Kaz Teriyaki Grill — Restaurant in San Mateo

Very popular mom and pop Japanese take-out place in downtown San Mateo, next to Suruki Market. Been going here for years to get my yummy Japanese comfort food fix. Delicious bentos, bowls, hamburgers / sandwiches, udon are cooked to order in a tiny two-person kitchen the size of a small walk-in closet. Good size portions.

My go-to favorites are the Korean BBQ Chicken Bento (grilled skinless, moist chicken thighs, no Teri sauce), juicy, messy-eating Teri burger or Chicken Teri Sandwich (be sure to ask them to grill the thick onion slice). With the bentos, you get piping hot miso soup, rice, one scoop of Mac salad, salad with Japanese Thousand Island dressing, couple of broccoli flowerettes and an orange slice.

No dine-in and cash only. Line out the door during lunch. Usually there is an old Japanese lady taking the orders. She is friendly, efficient to quickly process. Fascinating to watch her and the two cooks as you wait. The three of them are a well-oiled machine when it comes to efficiency and working in...

I can't say enough good things about Kaz. This is one of the foods that I immediatly seek out on my trips back to San Mateo. Admittedly, I don't think I actually knew the name of this place for the first 20 years of my life. I always just affectionately referred to it as "bento box" as their neon sign would suggest. Well, I am in know now and you should be too.

My regular go to is the teriyaki chicken bowl, but I have tried several other items over the years and it is all great. I would confidently argue that Kaz's teriyaki sauce is the best in the Bay Area (even California?). Seriously, pay the extra quarter and take an extra container for the road.

For the health conscious out there, the chicken can be prepared skinless upon request. But why would you do that? Skin...

Nice little hole in the wall, great for a quick lunch. Definitely recommend calling orders in, unfortunately they’re cash only but the food is great, well prepared and flavorful. Bentos have a better portion for the price than bowls but I’ve liked everything I’ve tried so far!

Review edit: Kaz has raised their prices noticeably since the onset of COVID - I certainly don’t blame them for this but it does make some dishes a better value than others. For example, the beef teriyaki bento is now $16. Based on some reviews it appears that they can be kind of hit or miss but I’ve had a consistently quality experience. I do wish they would accept...