Sakae Sushi

We went there 2 nights ago with the family and loved it. It is excellent quality Japanese food, very tasty.

Totally spectacular. I worked in Japan for a while and developed a very high bar for nigiri sushi. Until introduced to Sakae, i had to travel up to Sushi Ran in Sausalito for something this good. Last two trips to Sushi Ran were disappointing — not as tasty and portion sizes getting smaller and smaller. Most of the sushi places on the peninsula serve terrible nigiri and sashimi, so i am at the point now where i just order rolls (which can also be tasty, they are just not nigiri). Sakae has nigiri for the connoisseur to die for — all prepared by real Japanese itamaesan (exceedingly rare these days). Word of advice: just spend the $ 75 and do the chef’s omakase. You absolutely get what you pay for at this place.
Also, they have a respectable sake menu — not totally enormous but they have a great selection if you know your way around. I did not order any but i recognized both well known and less famous brands (try any of the Tedorigawa’s from Ishikawa-​ken, they are superb).
PS: yes, better than Sushi Sam’s.

Casual ambience and friendly staff. Sushi was fresh but I think portions are big. I usually like to enjoy more sushi, but the sushi here are larger! So I had to order less. But great place!

Definitely a much better experience at sakae this time. Not sure if it’s because we ordered the more expensive omakase set menu but service definitely improved and quality of fish was much much better than last time.
Our sushi master chef was friendly and explained each nigiri to us. Well worth the price of the omakase set ($ 110/​pp) for what you get. Any more expensive will be over priced. Set comes with an amuse bouche, sashimi appetizer, 10 pieces premium grade chef choice nigiris and miso soup.
Sakae is definitely more expensive than Dash but they are two different style establishments. Dash is more causal and Sakae is more traditional edo style joint. I am glad there’s another sushi restaurant option and will be back to Sakae for sure.

So I’m on the fence on this place. I’ve been eating sushi for 35 years and this place is hands down the most expensive sushi bar I’ve ever seen. I feel like they are trying for the true Japan sushi experience but it just didn’t stack up. If this place was normal prices it would be great but WOW $$$$. Everything I ate was good not great. Service was good.
Ok– second visit. They have the real stuff here. It’s $$ but if you really like sushi give it a try.

Very fresh selection! There are many things on the menu that I would love to try in the future. The uni was fantastic! The scallop nigiri was very good! Red miso was delish. Hand rolls are so good.

We happened to find this restaurant because the other restaurant that we had reservations for Valentines were doing set menu without giving us notice and we couldn’t order from the sushi bar. Anyways, Unilocaled to the rescue. We walked down the street and found Sakae. Luckily we only waited 10 mins to get seated.
Everything we had was delicious! I prefer my beef medium well but the seared filet mignon here was amazing! The sashimi platter had a great variety of seafood and they were generous with the cut. Mirugai sushi was sweet, just how it should be when really fresh. We ordered a lot of dish which we normally wouldn’t order from a Japanese restaurant (like rolls and tempura). Last order that came was the red snapper soup with enoki and shrimp. It was the perfect ending dish! You have to order this soup! We were told at the end of our dinner that we had the last order for that night. Couldn’t have had
a better Valentines dinner w/​o Sakae! The night was perfect and the service was an icing to the cake. I’m so happy the other restaurant on the corner blew it otherwise we wouldn’t have found this place.

If Cheers was a Sushi bar in Burlingame, it would be Sakae. We walk in to old rich couples (OK maybe not so Cheers) getting drunk at the Sushi Bar, offering sake shots to other patrons and the Sushi chefs, one of which I assume is Sakae given his charming social skills and popularity among each guest.
A lively sushi bar is always a good sign, and the sushi cuts were melt in your mouth fresh. For one appetizer, 4 pieces of Nigiri, a sushi salad, and 2 beers our tab came out to just over $ 100. It’s definitely on the pricier end for sushi, even the fresh stuff. But when in Burlingame, I guess you just have to spend big or go home.

Since I am a huge foodie I decided to check this place out. Got hair in my sushi (crab sushi in a set A), waitress never asked me if I want some water or tea. I live next door, and will never come back here.

I literally just got turned away by the male server since my impression was they didn’t want to serve just me with a baby during their lunch. There were tables and empty seats at the bar.
I understand to a degree, but my family have spent hundreds if not thousands over the years on sushi at dinner here. I heard him say «what if a table of 3 comes in» to the female server who pointed out a spot. Yes I get it — 3 adults equals more $.
I may not look dressed up with the baby today, but businesses in this area need to understand this sometimes actually means it’s a working mom who normally spends a ton entertaining clients at lunch. Not professional Sakae.

Hiro-​San, the owner of the restaurant is really nice guy. Hokkaido uni is a must. Special taste.
Wagyu nigiri is tender and delicious.
I would recommend, as I think it’s one of the best in Bay Area.

Sakae is located in Burlingame next to a ton of car dealerships. It’s also somewhat close to the Caltrain.
The restaurant layout is interesting. There is a small area in the front plus the sushi bar and then in the back there’s a more private area.
The food here is mostly sushi but they do have some non sushi appetizers and some main entrees. Lucky for me since the only sushi I eat are tamago, ikura, and California rolls (aka I’m a noob).
I got the seared duck with eggplant served in a dashi broth. It was quite good! The dashi broth goes well with the meat and eggplant. The portion is pretty small though so I would get other appetizers to compensate.
I got the spinach gomae dish. The sesame and peanut flavor was quite strong but I liked it. It’s a bit salty as a result.
The ikura was fresh but at $ 7 for two pieces this was on the more expensive side.
The omakase sushi was good, so my friends told me. I watched them eat 10 pieces of fish which included eel, wagyu beef (wut), king crab etc. The deluxe meal was $ 110 each.

It’s a well known fact that I am absolutely, totally, 100% in love with sushi (/​Japanese cuisine). So when the boy wanted to come here for dinner one Saturday night, HYFR I was down. Three money signs don’t scare me! (ok, sometimes they do).
Since it was such a spur of the moment typa decision, no reservations were made but fortunately we were able to be seated right away! The hostess asked if we wanted to sit at a table or bar and the boy opted for the bar — «we can’t sit at the bar bc of you, you can’t use your phone or you get yelled at.» — sigh, he knows firsthand of my Snapchat addiction. Our hostess gave us warm towels to clean our hands and then left us to decide on our feast for the night.
I left the deciding up to the boy that night and it was no disappointment. He ordered ankimo, raw oysters, duck breast+eggplant, hotate + uni + amaebi + hamachi + salmon belly + albacore nigiri. Per usual, my favorites were the hotate, uni, and amaebi nigiri (yes, yes, and yessss). I actually really enjoyed the ankimo as well — usually I’ll eat it but because the texture is so soft and squishy (is squishy even the right word to describe it. I’d say «lum bet bet», but only my Canto peng yaos would get me), I can only eat one or two pieces. Sakae’s ankimo had more of a bouncy tight (ok, I can’t find the right words to describe ankimo…) texture and I was actually craving more after 3 pieces.
TLDR: I’d definitely make a trip back. The omakase is calling my name.

If you are looking for non-​authentic, fast Japanese food, this is a good choice. I ordered the spicy sashimi over rice dish. The tamago egg tastes like NASA food, it’s artificial, doesn’t have the egg texture or taste. Fish was fresh but not the kind that melts in our mouth, so I assume they were previously frozen and thawed. The sriracha sauce was very good. Portion is huge (that tells you that it’s not authentic Japanese food :)

Why haven’t I reviewed Sakae yet? And why doesn’t it at least have a bib gourmand nod? If Sushi Ran in Sausalito gets one, so should Sakae.
Moving on… I’ve been eating at Sakae for years– like Burlingame Avenue location years, and their sushi is always fresh, thoughtfully prepared and *delicious*! Entrees and appetizers are also really great but the fish is the star, as it should be. The service is friendly, especially behind the bar! I was just there tonight and as I reflect on my amazing, AMAZING meal (post massage– aka best night ever) I am realizing/​remembering that I overheard Hiro mention that they’re closed for a private party tomorrow night. My heart breaks now that I realize I can’t go back tomorrow to repeat toro, uni, yellow tail, oysters, wild salmon… sigh. :)

My top recommendation for Japanese in Burlingame. Chef Hiro dishes out a super fresh and tasty menu. You could really taste the quality in every dish. Keep it simple and order the negitoro maki, salmon belly nigiri and a shrimp tempura hr to start out your meal. This order alone will get your taste buds jumping for joy. Once your here, you can’t go wrong! My meal was very satisfying.
Service was pretty fast and everyone I spoke to was nice.
Overall pricey menu (Burlingame is getting a bit ridiculous) so expect to spend more than usual. Omakase was also on the overpriced side… I’d recommend just ordering a la carte. Overall food was gooooood.
I recommend coming here for your Japanese cravings (Don’t waste your money at iPrive)

What a treat! Fresh sushi and great service! Great menu and specials, my fav was the oysters with uni.
Relaxed and comfortable and great for any occasion.

Sakae is located in Burlingame, a few blocks from the Cal Train Station. We’ve only been there a few times and it’s already one of the few sushi restaurants I hold dear to my heart. They’re authentic and traditional; but remain on the cutting edge of their cuisine. All of their sushi and rolls are fresh and absolutely delish!
They have common dinner entrees like chicken and salmon teriyaki and seasonal specials which the waitress will always share with you. I had their sea bass special with moromi and miso sauce. My husband ordered various pieces of sashimi — their sashimi options are extensive! I wanted to try a little bit of everything; but didn’t want to break the budget. Definitely look at their menu before visiting and make reservations. There’s so much to choose from and there’s something for everyone.
A great venue for date-​night or a special occasion. They are on the higher end of things; but it’s worth every dollar.

Last night we had a craving for some sashimi, so we followed my Unilocal friends reviews to Sakae Sushi. We arrived at 7:40 pm and the there were plenty of tables but we decided to sit at the sushi bar. There was one other young Japanese couple at the sushi bar. I perused the specials board and we chose the $ 98 Omakase sashimi and Uni Chawanmushi. The Uni steamed egg custard came first. It was good but not what you would expect. The steamed egg was hot but the Uni and caviar was cold. There was no marriage of the flavors. It sounded good on paper not so good in reality. $ 15. The Omakase sashimi plate had the following tiny cuts of fish:
Bonito
Scallops
Kampachi
Yellowtail
Toro
Ama Ebi
Aji
All the sashimi was excellent, but the actual tiny cuts, the actual number of pieces and the price is not a good value. I don’t mind paying $ 100 per person for a good Omakase dinner but this was expensive for run of the mill fish. All of the prices were super inflated a small bottle of Koshihkari Echigo beer which I had last week at another excellent Japanese restaurant was $ 7 but was $ 14 at Sakae Sushi. On the specials board there was a $ 800 sake for 720 ml. «Wow are you Kidding»
«A funny note» The owner (or I assume the owner) behind the sushi bar was drinking with the very young Japanese couple sitting at the sushi bar. Through out the night, he was drinking a pouring them different sakes. Towards the end of our meal the guy customer was «plowed» wavering and barely able open his eyes. I think a «taxi» was the last the last order.
Street Parking. Service was excellent.

Back to my favorite sushi place! The sashimi is the best here — the quality, it’s so fresh and just delish! I have ordered this 3 piece oyster with uni and salmon caviar on it. Presentation is great and it was quite tasty. I liked it a lot, but just a tad too salty for me. Could be the salmon caviar, but nonetheless I like the combo. You can also add a raw quail egg to it. Got to order the Chawanmushi topped with uni again!!! Just have to have it every time I’m here. The Hamachi Kama (grilled yellowtail collar) was tasty and buttery and melts in your mouth. Nice dish to pick at while waiting for other entrees.
We’ve order softshell crab roll, not my fav. I have ordered the salmon belly, YUM! I order it every time I’m here also. Can’t go wrong with it. Just do it!

Was able to snag a same day reservation on a Friday and was excited since my coworker mentioned good things about this place.
We had a couple of different rolls and nigiris. The fish was pretty fresh for the most part but there was nothing that screamed outstanding to me. It’s a higher than ideal price for a solid meal.
Will prob not come back unless in a bind or need a last minute location.

R & me came here for a few pieces of sushi before heading out for drinks and a very late dinner. The place is obviously on the higher end scale. The décor is nice and classy and about everyone that was there was well dressed. (men in suits and women in high heels).
We had one salmon skin roll, one scallop roll and 4 nigiris, salmon, sea eel, tuna and sea bass. The rolls were delicious, the salmon skin was one of the best I had. Not only skin but a little salmon meat on it which made very tasty. The scallop roll was really good too.
As for the nigiris, the tuna felt a little old but the others were great. The sea eel just melts in your mouth like butter. And the sea bass was extraordinary.
Overall a great experience, the staff was very attentive and the place is very clean. It’s on the expensive side so it’s definitely a more of a treat place than my regular go to sushi. But I would definitely love to come back here again.

Came here for dinner last Friday evening with some friends. They accept reservations and our table was ready when we arrived.
The service was attentive and prompt. I ordered the omakase for two just for myself. It came with 20 pieces of sashimi and the raw-​filleted mackerel body and amaebi heads. They were more than willing to deep fry them for me.
The sashimi were «premium chef’s choice». It did come with two pieces of chi-​toro ($ 18/​each per the menu). It wasn’t as thick as others I’ve had but did taste fresh and melted in my mouth. See my uploaded picture of the plate for more details. It did include hamachi, scallops, amaebi, mackerel, uni, and some other fish I’ve never had. The amaebi fried heads were fried perfectly. All in all a decent deal. I did go through two bowls of rice with it though!
I’ve never seen a 33oz can of Asahi beer. It almost lasted the entire whole dinner :-)
The food here is about 10−15% more expensive than a comparable sushi restaurant in the South Bay. Btw, the otoro was $ 24/​piece! I would go back to try the other fish and items…

Oh Sakae, people slam you because they just don’t understand you.
Almost like my ex-​girlfriend.
No one believes that you’re the one for me.
But, I will say that for Burlingame, this IS the best sushi joint in my opinion. I’ve been going here for years, and they always give me a table by the window so that I can look out an laugh every time I see the Pez Museum across the street.
The definition of nerd museum if I ever saw one.
I like their sushi here, I think it’s fresh, though pricey. I would recommend that if you’re on a budget then go for their lunch bentos.
Their Omakase can run you $ 85-​$ 100 and up.
Especially if you get their Blue Fin Toro, plan to shell out $ 100 right there for several slices of sashimi.
I know their rolls are pricey (and if you compare them to Sushi Sams or Koo, then of course they’ll lose) but I like their Spider roll, and I always order it, even though it’s small at only 5 pieces. Yet, it’s always hot and crispy.
Oh Sakae, others may not understand you, but I do.

**4.5 Stars**
After many years, I’ve been to many of the sushi establishments that Sushi Monster benchmarked in his still referenced guide all the way back from 2008:
Many of his top choices still reign atop the rankings (the exception being the fall of Fuki Sushi) and there probably hasn’t been a significant opening in the Peninsula since he last updated his list (SF has had many newcomers).
While I had been to Sakae before, I decided to finally do it the way he suggested. Leaving financial concerns at the door (for a special occasion) and sticking to the Whiteboard. (omakase rarely is for me as I prefer to choose and know what I like)
A few notable things about Sakae, especially for those that worry about eating at a sushi restaurant on Mondays as we did. While most sushi restaurants are closed on Sundays and Mondays (supposedly due to fish shipments not coming in Sunday), quality restaurants are always top notch. Sakae is open 7 days a week (a rarity) AND offers a whiteboard selection on Mondays that is astonishing and very diverse. They also offer this great selection at lunch! I was thrilled. Our order:
Medai (wild butterfish) — new to me and recommended. Great cut and very fresh.
Saba (mackerel) — one of the largest cuts I’ve had. Very fresh. No seaweed or additions at all or needed.
Amaebi (raw shrimp) — succulent and large. Served with deep fried heads to the side. Topped with tobiko.
Ikura (salmon eggs) — standard. I liked Hotaru’s version better and probably would skip this next time.
Seared Salmon Belly — really loved the size of the piece and the perfect searing with the torch.
Kanpachi (amberjack) — $ 12. Very mild fish but very fresh.
Uni (sea urchin) — standard.
Shima Aji (striped jack) — $ 15. Also succulent and large cut. Like Aji (Spanish Mackerel) more
Hokkaido Scallops — $ 7.50. A deal. One of the largest scallops I’ve had.
Japanese Wagyu — $ 38. Pricey, but really wonderful. Not sinewy in the least and with a great beef flavor. This was a treat.
Each of the above was two pieces per order. When you get to the Blue Fin Tuna, they are priced per piece.
Chu-​toro — $ 18. Topped with the perfect amount of wasabi. Fantastic.
Otoro — $ 24. Also topped with a touch of wasabi. Very generous cut. Melt in your mouth delicious.
We also ordered two chawan mushi (available at lunch) but the sushi was much more memorable. Forget the cooked food. It’s about the sushi here.
Overall, it was an amazing sushi lunch and one of the top sushi experiences I’ve had in the Bay Area. The selection is really amazing and the piece size, quality, and flavor are all memorable. The one downside (and it’s not small) is that the price is really bar setting in the Bay Area too. The chu-​toro and o-​toro are fantastic, but those prices are really staggering. The other thing is that nearby Akane (#2 on the Sushi Monster list) had sushi selections almost as good (though less exotic) for much less. Finally, my own #1, Sushi Ota (San Diego) had even better quality (especially uni and amaebi) and was better priced as well.
I’m happy I was finally able to try the best Sakae had to offer and now can move on to other (hopefully more wallet friendly) selections.
Sakae accepts credit cards, including American Express.