I still give 5 stars.. I tried this japanese restaurant because it says traditional lol. Yeah the place looks simple like your in Japan .. The food I wanted to try they don't have it :/ first I asked Fish Livers. She said they don't have it today.. And 2nd attempt their different appetizer for $7 something. we wait about 6-9 minutes then she said. They don't have it. :)) only the TAKOYAKI good thing that TAKOYAKI is my favorite. So I ordered for $7 lol and I ordered Ramen my boyfriend order 2 kinds of Nigiri.. Its all good thou lol I hope the next time I'm come back here again they have all I wanted to try! :(( ugh I'm dying to try because their food is so good. :( sad to think I didn't even try any I wanted.. Also there UNI with mushrooms soup I forgot the name but I try that when Im going back again. Because that is special order. :| read more

Yui Marlu - The RAMEN are amazing!! - Japanese Near Me - Fair Oaks, California

This is one of the better Japanese restaurants I have eaten at. The restaurant is a small restaurant with basic interior but the food is very good. I ate their dinner "special" chirashi and the dish had very fresh fish with a good variety. The chef also made the dish very presentable. The dishes ordered by other people in my party looked great as well. This restaurant is recommended. read more

Yui Marlu - Japanese Near Me - Fair Oaks, California

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This place has awesome, authentic Japanese food, and I am very picky when it comes to Japanese food! I think the only drawback is how small it is and they have a sign saying that they currently have just one chef working. I just recommend getting there right when they open or trying to make reservations. I've been here several times, and everything I've eaten here has been delicious. Their sushi is simple and tasty. Their fried oysters are delicious with just the right amount of crispness. I can't remember all of the other things that my friends have ordered when we ate here, but everyone has loved the food. I think that the waitress/ hostess is probably one of the owners. She is very nice and works very hard. read more

Came here with a large group of family last week. I'd seen this place before but never bothered to check it out because it didn't look promising from the outside. But boy, am I glad I finally did. I had a ton of sashimi and nigiri. All of the fish was incredibly fresh, presentation impeccable, and prices very reasonable. I'm a big uni fan and have had my fair share of good and not-so-good (read: not fresh) uni. Their uni was probably the freshest and most amazing I've ever had. I definitely need to do omakase at the sushi bar next time! I also tasted their sukiyaki which was also lovely and delicious. According to a few of the members of our party (a few family members who lived in Japan for around a couple decades), the restaurant's menu and cuisine were very traditional and authentic. Service was on the slow side, but the restaurant staff (all 1 or 2 of them) is so nice and sweet that it totally makes up for it. Upshot: extremely high quality sushi + authentic, traditional japanese menu + very genial restaurant staff + reasonable prices = new face sushi spot in the burbs. Can't wait to go back! read more

Decided to stop by here for dinner. We decided to try out: Garlic steak: excellent! Garlic chips on top with asparagus. Marinade was suuuuper good. Spider roll: excellent! if you like soft crab, this is for you. Salmon skin hand roll: excellent! really yummy and crispy. Spicy tuna hand roll: excellent! It reminded me of the poke in Hawaii. So good! Definitely recommend this spot! They make everything to order, so expect alittle wait between your orders. It's worth it tho! read more

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Good service. Good food. Sushi was fresh. Quaint little sushi place in Sacramento. I was up here in Sacramento for work and found this place through yelp. This place is small, but definitely great food. read more

I went from lunch. I had a combo of hiyakko tofu, sabashoiyaki, and tempura. It was perfect! The tofu was great on a spring day. I haven't had sabashoiyaki in such a long time. It was delicious. The tempura was fried, but not greasy. I got my mom a gift card for Mother's day. I hope she likes it too. She makes great Sabashoiyaki herself, but I think she will approve as well. read more

Quaint, Japanese restaurant, not Sushi restaurant with excellent simple delicious food. Don't get me wrong they do serve sushi, but not the typical over sauced rolls one would find in a sushi restaurant. Not to say I don't love a good over sauced sushi roll either. We frequent this restaurant since it's so close to where we live. Glad it's local read more

Yui Marlu is our local neighborhood sushi restaurant. It is understated and cozy, providing the most authentically prepared and excellent tasting Japanese cuisine we have tried in the Sacramento region. This restaurant is a gem. Anyone who has traveled in Japan and Asia will immediately recognize the quality of the food served here. It may be a little pricey for some, but it is well worth it. read more

I seriously can't get enough of this place for lunch when I'm in the area. The sashimi is some of the most fresh I've ever tasted. I also love the folks that own and work there. They are incredibly friendly and give wonderful service each and every time I'm there. I am now a true regular. read more

Yui Marlu - Sashimi lunch special. Sooooo good!! - Japanese Near Me - Fair Oaks, California

This is an unpretentious mom-n-pop Japanese restaurant in kind of an oddball strip mall. You know how some strip malls have sort of something in common with their neighbors? Well, this one is all over the place. But, this review is about the restaurant so who cares if its neighbor is a barber shop. The food is good for the price. It isn't going to knock your socks off, but it a great middle of the road place and I again emphasize, for the price they charge. Above all, you couldn't get a more consistent staff that is always nice and eager to please. It gets busy at dinner so either come early-ish or late-ish. There's not a lot of seating area. read more

Came here for dinner on a Tuesday night at 7pm and there were just 2 tables filled. The rest of the tables had RESERVED signs on it but nobody really came until after 8pm. Ordered fresh sake and hamachi nigiri to start and it was divine, melt in yo mouth, goodness!!! Just a little bit of rice blanketed by a heavy slice of fresh fish...mmm mmm mmm mmm mmmm....good My friend and I continued with the teriyaki chicken, tempura (saw another table have it and said WOOO, I want that!), and a ramen....food overload. but all pretty good. Note: the teriyaki chicken comes battered and fried, which was odd and packs on extra calories, but it was HOT and good. The tempura was a bit too heavily battered, but that's what I get for ordering those types of foods and not sticking with the specialties....fresh fish... Definitely gonna come back!!! read more

Yui Marlu - Take sunomono salad!!! - Japanese Near Me - Fair Oaks, California

Authentic Japanese food served in a very homey feeling restaurant. I love that Yui Marlu has maintained its mom and pop vibe. Sushi here is good, but I go for the cooked food. Quality is consistent and portions are relatively generous. Sesame chicken with the sauce on the side is my go-to entree. Sometimes the food takes a while to come out, but I think that's because the guy behind the sushi counter is also making the cooked food, hence the quality control... always well worth any wait. read more

Delicious and fish is super fresh! The only thing is their hours are weird and you most likely have to call in to reserve to ensure your seating :) But it's all worth it! read more

My stepson picked this place out and we were pleasantly surprised by the authentic cuisine and the friendly customer service. The presentation and taste of the food far exceeds any local franchise sushi house. Please go - you'll love it. read more

This place is just wow! By presentation alone they should get 5 stars. We got fried oyster, mixed tempura, sashimi plate and chirashi sashimi. The fried oysters were super delicious. I don't know how they fry their stuff but it's really clean! Same goes for the tempura. I think it's the healthiest tempura I've ever consumed. The sashimi was arranged very very beautifully. There's not many places that serve sashimi that just melts in your mouth. The thin sliced cucumbers that came with it were so fresh and very good as well. Service is what you'd expect from 1 waitress working the whole restaurant. She works hard to please, and is very pleasant to talk to! Sushi is expensive as always, but it's definitely worth it for this place!! read more

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Everything was amazing! The customer service was on point! We truly found a sushi unicorn in Sacramento!!! read more

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Short review: recommended for the quality! Long review: To be fair I've only eaten here twice but both times it came highly recommended by two separate groups of friends, and I greatly enjoyed my experiences. My partner works in a field of food quality inspection and they noticed that Yui Marlu uses very high quality food. A lot of the time, you wonder: what's the difference between one Japanese restaurant to the next? The answer here is the quality: both food and skill. The rice has a perfect texture of fluffiness, the fish is gleaming with freshness, and their fried foods are lightly crisped! We talked -super- briefly with one of their workers and they said despite being a small business the owner refuses to cut any corners at all. I can't wait to go back and try other menu items. Currently during Covid times, their ordering is done online or through phone it seems. I had to search around but they seem to update their Facebook from time to time. read more

Have had Kru, Lou's, and Ju Hachi and Yui Marlu beats them all. It's better to adjust your expectations when you come in. They are a mom and pop shop which is run by husband and wife. Chef Masa is a hidden gem in Sacramento. Be prepared to enjoy authentic sushi so opt for more raw than cooked and you won't be disappointed. Due to the nature of their business, they have a small window of time when the restaurant is open and it's safer to call ahead just in case they fill up. Would not recommend this restaurant if you're in a rush. We drive all the way from midtown once or twice a month to eat here! read more

My first time here. Very small place. Thankfully, there was only one group in front of us. Unfortunately, the wait for the food was a bit longer than I thought it would be. The rolls tasted different then what I'm used to (like Mikunis or Lou's) and they did not look fresh. I'm a bit disappointed because of the great reviews that others have written about this place. I may come back to try other dishes and give it another shot. We got the following rolls: - Double crab - 6/10, for some reason the fish was very bland, couldn't taste the fish flavor - Zig zag hand roll - 7/10, there was a nice balance of rice & fish mix - Rainbow - 6/10 this one had an assortment of fish - kind of cool. There was no sauce on top of it so if you don't like a lot of sauce then definitely get this one. - BBQ albacore - 6/10, it didn't taste very fresh and didn't have a nice grill to it read more

Wonderfully authentic! The dining room is very small, but providing you can find a table, it's worth a wait. Take out is another option.

After reading about this place two weeks ago, I've been here FOUR times - that's how much I like this restaurant. I'm picky about my food. I'm not Japanese, and I have never visited Japan, so I will readily admit I don't have an authoritative frame of reference by any stretch. However, there are a few things that do not require an authentic Japanese upbringing to appreciate: 1) Genuine and friendly customer service; 2) Fresh and high-quality fish / seafood; 3) Ramen that is smooth, al dente, and flavorful; 4) Udon that is smooth, soft, and not doughy in the middle; 5) Tempura with a crispy but light / flaky batter that does not sit heavily in one's stomach; 6) A menu that has a wide variety of items, including authentic Japanese items that are not typically found in your run-of-the-mill Americanized Japanese restaurants; 7) Artful presentation that shows pride and investment in one's work; 8) Reasonable prices, including the ability to order many pieces individually, so the customer has a lot of control over his/her budget while trying a variety of items; 9) Clean, tidy, and welcoming interior atmosphere; and 10) Last but not least - the fact that this is owned and operated by a Japanese team. The chef told me that he personally goes out to the fish market himself to pick out the selection - instead of just calling in a regular shipment. That way, he has the highest degree of control over the quality, gets only items that he thinks are fresh, and can adjust the quantity based on demand. I highly recommend this restaurant, and plan to return on a regular basis. read more

Our first time in this restaurant, we loved it. Great Nigiri! Great customer service and very polite! We will be back

I have been there today without reservation. It's our luck to get table at that time. I would suggest to do reservation before you go there. You'll get advantages; you can order before you get there and food will be ready for you in no time, some menu such as Chawanmushi needed to be ordered before. Overall it's one of the best places for sushi in Sacramento I have tried. Tempura is good and not greasy. Ama Ebi is really nice, I would recommend you to try. For me the price is reasonable and you gonna get good service. read more

Yui Marlu - Special nigiri and Special Chirashi at Yui Marlu - Japanese Near Me - Fair Oaks, California

We tried it shortly before the state shutdown. Excellent food, people are friendly. I highly recommend.

One of the best Japanese restaurant in town. I really like Bluefin Toro and their Bluefin toro is top notch~. You do need to make reservations ahead of time most of the time. Lunch time is better. The first time I went for dinner on a weekend and there were just no seats available. They recommended me to come back in 2 hours and try my luck. I made a reservation for next time lol. Usually a day to 2 days ahead of time will suffice. read more

After trying 15+ different locations this has become my favorite sushi spot in the Sacramento area. Although I have not had the opportunity to dine in just yet (for COVID reasons), I have been blown away by their amazing to-go service. There is beauty in every detail of their dishes from appearance to smell to taste. Everything I have ordered has been impeccable. Its in a funky parking lot and the hours are restricted. That being said, if you haven't had Yui Marlu then you are missing out. read more

This place has very delicious, authentic sushi with excellent customer service! I was really impressed with their reasonable prices. This pace is way better than most Americanized sushi places. Try the miso eggplant...it was the best I have ever had! read more

Verrrrrrry slow service. The KEY is to order your food/sushi before you arrive. Beautiful presentation and fresh tasting. They take pride in what they do. Took my in-laws there and arrived right when they opened and still took over 2 hours. We did not order much but did not order ahead. Ugh! Also, they ran out of white wine.... read more

Very wonderful small/intimate restaurant that serves authentic Japanese food! Have been eating here with family for years, the food and customer service (while not incredibly fast, as they do not have much staff) has always been great. There is one chef that takes care of pickup orders as well of everyone inside. The quality and plating of the food is top rank. I'd consider it one of Sacramento's hidden gems. Also, free WiFi! read more

Yui Marlu - John's Roll! - Japanese Near Me - Fair Oaks, California

I went here for the first time today even though it's only a couple of blocks from my house. I was very happy with the food and was talking 2 the owner's wife. She said they do everything by hand. I had chirashi. it was very good. The tamago that was included was handmade not pre Frozen. I definitely recommend this place read more

Yui Marlu - Beautiful plate of chirashi. - Japanese Near Me - Fair Oaks, California

Authentic. The chef/owner pays Great attention to detail. His dishes are works of art. Friendly and attentive help. Fresh fish. Everything just melts in your mouth. Extremely delicious and different. Fair prices for the excellent quality of foods. Highly recommended. This is definitely one of the best sushi restaurants in the Sacramento area! Give it a try. U will not regret it. And u will keep coming back for more ! ;-) read more

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Japanese family style cooking is amazing here at Yui Marlu. Small enough to be very attentive to their guests and the selection covers all the basics. I enjoyed the TEMPURA dinner as well as a very tender and well-seasoned ginger rib-eye steak. Staff is very friendly and I never feel rushed here. Enjoy a sampling of Japanese family style cooking here. read more

I'm sorry guys I have to confess... I went into the women's bathroom the other day because I was curious about the toilet.... Anyways, the food is always superb. Master Chef Masa artfully creates dishes with such authenticity. I love going here because it is the only place I can go to practice my japanese. I nominate this place for best Chirashi in Sacramento (California even!) check the pictures. Everything we've ever ordered was good and fairly priced. The only downside is service can be a little slow because there is only 1 chef, 1 waitress, and 1 kitchen cook. Most people don't mind since they are such nice people. read more

YES! This is the place where you can enjoy real Japanese food !! ( I am Japanese and have been looking for an authentic Japanese restaurant in Sacramento area. ) I enjoyed "special nigiri" with hot sake. My husband enjoyed Okinawan beer "Orion" with sushi. My child loved their "Unagi don" and I tried it..... I haven't taste that good Unagi for so long !!! Thanks to Don-san who recommended Yui Marlu to us. read more

I absolutely had high hopes for this restaurant based on the yelp reviews. Called around six pm on a friday evening for same day reservation and was able to get a table right away. We arrived at 6:30 and a table was ready for us. The restaurant is very small with about 10 small tables for 2 or 4 people/table with a few seats at the bar. Food: BBQ albacore appetizer: came with 4 good size pieces of albacore. The creamy BBQ sauce, the melt in your mouth fish ...the whole dish was delicious Chirashi sushi: this is just a piece of art. Not only the presentation was absolutely beautiful, the variety of fish was great and each piece of fish was delicate and delicious. The attention to details from the chef for the dish presentation was amazing ...from the leaf shaped wasabi to the carved celery stick...it was almost too pretty to eat... Omakase (chef's choice)this is a must try for sushi lovers. Again, gorgeous presentation and the chef selection was spot on. I loved everything that was served to us. We decided on 10 pieces of nigiri and the rice amount was perfect for each piece. The rice was perfect texture and had the right amount of vinegar. I am a true believer that the rice compliments the fish. You can customize this dish by selecting sashimi, nigiri or both, number of pieces, and also let the chef know if there is something you absolutely don't want to eat. The uni was fresh, sweet and creamy. The fried shrimp head was so yummy I ate the whole thing minus the eyes since the hubby plucked them out (guess he didn't like having eyes pointed at us). The hamachi, amber jack, flounder, toro... Yum yum yum Highlight: absolutely, it's the food and great service. Our server was such a nice lady. I felt like I was visiting someone's home and having a sushi dinner. I can't wait to return and perhaps try the other cooked items as recommended by our server. For now, I am stuffed with awesome sushi and as happy as a clam! read more

Mom and pop sushi restaurant. Love it already! We came in on a Sunday night at around 7 or 8 and were seated immediately. A couple of chairs had bits of food scattered on the seat, but they were quickly switched out when they noticed we were hesitant to sit down (apparently children had been sitting there). No biggie. After looking over the menu we just decided to leave it up to the chef and spent about $25/person (there were three of us) on an omakase. What resulted was a beautifully crafted plate of fresh fish. What impressed me the most was the intricate attention to detail. Each piece of fish was carefully arranged, with colors and overall presentation kept in mind. Contrary to many sushi restaurants today, which operate almost like factories and pump out roll after roll at a high rate, it was evident that the sushi chef took pride in his work and spent time preparing his meal. The fish was undoubtedly fresh. While there were some pieces of our omakase that I did not enjoy, I could still appreciate that the fish wasn't pulled out of the freezer or aged by several days. A nice change of pace from the average sushi restaurant. Authentic, comfortable, family-owned - yup, I'm a fan! read more

First time trying here and it reminded me when I was visiting Japan. The service and quality of food reminded me of Japan. Will definitely be returning!! read more

Yui Marlu - Special Chirashi! - Japanese Near Me - Fair Oaks, California

We were driving from San Francisco to Tahoe and decided to stop by for dinner as reviews are good. We sat at the bar and for 15 minutes no one came and clean up after previous customers and I am not even talking about offering us drinks. They came several time and told us that waiting time going to be about 45 mins but they never clean up or offer us drinks or anything. It totally feels like they didn't want to have us there, so we left. They were pretty busy and they have only one chef who works really slow. I don't know if there food worth it but service is awful! If you have the same problem try Shige Sushi! Older chef there makes really amazing sushi! read more

So, I've been eating sushi in California since the mid-1980s, and I've had only two "favorite" sushi places in that time. Sure, many sushi places served good food, and great ambiance, but the food was never so wonderful that I sat down and wrote out a yelp review. Tonight, after finding Yui Marlu here on Yelp, I've added another place to that VERY short list. My wife and I were looking for someplace to get sushi, and to get in an afternoon ride on the motorcycle at the same time. The Sacramento area is an hour and a bit from my home in the Berkeley area, but on the bike in 90 degree heat, that's perfect. The food was PERFECT. The Tempura Combo dinner, of half veggies and half shrimp, soup, and salad, looked like it was worth a shot. The tempura was clearly fresh out of the tempura frier when it was served, and the shrimp was cooked perfectly for the very first time I can remember. Not "well done", but instead just barely cooked inside the tempura batter and crumbs. Light, sweet shrimp, hot as it gets, but not yet cooked to the solid condition that all shrimp gets when cooked well. The veggies were cooked, yet crisp and fresh. The "Dewey" roll, was a tempura shrimp roll, with avocado layered on top, and a light, slightly peppery sauce drizzled on top. PERFECT. The Miso Soup was actually tasty, and the "salad", which I think of as Japanese cole slaw, was unusually delicious. The wife had added a red-tuna "Maguro" roll to the mix and it was delicious, and the tuna was firm and tasty. We got out of there for $30 plus tip, and although we didn't add alcohol or a ton of food to our order, we were both full and happy walking out the door. They are open for dinner only on weekends, and lunch as well during the week. IT was worth the 80 mile drive, and you can bet we'll be doing it again, any time we want sushi and the weather says "take the bike". On Sunday at 6, when we got there, we were the ONLY diners in the place. By the time we left, there were three other table with at least 4 diners in them. I hope this place survives the economy. It's worth the trip. read more