I'm not one to go to a sushi spot and just get some veggie rolls but since my friend mention how…read moregood this place was and the HH menu I was like why not! Got here around 4ish (while still in happy hour time) and ordered everything off the HH menu. Got two types of edamame, a california roll for my friend and I got the veggie roll (loaded with veggies) and then we got a cucumber roll to share. Everything was really good, made to order and fresh. ** they have gluten free soy sauce (you just have to ask). Service was good for an early dinner rush, place was busy but rolls came out relatively quickly after ordering. Plenty of seating.

Just your average sushi. We came here with my son. We opted out not to do their AYCE. It wouldn't…read morebe worth it for my son, plus I'm not a huge AYCE guy when it comes to sushi. I rather order al carte and that what we did. We ordered the following: Lotus Spicy Tuna Crispy Rice- It was ok. Tuna was heavily seasoned with chili oil. You couldn't even taste the tuna. Octopus Chef Special- My wife said was just ok. The uni tasted bad and definitely not fresh. Chef Nigiri Special- This was my son's order. He wasn't impressed and didn't finish it. Chirashi- Average, nothing special. If you like huge big thick cuts of sashimi and nigiri this is the place. I personally think it's not appetizing at all when you have that big of a cut. That's just me. All and all it's a one and done for me.

Sushi Katsu-ya is officially my favorite sushi place in the area! We got the popcorn shrimp, salmon…read moresushi, yellowtail sushi, and a few of their hand rolls. Everything was fresh and really good, but the Ventura Roll was easily my favorite. That roll was unreal. Honestly, I would go back just for that roll . The service was great, everything tasted fresh, and we had such a good experience. Definitely one of my go-to sushi spots now. If you haven't tried the Ventura Roll, you're missing out!

On a Monday around 8:30pm, we were seated immediately. Parking was plentiful in the lot…read more - Una-ju $18.8: this still hit the spot for SO. Tasty eel. - Sauteed Garlic Shrimo $12.8: salty and the garlic chips were burnt to an inedible crisp - Moonlight Seafood Bowl $11.8: not bad tho slightly fishy and a small portion Chef specials are still kinda worth despite the $2-$3 increase. Quality isn't the same tho. Used to be our go-to sushi spot in the valley but may have to start looking for other places.

Don't let the exterior fool you. This place may not look like much from the outside, but the sushi…read moreis fresh, delicious, and some of the best we've had. The prices are fair, especially for the quality you get. The owners are Latino immigrants, and you can tell they take pride in what they do. We're really glad we found this spot, and it's definitely going to become our new regular sushi place. Highly recommend giving it a try.

I'm honestly surprised this place is rated above 3 stars, let alone 4.6. The food quality did not…read morematch the expectations at all. For example, the agedashi tofu came with vegetables like zucchini, eggplant, and cauliflower, which is quite unusual and not something I've seen in traditional Japanese preparation. The sashimi also tasted off -- it seemed like very low-quality fish, almost as if it had been frozen for too long. We also ordered a nabeyaki udon for our 2-year-old, knowing it's typically served in a very hot bowl. However, the server attempted to place it directly in front of our child without any hesitation or warning, which felt quite careless and concerning from a safety perspective. Overall, this didn't feel like authentic Japanese cuisine or sushi, but more of an unclear fusion concept. I rarely leave negative reviews, but I felt it was important to share this experience so others don't come in expecting high-quality or traditional Japanese food.

There are lots of Chinese restaurants in the valley and this palace serves food that you may expect…read morefrom other traditional locations. My only negative comment is that this place isn't designed to host large groups or families like I'm used to from more traditional spots. I'd say 6 or less in a group is ideal here. They can technically accommodate larger parties, but the group feels disjointed. It's very easy to go family style here. When you order an entree, it's normally in a large portion and probably not what you want to eat for the entire meal. I'd recommend coming in a group of 4 and ordering 4 different entrees. Ask for smaller plates so that you can try other dishes to balance out the flavor profiles. If you have no idea what to go for, here are some recommendations: Chongqing Crispy Chicken - it's a lightly fried and dry spicy chicken Orange Chicken (what you'd expect) Spare ribs with garlic - if you don't mind getting your hands dirty and eating around a bone Handmade dumplings - whichever sounds good Those are some common and safe choices. They have other good options, so feel free to explore!

Unfortunately, this was not the birthday dinner experience we were hoping for. It took quite a…read morewhile for our order to be taken, and a party that arrived after us was waited on before us. Once our food started coming out, it was brought out one dish at a time with long gaps in between, so some of us were eating while others were still waiting. We had to ask for ginger a couple of times, and by the time we received it, our food was already getting cold. Our rice and green beans never came out at all, and when we finally asked about them, we were told the ticket had gotten lost. I do want to give our waiter credit because he seemed to be trying, but overall the service was very disorganized. The food itself was just okay, and my soup was lukewarm. We chose Northern Cafe for a birthday dinner, so it was disappointing to spend so much of the evening waiting and trying to get missing items. Unfortunately, not a great birthday dinner experience for us.

Truly an experience in an unlikely place…read more Omakase (you will not go wrong) and everything tasted perfect and excellent quality. Each item perfectly curated and flowed together. People may wonder if it is enough food and for the regular Omakase, it was 10 courses and I was full by course 8. The chef takes pride in his sushi/food and you can tell. The staff were very nice and explained each item that came out. The restaurant has an intimate feel with jazz music playing. They have an extensive sake collection. They offer a sake flight to try, but I had one of their sake cocktails and it was delicious. I will say the cost may seem pricey, but to me it was worth it for everything you get and I will definitely be coming back.

The taste of the food was good but could be better. The…read moreportions were very small. If you don't like raw fish, they have a few cooked options for you. The restroom was clean. The servant was polite but not sociable n didn't understand English so you couldn't give explanations about foods. They could play a soothing or relaxing Japanese song but they didn't.

Phenomenal Izakaya experience! Worth the drive. Make sure you get either the garlic edamame / green…read morebeans and keep the sauce!

Came here on a Thursday evening on a whim. It was around 8:30 pm so we were able to park on the…read morestreet for free and didn't pay the $6 garage fee. There's a sign in the front clearly stating "no sushi" which was perfect because we weren't looking for that this time. I chose this spot because I've always wanted to try more home-style Japanese dishes which is what this place advertises. We were greeted immediately upon entering by the owner, Miki. She was great the whole time! Chatting with customers, including us, and cracking jokes. It was great to get to know her as we dined. The atmosphere is cozy, good for groups, small parties, and individuals as there's bar seating too. We decided to get the butter sautéed squid, grilled mackerel, karaage, sake steamed clams, and a zaru soba each. Miki said it was a very Japanese order haha. The squid was out quickly, followed by the karaage. The squid was served on a hot plate, sizzling hot! It was tender and chewy, and the sauce with it was delicious and so savory! We asked to keep the sauce for future dipping. The karaage was perfectly crisp and super juicy and moist inside. It went well with the provided fresh lemon and mayo dipping sauce. There was also a small refreshing side salad with it. Next came the clams and mackerel. Miki said we were eating so fast lol. The clams were plump and cooked perfectly. We removed them from their shells and dipped a few in the squid butter sauce. The broth was excellent. Super light but had deep flavors of clam. The mackerel was both our favorite part. Grilled perfectly and served with some grated radish and lemon. It was salty enough for me so I didn't use the provided soy sauce, and the lemon and radish really helped to lighten it up. It was a great combo of Smokey, salty, meaty with acidic and slightly bitter freshness! It was a generous portion of fish too. The soba noodles were also good and plenty. They were served with green onions, wasabi, and soy sauce dipping sauce. I think I've had better soba noodles that were house-made, but the broth brought them to the next level. We still had some room left in our stomachs so we decided to get an order of the vegetable tempura after Miki talked it up. It had super thin batter and was perfectly fried. There was green bean, orange sweet potato, Japanese sweet potato, eggplant (my favorite), and whole shiitake mushroom (second favorite). The dipping sauce was super salty, as it should be, and I sipped it lightly while eating the shiitake mushroom. Overall a light and comforting meal. It felt healthy and soothing, just like home. It's not the cheapest place, but it is worth it because you cant find many restaurants serving these items nearby! I'm ready to go back to try the sautéed mushrooms (Miki's favorite), curry (Miki recommended), agedashi tofu (another recommendation) and basically everything else!

Ordered from Ramen Izakaya because it's such a busy day and I was craving Ramen. I ordered the…read moreChili lime Ramen with extra egg and the Cucumber Sunomono. First, my Chilli Lime Ramen was absolutely fabulous!!! I LOVE this Ramen, soooo tasty and really hits the spot. The broth is exactly what I was craving. The meat pairs perfectly with this broth with the flavors dancing in my mouth. It was so delicious that I kept eating even when I got full so then I was really full at the end but so worth it. I wasn't sure that I would like the cucumber sunumono because it's full of carrots, but one bite and I couldn't stop. The cucumber and carrots taste very fresh and cooling and whatever it is they're soaked in, it's perfect. I don't like carrots, but I ate the whole thing they tasted amazing. Overall I'm so impressed by Ramen Izakaya, I will definitely be ordering from here again in the near future!!!

Visited Friday night for jazz to see Jun iida Food was good…read moreWaitstaff attentive Lovely place to chill and enjoy Japanese food Highlight was definitely hearing jazz with Jun Iida

This was my second time at Maru Ramen, and it definitely lived up to the first. I ordered the spicy…read moremiso ramen, and it was exactly what I needed. I was fighting a pretty rough hangover, and this bowl honestly brought me back to life. The broth was rich, full of flavor, and the spice level was just right. It had a nice kick without overpowering everything else. The first time I came here, I ordered the chicken karaage. Super crispy, juicy, and easily one of my favorite things on the menu. The restaurant itself is pretty small and cozy, which I liked. One thing to know is that the parking lot entrance is easy to miss if you're driving by on the main street. It's much easier to come in from the little street behind the plaza. If you're in the mood for ramen, I'd absolutely recommend giving Maru a try.

I was pretty disappointed with my experience here. The ramen itself lacked depth and flavor--it…read moredidn't have that rich, comforting quality you expect, and honestly felt like it was missing the care and attention that makes a bowl memorable. I don't eat pork, but I'm okay with pork broth, so I asked if I could substitute the pork chashu for chicken. What I received instead was popcorn chicken, which was unexpected and not at all what I had in mind. There was no communication that this would be the substitute, which made it even more frustrating. On top of that, I was still charged for it without any clarification beforehand. Transparency goes a long way, especially when making substitutions. Overall, between the lackluster flavor and the confusing substitution, it just didn't feel like a thoughtful or well-executed experience.