If you live in Menlo Park and you’re serious about Japanese food, you already know the drive north is where the real list lives. The county’s best counters are small. Most are eight to sixteen seats. Phone reservations, two seatings, no OpenTable. Here’s where the locals send each other when they want the real thing.
1. Wakuriya (San Mateo). The anchor.
One Michelin Star in the 2025 Guide, 16 seats, two seatings a night, phone-only reservations booked a month out. Chef Katsuhiro and Mayumi Yamasaki run a 9-course kaiseki that changes monthly, around $100+ per person. Climbed the Opinionated About Dining list from #482 to #274 in a single year. Book now for next month.
2. Sushi Yoshizumi (San Mateo). Eight-seat cypress bar on 4th Ave.
Edomae omakase from $125, extended to $200–$250, plus a 22% service charge. Chef Akira Yoshizumi ages his fish in cedar boxes under the counter — two days to three weeks. Earned a Michelin star six months after opening in 2015. Tock only…