I found a gem in my backyard. I didn't expect this place to be this good. The staff was very…read morefriendly and accommodated our reservations immediately. Can't complain. The place was nice, quaint with your typical Japanese Restaurant flare. Not pretentious. Comfortable and seemingly spacious enough for 6 people. The food was very good. I had the Chirashi Sashimi and the fish was fresh. Didn't feel like it was frozen for days. My wife and son enjoyed the Steak Teriyaki Bento Box, My other son found his Sushi Roll very satisfying. Even my daughter, who is very picky, like her Chicken Katsu. I also had the Tokyo IPA. It was surprisingly good! It didn't have that tiresome bitter IPA taste. I was delightfully refreshing. This place is definitely worth visiting. I should really explore the back roads of my area more and not just go up-and-down Route 9 or 18 or trekking to NYC. There could be more hidden gems that I haven't discovered.

The tuna tartare and Shumai are OUT OF THIS WORLD. My roommate orders the pad thai frequently and…read moreLOVES it. Beautiful presentation on dishes. Sad we didn't try this place sooner. Delivery is always quick and fresh. We are looking forward to visiting the restaurant in person soon for the sushi bar.

Just came back from having dinner here. Surprise surprise. Another AYCE spot in Jersey…read more Overall, the fish quality was decent and the sashimi pieces were large. Good selection of hot food too. The service was quite slow even though the restaurant was empty. It took a while for the sushi to arrive, and by that time, we started feeling full from the appetizers. We knew we were not going to get our money's worth tonight. Towards the end of our meal, we started smelling a poopy stench in the air - yes you heard me, POOPY! It made me completely lose my appetite. I'm so done with sushi buffets...never again :(

I've come here twice, once for lunch and once for dinner. Both visits were alright. For a pretty…read moresmall restaurant w/ slow business, service was subpar. The AYCE option was WAY overpriced ($38 all day weekend), so I always just ordered off the regular menu. The sushi came out on a pretty wooden bridge both times. The second time I came here, the rice was a little hard. Overall, I'd come here again bc it wasn't terrible, but it wouldn't be my first choice.

Jony is an absolute beast he served us real good. I love the way he brought our food he is the…read moreabsolute man.

I love ramen here I love the people the food the environment. is very comfortable to be here I'll…read moredefinitely come back again

I know I said no more sushi buffets but the buffet lover in me just couldn't stay away. This is the…read morelast time, I swear!! I tried to give this new spot a fair shot, especially because it's so close to me, but it was pretty disappointing to say the least. The cooked food selection was limited. No fried oysters?! On top of that, the cooked food that we did order was bland and bordered on nursing home food. Service was very slow even though it wasn't busy. It took almost an hour for the sushi to be served and we only ordered 2 rolls and a few pieces of nigiri. I noticed that there were way more waitstaff than sushi chefs. The interior was decorated beautifully and the employees were nice, but that's really the only positive thing I have to say :(

AYCE + BYOB! Yes, everything on the menu is fair game, not just sushi (a question I had before…read morecoming in). I didn't anticipate the restaurant to be so packed as it looks unassuming given its location, but I was wrong! Had to wait a good 30-40 minutes to get a table for 2. Once you review the menu, you put up the sign that says "service needed" to indicate to the staff you are ready to order. They have disclaimers (rightfully so) to not over order as to minimize food waste.Everything we ordered was absolutely delicious and tasted very fresh! Def a great deal (just under $30 PP for all you can eat) and a great variety of options.

Had a great lunch here on a weekday! Our server Arjun was very friendly and happy to answer our…read morequestions. Lots of regular rolls and special rolls available, all of them really tasty (oishii)!

I hate to say it, but this might be the best AYCE sushi restaurant I've been to in Jersey…read more It's gimmicky, don't get me wrong, but in the best way. Upon entering, you've entered a high speed Japanese train with lights and signage surrounding you. The little train cars that bring your food are super fun, and the conveyor belt is actually filled with food. The little robots that bring you appetizers are a fun touch too! There's a great mix of both sushi and cooked food here, and each dish has such amazing flavor (which is surprising for an AYCE establishment.) I was fully expecting something to taste off or not hit the mark, but that never came. While the sushi rolls are fun, the cooked food is definitely the star. The fried rice was flavorful, meats had great sear to them and the sauces were tasty. I've never been to an all you can eat that had agedashi tofu, so it was a surprise to me seeing this on the menu! Whether you're into raw sushi or cooked meals, there's food for everyone. I fully understand why wait times are so long - we waited for 1.5 hours for an early weekend dinner. Definitely need to visit this place at least once, maybe twice, or just all the time, because the bang for your buck here is unreal!

I brought friends here. My 3rd time eating here. Quick service. Excellent food. Everyone went home…read morestuffed.

The food was delicious and the spicy mayo was not that spicy. Ordered from the lunch menu from…read moreMonday to Saturday. Service was good and food came fast.

In a culinary landscape where great sushi is so often confined to coastal capitals and…read moreexpense-account zip codes, it is genuinely startling to encounter something this accomplished in Matawan. I have eaten sushi at Sugarfish in Manhattan and at Jade in Beverly Hills--two benchmarks for quality and consistency--and I can say without hesitation that this experience surpasses Sugarfish and stands shoulder to shoulder with Jade at roughly a third of the price. With sushi, the truth is unavoidable: three-quarters of the experience is determined long before the knife ever touches the fish. It lives in the discipline of daily market sourcing, in restraint, in knowing when not to interfere. Here, that philosophy is not only understood but executed with confidence. The fish is pristine, the rice balanced and restrained, the flavors allowed to speak without excess. What makes this place remarkable is not merely its technical proficiency, but its ambition. This is not "good for New Jersey" sushi; it is simply excellent sushi, full stop--an experience that would feel entirely at home in Manhattan, Los Angeles, or Tokyo. I gladly made the trip from Montclair, and I will gladly make it again. This is the rare kind of restaurant that recalibrates expectations, proving that greatness does not require a skyline--only rigor, taste, and respect for the craft.

Came here on a Wednesday night and was seated right away. Pretty spacious and clean inside and…read morelooks much classier on the inside than it does on the outside. Our server/service was excellent overall and food came out very fast despite the restaurant slowly filling up! We started off with the mentai potato, zaru soba, and tempura appetizers and those were the stars tonight. The mentai potato were steak fries with a mentaiko and wasabi dipping sauces. Fries were large, crispy and perfectly saulted. The zaru soba was also a nice find! We usually have go to NYC for it so it was a nice surprise. Pro tip, add wasabi to the sauce to mellow out the saltiness. We ordered a few rolls, a sushi dinner and some uni. Unfortunately the uni didn't seem as fresh as we had hoped and had a very overwhelming ocean taste to it. The rice on the rolls and sushi also were a bit mushy as if the rice wasn't cooked enough or too much rice vinegar was used. We also ordered a white christmas roll expecting seared white tuna, but it wasn't seared. Fish quality was ok overall. Overall, the experience was fine and we would love to try some more of the hot food. We really loved the apps but were a little disappointed tonight with the sushi. We'd come back soley for the apps!

I placed a reservation a month in advance to celebrate my six year anniversary, and my reservation…read morewas canceled the day before with no explanation. I had to scramble to get another reservation somewhere else and they did not respond to any phone calls or voicemails, regarding an explanation. Very unprofessional!! Please also see my review below for a previous experience I had there. I also have a $150 gift card that I am unable to use! Pros: Plenty of tuna available, served with fresh wasabi. Cons: Limited or no rice (asked multiple times, but few had it), mediocre appetizer quality and quantity, chaotic and loud atmosphere, no water provided (asked multiple times), and the fish was not sourced from Japan. I was disappointed with the tuna cutting event. I had expected a more formal and relaxed setting, similar to my previous omakase experience, but instead, it was loud, crowded, and chaotic. I also assumed the fish would be sourced from Japan and that the appetizers would be of somewhat comparable quality and quantity to those at the previous omakase dinner, due to the price of the dinner. Additionally, my girlfriend and I were very sick afterward and still are (throwing up etc). People were throwing up outside as well. The lack of rice, limited appetizers, and no access to water made it difficult to balance the meal. Having these options would have helped settle our stomachs and balanced the meal, instead of just eating pure tuna. We also didn't drink much (less than two weak alcoholic beverages each since we rarely drink), which made the event feel less worthwhile. Offering a non-alcoholic price option could be beneficial for guests like us. Overall, I found the event underwhelming and wouldn't attend again. Thank you for taking the time to read my feedback.

Intimate seating, as per usual omakase dining experiences, with only ten seats. Ambiance is quiet,…read morenot super formal but we felt we had to keep our voices down. Cocktails were a reasonable price, they do not offer wine, and many sake options. Most are quite pricey, but the warmed sake was $28 for a carafe. We got two and split it between the three of us. They warm it in the microwave, which I thought was slightly awkward, as the microwave was in the main dining area, near where some of the alcohol was stored. Our dining experience started off with three appetizers. They were interesting but not quite that flavorful in my opinion. The sushi coming out after we're much nicer. I especially liked the pickled vegetables on top of a few of the pieces. I mentioned in my reservation that I was a pescatarian and as they only asked for food allergies before they began and not preferences/dietary restrictions, I did not mention it. I wasn't offered anything instead of the wagyu piece so I ended up giving it to my friend. They were, however, very mindful of my friend's shrimp allergy. Bill ended up being $136 for the 16 courses plus the drinks, tax and tip.

Great service. Yummy sushi & fried ice cream :) My boyfriend had the fried Godzilla roll and I had…read morethe Crustation roll.

The fish here is incredibly fresh and high-quality. You can really tell the difference in the…read moretexture and flavor. Everything was beautifully presented and melt-in-your-mouth delicious. Easily some of the best sushi in the area. The rolls were tight, the nigiri was perfect, and you can tell everything is made to order. A must-visit for any sushi lover!

Do not order from this place if you want to pay premium prices and get sushi like this. The Spicy…read moreTuna is hard. The rice used for the sushi is stale. And they give fish--they couldn't even tell you what it was! I asked for salmon and tuna sushi pieces and got throwaway fish. I even tipped and it was takeout. They don't even say thank you. They told me 15 min wait so I waited a full 15 minutes and went inside and the food was on the counter. Soup on top of the sushi as well inside the bag. They knew I was standing outside and no one came to say the food was ready. Terrible all around. I live nearby and although convenient I will never eat here again.

Sakana is a great addition to the central hub of Spotswood. I love the option of eating Japanese…read morefood and being able to do a grocery/alcohol run at the same time. Food pricing is reasonable. We love their lunch specials and bento boxes. Lots of options for sushi and special rolls as well. Clean interior and friendly service.