Sushi MARU

Impressive experience dining at Sushi Maru. Chef Maru and team are so hospitable and they make the dining interactive. We both walked away impressed everything. Chef does a wonderful job of explaining each dish. We had 2 courses of Bluefin Tuna prepared completely different (one marinated and the other from the belly). I also haven't had Seabass as a nigiri before. All the fishes are from Japan and the highest quality. We loved how chef brought out a scalesless fish for us to see and also the hairy crab. Chef also uses local ingredients such as Chino Farms. We loved how there's mostly nigiri courses, but there's other dishes as well like soup and rice dish with crab. Ending with a soup (before dessert) is a tradition in Japan, and it was the same with our meal. For dessert there is a panda cotta with fruit. At the end, you have a chance to reorder any courses. There were several I would have wanted but 20 courses is filling. It's an intimate setting with 12 seats. The other guests were also really friendly and it was great meeting them. Definitely 5 stars! I can't think of anything they could have done to make it better. Quality of fishes, preparation, menu, ambiance, staff - everything was perfect.

Food was delicious and service was excellent.The chef and all staff were very attentive and interactive with customers. I noticed that they always wipe off the sushi stand after we took each sushi. Also I had some nauseous moment and stayed in the restroom for a while due to alcohol. (Sometimes my stomach can't handle too much food and alcohol all together. Nothing's wrong with their food or alcohol). The moment I went back to my seat and they brought me a cup of hot tea. That was very nice and thoughtful. Really appreciate the details. All their food was delicious. While all other Omakase offers raw oysters, they offered cooked oysters. I like trying different things. Their cooked oysters were so good. I also had Bonito sushi the very first time. It was tender and I was very impressed. Rosy sea bass was also delicious. Their cooked belt fish was pretty special and tasty. We will be back!

I have enjoyed the proliferation of omakase exclusive Japanese restaurants that have popped up over the past year in the SD area. Surfing Chef Maruyama has branched out from his roots at Taka Sushi to open Sushi MARU on the ground level of the Stanza Little Italy building in the Cortez Hill neighborhood. The sushi bar could seat 10 diners and had two dinner seatings each night from Wednesday to Sunday. Reservations can be made using Tock. Twenty courses plus dessert were served over two plus hours at a cost of $180 per person which was on par with the local competition.My visit occurred within the first week of the grand opening. The bar setup was simple yet elegant like each of the SD omakase experiences I have tried so far. One diner on the opposite end had a few food allergies which made me wonder why he chose omakase for a meal. Nonetheless, Chef Maru-san and his staff made modifications to the offerings that met the customer's dietary restrictions. For the rest of us, the May seasonal menu was presented in this order...* Starter - Japanese cucumber, seaweed, hairy crab, nasturtium* Appetizer - Hokkaido scallop with myoga ginger, firefly squid, Pacific oysters, otoro from behind the gill and chutoro-- Nigiri, part one* Halibut (Hirame)* Bluefin Tuna Belly (Chutoro)* Striped Jack (Shima-aji)* Giant Clam (Mirugai)* Rosy Seabass (Nodoguro)* Bluefin Tuna Back, marinated (Zuke)* Warm Dish - Steamed halibut with hairy crab stock (dashi)-- Nigiri, part two* Flounder Fin (Engawa)* Scallop, konbu-wrapped (Hotate) * Hairy Crab, chopped including the head and brain (Kegani)* Sea Urchin, Hokkaido (Uni)* Spanish Mackerel (Aji)* Seasonal Simmered Dish - Saki and salt stock, carrot, yellow zucchini, turnip, brussels sprouts-- Nigiri, part three* Abalone (Awabi) with liver and saki sauce* Salmon Egg (Ikura)* Red Bream (Kinmedai)* Sea Eel (Anago)* Soup - Hairy crab with red and white miso* Dessert - Panna cotta with blackberry and strawberryThe chef noted that hairy crab was in season so he made it a point to present the item in three different preparations. This was my first encounter with Kegani which I appreciated. Nothing on the menu was fried and even the use of a blowtorch to sear some fish was judicious. The other highlights for me were the giant sea clam and konbu-wrapped scallop which each had a clean, simple taste.There was plenty of interaction with the chef as he explained each course as it was presented. I peppered him with some questions like where a particular fish was sourced. All of the vegetables came from Chino Farms as the supplier. At the end of the session, you could re-order any item a la carte if it was still in stock. WIth the quality of the seafood used and the excellent presentation of each course, dinner at Sushi MARU was no doubt a five star experience.

Went here for my wife's birthday dinner and it was amazing! When you enter you immediately appreciate the beautiful design that creates a very calm ambience. It's very small so we were all at the sushi bar, which was amazing to see chef Maru make all the dishes and explain as he went along. Every single bite was delicious. The service from all the wait staff was also top tier! We've had omakase at the two 1 star Michelin restaurants that serve it in San Diego, and we both agreed that Sushi Maru was better than either (which were also great, so that's saying something). We would not be surprised if this place eventually gets its own star.

This is elegant sushi made by real artisans. It's pricy but worth every penny - wonderful food, lovely presentation. Best sushi I've ever had and one of best dining experiences, period.

What an awesome experience! The whole dinner was just over 2 hours and every single one of the 20 courses was amazing. Maru was fun and is a master. He explained every dish including its origin and tasting notes and hand made everything right in front of us. Every cut of fish was some of the freshest and most flavorful we've ever had and every staff member was knowledgeable and helpful. They noticed I was left handed and started giving me things on my left side, my water cup and sake cup were never empty, and someone came and wiped our sushi box clean after every piece. I'm glad I got our reservation so early because I think it'll be tougher to get as they start to get even busier. Oh he served us real wasabi, which is so rare and really elevates every item!

Another Omakase is now available near Downtown San Diego, bringing their own flair and personality to the rest of the lineup of businesses here! Sushi MARU is unique through the contrast of an intimate dining ambiance and their extroverted and lively interactions.- PARKING -There are a few spots right outside the building, but be mindful of the day you visit as you may need to pay for parking! Be aware of any time limitations as well, as this is almost a 2 hour experience.- SERVICE/ENVIRONMENT -The dimly lit restaurant with just 10 seats at the bar may seem intimidating at first, but you are quickly and warmly welcomed in by all staff members, as well as the chefs that await to serve you. Their warm demeanor and genuine appreciation of your attendance is felt throughout the service, as they ask questions past your enjoyment of each dish. We were congratulated by the staff on our recent engagement, and felt like we were celebrating with friends.- EXPERIENCE -Omakase ($180/per): A pricey meal, but as with any Omakase experience, you are given an intimate experience with the chefs preparing your food right in front of you. They also use the best quality of fish and other ingredients that deem the more expensive price tag worth. The Omakase here at Sushi MARU definitely focuses more on the nigiri courses, as opposed to a variety of cooked/fried/raw dishes that other restaurants do.- OVERALL -If you like a talkative environment, along with nigiri-focused courses, Sushi MARU is an Omakase experience you may want to try!

It was, from start to finish, an absolutely incredible experience. Thank you so much for a real delight that we'll remember forever. And I'll be back next time with my husband!

This place has been open for little over a month. Everyone there was super attentive, friendly and great. The omakase experience was as always top notch. However, for the price of this omakase I felt like more items should be added. Everything tasted delicious but kept me wanting more. I think more sashimi and more types of nigiri needs to be added on the menu.

Came here for Father's Day 2024 I think they said was only opened for a month We love sushi we eat it almost every day sometimes 2x a day lolBut we also love a great omakase We been to most of the omakase here in SDWe even have been to TAKA numerous times where chef Mari used to be a chef Anyways love love love the omakase experience From food to service it's top notch without being overly exaggerated We ubered here so not sure how parking will be if someone drove Overall amazing experience