One of the best nights of Sushi I can remember. Picked this restaurant more or less for location however we were so pleasantly surprised by extremely fresh Sushi including the best baked muscles bar none. The service was also excellent even with a packed house. Highly recommend read more

My friend and I came here a couple minutes after they opened and they weren't busy yet. After being served our drinks, we were talking and catching up when we realized 25 minutes had gone by and no one had came to take our order. We arrived prior to other tables and at this point they had been served food while we waited. One of the waitresses, who wasn't assigned to us was very kind and checked in on us and got our waiter to come over. We typically don't mind and are understanding but the place wasn't busy yet and our waiter kept checking in on the table next to us but not us. Once we placed our order, it took an additional 30 minutes for us to get our food. There was no communication as to what was happening, it was a very unpleasant experience. read more

Kuma is amazing. Service was excellent, they were attentive and friendly through our meal. James is a great server and made some excellent sushi roll suggestions. We ordered four rolls to share amongst three, the flavor combinations and the quality of the fish melting in your mouth was a flavor bomb of happiness at every bite. If you like scallops get the Polar Express, you won't regret it. The white sauce is a Kuma original of a little bit of mayo, garlic, and some other flavorful ingredients that will tantalize your taste buds. Their signature cocktails are amazing!!! The Buru and Razu cocktails are our favorites. The ambiance is casual and simple, clean and cozy enough to enjoy the conversation at your table. A true gem on Alvarado Street. We will be back soon. read more

The food was amazing and looked beautiful on each plate I was presented with. The staff were some of the nicest people I have ever meet at a sushi place. The owners were amazing working just as hard and right next to their employees. One was cutting fish making the rolls and platting the sushi. While the other owner was bussing tables taking orders and running food. By far the best place for sushi if you are in Monterey and walking distance from the wharf. This will be my only go to place for sushi any time I visit the area and believe me I can not wait for my next trip to Monterey to see all my new friends at "Kuma Sushi"! The really made me fell like family. Thank you so much for the amazing experience during my visit. read more

Where to begin, if you love sushi this is your spot! We're from San Diego and we totally just stumbled on this place. It was one of the last restaurants that was open little late on a Sunday evening for Monterey and we're so happy we made it before they closed. It's such a special gem and it was a pleasant surprise. Ambiance, vibe, food, and most importantly customer service slays!!! Michael is your guy! Dale/Dy-Lán is super entertaining. The rest of the crew are super energetic and humble. Next time and anytime we are up here this will be are first stop. Thank you read more

Polar Express roll is one of the reasons we vacay in Monterey Bay. Service was also great.

We had a great experience at Kuma. Everything we ordered was fresh and delicious. We started with tuna poke' served with fried wonton chips. The tuna was super fresh and buttery, and the chips were fried just right. I only wish it came with a couple more chips, but the six it came with were sufficient enough. The other appetizer we ordered was vegetable tempura, which was light and delicious, not oily. For dinner, we had two types of sushi, Sun roll (salmon) and Dragon roll (eel). Like the poke', both were beyond fresh, very high quality and delicious. Our waitress was very attentive and asked us several times if we needed anything else, as did another member of the wait staff. The background music was fun and not too loud. Friendly place, topnotch food and decent prices. If you're visiting Monterey, CA, and are in the mood for some high quality, great tasting Japanese food in a casual environment, I'd highly recommend Kuma. read more

Great dinner & very attentive staff. Highly recommend the Phoenix role for some fiery fun! read more

Kuma - Phoenix Roll - Japanese Near Me - Monterey, California

Best sushi on the peninsula! With the manager Dale and chef Mike, your meal and drinks will be spectacular!

Worst service I have ever had. Went there and the hostess told us it would be a 45 minute wait. Two hours later and she let groups in bigger than us, I went to go talk to her and she wouldn't talk to any of us. We ended up leaving and going to Cibo down the street for Italian who was more than kind and accommodating. Do NOT go to Kuma unless you want rude service and to never eat. I would recommend Cibo :) read more

Lovely new sushi spot in the Monterey area. Highly recommend if you're looking for a nice dinner, drinks and great service. I'm a huge salmon lover and ordered their Salmon Carpaccio and the Orange Revolver roll (10/10!). The chef and server also recommend a "special" roll of their own creation which was also amazing. Along with some sake bombs and a bottle of wine, this dinner was beyond my expectations. Will be back! read more

Kuma - SALMON CARPACCIO - Japanese Near Me - Monterey, California

This was really good! We ordered yellowtail carpaccio, Spanish bay roll, and the spicy lion king roll with added lemon. The yellowtail carpaccio was really tasty and didn't need soy sauce since it already has a citrus ponzu. The spicy lion king roll was really tasty and had a good amount of spice for me and they didn't skimp out on the sushi filling inside which I was pleasantly surprised. The Spanish bay roll was so fresh and yummy! I really like how it didn't have any rice and also came with a lime-infused sauce as well. Music was all over the place but it was a nice outgoing experience. It can echo a little bit, but I think the music drowns out other people so you can only hear who you're dining with. Would definitely come back again! read more

See all

I had the Nova and subbed seared salmon on the outside... super good. And a Sun's roll with thin slices of lemon inside making it super fresh. One of the owners was tending bar and checking on everyone's happiness. This place has great food and service with a laid back vibe. read more

service was fast and very friendly. my lovely boyfriend said the fish was incredibly fresh and he loved every roll. i got the shroompa loompa and it was amazing, a little spicy for me but so flavorful and so well done. rolls are relatively cheap compared to where we live (bay area). the restaurant itself is very open aired and felt very intimate, the tables are not very close together which i like. read more

Kuma - from bottom to top: shroompa loompa, rengo, lucy who, rainbow - Japanese Near Me - Monterey, California

When we are in town we have a usual sushi restaurant, but for some reason I wanted to try something new. We now have a new sushi restaurant! This place is so good! We started with the garlic edamame and stuffed jalapeños and I would get both again. I highly recommend the Japanese cocktail, it might be my favorite cocktail I have ever had. I had the Aspen and it was ridiculously good. One of those foods that every bite makes you happy. My family really enjoyed all their rolls too. read more

Finally made it into Kuma on Alvarado St. and it was everything I wanted it to be!!! Super friendly staff & AMAZING Sushi Chef!!!! We had the Spicy Lion King, Monarch, Double Crunch & Eye of the Tiger -- I can't even decide which one was the favorite I will definitely be coming back again and again! read more

I was in town for the weekend and stumbled upon the positive reviews for Kuma, so I decided to check it out. I'm so glad I did and felt compelled to add to the positive reviews so that more people can experience this place. I ended up sitting at the bar and was lucky enough to be served by Dylan (he and his brother Dominic opened up Kuma just over a year ago). I was having a difficult time choosing which role to go with since all of them sounded so good (they have a great selection of uniquely assembled roles). Dylan recommended the Spicy Paula, which was excellent. I was also blown away by the depth of flavor in the miso soup. It was well beyond your traditional miso, highly recommend that. I also had the albacore nigiri, which was fresh and delicious. I also ended up hitting it off with the other folks sitting at the bar, all of whom were locals, and they let me know that they quickly became regulars at Kuma. It's no surprise why. Thank you, Dylan, for the great experience! Will definitely be coming back (and sending others your way) the next time I'm in town. read more

We came in around 7pm on a Thursday night and we were sat right away. Our server was prompt in taking our order but it took A LONG TIME to get our food. It wasn't even worth the wait, just ok. I don't get why people rated this restaurant so highly. read more

I love this place! Kuma is a perfect spot to get your sushi fix in. They have a large variety of rolls to choose from & all of the appetizers are pretty tasty. I went with a group of 11 & they made sure were taken care of. All of the staff were friendly & attentive throughout the night. Would highly recommend for a date night or group celebration. read more

I tried Kuma for the first time while visiting Monterey, and it was very delicious! I love the interior design of the restaurant, and the wait staff are very kind. You get a lot of miso soup if you order it as a side, and it's so good! I had a crunchy roll and my partner had a tempura plate with a tuna roll (their shrimp tempura is amazing btw). Phenomenal sushi at a phenomenal restaurant. Great sushi, great tempura, great staff, all around a great restaurant. Thank you, Kuma! read more

They didn't have spicy lion king on the menu, but we got the Tiger and the Dragon and loved it.

Amazing best sushi in California super fresh ingredients beautifully displayed my waitress elana was a doll cheery disposition attentive ,spoke clearly and was very effective at taking order and serving .great atmosphere . Clean comfortable environment amazing food best in the bay I highly recommend Kuma for all your sushi needs . read more

First time there and sushi was delicious! Arturo the sushi chef made a roll with tuna and salmon and it was so flavorful. For appetizers we had the tempura which was light and crispy and the gyoza with the sauce was perfect. Service was nice and the ambience too would recommend and definitely going again. read more

I can't speak to anything but the chirashi, which is the best I think I've ever had. They have so many different components to this dish, succulent pieces of meat, variety of pickles, seaweed salad. Service is attentive. Everything at this restaurant is excellent! We've been here several times and at some point in time I probably should try the flaming roll, but I just can't get out of my very very happy rut. read more

Great service. Good ambiance. So so sushi. The food wasn't deserving of the four and a half stars.

If you're looking for top quality sushi and top quality service, this is the place to go. The sushi chefs both have decades of experience each, the servers are very attentive and are quick on their toes! Bring your appetite! They get creative with the sushi rolls!! read more

Omg best place ever everyone should try The owner is awesome and it's the best Alcohol I try read more

Went for my birthday and loved it, warm welcome and will go back soon! The food was amazing !

Loved this sushi - tasty and fresh. We sat at the sushi bar and enjoyed watching sushi being made. Service very good - server came to the table multiple times to clear plates and ask if we needed anything. Manager came to our seat as well. Great vegetable tempura - hot, tasty, fresh. Great sashimi sampler. Fish fresh and presented beautifully. Get here early - it gets crowded! We were there right as the restaurant opened. All in all excellent! Will come back here when we can. Recommended. read more

Kuma - Sashimi sampler B - Japanese Near Me - Monterey, California

See all

I don't write reviews at all as I only use this app as a convenience for myself. But I decided to write one based off of the experience I had. As a local in the area who loves sushi, I'm happy that this new place exists! A few of my favorite spots in the area have changed throughout the years to where I didn't feel satisfied after the meal. But once I took my first bite out of the roll I got (which was the Light House) I could literally cry tears of joy. Usually I'd get 2 rolls in order to feel full and satisfied but here I only had 1. The taste was flavorful and fresh and I would definitely recommend this place to anyone! read more

Sushi rolls hit the spot. We ordered take out and the hostess was super nice and helpful.

My sister and I came in to eat dinner on Friday night. It was busy but they sat us quickly. We took our time looking at the menu and talking. We realized that no one has helped us. We were trying to be patient and understanding because they looked busy, so we didn't bother the servers. Over 20 mins passed, none of the servers offered us water or took our order. We saw other guests, who sat down after us get service and food. Meanwhile the servers kept on walking pass us and ignoring us. We went to the host stand and told her that no one helped us. She said did we ask for help? I didn't know that we were supposed to ask. I thought the servers would see us and give us service. She explained to me that it's busy and there's three servers, they probably assumed that someone else would take care of you. She said do you want to sit back down and try again, I can get a server for you. I just said no and we left. I have worked in restaurants for many years. In my experience, I have never ignored guests for 20 mins after they were seated. I will not be coming back. I was pretty disappointed because I wanted to try this place after it was closed for so long. read more

The Phoenix Roll is a definite must when you visit here. Every item we ordered was delicious but the Phoenix was the standout of the evening. Service was a bit hectic as there was only one main server for the whole room leading to our food sitting at the counter(clear view from the table it was out) for just under 15 mins. I understand being busy but this was a Wednesday evening and early. BUT would still go again in a heartbeat, just hopefully better service :) read more

Amazing!!!! Our favorite was the whole hearted yet everything was delicious. Service was superb as well. Thanks John

So good! we got the Eileen Supreme and the Spicy Paula!! Both were so good and beautifully presented. Definitely recommend!

We tried this place super last min and they were about to close, the business had great customer service and welcomed us in to eat. Sushi was great, If your around the area give it a try! read more

Be aware: Online menus at the restaurant's official website are totally wrong. You can only get the correct menus on yelp if you are ordering take out. You will also be spoken condescendingly to by the staff when you do not know this and they will laugh at you in your face about it when you come in to pick up your food. Food was good but colored by the way we were treated by their staff. Would not recommend ordering take-out option from this establishment. read more

best sushi in town... hands down!!!! ask for dillon this guys is not only the owner he is also gives the best customer service around! amazing sushi amazing drinks! sake bombs! cheers! read more

See all

Food was meh all around. Probably the worst watery sushi fish I've had anywhere in Monterey for years. And everything was overpriced.

Awesome sushi, waited about 45 mins for takeout but worth the long wait! Great service and ambiance.