Sumika

We walked in on a Saturday evening at 5:30pm and managed to get a seat at the counter. Casual vibes with cute Japanese decor, nice that you can see the chef grilling from the counter. Skewers are all pretty good, texture of the meat is good, seasoning is mild, wish everything could be slightly saltier. Favorite would be the grilled rice ball, very crispy on the outside and goes so well with the pickles on the side.

very good food. Large portions. For 2 people, we ordered 6 dishes. We probably could have ordered 4 and been just enough because I was so full! I like how the food comes out slowly so you can enjoy the food. The vegetable tempura was very generous portions, also the chicken karrage! Loved the eel omelette.

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.

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.

The breading of the agedashi tofu remained intact in the sauce which made me really respect this place. This is a big deal! Skewers were really okay and would not get again but the oyakadon…. 🤤

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.

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.

Came by for lunch the other day and it was a decent experience. Parking is available in the parking lot or on nearby surface streets. There was a line of ~10 people upon opening during a weekday for lunch. Sumkia is a Japanese izakaya. Service throughout the lunch service was courteous. Started off with the chicken karaage and it was tasty. There were half a dozen super giant and tender pieces of fried chicken. The chicken was pretty fresh and juicy! Moved on to the chicken don and it was served over a bed of tasty japanese rice along with a runny egg and moist chicken over top. The bento came with a side salad and miso soup too. The skewers were decent, with my favorite being the beef tongue. Sumika is a decent place for izakaya in Los Altos. I've had better in Tokyo!

Love the beef tongue. IIRC It's not on the menu but you can order directly. Also the tofu soup dish is very delicious. And most skewers I tried. Super friendly staff. To save time, make sure you reserve a spot online (esp during the busy hours).

I went here for lunch with a friend. Super cute place, easy to find. Parking was kind of limited on a weekday during lunch, but the space is intimate and cozy. It seemed like a great lunch option with various sets available. I got the udon tray and it was pretty good. It was cozy, not too overpowering with flavor and the sides were a nice compliment to the meal. Waiter was nice and everyone was accommodating. Overall, good place to go for a no fuss lunch with friends or family!

Very solid spot for great yakitori! Everything was so delicious and there wasn't a single thing that we ordered where we thought it was just 'okay'. The quality of the meats and everything they grill is so fresh and you can definitely taste the real charcoal they use to grill. It can be a bit pricey depending on how much you order but overall a very delicious meal

We came here on a Thursday about an hour prior to closing for a friend's graduation. Upon arrival, there weren't many tables eating inside and we thought it was because they were closing soon. But as soon as we placed our order, the whole restaurant started to fill up. We mainly ordered the skewers from here like the chicken skin, pork belly, knee cartilage, and the chicken and green onion. We also ordered some appetizers like the potato salad, tako wasa (I think it was the raw octopus). The tako wasa and potato salad were my favorite dishes from here. The potato salad reminded me of the potatoes you get when you order it country fried at breakfast spots. The tako wasa was delicious. It tasted fresh and the wasabi added was a nice touch. Some of the skewers we ate were too charred or hard for us. It would be like one in every 4 skewers of the same that we ordered. I'm not sure if it was because they were busy near closing or not. Service here is awesome though! Our server who brought out our alcohol bottle to us was so polite and friendly. They came around to check on us and refill our water as well.

I've been here several times and every time is excellent, and this time was no different. I came with a friend right around opening time - which is honestly the best time, since it can fill up pretty fast after 630pm - especially on the weekends, since it's on the smaller side. I've gotten the chicken thighs (especially good with the sauce), wings, scallops, Kalbi, onigiri and ontama rice - all super tasty. The service is good - really good. The food comes out as it's cooked and they check on you quite a bit and you order with an app, so it's easy to go a little overboard. As for the restaurant itself, it's slightly on the smaller side and in a strip mall, so there's super easy parking and decent lighting. That said, it's an excellent place to eat with a fair amount of offerings besides yakitori, but their yakitori is REALLY good, so it's highly recommended.

Came here specifically for their well-known skewers! And I honestly loved it! I ended up getting one of everything just to try them all. Each Cooler was cooked perfectly in season really well. My favorites were the knee cartilage, pork belly, asparagus roll, wrapped in black pork, and their veggie skewers. Honestly, I like them all! They were all packed with great flavors and texture. I also tried the Oyako-don tray that comes with chicken thigh and egg with their special sauce. I really like this dish and surprisingly was the stand out of the entire meal! The chicken was tender and not gave me at all, and the eggs were light, fluffy and cooked perfectly! It was definitely a comfort food. As an appetizer, we ordered the fried garlic, which was incredibly tasty and addicting! I could not stop eating it! But a fair warning, it definitely lingered well into the night. Was definitely gassy throughout the night. But it makes sense since garlic can lead to gas, especially if you eat a lot of it. The service was great ! The staff were friendly and always checked in to make sure we were doing okay. I like the location too. Very dim and cozy. It isn't too busy during the weekends either but I kind of like that because you don't have to wait to get seated. Even when they are busy, it's not long of a wait! I highly recommend this place!

Overall: D // 2 stars Unfortunately, aside from the impressive sweet potato, I did not vibe with anything at this restaurant. I think it is overpriced given the portion size; there is nothing memorable about their primary skewer section except that they are small and take a concerningly long time from placing the order to the food arriving at the table. (Skewers: D) - We ordered an assortment, ranging from the beef tongue to classic cuts of chicken to quail eggs to cartilage. Unfortunately, I found the portion size to be exaggeratedly small, and none of them to be memorable in terms of flavor, texture, or temperature of cook, although I wouldn't say anything was cooked to the point of being dry. (Yaki Onigiri: F) - I like the concept of a crispy onigiri, but I found the price point of $14 to be way too high as the dish lacked substance, especially given that the pairing broth was unpalatably salty. (Sweet Potato Brulee: A+) - Beautifully tender baked sweet potato topped with miso and bruleed to get a delicate char. I love the contrast between sweet and salty here that fully works as a dessert. Food: E Presentation: E Price: -1 Atmosphere: E Service: E Menu: E Overall: 2 stars Insta/Beli/Yelp/TikTok: @amei_eats

The skewers and side dishes were greatly seasoned and cooked. The portion are a bit small for the price you pay but other than that, the staff are welcoming and I enjoyed my experience here. Recommended dishes: beef tongue/ potato salad/ fried garlic/ wagu skewers

Came here Tuesday for lunch and place wasn't really packed. Got served some warm tea. My wife got the oyakudon plate and I got the Sumika Udon Tray. Dishes were served promptly and the oyakudon was really good. I wasn't disappointed with my udon tray either, but I did have to ask to change my spoon cause I could smell the dish soap when I went to drink the broth. The chicken used in both dishes was super tasty and tasted fresh which makes me think the yakitori is worth giving a shot. Next time if I'm in town

I was excited to come here to try yakitori for the first time! We came on a Saturday evening and were seated after five minutes. The place is relatively small and dimly lit, but it had a nice wooden homey feel. We placed our order and items started to come out one by one about fifteen minutes after. The Sumika Salad was decent, with lots of cabbage and chicken. The dressing was not too heavy, but also not light. The Se-nankotsu karaage was also good. I liked the crunch and the coating was not too oily either. However, it was a more heavy appetizer. The clam miso soup was super rich and flavorful, probably one of the better items we had. As for the skewers, they were alright. We liked the Momo with Spicy Sauce, American Wagyu Beef, and Hiza Nankotsu. Those were super flavorful and tender! But the rest we tried were not as great. All the Mune skewers were so dry. I was expecting a lot more, and we left still pretty hungry. For a pretty hefty bill, I do not think it was worth it. Although service was great, I did not enjoy the food as much. Regardless, I am glad I gave it a try!

The breading of the agedashi tofu remained intact in the sauce which made me really respect this place. This is a big deal! Skewers were really okay and would not get again but the oyakadon....

Came here for Valentines dinner! And it was a great experience! Pretty relaxed izakaya vibe, and the staff were so friendly. We got the Oyakodon, a variety of skewers (favorite being the momo with green onion), and the sesame panna cota dessert which was amazing! Looking forward to coming back.

Ive been here for lunch and have had very good experiences. However I just went for dinner and the menu is completely different. They serve a variety of skewered items which we ordered but all the chicken ones we tried were overcooked and overpriced and they had very little flavor. We also ordered hamachi sashmi, Sumika Salad, egg omlette with unagi and oyakudon which were all pretty good. Service was great but I think we like the food better at lunch especially for the price.

I have been to Sumika several times, for lunch and dinner. I love going for dinner because the vibe is just like an izakaya in Japan -- everyone minds their own business and enjoys drinks and good food. They were awarded a Michelin bib gourmand previously and it's one of my favorite places in the Bay Area. They have been around nearly 20 years and quite popular, so it's best to reserve. I have tried doing walk-ins on a Friday night, and it was quite packed. Recently, I celebrated my bday dinner at Sumika. Sumika is family owned and one of the first authentic yakitori places with a izakaya vibe to open in the Bay Area. They have a large menu that has so many of the classic, delicious flavors and well as inventive dishes. This is one of my favorite places I go to in the Bay Area, as it's perfect for celebrations and hanging out. They use charcoal grill for their skewers and the kitchen is open so you can watch everything being prepared. I recommend any of the skewers, especially the yakitori (chicken). The flavors are authentic and the charcoal grill flavors bring out the best flavors. The team is incredible here, from service to the chefs. I like seeing the grill smoke, which makes this a lively experience.

Went here to try their skewers and it did not disappoint. The skewers have the charred taste but aren't burned. It tasted clean. Tried five of them and would recommend the Kobe beef and Momo (chicken). Bummer that they have more options during dinner menu. But those I tried for lunch menu is already satisfying. Also ordered the Sumika Salad and Agedashi Tofu and they were both appetizing indeed. The restaurant is located behind the main street of Downtown Los Altos. It felt a little cramped inside and a bit dark like most authentic small Japanese restaurants I've been to. Service was fast and the prices are decent.

Wife found this place for one of our special occasions and I was surprised to see this placed is Michelin recommended, and was having very high expectation. We made a reservation earlier and it was pretty quiet when we arrived (around 8pm on a Friday night). The restaurant locates in a very beautiful neighborhood and parking wasn't difficult (really hard to find a spot but at least it is 3hrs free parking). We got a table immediately upon arrival. Service was pretty decent, our server came to check with us few times and food came pretty fast, it was a quiet hour so that might help. Food quality was a huge complain. The Yakitori BBQ came with pretty cold temperature considering it was a warm night, which was substantially different than a normal Japanese Yakitori restaurant. I was like do you guys ran out of coals or you don't want to light a new set of coals before your closure? We ordered multiple different Yakitori grill items and all of them came out tasted so plain. The only decent dish was the octopus'. I can do a simple home grill 100 times better than their quality. I guess we weren't in luck. We didn't bothered complaining and left to another restaurant afterwards for our 2nd meal. The rice wine (出羽樱) we had ordered was pretty decent. Price was okay considering the location and environment. Overall we were really dissatisfied with the food quality and definitely won't come back.

Food: 4. It is little salty for me Service: 3 Ambiance: 3. The sofa where we sit is broken. Price: 3 Parking: A few spots on the back. Reservation: highly recommend on the weekend

Sat and waited for a while (too long) before drinks showed up. I get it: sometimes you are understaffed so that's ok. (Restaurant was not packed) The chicken thigh skewers were good, the wings were burnt on the bottom though. Black burnt. The chicken karage was huge! I was pretty excited because it was six whole chicken thighs! But they were flavorless. Needed a marinade and frankly salt on the side. Steak was pretty good. So I I guess for me, this is it. The last time I come to Sumika. I liked the chicken hearts but I can make that myself. Also this place gets way too loud. The acoustics are such that a loud table can ruin your night.

Best oyakodon that I've ever had! It's runny, rich, and chicken has a smokiness to it that's so good with the sauce they put on top. This place is so warm and inviting - it's my favorite spot for date night. The food always hits, you can tell they really care about quality here. The service is nice and are always down to give recommendations.

Can't believe it's been almost 10 years since I last visited! Had a much better experience this time - perhaps because I had more muted expectations (and wasn't paying, so no sticker shot). It's not going to be the best Japanese restaurant you've been to (and imo not worth going out of your way for), but it's a good option for people in the area. And I love the vibe at dinner - it really feels like you're transported to an izakaya in Japan. Among the apps, the fried squid on the specials menu was probably my favorite. And if that's not available, the grilled squid was solid too. Others really liked the spicy karaage, but it was too spicy for me. The sumika salad was a refreshing vegetable dish, but I didn't love the wasabi flavored dressing. Agedashi tofu was very well done. Grilled eggplant with miso was popular with our group, but I found the miso paste a bit too sweet and overwhelming relative to the eggplant. Tamago with mentaiko and cheese was interesting, but I didn't love the flavor combo. For skewers, I only tried the scallop skewer (scallop was good, but didn't wow me as much as the version I had at Yakitori Edomasa) and the wagyu (this was really good, although tbh didn't have the full butteriness I've come to expect from wagyu). Dessert-wise, the frozen custard pudding was interesting but not really my cup of tea (it was too dense for me). The black sesame panna cotta was pretty standard, nothing to write home about.

This was our first time here and the food is magnificent. Talk about authentic Japanese cuisine with excellent service and ambiance. We all felt like we were in Japan. If you want really great Japanese cuisine, this is a must try.

Strongly recommend making a reservation in advance, even for a weekday night, as it's a small space that fills up fast. - SUMIKA SALAD (chicken breast, cabbage, cherry tomato, fried wonton, original peanut oil dressing; $16): Really enjoyed the different flavors and textures in this - OYAKO-DON (chicken thigh cooked in egg sauce over rice; $18): This was tasty, with tender, charcoal-grilled chicken. They warn you about the raw egg yolk when ordering, which gives the dish a bit of a viscous texture, but the runny egg mixes well with the rice and makes for a simple but comforting dish . The bowl is fairly small, but with the rice still feels like one of the more filling and better value dishes - TSUKUNE (chicken meatball) SKEWER ($5): This was surprisingly flavorful and more seasoned than I was expecting - MOMO (thigh) WITH GREEN ONION SKEWER ($5): This one was a little less seasoned and not a particularly interesting flavor especially for the price, but still quite tender The yakitori offers fun variety, but isn't particularly filling and adds up fast. Next time I'd probably try out more of the appetizers or come back for a lunch set

I used to like Sumika a bit more, but this recent visit felt underwhelming. We started with the Sumika salad, which unfortunately was soggy and bland. The chicken wing karaage with yuzu miso was actually drumsticks, not wings, and the sauce was overly sweet and overpowering. The highlight of the meal was the dashimaki tamago with mentaiko cheese -- fluffy, savory, and well-balanced. Definitely the best dish of the night. We also ordered some skewers, but the value felt off -- $4-$5 for just a few cherry tomatoes or a couple slices of zucchini seemed steep. Nothing was bad, but nothing really wowed me either. A decent meal, but not as satisfying as I remember from past visits.

Quality has been going down for years (similar to their previous ramen store in Santa Clara). The staff are also not friendly. Too bad it was a gem years ago and it was our go-to places all the time.

was here for years, but this noon I have not been there for 1 year. Much less people here compare with before. The chick rice don usually coming in 10mins but today such less people and not coming in 20 mins. When asked the waiter, he said 'we are busy' well, people here not fill in half. I plan to wait 10 more mins if still not coming, I will leave. Not surprise why the business so less now

One of the best Izakayas I have been to so far! Must make a reservation as they do not have many seats inside. It is quite small and intimate so if you are considering a walk in, best to go early! The menu is not too large but has a very good variety of things to choose from. You can't go wrong with any of their skewers as they are all pretty good. We ordered a couple of apps, grilled meat, one of the dons, and dessert. One notable thing is that all the items that we ordered came at the same time so that was nice to eat all at once. The dessert we asked for them to bring after we were done. Fried Garlic (5/5): given plenty, goes great with any of the skewers and perfectly fried to give the garlic a slight crunch Dashimaki Tamago with Mentaiko (5/5): must get if you like tamago and Mentaiko, a very unique but delicious way to make tamago Oyako Don (5/5): the sauce they smother the chicken with over rice while mixed with egg is worth all the hype they receive, another recommendation when coming here Black Sesame Panna Cotta (5/5): very rich but not too sweet, has perfect amount of red bean to pair with the Panna Cotta

Charcoal Grilled Mackerel 3 bones Assorted Seafood Fry 3 large quantity, crispy, flavorful sauce Clam Miso Soup 2 too salty, brown Momo w/ Green Onion 3 less flavorful than Sori Sori 3 chicken thigh, balsamic sauce Chicken Rib Cartilage 3 lean Chicken Skin 3 soft, crispy Waygu w/ Apple Onion Steak Sauce 3 chewy Beef Tongue 3 very chewy Shrimp Skewer 2 no flavor, a little dry Black Sesame Panna Cotta 3 strong sesame flavor, strawberry, whip cream

I went to this restaurant at 5:30 and there were already 3 groups of line. Very authentic Japanese restaurant. I have had Oyako-don for lunch before and it was very good so I came back for dinner this time. We ordered some skewers and miso eggplant. Eggplant was so juicy and good flavor of miso on top.

A cozy little izakaya with yummy yakitori and some other delicious dishes as well! We got started with the negitoro roll, which was simple but so good because the tuna + green onion was so fresh. We splurged on the skewers e.g. momo with green onion, knee cartilage, chicken heart, beef tongue, wagyu, and they were all super tender and savory, nicely charred. We also got the squid steak, which was so succulent, slightly smoky and paired perfectly with the sauce. Service and the ambience of the restaurant is very nice, but it is on the pricey end so get ready to spend

I took my team here for a going away lunch, and every single one of us finished everything on our plates! We all had the beef bowl (beef Don), it came with miso soup, small cabbage salad, Japanese pickles, and a little side appetizer of miso veggies. Everything was excellent but that beef bowl was out of this world. The rice was nice and fluffy, and you could tell high quality. The beef was tender with a lemon garlic pepper type drizzle. There was also thinly sliced red onion and I think mizuna on top. I could eat that weekly if I lived closer. They sat us promptly (we had a reservation), and the service was great. Quickly took our order and was quick to bring the check when I asked (it was a work lunch so slightly in a hurry). 10/10 on flavor. Highly recommend!

We came here to celebrate my friend's baby shower and the food was delectable! I especially enjoyed my Osaka don, the soft agedash tofu, and the desserts we ordered like the black sesame panna cotta.

I frequent this restaurant often because they have the best karage chicken but the food doesn't have consistent quality anymore and the wait staff needs training on customer service. Most of the time the food is good but today the karage chicken was very oily and some parts of the chicken looked pink. I told the waiter the chicken looked undercooked and it's way too oily and doesn't taste good as it usually does. Instead of saying they will remake it, the waiter tried to tell me it looks fine and he will show it to the chef ?? I said it doesn't taste good and it's way too oily. I don't think it was fried at the correct temperature. I'm also thinking how many times did they reuse the oil to fry this chicken? Then he says what do you want me to do? Seriously?? Isn't it common sense when a customer says the food doesn't taste right to say they will remake it? I told him I come here often and know exactly how the karage chicken is supposed to taste like. Then he proceeds to question me like when were you here? Then he tells me nothing has changed. The chef is the same, the oil temperature is the same. Really? So you are telling me the chef cooks the food exactly the same day in and day out and never has an off day or messes up so I should just eat this oily chicken since there is nothing wrong with the food. Next time stop arguing with the customer and just say you will remake it. I'm not giving you feedback on food because I have nothing better else to do but I'm paying money to eat at your establishment and I expect the food to taste good and the quality to be consistent every time. And while I'm giving feedback. Please clean the bathrooms! It's so disgusting with stains inside the toilet bowl. It doesn't look like anybody scrubbed the toilet for a very long time.

Food is fresh. They have standard, limited options but they make it really well. The dessert was great! Quantity is reasonable.

Pretty authentic Japanese izakaya / yakitori restaurant tucked away in Los Altos. Opens for lunch with a good lunch menu (donburi and bento sets). We got a few skewers and snacks. The tsukune, pork belly, and mune ume are very good. Agedashi tofu is also delicious. Skip the yaki onigiri.

My friends and I had fun at Sumika. The foods are overall good. We were sitting outside and they provided heaters and cute lightings but I recommend sitting inside because the foods can get cold pretty quick. The servers recognized my friends being very nice to us because they we're pretty regular at this place. The skewers are overall evenly well seasoned, not too salty which I liked and the agedashi tofu was on the point. Even though the foods were all good, I'm not sure if this still worths the driving all the from the SF city because there are pretty good yakitori places in/ close to the city too. If you happen to be around Los Altos, try this place. I won't drive all the way just to try this place tho.

Very dark, moody, hip Izakaya spot in Los Altos. Came here by chance when getting into Ramen Nagi was becoming too much of a chore. Lines aren't always a thrill... to my very pleasant surprise, Sumika ranks up there as best new spot. Service was exceptional and the offerings were top notch. Best cuts of Tuna. Lots of special sashimi choices. The Izakaya is always fun. I ordered hearts and gizzards. Ordered saki and when it came I was super tickled by the way it was served. An over pour that ran into the box that held the sake glass. How fun! One of the stars of this show was the Karaage Chicken, done well. Oh man. This is the best stuff. Nicely marinated and coated with potato starch. Fried to perfection and over in this neck of the woods it's always served with a gochujang style sauce. Looking forward to next visit. For the time being I'll just sit here in my Sumika T-shirt and dream...

Food is amazing. First time trying their american wagyu beef steak. 8oz for $22 is great value! Juicy, flavorful and umami in your mouth. Must order! Their skewers are always tasty and well marinated. Ask for their specials! Our specials were heart, liver, and tongue. For their regular items, chicken skin, cartilage, pork belly are all great. Their shishito peppers are pretty spicy. Their staples oyakodon (can ask for how runny you want for the egg) and agedashi tofu are kid friendly and taste homy. Frozen custard dessert is super good and unique. The burnt caramel at the top is amazing and the right egginess. Yuzu ice cream is good too, not too milky. Their service is slow since they are short on servers. They only had 3 servers for handling 40+ customers.

The first thing I noticed, when I walked in the door is that the menus by the door were very dirty, crusted with black gunk-dirty, then I noticed the carpeting was dirty, I got there at 11:30 AM. They open at 11:30 AM, no excuse for dirty carpet. The bar was dirty-dusty and spiderwebs. The whole place struck me as...dirty. There's old, and then there's old-clean versus old-dirty. I was meeting people here so I did not leave, I ordered food. The food was delicious. Marguro Don pretty good. Clam miso soup was just OK, clams did not taste fresh. The miso soup had an interesting taste. That's what made the whole thing OK, not sure if there's usually tofu in the clam miso soup, but there was no tofu. Granted it is a tiny little bowl perhaps 4 ounces maybe 6 ounces. I believed it had cilantro. I personally love cilantro. I can't verify that though.. I got the bill. The price was good, very reasonable almost even a good deal. Bill fold dirty.

Highly recommend making a reservation to ensure you get a table as it can get pretty busy during dinner time or on the weekends. Small restaurant so very intimate; not too great if you have a large party. There's parking lots and street parking available around. Service was a-okay. Our table piled up and was not cleared timely.. I had to ask the servers to remove all the empty plates and bowls to make room for other food items. Plus had to ask for our water cups to be refilled often. Overall, the food was good but not great. Most of the skewers were not as seasoned compared to other places. Presentation of the food were good; it looked more appetizing than it actually tasted - I was slightly underwhelmed. The dessert, frozen custard pudding, took a long while to arrive and it was overly burnt.

I've been here multiple times - but kind of forgot it existed during pandemic. Returned today & was reminded how delicious everything is! Every grilled item wAs perfection- just the right balance of char & tender. We ordered more after polishing off first set. Probably the beef was our favorite but everything good. The Sumika salad is amazing as ever. Service was excellent- multiple people working together. Walk down the hall to tidy restroom. Parking in the back lot is reduced due to park keys/ tables but found street parking just a block away. Didn't order it tonight but I was drooling at someone's frozen custard- I recall loving that dessert. So glad to keep this in our recommended favorites rotation again.

Located in the heart of Los Altos, by the parking lot, this area already exudes joy even on the walk there. At lunchtime, they serve skewers, each with unique flavors. The restaurant was nearly full, so the wait for food was a bit longer, and the water/tea refills weren't immediate. The overall experience was wonderful, thanks to the welcoming staff.

Like others have said, *service charge* included in your total bill. But they still list tip/gratuity amounts on the receipt. I know many restaurants in SF have the service charge for health benefits but here it's only added gratuity no matter how many people are in your table. I should've checked their website before. The service charge is 18% added to the bill. As for the food, don't expect a lot of sushi on the menu. Sumika is more of a skewer/yakitori restaurant. That being said, everything was just ok. Oyako Don which was basically rice, egg and chicken. But it was very sweet. Karaage was good and fried well Agedashi tofu again was sweet The skewers American wagyu was sweet with the accompanied sauce, the pork belly was tough. The asparagus and chicken were ok. Service was good but the disguised service charge won't have a return visit.

Food is amazing but service does indeed take quite awhile! For some reason, the area does not get much signal so like other Yelpers mentioned in their review, it would be best to know what you'd like to order beforehand if you're curious about portions and what not. Came to celebrate my dad's birthday since he loves Japanese skewers and I wanted to take him here since we've never been. We've been to different skewer places in Santa Clara mostly. We made a reservation at 6:30pm for 5 people. I was pleasantly surprised to find Obaitori in Milpitas is one of their sister restaurants. The place was pretty busy and it seemed a bit understaffed since it would take a while for staff to check on us. They had takowasa here just like at Obaitori so we definitely ordered that. We also ordered the calamari steak, sirloin 8oz, medium uni sashimi, the fried onigiris, and a bunch of skewers. Everything tasted great. Food came out a lot faster than expected. At other skewer places, they do take a while for the skewers to cook but these came pretty quick. The squid and the sirloin were cooked perfectly. The uni was delicious and came with seaweed paper to enjoy with. The fried onigiris were fried on each side perfectly and came with pickled plums. I liked how they would explain which each skewer was to us which was very helpful to identify. We ended the night with yuzu ice cream, ume ice cream, and a black sesame panna cotta. These were all amazing. So flavorful and addicting! It was perfect for ending the night. If you pay with cash, you get a little discount off of the bill which is what we went with. Overall good experience but just be understanding that service is a bit on the slower side.

Sumika was once a very good restaurant, however, it was barely a shadow of its former self. When they closed down Iroriya, I thought they would make Sumika a better place, but hell no. - Food quality drops. The chicken skewers were on the dryer side, tasteless. Did they run out of salt? They were also much smaller now, tsukune was barely enough to wrap around the stock. - Boring selection. The part selections shrink every time I visit. They don't even have any organs. - Oyako-don was probably their most famous dish, but it was also a let down. The egg was cooked to perfection as expected, however, the chicken thigh was more like a minced chicken, and the tare was mostly sweet without enough savoriness to carry the dish. - Service sucks. The place was empty when I got there. Besides from the time they took the order and dropping off food, they never ever come back to check on customers, or were anywhere near by. It's impossible to order extra dishes, or ask for the check. - The price went up A LOT. Yes, they have never been cheap, but now you would expect to pay $80++.

Great food, we came here for a Saturday date night. It was filled but not overcrowded as they take reservations (so make reservations!). Price point is Los Altos prices. But again, the kitchen is pretty good. I feel like a Japanese carefully made these dishes or somebody well-trained as opposed to somebody just cranking this out. We ordered: Sumika salad, eel tamago, some skewers (chicken meatballs, chicken and green onion, shitake mushrooms, hotate, pork belly, chicken thighs with balasmic sauce - all the chicken skewers were amazing, you can pass on the mushrooms if you're looking to scale out), salmon sashimi, tako wasa, grilled whole squid .

I really love the food here. Esp the hidden menu - beef tongue, chicken thighs and tofu soup. My go-to place for bite-size Japanese dishes!

Everything was delicious. Good does take some time to come. They are not exactly fast but everything we ordered from appetizers to skewers and dessert were perfect. Skewers: chicken heart, beef tongue, Momo, chicken wing, sori, hiza nankotsu Salad is refreshing Chicken karaage is not greasy or too dry. Very good. Agedashi tofu Negitoro sushi - love it! Service is not the best but ok. I recommend they switch to a bigger size tea cup so we don't feel like we need to ask many times for tea refills. If you order Oyako Don, expect a long wait. Both tables on my left and right side of us waited a long time for it to co Black sesame Panna cotta (must get) Overall we had a wonderful dinner. Many mentioned that tips of 18%is included so we expected but if you pay cash there is

This was our first time eating here, we came for lunch. The food was just OK, service OK, but it felt very dirty, the carpet was dirty, the walls were dirty and scuffed up and the music had a very annoying, thumping base. Music is so important in a restaurant, I can't believe they don't hear the overwhelming base. It was all we could hear, the music part was almost non existent. We couldn't wait to leave. We were surprised because if you've ever of Japan, you know that everything is pristine and quiet. They would never have had music like that or allowed their restaurant to be so dirty so I have to believe that it's not really run by a Japanese owner. It's probably Chinese owned, as so many are these days.