DaRuMa- Japanese Steakhouse and Sushi Lounge

Was there this week. Dinner was a NY strip steak and it was good. The meal was started quickly with soup and salad, as customary. The chef was both proficient and entertaining. I’m giving it four stars, but I think a 3.8 would be more accurate. Wait staff was good but not great — there is room for improvement. There was a bit of a push and attitude towards selling the fried rice as an up-​charge — I didn’t like that. The vegetables that came with the meal were a bit sparse. Overall, this is closer to my home than other places and I will go back, but my expectations are modest. Lastly — if you like your steak rare, as I did, keep a close eye on it while it’s on the grill. Don’t let the chef overcook it.
Reply to Nikki A. Looking at the other reviews it seems that quality of service is a challenging area for DaRuMa. Are you present on the floor of your restaurant all the time? The serve staff rushes like crazy. Are you paying enough to get really good help? Do you have enough staff? Suggestion — If you can’t be onsite, hire some undercover /​mystery diners to go and eat there when you are not present.

Food was good, but it’s weird that there are three Asian restaurants there. I guess it’s sushi of three price points. I had the chicken udon and it was good. I wish the beer selection was better.

So worth the price! Go in around 9 and you are likely to get a table that is not full on the hibachi side. Wish they were open right now so I could go get some fried rice and filet!

Chef Joe is the best of the best! Ask for Joe! We love DaRuMa. It is a great family environment!

Best sushi always fresh, cocktail hour with Art providing great sounds on the grand piano, and the warmth of the back room make this place the best sushi restaurant in Sarasota… drinks are good too! That’s my opinion as a former NYker foodie!
I’m not really a fan of the steakhouse show in any Japanese restaurant so I can’t speak for that side of the restaurant… I go when forced and cook that stuff better at home.
Go for authentic and well crafted sushi and sashimi… Few places hit all the marks like this place does!

If you sign up for the birthday club, be sure to sign up 5 days before your actual birthday, because otherwise Daruma’s local management cannot honor the birthday discount (it takes the speed of postal mail to deliver the e-​coupon). According to our server, this happens all the time.

Rare I would take the time to write a review, but this was our 2^nd bad experience at an old favorite. Same chef… Terrible… Only this time in such a hurry flung fried rice and egg all over everyone seated center! Glad I wore a nice dress. On top of that all the med rare meats were well done, meanwhile all vegetables were undercooked.

I started coming to this restaurant again because they improved the pricing and the food is ok. Tonight we were seated right under an ac vent and we were freezing. I had long sleeves and a sweater and still felt frozen from the blast of cold air. We told the server who said he would tell the manager. No follow up. We requested a manager and a guy came who said he was the manager and would see what he could do. Then another guy, apparently the manager, came and treated us horribly. He had a bad and dismissive attitude. The kicker was when he told us sarcastically that we were not freezing because «freezing is when you have ice and snow and you are having frostbite.» No… Freezing is when you blast freezing ac air onto your customers, bad service is when your trivialize it and don’t give a damn and being a smart ass is what he did. We left and are NEVER, EVER coming back. There are other hibachis in town.
To Nikki’s answer: did you read my review? It says that this happened «tonight». Perhaps the reason that you have another older review that mentions the same awful manager negatively is because you give cookie cutter copy-​pasted responses instead of actually addressing the problem. Good luck with your «manager.»

If I could give a zero star review I would so I guess 1 will work. I hate leaving bad reviews but this deserves one. Food was great top notch delicious but customers service really needs some work. Manger was not the best to talk to. Appetizers out after we were finished eating. Just not a great experience.
I will not be returning.

In a world of chaos (Tornadoes, the Rams moving to LA, Netflix’s «Making a Murderer»), it is good to know we have stability in such a SOLID local hibachi restaurant. When you think about it, doesn’t Hibachi basically symbolize everything you want in a strong government? Transparency. Controlled Aggression. Delicious Scallops?
I guess that makes me an expat living in the United States of DaRuMa.
I visited last night for a dear friend’s birthday, and enjoyed it fully. Our chef was a delight, and the food was cooked on-​point. I actually ended up splitting a meal (Scallops and Filet Mignon) with a fellow-​party goer (presumably now a ‘friend’ since we have progressed to the point that we openly share food). Totes recommend going splitzies.
The only snag in the whole scene was that the honorary ‘Chef’s Birthday Hat” was a notch on the large side. However, as this is a bit of a subjective matter (my head is known for its small circumference… ask around), I won’t hold that against DaRuMa.

we went first time it was good portion was good for me. I go again special occasions

Excellent food! Excellent atmosphere! Hibachi dining is very nice. Large grill with comfortable seating.
The sushi bar is so delicious. Fresh, Fresh, Fresh!
If you sit at the sushi bar you get a complimentary white tuna and cucumber salad — Excellent!
We had: Edamame
Tuna — Maguro
Yellowtail — Himachi
Fresh Salmon — Sake
Eel — Unagi
Dynamite Roll
Cinderella Roll
Spider Jumbo Roll (The ONLY thing wrong with this was there wasn’t much crab. A lot of breading, but not much soft shell crab) It is presented beautifully.
Larry, our sushi chef, is wonderful!
Daruma is clean, beautiful and all of the staff is professional. There is a piano player which enhances the whole dining experience.

Not worth the money. Low quality food. Kumo on University is 10x better and half the price!

DaRuMa’s has become our home away from home. When we first arrived down in Sarasota Asian cuisine was everywhere, but good Asian cuisine was hard to find. I must state that I avoid the place because it was in a strip mall. That sent up warning flags instantly, but a friend told me to get past that and go. The food was amazing from Sushi to the duck, my wife and I just couldn’t get enough of it. The staff is amazing, the pricing is fair and we both know when it is a new month because that means it is DaRuMa time for us! Worth the visit, trust me!

Very good! Love the Chilean Sea Bass and the fact that there are so many meat options for the teppan yaki. It is also absolutely beautiful inside the restaurant as well. By far the nicest teppan yaki resturant I have ever been to!

We’ve enjoyed the hibachi dining at DaRumas for years. It’s always been a good experience with talented chefs and a delightful atmosphere.
We also enjoy the appetizers and sushi. The Japanese tacos are fabulous. There is a very good selection of rolls to choose from.
Normally the service is very good. Last evening our server was a little hurried, failed to check on us, and didn’t slow down much when he was at our table. We were a slight bit late in ordering the spicy conch salad, but it never came out.
Martiniis, sake, beer and wine are quite good.
Don’t forget to tip the piano man, who puts on a good performance and adds a lot to the ambiance.

Went there the other night. We luckily got sat at a table with 3 other couples. Shrimp/​Filet combo with fried rice. Bartender made the wife’s drink a little strong, but I wasn’t complaining…
Tim R is right, ask for Joe when you make your reservation. Engaging, but not intrusive.

LIKE SEAFOOD? Da Ru Ma grills the tastiest scallops, shrimp, salmon and grouper you have ever tried.
LIKE STEAK? Da Ru Ma grills the best sirloin, NY strip or tenderloin you will ever eat.
LIKE VEGETABLES? Da Ru Ma grills carrots, cabbage, onions (volcano style onions!) to go with your meat.
LIKE RICE? Da Ru Ma grills your rice with eggs! Mmmmm!
Ask for ‘Joe’, from Okinawa — he is easily the nicest, funniest chef I have met in these places. He likes people and he likes his job.
Very expensive! $ 250 for 5 people, but worth it!

Hibachi… I have never cared for it because to me, the food all tastes the same when prepared this way. Either way, the atmosphere is agreeable and the décor is nice. The staff are always pleasant and the Sunset Menu offers affordable dinners and specials on sushi rolls. ORDER BY 6PM FOR SUNSET SPECIALS.
I really enjoy their sushi and their miso soup. The ingredients are always fresh and the sushi is always the right temperature.
Go to DaRuMa and enjoy the atmosphere and the sushi, but don’t ask me about the hibachi :)

The $ 5 app menu is fantastic and includes a few rolls. The spicy tuna roll was very tender and comes with a delicious dipping sauce (lemon sauce and eel sauce mixed). We had hibachi and Joe was our chef. He was the funniest chef I have ever experienced. The food was great. I suggest coming for the sunset menu or they have 2 for $ 40 specials until the end of Oct. Price can’t be beat for that… otherwise, it is pretty pricey with added drinks and apps. The service was great and ambiance is trendy. At least 1 party per hibachi table was celebrating a birthday…