Sushi Daruma

Wonderful little spot for some amazing food and service. Everything tasted great and were good sized portions. The servers were so helpful and always checking in. Our main chef Eddie was so kind and welcoming. We sat at the sushi bar and it was very comfortable. Highly recommend and we’ll definitely be back!

I've gone in the past and have good experiences but unfortunately today sucked! :( Someone was smoking outside the restaurant so the inside smelled like smoke unfortunately. I tried the sashimi and saba shioyaki. I wasn't a fan of the sashimi, the shioyaki was okay but while eating I got a huge fish bone I ended up choking, I ran to the restroom and threw up. This was close to closing time at 2:30 so the workers had no concern, they just wanted me out of the restaurant. I came out with my eyes watering and they just looked at me and said have a good day. It was a bummer, I would've complained then and there but they were wrapping up to close. Definitely won't be returning unfortunately. My other experiences have been good with tempura and teriyaki chicken but please be careful if you eat any fish :(

Food was excellent. I got the hamachi kama and it was grilled to perfection. The sauce that came with it was great. It was a delivery and still arrived warm and was not overly dry or otherwise. Only issue was that there was not any soy sauce for my rolls. The alaska roll and futo maki were both great. The selection here is like no other in the area and i was thoroughly impressed with my meal. Please just read the notes on orders. Thank you

Normally I love coming here for sushi it’s my go to. But I always dine in & today I decided to do take out & to my surprise I ordered 70$ of sushi for my partner and I and wanted a kids plate to go for my 1 year old son & they denied me but suggested I purchase something that was double the price. I think it’s pretty shitty that they have the rule for children portion as dine in only. I don’t really know what the difference is! Super disappointing!

This place has great fresh food. It is a small cozy experience. Highly recommend the lunch menu options for the choices and price! They do take out as well.

Visiting my parents during Thanksgiving and decided to try this new sushi place that opened since I’d been gone. It’s a small place, and they have limited seating, they did a good job getting us sat, their were 6 of us in our group. They had constant traffic of to go orders and people looking for a table. Obviously, a popular choice amongst locals. We ordered some appetizers. Fried tofu which was generous in portion and delicious, and fried calamari which was cooked perfect, just enough crunch but not tough. We had miso soup which was perfect, hot and flavorful! We all had sushi rolls and they were good, the wasabi was not as spicy as I like and tasted a bit weak like it was watered down. The rolls themselves were good, but just didn’t have the intensity in flavor I enjoy. The service was very slow, but not bad. Our server was attentive to our needs, but the asks took awhile and the food did as well. I would go back, it was good, and the prices were reasonable and maybe it was an off night and as a newer place they may just be needing to find their rhythm. Recommend

Great flavors! Friendly staff. I had the Angry Bird Roll, which is a chicken only roll. It tasted good, but could have been rolled with a little more care; kept falling apart. Ate half before I took a picture. The mango and strawberry flavored sakes were amazing!

First time here, everything was great, we had chicken and beef teriyaki boxes, tempura was delicious, not greasy, yes its fried, but it didnt leave that lingering greasy taste in your mouth, salad was fresh and crispy. Miso soup just yum!! Our new olace to go!!

This is the best place for tofu and katsu. Excellent service, reasonable portions and prices.

I always drive by this restaurant and every time I tell my family "we're going to try that place next time" we'll finally it was our time! We went and was not disappointed. Customer service was amazing, 10/10. The restaurant is so clean and well taken care of. The food was absolutely delicious. They didn't overwhelm the sushi rolls with rice (like some sushi places in town) and the rolls were creative and delicious. Everything on the menu is priced very fair. We bought an appetizer, 4 rolls, a beer and a kids meal for $70! A steal! This restaurant has officially become our new sushi spot.

Absolutely adore sushi Daruma. Always a hit and you can't go wrong with anything here. The rolls are decent size and priced. Appreciate small businesses like this. For no wait come right when they open because it gets busy quick! Their service is also great. Food comes out quickly and delicious

Food was okay, flavor was great and the sauce on it tasty. Service was great they checked on me everytime the waitress had a chance and it was amazing. Ambiance of the restaurant was great it was clean and spaces between tables were great for a more intimate conversation without anyone eves dropping. Overall 8/10 for my rating.

Food was excellent. I got the hamachi kama and it was grilled to perfection. The sauce that came with it was great. It was a delivery and still arrived warm and was not overly dry or otherwise. Only issue was that there was not any soy sauce for my rolls. The alaska roll and futo maki were both great. The selection here is like no other in the area and i was thoroughly impressed with my meal. Please just read the notes on orders. Thank you

Daruma is a nice spot for a quick lunch or dinner. Their food is good, nothing out of this world. Staff is kind.

We were in Salinas for the day and we decided to check this new place out. We had tea and it was served in this cute kettle and wooden tea cups. We tried sushi, ramen, and their Bento Box and it was all delicious with large portions and very filling. The presentation was great too. The server was great except that towards the end we weren't checked on a lot and we needed more tea and water and boxes and wanted to order dessert and all that. It was good though.

Came in the Sunday night of the Light Parade, and ordered the dinner combo with Teriyaki salmon, gyoza and halibut (I believe). Everything was delicious. Considering how quickly the place filled upon opening at 5pm (due to the crowds outside), my meal arrived within a reasonable amount of time, and was complimented nicely by the miso soup & side salad. Would definitely come back to try the actual sushi next time. Inside is cute and cozy; make sure you arrive early or call in your order ahead of time, as it fills up quickly.

The food quality is good enough to enjoy, but there's definitely room for improvement. Nothing stood out in both taste and presentation. The location is a plus -- easy to get to and in a nice area. Service was just okay -- nothing bad, but nothing that stood out either. Overall, it's a decent spot, but a few upgrades could really take it to the next level.

First time stopping by Sushi Daruma! * Spicy Edamame was extremely tasty! Would return for that alone! * Shrimp Tempura was wasn't anything special. * The sushi was tasty but not anything notable either. * The service was okay as well. The staff was friendly but slowed down towards the end of our visit. They were extremely fast to get the food out though! The ambiance was nice and clean.

My husband and I ate here today for the first time. I enjoyed my chicken katsu. My husband's beef teriyaki was so tough he compared to the texture of undercooked jerky. I asked him to complain about it to the server, but he did not. I guess we won't be returning here again. Our server was rather inattentive to us and we had to wait awhile to receive our check and box for my leftovers.

10 out of 10 five stars doesn't cut it. This place was amazing. We were seated right away friendly staff. The waitress was adorable. Very clean restaurant. The food was amazing. We are definitely gonna make this one of our go to places for date night.

I get there 20 minutes before closing for dine in on a Friday night and got turned away saying that they don't accept anyone before 20 minutes and the host showed me the sign. Okay so the next day, I show up 35 minutes before closing (had to do everything I can to leave early from work), and same response "We don't seat people 20 minutes before closing". I show him my phone saying that we are 35 minutes before closing, host/server makes this one excuse saying "We are too slow to dine in people, we can only do to go". What the heck, I still get turned away! I want to experience the ambience and drink a nice sake, not take something to go. So yeah, you lost a potential customer because of your rude lazy workers.

The ramen here is absolutely delicious. The broth is so rich and comforting, and the noodles are always cooked perfectly. It is the perfect dish when I want something warm and satisfying.

Terrible. The server kept trying to take my plate with it still half full. The miso soup was deep brown in color and very salty. The tuna jalapeño bomb was mushy and within minutes of eating the tempura roll I ordered I had to run straight to the bathroom. Quality here has certainly hit an all time low. Will never return again.

It's our first time and we wanted to try this coz we keep on going to other Japanese restaurants. The place is clean and quiet (which I like, don't like too much noise when I'm dining), Stephanie our server (I don't know if I spelled her name right) was awesome! She's very sweet and attentive, keep checking if we need anything else or if everything is okay. The foods were good! all in all, a pleasurable experience for a first time. We will come back again for sure. Thanks Stephanie for such a wonderful service! You're awesome!

The service was very attentive and timely. Their sushi selection was very good and tasted fresh. The staff was very efficient and the food arrived promptly, even though it was very busy. I appreciated it! I took off one star only because the bathroom was disgusting. They may want to close the open back door to the alley.

It's been a couple of years since my last visit and I'm glad I came back. My last review found only one bone of contention, rice. I had two delicious rolls and did not notice the same thing that I did last time. So I have added the 5th star. The food was excellent, the service was attentive and personable, even the vibe was nicer. The standout was my wife's Tonkastu Ramen. The broth is heavenly, the flavors rich and satisfying, it was a meal for four. We will so be back.

Food was amazing! The service is excellent and was surprisingly quick for a Friday night. This is our go to place when in the area for ramen!

If you want great service, nice ambiance and the best sushi in town? Go to Sushi Daruma! We usually sit at a table but this time we sat at the bar! Great choice! The servers are friendly, our sushi chef was engaging and the sushi was amazing! We usually get ramen or udon and some rolls when it's cold out. But last night we decided to try some new rolls, the Grease monkey , Sunshine roll, Torro and unagi nigiri (sorry forgot to take photo they were too good). It's a small place with a good amount of tables but all the locals know about it and it fills up fast. They always have a line outside the door but the wait is good. If you don't want to wait, get there early. Enjoy!

It's a Must in salinas! fresh every time! Customer service A1 the fish is fresh my fav is yoshi roll with crunch

Not sure why but a few tines we have ordered sushi here and it's been more of a disappointment. The rolls come out somewhat soft and soggy. Tonight, i did a phone order for a Salmon Roll, Yam Tempura Roll and Rock N Roll Roll. I had to repeat my order slow and even had to spell Roll to make sure the lady got it right. When Hubby and i picked it up, we realized we were misbilled and had an extra item of Itachi Roll that we did not order. The total initially came out to $40.64 (the extra item that was wrongfully included in our bill was $15.50, an Itachi Roll). i had to point it out that we only ordered 3 items. The first lady staff who tried to help me told the guy behind the sushi counter the issue and she tried to come back to me and said that unfortunately, the manager wasn't there. It was a blessing that the lady, Mina, who took the phone order came out from the kitchen and she was told about the issue, that i ordered 3 items, not 4. She was able to help me by voiding the first transaction. Good thing she came out because i think it is ridiculous to have a busy restaurant like that and not have a manager or staff who can void or correct a transaction. Definitely an inconvenience..

Walk in and got a to go order with dragon roll and takoyaki, both are great. Food was ready around 10 mins.

Went here my first time in downtown Salinas. Waiters and staff were very friendly and attentive. I ordered the bento box around lunch time. $12.95., plus an additional dollar because I ordered sashimi. It was a goooood portion. I had to take some of my combo tempura home. Miso soup was one of the best I've ever had. Restaurant was clean and busy (but not too busy) during lunch time. Would definitely recommend!

Went to Daruma yesterday, and I can't wait to go back! My sushi and sashimi were wonderful, tasted very fresh and delicious. I have to add that while I always enjoyed pickled ginger, this was also the freshest I'd ever tasted! Never imagined it would make such a noticeable difference, but it did. I also looked at what other customers were ordering; Daruma's presentation is great! Wonderful food, served by a pleasant, cheerful, attentive server, in one of my favorite parts of town - oh yes, I'm definitely coming back soon!

Nice queit place on main St, nice people, takes a little bit for food but appetizers make up for it. Good portion for price, Mainly the lunch is the best

Unfortunately I have to post this being this was hard to believe it was made and sent this way being all the times my wife and I eat here the Nori Tacos have never looked like they need the main ingredients! Where's the sushi that goes on top!! The tacos are pricey to begin with but worth it when they are made with actual sushi on them. So I called and spoke to Ashley and she can't even get me a manager or someone that can help me with this, I asked for a manager or someone in charge and she couldn't even give me that! she asked what's this about and I tell her about my order I just received and then she says hold on and comes back and said can we call you back when we have time! WTF kinda service is that!! I know this isn't the service that should be given out or food that should be delivered! Total joke and sad!! I received a call from Dennis the manager and he listened to my issue that I had and just by him listening and understanding the customer service end of it I have to update my review for a more positive one! Thank you Dennis! And remember the Nori Tacos are

We love coming here. Our weekly date night. Good people, service, and sushi! The nigiri and sushi tacos are a must! The spicy edamame and calamari are also worth a try!

Nope...no...just NEGATIVE!! I was visiting for the weekend so I didn't really know what to choose, I chose this place because it was Door Dash's Trending Top 10. I ordered spicy edamame, deep fried Spicy Tuna roll and Hamapeño roll. The edamame wasn't spicy at all and had a thick layer of butter?? at the bottom of the dish. There was something "off" about the Hamapeño couldn't really tell what it was. The Spicy tuna roll was very bland, had no flavor whatsoever and was not spicy. Neither of the rolls had any flavor...all I could taste was the cucumber. Within 10 to 15 minutes of taking a couple bites out of the rolls I was throwing up I got sick! Idk how this place was in the top 10. I'd rather eat rolls from a grocery store than to ever come back here...

Such a great place! My friend and I had a feast. We had the gilroy roll, mango madness, tropical roll, and the omega.. also the personally crafted tako and escolar sashimi ALL AMAZING. Also the sushi chef brought me a complimentary Ice cream for my bdayso nice.. will definitely be coming back! Dennis and William are the best.

Delicious food and fast for lunch! Great waitresses. (Bring a jacket maybe, it was cold inside this day)!

Me and my husband attempted to eat here two days in a row and they turned us away 30 minutes before closing both days and their doors were locked 5 minutes later by 9:35pm. They used the excuse that they were slow and have been turning people away for the last hour to close early. We are big sushi eaters and we're really excited to have our date night and make this our sushi spot. After being rejected twice I will never give this place my business and will encourage others to do the same.

Mehhh.. but what can you ask for in the middle of a small town. This location is located in the heart of downtown Salinas. My husband and I decided to take the kids out for a staycation for the long weekend. We thought the food would be good because the restaurant was packed when we got there. Had to wait 40 mins for our table. To be fair, the only "sushi" we got was a hand roll. I'm the only one that can eat raw so I didn't want to over order. We got udon for my two year old and he gobbled it up. The udon and the edamame were probably the best things we ordered. My hubby got the ramen and he says it's worse than instant ramen... and my hand roll was just so-so. The service was great though. We really liked our attentive server. Ambiance was very casual. Lots of small groups for dinner but the place wasn't too loud since they don't play music, which was nice.

What?!? First class sushi on Main Street in Salinas? YES. Delicious sushi and perfect service. Ask them for recommendations and for what's not on the menu. Amazing!!

First time at Sushi Daruma. I was very happy with their service. The waitress was kind and professional. The sushi was delicious. It was fresh. I really enjoy their Nori-Taco. You have to try it! The Nori-Taco was wonderful. The restaurant was clean. Will I go back? DEFINITELY YES!!!

First time here and t was amazing! Ordered the Tiger roll and it was so good I ate it all. Will come back for the good service the lady gave me and my husband. She asked how we were doing only a few times which is appreciated since I don't like when people constantly ask how I'm doing lol. Ambiance has a good feel of a real Japanese food restaurant. Will bring my family here as soon as possible!

Mango Madness was absolutely amazing , instead of salmon i got avocado. Then dipped it in the sweet sauce. It just needed more Nuts crumbled . My boyfriend got the original Mango madnesss . 10/10!!

Been coming here since it opened. Always get an excellent meal with excellent service. My wife loves this place. One thing we always get is their appetizer shumai. Absolutely incredible. A real palate tease. My only issue is that there is an odd amount (5) and there is two of us. Place gets busy every evening of the week but the wait time is not bad and so worth it.

A local #1. Tried other places but the quality, portions & service always have one coming back.

We do takeout often from Daruma because the quality of raw fish was good. But this time, it was quite disappointing. Tuna was fishy and dry! Not sure about a name of this off-white fishy was also fishy and not fresh. Plus, tilapia sushi was not moist, very dry, apparently it had been exposed to air quite some time. Only salmon was fine. I once conversed with the owner/chef in the restaurant to let him know that we were satisfied with their food. I feel violated this time. The food was bad.

Excellent service! Even better sushi! I recommend the Grease Monkey Roll! Great ambiance

I'm so upset that I didn't take pictures! Came in Saturday evening after the freestyle explosion concert. We were sat right away we ordered a few appetizers and a couple of rolls. Food came pretty fast, it was extremely delicious and the staff was pretty nice. We had a fried and baked roll I had asked for no cucumber( due to allergies) in my baked roll I feel they took up the space with extra cream cheese so it made it a little too cheesy for me and my hubby but we figured we should've known better than to think they would've put extra crab LOL other than that no complaints. Their goyza is delicious- definitely worth ordering. We definitely will return to try more and I'll absolutely take pictures.

I enjoy good quality Japanese food and a good wait staff and Sushi Daruma has both. I've been meaning to leave a comment for a long time because I absolutely love their food but their staff is another reason my husband and I ALWAYS come here for date night. We have gotten smarter - we order separate orders of takoyaki (which to my surprise is even good as takeout). I love a good takoyaki that is not soggy and has a good amount of bonito flakes & this is probably one of my favorite takoyakis I've eaten. We get a variety of rolls. I am not a huge adventurous roll person - I love sashimi (maguro, yellowtail, etc). They have such a good variety for people like me who aren't big on spicy tuna or eccentric rolls, but they also have a lot of fun exciting rolls for people who are way cooler than I am. They have good bentos & good options. My kids love their katsu and various meats. Their wait staff though is the bomb. Always super nice, food always arrives on time (even for pick up). Favorite place for date night

Food was delicious and service was great! I would definitely recommend their tonkatsu ramen since winter season is starting to creep in. Give this place a try if you're in town

OMG their rolls are so good. Always great service and very clean. Our favorite place to order sushi from.

Wow, I loved this place. Ordering via the phone was a surprisingly pleasant experience. The team member answering the phone was upbeat and kind. Understood the variations I asked for and levelset expectations for when the order would be ready. Upon pickup, the order was ready at the time specified, payment was fast and contactless, and the facility was set up perfectly for social distancing. Now for the best part, the Mango Madness (In: shrimp tempura, mango, avocado, cucumber. Out: salmon, mango, sweet sauce, spicy mayo, macadamia nuts) was out of this world delicious!!!! A wonderful surprise and reward for trying a new location. If you are in the area, give them a try.

Was visiting the area and craving Asian food so decided to give this place a shot. Location was downtown, pretty small but clean. Service was fast and friendly. Menu selection was huge. I got the mango madness roll (with shrimp tempura, spicy crab instead of salmon, avocado, mango, crunch topping, spicy Mayo) as well as the tonkotsu ramen. The roll was pretty good, very refreshing with the mango and everything complimented together well. However the ramen was where it all went downfall. Coming from SoCal, I have pretty high standards on ramen but this was legit the worst ramen I've ever tasted. The broth was SO watered down and didn't taste like the traditional ramen broth at all. The egg wasn't cooked properly as well as the chashu pork had a weird funky flavor to it. The only decent thing was the ramen noodles itself. But the broth was seriously questionable. Overall I would recommend the rolls but not the ramen. With the limited amount of Asian choices in the area, it's just okay.

Sorry Sushi Druma but this is the second time in last three orders of the Daruma Deluxe that I have not received what I would expect for the eight pieces of sashimi that come with the order. While the sushi was great and varied the sashimi was thin, the same fish, and thrown into a pile. I don't like writing negative posts and only hope that your establishment will improve. I have consistently ordered from your establishment for the past couple of years, since you opened, but... I am a bit tired of being disappointed with the sashimi being delivered.

A solid 4 star and my choice for Japanese food in Salinas. Our waitress tonight was Stephanie who was attentive and quick. Great job. Our ramen was really good, not the best I've had but I'm not driving 45 miles north either. All our other food we had was flavorful and well presented from the takoyaki to all the sushi. The fresh wasabi was a treat. This place is full for good reason, it's good food. Last words...I'm 7 minutes away, walking.