the joy king and giant roll. Giant roll was a descent size but the joy king was pretty small. We felt that it was missing something. I also noticed rolls that people around us ordered were a bit small. I'm used to the rolls being big and plumpy. Nigiri was good and fresh. Servers were attentive and checked on us. Descent prices and the food is good. read more

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Yummy place! I haven't gone here lately but it's a good place for family dinners, special occasions & dates. ;) little bit more pricey & smaller sushi than Old Town Sushi (almost next door) but good quality. Has a mezzanine, so that's cool. :) nice staff. read more

the sushi here is so good. try the salmon paradise! --- tasty, good portions, and seemingly high-quality ingredients. you can watch the chefs prepare the sushi downstairs, which is pretty cool. i will say i wish there was an easier way to order online. i usually just call to order or eat there in person. the restaurant has a nice ambiance, especially the upstairs seating area. read more

Joy Sushi had really gone downhill the past year. Their rolls are filled with stale rice and the sushi is not really fresh. The texture of shrimp tempura feels weird and not crunchy. read more

An alright sushi place in San Mateo. It was not too busy on a weekday night, but this was already around 9pm when most of the residents are already calling it a night. They have a large variety of sushi and the portions are much larger than I thought, but the quality and service is meh. Baked Lobster - I could not really taste the lobster as the rice and sauce overwhelmingly dominated it Dragon Roll - had a little bit of everything in it and would definitely recommend this read more

A good fast sushi place, but nothing special. We came for a weekend night dinner, and ordered a couple rolls as well as the Tempura Ice Cream. Service was relatively fast, and they gave us free miso soup and starter salad (not sure if this would be true for lunch). The rolls were quite standard, fresh and good, but nothing to write home about. Next time I come back, I might try the baked rolls that come so highly recommended. The Tempura Ice Cream was actually pretty good, but I'd like it better if 1. they cut the ice cream ball open on the dish, and 2. the weird red sauce and whipped cream were on the side instead of slathered on top of the ice cream. Overall, prices weren't too bad for San Mateo, and I'd come back if I were in the area. read more

Joy Sushi - Spicy tuna roll and spider roll - Sushi Bars Near Me - San Mateo, California

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Sumo-White Roll: A hidden gem roll. Sweet-spicy-salty works strangely well. 4.5/5. Samurai and 49ers Rolls: These are great standards for this place, but they were slightly worse this time. 3.5/5. Monster Roll: The tempura batter around the roll makes the roll way too starchy. Was not great. 2.5/5. read more

Food is always great! It's our go to Sushi place in San Mateo. Fresh Sushi, Great service & reasonable priced. read more

The food is very good here. The sushi is fresh and well made. Poke bowls are very tasty (perhaps a bit salty though). Cozy restaurant that has consistently good food. Staff is efficient and may seem hurried at times but they get the job done. read more

As a lover of many things Japanese, this place definitely gave me joy, as its name implies. Came here on a double date, and both parties coincidentally ordered the same thing...baked lobster roll (chyeaaa lobster!) and samurai roll (tuna, unagi, crab, avocado, cucumber, joy sauce). When they first came out, I was surprised that they looked better than what was in the menu - since when does that happen? The rolls were of good proportion, and they were really tasty as well! Normally I do not get too full off of sushi, but because this restaurant gives edamame, miso soup, and salad with your meal, while putting lots of rice in their sushi, I was quite satisfied at the end of the meal :) I'd give Joy Sushi 4.5 stars! The chicken karaage appetizer was slightly overcooked and a little on the crispy&salty side... Oh! It was also awesome that they have Japanese draft beers (Asahi, Kirin, Sapporo) as well as a variety of sake. Delish ;) read more

Joy Sushi - Samurai roll - Sushi Bars Near Me - San Mateo, California

I really like Joy's because it really is one of the better sushi places in San Mateo. I have never eaten there so I am not sure about the ambiance, but their sushi is delish (although a little too saucy). I like the variety of their rolls BUT there have been times where I've ordered to go and they are super slow. BTW: I really like their samurai roll! :) read more

Summary: Good service, average sushi. Decent prices. Good hang out spot. Food: first it comes with free mini salad (super good) and miso soup! For appetizers we got Takoyuki, which tasted like every other place, and Japanese chicken nuggets (meh). We got the lambada roll, which was really good! You get two choice with the bento box, we got salmon and beef teriyaki. The beef was a bit dry but the salmon sashimi was delicious. Service: service was as expected. Place: Two stories so the wait isn't that long! The place is casual, parking is going to be a bit challenging but not too bad. read more

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Wow! First time here at 11am when it opens on Saturday. The take out menu is great, not only with cute fish logo, but clear, color photos of their sushi rolls and other dishes just so amazing variety that my friends and I couldn't decide. My friend frequents this restaurant often and said their fried and cream cheese items are not as good as other places. So we ended up ordering the Hawaiian Roll $11.95, customer favorite #3 the Joy King Sushi Roll baked $10.95, Customer favorite #5 49er's Roll $12.95 and the customer favorite #8 Samurai Roll $11.95. So that's four rolls for 3 people which is more than enough. :-) Very yummy and fresh in our tummies. For me the best flavors were with the Samurai Roll and 49er rolls. The Hawaiian roll I found to be the weakest in mango taste and flavor. The crunch in middle of roll, I didn't like very much. I never had a baked roll before to compare with, but it was very fulfilling, but the flavor was very mild, so it didn't stand out. I was impressed by the wealth of ingredients in each roll and how big the pieces were. I would definitely come back to San Mateo to try other rolls like the Cherry Blossom and Dragon roll. read more

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Shelter In Place gives my family to try different restaurants around us. We've tried this Japanese restaurant few nights ago. I am very surprised how big of a portion they are ! ( I didn't take the pic of the tempura or my hubby's teriyaki chicken coz he's too hungry and finished them before I can take the pic. ) The price was very reasonable and they are very generous on the portion. I had Saba ( fish) and salmon sashimi combo. It also came with tempura in a separate box. Overall, food were delicious and definitely any go wrong with the price. Will order from them again for sure !! Stay safe everyone !! read more

Joy Sushi - Saba fish combo. - Sushi Bars Near Me - San Mateo, California

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I have been coming here for years and it is my favorite sushi restaurant! I love their baked rolls! All the food I've had here has been great! #1 sushi restaurant on the peninsula. read more

Joy Sushi - Samurai roll and poke bowl. - Sushi Bars Near Me - San Mateo, California

I was really craving Japanese food and came here for dinner. Everything I ordered was great. The Spicy Chicken was really good and a nice alternative to regular Teriyaki Chicken. The Crunchy roll was also great. read more

Joy Sushi - Sushi Bars Near Me - San Mateo, California

Thank you San Mateo for doing an amazing job with having outdoor seatings for restaurants in the area! This review is during COVID, so for those reading and debating if they should check this place out, the answer is yes! Especially if you want to fulfill that sushi thirst and "dine in" experience. It was my first time here and once we arrived, we were automatically seated. Servers were nice and polite. Tables were set 6 feet apart. Employees had masks. Overall, customer service was nice! The sushi rolls were huge and pretty filling. I would definitely come back! What we ordered (list is top rating to last) 1. Monster Roll 2. Baked Joy King Roll 3. Dragon Roll 4. First Ave Roll Price is very reasonable for the price and portion. I just started living in the Bay Area as well, so when I say good pricing for the portion, I mean it! I hate paying for overpriced sushi rolls! But anyways, I would come back! read more

Joy is my favorite sushi place! Not only is it great quality, but it is also a lot of food for the price. My favorite roll is the baked lobster roll! read more

Joy Sushi - Sushi Bars Near Me - San Mateo, California

I love coming back to Joy Sushi because of their cheap lunch bento boxes! Location is in downtown San Mateo but there's ample parking in the streets or in the garage. I've never had to wait too long here, max is probably 5 minutes. Very spacious and they have two floors! I always order the two item bento box with salmon sashimi and tempura! It's the perfect amount of food for me, with rice, salad, and miso soup on the side! For dinner time, I would order udon, some rolls, and some sashimi. Either way, I always come back!! read more

Joy sushi has exceptional food, but their service definitely brings down the quality of the restaurant environment. The table next to us never had their drinks empty, someone was constantly attending to them, and my partner and I had to hunt someone down to refill our waters or bring us our food. Although the outdoor dining is busy, it's disheartening when you see service is not good for all paying customers. I will take my money elsewhere. read more

I went last night and did dining in with my friends. Food was good for the quality of fish that you get in downtown San Mateo. There was only two servers which is understandable because it's Covid and they need to limit the amount of workers they can have in their small store. You guys need to mention that you're adding automatic gratuity onto the bill. There was no mentioning of it on the menu or on the receipt saying that "party over X (amount of people) are automatically charged gratuity. It was never mentioned to us by the server or owner/manager(?). I don't mind it, but I ended up adding a tip on top of it. read more

I've been coming here for 15 years. With all the variety of Japanese restaurants in this area, I have a soft spot for this particular one. They offer great service, pricing, portions, flavor and cleanliness. Bento boxes are great portions and many sushi platters to choose from. Great place for a night out with anyone. read more

Disappointed with today's visit. Ordered the 1st Ave roll, and it should've been my last choice. Although it's a favorite on the menu, the tempura shrimp inside the roll was soggy and cold, and the sushi nori was super tough to bite through. I've never experienced anything like that before. I had to take apart my roll so I could eat everything but the seaweed. I'll pass on the place. read more