Kaori Sushi & Sake Bar

Came here for a quick lunch with boyfriend and family. We ordered three entrees, the salmon shioyaki lunch combo, the sushi set combo and a lion king roll.
Lion King Roll: Pretty normal, lots of sauce. As expected.
Salmon Shioyaki: came with the miso soup, salad, and tempura. This was my sister’s and I didn’t taste it, though I have a picture of it.
Sushi Set Combo: Not really that great. It came with the miso soup, salad and tempura. My six pieces of nigiri were also coated with soy sauce and wasabi between the fish and rice. I prefer my fish to be unseasoned so that I can taste the true flavor of the fish. I slightly suspect this may have been done to hide the fishiness of unfresh fish. The california roll was pretty standard, just avocado with crab salad. The rice for the nigiri and the roll weren’t very special, and didn’t have as much of the sushi rice vinegar that I would have liked. The salad was interesting: a lot of oil, and parmesan. Miso was standard restaurant style– not the best miso soup, but average enough. Tempura had a lot of batter, I could use less batter.
Final Conclusion: I probably won’t get a hankering to return to this place, but if we’re in the area and we want food because we’re starving, I could come here.
I would actually rate it at 2.5 for food quality, but they’re really nice and plus they’re just starting out. I’m sure they could improve with time and experience. (:

This is quickly becoming my local favourite sushi place. Fish is fresh and they include generous quantity in their lunch sushi set. Staff is very friendly and service is very attentive. Clearly John, the proprietor, sets an excellent example when he introduced himself.

Great neighborhood gem ! Very fresh fish, reasonably priced rolls, pleasant staff, very good service and will definitely be back for more !!!

This place is so new we could smell the fresh paint. We noticed the grand opening sign earlier this week and decided to give this place a try for my husband’s birthday dinner.
We got there just before the place became packed. We ordered a few a green salad, miso black cod appetizer, a caterpillar roll, a rainbow roll, hamachi nigiri, and the blue fin nigiri special.
Everything was very fresh and tasted great. My only complaint is that I think the staff still needs to work out some service kinks. The miso black cod came out last and much later than everything else we ordered but it was supposed to be an appetizer. As the place started to get packed I began to feel a little neglected. Once we got our bill it took awhile for anyone to come and take our payment.
I’m looking forward to coming back and trying other items on the menu.

Was very excited to try this place out for lunch. The interior décor is inviting and pleasant. Chilly day called for something hot– (they left the front door open which didn’t help :(
Decided on the Tempura udon and that days $ 3/​PC special «shigoku» oysters.
I am an udon freak– grew up in Japan and its one of my favorite go to’s. Sadly, this was a disappointment. While the tempura was good, (though they only give you one piece of the shrimp tempura unlike other places that serve two) the udon soup broth lacked in flavor. :((But I did hit the jackpot with the oyster. Super fresh and delicious.
I may not come here for Japanese hot entrées, but I will try out their sushi next time.
Service was impeccable.

Finally… a nice high end trendy sushi place on 25^th! Décor on point, service top notch and sushi is really really fantastic. Presentation and freshness is key with sushi and this was both. We will be back again this time for sushi and the sake bar.

We were delighted to see a new beautiful restaurant open up on 25^th avenue. We visited for the first time last Friday night and let’s just say, Kaori’s sushi rivals the finest sushi institution in san mateo. If you are a sushi lover, you know the place I am referring to. :-) Kaori’s sushi is decadently fresh — some of the best sushi we have ever had. The entrée’s are hugely generous, served with a yummy salad and a delicious miso soup.
The décor is welcoming and beautiful. One can tell a lot of love and thought went into Kaori — from the hand made wooden tables to the fabulously modern but warm lighting.
The service was great — warm welcome and attentive throughout the dining experience.
They have wine, sake and a fantastic beer selection.
You must go. You will not be disappointed! We are returning tonight. :-)

My fiancée and I were looking for a place to eat on Thursday night and noticed that Kaori had just opened up on 25^th Ave. We had a look at some of the specials posted near the front door and we were lured in by the grand opening specials on freshly shucked oysters ($ 1 pacific, $ 2 kusshi, $ 4 shigoku)
We were greeted as soon as we walked in the door and promptly seated at the sushi bar where I had a nice chat about our likes and dislikes with the sushi chef, Jat. I was actually pleasantly surprised by the variety of fish they carried compared to the typical sushi joints in the area! We ended up going with some of his nigiri recommendations, some of my fiancée’s picks, as well as the oyster specials.
Our order consisted of:
Nigiri:
Toro
Kurodai
Hon maguro
Sardine
Hirame
Engawa — lightly torched and topped with grated radish and sliced scallions. TRY THIS if you haven’t had it before. It’s the dorsal fin of the halibut and has a higher fat content than the typical Hirame cuts.
Mackerel
Uni
Unagi
Mirugai
Kinmedai Golden Eye Snapper
6x Kusshi Oysters
First up were the oysters, served with some ponzu and sliced scallions. They were shucked nicely, plump, and tasted sweet with just a hint of brine. Everything I look for in a good Kusshi. Oh, and excellent pricing to boot.
Now on to the sushi… Fish to rice ratio was excellent, imo (I am not a fan of huge slabs of fish draped over a rice ball the size of an almond) and most pieces of nigiri were served with just a dab of wasabi while others were garnished with either sliced scallions, grated radish, or grated ginger. And rather than saying the typical «Oh, the fish was so fresh!» I will say that all of the items we had ordered were served at or near its peak. The texture and flavors of our fish and shellfish were all on point and showed that they were either fresh from the ocean or properly aged to develop that «umami» goodness. And of course, we can’t forget about the rice! The sushi rice was nicely portioned, well seasoned, and well formed (not densely packed) — formed with just enough pressure to hold together while picking it up but able to easily fall apart into individual grains once it’s in your mouth.
All in all, the friendly service and quality of the food made for a great experience and we will definitely be back for more. Pricing is fairly typical for Japanese Sushi restaurants in the area and there were no surprises while looking over the menu. Kaori is a cut above the rest as I believe Chef Jat has a good handle on his inventory, knowing which ingredients are at their prime and ready to serve to guests. I would recommend sitting at the counter if possible so that Jat can personally give you suggestions based on the types of fish you like.
Five stars.

Wow. The chef Jat is extremely nice and is willing to make you something new that turns out to be amazing. This has been the best Sushi Bar I’ve been to and I’ve been to a lot of different places.

New place on 25^th ave. VERY FRESH fish. Sat at the counter and got lots of good recommendations. I’ll be back.

Tried this new place last night. Chef Jet made some recommendations. The fish is really fresh, we tried some new stuffs we’ve never had in the other sushi places. If you are sushi lover, you will like the sushi Jet makes. Decent place, will definitely come back again.

Decided to try this new place near work. I could have loved it if the food was not so salty. I did like the California rolls. Maybe bc they use REAL crab meat insted of that fake stuff. Yum.
They do have a lunch special, but I advise you to tell them NO SALT.
I was very hungry so I finished my plate. Now I regret it bc I am quite thirsty.
Word to the chef and cooks.
«Less salt please and maybe my coworkers and I will be back.»