Luna is just next to Himawari at 204A 2nd Avenue in downtown San Mateo and is the newest Japanese restaurant around town. But Luna does things a bit differently from the standard sushi restaurants; it's officially called a "Japanese Fusion Bistro". This means a deviation from the normal Japanese menu of sushi, tempura and teriyaki which is both welcome and refreshing.
The restaurant itself is small but is nicely decorated in neutral, sophisticated colors and includes hardwood floors, subdued lighting and cool jazz background music that all help to set a relaxed yet upscale atmosphere. Though the restaurant only opened at the beginning of August, the service seems to run smoothly and the menu is nice to look at and provides an interesting variety of options.
The most unique area of their menu--and one that is highly recommended by the servers--is the Japanese Tapas section. Almost two dozen small plates are listed here which are meant to share amongst a table of people. A variety of Japanese-themed options are available including luna's ceviche (bay shrimp, bay squid and squid in citrus salsa - $5.5), gyu ginki yaki (sauteed beef and spinach baked with garlic butter in foil wrap - $7.5), and tofu steak (fried tofu with sauteed mushrooms - $5). This is where the "fusion" shines through; the creations on this section of the menu often incorporate traditional Japanese elements (fish, tofu, miso, sesame) but combine them with other types of food or styles of cooking not typical of Japanese dishes.
In addition to the Tapas section, the menu offers yaki mono (another type of tapa-style appetizers which usually feature grilled or fried meat), teppan yaki (it's not clear how they achieve this--there are no Benihana-style grilling tables here), set combinations, donburi (rice bowls), other extras and desserts. They also just began serving breakfast (omelettes, Japanese dishes and American dishes), though their morning hours are not yet posted on Yelp (and they don't yet have a website).
Most of the dishes are inexpensive but they are also quite small meaning the price of a meal can become a bit expensive if you're very hungry. One penny-pincher recommendation is to stop by early when you're not yet famished and order a handful of the tapas to split with a friend or significant other. This allows you to enjoy the variety of their options yet keeps the price down to a reasonable amount.
The food is well prepared at Luna, and while the menu is still changing a bit as difficulties are ironed out (standard for a new restaurant), it seems that Luna is well on its way to becoming a great addition to downtown San Mateo. They're open for lunch and dinner every day but Tuesday (call for breakfast hours); see their Yelp page for a list of their hours and a good amount of pleasant reviews.
Luna Japanese Fusion Bistro, 204A East 2nd Avenue San Mateo, 650.558.8638
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