Usagi

Awesome pork katsu curry place! Had a craving for some Japanese curry and this place hit the spot! I didn’t get to try the appetizers and hamburger steak but will def be back to do that when I have more time. I got the beef curry with pork cutlet and my friend got the beef curry.
The curry is very flavorful, not watered down and just delicious. The pork cutlet was fried and breaded as good as it can get. Crunchy and tender. Ingredients were fresh and the beef was tender.
The place is small so when I got there it was packed but I got seated right away at the last empty table for 2. Busy so we waited a good 30 min for our food… parking on street and small lot so hard to find a close spot in busy times.

Usagi is a ‘shokudo,’ or Japanese Western dining restaurant. They offer a lot of the ‘shokudo’ classics that you can find only in Japan (or our close neighbor, LA). I frequent Japan and call Japanese food my favorite (along with French and California cuisines), and Usagi definitely stands out.
Their uni risotto tapas is famous, and is supposed to be good, but I don’t have a taste for uni so I haven’t tried it. Overall I found their tapas options somewhat mediocre, but nice when in a large group.
Here’s what you should definitely try:
I think their mentaiko spaghetti is to die for. It’s different — creamy with hints of wine mixed in with tiny specs of raw mentaiko or spicy cod roe. It is amazing amazing amazing. Gobble it up while it’s hot — so eat it right away and do not wait for your friends’ food to come lol.
They also offer crispy, succulent tonkatsu (breaded and fried pork cutlets) with curry or hayashi sauce, all housemade. Hayashi sauce has notes of tomato, wine, and beef stock while curry has notes of… well…curry spices, onion, and roux (flour+butter+said spices). If you haven’t tried hayashi sauce before — this is your chance! It’s hard to find and hard to make imho!
I also love their Doria which is rice topped with bechemel, cheese, and a protein of some kind. Try their Japanese hamburger doria — it is so, so perfect, but be careful because it comes out fresh from the oven, piping hot. Side note: a Japanese hamburger is made with 3-​parts beef, 1 part pork, and caramelized onion, which gives the meat a soft texture (opposed to all-​beef hamburgers which are harder in texture).
The omelette rice or ‘omuraisu’ is special too. The egg is velvety and and soft. The rice below the yellow goodness is infused with chicken stock, and usually, the omuraisu is topped with some kind of sauce. I recommend it with hayashi sauce or the cream sauce. I also recommend pairing it with the meat add-​ons like the crab cream croquette or menchi (breaded and fried hamburger).
For dessert — yes you should save room for dessert — please try the affogato or parfait. These are super popular items in Japan, and are slightly different than Western versions, so consider yourself lucky to find them here. I’ll admit it’s not as yummy as the dozens I’ve had in Japan but for $ 6 I’m fine with that. Parfaits in Japan can cost upwards of $ 20.
Soooo: Usagi hands down is my favorite restaurant in San Mateo. I go here bi-​weekly; when a friend is in town and wants my local recommendation; when I’m feeling blue; when I’m in a large group or pair. Usually expect a short wait on weekends and Friday evenings. Parking is a bit tough but I can always find street parking whenever I go. Now please go!

Ordered:
Cream Corn Soup
Uni Risotto
Hamburger Steak Omurice w/​Cream Crab Croquette w/​half Hayashi & half Curry
Fruit & Pudding & Cream
Food:
–Cream corn soup was alright, thinner than most cream corn soups I have had
–Uni risotto like most risottos, is heavy. There is a distinct cheese taste, but you can definitely taste the uni as well. I would recommend if you like cheese!
–Hamburger steak was dry, not the best I’ve had. I also expected the cream crab croquette to have a stronger taste since it has crab, but it was a bit bland. I preferred the Hayashi sauce over the curry because it had a stronger flavor, but it was also salty.
–The highlight of the meal was the dessert! I love light desserts that aren’t overly sweet. The pudding was subtly sweet and paired with the fresh cream & fruit, was perfect!
Service:
Waiter was attentive, never had to ask for more water or for extra/​new utensils. Allowed us to order both sauces for our omurice :-)
Atmosphere:
Small restaurant, very quaint and home-​y feeling.
Would come back for the dessert! I really want to try their parfait! It looks so cute with the bunny cookie on it, and it is the only place I have seen parfaits similar to the ones I had when visiting Japan!

A small restaurant located on the other size of the train tracks in downtown San Mateo, Usagi offers a «different style» of Japanese cuisine. Instead of the sushi and noodles one usually associates with Japanese food, they serve more hearty and homestyle dishes. They offer dishes such as omurice (omelette wrapped around rice), Japanese curry, and hamburg,
I got their Japanese curry with Tonkatsu. The curry is beef based and have potatoes and carrots stewed into it. It is topped with a single fried pork cutlet. Their curry is quite flavorful and the tonkatsu was nicely fried and delicious. The only downside was the portion which was given. The dish was rather small and not very filling. There wasn’t a lot of meat in the dish and it only had a single piece of potato and two pieces of carrots. Maybe I am just used to American style portions, so this might be the norm in other countries, but i know that I was not full after this meal.
This place is good if you are looking for a light meal, but not a place where you want to get full.

I really like this spot. So far I’ve tried: mentaiko cream pasta, uni risotto, snow crab gratin, burger with hayashi sauce, shrimp curry, and pork cutlet curry.
Everything I’ve eaten was really good, but the uni risotto and snow crab gratin are definitely my favorites. The snow crab gratin is reallllllyyyyyy rich tho and it can get tiring, but I love how it tastes so I can usually finish it. As far as the uni risotto goes, I wish they served a bigger portion & put more uni but the taste is definitely there.
Prices are reasonable, but everything can add up if you are someone that likes to order add-​ons to your meal.
All in all this spot is a hard 3.75. It has a few flaws here and there but definitely a solid place to eat.

Many moons ago I moved to Westwood near UCLA and discovered Hurry Curry; I fell in love with their chicken cutlet with curry and ever since I moved away for grad school I’ve been searching for something comparable. Therefore, keep in mind, my comparison of katsu curry is in relation to what I love at Hurry Curry. Japanese curry is a comfort food; a thick stew of potatoes, carrots, onions, with a hint of honey and apple.
Usagi is a rabbit-​themed establishment that serves Yoshoku (a western style Japanese meal). As far as I know, it’s one of the few that do serve Yoshoku. Recently, I wanted to try the katsu curry at Usagi to see how it compared to my old favorite.
On this visit, I tried the curry with chicken cutlet. The curry had beef and large chunks of potatoes. Overall, the taste of the curry was close to my nostalgic favorite; what fell behind was the chicken cutlet. I’m not complaining that much, however, because the katsu here at Usagi was very good. I would be happy to have it again; however, the quality of the meat was not as great as I would have liked and the curry lacked a certain richness that is hard to describe. My dining companion got the New York Strip steak; I was so full by the time I polished off my katsu that I couldn’t try it. It was reportedly «pretty good but not as good as a steak shop.» It was served with steak fries, broccoli, and carrots.
The other aspects of my recent visit were great, the service was friendly and attentive and there was no wait to get a larger table. Service was fast and I was soon scarfing down my curry. Parking is a bit of a hassle. I ordered the chocolate cake too. It came with a small scoop of ice cream; the cake itself was served very warm, almost hot, and was softer than anything I have had. For a dessert, it did not blow my socks off. I’ll be back for more curry.

Decided to try this place since kokko was closed.
Usagi is VERY different from yakitori kokko btw. It is a more fusion, sorta Hawaiian? Cuisine.
A lot of their dishes are very basic, a lot of curry and rice. I had the omelette rice with Hamburg (literally just a patty). The sauce was good, but not amazing. The Hamburg was pretty good, it tasted nothing like a hamburger patty .
Service– average
Ambiance– small, a little crammed
Price– $ 10 – 20 per person

Second time eating in Usagi
What a great disappointment compared to my last visit. Ordered the hamburger steak (8 oz) ones with fries and veggies. Added $ 1 for rice and the rice were very small portioned. Service was not good, the server did not came to add any water although he sees the cup are complete empty.
The food were decent, however price are high for such quality and portion
Will not visit again and will not recommend to others

Usagi is a cool hole in the wall in San Mateo. It’s a small restaurant with limited parking spots in the front. However, parking around the area is not too hard to find.
It is a Japanese curry/​katsu restaurant with tons of choices. You get the vibe of a real Japanese restaurant from the décor and Japanese servers.
We tried Pork Cutlet Omurice, Pork cutlet with beef stew and hamburger steak doria. Pork cutlet was good but slightly dry (needed sauce) and omurice was decent. However, the Doria was a winner! Thick cheese base (with rice or potatoes) and nicely seasoned hamburger steak was just so delicious. Something about cheese and rice with some meat are match made in heaven.
We will be back next time to try more dishes.

We were seated as soon as we walked in. There’s not much people but the food was good.
–service: the service was good. They were nice and friendly.
–shrimp tomatoes source spagatti was good. The spagatti was moisted with the tomato source. The shrimp was not very big, but it was fresh. I enjoyed it a lot. I didn’t feel very heavy after eating the whole dish.
–the steak burger was good with the special source. The meat was flavorful with the source and the meat was tender.
–escargots was good too. $ 8 you get 5 pieces which was a good deal. But the source was not enough, so the escargots was not having enough flavor.
It’s a good Japanese restaurant too.

Usagi has occupied my bookmark on Unilocal for quiet some time… on a rainy Sunday afternoon, hubby n i decided to check out this place for «linner» and wow, what a pleasant surprise! The food is just amazingly good!
I ordered the beef curry rice with pork katsu and hubby got the hamburger doria. We also ordered chicken wings for appetizers and shared a green tea brulee for dessert.
The chicken wings came out piping hot. There were 5 pieces, 3 wings were the «joint» bonier parts complete with the wing tips and 2 were the wing drummettes. The sauce was a tad spicy, garlicky, sweet and savory, very delicious. Wings were fried to crisp, not greasy, delicious!
My curry rice was a good portion with 3 – 4 chunks of beef and a few pieces of potatoes and the pork katsu was fried perfectly, not greasy, though the meat was tad dry because they used lean pork chop pieces (i personally prefer fattier, juicier cut, but I bet most people appreciate the leaner cut). Curry sauce is seasoned well, not too salty, not too strong in flavor… i literally licked my plate clean!!!
Hubby’s doria plate is basically baked pasta (doria) in cream sauce and Usagi’s special brown color sauce with cheese… yummm yummmm the sauce was sooooooo gooodddd, it looked like teriyaki sauce but it’s not sweet and not as salty. I really like it. The hamburger mest was juicy and flavorful. The pasta was a bit on the soft/​mushy side but hubby loved his dish, no complaint!
Now, the green tea brulee is just something else! Delicious is an understatement! Just the right amount of sweetness, richness and love the crunchy brulee… gave great texture to every bite. The custard part is not very smooth but what important is that everything in the ramekin bowl is sooooooo delectable. .we scrapped everything clean. yummmm… n I thought the 4 bucks price tag is very reasonable!
Restaurant is small with probably only 10 small tables (guessing the whole restaurant will seat up to 25 – 30 guests). The waitresses were Japanese making me believe this place gotta be real Japanese restaurant with a but of fusion flare.
Btw, if u come here for sushi, u will be disappointed. .this is not a sushi place!
Check it out n u won’t regret it.

I was looking forward to this place after hearing about it from my cousin and it had all the Japanese family restaurant foods.
On a Friday night, I called to put my name down. It ended up being a 30 minute wait for the 4 of us. I was excited to see all the menu items that I typically see only in Japan.
I decided to order the 8 oz. Usagi Burg, a Japanese hamburger with demi-​glaze sauce. It came on a grill with some broccoli, baby carrots, and french fries. I added a bowl of rice for $ 1. Kinda surprised that they don’t give you rice, but the hamburg was moist and tasty.
My husband ordered the ebi fry (fried shrimp) curry. The curry had a nice spice to it, but for me, it was too watery. I prefer a thicker curry sauce.
Service here was terrible. Considering that the place is small, there were 2 servers which should have been plenty. I also ordered the Uni Risotto as an appetizer, but it never showed up nor did the server acknowledge that she forgot. Our entrees showed up so I didn’t even mention it. Also, I asked for water refills the first time and she never came around with it that I had to flag her down again. If service was better, I would have opted to order dessert.
Oh, skip the hot tea unless you want to pay for it!

I learn something new about Japanese food all the time and this was the first time I’d been introduced to Yoshoku style. If you don’t know the definition (I didn’t), it refers to western-​influenced Japanese cooking. At this eatery, you’ll find omelet rices, gratins /​dorias, hamburger steaks, curries, and pastas.
With each meal, they used to have complimentary soup or salad, but now it will cost $ 1. They still include one for lunch on weekdays though. My favorite things to order are:
Snow Crab & Cucumber Salad — Snow crab mixed with Japanese mayo (which seems so much more flavorful than regular mayo) dolloped onto crisp cucumbers — a tasty appetizer
Salmon Sashimi — yes, you can find salmon sashimi in many, many places, but I like the addition of ikura (salmon roe) for the little extra burst of brininess and fresh grated wasabi
Hamburger Steak — so. many. variations. They have Loco Moco, Italian, Japanese Oroshi (one of my faves!), Curry (my 2^nd favorite), Creamy Mushroom, Usagi, and more. The «steak» itself is very tender and juicy — consistency is more like a meatloaf than a typical hamburger patty.
Green Tea Parfait — such a cute and photogenic dessert! The little rabbit cookie (Usagi = rabbit) is nice touch.
I’ve also tried the doria, omelet rices, and pastas, but those didn’t resonate as much with me.

This restaurant might just be the smallest one I have ever eaten at. I have no idea how my group of 15 people fit into that place, but we did.
I highly recommend reservations here because seating is tight. Service was fine, but there was seriously nothing special about the food here. Parking here is also tight so beware!
I probably would not return even if I was near the area. I think they are better places to eat in my opinion.

This is a great 洋食屋さん in San Mateo. Basically, it’s a Japanese-​style western restaurant that has popular non-​Japanese dishes with a Japanese flair. For example, spaghetti with Japanese-​style sauces, or meatloaf/​hamburger-​like dishes served with radishes and rice, curry (Japanese style — less spices, not like the real Indian curry), gratin, fried croquettes, etc. These are all dishes that Japanese people consider to be «Western»… yet the dishes have morphed from its original style that they are basically now considered to be Japanese dishes (think, Japanese curry).
I’ve been here multiple times. Here are the things I recommend:
–corn soup
–mini salad with Japanese-​style salad dressing
–the fact that it’s the ONLY Japanese restaurant of its kind in/​near San Mateo
–kids menu
–kids menu came with free stockings
–grilled chicken was really really good
–omelette with menchi katsu
Here is what needs improvement:
–curry lacks flavor. Needs improvement.
–spicy cod roe spaghetti is sloppy and the portion is small (see my photo)
–vegetables that come with the usagi hamburger seem like they are frozen and thawed
I may come again, but hopefully they work on the flavor a bit more.

Hi, is this what it’s like to be fancy?
This restaurant is small and quaint with a very small parking lot outside. They’re right next to a corner store so the parking lot really only has about 5 spots, 3 of which are theirs so street parking will probably be your best chance unless you come here super early like I did on a Monday night.
Service here is friendly and all smiles which I appreciate. They were kind enough to answer some questions my boyfriend asked about their food as well as quick to refill our water without us having to ask.
Food wise… there’s definitely a lot of options to choose from and I can honestly tell you that I had a tough time narrowing it down. Everything sounded good enough to try but I ended up choosing the shrimp gratin which was basically baked pasta with shrimp and a lot of cheese over it. It was good, but eventually the cheese caught up with me and made my tummy churn. Sorry for that information. My boyfriend ended up getting their chicken katsu with shrimp and the chicken was super tender, omg. And their fried calamari was also yum.
We ended up getting dessert and we got the chocolate banana parfait to share and you should just get that ’cause it’s really good and I wanted to eat it all but I had to share with my boyfriend so next time I’m gonna get my own hahaha.
Overall, food was yummy and service was friendly. Only real complaint was the soup or salad you get with your order is smaller than other cafes that include it with your meal. The bowls were pretty much toy like which was cute, but not filling. Still, I’m gonna be back for the food. :)

I got a crab croquette meal and it was very delicious but very heavy !!! It was also extremely creamy like the crab was blended or something. I also enjoyed the egg salad that came with the meal!
I had the calamari on the side, but it was kind of weird since the dip was basically egg salad .
I would want to come again and try the cute dessert parfaits with usagi bunny cookies! So cute!

Animé series Shokugeki no Soma (Food Wars) and Himouto have been making me crave Japanese omelet rice and ice cream parfaits recently. Ordered the omelet rice with curry sauce that comes with pickled onions and radish on the side; pickled onions for more tartness and picked radish for more sweetness.
I think I had a foodgasm (or I’ve been watching too many episodes of Food Wars). The omelet just melts in your mouth, paired with the savoriness of the curry sauce mixed with chicken rice and pickled vegetables make for the perfect delicious comfort food. So much umami flavoring!
To top if all off, my boyfriend and I shared the strawberry parfait. Vanilla ice cream mixed with macerated strawberries, corn flakes, and decorated with a bunny shaped cookie (usagi means bunny by the way). Absolutely delicious! Oh gosh, I wish I had ordered another one.
Small place, but the service is fast. The utensils come in a basket and they would like their customers to use only the utensils needed. Smart. I always hate it when I have utensils that I haven’t even touched and they end up getting washed unnecessarily.
Located in the same area as Koko’s. Usagi only has 3 designated parking spots, so better off looking for street parking.
I would recommend this place to anyone who is in the are looking for solid Japanese comfort food that is not sushi or ramen.

So which one do I go to? The one with the line outside the door? Or the place
Where all the people look happy and enjoying their meal? I choose the less populated place, plus I kinda sushi out.
I was looking for something different. Well this is the place.
I was really surprised by the menu. It offered many types of hamburger steaks. Pastas and loco moco plates.
I had one of the delicious Burger plates, which came with some broccoli and carrots. My wife had the ginger infused pork that came with the same vegetables. We also had a side of the sweet potatoes that came out with thousand island dressing, very crisp on the outside and tender on the inside. Very tasty worth getting.
Dessert was a chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream. That was inhaled. Perfect size to share.

The food was so bad.
The ingredients tasted old.
The mentai pasta was dry and flavorless.
We ordered sashimi and the fish was very chewy, stringy.