I may not be able to eat sushi anywhere else after this!…read more I came for the Restaurant Week lunch deal and am so glad I finally made it here. Everything from service to ambiance to food was excellent. And I love that they brought lunch service back to this location! Friday, Saturday, Sunday only and still make a reservation! It was busy! I wanted something fun to drink but non-alcoholic, so the bartender stopped by to help me decide. I got the Miso Sour and it was so good! This had a nice balance of flavors. I started with the Hamachi Crudo which has grapefruit ponzu, lemon mayo, Serrano pepper, and thin cucumber slices. This was so good! Refreshing with just the right amount of spice. Next I enjoyed chopped salad and miso. The salad was very fresh and had a variety of goodies including edamame, purple cabbage, and avocado. The miso is so good!! It was delicate and yet so flavorful. I chose the Yuzu tuna roll option which has spicy tuna and avocado inside, with big eye tuna on top, garnished with micro cilantro, red onion, and yuzu. This was so good! I also thought their ginger stood out - I would bet they make this in house. I can see why this always has such great reviews!

I'm writing this review more as feedback for the owner because I'd hate to see a restaurant with so…read moremuch potential decline in quality and service. My boyfriend and I came to Shimogamo for Mother's Day and ordered the five-course meal. Unfortunately, the experience was extremely disappointing compared to our previous visit. The biggest issue was the service. Our waitress, an older woman, came across as dismissive and unnecessarily rude throughout the evening. When we were seated, she offered complimentary rosé. I accepted a glass, but my boyfriend does not drink alcohol, so he politely asked if he could order a mocktail instead. Before he could even finish, she abruptly responded, "No, you can wait to place an order for that," as if he was trying to substitute the complimentary drink, which he was not. He was simply trying to order a beverage. Later, when the braised beef course was served, my boyfriend politely asked if he could have a spoon or fork. The waitress loudly repeated "A SPOON?" in a mocking tone in front of nearby guests, which made the interaction uncomfortable and embarrassing. As for the food, the five-course menu was average at best and far below what we expected from Shimogamo. The salmon tartare and sushi course were both excellent and showed the quality we remembered from our first visit. However, the remaining courses fell flat. The fried branzino was dry and seemed poorly prepared, despite the promising flavors of capers and cream sauce. The braised short rib felt completely out of place on the menu and lacked refinement it was dry, heavy, and more reminiscent of a chain steakhouse meal than an upscale dining experience. The entire dinner also felt rushed, with little attention to pacing or hospitality. What makes this especially disappointing is that we dined here back in November on a double date and had an incredible experience. We spent over $600 that evening, and the service and food were exceptional. Our waitress at that time was knowledgeable, attentive, and genuinely enthusiastic about the menu. She guided us through recommendations, and every dish impressed us. That's why this visit was so surprising. Shimogamo clearly has the ability to provide an outstanding dining experience, which makes the decline in both service and execution even more concerning. I sincerely hope management takes this feedback seriously because this restaurant was once one of our favorites.

I came to this restaurant after spending all day at the hospital across the street for my daughter…read moreso I was hungry and emotionally drained. When I walked in, I was promptly directed to where I should go so I could place a takeout order. The genuine courtesy of the staff here was just what I needed after a long day. Lots of great options for sushi but ramen sounded amazing on a chilly winter day. I ordered a couple options and requested for the toppings to be separated so my picky eater could pick out what she didn't like. The food was out promptly and packaged with such care. Once I got it back to my daughter's hospital room, we were able to feast on the best meal we had all day. I will definitely be coming back to this place again and I am grateful for their kindness just when I needed it. Highly recommend!

I have to be honest here. I only recently started trying Ramen. I don't know why, but I always told…read moremyself that I didn't like it. Anyway, this was only the second time I've ever eaten restaurant Ramen. The first time was so-so. And I was eager to see how much better it could be. So my wife started to do a little research and found that Daruma had really good reviews. So we gave it a shot. I have to say that I was very impressed with my Ramen. It was galaxy's better than the first one I tried. I can't wait to try a different one next time. Aside from the wonderful food. The staff there was really nice. They greeted us right away and quickly got us seated. Our server was also very friendly and attentive. The dining area was pretty clean and inviting too!

I been coming to this restaurant for a long time everything is so fresh made to order this is my…read morefavorite restaurant here in Mesa. This is my spot to come and eat and chill service can be a bit slow for some people but this is not fas food is quality food so it might take a little. I don't have nothing bad to say about this place I love it.

First and foremost, this place had just I was looking for--casual/relaxed atmosphere, reasonable…read moreprices, and above all great food. The dishes we ordered were all seasoned very generously and the garlic edamame (a must-order for the table) had a little heat to it. My hamachi Kama came out first and was cooked beautifully through and again, seasoned well. The ponzu and ginger were a nice dipping sauce. The sunrise roll had great flavors and cool presentation. Our scallop and chicken yakitoris were great too. I didn't get to try it but the table next to us got agedashi tofu that looked great. Side note, every table was full--always a good sign for a restaurant when there's lots of competition. As someone from the SF Bay Area I'm pretty picky about landlocked sushi places, but this one knocked it outta the park for our spring training visit. Go Giants!! Sorry for not photographing anything it all looked so good we just dug in.

This place is a hidden gem. Located in a strip mall, it's not big. Inside, it is bright and clean…read more There is a counter, and a takeout order kiosk, but for dinner in, there is table service. There are lots of Asian touches, like the mural of Mount Fuji with cherry blossoms. The menu has seen several kinds of ramen as well as several kinds of hibachi meals and side dishes. It was absolutely delicious, although someone at the table next to us got the hibachi chicken and it smelled and looked soooo good. We also got some gyoza, which was also super yummy. Our server was great. For a while, he was the only one, so he was running hard, but still was attentive and organized. This place is great. We are going back next weekend to try the hibachi. There was a constant stream of people, so it looks like others have already found this gem.

Wanted some ramen and searched around Yelp and decided to try this one…read more Nice little cozy place, friendly staff and kind of funny name for ramen place. Looking at the menu for some reason I had a feeling ramen was not going to fill me up so I decided to order appetizer. Ordered Geso Yaki (fried squid legs) and gal recommended Tantan ramen if I I like spicy. Geso Yaki came and looked pretty good with some side sweet dipping sauce. It's not really just squid legs had other parts of squid which I didn't mind. It tasted pretty good with slight crisp to it.. Batter had some seasoning which made it tastier. Then my ramen came.. Looked pretty good but portion looked small. But then again for costing $14 can't complain. Broth was nice and hearty and I couldn't quite figure out the flavor. Then I read the description and it said sesame.. Then it made little more sense of the flavor. I definitely would not call it spicy. Ramen noodle was nice and chewy just the way I like it.. Only thing I didnt like was the pork. It was not bad but I prefer the fatty melt in your mouth kind with my ramen. Over all the food was pretty darn good and price was on point. I would definitely come back here again.

Love this place! Nice outdoor area (weather permitting). Varied menu, good prices for happy hour…read more Fresh good, great taste, nice service

We had been craving ramen for days--it kept popping up on our social media feeds over and over…read moreagain--so we finally gave in and decided to try this spot. They offer a nice variety of Japanese dishes, but we were definitely here for the ramen. I ordered the spicy miso ramen, and it came out just right--perfectly spicy with fish cake, green onions, and all the toppings. It was delicious and hit the spot. The tonkotsu ramen had a nice creaminess to it, but it could've used a bit more depth of flavor. One thing I really liked is that you can order side appetizers along with your entrée, almost like building your own bento-style meal. We went with the deep-fried gyoza and gyudon. The gyudon was a standout--definitely five stars. The gyoza, however, was just okay for me. Breakdown:    *   Spicy miso ramen:    *   Tonkotsu ramen:    *   Gyudon:    *   Gyoza: Service was friendly, the restaurant was clean, and overall it definitely satisfied our ramen craving.

Always fresh and very well presented…read more The place is always clean and the staff is always friendly. I am so thankful that this is close to my work. My favorites are the Boston Roll, the Love Roll, and the Rock n Roll. The Yellowtail sashimi with Ponzu is also a must try. I like to get a side of eel sauce to dip my Boston Roll in (trust me it is great).

Came here for date night and had a great time, we didn't have a bad bite here!!…read more We ordered soup, the crab puffs, and several rolls. The miso soup was unreasonably good and the crab puffs were delicious! The rolls were also super good - they have several specialty ones that I had never seen on other menus, as well as the standard rolls that you see everywhere. Everything was very well done and the price was great for the high quality of the food that we got! The service was great and the food all came out very quickly, which was especially great because we were very hungry. Our server was super nice and recommended us a couple rolls which were all good! We are looking forward to coming back again!!

I recently had dinner at Kuka Sushi & Izakaya and was immediately impressed by the modern, chic…read moreambience. The space feels stylish and contemporary, with a sleek atmosphere that makes it perfect for both a casual dinner and a special night out. The menu is truly avant-garde! Creative, innovative, and full of intriguing options. That said, I have to admit I felt a little overwhelmed at first and wasn't sure what to order because everything sounded so interesting. In the end, I chose the Omakase Dinner "Buzz," and I absolutely loved the concept. It includes miso soup, 9 pieces of nigiri, a mini poke, and a 5-piece roll -- such a fantastic idea if you're undecided and want to try a bit of everything! I think it's a splendid option, especially for first-timers or anyone who wants a complete tasting experience without having to choose individual items. If I could change one small thing, it would be the roll selection. I wish there were an option to choose from the specialty rolls instead of only the basic ones. That extra flexibility would make the experience even better. Overall, the quality of the food was very good, and the overall experience was enjoyable. It's definitely a place worth visiting, and I'll certainly be back to try the curry and ramen next time!

Made a reservation for 7pm on a Friday night. The location is kind of hard to get to if you've…read morenever been before. Our uber dropped us off in the back of an apartment building and we walked a short distance to the restaurant. The restaurant is very loud, we were sat at a high top table and it was kind of awkward being elevated in the middle of the restaurant with lights beaming directly on you. Ordered a bottle of Sauvignon blanc. It was nice that it arrived in an ice bucket, but was disappointed by the stemless glasses. The service was extremely slow. Had to ask for soy sauce, wasabi and ginger. When someone that was not our server gave it to us, it was basically empty. The sushi was just alright. For the price I would've rather gone somewhere nicer. My roommate and friend did not like their rolls at all (avocado roll and spicy salmon) the spicy tuna was good, pretty hard to mess that up. I would not get the soft shell crab roll again, the roll was big and falling apart immediately. Nobody in our party of 7 finished the food they ordered. Overall not great service or sushi, I wouldn't come back here.

My first time at Zu Izakaya was a blast! I came in with a group of 5 and were seated quickly. Our…read morewaitress Tiana was very attentive and helpful as we decided our orders. Overall, the place has a fun vibe with lots of string lights and Japanese decorations. They have happy hour twice a day. We came during their 9-11PM happy hour (we love a late night happy hour!) Lots of options for sushi, drinks, and appetizers on the happy hour menu. The spicy tuna roll was a refreshing roll with just the spicy tuna, cucumber and rice. A simple roll that still has a good spicy flavor but not too overpowering that it takes over your meal. The Vegas roll is a classic if you like fried rolls! Can't go wrong with this one. The nigiri was top notch. The yellowtail nigiri quite literally melts in your mouth and the flavors are buttery and soft. It's my personal favorite whenever I want nigiri. The salmon nigiri was also very good. Slights sweet but if you add soy sauce it balances it out. The jjambong pot was so filling. We ate this after the sushi. It's enough to be shared with 2-3 people and includes a mix of some seafoods, enoki mushrooms, onions, and ramyeon with a spicy broth. The noodles were good, the broth was delicious and not too spicy if you're not a person that handles spice well. My only complaint is that we had about 6-7 mussels but only 2 pieces of shrimp. It would've been nice to have a more even distribution of the seafood but other than that the taste was amazing. With the happy hour it was incredibly affordable. Even without the happy hour I would definitely come here again. 10/10!!

I absolutely love this place! The details, especially down to the gold chopsticks is amazing. It's…read morea fantastic date spot!

I had a really great experience here! Sunny taught me how to eat sushi without any soy sauce which…read moreI've never done before. She also showed me how to properly apply ginger, wasabi and any lemon to the roll. I've been doing it wrong my whole life until now! This was great and they have FRESH wasabi which I've ever had before. It looks much different than the usual stuff. Food was great too! Fresh! The place is quiet and perfect for a couples dinner I'd say.

This place is a little gem. It's very cute and quaint inside. The ladies who are running it are…read morejust so sweet and friendly and I felt so welcomed. I started with the miso soup and had the red Mountain sushi roll. It was absolutely amazing! I will definitely be back to try more.

Located inside the Asian market, this spot is a quick and affordable way to enjoy Japanese cuisine…read more The cashier was friendly, and the food was prepared quickly. The ramen had great flavor, and I really enjoyed the roasted garlic. The noodles were perfectly cooked--bouncy and satisfying--and the broth was smooth and rich. While it wasn't spicy enough for my personal taste, it definitely didn't lack flavor. There's plenty of seating available, making it a comfortable place to sit down and enjoy a meal before or after shopping.

The owner is so sweet and the food is amazing. This place is located inside Asiana and is worth…read moretrying. The fish are always so fresh for the price you are paying. Definitely recommend just getting their sashimi.