The matcha mochi pancakes are served with a dusting of matcha powder, berries and whipped adzuki butter. (Photo courtesy Morning Wood)


By Kate Bradshaw

Following a three-year closure, the popular Hawaiian and Japanese-inspired brunchery Morning Wood reopened Wednesday, Oct. 26.

Reservations are only being accepted for now; walk-ins are on a case-by-case basis. Many reservation times in the first week are already taken.

The restaurant initially opened in 2017 in a San Bruno strip mall and quickly outgrew its starting location. So the husband-and-wife team behind it, co-owners Chad and Monica Kaneshiro, transformed the location into Diamond Head General Store. They'd both drawn upon careers in the Bay Area's fine-dining scene before starting their own restaurant.

The new location highlights Hawaiian and Japanese brunch offerings including an uni roll with house-made hokkaido milk buns, a "hapanese" breakfast with rice and sous vide eggs, and matcha mochi pancakes, served with a dusting of matcha powder, berries and whipped butter.

The owners signed the lease on Morning Wood’s new San Mateo location right before the pandemic hit and kept Diamond Head General Store running while preparing to open the new restaurant space, which needed major renovations.

Now complete, it features an open kitchen, a large dining room and an outdoor patio with a mural created by Taki Horitaka and Drew Flores of San Jose’s State of Grace Tattoo.

Morning Wood, 514 Peninsula Ave., San Mateo, 650-931-4057. Instagram: @morningwoodsf.