Solid. Definitely good, but not incredible. We arrived with a group of 6 on a Monday night. Service was consistently quick and warm. Let's talk food. The skewers were okay. The chicken was dry and it was pretty hard to swallow despite being a regular swallower. The peppers were supposedly sweet but my goodness my body was clinging on for dear life. The highlights were easily the two mentaiko noodle dishes as each was savory, creamy, and had us lookin for more. All in all, Good

We have been eating here for the last 4 years, but this was our first time eating there in probably a year. We noticed that the food quality seemed a bit different. Overall, still a good meal but the freshness of the sashimi and food seasoning seemed just a bit below what we remembered. Ordered 1) hamachi appetizer, which didn't have the previously remembered light fresh flavor. 2) salmon avocado roll that was good but same issue with the freshness 3) mentaiko carbonara- still very savory and good, always a favorite 4) agedashi tofu- batter was not quite as crispy Yakitori was overall still good but probably a little salty. We got the wagyu, lamb, and chicken thighs.

The service and the food was great. The place has a cozy atmosphere in general. The only thing I wish was that they didn't have super concentrated lighting in certain parts that would shine too brightly in certain seats. It made the ambiance less comfortable when I have a bright beam of light on me.

Came here last week because we were craving yakitori. The yakitori was good, but the ones we got with salt were a tad too salty that day. We always get the chicken skin, chicken w/ negi, gizzard, and kimchi carbonara. We tried the chicken neck and chicken harami (skirt) this time. Both delicious cuts of meat and very tender!

Date of Visit: 7/12/2024 Japanese izakaya is one of our favorite types of cuisine. Izakaya Ginji located in San Mateo has had great reviews since it was opened back in 2010. It is a family restaurant operated by two brothers. Daisuke Nishimoto works at the back side of the kitchen and curates the extensive sake menu, and Shingo manages the binchotan grill in the front. We made a reservation about 1.5 week prior to our visit, and sat right away. The skewer menu is a physical menu on the table that can place the order of all different kinds of skewers. And we need to scan the QR code to place an order for all others, including sashimi, appetizers, donburi, udon, dessert, and drinks. Sapporo $5 Asahi $6 We got two types of Japanese beer to pair with our foods. We ordered the following skewers: Shishito Pepper $3.8 Shishito pepper was very yummy, but some of them were spicy and some were sweet. Gizzard $4.75 My favorite! Love the crispy and chewy taste of the gizzard. Heart $4.75 Chicken heart skewers were juicy and delicious! Skin $5 Chicken skin was grilled right on point! Cartilage $5.75 Cartilage was great too! Fatty Salmon Sashimi $14 We got the fatty salmon sashimi with daikon and shiso, and wasabi on the side. Grilled Salmon Collar and Belly $19 The grilled salmon collar and belly were big portions. Chicken Knee Karaage $9.5 This one paired great with iced cold beer! Mentaiko Carbonara $18 One of the most popular dishes, the Mentaiko Carbonara was made with cream and cod roe, on top was decorated with seaweed and green onion. It was very creamy but not too thick. Gyu Don $16 And we also got the gyu don. This one is just okay, also with miso soup on the side.

It's rare that an izakaya spot is open for lunch, but luckily Ginji was. We got a bunch of dishes to share but I forgot to take photos of most of them, oops. The food is pretty good and authentic. Portions are large so because when you order. The torched aji was amazing, definitely get that. Friendly service. They gave us free miso soup because we ordered so much.

Made a reservation for three at 6:30pm on a Saturday and when we got there we were seated right away! The interior is super cute with lots of decorations to make it feel like you're getting izakaya in Japan. We came here mainly to try their yakitori. We ordered many and they did not disappoint. My favorites were the bacon scallop, chicken thighs, and chicken gizzard. The scallop was cooked perfectly! It wasn't overcooked and the bacon gave it so much flavor. The chicken thighs were so so juicy and yummy. The chicken gizzards had a good texture to it. My least favorite was the cartilage, it was just a bit tough for my taste. We also ordered a rainbow roll that was good, pretty standard, the fish didn't stand out too much to me. And also soft shrimp skewers which were super delicious! I would come here for good vibes with a group of friends.