I have been wanting to give this place a try and finally got the opportunity. Unfortunately I was…read morein the moment so I did not take any photos. Everything was really fresh and prepared well. The restaurant has beautiful vaulted ceilings and great vibes. Only note was the music was all over the place but not a big deal at all. We ordered a lot since we were both very hungry and left satisfied. Starters: Spicy garlic edamame - great flavor and not overly done (5/5) Shrimp & Veggie tempura- perfect amount of batter (5/5) Gyoza (5/5) Mains: Chicken Teriyaki served with miso soup, salad, and steamed rice. (4/5) only because the salad while good had a little too much dressing, not a deal breaker. Sake sashimi 5/5 Tiger roll 5/5 Would definitely recommend as a great sushi spot and will be back!

We ended up here after Alvarado brew had a 1+ hr wait and it was a GREAT pivot!…read morePrickly pear marg was a fantastic start, strong and sweet Our rolls came quickly, best of which were the Sun roll and Phoenix (fun fire at the table!) Best of all was the Toro tuna belly sashimi!!! Our server Jaiden went above and beyond recommending this, telling us how to eat it, and even bringing over a special wasabi for us to try!! Ambiance leaves something to be desired, but Jaiden's service and the toro sashimi was the BEST! Definitely visit for fresh sushi when you're in Monterey

We are visiting from out of town and asked our AI assistant, Gemini, for a sushi spot in the area…read morethat offered great freshness and value without breaking the bank. Gemini nailed it by recommending Züm Sushi as the top match. If you are looking for a flashy, high-end tourist trap, this isn't it. But if you want a cozy, casual atmosphere, great service, and excellent portions for the price, this place is a gem. We came in to celebrate our 20th anniversary, and the staff couldn't have been nicer. The sushi chefs were incredibly warm, and when they heard it was our milestone, they unexpectedly treated us each to a side of tempura shiso spicy tuna on the house. We ordered the 9-piece Deluxe Chef's Choice Nigiri (pictured in the boat). For a beachside town, the quality was great for the price, the fish was very fresh, and the portions were highly satisfying. If our travels ever bring us back to Monterey, we would definitely drop in again. Highly recommend if you want great sushi without the inflated resort prices!

What a great little local spot! My wife and I were celebrating our minimoon with a nice sushi…read moredinner after a day on Cannery Row and fell in love with Züm right away. We sat at the bar and were immeditely introduced to the incredibly kind and easygoing sushi chefs behind the counter. They engaged in small talk before and after our meal, while also allowing us time to read the menu and later eat in our own company. It was sweet watching them interact with a regular who sat next to my wife and I at the bar, a musician who plays jazz at an Italian joint down the street every Thursday. He sang The Four Seasons under his breath and was happy to engage with his fellow barmates. We introduced ourselves and then he gave us marriage advice and told a couple jokes. It was one of the most pleasant little interactions we've had in awhile and felt so immersive to the local scene. The service and vibes were overall immaculate--not to mention the cozy nooks of a house-turned-Thai-turned-sushi restaurant giving it a homey feel. Then there was the sushi itself served on wooden boat platters. The scallop, bluefin, and fatty tuna sushimi were well portioned and buttery smooth. The Lover's Point and Seaside special roles were also fresh and savory. Best yet was the kindness of the owner himself, working the sushi bar and sharing rare samples of halibut fin when preparing our Hirame. I've never had such unique raw fish before and really appreciated him giving us that opportunity. The miso soup was beautifully balanced to kick it all off, too! Between the exemplary and kind service and top notch sushi, I cannot recommend it enough!

I was visiting Monterey and found this place in downtown. Great sushi joint! It was surprising to…read moresee the massive variety of options on the menu. There were far too many things I wanted to try... next time! I settled on choosing the sashimi bento combo with miso soup. The hamachi, salmon, tuna, and octopus were fresh and the soup hit hard. The people were really nice too. Would come back again and try something new!

Cozy sushi spot that offers both prepared and made to order dishes. I stopped by on a Monday…read moreevening and the small space was decently filled. I snagged a window seat. I ordered the #120 which came with 4 pieces of Lobster roll and 4 pieces of nigiri for $20. The fish and rice were both super fresh, I really enjoyed it. The cashier was also super friendly. I would for sure return for a quick bite.

4 stars I was…read moreexpecting tourist trap levels of quality, but that is not the case. In fact, I think it's a bit better than the Yelp score of 3.9. The sushi was very fresh and the bento box was of a reasonable value. Though I still think the prices are a bit elevated because of its location. $19 Bento: chicken and squid: squid was perfectly cooked. Chicken was fine? Tempura was typical but good. $6 Mackerel: fresh and mild $8 Yellow tail: really delicious. Can eat again.

hibachi is always a fun experience with the interactive chef. service was overall fine, but the…read morefood was just okay. it was a great value and i was satisfied with the size of my plate. however, i felt like the fried rice, steak, and shrimp needed a lot more salt and flavor. i was also not a fan of the cucumber cooler; it had an odd taste to it similar to cardboard (weird). it is a very cute spot right up on the water with an upstairs view. i'd come again but would need to try different items.

After taking my pup to the beach, we decided to have lunch here at Toro. We were promptly greeted…read moreby the hostess and seated immediately in their pleasant patio area. Our server James was amazing. He had great knowledge of the menu and recommended a sushi roll they had on special. He was even super cool with my dog, Cash. I had the Tuna Togarashi roll, along with some nigiri. Sushi was delicious, and it tasted fresh. My boy Cash had the chicken & rice bowl off their dog menu. He scarfed it down in seconds! I was expecting a generic sushi experience, but got great food, impeccable service, all while sitting in a beautiful patio area. I will definitely be back in the near future, and so will Cash!

Amazing service, incredibly fresh sushi and a lovely Carmel-By-The-Sea vibe…read more We ordered a chef's choice Sashimi which had an assortment of fish, uni, eel, scallops and egg. The sake flight was absolutely delicious if you're in the mood to experiment. In quintessential Carmel fashion, the spaces to eat were as varied as the menu. Love this place and can't wait to go back to try more food!

It's HUGE!!! And heavy. 100% value/money…read more Ingredients looked and tasted fresh. As for the taste, much depends on how well you can stack the various options as the ordering was fully customizable.

I stopped by Pacific Bowls & Rolls last weekend while in Big Sur for the Big Sur Marathon. It was…read moreconveniently located near our hotel and my vegan friend suggested it even though it was her first time at a poke spot! I ordered a build-your-own bowl with brown rice, tuna, masago, sweet onion, green onions, ginger, cucumber, spicy mayo, eel sauce, and furikake, along with a California hand roll. The standout for me was definitely the hand roll. It was fresh and really satisfying. If I came back, I'd honestly be tempted to just one or two handrolls. The poke bowl, on the other hand, was a bit underwhelming. The flavors didn't come together the way I had hoped, and it didn't quite hit that fresh, vibrant poke experience I have grown to love. That said, the location is great, especially if you're staying nearby, and the overall vibe is casual and easygoing which makes it perfect for a quick, low-key meal in Big Sur. There are *some* tables and chais but not too many. The place is fairly small. The prices felt fair and it's nice to have options that work for different dietary preferences, especially for my vegan friends!

Finally catching up on all the reviews…read more Spent the eve of New Year's Eve here, celebrated my birthday. I imagine it gets pretty crowded in this cute restaurant. It was packing up as we were getting ready to leave. I put a lot of faith in our servers. When we go to sushi, we pick 2, then we usually say what we like, and then ask for them to surprise us. This is what they brought out, and we were not disappointed. Everything was awesome. This is a go-to when we stay in Pacific Grove. We will come back again when we visit town.

It's a nice restaurant, they play hip music and the staff is absolutely amazing and super…read moreattentive! That was my favorite part. As for the food, I felt like it's overrated. I've had significantly better sushi than what they served at similar value. They do not have a drink menu since they have such limited options. It's unfortunate that is so difficult to find above average food in Monterey Bay. With that being said, I still enjoyed my visit and had a wonderful time.

This is our go to ramen spot in Monterey. They have a self-serve kiosk for ordering but they are…read morethere to assist if needed. It's a cute little spot, plenty of tables. The ramen was really good and came out very fast. My husband had to get more Togo for later. Lol. Kids love the chicken with rice. Definitely recommend.

Welp.. We finally had the chance to return to Monterey.. As we were squeezed for time, we chose to…read morecome to Toribashi tonight. Parking was only mildly challenging, as a space opened up after only a single lap around the block. Inside here, you'll find a busy place with a few tables and individual bar-style (partitioned!) paired seating along the walls adjacent to the kitchen in the middle part of the restaurant. Order up at the self-serve order kiosks, tap in your table/counter number, and they bring out your order in a couple of minutes. We had six of us in our party, and most of us kept it simple by ordering the default Tonkatsu Ramen with different customizable options. Most all of the ingredients in this order were on point - The Chasu Pork Belly was tender, thick and delicious, ramen noodles nothing special, but generally stil on point, as were the bamboo shoots. However, the co-star/centerpiece of the Tonkatsu Ramen other than the Chasu Pork slab should be the broth, but sadly the broth was far far TOO salty which overpowered the other flavors in the broth. Chasu Pork 4.8/5, Tonkatsu Ramen 3.1/5. Service was good as everyone was hustling hard in the kitchen, along with attentive bussers/waitstaff to quickly turn tables. They take good care in wiping down the tables here. If I return, I'll just get the Paitan Ramen like I did in years past, as that seemed less salty. Then again the Paitan soup base begins with the same chicken+pork soup base as the Tonkatsu Ramen. I hope Toribashi will step back up to their former glory.