Maru

I had one of the most amazing meals today at MARU — my foodie friends from Windrose farm took me. You will be pleasantly surprised that this place offer the best of traditional sushi as well as the finest western/​French dishes. Produce come from the farmers market, of course so they are so fresh. I love all their beautiful ceramic plates. Sushi and sashimi were so fresh. Everything was delicious and beautiful to look at. We had sashimi, sushi plate, scallops and green pea ravioli (Tahitian vanilla), Caesar salad, beets salad, and lamb tacos– all are so delicious!!! We had lemon merengue, green tea cake and berry cobbler-​all so good!!! Service was professional, and just right amount of interaction. I feel like I finally found a special place.

I work nearby and was excited to try Maru. Compared to many Japanese restaurants Maru is vast, and its open space is enticing and elegant. I went with colleagues for lunch. Among us we ordered many dishes. A few were good, some were close to terrible. Some chefs want to create their own versions of dishes with unusual ingredients or preparations. That seems the case here except that none of the inventiveness paid off. Attentive but not really helpful staff. Wanting to believe i had a freakishly bad experience i ordered take-​out. I’d note that the food was equally unappetizing, but can’t be sure because they gave me some incorrect dishes.

Had higher expectations based on the website, instagram account, and feature on the Eater LA list. Ambiance was poor, no music, food was forgettable. Got the short ribs, roasted beat salad and potatoes. Didn’t go for sushi, which looked more promising.

Cocktails– not many choices all of which our waitress said weren’t sweet, yet our two cocktails we’re very sweet
Food– average at best. Ordered: fingerling potatoes which were good but so small, roasted beet salad — completely fine, short ribs — also completely fine. Probably should have gotten the sushi.
Ambiance– AWFUL. The space is terrible, no music playing, horrible lighting. They need to reassess the vibe in a time when their competition are places like gjusta, Jon and vinnys etc, which have amazing ambiance. Honestly for the atmosphere alone I would say don’t go.

This was a uniquely surprising dinner. I was not expecting such a wide assortment of Japanese fish and the stories of the 69 year old master made it completely worth the experience. Price was high at 120 per person but was so happy did not notice. Will be back again to see if it can be duplicated differently

We visited during DineLA week and we were extremely let down. We walked into a largely empty restaurant and were told to take a seat at the bar as they try to make some space for us. Kind of an odd greeting… regardless, on to the food.
We opted for the Sushi option. We asked if a glass of wine was included, as our server neglected to mention that and it was nowhere on menu in the restaurant though mentioned online. I’m pretty sure we wouldnt have gotten the wine had we not asked. Overall our server rushed us through the meal and paid very little attention to us as it was clear we were doing the DineLA thing… We were not thrilled with her.
The tuna with potato foam was the strangest thing I’ve ever eaten. The texture of the foam was thick like snot — almost like a flavorless gelatinous slime. The otherwise delicious tuna was completely spoiled by this «addition».
We were told the Omakase was «mild, basic fish» which was in fact true. We asked to let the chef know we’re adventurous though that message was not delivered and we received very basic low-​grade sushi. The server pours your soy-​sauce and my fiancée needed more half-​way through her meal though our server never checked in on us, so we shared.
Lastly we finished with the chocolate tart and green-​tea cheesecake as they were out of the other tart. Pretty frustrating. Both plates came out of a walk-​in freezer and were extremely cold indicating to us they sat in there for quite a while. The cheese-​cake was good and the chocolate tart was pretty forgettable and particularly difficult to break with a spoon. A steak knife would have helped…
At $ 49/​pp + tax/​tip this is no deal based on what we were served. The other menu looked to be the better choice based on what we saw come out to other tables.
Sadly, after finishing this fairly small portioned «meal» we ended up going to Takao around the corner to get our sushi fix. My god is that place good — we will always go back to Takao and be in no rush to head back to Maru. Too bad too, because the space itself is pretty cool…

The food is the reason to go. The sushi is unbelievable and at times rather advanced. I didn’t even want soy or wasabi. The French side of the menu was tasty and well-​prepared from the dishes we ordered. The roasted cauliflower, as humble and common a dish as it is, was the little veggie dish that could.
The problem is there is no reconciliation between the French half of the menu and the sushi on the other side. We had fun doing omakase as opening courses and then moving on to the French side for small plates and main courses, but most diners are probably not in the mood for such a harsh contrast. I’m not sure if «fusion» is the answer, but they certainly need to figure out a solution.
The dessert menu is a snooze-​fest.
No liquor license, so I hope you love vermouth cocktails – yes, vermouth – which I love and appreciate, but just as with the odd menu, I’m not sure a lot of people are into vermouth? The beer and wine list were smart and concise, and I liked what I ordered.
Service was enthusiastic but unforgivably disorganized and a bit of a wreck by the end. It was like that service you get on a soft-​opening of a new restaurant.
Atmosphere, with barely concealed bank building guts and a thin veneer of modern Asian décor, reminds me of what would have been a swanky lunch place for mortgage brokers in the late ‘80s.

They fit us in for a last min dinner.
Food was great. They served higher quality Japanese sushi and hot plates.
Overall 3.5−4 stars:
Ambiance: ³⁄₅
Service: 3.5÷5
Food: 4.5÷5
Parking could be a problem.
Will come back in the future, just not dying to.

I had such high expectations but was very disappointed in this place. We came for Dine LA and wish we had chosen another spot. The appetizer we had was so bland; some of the sushi was good but most was mediocre. For a place so close to Sawtelle, they really need to step up their sushi game. For the price, absolutely not worth it. The service was mediocre and the staff understandably did not seem excited about the food. Also, the restaurant space reminds me of a huge Vegas restaurant minus the ambience. Way better options for sushi in LA.

Best Sushi chef ever.
When Kimo left to Japan 5 years ago I was in search of his replacement.
Now he is BACK!!!
He is truly the master of sushi.

Without a doubt, the freshest sushi I have ever eaten! Amazing selection of fish and extremely helpful staff helping us make the most delicious choices! Save room for the bread pudding!

Joined a friend of mine who was invited by Maru to dine in house. The treatment we received was unbelievable… granted they may have wanted to give her the experience so she can relay that information to her thousands of fans. Regardless, the servers, staff, and chefs are amazingly sweet and caring. We sat at the sushi bar and was catered to by the head chef himself. He is such a sweet man and very interested in knowing you’re enjoying his food. Don’t ask for soy sauce while you’re eating sushi because they serve it the way it should be eaten and trust me you won’t miss it at all!
We had ordered the following: (everything was extremely fresh and just OMG delicious)
Monkfish liver:
Marinated Octopus
Seabream
Amberjack
Seabass
Yellowtail
Salmon
Uni
Snowcrab roll
Tuna roll
Scallops with pistachio crust (this is worth every bite!)
Salad with prosciutto and fertile egg (i’m not a huge fan of pesto, but might be great for someone else)
Marinated Black Cod (will return just for this entrée)
Udon with fresh mountain vegetables (so good on a cold day)
Panna Cotta
Everything is beautifully presented and it’s just as tasty as it looks. I will definitely come back on my own and I know this time I would have to pay, but I don’t care. The food is actually affordable, but some would deem it a bit pricy. This is a farm to table sushi restaurant and you don’t see that very often.

beautiful omakase. beautiful french food. a mix that you wouldn’t expect but it worked well.
the menu felt a little divided — we had butternut squash soup, fingerling potatoes with bacon, scallions and bernaise sauce, followed by wonderful omakase.
the most impressive dish was when the two menus were brought together — baby yellowtail sashimi with parmesan, yuzu, and crushed black pepper.
we sat at the bar in front of the master sushi chef — it was a joy being served by him.

Finally came here. First impression of the space? Spacious but very boring. The space felt like a bland Asian restaurant instead of an upscale restaurant. The bar is big but it was dark and did not draw the eye at all. The manager and staff were all white but they were not really the attractive type you’d expect at LA restaurants. Honestly, they looked dumpy and slow as if they were hired from the temp agency. Our waitress, I forgot her name. She had short brunette hair with bangs, she was good and cute. The male waiters looked sloppy. They were busy and the staff, including the tall white manager seemed flustered and frazzled. I would recommend they spend some money on making the space attractive.
The food was very good. I can’t complain on the taste. However, please do something about the presentation. The white plates are very bland and boring to look at.

This is probably one of the best restaurants in LA. Service is great and the food is just amazing. Whether you’re craving sushi or steak it’s a winner! Don’t forget to try the dessert… bread pudding is delicious.

I found this place a bit awkward…
The parking lot is, as described by a co-​diner, something out of blade runner… but that is not their fault…
The dining room itself was made over nicely… but, perhaps because it was lunch… and we were the ONLY people there (never a good sign). The staff were all over us. They crossed that line between attentive and desperate/​annoying. We found it hard to have a fluid conversation. «Do you need another minute to order» should be followed by AT LEAST 60 seconds before you come back…
It took some time because the menu is total hodgepodge — that calls itself French/​Japanese but also crams in some risotto and a skirt steak with papardelle,… why??? WHYYYY???
Again our waiter proved very insistent on certain items to the point that he almost seemed annoyed that we did not just let him order for us… it was very off putting.
The waiter also gave us a condescending «ohhh, are you sure, have you tried that before» when we tried to order anything beyond crab rolls… and maybe he was right because overall I would avoid their sashimi/​sushi — nothing (not even the crab roll we were forced into) tasted fresh.
The scallops appetizer was probably the best of what I had… I dont know… hard to really recommend.
If the definition of 2 stars is ‘Meh’ then, for the price, they earned their two stars with flying colors.

I had the absolute pleasure of attending a private tasting at Maru, so while perhaps a bit biased, I will be as honest as possible about the experience and the food.
The personnel at the establishment are all at the top of their game. The chef explained each dish in detail and it was obvious that he took the ingredients and detail of the dishes very seriously. The GM along with their bar manager/​mad drink scientist did an excellent job of informing us of each wine or cocktail selection. The drink pairings were top notch, by far the best I’ve experienced, so if you ask for a recommendation take what they say seriously. The creativity of the cocktails was impressive, even more so when some of the ingredients were explained.
On to the food! In short, it’s excellent. The sashimi and Nigiri were fantastic, and while the fishiness/​texture of certain choices didn’t appeal to my individual palate, you could tell they were all extremely fresh and well prepared. The rest of the items were all magical, all ingredients accentuating each other and the sauces adding just the right amount of taste without being overbearing, which I usually find to be an issue.
I will definitely be back on my own accord to try more of their menu and cocktail selections. This place is the real deal. Go! Go now!

Amazing food, Amazing chef!!!
Kimo is best Chef in the world!!!
He is master of sushi chef !!!
And great French sweets!!!
I heard everyday change the desert menu.
Wowwwww!!!
I really want come everyday!!!
I had a great experience in my life.
Keep updated more new menu!!!
Defiantly I will be back

Come here for high-​end sushi. Amazing variety and quality! The quality of the fish is unbelievable. The food is as good as it can get! The quality and taste is very impressive. The best part is you can eat best sushi and non-​sushi menu in one place.
Service & staffs were all so attentive, courteous and welcoming.
Overall, I highly recommend Maru. Food and service is top notch.
Definitely coming back!

Maru is open again! and the brand new remodel.
seated in a booth… felt very private… enjoyed a nice dinner.
My favorite restaurant… i know every time i order something that I’m going to like it. 4 of the 5 dishes i’ve had several times… and the first for me — cauliflower & broccoli was so perfect.
This time we had:
cauliflower & broccoli (really good and light)
curry lamb (one of my fav dishes, served with a delicious crispy rice)
short rib (served with delicious french fries)
berry cobbler (this and the bread pudding are two of the best desserts)
bread pudding