Takahashi Market: Experience the Taste of Hawaiian-Japanese Fusion in San Mateo

What a nice little hidden gem in downtown San Mateo! Great selection of musubi, poke, and spam. The loco moco with gravy was delicious, as were several of the other musubi rolls. So glad they have been around for over 100 years. Parking lot is a bit small and will require some patient maneuvering to get in and out.

Takahashi Market is a charming little hole-in-the-wall. It may seem unexpected, but the one thing you absolutely have to try here is their brick-sized musubi. You’ll find them along the far left wall as soon as you walk in. My personal favorite is the crawfish unagi; creamy, flavorful, and perfectly balanced in portion.

Takahashi Market has its own charm despite being small and located at a lesser popular spot compared to other local Japanese markets. In fact, you'll love it when you find out they have their own private parking spots which can host around 10 cars. I came on a Monday at 11:40am and I can find parkings right away. There are a few tables and chairs set right in front of the market for you to sit down and enjoy your lunch if you opt to. As soon as you walk in, friendly staff will greet you with a smile. If you're like me and you're interested in their poke selection of the day, proceed straight to the back of the market, where you'll find ample poke selections to satisfy your fresh poke crave. You then can head straight up to the front area to grab a 7-inch-long hot musubi or two. There are so many options for everyone, ranging from salmon, chicken, crawfish, loco moco, spam, to Ebu tempura, Kuala pork and unagi musubi. I was like a kid in a candy store and couldn't decide which one. Eventually I picked the unagi musubi and it didn't disappoint! The musubi is 7 inches long as mentioned earlier and has lots of well-seasoned unagi (eels) in it. The rice was well cooked and has nice texture. I love that the musubi is cut in half, making it easier to share or to save for later. The portion was so generous that I could only finish half. The price for my musubi is $11 which is very reasonable, in my opinion. The pokes here does not disappoint either. I'm especially impressed with the freshness of the salmon poke. It tastes exactly like what I've experienced before in Tokyo, Japan. Reasonable pricing for the poke as well as a small poke ranges from $8-$10. Though being small, Takahashi market is organized, neat and clean. They even give you a cute Japanese milk candy at check out and free cooked rice to go with your pokes (with 2 options of either brown or white rice). Overall, I enjoy my experience here and will come back for their poke and hot musubi the next time I'm in the area. Highly recommend!

Smaller and more expensive (for some products) than Suruki Supermarket, which is just a few blocks down, but the quality is about the same. What’s unique about Takahashi is that they also sell Hawaiian foods alongside their Asian goods, plus apparel like shirts and stickers. They also have a few chairs and tables to eat by the front door, so you can stay a while. Cashiers were helpful and welcoming. Overall, 4/5.

This Asian supermarket is away from the center downtown San Mateo. So I think it might be a little overshadowed by the other Japanese store, Suruki, which is located in the center of downtown. It lacks some assortment on the shelf, but the prices are much more affordable. I would go there more frequently if they provided easier access. Not to mention the helpful staff. They are very friendly, including the carrier. I noticed that there are many Hawaiian stuff selling there. I like Hawaii, so I really felt easy there. I really hope they can have more space and products to choose from, and a better location.

Came here early before they opened to get our hands on their musubis - def worth the trip! The unagi crawfish one is rly yum but can be quite heavy. The cabbage kolua pork one is also quite heavy. The mochiko chicken is on the lighter side but still very flavourful. Their poke are super fresh too! Tried the hamachi and tuna.

Extremely friendly, delicious food, can't ask for more than that. I had the musubi with salmon belly and it was really good, it was one of the specials. I can't emphasize enough how friendly and helpful the staff is. Good service is easy to find, amazing service is not and they deserve some love for that. Thank you!

Came here on a Sunday afternoon at noon with my family and friends. The line wasn’t bad at all, maybe like three people in front of us. We had to wait maybe 10-15 minutes to get the food and found outdoor seating (which was limited) and parking (luckily since there wasn’t much space). Food: We got the Salmon belly musubi special and then Large Saimin and also the Salmon Poke with cucumber salad. The musubi definitely stood out as a really rich flavorful dish and it almost melted in my mouth. The Saimin was good, not stellar but it was very nourishing. Service: The waiters were very kind and patient and brought our food outside to us as we waited! Ambiance: It’s a small casual grocery market and not the fanciest of places — flies buzz around and it’s not easy to find spaces but if you’re on the go it’s perfect. Would recommend this place to anyone who’s driving from SF to the South Bay since it’s right off of the 101 highway!