Izakaya Ginji

Skewers were juicy, well seasoned and overall yummy. The beef finger and lamb were my favorites. We ordered a lot of the tapa plates and enjoyed most of them, the pork cheeks were very crispy and reminiscent of chicharrones, the karaage chicken comes in very large chunks, and the eggplant(miso nasu dengaku) was nice and saucy. I enjoy pork belly but the buta bara miso glaze was okay. I wish it was more tender. The ika maruyaki or grilled squid is a go to for me, as well as the ankimo. The fried hotate or scallops were nice and crispy with yummy slightly chewy scallops inside. The chuhais were fruity and very easy to drink.

Went out with some coworkers while visiting the area and was blown away with the food. We wended up ordering a lot of dishes which all had their own amazing flavors. My favorite was the Ebbi Chile, but the chicken karaage was a close second. Very cheap beer plus mouth watering food made for a very memorable outing. Friendly staff as well! Thanks y'all!

I really enjoyed the udon and the skewers! The udon is very basic but very flavorful, the seaweed taste very good! The beef skewer is a must try! The meat is so juicy and perfectly done. I also love the chicken thigh and the scallop. Just simple salt seasoning but very flavorful! The staffs were very helpful and kind. I am 100% coming back again. March-2024 I tried the miso katsu chicken! Very crispy on the outside and very tender chicken with flavorful sauce! I will try this again. April-2024 Beef tongue: must try! May-2024 Beef tongue and miso curry chicken katsu June-2024 Beef finger, sushi and shrimp! July-2024 Beef udon and oyster and lunch special beef bowel! Kaisen don and beef udon!

Popular Japanese Izakaya with a variety of yakitori skewer options. This place is always crowded so advanced bookings are recommended. Food is of good quality and a bit high price. Expect $75 pp if ordering mainly skewers.

One of the best place to get Japanese food. The restaurant’s inside is decorated in Japanese style culture. It’s very nice, and we instantly fell in love with the decor. The place is always busy, so sometimes the order is a little slow but they always try their beat to attend to the customers. One other things I like about this place is the effort they put in to serve the little customers. See that cute little tiger plate? My baby likes it very much. The yakitori, or skewers, is very tasty, and they have 2 different flavors for you to try. During peak hours, the yakitori might be served a little slow due to high demands of orders. Besides that, the udon also is good, but the don is just so so, but it’s not bad. The desserts are yummy, but it’s too sweet to my liking.

Really fun place… warm, almost five bar , atmosphere. Really excellent food. I would say the most notable for me was the akadashi miso soup… something i hadn’t had before but was delicious.

A small cute joint for Izakaya. We enjoyed almost every single dish that we’ve tried from two visits: tapas, salad, skewers are all highly recommended! The skewers are particularly flavorful given the special wood coal they use. They may seem a little short staffed on the service side so it takes a little patience, but not severe enough to impact the overall experience.

The skewers are delicious, you must. Everything else ordered so far has been great. I like the order from your phone service, no waiting around or flagging down someone. Fast service. We were able to sit at the bar but apparently reservations are recommended, since they only had bar or outside seating at the time we went, which was pretty early at 5PM on a Friday.

I had a hankering for yakitori, so I looked on Yelp and found Izakaya Ginji. Located in Downtown San Mateo, there are nearby parking lots and street parking if you're lucky enough to nab a space. The restaurant is on the corner of East 4th Avenue & South B Street. Once inside, there is a combination sushi counter / yakitori grill that wraps around the corner and all seating is arranged along each side. It has a very cozy izakaya feel: Dark woods and lots of signs advertising what's available to eat & drink. On my visit, I was seated very quickly and got to perusing the menu. Lots of Japanese favorites on there for sure! I ordered a beer to start, then Seaweed Salad, Unagi Don, Chicken Skin, and Chicken Liver. Everything was delish! :-) And the Chicken Skin & Liver yakitori? Easily one of the best I ever ate. Though it took a little while to make, it was definitely worth it. I'm going to have to put this place in my rotation now!

I've walked by Izakaya Ginji many times in the past but finally had the opportunity to dine here recently with some friends. Right when you walk in you can see the chefs grilling yakitori on the Binchotan charcoal grills. The of meats grilled over the charcoal We started out with a cold Sapporo beer which is always refreshing and complements Japanese food well. They also serve the Sapporo Premium Black here. We ordered the yakitori quail eggs, chicken wings salt tare style, and chicken thighs. Though it was tasty, $5.75 was a bit pricey for one wing. The grilled octopus was excellent! For sushi, we shared the Tosaka and Ginji Lion King rolls. Both were 8 pieces with a generous amount of fish and were fresh. The restaurant was clean and the service was friendly attentive service.

I've been frequenting this restaurant for a few years now and it's consistently solid. The food has always been good, and I can't say I've had a had a bad dish here. As others have mentioned, the prices may be a bit on the higher side, but honestly, it makes sense when you consider how much effort goes into preparing yakitori properly. The skewers are always seasoned well and grilled nicely. Personal favorites include the beef tongue (when it's not sold out), chicken heart, and gizzard. Also, the kimchi udon carbonara is a fav. Definitely a place I keep coming back to.

My friends and I really enjoyed our time here! The vibe and service were top tier and recommend coming here for a date night or a dinner with a few friends. The restaurant is decorated so thoughtfully. It felt cozy and trendy at the same time. I would recommend coming here with enough friends to try and sample lot of times. We ordered A LOT and liked pretty much everything (some more than others.) The stand outs were carbonara, mussels, chicken skin skewers and takoyaki. I liked how the cook grilling can be seen right when you walk in. It's interesting to watch!

I've been to Ginji a few times and it solid and dun every time! My absolute favorite are the pork cheeks! Others include the grilled squid and beef rib finger meat. All their yakitori is nice and smoky and they serve their beer in chilled glasses. Service is quick and attentive. And the atmosphere is fun and lively! It's a great time.

We love good izakaya so this place has been on our to check out for a while. We came at 5:40 on a Saturday. They inside was already 90% full and they said only availability is outside, with heaters. So, take heed! We were the first outside table. But service was friendly and prompt which made it not a hardship to be outside. They don't have a BIG skewers selection, but they have an overall diverse and tasty offering! 5* * Skewer: beef rib finger -- these are juicy, tasty, tender and just wonderful bites of beef! * Mentaiko Carbonara -- creamy, great chewy texture to the udon. Very satisfying! * Pork cheeks (Tontoro shio yaki)-- thanks to all the Yelp reviews for recommending this. Unique and satisfyingly porky, salty, crisp and juicy! 4.5* * Skewer: shiitake-- I just love shiitakes and these are fresh, lightly salted and grilled in a light toast kind of way. Very satisfying * Skewer: sausage -- these are juicy and smoky. Very satisfying ... I enjoyed these as much as the 5* items but might not feel like I have to order them everytime since they're not AS unique to Izakaya Ginji 4* Takoyaki -- very satisfying: crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside with great sauces Karaage -- very generously portioned 2.5 - 3* * Soft shell shrimp -- which comes on a skewer, but is fried. This is satisfying fried food with beer. 3* because the flesh of the shrimp ends up being a bit dry, vs other fried shrimp I've had where it's crunchy on the outside and plump and juicy on the inside * Skewer: chicken meatball -- this was the most lackluster item on the menu. The meatballs weren't tender vs other tsukune we've had. Edible, but felt like it was taking up precious stomach real estate vs all the other amazing things above. All of this accompanied Asahi super well. Overall, a really tasty, and satisfying meal with friendly and prompt service. The tables around us filled up throughout our meal, though they also seemed to have a fairly steady turnover. Recommend reservation or coming early to be on the safe side.

Solid. Definitely good, but not incredible. We arrived with a group of 6 on a Monday night. Service was consistently quick and warm. Let's talk food. The skewers were okay. The chicken was dry and it was pretty hard to swallow despite being a regular swallower. The peppers were supposedly sweet but my goodness my body was clinging on for dear life. The highlights were easily the two mentaiko noodle dishes as each was savory, creamy, and had us lookin for more. All in all, Good

We have been eating here for the last 4 years, but this was our first time eating there in probably a year. We noticed that the food quality seemed a bit different. Overall, still a good meal but the freshness of the sashimi and food seasoning seemed just a bit below what we remembered. Ordered 1) hamachi appetizer, which didn't have the previously remembered light fresh flavor. 2) salmon avocado roll that was good but same issue with the freshness 3) mentaiko carbonara- still very savory and good, always a favorite 4) agedashi tofu- batter was not quite as crispy Yakitori was overall still good but probably a little salty. We got the wagyu, lamb, and chicken thighs.

Had a good friend visiting town so we came for dinner on a Monday night. Place wasn't too packed or busy which was nice. We mostly just ordered their skewers. Friend orders the chicken soup which was surprisingly good. A good chunk of their skewers were over salted. I probably drank at least 6 cups of water that night.. for some pricey skewers I was disappointed.

Hmm, I personally was not a fan. I made reservations for 3 at 7:00pm and we ended but being a bit early and got there around 6:20pm to check in and see if there was any open spots. As figured, there was no tables so we waited and got seated around 6:55pm, although I will say the hostess said she can sit us initially around 6:40pm but that never happened, which is fine but I noticed her seating people who were walking in. I'll give her the benefit of the doubt since we were early which was our fault. We were finally seated and we ordered via the QR code. Our beer came out in 5 minutes but when I tell you this was the slowest service I had in a while, I meant it. Each of our food item came by one by one and it literally took forever, about 45 minutes. For example, our sushi roll came out and then once we were done we waited another 10 minutes and our karage came out, then we finished and waited another 10 minute and our udon came out. On top of that, the servers were all busy and running around so they didn't even realize we are sitting there waiting for long because we also ordered through the QR code. The whole service was not good in my opinion. Was everyone nice, yes, but was the service good, no... The food was okay, especially after waiting so long you get high expectations but I felt like everything was okay, again not amazing nor bad, just neutrally good. The price was decent and not too crazy so I guess overall it's fine. I personally would not be back unless there was no wait. It was not worth making a reservation and the wait for the food. It was a Friday evening so I understand it was busy, but I felt the service was too bad so I can't imagine coming with a bigger group as all of our food would come out in different times. Luckily I had it family style.

Came here last week because we were craving yakitori. The yakitori was good, but the ones we got with salt were a tad too salty that day. We always get the chicken skin, chicken w/ negi, gizzard, and kimchi carbonara. We tried the chicken neck and chicken harami (skirt) this time. Both delicious cuts of meat and very tender!

Date of Visit: 7/12/2024 Japanese izakaya is one of our favorite types of cuisine. Izakaya Ginji located in San Mateo has had great reviews since it was opened back in 2010. It is a family restaurant operated by two brothers. Daisuke Nishimoto works at the back side of the kitchen and curates the extensive sake menu, and Shingo manages the binchotan grill in the front. We made a reservation about 1.5 week prior to our visit, and sat right away. The skewer menu is a physical menu on the table that can place the order of all different kinds of skewers. And we need to scan the QR code to place an order for all others, including sashimi, appetizers, donburi, udon, dessert, and drinks. Sapporo $5 Asahi $6 We got two types of Japanese beer to pair with our foods. We ordered the following skewers: Shishito Pepper $3.8 Shishito pepper was very yummy, but some of them were spicy and some were sweet. Gizzard $4.75 My favorite! Love the crispy and chewy taste of the gizzard. Heart $4.75 Chicken heart skewers were juicy and delicious! Skin $5 Chicken skin was grilled right on point! Cartilage $5.75 Cartilage was great too! Fatty Salmon Sashimi $14 We got the fatty salmon sashimi with daikon and shiso, and wasabi on the side. Grilled Salmon Collar and Belly $19 The grilled salmon collar and belly were big portions. Chicken Knee Karaage $9.5 This one paired great with iced cold beer! Mentaiko Carbonara $18 One of the most popular dishes, the Mentaiko Carbonara was made with cream and cod roe, on top was decorated with seaweed and green onion. It was very creamy but not too thick. Gyu Don $16 And we also got the gyu don. This one is just okay, also with miso soup on the side.

It's rare that an izakaya spot is open for lunch, but luckily Ginji was. We got a bunch of dishes to share but I forgot to take photos of most of them, oops. The food is pretty good and authentic. Portions are large so because when you order. The torched aji was amazing, definitely get that. Friendly service. They gave us free miso soup because we ordered so much.

Made a reservation for three at 6:30pm on a Saturday and when we got there we were seated right away! The interior is super cute with lots of decorations to make it feel like you're getting izakaya in Japan. We came here mainly to try their yakitori. We ordered many and they did not disappoint. My favorites were the bacon scallop, chicken thighs, and chicken gizzard. The scallop was cooked perfectly! It wasn't overcooked and the bacon gave it so much flavor. The chicken thighs were so so juicy and yummy. The chicken gizzards had a good texture to it. My least favorite was the cartilage, it was just a bit tough for my taste. We also ordered a rainbow roll that was good, pretty standard, the fish didn't stand out too much to me. And also soft shrimp skewers which were super delicious! I would come here for good vibes with a group of friends.

The food was good, but man is it expensive. There are other Yakitori places in San Mateo I would go to before choosing this one.

I used to eat here pretty often about 6-7 years ago and it was one of my favorite restaurants. The servers were notably stand out and they had the best yakitori in town. Last night I came back for a 6pm reservation on a Wednesday night. It was ...sad. The service was fine. But the food was unrecognizable. For skewers we ordered shishito peppers, shiitake mushroom, chicken thigh, heart, tail, neck, lamb, sake muscles and tofu okonomiyaki. Almost $6 per order and only 1 skewer per order. The veggies came out hot but the meat all came out just warm. The tail was a bit undercooked so the fat was not rendered enough for the flavor to develop. However the chicken thigh was overcooked that it dry like chicken breast. But the one thing that I could not forgive was that all the chicken was ordered with tare but none came with tare - everything was served with soy sauce straight out of the bottle. This was criminal. I've always been skeptical of these elite yelpers giving 5 stars to every restaurant..

It's been awhile since I've last eaten here. The quality and taste are still what I remember. Dining here on weeknight, the place wasn't too busy. I made reservations on OpenTable so we were seated right away. We ordered the following and were stuffed by the time we finished our meal. Corn butter - nothing special, just corn and onions, seemed like more onion than corn Shishito peppers Mentaiko carbonara (cod roe, cream and egg yolk) - my favorite dish, this was so rich and flavorful, a definite order again Karaage - this dish was more like chicken strips than karaage Lollipop chicken Mushrooms Beef rib finger Pork rib finger Chicken skin Spicy tuna roll Service started quick, but got slower as the night progressed. Noise level and busyness weren't too bad so made for a pleasant evening to catch-up with a friend. Parking in that area is hit or miss depending on night of week, but plenty of street parking and parking lots available.

I have almost never given a 5-star rating for a yakitori place, but this restaurant definitely deserves it. Ayumi, our host, was incredibly welcoming and accommodating, even when we arrived earlier than expected. The service was excellent--attentive and efficient--and the food was absolutely a 10/10! Every binchotan charcoal BBQ skewer was perfectly grilled, delivering incredible flavor and texture. We'll definitely be returning!

First time here we got seated immediately. I got the tosaka roll and the salmon. I really liked the salmon one the jalapeños on top really made it the perfect touch. I would come back here.

We only gone for lunch but already were quite happy with the food and variety, they have much better varieties for dinner. Sushi rolls were average, typical like dragon roll, salmon lover etc. Our group liked the appetizers the most, and the shoju was fun. The only thing to pick on was the ambiance, it was pretty old and dark in the cube.

Lunch visit with my parents after several years of not dining here. I might add this back into my rotation. The staff was very nice and efficient. There are plexiglass partitions separating every other table so it affords a bit of privacy. Food was hit or miss, prices are mostly reasonable, and portion sizes were healthy. We got 6 items for 3 people and walked away stuffed and with leftovers. Tontoro shio yaki/grilled pork cheeks - pork was juicy, fatty but in a good way, a little crisp on the outside, and the side of cabbage was a nice way to cut the fattiness Buta kimchi okonomiyaki (weekday lunch item) - this was ok. There was maybe a couple small pieces of pork in it and the texture was too dense and doughy. The reheated leftovers tasted better though so maybe it just needed to be on the grill longer. Niku tofu - I really liked this dish. The beef tongue is so tender and the dish flavorful. Soft shell shrimp - this was the unanimous favorite at our table. Mentaiko carbonara - we all liked this dish but it was very creamy and I wished there was more mentaiko. Steamed sake mussels - pass on this dish next time. The mussels did not have the best texture and the broth was way too salty.

3.5 stars Came here for the Yakitori. Skewers were lacking in flavor and needs more salt and pepper while cooking rather than a finish. The one with the sauce is better. I do like the gizzard, liver, and heart. I didn't care for the cartilage, it was a bit dry with the meat. All could use a bit more salt and I'm sensitive to salty flavors. The rainbow sushi roll was good. The flavor in it was tasty. Beer was reasonable too. Service was good. Friendly staff.

Very busy place in downtown San Mateo. Me & my bestie came on a Friday night (7-8pm) & we got seated quickly but this place fills up because it's small (Japanese style). Affordable Japanese restaurant compared to other spots in the Bay. I really loved their chicken skin yakitori, takoyaki, & salmon nigiri. I'm used to agedashi tofu having more flavor so I'll prob skip on that next time. My bestie got a rice bowl & it was super delicious! You order through your phone & they bring it quickly. Next time, I want to order more skewers :) thanks for a nice dinner.

Food came quick and everything was great! Highly recommend the pork cheek and salmon sashimi. Friendly staff and quick service along with beautiful decor.

The service and the food was great. The place has a cozy atmosphere in general. The only thing I wish was that they didn't have super concentrated lighting in certain parts that would shine too brightly in certain seats. It made the ambiance less comfortable when I have a bright beam of light on me.

Day/Time: Wednesday around 7pm Group: 2 Traffic: Pretty crowded, but we were sat immediately on arrival Parking: street / downtown structures Chicken liver + salted chicken heart yakitori - Fantastic! Smoky, aromatic, with great texture. These go down super quick, so if you're hungry I recommend supplementing with something else on the menu so you don't spend all your money trying to get full. Scallop bacon - Very good, the scallop flavor was strong against the bacon. You only get one per order on the skewer. It's a fun variety item. Bento Box A (chicken teriyaki) - Nice standard bento, well-executed and nothing to complain about. This will help fill you up while you have a taste tour of your yakitoris I also wanted some tempura, but unfortunately I wasn't a big fan of the tempura offering here. There's only 4 tempura options (shishito, ebi, cheese, or squid). I wish some veggie variety tempura option was offered (e.g. with pumpkin, broccoli, etc), but it's okay. For newcomers, I recommend picking 2-3 (or more!) fun yakitoris to try (get 1 serving per person, they go down quick!) and picking an entree with some variety of ingredients to fill you up (e.g. a bento or a sushi roll).

I finally tried this place in San Mateo and we were not disappointed . Great atmosphere and staff is very friendly. Since it was our first time, she walked us thru ordering via our mobile and send it. Our order was brought to our table as expected. Everything was delicious!

Went here with my family and had to wait a bit for a table (there were six people in our party). My aunt had been here before and liked it a lot, so ordered for the table. We ordered A LOT, and it added up to a lot per person. Overall the food was very good. The service was very quick, and they brought food as quickly as they cleared plates from our table. I'll go over some of the highlight dishes: Yakitori: We ordered four types: Beef finger, chicken and scallions, salt and pepper chicken, and chicken skin. My favorite was the chicken skin, mainly because the outside was very crispy and the skin itself soaked up much of the sauce's flavor. I liked the two chicken ones, though I found the salt and pepper one a bit bland. The beef was good, simple, hearty. Rice plates: Came with miso soup. We ordered a miso tonkatsu one and a grilled hamachi one. Both were delicious. The miso sauce was so flavorful, so rich, and the miso was very deep. It was a bit heavier, but very satisfying. I liked the hamachi just a bit more. The squeeze of lemon on top adds another element to the grilled flavor of the fish. It was soft and very easy to eat. The fish skin was so crispy. Sushi rolls: Nothing that special, ordered one that was a California roll with spicy tuna on top. Another was a baked roll. It was still very delicious, but the other dishes were more memorable. Udon: We ordered two bowls of the niku udon. I liked it. It had a much lighter flavor than I was expecting, but they were very generous with portions (especially the meat), as well as tons of seaweed and udon noodles. Very chewy and delicious, also very refreshing. Appetizers: Agedashi tofu was alright, there was something about it being not crispy enough and the dashi stock was too light for it to really taste like anything. Takoyaki was good, very classic. They didn't put a lot of octopus, however. My aunt also ordered some kind of sashimi sampler with salmon roe on top. It was very clean tasting. There was a bit of sourness, vinegary taste. The roe added lovely texture. She also ordered fried pork cubes coated with some kind of sweet teriyaki-like sauce. No idea what it was called, but it was very good. The meat was very lean, but the crispiness of the outside was very nice. If there was more food we ordered, I must have forgotten because it wasn't too memorable. Overall food is great, a bit expensive but that's how it is in most izakayas. Service is quick and very attentive. Seems like parties of 6+ have an automatic service fee charge.

The skewers are really good. - The chicken heart was crispy and fresh. - Liver was wonderful, the middle was super soft while the outside was perfectly crispy. - Beef rib finger: crunchy with a burst of juice upon the bite - squid: so crisp and an excellent and not fishy seafood flavor - lamb: quite tough, and not well seasoned - Scallop wrapped in bacon: nothing special. The bacon makes it taste and feel cheap Not a wallet friendly place, and don't expect to leave satisfied. We had to order the sushi rolls after finishing our skewers because we were still hungry. Be prepared to stop at McDonald's on the way home. Service was very friendly, and the place reminds me of being at a charcoal place in Japan.

- Seaweed Salad 3 normal - Hamachi Carpaccio 4 thick slices, not fishy, garlic crunch on top, ponzu sauce, flavorful - Ebi Chili Mayo 4 deep fried tiger shrimp, sweet chili glaze, not spicy, crispy - Buta Bara Miso Glaze 2 deep fried slow cooked pork belly, sweet glaze, too fatty, crispy - Tofu Okonomiyaki 5 great flavor, corn - Agedashi tofu 3 - Soft shell shrimps 4 - Ginji Lion King Roll 5 seared salmon, ask for no jalapeño, spicy, flavorful - Mentaiko Carbonara 4 creamy, fishy cod roe flavor, flavorful - Salmon Carbonara 3 creamy, too little salmon, not flavorful - Chicken katsu curry 4 - Miso soup 3 normal - Salmon Belly Sashimi 5 rich, fatty, fresh - Houji Tea Panna Cotta 5 tea flavor super strong - Mango Pudding 5 real mango (can be a little sour), better than dimsum version Skewers: - Chicken Skin 4 crispy, slightly greasy - Chicken Cartilage 3 no meat, only bone - Chicken Gizzard 4 crispy chewy, soy flavor - Chicken Heart 3 soft chewy, soy flavor - Chicken Meatball 3 soft, ginger taste, medium flavorful - Chicken Scallion 3 medium tender, ponzu sauce - Japanese Waygu 5 rich, juicy - Beef tongue 4 crispy chewy, juicy - Beef ribs fingers 4 very chewy, well seasoned w/ salt - Scallop & Bacon 3 juicy, not flavorful - Eggplant 3 not soft or flavorful

Came here on a Tuesday night with reservation. We were seated as soon as we got there. Service was great! Our server was very sweet and friendly, she always check back on us to see if we need anything. The restaurant itself was very casual and relaxed, it is perfect for friends gathering. I'd say this place is more of a 3.5 star instead of 4. They have a big menu with different selections, we ordered a bunch of different stuff: Takoyaki, grilled octopus, grilled meatballs, Hiyayakko, chicken Liver etc. Everything we've ordered was pretty decent, Most of the yakitoris were well seasoned, and perfectly grilled. There were a few dishes that were just OK. Overall we enjoyed dining here and would come back to try more.

My co workers and I came here for a farewell party for one of the workers Food n service was very good drinks were good as well I recommend this place because food is good n service was very good

Super friendly staff, prompt service and good food! My sister and I came here after looking at reviews, wanted to try a lychee martini although reviews were a bit misleading. They have a good selection of beers, sake and soju but no cocktails. Will come back again and explore more of the menu

Izakaya Ginji was such a great place to dine! I was able to find street parking nearby and walked over. The inside was full so I was able to grab a spot outside. They have heaters in case you get cold. The service was very good! They constantly checked on us and the food came out pretty quickly. It didn't come out all at once though. We got the skewers - chicken heart, gizzard and shiitake mushrooms. I thought the gizzard was the best. We also got the pork cheek and that was one of my FAVS!! The flavor was so rich and the texture of everything was just right. I can't believe I didn't take any pictures but I mainly came to try their kimchi carbonara and it definitely didn't disappoint. I would come back here again for it! The portions are decent sized but the pricing as great! Very affordable. I would come back again!

Holiday Bites With two other long-time and popular izakayas in San Mateo (Izakaya Mai and Yakitori Kokko), I had never had the chance to dine at Izakaya Ginji On a quiet Xmas Eve and with welcome holiday hours, that chance came and I left happy and joyful The strength of Ginji is clearly the high fire binchotan grill and all items chicken Chicken skin, tail meat, and momo thigh with salt are all delicious and even better is the comforting tori zosui or Japanese style chicken soup The corn butter is skippable but the Houjitea panna cotta is delicious A5 Japanese Black Wagyu $16 / Kawa ~ Chicken Skin Salt $4.25 / Bonbochi ~ Tail Meat Salt $4.95 / Momo ~ Thigh Salt $4.00 / Hatsu ~ Heart Tare $4.00 / Tsukune ~ Meatball $4.25 / Chicken & Scallion Citrus Ponzu $4.95 / Tori Zosui ~ Japanese Chicken Soup $9.25 / Houjitea Panna Cotta $9.00 Izakaya Ginji (San Mateo, CA) Izakaya Ginji accepts reservations for indoor dining and accepts all credit cards.

Great spot for Japanese food and izakaya as it's run by Japanese people. Service is slow so much sure you account for that if you plan on dining in. Shishito peppers - nice char and some of the peppers had a nice kick to it. Chicken Thigh - juicy and tender with a lot of flavorful. Takoyaki - crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. One of the better takoyaki I've had. Buta Kimchi Carbonara - super creamy. The kimchi added a nice tartness to the cream. The udon had a nice chew and bounce to it. Sashimi don & Udon - the sashimi was so fresh. The tuna melts in your mouth. I'm normally not a huge fan of salmon sashimi but this one was high quality and good. The udon had a lot of seaweed and a solid bowl of udon.

Quite pricey for the amount of food you get at this place. Came here with three little kids and three adults and took a while for food to come.

Best udon in town! We had the beef variety -- Niku Udon exceeded expectations -- the broth was clean, deep, flavorful and the udon noodles itself are so chewy! The seaweed was a great touch. I'm not a big beef eater, but their thinly sliced beef was really good. The beef had too much fat though. Honestly we didn't expect much for udon (usually at non-udon-specialty restaurants, they've been pretty plain) but this place went beyond expectations. Lion King roll was yummy too! Big portion, good amount of salmon and torch! Some things that could be improved was that the music was too loud indoors and there were some annoying fruit flies or mosquitos(?) around us. Ah also they don't serve yakitori for lunch! Only dinner. But saturday lunch did not have any wait.

Came by for lunch the other day and it was a tasty experience. Street parking is available for $1/hour for up to 3 hours. Both indoor along with outdoor sidewalk dining were available. Ordering is done via a QR code provided by the wait staff. The menu is also via the QR code. Started off with the Tosaka Roll which was tasty. It was a California roll topped with spicy tuna along with some unagi sauce and green onions. The rice was thin, flavorful, and fragrant. Moved on to the chicken karaage which had numerous gigantic pieces of lightly fried chicken thighs that were very juicy. This also came with a side of Japanese mayo too! The seared mackerel was also tasty. The mackerel was seared and was very juicy. Service was attentive and courteous by the staff wearing a mask covering their mouth and nose. $35/head after tax and gratuity for lunch with plenty of leftovers.

Lovely izakaya with amazing food. Seriously 5/5 for their skewers, appetizers, and entrees. Buta Kimchi Carbonara (5/5) so so yummy & creamy. Really big portion and just absolutely delicious that you'll tear into the whole thing. Lollipop Chicken (4/5) It's very sweet and the presentation was nice. Soft & chewy with great crunchy texture. Tofu Okonomiyaki (AMAZE DAZE) I highly would recommend getting this as it's just a flavor bomb and so soft & piping hot when it comes out. Be careful when you take your first bite because it'll wow your tastebuds instantly and also burn your tongue haha. American Wagyu Beef Finger (5/5) so bomb also another recommendation to get for the texture, chewiness, and flavor. Chicken Heart (4.5/5) Good but not anything that is different than other izakayas. Chicken Neck 5/5) I'd definitely come here again for everything that they sell and would always recommend dinner time for the skewers since they only offer it from 5:30pm to closing.

Izakaya joint with flame-grilled Yakitori and a pretty big selection of food. Overall, not the best I've been to but pretty legit, good, and homey. Servings were generous. Staff was efficient. Food was good. What we got: 1. Niku udon: I'm a sucker for udon and theirs came loaded with beef. Pretty good. Wish there was more soup. 2. Karaage: huge chunks of fried chicken. Nuff said. 3. Soft shell shrimp: not the biggest fan since I prefer my seafood grilled 4. Grilled ika: good! Grilled squid with the crunchy burnt ends. 5. Agedashi tofu: standard - I'm not the biggest fan of this dish though. Could use more acidity. 6. Thigh: this was alright Not pictured but also got: 7. Cartilage 8. Wing: good, shio (salt) is always the way to go for yakitori imo - could be better if they do the cut thing that they do in Japan that makes it super easy to eat the wing, but this was great Overall, pretty good yakitori and Izakaya. They use a flame and real charcoal for grilling which is great since a lot of places just use an electric one and it's not the same. Come if you're craving yakitori and homey hits

Easy to make reservations online. They have a variety of izakaya options. For most options you can either have it dried or with a sweet sauce. They also have a standard Japanese menu. We tried the chicken thigh, heart and liver. The thigh was nice and tender, and the heart had a good texture. The liver was a bit too gamey for my taste, so be warned for those not accustomed to the flavors. They were well grilled, but a bit pricey IMO at around $4-5 for a skewer. We also tried their Kibinago karaage. The fish were well fried, but was a bit too salty. The lemon definitely helped. Age mochi oroshi was fine, but the mochi was bit too chewy. The Gyu Toji Don was a surprise of the night. Portion is large and onions and egg were super sweet. A pleasant delight that I would get again. Overall, a solid no-frills Japanese restaurant in downtoSan Mateo area

Was able to get seated inside right away on a Wednesday night, the inside is cozy and has an old-school izakaya vibe. When seated, you scan the QR code with your phone and place your order online. Everything was separated into categories, but wish that there were descriptions for items as well. One thing I will say is that while the service was friendly, they were unable to answer any questions we had about items on the menu (presumably because they did not have to take any orders themselves). For food, we got: Lotus root chips: sliced very thinly and were fried well, wish that there was some sort of dipping sauce to go with it, but we made do with the little packets of togarashi they had on the table (4/5) Garlic teriyaki tontoro: pork cheek with onions and zucchini, the pork had a nice texture and the sauce was tasty (5/5) Pork ribfinger skewer: thought these would be like mini ribs, but were solid pieces of meat, got it with the soy marinade (3/5) Gizzard skewer: nice texture, got it with salt (4/5) Mentaiko udon carbonara: favorite thing of the night, super creamy and decadent, would recommend sharing as it can get heavy (5/5) Kaisen roll: was smaller than we thought it was going to be, fish was fresh but not spectacular (3.5/5) Saba with lemon: sliced raw mackerel that was very slightly grilled, was not as fishy as I thought it might be, the charred lemon slices added to the flavor (5/5)

The skewers here are not bad, but I think overall a number of things relating to execution could be improved Generally, I would say that the flavor on the skewers was a bit lighter than other izakayas I frequent. One factor is that the vessels the skewers come in are deeper than the diameter of the skewer, making dipping actually a bit difficult. What rankled me was the doria, which is listed on the menu as Kani Doria, and says it contains snow crab. The dish arrived and was in fact made with imitation crab meat/kanikama. This is a serious let down, and frankly should be reflected in the pricing for this dish.

Came here because it had pretty good reviews on Yelp and were seated pretty quickly even though the restaurant seemed pretty busy. We were seated in the back area where no servers can see us and we can't see them as well. The table was against the wall, but it was a long table, which made the seating arrangement kinda awkward since the long side sat 2 people and they're just facing the wall. We ordered and our food came out relatively quickly. We ordered: - Beef tongue - Kaisen Roll - Yamakake Soba Noodles - Tori Karage - Kani Doria Everything we ordered was pretty standard and there's nothing that special about it. They were all kind of bland and didn't have much flavor in it except for the beef tongue. The soba noodles were pretty disappointing and something coated the noodles in a kinda slimy texture, but we couldn't figure out what it was. The kani Doria was pretty small and lacked a lot of flavor. Overall, the price was definitely not worth the food since everything was pretty small. We were really excited to eat here, but left feeling disappointed.

Delicious food! A bit pricey but it was yummy. The place has an efficient system of self-ordering via a QR code, which works well considering how busy they are. Wait times are long most of the time, but we got lucky and got squeezed in for an early dinner. Would recommend the skewers! Their famous, unique Udon Carbonara was quite creamy and good too, very rich and heavy.

The fact that they just gave you a half fresh pomegranate and let you juice it out yourself was kinda unique. We just sat outside and had a couple drinks this time. It's like a super casual and relaxing place hanging out with friends. The waiter was super nice he even wrote down the recommendations what's the best bar around that area. Will definitely go back and try ramen and green tea dessert.

The food was pretty good but the portion sizes are really small for the price. It was over $3.50 for a scallop wrapped with a piece of bacon. A small skewer of beef tongue was $7.50. Either be prepared to spend $$$ or pre-eat before coming here. The udon carbonara was really good, though - the sauce was so creamy and rich and delicious. Small portion for $17 but a better value than the skewers.

I really liked this place. The atmosphere was really pretty and reminded me of some of the places I ate in Japan last month. Curry Katsu chicken was delicious, curry was perfectly made. Udon was not bad, hamachi was super fresh. Only item that was lacking was the fried squid, it was overdone and all I tasted was the batter. Overall, loved this cute place!!