Mari's Japanese Cuisine

Great sushi and seaweed salad.

Fantastic service and excellent food 😀 👍

Fantastic udon noodle soup!!!

My favorite! Definitely have to stop here!

Authentic. Delicious. Never disappointed.

Love it

Excellent Japanese food !

All good stuff.

Great!

Warm friendly

Fantastic

Great food👍👍👍

Phenomenal 👌

Great, fresh food! Sooo good! Service was outstanding! Totally enjoyed ourselves. Will definitely go back.

The sushi is incredible every time, we love our waitress and it’s reasonably priced, especially for the quality of the food. Try the weird Japanese drinks!

Mari,s food is always good and is one of the best places to go to for Japanese cooking. it's a small place and can be very busy I recommend reservations.

Don't let the exterior deter you. The food, staff and service were all excellent and the prices very reasonable. Easy 5 stars.

Nice quiet spot, Quick service and fresh delicious food.

As always, fabulous food and service. Our favorite local Japanese restaurant.

Been coming here for like 20 years. LOVE it! Great prices and great quality food

I absolutely love this place whether you're the only people there or it's full service is very good food is excellent great value for the money

Delicious vegetarian rolls- better choice than in other places.

Amazing, Authentic, Sensitive to Gluten Free needs, and delicious! Very Kid friendly as well!

Always a pleaser. Tried new dish. It was great

Calm setting and great service! Our favorite family restaurant!

Love, love...Mari's. I've been going to Mari's since they were on River Rd. In Burnt Hills.

Love the teriyaki salmon and sushi. Good lunch specials

Nothing to see here. Go somewhere else and I will eat this food. It's mine. Mine, you hear me?

Quick service, well proportioned food (on the small side) and very tasty!

By far the best sushi i have ever had !

If you love real japanese you'll have to come hete. Been going for 3⁰ years.

First time... Great service. Awesome food

Excellent service & excellent food. Nice atmosphere!!

Fresh food, friendly, family owned staff

Always great food. Great service.

One of the best sushi restaurants around

I bring, my daughter to this place all the time. They are great with little kids. They have a special kids bento box, with a special prize, sushi, chicken and salad. It's healthier than a happy meal, but it makes my daughter just as happy. For myself I order something different every time and I've never been disappointed. Try it!

We have been going here for many years and the food is excellent, authentic and consistant. Best sushi in town, friendly, knowledgeable waitstaff. A lot of other tasty options for non-sushi eaters as well!

Lived 2 blocks from Mari's for a year and a half. I wish I realized they were there sooner best Japanese food I have eat in NY yet. Can't wait to try the Sushi for lunch this weekend!

This place has been around forever ..and for a good reason , despite its unassuming appearance and location the food is fantastic. Whether dining in or getting take out I highly recommend it .

Great food and wonderful service...

There is no better place to go to dinner, been regulars here for years. Family owned and the sweetest people. Food is amazing and always hits the spot.

My girlfriend Chelsea and I have eaten sushi all over the East and Gulf Coasts. For "standard-fare" sushi, Mari's Japanese Cuisine, nestled in the heights of Schenectady, can't be beaten. You may not find O-toro or yakitoris, but the rolls, dons, and green tea Tiramisu were delicious and carefully crafted. Mari's is my inagural Google review; if that tells you anything, it's that Mari's is worth a visit!

Tempura was freshly battered and fried, lovely little dining space. Highly recommend.

Best sushi and authentic Japanese cuisine. This is the real deal! They have futomaki! And many yummy dishes!

When my go-to place wouldn't answer my calls for takeout, I decided to give this place a try, and I'll definitely be going back! The service is quick and friendly, and the spider roll I ordered was great and the prices are very reasonable!

We keep going back! Absolutely great food, service and atmosphere. Full menu of some of the best dishes I have enjoyed.

Had some really good tofu teriyaki here. My brother has some sushi at the chef's recommendation and really enjoyed it.

In general I would have to say that I am not a overall fan of sushi but this little place surprised me and has made me a bit of a fan. I would definitely recommend others to check this place out.

Decent quality food. Sushi is of good quality and the rolls are well prepared. The portions are on the smaller side for the price and the rice bowls are a little too heavily sauced for my tastes. Service is quick and not too overbearing. Good atmosphere and comfortable chairs. Multiple parking spaces around the building both in front and around to the side. One of the better Japanese places in the area 9/10

It was so good! I order sushi a lot and after trying many places i finally found a good one with great quality and freshness, even during these times. I will DEFINITELY be ordering again in the future and can't wait to see what else the menu tastes like. Only wish the dumplings sauce had hosin sauce in it but the dumpings were good, meat inside slightly dry to me but seasoned perfect, but probably dry from sitting for delivery, but good can tell it was freshly made... I get picky about dumplings but still good.

One of the original Japanese restaurants in the Capital District. The original owners, Mari and her husband have retired and it has been taken over by new owners who have maintained the quality of their food. The main waitstaff, Bristley (?) is the best.

As a Japanese person, this place is very authentic and has delicious food :)

Michelle Rogner (Scello)

It was so good! I order sushi a lot and after trying many places i finally found a good one with great quality and freshness, even during these times. I will DEFINITELY be ordering again in the future and can't wait to see what else the menu tastes like. Only wish the dumplings sauce had hosin sauce in it but the dumpings were good, meat inside slightly dry to me but seasoned perfect, but probably dry from sitting for delivery, but good can tell it was freshly made... I get picky about dumplings but still good.

Andrew Ng

Decent quality food. Sushi is of good quality and the rolls are well prepared. The portions are on the smaller side for the price and the rice bowls are a little too heavily sauced for my tastes. Service is quick and not too overbearing. Good atmosphere and comfortable chairs. Multiple parking spaces around the building both in front and around to the side. One of the better Japanese places in the area 9/10

Laura Robertson

I bring, my daughter to this place all the time. They are great with little kids. They have a special kids bento box, with a special prize, sushi, chicken and salad. It's healthier than a happy meal, but it makes my daughter just as happy. For myself I order something different every time and I've never been disappointed. Try it!

A cute little place with very good quality food. The tempura was crisp and delicious with fresh seasonal ingredients. My only criticism is that there were very limited drink and dessert options (there was no tea and only basic ice cream and mousse were available for dessert)

Soup is a little salty. Authentic Japanese. Definitely worth exploring more. Great values in lunch menu :)

Nine Lives

A cute little place with very good quality food. The tempura was crisp and delicious with fresh seasonal ingredients. My only criticism is that there were very limited drink and dessert options (there was no tea and only basic ice cream and mousse were available for dessert)

PHILLFS

Soup is a little salty. Authentic Japanese. Definitely worth exploring more. Great values in lunch menu :)

Excellent food and flaming ice cream!

Great food and service

Real Japanese food!

Nice quaint place to have an authentic Japanese dinner. Food and service is always very good.

Best japanese food in the Schenectady area, IMO. Service is good and staff are accommodating.

Best sushi in Schenectady. Used to be owned by Mari, but has recently changed ownership . Hope the quality remains as high

You know that secret place your friends take you to, that's hidden in plain sight, because it's so unassuming? This is the Japanese version of that place. Maris is definitely not the fanciest place in the Capital Region, but that's offset by the extremely friendly staff, relaxed atmosphere, and deliciously well made Japanese food. I'm a big fan of their ramen, shumai, and various sushi rolls. But if I'm honest, pretty much everything I've ever ordered there is simple and yummy.

I was surprisingly pleased with my early weekday (sushi) lunch in this stand-alone restaurant, with an unassuming and barely distinctive exterior. As the attentive server escorted me to the 7-seat sushi bar (photo) - I found the interior was also minimally decorated, but good news! the giant TV was only visible from a private side area. I was presented a menu without photos, of which I always approve, but on the other hand, waribashi and paper napkins are their standard for lunch. Although the sushi selections were not that extensive, I was able to order a couple of rolls and a few nigiri, as usual, following a satisfying soup. The plating of the main was simple and unadorned, (photo) but competent, with excellent wasabi. I won't say freshly ground today, because I didn't watch the personable chef grind it right in front of me. But very good, and extremely spicy. The nigiri was good, with the sweetened tamago clearly rolled, not "egg cake"/frittata and the ikura and hamachi both very fresh. Also, individual nigiri had a small dab of wasabi under the fish, a step often omitted by chefs here in the Capital Region. The only mistake on the plate was the unagi - charred carbon black edges during reheating, and unfortunately, the chef still served them. Both maki were much smaller than I normally expect, but very well done. The spicy hamachi was surprisingly very spicy, and the pleasant unagi cucumber satisfied. Overall, I was happy with my lunch, and I will most definitely return soon. 2019 06 28. S 16.

This little place surprised my friends and me when we went out to the middle of nowhere the restaurant is located in. The place is run by a Japanese couple, and serves authentic, home-style Japanese dishes (and I'd know, since I grew up over there). The restaurant is cozy, with a capacity of ~35, maybe 40 customers. One American woman waits the entire restaurant -she does well and is attentive, although the place didn't have more than 20 or so people when my friends and I went there on a Sat. night. If you have a higher standard for food than the typical mainstream American sugar, salt, and grease drenched fake ethnic foods, you'll be very happy eating here. Food notes: _Miso soup, salad, and rice are all good quality. The rice was cooked just right. _Prok gyoza: Mediocre. The skin was limp, and the flavor was uninspiring. Seemed like they were pre-cooked and re-heated. _Chicken liver: Good and savory, with proper texture. _Sushi: We ordered the simple nigiris and rolls (not into those crazy American'style rolls) in an entree: the quality of the fish was top-notch (even better than Yoshi sushi in Latham), the rice had a moderate flavor and was cooked just right, and the sushi was prepared with just the right pressure (i.e. sushi not packed too tight, or crumble apart when eating). _Pork Katsu: Good. The meat was a bit thin and dry, but crunchy and had good flavor. _Ishikari Nabe: Very good. A signature dish from Mari's place of origin -a Japanese-style hotpot with seafood, tofu, and veggies, in a butter-and-miso broth. Flavors were well-balanced, and contents of the pot were cooked just right. Makes you feel all warm and cozy. _Tofu Sukiyaki: So-so. A more common Japanese hotpot in a variant of stock, soy sauce, and sugar broth. The contents were cooked just right, but it was a bit too sweet for us.

Delicious food, quiet, good prices. Had the sukiyaki, very tasty broth and veggies. They were out of beef, which was disappointing, so had chicken.

Good service, good food.

Teriyaki steak, and 2 out of 3 spicy rolls were good. It may just be my American palate but I didn't care for the 3rd roll with red caviar, didn't taste fresh..but it could also be it's just too strong for me I'm new to Japanese food. Ginger served with my sushi was very crisp and fresh.

Daniela Rogowski (LonelyRider)

Teriyaki steak, and 2 out of 3 spicy rolls were good. It may just be my American palate but I didn't care for the 3rd roll with red caviar, didn't taste fresh..but it could also be it's just too strong for me I'm new to Japanese food. Ginger served with my sushi was very crisp and fresh.

Pork katsu lunch box is not bad. Sushi sashimi box and seafood tempura box are disappointing. Portion is small. Seafood tempura has several pieces of vegetable tempura.

Sharon Huang

Pork katsu lunch box is not bad. Sushi sashimi box and seafood tempura box are disappointing. Portion is small. Seafood tempura has several pieces of vegetable tempura.

Food is good, Area is not.

Nice clean place very quit place

Kinda expensive if you ask me

The sushi size is smaller than other places in the area with the quality being at the same level.

I've never been hungrier after spending 40$. Good quality food but not very big portions

I liked the tempura shrimp roll, but rainbow roll and tuna sushi was mediocre.

Too much rice not enough fish in the rolls. (Rolls are small and still expensive. Hardly any fish)

The sushi was only about as good one would find at the supermarket. The portions weren't large and the fish had an 'off' quality to it, like it had been sitting refridgerated in cellophane at some chain supermarket for a few days. There are better sushi places in Schenectady.

The food was pretty good. I wasn't sure if there was Wasabi on everything but it tasted like it. The sushi rice was also warm. Staff was very friendly though.

Ordered lunch takeout - it was good but wasn’t “wowing”. I’ll consider trying more menu items in the future

The staff was mostly attentive but nothing that blew me away. They served my appetizer with my meal so that was dissapointing. Also the teriyaki flavor was strong and not anything special. I also was burping up a nasty taste for the next day which was really not appealing. I am not eating them lower because I anticipate their sushi would have been better. It looked good. Maybe stick to that.

Not very pleased. 2nd time trying this place because my wife wanted me to try it. I guess there’s a nostalgic connection with the history of the place and the name that has kept them open this long but to my understanding it’s not the same. All that aside, I don’t mind paying for good food. The food wasn’t bad but it wasn’t exceptional considering I just ate at Neon sushi the night before and had the exact same 2 rolls. Night and day!! Where’s the fish?! The rolls were not only tiny, they had a sliver of tuna and salmon. Half the size of the one’s at Neon for more money! Come on.. money is not what it used to be and you need to stay competitive. I was so disappointed. This place is a very cute bistro type environment. Good vibe but not worth it. I hope they go to their competitors and shop around so they can improve. Unfortunately, I’ll never find out.

J. Es

Not very pleased. 2nd time trying this place because my wife wanted me to try it. I guess there’s a nostalgic connection with the history of the place and the name that has kept them open this long but to my understanding it’s not the same. All that aside, I don’t mind paying for good food. The food wasn’t bad but it wasn’t exceptional considering I just ate at Neon sushi the night before and had the exact same 2 rolls. Night and day!! Where’s the fish?! The rolls were not only tiny, they had a sliver of tuna and salmon. Half the size of the one’s at Neon for more money! Come on.. money is not what it used to be and you need to stay competitive. I was so disappointed. This place is a very cute bistro type environment. Good vibe but not worth it. I hope they go to their competitors and shop around so they can improve. Unfortunately, I’ll never find out.

Peter Zandvliet

The staff was mostly attentive but nothing that blew me away. They served my appetizer with my meal so that was dissapointing. Also the teriyaki flavor was strong and not anything special. I also was burping up a nasty taste for the next day which was really not appealing. I am not eating them lower because I anticipate their sushi would have been better. It looked good. Maybe stick to that.

this can't be sushi

People are nice. Food not so great. Gyoza soggy. Chicken teriyaki horrible - minimal sauce and poor quality chicken. Couldn’t eat half the pieces. Sushi rolls were decent. Would not recommend venturing outside of sushi.

First and last time there. Portion size was extremely small in comparison to other places I've been but, prices comparable. Rolls are about the size of the tip of your thumb. Gyoza was a little soggy. Unlike other places they do not have any sushi roll combo dinners (like a maki combo) so just ordered rolls separately which they packaged all like rolls together and we had to separate out our meals. The taste was decent. The spicy salmon does have a bit of a bite, more then other places and the California rolls have the seaweed on the outside. Wish I had known that ahead of time as well because every other place I've been makes it with the rice on the outside for their standard California rolls. I was surprised and disappointed when I saw my order.

The sushi was not wrapped tightly too much rice. I recommended Azuma… this place service was quick/great atmosphere, sushi has less rice. Just saying.

I tried this place for lunch for the first time and it wasn’t much to look at from the outside and was okay on the inside. The service was very good the woman who helped me out was friendly. But the food was just not even close to good. I got three rolls (spicy salmon, spicy tuna, and the fire roll) $27 total and was not worth a single penny. I had to force myself to eat it since I had already paid and had nothing else to eat. I will not be going here again. I’ve had a lot of sushi and it is my favorite thing to eat and this was worse than grocery store sushi.

You know it’s bad when your favorite part about the ramen is the corn… Very much underwhelmed. The pork broth was almost flavorless. And I don’t think I’ve ever had Raman where the egg was unseasoned. They just put half of a boiled egg. The noodles were overcooked. The Ramen comes with an order of California rolls. Whatever seaweed they use to wrap the rolls, doesn’t feel right. I don’t know if it’s cheap or just the brand. But it was not good.

Absolutely the worst Japanese dinner! I used to have lunch at this place a few years ago and it was not bad. First time having dinner here, I came with high expectations. It turned out to be very disappointing- the portion was very small and the food was poorly prepared. I asked the waitress if it’s still the same owner, and she said yes. Unbelievable!

Angie Baptiste

You know it’s bad when your favorite part about the ramen is the corn… Very much underwhelmed. The pork broth was almost flavorless. And I don’t think I’ve ever had Raman where the egg was unseasoned. They just put half of a boiled egg. The noodles were overcooked. The Ramen comes with an order of California rolls. Whatever seaweed they use to wrap the rolls, doesn’t feel right. I don’t know if it’s cheap or just the brand. But it was not good.

Valentina Doren

I tried this place for lunch for the first time and it wasn’t much to look at from the outside and was okay on the inside. The service was very good the woman who helped me out was friendly. But the food was just not even close to good. I got three rolls (spicy salmon, spicy tuna, and the fire roll) $27 total and was not worth a single penny. I had to force myself to eat it since I had already paid and had nothing else to eat. I will not be going here again. I’ve had a lot of sushi and it is my favorite thing to eat and this was worse than grocery store sushi.

Y Gao

Absolutely the worst Japanese dinner! I used to have lunch at this place a few years ago and it was not bad. First time having dinner here, I came with high expectations. It turned out to be very disappointing- the portion was very small and the food was poorly prepared. I asked the waitress if it’s still the same owner, and she said yes. Unbelievable!

Jeanette Langer

The sushi was not wrapped tightly too much rice. I recommended Azuma… this place service was quick/great atmosphere, sushi has less rice. Just saying.

Sheryl

First and last time there. Portion size was extremely small in comparison to other places I've been but, prices comparable. Rolls are about the size of the tip of your thumb. Gyoza was a little soggy. Unlike other places they do not have any sushi roll combo dinners (like a maki combo) so just ordered rolls separately which they packaged all like rolls together and we had to separate out our meals. The taste was decent. The spicy salmon does have a bit of a bite, more then other places and the California rolls have the seaweed on the outside. Wish I had known that ahead of time as well because every other place I've been makes it with the rice on the outside for their standard California rolls. I was surprised and disappointed when I saw my order.

Terrible service cant understand waitress. Or vice versa

Maris is not what it use to be ! Went there for lunch a week ago and was sooo disappointed!!! The food was uneventful and the waitress didn't know how to say you're welcome. Instead she kept saying 'no problem ' ! Maris was one of my favorite restaurants but not anymore. I'll never go back !!!!!

UPDATED: because the restaurant responded so defensively I am adding information to clarify: The issue was not GrubHub's delivery: it was restaurant quality and care in preparation. They left off ginger from the Chirashi plates...is no one checking food as it goes out the door? The omelette sushi was loose and falling apart at the layers. This is inexperienced preparation of the omelet or lack of care in quality. The avocado on the roll was at the point of just past ripeness but served anyway Four of eight pieces of protein in the Chirashi were not fish but sloppy omelets or fake crab. You get more sushi on a supermarket sushi tray. Two of the four fish were tuna. One was over cooked shrimp. The portion size and preparation on the tempura was poor. We had to eat the food because one of the diners was diabetic and we had already waited an hour for delivery. Some issues aren't discovered until you start eating. I also never said I was going to make people not eat there...I just said I was going to share how bad my experience was by posting reviews everywhere. Where you choose to eat is your business. Shocked they actually tried to defend what they let out of the kitchen as quality ........................... This review is for a GrubHub delivery order. Ordered one appetizer of veggie tempura, one spicy crab salad. One dragon roll and two Chirashi meals. The veggie tempura consisted of six aneamically small pieces of vegetablea in a soggy tempura coating. Half or less the size of most tempura appetizer servings I've had at other places. Crab salad has too much mayonaisse and not enough crab or spice. The dragon roll had overly ripe avocadoes on top and the rice on the outside of the roll fell apart when picked up. The Chirashi bowls: they forgot to serve with ginger. Four of the eight pieces of scattered "fish" consisted of two fake crab sticks and two sad tamago omelets. The tamago was sad because the layers were loose and fell apart when picked up, as if made by an amateur chef. One was served with an ok miso soup, the other with a house salad with an intolerable excuse for ginger dressing. The Chirashi bowls, for two small ill prepared tamago, two fish sticks, two I hope it was tuna, one white fish and one overcooked shrimp, along with rice and soup or salad, were $22 a piece. The total miserable meal was a little over $80 dollars. Embarrassing to call this sushi. Mari's should be ashamed they let this out the door.

Waitress and food were disappointing. The place was dead and still we got no service. Our water glasses sat empty and no one bothered to check how the food was. All things that would have understandable if we weren't one of two tables in the whole restaurant at dinner time! The food was not very good either and their sushi was definitely not fresh. Have been there a few times before and it was not this bad, but will definitely never go there again.

Absolute worst Japanese food I have ever had. I ordered 3 chicken Teriyaki meals all the sauce leaked into the plastic bags and the chicken had ZERO flavor. The rice was mushy. Shrimp didn’t look clean and the miso soup smelled off putting. Definitely not a place you wanna spend $100 and get messy garbage for food. Service was great but food was a horror experience. I wish I had pictures…..I might go back just to get a picture of the madness they called food. If I could rate them I’d give them half star for the service.

Troy DeGroff

UPDATED: because the restaurant responded so defensively I am adding information to clarify: The issue was not GrubHub's delivery: it was restaurant quality and care in preparation. They left off ginger from the Chirashi plates...is no one checking food as it goes out the door? The omelette sushi was loose and falling apart at the layers. This is inexperienced preparation of the omelet or lack of care in quality. The avocado on the roll was at the point of just past ripeness but served anyway Four of eight pieces of protein in the Chirashi were not fish but sloppy omelets or fake crab. You get more sushi on a supermarket sushi tray. Two of the four fish were tuna. One was over cooked shrimp. The portion size and preparation on the tempura was poor. We had to eat the food because one of the diners was diabetic and we had already waited an hour for delivery. Some issues aren't discovered until you start eating. I also never said I was going to make people not eat there...I just said I was going to share how bad my experience was by posting reviews everywhere. Where you choose to eat is your business. Shocked they actually tried to defend what they let out of the kitchen as quality ........................... This review is for a GrubHub delivery order. Ordered one appetizer of veggie tempura, one spicy crab salad. One dragon roll and two Chirashi meals. The veggie tempura consisted of six aneamically small pieces of vegetablea in a soggy tempura coating. Half or less the size of most tempura appetizer servings I've had at other places. Crab salad has too much mayonaisse and not enough crab or spice. The dragon roll had overly ripe avocadoes on top and the rice on the outside of the roll fell apart when picked up. The Chirashi bowls: they forgot to serve with ginger. Four of the eight pieces of scattered "fish" consisted of two fake crab sticks and two sad tamago omelets. The tamago was sad because the layers were loose and fell apart when picked up, as if made by an amateur chef. One was served with an ok miso soup, the other with a house salad with an intolerable excuse for ginger dressing. The Chirashi bowls, for two small ill prepared tamago, two fish sticks, two I hope it was tuna, one white fish and one overcooked shrimp, along with rice and soup or salad, were $22 a piece. The total miserable meal was a little over $80 dollars. Embarrassing to call this sushi. Mari's should be ashamed they let this out the door.

Patty Sherman

Maris is not what it use to be ! Went there for lunch a week ago and was sooo disappointed!!! The food was uneventful and the waitress didn't know how to say you're welcome. Instead she kept saying 'no problem ' ! Maris was one of my favorite restaurants but not anymore. I'll never go back !!!!!

Arnelle Marable

Absolute worst Japanese food I have ever had. I ordered 3 chicken Teriyaki meals all the sauce leaked into the plastic bags and the chicken had ZERO flavor. The rice was mushy. Shrimp didn’t look clean and the miso soup smelled off putting. Definitely not a place you wanna spend $100 and get messy garbage for food. Service was great but food was a horror experience. I wish I had pictures…..I might go back just to get a picture of the madness they called food. If I could rate them I’d give them half star for the service.

Jason Zarillo

Waitress and food were disappointing. The place was dead and still we got no service. Our water glasses sat empty and no one bothered to check how the food was. All things that would have understandable if we weren't one of two tables in the whole restaurant at dinner time! The food was not very good either and their sushi was definitely not fresh. Have been there a few times before and it was not this bad, but will definitely never go there again.