Didn't love this place. After hearing great reviews, I went to check it out with some friends. Some of my friends liked their food (one of them bought the famous Totoro Tower), but my California Roll was warm and not very appetizing. Prices were good, but the general atmosphere and the food itself is what brought my rating down. Additionally, our food took awhile considering we were one of the only groups in there. Might go back sometime, but not anytime soon. read more

See all

I've come to this Japanese restaurant twice and I think so far, and I think think this is my favorite Japanese restaurant in Ann Arbor. Every time I come, I get the bento box since I really enjoy the side dishes they have in it. Most of the sushi I've tried in Ann Arbor so far is very mediocre and Totoro also falls in that category. The only reason why I gave this restaurant a 4 instead of a 3 is because the bento box is pretty decent and it is reasonably priced. As a result, I would recommend this spot! read more

Totoro - Chicken teriyaki bento box - Sushi Bars Near Me - Ann Arbor, Michigan

Totoro is my in a pinch sushi spot! The servers and the staff behind the sushi bar are so friendly and welcoming. You can read from other posts that it is a little hard to find. My latest order was the spicy white tuna with avocado and the tempura tofu topped with a spicy mayo, both really delicious. However, the tofu was too massive to fit in my mouth and had to dissemble it. They always specials and your order comes with a miso soup and a ginger salad (everyones fave) In and out super quick! read more

Great sushi joint that offers reasonable lunch specials and fresh sushi. Popular during lunch time, so you may want to try to get there a bit before noon. Regardless, service has always been prompt, with servers kindly addressing any questions or concerns we have had. I know one time in our group, one of us who tends to be a bit picky ordered a sushi roll to be rolled in cucumber instead. They kindly accommodated her request, even during the busy lunch hour. read more

It's cute that the restaurant has all these totoro decorations. I just don't understand how the food connects to totoro. Based on other reviews, it seems like the must try dishes are the totoro tower and lucky mountain. I also ordered the black dragon roll. The totoro tower is impressive. It's got rice topped with spicy tuna. All of that sits on some sort of soy or eel sauce. Then there's another wasabi sauce. I didn't know how to eat the dish properly. Others showed me that you're supposed to take your spoon and ash the tower. Then mix the rice and spicy tuna with the sauce. All the flavors mixed very well. I would order it again! The lucky mountain is a stack of fried sushi. Hey incorporated the cream cheese very well. Highly recommend this dish. The black dragon was nicely made. Can't go wrong with it if you're feeling indecisive. I would come back here. read more

Totoro - From left to right: lucky mountain, black dragon, and totoro tower - Sushi Bars Near Me - Ann Arbor, Michigan

I've been going to Totoro for many years now. I love the salmon teriyaki dinner. Totoro makes their own signature teriyaki sauce, which is superb. They serve it on a sizzling cast iron platter mounted over a bed of finely julienned vegetables. It's so delicious I crave it at least once a week, the cook knows who I am : "the salmon lady"! The fish they serve for their sushi, etc.. is of the highest and freshest quality. They serve most dishes with miso soup and a yummy salad. The staff is super friendly and attentive, too! I highly recommend Totoro!! read more

Totoro - Sushi Bars Near Me - Ann Arbor, Michigan

Taste: I usually get the raw rolls here and they are pretty fresh tasting. I also got the mini udon which I forgot to take a picture of. The mini udon was what lost them a star to me. The mini udon was soggy and the broth was not flavorful. The raw salmon was really good and fresh but the spicy part was just ok. I thought the salmon would have been mixed with spicy sauce but it was just drizzled on top. It was still good but it tasted more like the regular raw salmon roll than a spicy salmon roll. Atmosphere: There is a ton of seating options and it is a good atmosphere to sit and talk with friends for a while. The seats are kind of tightly packed though so best for groups of 2-3. read more

Totoro - Spicy salmon roll - Sushi Bars Near Me - Ann Arbor, Michigan

See all

This place is the real deal. They take sushi to a new level that I didn't know existed. Trust me, I am well versed in Sushi restaurants in the state of MI. My taste buds thank you for all of your delicious special rolls read more

Excellent selection, many unusual options. Always busy and expect a line. Friendly fast service means your sushi arrives very soon.

I've been to Totoro a couple of times. I absolutely love their popcorn lobster, its crunchy and delicious! The Udon was mild but full of flavour, exactly the thing I'd want to have on a cold winter morning! Once I also tried their bento box, but I was disappointed by that one though, the fried chicken was too dry with hardly any sauce and overall everything was kinda greasy and heavy! Couldn't finish it. read more

Totoro - Sushi Bars Near Me - Ann Arbor, Michigan

I have been to Totoro a few times and I have been continuously impressed with the good food and customer service. We got free edamame! Whoo. I usually get the udon or rolls of sushi. This time I got totoro tower which is a tower of tuna and it is layered with avocado and fish eggs. Also layered with yummy sweet sauce. I love the side dishes of miso soup and ginger salad. I have tried better ginger salad and I wish it had more consistency but other than that I enjoyed my meal. It is on the expensive side but it another good treat yourself place! read more

See all

My husband is a HUGE sushi fan... me, not so much. But we decided to try Totoro on a date night, and we were not disappointed! We both started with Miso Soup, because you can't go to a Japanese restaurant without ordering that. You just can't. For the meal, my husband got a pretty nice array of sushi, and I ordered the Chicken Katsu, which was perfectly crispy, served with a nice little side of noodles, and a little bowl of peanut dipping sauce, which was SO good! Our waitress was sweet and meek, but really attentive. There was a little table of college girls that were being kind of annoying, but whatevs, the restaurant is on campus so I can't complain. The sushi bar looked really cool, and the hubs really wants to go back and give that a shot. Though I will gladly order the Chicken Katsu again! read more

Totoro - Chicken Katsura, Tuna Rolls and California Rolls! Delicious! - Sushi Bars Near Me - Ann Arbor, Michigan

This restaurant is very busy! I enjoy their sushi and bento box sets, but it definitely is very expensive for what you get.

Tortoro is one of the best sushi lunch deals around - particularly within walking distance of campus/downtown. The fish always tastes fresh, the bento boxes contain an amazing amount of food, and lunch always comes with soup and salad as well. I had lunch here with a friend last week, and out total bill w/tip was under $25. Not bad considering how much delicious food we had! This isn't upscale style sushi, but the rolls are made well, every one I've had has been rather tasty. As far as I'm concerned, Tortoro leaves the alarmingly-named Sushi.come (ick?) in the dust. I still do like Sadako, but as of right now, I'd have to say that Totoro is definitely in the lead for my favorite lunchtime sushi treat in downtown Ann Arbor! read more

Totoro - Sushi Bars Near Me - Ann Arbor, Michigan

See all

Totoro is overpriced for what you get, in my opinion. Getting two basic rolls is comparably, a few dollars more expensive than Mama Satto or Sadako and it's the same quality. Service here is pretty decent, and the atmosphere is good, despite the lack of windows. I have had to wait for a seat a few times. Also, there is a $10 minimum you have to spend on sushi to get soup & salad (although, that's not hard to do). I usually choose other sushi places over Totoro, but it's not bad! read more

In for lunch with my daughters to satisfy the 'sushi' craving we were all having. Totoro hit the spot perfectly. Seated at the sushi bar, we opted for the 'Roll Roll Roll' plate. It's an assortment of 5 sets of rolls, 24 pieces (Tuna, Salmon, Spicy California, Special Cali, Eel & Cucumber, Spicy Shrimp/Tempura) with something for everyone. Ahead of anything, we were all served a small salad and some delicious Miso soup. The 'Roll Roll Roll" was presented beautiful. Even more beautiful was my treat: the Ikura (salmon roe) and Uni (sea urchin) which are my favorites. The girls had the Teriyaki Chicken Bento ($8.45) and the Ten Don ($7.95 Tempura shrimp & Vegs over rice). I sampled a little of both. They are presented very well and tasted perfect. Perfect. My Ikura and Uni were superb. The salmon roe especially is sort of my litmus test for the freshness of everything else. As it was excellent, I found everything else quite on target for deliciousness. Wow..what a great lunch and quite a fill ((we ordered too much) ) after the day out at the theater. Meets and exceeds. 5 stars. read more

See all

It was my favorite lunch spot in downtown after class. My friends always orderer the lobster roll and katsu bento and I sticked with their thick udon noodles. The service is fast and the food quality are always reliable. read more

Very respectable place to eat. I was visiting from California, so my expectations were low. I was pleasantly surprised. Decor is nice, but some of the seats are worn and need replacing. Everything is very clean with the the fresh fish displayed in the traditional way at the sushi bar. I was greeted nicely and the service was warm and friendly. The hostess told me they had fresh sea urchin, which I appreciated, always good to know what's fresh. It was rainy and cold out so I started with the meatball soup, which had seaweed and two meat gyoza. It was tasty but a bit salty for me. They bring you miso and a small salad anyway to start which is nice. I love Unagi (eel) so I had two pieces and the special roll with eel and tempura shrimp. It was presented beautifully and was very tasty. Tempura was nicely done. Total was $25 for a lot of food. I left happy and would come back to try the udon. read more

What a great sushi find in the heart of Ann Arbor! For many years, Maki had been our go-to place for sushi in this college town but after reading a few Yelp reviews about Totoro, my wife and I decided to check it out. Walking in off the busy State Street for the first time, we found Totoro's two-level dining area to be nicely appointed, quiet and comfortable while some progressive music played in the background. My started with an oversized Avocado Salad and then dove into the highly-touted Popcorn Lobster Roll made with a special California Roll with deep-fried lobster on top and smothered with Totoro's special eel sauce. While it wasn't the best specialty roll she'd ever had, it did bring some spicy heat, was quite tasty and was generous in size. I jumped for the Orange Chicken Bento. At less than ten bucks, my Japanese box contained a nice portion of orange chicken thigh cutlet, a special California roll, a cold noodle salad and 3 pieces of shrimp & vegetable tempura. It was a super great combo with plenty of variety of both textures and tastes. Overall, Totoro earns its way as a better-than-average sushi restaurant in a town that is crazy for its sushi. We'll definitely be back. read more

See all

Reliably good, cheap, and fast. This place is one of my go-to restaurants and never disappoints.

This place has always been a personal favorite of mine. The sushi here is quite good in and of itself although the highlight for me has and always will be the Roe. I can't recommend it enough. On top of that the atmosphere is incredibly laid back and relaxing. read more

Totoro - Roe Bibimbop - Sushi Bars Near Me - Ann Arbor, Michigan

The sushi was ok but this place is super overpriced. The special rolls are only 5 pieces!! You're probably going to leave here hungry and upset. Go to Miki instead! I would not recommend. read more

Totoro - Sushi Bars Near Me - Ann Arbor, Michigan

Was back at Totoro today. Had an amazing experience. I ordered smoked salmon nigiri and they accidentally made the salmon nigiri. They were happy to remake the order if I wanted but suggested that they could "put a torch" to the salmon. The result of this was amazingly delicious. The very outer edge started turning white as it slightly cooked but most of it was still raw salmon, and the complexity of flavor and texture it was fantastic. This may be my new favorite dish. read more

Totoro - Salmon nigiri slightly "torched" - Sushi Bars Near Me - Ann Arbor, Michigan

My friend and I enjoyed an excellent lunch at Totoro over the weekend. My friend works there and strongly suggested I come check it out (and who wouldn't, with such a cute name?). I got a cucumber roll and the Lucky Mountain roll, which came served as a little mountain tower of deliciousness. My stomach loves those fried rolls in all their crunchy goodness with a good sauce a-top. I'm allergic to avocado (yes, I hear your dismay) but they accommodated my needs well (here here for cream cheese!). My friend ordered a vegetarian bento box and it had so much stuff! Definitely looking into that next time, if I can ignore the calling of the crunchy rolls... Service was attentive, the atmosphere awesome (again, yay Totoro!), the prices reasonable, and the food delicious. The restaurant is in downtown but there are 2 parking structures nearby. read more

Okay so this is not my every week sushi spot but sometimes they satisfy my craving the tea is not green but it is good , sometimes ive been charged for it others i haven't, i feel like everything is kinda floppy with the pricing i really loved my TUNA TOWER roll ... look for my picture ! it was perfectly designed ... i didn't know until recently i could find something like this in AA. the tuna was pretty fresh and the avocados were too , i skipped the fish eggs on top of mine. the ginger dressing here is not my favorite , the miso soup is really good tho sometimes i get the beef teriakyi in a don buri bowl it always satisfy me delightful the staff is attentive, they don't take american express read more

Totoro - Tower tuna roll - Sushi Bars Near Me - Ann Arbor, Michigan

Ordered 4rolls. Rainbow, u ofM and 2basic ones (spicy tuna and an eel one). They were all average. Wasn't crazy about the u of M roll. Miso soup and salad were good. Service was friendly and quick. Def on the pricier side for value read more

Totoro - Sushi Bars Near Me - Ann Arbor, Michigan

Went to Totoro while in town based on the recommendation of a family member who is a student at U of M. Totoro is basically on U of M's campus, so expect it to be busy whenever you go. The wait staff is friendly and efficient, and it's fun to watch the sushi chefs at the bar. Parking is a pain, unless you pay to park in a parking garage. The food is amazing. I had the Philadelphia roll, spicy crunchy California roll, and a spicy tuna roll. The Philadelphia roll was amazing, seriously the best I've ever had. The other rolls were delicious, but they really take spice seriously! I was sweating from the tuna roll. My husband had the chicken kastu. He is an extremely picky eater, especially anything out of his cultural comfort zone, and he raved about his meal all evening. Also, portions were extremely generous. Make sure you're hungry when you go, because you will be full when you leave!! read more

It's not anything flashy outside or inside but let me tell you...this is what I crave every dang day. Don't even waste your time looking at the menu. ORDER THE BAKED SCALLOP AND THE BAKED LOBSTER. You will not be disappointed. There is no other sushi place that has anything remotely similar to those. I've searched high and low for something that will satisfy that craving...nothing comes close. Do yourself a favor and order those immediately. I'm so ready for Totoro to open after this quarantine so I can order endless amounts of the baked lobster and scallop read more

Food is good, but to be honest the portion is getting a lot smaller than before so in the end it is getting super expensive.

Great place for sushi lovers, and non sushi lovers alike. I fall in to the latter category - I've never liked sushi but I often come here with those who do, and they always seem to enjoy their food a lot. If you're someone who doesn't like sushi, this place has a chicken katsu that is off the chain - it's my favorite chicken katsu of any Japanese restaurant I've been to. I've been coming here for years and this is the only thing I've ever gotten. It's one of the best I've ever had, and it's consistently satisfying. The staff is always super friendly and I've always left happy! read more

Awesome sushi in a laid back corner restaurant, right off state street. The baked lobster roll is amazing. It's a california rolled topped with piles of baked lobster in a semi sweet sauce. The heart attack roll is a cool twist on a jalapeno popper. A deep fried jalapeno filled with spicy tuna and cream cheese. read more

Totoro - Sushi Bars Near Me - Ann Arbor, Michigan

This place is good. Wow. See I had trouble actually finding it at first, but once I did I was actually impressed by the interior. It's kind of in the basement, also kind of tucked back, but they did a good job of making it feel light and airy for the space. I ordered a miso soup and a water to start. And the miso was impressive, although half full. When I ordered a second bowl, it was full. I didn't get charged for the first one, which was really nice. Now, having only one sushi chef on a saturday was NOT a good idea. There was a substantial wait for my rolls, and when they first came out I was skeptical because they looked very plain. What they lacked in aesthetics they made up for in taste. MAN THEIR ROLLS ARE DELICIOUS!! I was so genuinely impressed. My baked scallop roll was to die for, I scarfed it down as if my mouth was a vacuum. So delicious. They got a second sushi chef towards the end, and all was well! Definitely recommend. read more

See all

Good fish. Fresh. Interesting rolls and menu. Quaint. High energy vibe. Expect a wait but not long.

3 stars for SF Bay Area standards, but 4 stars for MidWest standards! My friend and I ordered a dragon roll, I ordered some basic Soba soup noodle with tempura (clean clear broth, perfect for my oncoming cold), and the fried tofu appetizer and salad appetizer were well done. The dragon roll texturally contrasts the softness of the rice and nori with the crunchiness of tempura skin. Looking forward to trying more on my next Ann Arbor trip! If there are only 2 or 3 in your party, don't forget that you can sit at the sushi bar and watch the chefs prepare the food in front of you! read more

Really like this place. Almost everything here is good. The best things about this place are that they are family owned, the service is great, if you go often they will get to know you. I always feel satisfied at the end. It's not cheap sushi, but you feel full at the end. The udon is good. I would avoid the Totoro tower thing though. It's just a mound of rice with some small fish roe there. read more

I've been here twice and enjoyed it each time. However I would agree with other yelpers about the chefs being impersonal. It was sort of on the busy side but we sat at the bar and I guess I was expecting them to at least look up and acknowledge us at some point since we were the only ones sitting at the bar. I really liked the flavor of the sushi but unfortunately I did get sick afterwards which doesn't normally happen and I eat raw fish often. I would go again anyways because we were going to go to Sadako and the line was so long we couldn't even get in the door. I prefer less crowds but maybe there was a reason for that. We thought the prices were very reasonable for what you get. We have been to Yotsuba and everytime the bill is through the roof. I think you should try totoro for yourself and form your own opinions of the place. Don't let any reviewers disuade you from trying them out! read more

Totoro - Sushi Bars Near Me - Ann Arbor, Michigan

While Restaurant Week is a busy time for Ann Arbor restaurants, Totoro was clearly dismally ill-prepared to handle a crowd. There was more than a half-hour delay on online orders. They don't allow you to pay online, so everyone had to line up to pay inside the restaurant. The delay and need to pay in-person led to, at one point, 24 people grouped together in the corridor at the front of the restaurant. At no point did staff make an effort to disperse the crowd, to get through pick-up orders in a timely manner, to prevent repeated line-cutting, or to break up large groups of people that they explicitly could not accommodate (groups of 7-8 when tables could only accommodate 6). There were people wearing masks incorrectly, refusing to observe social distancing, and generally not observing any COVID safety protocols. And, of course, we ended up with cold cooked food, warm fish, and an overall subpar meal. read more

My favorite sushi restaurant in Ann Arbor, hands down! I quite literally went to Totoro at least once or twice a week during for years of college. And now since I've moved out of state when I return to visit it's one of the places I must go. Amazing food, great service, consistent experience. They even remember me, talk about customer service. read more

I've gone to Totoro a couple times and they usually have really good food and stellar service. It is on the pricier side of the restaurant scene around here, so i go here when i want to treat myself. Today I wanted to treat myself and ended up paying $18 after tip for some extremely subpar teriyaki from Totoro. There is a pic below. It the chicken is alright, but like another review mentioned-- doesn't have much flavor. I'm also used to paying at most $10 for chicken teriyaki since it is such a basic meal, and a starting price of $15 seems pretty ridiculous to me. read more

Totoro - Sushi Bars Near Me - Ann Arbor, Michigan

The miso soup and salad starters are total jokes, I don't know why this eatery even bothers! They are about 2-1/2 bites each with nothing that makes them special. The actual food is good and it's nice to get a seat at the sushi bar when you can. The waitstaff is attentive and it's a popular place with students. read more