106 S B St, San Mateo CA 94401
(650) 235-9229
Parking: street parking
Hours: Sun-Thurs 12:30pm-9:30pm, Fri-Sat 12:30pm-10:30pm
Last Visited: October 28. 2018
Food: 3 to 4 stars
Atmosphere: 3 stars
Service: 3 to 4 stars
Price: $
Green tea and black sesame soft serve? Who doesn't love the sounds of that? Taiyaki cones and the scent of waffles wafting into the street?
Uji time dessert is a welcome addition to the San Mateo Asian dessert scene. Uji is a city on the southern outskirts of Kyoto, Japan and is known for producing green tea. Inspired by this, the menu is pretty simple with a limited number of options - cup ($4.50), cone ($4.50), or taiyaki cone ($6.50); a limited number of flavors - matcha, black sesame, and tofu (which tastes plain), including a seasonal option (during my visit, it was peach), and several creative topping selections ($0.50 each) including Azuki red beans, poppy seeds, and Pocky sticks. You can also mix soft serve flavors. If that's not interesting to you, there is also mochi ice cream ($2.50 each or 3 for $7). The music playing is a bit loud and during this afternoon visit, there were a lot of people in the small area that contains several tables - think pastel colors and outdoor furniture like metal tables and chairs. 
I opted for a black sesame soft serve in a taiyaki cone and it was tasty, but remember that you're eating soft soft serve. The black sesame soft serve was rich and creamy, and it also melted fast. The taiyaki cone is essentially a fish shaped waffle filled with red bean paste - as such, it does tend to take longer to make because they have a limited number of taiyaki irons. Also, the cone will get soft quickly because it's a waffle after all and it already has filling in it. While a tasty concept, note that it also leaks, so if you have small children, or even big kids/adults, or you plan to walk around, you may want to request a cup to hold it all. Still, it's yummy. Give it a try.