Dash Japanese Tapas and Sushi — Restaurant in San Mateo

AMAZING OMAKASE!

Small, adorable, modern sushi shop nestled in between the movie theater and Pacific Catch. It was a little hard to find because it's in an alley, but go towards the entrance of Century Theater and you should see it. It's a small restaurant with a couple of seats at the bar and then about 8-10 tables. If you have a large party, I recommend calling ahead.

I came here with only one intention, and that was to try the omakase. I've heard and read good things about it. They have fish shipped fresh every day from Japan which is almost too good to be true. The omakase 10 piece is $40! which is not bad, I would even say cheap because most omakase is more expensive. You can choose to get 10 piece sashimi or nigiri and the half portion is half the price. My boyfriend and I both got the 10 piece nigiri omakase. All the sashimi/sushi is prepared by one chef, George! So it takes a bit of time but you can tell that he takes his time and really dedicates himself to every piece of fish he puts on your plate. I watched him carefully as he prepared our dish since I sat right in front of the bar. I was completely mesmerized by every detail he put into each piece of sushi. When our dish came out, it was beautiful! Each piece of sushi had a different topping to compliment the fish, and majority of the fish used was the special/fresh items of the day. So if you get the omakase, you don't need to order off the fresh items of the day menu, it'll probably be on your plate already (: I especially loved the blue shrimp, which was one of the special of the day, the shrimp was firm but slightly sweet and George topped it off with a creamy sauce and some pine nuts which went really well with the shrimp. Each piece is meant to be eaten without anything else so you don't need to worry about extra sauces. Both my boyfriend and I were blown away with the dish from the quality of the fish to the unique taste. I can now see why George is so revered by his many customers!

The service here was good, the servers were friendly. I highly recommend this place to any sushi lovers :) Definitely get the omakase, I don't think you'll be...

5/21/23: Another excellent meal. Tried the Seared Tataki Tacos, on a deep fried bed of seaweed. Tasted great, but hard to handle. Also tried the Tataki Bruschetta, topping is great, but would prefer a thinner can crispier piece of bread. Still loving the Crunch Roll, and Nigiri was also excellent.

Prior: Super fresh and tender sushi, attentive staff, and unique TAPAS, are the reasons for NEEDING to visit this establishment. Julie greeted us at the door, and were seated immediately (Wed, 5pm). Physical menus were presented when we asked (QR photo below), drinks and Edamame were served immediately. There are 2 seating areas inside, making it the areas feel cozy and inviting.

Even the traditional simple sushi choices felt upscale relative to most places I've eaten. The chef does an exceptional job of putting his special twist on nearly everything served. Our Sake, Unagi sashimi was quite fresh and tender. Even California Rolls were delicious. The Crunch Roll will now be my 'goto Roll' here at Dash, awesome. We also asked got an order of Julie's favorite Tapas, the Baked Baby Scallop. It wasn't our favorite, but it presented really well. Hope to try the Ahi Tuna Bruschetta next time. It's hard to show restraint when ordering since everything looks so good.

5+ Stars for this sushi/tapas restaurant. Already looking forward to...

I opted for the omakase, and it was a delightful experience! Everything served was incredibly fresh and light. Despite trying a variety of dishes, I didn't feel overly full or bloated afterward. Each dish was well-balanced, without being overly oily or saucy.

The omakase featured 10 pieces of fresh fish from Japan, and the ikura had a clean, non-oceanic taste. The uni was particularly outstanding, and I'm eagerly awaiting the arrival of uni directly from Japan, which I've heard is exceptional.

Among the snacks, the geso kaarage (fried squid legs with sauce) stood out, and the wagyu carpaccio was also exceptional. The homemade green tea chocolate cake was a perfect finale—not too sweet, with delicious malt chocolate on top. The accompanying ice cream was also delicious.

I'll definitely be recommending this place to friends and family. However, it's best to arrive early, as I noticed they tend to sell out of their special fish of the day later in the evening. Plus, it's conveniently located next to a theater, making it perfect for enjoying a movie before or...