Wait was very long so my expectations were extremely high. The food was all around good and fresh but nothing extraordinary. I liked the vitality they had to choose from in terms of rolls.
Mia A.
Surprisingly good sushi for being up in the mountains. Their turkish sushi chef is the best and comes up with really creative dishes.
Clever G.
The interior is nicely decorated and food not so sure. For what you get on the plate, it could be $4-5 cheaper. I would gladly pay more for foods that are worth it. In a pinch, if you are craving Japanese cuisine, this will fix it...but save it till you are back home.
Sooryun C.
This has been one our go to sushi restaurant in town for the last 5 years. Love the atmosphere, especially in the summer on the patio. I love the variety of fish, but they still don't have my favorite sweet shrimp. The chefs are really nice and try to accommodate as long as it's not busy for them. the fish is always fresh and the food is great quality. You don't get real Japanese sushi chefs, but that's okay... Seems that's a dying thing in California as it seems to be similar in soCal. Everyone is always nice, but I am giving it only 4 starts because this is literally the only restaurant in Truckee and Tahoe that I frequent that I don't get into conversation with the staff. My kids are always making a comment about how I am friends with everyone in every restaurant we go to. Most of the Staff have been there for years which is a good sign that they like their jobs, but I cannot accuse them of being a warm, outgoing bunch. They do their job and that seems to be about it. but I will still go. My other go to is Maki Ali and while their menu doesn't have as much variety, I always feel they are happy to see me. The chefs strike up a conversation and the owner is a sweet gem who works hard. I don't think I've ever seen the owners at Drunken Monkey.
Tim H.
This place has really changed for the worse. We came last night and was told there would be a thirty minute wait. That was no problem as we expected to wait. The issue was that over an hour later we were still waiting for our table. Eventually we were seated and then waited even longer to even put in our drink orders. The waitress came around and quickly took our whole order. And then came back a few minutes later to tell us they were out of what we wanted. Our food came out so sporadically it just didn't make any sense. On top of that we got some of our food before our drinks arrived. We received all our meals over a thirty minute period. First one persons meal, five minutes later another, and then twenty minutes later my wife and I got our food. Long after everyone else had finished eating. It's a bummer that this place has gone downhill because the food is good. We'll come back eventually to see if things have improved.
Ted Goldstein
Delicious innovative sushi and Japanese dishes. We were forced to wait a half hour to order and we had to ask three times for utensils-twice after our food was delivered.The soup we ordered never came. The brith with the ramen was cold. We had to request more broth. The wait staff needs training and improvement.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 1
Jacque C
Delicious hand roll, well fried tempura with udon. Their signature roll was also very impressive and unique. We arrived before they opened (at 4pm on a Saturday) and were seated very fast. Shortly after half of the tables were seated.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Trina Martynowicz
They greatly improved their food quality since the last time we dined, roughly a month prior. Thank goodness! We especially love the calamari! And all the fish is super fresh. Amazing sake and drunk menu too!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Famous Monkey Calamari, Golden Tail Black Dragon Roll, Edamame, Spicy Tuna Roll
PM
They wouldn’t take to-go orders over the phone, and could only place them in person, so we drove a ways to do that. When we got there, we learned the bartender is in charge of BOTH manning the bar and taking to-go orders at the same time, a seemingly impossible ask for them, and frustrating as a customer who just wants to place and order and take it home for their family. Then because they were so busy they unfortunately left out part of our order after 40 minute wait. 18% mandatory gratuity for take-out is also a new concept and one that would keep us from coming back here. The food is good but the system for take-out is hectic / expensive and could be dramatically improved for customers.
Erinn Millar
GF options, super quality sushi and bevs. Pricey, but service is quick and one of few sushi restaurants where I haven't been dosed w gluten. From the foodie hubs "best scallop of my life." Hamachi kama - stellar; & off menu. You can go straight from slope or trail and still get top service as you are. Sit at the bar and witness the hustle in action.Dietary restrictions: Gluten free
Love this place! Great food, good people. Only done takeout but it's great. A solid local choice.
Angela A.
The bartender was very personable, and made up a yummy drink with vodka, lavender and rosemary. The sushi was fresh and flavorful, although a bit expensive. The tapioca dessert was unique and not overly sweet! My friend who typically prefers chain restaurants, loved her bowl w pork/rice! I would definitely come back...
Michelle Abella-Shon
Thr sushi ? and sashimi are legit especially for a place like Truckee, which is up in the mountains, far removed from a metropolitan civilization. Other dishes such as the fried chicken and noodles ? are tasty. Attentive service. We ate out with ny 2 grandtoddlers conveniently. Ambience is modernistic nice based on the industrial architectural design of the interior.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Mochiko Chicken, Spider Roll, Fiery Bincho - Sashimi, Salmon Skin Hand Roll, Golden Tail Black Dragon Roll
Madison L.
I'm in love with the tempura udon. I recommend asking them for hot sauce to spice it up. They also have a variety of wine, sake, and liquors to spice up your dinner as well. The black cod handroll was beautifully wrapped and crunchy. They have a list of specials and everything you can ask for in the perfect Japanese dinner.
Wilson Taylor
I would vote six stars if possible. Sam is a great server.More dinosaur themed art would be sick, but it’s cool that they don’t have as much.
Wait was very long so my expectations were extremely high. The food was all around good and fresh but nothing extraordinary. I liked the vitality they had to choose from in terms of rolls.
Surprisingly good sushi for being up in the mountains. Their turkish sushi chef is the best and comes up with really creative dishes.
The interior is nicely decorated and food not so sure. For what you get on the plate, it could be $4-5 cheaper. I would gladly pay more for foods that are worth it. In a pinch, if you are craving Japanese cuisine, this will fix it...but save it till you are back home.
This has been one our go to sushi restaurant in town for the last 5 years. Love the atmosphere, especially in the summer on the patio. I love the variety of fish, but they still don't have my favorite sweet shrimp. The chefs are really nice and try to accommodate as long as it's not busy for them. the fish is always fresh and the food is great quality. You don't get real Japanese sushi chefs, but that's okay... Seems that's a dying thing in California as it seems to be similar in soCal. Everyone is always nice, but I am giving it only 4 starts because this is literally the only restaurant in Truckee and Tahoe that I frequent that I don't get into conversation with the staff. My kids are always making a comment about how I am friends with everyone in every restaurant we go to. Most of the Staff have been there for years which is a good sign that they like their jobs, but I cannot accuse them of being a warm, outgoing bunch. They do their job and that seems to be about it. but I will still go. My other go to is Maki Ali and while their menu doesn't have as much variety, I always feel they are happy to see me. The chefs strike up a conversation and the owner is a sweet gem who works hard. I don't think I've ever seen the owners at Drunken Monkey.
This place has really changed for the worse. We came last night and was told there would be a thirty minute wait. That was no problem as we expected to wait. The issue was that over an hour later we were still waiting for our table. Eventually we were seated and then waited even longer to even put in our drink orders. The waitress came around and quickly took our whole order. And then came back a few minutes later to tell us they were out of what we wanted. Our food came out so sporadically it just didn't make any sense. On top of that we got some of our food before our drinks arrived. We received all our meals over a thirty minute period. First one persons meal, five minutes later another, and then twenty minutes later my wife and I got our food. Long after everyone else had finished eating. It's a bummer that this place has gone downhill because the food is good. We'll come back eventually to see if things have improved.
Delicious innovative sushi and Japanese dishes. We were forced to wait a half hour to order and we had to ask three times for utensils-twice after our food was delivered.The soup we ordered never came. The brith with the ramen was cold. We had to request more broth. The wait staff needs training and improvement.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 1
Delicious hand roll, well fried tempura with udon. Their signature roll was also very impressive and unique. We arrived before they opened (at 4pm on a Saturday) and were seated very fast. Shortly after half of the tables were seated.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
They greatly improved their food quality since the last time we dined, roughly a month prior. Thank goodness! We especially love the calamari! And all the fish is super fresh. Amazing sake and drunk menu too!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Famous Monkey Calamari, Golden Tail Black Dragon Roll, Edamame, Spicy Tuna Roll
They wouldn’t take to-go orders over the phone, and could only place them in person, so we drove a ways to do that. When we got there, we learned the bartender is in charge of BOTH manning the bar and taking to-go orders at the same time, a seemingly impossible ask for them, and frustrating as a customer who just wants to place and order and take it home for their family. Then because they were so busy they unfortunately left out part of our order after 40 minute wait. 18% mandatory gratuity for take-out is also a new concept and one that would keep us from coming back here. The food is good but the system for take-out is hectic / expensive and could be dramatically improved for customers.
GF options, super quality sushi and bevs. Pricey, but service is quick and one of few sushi restaurants where I haven't been dosed w gluten. From the foodie hubs "best scallop of my life." Hamachi kama - stellar; & off menu. You can go straight from slope or trail and still get top service as you are. Sit at the bar and witness the hustle in action.Dietary restrictions: Gluten free
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
Love this place! Great food, good people. Only done takeout but it's great. A solid local choice.
The bartender was very personable, and made up a yummy drink with vodka, lavender and rosemary. The sushi was fresh and flavorful, although a bit expensive. The tapioca dessert was unique and not overly sweet! My friend who typically prefers chain restaurants, loved her bowl w pork/rice! I would definitely come back...
Thr sushi ? and sashimi are legit especially for a place like Truckee, which is up in the mountains, far removed from a metropolitan civilization. Other dishes such as the fried chicken and noodles ? are tasty. Attentive service. We ate out with ny 2 grandtoddlers conveniently. Ambience is modernistic nice based on the industrial architectural design of the interior.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Mochiko Chicken, Spider Roll, Fiery Bincho - Sashimi, Salmon Skin Hand Roll, Golden Tail Black Dragon Roll
I'm in love with the tempura udon. I recommend asking them for hot sauce to spice it up. They also have a variety of wine, sake, and liquors to spice up your dinner as well. The black cod handroll was beautifully wrapped and crunchy. They have a list of specials and everything you can ask for in the perfect Japanese dinner.
I would vote six stars if possible. Sam is a great server.More dinosaur themed art would be sick, but it’s cool that they don’t have as much.