Sushi Raw

Now I understand it’s valentines day, but we patiently waited an hour at our table without even getting our drinks, people came and went and we couldn’t even get our waiter to come back to our table. Sorry sushi raw that’s a giant fail.

Ugh. I was hoping this Sushi Raw was like the Sushi Raw that’s located on mission st. But I was wayyyy wrong.
It took over 30 minutes to get our sushi. Probably because there was only one chef working. I saw the other chef in the back on his phone. The people we came with were done with their food already –_​–
Service is nice. Very attentive, which earned them the 2 stars.
We also got 2 orders to go, and they took so long with it that we didn’t know if they had taken the order down for us.
Won’t be coming back here. We’ll be going to the Sushi Raw on Mission St instead.

My husband and I came here with a Unilocal coupon on a Sunday night at 7:30pm. The place was completely empty… we were shocked! After we were seated and given our menus, one of the menu was a discounted items after purchasing at least $ 10 per person, which i was surprised we got since i heard it was discontinued for dinner or the price had been raised to $ 15 per person. After perusing the menu and picking out our items, we ordered then the waiter told us that we weren’t allowed to order off of the discounted menu since we had a Unilocal coupon, so disappointed by the tease.
We ordered the Ton Katsu (as an appetizer), Four Season roll, Lion King roll and Hot Summer roll. The Ton Katsu was tasty, smelled like McDonald’s chicken nuggets for some reason, maybe just the oil being reused. All of the sushi rolls were a good average size of pieces, the smallest that I would find acceptable basically. Each sushi roll came plated beautifully with sauce being the decoration. I found the sauce to be a waste since they used soo much of it for decoration on the entire plate. Sometimes less can go a long way still. The Four Season roll was our favorite, very yummy! Lion King roll was good as it is any other place. And Hot Summer roll was good as well. Overall, nothing to write home about.
Prices were about average… Fish was decent, not the freshest but not bad either. Too bad the place is dead though. It always makes me nervous when a sushi place is that quiet because that means the fish may sit there longer and not have a high turnover…
I don’t think I’d particularly come back here maybe if I lived really close to it and too lazy to drive further to Barracuda.

I came here with coworkers during a weekend shift for lunch. I’ve been to my fair share of sushi places and I can definitely say I’ve experienced better. The restaurant is nice and the waitstaff is nice, but the food was just okay.
I wasn’t feeling in the mood for sushi, so I ordered the salmon teriyaki rice plate lunch special. Unfortunately for my coworker who ordered a 3-​item combo and asked for one of them to be the salmon teriyaki, they only had one piece of salmon left. We asked about a rice-​less sushi option (we got some weird looks) because a coworker insisted that he’s heard of such a thing being possible — after some questioning, one of my coworkers ordered an avocado roll sans rice along with a sashimi salad. Another coworker ordered the udon and the other ordered one of their special sushi rolls.
We got some hot tea while we waited and about 10 minutes later, our food arrived. My dish came with a small salad, a heaping of rice, and a tiny 2−3oz piece of salmon. It tasted just okay… For the price, I expected more. I heard the udon wasn’t the best — almost flavorless. The sashimi salad was tiny and served in a martini glass… I could just hear Gordon Ramsey say something about the ridiculousness of it all in the back of my head. My coworker’s 3-​item combo seemed just as sad. I think all of us were less than satisfied when we left… It was also unfortunate that their credit card machine was down… Good thing we had enough cash between all of us!
Side note: They had one of those nature shows playing on their TV… Just a suggestion, but even though it’s educational and age appropriate for everyone, I don’t think it’s very good to watch animals attack and eat each other as you’re sitting down for a nice meal.

Sushi Raw is making some changes and it’s (in my opinion) against their favor.
My sisters and I used to love coming here (particularly because of their $ 10.00 menu special which is now nonexistent and for their Deep Fried California Roll).
Their $ 10.00 discounted menu special is now replace with a $ 15.00 menu special. The quality of their miso soup has fallen; they used to incorporate these thin, stringy mushrooms which they don’t anymore. They didn’t offer us complimentary edamame. Their Deep Fried California Roll has gotten much smaller and they place it on a smaller plate. I used to get full off of a plate to myself, but, they cut the roll so thinly that it falls apart when you try to pick it up with chopsticks.
It’s unfortunate, but, the food they’re serving isn’t worth the price they charge anymore.
My dad always says that it’s about QUALITY not QUANTITY, but Sushi Raw has neither.
I’d rather head up the street to Sunny Sushi, their portions are worth the prices they charge and their service is much better. For bento boxes, I would recommend Tokyo House near Ranch 99, they’re much cheaper (especially during lunch when it’s only $ 5.95) and their portions are enormous, I’m sure you wouldn’t be able to finish everything in one sitting. They don’t have a great selection of sushi though.

if you want inexpensive japanese food when you’re craving for some sushi or sashimi, go here. it’s pretty darn good, and it’s fresh. they have a menu where if you spend a certain amount, i think it’s $ 10, the rolls and the sashimi is half off, which is a bargain, and their beer and sake is cheap! if you want sake bomb, you should go here.
appetizer and entrees is not that bad either, very flavorful, i always get the soft shell crab, i just feel like i’m missing out if i don’t order it. their bento box is not that bad either, price is affordable and it’s delicious. oh, do not get the udon or the ramen, i’m sure they use the instant noodle, (the one in the asian grocery) it’s not worth it.
parking can be annoying, but other than that, this place really isn’t that bad. i rather go here than the one in SF. DO NOT GO TO THE ONE AT 19TH (and taraval st), SERVICE SUCKS! and food was terrible. go to the one at mission, it’s much much better, but they don’t have the special menu when you spend $ 10, you get some rolls for half off.

Quite a cute little nook and cranny in San Bruno. Best place for sushi when you’re waiting for a movie to go on over at Centuryyyyyyyyyy: D
They have sake /​beer combo specials that make my heart skip a beat.

Friday has been sushi day since Lent. Post Lent, we’ve kept up the tradition and this place has been on the top of our selection list.
They have an awesome 3 item combo for less than 10 dollars during lunch. The chicken katsu and tonkatsu are lightly breaded and delicious. The tempura is light and not too heavy. Chicken tempura is tender and delicious.
Parking is a pain since they reversed the parking direction of what used to be a drive through so the back turn is super tight.
Service is fast and prompt and the food is good for a non-​Japanese owned Japanese restaurant.

Sushi Raw is the reason WHY I stay away from chain restaurants specifically sushi chain restaurants…
Let me preface by saying that I’m a sushi purist. I like to taste my fish in its most unadulterated form and not masked with orange gunk, although I have to admit, I do find it sinfully delicious at times. And when I do eat sushi, I prefer to go to Japanese owned and operated restaurants. Call me a sushi snob but I rather shell out the extra $$ for quality than to have to pay for it later at the porcelain throne so kindly take my review with a grain of salt.
On Friday, 6.10.11, my friend and I came to Sushi Raw for dinner at 7 PM and were promptly seated. Since we were seeing a movie later at Tanforan, we were looking for some place nearby for sushi and ended up at Sushi Raw only because of a coin toss. Not liking the Sushi Raw at the Excelsior location, I came here having no expectations especially when most of the 4 – 5 Star reviews seem to be based on the cheap sake and beer.
M E N U
The highlight of Sushi Raw is the «Big Discount Menu». Order $ 10/​person from the regular menu and get a $ 1.70-$ 4.45 discount on Sake Sashimi, Lion King Roll, CA Roll, Rock ‘N Roll, Rainbow Roll, Dragon Roll, Dynamite Roll, Spider Roll and Deep Fried CA Roll.
For Hot Sake and Beer, it’s «Buy One, get the 2^nd One for $.99 (Small) & $ 1.99 (Large).
Other than that, the sushi ($ 8-​$ 16 for specialty rolls) and sashimi (5 slices for $ 7.95) is priced just like any other sushi restaurant, if not overpriced.
F O O D
The fish at Sushi Raw is NOT fresh. Everything that we ordered had an «off» taste, color and/​or texture. I’ve had better quality/​tasting sashimi at Beijing Buffet which isn’t saying much especially when it’s the slum of all Asian Buffets.
*HAMACHI SASHIMI (5 Pieces — $ 7.95): 2 STARS!
Although the Hamachi’s texture was soft and tender, it was fishy. As I picked up the Hamachi and was raising it towards my face, there was a distinct fishy smell that emanated into my nose.
*SAKE SASHIMI (Big Discount Menu, 5 pieces — $ 4.95): 2 STARS!
The salmon was poorly cut as there were still some parts of the skin on the flesh. Some parts were brown and not the pinkish orange color throughout that fresh salmon normally has. The texture was buttery though.
*LIVE UNI: ($ 12) — 1 STAR!
Although the presentation was very eye-​catching, it tasted nothing like it looked. I’m a uni fanatic and have to order it every time I go eat sushi. Fresh uni should be creamy with a subtle brininess. The taste should be light and sweet with a hint of the fresh ocean breeze. The uni at Sushi Raw was slimy and had a very pungent and unappetizing bitterness to it.
*RED DRAGON ROLL — Spicy Tuna, Shrimp Tempura & Avocado ($ 10.95): 1 STAR!
I’m not sure why this roll is called «Red» Dragon Roll when the roll we got was more brown then red. The spicy tuna wasn’t spicy and the shrimp tempura was pre-​made so it wasn’t crunchy and the shrimp was dry and overcooked. The poor quality of the ingredients showed as the roll tasted stale and old.
*LION KING ROLL — Imitation Crab & Avocado Topped w/​Salmon (Big Discount Menu, $ 7.95) — 1 STAR!
It would have been nice if the roll was specified as «baked» on the menu. If we had known this, we wouldn’t have ordered it. The roll was left too long in the oven causing the salmon to be overcooked and the rice to be hard. The combo of hard rice, dry fish, and overly rich aioli sauce just didn’t work for us.
S E R V I C E
Service was friendly but inattentive which was to be expected. When I go to Asian restaurants, I don’t expect to receive good service because I mainly go there for the food so my rating has no bearing on the service. I have to note though that Sushi Raw was fully staffed with 4 waitresses and the restaurant is small yet they seemed frantic and disorganized. Plates piled up on our table and the waitresses clearly saw it when they walked by but did nothing. The food did come out very quickly though. Within 15 minutes we got four out of five of what we ordered. Our last roll took a while because they had forgotten about it.
A M B I A N C E /​D É C O R
Casual with a hole-​in-​the-​wall feel to it. The old wooden décor seems a bit dated and run down, though I think the restaurant is only about 3 years old. It seems they kept the décor of the previous Japanese restaurant. The restaurant is noisy and even more so with the rowdy drunks taking advantage of the cheap sake and beer.
P A R K I N G
There’s a small parking lot that can tightly accommodate about 8 cars. Street parking on El Camino, however, can be easily found.
I wish I can say, «You get what you pay for» but you don’t at Sushi Raw. Other than some of the special discount on rolls, it’s overpriced especially when you’re paying for borderline spoiling and poorly prepared food. And the ONLY reason why Sushi Raw is getting 2 Stars is because I’m not hanging over or tied to the porcelain throne as we speak.

This place, along with Tomo’s in Daly City, is my go-​to sushi place. Tasty rolls, decent prices ($ 10 – 14), lots of seating, great presentation.
TIps:
–Don’t park in the lot if you don’t have to. There’s a really sharp turn when you try to exit the lot. Drive a couple feet past the restaurant and see if you can find parking on El Camino instead.
–If you’re doing take out, walk in and get one of their take out menus; they have coupons
–Four Seasons Roll and the Hot Summer Roll
–They have a special where you spend $ 10 and get half off certain rolls. Make sure you note that each person has to order $ 10 before they can get half off a roll. I got into this really weird passive aggressive argument with the manager about how the server did not make that clear and we ended up with $ 40 more than we expected.
–I personally haven’t been here for sake bombs, but I hear it gets pretty fun on the weekend
GOD this review is boring. But useful. You win some, you lose some.

Went here for a birthday and we had an overall good experience. Service was great. They were on top of clearing our plates and refilling our drinks.
Deep fried California roll was everyone’s favorite. Lobster roll was interesting, a bit rich with mayo. Hamachi kama was a bit on the skinny side but was moist and well seasoned. As for sashimi, we had Ankimo — ive had better. Hamachi Belly — great, Fatty Toro — great, Salmon — delish, Walu — a bit soggy like it was just thawed.
All of us liked the dishes and took advantage of the ½ off discount menu since we ordered at least $ 10/​person.

Been coming to this location for many years and have seen it go through a few different managements. The current crew is doing things right because they’ve managed to to stick around the longest. They recently remodeled and it feels a lot less like a hole in the wall. Fortunately the prices didn’t jump up.
The sushi is always fresh and delicious. I recommend getting the grilled squid appetizer, baked mussels, island roll, and rainbow roll. Certain rolls are half off you you spend at least $ 10 per person.
The servers aren’t the most talkative, but they are nice. The rolls come out as they’re made so sometimes someone at the table might have to wait while everyone else has gotten their food, but it usually doesn’t take too long.
I’ve seen it get pretty full but have only had to wait for a table a couple of times. Somehow there is always one free spot in that tiny parking lot.
My only complaint is that they got rid of the dollar beers. Oh well it was good while it lasted.

Two things awesome about this place:
1) Cheap Sake & Beer
2) Half-​off menu (which includes the sake & beer)
So here’s the skinny on this place, it’s right on El Camino, they have their own parking lot, which fits like 6 cars or so but has a narrow driveway that leads you back out to El Camino. There’s probably seating for 30 people max inside, with a small bar area that seats 4 or 5 people. The waitresses and sushi chefs are pretty nice there. The waitresses are attentive to clearing your plates and making sure your complimentary tea is refilled. So automatically they’re getting at least a couple stars for service.
The menu (regular):
They actually have a good variety of sake and beer (Sapporo Hite, Asahi). The other items on the menu are pretty typical of any sushi place: regular rolls, special rolls, sashimi, bento boxes, etc. You’ve been to one, you’ve been to all. That’s exactly why a place like this has to be a little different.
Here’s where they keep me coming back. If you’re ever in the neighborhood and you want to get a sloshed or buzzed for real cheap, this is the place to do it. They have this Half-​off menu, where for every $ 10 you spend, you’re allowed to order from the half-​off menu. Which means you can get 5 pieces of salmon sashimi for $ 4, a Lion King roll for $ 6, and so on (so on meaning there’s like probably 10 typical/​popular things you can get for half-​off). For example, if you have a party of 4 people and 3 of you guys want to order from the half-​off menu, then your total bill (w/​o ordering the half-​off stuff yet) will need to be at least $ 30, in order for 3 people to order from that menu. I’ve never really seen them enforce it, but if you’re unsure if you qualify for this you can always ask them; most of the time they’re cool about it.
THEN there’s the $ 1 small beer and small sake OR $ 2 large beer and large sake. How the heck can you beat that?! I mean, I’m sure it’s not the best stuff you’re getting but it’s good enough and the beer is always going to be the same. I went there for New Year’s day for lunch. After a night of destroying my liver, I hadn’t planned on drinking for at least a couple of days. But man! I can’t pass up the cheap sake & beer. You can’t even get a Starbucks drink for this price! So I had to do it. And I’m glad I did b/​c it actually took the edge off of my hangover LOL.
All-​in-​all, the food is pretty decent (thick cuts of fresh sashimi and decent tasting rolls), the drinks are awesome (for the price), and the service isn’t terrible. I gave it 4 stars, only b/​c I’m picky with food and I believe that’s the only thing this place is lacking.
Happy Fooding!

Nothing spectacular about the sushi here, but it’s reasonably priced. If you spend $ 10 or more person, there’s a special sushi menu you can order from. $ 5.50 for a rainbow roll is a steal!
The only real compaint that I had was how cold it was inside the restaurant. It felt like I was sitting outside. I’d come back here again.

Came here for their 50% sushi special — spend $ 10 get select specialty rolls at half off.
I had low expectations initially because the place was so empty. Also, it’s a converted KFC drive-​thru, and something about that set off a warning flag for me. But as the night progressed, it got more crowded and the sushi continued to impress.
I don’t recall every roll my cousin and I had — I know that the spider and caterpillar rolls were among them — and they were both really good. The salmon teriyaki was tasty as well. The total was $ 34 for two people — not bad!

Bomb ass lunch specials.
Delivery service.
Great bento boxes.
Fresh sushi.
Cute interior.
Friendly staff.
And they allow me to customize the sushi sets just by paying a little more? What’s not to love?
I just don’t like their parking lot… maybe it’s because i’m an asian female driver but to get out you have to make a really tight turn. Talk about testing my driving skills. But I haven’t dinged my car there yet, so i’m going to keep coming!

My Favorite Japanese Restaurant! Its a Cheap Hole-​in-​a-​Wall spot.
If you love «Chicken Tempura» order their «Sesame Chicken» appetizer and hold off on their special sesame sauce. $ 4.25

To be honest, my initial impression of this place from the outside was that it was rather underwhelming. Obviously converted from a former fast food spot (probably a half dozen other spots on El Camino have the same look/design…I’d guess this one was a Taco Bell before), you kind of wonder what to expect. At the very least, you probably adjust your expectations a bit. However, like they say, appearances can be deceiving.
The big draw here seems to be their deal where if the orders of the table averages to at least $ 10 a person, there’s a short menu of items that get marked down. About a half dozen sushi/​sashimi items are 50% off, and the sake and beer fall to a discounted rate (like $ 1 or $ 2 depending on what you want). Considering there are some legitimate rolls on there too, it’s pretty hard to argue with that kind of deal!
The sashimi has generally been fresh each time I’ve ordered items, and they have an assortment of rolls listed on their menu. For the most part, they are pretty pretty standard, but they do have a handful of their own creations to offer that’s listed on the wall. For the most part, the rolls are done pretty well, with fresh fish and the right portion of rice to go with it. Nothing to complain about there.
The bento boxes they have are pretty good too — decent variety of items (though fairly typical for every Japanese restaurant) and the portions are generous. Of the items I’ve tried, they’ve all been standard — nothing amazing, nothing terrible. However, the unagi filet I ordered once was really overcooked, as the bottom skin layer was essentially a hard, burnt shell.
There are some additional items/​entrees you can order, and I believe they have a handful of noodles/​udon you can get as well. Haven’t tried any of those, but I did get the ramen once before. I wasn’t all that impressed, but not because it was bad — just that it’s pretty basic compared to what you can find at actual ramen joints in San Mateo or the city. For the area though, it’s not bad, and it’s not like you can find a lot of ramen alternatives anyways.
Service each time I’ve been has been pretty friendly and attentive, and they’ve even let us slide once or twice before we could start ordering from the discounted menu. Pricing is pretty good already, especially considering the portions, so the fact that they have that additional menu deal makes it that much better of a value. Yeah, I’d say I’d be back… especially if they keep offering up their half-​off/​special menu with all that cheap alcohol!
**Note: they already have at least one other location somewhere in the city, but they just opened up a spot in the Sunset on the corner of 19^th Ave and Taravel within the last couple of months.

We ordered some Sushi Raw delivered for dinner one night, and the mediocre-​to-​blah sushi didn’t really make me want to try dining in. But, when my friend suggested it as our dinner spot, I didn’t veto the idea, so we ended up dining in.
I probably should have exercised that veto. The sushi I ordered was slightly better than what we had delivered. But, both of my friends’ orders took FOREVER. I don’t know how it could take as long as it did to make Tonkatsu and Ramen!!!
Plus, for a place with «Sake Bar» in its name, the stock was pitiful. Sure, they have a nice selection in the menu with pretty pictures, but that’s no use if they didn’t have more than ½ of what I wanted!

Found this little gem by accident today. It’s a good place and has ramen (finally!!!) but I didn’t try it today cause it’s nice and warm out.
Presentation is pretty good, prices are decent but they lagged on some of the dishes which is a big no no.
The service was a little slow and I felt it was odd because there weren’t too many people in there.
They are very clean and the waiter service is good.
I imagine that the slow service may be due to the take outs.
Either way, I may come back here again to try their ramen.