Reliable local Japanese establishment with a nice $20 lunch set. I chose the tonkatsu and tempura for my two items and everything was fresh and well prepared. Tempura had broccoli, zucchini, shrimp, yam, carrot and string bean. To katsu wasn't too thin nor had any fat, which I prefer. Comes with salad, rice and miso soup. read more

Owada - Lunch set tonkatsu and tempura - Sushi Bars Near Me - San Carlos, California

Great casual dinner spot! I got a chirashi bowl and was absolutely stuffed - it has so much fish in it! We also split a takoyaki within the group, and I got an amaebi nigiri. Good service as well, I'd go back for sure. read more

Owada - Chirashi bowl - Sushi Bars Near Me - San Carlos, California

this is such a nice spot for high quality fresh sushi in san carlos! we stopped by to have dinner for my sisters birthday. there was no wait on a thursday evening. the space is open, clean, and inviting with plenty of natural light throughout the storefront! parking isn't the easiest in the area, but the location in downtown san carlos is great. we had a couple of rolls, sashimi/nigiri, karaage, veggie tempura, a bento, and the tuna poke. they have a really wide variety of both sushi/sashimi as well as hot food options like udon, bentos, rice bowls, etc. the quality of the fish is really nice and the hot food in the bento was yummy! the karaage was also nice and fresh with aioli on the side. service was also very helpful and friendly. overall, a great spot to have a chill lunch or dinner. would recommend it if you're craving sushi in the san carlos area! read more

Owada - Chicken Karaage - Sushi Bars Near Me - San Carlos, California

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Service, ambiance, and location were 5/5 Food quality 2/5 I ordered Chirashi bowl, sushi hand roll, sweet shrimp nigiri, and bluefin tuna belly sashimi. The fish tasted low quality. Coloring of fish were pale and didn't taste fresh. Even the rice was not good. The wasabi had the texture of whipped butter, so I'm not sure how authentic it was. read more

2.5 stars for an expensive Chinese owned Japanese restaurant with a clutch location on Laurel. * Aloha Crunch - too much mayo. * Miso soup - standard but good. There are a bunch of new Japanese restaurants on Laurel, would not recommend this one. read more

We're lucky that Owada is one of the closest restaurants to our house, so we end up coming here quite often (and we wave hello when we're walking by even if we aren't eating here). It's a common destination on a Friday evening after a long week or a Saturday evening after the kids have played soccer. Owada clinched 5 stars from me when we came a while back and the owner recited our usual order to us - gyoza, agedashi tofu, California roll, teriyaki chicken bento box, beef udon, seaweed salad, hamachi kama, and a bowl of rice (those last three are for me when I'm eating out but don't want to overdo it). Occasionally I'll swap out the hamachi kama for a chirashi bowl which is colorful and packed with fresh fish and cucumbers and avocado. We always enjoy our food and meals here. We tend to order more of the cooked food but the sushi has been tasty too. The delicious food and casual atmosphere make for a great place to bring the family. The owners and staff are super friendly and will ask where someone is if we show up without them. As an added bonus the TV is usually showing an exciting sporting event. It's nice to have a regular spot where they know us! read more

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This is a great local sushi spot for reasonably priced Japanese food. The chirashi bowl stands out -- excellent overall and presented beautifully. It comes in a flat bowl - this is something I never knew I wanted. It allows them to deliver the perfect rice ratio, and, deliver it consistently across the entire bowl. No cave of rice in the middle at the bottom. A small touch, making a nice experience. Upgrading to the deluxe seems to add ebi and uni, which were both good. Service was attentive and friendly! read more

Owada - Deluxe Chirashi - Sushi Bars Near Me - San Carlos, California

Ambiance, service, and location are great. Food was not great - each piece of nigiri had a lot of fish but it felt like a giant chunk thrown on rice. The rice was poorly seasoned and overly sweet. I don't know what kind of soy sauce they had at the tables but it tasted very odd. I would not go back. read more

I met a good friend for a casual dinner at Owada in San Carlos as it was conveniently located in between SF and the South Bay with good Yelp reviews. It's a small clean place with about a dozen tables and a sushi counter with a friendly staff and fast service, but they allowed a couple to keep a standard poodle in the dining area that was NOT a service dog. We ordered Agedashi Tofu, California Roll, Spicy Tuna Roll, Rock n Roll and a Bento with chicken teriyaki and tempura. All the sushi was great, especially the Rock n Roll, with fresh ingredients and perfectly cooked rice, but the rest of what we ordered was just okay. The Agedashi tofu had a crisp exterior and tender tofu, but it was bland and the sauce was a bit watery. The teriyaki chicken was overcooked and dry, the portions of the tempura were good, but the coating was dense without any panko with a slightly soggy interior. Net-net, based on what we ordered, I'd probably try again for take out if we were in the mood for good sushi. read more

Owada - Rock n Roll, California Roll and Spicy Tuna Roll - fresh, tasty and delicious with perfectly cooked rice. - Sushi Bars Near Me - San Carlos, California

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Hands down this is my go to spot for spicy tuna rolls. The fish is (chef's kiss) fresh and it is actually spicy, which 99% of others are not. The chirashi bowl is a regular favorite although this time, gave the rainbow roll a try (recommend - all very fresh). You can't go wrong with anything on the menu. The family that runs the restaurant are all friendly with a welcoming vibe and attentive service. There's street parking nearby or one of San Carlos' parking lots within a short walk. Laurel, the Main Street downtown, is mostly blocked for pedestrians and restaurant Parker's that debuted during the pandemic and stayed on, after popular demand. read more

Owada is our go-to spot for Japanese food in the Belmont/San Carlos area. The service is always great, the food is delicious, and the portion sizes are very reasonable read more

Owada - Beef Teriyaki-Don - Sushi Bars Near Me - San Carlos, California

Great bento boxes! Great selections (sashimi) and generous portions. The soy sauce was awful and the pickled ginger was gross so if you look forward to having pickled ginger with your sushi bring your own read more

solid spot in San Carlos for a quick bite. really like the bowls as well as softshell crabs.

Great place , very casual fun vibe. I am not sure if they have talk off your shoes dining anymore but I am sure they'd let. I think they improved lately because the place looks different. I think it's the tables , maybe they got new tables. I feel like the sushi's gotten better too. read more

I ordered a Chirashi Combo and the Salmon Lover Roll. I really liked the quality of the fish and portion sizing. The rolls are more traditional style (have less intense sauces than others) and a lot of the rolls have imitation crab. I would come back again for the Chirashi. The staff was nice and the seating was spacious read more

Owada - Salmon Lover Roll - Sushi Bars Near Me - San Carlos, California

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Had a really relaxing date lunch here with hubby - loved this place! Pros: Pretty reasonable portions for the price. We were stuffed with 1 roll, 1 bluefin maki, and their chirashi bowl Their chirashi bowl is phenomenal. The rice is perfectly seasoned with roe and the pieces of fish are fresh and generously sized, alongside tamago, fresh avocado, cucumber and micro greens. I would say this was definitely a shareable size. Get this!! The golden gate roll was not a slouch either- really good roll with jalapeños. Spacious and has decent amount of seating. Cons: Parking is street side and can be busy. Service was somewhat slow and the place wasn't busy - food prep speed made sense as everything was obviously freshly made to order but even flagging for the bill took a while. read more

Owada - Combination chirashi - Sushi Bars Near Me - San Carlos, California

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Spicy hotate was very good and was my favorite out of everything we ordered. The pieces were small but mighty. I'd get this again. Hamachi carpaccio- basic Spider roll- basic Nigihama maki- small roll, not memorable Mori tempura- good texture, not too oily Most of their rolls had imitation crab and no real crab meat. There weren't many options with hamachi, which was disappointing because I love hamachi. Overall, not impressed. read more

Stopped by for lunch and was seated immediately, the space is bright and open. We ordered the chirashi bowl and a hamachi Kama between the two of us, and it was the perfect amount. The chirashi bowl is fresh and a great deal, would come back to order that again and maybe try a roll! read more

Owada - Sushi Bars Near Me - San Carlos, California

O-wow-da! Have been meaning to come here for years and just never did, but had been craving sushi for many weeks and decided it was time. Full disclosure I don't eat raw sushi its a texture thing for me but I have my main standbys at Japanese restaurants for testing control purposes and branch out from there - California roll, shrimp tempura roll, and rock n roll but I usually do that my 2nd trip after testing the second two because not everybody can do eel well and some leave tons of bones in it. Because I start with the basics it's easy for me to compare quality between restaurants. But I'm no sushi expert if you do the raw stuff. Anyways, I could tell immediately O would beat out Sakura and the teppanyaki place nearby in terms of quality. And I was right! Waitress was also super attentive as well, very quick and sweet =) Glad to have finally tried this yummy spot now I know where to go when I have a craving! read more

Owada - After digging in - what pretty plates - Sushi Bars Near Me - San Carlos, California

OWNERS PLEASE EQUIP MORE STAFF IN THE RESTAURANT. The food is so amazing I just wish you were better staffed. Our miso was brought at the end of the meal, my water was empty for most of the meal, three sushi roles were brought immediately and then two were brought 10-15 minutes later. Our server was super nice however couldn't run the whole restaurant. I really love the food here and would hate to have the inadequate service steer myself and others from returning. read more

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We loved this spot. The street parking was fairly ample for a Monday night, and the place filled up fast (it's pretty small with about 8-9 tables total). There was only one chef preparing the sushi, so our orders took much longer than usual. The waitress was kind and attentive. Our nigiri and omakase were super fresh and delicious! read more

Owada - Sushi Bars Near Me - San Carlos, California

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This place has never disappointed me and they have awesome food and highly recommended as always :) read more

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This is a great restaurant. The food is fresh and yummy! Omakase Sashimi is my favorite. It's really good! Recommend it! The service is great too! read more

Owada - The Omakase Sashimi is amazing! I love it! - Sushi Bars Near Me - San Carlos, California

I was on my way to drop my friend off at the airport at the airport and needed somewhere to grab dinner before hand. This place was recommended to me by a friend, so I thought we could check it out. EXPERIENCE My friend and I walked in for dinner on. Week night. It was relatively empty and we were seated right away. The service was minimal but efficient. FOOD (5/5) Chirashi Combo - a large bowl of food, you should honestly split it with someone else. A mix of salmon, tuna, tamago (egg), yellow tail, ikura (fish eggs) maybe one more fish(?) and cucumber, avocado, sprouts all chopped up over rice. I very quickly reached the point of only eating the fish and leaving the rice behind. It was really good and fresh fish! OVERALL I would come back here again! Their ingredients are fresh and they have good portion sizes. read more

Owada - Chirashi Combo - Sushi Bars Near Me - San Carlos, California

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Went here for quick dinner and had a wonderful time. The food was great and tasty. The restaurant is newly renovated and the owner is super nice. Worth to try. read more

Food was very good and the servers are very attentive here. The sake paired well with the sushi! read more

Owada - Sushi Bars Near Me - San Carlos, California

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First off, I'm amazed. Who knew this kind of resturant could be on Laurel street? The food is amazing, out of this world to be exact. The food is cut fresh from the sushi chef who is super nice and friendly. The service was excellent, the people being super duper energetic and bubbly, making us happy to be inside the restaurant. The inside of the restaurant is a whole other story. I love the modernized decor inside, fitting a Japanese theme while remaining in style. I definitely recommend this place for freshnesss and kindness and will most probably be coming here again! read more

New Japanese restaurant in San Carlos, gave it a try and it's pretty good. Service: 5 stars Food: 5 stars Presentation: 5+ stars The staff recommended me to get their Delux Chirashi, I was a bit hesitated at first but glad she did, as the dish arrives, I can't stop appreciating how good it looks and so as its taste. Their flavor is on the lighter side, which I like b/c that means less sodium and doesn't seem like they add MSG. Hope they keep up the good work! Will return again! read more

Owada - Deluxe Chirashi - Sushi Bars Near Me - San Carlos, California

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An okay neighborhood sushi place. A place for family gathering on Friday nights. Beef dish tastes solid, sushi not so much. Tuna looked artificially died. read more

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2 words: fresh and thick! I came in a Friday evening on a date. It was fairly slow, we had no issues with the street parking. I came for 2 reasons - the Chirashi bowl and the Omakase. This is my first Chirashi bowl, and I was satisfied with the beautiful and vibrant presentation. Each cut of the Omakase was quite thick. The fish is also super fresh, you can tell by how firm they are. I have to say that flavor of both orders were fairly mild, more mild than my preferred pallet. However, it was good for balancing out the miso soup, which was a little too salty. The shrimp tempura was laughably small. The overall ambiance was pretty nice. Everything inside looked clean. Our table was pretty small, but that wasn't a problem because the service was great. Each order was brought individually and was paced very well. They refilled our teas and picked up our trash from opening up chopsticks. They were very considerate about not interrupting us, while still giving us a friendly smile. I also appreciated the waitress who warned us that we were ordering too much, as we initially planned to place 2 orders of the Omakase. Glad she did that, because by the end of our meal with just 1 order of the Omakase, we were beyond full. read more

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Family owned Japanese restaurant. Sushi are fresh and delicious, staffs were very friendly and attentive. We come here regularly.

Very cute place down the street from us! We came here on a whim because we were craving Japanese food and didn't want to drive. Happy to know that a great little place is available for us whenever we are in the mood again! We ordered the beef bento special and the lion king roll. Both were delicious! I can't say the lion king roll I had was the best one I've ever had, but it is not bad, so I definitely won't complain! Service was so quick, attentive, and very sweet! Our waitress really seemed like she loved her job. I appreciate that! read more

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We love this restaurant. They're so kind and patient to our kids and the food is great. Love the chirashi and the salmon skin roll. My kids love the tempura udon and ramen. read more

Just finished a delicious dinner. Last tango roll, Lion King roll, Philly roll and a piece of uni. Nice size and very tasty. Will come back! read more

The food here is great! I ordered the Aloha Crunch Roll, which was hands down one of the best sushi rolls I have ever had. I would definitely recommend getting that. Also, the service is pretty fast and the ambiance of Owada is very nice. I am definitely coming here again! read more

I've been going to the Japanese place here since way back before it was Owada. Thought I'd check out the new place in its place. This latest visit, I got: - Agedashi Tofu: very good! crispy and flavorful Bento Dinner: - Tonkatsu: okay, could be crispier and more flavorful - Salmon Sashimi: very fresh and delicious, generous portion - Shrimp Tempura: met my expectation, good sauce - White Rice / Salad side: standard Overall I liked it, the tonkatsu was alright but the rest was really good. Bit on the pricier side, so 4 stars for now. I will be back to try other stuff especially the extensive sushi menu since that's what I enjoyed the most in my meal. I'd recommend you lean toward that part of the menu. Service - attentive and friendly. Ambiance - normal, a bit bright in my opinion could look a lot better with dimmer lights. read more

Great Japanese spot in the bay--they have great specialty rolls, super fresh fish, and attentive service. The Salmon Lover roll was one of my favorites, gyudon bowl, and bento boxes. I would certainly come back again! read more

Just tried Owada based on on the positive Yelp reviews and had a great meal. My wife and I were so mesmerized by the photos of the chirasu deluxe bowl, that we shared one. It looked and tasted like a work of art. The seafood portions were generous. We also ordered a couple specialty rolls and sides which were really good, too. We made a reservation through Yelp and got a table right away. While eating, the place filled up fast. So, I'd recommend making use of the reservation feature. read more

So listen. The portions were HUGE. The fish was okay. The rice was hot?? Making the fish lukewarm?? The restaurant dining area was also so hot, that it made eating lukewarm sashimi extremely uncomfortable. Speaking of the huge portions, I barely ate half bc, um, lukewarm raw fish worries me a bit. Or a lot bit regarding refrigeration. The bud and I got a large cold beer to share. It was the only thing to cool us down. And nope, wasn't the weather. It was cooler outside than inside the restaurant. Frankly, idk if they don't have a better/proper air ventilation system, and simply relied on opening the front door. I'm sure others may have had better experiences at different times of the day. But tbh, based on our experience of the food, service, and ambiance itself, neither of us would return. 2.5/5 read more

Owada - Sushi Bars Near Me - San Carlos, California

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Honestly the quality and price of the Chirashi bowl warrants a five star by itself. The amount of fish they give for a $28 chirashi bowl is excellent and could be stretched to feed 2 people or a very hungry 1 person. The agedashi tofu and tempura were also freshly fried and crispy. Definitely seeing the chirashi bowl as a regular in my going out to eat rotation. read more

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