Spiral Japanese Cuisine

Decent food, but really awful service. Small requests such as a booster chair for a child, or to go boxes for a party are greeted with glares, sarcasm, snide remarks, and dirty looks. I’m serious, they are not afraid to hide it.
We had ramen, bento boxes, sushi rolls, and chicken curry. If you’re indifferent to the staff, and like mediocre food, give this place a try.

My family and I have been customers of Spiral before they expanded from their original location on El Camino. Consistently decently good food, reasonable prices, quick service. but not always the most friendly! Love the free coupons for flower rolls (shrimp tenpura) that they give with our bill. Definitely keeps us coming back.

beef udon was good.
bento box was decent.
— had tempura, tonkatsu.
–sake sashimi was fresh.
I. WILL. BE. BACK.

Sushi roles were great! We got the sunrise roll, the morning role, and the Westlake roll. The sesame chicken appetizer was really good also, the sauce is really flavorful. The only issue I had was that for two people the portion was way big. It also came to our table after our rolls although we ordered it as an app. The miso was bland, almost watered down. And we had to remind them to bring it. Overall not impressed by the service. They were not all that attentive. And the price was high for me as well. For 3 rolls, one app, miso and one small beer it was $ 90. That’s a bit much considering we didn’t consume much drink wise.

Conveniently located in Westlake Shopping Center, with a huge parking lot all around the center. It’s basically the only Japanese restaurant in this center. They are OK. Mediocre ramen, entrees and sushi. We only come here when it’s late and we need to grab dinner. It’s not quick though. Service is lack luster and you are lucky if you get their attention for water, more tea or even to place your order. One good thing is they sometimes give coupons for free California rolls for your next visit.

Hello was only going to report me good happened this Thursday, January 28, the present day. Also began by liking what I looked when I order my dish began to eat everything was fine until she fell a fly on my plate call you the waiter she came towards me and told him what had happened she took my plate after she returned with my plate without the piece of fish which had fallen fly to me did not seem that took my dish just outside review it and then brought it me as if happened nothing told me the girl that I will make another piece of fish and as I got sick because I did not want to eat after told him that she gave me the Bill. I took the Bill of food and not charged me a beer I think that was a bad service

I always find myself coming here for lunch because it’s in Westlake’s shopping center and most of my errands are in this area. However, the service isn’t as great as you’d like it to be and the food isn’t bad but it isn’t the worst. I’m always craving Japanese and so if I’m in the area this is my go-​to. The prices are reasonable. Again, the food isn’t great. Their ramen does the job. Every time I order a sushi roll it takes for ever and is usually the last plate to get to the table out of my whole order. The waitresses never check in on the table and I always find myself searching for my waitress. If you’re craving sushi, just know this place isn’t great but it’s not bad either. I can definitely think of different spots to recommend for sushi.

This place is the perfect spot when you have a craving for Japanese sushi! I love that they deliver to your place via Unilocal — it’s just perfectly convenient. The food is fresher than most and consistent. It’s not your high end sushi place like downtown SF. The sashimi is a bit thin cut for the $$, BUT they are consistent I know exactly what I’m gonna get from them every single time. As for dining in… I would say order to go because service is slow. Price is a bit steep for what you’re getting. (Capitalism at its best, they have location and no competition) — Costco has amazing ahi tuna sashimi 1 pound for 12.00 just to make my point… I usually get that with asparagus and make garlic rice… when I’m not so lazy. I’m actually ordering delivery as I write this lol

Food is pretty good but expensive for what it is. The service is the biggest problem. They took so long to make one roll! Then took even longer to get the check so if you want to come just plan on waiting and not the greatest service. It’s not authentic Japanese food well it’s in a strip mall.

I’ve been to this Spiral twice now, basically once each time I visited home I ate here. However I’ve been going to their San Bruno location since high school. I’m not sure why the ratings are so bad, for what it is, I really like it.
The restaurant itself is located in a strip mall and is pretty equidistant from the parking lots on either side. It can be a bit time consuming to find parking in the mall itself, but that’s an entirely different issue. I’ve never had to wait very long for a table here, at most I’ve waited about 3mins.
They have many a variety of Japanese food on the menu other than sushi and can accommodate to make something that you’d like being that they have the ingredients. The food always comes quick, the place clean, and an open feeling environment. The downside is that the service is quite poor, so if you need something you must really speak up or forever hold your peace. You ever hear the saying, «closed mouths don’t get fed»? Well that saying applies here.
For me, in the end, the price you pay is for the food/​service you’re getting. No, this place isn’t where to go for an authentic Japanese cuisine and experience, however it is cheap, good, and gets the job done. I wish I had a place even close to this good w/​their prices in NYC.

The crunchy California I roll is so good I especially love the sauce they drizzle on top so good. I also like how you can order your food online

We come here often for the Chef’s Special Bento box. We sometimes get the Mt. Fugi roll which is excellent if you like fried rolls. Very simple and fast service.

Terrible service, mediocre food. I come here because I live just right up the hill so it is convenient. If I am eating a late lunch, this is one of the places still open.
I’ve been here when it’s busy and completely dead but the service remains terrible. They don’t attend you and you have to call them over just to ask for more water. I’ve asked them for specific things more than once and they forget, even when I’m the only table there. Basically all look like they hate their job.
The food is alright. The sushi rolls are quite expensive for how small and underwhelming they taste. $ 12 – 20 for one. I’ve ordered the Katsudon and its alright. Nothing special. I’ve never ordered the bento but it’s definitely not worth the price for how little you get and my friends tried it saying it tastes not that great. Really big menu too.
This place is owned by Chinese people, just an FYI to those who really care about this stuff.

Visited late on a Monday and it was bustling but I am sure it wasn’t because of good food or their service. The vibe: Very local people getting out of the house and then getting out of the cold after post-​Xmas shopping and there are limited restaurant choices from which to choose.
I tried the char siu pork ramen and an order of tekka maki. With tip, it was $ 20. The broth was flavorless and there was too much seaweed. The meat was dark and fatty. The tuna was edible but not fresh and the rice was laced with wasabi and not tasty. Wasabi was very hard. This does not look nor taste like Japanese.

One of my favorite sushi places! Came in on a busy Friday afternoon and got sat immediately. Ordered a sushi roll (forgot the name) and some Tempura Udon. Food came out at a reasonable time. Delicious, however I did feel drugged after eating all this food. Maybe it was the overload of seafood? Who knows, it was was worth it!

Service is so slow… We got seated fast but took 15 minutes for waitress to serve us. Got the bento box dinner, with California roll, and tempura. Roommates shared a teriyaki chicken rice bowl and rainbow roll. All came pretty fast and was decent. The miso soup that came with my meal tasted like instant soup, so I didn’t eat all of it. Didn’t take long for our check to arrive.
Woman next to us didn’t want to pay full since her meat in her ramen was «inedible.» The place only took off 10% lol

I don’t know how many times I’ve walked by this restaurant. Finally Hubby and I took a chance and came for lunch.
I’m always hesitant to eat Japanese if the food is not prepared by Japanese. I’m not like that with other types of cuisine. I guess it started back when I ate in J Town years back with Japanese owned and operated restaurants.
Ordered — Hubby got the katsu donburi. I got the miso ramen soup.
We each were served a bowl of miso soup. With a soup spoon. First clue it’s not authentic Japanese. I thought soup too salty. Plenty of seaweed, but no tofu.
My miso ramen soup was a generous serving but the soup itself lacked much miso. Odd since the earlier miso soup too salty.
Hubby’s katsu donburi was actually good.
Somewhat on the expensive side for lunch. Tax and tip $ 26.00 total.

The service here is terrible. They forgot about our oysters, our beer, and our salad. Can you imagine? It was my friends bday. It took forever just to get water.
The sad part was that we were the only people in the restaurant around 3pm this afternoon.
They brought the oysters out at the end.
They charged over $ 50 for this meal for two people, and they couldn’t even bring us what we wanted.
All we had was two rolls and 6 oysters. Over $ 50? Crazy.
She had the nerve to ask if we still wanted our beer at the end of the meal.
I asked if she could talk to her manager to take care of us, and she didn’t say anything to the manager. She gave us a 10% discount and it was still over $ 50. Insane.
This is my second horrible experience here and I will not return this time. Never again.

2.5 STARS
Spiral is a place you go to when you’re broke, hungry, and have low standards.
We were ALL of the above on a random Sunday afternoon after watching a morning matinée of Magic Mike XXL. I know, I know… who watches Magic Mike in the morning?! Well, nobody… just us. We had the entire theater to ourselves. *wink wink* AND… we saved $ 10 by catching an early showing!
I’ve been to their Spiral’s San Bruno location several times and the bento box is decent for the price:
. The reviews for this location is nothing short of horrifying but we decided to take a chance because we didn’t want to pay $ 18 for a bento box at the Japanese restaurant next door to the theater. Check your food snobbery at the door and keep your expectations low because this is not real Japanese food. It’s Chinese interpretation of Americanized Japanese food so the safest thing to order is a bento box.
At $ 11.95 for a 3-​Item Bento Box, you really can’t beat that deal:
Miso soup (msg water so I didn’t touch it) and salad is included.
The chicken teriyaki was truly chicken teriyuki as Nobu K. would say. It was dry and the cornstarchy sauce had a very funky sour taste to it. I think the chefs were trying to cut costs and make their own teriyaki sauce. That was a fail. Redeeming that teriyuki was the piping hot, shrimp and vegetable tempura that was light, crunchy, and not greasy. The sake sashimi slices were small and thin compared to their San Bruno location. It wasn’t bad (not fishy) but grade c stuff. At these prices, you really can’t complain but their San Bruno location is definitely better.
Neighboring tables ordered sushi roils which looked like a 5^th grader’s science project that exploded. There were so many mayo-​ey sauces and funky toppings that you could barely see the fish. And since when is maguro, a bright, florescent pink? I’m talking straight hooker hot pink. *shudders*
We lucked out with friendly and lightning fast service (got our food in less than 5 minutes). Oh yah, and no Hershey squirts afterwards so rounding up to 3 stars.

This place is spiraling out of control.
Given their low quality sushi and bad service, they’re spiraling alright. Right into the gutter.
There’s decent Chinese made sushi, and then there’s this place, that makes me think of little children in the back making sushi.
Because grown-​ups surely would have better taste.
Or so I thought.
Their bento box is just plain sad. Dried up salmon, fake crab California Roll, and overcooked beef.
It’s almost impossible to get the servers to refill the tea, take my order, or give me the check.
Call it!
Time’s a ticking before this place goes out of business.