i had been eyeing this place for a while, and a friend had also highly recommended it...so after many years, i finally came. i made a reservation for my birthday dinner on a thursday evening and it was super easy. surprisingly, when i arrived at 1800, the restaurant was fairly empty = low noise volume. we had a large round table for the 7 of us, near the front, so we had a bit of privacy from the other, smaller tables in the dining area. service was pretty quick as our orders were taken, starters brought out, and soon thereafter, our mains. to share, we ordered: +vegatable gyoza: vegetarian potstickers. these weren't deeply fried which i appreciated! good amount of veggie filling into the gyoza. +yaki nasu: grilled eggplant with miso and sesame seeds. this was so delicate and marinated with just the right seasonings to bring out the flavour of the eggplant. +vegetable tempura: battered and deep fried season vegetables. i love me a good tempura japanese squash! +chicken karaage: signature japanese fried chicken +miso cod: special of the evening, the fish was so tender and grilled just right. for my main, i chose the caterpillar roll, since i love barbeque eel. this roll was perfect, since i had filled my tummy a bit with the appetisers, the 8 pieces of barbeque eel, sliced cucumbers, and ripe avocados slowly disappeared into my mouth and into my stomach! my friends all seemed to enjoy their meals, and if i recall, not a singel morsel of food was leftover! for dessert, i had brought in a cake from an outside bakery, and they were kind enough to bring out dessert plates and forks for us. i was a bit surprised they didn't cut the cake slices for us, and yet, we were charged $3/person plating fee. i'd have expected the cake to be cut for us in that case, but not a big deal, i cut the slices myself and served my guests. we all had a very nice experience here and i would definitely return for the food, space, and good service. thank you shiki bistro for allowing me to have a lovely, quiet birthday dinner! read more

Shiki Bistro - Caterpillar roll - Japanese Near Me - San Carlos, California

I had dinner here and we were seated right away. Price was reasonable and service was super friendly! We had ordered 3 rolls shared by 3 people and the food came out around the same time which was nice. Menu had tons of sushi rolls and all of the ones we ordered were great! read more

Shiki Bistro - Japanese Near Me - San Carlos, California

What a great place. The food is my top choice on Laurel St. and the manager is so friendly and welcoming. You must pay Shiki a visit read more

Shiki Bistro - Wine and empty plates - Japanese Near Me - San Carlos, California

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Oh Shiki, your staff is so slow and your bento boxes are so sad. Nothing like dry salmon and a horrible eel roll to make me say eek, why I'd thisbppacw still in business? Portions are small, the prices are not cheap. Not sure how they'll continue. I say get new management and new chefs and overhaul this poor sushi joint! read more

Shiki Bistro - Japanese Near Me - San Carlos, California

Wow great service and great. I love the food but this time I am really noticing how great the drinks are great. I love the mai tais and lemon drops. This is a great place to watch sports. I am watching the dog competition right now and its rocks. They have an excellent happy hr here till 6pm read more

Starting with the server, Auri, was great and prompt and caring, food as always delicious on time and Moscow mule and margherita were excellent. California roll, spicy tuna roll, grilled shrimp very delicious and perfect so was chicken Yakituri and shrimp and veggie tempura. Overall as always, greeted by the host, had us seated within 1 minute and right away Auri was there to greet us and take our drink order. Once again, perfect please for great food, greater service and reasonable price. read more

Shiki Bistro - California and spicy Tuna roll - Japanese Near Me - San Carlos, California

The service was very slow, at one point I started to think if they forgot us. We asked for Wifi password for my daughter's Ipad, they said they don't share the password with guests. Just why? This is not friendly in my opinion. Overall food was not delicious at all. Not the worst but definetly was not the best. Kids menu's food was nice. Just we asked to change one entree to one another but they said no, again. But like "NO" Instead of chicken entree would like to have one more cucumber sushi. Wanted to ask, why are you this strict? This should be a fun place. Overall, the place is not welcoming. I didn't like and will not come back read more

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My friends and I went for lunch and really enjoyed it. They have lots of options on their lunch specials menu, and it is decently priced for a restaurant located in San Carlos. read more

Shiki Bistro - Spicy Chirashi (spicy sauce in the side) - Japanese Near Me - San Carlos, California

We've been going to Shiki for several years and always enjoy the great selection of sushi as well as other Japanese food items. The service is very good and the prices are very fair. For us, it's a family favorite. read more

We just had my daughter's 16th birthday at Shiki Bistro! Everyone there was so kind. The atmosphere was fun and upbeat. The food was delicious. We sat away from the girls and the large kid group and small adult pair both had great experiences. Thank you, Shiki Bistro, for making the evening so lovely! read more

For the past 3 years this is my go-to place for big events that can hold up to 35 people! The back room is amazing for that privacy and to have their great staff be directly available always makes a great difference. Their menu is very diverse and definitely fits kids and adults having a quick bite or more rounded japanese art food. Look for Paul for that great personalized experience, he is THE BEST! read more

I ordered a lunch bento for take out on Sunday March 22. The 2 items I chose were chicken teriyaki and chicken katsu. The restaurant said to come pick it up in 15 minutes, which is what I did. I live around 5-7 minutes from the restaurant and food was cold already when I got home (rice was cold, while chicken katsu and teriyaki were lukewarm), and given that I've been eating rice as a staple since childhood, I know what dried-up rice (most likely left overs from the previous night) taste and feels like. The chicken katsu was not edible, the meat was NOT like normal chicken, it was kinda like chewing on soft plastic. Chicken teriyaki tasted good but was lukewarm. To be fair, the soup was nice and hot (they scooped it out of a pot that's visible from the cashier's table). I called the restaurant and complained to the staff member who picked up the phone. She nicely said that her manager would come in around 5pm and call me back before 8pm. That never happened. Then today (Monday March 23), I called the restaurant to tell them the manager never called me and the same staff member who answered the call yesterday says oh yes they were busy and she will speak to the manager right away. A few minutes later she calls me and said the manager said will try to improve but the food was hot when I picked it up. That was simply not true, I know what I tasted. And food in a closed container inside a closed plastic bag doesn't go from hot to cold in 5-7 minutes. So I said to the staff to please ask the manager to call me as I would like to tell her about the chicken katsu, she said ok manager will call me back around 5pm today, right now it's 9:30pm and the manager still didn't call back. The temperature of the rice and quality of the chicken katsu were not acceptable, and the service was even worse (don't promise to call back if you can't make the call... twice). I am extremely disappointed at this restaurant and would not recommend it to others. read more

To start, I want to say, I have loved Shiki bistro, every time I have eaten here so far. I often get the deluxe bento box during lunch, and every time they are able to accommodate switching the meat gyoza to a veggie gyoza as I do not eat pork. However, this time I was met with a harsh no upon that request and a refusal to ask. I have to say, I'm incredibly disappointed. Every other time they've been able to accommodate that request with no problem as I have a dietary restriction. Yet today for some reason, they were not able to make that change for me. I understand not being allowed to make substitutions, but if I don't eat meat, I don't understand a simple veggie substitution. I love Shiki bistro, but this has me questioning things. read more

Good customer service I love the best sushi I recommend this place very good The sushi is really good, I enjoyed their service, and I recommend you all come here--it's great! read more

Been here twice with my family the past 2 years. Service is good and personable. The kid's bento box is a good deal. It comes with lots of things and even my older kid couldn't finish it. My kids enjoyed it. Udon with tempura was good. I'm no expert but definitely enjoyed that. Sushi/sashimi are pretty good. Good spot to check out when in the area. read more

Tonight's dinner was such a bad experience on many levels. 1st) my wife has been been vegan for 30+ years, we have eaten here before and she's been able to get the vegetable ramen with udon broth sub rice. Tonight they gave her a normal ramen even after she said that she is vegan and can't do meat or dairy. 2) The new containers you guys are using are terrible!!!! In the picture here shows how bad they are that they leaked through the container and into the bag. Half of the broth went into the bag. 3) the gyozas were luke warm at best and soggy. 4)The only reason I gave a 2nd star is the fact that they refunded my wife's ramen otherwise it would have been 1 star. Shiki bistro I've had your food before, DO BETTER! Make your options more available to people with food allergies or sensitivities. read more

Shiki Bistro - Japanese Near Me - San Carlos, California

Loved it good food good service and good fool me my friends got plivit sweet for friends birthday loving it 5 star read more

Shiki Bistro - Japanese Near Me - San Carlos, California

Solid Japanese food offering in Downtown San Carlos. We stopped by just before 530 on a Saturday evening. There were a few other tables with people but it was not too busy yet, about half full. They have a weekend happy hour menu with appetizers/small dishes and drinks that goes until 530, which the servers were kind enough to make us aware of and allow us to order to get our discounts in! I tried an unagi roll, which was pretty bland tasting, even with the unagi sauce. But I did enjoy the agadashi tofu which was piping hot and freshly fried. And my nephew inhaled his gyoza. I also enjoyed the shrimp and veggie tempura, which wasn't greasy. I would skip the chicken karaage though, because it was just chunks of deep fried chicken breast that had no flavor and were really dry. I got a nice cold and refreshing $5 pint of Asahi to go with my meal too. Service is fast and friendly and they were very nice about accommodating the two little ones and the giant stroller wagon, which they allowed us to tuck behind some back tables. It got busier around 630 when we were leaving with all of the other tables filling up. Ambiance was nice too, with tvs playing sports at the bar, but the lighting was bright enough you could still see your food and not too loud that you couldn't hear each other talk across the table. 3 stars for the food but bumping it up +1 star for the nice service and happy hour menu. read more

Shiki Bistro has an extremely underrated lunch menu. The prices are phenomenal and the pieces of fish are very high quality. For just $16, you can get 9 pieces of high quality Nigiri during lunch time. It even comes with soup and salad. Shiki Bistro doesn't cheap out on their selection either, serving premium options like the scallop. In addition to the nigiri combo, there's a great selection of bentos and rolls that are offered at low prices during lunch. This is my new favorite lunch sushi spot because of the quality and most importantly the affordability! read more

Shiki Bistro - Nigiri Combo Lunch - Japanese Near Me - San Carlos, California

Albeit small portions served here, everything was tasty and neither overcooked or undercooked...but the customer service is even bigger and better. Ample parking in front of the restaurant. First timer here and as soon as I walked in yesterday afternoon around 3 p.m., the restaurant seemed quiet--one other couple at the bar. No one was at the door, but the two bartenders/chefs manning the bar all look up and greet me, then politely usher me to another counter where I pick up my phone orders. I ordered a small cup of miso soup and it was warm and delicious! Could tell it was a homemade recipe. A side of Chicken Yakitori was served in two small skewers, but was bursting in delicious Yaki sauce! I also ordered Cherry Blossoms (supposedly spicy tuna, but I couldn't tell). Another side of sushi was ordered and honestly at this point I can't recall what it was, maybe California rolls? I wasn't a fan of this one. Dipping it in the soy sauce did not make it any better. I found it rather bland. Yesterday was definitely a preview and I will return in the not too distant future to explore the rest of the menu. Small plates, sushi and their drink menu, plenty to look forward to! read more

Was in the area and my bff decided we were craving some sushi. So we stopped in here thinking it was the same as the other Shiki restaurants. This restaurant was surprisingly tons better! We ordered just some basic sharables. The oyster shot things were delicious! I'm not an oyster girl at all, because they just feel weird in my mouth. But they were super good. And easy to eat! The tempura was pretty basic and normal. So really I had no complaints at all in that regard. I love the crunchiness of the panko and I mean who doesn't love deep friend ANYTHING! The sashimi was fresh, which was awesome! It was so good and we will definitely be back here again! read more

Shiki Bistro - Oyster "shots" - Japanese Near Me - San Carlos, California

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Such a great place. Good atmosphere, good service, great food, great prices and happy hour. I come back every chance I get.

Shiki has been our mid-Peninsula go-to for sushi. For the most part, the food has been very good. We had a hiccup with our 2nd last dinner where the salmon skin hand rolls were mushy and fell apart. I sent a message to Shiki about it and, to their credit, they gave me a credit. We returned last night and really enjoyed all the sushi rolls, the house dinner salad, sides of edamame and seaweed, and miso soup. In the past, we had good luck with their dinner combos as well. Service in recent years has been mostly good, but it feels like they've really stepped up their game. It was excellent last night. And, on top of that, they emailed me a short, but comprehensive, customer satisfaction survey. For one who does market research for a living, I was really impressed with the quality of their questions and felt confident that they take customer feedback to heart. read more

The food was fresh! The service was great and was very welcoming. Overall it was a good restaurant! No complaints.

I've walked by this place many times and always wanted to try it. I went in on a weekday and it was pretty good. I have a gluten allergy and they gave me tamari soy sauce and made the lion king without the sauce which has gluten in it. I appreciated them being knowledgeable about food allergies and the inside was cute, it was affordable, and there was good service. read more

I've been here a few times, and all were during the pandemic. Shiki has an easy reservation process, and they always have reservation times available for large groups. I have a family of 4 other siblings who all have kids, and we are always able to reserve the same time together. The wait staff are all masked, and the outdoor seating appropriately spaced for social distancing. If you are worried about cleanliness, just bring your own wipes and hand sanitizer, which is what I do wherever I go anyway. Shiki has a variety of fresh sushi, sashimi, poke bowls, bento boxes, curry katsu, you name it, all at decent prices. I haven't tried one thing here that wasn't delicious, and I think something has to be said about a restaurant where the salad is consistently fresh and crisp. I've been to Japanese restaurants where I choose not to eat the salad because the salad greens taste days old, but Shiki's is ALWAYS crisp and fresh. I personally enjoy the Tuna Heaven and Snow Dragon rolls, and their chirashi is delectable. Shiki is a wonderful Japanese restaurant, and our family finds ourselves coming back here for different occasions. read more

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Good happy hour deals and friendly service. Great place to go for a large party, I typically go with the in-laws and our family of six are seated quickly and checked up on often. We typically order a few plates of sushi, appetizers like gyoza, and sake/a few pitchers of beer. I think some key dishes could have a bit more pizazz. An example of this is the udon - I felt my soup could have had additional vegetables and inclusions. It felt lackluster but hey, at the end of the day, I'd order it again. A hot bowl of udon is a comfort food of mine. read more

The sushi is pretty standard Californian style sushi with amazingly consistent delivery each time! My husband is a long term fan of this place, so we drive up every weekend from South Bay to have dinner here. The sushi rolls here is a good combination of taste and affordability. Similar rolls in South Bay either don't taste as good, or more expensive. They seem to keep the quality high while keeping the original price. The servers here have known us along the years so they treat us like old friends. The manager Paul is especially nice and friendly, offering us freebies occasionally for loyalty customers! Overall I think this place is a nice weekend go to dinner place or friends and family get together place, very family and kids friendly. read more

This is a fairly big Japanese restaurant. We had a party of 7 for dinner. Service here was fast. Bartender wasn't there til close til the end of happy hour for full-bar service; so we ordered beers. All sushi ordered was great! Got the jalapeño popper appetizer, which I thought was a sushi roll, but it was exactly what it said; a deep fried jalapeño popper. Teriyaki dinners were ok; teriyaki could use more flavor, though not bad, but also not amazing. We were also served ice cream with our meals, yum! But mostly cause we had a birthday boy with us :D read more

Shiki Bistro - Japanese Near Me - San Carlos, California

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The food is yummy and the kids bento box is big. The food is pretty good and the waiters are nice. Pretty atmosphere. Nice and friendly staff. read more

Ordered this place for lunch through DoorDash. Ordered 2 rolls, the golden scallop and the snow dragon. You can tell that the snow dragon was bigger than the golden scallop, but probably because they used the same amount of crab in each and the new dragon just had tempura in it. These rolls were also pretty big compared to some other sushi places in the area and are at a good price too. Golden scallop: the scallop on top was pretty dry and not really that appetizing due to its texture. I don't know if it's just because it's been sitting out or they put it in the oven or something, but yeah... not really what I was expecting. The roll itself is a pretty standard California roll. The spicy sweet sauce that they drizzled on top made up for the scallop though and the green onions were a nice touch. Snow dragon: the snow dragon is basically a normal dragon roll, but instead of eel and avo on top, they alternate salmon and tuna and top it off with more crab salad. They also don't use a unagi drizzle but a kinda spicy sweet sauce that they also drizzled on the golden scallop. The roll was pretty standard but I really enjoyed the freshness of the raw fish. I also really like crab salad so the extra on top really made me enjoy this roll. Overall, the rolls were big for the price and they tasted great. They have a pretty extensive menu too, so would love to try this place again and order different rolls. read more

Shiki Bistro - Japanese Near Me - San Carlos, California

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My go to for sushi that is fresh and consistent. They also make great drinks and have a fun and lively bar. read more

Shiki Bistro Japanese restaurant on Laurel St. in San Carlos has been our go to for Sushi for couple years. Without a question the best fresh quality sashimi & nigiri on the menu!! Plus the best talent sushi chef Stanley always have secret menu for us!! I called it Angie's special!!! Recently, they have the Japanese Grade A - Uni!! Wow!! Super fresh & delicious!! We are so happy to see our friend Paul (manager) coming back!! Him & his friendly staff always provide a great service to us!! Another secret ~ Paul is a great bartender & his margarita must try!! read more

Shiki Bistro - Super fresh sashimi! - Japanese Near Me - San Carlos, California

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My son and I love this place. We come here almost every week together to enjoy their delicious rolls. It has become our weekly ritual to come and chat over some sushi. We love the sushi, the atmosphere, and the kind staff. read more

Offer both indoor and outdoor dining, indoor decor is very nice. Price is reasonable, food is average. To me, it is just a regular sushi spot, not authentic Japanese food and vibe. Chef and staff are Chinese and yelled at each other in Cantonese, probably not Japanese-owned restaurant. If you're craving for sushi and looking for a regular dinner night out or date night with reasonable price, this is not a bad option. read more

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Fabulous dinner with my boss! The food was delicious! Steak Satay and crab mushrooms for appetizers and a few different rolls for dinner. I can't remember the names, but one had tempura shrimp and the other had scallops, crab and unagi. I have been here a few times and will definitely be back. read more

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Won't recommend if you are looking for authentic sushi. There's much more choices in the Bay Area. Ok for the price tho read more

Shiki Bistro - Sushi - Japanese Near Me - San Carlos, California

My second visit! Brought my girlfriend fir her birthday lunch. We sat in the lovely outdoor dining area and we were not disappointed! Everything was f The wait staff was so sweet, they must have overheard that it was my friend's birthday and they gifted her the mochi ice cream dessert with a candle and singing! I'll be back! read more

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Great kids menu, and for families. We have a group of 13-15 always. Service is slow sometimes but plenty of food and great value.

To "hair" (err) is human, to forgive devine. Despite the strand of hair found in my salad, they apologized and stayed for lunch (wanted to give them a chance). Retuned the Bento Box with the side of hair and ordered a roll instead. Food was okay. Sadly the place isn't the same as before. Although they tried to accommodate for Covid, the restaurat once alive and vibrant seemed neglected. They basically just piled all their furniture, boxes, paintings etc. in a corner visible to all, creating an eye sore needless to say, didn't care for the ambience. There's a pungent smell too. Aron the Server who was really was apologetic even if it wasn't his fault. He was good that's why they get stars. Otherwise if I want any hair action I'll see my Stylist instead. Doubt I'll be back. read more