I had a great time here with my partner! We chose to sit outside because there were a couple big groups inside being a little noisy but ambiance inside and out were lovely. Our servers were super sweet and always around no need to worry about them forgetting about you sitting outside. Our food came out quick and was so fresh the rice to meat ration was great definitely got our moneys worth and weren't disappointed by anything here. I recommend this spot if your in the area

I love businesses such as Maru, and I love to praise them. They are worthwhile, deserving of the compliment. I also want to be accurate and honest for others. I would not hesitate to eat at Maru again if I were in the neighborhood, by myself; or with my wife or a casual group. It is not a fancy place to impress clients or on a first date -- with colleagues, sure, and maybe if it were a potential couple who were mature and had a sense of what life was about, not needing to be impressed by the superficial. I only get to Santa Monica once every six months or so. But I will check out Maru for lunch. This also is a neighborhood with ample choices. The issue is value. I had the chirashi. That is the best "bang for your buck" in terms of raw fish. I always order chirashi if I see it. If you don't know the dish, try it; much better than Sushi A or Sashimi B. The presentation often is dazzling. It inspires photography. That is it. I also had tea and the accompany miso soup. The reason I want to recommend Maru is how it fits into a scatterplot. I'm always looking for this. Are there places with better quality or greater quantity? No doubt. But if you had a chart of quality and quantity, then made it 3-D with price, Maru would be a winner, easily. I would have estimated the check to be 50% more than it was, and I have seen restaurants that charge twice as much. Everything was fresh. It was overflowing from the bowl. I uploaded a picture. You can check it out for yourself.

Great ramen spot and good bento boxes! This is a nice spot to go if you want to grab a bite with friends and need a place that can cater to everyone. They have a ton of sushi rolls, rice dishes, udon, ramen, vegetarian, you name it! Be warned that the portions are generous! The three of us ordered a popcorn shrimp appetizer, 2 bento boxes, and ramen and we took home what felt like another meal. We chose the booth seating which was nice as you can be outside without having to be outside as their roof covers the balcony and you're not on the sidewalk. They also have indoor booths and the bar for those wanting more of a date night feel. Prices are affordable and service is attentive.

Came here for dinner and thoroughly enjoyed it. Food was excellent. Loved all the rolls especially volcano and baked salmon. Salmon and eel sushi were also of good fish quality. We also had the shrimp shumai and the bulgogi fries which were both tasty. The sauce in the fries made it even better! Service was good. Sat us down quickly and was attentive. The ambience is probably the best part. Casual place but the vibe is modern and love the decor. The cherry blossoms definitely make it a photo worthy spot. Parent check: I would have given a 5 but disappointed they didn't have a baby changing station in the bathroom. They carry high chairs so you'd think the bathroom should also be equipped to be kid friendly. I would suggest that to make the experience even better

Popped by on a Wednesday night with my friend for dinner around 6:30pm and was suspicious at first...the restaurant was virtually empty. So happy we weren't discouraged, this place is DE-licious. Decor: cute vibe with a drape-y canopy of flowers from the ceiling both inside and out on the small patio. I love that the patio also has booths outside for maximum comfort. A few ladies were taking obligatory IG pics with the flower ceiling. Service: very attentive. We didn't use it, but each table has a button if you need service. Food: Fantastic. My choice was the mango crunch roll which was so good we ordered another one. My friend chose the super philly. I personally don't care for cream cheese in my sushi, but I still really enjoyed it. I like that they cut the rolls into an even 8 pieces, perfect for sharing and no one fighting over the last piece. Egg rolls were piping hot. The 12pcs sashimi combo + spicy tuna roll ended up being too much food for us. It did smell a bit fishy upon delivery, and we weren't entirely sure what all the fishes were. I would not get it again, but the presentation was beautiful and I think sashimi aficionados would enjoy. Love the huge menu and large selection of rolls. Will I be back? Definitely. Still drooling about the mango crunch roll. Bonus: huge selection and reasonably priced Bogus: N/A

Came here for dinner around 7pm on a Friday night. Was able to get seated right away. Parking is free for the first 90 minutes behind the place off of 4th street. Ordered garlic edemame, sumo roll, baked salmon roll, and the garlic albacore roll. Of all of them my least favorite was the garlic albacore roll because there was not too much flavor to it. Otherwise the food was DECLICIOUS. Ambiance is super cute. I added a photo. It's family opened and they were super sweet and attentive the whole time. Nice to have a sushi / ramen place in Santa Monica.

Happy to have a new sushi restaurant in SaMo! Especially a family-owned-and-operated restaurant. The owner is very welcoming and friendly, warmly greeting customers and ensuring a good experience. Staff are attentive. Nicely decorated restaurant - particularly the front patio, with 3 comfy large booths and 3 small tables for 2. Great job portioning from the street to ensure nice airflow while minimizing street noise. Cherry blossom decorations on ceiling add a lot of charm. Each dish we had was very generous size, very fresh tasty fish, beautifully prepared. Crispy Rice ($10.75) - from the Appetizer section of the menu - is deep-fried rice topped with tuna, avocado, jalapeno, and sauce (better without the jalapeno which they happily will leave off upon request) Sweet Salmon Roll ($16) - from the Fresh Rolls section of the menu - is an 8 piece cut sushi roll with crab and avocado inside, salmon on top, and eel and sesame sauces Dragon Roll ($17) - from the Baked Rolls section of the menu - is an 8 piece cut sushi roll with crab and avocado inside, baked eel on top, and eel and sauce. This was my favorite dish. TIP: Many dish descriptions include SM. This means Spicy Mayo. Highly recommend this restaurant!