Onigilly

670 E 3rd Ave, San Mateo - 94401
39 reviews
Japanese Fast Food Asian Fusion
(650) 315-2317

One of the worst meals I’ve ever had.Pros: Vegetarian options, reasonable pricesCons: Bland and gross items, tempura from trader Jo’sI wanted to try this place for dinner since the pictures of the Onigilly looked interesting. As soon as I went in it was clearly mostly a take out and door dash restaurant. You order on an tablet. We were the only people In the restaurant and still got brought the wrong food.The veggie tempura was identical to “birds nests” sold at trader Jo’s. So close I would be shocked if they didn’t come from the same manufacturer. The Onigilly look cool but all the ones we tried were either ok or so terrible we couldn’t eat them, and I’m not picky. Even the ok Onigilly was more enjoyable to look at then eat. The ratio of filling, rice and nori was just off. Miso soup was edible. Would never recommend this place to anyone.

Very fresh and tasty Japanese food, reasonable prices, travels well so excellent choice for delivery.We get the rice bowls from here all the time via UberEATS and they are always outstanding. There are so many choices and a variety of fresh veggies stuffed into each bowl.Rice bowls have a base of partially killed brown rice and mixed greens. On top is washable salad, red cabbage, carrot, edamame, takuan, onion, and THREE choices from a huge list of seasoned meats, seafood, and veggie dishes.I really like the miso nasu eggplant, spicy beef, and spicy shrimp, my partner likes the shrimp tempura, teriyaki chicken and teriyaki tofu. We both love the creamy sesame dressing which is like kewpie roasted sesame dressing (there are other options)We also like the takuan (pickled radish) so much that we order a full side order. It is SO satisfyingly crunchy and the sound of the crunch penetrates your brain in the best way.

No seating, just a kitchen. Food is delicious and fresh. There is a park that is nearby that has a picnic table. I like the soup and the mushroom.

I believe this place is operating as a "ghost kitchen" or side gig of another business -- a quick search shows that there's also a "Curry Ninja" and "Tokyo Poke" located at the same address, with the same food photos. In addition to a catering company.I got a "build your own" poke bowl with salmon, Shio Koji poke sauce, and "Original-Non-Oil" dressing.This bowl is definitely a step above the normal ones. Flavor was different than what I was expecting, but delicious. Good variety of toppings, good balance of flavors, not overly sweet or salty. Love that it's real seaweed salad, not the Yellow #5 Blue #1 stuff that most poke places offer. Highly recommend the Shio Koji sauce. I didn't know what "Original-Non-Oil" dressing was, the ordering system doesn't say, but I was feeling brave so I got it. It's some sort of vinegar/vinegarette. Everything in the bowl was fresh. It comes default with half brown rice and half mixed greens. Very filling portion size too.Only complaint is that I like a little bit of a spicy kick which wasn't present here. To be fair, maybe there was an option in the ordering system that I missed.The place faces a back alley road and looks like some sort of warehouse. Amazing poke bowl tho, highly recommend!