This place has the best udon I have ever had. It was extremely filling and satisfying, and had both amazing texture and taste. The tempura has incredible variety as well, as the dish came with both tempura shrimp and vegetables. The staff was extremely kind, and I definitely would recommend this place to anyone. read more

Matsuyama - Tempura Udon - Japanese Near Me - Novato, California

My new favorite restaurant. I have taken several friends there lately and everyone has loved it. Not only is the food excellent so is the service! read more

Service is not what is used to be. Prices way higher and food not quite as good as before business was sold

This charming little Novato restaurant offers quaint ambiance, freshly prepared Japanese cuisine, & outstanding service, including Dewey, one of the finest servers in the Bay Area, all at a very reasonable price. My family and I have been dining here for over twenty years now, dating back to the days at the location in the Apple Market plaza near San Marin. In particular I enjoy their mixed tempura, sashimi, and sukyaki. Would highly recommend to anyone & very family friendly; I began dining here at age four. read more

My Points Index {100}: Authenticity 40% Food 30% Service 10% Price 10% Ambient 5% Cleanliness 5% Authenticity 2/5 Food 2/5 Service 2.5/5 Price 2.5/5 Ambient 3/5 Cleanliness 2.5/5 44 points Remark: Buffet grade. read more

I absolutely love this place !! The food is lovely and so very delicious!! I order my food togo. They packed up the food so well, I made it home with no spillage. The service is great!! Very helpful and friendly!! I know I will turn again.!! No disappointment here! read more

Great food and great service! Highly recommend giving this restaurant a try ! I had the bento box meal with teriyaki beef , chicken along with mixed tamporra . Everything was excellent and tasted amazing! read more

I went with 3 other people. We got the lunch time bento for $10 (2 Items) and the sashimi lunch plate. Great value! Salmon sashimi is amazing and fresh. It's not the hip, sleek, sushi bar kids like me go to but I was very impressed with the fish and the service was SUPERB. I was expecting way less but don't judge a book by its cover. We had a small Asian woman (older) serve us and she was amazing. Definitely will return! Great neighborhood joint! read more

See all

The people who work here are not Japanese. That being said, as a guy who has lived in Japan, it's very authentic. Like a typical mom and pop place in a small town. Most of the usual suspects on the menu. Sadly no katsu curry or curry rice, though they do have tonkatsu. Great for a nice quiet lunch. read more

I use to love Matsuyama but even before the new ownership (which took place in October 2022) the food has progressively gone downhill. I understand that prices need to increase because of inflation etc, but to pay higher prices for MUCH less food is bad business. My first experience with the new ownership resulted in completely wrong to go order. I had already driven home and wasn't going to go back. But mistakes happen... I decided to try them again. The online prices was $4.00 less than what they charged me when I went to pick it up. They told me that the " prices went up 10 days ago." There were no takeout menus available to confirm their prices. The food wasn't good either. My salmon teriyaki was 2 inches by 2 inches max. No salad dressing, lumpy white rice and greasy vegetable tempura. Never going back again! read more

We stumbled upon this restaurant while walking around downtown Novato and veered off along a side street. The quality of the food was quite good, the prices reasonable, the wait staff were friendly and accommodating. Would return if I am back in the area. read more

It's a pretty small place off away from downtown so it's pretty quiet. We usually go to Taki in Pacheco Plaza, but they were closed so decided to give this place a shot. The (mixed) sashimi appetizer is great! Big slices & great quality. You know sashimi is good when you don't need much soy sauce or wasabi. The dragon roll is awesome! The roll is only 5-6 big pieces for $10 ish. My 3yr old LOVED it! Who doesn't love a good dragon roll?!!! We also got the appetizer crispy egg rolls whatever they're called. Not your average egg roll. I think there was a bit of potato inside it as well as veggies. In any case, they were AMAZING and perfectly fried! Not overly greasy! Great food, but service was definitely lacking! First, they missed part of our order leaving my mom to wait for her food til I was almost done. Second, they filled our tiny cups so much that water spilled quite a bit. Doesn't help that the table was a bit wobbly too. Would I come again? Sure. I would just make certain to have our waitress repeat our order. Oh and the rolls are smaller than Taki, but also cheaper... But very similar quality. In all honesty, at this point I cannot say which has better food. Taki definitely wins for service & experience (including ambiance). read more

Our family has loved Matsuyama since their first location in San Marin. This family business is the best Japanese food in Novato. The staff is so thoughtful and friendly, even with takeout orders. We frequently get the bento meals, but also love the udon soup. read more

Always love this place. It's a family owned business they care about food quality. Worth the business. Best sushi in Novato.

I'm happy I rediscovered this wonder restaurant. I used to go to them a lot when they were over in San Marin Plaza. I don't know when or why they fell out of my rotation. Locally owned by gracious hosts, excellent food at reasonable prices, with quick and pleasant service. I'm a big fan of the bento box specials. You create your own 1-2-3 item combo from a large list of items. Plus it includes both soup and salad. Unlike most Japanese restaurants, you can build your own bento box for dinner too, and it's only slightly more expensive. All the teriyaki items are really good. The tempura is light and flaky. And you can never go wrong with the California role. read more

Very long-time Matsuyama customer -- it was almost a weekly destination. We loved the food and the people. After the recent renovation -- disaster. Our favorite servers are gone, the prices are much higher, and the sashimi portions are so tiny it's a joke! Miniature sashimi, at a 70% higher price than the former healthy serving. No, that won't do at all. Matsuyama lost a customer for good. read more

It's really great when you can return to a food establishment and the FOOD IS STILL GREAT !!! The boats are the best deal around; be sure to bring your appetite. What you may not know is that the onion rings are the BEST around (and I don't particularly care for onions). They are battered fried in Tempura batter and when you bite them, the onion stays intact and does not come apart from the batter - really amazing ! read more

My boyfriend, my son, and I came here a couple of evenings ago for dinner. Normally we go to another sushi spot but we were in the area, so we checked out the yelp reviews and decided to give it a try. Based on the restaurant's look outside, I can't say it was inviting. It's a small building that looks kind of rundown and unkept. Inside was nicer, though. Small, but pleasant. The background music was nice and soft, so table conversation was easy, as well as ordering with our waiter. It was neat and wasn't crowded. The service was good, in my opinion. We were greeted right away after walking through the front door, our drink orders were taken shortly after being seated, and we were continuously checked on. Our waiter was very professional and pleasant to talk to. He had an easiness about it that we really liked. The girl who brought us our water was kind if quiet but polite and attentive. Our food came out quickly, too. As far as the quality of the food, I would say it was ok. My son and I both got chicken teriyaki plates with the mixed tempura, and my boyfriend got some kind of soup (I forget which one). He says it was pretty good though. The dinner plates were pretty good, also. Chicken was good, teriyaki sauce was good. The beat thing was probably the tempura. I liked that the batter was light and didn't taste of heavy grease. Other than that, everything was pretty much like any other Japanese restaurant. We didn't try the sushi though, and to be honest, it's because of the reviews we read on yelp. Too many people agreed that the sushi wasn't the best and for my boyfriend and I, if we're gonna spend money on sushi, we like for it to be great, not mediocre. All that being said, I wouldn't mind coming here again if I was craving chicken teriyaki and rice. I think I'll stick to my normal spots for sushi, though. read more

Matsuyama - Two item dinner box with chicken teriyaki and mixed tempura. - Japanese Near Me - Novato, California

Time for another round of Friday Fishies! I checked this place out today. The prices on the menu are what lured me. It is so hard to find good sushi that doesn't capsize your wallet. What really made me take the bait was the lunch Bento Combinations. For $11.50 I was able to choose two items from a list that were accompanied by rice and salad. I chose Hamachi Makki and Mixed Tempura (which is vegetables and shrimp mixed). And since I am a hungry caterpillar I also ordered a spicy tuna roll ($5.95)! The fish was super fresh and delicious. The tempura was crispy and did not get soggy on the way home (which is really exceptional considering I got lost going home and ended up on a suuuuuper long detour). The real stunner amazingly is the salad dressing! It was a funny yellow color so I was not expecting the burst of garlic flavor that exploded from the leaves it was resting upon. That dressing is what has got me hooked! Overall great prices (less than $20 for a full belly), great job at following Covid guidelines and the nice older woman has a great sense of humor too! read more

We love this little Japanese Restaurant! The food is delicious . It's super clean and well spaced out to feel safe from others. I really like the Bento boxes for lunch menu. I had the teriyaki beef and the fried garlic chicken . It comes with soup and a salad with this very tasty dressing . The servings are good and the prices are very good value. So glad they are opened again. read more

Visited this place for the first time today. Not overly impressed. Will try out next time and update the rating. Tried the bento box combo, it's not bad. Maki rolls area bit tiny though. My friend had tuna sashimi, pretty big slices Impressed. Will try it next time. Their salad dressing was petty nice. Price is decent. Bentobox combo, 2 items $7.95 and 3 items for $9.95. Sounds like they were even cheaper. read more

Matsuyama - Salad at lunch - Japanese Near Me - Novato, California

See all

This restaurant is our favorite for Japanese food. Always delicious and the gentleman behind the counter is always very helpful and friendly. The food is always wonderful! Thank you Matsuyama for serving up all the deliciousness!! read more

I have loved this spot for years and now it's been remodelled in such a cute way. Sushi remains fresh and yummy and now Udon, ramen bowls, new entree choices make it even better! Go try read more

From Hawai'i, we were very excited to see a Japanese restaurant in Novato. We got the deep fried oyster appetizer which was very good. We also got the tempura udon and katsu donburi which were both just okay. Most of the tempura was good except the broccoli's batter was still uncooked. I didn't care for the tempura sauce, there's some ginger in it I believe, so not what I'm used to. The sauce for the donburi was gingery as well. I'm glad there's a Japanese restaurant close by, but I'd probably travel the extra 15 minutes to San Rafael. read more

Matsuyama - Japanese Near Me - Novato, California

See all

We recently moved to Novato from southern Marin and were lucky to find Matsuyama. This place really is a hidden gem - simple, well made, Japanese food. We get the 3 item combination plate, which is great because you get a nice mix of different items. My wife is from Tokyo and has been looking for good Japanese food nearby for some time - Matsuyama is now our go to. Staff there is friendly, food is great, and VERY reasonably priced for Japanese food in the Bay Area. read more

Great little japanese place in novato. A great place for lunch!!! It's a little dated inside and the carpet sometimes looks like it's seen better days, but the service is great and food is not bad at all! read more

I've always thought that getting Japanese food To Go was kind of a strange concept; it is usually an expensive cuisine, presented in lots of small dishes and bite sized portions, and so much of what is wonderful about it is the presentation on the plate. Not exactly the kind of food you want to pay a lot for only to see it stuffed into Styrofoam boxes. That being said, we usually get food To Go from Matsuyama at least once at week. As other reviewers have noted, their food is "homestyle" Japanese - what my father affectionately calls "peasant Japanese"- and this style of food and the reasonable prices perfectly lend themselves to carry out. Their food isn't fancy, and this isn't the place I'd go if I really wanted top notch sushi, instead, they do a good job with the basics: ramen, udon, soba, teriyaki, and tempura. This isn't going to be the best bowl of ramen of your life, but it's yummy and satisfying and the price is right. The sushi is actually perfectly tasty, it's just not on the level of the more serious and expensive sushi places in the city. We love the yam tempura appetizer (finally, the best part of vegetable tempura offered as it's own dish), wakame (seaweed) salad, niku (beef) udon, beef teriyaki, and the sukiyaki. They offer some nice bento boxes and combination "boat" dinners for reasonable prices and have large portions. They have a wider selection of menu items than many Japanese restaurants, with lots of appetizers, entrees, and side dishes. The interior of the restaurant (a remodeled 1970's KFC) is clean and decorated with lanterns and other Japanese decor, and the service is prompt and pleasant. While they sometimes have an off night, they deserve four stars due to the reasonable prices and good solid food. Matsuyama is one of those reliable neighborhood restaurants that you are glad to have around, and are happy to pick up food from when you want to vegetate at home and still eat a comforting bowl of sukiyaki. read more

Now usually I frequent Taki or Sushiholic but I was in the mood to try somewhere different tonight. I love Dai, great man and great sushi but my wallet is a little light right now so decided to try Matsuyama. I almost always go with the Yelp Reviews and the reviews were mostly positive. I ordered take out and drove to pick it up. Now the food comes out and it's huge but me I am thinking they put each roll in it's own container. There was a Large soup, and since we ordered two I didn't think to check it. We get home and it's all wrong. Good spread but didn't want teriyaki chicken and salmon I wanted sushi and so I call and go back to pick up my "right" order but noooooo it's not ready. We wait and while we are waiting she accuses us of taking a container. WOW! We get our food and go to the car only to notice our soups missing. My girlfriend goes back in and comes out with one soup when we had ordered two. By now I am PISSED off. So I decide no more, I will just be thankful for what I have and not return again. YOU THINK THAT'S THE END?? I asked for a Sunny Roll with real crab. I got a Sunny Roll and Fried Snow Crab. the miso soup was "me so pissed". NASTY! I judge a sushi joint by the Oshinko Maki. If the chef skimps, serves subpar oshinko or subpar rice then any sushi they serve would be of low quality. I got all three. The rice had a hint of fish smell and taste and there were three thin slices of crappy oshinko. If you want quality sushi at reasonable prices and you are in Novato, go to Taki or Sushiholic...... my stomach hurts...... no for real my stomach is aching right now. read more

When I was in high school and I made minimum wage, I saved up for this place. While it changed over the years, I find the minor imperfections endearing. Service is short and sweet, which is what I like. I like that they are straight to business but still courteous. If you have an issues with understanding the menu options, they are very patient and quick to inform you. The ambiance of the place is soothing, with the music being where it's supposed to be; in the background. My friends say the sushi isn't as good as it used to be. I wouldn't know. The salad and the miso is very good. The tempura never fails me, and neither do the entrees. Knowing what you order has a lot to do with how you'd enjoy it. The lunch and bento-box special is pretty generous and fairly-priced. If you go in at an earlier time with a friend, it'd only be around $20 to get you both full of good food and have enough to tip. I hated growing up in Novato. Matsuyama is one of the top few reasons I ever venture back. read more

First time experience, food was good and well packaged for take out. I only thought the teriyaki sauce was a bit too salty and not sure if it was an off day or is normal. Otherwise would return and try again. read more

This is an average Japanese restaraunt. They take no chances, it's competent but a bit uninspired. We had a tepid appetizer of edamame, luke warm and unspiced. Delivered with our main dishes, not as an appetizer as we requested. Our shrimp and veggie tempura was very good, the batter light and not overly oily or greasy. Rolls were ho-hum, just what you would expect, no stretch points. The most serious deficiency was the lack of real crab on the rolls. Rice was too chewy for my taste. Service was professional and non-chatty. Dinner came in at $34 before tip, with no alcohol but leaving us full and satiated. The Dunken Monkey in Trukee it ain't, but it's predictable and we had no regrets. read more

My regular sushi place, Taki, is not open on Monday so we Yelped and found this spot. For the first time my fellow Yelpers have let me down. I am seriously questioning how this place can have 50 reviews and many 5 stars. The service was prompt and very courteous. Our order was taken within minutes of us sitting down and before we knew it, our food was there. ( YAY! Because I'm hungry!) Nothing about this dinner seemed fresh except the salad which consisted of iceberg lettuce, carrots and cucumber with a surprising tasty yellow dressing. What came as more of a shock than anything was the soy sauce. At first dip of sushi into my soy I thought my tongue was going to curl up and fall off. It was SOOOOOO salty! It was disgusting :( We asked for a replacement, we got it but it was just as bad as the first. I asked for a low sodium, it wasn't available. I asked that we get a credit for the items we had not eaten and the check. I got the check however it did not have a credit for the items. When I asked she looked at me like she didn't understand what I was asking. I tried to explain another way and still she just stood there. We ended up paying over $40.00 for salad, two sodas and 3 pieces of sushi. Do yourself a favor and hold out for sushi on a day other than Monday :) read more

My all time favorite sushi place in Novato. I've never had a bad experience here at Matsuyama. If you're looking for quality sushi I would seek elsewhere, but I have never been disappointed by the freshness or quality here. Service is honest and quick (but not too quick) and the food is exceptionally delicious for the price, which is cheaper than most sushi restaurants. My one recommendation would be to go for lunch. They have great bento box deals all under $11 and at least 20 different options. Also, the ramen is good for what you get. Hard to come by ramen in Novato. ENJOY! read more