If you want great service, nice ambiance and the best sushi in town? Go to Sushi Daruma! We usually sit at a table but this time we sat at the bar! Great choice! The servers are friendly, our sushi chef was engaging and the sushi was amazing! We usually get ramen or udon and some rolls when it's cold out. But last night we decided to try some new rolls, the Grease monkey , Sunshine roll, Torro and unagi nigiri (sorry forgot to take photo they were too good). It's a small place with a good amount of tables but all the locals know about it and it fills up fast. They always have a line outside the door but the wait is good. If you don't want to wait, get there early. Enjoy! read more

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Daruma is a nice spot for a quick lunch or dinner. Their food is good, nothing out of this world. Staff is kind.

The service was very attentive and timely. Their sushi selection was very good and tasted fresh. The staff was very efficient and the food arrived promptly, even though it was very busy. I appreciated it! I took off one star only because the bathroom was disgusting. They may want to close the open back door to the alley. read more

Wow, I loved this place. Ordering via the phone was a surprisingly pleasant experience. The team member answering the phone was upbeat and kind. Understood the variations I asked for and levelset expectations for when the order would be ready. Upon pickup, the order was ready at the time specified, payment was fast and contactless, and the facility was set up perfectly for social distancing. Now for the best part, the Mango Madness (In: shrimp tempura, mango, avocado, cucumber. Out: salmon, mango, sweet sauce, spicy mayo, macadamia nuts) was out of this world delicious!!!! A wonderful surprise and reward for trying a new location. If you are in the area, give them a try. read more

Sushi Daruma - Christmas decorations in place of the removed inside seating area. - Sushi Bars Near Me - Salinas, California

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Fish was deliciously fresh, everything was great! Service was attentive and the rolls were great. Highly recommend! Also, prices were amazing! read more

A solid 4 star and my choice for Japanese food in Salinas. Our waitress tonight was Stephanie who was attentive and quick. Great job. Our ramen was really good, not the best I've had but I'm not driving 45 miles north either. All our other food we had was flavorful and well presented from the takoyaki to all the sushi. The fresh wasabi was a treat. This place is full for good reason, it's good food. Last words...I'm 7 minutes away, walking. read more

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This is the best place for tofu and katsu. Excellent service, reasonable portions and prices.

Went to Daruma yesterday, and I can't wait to go back! My sushi and sashimi were wonderful, tasted very fresh and delicious. I have to add that while I always enjoyed pickled ginger, this was also the freshest I'd ever tasted! Never imagined it would make such a noticeable difference, but it did. I also looked at what other customers were ordering; Daruma's presentation is great! Wonderful food, served by a pleasant, cheerful, attentive server, in one of my favorite parts of town - oh yes, I'm definitely coming back soon! read more

Walk in and got a to go order with dragon roll and takoyaki, both are great. Food was ready around 10 mins.

Such a great place! My friend and I had a feast. We had the gilroy roll, mango madness, tropical roll, and the omega.. also the personally crafted tako and escolar sashimi ALL AMAZING. Also the sushi chef brought me a complimentary Ice cream for my bdayso nice.. will definitely be coming back! Dennis and William are the best. read more

Sushi Daruma - Tako and escolar - Sushi Bars Near Me - Salinas, California

I'm so upset that I didn't take pictures! Came in Saturday evening after the freestyle explosion concert. We were sat right away we ordered a few appetizers and a couple of rolls. Food came pretty fast, it was extremely delicious and the staff was pretty nice. We had a fried and baked roll I had asked for no cucumber( due to allergies) in my baked roll I feel they took up the space with extra cream cheese so it made it a little too cheesy for me and my hubby but we figured we should've known better than to think they would've put extra crab LOL other than that no complaints. Their goyza is delicious- definitely worth ordering. We definitely will return to try more and I'll absolutely take pictures. read more

I enjoy good quality Japanese food and a good wait staff and Sushi Daruma has both. I've been meaning to leave a comment for a long time because I absolutely love their food but their staff is another reason my husband and I ALWAYS come here for date night. We have gotten smarter - we order separate orders of takoyaki (which to my surprise is even good as takeout). I love a good takoyaki that is not soggy and has a good amount of bonito flakes & this is probably one of my favorite takoyakis I've eaten. We get a variety of rolls. I am not a huge adventurous roll person - I love sashimi (maguro, yellowtail, etc). They have such a good variety for people like me who aren't big on spicy tuna or eccentric rolls, but they also have a lot of fun exciting rolls for people who are way cooler than I am. They have good bentos & good options. My kids love their katsu and various meats. Their wait staff though is the bomb. Always super nice, food always arrives on time (even for pick up). Favorite place for date night read more

Sushi Daruma - Sushi Bars Near Me - Salinas, California

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First time here and t was amazing! Ordered the Tiger roll and it was so good I ate it all. Will come back for the good service the lady gave me and my husband. She asked how we were doing only a few times which is appreciated since I don't like when people constantly ask how I'm doing lol. Ambiance has a good feel of a real Japanese food restaurant. Will bring my family here as soon as possible! read more

Sushi Daruma - Sushi Bars Near Me - Salinas, California

Mango Madness was absolutely amazing , instead of salmon i got avocado. Then dipped it in the sweet sauce. It just needed more Nuts crumbled . My boyfriend got the original Mango madnesss . 10/10!! read more

Sushi Daruma - Mango Madness and Mango Madness replaced salmon for Avocado. - Sushi Bars Near Me - Salinas, California

I think I'm just spoiled because I have had some pretty good ramen. I didn't try the sushi here so if you're looking for a review of sushi, this isn't it..sorry. Back to the ramen...I got the miso ramen and I just wish it was spicy and had a "crunch" like garlic chips that most ramen places offer. The broth was pretty good and the flavor wasn't bad. So why a three? Well the noodles just weren't doing it for me. Tasted like cup-o-noodles. read more

Sushi Daruma - Miso ramen - Sushi Bars Near Me - Salinas, California

We love coming here. Our weekly date night. Good people, service, and sushi! The nigiri and sushi tacos are a must! The spicy edamame and calamari are also worth a try! read more

Upon entering the restaurant on a sat night, we were greeted by the server Thu. She had a great smile and welcomed us with some water. This is a new restaurant in Downtown Salinas. Beautiful decorations and comfy seats. There are street parkings available or a garage at the end of the street. Lots of selections on the menu that Sushi Daruma offers. I ordered the Old Town and Spicy Lovers roll - both were so delicious and fresh. The unagi in both rolls melted in my mouth. It was so cheap considering the big portion of rolls. I also got to tried the other rolls from my friends and those were really tasty as well. Even though I got a deep friend roll, it didn't feel greasy or overcooked. Can't wait to try the other rolls next time. read more

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Nice queit place on main St, nice people, takes a little bit for food but appetizers make up for it. Good portion for price, Mainly the lunch is the best read more

Dined here on 6/28/23 and it was total disappointment! Service was great but food was bleh .. First time ever this has happened . We used dine at least once a week when they owned Harumis in Seaside then when they sold it and opened Daruma in Salinas we followed . The owner Dennis was always there whenever we went and food and sushi was always perfect but this time he was not there and total disappointment. The miso soup was very salty , my daughter ordered the teriyaki bento and she said " this is not teriyaki " She noticed a difference because the sauce was so watery . I ordered this pancake appetizer Okonomiyaki and it was so bland . Hubby ordered the Darumi deluxe and the fish didn't look fresh . Also ordered Orange is the new black roll which tastes more like smoked mackerel Instead of smoked salmon . Next time we call first to make sure the owner Dennis is there before we go. Food was always perfect when he is working. read more

Sushi Daruma - Okonomiyaki .. bland - Sushi Bars Near Me - Salinas, California

Sorry Sushi Druma but this is the second time in last three orders of the Daruma Deluxe that I have not received what I would expect for the eight pieces of sashimi that come with the order. While the sushi was great and varied the sashimi was thin, the same fish, and thrown into a pile. I don't like writing negative posts and only hope that your establishment will improve. I have consistently ordered from your establishment for the past couple of years, since you opened, but... I am a bit tired of being disappointed with the sashimi being delivered. read more

Sushi Daruma - Great sushi, terrible cuts of sashimi. - Sushi Bars Near Me - Salinas, California

Delicious food and fast for lunch! Great waitresses. (Bring a jacket maybe, it was cold inside this day)!

Food was delicious and service was great! I would definitely recommend their tonkatsu ramen since winter season is starting to creep in. Give this place a try if you're in town read more

First time at Sushi Daruma. I was very happy with their service. The waitress was kind and professional. The sushi was delicious. It was fresh. I really enjoy their Nori-Taco. You have to try it! The Nori-Taco was wonderful. The restaurant was clean. Will I go back? DEFINITELY YES!!! read more

I typically love this place. I highly recommend the food. However, I came here on a Friday night and arrived there around 8:40pm. There was no wait and open tables. I told the waiter I wanted a table of 3. He told me he can't sit us until my whole party has arrived. Again, there was no one in line and open tables. He gave me such a hard time about it and eventually had us seated but when our friend showed up he started to harass her. I get making a joke but he just wouldn't stop. I love the food and typically love the staff but this was just inappropriate and maybe they should be a little more flexible with people when there isn't anyone in line. read more

What?!? First class sushi on Main Street in Salinas? YES. Delicious sushi and perfect service. Ask them for recommendations and for what's not on the menu. Amazing!! read more

Me and my husband attempted to eat here two days in a row and they turned us away 30 minutes before closing both days and their doors were locked 5 minutes later by 9:35pm. They used the excuse that they were slow and have been turning people away for the last hour to close early. We are big sushi eaters and we're really excited to have our date night and make this our sushi spot. After being rejected twice I will never give this place my business and will encourage others to do the same. read more

A local #1. Tried other places but the quality, portions & service always have one coming back.

Freshest yummiest sushi around. Here is a picture of the hamachi Kama, very thick and tender. Great sashimi, ikura nigiri, hot tea! read more

Sushi Daruma - Hamach Kama - Sushi Bars Near Me - Salinas, California

Been coming here since it opened. Always get an excellent meal with excellent service. My wife loves this place. One thing we always get is their appetizer shumai. Absolutely incredible. A real palate tease. My only issue is that there is an odd amount (5) and there is two of us. Place gets busy every evening of the week but the wait time is not bad and so worth it. read more

The food and service is here is amazing. This is a weekly lunch spot for us when it's not to busy. read more

Excellent service! Even better sushi! I recommend the Grease Monkey Roll! Great ambiance read more

We do takeout often from Daruma because the quality of raw fish was good. But this time, it was quite disappointing. Tuna was fishy and dry! Not sure about a name of this off-white fishy was also fishy and not fresh. Plus, tilapia sushi was not moist, very dry, apparently it had been exposed to air quite some time. Only salmon was fine. I once conversed with the owner/chef in the restaurant to let him know that we were satisfied with their food. I feel violated this time. The food was bad. read more

The food was disappointing. Three of us had a box. The salmon teriyaki was very thin and overcooked as was the beef teriyaki. The rice in each box was barely room temperature. The waitress brought more servings of rice, still not hot. Finally the third try my rice was steaming. The service was excellent. read more

Excellent experience, kind staff and good food. Service is well timed. Good saki selection to choose from. read more

Sushi Daruma - Dinner special - Sushi Bars Near Me - Salinas, California

Totally worth the drive! This place is so good, Everyone is very nice. The owner Dennis is such an amazing person. Great with all his customer's makes everyone feel very welcome. The food is always so fresh. A couple of my favorites are. Spicy Edamame, Baby shrimp sticks, Nori-Taco, Tonkotsu Ramen , Miso ramen is also another good one. Lastly, I order Omakase Nige special! Also great for party trays. read more

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Small portion sizes No interaction from chef's at bar Lack of presentation Seran wrap on top of display case in front of me while eating Waiters lacked training read more

OMG their rolls are so good. Always great service and very clean. Our favorite place to order sushi from.

More like Sushi drama. Sushi chefs were arguing with each other, not worried about the customers sitting on tables next to them. Servers running around like they forgot to turn off the stove. The restaurant was only 30%full. The service was horrible, we waited for 20 minutes on the table with no menus, water, plates, or server. Even when we decided to leave, two servers passed by us without bothering to ask why we are leaving. The food looked bad and discolored, fish was clearly not fresh. Do yourself a favor, go to Patria three doors down for an amazing experience. read more

I don't know how this place has 4 stars ... yikes! Food was salty, sashimi was dry, the bento was absolutely terrible. The food is way over priced for the quality. The staff was friendly but the food was absolutely terrible! read more

Sushi Daruma dishes are hit or miss. You should stick with the sushi instead. Over the years the lunch or dinner options have gotten down in quality and taste. The fish dinner was not very appetizing and the rice was soapy. (Like they cooked in a soap filled rice cooker). Chicken was uncooked / raw for the teriyaki chicken dinner. I actually got sick afterwards. Service depends on who's working; not by how many customers they have. Can be slow at times and other times very prompt. Atmosphere is open and clean. read more