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    Kobeya

    3.8 (591 reviews)
    Open 11:30 am - 2:00 pm, 5:00 PM - 8:00 PM
    Updated over 3 months ago

    Kobeya Photos

    Business Info

    KOBEYA ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Moderate noise
    Good for groups
    Good for kids

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    Recommended Reviews - Kobeya

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    Outside with menu specials!
    Harry W.

    TLDR: Great Curry, Tonkatsu and surprisingly good ramen in this little storefront! Seems operated by real Japanese folks, so that's a big plus for authenticity! Friendly service, casual old-school 1980s vibe to me.. While there are popular eateries across the street, tucked away on this little side road of 25th Avenue in San Mateo is a hidden gem in plain sight - Kobeya Bento Box. Standing out in front this unassuming storefront is a big menu previewing the various Japanese entrees offered within. They proclaim that they make their Japanese style Curry from scratch with just natural ingredients, without MSG or additives or commercial mixes. Well, shoot.. since we love Japanese Curry, we had to give this a shot. We chose: Agedashi Tofu: lightly fried fresh and on point 4.5/5 Tonkatsu Curry Rice 4.9/5 Huge slab of Tonkatsu! Beautiful lacy crust, tender and moist inside. As stated earlier, they make their own curry here from scratch, not from premade mixes. The curry was perfect to my palate. It's just a tiny step or so spicier than mild and definitely on point for a Japanese style curry. We ordered the double portion of Tonkatsu which was way too much food, but great for leftovers! OK.. single portion next time! The Tonkatsu crust was pretty lacy and complex in texture, and the meat inside still moist. Tonkotsu Ramen (4/5) - I wasn't expecting too much given that this isn't a specialty Ramen house, but was pleasantly surprised at the depth of flavor in the broth, good noodles and two small, but THICK cubes of tender almost-fall-apart Marinated Pork belly to set the tone. Not really my kind of marinated pork, but it was still good. I enjoyed the broth and ramen the most with this one. Egg with medium runny yolk too. Curry Udon Bowl - I sampled this from my compatriots, and felt it was pretty good too. I definitely would like to get back here and try out more of their menu. as the bentos have me curious, but the curry dishes are especially worth coming back for.

    Jack R.

    Mom and pop type Japanese restaurant on a side street kind of hidden. 3.5 stars. Easy and quick spot to get curry and sushi. Not real crab for the California roll. I got the eel roll and thought it was okay. The chicken I had was just okay. Major props for being hot though. Didn't like how I couldn't refill my own water but they expect you to pay first and serve yourself but then give you plates and try to serve you and want tips? Kind of confused between what you want us to do. We did tip 15% even though we had to ask for water and got kind of a weird look when we asked for things like water, napkins, or anything else that they keep behind the counter. Beef teriyaki was just okay. Mac said was very plain and so was their salad that my friend didn't want to eat. Gyoza tastes like Costco bulk brand. Nothing really outstanding here, but also not a pass either.

    Mini karaage bowl
    Jillian C.

    Hidden little gem on 25th Ave in San Mateo. Order at the counter and they'll bring your food to your table. The staff was polite and friendly. Everything came out pretty quick. Portion size is good for the price. The inside isn't the biggest but it also doesn't get very busy all at once. Seats maybe 20 people? They've got some cool back to the future posters & decor. Parking can be difficult so plan ahead especially if you're hungry.

    Inside
    R T.

    Family owned small business. The chicken katsu curry was so good! And they take Apple Pay! 5 stars!

    outside
    Amy Y.

    Here I am almost 9 years later to give a review update. Much of my older review still stands - Kobeya reminds me of a simple wholesome meal I'd get from a family member. As with inflation, prices have risen, but they still are the cheapest compared to pretty much every other Japanese place. If I lived closer, I can imagine going here almost every day. We like their bentos and curry. I love that they shred their own veggies for the salad, and the dressing tastes like homemade ginger sesame - it's very fresh. The curry still has a vegetal, carrot essence, but I enjoy it more now since my palate has expanded, and they give a fair amount of meat for your curry. I'd say it's good to just get what you want to eat here (other than ramen since they obviously don't make any of those ingredients in-house). I really like the chicken nanban, as it comes in a delicious ponzu-like sauce with a hearty dollop of a homemade egg mayonnaise tartar-like mixture. I love the micro scoops of mac salad and japchae with the bento meal as well. I think people typically order takeout from here, but most orders will likely take a while since they start cooking when you order. I heard them start up their fryer just for our meals, and smelled the frying aroma the entire time while random anime songs played during our wait. They also don't use MSG! They are a real hidden neighborhood gem, and I do hope they receive more business because they put more care into cooking their food versus competing Japanese restaurants. It's just a little annoying to find parking sometimes, so try to get someone to drive you while you pick up your food.

    Fried panko oysters app
    Erika C.

    Had dinner here. Seating is limited but tables seem to turn quickly; there were two staff when we went. I think the rolls are great for the price, they had a good filling to rice ratio. Rice was a tad sweet but this is a casual joint. The fried appetizers were good - small fried oysters and tempura. The main dishes were underwhelming. The nanban was a bit soggy, the tonkatsu was under seasoned, and the curry didn't have a depth of flavor. I would rather try elsewhere or pay more elsewhere for these. Overall, I might come back for fast takeout of rolls and appetizers. I like the homey vibe.

    Spicy Tuna Roll
    Auggie L.

    Went for Dinner Food - 1/5. Spicy tuna roll was umami with good flavor on the tuna. It was elevated by the scallions, little bits of spice, and well seasoned rice. Tonkatsu curry was lackluster. Curry itself lacked any depth of flavor, being one note with a severe lack of umami. It had a watery consistency that lacked mouthfeel resulting in it poorly coating other items. Tonkatsu lacked crispiness on the batter with an uneven, light brown color. It was flabby, barely sticking to the meat. Meat was overcooked and tough with a thinness resulting in a lackluster bite. The shrimp tempura was pathetic with an oily batter and mushy shrimp. I am convinced that they did not even fry it, just baked a frozen shrimp tempura until it was warm. That would explain the terrible batter on the tonkatsu as well. Service - 3/5. Ordering was fine but they disappeared after food was served and had to be called for service. Value - 1/5. Spicy tuna roll was $8, which is on the higher side for a regular roll. Japanese curry was $13.50 and the shrimp tempura topping was $3. These prices would be fair, if not for the poor quality of the food. It truly felt like they were being completely lazy with cooking for my order, as the other pictures posted look way better than what I received. Really disappointing. Parking - Street (Free)

    Grilled Salmon Plate
    Cheryl L.

    Pretty reasonable bento boxes in the Peninsula! I ordered the Salmon Teriyaki for $11.25. My friend ordered Beef Teriyaki for the same price. The Salmon was perfectly grilled and tasted yummy. If you are in a hurry, this place isn't for you. There are signs everywhere announcing that service will be slower due to lack of staffing. In fact, there was only 1 staff taking orders and cooking! Although our food took 15 min which was pretty fast for only having 1 staff member. Another thing which could have been a "me" thing is I got a huge migraine while eating here. I usually get one when I eat sulfates (dried fruit or wine) so I'm not sure if there was any in the food? Hard to say but ask if you have food sensitivities. I would recommend this place for people who have time to eat a leisurely lunch.

    David K.

    3.5 stars Kobeya is a small, casual restaurant offering a menu of simple Japanese dishes including bentos, curries, sushi rolls, and ramen. To start, the Philly Roll was a basic maki roll made of raw salmon and cream cheese wrapped in a layer of sushi rice and nori. My pick from the rice dishes was the Tonkatsu Curry, which came with brown rice topped with a crispy panko-breaded pork cutlet, along with sides of salad, fukushinzuke red pickles, and a mild, sweet Japanese curry sauce. The highlight was the tonkatsu, which was perfectly breaded and fried and paired nicely with the curry sauce, which was tasty though on the watery side. I also added chopped spinach to the curry, and the red pickles added a nice crunch and acidity to balance out the flavors. Overall, the food here was beautifully presented and came at a good value, though the flavors and the service were just average. The ambiance was simple but nicely decorated with Japanese posters/memorabilia and a TV playing scenes from Japan!

    Dragon roll

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    7 months ago

    It's a real Japanese local restaurant. Their curry is really good and tasty. I will definitely go again.

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    7 months ago

    Cozy mom and pop. I like the curry roux and the gyukatsu is pretty unique in this area

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    1 year ago

    My most favorite Japanese restaurant! Hard to find a Japanese restaurant owned by Japanese. We order today almost every week here!

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    Page 1 of 15

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    Ask the Community - Kobeya

    Can the vegetable curry or other vegetarian options be made with no onion and no garlic?

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    Kajiken

    4.4(1.4k reviews)
    1.8 mi
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    Kajiken hits the spot between comfort and pure gluttony! I typically do not love noodle places, but…read morethis is on another level. I have been to Kajiken twice now, and it has been absolutely delicious each time. It is located in downtown San Mateo, so it does not have its own dedicated parking lot. If you come on the weekend, it can be harder to find parking, and the likelihood of a wait is high. When it gets busy, there is a section outside for you to line up. The servers typically come out to the folks closest to the front of the line and hand them menus so they can decide what they want before being seated. When it is not as busy, you can walk in directly and request a table. The shop itself actually has a lot of seating, but there is always an influx of people, so it fills up quickly. The interior gives off a nice modern Japanese chic vibe. :) They also offer outdoor patio seating, which is great if you are trying to enjoy a nice day outside. I have tried both their Wagyu Roast Beef Aburasoba and their Soboro Aburasoba. The roast beef is tender and adds a nice chew against the silky noodles, while the soboro chicken is juicy and coats your mouth with a savory soy flavor. Additionally, I've had their karaage on both occasions I visited, and it was succulent! I love how the juice from the chicken balances with the generous amount of grated ginger and green onion. This place is definitely worth a try! If you can go on a weekday before the dinner rush from people getting off their 9-5 jobs, that would probably be the optimal time frame. I came here on a Wednesday around 6:15 PM, and it was not too bad until around 7 PM when it started getting busy.

    I was in San Mateo, and I was hungry. I checked Yelp and Google, and there were so many places to…read morechoose from, I didn't know what to pick. I checked Michelin, and it help me narrow it down to Kajiken. As I walked to Kajiken, I knew I was getting close because it was the only place that had a line-up outside. There were probably 12-14 people waiting, and I wondering if I should find another place because I didn't want to wait. Fortunately, as a single diner, they sat me right away. I ended up ordering the Original Aburasoba and it came in about 5 minutes. It was good. Great texture, good flavours, and a reasonable serving size. Service was fine but minimal. Dining area is typical of modern ramen places. Overall, a nice quick meal. Maybe closer to a 3.5 or 3.75 as it was good, but I was also very hungry. I would consider returning.

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    Ramen Parlor

    Ramen Parlor

    3.8(2.1k reviews)
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    Been going to this place for years. Always a solid place for ramen even among the explosion of…read moreother ramen spots in the Bay Area. Staff is the same and always super nice and food was out quickly. Got the lobster garlic pork ramen and the broth was rich and flavorful. Noodles had a nice bounce and chew. Quail eggs are a nice change. Chicken karaage was nice and crunchy but lacked flavor even with the sauce. However, good portion size with six large pieces. Overall: 3.9/5

    Ramen Parlor's parking lot is a bit limited but there's plenty of street parking. Their service was…read morequick and the staff members were extremely polite and kind. It's a great place for families, date nights or just a hang out! What was ordered: + chicken karaage - fried well as it was very crispy and hot when it arrived at our table. I enjoyed the texture of the chicken but was a little put off by the sauce on the bottom, which made parts of the chicken soggy. + takoyaki - the flavor is perfect for me but I felt it wasn't crispy enough on the outside and had a bit too much sauce on top. I'd still order this again but would probably ask for less sauce next time. + spicy crab miso ramen - highly recommend this dish! You get the option of how spicy you want your broth (I went with mild) and it was perfect for me. It had a kick of spiciness but the broth was rich and creamy with some garlic flavors. The broth stayed hot throughout my meal and the noodles were cooked perfectly.

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    Ramen Parlor - Chicken Karaage

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    Hanabi Ramen & Japanese Curry

    Hanabi Ramen & Japanese Curry

    4.2(1k reviews)
    3.6 mi
    $$

    We've been to Hanabi many times, when they were a fledging ramen place we'd go there because…read moregrowing son (now in mid 20s) just loved the slurp and after baseball was the perfect meal. Fast forward, it's Mom's Day, kids having meals on their own as parents, our celebration is to go somewhere good to have a meal, no lines (didn't make a res), kinda spontaneous. Hanabi fits the bill. Ordered the pork belly ramen ( looked really good at a neighboring table) and the Mayu-ramen, spicy, with kfc chicken (not what you think, means something else), both with a miso base. Wait was reasonable, time to get a table was 30 seconds tops. Other nights it's been jammed but not Mom's Day, just quiet, enjoyable. Both meals were spectacularly reasonable, serving what you'd want, with enough of everything to want to dive in because you were pretty assured you were going to be satisfied. Not fru-fru or bougie, ingredients that make the dish memorable yet feel you are knowledgeable and appreciated. Pork belly was soft, fatty yet lean, cooked well enough to be tender, yet with a little chew (not disintegrating like some bellies), lots of noodles al dente so you appreciate the noodle was not a mushy mass in the bowl like some places. The Mayu came with 3 drumsticks burning hot from the fryer but oh so good because it's served in a separate dish so it doesn't get soggy. The spicy is good enough to keep things interesting with losing its identity (unlike a lot of places). And they give plenty of ramen because it's that good. We keep coming back because they serve no-frills, you-can-bank-on-it ramen that is satisfying, consistent; staff is friendly without being overbearing. It's not a big place, tables and a counter, but they know how to keep diners happy and coming back for more. What more can you ask for? Thanks, Hanabi, will definitely be back!

    The lunch sets are are the bomb! Our family has been here several times and we always leave stuffed…read moreand satisfied. I normally order the lunch set with miso ramen. The miso here is like no other I have had anywhere else, deeply rich and flavorful. Very family friendly as well, with mini dons available for the little ones.

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