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Semo Sushi
Categories: Restaurants Sushi Bars Restaurants Japanese Sushi Bars, Japanese [Edit]
5026 Mowry Ave(between Blacow Rd & Farwell Dr)
Fremont, CA 94538
(510) 505-0360
- Hours:
Mon-Sat 11:30 am - 2:30 pm
Mon-Thu 5 pm - 9:30 pm
Fri-Sat 5 pm - 10 pm
Sun 4:30 pm - 9 pm
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Private Lot
- Attire:
- Casual
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Beer & Wine Only
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Ambience:
- Casual
- Has TV:
- Yes
- Caters:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
372 reviews for Semo Sushi
Review Highlights
"Their tempura green tea ice cream is delish."
(in 5 reviews)
"And all the sashimi is super fresh."
(in 69 reviews)
"...in the city, spicy ny roll, and of course the sexy Sam roll."
(in 9 reviews)
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372 reviews in English
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Review from Hello K.
Fremont, CA
1/6/2012 1 photo
My bf and I came here for dinner tonight. We usually go to Le Moose Cafe next door but decided to try something different!
I liked Semo- nice spacious and clean restaurant, decent prices and food and friendly service.
I ordered the combo dinner with chicken teriyaki and katsu. It also came with miso soup and salad. My meal was good, nothing amazingly delicious but definitely satisfying and tasty for a good Japanese dinner.
I would return again to try more dishes. Nice selection of sushi, rice plates, and udon on their menu. They also have a mini bar and sushi bar you can eat at. -
Review from Ted m.
Fremont, CA
1/8/2012 1 Check-in Here
The fish is fresh (but, I must admit that I only tried their Hamachihama - Yellowtail roll - and their California roll). My friend ordered the seafood udon, while I ordered the chicken udon. The udon noodles were not terrible, but I have very low expectations of udon since trying the best in SF's Suzu in Japantown. So, in other wordes, their udon noodles were mediocre at best.
Customer service was great. They were very attentive and refilled our tea without us asking.
The price was a little more than I expected for a non-San Francisco restaurant. Their Hamachi kama was 2.5 times the SF rate - to me that's excessive. The rolls were just a little more than SF rate. I use SF as my comparison since SF is typically more expensive than most Bay Area restaurants. And for them to charge so much is a little surprising.
I'd consider going back if I don't find a better Japanese restaurant in Fremont. Otherwise, I'd have to stick to SF for my Japanese food. -
Review from Daniel F.
Crestline, CA
12/20/2011
This 2 star review is generous to say the least. I sat down to a pretty empty place, only about 15 customers. At the time of my arrival I was one of three at the sushi bar. Now I don't know about anyone else, but when I eat at the bar, I expect to order from the Sushi chefs. At SEMO, this is not what is expected. My experience started off good, I sat down had a cold drink in front of me and ordered my first salvo of sushi. My first order was small, 2 orders of the special nigiri. It arrived in a timely fashion and when I looked down, only one of the two orders was correct. The chef did fix the issue and give me my original order so that was nice. First, my seared hamachi was good, nicely marinated but a rather small piece of fish on a big rice ball. The accidental order was not as good. It was a marinated salmon that was literally cut of the end of the tail. It was tough and still had pieces of silver skin on it. My other order came, albacore toro, and it was difficult to tell the difference between toro and just plain albacore.
Now this is where I get pissed off. After I ate those small morsels, I sat there in front of my dirty dishes for 15 minutes wanting to place another order. The guy next to me ordered the Sushi/Sashimi Deluxe combo and it was looking beautiful. The sushi chefs were ignoring me and the waitress who cleared my plates didn't say a word to me. I continued to sit for another 10 minutes when someone actually acknowledged my presence. Given that I watched my bar mate eat his entire order, I was getting madder by the minute. Finally, the waitress came to me and asked if I was done and I said I guess I am since nobody cared to help me any further.
I know some people would say "Why didn't you just get someone's attention if you wanted to order again?". Well, since they were not busy, and the sushi bar was not busy, someone should have noticed my empty plates and inquired as to my intentions. Good customer service is not the customer initiating the service.
SEMO, you really need to do something to make your customers feel as if they are cared for. The regular next to me certainly got what he wanted, just not the other guy sitting next to him. There are enough Sushi restaurants around for me not to visit yours again and thats too bad. I really think you have quality fish and good flavors, your service just sucks. -
Review from Yang Q.
12/12/2011
Foodwise, Semo Sushi is like your average fusion sushi restaurant with a variety of americanized rolls. Everything I tried tasted pretty decent, but you can't really judge the quality of the fish past the sauces and the baking and the deep fried-ness.
They do have small hot sakes for 99c during happy hr, and their own house blend of mango, peach, or strawberry flavored nigori that is delicious and made us wonder why we were even drinking the hot sake. All 3 flavors are good, but the mango is the best! -
Review from Richard Q.
Fremont, CA
1/19/2012
My daughter and I went there on Tuesday January 10th and even though it was less than 1/4 full, we waited for around 20 minutes and never got seated or even approached by the staff. For being a slow evening, they seemed to be short staffed and very unorganized. We left after they seated a group of middle aged men who entered after us. Poor service and a poorly trained staff.
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Review from Sammy C.
11/8/2011 1 Check-in Here
Not bad but not good neither. Price it kinda high at the quality.
Customer service sucks as the old lazy who seated us looks rude, didn't welcome us didn't smile to us, didn't say hi... just one mad face like I've punched her father before. -
Review from Sean E.
Brooklyn, NY
1/17/2012
This is the only place I go for sashimi in Fremont. Whenever I'm in town, I make it a priority to stop by. The other fare offered is typical American-Japanese stuff (rolls, tempura, teriyaki.) It's okay, but it's nothing special. Their fish, however, is very fresh and fair for the price. The restaurant may not be located in a cosmopolitan area but it's definitely worth a short drive and is better than a lot of sashimi I've had in New York or San Francisco.
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Review from Karen H.
San Diego, CA
1/3/2012 1 Check-in Here
Ordered a large sashimi combo, ichiban and dragon rolls. The large sashimi combo has 15 slices which were nice, and thick slices of tuna, salmon, and other fish. The fish was very fresh. The decoration was nice and they gave a lot of daikon/vegetables with it. The ichiban roll has spicy tuna topped with either raw tuna or salmon. The roll has the right amount of spiciness to it that will give it a kick but it's not too spicy that you couldn't eat. Dragon rolls are as good as any other places. It was somewhat a pricey dinner. The bill came out a little over 60 with tip. The restaurant looked understaffed. There were only few waitresses and they seemed to be running most of the time.
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Review from Sandra G.
Fremont, CA
11/21/2011
Came here the other night. Ordered chashimi? It was sashimi with sushi rice, tamago, roasted seaweed, some thinly shredded veggies and mushrooms. Pretty tasty. Except for the mushrooms, because it was the old and wrinkly kind, which I don't like.
My friend ordered salmon tempura, or something. Main dish. Baked salmon in layer of crispness, potato salad, some random and a huge hill of sliced cabbage.. What a waste!
And for dessert, I picked off the fruit from his plate. Yum. My tummy was quite satisfied.
Food is good here but a little pricy. I thought about getting some sushi rolls but saw the price and decided that the sashimi rice bowl would've been a better value. Maybe next time. -
Review from Nikki T.
Fremont, CA
1/5/2012
My second fav sushi place in Fremont. Good lion king roll and house salad. Also good bento box.
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Review from yuriko b.
Union City, CA
10/16/2011 1 Check-in Here
I don't really remember the sushi here. I remember a roll with macadamia nuts that wasn't half bad. But that's about it.
What I do remember is that even though they remodeled and expanded not too long ago, there's food stains on the walls. It looks like kids wiped their boogers/snot on the wall. Kind of disgusting if you ask me. -
Review from Nichele R.
Union City, CA
9/19/2011 1 Check-in Here
Order the Spider Roll!! The best staff ever!!
I come here all the time for lunch with some co-workers when we want to spoil ourselves! This is definitely the place to do so. I always order something different so that I can offer good choices and this time I got the Spider Roll. It was soooooo good and I inhaled every bit of it. The servers are always polite when I come here and they are very attentive to your needs while dining here. I have not had one bad experience yet and I recommend folks to come here for either a quick lunch trip, a romantic lunch/dinner or a fun night out for sake and rolls!
Thanks so much Semo! Super yummery status!! -
Review from Scott C.
Fremont, CA
11/2/2011
Pleasantly surprised.
Had to pick up some sushi on the way home and looked for a nearby place, and found Semo. The interior has a nice open ceiling and friendly service. The hamachi nigiri and sex in the city roll hit the spot.
Would definitely come back again. -
Review from Nikki C.
8/29/2011 3 photos
My fiancé and I stumbled on Semo Sushi one evening. They were pretty packed but lucky for us, they had a couple empty tables. A few mins later a few parties piled in so we got there just in time.
Semo Sushi had a special on Mango Sake and we ordered a bottle. It was too delicious to be alcoholic but a total creeper! To start, we ordered a Dancing Spicy Tuna Roll. We were pleasantly surprised that it actually had a kick. Great recommendation by our waiter! For dinner, I ordered a Salmon Shioyaki and he ordered a combo - Tonkatsu with Tempura. The portions were much larger than we both anticipated. I was almost full after eating the sushi so when our entrees came it was a bit overwhelming. The salmon was fresh and not too dry, as most places are when they attempt Shioyaki w/salmon. I had several bites of my fiancé's tonkatsu. The pork cutlet was juicy and tender and the breading was just right.
Good customer service. I expected worst considering how busy they were but they lived up to the 4 stars I'm giving them.
We left satisfied and quite stuffed. Will probably return if we're in the area again.Listed in: East Bay finds
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Review from Karla g.
Union City, CA
12/11/2011 1 Check-in Here
The restaurant is large and open so there is not the usual cramped feeling of a sushi restaurant. This is a great place for a large party. The service is good and the food is satisfactory.
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Review from Alanna D.
Fremont, CA
1/17/2012
This probably one of the best places for sushi around. The fish is always fresh and tasty. They have a roll called the Sakura roll, which wraps the fish in cucumber instead of rice, which I have not seen elsewhere, that is delicious. I also recommended this place to coworkers and they loved it as much as I do.
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Review from Jimmy S.
Newark, CA
10/26/2011
I've been to this place about 8 times now; after trying most of the sushi places in the area... id have to say this is one of the best.
The sushi is fresh and amazing! I've gotten quite a few different rolls and i enjoyed every one of them...
the atmosphere is really nice, love the dual bar setup...
now the reason for only 4 stars?
slow service when it comes to leaving the place. They are always fast to get your food to you, but refills and close outs take forever...
the Menu is a hot mess!!!! very cluttered and mixed up... the sushi chef at the bar told me that they were working on changing the menu to a better layout. when i came back a month or so later they did have different menus, but they were just as bad (dont know if they have changed since)
if they fix those few cons, id give them a 5...
ill defiantly be coming back :) -
Review from marianne w.
San Francisco, CA
THE best sushi restaurant in Fremont.
Chef Sam kept us occupied at the bar with his unique and creative styles of making sushi. The customer service was awesome and everything we ordered came out fresh and perfected!
I'll definitely be back! -
Review from Bingjie Z.
Newark, CA
11/26/2011 3 Check-ins Here
This used to be my favorite sushi place 3 years ago, not any more. Last time I went there, we got two pieces of plastic thing from two different sushi plate. This time I went, everything just tasted alright. I used to love their "oh my god, so good" and "the bomb", they just don't taste the same any more. I noticed the chefs are not same ones maybe that's part of the reason. On a Saturday night, there were only two tables including us, Semo you need to make some changes, because you are losing another two customers( me n bf).
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Review from Tiffany Y.
Berkeley, CA
8/15/2011 3 photos
Great presentation and atmosphere for overpriced, average sushi.
Semo Sushi's selling point is its hip and trendy restaurant and cool sports bar. There are large flat screen televisions playing sports and the interior is well decorated with a giant Golden Gate bridge wall extrusion and kimonos hanging behind shiny glass frames. The place is very clean with quality furniture. Service is friendly and they give you a traditional Japanese greeting, but the food itself takes a while.
I tried the spicy tuna roll and the rock n roll (eel and avocado). The spicy tuna roll had too much chili oil which completely overtook the whole taste of tuna and the rest of the sushi. The rock n roll was a lot better, though just your average sushi roll. The food is also $1-2 more expensive than food from your other Japanese restaurants.
WILL I come back: Probably not
WHY not: The food is only okay, and I wouldn't pay extra just to eat at a cooler looking restaurant. -
Review from Julie A.
San Jose, CA
6/2/2011
This sushi place is a total GEM!
They have very unique rolls, and the deep fried green tea ice cream is a must-have!
The overall place itself... could be cuter. It's definitely kind of tucked away in a large shopping center, and by appearances one might not think it's as good as it is, but the fish was very tasty!
The sushi chef was also extremely funny and personable. It's nowhere near where I live but I would definitely consider making a trip to come here again! -
Review from Sonny W.
Fremont, CA
8/8/2011 1 Check-in Here
Second time here. My earlier review got lost? Anyways, overall, slightly expensive for the sushi and run by Koreans, I believe.
They seem to specialize in rolls. We got the dragon spicy roll which really did not have enough fish to justify the $12.
However, the tonkatsu dinner set was AWESOME. For $11.50 you get miso, salad and (at least in this case) TWO tonkatsu. Surrounding it are thinly sliced apple wedges arranged in a peacock, a strawberry, shredded cabbage salad (either decoration or you can eat it), and a little seaweed. I felt this was definitely great value.
We also got the mixed tempura appetizer. At $10, it only came with 2 shrimps and some veggies. -
Review from J.J. M.
Fremont, CA
8/17/2011 1 Check-in Here
Sushi seems fresh. Spicy Tuna Handroll was really tasty. Salmon teriyaki had a really good flavor. Beef teriyaki was good but on the sweet side.
Sun.-Thurs. $1 sake and $1.50 draft beer. Yay!
Service was good, and no one got mad about a little mess on the floor from the little ones. I tried to clean up as best I could. Waitress even told me it was no big deal!! 5 stars for that!!!!
Took away one star for my nabayaki udon. The udon noodles tasted liked packaged noodles (really hard and chewy). The dashi (broth) was nothing to write home about. -
Review from Pinky P.
San Francisco, CA
7/29/2011
Bleh. Their decor is nice, but that is about it. Their fish isn't that great and they drown all their rolls in heavy sauces to try to make them taste better. Who fries a futo maki roll and then drenches it in nasty red sauce?!?!
Will stick to Kioku, which is way better IMO. -
Review from Kathleen N.
Fremont, CA
3/29/2011 1 photo
What happened to this place? This place used to be the "it" spot several years ago when it was still a small hole in the wall. I remember telling my friends that it was the best sushi in the bay area and we used to frequent it every weekend. Used to.
The portions used to be BIG but they've significantly sized down their rolls. My favorites were lion king roll, spider roll, and especially the spicy killer and hawaiian poki salad. The first time coming back after the renovations, I opted to try out the SSS roll. It came out and something about it looked really off as if it had been sitting out for a long time. The tempura inside was dry and the batter and shrimp were separated and falling apart. My friend's roll, however, look fresh and completely different from mine. Having worked in a sushi restaurant I should have seen the red flag because after eating a couple of bites, I couldn't force myself to eat it anymore. It was horrible! Surprise surprise I got a stomach ache and made me feel like crap for the next two weeks.
I was really hoping this place would be at least okay for me to come back here and there but after that last experience.. Never again. -
Review from Raven B.
Union City, CA
6/27/2011 1 photo
Had the Dragon roll. There was barely any eel on it, (3+ pieces didn't have any on it) and it was more expensive than my usual place. I tried some of my friends rolls also, and we all agreed that the seaweed was very chewy. I also had the fried Calamari and it was very difficult to chew. The waiter was nice, but it took a while for us to get our drinks refilled, even though the place wasn't even crowded. Very disappointing because my friend highly recommended this place.
Never again.
PS: Is it a coincidence that the food was pretty sketchy, and I had a horrible tummy ache after? I think not! -
Review from Vanessa G.
Hayward, CA
8/7/2011
This my favorite sushi place in the Fremont/Neward Area. The service is very good and since they expanded the restaurant a few years ago, there isn't a wait for a table. The owners are very nice and always remember us. This makes us feel at home.
We usually just get appetizers and rolls. The tempura is very good and cooked just right. The tempura vegetables and prawns are light and flavorful; not greasy and heavy like some other Japanese restaurants. I also enjoy the seaweed salad or the cucumber salad as appetizers.
Favorite Rolls:
*Philly Gut Truck
*Fremont Roll
*Happy Roll
*Bay Scallop Roll
*Rainbow Roll
For a summer day, I love the Sakura roll (no rice and wrapped in cucumbers) as a dessert sushi. -
Review from Nikki T.
San Jose, CA
6/22/2011 1 Check-in Here
Seriously. Hands down the best sushi I've ever had. A little pricey but when it comes to sushi, price is quality. Everything here is so fresh and after coming here every-time I get sushi this is the place I compare to.
My first time coming I came with two friends that live locally in Fremont we spent about 150 dollars on food but I would say we got more than we paid for because of all the free sashimi the chef let us try. My second time there it had been about 5 months since Id been there but he remembered me and greeted me. Great place to enjoy good quality sushi, definitely for the sushi goers that don't consider mall sushi or boat sushi, good sushi. Haha. -
Review from Viet N.
6/27/2011
Although I've lived in the area for 12 years, yesterday was the first time I ate here...
Note to self: MUST eat out more at the places around my house. -_-||
Anyway, decor of the restaurant is pretty simple. It has a modern feel to it, although the music (top 40 mixed in with some other notable songs) probably wasn't the best choice of music in my opinion. But I'm not judging this place by its looks by no means.
Our party ordered a lion king roll, ninja roll, King Louis XIII roll, and B-52 roll. One thing to note was that all the rolls were good except for the lion king one, which tasted awkward. They draped the roll with what I believe is melted cheese, and it killed the chemistry of the rest of the ingredients in that roll for me. Other than that, I recommend any of those three rolls I mentioned already!
Dessert was splitting green tea tempura ice cream among the four of us, and it was also delicious!
In terms of prices, they were a little too pricy for my tastes, but I expected that. I'll probably come here again though! -
Review from jOie d.
Fremont, CA
Updated - 6/10/2011
Visited Semo again last night. Everything about our visit was perfect. Our waiter was super kind to us, even though we arrived at 9PM and didn't realized they closed at 9:30. We stayed till about 9:45 and he was very kind and friendly despite them being closed (a BIG rarity in Fremont).
I'm a big fan of Junmai Ginjo style sake, and Semo has an excellent selection. Our waiter recommended a hakushiku sake which was perfect.
The majority of the deliciously spicy rolls have tempura in them, which I cannot eat. I decidedly to test our waiter by asking him about other options. He happily suggested they replace the shrimp tempura with something else. Really? This was so generous of him, and uncommon.
We also ordered the sashimi deluxe, and were so impressed by the presentation, freshness of fish, and skill in the slicing. Each piece was delicious and everything I hope for in sashimi. I am VERY picky about fish quality and knife skills. There are a few sushi restaurants I will not go back to because of poor knife skills.
Conclusion: Semo is definitely my favorite sushi restaurant in Fremont. Yes, it is slightly more expensive than the others, but it's because the quality is much higher.1 Previous Review: Show all »
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3/30/2011
I was inspired to write a review for Semo Sushi because of the one stars it has been given. Yelp has… Read more »
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Review from Erin N.
San Francisco, CA
7/5/2011
Came here for some quick to eat sushi.
The waitress was really nice and attentive. They close during lunch but they were not pushy about making us leave. Their service here is really good.
They'll even ask politely to make sure that you're okay to drive home if you've been drinking. (from a previous visit here)
The food came out at the proper time. I would give four stars but the Lion King Roll was not what I expected it to be. It was good yes. However, the salmon topping was a little undercooked. I'm pretty sure it supposed to be that fully cooked from other Lion King Rolls I've tried elsewhere. It was also topped with only melted cheese which makes me think they ran out of ingredients? I don't think the melted cheese was the Lion King Roll topping and I've tried it here before. It made the sushi a little salty. It was okay but it was weird.
Maybe next time I visit, I'll reconsider giving an extra star.
A little pricey for a college student budget. But it's honestly not that bad :) -
Review from Diana B.
4/10/2011
Semo Sushi is a pretty big spot in the center of Fremont, right off of Mowry. The thing I love most about Semo is their customer service. They are very welcoming and the fact that they are very personable.
We normally do take-out here, but we have eaten inside with big parties too.
No Complaints here, try it! -
Review from Philip T.
Fremont, CA
2/8/2011
Where oh where... do I even begin.
Originally when I was in high school I absolutely loved this place, I would've easily given it five stars then. But since then they've expanded the dining area which created an unfortunate disconnect interrupting both the service and atmosphere. That aside, I also worked here for two months and I left because I know I can make more doing less. But from my brief experience as an insider I know that the staff is dedicated to the quality of their ingredients and the presentation of their food. That should be the bare minimum in the food industry (too bad it isn't) but it's enough to get a three star rating from me.
So why the fourth star? Because I know that they do pay attention to these reviews and their ratings so I would assume that they're willing to change. For example I'm aware that there is supposed to be a new menu soon and they're always trying to come up with more unique dishes.
I hope that someday when I move back to Fremont I can eat here and give Semo five stars. The only thing stopping me from doing so is the service. There are good people working there like Gabe, William, Sam, and others that work harder than anyone could imagine. But I've also worked at Starbucks where we spent two weeks training which included classes on coffee tasting and more importantly customer service. At Starbucks I was taught to say thank you instead of you're welcome, to always remind the customers how much we appreciate them and to remind ourselves that they're always right. No matter how hard you work, it isn't customer service unless you can do it with a sincere smile and a thank you.
I believe that as social animals, most people don't go out to eat for food. We enjoy it as an experience, if we only needed to obtain the necessary nutrients to survive we would go to the grocery store for every meal. So in summary, the Semo Sushi storefront is twice as large as it was before and it needs twice the staff. It isn't fair when the staff is just expected to work twice as hard. With this problem solved, the wait staff can give each customer the amount of attention they deserve and expect from their money. -
Review from Vi T.
2/10/2011
It's on the expensive side and only decent in terms of food quality. The sushi is above average and I like the creativity behind some of their rolls (they have one topped with Katsu!), hence the 3 instead of 2 stars.
The bento boxes are not all that great, though. Meat is often overcooked and just not very good. I've had the teriyaki chicken and salmon: the chicken was dry, the salmon was small, and the sauce was not all that flavorful. I would stick to the sushi here, but then again, I'd still rather go to Mioki's in UC for that, even... it's cheaper AND sooooo much tastier. The only reason I've eaten here so many times is because of the insistence of company. -
Review from Monica T.
Union City, CA
5/7/2011
4 1/2 stars
I don't usually write reviews, but in the bay area, where Japanese restaurants are a dime a dozen, I thought it would be good since this place is a step above the rest and deserves a little recognition.
This place has great food. We usually sit at the sushi bar, since service is more attentive there (the sushi chefs will call the attention of the waiters when you need them) though I wouldn't recommend the bar if you were interested in privacy.
A few notes:
The sushi bar specials are fantastic. They're a bit more "Asian-fusion" but very complementary--I wouldn't hesitate introducing these specials to someone with a more traditional palate. The Buri Toro is absolutely delicious (seared fish with jalapeno and garlic paste). The portions may be small and a little pricey, but make for a very good, and memorable experience.
Their sashimi is (usually) very fresh, with generous portions. The first time I went, I was blown away by how fresh the fish was. Most visits have similar experiences. Recently, I visited and ordered some salmon sashimi, and it was a little flat in flavor/coloring, which, in this part of town, doesn't make it bad... it just doesn't make it stand out.
The rolls are okay. We've ordered a few, and they haven't been that memorable, though to be fair, I'm not that big on rolls to begin with. My one exception is the Lion King roll, which isn't that good here. It doesn't have a lot of salmon, and to compensate, they put a very generous topping of what seems to be... melted American cheese (?) on top. When you remove the cheese, the roll itself doesn't have much to offer.
The beef nambayaki was very tender and melt-in-your mouth. Well cooked, unlike some of the drier nambayaki I've had in the past.
One last thing... I don't know about their other entrees since I usually order sushi, but the other night my boyfriend ordered the seafood udon and it was DELICIOUS. I was shocked because I don't really care for soup noodles (more of a soba girl) but the broth was really flavorful (without being too salty) and the soup was filled with plenty of clams, mussels, and flaked fish, which is a whole lot yummier than the squid and fishcake you find in most seafood udons. A really surprising and wonderful experience. -
Review from Ernie F.
San Leandro, CA
1/4/2011 1 Check-in Here
The Short:
Fresh fish and delicious specialty rolls. I ate here with my brother and some of his friends and had the B52 Bomber, SSS Roll, and Ichiban Roll. Furthermore, we had some $1 hot sake (Happy Hour special) that was definitely a nice addition to the evening. The rolls were well made and the raw fish was succulent. Nothing more to say here. The service was also friendly and responsive when we asked to move tables to stay warmer.
Recommendations:
- SSS Roll
Pros:
- Fresh fish.
- Friendly service.
- Spacious interior.
- Nice Happy Hour special ($1 sake)
Cons:
- Slightly pricey, but at least the quality is good. -
Review from Carolen M.
Walnut Creek, CA
11/28/2010
In celebration of my sis-in-law's birthday and to satiate my brother's craving for sushi, we decided to try out Semo Sushi. To be honest, I don't eat around my area much since, well, I just don't get stellar food in suburbia. Also, I tend to eat out with friends so that means sticking to places near work, SF, Berkeley and the Silicon Valley.
Thinking back, the sushi was not tightly rolled or perhaps it was just sliced thinner than it should have so that its stability was a little on the shaky side.
Bay Scallop Roll
Very similar to the Lion King Roll but with Scallops. It was cheesy, which I was surprised to taste.
Lion King Roll
I've definitely had better Lion King Rolls. The salmon portions were smaller and the roll itself was small. This also had the same melted cheesy texture that I wasn't expecting.
Dancing Prawns Roll
This roll was lighter in taste than I had anticipated. You can definitely taste the Prawn in it. There was something else on it that I couldn't put my finger on.
Overall I've had better sushi, but definitely a good place to go for groups and if you're in the area and needing sushi. -
Review from Tara P.
Los Altos, CA
10/2/2011
My family went to dinner here last night and had a wonderful time. The waitstaff were extremely friendly, we received prompt service and the atmosphere was very comfortable, nice and clean. I wasn't expecting such a nice interior design especially considering the location of the restaurant.
The food was very good and the sushi tasted very fresh. We ordered the tempura ice cream for dessert and it was amazing!! I can see myself going back for the dessert alone.
A couple of downsides, I wish that they had a more comprehensive children's menu, or rather a menu period beside the option of ordering one of two half dishes and some lids for the cups for our kids would have made our dinner a little less adventurous.
Besides that we will definitely be going back!! This restaurant is definitely a hidden gem in Fremont!! -
Review from Jonah S.
Stockton, CA
11/9/2010 1 Check-in Here
I have heard people describe their sushi being like butter and never understood what they meant. Me and my gf came her last night and now I know what they meant. Man was this some fresh fish. We only got 2 roles (the philly gut truck and the beautiful mind) and they were the best we have ever eaten. The serving size was pretty good too. And man, IDK what they do different but the miso soup was hella good. We both loved it. The price was a bit high, but damn was it worth it. They also kinda skimped on the edamame too. Not many people were there at 6 on a Monday and service was pretty good. The place had a modern design but still with traditional aspects too. It was a nice place all around.
Conclusion:
Hella good miso soup
Really fresh fish
Slightly pricey
Good service
I am tempted to give this place 5 stars, but will wait to return a few more times first though. A very solid 4 stars. -
Review from Laura C.
Fremont, CA
1/15/2011
I would have given this place a higher rating if the employees were competent in handling the customer flow and being able to seat people quickly. My friend and I got there on a Friday night - there was already a wait of 5 or 6 people standing by the door. A few customers told me they had never seen the place that packed and they had yet to be acknowledged by the hostess. We all stand there for the longest time, watching employees work and not a single person looks towards the doorway at the clog of people waiting to be serviced. There's not even a list to put your name down.
We see tables and the bar area start to clear a bit. I count 2 small tables and 1 booth empty. There's also a smaller bar area that's almost completely empty and there's a few open slots at the main bar. Great I think, we'll be seated soon. At some point in time, the hostess finally comes up to us and asks how many are in our party. Yay, we'll be seated soon!
Nope, those tables sit empty for a bit longer. Some rotten couple cuts through the crowd and seats themselves at the bar. I start to wonder if this should just be self service seating. We continue to stand and look at the empty tables. I almost want to leave and go to Le Moose next door - this place obviously has incompetent workers and I'd like to take my business elsewhere. We wait for a bit longer and FINALLY get seated. Total wait time: 30 minutes. Total wait time when a table WASN'T available, 10 minutes. Extra wait time that was unnecessary, 20 minutes. Bloody effin' hell.
After getting seated, I must say, their menu SUCKS. Not that the food items sucked, but the menu itself SUCKED. Whoever wrote it needs to be kicked in the nuts. Ugly font, formatting is ugly, very unorganized, too many pages....you sort of need an index to navigate through it. When my friend pointed to a picture of a roll and asked what it was, the waitress said "Oh, it's just a picture". Meaning that this picture was probably swiped from Google Images and pasted into their menu. LMAO!!
Anyway, I just decided to order a Lion King roll since the menu gave me a slight headache.
Our first rolls come within a reasonable amount of time - thank goodness. And surprisingly, the Lion King tasted pretty good. It was fresh and the sauce tasted pretty good. The downside was the rice wasn't packed very tightly, so the pieces kept disintegrating on my friend. $10 for the Lion King roll. $4.50 for California rolls. I didn't get the CA rolls, but I remembered the price - just an FYI so you can use it as a pricing guideline. Most of the rolls were in the $12 to $14 range.
Overall, this place needs to call in Gordon Ramsey to get the staff into shape and redo the fugly menu. Tables should not sit idle - you seriously need to keep the flow going. Customers need to be acknowledged. Make a waiting list for those crazy Friday/Saturday nights. Menus need to be easy to read and organized. Hire a competent staff, not your Grandma and cousin who can't keep the flow of traffic going.
BTW - It had been a few years since I've been to this place. They've remodeled and the place is 2x as big now.
