Andrew B.

Since my last visit the food quality and service has improved. We came to love the simple cut rolls.

Bea C.

I had the poke and an old fashioned. Both were amazing! Honestly, I can't wait to go back. My wife also enjoyed her rolls immensely!

Cindy N.

If you're ever in Monterey County, be sure to check out my absolute favorite sushi bar called Kuma! This is our 2nd time coming to this restaurant and we will keep coming back. The "Lover Plate" for 2 is an especially good deal that features Chef's Choice of a special roll, 8 pieces of Nigiri, 2 hand rolls, 4 pieces of gyoza and wakame seaweed salad -- all for $65! You let the server know what you like and don't like and they will customize the meal for you! Kuma gets 5 stars for SAFAV: Service Ambiance Food Alcohol Value for Money For more food recommendations of restaurants rated 5 stars for SAFAV, check out my IG: https://www.instagram.com/cindythechomper?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==

Bella N.

I finally went inside after only ever ordering their sushi from the wine bar next door, and the inside was not at all what I expected. The space feels more like a multipurpose ballroom than a traditional restaurant. It is one big open room with very high ceilings, tables and chairs spread out across the floor, and the sushi bar set up along the back wall. There is even a disco ball on the ceiling and a projector, so I am guessing they host other events or maybe karaoke nights that I just did not know about. Aside from the surprise of the interior layout, everything else was great. Our server (I think his name was Ridley (I don't have the receipt anymore sadly), though I might be butchering that) was friendly and on top of things. Drinks came out quickly, the sushi quality was exactly what I am used to from past orders, and I really have no complaints about anything we ate. Just updating my review to share some photos and give a better sense of what the inside looks like, but the food itself is still consistently good.

Julia V.

Kuma is a pretty good spot with good service overall, and we're usually seated quickly when we come in. First dine-in experience, we ordered some sushi and the beef teriyaki. What stood out to me about the beef teriyaki, was that it had a darker color and looked nicely caramelized, like it had cooked down into the sauce, which gave it great flavor and presentation (pictured). On return visits, though, it hasn't quite looked the same. The cut of beef always seems different and it doesn't appear as caramelized or cooked into the sauce the way it did that first time. It's still good, but I wish there was a little more consistency or made it how was my first time, because that first experience set the bar pretty high. Service is decent overall, although drink orders tend to come out a bit slow -- even on quieter evenings. The space itself is clean and modern, but the dining room feels a little sparse for how large it is. A bit more warmth in the decor could make it feel more inviting.

Lizzie L.

We don't get to Monterey enough from San Francisco, but when we do, Kuma is ALWAYS on our list of where we have to eat. We were in Japan for 2 weeks in October and we just didn't get enough sashimi. Kuma came to the sashimi rescue. The sashimi is incredibly fresh. No fishy smell here. No sirreee. Most importantly, our compliments to Sushi Chef Mike for his sashimi and sushi artistry and skills. He puts the WOW in our eyes and tummies. We always look forward to his chirashi bowl paired with cold Dasai 45 sake. Kanpai! If you're not sure where to dine while in Monterey, checkout Kuma for great Japanese food.

Stella K.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4 stars. Staying near downtown Monterey and looking for a light dinner. Searched Yelp and Kuma Sushi jumped out at me. They have a no frills website. I mean really no frills. The home page shows their name, but no other info like address, phone number, location, contact, etc. You know, the usual stuff you'd find on a business website. You only see one link to their PDF menu, and it looks like an outdated menu ... since it has older (lower) prices and also doesn't like some of their newer more current offerings. It was challenging looking at Yelp page for any uploaded photos of their menu because many photos are years old (and you can't sort the photos by date to see the newest ones first). And many of the photos were uploaded sideways, so I have to turn my head sideways to try to read it. This is definitely a place that is better for dining in or ordering take out in person. I came up with a few things that looked interesting and did it the "old fashioned" way by calling the restaurant to place my take out order. They gave me an estimate of 45 minutes. This was a surprise, since it's a Monday night. Would have thought Mondays were slower. Anyhows, I was looking forward to trying this place, and was disappointed by a mix up with the order. Read on. I ordered these : -- Mixed Tempura appetizer $13 -- Whole Hearted Roll $18 Inside : Salmon, Avocado, Micro Cilantro Outside : Hamachi Toppings : Carpaccio Sauce, Green Onions, Garlic -- Rainbow Roll $17 Outside : 5 Assorted Fish Inside : Avocado, Crab, Cucumber Toppings : Green Onion, Masago The Whole Hearted Roll ($18) was excellent! It was so fresh tasting and unique. It was delicious and I would order it again. The Rainbow Roll ($17) was solid, and pretty standard. I probably should have taken a bite of this Rainbow Roll before the Whole Hearted Roll. LOL Because the Whole Hearted Roll outshines the Rainbow Roll by a lot. The menu offered 3 types of Tempura appetizer : Vegetable ($8), Shrimp ($13) and Mixed ($13). I ordered the Mixed Tempura and was surprised to find ZERO shrimp. Not one piece of shrimp in the Mixed Tempura. It was all veggies, 6 of 7 pieces of Veggies. Yet I was charged for the Mixed Tempura. I was definitely charged $13 for my mixed tempura appetizer that had no shrimp. The rolls were $17 and $18. The Tempura was $13. $17 + $18 + $13 = $48. Add 3.5% credit card payment fee brings it up to $49.69. And 9.25% Monterey Sales Tax added, to the combined cost of food + credit card fee, makes the order total $54.27. See photo of my receipt : order amount $49.69 + $4.60 tax = $54.29. It's 2 cents off, but close enough. Other than the tempura mix up, the food here was good. I may give them another try next time. I was also eyeing the Chirashi on the menu. Perhaps next time. Parking in downtown Monterey can be a challenge at times. I had to circle around before I found street parking.

Christine N.

Had the opportunity to dine here recently, and tried their: Dragon roll, hotate scallop nigiri, and chirashi bowl with choice of side salad (or miso soup). It all tasted fresh and delicious! Service was quick and friendly as well. The chirashi bowl was huge and had thick cuts of sashimi on top of a bed of rice. Would stop by again!

Shania ..

My very best friends first introduced my partner and me to this sushi spot on Alvarado Street, and we've been loyal customers for a couple of years now. The manager is always so welcoming and even recognizes us when we come in for our double date nights, which makes the experience feel extra special. We usually start the night with either the Clean Linen cocktail (which sadly is no longer on the menu, but we still ask for it!) or the Japanese cocktail--both are excellent--plus a sake bomb to kick things off. The Dancing Shrimp appetizer is an absolute must. It's so good that my partner and I used to share one, but now we each order our own because we just can't get enough. For entrées, our go-to favorites are the chicken katsu, unagi nigiri, salmon nigiri, maguro, hamachi, and a few of their specialty rolls. Everything is always fresh, flavorful, and consistently satisfying. Honestly, we never worry about the prices because we always leave full, happy, and already excited for our next visit. As for the ambiance, the high ceilings give it an almost old-church feel when you look up, which adds some unexpected charm. The servers are usually attentive and keep the night flowing smoothly, making the whole dining experience that much better. This place is a must try on Alvarado st.

Devin M.

10/10 Absolutely amazing sushi super fresh and easily my new favorite local spot! Let me start with the sashimi: all of it was a perfect 10/10. Every piece melted in my mouth, incredibly fresh with flawless cuts. I honestly couldn't even pick a favorite because they were all that good. The Tekka rolls were also excellent rolled perfectly with nothing falling apart, just fresh and flavorful in every bite. Hands down, the freshest sushi I've had locally, and I truly savored every bite. Service was fast and efficient. Our server was very attentive and made sure our waters were always filled, which I appreciated. The ambiance was nice too loved the venue, and the disco ball at the front was a fun touch. The only minor drawback was the seating layout, which felt a little too open, almost like people were watching us. But that's just nitpicking, because the sushi was the true highlight here. If you're in the area, this place is an absolute must-try!

Bena W.

Nice little restaurant with friendly staff and service! We got the salmon skin roll, beef teriyaki bowl, and Phoenix on fire roll. It was cool seeing the Phoenix roll on fire, quite entertaining. They were very accommodating to our little toddler. The salmon skin roll was a little bland, small, and had a cardboard stale texture, it was probably our least favorite. The Phoenix roll was not bad. The beef teriyaki bowl was our favorite and most yummy of all the food we got. We enjoyed eating here, it was quite busy and it took a little while to get our food. But the service was great.

Kat A.

We were in Monterey for Spring break and was checking out where to eat. This place was one of the few restaurants that was open pass 8 and we weren't disappointed . The place was pretty packed for a Monday night. There were only 3 servers which is why there was a little wait. But they were very accommodating specially Dylan! He made sure we were well taken care of. The food was amazing and tasted fresh. Our favorite was the Yama Roll and the dancing shrimp! It blew our minds!! We've never tried anything like that before. The place was family friendly. We hope to come back the next time we visit Monterey.

Sonu N.

Came for date night on a Saturday night and this place was hopping! We put our name down and waited ~35minutes for our table. The bar and restaurant were packed with people having lots of fun (go elsewhere if you want a quiet dinner). They continued to check in with us while we were waiting to give us live wait time, and the waitstaff were also friendly and attentive. My vegetarian friends! There are 4 vegan/vegetarian sushi options (dra-vegan, shroompa loompa, vegan spicy tuna roll, vegetable tempura roll), plus of course miso soup, vegetable tempura, inari, edamame, vegetable udon, salads. I love starting with miso soup-- theirs is a bit larger portion and super flavorful! Next we ordered the vegetable tempura (it actually came after all the food-- but the apologized and brought us mochi ice cream)-- nice variety and crunch, not oily. I went with the Dra-vegan-- I liked the savory eggplant, perfectly cooked tofu, creamy avocado, comforting sweet potato. There is Street parking.