MATTARI – Japanese dining house &Sushi and Brunch — Restaurant in Gainesville

THIS PLACE WAS AMAZING! I found out about this spot through a Reddit post and decided to give it a try. I brought my cousin, who's a big anime fan, and he helped me navigate the menu. He was really impressed by how many traditional and authentic Japanese dishes they offered.

At first, the menu was a bit overwhelming because there is so much to choose from, but with the help of our server Sebastian, we ended up ordering a great variety of food. The miso soup was a little underwhelming. It could have used more salt and felt a bit watered down, but I appreciated that the tofu pieces were small and delicate.

The chicken and soft shell crab dishes were absolutely incredible. Very flavorful and cooked perfectly. I highly recommend them. Some of the sauces did not taste quite right, almost a bit soapy for some reason, though the eel sauce was really good and complemented the dishes well.

The sashimi appetizer was very fresh and clean-tasting. It was not fishy at all and had great flavor, especially when paired with the eel sauce. It was actually better than some of the more expensive sashimi I have had elsewhere. The plating was also very nice and well-presented.

For the main course, we ordered the Alaska roll and the Tornado egg rice with curry sauce. The egg rice came with steak, which was not mentioned on the menu, but I was fine with it since it was cooked really well. Just a note that the curry sauce has a strong cumin and black pepper flavor, which might not be for everyone. The sushi roll was okay but nothing too memorable.

Our server Sebastian let us know it was only his second day. He was a bit nervous and made a couple of small mistakes, but he was extremely kind and tried his best to take care of us. As a kind gesture, they even gave us a free dessert, which we really appreciated. You could tell the staff were still learning, but their hospitality and effort really stood out.

This is a great spot for a date night or a casual outing. They even had Nickelodeon playing in the background, which added a fun and nostalgic vibe. I will definitely be coming back. It was fairly cheap (all this food...

I came on opening night about 30 minutes before closing and was surprised. The servers were very attentive, and the space itself is beautiful. Loved the clean, minimalist decor and overall aesthetic.

Service was prompt and the staff was helpful in explaining the menu. I shared the Spicy Girl roll, which tasted fresh and had good flavor.

I ordered the unagi don bowl, which came with generous pieces of unagi, a large portion of rice, tamago, pickled daikon, carrots, and what I think was bamboo. The unagi had a nice sweet soy glaze and tasted great. The tamago was a bit underwhelming with an odd texture, possibly from sitting out too long, but the side veggies were a great addition and brought variety to the dish. I did not like the spoon it came with.

We also tried the matcha cheesecake. It wasn’t too sweet and had a good texture and portion size.

Looking forward to coming back to try their sandos and plate sets. A lot of items on the menu looked...

This place is literally perfect. My girlfriend and I came here as our first date since college started, and it was amazing. The atmosphere and decor as soon as you enter is wonderful, modern but with a still casual feel, soft lighting that feels homey (with tables able to sit ~6 comfortably, more maybe not so much). We were greeted by a friendly hostess and brought to our table. My girlfriend order the spicy tuna roll and the miso soup, and I order the blush flame roll and a spicy tuna as well. Service was quick and accurate to our order. As two sushi fiends, we can confidently say this was some of the best, freshest tasting sushi we’ve had in a while, and at a price so good it felt like we were ripping THEM off. 10/10 Would recommend for anybody in Gainesville looking for a cute spot to eat, with great food, and...