United States — Ranked by Occasion

Dining in San Mateo

Compiled by the Restaurants for Kings editorial team · How we rank · Corrections

San Mateo is an unassuming Peninsula suburb holding the Bay Area’s best traditional kaiseki in a strip mall: Wakuriya, where chef Katsuhiro Yamasaki cooks a nine-course prix fixe that changes monthly for about sixteen diners while his wife Mayumi runs the room — one Michelin star in the 2026 guide, the town’s only one, Wednesday to Sunday, dinner only. The booking ritual is the Peninsula’s hardest: phone only, exactly one calendar month ahead, first-come from midnight — call at 12:01am and leave the message.

Eight seats of company sit nearby: Sushi Yoshizumi, Akira Yoshizumi’s Edomae counter — Michelin-recommended, booked through Tock in monthly releases that sell out, two guests per reservation. Twenty minutes from SFO, Caltrain from San Francisco, and no dress code either room would ever announce: this is the Peninsula’s quiet-excellence district.

Reviewed

Our San Mateo Tables

Wakuriya
2
Anniversary

Barcelona

Wakuriya

Japanese kaiseki $$$

"San Mateo's only Michelin star: Katsuhiro Yamasaki's $165 nine-course kaiseki, cooked solo — book a month out for an anniversary."

8Food
6Ambience
7Value

Frequently Asked

How do you book Wakuriya?

Phone only (650-286-0410), exactly one calendar month ahead, first-come from midnight - call at 12:01am and leave a message. Sixteen seats, dinner Wednesday-Sunday, one nine-course menu that changes monthly.

Does Wakuriya still have a Michelin star?

Yes - one star in the 2026 Michelin Guide, San Mateo's only starred restaurant. Katsuhiro Yamasaki cooks; Mayumi Yamasaki runs the room.

What else is worth booking in San Mateo?

Sushi Yoshizumi - an eight-seat Edomae counter, Michelin-recommended, booked on Tock in monthly releases (maximum two guests per reservation) that sell out within days.

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