It's been a rough couple of years for restaurants and the cost of business is skyrocketing when it comes to raw ingredients. Sadly, it shows when it comes to Sarku. Since my original review, I have been a loyal customer of this location often buying the chicken teriyaki on vegetables only as my favorite dish. Part of what I loved doing was buying a dish with extra chicken. When I got it home, there was enough food in one container to split up into two meals. It was great! Fast forward to 2022 and sadly, those good times are over. Instead of using large styrofoam containers for their food, they now use smaller plastic ones with the Sarku branding on the lid. When I say smaller, I mean the amount of food in these containers is about maaaaaybe 1/3 less than you used to get. I ordered my usual chicken with vegetables with an extra serving of chicken and it felt like I was still getting less than I used to. It is definitely NOT the same value as before. The good news is, the food is still really good! I enjoyed my chicken and vegetables (but there were no leftovers). They still ask if you want extra sauce on it before they give you your dish and there are still bottles of Sriracha for you to spice up your meal. I won't go so far as to say that I won't go back, but I am less inclined now. Sure the food is still good, but you get so little OF it I feel like there are better deals in the area for a meal. Ah well, I guess it's true what they say: you can't always go home again. read more

The teriyaki chicken is very popular and delicious. The service is pretty good, but the guy at the register could be a bit more friendlier. The dining room is slightly messy and could use a little more TLC. read more

I was just there and use to love this place but new workers are alittle rude. I will not be back to thos location.

Ordered the teriyaki chicken and shrimp fried rice with veggies meal and it was sooo good. My new fav spot. I just ordered Uber eats so not sure how it looks. read more

So I usually LOVE this place but today idk. I ordered through DoorDash and my noodles where so dry and there was barely any teriyaki sauce on my chicken. The shrimp were beautiful but a bit bland. It lacked seasoning all around. The sushi was gross. I tossed it read more

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I usually I have no problem here. Food is great. Just this time when I I ordered my meal like normal. I order sushi and the person who was making it had gloves. A worker come out from the back and put trays away. Soon as he done he didn't put gloves on before cooking the meat . Here come a worker out of the bathroom, straight into cooking the noodles. No gloves. I know for sure you have to wash your hands again especially coming out of the restroom, touching the bathroom door know. Gloves should be on at all times, while cooking. It's not has they clean the knobs throughout the day. Just really disappointed Threw food out after leaving. I didn't have the patience to deal with the workers, so I left. read more

Usually place was good but if you have allergies this is not the place for you even if you let them know your allergic to shrimp they still manage to include shrimp in my chicken teriyaki. Lucky I caught and took Benadryl before biting into the shrimp . Hopefully in the future they'll take cross contamination more serious read more

Very good place. They give ample food for the money. Not the healthiest food..But better then most places. It's a must try if your in the area. You will not regret it. read more

Sarku Japan - Shrimp Tempura Very tasty even without sauce - Japanese Near Me - Elizabeth, New Jersey

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I paid for double the meat chicken teriyaki and they gave me very little meat. I'm disappointed read more

Sarku Japan - Chicken teriyaki, double the meat - Japanese Near Me - Elizabeth, New Jersey

The teriyaki chicken combo was good, very small space for distancing though. Had to wait a while but was worth it. Parking was chaotic.

Person taking my order laughed at me because I asked for sauce on the side. So disrespectful I left immediately.

The chicken teriyaki is just like the one served at most malls . The price is reasonable. The only downside at my visit is that I found a lady bug inside my spring roll. I didn't complain since I assumed that this is really out of their control because the rolls are premade and they just fry them . The other observation I have is that the California roll did not have any cucumber. read more

My favorite place ever! The food is so good and prepared quickly right in front of you. I go as often as I can

Fresh chicken teriyaki with healthy veggies and rice. The establishment is very clean and the customer service was good. The dining area should be bigger but hey it is very quaint.and nice. I normally see this restaurant in a meal but this stand alone gives a better feel of the great food that was cooked. read more

Sarku Japan - Dumpling are delicious! - Japanese Near Me - Elizabeth, New Jersey

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Since Sarku Japan is mainly distributed amongst food court malls, I was very surprised to find a restaurant chain at an open strip area. The restaurant looks fairly new and the decor are well placed. It has a very homely atmosphere. The tables and chairs are placed at the opposite direction of the glass-counter and near the windows. The food tastes great and with so many varieties at cheap prices, what's not to love? I got the famous chicken teriyaki dish; one bite and all my expectations are met. Other than chicken teriyaki, Sarku offers many dishes such as sushi and even salad. The customer services are excellent. The manager is a medium-built Asian guy whose always walking around cleaning and always trying to please everyone. The other staff members are such gents! Will come back, definitely. read more

I have never LOVED Sushi. and Sarku hasn't changed my mind much. In agreement with Benson Y I will say that it definitely does add something different to Elmora Ave. I love Elmora Ave and not just because I grew up here and still live here. It is because it at one time offered everything from a Movie Theater to the Kosher Deli to the Bagelry. Sarku has great fast mass produced Japanese Food. I ate there because I live here and wanted to try the terriyaki chicken so bad. Glad I did, it was rockin but I paid for it later that night. Didn't sit well at all. but going doiwn was a pleasure. The staff was your general "I don't like my job but am forced to smile" staff. I'll go again, it's my hood I will definitely go again. If it were a salad works or a Panera I woulda been in heaven. read more

I was very excited when i saw they opened a bento box place in this neighborhood. It is pretty decent food but the sushi it is a big dissapointment. I think you can find a better sushi at a grocery store than here. The bento box is a prefixed box the only thing you get to chose is the type of rice and what goes on top: chicken, tofu, or shrimp. No choice of soup or sushi. Salmon would be nice. I like the fact i get to eat something other then the same hispanic food in this area. read more

In love with Sarku, no matter where it is, good food for a good price! There's a parking lot so you'll always have space. The lines moves extremely fast so you don't ever have to wait a long time. I'm not a sushi person but I can tell you their sushi is good! read more

The food is okay, and they appear to charge you for sauces that's associated with sushi rolls like spicy mayonnaise. They're other Japanese places that will accommodate not to far from there in distance. read more

Sarku Japan - Japanese Near Me - Elizabeth, New Jersey

Elizabeth, North Jersey Im not a sushi person so I cant review all the sushi here but I am a chicken terayaki and Cali rolls person. The food is average kind of mall food court like. But for this area when I was living there this was good because I did not find many Asian places near our apartment. Nice place to chill. read more

Love it here...my fave dish is the teriyaki shrimp over rice and the shrimp tempura roll... the food is always hot and fresh and they give you a lot for your money. read more

Sarku is definitely an express restaurant. They have a limited menu which is great for deciding if you're in the mood for something, but what I had today was sub par Japanese. I think the Japanese would be embarrassed. I called in an order to pick up which they were quick to take the order but not efficient. I received no estimated pick up time and no total. I arrived in about 10 minutes, and someone greeted me promptly which is a plus. Half of my order was completed, but oddly enough I was waiting on 2 garden salads, I'm no expert but I think a cold salad would have been faster to make than 3 sushi rolls and a chicken teriyaki, I waited over 5 mins for them to make these salads as my other food sat there. The food was ok. The food was warm, the sushi was Luke warm probably from sitting on top of the once hot chicken teriyaki, and lastly the salads were very refreshing minutes the fact that the ginger dressing that I was told comes with the salad was actually an obscure version of 1000 island. The only reason I would go back is because they were all super friendly and they seemed to enjoy their jobs, but food wise I would rather wait longer for good food than "fast" food. read more

Food here is pretty good and their prices ain't that bad, service is pretty fast too. Their chicken tariyaki is on point read more

Sarku Japan - Brown rice with chicken tariyaki, 2 orders of these, 1 with extra meat, $14.45. Can't go wrong - Japanese Near Me - Elizabeth, New Jersey

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This place is not bad to be that it is a "fast food" sushi place. I like that they serve white and brown rice, I mostly eat brown rice because it's healthier and it's great to have that option available. read more

I ordered beef and shrimp, and the cashier charged it wrong. The worker forced me to pay 80 cents on a card for their mistake.

Seeing how their teriyaki chicken was prepared like it was slop was very unappetizing. I tried it anyway but got disappointed with the taste. read more

Chicken and rice and shrimp the best I order it one week yes one week no better than other junk food

Very affordable. The sushi is great! My personal favourites are BBQ eel, spicy tuna, spider, and California rolls! This is going to be my go-to place! I love coming here. read more

Sarku Japan - Left to right: spicy tuna, California, and BBQ eel rolls. - Japanese Near Me - Elizabeth, New Jersey

This used to be a great place to eat. The quality of the food went down incredibly. I ordered a bunch of sushi and they used old dry rice and tiny portions. They were out of cucumber and they didn't tell me until after I payed. Here's a picture of one piece that's supposed to be a California roll. It's pathetic. I hope they get better because I miss having a good place nearby where I live. Used to be a gem. read more

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I was looking forward to a decent bento. Didn't expect 5stars but this was terrible. I order the Beef Bento with fried rice. The beef was ok but the California roll was less than spectacular. Avocado was browning already. Gave me a premixed salad that comes out of a bag. 1 piece of ginger. The worst part was the rice. It was very soggy and I couldn't finish it. Highlight of my meal was the drink. Which I bought from the 7 eleven next door because the drinks at Sarku were overpriced . read more

It's basically fast food, my girlfriend loves it and I like it if I'm in a rush. You can find a way to get a quick fairly healthy meal here.

I have came here a couple times never had a problem. But today July 27th I placed an order of vegetable & tofu tempura. I took a few bites wasn't sure if it was me tasting a stale taste and I asked my two friends to smell just in case it was just all in my head. I smelled once more it did have a pass due smell. Ask the guy in the front if i can get a new order he said no because it has been 20 mins since I order. It wasn't 20 mins if I only took a few bites. He said no refunds. Wasn't asking for one but I will never again eat here after they treated me like shit. Be careful eating here. Make sure you smell your food and make sure it doesn't have a word taste. Take a bite before sitting down to eat right I front of them. read more

Definitely not the best sushi I've had. Even ShopRite sushi is better. Small rolls, not enough rice in rolls. Fresh ingredients though. Noodles were decent. Woould return for a container of noodles only. read more

I frequented this establishment in Sunday, September 29th and ordered the Crunchy Spicy Tuna and Crunchy Spicy Salmon. I neglected to tell them though that I have a shellfish allergy and that I would need to have them wipe down the utensils and the cutting board before handling my order. When I did mention it they willingly prepared another order - no questions asked. In a day when customer service is seemingly non existent they were very amenable toy request...and the food was very fresh and delicious. read more

Not the absolute best, amazing sushi I've ever had but their food is really good. Dragon roll and BBQ eel roll Is the BOMB! try that .. Good veggies, teriyaki and noodles. Tempura is.. Ehhhh def had better. Service is ehhhhh... For a REAL sushi experience you've got to sit down, enjoy the ambiance.. Yadda yadda you won't get that here. But if your on the go and need a sushi craving satisfied this place will do. read more

I LOVE this place. I always get their chicken with white rice, which is very simple but so delicious. their prices are also decent; I'm only speaking on the rice with chicken, I've never had their sushi. but overall I like this place, and it's very clean and spacious for if you want to dine-in. I only come here when I'm in the area though; I really wish there was a location closer to me. read more

Never had fast food sushi before so why not give it a shot? To my surprise I actually enjoyed it more than I thought I would. A lot more pricier than other fast food places, but seemed like an overall better quality product. Enjoyed a good beef bento box and I'll be sure to come back to try some other items in the future. read more

Been here a couple times, I'm definitely not the sushi type but my boyfriend is & he loves it! I just wish they had a little more variation for those who dont like sushi. And I did get the impression that the guys working there were very accommodating & pleasing to be around. I would only recommend this place to sushi lovers if they want something good & on-the-go. read more

Worst place to ever eat at. I usually always eat from here and nothing happens to me, but I tried their sushi for the first time and I'm non stop in the bathroom for two days already. I usually eat sushi from different area and I'm perfectly fine, but this sushi is the worst. And there food is alright but I wouldn't recommend their damn sushi. read more

If I could give these guys no stars I would.. service SUCKS!!! After I gave them a tip at the counter I asked for extra ginger to complete my sushi roll and they wanted to charge me extra... Stay away from cheap people like these!!! Hopefully you don't need an extra napkin there's a fee associated to everything!!!! NEVER AGAIN WILL I GIVE THEM A PENNY!!! To the owner learn to teach your guys customer service... ginger was not going to break the bank.. BUT you lost a customer for life!!! read more