20 Best Japanese Restaurants near Carmel By The Sea

“Amazing food, fresh, delicious, good presentation - everything was great. The place itself looks very basic and unassuming, but the food surely exceeded our expectations. Service was good, but I can see how some reviewers could describe it as “stoic” or “authentic Japanese”, anyway to me it was a part of the charm of this place. Highly recommended overall.“

“Fun sitting at the Sushi Bar! Great team, great service, and of course great food!“

“Went for date night and split 3 apps and a stone pot with seafood and veggies. Ordered the pan fried oysters which were unfortunately not my favorite item because I found them to be a bit bland. We also ordered the shrimp tempura with veggies which was delicious. The last app was the coconut curry soup (not pictured) which was my favorite of the 3 apps. It was slightly spicy and very tasty. The stone pot was delicious and we ate the whole thing. The clams and mussels were just a bit overcooked. Service was very good.“

“Overall very good sushi spot. Plenty of rolls and other items to choose from. I will be back. The it’s a little off ocean ave and the inside looks a little dated in my opinion. The walls are covered in pictures which makes it look cluttered. I’m sure that’s a local thing. The service was pretty good although a little slow due to it being a little busy in there. I need to come back during their happy hour- three rolls for $20!“

“This place is an absolute gem. The staff is so friendly and authentic. As I was eating, some women came in wearing yukata, it doesn't get more authentically Japanese than that. The food was bomb and so clearly made with care. This is definitely one of my new favorite places. They also roast their own coffee and it was delicious 😋“

“I love this place... simply the best!“

“Very good food quality. What was disappointing was the forced 18% gratuity for my family of 5. Then was given attitude when I didn't tip additional over the 18%. The best part was food quality. The service was just ok. We are a very low maintenance family to wait on.“

“Delicioso 🤤 cuando lo disfrutes con las personas adecuadas para ti 🥰🥰🥰“

“This place has been here for decades and is now under new management I think. Much improved decor, food quality, brighter and cleaner, but prices are still worth it. Definitely give it another try if you haven't been here in awhile. I only wish they did delivery!“

“First time visited Monterey and decided to have sushi for dinner. Randomly walked in this restaurant and their food is amazing! The salmon belly literally melted in my mouth! Staffs are kind and friendly. Had a great dinner here. Will definitely come again when we’re back in town.“

“Oishii!
Ordered the 3 item comination plate for dinner on a Tuesday night. This was our second visit to this restaurant. It was not too busy, and we were promptly seated and given menus to look at. I oreded the teriyaki chicken, combo tempura, and inari plate.
The inari with a little wasabi was very good. The combo tempura consisted of shrimp, mushroom, green beans, onion rings, carrot, and zucchini. The tempura was very good, especially with the provided dipping sauce. The teriyaki chicken was alright. Nothing special with light and dark meat. The salad and dressing were very good as well as the rice. Service was good as we were asked how everything was or if we required anything else several times. I put Harumi as one of the top of my list for Japanese food on the penninsula and look forward to another visit.“

“This is a very friendly restaurant. The food is good and reasonably priced. I really enjoy the broiled eel and spider rolls. Ignore the food snobs writing bad reviews, who expect every restaurant that they go to be a James Beard-Michelin Star Food Network experience.“

“Solid vegan sushi roll options - all veg based (no “fake fish” creations) but very good. The mushroom roll in particular was excellent. Good spot if you need vegan food in a pinch (we were traveling) but not a super filling option. #Veganuary“

“Excellent food!!! It beats what we had in Maui recently.“

“We were driving through Pacific Grove and we were going to drive to Carmel for sushi but we said how about right here and we looked up Sushi in PG and we saw Zum . What a wonderful lunch, very fresh and high quality food, service and ambience. Love this place!!“

“today an amazing couple paid for our tab. We are a family of 6 trust when I say our bill was not cheap. Thank you so much and may God bless. The service is always great, the food is always on point.“

“exelent service and the food it's grate.“

“Friendly staff, excellent food.“

“The Presidio of Monterey is one of the best military bases in the States. It has some of the most amazing views of the Monterey Bay and it’s just a wonderful well maintained active military base. I had several family members who worked on this base and I was able to spend a lot of time here. I also enjoyed seeing a section of the Berlin Wall and a cool Russian tank from WWll. I was also fortunate to have known some of the amazing former post commanders and command Sargent Majors. The Presidio is most definitely a very special place.“

“So so yummy! Been coming here for years and always receive great service. The staff is always friendly and you can really tell how hard working everyone is because this place gets packed at times. There are options for everyone whether you’re gluten free, vegetarian, or vegan!

Vegetarian options: Vegan options include all the sauces, white/brown rice, noodles and veggies.“