Soon as we walked in, initially saw people waiting to be seated, but were seated immediately. Atmosphere is spacious but Japanese inspired: paper lanterns, geometric fabrics, possibly some feng shui? Moving onto the actual service, waitress took the alcohol order at the same time as the food order; Boyfriend who used to work in high end food service said it's usually a bad sign. Was proven wrong, thankfully. Ordered the Yuzu drop, thought it would be more punchy but it was on point for yuzu. He got the eel dragon and firecracker rolls, I chose the bluefin tuna and salmon nigiri (with one unagi/eel, which I hated) We absolutely devoured our food, which is why there are no pictures attached to the review. The salmon was so buttery smooth, and the tuna was so meaty and flavorful, I ordered an extra helping as sashimi! IT IS THAT GOOD! Besides the banging baby at the other table (not the restaurant's fault) it was one of the best walk-in experiences I've had to date! Will definitely recommend and repeat visit! read more

Taka is located on the corner of a busy street in Asbury Park and is deceptively huge restaurant. Lovely calming interior colors (wood and red tones) with simply appointed decor and intimate lighting. The sushi is fresh and tasty, we enjoyed the seared scallop appetizer. My sushi (Tiger roll) was magnificent. The Yuzu lobster roll could have had a bit less rice in the roll but was otherwise very enjoyable. The combination of fish in this roll paired very nicely together. Taka has a vast menu with many options from appetizers to specialty sushi options. They provide alcoholic and non alcoholic mocktails for those of us not interested in consuming liquor.....the mocktails are fantastic. The only thing that made me rate 4 instead of 5 stars was the staff needs a bit of work on serving. We ordered an appetizer and were also given two additional small plates since we were sharing this item. When we were done with the appetizer our specialty sushi plates were bought out and the same server left the three empty plates from the appetizers on the table instead of removing them. Dessert was absolutely decadent and moist (I omitted the whipped cream since I don't like it) but the shortcake was perfect without it. I look forward to returning to Taka and trying more items on the menu. read more

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Came for dinner after hearing about how good it is from friends. I've had a lot of sushi and was super excited to try Taka, so I had high hopes going into it. I got a last min res at 8pm and so we went! First walk in and love the vibe, ambiance, the staff was prompt and friendly! We ordered the house salad, crispy tuna rice, rice balls, white fish sashimi, crusted tuna, broad walk roll & sweetheart roll (special). The salad was awesome, we loved how the dressing was light, the crispy tuna rice rice was just OK, white fish sashimi was not good, fish was super chewy and had that awful "fish" taste. Crusted tuna was amazing and the rolls were OK (I've had better in the area). I would say if you want the vibes go here but for sushi I think I would go elsewhere Cocktails are amazing!!! read more

I've never been here and I finally made a reservation and came. Definitely a cool atmosphere. They had us in the back, but the vibe in the front of the bar was definitely where it was at. We split a bunch of appetizers. My favorite was the gyoza and rice ball, and we also got the Kani salad which was great, the spicy karaage also great but with a kick and the kakuni which was really good. I think the apps were by far my favorite. Got the red dragon which was good and the coconut shrimp and tiger which were awesome. They have individual bathrooms that got kind of dirty and overflowed with towels. The sushi rolls were a little pricey but I'd definitely come back and would want to sit in the bar area. read more

TAKA - Japanese Near Me - Asbury Park, New Jersey

The sushi is fresh and great. The service at the bar is sometimes a hit or miss but we always come back. We have had the habanero shrimp, and so many others sushi rolls. We were recommended the JanSan so will def try that when we come back. Super cute spot and vibes are always nice read more

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Love this place! Every time I go, I'm never disappointed. The food is so good and fresh. I tried the Edamame for the first per my daughter's request and loved it. The calamari they have is also tasty. The cocktails are also great. I just tried a new cocktail they have called the Whiskey pineapple Lemonade so good. If you like this type of cuisine, I highly recommend this restaurant. I suggest making reservations just to secure you get in. Oh, the atmosphere is nice and the staff very pleasant and helpful. Go!!! **Only downside is parking in this area especially in the summer months is rough. During the week most likely you will find a space but on busy days you will need to give yourself time to find space and you need to use the Asbury Parking app. WORTH IT! read more

This is a local hot spot for sure. Make a reservation for a weekend dinner. The beautiful bar lighting and vast bar seating was impressive. The hostess brought us through a large dining room to a more quiet table in a back area. I drank hot tea and my friend multiple margs which he commented were fantastic. The beef Negamaki was tough and inedible. We informed the server and the item remained on the bill. The sushi and dumplings were excellent and well presented. The price point was typical for a Japanese dinner. We would return when visiting the shore. read more

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Came here for my friends Bach dinner before going out for drinks and the food was INCREDIBLE! Everything was sooo fresh, had the perfect sweetness to the sushi rice, and the overall vibes were there It wasn't super super fancy, but more of a casual place to hang with friends. Quite loud inside, but that was of no issue to me! Our waiter was also knowledgeable about what certain foods had gluten, etc and presented us options and replacements for our friend who has food restrictions! read more

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Great drinks and delicious food. Great spot and walking distance to the train station. read more

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Very fun restaurant perfect for date night or a night out with friends. It was very busy on a Saturday night highly recommend to call if you are trying to get a reservation and online it says they don't have anything available. The food was delicious. read more

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This was a great sushi spot to pop into while visiting Asbury Park. I would've liked some lunch specials, but we were happy with the portion sizes and flavors. We tried the Ju-San roll, Asian pistachio salad, edamame, miso soup, and a crab roll that my little one loved. We also had a lychee lemonade as a mocktail option. The service was solid and prompt. There was plenty of space inside for everyone also. read more

TAKA - Japanese Near Me - Asbury Park, New Jersey

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Stopped by for dinner before attending a performance. I was seated promptly outside on a busy Friday evening. My server was ok. Not too warm but attentive. Didn't catch his name. I ordered Shrimp Dragon Roll and Tempura Shrimp Udon. Both were excellent. The tempura shrimp's crispy skin was different than the usual tempura, but still very good. Price was acceptable given the location of the restaurant. Highly recommend if you are in the area. read more

It's so sad I have to write this after having a few great experiences here. I came in this year for the first time and was treated HORRIBLY. I have never been treated this poorly at any establishment. I ordered 2 drinks, an appetizer and a main course. After my initial bartender left, there were FIVE men behind the bar gathered talking amongst themselves and refused to come over to even greet me. I timed it because I couldn't believe no one was speaking to me. I sat with no water glass, no other drink, or food in front of me for 23 minutes until I SAID something. Even when I asked if I could be served, he gave me an attitude asking "well do you want something?!" ...I'm not sure what else I would want if I asked if I could be served. Just disgraceful service all around. Truly very sad because the food is actually good and has been consistent throughout the years. Service has gone DOWNHILL though. I asked to speak to the manager and Stephen (or Steven) gave no resolution. He actually argued with me saying that I was on my phone so that's why no one was serving me. Just overall super disappointing. read more

What a neat place! Incredible ambiance with a lighting installation over the bar, mural, balloon wall for pics, and great bartender service. Only has drinks here, which were great, and the food looked amazing! read more

TAKA - Japanese Near Me - Asbury Park, New Jersey

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Taka is a go-to. It's my comfort spot. I don't know if they still have the tuna inari as I believe it was a special but I hope they continue to offer it or even make it a permanent item. It was so unique to see something like this in the area and it was perfect! What was even better was the meatloaf! I am definitely getting this again. Usually I get the braised short ribs but the meatloaf just became my favorite. Of course the ambiance is a 10/10 whether you sit at the bar or at a table. read more

TAKA - Tuna Inari - Japanese Near Me - Asbury Park, New Jersey

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Haven't been in a while but went recently. Started with shumai and tuna with crispy rice. Shumai was the real deal. Plump, dekicious and stuffed with shrimp. Not those small shumai that seemed to be filled with minced shrimp and shriveled up. Crispy rice with tuna was very good but it seems every sushi restaurant has it these days and they all taste the same. Had a smoked salmon hand roll which was good. They didn't have salmon skin handroll which was my preference so this was an ok substitute. Also had the eel dragon roll which was very good and I would order again. Taka is an OG sushi place for me in Asbury. I would go again. read more

Such fast service! The server was patient with us as well haha. He gave good drink recommendations. We just came to grab a drink and share some rolls and it was so yummy and came out crazy fast! I would definitely one back here when i'm in town. read more

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Jared was a phenomenal server and the food was fantastic! Perfect for a night out with friends where we could eat everything family style together. Hope to come back again! read more

Came into tonight for the first time. Hostess team were great. Our server was very attentive and made some great recommendations. Service was 5 stars. The rolls the server suggested were also very good. So why 3 stars? Well we ordered a Chicken teriyaki and it was just NOT good. The person who ordered it told me "something is off with this chicken" which was surprising because it looked good, and oh man--yes it was off. It tasted like they just skipped the whole seasoning step. Like it had no salt, pepper etc. *Seemed* like they just lathered teriyaki sauce on it, cooked it, and sent it out. While it sounds like it should've been good that way, believe me it was awful. Only redemption was that it was crispy. So I took a star away for that. Then we mentioned it to our server who handled it well. She offered to take it off the bill or remake it. We opted to have them remake it. We explained that it just seemed like they didn't season it. She took it back and immediately came back and said the following " the chef says if you didn't like it, he's going to remake it and its going to be the EXACT same thing" WAIT what?? You can't TRY and remake it and make sure you season it this time? At this point it seemed like someone's ego was hurt so I opted for them to just take it off the bill. I did tip our server 40% anyways. Is the chicken from a bag or something??? Why can't you season to make it different SMH. So another star loss there. Unfortunate read more

Quite possibly the most delicious Japanese I have had here. The chicken curry was incredible. My husband had a tuna sushi roll. He said it was also delicious. My daughter had the udon she was very pleased with her meal as well. We did takeout as it was a busy night and it was still perfectly hot when we received it. I would go back there in a heartbeat. My husband said it had a beautiful atmosphere on the interior when he picked up the order. read more

TAKA - Fried pork rice ball - Japanese Near Me - Asbury Park, New Jersey

We come every year around the same time for our annual friends trip to Asbury. Its tradition. The short rib is the benchmark for all the shortribs we have elsewhere throughout the year. Sushi is always good and fresh, just wish they had a softshell crab roll. Staff is always good. Ambiance is good in the dining room, but eating in the bar room or outside is meh. read more

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I've been to Taka multiple times and always enjoy it. I recently went and had two outstanding new items. First an edamame hummus with pita. This was amazing! The pita was better than 99% of middle eastern restaurants I've been too and the hummus was really tasty and enhanced with chilli oil. This was a special and brilliant. Then, a beer. It was a special japanese lager that was super unique and actually featured on the specials menu and it was great! This place keeps knocking it out of the park. read more

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Taka never disappoints but tonight's service was above and beyond! We've been loyal taka customers since they opened on Mattison Ave. and love it every time! Tonight our server, Jared put our experience over the top. He was super friendly, knowledgeable about the menu and just a total pleasure. We'll definitely be requesting him the next time we come in! read more

We came here on a Sunday evening and were seated outside as the weather was beautiful. A lot of spacious indoor seating as well. Restaurant was very clean and staff very attentive. My vegetable tempura came out very hot and fresh. A nice variety of vegetables as well. My daughter ordered sushi and said it was very fresh and full of flavor. read more

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Taka is a beautiful restaurant with a lovely atmosphere! The service has always been good, I can't recall a time I wasn't happy with my server or my food! They offer vegan, vegetarian, and meat/seafood lover options which makes sure the whole family can eat. Highly recommend their Ju-san roll, mexican roll (for vegan/vegetarian) as well as their calamari! Taka for the win, always! read more

Cool place located in the heart of downtown Asbury Park. We went with another couple. We had a reservation and were seated promptly. For appetizers table shared an order of edamame and a salad. Both very good. For mains our friends shared an order of Udon and a Chicken Katsu and said both were excellent. My wife had the grilled salmon and said it was very good. I had the Sushi dinner and it was also very good. Our waitress was great as well. Definitely worth a visit. read more

TAKA - Signage - Japanese Near Me - Asbury Park, New Jersey

TAKE ME BACK! Seriously Taka I love you everything from the apps to the drinks to the sushi to the cooked food was off the charts! One of the best short ribs I've ever tried, and the sushi was fresh as ever. The margarita was a hit (sugar on the rim of course) and the crispy rice was *chefs kiss*! Celebrating my friend's bachelorette dinner we got great service and loved the experience here! read more

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Taka is the go to Japanese place in Bradley Beach/Asbury Park. We got there when it was just opened and not long after, it got busier. The servers are super nice and friendly. I asked them which cocktail was good and they told me the Green Tea Martini was good so that's what I got. And it is very good. I finished it before my food arrived. It's that good. Food wise, A got the ramen and I got the California roll (I think). It was delicious. Everything is super fresh and they can substitute brown rice for white rice which is not something that a lot of places offer. It definitely changes the taste to get the roll with brown rice. Taste healthier lol. The place gets busy so I recommend a reservation. But it's not so bad where you can't hear the person you're with. I highly recommend trying this place if you're in Asbury Park. And get the green tea martini. read more

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The specialty sushi is always on point. The service was attentive and fast and the ambiance is business casual or great catch up with friends! read more

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This food was soooo good. I wore sweats. Made me feel a little out of place because everything was so nice inside. The server was nice, decor was nice, the outside area Is a little tight but it's still so nice. I had a bento box which was great. The dressed for that salad was phenomenal. Potato salad felt out of place but it was still very good. Calamari was sooo crispy. Cooked to literal perfection. That roll was great also. read more

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Reservations recommended! We have been here several times and everything is presented well and delicious! Service is great! We had Danielle today and she is wonderful!!! Our faves: Vegetable tempura appetizer - the tempura is so light and delectable even our picky son will eat vegetables presented in this manner Son loved the tuna tataki appetizer (spicy with jalapeños!) Hubs and son loved the firecracker rolls hubs also enjoyed the aburi salmon son also enjoyed the spicy salmon all rolls were 8pcs each and filling! I tried the soba vegetable soup (bok choy)and added tofu - really delicious and hit the spot as recovering from a cold. Always a happening place with great service and decor. It is a bit chilly in the restaurant so bring an extra layer. Highly recommended! Just be sure to make reservations:) read more

Post- beach sushi absolutely hits here at Taka! My bestie and I came here for the first time and decided to try the sushi extravaganza with sashimi, nigiri & one specialty roll. The fish was quality & fresh. The service was just ok but the restaurant is really pretty. I can see it being a vibe in the evening with some cocktails. read more

TAKA - Sushi Extravaganza - Japanese Near Me - Asbury Park, New Jersey

The food and service was fantastic!! The evil sushi roll was delicious and it was also quite large. I will definitely return. read more

I've been coming here for years never disappoints. Sushi is always fresh and drinks are great! read more

TAKA - Nigiri tofu pocket. Adding this photo since I couldn't find it in the existing photos - Japanese Near Me - Asbury Park, New Jersey

Came here after reading the reviews and yes the five stars are spot on. We had a warm greeting at the door, then shown to a great table near the bar. Service was prompt and friendly. We shared a cold sake, then started out with edamame and toro sashimi. Follow that with a cucumber roll, avocado and spicy tuna roll and the Jun shin roll. All the sushi was so fresh and the portions quite generous. I second the reviewers that recommend reservations. We got there early and by 6 the bar and restaurant were filling up. Ask about the specials! There was a Toronado roll I would have ordered if I knew about it sooner! Will definitely be back on our next trip to the Jersey shore. read more

TAKA - Inside - Japanese Near Me - Asbury Park, New Jersey

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It's always popular here and it opens both Monday and Tuesday unlike many other restaurants that might close one of these days. A good selections of appetizers and those were what we had - chicken meatballs, crispy spicy tuna, yellowtail with jalapeños, and shrimps and vegetable tempura. All seafood was fresh and all dishes were tasty. We also had frozen sangria and green tea martini. The service was fast and friendly. read more

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This place never seizes to be on point with their food options and experience!! (Aside from one time where we had a bad experience with a waitress, but I honestly feel it was on the waitress and her day than the restaurant itself, based on our experiences here like 10 other times in around 2 years...) we love this sushi, always fresh and delicious! Their drink and appetizers (ie. Dumplings, khani salad, edamame) have also been a pleasant experience! They are ALWAYS busy, therefore definitely recommend a reservation, but if you're lucky you may be seated right away or within 15min with no reservation, just depends (worth the try if you don't, maybe call and check ahead of time, since parking kinda sucks) read more

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I was damp and mildly shivering throughout this meal, and yet it was pretty much the perfect experience otherwise. My Millennial Chum and I came here for a post-hike meal on Saturday, after spending approximately three hours walking around in light rain. Expectations were low, and the goal was to find a dry place to eat for an hour or so. We were both a little concerned that any legit establishment in Asbury would turn us away at the entrance looking like drowned rats, but the host at Taka was very nice and escorted us to a table immediately. The interior reminded me of an upscale Ikea - the ceiling especially by the island bar area is covered in bubble-like lamps - with a lot of modern furnishings and a dash of exposed brick. It's a shame the building itself from the outside is so poochy; it looks like a nondescript municipal office, so hopefully Taka gets the opportunity to put their personal touch on the exterior as well. My number one goal was to get a rosy hue on my cheeks again after tromping around on the metaphorical set of the X-Files all day, so I ordered the Smoked Old Fashioned ($12). Literally the best Old Fashioned I've ever had, and that's saying something. Just scrumptious - I tend to really like Old Fashioneds that enhance the bourbon sweet by including something like brown sugar, but I think I'm team smoky now. It came with a coaster covering the top of the glass to keep the smoke in, but that had a very cool chimney-like effect when I uncovered the beverage. Huge recommend. If they didn't have the alcohol content of a tank of gasoline, I would have gotten more than one. I was in a special roll state of mind, so I went with the Firecracker ($15) and the Jun-San ($17). The waiter did warn me that the Firecracker was "the spiciest roll in Asbury," which I have no doubt is accurate based on what I encountered. This bad boy had both spicy mayo (one of my sushi faves) as well as sriracha. If your sinuses are clogged, this should clear them up pretty quickly. It was very good, but I think in hindsight I would have gotten something that didn't overwhelm the palate as much, especially when I was so intent on maximizing the taste of the Old Fashioned. Very fresh fish and quite a zip. The Jun-San was my favorite though - lots of different types of fish involved, and the caramelized soy sauce was a nice touch. Neither lasted long. This was already pretty astounding, but the dessert was really mind-blowing as well. With very little discussion, we both zeroed in on the Triple Chocolate Cake with Toasted Marshmallow The Millennial Chum is far more disciplined than me, so I ended up eating about 70% of it, but no matter. Heavenly. You can kind of see it in the accompanying picture, but there's literally the vestiges of a toasted marshmallow under the cake. What a concept. What an idea. A perfect way to end the meal. Service-wise, we both loved the waiter. He clearly knew his way around the fairly lengthy menu, and everything came out promptly. I was equally impressed with the price point; in Asbury, a lot of this stuff could have been at least $5 more, particularly the smoky cocktail, but this was very affordable for a pretty nice restaurant in a very trendy area. Huge recommend. I can't wait to come by when I'm dry. read more

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Lunch was a bargain! Service was exceptional! Always a vibrant crowd at any time! Great choice of Sake available! read more

There are a few things that make sushi good. The texture of the rice, the tenderness of the fish, the quality of the fish, the freshness of the fish, and that pop in your mouth. Taka doesn't deliver on any of these. It isn't outright bad, but it lands slightly below average across the board. The rice is a bit too thick and sticky, while the fish leans chunky rather than tender. If you're here, I'd recommend getting a handroll, which was pretty satisfactory. If getting regular sushi, ask for a 10 piece roll. Taka is a perfectly fine choice if you're already in Asbury with friends and craving sushi, but there's nothing memorable about it. It's a fun spot, but if you're looking for something special, make the short trip to Yumi in Sea Bright instead. read more