Tatami Sushi & Seafood Buffet

This place is just okay.
I think the main attraction to this place is the location. Valco may be emptier than it was several years ago, but it still attracts some people with amc, and it is still a well known shopping mall in Cupertino.
With that said, Tatami is advertised and branded as a seafood buffet. The price is on the higher end, at 15.95 a person for a weekday lunch. We typically come here whenever we have a birthday in the family of 4, and since my brother is in college, we have only 3 people. I have to say, the total before tip at around 34.50 for 3 people with 1 birthday is pretty worth it for an all you can eat buffet.
Food (2.5 stars):
Here is the problem. The raw fish is not fresh.
Nobody really wants to eat raw fish that’s not fresh. If you are a seafood buffet, you are certainly expected to have fresh raw fish that has been cut on the spot, not frozen overnight. I mean, raw fish doesn’t need seasoning, cooking, oil or really anything, so the only expectation for raw fish is that it’s presented well and that it’s fresh. How can you run an asian seafood place with raw fish that is not fresh?
Other than that, the taste of the sushi are pretty generic, and the taste of the warmer foods are unexceptional as well.
Perhaps the most fresh was the fruit, and the snacks are not bad.
Service (3.5)
The service was not bad. I’ll give them a 3.5.
Even with a price of 34.50, I would not become a regular. The quality of the food is not there. I would prefer to eat a good meal at a good quantity than eat a mediocre meal that is all you can eat for the same price every day.
Valco is soon to be remodeled into The Hills or something like that. I certainly hope that there will be higher quality restaurants after the remodeling.

The experience definitely could have been better considering the price that you have to pay. I went on a Thursday night, and because Valco’s like pretty much dead it’s really easy to find parking. My family and I went late at night to celebrate an event and we had an hour before they closed and we thought that that would be enough time.
So we sat down and things were okay, but the thing that you have to remember with buffets is that they stop making things at a certain time because there aren’t new people coming in.
So they STOPPED making the only meat that I liked, which made me kind of angry.
They were SOOOO slow at cleaning up my dirty plates when I would go up for another round.
The waiter had given us our check before we were even prepared to leave. (Which is RUDE on so many levels, and then he takes DAYS to come and pick it up).
For the price that my family and I had to pay for the meal, it was definitely not worth it, but the food overall was average.

Compared to other buffets in the area, this is so much better. It is a lot better than Tomi’s in Eastridge. The workers are friendly and helpful unlike the rude, unfriendly workers at Tomi’s.
They have a good variety of dishes. I really like the way they separate the types of food. Their sashimi isn’t the best, but it is a lot better than other buffets. They have chocolate fondue and a crêpe station. Their desserts are almost identical to Tomi’s dessert selection minus the different ice cream flavors that Tomi’s has. But their desserts were mostly frozen then thawed. One of their cakes were actually still frozen when I tried to eat it. Apart from that the rest of selections were great. I would definitely come back.

Worst buffet ever! If you are considering coming here, I’d suggest going to Tomi Buffet in San Jose (in Eastridge). It is busier there so food gets circulated more. The food here doesn’t taste fresh and selection is minimal. Wish we did a look around before sitting down. We will definitely not be coming back here. As another reviewer suggested, this is worst than Todai… just not worth ~$ 50 for two people!

SERVICE:
5-​stars for their consistent, great service with a smile.
I like dining here, because their staff are always warm and welcoming.
FOOD:
I enjoy their Cold Food, Hot Food, and Desserts; including ice-​cream and chocolate fountain.
The quality of their food is mostly good; but sometimes, some of their hot food items are a little too salty for me.
Their large variety of sushi and sashimi are always fresh.
ENVIRONMENT:
Huge dining area, with a separate side-​room, for private parties.
Always clean and hygienic: It’s a pleasure to dine here.

Great food and good service! We enjoyed all the time!
Our family often goes to Tatami to celebrate or for free birthday meals for the person who has the birthday.

Pretty decent food but there can definitely be improvements. The sushi is fresh but during peak hours, it is slow to refill the fish. Overall, it’s an alright place if you’re feeling hungry.

Came in on a Memorial Day, Monday. Price was $ 17.95/person.
Entrees 4: Selection was good, taste was on point, Korean/​Seafood soup made us go back 3x for more.
Sushi: 4. I am very satisfied with their sushi selection, over 10 types to choose from.
Dessert: 3.5. Ice cream, 5 types of cheesecakes, Jello, chocolate fountain
Service: 4. Quick & efficient. (only down is they don’t have white dinner napkins)
Restroom: 10/​10, would poop again

Yesterday morning, my boyfriend and I rushed to a baptism without eating breakfast. Needless to say, I was hangry.
Our party of about 50+ people headed here for the reception around noon time. Luckily, a reservation was made prior to us arriving.
Upon entering the empty Vallco mall, I was pretty excited to try this place since I had never heard of it. The sushi and hot bar area caught my attention and I was getting excited to eat.
There’s actually not much to say from this point out. The sushi wasn’t that great. The «hot food» wasn’t even hot, it wasn’t even warm. All the food I grabbed from the hot bar was actually COLD and just not appetizing.
I’d give them 1-​star, but our server was great and attentive; also the french fries were good. All in all, what a disappointment.
— — — — — — — —
TL:DR:
— Come here if you enjoy eating cold and unappetizing food
— French fries are pretty good

After a long day of shopping at Vallco mall we decided to have dinner at Tatami. I recommend the combination A199. My friend ordered the A198 but she did not like it. I eat it all!

Came here for Mother’s Day after not making it to the first round for Kula. This buffet place is located right off of the Wolfe Rd exit on the freeway so it’s definitely convenient. With that being said, I am definitely sad that this is what my mom ended up having for lunch today. It’s suppose to be her day and I didn’t deliver as much as I could’ve.
Tatami sounds like a good thing because it’s a sushi and seafood buffet and both things are pretty pricey so when you can eat abundance of it for one price you’re probably gonna go ahead and do it. We did. Even after we saw they jacked up the price of their meal for specifically for Mother’s Day. Seriously– from a regular lunch price of $ 17.95 to $ 29.95. That’s a huge spike in price even with «extra items on the floor». What I saw seems like the standard amount of food you would see at a buffet so if this was «extra» then I would hate to see what a regular lunch buffet would have.
The restaurant itself is pretty big and has a lot of room to maneuver around in which is perfect because it’s a buffet. There’s an area for the sushi and then an area in the middle of the restaurant for their seafood. The line for the prime rib is usually the longest but do not fret for it goes fast. And plates and utensils are scattered around, just look for the beginning of a line and you’ll find it.
The food itself I have to say is below average. While their sashimi and sushi seem to just be okay, their oysters really made it hard for me to want to touch another seafood. It was incredibly salty, and no amount of hot sauce or lemon could save it. Also, people wait in the long line for a cut of the prime rib… why? It’s dry and overcooked. I would say just leave it. Their dessert selection is alright, but I would say just go get a crêpe. It’s not the best, but it’s something to drizzle chocolate on top of so yay for that.
Service is sort of nonexistent. I mean, it’s a buffet so I don’t think there would be a lot of communication, but what was really rude was when one of the workers just put down the check for us. We were in there for an hour and we never even asked for it. They’re quick to clear your tables of empty plates, but even quicker with the check.
Overall, no coming back. I just can’t bring myself to do it. This ain’t Las Vegas but I still expect wonderful service and decent food.

Past few times ive been there the food was cold. Had to ask them to heat my plate up on their microwave. Cold food is not healthy!

It is decent food compare to price, very clean restaurant. And good service in sushi bar especially.
We came from LA so it is much better sushi and sashimi.
Waiters are very professional and keep refill beverages which is very nice even if no one put the tips on their tables. Which is sad…
Thank you Tatami sushi.

Came here last Saturday night and pleasantly left with a food baby after an hour straight eating… you heard me lol
With a reasonable price for buffet (~ $ 25/​adult), I’m not gonna lie and say this place sucks because of its not-​so-​convinient location and nothing-​impressive decoration, because it’s actually a pretty good deal for what it has to offer.
Speaking of variation, there are not so many food types, but honestly you get what you pay for. However, their food quality is pretty dang good. The Korean japchae (veggie noddle) was well seasoned and tasty. The sashimi was really fresh for a buffet sushi bar. (Cajun) Crawfish (I think) and boiled crab legs were on point. Their chicken teriyaki and special grill beef lit too. I did not try the salad session and only had an ice-​cream cone for dessert so I can’t say much about those two.
Anyway, all in all, if you’re looking for a buffet, this place is cool to check out. Good price, fast service, no need to wait for food, no worry about picking food, and ok quality food should satisfy any empty stomach ;)

This buffet is probably the most happening spot in the mall… literally! But I’m not here to review the tumbleweeds (seriously this place has potential since it’s right off the freeway)…anyway…
Food at Tatami is great! Been here twice for parties and they accommodate quite well. Especially their private hidden gem of a room.
It’s a buffet, and you win and can lose in any buffet when it comes to certain foods. Everything was yummy though & that’s probably because it was Saturday lunch and seemed freshly made. Wished they had more sushi selection, but I feel everything else made up for it… sorta.

I came here with some co-​workers for a weekday lunch. One of my co-​workers recommended it because she lived in the area.
To me I think considering price and quality this place falls below par. To be fair I am not a fan of buffets to begin with and this place reaffirms that for me.
For a $ 17+tax lunch I can think of so many other places I can get a quality filling lunch at. For a buffet I think your money is better spent at Tomi Buffet.
On the food, standout was the fried calamari and the sushi selection. Fish on the nigiri was paper thin though but I didnt eat most of the rice so that was okay. Hot food bar had your selection of the usuals. The udon noodles with the tofu soup was not bad either. Dessert was a large selection but most of the cakes seemed to be sitting there for a while so it was dry on the sides. Overall I just don’t think its worth the price.

Wow this place was probably one of the worst restaurants I’ve been to in years. We came around 7:45 on a weekday and the food was old and soggy, like it had been sitting out for a few years. The fish and seafood was anything but fresh, the cooked food was mushy and greasy, and the desserts were cut so small. The tables were ugly, and there was a stickiness to it, like it was hastily cleaned (or not cleaned at all). Utensils had some weird discoloring on them.
We pretty much forced ourselves to eat something because we paid like $ 25 or something and felt bad. But let me tell you, nothing there was edible. I honestly wanted to get up and leave. Seemed like the servers wanted us to leave too, because halfway through they just came and dumped the bill at our table when we weren’t even done. A day later I got severe food poisoning (probably from the sketchy seafood).
If you value your health or your palate, please run far far away from this pathetic excuse of a buffet. Absolutely disgusting and not fit for human consumption.

I’m always surprised by how many people come here. The food isn’t anything special, and the price per person isn’t cheap either. But I guess if you eat a lot… it is still worth it? For someone like me, though, who can’t eat that much in one sitting, this place is kind of a ripoff… Unless you come here on your birthday with two other paying adults, then your meal is free.
So given that it’s a sushi/​seafood buffet, I start with that first. They have a good variety of rolls (spicy tuna, rainbow, eel, tempura, etc.) and they’re all pretty good. The sashimi options were pretty disappointing when I went. They only had salmon and escolar (white tuna). How could they not have regular tuna?! But overall, their sushi selection is alright.
As for the rest of the food choices… there’s not much that stands out. They have your typical chow mein, fried rice, stir-​fried vegetables and what not. They also have prime rib…“prime rib”…For those of you who have had good prime rib, I suggest passing on the prime rib here. It’s really not very good. The clams here are the only cooked item that I really like. Overall… I think you’re better off going to a quality sushi restaurant. Unless, like I said, you’re hella hungry and can eat a lot.

This is a fairly large Korean-​owned Japanese seafood restaurant that’s locating inside the Vallco Shopping Mall. Our group came here for dinner on Saturday night ($ 26.95) and honestly I think there are more pros than cons here.
Lunch: $ 15.95 per person Monday through Friday & $ 17.95 for Saturday & Sunday
Dinner: $ 23.95 per person Monday through Thursday & $ 26.95 per person for Friday & Saturday & Sunday.
***
Pros:
* Shabu Udon Noodle Soup: Make-​your-​own udon station. I didn’t get one, but I heard udon is pretty decent here.
* Korean soon tofu: Using the buffet scale, it was actually a pretty good soon tofu.
* Miso soup: Slightly salty, but a lot better than miso soups I had at Vegas buffets.
* Prime rib: Well-​seasoned and pretty juicy! Definitely exceeded my expectations.
* Sashimi: Pretty fresh sashimi using the buffet standards.
* Chinese food (e.g. potstickers): As someone who has been eating Chinese food for over decades, they all tasted surprisingly flavorful!
* Galbi: I would totally get this.
Average: Japchae. edamame, crème puff, crème brûlée. teriyaki chicken
Cons:
* Selection: Only three different sashimi to choose from and WHY ARE THERE SO LITTLE DESSERTS???
* Sushi: Probably one of the most sushi selection I have seen from any buffets, but they mostly tasted fairly average.
* Grilled station: Quails were overcooked (look like they got «sunburned»).
* McDonald-​like soft serve ice cream machine: Only vanilla and chocolate … really???
Others:
* Crêpe Corner: Fillings include fresh banana, chocolate, pineapple, peaches and whipped cream. I didn’t have a chance to get one.
* Korean red pepper paste sauces are right next to the sashimi station.
* Chocolate fondue & salad bar are also available.
***
Conclusion: Look, Tatami is not your top-​of-​the-​line Vegas buffet. Some of their cons include lack of selection (poor dessert selection and lack of non-​Asian cuisines … except prime ribs) and slightly expensive dinner price tag; however, I did enjoy most of hot food, soups, prime rib, and sashimi here and overall Tatami is a solid 3.5-star in my book.

Quality, variety and price. Pick one.
Since my 4-​star review a year ago, I’ve been to Tatami a few times. The price for the weekend lunch buffet has remained constant at $ 17.95, but the quality and selection have taken a hit.
This time around, we were saddened to see that the salmon, herring and tilapia (izumi dai) sashimi options are no longer being served during lunch. Those were the main reason we’d frequent Tatami, so we were more than disappointed. In their place were izumi dai salad (with only bits of sashimi) and octopus.
There was only one guy making nigiri, which seemed to get swooped up as quickly as he could make them. Probably by people taking it just for the sashimi on top and not eating the rice. The sashimi on top of the nigiri tasted a bit meh and not too fresh, including my beloved hamachi.
Not all types of sushi rolls and nigiri were replaced — a few of the spots on the buffet counter were consistently left empty. We came in at 1:30, an hour and a half before closing, so there was no good reason for things to be labeled if they weren’t being served. Also, the chocolate fondue machine gets shut off half an hour before closing time, which was especially inconvenient given that the chocolate soft serve machine was broken. Vanilla, anyone?
I typically always eat my money’s worth at a buffet, but I’m not sure if that’s true with Tatami anymore. One thing here that I always enjoy, the grilled white fish, was made excellently as usual, but if that’s the biggest reason that I have to eat here, then I’m going to pass.