Maru Japanese Restaurant

I do love sushi, and this is the best value in town, really 2$'s, not 3. Lovely, full pieces of fish, the sashimi artful and outstanding. Have chef prepare you whatever is fresh -- he often has white (fatty) yellowtail, white tuna, fatty salmon, some very special, very fresh items. The rolls - try shrimp crunch! - also Very generous. Atmosphere is casual neighborhoodly spot, family run, a hidden find. Can still BYOB, which if you love wine (or beer or whatever!), is a fun plus. Friendly folks, just a great addition to this neighborhood! more

The sushi here is fantastic! My husband and I are some serious sushi connoisseurs. We've had it in different countries, different states, and a lot of different places in Austin. I think I could eat it every day. We ordered the Crunch Roll, the Hawaiian Roll, the Baked Salmon Roll, and the Dragon Roll. Each was delicious. The pieces were not too big, but not so small that you felt cheated. (Four rolls made us full and we eat a lot). Each had a generous amount of fish and sauce. The baked one was warm and creamy, the crunch roll was big but excellent, the Hawaiian roll was full of tuna and nice and spicy, and the eel was great too. It was only $40, which is not bad considering how extravagant each of our rolls were (they have cheaper, less fancy ones as well) and their decent size. We ordered on the phone after looking at their online menu (the online menu does not have descriptions of the fancy rolls but the take out one you get from the restaurant does) and picked it up. The place isn't that posh or well decorated, but if you go for take out like we do (or if you care more about food than decor, also like we do) then it doesn't matter at all. We definitely will get sushi from here again, probably next week. Pros: Great sushi, good price, easy to get to more

J-bomb. Da bomb. Go now, go early, go often.\r \r So far (after five visits), wonderful food and better service. And the J-Bomb. Oh the J-Bomb. All the sushi has been fresh, and the lunch specials are solid deals. Pros: Sushi. Service. J-Bomb! Cons: It took over the old bad Chinese food place, and it made improvements. Yet, the ambience ain't perfect. more

When I ask around about sushi places, friends & coworkers don't mention Maru. They've either never tried it before, or hadn't even heard of it. We decided it was up to us to try it and let everyone else know about it. Friendly chefs greeted us when we came in. That definitely made me smile. My smile started to fade a little bit when the waiter sat us and asked us if we were ready - this is within one minute of sitting down. I hadn't even begin to look at the menu! When we sat down to order, I decided to get just the sushi - to compare to other places. Our waiter said, ""JUST the sushi?"". The way he said it made me feel like I was being rude or breaking a golden sushi etiquette rule. But I stuck to my plan - yes, JUST the sushi. While I was waiting, I checked out the decor. The walls were either not painted or lit up very brightly. The paintings on the wall struck me as a southern-cookin'-grits-and-gravy type style, not at all a Japanese restaurant. I tried not to let that distract me. The sushi arrived on a plate - it was presented in an attractive way. I noticed, however, that some of the pieces were ""loose"" and had started to unravel and fall apart. Did I dismiss that? I did. I was hungry. The sushi was good. Nothing exceptional or for me to close my eyes and sigh about, but it was good for a sushi craving. I would give it a B minus / C plus. If you don't care about ambience, this place is not bad. Would I come back? it's a little hard to tell. Pros: Very nice kitchenstaff, quiet, no crowds Cons: interesting rock music selection, felt rushed by waitstaff more

First of all, it's not $$$ expensive like citysearch says - at least for the sushi. It's cheaper than the downtown sushi restuarants for sure. I've been 3 times now and have enjoyed it. The chef has some unique ways of preparing old favorite. It has a relaxed atmosphere and service has been quick. It's still a hidden gem, so go there before everyone else figures it out! more