I went to Sushi Sam's Edomata in San Mateo for dinner on Friday, Oct. 17th, 2008. The restaurant was busy, and I could see there were no tables available. When I requested seating for 1, the host... More

I went to Sushi Sam's Edomata in San Mateo for dinner on Friday, Oct. 17th, 2008. The restaurant was busy, and I could see there were no tables available. When I requested seating for 1, the host asked me 4 times "Single?" because he seemed to have trouble understanding I was dining alone. I thought it'd be great to sit at the sushi bar and watch the preparations. There were 2 seats available at the sushi bar, side-by-side by the wall. At that moment the host told me in a hostile tone that because I was alone, he couldn't possibly consider a table for me, but he said I could sit at the sushi bar. I was surprised at his tone, but thought this was a nice idea and started to make my way to 1 of the 2 seats. The host stopped me and said, "No, not there. I'm keeping that open for 2 people. You cannot sit there, you are only 1." He then pointed to a seat at the sushi bar that was wedged between 2 parties who had the entire counter occupied by their food and drinks. The host told me this was the only seat where I could sit. I pointed out there was no space, and there was another seat - 1 of those 2 by the wall, where I would prefer to sit and be comfortable. The host refused, saying he would fill those seats with 2 people instead. Never have I been discriminated against as a single diner. The restaurant made it's values clear: they would rather have the $$ from two diners than from 1 and they would configure the seating accordingly. I thanked the host and promptly left. The host was rude, the restaurant failed to meet my expectations of professionalism and courtesy. My company is having it's largest annual meeting here this weekend, and I am telling everyone to avoid eating here. I won't ever be returning, even with a larger party, and I strongly do not recommend them. We plan to go to Joy Sushi, a local sushi restaurant which comes highly recommended by my colleagues and offers a greater variety of food options: on the web, joysushi (dot) net Cons: rude service, discrimination
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On travel by myself, I went to Sushi Sam's Edomata in San Mateo for dinner on Friday, Oct. 17th, 2008. The restaurant was busy, and I could see there were no tables available. When I requested... More

On travel by myself, I went to Sushi Sam's Edomata in San Mateo for dinner on Friday, Oct. 17th, 2008. The restaurant was busy, and I could see there were no tables available. When I requested seating for 1 person, the host asked me 4 times Single? By yourself? because he seemed to have trouble understanding I was dining alone. As I was dining alone, I thought it would be great to sit at the sushi bar and watch the preparations. There were two seats available at the sushi bar, side-by-side by the wall. At that moment, the host informed me in a hostile tone that because I was by myself, he couldn't possibly consider a table for me, but he said I could sit at the sushi bar. I was surprised at his tone, but thought this was a nice idea and started to make my way to one of the two seats. The host stopped me and told me, No, not there. I'm keeping that open for two people. You cannot sit there, you are only one. He then pointed to a seat at the sushi bar that I couldn't even tell was a seat because it was wedged between two parties who had spread out between them. In fact, the entire counter was occupied between the two parties by their food and drinks. The host told me this was the only seat where I could sit. I pointed out there was no space there and that there was another seat, one of those two by the wall, where I would prefer to sit and be comfortable. The host refused to seat me saying he would fill those seats with two people instead of me. I was shocked. Never have I been discriminated against as a single diner and told I could not have a seat at a table or take one of two seats because I was dining alone. Clearly the restaurant made it's values clear: they would rather have the $$ from two diners rather than one and they would configure the seating accordingly. I thanked the host and promptly left without dining there. The host was rude
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I travel all over the country for work and I try and find the best sushi restaurants wherever I go. A colleague recommended Sushi Sam's and I have to say that it is by far one of the best (if not... More

I travel all over the country for work and I try and find the best sushi restaurants wherever I go. A colleague recommended Sushi Sam's and I have to say that it is by far one of the best (if not THE best) sushi I have ever had. Most places just serve the nigiri by itself and you have the choice of dipping it into your soy sauce and wasabi mix or eating it plain. At Sam's, each piece has it's own sauce already on it and they actually told me to leave the soy sauce in the bottle. Also, their selection of fresh fish is incredible. I had fatty tuna, butterfish, bonito, white sea bass, black sea bass, baby lobster, smoked shrimp, copper river salmon, yellow tail, eel & trout. I sat at the sushi bar and talked to Sam and his chef's and they were extremely helpful. Order the sushi tasting menu and then let them know if there's anything specific you want to try. The service was very good and the waiters seemed to be on top of everything. Pros: Great sushi selection Cons: Not close enough to my house!
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I am amazed at all the reviews that give this just 4 stars. Are you kidding?! The daily fresh fish selection is second to none. If you want fat, rice filled rolls this is not the place. If you... More

I am amazed at all the reviews that give this just 4 stars. Are you kidding?! The daily fresh fish selection is second to none. If you want fat, rice filled rolls this is not the place. If you want top shelf quality fish go to Sam's.
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I have been going to sushi sam's for over 12 yrs......too long to remember exactly how long ago. Anyways, it has always been a local favorite. I am not sure why other people think it has gone down... More

I have been going to sushi sam's for over 12 yrs......too long to remember exactly how long ago. Anyways, it has always been a local favorite. I am not sure why other people think it has gone down hill. I have to admit you can spend a lot of money to get full if your mostly eating sushi but it is well worth it. The sushi is always fresh and delicious. Knowing what to order is key to loving Sushi Sam's. First and foremost you have to order the soft shell crab appetizer ( just the crab not the roll ). It is delicious, but you have to know to add all the little ingredients on the side of the plate to the sauce or else it won't be half as good. The sauce is what makes it special. I have yet to come across another japanese restaurant that serves soft shell crab with that sauce. Next you have to order the sashimi. All of their sashimi is fresh and delicious. I recommend the hamachi. It tastes yummy if you eat it with the shredded radish they serve it with. As for rolls the hot dog is delicious. It is cooked yellowtail with some yummy pink stuff on top of it. Super sam's special is also a old time favorite. It is a handroll with shrimp tempura, crab salad, rice and sam's special sauce. They also offer bento boxes which are great if your looking for a great deal during lunch time. I rarely get those because I go here for the fresh sashimi and sushi. All in all I still love this place from day one. You should like anything you order. Pros: great food and service.....Best soft shell crab EVER! Cons: during peak times you may have to wait for a table
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This is my sushi restaurant, and I'd rather you went somewhere else. There are plenty of other sushi places in San Mateo you can try. Thanks

This is my sushi restaurant, and I'd rather you went somewhere else. There are plenty of other sushi places in San Mateo you can try. Thanks
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This place has really gone downhill. Not only is the prices not worth the portions but the sushi looked like it was rolled by a blind child. The nigiri sushi was extremely small and sloppy, while... More

This place has really gone downhill. Not only is the prices not worth the portions but the sushi looked like it was rolled by a blind child. The nigiri sushi was extremely small and sloppy, while the rolls, which I hoped would be better, were falling apart without even touching them. I still can't get over how much they think they can charge for their portions... A shame, maybe Sam should close temporarily, go back to work for Isobune (which isn't what they were 10 years ago) with his other chef's, re-learn the basics, and then open back up. If you're in that area go somewhere else. There's plenty of other Japanese spots in downtown SM that will exceed your expectations. Try Joy sushi on B street. Pros: None that I can think of Cons: poorly prepared sushi, over-priced, super small portions
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A long wait for bad service and sushi is not fun. I read many posts about how great this place was, so we had to go. First off, how does a sushi place not have the traditional ginger salad on the... More

A long wait for bad service and sushi is not fun. I read many posts about how great this place was, so we had to go. First off, how does a sushi place not have the traditional ginger salad on the menu? Then their rolls that have more rice than fish and they fall apart upon picking them up. Also, anything with tempura in it tastes deep fried! It was like throwing KFC in the roll. I am sorry, I really wanted to like this place but it was awful.
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