Suwa’s Japanese Restaurant

These jokers are finally CLOSED!!! Just as well… food sucks!!! Tip demanded for crummy service and HORRIBLE food. Sashimi should never, ever be room temperature. I bet the health department closed ‘em down! STAY CLOSED!!!

One of the worst Japanese restaurants I’ve eaten at. The food was mediocre and the service was terrible. Upon receiving our bowls of miso soup, I requested a soup spoon. The lady said that it is usually drank, «like coffee». I said I understand that many people do this but I do not. I honestly thought she wasn’t even going to bring me a spoon, but she eventually did.
The soup was not very good. The meal was not good either. I have never had a piece of salmon with so much fat on it, and the tempura seemed microwaved. The temperature of all of it was lukewarm.
Since we received such bad service and food, we didn’t leave a tip. As we were leaving, the lady said «No tip?» to my boyfriend! I was shocked. Really unprofessional.

I was actually impressed with the chasu ramen, and I’ve eaten my share of ramen around the bay area. It’s my latest obsession. The ramen noodles were cooked perfectly, al dente and the broth (tonkotsu) had lots of bold flavors and dimensions. It was not watered down and was not too salty. The chasu was not too fatty and had lots of flavors. The egg was cooked well too, not completely soft boiled but not hard boiled like some places. It’s god to know there there’s a good ramen place in Concord if I end up living there.

Suwa is a mediocre Japanese restaurant. The service is only okay and the food is bland. The sushi can’t compare to Happy Roll across the plaza.
A few coworkers and I went to Suwa for lunch and the waitress didn’t understand that we were sharing rolls between the table.
I went for dinner and got their «special» japanese soup and it lacked salt and had too much grease floating on top.
I would look elsewhere when going out to dinner in downtown Concord.

Went on Saturday night with one of my friends and the food wasn’t that great. We were a little worried with how empty the restaurant was seeing the whole area was packed with people. The waitress brought us green beans after we ordered our rolls. I’ve never had green beans at a sushi restaurant and we wondered if she thought we said green beans vs edamame. The were just okay.
Both of us had the cherry blossom roll. It lacked flavor and over all disappointed. The seaweed salad was good. The edamame was okay, some pods were over salted others had no salt.
Prices were extreme. The Rainbow roll was $ 21! I’ve never seen it that expensive even at nicer sushi places.
Overall, we wont be back. There are other sushi places that are cheaper and way better.

I came here two weekends ago and ordered a Lion King Roll, takoyaki, and seafood ramen. The Lion King Roll, though it arrived quite fast, was not really to my liking. The salmon was dry and the sauce that makes the roll so special was sparse. Takoyaki was okay, but the octopus was a little tough. The calamari in the seafood ramen was very rubbery and lacked taste.
The service was good, though. There was a slight speech barrier, but she seemed to be a Japanese native, so I couldn’t blame her. She made sure to attend to us as best she could.

This is still where you go for decent authentic Japanese entrees, ONLY. .The sushi is really a non plus and bland here,
14 Years ago I used to frequent Suwa’s on a weekly or even Bi-​weekly basis: my favorite place. The food was SO much better, they were packed all the time, and there was an incredible energy in the air.
WHAT HAPPENED? I dont know…
PLUSSES+
Sesame dressing on Garden Salad– OMG !! could eat this all by itself,
BEST DRESSING ANYWHERE– have never found better …
ALL chicken is good here: Sesame and Kushiaki my Favs
Try the BOATS if you have the $$$$ Love Boat is my preference, but all are Elaborate and Delicious.
Everything else is Good too, not great, but good: Udon Donburi Soba
MINUS–
Sushi– tastes bland, non-​imaginative, small cuts and rolls, go across the street to Happy Roll for that.
Tempura; may have just been an off night, but last time i ordered was soggy and almost cold
Service: Slow, but has always been slow, expect it here.
Would recommend for Entrees or Bento box only.

2.5 stars, extra half star upgrade for the cool and rare booth/​floor seating located on the right side of the restaurant.
I’ve driven by this place a few times and it looked cute and more authentic so I wanted to give it a try. Unfortunately I chose the night there was a large 40 person banquet happening at the same time. Basically service was really slow, which I can understand but even basic things like a menu and ice water took 10 minutes. Not to mention the large party had their own servers and already had food by the time we were seated.
Food: Sushi was decent.
Ambiance: Restaurant has a lot of clutter and could use a good clean up.
Service: Nice, but inefficient and slow.
Price: A little pricey for the quality.
Overall: There are so many other sushi places nearby, I’d probably never come back.

This place was recommended to me. Highly talked about and highly praised about the service and food. With that being said I obviously had high expectations! Who wouldn’t right?!
We walked in on a Friday evening, you had to wait to be seated… nobody ahead of us and another couple just walked in behind us… after about 2 minutes a server/​hostess came out from kitchen or back area to seat us. We asked to be seated at the sushi bar. Immediately the other couple was seated next to us. Fine. We were then given our menus and then poof! It was quite! Nobody was behind sushi bar, waitress was gone! We decided what we were going to try. Sat there for about 5 minutes and waited and waited. Saw the waitress bring others their food and drinks. Just one waitress on a Friday night, I think thats a no no! Who am I though! Finally our drinks come, glass of plum wine for me and a large Sapporo for Hubby. Finally out from the back this old sushi chef walks out and goes directly to other couple seated next to us! Why not ask «who’s first?»!!! I didn’t speak up and just gave my Hubby the dirty look. Why didn’t that couple say something like «take those folks order, they were here first.» People are rude! Snobs! I would have told them to go first if I knew they were here before me. I didn’t want to cause a scene so I kept my mouth shut. Strike 1 in my book!
Anyway we gave the old man our order: TNT roll (deep fried spicy tuna) $ 7.95, AA roll (asparagus & crab topped with salmon and avocado) $ 9.50, Unagi roll (eel with choice of avocado or cucumber, I chose avocado) $ 7.25, Oregon roll (salmon & avocado) and for an appetizer the fried oysters. We got the appetizer after we got our first 2 rolls. The TNT was spicy and tasted great. I was then served Unagi nigiri (fried freshwater eel over rice)…WHAT! I didn’t order THAT! The old man wrote down that I ordered unagi nigiri. Hello, I ordered the Unagi roll, I was telling you our list of rolls… if you weren’t sure if I wanted the roll or nigiri you should have asked old man! Strike 2! By this time the couple next to us had eaten and ordered more… we still haven’t gotten our full order! OMG I’m getting a bit perturbed! Finally get the Unagi roll and the Oregon roll. BLEH! Seriously I’ve had far better from the grocery store!
I need another glass of the plum wine! I actually look up and wonder to myself ‘why me’ and I notice the origami figure overhead (over the sushi bar) and there is a bit of dust and a few spider webs coming from it connecting to the overhead light fixture! WHAT! EWWW!!! I see another origami figure at the end of the sushi bar and same thing… oh heck no! Strike 3!!! Your outta here! I am so not coming back here.
Its sad that our first experience at a traditional Japanese restaurant was a bust. I wanted it to be fun and got the total opposite. Sad I can’t give them a higher rating for my experience.
They do have a Traditional Tatami room. Looked pretty nice.

I was extremely surprised to read the negative reviews of this restaurant!
My husband and I have been coming to Suwa’s for lunch and dinner for a few years now. We always have a wonderful experience.
The restaurant is not new and does look a little shabby inside. This doesn’t bother me because I come for the FOOD not the décor. Maybe the other reviewers need to bring more entertaining dinner companions so they don’t have to stare at the walls so much.
The service here is polite and friendly. I have never felt ignored or had my dinner or lunch take long to get to me. The staff is great about answering questions. (We like to try new things so we ask a lot of questions.) A minute or two after you order you receive miso soup, green beans with some sort of sesame dressing, and spicy pickled cabbage. I eat up every bite. The balance of flavors is so satisfying.
I almost always order the tempura or teriyaki. The portions are big and the sauces are wonderful. One of my favorite things is their rice. Who ever thought that just rice could taste so good?
I always leave feeling full but not weighted down. The whole experience leaves me with a kind of Zen eating feeling. They concentrate on making each dish have balance and flavor.
I think the problem some people are having with «bland» flavor comes from the extremely Americanized Japanese food available all over California. If you cannot appreciate the amazing flavors of simply prepared fresh ingredients this place is not for you. If you want an Americanized asian salt fest complete with msg, this place is not for you.
If you want REAL Japanese food and a relaxed dining experience, this is for you. People need to remember that this is a traditional Japanese restaurant not a sexy sushi bar with emphasis on the bar part.
I love Suwa’s and will keep coming back as long as they’re there.

Ah how I love Suwa! I finally get super yummy Japanese Ramen in my neighborhood. Tonkotsu broth is the best, and I usually get the gyoza ramen.
I love Japanese owned Japanese restaurants as they will usually have traditional items you cannot find in the Korean owned restaurants. At Suwa you can get chawan mushi which is a savory egg custard. Their hamachi kama is very good as well. Sushi is very well made, and while they may not have the crazy rolls that other places have, they do well prepared simple fresh sushi which I love. I prefer well made fresh sushi over «over the top» sushi.

I’m a little hesitant about the rating I am giving Suwa’s. First of all– don’t expect anything fancy here. Yup. If you’re expecting the grand, colorful, over the top sushi preparation you usually can find at Happy Roll, then you’ll be disappointed. Second, there are not a lot of options to begin with and the place is pretty bland. But here’s the thing– if you are with good company and want a nice, low-​key, and somewhat quiet atmosphere, then this is the place to go.
The service can be a bit slow but it’s family run, so there are not a lot of people working at the same time. The food is not bad, it’s actually pretty good. My favorite dish? The beef sashimi. If you love beef sashimi, this is the place to go!!! It’s always fresh, thinly sliced, and it comes with a yummy sauce to dip it in! Oh my… never knew raw beef can be so melty-​delicious! It tastes like bacon!!! The miso soup is pretty good too.
I always come in with a huge group of friends and we are usually pretty loud. LOUD. And they don’t care. And we don’t care. There are usually 3 – 4 groups of customers in there so it’s never crowded (bad for them good for us!), so we always feel free to just sit back and unwind. It’s great.
One cool thing about this restaurant is their sushi bar. Never been there myself, but I always walk by it on the way to the bathroom… there’s a running waterfall that drops from the partition that separates the bar from the sushi chefs to the edge of the bar. It’s pretty cool.
So again, the sushi isn’t the best I’ve ever tasted, but I do love the place for their laid back atmosphere and the beef sashimi.

Didn’t like this place. Smelled and tasted too fishy (blech), and my one tempura roll tasted like the fryer needs to be cleaned.
BUT, the Suwa Special roll (cooked beef and unagi) was A+ (well, maybe A-​), so that’s why they even get one star.

We came on a cold, foggy night. There was only one waitress taking orders, sending food out, collecting money. Being understaffed is a bad sign that we were going to get bad attention.
I ordered Sukiyaki with Tempura entrée and got 3 pieces of noodles in my soup with uneatable tempura. I never had to send back tempura at a sushi restaurant ever! It must have been sitting for 10 minutes under a cover, because it was soft and old.
When the new dish of tempura came out — it was better, but the batter was still bad and we were trying to figure out if they refried our old tempura.
If this place didn’t have any fresh sushi, I wouldn’t come here again.
PS: they don’t take Discover Card.

Suwa’s Japanese Restaurant made for a wonderful, relaxing evening for a friend and me. Situated in the Concord Town Square, it is centrally located, just a short walk from home and is in the vicinity of other delectable bites such as frozen yoghurt and a coffee house if your pallet desires. The environment is pleasant– authentic Japanese paintings garnish the walls, and there is a choice of seating between sushi bar, a western style table and chairs and the traditional Japanese arrangement of a low table and floor seating.
The server was pleasant – attentive yet not overly concerned. The food flowed from the kitchen at timely cadence from appetizers to our selection of rolls.
The food and the flavors of specialty sauces were by far the acme of our experience; the sushi was of some of the best and freshest I have had in a while and the flavors blended and melted together in harmony on the pallet. Suwa’s is absolutely a place I will return and I am excited to share with friends in the future!

I think people who are giving this place bad reviews came here expecting the fancy sushi you find in highly Americanized places… the tempura roll with the spicy mayo sauce and fancy toppings.
Suwa is not that kind of joint. It has been ran and operated by a Japanese family, a rare find. Majority of sushi chefs are not Japanese. Like the majority of Chinese restaurant cooks are not chinese.
Come here if you are looking for authentic sushi, the no frill stuff. You know, the kind of sushi you can fit in your mouth with one bite and no mayo or mystery sauce soaked on it. This is more of home style cooking… donburi, tempura udon, ramen, gyoza.etc. and family style customer service.
oh they have takoyaki!
but do come at lunch, their dinner prices can be a lil high.
I recc:
takoyaki — 2 bucks, why not!
Lunch bento item: beef terkiyaki is good
Tonkatsu ramen!

3 stars on Unilocal… shouldn’t be TOO bad, right? WRONG. SO WRONG.
This place was our last resort since Happy Roll is closed for remodeling until August.
Came here last night and I was SO disappointed in this place that nothing else really seemed to really change my mind about giving it 1 star.
They MUST have been catching the chicken, cow and fish in the back because the service was SO SLOW. There were only a handful of tables, 2 servers and 2 sushi chefs. I don’t know what their deal was, but we were hungry people waiting 20+ min for our food. TWENTY minutes. I was almost tempted to just walk out of the restaurant because they were taking so long.
The food… was… better than the service, but not by a long shot. Their «famous» Sesame Chicken was unsatisfying and bland. The maguro sashimi, had a fishy smell to it probably because it was frozen and not fresh. The best thing that probably came out of this excruciating culinary experience was the WASABI. It was hot and delicious.
NEVER coming here again.

In the womb. That’s how long I’ve been going to Suwa.
Their old location, to this one, I have followed and love Suwa. Their customer service is AMAZING (and the owners always remember us and ask after any family members missing a meal, «Where is little sister today? Oh, you’re back from vacation and just visiting?»). They do have the cheesy but very light Japanese instrumental music in the background. I never go to the formal rooms (if you want to sit behind a screen and take your shoes off, but you won’t be sitting on the floor, it just looks like it). It’s also usually a quiet place.
As for the sushi, I love the quality and the presentation of their salmon sashimi with lemon slices in an abalone shell. I’ve also always gotten tobiko (flying fish roe) and sampled everything from their deluxe sushi menu. Their quality has always been superb, and they don’t skimp on the portions (no weird fish to rice ratio here). Also, it’s standard that they put wasabi on sushi here, so if you’re sensitive you can ask for it sans wasabi (I always used to as a kid, but now I love it).
I highly recommend their tempura, although it could be a little lighter. Good mix of veggies, and they are willing to sub all shrimp too. And their tempura sauce… This place defines tempura sauce for me! I will get an extra bowl of rice and extra tempura sauce to eat it with.
I like their teriyaki, but I always end up defaulting to tempura or sushi. Le sigh.
Their appetizer green beans aren’t as thin and good as they used to be, but I will still take an order out to eat later. My dad used to pick up a takeout box of just these for me on his way home from Antioch… only way to get a 10 yr old to eat veggies I guess. They have some special sweet sauce and sesame seeds.
Beautiful, simple presentation. Traditional and classic décor and atmosphere. Good customer service. High quality food. I don’t know what more you can ask for.
Plus, I just really like that giant wooden dolphin by the door.

It’s kind of a bummer to see some bad reviews of this place.
I live in the neighborhood and I go frequently. This place has good food at a decent price, and I have yet to have something that isn’t fresh here. The food here is great; my favorite is the fried asparagus rolls or the spicy tuna.
The service is great too, I am never waiting more than a couple of seconds before someone comes to seat me.
I also have to give the place props because I’ve come in on my lunch break, ordered food to go, and had plenty of time to get back to work –my lunch is only half an hour long.

It’s usually good nigiri, though I have had a couple time when I went in and smelled «fish», and been very dubious about that fact. The location is prime, the décor is classic and lovely, I particularly love the waterfall type thingie at the sushi bar that spans the bar, lending a zen and peaceful atmosphere, but I’ve had very mixed feeling about both food and service here.
It kind of leaves me with the wanting to SHRUG feeling, like, eh, coulda been better, but with nothing really specific to complain about. The prices are much higher here than at any other sushi place in the area, except for the nigiri meal.
I have not ever had the «ugh, full» feeling after leaving Suwa’s.. .not becaue I am not a sushi glutton, more because I can’t afford to here!