We just went there for lunch today after searching on Yelp. The experience was pretty bad for us. We were the very first customers for the restaurant during lunch hours. The waitress was not trained well or just wanted to ignore us. She didn't get our order until we complained after we saw her getting the forth customer's order in. The food was really bad as well. The pricey tempura soba and udon were just too salty, tasting like just noodles mixed with soy sauce broth. I would give them zero stars if Yelp had that option. read more

This place is fine for those visiting the area and looking for a place to dine at after skiing. We ordered a variety of dishes, sushi, noodles, salads, drinks. Nothing special and way over priced. The singapore noodles had way too much curry it was impossible to eat. Also, they aren't very accommodating for vegetarians. They should have vegetarian broth available! I'm glad I tried it but I'm not sure I'll be back. For a quick happy hour or apres ski, it's sufficient. read more

Damn this place serves good food. Go with nigiri or sashimi. Their fish is incredibly flavorful. This place could compete with sushi joints in San Francisco. Service was pretty bad though. But this was some of the best fish I've ever had. And in Truckee no less. So I'll go back 4 stars for great nigiri and well cut fish Missed the 5th star because entire staff would often disappear to the back. Where did they go? read more

Now THIS is sushi done right! Sam and his team skillfully prepare it, and the fish is oh-so fresh and tasty. Their toro was the absolute best I've had ANYWHERE and that's really saying something They also have a very good sake menu What a gem... too bad it's so far from home, but I will happily make the effort to return read more

Boyfriend and I were craving ramen so we decided to try this place. Yelpers said to not get the ramen here but we did anyway and I'm glad we did because the ramens were surprisingly delicious! We both ordered the Kyushu-style ramen and it might be on the saltier side for some people but it was perfect for my taste buds. It was pretty flavorful and no condiments were needed. We also ordered the spider sushi roll and again it was surprisingly pretty good! The roll tastes different but in a healthy and good way. This restaurant had a nice and cozy feel to it and I'll definitely come back again whenever I'm in Truckee! read more

I've come to this small tucked in restaurant in Truckee twice and both times I've been extremely impressed. Their sushi rolls pack a flavorful bite and they give you a generous portion. To my surprise the rolls were heavy in fish and light in the extras that other places will try to add in to save money. When you order something so basic as a California roll and the roll has real crab and a lot of it you know they care more that you enjoy your meal than their margin on fish/roll ratio. I can usually put back 4+ rolls when I need my sushi fix, but Drunken Monkey only required two. So even though the rolls are $9-15 each you won't need to buy 6-7 for you and your date to walk away satisfied. Two large sushi rolls, green tea, a donburi pot and spicy edamame came to about $40. Which was actually the first time in a long time I've been underwhelmed when flipping open the bill after dinner. I enjoyed the experience so much that I'm trying to convince my friends who just came up to come back with us tonight. read more

So so good! Lots of fresh vegetables, Delicious sushi and stellar service. Big thanks! Yum! Ps Becky ROCKS. read more

Horrible service, more expensive than getting it in Japan - save your money

Love this place. Good quality sushi. Decent service. EXCELLENT happy hour! Best sushi in town! Not the best I've had personally had but it's definitely up to par... if not... above par. Chef's do a great job... kudos to them. read more

...yes, if you read my reviews over the past few years, it's been up and down a bit. I frequent this place now. Service is much better now. I have eaten at many a sushi restaurants in Tahoe/Truckee/south lake areas. Drunken monkey has the best quality fish in these mountains, hands down! The Calamari is delicious, and the nigiri can't be beat. Try the Sake Kama or Hamachi Kama too, great deal, and tasty! ...and they play my kind of music :) read more

We have tried this place a few times, and the service is lacking but food is pretty good. On our first visit our appetizers and sushi came out together followed by our drinks (45 minute wait for 4 martinis). Overall a very unpleasant dining experience at a very small table that was so crammed full that it was commical. The second visit was a little better, but the sushi was faster than the entree off the menu and we were all finished eating before the other person even got their food. The third attempt was a to go order, and I was put on hold several times before being hung up on after 10 minutes of waiting. Never got the food. The food is good or we wouldnt keep trying it out, but the service and miscommunications among the staff make it not worth the effort. read more

I had been a drunken monkey in a different location. I was very excited to dine in with my family while I was in Tahoe. We ordered some appetizers and the main dish. Everything came out of order. After 2:30 my husband and I had not received our main dish. A waiter came over and apologized multiple times. When we go to a restaurant we do not want the waiter/chef/manager to take care of the food that was not delivered. We want to eat what we ordered. I was very disappointed today. The waiter said that the kitchen was busy. Hmmm, not an excuse though. The food that was served was amazing, as always, but I will not go back during the weekend. read more

Pretty quiet when my sister and I visited. The server was very attentive and happy hour made the prices doable! Other than that time, the restaurant is a bit pricey if you're just wanting to grab some sushi. read more

The food was good but not worth the 2 hour wait we weren't warned about -without drink refills- just to get our order taken not to mention the even longer wait to get our food while we watched people around us who got here after us get their orders taken promptly and got their food before our order was even taken. And while we're sitting waiting for our food there are multiple workers coming out to mess with an umbrella at a table next to us where no one is even sitting and not even bother to fill our waters when it was 90° outside. Will not be eating here again. read more

Solid choice for sushi in the North Tahoe area. It's located in a strip mall and there are quite a variety of rolls as well as nigiri sushi. There's also hot plates and appetizers as this is more of an Asian Fusion restaurant as opposed to just a regular Japanese restaurant. read more

The food and ambience were excellent. The outdoor patio seating is very serene. Our server Becky was very kind and accommodating.

Let me start by saying that I am loath to complain or write a bad review for any restaurant, and the worst I will usually do is let the management know about problems so they can make improvements (after I've paid and without asking for compensation). I operate under the assumption that people make mistakes but are honestly trying. That being said, I have to say that this is by far the worst sushi bar I have ever been to. I don't know if I caught the chef on a bad night (I doubt it based on the rave reviews I was overhearing from others), or if I should have dressed nicer so I wouldn't have been dismissed out of hand as "low class" (based on the lack of service we received from the server, I'm thinking the second). That'll teach me to go out to eat in jeans and tie-dye. The fish itself was decent enough quality, however the construction of the rolls left a lot to be desired (I have honestly had better sushi from a grocery store). If I'm going to spend nearly $100 for sushi for two, it had better be worth the price of admission. Next time I want sushi on my way through Truckee I'll just wait until I get back to Reno. read more

We were the first ones in there and it took them a while to get to us and we were pretty much the only ones in there for the entire meal and they didn't do well checking up on us and the food took a while to come out. Then we got it and the sushi was super dry and had no flavor. The teriyaki chicken was dry and burnt and there was barely any food. Super expensive for what we received. read more

Went again this week on Friday afternoon. Still impressive. The tempura calamari ($9.50) was excellent and uniquely presented. I had a Yakiniku beef Donburi bowl, which only has a handful of ingredients but was expertly prepared ($8.50). Finished it all off with a Golden Tiger Roll ($9.50). There is some flavor in the sushi rolls I can't put my finger on. It isn't unpleasant, but it isn't desirable either. This is the third time I've had a roll here, and each time that flavor appears. It isn't in the calamari, so I know it isn't the tempura batter or oil. But, it appears no matter what roll I order. The flavor has a musky aroma, like black truffle, but very subtle...Hmmmm.....the mystery continues. Otherwise, and excellent excellent place. And by the way, warm sake is like white zinfandel in the sake world: Gross! Good sake is always room temp or ice cold. I ALWAYS have mine as cold as possible. Drunken Monkey has zero warm sake, and I appreciate their knowledge in this area. Warm sake on any menu is an insult to American palates!! read more

The staff deserves 5 starts due to great customer service but the food I'll give 2/3 stars. I was looking forward to catching dinner here after reading reviews and checking out the pictures on yelp but was quite disappointed with the sushi rolls. The miso soup and calamari was great. I was even happier when the rolls came to the table fresh with real crab meat. But the rolls lacked flavor. They tasted very bland that I literally only ate a couple pieces and took home the rest only to throw them away. Loved the ambiance though. read more

Drunken Monkey - Calamari - Japanese Near Me - Truckee, California

Very disappointing and over priced for what you get. I guess the only positive thing I can say is the cocktails were good.

Delicious sushi, ramen, and lots of other choices! Happy hour is the best with super good specials!

Best way to describe my experience was here is like drinking a Diet Coke it's good because your having soda, but not quite like the real deal. Everything was fresh and good. But the ingredients didn't make an appetizing roll. 3 stars because good service and a nice establishment read more

This was a nice place to spend our lunch. When we walked in, the young man kind of stared at me like I said something wrong (I didn't say anything and was waiting for him to say something). After finally asking if we were eating there, he told us to wait a minute and went to set up our table (took some time). When he walked away, even my boyfriend said he was looking at me very hard, I'm still not sure why. The girl that took our order was very friendly but didn't know what she was talking about on the cook of the eel. I asked if it was cooked, she said " uhm, it not cooked but its warmed," When I got it, I was glad because it was cooked just as I had been used to (it was smoked) which she obviously didn't understand. I ordered the tempura shrimp topped with eel and it was DELICIOUS! My boyfriend got the friend calamari which was plated in a crisp rice bowl. They were both plated beautifully. The other customers sitting outside with us were also very friendly. After getting our check, we had to take the bill inside ourselves because we were waiting so long it seemed like she forgot about us. Usually these things really bother me but the friendliness of everyone really made it easier to just take it and move on with our day. read more

Love this little sushi joint. Super fresh and tasty. Friendly staff. Good vibes. Good drink selections. Nice family atmosphere. Great place for dinner. read more

This place is good for being so far from the ocean. I enjoyed my rolls. They have options for vegetarians too, which is always nice. Our waitress was friendly but took a while to notice that we were in desperate need of water refills and our cocktails had been empty for too long. We probably would have had another round of sake if we were tended to a little better. Overall our experience was good and we will be back. read more

If you're considering Asian food in Truckee go to Drunken Monkey! The staff is incredibly friendly, the menu is huge and nearly everything can be customized, and the environment is great. There is plenty of room and it doesn't feel crowded at all. All though there are very few actually vegan options in the menu, our waitress fixed up a roll with cucumber and mango which was delicious and reasonably priced! The location is convenient, parking isn't a nightmare, and everyone is lovely. My only problems is that we got a hair in our dessert and the water tastes funky. read more

Best sushi in truckee, good menu and options. A little slow to serve but overall goood, I would come back

You MUST order the oven roasted honey cha-shu pork donburi dish!!! Perfection in a bowl. Yum! The menu is large and it is difficult to decide. The sake list is great and the one we chose was so smooth and wonderful. The miso was a great way to warm up after a long day of skiing--lots of tofu and onions, yum! My Dad ordered the donburi dish and I helped him eat it, lol. I ordered the golden crystal salad roll w/ crab salad, shrimp tempura, avocado, lettuce and it was good--crispy, light, fresh. My fiance ordered a salmon skin hand roll which was tasty but his nabe-yaki udon was almost inedible. He had to pick out all of the shrimp because they were bad. Despite the udon, the rest of the food and service was very good! Our waitress was super sharp and very attentive. We were impressed by Drunken Monkey and will definitely return next time we are in the Truckee/Tahoe area! read more

I went when this first opened and not that impressed, we gave it another try and now we go at least once a month for date night or with our two kids. I like the ambiance and the fish is SUPER fresh not to mention sushi Sam always teaches me something new either about a particular sake, using my chopsticks more efficiently, etc. My two year old will eat sushi only here as long as he can dip it in soy sauce :) My sushi experience came late in life when I lived in San Francisco and Vancouver but now I love it and won't eat it just anywhere (read: snob). Venture for one of Sam's fresh creations. Oh yeah and I love the home made sauces on the calamari and the tofu appetizer. I think one thing that sets this restaurant apart from others in the Tahoe area is that the owners present and know/care about their customers. read more

I always have a nice time at Drunken Monkey. Walking in the door I don't think I've ever been greeted quickly but I don't think they have a hostess either (maybe I just go when it's slower relaxed nights). The food I love, staff is overall friendly and helpful. And as for staff I MISS JAY! Where'd you go!? :( I'll still be back but if I find out JAY is at a new sushi spot I might just have to switch. Anyone out there know? Not to take away from DM. I'll be back soon and often. Thank you guys read more

Fast service. Too fast. But better than too slow, right? Food was pretty good. Sushi was meh (salmon and mackerel nigiri). Seaweed salad was ok, although the tub you can buy at Costco is better. The Char-Shu Donburi was pretty good and a lot of food. A bit too much five spice, but I would get it again. The Shaking Beef was my favorite. Quite good! read more

HOLY CRAP, unless you want a whole salt shaker in your foods, then you would like this place. Everything we ordered from Miso soup, rice bowl, and noodles were all pure salt that both my husband and I were only able to eat half of our dish that we ordered. Almost every three bites I had to take a sip of water. Worse experience ever on my trip. We didn't order any sushi rolls so I am sure that's your safest things to order if your here. The atmosphere was nice and sushi chefs were friendly. HOLY CRAP, unless you want a whole salt shaker in your foods, then you would like this place. Everything we ordered from Miso soup, rice bowl, and noodles were all pure salt that both my husband and I were only able to eat half of our dish that we ordered. Almost every three bites I had to take a sip of water. Worse experience ever on my trip. We didn't order any sushi rolls so I am sure that's your safest things to order if your here. The atmosphere was nice and sushi chefs were friendly. read more

My 3 stars means I'll eat here again and definitely a must try destination place. We were seated within the estimated 45 minute wait time, albeit we chose to take the opening at the bar, had we waited for a table it would have been longer than 45 minutes. We had the pork ramen, good hearty broth with kimchi and roasted garlic, I would order this again. The udon tempura, also good, but ask that the tempura be served on the side, unless you like soggy tempura. The Singapore noodles was good as well, will try the hor- fun on the next trip. The atmosphere is warm, staff is friendly and efficient. Great to know that Tahoe has a restaurant that serves up this caliber of food. I always expect heavy bar food, Mac and Cheese, Hamburgers or subpar Asian eats up here. I didn't leave here feeling overly stuffed or salt induced. read more

Bummer we have had previously great experiences here but unfortunately the millennials that work the front have terrible customer service. It's unfortunate you have hired dumb young kids to take orders and help customers. They had no intention of doing a good job. Very unfortunate read more

The kitchen was out of commission when we visited tonight :( I had really been looking forward to trying this place after researching dinner ideas from afar (we live ~5 hours away). So no tempura, no potstickers, etc. The hostess did warn us but we figured what the heck, we're here already. The miso soup was delicious! The cucumber salad was really good but a little too big...the vinegar became overwhelming after eating about 1/2 of it; the goji berries & rice noodles were a nice addition to it though. I ordered a Golden Tail Dragon Roll (eel, avocado, crab, tempura shrimp & mango)....it would have been EPIC with tempura shrimp but with plain cooked shrimp (because kitchen wasn't working) it lack a crunch and was very bland. The staff was very friendly. Service was spotty. Seated quickly, a longish wait to order, our starters came out quickly, then all my husband's food, but it was a good 15 minutes after that before I got the single roll I ordered. I'd try it again with a working kitchen, but as we live far away and are just having a weekend away I doubt it will be soon. read more

Maybe my expectations were a little too high. Coming from the bay area where there are plenty of authentic and good japanese food, this place was a complete let down...especially for the price they were charging. - Presentation was terrible, why was my ginger and wasabi dripping in water? Why did my spider-something roll look so smashed together, I couldn't tell what the ingredients were? - A very mediocre ramen that I could replicate using nongshim ramen, bean sprouts, kimchi, and store bought bbq pork - Spider roll tasted okay, but it was probably the worst looking roll I've ever seen...in my life. Everything was so smushed together you couldn't distinguish what was what - The chirashi... well, they gave a lot of rice. The fish tasted okay...nothing amazing but not terrible TLDR: College-level sushi joint marketing itself as a high-end restaurant read more

We wound up at Drunken Monkey on a whim. We have our usual spots we eat when we are in Truckee, but we branched out and I'm so glad we did. If you're up for a little fancier feel dining in the rugged free spirited town of Truckee, this is the place for sure. The atmosphere is really nice, but still casual and it was packed in the middle of the week. As for the stars.... I am a sushi snob. Big time. I will only eat at one or two sushi places in our area. So either Drunken Monkey had its best night ever when I happened to be there, or they have excellent sushi. And I mean excellent. I was actually blown away. Highest recommendation goes to the calamari. Trust me, you haven't had it like this before and it was like butter on the inside. Perfect. As for the rolls, we got quite the variety and tried a lot of things, and there wasn't anything I didn't want more of. We will be returning next time we're up. read more

We decided to try this location as it was recommended by friends in the area. It was very quiet for the lunch hour so we were seated immediately. The waitress was friendly and took our order within fifteen minutes. We ordered a Red Dragon roll. The fish was fresh but the roll itself had no flavor. The spicey tuna hand rolls were the same along with the two other rolls ordered. The presentation was excellent. The fact that there was no flavor baffled us completely. The rice wasn't even seasoned with the usual touch of vinegar. The Madera Serpent was disappointing flavor wise as well. The other disappointment was the volume of flies in the restaurant. I killed three during my meal which took the appetite away rather quickly. I would like to try this location again as it might have been an off day for the Drunkin Monkey. It was a $70.00 lunch though (No alcohol) and again very disapointing. read more

I think this will be a usually place to go when in the North Tahoe area. Place is always packed with people whether it is skiing season, the summer, or the off-season. They have you seated fairly quick. Services is good, may miss an empty glass but no one is perfect. Food delicious as always. Started with ahi tataki which is seared ahi tuna, cube and tossed in spicy chili-garlic oil, artichoke hearts and fresh cilantro. Entree my girlfriend got Singapore Street Noodles while I got the Hor-Fun and we shared Alpeglow sushi roll. The Singapore street noodles had a curry flavor to it, to go with season vegetable and a lot of shrimp. The Hor-Fun, I thought I was getting noodles but I seems like I got more of mixed seafood than noodles. Not complaining I love seafood, it came with squid, shrimp, salmon, tuna, bass, ect. Thank you. The Alpenglow sushi roll, a very tasty roll with salmon, scallop, don't quite remember the inside but the lemon gave it the touches it needed to be a great dish. For dessert was handcrafted icecream coconut lychee flavor, looks kind of plain but it is tasty. We'll be back to when in the area to try some other delicious food. goal to try everything on the menu. read more

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