Daruma North Sarasota - Japanese Steakhouse & Sushi Lounge

We had a great family dinner at Daruma Sushi Bar! The service was excellent and very prompt. The hibachi was a huge hit with the kids — the chef put on a fun, typical hibachi show that kept them entertained the whole time. The portions were generously large, and everything was worth the money. The sushi was excellent and fresh; I’d definitely recommend it.
A standout feature is the beautiful koi pond right in front of the restaurant. The kids loved feeding the fish while we waited, which made the experience even more memorable.
A few notes: The Saki Osaka drink was just okay — not my favorite. Pricing is on the higher side and can add up quickly, especially with drinks and hibachi. I strongly recommend making reservations in advance, as the place filled up fast.
Overall, a fun and family-friendly spot, especially if your kids enjoy hibachi!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Chef Harry was great! First time here and will be back!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Excellent foid!

Locals here and regulars since they opened several years ago. Can only say great things, GM Ron, Sushi Chef Mike, Bartenders Jason, Will, Immanuel, Gary make you feel right at home.
Service is super attentive, we love this place!
Highly recommended if you want the real stuff and not another chain!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Sat at bar to order a drink and place a to go order. After 15 minutes of no acknowledgment, I asked the hostess if I could order with her. No. She did at least go find a server to take my order. The bartender was just standing behind the bar acknowledging no one and doing nothing. I was one of only three people at the bar and the restaurant was dead, so no excuse Never got a drink. Waited another 20 minutes for the food. Horrible experience when you’re spending $55 on food to go for one person.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 4

Service: 2

We went last minute for a family celebration.

My 5 star rating on service is for our Chef, loved him, he called the Duck we ordered Quack Quack. Our waitress had challenges with water, salad and soup.

We all ordered a 3 item feast, taking most of it home. I loved the filet, get it medium rare , its actually medium at that size.

Great array of vegetables and the shrimp was flavorful. I would not order the lobster again. Not sweet at all and a little , I guess fishy.

Tip is included, adding $54 dollars to the bill, we gave the Chef an extra $45. Again our waitress was absent alot.

We were in a private room with seats made for children. They were horrible and the space between each other was so small any adult would be uncomfortable.

Atmosphere: 1

Food: 1

Service: 3

Absolutely horrible
Staff does not know there jobs
Service sucks
All the food is over cooked and saturated with pepper
Waitress gave my mints to a different party

Can’t even get a check in a decent time so I can go home and throw up

Stay away

Update- restaurant never even replied to this review- shows how much they care

Atmosphere: 1

Food: 1

Service: 1

This was our first time here. The hibachi areas were very busy and crowded. We were not going to do that, so we were taken into the dining room next to the gentleman playing the piano. The music was very good. The dining room was a bit smoky from the adjoining hibachi area. The atmosphere was nice but smoky. Our server Bonnie seemed to have perhaps one of the hibachi tables. After we ordered our drinks we asked how many jalapeños there were with thee appetizer, she was unsure so she checked for us. We ordered the jalapeño appetizer ( Daruma Firecrackers). They were atop a bed of crispy noodles and the crab stuffing was real crab. We actually enjoyed these. My husband ordered the Seafood Yakisoba $29.95. Which was a bowl of noodles with 2 shrimp, 4 scallops, and the overcooked salmon. More salmon than anything else. It was just ok. I ordered the Create your own Entree $33.95 + $2.50 for “fried rice“ literally rice and sauce, no vegetables at all in the rice. I could have ordered white rice and added the sauce at the table. I ordered the hibachi vegetables. So, the shrimp had so much salt on them that I didn’t eat them. I actually brought them home and washed them off !! The vegetables were cooked to mush, and again, no vegetables in the “ fried rice” at all. I even tried mixing everything together, I still could NOT eat this. And just to confirm ( I’m a chip eater) so I don’t have an issue with salt. But whoever the cook was this night 5/23/2026 was not on his game at all!! Not to mention that the shrimp was overcooked as well. With that being said, when Bonnie came to check on us, I did mention this to her. She came back and offered to recook the order. I declined, as I told her we don’t like wasting food. And we don’t like wasting our money either. $100 for Terrible Food. We could have went to City Buffet up the road, or tried the Buffet next door to them and had gotten better food. Take out Asian food is much better than we received here. We thought about coming back and trying their hibachi table, until We watched the hibachi food on the carts being walked to the hibachi area. The protein ( chicken, shrimp, beef) etc. was on the bottom shelf of the cart on like metal pizza pans, NOT COVERED. So as the carts are being walked to the hibachi areas , who knows what is being slung around by shoes . So we are deciding not to return. We always give 2nd or 3rd chances. This was a one and done for us. The dining room was “ candlelit “ the piano music was wonderful. The service was good , great would have meant a manager visit. But with the awful food, and no manager in sight we will give our business elsewhere. Good luck. Hopefully they make adjustments.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 1

Service: 4

Great entertainment and great food

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Best part was the company! Always good there! The Chef and wait staff always kill it!! In a good way!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Filet and Shrimp, Hibachi Filet Mignon and Lobster

Had a wonderful time! Went with my mom and dad for Mother’s Day today. We had an exceptional time! I recommend getting reservations, as this place is busy! Which is a green flag in my book. The Hibatchi was delicious, our chef was fun & upbeat, and we had a nice other family sitting with us too. It was a such a great time. It was our first time here and will not be our last. We love Hibatchi and finally found a real Hibatchi restaurant in the area since moving here! Thank you Daruma.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

I have been going to this location for years. I usually eat at the bar for happy hour. In my opinion, this is one of the best happy hour options in town. They have great drinks and very good bar bite options. Shawn has been there for as long as I can remember and he and the rest of the staff behind the bar are always great and accommodating. The hints of humor are always just a good bonus too! I make this at least once a month night out.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Came with a kid, kid enjoyed it a lot. The food was so good and we even took food home. The rate is 5 stars because of Rio. Rio belongs in the Hibachi Olympics from his super moves, overall a great experience.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Incredible experience! Oh, and the food was amazing, super delishhh! Our Hibachi Master, Rio belongs on the Olympics.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5