The sushi here is good, but the service is consistently slow. Our dinner for three took 1 hour and 20 minutes, even though we arrived right at opening and the restaurant wasn't the least bit busy. What really disappointed me was the way the reservation was handled. My confirmation voicemail said they would hold the table for only 10 minutes "if the entire group is in the building." I called ahead to let them know I'd be about 15 minutes late due to traffic, thinking that would be appreciated. Instead, I was told again the reservation would only be held until 5:10. I arrived at 5:06, but the manager actually looked at his watch when we walked in the door and refused to seat us because one of our party was still parking - in plain view from the front door. This kind of rigidity and lack of hospitality really overshadowed what could have been a nice sushi experience. Good food can't make up for poor customer service. read more

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Came here to say for my birthday today. It's going to be a hard act to follow after the Bills gave me my best present,a comeback win over the Patriots. We ha 12 people sitting around their hibachi grill. The cook was very entertaining and we all had a great time. The food is pretty good. The best dish was the scallops. They kept our drink glasses full and there is quite a bit of noise from the many hibachi table groups. read more

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Good service, food was good but sizes were small and was a little bland. No saki shots or green tea. Location was clean but checks all come with 20% gratuity added and didn't see this noted anywhere. read more

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This place was Awesome!!! We just had drinks and apps and it was amazing!!! Our waitress was sooo good too!!

Hibachi was fun for one of my groups of young people Otherwise they have comfortable seating and noice level is nice Foods that I have order during the last few times I have gone has been very good plus good service read more

I love this place! The service is always fast and the food is always delicious. I swear they don't let dirty dishes sit on your table for more than 30 seconds. read more

Daruma is an upscale Japanese hibachi style (chefs cook and perform at your table) with sushi and a la carte offerings. It's not cheap so maybe a special event spot but they do offer a Sunset Special deal for reservations only at 5 and 5:30 (not sure if it includes weekends). My lil loves fire and was happy to participate. Our chef told her she just missed when she launched a shrimp tail five feet over his head. She inherited my super strength! Fun place! Entertainment while you eat. They have special sunken tables and a back room. Peeps come for birthdays and anniversaries! Chefs were solid and fun. Service was good. We enjoyed the live piano player in the back and the glass of candy she keeps on her piano. Who doesn't love onion volcanoes, flames, and chefs flipping shrimp tails into their chef hats? read more

Alarming, no, beyond alarming, experience. Clearly, there are issues at this location. read more

DaRuMa - Seared Ahi Poke Special - Japanese Near Me - Sarasota, Florida

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I read a mix of positive and negative reviews before visiting, but since we love hibachi and make it a point to try it wherever we travel, we decided to give this place a chance. Unfortunately, it was a disappointing experience. The food lacked flavor across the board--rice, vegetables, filet mignon, seafood, and chicken were all bland and underwhelming. For a cuisine that is usually so vibrant and well-seasoned, this was surprising. Ironically, the only thing that had any flavor were the chocolate mints that came with the check. Overall, I'm left wondering how this place stays so busy, as the quality of the food did not meet expectations at all. read more

Solid food, great atmosphere, good service. Came here for Christmas Eve dinner last minute (thanks for being accommodating!) and I'm pleased with it all - plan to come again to sit at Teppan-yaki table for hibachi-style next time. Sushi rolls were good and combos affordable, which is hard to find in Sarasota. Also impressed with the large drink menu! Will come again. read more

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Unfortunately, our group came here to celebrate one of our friend's birthday's. Three of us ordered margaritas where we requested to have only real lime juice, no mixer or sweetener. We got them and they were intensely sweet, disregarding our requests. We sent them back and my mom requested tequila on the rocks to replace the drink--she never received it. Moving forward, we got our bill to see we were all charged even though we sent the drinks back. Our server was extremely apologetic and kind, explaining his manager refuses to take off the drinks. The manager wearing the pink shirt had a very condescending attitude. He blamed his general manager, named Ron Butine, whom we never spoke with or saw, and stated we "wasted the shots." Moreover, he said he can't do anything because Ron said to charge for the drinks. I've never heard of such horrid customer service, especially having experience in the service industry. Anyway, the food wasn't good either. This place has gone downhill and I do not recommend it. read more

DaRuMa - name of GM - Japanese Near Me - Sarasota, Florida

The location of this restaurant is convenient, and there is plenty of room inside for a large party. I was really impressed by the service from the moment we walked in. Our drink order was taken right away, and our server checked in with us multiple times to make sure we had everything we needed. We had a gluten allergy in our party and they were very accommodating, making his meal in the back with no cross contamination. I ordered the hibachi filet steak and chicken. The filet was some of the most tender steak I've had in years. And I order steak often, and all over the country. I just didn't expect to find such quality meat at a hibachi restaurant. The vegetables, fried rice, salad, all delicious. The chef was funny and entertaining. We really enjoyed our experience. My 7 month old infant accompanied us and they were very helpful. The staff offered a booster seat, there were changing tables in the bathroom, and he even left with a little gift from our server. I was very impressed with the entire experience and highly recommend this restaurant for a date night, family evening, or any celebration. read more

DaRuMa - Filet mignon hibachi - Japanese Near Me - Sarasota, Florida

Very good Hybachi,Tender Sea scallops and filet. Would go again. Fried rice not my fav prote due to coming from New England and love the darker rice. read more

Excellent Food and Great Service at the Bar! We normally sit at the bar at Daruma because the service is always top-notch, and the bartenders ensure our drinks flow in a timely manner. One of the highlights for us is being able to order the Japanese tacos, which are absolutely amazing and exclusive to the bar--they're not available with table service. The sashimi and sushi are incredibly fresh and flavorful, making every visit a treat. While we were sad to see the old bar manager, Mike, leave, the new bar manager is very friendly and has maintained the same great atmosphere. We do love the hibachi table too! It's always fun and delicious. Daruma remains one of our favorite sushi spots in Sarasota County! read more

DaRuMa - Japanese Tacos on the right, Sea Scallop, Mackerel and White Tuna sashimi on the left. Pink Lady roll at the top. - Japanese Near Me - Sarasota, Florida

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As always the food was plentiful. The cook was very good. He did forget our appetizer. The lady next to me mentioned it and then he added it to the meal. The drinks were super potent. The server Meaghan was excellent. Got our drinks and bill right even though she was serving 30 people ( 3 tables, ten per table). We love this place. read more

One of the worst dining experiences we have ever had. The service was extremely slow. The food was mediocre at best. We ordered a sushi roll as an appetizer and it was totally inedible. There were only 5-6 pieces to the roll. My wife and I each tried one and both said we need to send this back. The waiter said he would have the manager come over He never showed up. When the roll showed up on the bill we said no The manager sent word we had eaten half (2 pieces). We paid along with a pre-added tip. As we left the manager told us to never come back I have never written a review like this but believe others should know what kind of establishment exists Please, never eat here read more

We had a reservation and were sat within 5 minutes. Everything was delicious but the duck was a little overcooked. The chef was friendly and entertaining. The staff quickly removed used dishware from table. read more

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I will start with the fact that our group comes to DaRuma very trip to Siesta Key. We have been there over 30 times with groups of 10-20. The manager is very rude and the hostess lied about calling us for our reservation time. We called to confirm 6:30 pm arrival. Our group was all there within 15 minutes after of our reservation. It is not our problem that they over booked. Actually, yes it was. Very unprofessional. Big mistake. We will not return. read more

The food was mediocre at best... The fried rice which we paid extra for was crunchy fried rice. They didn't cook it! We ordered a sushi roll for an appetizer and a glass of wine which came in the middle of the hibachi cooking... The sushi roll was Burned and we called the waiter over and asked them to take it back and they could bring us something else or just take it off the bill, but it was not edible... That's when the fight started... They refused to take it off the bill . the manager was Not even courteous enough to come over to the table to discuss this but just kept it on our bill, which had the tip already added, and we were a party of two... There for a birthday party, but everyone had their own check... At the end of the night when they brought the bill over we paid it under duress because they wouldn't take it off... And the attitude was through the roof. I couldn't believe that they would actually say the things that they did to my face over a $13.75 sushi roll that was inot edible. This place is a turn and burn restaurant and please check your bill because the tip is added on with no discussion. I will make sure that everyone in our high-rise condo is aware of the way that we were treated and the fact that the food was not even enough for a two star rating. read more

We had a great time at DaRuMa Japanese Steakhouse and Sushi Lounge in South Sarasota. I thought this place was pretty much just as good as other Japanese steakhouses I've been to, such as Benihana. They've all been generally comparable, in my experience, both in terms of the entertainment value as well as the taste and quality of the food. You don't really go to a Japanese steakhouse just for the food, you also go for the show which, yes, can be corny, but that's part of the fun. We got a great show from chef Raymond. I believe Raymond is a DaRuMa veteran. If he's assigned to your table, consider yourself lucky. We were vacationing in Siesta Key and decided to have dinner at DaRuMa after our fishing trip got rained out. One of the guys in our group wanted to go to a Japanese steakhouse and this South Sarasota location of DaRuMa was relatively close to our house. DaRuMa is a small regional chain with four locations between Sarasota and Naples. This location is in The Landings shopping plaza to the left of Publix if facing Publix. According to the restaurant, DaRuMa is named after "the founder and first patriarch of Zen" who "traveled from India to China preaching Buddhism" in the sixth century. There are also DaRuMa Japanese "wish dolls." This DaRuMa location is spacious and nicely decorated. It has a lovely fountain in the lobby, a wraparound bar in the back center, and several partitioned spaces with teppanyaki tables. The restaurant was able to accommodate a same-day reservation for our party of eight on a Friday night. Each teppanyaki table seats 10 and, like most Japanese steakhouse experiences, unless your party uses all the seats at a table, you will most likely be dining with some strangers. Our group took up eight of 10 seats and then a random couple joined us to make 10. We ended up doing sake bombs with them and had a blast. Most of us ordered stuff that got cooked on the griddle, but a few of the guys ordered from the sushi menu. At a Japanese steakhouse, steak is enough for me and I have to admit, I'm a little skeptical when it comes to ordering sushi from most Japanese steakhouses. A couple of my friends went all-out and ordered the Party Boat ($59.95). It was big and came with a variety of nigiri (fish over rice) and rolls. Those who ordered sushi seemed to be satisfied with it. Here's a picture of the Party Boat in front of humans so you can get a sense of its size: https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/daruma-sarasota-3?select=HyMqN4_UnHP-d_BxvC9WlQ&userid=j14WgRoU_-2ZE1aw1dXrJg. I had the Filet Mignon and Sea Scallops ($35.00). I had my steak cooked medium rare and it was delicious. The scallops were yummy too. I recommend the Filet Mignon and Sea Scallops. Raymond served everyone two sauces, a lighter-colored "yum yum" sauce and a darker-colored house sauce. I forget what the latter was. Yum yum sauce is common at Japanese steakhouses. It's a sort of creamy, mayo-y, vinegary sauce and it's good. The sauces were a must, in my opinion, for the steak because the steak lacked seasoning. One of my friends asked for two orders of the yum yum sauce and poured it all over his rice and scallops. Mmm... To me, one of the best things about Japanese steakhouses - DaRuMa included - is the fried rice. It's because of all the butter they use. Obviously, it's not great for your health, but it tastes really good. Addictively good. At DaRuMa, it costs $2.50 to upgrade to fried rice. I highly recommend upgrading. Along with fried rice, all DaRuMa dinners come with "Oriental Clear Soup" (I believe this was miso soup; good), green salad (mine came with romaine lettuce, cucumber, tomato, and ginger salad dressing; crisp, fresh), shrimp flambe, stir-fried vegetables (mine included broccoli, carrots, and onions), and green tea. I also had a refreshing Sapporo Japanese beer with my meal (12 oz for $5.95), served in the bottle with glass. There were a couple techniques Raymond used during the teppanyaki cooking show that I hadn't seen before. The one that made us all laugh was his addition to the flaming onion volcano. He had a green laser pointer and used it to light up the volcano even more and then did a little dance club routine / strobe light effect at our table. It was hilarious. I actually posted a video of the end of this bit here on Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/daruma-sarasota-3?select_video=pHklCZ3qe9cpMk1dQ3BKbA. Another thing Raymond did was create a giant heart shape out of the rice and then had it "beat" on the griddle by using his turner (flipper/spatula). That was more of an intimate "aww" moment. Our server Alan was great too. Nice guy. He and Raymond actually joined in for a round of sake bombs: https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/daruma-sarasota-3?select_video=i-TEdBfWWqZh8DUCpUXA-Q. Haha. TL;DR - If you seek a fun Japanese steakhouse experience, complete with hokey entertainment, DaRuMa in South Sarasota delivers. read more

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I had driven this place many times before, but never stopped to give it a try. But recently one of my friends invited us to have dinner with them there. We were a party of 10. I highly recommend making a reservation or at least calling a head. We did that, and the process was smooth. The only thing is they prefer everyone from your party to be there before they seat you. Walking in, the restaurant looks really fancy. There's a fountain with gold fish in the foyer, the bar looks upscale and much of the restaurant is divided into private sections so that people with large parties can feel like they're having an intimate dinner instead of eating at a restaurant. We got a private without individually sliding chairs, so either everyone had to scoot in and out when someone had to leave/come back, or the person leaving had to climb over the elevated bench which doesn't look graceful especially if you're wearing a dress. Our cook was very engaging and entertaining. I think your cook has the potential to make or break your experience, but ours was hilarious and extremely talented. He did all kinds of creative stuff and gave us a fire show. We all ordered different things of course. I ordered the lobster and filet mignon. It came with an end of meal tea, a couple of dipping sauces, soup, about 3 shrimp, salad, vegetables and steamed rice. But I upgraded my rice to the fried rice, which I heard was cooked with duck fat and butter. I also ordered the Ninja alcoholic drink, which tasted like a Mai Tai. Everything was delicious. I left nothing on my plate. Our cook chopped everything up into pieces, including my lobster and filet mignon, so I never needed a knife. He cooked my steak to my preference and none of my food was over cooked or under cooked. So I'd say he did a great job multitasking. I would definitely go again since I had such a great experience and I want to try their sushi. read more

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It has gone downhill over the past few years and is no longer worth going to. When we first started going there years ago, it was a fun place with the hibachi cooking and the food was good and plentiful. We went again last night for a birthday celebration. It was very disappointing. The prices have gone up significantly. The chef went thru the motions but was not really into his job. Our server messed up our drinks and overcharged us considerably when she didn't understand our order for 2 young kids. The quantity of vegetables was about half of what they used to be. The only good thing was the steak, scallops and shrimp were good. But to spend $450 for 5 adults and 2 toddlers is ridiculous considering what we got. It's a shame since the concept is great. read more

Extremely disappointing experience during what was supposed to be a fun birthday dinner with friends. We ordered the salmon at the hibachi grill, but the chef began cooking filet instead. I corrected him before the meal, but there was a clear language barrier, and my order was ignored. I flagged it to the waiter, who said he would take care of it -- but nothing was resolved. Instead, I was told I would be charged for the filet, even though I never ordered it. I pushed back, and the manager got involved, but rather than making it right, they doubled down and insisted I pay for their mistake. What should have been a quick fix turned into a frustrating back-and-forth that pulled me away from the party. I missed out on time with my friends because I was stuck trying to resolve an issue that never should've happened -- or at the very least, should've been handled professionally. Between the poor communication, lack of accountability, and terrible customer service, I won't be returning -- and I wouldn't recommend this place to anyone looking for a stress-free group dining experience. read more

Always great service and delicious food. Remember to make a reservation. They also have a nice bar while you're waiting.

First time to this restaurant in Sarasota. We met my husband's brother half way from Clearwater.. I had the crab volcano as an appetizer. It was fake crabmeat for $16??!! Nice presentation. The rice was undercooked on the hibachi.. I had scallops and shrimp. I had the BEST chocolate martini I've ever had!!! Kid drinks are in a ceramic/glass parrot...you really should reconsider that! $7 for a Karate Kid...kiddie cocktail. read more

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We were at Daruma on 41 last night .The one on 41.it was my birthday. There were 6 of us and most of us ordered of the dinner one of us ordered sunset special.I am writing because we got about half the food.The vegetables were honestly half the amount! They didn't even fill half the spatula! Less shrimp ext! I had lobster and shrimp an usually take home a lot of food not last night I didn't take a take out box I didn't have anything to put in it! We all love our food and the waitress was wonderful! But for the price it has gotten not worth it!We always go for our birthdays it was mine last night and I was disappointed! The Danielle Berry group. read more

I made reservations for 23 Lively Ladies. Ron, the Manager was so nice and very accommodating. Made sure we had a private room for Hibachi. The two Chefs were 5 Stars. Plus accommodated my allergy to Sodium. Made my dinner separate . I ordered the mixed seafood (scallops, Shrimp, & Calamari) absolutely delicious! Everyone raved about there dinners. Trust me, pleasing 23 women's isn't so easy, Hats off and 5 Stars to DaRuMa read more

A very nice night Teppanyaki dinners are always fun. Our dinner last night was both entertaining and filling. Our energetic chef put on a good show, tossing food to the 3 kids at our table to catch in mouths (they did well) as he cooked our meals with lighthearted joking. I hadn't seen the green laser lighting up the onion volcano before, nice effect. They offer combination meals, I got the New York Strip Steak with more New York Steak. It was excellent, as were the shrimp appetizers. Definitely get the fried rice. There was plenty of food and DaRuMa was at the ready with containers for leftovers. It was a very nice night. read more

They have it together, good bartenders trained staff piano bar Always debate value of meal vs show As value for money. Food good but ichibonsoro was so much better. . read more

Disappointed. Actually. no disgusted by our experience there for my son's 13th birthday. We mentioned his birthday when we placed the reservation. We also mentioned to our waiter - TWICE - that it was his birthday. There was absolutely no singing or acknowledgement of his birthday. Mind you, we paid $48 for his meal alone... if there was an additional charge for a birthday acknowledgement, hell, we would have paid for it. I mean what's a few extra bucks on an already grossly inflated meal. I spoke to the manager when leaving. Zero apologies, zero a concern for customer satisfaction. In fact, all he did was publicly reprimand his waiter, who look absolutely terrified. My son asked why everyone else got sung to on their birthday, except him. It broke my heart, as this place has long been a family tradition. We will NEVER go back. This is my first "bad" review ever.... I try to give people the benefit of the doubt, or at least make amends. Better food and service elsewhere. read more

I will say I've never gone to DaRuMa and not had to wait a little even with a reservation - however, once seated, the staff is unbelievably accommodating and friendly. The inside is really trendy and it's always awesome to be at the hibachi table. I never really get the actual hibachi meals as I prefer sushi, but my family adores the food - the fried rice and veggies are a particular favorite. As my entree, I order the tuna tataki and it was fantastic. I'm a repeat customer and will continue to go back :) read more

DaRuMa - Tuna Tataki - Japanese Near Me - Sarasota, Florida

Went out for Valentine's day dinner. Had an unpleasant experience with waiter and chef. Waiter didn't confirm that I wanted a side of fried rice and went onto another customer. I reminded waiter three times that I wanted a side of fried rice. He kept on going taking orders and in the end said yes without looking at order list. During the cooking process, I was the only one left without a side of fried rice, which seems no big deal but the way it was presented was terrible. Chef made me feel like I was lying that I ordered a side of It, when the waiter approached back and Chef asked him if I ordered a side of it, instead of apologizing to me waiter just said yes to the chef. When waiter returned and brought a side of fried rice back to me, he did not apologize or say anything to me. Just hang it over, which I thought was really rude and unpleasant. This DaRuMa located on 41st Tamiami and the second location is on Fruitville. We dined in both locations and location on Fruitville is much better service versus this one. I hope they improve customer service skills and would Nor ruin dining experience, especially on a holiday for their customers. read more

I've never felt so rushed in all my dining experiences. Bus boys hung around us to grab our plates the minute we stopped eating. My soup bowl was grabbed before I even finished eating. Lots of money for dinner that didn't even last an hour!! read more

They didn't let our party know when we made the reservation or when we first checked in that they have a very strict seating policy. It was pouring rain and there was no parking, so the rest of our party was 15 min late. The manager and hosts were incredibly rude to my family, telling us that there was "no way" we could be accommodated at that point. It seemed like they were more interested in teaching us a lesson than providing adequate hospitality. They acted smug when they told us that we couldn't be seated at all. They treated us like they didn't want or need our business. We were really looking forward to this dinner, yet we're turned away without any attempt to accommodate us. My family has been going here for 25+ years and this interaction soured our experience. read more

The service was fantastic, we got Joe as our Hibachi cook and he did such a great job keeping us entertained. The food was also fantastic! Joe made our son's day very special. Ambiance was also great! read more

DaRuMa - Joe made our son's bday very special - Japanese Near Me - Sarasota, Florida

Disclaimer: I did not have hibachi....or sushi (which I normally get here) so this is a review of the regular menu. Edamame: terrible. Luke warm, and couldn't even get the salt right. Gyoza: flavorless, also luke warm Miso soup: standard Small salad: standard Bento box: wow, this is where things get really bad!! Did they even try?? $36 gets you: a few skinny shrimp deeply soaked in terriyaki sauce, thinly cut scallops swimming in a thick miso goup, a couple of broccoli, and a scoop of rice. All completely flavorless. Seriously, so bad. The service has been declining over the years (especially if you're seated in the back away from the hibachi where you're forgotten), the sushi is now just ok. After this experience, Daruma is now a hard pass for me. read more

Delicious! I had the filet mignon and shrimp plate and it was excellent. The crab volcano was amazing. Highly recommend it! The restaurant was very nice and clean inside. The staff was very friendly and kept our drinks refilled and plates picked up. The chef was entertaining and cooked our food to perfection. read more

DaRuMa - Crab Meat Volcano - Japanese Near Me - Sarasota, Florida

We had an amazing experience! My kids loved Kenny who was our chef and Michael assisted us with an amazing dish for my daughter with allergies. I definitely recommend this place! The food was fabulous! read more

We were here for my birthday. Food was great and service was top notch. We did the traditional seating rather than the hibachi as we have done that so many times. It was a nice quiet change. Piano was nice too. They didn't have that the last time. Our server was the best. She even got me a sushi hat to take a pic. read more

DaRuMa - My husband customized my hat. - Japanese Near Me - Sarasota, Florida

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We love sitting and the bar! Lots of seating so you are spaced accordingly and Ken (bartender) and the Sushi chef is awesome. We come for happy hours sometimes, but honestly it's not even for the drink or food specials during the HH. The Gyoza is very good, but overall we love the sushi -freshness and creativity here. So delicious!! Haven't tried the habachi yet, but will do so next time. Everyone at those tables look like they are having fun and it smells so good. Love the ambiance and really hope this place continues to do well during Covid. read more