Monster Chef
| Address: | 10151 Cabrillo Hwy N, Half Moon Bay, CA 94019, USA |
| Phone: | +1 650-713-5140 |
| Site: | monsterchefcorp.com |
| Rating: | 4.3 |
| Working: | 5:30–9:30PM Closed 5:30–9:30PM 5:30–9:30PM 5–11PM 11:30AM–2:30PM 11:30AM–2:30PM |
Location
Photos 100
Reviews 8
SO
Sophia Yuen
Wow. This place gets packed. So packed that they actually enforce the 2 hour time limit as they literally book their reservations back to back. We did the AYCE and how it works is that you can order 3 items/dishes per a person at a time. We had 7 people so we could order 21 dishes at one time and once we finish all that, we can order a next round. The cool thing is that if you make a reservation, they can send them an email of your first round of orders and they can start cooking it once you arrive instead of using up your time to pick from the menu. Let me tell you – 3 dishes/person is not a lot. That’s like 3 handrolls, or 3 nigiris, or 3 appetizers. The dishes are all super small and if you have a big group, it gets eaten up really fast. We found multiple times where the food would come and we would eat it and then we would sit there for a while before our next order comes. There was one point where we waited half an hour with no food! That’s a quarter of our time there! The staff was actually really nice and let us know when the sushi counter was backed up and I appreciated the courtesy, but that didn’t put food in my mouth. Our 2 hours were coming close to an end and I wasn’t full yet. I was getting annoyed that our food came so slowly and I was going to be super annoyed if I left still hungry. They were super nice and let us stay an extra 15 minutes but probably because we placed an order and it hadn’t came yet so it gave us some time to eat it. They also give you a scoop of ice cream at the end, but it’s hard to enjoy when they kept reminding you of the time. Overall, I didn’t really have a good experience here. Everything was so limited and it was hard to enjoy and I felt rushed the. We got a mix of apps and sushi and they were all alright. A few items were pretty good, but the portions are super small. I rather go to a more relaxed AYCE place.
AL
Alex Chiem
My friends have visited this place before me and had decided to pull me along for their second trip to this place. I was intrigued at the AYCE sashimi and overall sushi experience I hyped myself up to go to Monster Chef. Plenty of parking outside of the restaurant. We had a reservation and when the reservation was made, a preorder order was needed to be constructed. My friend ordered ahead and when we were seated, they brought out the preorder order. The rule is 3 orders per person; we had a party of 6 so we had up to 18 orders from the menu. We ordered mostly sashimi and nigiri (honestly the only things you should really order from here and the takoyaki). If you want to get some sushi rolls, you best head to a different place to satisfy your sushi roll cravings. The miso soup tasted salty and not that good -it’s a skip from me. I will let you know that there will be a pretty long wait in between each order you do. Once we waited 40 mins for our order to come to our table, we later discovered that there is only 1 person doing the sashimi and another doing rolls -totally inefficient with our time and hence the 4 Star rating. I would do 3.5 if I could, but since the fish was fresh and delicious I gave them a 4. The workers sometimes would ignore your call or just forget about what you ordered or never get back to you -definite minus in my book. It would make sense for them to have more than 1 person working to make the sashimi/nigiri since they are serving the whole entire restaurant -understand the restaurant isnt large, but still a large and time consuming task to make sashimi/nigiri for each and every table (especially if the table has a large party). There is a small scoop of ice cream at the end that’s not unlimited. This is a ‘no tip’ establishment; however, you can tip on your own discretion if you want to.
JD
JDM 104
This restaurant is excellent. The food quality is very high and the price is very reasonable. Compared to other all you can eat sushi restaurants I have visited, I would put this place definitely at the top for both value and quality. The chefs clearly take pride in their work. The wait staff are very friendly and courteous. The menu is incredibly varied, and you can order almost anything on it for the prix fixe. They have quality selections like soft shell crab and unique and tasty specialties like lobster ceviche, all included in the price.. A few higher end items like Uni will understandably have an upcharge. This location has historically been difficult for restaurateurs since most people turn left to go to the Princeton Harbor venues, however Flavor finally established it as a viable destination. Now that Flavor moved over to the old Crab Landing location, Monster Chef has moved in and continued the good times. We really hope they succeed, we love going there!
CE
Cecilia Chan
I was recommended to try out this new Houdai style - all you can eat Japanese restaurant by a friend couple months back. I originally hesitated as the location sounded quite far from the city, but decided to give it a try since it is the pumpkin festival weekend anyway. Surprisingly, not only it was not far (a beautiful 20 minutes drive with a "anyway you want to park" parking lot), but with an unbeatable price of $28.99 (dinner) or $23.99 (lunch) for an all you can eat Japanese food experience ranging from super fresh sashimi/sushi to super delicious kitchen food - grilled, fried, pan fried, broiled that is made to order, what more can one ask for? Before this place gets too popular, I strongly recommend those F&B lovers to go out their for a nice meal with an empty stomach and a designated driver! Dont wait until theres a line out the door! Trust me, you will not regret it!
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Ryan Hu
Ill give place a above five if theres such option. Amazing food and fantastic service. I love sashimi and this place is heaven for someone like me, all you can eat with fresh sashimi! Also many other Japanese food options available here for you to pick if you aint a big fan of raw fish. Plenty of rolls for you to choose from. If you have a large party make sure to call in and make reservation before you head there!
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Jason Lee
One of the best all you can eat sushi places in the Bay Area. I thought this place had one of the freshest sashimi around for the price. Its around $30 and the service was excellent. They give you cards to check off the items you want. Each round was 3 items per person. I went with a group so our rounds had a lot of food. I definitely would recommend this place to everyone.
JO
John G
We ordered ala carte. The chicken katsu was good, but the dragon roll and udon was disappointing. Everything was very basic, probably because they had to cut some corners for the "all you can eat" crowd to stay profitable. For example, the udon could have included an egg or other garnish. Maybe we just ordered the wrong dishes?
ED
Eddie Chan
The food here is okay and the service starts very fast. But they limit you to 2 hours and after the first few rounds of orders there is a noticable slow down in service. If you have a group of 6, make a reservation, there is almost always a wait. Plus if you have a reservation you can pre-order before you arrive!
