I'm obsessed with Matsuyama!! This is my main sushi joint for sure. the prices are right, the food is terrific, and my girl Winnie is the bomb. I've been coming here for years and will continue to eat here for as long as I'm alive. The salad dressing is delicious, the soup great, deep fried tofu yum, rice yuuuummmm, california roll yuuuummmmm mmm! I just love Matsuyama. read more

Honestly, I was not very impressed with this place. I called in and ordered a sushi roll to go. After waiting about how long they told me it would be, I drove over to pick it up. Once I went inside, I awkwardly stood in the small entryway (feeling like I was blocking the entrance when people tried to come and go) for several minutes before being helped. Then once someone came and tried to seat me, and I explained what I was there for, they then just walked away and left me standing there even longer. I didn't know if they were still working on my order, or just "had better things to do". While I was there, I had time to look around. It's small (I could basically make eye contact with all the other customers while I stood in the entrance, ha ha), and older, plain and a little run-down looking. The outside also looks kind of dingy, and I didn't like how the parking area was not well-lit. Finally they called me to the back near the kitchen, and gave me my sushi roll. I asked if they had any sauces (at my old sushi place in Santa Rosa I got a type of spicy mayo), but all they had were packets of soy sauce and a little packet of one other spicy thing. No other options. So I left, ate my sushi roll, and decided that next time I want sushi, I will try a different place. Maybe if I ate there, rather than getting food to go, I would have a different opinion. I see this place has gotten a lot of good reviews, so I'm sure they have some really great food, etc. But considering there are a lot of options out there, if I'm not impressed the first time, why go back. read more

The best Japanese restaurant in the world including Japan. Shrimp Tempura is the best tempura ever. Sashimi so fresh and Service is top notch. read more

I do not really eat a lot of sushi so I am not really a great judge of Japanese restaurants. We had cooked items the other night here and everything was pretty good. As LW points out, the main waiter was a little out of place and the service in general was confused. I was thinking to myself, "Listen I wish I spoke Japanese, but I am really not understanding what you are trying to indicate?" But Marla is right that the place is a good value. We ordered the safe stuff and I am not offended by imitation crab as LW is. The interior is pretty nice, except I honestly feel uncomfortable in a Japanese restaurant without a sushi bar, even though I rather not sit at one. I guess I take the whole "see"-food thing rather literally. Based on what we had, they deserve their three stars, but we will not hurry back. read more

They way they run their program as far as bringing the food to the table is pretty flawed. Ordered 5 different sushi rolls and they brought them out separately, with 20 minutes in between each dish. Pretty annoyed by that. Food wasn't bad though. read more

I've have been going here for over ten years . It has only started to get worse and worse in the last two years . John I hope you wake up and smell the sushi soon or your Shop will go down like your food and service... read more

Matsuyama is so so good! The food quality was amazing, and the selection on the menu has something for everyone - sushi lover or not. Our waitress was really pleasant and attentive. My husband who is not into petite portions was quite happy with the quantity he was served. Matsuyama is our new favorite Japanese restaurant!! read more

The restaurant was outdated with sticky tables. The food was not very good. It lacked flavor, freshness and complexity.

I like this place a lot. The food is good every time im here and the pricing fits my budget. Get everything. It's all delicious. read more

This is my favorite restraunt in town, I've been dining here since I was a kid. They have great food for great prices, and amazing customer service. The staff is always upbeat and friendly, and aren't afraid to joke around or make suggestions. During my last visit the servers were dealing with a particularly entitled group of teenagers, and the staff handled them with more patience and grace than I ever could muster. I love the laid back environment, and I will continue to bring friends and family here to enjoy some good Japanese food. read more

Always provide great service and good food! Love they're dinner combos and donburi. Last time I went there they were dealing with highly entitled white bitches and they dealt with them amazingly! Highly recommend! read more

Best combo boxes, tempora, miso, salad dressing, teriyaki around! Not best for sushi. Great service and price.

I was having a craving for tempura, so we got some take out from Matsuyama. The tempura was delicious, it stayed nice and crisp even after being carries home. The Ton Katsu (I got the combo) was a little on the dry side, but the sauce made up for that. The combo came with a salad and miso soup, very traditional Japanese style for both of them, very enjoyable. With so little Japanese food in Novato, it's nice to find there is at least one good place to get my fix. read more

We've been going to Matsuyama for years. It has a pleasant atmosphere, the food is consistent and tasty, and the service is good. It's got a "mom and pop" feel to the whole experience. It's not upscale dining, but that's not usually what we want. We want a decent dinner place for a relaxing meal before a movie. Their three-item combo, with soup and salad, is our regular choice. The mixed tempura, California roll, and gyoza are some of our favorites. We've never ventured too far into the sushi menu, nor do we eat a lot of Japanese food, so I can't address the finer points of comparing it to other restaurants, but considering that we discovered it by chance, and have been coming back regularly for years, this earns five stars for what it is: An unassuming dependable, small, yummy, simple, Japanese restaurant. read more

This is my go to for when I want an awesome meal for a great price! The staff are always really helpful and nice. I have been coming here for as long as they have been opened and I've never left dissapointed! read more

Great service, food and fair pricing. I typically prefer to have sushi in the City, but Matsuyama was not at all a disappointment. Sometimes, one can get sashimi that has that "fishy" taste, but every type of sashimi and sushi I had here tasted very fresh. Their staff is very accommodating and right on point when bringing your sake and beer! You've GOTTA love that! read more

I have been a customer since the original restaurant was in San Marin shopping center. My wife and I eat here usually once a week and love the sushi. It is fresh, tasty and reasonably priced. Also if you like greasy fried stuff, try the garlic chicken...yum! The staff is nice, the locale is quaint...what more could you want in Novato? read more

The sukiyaki and the ramen are good. I recommend this place to anyone wanting good Japanese food.

once my favorite now I dont even bother. too busy to serve customers or answer the phone timely. time to hire someone else, you are losing customers read more

I always take three things in mind on my rating: quality of food, quantity and price. With this in mind, I give Matsuyama a 5 stars. The quality of food is good. The quantity of food is fair. The price is very reasonable. For a typical lunch, you cant beat it. The service is fast and friendly. My favorite is the beef teriyaki. It is a breakfast sized New York steak cooked to your order. It is very good at $10. It is much better than Taki. There is a very good Japanese restaurant up in Rohnert Park which has one of the best teriyaki steak I ever tasted. But is costs $25 for lunch. So need to take all three things into account to give a rating. I cant afford to pay $25 for a typical lunch, nor want to.. read more

I called at 5 pm tonight and asked for a to go order which included a combination sushi dinner. I had previously asked for tice, salad, and miso . The lady pointed out that the combination came with that. I said then skip the extra salad and miso. I asked for two tuna sushi pieces and 2 shrimp tempuras. My husband picked it up and didn't check the order. We received 2 sakads, 2 miss and terriaki shrimp. I just had surgery recently and can't leave my hiuse. He's picked up 3 different to go orders which were incorrect t at 3 different restaurants. This is disappointing. I didn't eat for 10 days. I am going to make them repeat the order back to me and my husband is going to check everything before he p ays. read more

Went to this place Friday night. It was TERRIBLE. I would not suggest this place to my worst enemy. The service was bad, the sushi was even worse. Cheaper than some places, but someplace like Sushi Ran or Sushi to Dai For is much better and similar price. Don't suggest it at all. read more

My bf and I decided we wanted some type of Chinese/ Japanese food since our favorite Chinese restaurant is still closed. We stopped in, it was relativity busy we were seated. My bf and I have not eatin all day and we were hungry, so we ordered quite a few items. Now I'm not a skinny women, I do have some weight on me. Now if I could I would of rated them a 0 but I can't and the food is good, but the women who took the order from us made a comment about how much food we were ordering and the way it was said it was a response like oh your ordering a lot of food cause I was "Fat" this made my dinner sour! No one should complain about how much food you order, hell your getting bussiness and more money! Don't know if I will go back read more

Been a regular here since I was ten and at the original location in San Marin plaza... One of the few places you can trust if ya like your fish/ seafood raw.... read more

We go here for work alot (not because I want to). Bento box is nasty. I love sushi, but this place is a sorry excuse for sushi. Steer clear, or at least make sure it is fried and dead. read more

Really good food wonderful service defiantly coming back:-)the waiter is very personable remembers your last visit great employee .

When this place was in the San Marin shopping center, my friends and I went there all the time. The sushi was great back then. What the hell happened? The sushi is AWFUL now. I suspect they may not have a sushi chef anymore - just a cook in the kitchen. Anyway, that being said, the cooked dishes are still very good and reasonably priced. My favorite is the Sabayaki, you don't see it on many menus outsides of San Francisco, but its delicious. Its a piece of brined mackerel broiled, if you're into seriously fishy fish, this is a winner. Mackerel has 3x the omega 3's of salmon, so give it a try sometime. read more

Everything was pretty good, but not particularly memorable. It's nice that they're open when other sushi places are not, so I'll come here if I'm craving sushi and don't have another option close by. Everything seems quite clean and the wait staff is lovely. It's not my favorite place in Novato, but it's definitely worth a try. read more

Matsuyama's incredible prices and good food made it the lunchtime restaurant of choice for my coworkers who wanted Japanese food. I expected a Japanese restaurant to have good sushi, but I guess that isn't Matsuyama's specialty. I'm probably missing out by not trying the core foods that they specialize in, but I usually order the tuna sashimi and a California roll anyway. It's only decent (and the fish's freshness is questionable sometimes) but for the price, it's hard to beat. The non-sushi items I have tried are much better. We often split a hamachi kama appetizer (grilled yellowfin collar) at lunch, and it is delicious. read more

Awesome. I come here on my birthday and breakup dinners

I've loved this place since high school. The sundrop roll is consistently made & amazingggggggggg. The lunch/dinner combos are great too. I like the avocado rolls & mixed tempura when I go that route. Give it a try! read more

Used to really love the place. The food was good & reasonable. But the service is the worst I have ever experienced. Twice now we have gone in for dinner & they have forgotten to put my order in & I have sat there over an hour & not been served, while others at the table have have their food served. I did a take-out order & arrived at the time they indicated & the food was not ready...I waited another 45 minutes before it was prepared...1 hour & 45 minutes is unacceptable!!! Tonight, same thing...waited over an hour...my dinner companion got their food while I sat there & waited over an hour...no apologies & never did get my food. By the time we left everything else in town was closing...so, no dinner for me! We will not be going back & I urge anyone else to reconsider eating here! read more

A favorite for simple, always fresh and tasty meal. Great service. Not pricey. A great place for consistent experience.

Matsuyama is slightly above average in their entrees and average in their sushi (of which comes in small-ish portions). I like the variety in their menu though: they have ramen, udon, and soba, in addition to the mainstays. read more

Great food, great service, and fair prices! Best sushi in Novato. Try the tempura veggies !!

Best Japanese food in Novato, hands down. It's actually comparable to my hometown area in San Mateo where you can trip and fall into an awesome Japanese restaurant. Everyone who works in the restaurant is extremely friendly and the Sukiyaki is some of the best I have had. We tried various types of sushi, unagi-don, some appetizers, miso, salad, tempura, and the sukiyaki. Everything was great! Definitely going back. They blow Taki out of the water. I should also mention ALL OF THIS FOOD only cost us $53. read more

Very disappointed, the tamago was at the edge of being rott,en , with the price, should have at least fresh egg roll (tamago). We had 2 dinner box , food is good portion but the sushi rice is so hard and cold , it didn't taste like sushi rice at allall. The rainbow roll and the chirashi are pretty rough made , with not so freah raw fish on top. We also ordered a tampura udon , which the broth is pretty sour (so weird) . Regardless the food , the restaurant is ok and the servers are very friendly. I don't think we will come back again , cause with the price and food quality we could find somewhere else so much better. read more

If there is a better Japanese restaurant than this, it's in Japan!! Beautiful atmosphere, wonderful, friendly, knowledgeable servers, extensive menu with pictures, fresh, fresh fish for the BEST sushi and sashimi. Great prices and I'm going back tomorrow! My new #1 favorite! read more

We frequent Matsuyama, and it's a fantastic place to eat from the friendly staff to the solid ambiance and music, and most importantly, the fantastic food! Pick up a big bowl of ramen or udon, try the great sushi, and take advantage of their awesome bento boxes! read more

Fiancée and I got a to go order yesterday to eat as a picnic lunch. The fish was delicious and fresh. The order took very little time at all! We have lived down the street for a few months now and have been planning on going here we just never had the time, we will definitely be back. read more