Daruma Japanese Steakhouse & Sushi — Restaurant in Columbus

Wanted to give this place a 5 - but the scallop and calamari fell just a tad short. The calamari was a tad bland in flavor, and the scallops definitely tasted great, but probably could have spent a couple more minutes on the grill (a couple pieces weren't warmed up enough) - however, EVERYTHING ELSE was simply fantastic, including the soup, salad fried rice, veggies, and rice noodles served with each meal. 😀 Maybe the experience will deliver the last star during our next visit - because I've already added this place to my north-Columbus options! ☺️

Definitely family friendly (we had 4 adults and 3 children under 10, including a 3 year old who may have spilled a couple things that the staff were all too polite to help clean up), as clean as you could ever hope to expect for an establishment with 6 open grills in the same space (tops of the tables were wiped down, the sides of the table could definitely use some work, but then again, you shouldn't be wearing designer clothes to this style of restaurant anyways), had great lighting and decor (only the condition of the window blinds gave away the age of the place), and the whole setup looked sharp, with the restaurant located in a nice part of town.

Definitely a popular joint, as we had a 45 minute wait at 6 pm on a Saturday, but worth it - you can grab a beer at the bar (the 3 year old crawled up a stool to lean on the bar and request a water, which they quickly provided), or stare down at the koi fish pond near the entrance, all while you wait for your name to be called. All their chefs seemed to deliver great experiences, including ours, which was the best one I've ever experienced at any joint. He was extremely charming and personable, more than capable of engaging the entire table without making anybody uncomfortable and he moved quick, kept us all laughing and amused... And he was the first one I've ever felt motivated to tip!

Everybody else at our table seemed to enjoy their steak and chicken, and I thought the 2 pieces of shrimp were wonderful - if you're looking for a good place to take a crowd for the first time, especially for a birthday (which they celebrate with a real drum line!), definitely consider this spot! With drinks, you're probably looking at...

They gave us the wrong steak. The dinner for two came with a filet, but we got the other steak. 3 filets and 1 steak were ordered at the table. Unfortunately, my wife and I were too busy eating and not paying attention to the steaks being cooked. When I tried my steak, I mentioned to my wife that it didn't taste like filet mignon. She tasted hers and agreed (ours was the same cut of meat divided in 2 portions per the dinner for 2 option). It was overcooked, we wanted medium rare, it was only slightly overcooked, but it was another mistake. She started to get upset. I wasn't going to say anything because everything else had been good so far and I understand it was probably just an honest mistake. The steak we received was edible, just not what we were expecting. Well she did not feel the same and I asked if she wanted me to say something. She did, so I flagged the waiter down, because the chef had already stepped away from our table. The manager stopped by to talk with us. She said she spoke with the chef and he gave us the right steak and that I was mistaken and that is just what their filet tasted like. Well then... what the hell do I know? My wife and I love steaks of all types. I’ve only eaten hundreds of filet mignon variants over the years. I’ve also never told someone they've served me the wrong cut of meat before, because it hasn't happened. I didn't really give a damn about the whole situation until the manager acted like I didn't know what the hell I was talking about. So they can get a negative review now.

The food was good, the floor was sticky, the waiters were friendly and quick with the service. So I wouldn't say NEVER go here. The chef was average and the manager was bad. This place is okay, but if you are debating between this and any other place for a japanese steakhouse or restaurant outing... choose...

First time trying this restaurant using their takeout, I called at 4pm and gave them my order, the gentleman stated that the wait would be about 45 minutes, which was fine, not 2 minutes after getting off the phone, the same gentlemen called me and told me they were backed up so now it’ll be ready at 5:30... which I agreed was fine. Around 5:45pm my husband and I arrive to the restaurant to pick up our food, the employees that were bringing out orders came to our car and asked for the name on the order, we gave him the name and he walked away. He then proceeded to come back to our car and ask for our name 4 more times within 10 minutes... it was now 6:15 and our order was still not out to us, as everyone who just arrived has already gotten their order. It has now reached 6:45 and I asked politely the gentleman where is my order as it was supposed to be ready at 5:30 and I’ve been in my car waiting for a hour now, he then asked me for the name again and walked away. At this point I’m extremely frustrated. The gentleman came back out and said it hasn’t been cooked yet give them 5 minutes. I said ok, 20 mins pass and the same guy comes over and says they forgot the junior chicken it’ll be 20 more minutes and it’s 90% done... now I’m angry and asked to speak to the manager. 30 minutes later the manager comes out and said they never got our order so it’s cooking now.... I called 3 hours ago and have been sitting in my car for now an hour!!!! So there I sat on Mother’s Day in my car for 2 hours waiting on my meal that should of been out to me by the time it was supposed to be ready. finally got my food at 8:07pm, got home and the food was not what I ordered, cold and not very good. Beware there is bad times with this place. I will never...