Mmmmmeh, it's alright, but needs some flavor. I had chow main with vegetables and chicken teriyaki. Sounds yummy right? But in all honestly it's lacking taste. I do think that the portions are very generous. Definitely enough for 2 people to share. Customer service was not good. The young girl at the register with the horribly drawn on eyeliner rolled her eyes (probably frustrated with me since I didn't know exactly what was what from the menu.) She looked very unhappy to be honest. I will complement the cooks for their quickness. My food was ready in minutes. I may come back. BUT hopefully a different experience and better taste next time. read more

Sarku Japan - Chow main w/veggies and chx - Japanese Near Me - Salinas, California

It was mall food, so I had lower expectations. However I was still disappointed. It was fast and convenient. It was hot. The price was right. Sarku had the longest line of customers, which was honestly what gave me the vote of confidence to try it, but once I started eating, I realized that must have been because it was located in a prime location of the food court! For example, the salad was pulled straight out of a newly-opened plastic bag. It was some kind of spring mix. There was no washing, no tossing, and no dressing. It was just a handful of dry leaves placed on my paper tray. That wouldn't have been too terrible if everything else had flavor, but alas, that wasn't the case. We had to go back to the counter in search for packets of sauce...any sauce. The "teriyaki chicken" was "just chicken". There was minimal teriyaki flavor and pretty dry. The rice was cooked well though, so that was good. The dumplings were crispy and dry. In any case, my daughter and I were hungry and still ate most of it. Our favorite items were drinks from a juice cart down the hall though. Sorry, Sarku! read more

Sarku Japan - Bento box with chicken teriyaki, California roll, salad (just dry mixed lettuce pulled out of bag), and dumplings. - Japanese Near Me - Salinas, California

The food was good, clean and tasty. We will visit again definitely, my husband like it so much....

This is another visit to give another chance. This branch does not serve equally to their customers.I have noticed ever since that if you're not a non-hispanic looking customer, you will get less than the amount of meat. I ordered chicken and add extra chicken to see if they have changed, but the person ahead of me with no add extra chicken got so much piled up and even unable to close the lid. Even the customer behind me asked them "Thats it? with extra chicken?!". I love Sarku and the food is great, but this will be my last yo visit the Salinas branch! While eating my sarku, I finally had time to report this branch to their corporate office in Canada. I'm hoping that they will do something about this franchise. read more

Sarku Japan - Sarku Salinas is so stingy! Other Sarku gives a lot! - Japanese Near Me - Salinas, California

I usually get a teriyaki chicken plate here. I like it, it's decent. Only thing that drives me nuts is their online deliveries. Three times I've asked for No Sauce, Yes on the veggies. I've gotten sauce but no veggies. Come on man, read! read more

Sarku Japan - Chicken Teriyaki - Japanese Near Me - Salinas, California

This is not very good food. The fried rice was clumps of goo. Sushi not good. Potstickers with no sauce. All cheap stuff. No Japanese are eating here. I will not return. read more

Food is too high in fat and not healthy. On the plus side, they ARE open 24/7. If you HAVE to eat here, do so sparingly.

For being a mall Japanese place, it's pretty good and cheap. Food is fresh and tasty. I don't get why people critique a place so bad at a mall. California rolls are good and made same day, and pot stickers are good too. This is a great place for mall food. Oh, and staff is super friendly. read more

This place in the bay area is like fine dining, there's always a line. I should have known better when there was no one in line during dinner rush hour when I visited this location. This Sarku restaurants is like an in-law that you want no part of. The menu is very different from other locations, it has less choices and the food quality is questionable at best. I don't want to beat on a dead horse but everything from all the reviewers are true, this place should be shutdown. read more

Used to like going here. It was so flavorful and loved the load of veggies. Now there is no flavor and maybe a tablespoon of veggies. The sauce taste like it's watered down.. Very disappointed that the owners don't care about any previous complaints and let the quality of food go down. read more

Kinda a regular now. The noodles and chicken teriyaki is great. Has a good flavor too it and not dry at all. Also have tried it with the white rice and also very good. If you do take out they even give you some nice take out containers with extra sauce. read more

We where standing in line to order when my mom noticed an employee cleaning his shoe right in front of the window for the employee kitchen door. This guy was real life cleaning the shit out of that shoe. So I approached the lady at the register and told her if that, that wasn't sanitary or even ok for him to be doing that in a place where food is being touched or grabbed. Smh the nerve of these people. read more

Food was extremely delicious as always but the customer service was not. My wife and I have ate at this location more than a dozen times and we have never experienced this type of unprofessional attitude at this food establishment. Megan, the young lady who took my wife's order was extremely rude and full of attitude. She slammed our cups on the counter and ignored my wife multiple times. read more

Sarku Japan - Japanese Near Me - Salinas, California

The worst costumer service, if they were making the food in the back theyd probaby be spitting on the food. Plus the people serving the food are duche bags. read more

Food is good, but the cooks harass the girls next door from the Charlie's Sandwhich place. You could visibly see how uncomfortable the girls were and the cooks were just laughing and cat calling them. Very unprofessional and they should be fired if you ask me. Especially the one with the solo earring & a big nose too, you can't miss him if you stop by. Smh. The girls deserve an apology. read more

Today the chicken was very good but the shrimp tasted rotten. I took all the shrimp out and kept eating. I put some rice into my mouth and started chewing when I bit somthing hard. I took it out of my mouth and it was a rock. I couldn't believe it. Now my tooth is hurting so bad. Be careful when you eat here. I pretty sure they don't wash their veggies or even have a shelf life for their shrimp since its pre cooked. read more

Sarku Japan - Nasty rotten shrimp - Japanese Near Me - Salinas, California

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I ordered a combo chicken/shrimp with extra chicken and they gave me nooo shrimp and very little chicken. The lady at the cashier is super rude and it looks like she hates her job. THIS PLACE WENT DOWNHILL AND IM NEVER COMING BACK!!! read more

This place is horrible and closes at seven but stop serving people before ? Wow thanks a lot drove here for nothing, needs better employees. Save your money and don't come here read more

It depends on when and who does your food but overall the customer service is getting worse. The white mexican cashier they have is very rude and gives attitude. She will not help you right away and just keeps on talking with her coworkers. The guys on the grill doesn't seem like they care either. They wouldn't smile at you and cuss out on each other. The place seemed very unsanitary too. One time, one of my people said they saw a cockroach near the grill. read more

Today I got the fried rice and chicken teriyaki. I paid 6.65 total. Honestly for the price and the amount of food you get it's a pretty good deal. Not to mention it's fairly healthy. * Previously I had ordered the beef which wasn't too satisfying. Unfortunately I can't speak for the sushi or other items on the menu. * Customer service wasn't terrible but it wasn't over the top amazing either (not that it expect it to be) Bottom line this place is pretty good. And it's healthier than most of the other places in the food court. If you're trying to cut your sugar intake then opt out of the teriyaki sauce. read more

YUCK. safeway has better sushi than this, and their bentos are overpriced. i don't like how they fry the salad and put it on top of the rice.. and the servers are way rude! i either get hit on by the guys, or the ladies are straight up rude to me and i can't even understand what they're saying. the california roll is good, but it's wet. and they don't really know how to make sushi, i understand it's fast food but have some consideration. and you gotta tell them so many times that you wanna get it to go. for the food, it's gross really. the teriyaki isn't that good, idk what they brag about and the tempura, DO NOT get tempura. it's like shrimp corndog. i actually got sick from it. i'm sticking to my Panda Express, thanks. read more

not restaurant quality but if looking for basic chicken fried rice come and fast service, this place beats panda Express and the other Asian place (forgot the name) in this mall hands down. I usually order whatever Sarku has as special of the day read more

From the last review, I wouldn't be getting any sushi from these people. They don't specialize in sushi, they specialize in Chicken Teriyaki. Haven't tried the other combinations like the shrimp and chicken or chicken and steak or shrimp and steak, but I do see people order them so it must mean it is pretty good. My usual order is the Chicken Teriyaki with Double meat for an extra $1.07 or something. Get it with the rice and veggies then walk to Mickey D's and pick up a Sweet Tea for $1 and you're set my friend. If you eat during the day time like around lunch on weekdays, you'll catch a congregation of older Filipinos doing their daily gossiping and what not right in front of Sarku at the tables near the garbage can. Trust me they are always there. read more

I went in to get teriyaki chicken and shrimp, it had only 5 pieces of chicken and then i found a hair in my food had to take it out of my mouth!!! read more

Sarku Japan - no chicken - Japanese Near Me - Salinas, California

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Horrible service in the evening. Have shown up multiple times around 8pm to be told they're out of chicken or are just plain too lazy to keep cooking. Flies swarming over food prep area and if you catch a glance at their back kitchen it looks and smells horrible. read more

I always see this place packed with customers. I finally got around to trying it. There was nothing satisfying about my experience, very disappointing. At first I didn't see the "order here sign", but no one bothered to point out my mistake and point me in the right direction. Employees seemed very unhappy to be there. Food was either lacking in flavor (I.e. Bland), dry or stale. The fried chicken dumplings were good in the center but tasted stale all around the edges. The broccoli and cabbage mix was bland and didn't taste like it was cooked correctly. The chicken teriyaki was dry (I can make better at home). The fried rice also tasted dry, stale and bland. I don't know if my dining experience has to do with the time I went (past 7), but I definitely don't see what the hype is about. I would not come here again. read more

The food is delicious. If you wan't to try it yourself: Chicken Teriyaki, Double Meat + Noodles. They're going to ask you if you wan't vegetables: Sure. Always ask for extra sauce before leaving: this plate is they're forte. Don't like noodles? The Steam fried rice is a decent substitute. Don't like Chicken? You're missing out. I've been going here for a while and I have come to the conclusion that your experience will increase based on the certain factors: Wait time Hours. Who's running the register Who's cooking. Wait time o If time is of the essence and you see no new meat cooking (aside from the scrapes of leftover chicken from the last batch), get out of there. It dosen't matter how good the cook is, you're going to wait a while . If you can spare 10-15 minutes, you're good, but if you end up getting a bad cook who's sloppy and lazy : 22minutes and 35 seconds is the longest i've ever waited for my food. It was busy and only one cook was running the line (the other one was having a fit). o If you see a fresh batch that's been flipped twice: that's the best time to order, you'll be outta there no time. oIf you see a fresh batch, cooks are serving,and line is not long: That's also the best time to order, you'll be outta there no time. Hours: I say hours because depending on what time of the day it is: you'll have to deal with who's working the shift. I don't necessarily know the names of any of the people who work there, but I'll tell you who you should be looking for: o Cute cashier girl with the glasses: She always makes customers feel welcome and has a smile on her face ever time you order. She typically works the late shifts or weekends. o Asian cook with the glasses: He's a great and efficient cook with a strong sense of structure and always get's the job done right. Not the best cashier, get's grumpy, he get's grumpy alot, but when you have deal with the other lazy cooks working the kitchen, i'd be mad too. I usually see him work late shifts and weekends. If those two are working the kitchen, you know you're in for fast and efficient service. Here's who you should try to avoid: o Douchbag goatee man: This guy is a terrible cook, always gives small portions, is rude to the customers, cusses alot, shit cashier, hates his job, always talks crap about cowokers behind his back, gives you a mean look when you ask for extra sauce and can be extremely passive when he's not feeling well. Usually see him mid-day and sometimes on weekends. o Sloopy latin chubby guy: If they're is one thing positive I can say about this guy is that he portions his meals perfectly:It's like he's giving you triple-meat. Though the problem with this guy is that he's slow, sloppy, is not good with keeping his workspace clean and I almost have to Yell at this guy to get my extra sauce, though he is the only one who's ever asked me if I wan't extra sauce, but only when he's in a great mood. Usually see him mid day weekdays, rarely late or weekends. Who's running the register: o If you see cute girl with glasses ready to take you're order, then you're definitely going to feel welcome. o If you see douchebag goatee man: get ready to for one of his signature douchbag stares. If you're a dude, at least, he usually likes to start conversations with women in they're 20s. o Asian cook with the glasses: When he's not grumpy he'll take you order politely, just say noodles, if you say "soba" noodles he might not get it. o If you get latin chubby guy: He'll take you're order. o If you get newbie asian girl working the register: she'll take you're order. Who's cooking: If you see anybody working the line with the asian cook with glasses: consider it the dream team. Though asian cook defintely is the one that has to carry the most. He's at his best when other cooks are taking him seriously (usually when the lines are packed). Every asian cook I've seen working they're hates working with douchebag goatee man, so expect them to not be in the best mood when you ask for sauce. Overall: The food is perfection, my favorite resturant, but as far as customer service: results may vary. read more

The sushi wasn't all that great but the chicken and shrimp teriyaki was great. Hard to place your order when the employees look at you like they have no idea what you're saying.. Repeated myself four or five times before I just walked away and let Charles make the order.. read more

Sarku Japan - We got the Salmon and California Roll combo, it was decent but I won't go there again for sushi. - Japanese Near Me - Salinas, California

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Waste of money! I ordered beef and shrimp taryaki. When I got my plate it was pretty much a soup. They put way to much sauce. The beef was disgusting. The rice would have been good if it weren't swimming in sauce. read more

I got the beef teriyaki but the noddle was stale and didn't have flavor. It wasn't even good. I won't be coming to eat here again. I'm sticking with Panda Express better. read more

The customer service is TERRIBLE, very rude! Stingy on the shrimp too. They're all on their phones while cooking and register

Ordered double chicken got less than the single serving last time, it was ridiculous ... I asked the dude "is this double chicken " he said "yes" I looked at him like really dude ? it really depends on who's on the grill ... the food is always fantastic .. but they should really be fair with how much chicken they put on there .. specially if you're paying extra read more

The mall closes at 9pm and they stopped serving food at 8:30pm. So dumb! Ownership needs to control all these stores to match the mall hours.Common theme throughout this mall read more

NOT THE FIRST TIME!! I also feel it won't be the last. The food is good, the service is something else. Depends on who is on the grill thats what you will get in return. I don't know there nationality but all the Asian workers are extremely rude and ALL of them have an I don't care attitude. Just be careful paying for double chicken cause chances are you wont get it. I had a hard time all 3 visits to tell the difference between a regular serving and a double serving. I tried to call a corporate office, they would look into it and call me back..... No one ever did. Again just to be fair. I visited the restaurant 3 times. And the results have Been the same. Unless you really want to pay good money and get bad service. Well there is this place. read more

They are not consistent with their serving portions and they have horrible customer service. Save your money.

this food is trash. we got the small portions, the rice is bad. the veggies have no flavor, at least add a little salt or the sauce of the meat. the shrimp tempura roll is g a r b a g e ! the rice for It is bad, there's so flavor. they don't even add enough ell sauce to cover up the fact that the sushi roll had. no. flavor. this place isn't as good as It can be and It makes me sad read more

I came here from King City hoping to get some sushi and was told they don't have sushi........ I am so confused.

Awful customer service! Specifically talking, The cooker always has an attitude. If I was the owner of this place I would keep an eye on the employees. I do NOT recommend this place AT ALL. read more

Let's get one thing straight, I love the food there I always order teriyaki chicken with soba noodles. The thing I hate about this place is the customer service. The cooks are constantly talking trash to each other cussing in front of customers about what they did over the weekend etc. One particular guy yells across the counter to people he knows (again cussing) while people are standing in line waiting for food. I meam come on man, have some decency for your customers. It's extremely rude not to mention, unproffesional. One of the cashier girls has a very unfriendly presence. She doesn't smile or anything, thats not the kind of person you should have at the front who interacts with the people. As I said before I always order the soba noodles, one time one of the cooks was cashiering and had to take my order. Not sure if it was language barrier or what, but he didn't understand my order. I ordered teriyaki chicken with SOBA noodles and the guy replied with SOOOoOOoOOOBAaaaaaAaAaaA??? Which I guess he thought was impossible or something because he wouldn't take that order. I then changed the order to just "noodles" and he completely understood. Uhm oooookaaay. The people here can sarku my nuts, if you know what I mean. read more

I only come here for the teriyaki chicken and its because it's delicious! If I ever want anything something to fill me up at the mall, this is what I'll get! Get double meat! It's definitely worth it (: read more