Japanese Restaurants near Monona

“I always love their sushi and they are amazing with gluten free!

Dietary restrictions: Amazing and knowledgeable about eating gluten free. Nothing is marked on the menu because they can pretty much make anything gluten free (at least the sushi).“

“I love this place so much. The owners are fantastically friendly, the fish is fresh, the prices are decent, and the sashimi is authentically thick-cut (not the case at most other places in town). Overall my favorite place to get sushi in Madison.“

“This restaurant's best offerings are their American style maki sushi exploding with all kinds of fillings and toppings. The appetizers and other offerings are pretty basic. The nigiri was disappointing but as expected for this part of the country. The cocktail menu is interesting, but I haven't sampled much from it yet. The new decor is kitschy and over the top, but it imparts a fun, casual vibe if you just kind of relax and enjoy it. Some of the sushi plates had little orchid / flower sprays on them that were quite visually appealing.“

“Love the new space, it's huge and spacious. Service is a little spotty on busy nights but the wait staff is always very kind. Great food, have been a fan for years and thrilled to see them thriving. Sushi is fresh and delicious, better than Red in quality value and taste. Their hot entrees are also yummy.“

“Friendly staff + owners, nice atmosphere + delicious food!“

“I went to Jacknife on a recommendation and the restaurant was great vibes! Their menu had a lot of options for a fish newbie like me and the staff was very helpful. Miso Pork Belly Bowl was delicious and I highly recommend!!“

“A nice quiet restaurant for a casual meal. I got the Volcano bowl and kakuni bao. The Volcano bowl was delicious and spicy, so only order it if you can handle heat! The bao was perfect as well - the tangy dressing was a good contrast to the pork. The steamed bun was nice and fluffy as well.“

“Always great sushi and service. Buy 1 get 1 deal is a terrific bargain.“

“Really cute place. Nice vibes. It was poppin’! It does good business. I had the katsu chicken bento box. The tempura was yummy. The shumai was perfect. It came with miso soup which was nice even on a warm day. My wife had the salmon teriyaki bento box and my daughter had the chicken teriyaki. All good. The food was so good I forgot to take a pic until I finished ?“

“Visiting from Colorado with some friends and came across this place. Food was very delicious Highly recommend the Korean BBQ wings and Pork dumplings.“

“I have been a regular patron at Sushi Express for about 4 years now. I describe this place as a place to get “4 star sushi for 1 star prices”. Their menu is extensive, with many creative rolls, and their 2-roll or 3-roll specials are hard to beat price wise. My personal favorite is the Lake City Roll. The wait staff are always friendly, and I can only recall one time where I waited more than 10 minutes for my sushi rolls. I’ve also ordered delivery from here many times. I once waited over an hour for an order, and they gave me a $10 store credit upon realizing my GrubHub order didn’t go through entirely. Like any restaurant, these folks are human and 99% of the time you’re going to get great sushi with great, friendly service at a price that won’t break the bank. More cities need a Sushi Express like this one in Madison, WI. 5/5 stars for their delivery service and 6/5 stars dine in. HIGHLY recommend this place for anyone that wants great sushi but doesn’t want to break the bank.“

“Had a surprise birthday party at Sarku Japan. We had a large group and 1 waiter handled drinks, orders and checks for our whole party. This caused some periods of waiting but overall fine. Watching the food bring prepared was exciting. Since chef only used one grill, half our party unable to see and looking at chef's back.The entrees were delicious but pricey. Overall a fun experience but because of price may only be able to visit on special occasions.“

“We, my husband and I, love this place! It’s honestly hard to find a straight forward and good Chicken Teriyaki in Madison/surrounding areas (We live in Middleton). So this place is perfect for it. The price is more than reasonable for the amount of food you get, it’s hot and delicious, and fresh due to the high volume of orders they are making.The veggies, the chicken, rice and sauce- yum! Plus it makes great leftovers, which I almost always have if I get my own order. A lot of times, my husband and I will split an order if we want to save money. It’s the perfect, not too heavy dinner or lunch.I will say one thing, and that is that you have to like dark meat chicken because I believe they use chicken thighs. Not a problem to me, but I know some people prefer white meat chicken.They also have a punch card system, so after every 6 you get a freebie- we just cashed one in yesterday!The staff is friendly, quick, and I like how you get to watch them make the food.Overall, this place is perfect for a a chicken teriyaki craving… definitely worth a try! There is a location in each of the malls here in Madison, East & West.“

“Thank you so much for making our son's graduation dinner so special. We enjoyed the food so much and your staff was wonderful. Loved it!“

“Absolutely stupendoud food and service!

Nothing left out from the delicious Beef Bun we had for our starter - two delicately steamed and perfectly paired Korean beef BBQ, pickled cucumber and so flavorful! Totally perfect amount to share for two ($9.⁵⁰)

The ramen.

Wow! Hit the flavor motherlode!

My husband had the Miso-Chicken broth ramen;
*h u g e* serving with lots of marinated chicken & bamboo shoots, ramen-infused softboiled egg, bean sprouts, nori (seaweed sheet) and scallions, $15

I had the Pork Tonkotsu - don't order extra charsiu as you get a good amount of the braised pork along with a deliciously rich and creamy pork broth. I added shiitake mushrooms to the marinated bamboo shoots and ramen softboiled egg, nori and scallions ($16). So Good! :)

[I actually had to take some of my ramen home. The portions are very generous and so full of flavor, it's almost unreal.]

Our service was graced by a new server - and she has a storied path ahead of her. Attentive without hovering, not a hint of nervousness.

Suffice to say, we WILL be back!

Vegetarian options: Very good selection of vegetarian/vegan options including three of their eight ramen options!

Dietary restrictions: They offer gluten-free options

Wheelchair accessibility: Ramp & accessible entry - patio isn't accessible, though.“

“Located on Capital Square, the irresistible sound and smell of sizzling food emanates from Teriyaki Samurai.They haven't yet bought in to the gluten-free fad, so they don't use that to help market their dishes, even though some of their items would easily qualify.Prices are a little high for a food truck, but the food is delicious.“

“Was expecting a small shop but walked in to the most gorgeous sushi joint I’ve ever seen, absolutely gorgeous fish tanks everywhere, and great seating!

The young man who waited on us was very kind and was able to make suggestions to my friend who had certain preferences. Everything came out super quick but clearly took very special care to make.

I’ll definitely be back for the all you can eat soon, those little belts look fun!“

“Excellent food with a friendly staff“

“Great food for a great price!“