Tamari

This restaurant closed a few weeks ago.

there are so many fake Japanese restaurant in Brooklyn run by non-​japanese in, but this one is authentic. Tekka don is yummy. their appetizer specials are great. their miso soup is the best i had from a casual japanese restaurant like this. not the best place to have sushi though. the pricing is generous. I like it.

Nothing profound, but the happy hour specials were indeed some pretty touch up on the face that made up for the lacking of character.
Like most one-​night-​stands, it was inexpensive, and only casually good.
(I only learned that from Sex and the City)

I almost don’t want to review this place for fear of giving away my secret spot. Although being that this «secret spot» is on 5^th Ave in Park Slope I fear that the secret may not be so secret. Well as long as there isn’t a huge wait for a table it is ok.
I have one complaint about this place, let’s get it out of the way first and then move on. They must have a very small kitchen because the food never comes out at the same time. It trickles out of the kitchen one plate at a time. This would be ok except there is always one person at the table who gets all of their food last. This creates that awkwardness of waiting and eating cold food or eating while someone sits watching and waiting for theirs. If they can only make a dish or two at a time I wish they would be better about staggering the order in which the food comes out.
Besides that… The wait staff is very friendly and helpful. The food is really good and has some interesting dishes. The moving octopus, Japanese buffalo with catfish are two of my favorites. I love their drinks too, including the sake sangria, the Japaneses mojitos and a pretty decent assortment of sake.
Tamari is a good place to take friends and family for something a little different.

oooh… yummy. Well worth a return for one special roll alone. The speciality shrimp with coconut curry deliciousness is spectacular. I’m pretty sure fireworks went off when eating this, but all I could think about was the fact that since returning form Thailand (and getting food poisoning) almost 2 years ago, this was the first coconut curry sauce that was so entracing I couldn’t resist. The only sad thing for Tamari. its less than a block of Kiku. Overall, I still like Kiku more, but their ambience and awesome drink menu will bring me back to Tamari anyway.

So, I have just experienced Tamari– and I was not disappointed.
Tapas were great — Sangria was amazing — Prices were reasonable — Roll was delicious.
The décor is great, our spot was clutch, and the music, in a word, was awesome. Mostly 60’s pop music then it went to 80s pop music, but in general, way above and beyond what you hear in most japanese places.
I really enjoyed my experience here. I will go back.

The first time I tried Tamari I was sent on a wild rocket ride though my gastronomic solar system! Everything was salivate-​worthy, from the tuna ceviche to this chicken thing off the specials list. Mono mono salad — vinagretty magic! Miso soup — the best I’ve ever had (chock-​full)!
But sadly, the more I craved Tamari, the less satisfying it was. Udon — eh. Korean bbq kalbi — I prefer the K-​town version. Don’t get me wrong, I still like Tamari, just not cataclysmically. (3.5 stars)

I’m pretty surprised that so many Unilocalers gave this place 5 stars. I mean, 5 stars means this is the absolute best food/​service/​décor you’ve experienced. To me, 5 stars means not only that one of these elements is the best you’ve had, but that all of them are AND that you can’t go wrong ordering anything on the menu. And that just ain’t true at Tamari.
This is a nice little spot and I give it high marks for being cozy (read tiny!) and welcoming (very nice, if incredibly forgetful, staff). But, beyond there, Tamari has some issues.
First off, I think its pretty disingenuous for them to advertise themselves as Japanese tapas. Many of the items on the so-​called «tapas» portion of the menu are typical Japanese fare (sushi rolls, gyoza, etc.).
Second, a lot of these typical Japanese items are frankly, just okay. We tried two different sushi rolls (one advertised as «tapas» and one off the «rolls» part of the menu). Both were fine (fresh, not disgusting) but not particularly flavorful or special. If you want sushi in Park Slope, I’d suggest going to Geido. We also tried one of the special tapas, a braised pork belly dish. It was pretty bland. The seaweed salad was a seaweed salad — nothing distinctive there. The shrimp tempura was probably the best thing we had — very crisp and fresh.
I’ve heard that the hot pot noodle dishes here are great, so we may go back to try these and if so, I’ll be sure to update my review. But, overall, I can’t see how Tamari stands out any way.

This place has my favorite specialty sushi roll of all time… and it is called the CRUNCH ROLL. The Crunch Roll has a unique flavor that I wish I could experience on my taste buds everyday for the rest of my life. The perfect combination of crab, shrimp, spicy tuna, sauces, and tempura flakes, team up to create the ideal texture and bite.
Although this place is advertised as a Japanese Tapas restaurant, this marketing strategy is rather misleading because they have a wide variety of sushi rolls, sashimi, appetizers and entrees.
Furthermore, Tamari has a great Saki deal (buy any size, get a second one free), plus a variety of drinks and Kirin beer. The atmosphere is pleasant, and the service is very nice– especially the cutest little old lady who seats you and tells you about the specials!
The only thing to watch out about Tamari is that the service is completely prompt, until it’s time to ask for the bill…

Based on the close proximity to my domicile I frequent this place at least twice a month.
The staff is incredibly friendly, and knew who I was after just a few visits (I do a lot of takeout)
The sushi is good and varied, but its not the awe inspiring, life changing meal I think some people came looking for. But for the price is definitely worth checking out.
However, in my opinion the biggest reason to try Tamari is their Japanese Tapas. There are always different items on special and everything I have tried, from Shumai, to Korean BBQ, to clear noodles… has been really good.
If dining inside, try to show up for happy hour, I’m 99% sure its 12−8pm, six days a week, they are closed Mondays. Its 2 for 1 saki’s and some other specials.
Overall its a great place and is definitely worth a try. Although some genius on here recommended them for late night. Pretty sure they close by 11 on weekdays and midnight on the weekend… that’s certainly not late night to me.
NO Amex.

Sorry guys, I gotta say this place was really disappointing. The gyoza were obviously frozen, the sushi was chewy, and the ramen (even though they get big points for having it on the menu) was weak.
The waiter was nice, the décor is cool, but last night kind of reinforced the concept that there really isn’t any top notch asian (by which I mean chinese /​japanese /​thai) in the Slope… with Blue Ribbon being the only exception, as far as I can tell.
Thoughts?

Now when you think of Japanese food you’re probably instinctively going to go for sushi and sashimi. Scrap that, because the next time you go out for Japanese, you’re wont to forget ramen, soba, tempura, and all that other delicious stuff in the bento box that’s not raw fish.
If I could describe this place with one word: Clutch!
This place is so comfy. Couches, low tables, a warm red dining room with Pollack-​ish paintings all around — sounds more like a lounge than a restaurant, but if you’re gunning for a tapas place, then this is it.
Affordable, delicious, and interesting food choices abound; you’re bound to see people fighting over the last remnants of dishes. You will convert to the cult of tako tempura once you chow down, or, if you’re more of a one-​dish person, get the cold soba with tempura. You will chomp away laughing at how good it is.
They have great drinks in house (the lychee-​mint yumminess is perfect when the sun’s out), not to mention a sake happy hour. Order away when the food starts coming; you won’t feel so bad when you’re walking out the door with a big smile on your face.
Twenty-​dollar minimum for delivery, but go ahead and eat in.

VEGETARIANS WELCOME.
My wife and I really love this restaurant. The tapas are small portioned treats. Since they are small we can order a bunch and enjoy the variety. Some of our favorites include the tofu steak, sunomono salad, and Ma Po tofu.
The place is prettty cool. We go early with our kids but it is much cooler spot for later on a Saturday night.
They have a good sake selection and an excellent happy hour deal (Order a sake from their menu and get a free glass of house sake of the same size)

I wrote a review for this place and somehow erased it, but you know, maybe that’s for the better. It involved me crying over the fact that they wouldn’t deliver to me. I mean, do you really need to know about my DESPAIR when they informed me that there was a $ 20 minimum delivery to my neighborhood? Do you really need to know that I had EIGHTEEN DOLLARS and TWENTY TWO CENTS? Do you even care that my job had made me work overtime the last four weekends IN A ROW? Or that I had just gotten back from my old life in CA, fresh with the realization that MY EX IS BETTER OFF WITHOUT ME. Or that I was supposed to be hanging out with the dude I was dating but he was being an ASSHOLE? Or that my bff was so OBSESSED with the Secret that she couldn’t deal with the issues of a NON-​BELIEVER?
But um yeah, my therapist agrees that the sashimi/​sushi combo is by far the best deal. And really, having a nervous breakdown about a place means SOMETHING, you know?

Tamari is my five star fall back. I love it. If someone visits town for the first time, I bring them to Tamari. My Birthday dinner: Tamari. If a cyclone hits Brooklyn, and my place is demolished, I’ll go crawl through the debris to find shelter, and I’ll find Tamari — unscathed.
This is the one Japanese restaurant I have ever been to where I will consider not getting sushi. The sushi is great — best I’ve had in Brooklyn, but the rest of the menu, especially the tapas style dishes, is fantastic as well.
My favorite combination:
Frigid Winter Night + Sake + Tapas + Soup + Sake = Heaven

I loved this place! The orange walls and neat art have a warm and welcoming feel and the bar and the cozy low tables and couches make you feel at home. The staff was so nice and friendly. And, of course, the food was amazing. All the tapas were so interesting and the prices were very affordable. And don’t go without having the featured sake. It was the best I’ve had!

Wow, totally wasn’t expecting anything like this when i walked in. Definitely not your average overpriced Park Slope restaurant. Beautifully styled, not your average cheesy Japanese décor.
The tapas are the main draw of the restaurant; prices range from $ 3.50−6.50 a plate, with the more expensive ones being the specials.
Tako Tempura: I am a true pacifist, but when my dinner friend admitted to proposing that I give up the last piece, I warned that I’d get violent. With my first bite, I expected some sort of a chewy resistance — none. I don’t know how they did it, but the octopus MELTED in my mouth! amazing. This was the highlight of the meal.
Also had the tuna ceviche, excellent. fish was incredibly fresh. The scallops special delivered scallops with a pure taste, hardly seasoned, on a bed of corn risotto. It sounded a little too chefed up when the waiter described it, but it was simple, straightforward, and beautifully presented. The rolls were perfect bite-​sized, if you are expecting giant rolls, these are more about quality. The mixed tempura (fish, veggie, shrimp) was light and the oil was fresh.
I love that the dishes were brought out by a Japanese grandmother who looked like she’d just walked out of her own kitchen in her home.
4 tapas and a roll were perfect for 2 people, leaving us just enough room for dessert — rum butter banana, a little twist on the fried banana SO GOOD! our meal, plus a bottle of sake came out to $ 52. what?!
must go back to check out the buy 1 bottle, get one free sake happy hour.

Tamari, you are the comforting shoulder I lean on when I’ve had a horrible day.
This place is like your stomach’s equivalent to a best-​friend or confidante. The restaurant is warm, inviting, friendly, and always full of happy folks. The food hits that perfect Goldilocks middle with great taste and perfect prices. From the sushi to the tapas to the entrees, everything will kindly pat away worries and readjust your mood.

I had a delicious sushi lunch special. It came with the roll of my choice, and assorted sashimi. The fish was fresh and the portion was generous. YUM.
I came here with a friend and it did take a while for the waitress to take our order (even though we were some of the only people in the restaurant). Once we ordered, though, the food came promptly, and everything was great!
I noticed they had a really good selection of drinks and a delightful happy hour special, and yummy assorted dessert selections! It definitely made me want to come back to try more things here! Their main thing seems to be Japanese tapas, and we didn’t even delve into these — however, they sounded really good!
In the immortal words of The Terminator: I’ll be back.

It’s easy to miss this bomb-​ass, little Japanese joint… and if you do, I won’t be sad. It will just be easier for me to get in there for some fresh sashimi. The food is consistently GREAT, they’re always playing oddly entertaining music, and the staff is top-​notch. Favorites are the tamari udon, chirashi, and almost all of the special rolls. Don’t miss 2-​for-​1 sake during happy hour (till 8pm, I think).