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Daruma Sando

4.1 (75 reviews)
Closed 10:00 am - 8:00 pm
Updated over 3 months ago

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DARUMA SANDO ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Outdoor seating
Dogs allowed

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Recommended Reviews - Daruma Sando

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Kristin C.

Excellent food! Loved the pork sando, would definitely return again. There is a kiosk to order from inside but wish they had more than one kiosks. You can order online ahead of time as well. The credit card swipe on the kiosk does not seem to work, person in front of me had the same problem, but eventually realized there's a tap option on the side. It's a little small inside so tables were almost filled but also a couple tables outside. Definitely worth a visit if you are in the area.

PORK KATSU SANDO
Cat T.

We were craving some katsu sandos for dinner and headed to Daruma, a newer spot serving katsu in sandwiches and curries, and huge mugs of Sapporo. We went on a rainy evening so there was street parking available across the street. You order on a kiosk and food comes out fairly quickly. We got the pork katsu sando, pork katsu curry, and a side of spice fries. The sando is on the saucy side but makes for a satisfying meal combined with the fries. The spice fries are perfectly crunchy and definitely have a kick! The real star of the show was the katsu curry. The flavor was SO good - deep umami flavor just as good as the curries we've had in Japan. Paired with fluffy, chewy rice, sweet pickled onions, and crispy katsu. The perfect bite - sooo yummy! We talked to one of the co-owners and learned they get their rice straight from Hokkaido! I can tell they put a lot of passion into this and it shows. Friendly service and delicious, authentic food. We will definitely be back often and can't wait for sunnier days where we can take our sandos outside and have a picnic!

Front entrance is down a few steps. 2 outside tables and a small park just up the hill or Gas Works park very close by.
K A.

The best Japanese egg salad sandwich (sando) since we lived in Japan, and the Japanese Curry was also excellent. Run, don't walk to this new restaurant near Gas Works. Clean, decent prices, top quality food and excellent service. It's cashless. Order on a kiosk, grab a seat at a table, high top, or counter, and prepare to be in food heaven. Really cute Daruma-themed interior makes it a fun place for families too, or those looking for an authentic Japanese experience. They have mini-vending machines of tiny stuffed animals that also brought home a Japanese experience. Ian, the proprietor, was very friendly and he didn't mind us asking him questions. We joined the rewards program and we plan to stop there for lunch on our next trip to Seattle.

Chicken
Sharna E.

Wow , these are some yummy Sandos, the egg is the star , simple yet delicious, chicken katsu delicious as well . It's order on a kiosk, but it was quick. Cool vibe w/ small bar area . Definitely will come back again.

EBI KATSU SANDO
Neel K.

The ipad at the front makes ordering very convenient, but I would strongly recommend ordering online before coming! The rate at which the sandwhiches were being made was unfortunately quite slow when I was there. There was a lot of people in the store but 80% didn't have their food yet as the kitchen doesn't seem to be able to keep up with the popularity yet... When we got the sandwhich, presentation wise it looks very pretty! Flavor wise it is quite underwhelming, I think adding more flavorful toppings into it like pickled daikon could really build on the complexity there. The bread was also quite soggy and sort of... pathetically thin... I'll be back to try some of their other sandwhiches, hoping that I just got unlucky and will get some toasty crunchy bread next time!! Overall though, quite disappointed and decently overhyped. Parking is manageable here though!

MENCHI KATSU SANDO. Like a japanese patty melt. Bread did not hold up due to how saucy it was.
Joel L.

Not your convenient store sandwich. Small little shop on the corner. Looks larger than it is. Cozy with actually lots of seating. Food was great. Loved the two sandwiches and curry that I got. Got the food to go. Service was fast. Food took about 20 mins from time of ordering.

Naliyah L.

Tried the chicken katsu sandwich here and it was really solid. The chicken was cooked perfectly, but the standout was definitely the dressing--it had this great subtle sweetness balanced with a savory kick. I'm not sure exactly what was in it, but it made the sandwich! Grabbed an order of fries on the side and they were a great addition. Service is handled through a kiosk, which was quick and easy. Overall, a really good experience for a fast, delicious meal.

Stephanie L.

Been seeing this place all over Instagram so I had to stop in to try it out. Ordering is done via a tablet located near the entrance, and everything else (eg seating, drinks, utensils) is all self serve. I came in with a few friends right at opening at 5pm, so it was pretty empty and we were able to grab a table. There wasn't a whole lot of seating here, maybe 5-6 tables and some bar seating, so maybe not great for a larger group. I got the chicken katsu sando and opted for the combo which comes with your choice of fries and a drink. I chose the spice fries option - it definitely had a kick to it and wasn't that pleasing for my mouth, will be opting for the nori one next time. The sando was good! Super saucy and somewhat messy to eat. Portion sizes were decent and filling as well. Sauces were somewhat of a miss for me, don't feel like it added much flavor to the sando or fries. Will be back to try the curry next time.

Spice Fries
Albert T.

We visited Daruma Sando this past Sunday for lunch. This restaurant is off the main Fremont strip, so there seems to be less foot traffic, making the not quite as busy as I expected (although it was still around 50% capacity). Ordering is done at a single kiosk right by the front entrance. Spicy Chicken Katsu Sando ($12.50) - When I see a place that has a non-spicy and a spicy version of a dish, I automatically think that the spicy is probably just a mild heat. Restaurants that seriously care about heat typically have labeling (e.g. 1-3 pepper level), or allow the customer to choose their desired spice level. So going into this sandwich, I thought it would be a mild, pleasant spicy. I was totally wrong. This sandwich is mouthburningly hot, similar in heat to hot or extra hot at other places. In addition to a copious amount of shichimi enriched mayo, they also spice up the chicken breading, making me sweat with every bite. Otherwise, the sandwich rests on two pieces of standard sized fluffy milk bread, toasted on one side more than the other. On the bottom, they slather an aggressive amount of the spicy mayo, and on the top, plenty of tonkatsu sauce. This creates a bite that's very spicy, a bit smoky and a bit mouth numbing, but also a pleasing sweet, savory, and kind of fruity bite. The chicken thigh in the center is breaded rather thinly and sloppily. I believe there is excess moisture on the surface of the meat so the breading doesn't adhere well and instead easily detaches as an entire sheet. It's also not a very moisture tolerant breading, so it completely softens and wilts in between the two creamy sauces. The chicken is fried and still has a somewhat moist texture. On top of the meat is a bed of thinly shredded cabbage, which probably also doesn't help the breading much. The bread doesn't stand up to the interior ingredients very well. They try to toast it a bit, but the bread seems to be almost vestigial, as it compresses into thin sheets while eating. This is why typically katsu sandwiches use thicker sliced milk bread to help make the sandwich more robust. Interestingly they offer curry as a side to dip the sandwich into. As if the sandwich isn't already enough of a mess to eat! Overall I found the sandwich to be a little too spicy for my palate - if I visit again, I'd definitely stick with the regular no spicy. (4/5) Pork Katsu Curry ($13) - Again, the katsu here, this time pork instead of chicken, has a breading layer that doesn't adhere to the meat at all. It's also not especially crisp, really missing any crags and valleys to try to deliver maximal surface area. The meat is definitely thicker cut and it is cooked until well done, fully white in the center. In comparison with the chicken, the pork is on the drier and tougher side with some sinew-ish portions to chew through. It's not totally dried out, but definitely could use some more moisture. The curry is pretty thick and when cooled, almost becomes gel-like in texture. The taste is very sweet, with a kind of apple or citrus-like fruity flavor. I think the saltiness and curry spice flavor is appropriate, but it's just a little too sweet for me. To be honest, it could be from the influence of the katsu sauce drizzle on top. I'm not sure if it's completely from box curry mix or they do something to spice it up. I haven't eaten it in a long time, but the taste reminds me of Vermont Curry. The rice is good. It's medium grain cooked perfectly. The grains are nicely cooked through but still have a bit of bite to help stand up against the curry sauce. Great mouthfeel with each individual grain being very distinct. The dish also comes with some standard fukujinzuke pickles and shredded cabbage. (4/5) Spice Fries, Spicy Mayo ($4.50) - These fries, served lukewarm and floppy, are doused with copious amounts of shichimi (seriously a ton, like an entire small shaker's worth of powder), making them powdery and very dry. Since there isn't much fat to transfer the flavor, it's not nearly as spicy as the amount of powder would suggest, and instead mainly tastes like smoky dried chiles. It really requires a dipping sauce or the powder starts sucking up all the saliva in the mouth. For the sauce, we went with the spicy mayo. It's sweet to start, then goes into a smoky spiciness that also numbs the tongue a bit. I wouldn't get these fries again. (2/5) Note; Daruma Sando currently does not supply chopsticks for their customers. I spoke with the owner and he said that he wasn't expecting the curry rice dishes to be so popular and so never bothered to order chopsticks! Daruma Sando is one of the more affordable katsu curry and sandwich places in the city - our meal for two came in under $40 including tax and tip. It's certainly not a bad choice for a meal, especially if I'm looking to save some money. Bathrooms - One unisex room that requires a code

Ebi Katsu Sando
Helen C.

Daruma Sando is by the same folks who run Menya Musashi that serves up freshly made katsu sandwiches and curry plates at a decent price (~14 bucks for a sandwich!). Overall, portion sizes are decent and the restaurant wasn't too busy even at 12PM on a Saturday. It's walkable to Gasworks and while only street parking is available, it's far enough from the main Fremont street that it isn't a huge struggle. Ebi Katsu Sando (4.25/5): Bread is slightly sweet and super fluffy. The shrimp katsu was a homerun - nice crisp outside, bouncy perfectly cooked shrimp inside. I actually quite liked their tonkatsu sauce, which added a nice bit of tang. Chicken Katsu Curry (4/5): Chicken was juicy and tender with a delicious crunch all around. Curry was pretty standard, but you really can't complain at that price point. Pickles added a nice bit of brightness to the plate as well.

Andrew H.

If you are looking for decent katsu sandos with a variety of katsu options, Daruma is the spot. My favorite was the menchi katsu as it had a lot of meat that was both tender and flavorful. I mainly recommend the sandos. We tried a couple of the sides but weren't particularly impressed by anything except the sandos.

Ebi Katsu Sando
Smaly K.

I ordered delivery, so maybe it'd be better to eat it fresh at the restaurant. I ordered the Tamago Sando, Ebi Katsu Sando, Spicy Popcorn Chicken, and Spice Fries. The sando bread is toasted, and I'm used to it being more soft and fluffy. The sandos were still good, but I felt like the tamago could use a bit more seasoning. And the Ebi Katsu Sando had lots of cabbage or slaw that overpowered the ebi katsu, so it could have used more sauce. The fries and popcorn chicken were good; I liked the spiced seasoning on them.

Beautiful decor
Noel S.

What can I say? This is my new favorite place! I have been coming for the last 3 weeks and it doesn't let me down. Very friendly staff, great food and nice, clean eating area in one of the nicest parts of Seattle! I'm a big egg salad guy and I must say this is one of the best in the city! If you're looking for Japanese inspired eats, look no further!

PORK KATSU CURRY + SPICY MENCHI KATSU SANDO

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U:Don Fresh Japanese Noodle Station - University District - Men-Tama Udon ($10.75)  IG: @ohmyono

U:Don Fresh Japanese Noodle Station - University District

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Why have I never had this place before? This place is sooo good! My partner and I came here after…read moreseeing the Japanese Cherry blossom at UW, about a 15 walk away is U:Don on the Ave. Line was long but it goes by quickly. We ordered their most famous dish, the Niku udon bowl with beef and caramelized onion broth. There are also options to pick for fried dishes, we tried the fried squid and potato. Everything was soooo good, noodle was fresh and chewy, broth was sweet and salty. Would definitely come here again!

Easy casual dining spot, somewhat simple yet large menu - they basically only have udon dishes and…read morea few rice dishes, but you can get different toppings of your choice, and add-ons. It looks like they also have specials that aren't the regular menu with more fusion bases like basil pesto, etc. But we opted for the traditional flavors and got a sauce-based niku udon and a soup-based niku udon, as well as a gyudon, basically the same flavor all around. The niku/gyudon is definitely a solid choice - plenty of meat and udon/rice to fill you up for a very reason price. Udon was chewy and tasty, just the right texture. They also had a selection of side dishes like karaage and tempura that you could add as well, very reasonable pricing on these as well. Service is super fast since the menu isn't very complicated and they prep it right in front of you. Staff was friendly and patient and there was plenty of seating.

Daruma Sando - sandwiches - Updated May 2026

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