Fukusuke Japanese Restaurant

After a nauseating experience at our local Japanese restaurant, we’ve been looking for a new place in the area. Since the reviews for Fukusuke were generally favorable, we decided it was worth a try.
We started our meal with an avocado-​tuna roll, which although somewhat small by our standards, was very tasty. The fish was fresh and the avocado was perfectly ripe.
We followed that with gyoza and tempura as appetizers. The wrappers on the gyoza were not doughy and the filling was flavorful. They were served with a vinegar sauce which I had only previously had with pot stickers in Chinese restaurants. It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t what I was expecting.
The tempura was served very hot and wasn’t greasy at all, so extra points there.
We both ordered Tonkatsu for our entrees. The portions were quite generous and were cooked perfectly.
All of the waitstaff was very friendly and our meal was quite reasonably priced.
We’ve found our «go to» Japanese.

Really good and affordable sushi. We had a great time and were particularly pleased that «crab meat» means crab meat and not the cheap alternative crabsticks. Great selection of specials. And the scallop nigiri were massive and to die for!

Nice people but the sushi just isn’t that good. The 4 star Unilocal review tricked me this time.

STAY AWAY FROM THIS PLACE.
The evening started when we received edamame that obviously came from a package and tasted bad. Then, we got miso soup that tasted watery. Afterwards, we received unagi that tasted fishy and terrible, «spicy tuna» rolls that just had a bit of spicy sauce on top (seriously?) and cucumber rolls that were FREEZING cold. Even the WATER didn’t taste fresh. Way too pricey for only a bit of nigiri. 24 $? Yeesh. I left still feeling hungry. But the worse part came later, at night.
I had a bad taste in my mouth so I rinsed it out with mouthwash, but then I felt like throwing up. I sat upright in my bed pretty much all night, with a beach towel over the covers, a bowl on the ground next to the bed, a glass of bubbly water on the nightstand, and a bottle of Antacid pills I took a lot of. Maybe we just ordered the wrong thing, but definitely NEVER coming back.
Should of realized that this place got a pass by the Marin Food Department after previously receiving a CLOSURE. Ewww. I honestly think that the Food Department should take another look.
However, service was okay and Mama-​san was nice.
Anyhow, go to King of the Roll down the street.

Cozy ambiance, warm service, and authentic high-​quality food. This will be my go to Japanese place.

Super cute little place. Came with a friend and our toddlers. Staff was so sweet and accommodating. They had all the high chairs used and went to neighboring restaurant to find us a high chair. Food was excellent. We kept ordering and ordering. Had many sushi roll, tempura, teriyaki chicken, miso and edamame (you know family friendly fare) and all was great. Our one con is that a we were served after a family that arrived after us. We didn’t even get water. The other family had reservations (which we tried to get) and they seemed to be regulars. I get having a good relationship with your regulars but you should serve in the order arrived.

Yummy sushi, quirky ambiance, great service and affordable prices. Yes, please.
A friend recommended this place, and was relieved by the Unilocal ratings. I was initially put off by the exterior, but knew better thanks to my research. We were seated almost immediately and were quickly greeted at our table by the semi-​famous Mama-​san with her signature Frog-​jeweled apron and friendly «arigato» greeting. We asked her to bring our party of four an assortment of sushi and she briefly seemed stumped by the question but then. she delivered… and then some. We had an assortment of sushi, including nigiri and rolls. Everything was yummy.
I love the quirky atmosphere and frog mobiles hanging from the walls. You can tell this restaurant is a labor of love and isn’t trying to be the fanciest, trendiest restaurant around. Looking forward to returning.

Fukusuke is a long time favorite. When I am in Larkspur this is where I dine. Great family-​run establishment. I asked to translate Fukusuke into English. It’s a man’s name.

Great place run by a great family. Good selection and the food is fresh and tasty. Mother and son are a great team. Check them out! If u remember the old style Japanese places you’ll love it here.

Homestyle japanese food that you simply cannot find anymore. Oishii!
Mama-​san is a classic, and her chef son Warren runs the kitchen at our favorite hole-​in-​the-​wall restaurant.
Love the beef sukiyaki on a rainy winter evening. No better comfort food.

Dropped in totally at random – trying to get across the bridge, but stuck in traffic, so used Unilocal for «best Japanese» nearby, and this came up. It deserves its «best» rating.
First, don’t be put off by the exterior. It looks like a hole in the wall (it is) in a strip mall. It is tiny (10 or so tables, sitting maybe 40 people total), but we were seated immediately at 6 on a Friday night (by the time we were done there were three parties waiting). We had three appetizers – all shared: the spinach, eggplant with Misu sauce, and fried tofu – the eggplant was the best any of us had anywhere. Main courses: tempura and fried oysters were both great. Very friendly. Quick service.

I’d no sooner finished remarking upon the oversized ceramic frog on the table when I looked up to find our waitress, Mama-​san, standing there in a white apron adorned with a slew of mismatched frog pins. It merited a remark (something about someone liking frogs, something she’d probably heard 10 times in the previous week) to which she responded with a sly, mischievous smile. I liked this quirky place already.
Located in a most-​unfancy Larkspur strip mall, Fukusuke is a throwback to a time when people opened restaurants which were uniquely them. There’s no feeling here that anyone is trying to grow this place into an empire or concerned about what HQ will think of the frogs. It seems to be one woman’s happy vision of what she’d like her restaurant to be.
The menu here is much larger than expected for such an intimate space and well-​covers the Japanese landscape. Sushi, sashimi, teriyaki, sukiyaki, and bento boxes are amongst the many foods offered. Prices are neither cheap nor expensive (most menu items are under $ 20) but you’ll likely spend a bit upwards of that to achieve a satisfying, well-​rounded meal. Two of us left very satisfied for a $ 46 tab (with tax, pre-​tip):
* Sunomono (okay, but it’s the one thing I wouldn’t order again)
* Edamame (served with a handmade origami «bowl» in which to deposit the pods)
* Spicy Tuna Roll
* Hamachi Nigiri (5 pieces, $ 11.75)
* Bento Box (choice of 2: tempura, chicken teriyaki, or albacore sashimi; $ 17; includes miso soup, salad, and rice).
When the table was cleared, Mama-​san returned, shaking a bowl which contained two fortune cookies. As she jiggled it under my nose she giggled, taunting me to select the right one. I was amused to find that both cookies contained two fortunes apiece, all good.
Fukusuke has been in business many years now and has a solid following. It feels a bit old school in both décor and menu but classic Japanese food prepared well never goes out of style. Leaving here, I strolled down Larkspur’s main drag, observing the full houses at several of the costlier, more glamorous places. It says something that the casual, homey Fukusuke had no less of a full house than the other places in town.
Good place.

There’s something distinctly comforting about eating at a homey restaurant in a mini mall planted firmly in the middle of suburbia. It’s like going to your grandma’s house for dinner. The expectations are within normal range, and you don’t get upset if the service isn’t on point. The food is always good, and somewhat familiar. It tastes like something you’ve had before, and liked.
This is what Fukusuke was like for me. The ladies that run the place are friendly, welcoming, and always smiling. I had the feeling that they had invested a lot in this tiny, homespun place, and that customers were considered true guests. It was a nice feeling after a long day, and my family relaxed as they sat waiting for their food. The atmosphere is calm in there.
The food was what I expected, after perusing the modest offerings on the menu. There were some standard sushi options, but nothing flashy or new. The food was very old fashioned Japanese-​American, such as simple plates of steamed vegetables with a creamy seasoned mayonnaise sauce, and gyoza served with a small side of spicy dip. There was the obligatory teriyaki chicken dishes, which multiple customers seemed to be ordering to go as they came in. My kids demanded the side dishes of takuan, because pickles.
My son loved the simple cup of miso soup with a side of rice, which he unceremoniously dumped into the broth and ate like a porridge. Everything tasted fresh and healthy, and we were completely full when the bill came. It was not the most economical dinner for four we’ve ever had, at $ 85+, but we were happy with the meal and left happy.
Eating something you know is something we all crave once in a while, and Fukusuke is like getting that quick shot of foodie nostalgia.

This place was a bit pricey. The quality was maybe a bit better than average.
I a nigiri order for $ 22 and I got 3 different types of fish (tuna, salmon, and a white fish). They were quality cuts. But I think a bit pricey.
The miso soup was ok. I also ordered California rolls for the kids and they ate it ok. They were able to fit a piece in their mouths because the pieces were small.
The deco had a frog theme. And the service was ok, nothing special.
I like the feel of the small-​hole-​in-​the wall fell though.
This place is a bit off the free way so I wouldn’t come back here again, unless I am in the area.

We had the chicken katsu and chicken teriyaki and both were great!!! Service was also outstanding. Will highly recommend!

Immer noch sehr gutes Essen… Mama-​san war leider mal wieder nicht da. Aber diesmal hatte sie noch etwas extra Käsekuchen für uns übrig gelassen. Hier ist noch einmal mein Review from last year:
Mama-​san, die Herrin des Hauses, war leider nicht da, als ich hier war, aber ihr Geist war überall: zum einen ist sie in vielen der Reviews erwähnt als der gute Geist des Hauses und zum anderen wurde uns ihr Käsekuchen sehr ans Herz gelegt von der Bedienung…
In der Tat, wir hatte jenen hochgelobten Käsekuchen bereits bestellt, als die Kellnerin mit Entsetzen auf uns zukam und sagte: wir haben leider nur ein Stück von Mama-san’s Käsekuchen übrig und der Mann, der dort hinten in der Ecke sitzt, würde das Stück gerne haben — er fliegt nämlich morgen zurück nach Japan und das heute ist die letzte Gelegenhei, bei der er Mama-san’s Kuchen essen kann…” Was konnten wir dem noch entgegensetzen und so verzichteten wir auf ein Dessert und versprachen der Kellnerin, das wir auf jeden Fall bald wiederkämen, um jenen berühmten Käsekuchen zu essen.
Nun, jetzt habe ich das Pferd ja sprichwörtlich von hinten aufgezäumt: mit der Nachspeise. Aber fangen wir doch einfach noch mal von vorne an: ich hatte über Fukusuke bereits von Jennifer W gehört, die hier wahnsinnig gerne hinkommt. Eines Tages war unser Verlangen nach japanischer Küche so groß und wir wollten nicht extra bis nach San Francisco gurken und so kamen wir halt einfach nach Larkspur. Und wie es in den Reviews bereits beschrieben wurde: es ist wirklich ein Restaurant, das der Beschreibung «Klein Aber Fein» zugute kommt.
Bei unserem Besuch wurden wir von dem überaus freundlichen Personal willkommen geheißen und wie ich es halt gerne so mache, bat ich die nette Dame mir doch einfach ein paar Gerichte zu empfehlen: sie legte mir Sukiyaki ans Herz und da ich immer gerne den Ratschlägen von netten Leuten folge, bestellte ich das Gericht gleich. Sukiyaki ist im Prinzip japanischer Hot Pot, wo Fleisch, Gemüse und Nudeln in einer Suppe kochen… vor allem die Suppe beim Sukiyaki ist super-lecker…weil sehr süß!
Mein Freund hat Sushi bestellt und er war davon sehr begeistert… alles in allem: ein toller Besuch und wir kommen bestimmt bald wieder… wir müssen ja schließlich Mama-san’s Käsekuchen probieren ;-)

This place is pretty good, though I wish they had a broader selection of sushi! Regardless, the fish is fresh — except the crab is imitation. Also, the people here are as nice as everyone says.
Be aware that the space itself is small. So you may have to wait, and because the tables are so close, you’ll be apart of your neighbor’s conversation (which could be fun, or not haha).
Bottom line: Try it out!

The owner & the staff are great. Mama-​san has such a great energy.
Their Katsu is really good including ebi fry and vegetable fries. I don’t know how you can make panko crusted fries that «fluffy»

Yay Japanese food that isn’t sushi centric! While I have nothing against sushi (well other than the amount it takes to fill me up) it’s nice to be able to go some place to get Japanese food that wasn’t pulled from the ocean.
Their gyoza are nice and flavorful with delicate skins. The sukiyaki is even for me more than enough food. The broth is one of the most flavorful I’ve had. I could’ve made a meal of it.
The hot sake isn’t anything special, but it’s not bad either. On a cold night the sake plus sukiyaki do an excellent job warming you up.
When you’re down to just your rice, ask for a raw egg to crack over the top of it, add some soy sauce, mix and eat. YUM.

Sushi: B+
MamaSan: A+
If you know this small, local, family-​owned gem, then you know the adorable owner, MamaSan. While my family loves the affordable sushi here, we love MamaSan even more.

This place was so good we went twice in one weekend!
The food is fantastic… and they don’t just carry the common sushi/​tempura/​teriyaki …they’ve got lots of more traditional fare.
Service is equally good, with «Mama-​San» making you feel like you’re at home (albeit your Japanese grandmothers home)
Don’t let the location fool you… Fukusuke proves you can have a great dining experience in a strip mall.