Izakaya Fusion Grill Keitan — Restaurant in San Mateo

They brought out lemon water quickly as a well as a complimentary wasabi peanut and kimchi plate after we were seated. A wrapped hand wipe was included. There are QR codes on the table to scan for the menu and to order.

We only ordered food and did not get any drinks:

Crispy eggplant - crispy and cut into strips so it's easy to eat. They put sweet chili sauce on top, wish it was on the side for dipping instead.

Fish jerky - yummy, chewy and flavorful with a hint of sweetness

Pork belly - not the tender/fatty piece we were expecting, closer to a grilled crispy piece

Chicken meatball with egg - chicken meatball is a little dry, but negligible when dipped with the egg

Grilled shrimp - well cooked and seasoned, what you would expect of grilled shrimp

Asparagus and shiitake - well grilled til soft and sauced

Cumin lamb - a bit spicy but good for lamb lovers

Ribeye- tender, beefy, well seasoned, a little fatty and my favorite piece on the combo plate

Negima/yalitori chicken- chicken was well cooked and sauced. Not dry, a great bite.

Cheese corn - canned corn but it barely tastes like corn and the cheese was very weak as well.

Salted egg pumpkin - could be a little saltier but fried well, the pumpkin was crispy on the outside and tender inside

Beef tongue curry over rice - was okay, the tongue was not as soft as I would've liked, flavor overall was just okay. Don't regret it but not sure I...

Omg what an amazing izakaya spot! Small with just a few tables. Order with a QR code. You get a pitcher of water with lemon and limes in it and an app of peanuts and Kim chee.

Ordered the eggplant- don’t realize it was so huge! I’m dining solo so wouldn’t have ordered if I realized it was an entire eggplant 😂 picture with my hand for reference -tomato -Hokkaido scallop -shishito pepper -tiger prawn -razor clam -artichoke heart (No Bonito flakes on anything because I don’t like time)

Everything was delicious and quick and service was friendly. Happy hour after 10p with half off chicken skewers and buy 1 get 1 beer. Will be back!

Edit: I wrote this review while there but just wanted to add how amazing the service was. The 2 ladies were so attentive and kind. Ther cleared my dishes as soon as I finished. Made sure my drinks were always full. I complimented the house made Kim chee and so she brought me more. When I wanted to box is the eggplant, she offered unprompted to get me an extra sauce. Then bagged my leftovers and even held the door for me while I exited....

New izakaya in San Mateo! Been three times so far and my only complaint is that they were very slow in my most recent visit. The food came out 1 at a time with at least 10 minutes between each which extended the eating time by an hour or so.

Be wary of the staff being behind, there was a large table that we wanted to sit at and they told us it was reserved. The party it was reserved for didn’t show up until we were done eating (about 3 hours later). Unfortunately the third time was not up to par with my first two times here.

My favorite item is the crispy eggplant, fried in strips and with sweet sour sauce. Their skewers are also well season (not too salty) and kept warm over a grill at the table.

It’s a smaller space and more intimate, typical of a traditional izakaya but it’s nice that it’s open later compared to alot of restaurants in the area.

I hope they continue to do good business and produce quality food. For a late night meal after work, it’s a...