Sumika

Delicious yakitori served at this downtown Los Altos restaurant. All the beef, pork, chicken, and scallops skewers were well-seasoned and well-cooked. The veggie skewers were also tasty, and perfect with the beers on tap. Plenty of free parking within a 5-minute walk. Fast and efficient service.

I ordered skewers: thigh with negi onion, a classic, pork belly with garlic sauce and shishito peppers. I recently came back from Japan a couple months ago. I went to a chicken specific restaurant called ToriKizoku or Chicken Noble (translated). Best yakitori I've ever had. Having that in my memory, I was blown away that Sumika's Yakitori and other meats were just as delicious as the ones I had in Japan. I just had to take the same order home to my Japanese mother to try. I finished it off with an Agedashi tofu. I've never been a fan of it since I was a kid but it's my mom's favorite so I saw it a lot growing up. Next time I'm here, I am definitely ordering that again. It was melt in your mouth tofu with just enough tempura breading covering it to give a texture element. The dashi broth was sweet and salty cresting an umami explosion in my mouth as I ascended to paradise. (I mightve been a little hungry) Overall. My first time experience was amazing and I will definitely be back. Hopefully next time with my Mom.

I can say I'm being slightly harsh when giving Sumika 3 stars. But given the hype and the price, I guess we can all raise the bar a bit. From an authentic Japanese yakitori point of view, Sumika checks the box. All the skewers are prepare heartily and you can see it being grilled behind the glass in the kitchen. Also, the fact that there are not that many yakitori places in the Bay Area should help with Sumika make its mark. But this is exactly where it falls short, quite a bit. For a great yakitori, the three dimensions are simple. Quality of ingredients. Marination. And how it is grilled. The grilling was near perfection, although the fact that they bring it out altogether and not as they are grilled adds a bit to the "coldness". Tru yakitori joints bring it out one by one as they are done. The quality of ingredients I think is quite good but also not the top. The texture of some parts of the meat were just not as soft and tender, and the fact that it cooled waiting for delivery exacerbated the issue. However, what is absolutely not forgivable is the inconsistent marination. Some skewers were just downright bland. Try the chicken liver that has no taste but the bitterness of protein. Don't get me wrong. Some are good. But the inconsistencies are far too big for Sumika to score higher than 3 stars. The drinks are good. Good beer. Good sake. Decent service. I guess it is worth a try. But I'd hesitate to be back if it wasn't an occasion.

If you would like to charge a mandatory service charge even for to go order, please, please, please, at least spend some money on your packaging. The plastic bag is the thinnest and will break if we hold it for two more minutes. Source dish is not heat resistant and melted. (Disclaimer: we didn’t microwave it, it was opened like this.)

The appetizers were decent, with a generous portion of salad, though the taste was unremarkable. The chicken karaage pieces were too large, different from the usual. While the presentation of the geso karaage wasn’t great, it actually tasted good. The tempura was delicious, but the grilled chicken wings were too dry. The main issue was with the yakitori— it wasn’t hot, which really affected the overall dining experience. Overall, the price is on the high side. It’s worth trying once, but not if there’s a long wait.

Neat japanese grill skewer place. Seems quite authentic. The server were all very very busy with tending all the customers. I've been here few times for business dinner, but yet to find my own favorite dish that really attract me back to this place for personal gathering. All other guests i. Our party loved the food here, so I will tale their word for it. Obviously if we are coming back here multiple times, something must be good. I hope to find out soon

It's a cozy restaurant with a nice selection of tapas and skewers. We tried the house special squid fries, veggie tempura, green onion chicken kebab, sori, American beef kebab, and spicy boneless chicken karaage. Everything was fantastic—5/5, except the beef kebab, which we'd rate 3.5/5. If you're not a fan of spice, skip the spicy karaage 😄. The atmosphere is warm, and the staff is friendly 😊.

Great restaurant in Los Altos. We came on a Saturday for lunch and it was busy but we were able to get seated right away. We got the salad, a few chicken skewers (all amazing), the rice ball and the set menu with the steak. We had a small issue with the salad which was resolved promptly but otherwise, incredible meal. Staff is also extremely respectful, professional, and friendly.