Unbelievable experience. We were hesitant to come bc of the reviews but they were way off! Party of 13 celebrating a 14th birthday and everything was great!!! Service was so friendly and on top of everything even 2 people with dairy and gluten allergies. The food was phenomenal. Lobster. Steak. Sea bass. Chicken. All delicious. The atmosphere and decor are top notch! The seating was super cool! They made it special for the birthday and even have a nice printed photo in a frame. All around amazing experience!! We will be back!! Thank you! read more

What a disappointment. Called for reservations and was told 6:15 was not possible but 6:30 was. Arrived at 6:25, was seated at 6:30 and was surprised that at 6:40, with a full habachi table, we hadn't been asked for our drink order or at least be given water. Asked two individuals and lastly, the woman at the front check in if we could order drinks and they said no. I then asked if we could sit at the bar instead to order drinks and order food and we were told no. So we left. Management here should be embarrassed of the poor service, clueless busboys and disorganization. read more

Went out for a celebration tonight and had the worst meal I have ever had at either of the Sarasota Daruma restaurants. We were at the south location tonight. The prices have gone way up, but the quality of the food has gone way down. I made the mistake of ordering shrimp which meant I got shrimp appetizer and shrimp for my meal. My husband had steak and shrimp. Half the shrimp we had weren't even deveined which meant I had to pick it out myself before eating. That got old fast so I ended up leaving the restaurant hungry, as the shrimp were also very taste less. My husband said his steak was not very good either. The cook did a good job, it was just low quality food. The only thing that was really good was the soup. The salad tasted good also but was not cut up very well. I think this place has been going downhill recently and is definitely not worth the $35 for a shrimp dinner and $39 for steak and shrimp that we spent. I will have to attempt to find a better Japanese Steakhouse for the future, which is sad because we have celebrated almost every big family occasion here. read more

I went tonight with two friends. We sat at the hibachi table, ordered drinks and food. I ordered a glass of Chardonnay at their happy hour price.....their house brand which was Beringer...it was very sweet! Chardonnay is not sweet. My friend asked if I could have something else....not happy hour price. The manager, Ron, said I would still have to pay for the Beringer $5.00. My friend said they come here often and thought that I should not have to pay for that. He said "He didn't care"! He said it would come out of his budget. I thought that remark was totally uncalled for and rude! The food was very good but the the attitude of the manager was uncalled for and for that reason, I will not go back. Life is too short to deal with rude people. read more

Establishments like DaRuMa are similar to my local Benihana's which provides a good show for patrons to enjoy and eat hot food. I ordered the steak and shrimp which was very tender. We went in a party of 10 and they were accommodating to our whole party and provided great service. For Asian food, it is only a good spot for parties and special occasions and not for regular dinner for the price point. I am also biased since I have a very established Asian palate. read more

Had a very nice evening with my sister at the piano bar here. The menu is extensive: appetizers, including happy hour specials, and a great variety of small plates. We went from the safe --gyoza--to the adventurous--lobster volcano and a sort of mini Japanese taco. Good food, good drinks and great service. The real treat though was the piano. The pianist is terrific, and plays Everything from Gershwin to Samba, and in between. We were the only ones who sat at the piano, which seats about 8 I think. The music is conversational level throughout that room. A great girls' night out. I can't speak to the hibachi aspect as we weren't interested in that. read more

What a great birthday experience we had here. Food and entertainment was excellent, as always.

We have gone to the other location on fruitville, and that location has a better service. This location look much nicer very clean and modern. The Mai Tai drink was excellent, took a bit long to get the first one. The spicy golden chicken appetizers was very good. I didn't think the sauce wasn't that spicy but my wife did. For main courses, my wife got the NY Strip teriyaki and Grouper from the combination Boxes, she loved it. I got the New York Strip teriyaki from the Petite Entrees, it was good but not warm enough .We were pretty much alone the places was pretty empty and thought the service was a bit slow. The place is pretty good for a chain hibachi restaurant. read more

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Visiting with my dad from California and we're both foodies! This place did not disappoint one bit. The service and staff was very nice, friendly and quick! The ambience was so pleasant with the live piano felt like we were in old Hollywood. The food was amazing from the miso to the salad to the perfectly cooked scallops. Nothing was made basic they were made with so much passion and thought! Perfect food for the right price! read more

Always good and friendly place to celebrate birthdays! Piano player played HB song on the perfect moment! Great food & staff!

Tradition just bit my 13 YO in the rear. It is our tradition to celebrate his birthday at Daruma. Let's face it...kids go to hibachi tables for three things: (1) the big fire (2)catching the shrimp in the air and (3) to hear someone sing "Happy Birthday" after the meal. It was our tradition for the past four years. At the end of the meal, there was no song. Not scoop of ice cream. Not even an acknowledgement of the birthday boy. I was somewhat embarrassed so I asked the manager after our dinner. He said, "Did you tell someone it was his birthday?"...uh yes. "Did you order the birthday package?"...uh "What is the birthday package?". Apparently you have to pay $12 per person to have "the birthday experience" at Daruma. WHAT? Why in the AF would you ask someone to pay an additional $12 to sing Happy Birthday now? We aren't there to eat the Aldi's filet and 4 shrimp. We are there to celebrate a birthday...celebrate a tradition. The manager even tried to throw the server under the bus. Don't get me wrong...I would have paid $12 for our whole table just to see my son's smile when he heard them sing, but it wasn't offered. Secondly, what kind of POS restaurant would charge for that? Where does the $12 bucks go....singing lessons? The spoonful of ice cream? What happened to this place? Never again. read more

The restaurant is beautiful and the service was delightful. Unfortunately, the food was not it. It was flavorless. There was plenty of it though. The sushi was okay but we didn't finish that either. It's just a shame. This place could be a goldmine but I'll never spend mine here again. read more

Good food with entertainment. Our table side chef was fun and gave us a great show. We enjoyed steak and shrimp but there are many other choices that will be cooked in front of your eyes. There is no need to order an appetizer as the meal comes with a sampling of shrimp appetizer, soup, salad and the main course. Plenty of food with vegetables, rice and your choice of protein. Allow yourself plenty of time to enjoy the experience. read more

Delicious food and service. Every meal has been worth it and truly always a good time. Love bar seating and waiters are extremely helpful and friendly. Hope to return next time I'm in the area read more

Yesterday I brought a group of 16 people to DaRuMa- all of whom enjoyed the entire experience of good food at reasonable prices complimented by a friendly and helpful staff. Thank you, staff, at DaRuMa, for a delightful and delicious dining experience! read more

Terrible costumer service. (Fruitville location) We have been going monthly for over 10 years and it has been fantastic. Tonight (Saturday) when we finished dinner, we wanted to order dessert and we're told no desserts Friday, Saturday, or Sunday. We were told if you want dessert on those nights you have to leave your hibachi table and move to the piano bar or include that request with your reservation!! For a $250 dinner why can't you eat dessert at your original table???? At no time during dinner or before was this ever mentioned or noted. I asked the manager when this "new policy" took effect, and he informed me it was several months ago...... interesting, as I was there in December and I had desert at my table! read more

Top notch! If there is such a thing as gourmet sushi, this place is it! The sushi chef, Chris, and the bartender, Kristen, are absolutely awesome! read more

First time there and would have given it 4 stars but there were issues. First off the food was delicious! We will be back. However the food was warm not hot. Still loved it though. My big complaint is the booze. We had 2 glasses of wine and 2 martinis $52.00!! The food was 6 dollars less. This seems to be a trend in restaurants in Sarasota now. read more

If it were possible to give "0" stars that is how I would rate this place. We stopped going to the other location due to poor customer relations and overpriced food. Our hopes for a renewed experience at the new S. Tamiami Trail location were dashed! We decided to try it out for a cocktail to avoid committing our evening. As we approached the bar we noticed at least four service people behind the bar and approximately six people sitting at the bar. For over 10 minutes we sat there without any acknowledgment whatsoever, not even eye contact. The place is empty because they have no interest in staying open! read more

Went there on Sunday for a table of 4 adults, a baby and kid. We got sat quickly and waited for our drinks to come. Our orders were taken for drinks and most of the table got the Sunset steak special for $27 and up charge of $2.50 for fried rice on some of them as our reservation was during that time frame. After the water and drinks came out. the chef cooking came back to validate what we ordered for the second time. It seemed like the portion differences for the specials was the issue. We got our soup and green salad and at this point he started cooking and catching the shrimp in his shirt. I finished my water and tea drinks before the salad was picked up. I left for a bit to take the kid in the water and heard a manager standing by our area talking to a younger kid and pointing out our iced teas needed to be refilled. As I was gone about 8 minutes upon returning the tea was filled but not the water. We started eating and it was salty for most of the food. I ended up completing maybe 15 % of the food and another of our group 50 % that we took home. We skipped tea and desert and our 5 people got up to exit. 3 went outside and two of us stood right next to the podium while two managers stood right by the entrance talking to each other. We thought one of our party had gone to the bathroom and we were waiting on them. After 7 minutes I asked the manager can we get a check and he said oh yeah let me look into that - the whole time we're 4 feet from them. Our check arrives for $204 having an auto gratuity of about $28 seems ridiculous. Service was not the best having been there for the second time now. The times standing around and watching didn't show a sense of urgency or customer service. At the best we give it another try. But can eat multiple times at plaza mexico or mad moes for the same price. read more

Excellent sushi and sashimi combo dinner. Food was excellent and service as well. Very good atmosphere, excellent piano player. All good.

Very unimpressed with the amount of food given during hibachi for the price. The other patrons at our table received the extras after the cook served everyone. We were skipped over. So, naturally these people had to go boxes for their leftovers. My family and I will not be returning. read more

Went there for happy hour. Drink choices for cocktails were sparse, so wife orders a Kettel one martini. Bill comes and its $16.00. We don't even spend that in LA or NYCity. No prices on menus so you are captive. Don't mind paying for what your charging, but give the customer the option. People don't appreciate being ripped off. See you soon, not so soon. read more

I would put 0 stars if I could. We got seated quickly at 7pm on a Saturday night. However, once we sat down, The entire staff completely ignored us. We sat down for 15 minutes and still nobody had taken our drinks or anything. Very disappointed and we just walked out read more

That wife and I have been to many Japanese Steak Houses in our travels and our visit to DaRaMa was one of the best! That filet portions were large and tender. The scallops were huge, the taste of all dishes was amazing and our chef was outstanding. Thanks for a great meal. read more

Best hibachi we've ever had! Best chef, best staff, best flavor, best ambiance! Highly recommend. Chef Joe is the best!

Noisy, food is all salt. Terrible management and wait staff. They want to get you in out quickly. They brought our friend's birthday cake in the middle of dinner. Incredibly rude. Then they lost her lobster leftovers. We will not go back. Daruma on Fruitville is better. read more

Amazing experience and food at this restaurant! I would definitely recommend DaRuMa! To start off the restaurant has a very nice interior! The hibachi chef was super funny and made the experience a ton of fun! The food was amazing and was very filling! We went with a large group and everyone was happy! Also the bathrooms were some of the nicest bathrooms that I have seen at a restaurant! Thank you DaRuMa for an amazing meal and experience! read more

Such a shame that this couldn't live up to the standards shown at their Fruitville location. Good food, terrible management. We were told they wouldn't seat us until the last person in our party arrived and that they would save our table for us. Five minutes later, the last person in our party showed up and they had given away our table and had to wait 30 minutes for a new one. Manager blamed it on her employee and didn't take responsibility for her mistake. I think we'll just drive the extra 5 minutes and go to fruitville next time instead of dealing with this ahaiGood food, terrible management. "whole party needs to be here for us to seat you" Sure fire way to piss off your customers! read more

This place is completely racist. When given the opportunity they seat the black patrons with other black patrons and white patrons with other white patrons. I've been going to this place and enjoyed myself for three years until I noticed this last night after waiting 30 minutes and watching people get served with empty seats at their table. My fiance and I who are both black were not seated until another group of black patrons arrived. It's ridiculous and I would not advise anyone of color to spend their money there read more

Brand new nice and clean friendly staff. Pretty much same as you would expect from any hibachi steak house good early bird drink and app specials. A bit tacky to charge us $5 for our rice to be fried. While everything is fried right in front of you. read more

really good sushi, decent food, really horrible service. - pretty good food, loved the sushi rolls. entrees were just okay, standard stuff and a bit overpriced. biggest downfall was the service, really really bad. our server was training i believe and did not introduce herself, rushed us the whole time and made it super uncomfortable. put in 2 sushi rolls to go, took 30 minutes with no one checking on us. had to find a separate employee to have them taken off and cashed out. ruined the evening essentially read more

Love love love great for picky eaters. Expensive but a great meal and I definitely recommend booking where they cook in front of you for the whole experience read more

If I could give 0 stars I would.. food was flavorless and not worth the money... they charge extra add on's that they don't tell you about before hand. And the gratuity was automatically included which to me the bad service and basic food was not worth the tip they charged us.. when I questioned the add-on charges the waitress and manager where very rude... never in my life have I had such bad service from a restaurant.. stay far away from this place! read more

I went back to this place but this time I sat at the Habotchi table, and it was really good. The chef was very talented and the food superb. read more

We would not recommend this restaurant for those who may be looking for and wanting a more authentic Japanese cuisine experience. For those who want the Teppanyaki/ Hibachi experience and entertainment value this may be the perfect choice. Both my wife recently visited the restaurant and ordered their miso grouper. The fish was over salted and the vegetables were also over cooked. The waitress seemed new and not confident explaining the menu. There are many Japanese restaurants around town with much better preparation and presentation of the food but again through my observation most were there for the grill experience and the drinks. read more

This was our first time to this Japanese Steakhouse , I think they only been open for 6 months or so , the Chef was excellent the quality of the food was excellent I had Lobster it was cooked perfect most places overcook it , my wife had steak and shrimp , we were both very pleased with our meals and the large portions , I would definitely recommend this restaurant to my friends and family read more

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The atmosphere and setting is beautiful. Attention to detail in design is flawless. The table was set wonderfully and as we sat in our booth we admired the lightening, art, and design. We choose to sit in the dining area opposed to the hibachi setting for a more personal experience as we were having dinner with family we had not seen in a while. However, this is where the charm had ended. This experience was rated with 3 stars opposed to a 4 or 5 star experience because it lacked a wow factor. I would rate this experience as unfortunately forgetful. The server was nice but not knowledgeable of the menu or wine service. She did not remove dirty plates before setting new ones. Also, the food, yet good was not something I could find elsewhere. Overall, the food was good and well priced but not memorable. read more

DaRuMa - Japanese Near Me - Sarasota, Florida

We have gone there twice in 2 days and both times were outstanding! Today we had Mark and Joey (from Okinawa), my wife and I have spent 2 yrs in Okinawa, so we had a great time with Joey... my food was great, fresh and normally I have problems with the quality from most restaurants... the service and everyone was outstanding! It was a little pricey, but it is differently worth it!!!! read more

Food was good, except very small shrimp for the price. Service was excellent and the show was cute! Will go back again.. also drinks were good... read more